Tag: movies

25 Days of Films by the TOG Cast – Blogmas

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’m a stereotype. Deal with it.

I’ve been in such a reading slump for months, and I’m completely burned out on video games. Thus, I decided that I would watch a lot of movies for the holidays. Why? Because spending two hours of my life watching films with actors that I like will be worth it. Or at least I can finally catch up on what most of The Old Guard fandom has been doing since July.

So. Every day, or really evening, I am watching a different film that has a cast member from The Old Guard cast in it. They don’t have to be the main character, or even have a major role. Just a recognizable role.

I made a list on my phone of a bunch of movies, and made a calendar so that I wouldn’t double up an actor, but I did kinda mess up the back end of the month. Whoops?

As of today (December 6th), I have watched five of the twenty five films. I have twenty more to go, though the final one may be moved to Boxing Day depending on how I feel that evening. I won’t go into spoiler territory of the first five films, but I will give a quick impression.

December 1st, I watched Tutti i santi giorni, or Every Blessed Day, which is one of Luca Marinelli’s earliest movies. I really enjoyed this one, much more than I figured. Guido (Luca’s character) reminded me of a more-well adjusted Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds. But he was soft and loving and cared so much for his girlfriend. It was actually really well done.

December 2nd was The Italian Job, the first film I ever saw Charlize Theron in. This was a Walmart bargain bin find back in 2010, and I used to turn it on when I was studying for background noise. Unfortunately, the movie is just fine. It hasn’t really aged well. There’s nothing that really stand out, except for Edward Norton’s mustache. It just didn’t click that well with me this go around.

December 3rd was reserved for Murder on the Orient Express, which had the lovely Marwan Kenzari in it. I’d never watched an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel before, and I wasn’t really impressed with this one. It had a stellar cast, but it just didn’t really click with me. I figured out the plot (it’s a who-done-it) by the midpoint in the film. Marwan was great, but his role was really minor (thanks fandom for not telling me that beforehand). But he can smile at me like that any day.

December 4th was another Luca Marinelli film, Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot or They Call Me Jeeg. It’s a tribute film to the anime and manga series Steel Jeeg from Japan. Luca stars as the villain, and he steals all of his scenes. Actually, he managed to make me like his character more than the main character Enzo, who is actually supposed to be the reluctant hero. But Enzo has a scene with his love interest that really turned my stomach, and I just couldn’t care for him anymore. (Also, must characters suffer from Stormtrooper Syndrome in this film, it’s hilarious).

December 5th was my first Matthias Schoenaerts film of this lovely marathon, which is also a rewatch. Far From the Madding Crowd. I’ve talked about it before enough to bore everyone into sleep, but I just love how Matthias steals the show, and yet doesn’t speak much. It’s all in action. Such love.

As for the rest of the month, I have a quick list, broken up by actor. I’ll be totally honest, I’m not watching many by Charlize Theron or KiKi Layne. It has nothing to do with them, it’s just I wasn’t very interested in most of their filmography.

For KiKi, I’ll be watching If Beale Street Could Talk. For Charlize, I’ll be giving Atomic Blonde a try, and rewatching Æon Flux for the first time in years. Of Luca’s films, I’ll be watching Il mondo fino in fondo (if I can find subtitles for it), Una questione privata / Rainbow: A Private Affair, Fabrizio De Andre: Prinipe libero, Ricordi?, and Martin Eden. As for Marwan, I’ll be rewatching Aladdin, and for the first time watching What Happened to Monday, Instinct, and Hartenstraat. Of Matthias’ films, I’ll be watching Disorder, Le Fidèle / Racer and the Jailbird and Rust and Bone, and rewatching The Bigger Splash (Bullhead as well, depending on how I feel). As for Chiwetel, I’ll be watching Doctor Strange and The Martian.

… I think I missed one in there. Oh well, I’ll figure it out another day.

On Christmas, the predictable me will be watching The Old Guard. Because why not. I have so many feelings for this movie it isn’t even funny. I’m privately hoping that we shall soon hear of sequel news, or news of part three of the comics, or just anything really. The fans are ravenous.

Anyway, this is what I’m watching for the next twenty days, provided that I don’t forget and skip a day, which is totally possible, knowing me. I’ve got a Google Doc holding me accountable, so fingers crossed.

Until next time!

I Watched “The Mummy” (2017)

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

… and now I know what it is to lose two hours to a fever dream.

Look, I’ll be honest. I paid ten bucks for this film. I went in with low expectations. But honestly, I was hoping to be surprised! I’ve enjoyed movies that people hate before. I was really hoping this would be another Valerian for me, something terrible but with a redeemable quality to it. Somewhere.

Nope.

I picked up the film for Marwan Kenzari, who is one of the stars of my favorite 2020 film, The Old Guard. I knew his role was small. I knew that he was only in a handful of scenes. But I was at least hopeful that I would enjoy something about this film until I saw him, and perhaps even get a kick out of it.

Honestly, I spent most of my time trying to figure out if this was supposed to be a horror/action film… or a damn comedy.

Tom Cruise stars in this nightmare, playing Sergeant Nick Morton. Though, if he was supposed to be military, I have news for you, you wouldn’t have a damn clue. I honestly thought that him being called “sergeant” was more of a throwback title, not his rank. He acted too much like a civilian. His best friend is Chris Vail, played by Jake Johnson of New Girl fame. He’s the comedic relief. Every one of his scenes either has him whining about following Nick into danger, or whining about being dead, or whining that Nick needs to come this way, please and thank you. Yeahhh, I wasn’t impressed.

Our token female heroine (if you really want to call her that, sorry) is Dr. (?) Jenny Halsey, an archaeologist. I think. She does so many damn things in the first twenty or thirty minutes that make me question whether she’s new or just dumb. Annabelle Wallis does what she can with what she’s got, but she doesn’t have much to work with.

Russell Crowe got roped into this mess as well, as Dr. Jekyll of all characters! And they messed up their portrayal of Jekyll and Hyde, but at that point, I really wasn’t surprised. He also didn’t do much besides kick Tom Cruise’s ass at one point (my therapy for getting through this). As for Marwan Kenzari, he’s Malik, though unnamed in the movie. He’s the chief of security apparently. He also has like thirty spoken words total across his five or so scenes. Oh, and he gets KO’ed by Jenny with the book from the 90’s Mummy film. One of the few funny moments in this trash heap. He also has nothing to do, and is beyond wasted.

There’s one more character of note. The Mummy herself, Ahmanet, played by Sofia Boutella. She… is a character. She’s basically there to cause trouble. Loki, if you will. Completely useless, no character development. But she bitch slaps Cruise like three times, so she is officially best character in my book.

As for the story… like I said, fever dream. It made no sense. Nick is a useless character, completely cookie cutter and worthless. If he opened up his mouth and talked to Token Female Heroine about what he was seeing in his head for like five minutes (instead of the four shots he did in a row… dude you probably have a concussion, alcohol is a bad idea…), this film might not have sucked so much. The band of morons does every thing wrong. Oh, and apparently Nick is Set in the end. So, bad guy. Kinda.

The CGI is honestly garbage. I know there were rewrites and reshoots and all that, but it felt rushed and terrible. There is a shot where Ahmanet is throwing up liquid mercury. It looked so beyond fake that I burst out into laughter.

I know they were trying to set up a cinematic universe, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC’s Live Action Universe. But this film failed in so many regards. The final montage was attempting to set up for a sequel, or the next film in said universe, but it honestly closed out the film with a boulder with STOP written all over it.

I actually felt sorry for Cruise by the end. He played a character that was almost entirely the complete opposite from Ethan Hunt, his character in the Mission Impossible series. The problem is, while this idea is great on paper, it is ruined by bad writing. He comes off as a complete idiot with no real respect for the Chain of Command, no idea what he’s doing, and no real wish to learn. He is arrogant for no good reason. It’s almost like he’s an idiot for no damn reason.

I’m gonna cut this rant off now, because if I don’t, I’ll go for an hour. I will leave you with this: the best shot in the film is where Marwan Kenzari shoots Tom Cruise in the chest with a tranq dart. It’s glorious.

Final verdict? Avoid at all costs. Even if you’re trying to watch everything the TOG cast has done. Not worth it at all.

Until next time!

Let’s Talk Adaptations – Blogtober!

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

It’s a common joke that Hollywood doesn’t have any original material anymore. So many movies and shows that have come out in the past twenty years are remakes or adaptations of other forms of media.

When I was doing some of the book challenges earlier this month, I kept on coming across different books on my shelves that are now movies or television shows, either released or in the works. It got me thinking, just how many good ones are out there? The answer is, in my opinion, not many.

Before I start, let me reiterate that this list is my opinion only. There are several adaptations that have been released that I think are pretty good, but others think are trash. Likewise, there are some that I think should be buried in a landfill that Atari’s E.T. game, but are loved by audiences. I’m also not going to hit on every one that’s been done, because that’s almost impossible. I’m just going to hit some highlights.

Let’s start with the obvious success story, Harry Potter. The seven book series turned into eight movies, loved by critics and fans alike. This is an example of a good adaptation. Yes, changes were made to accommodate actors (Daniel Radcliff’s blue eyes, for example) or for timing proposes (the removal of quidditch in Order of the Phoenix). On the whole, the story comes across the same as the books. The ending is (mostly) the same. The writers and actors hit all the right moments that were needed for the plot. It worked. Is it the best adaptation out there? No. Could it have been better? Well, yes. It could have been seven seasons on HBO. Which is rumored. Nothing more.

Here’s one in the opposite direction. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. The movie, not the television series. The movie basically took ten plotlines, threw them in a blender, spat them into some form of a script, and filmed it. It sucked, it was horrible. WHY. I almost walked out of the theater ten minutes in. As for Shadowhunters, I think the show gave a good faith effort to at least adapt the material. Was is perfect? Well, besides Magnus and Alec, absolutely not. Did it at least tell a good story? Most of the time. Did it follow the source material… kinda? I mean, there were plotlines from the books in there. Somewhere. Ok, it was entertainment, nothing more. I’m not calling it good. Just good faith.

Sometimes adaptations are better than the source material. I’ve mentioned several times that I prefer the film Nerve over the novel. While it’s not the best movie, I will give it credit for changing the final act, which I felt in the book was a major disappointment. Instead of introducing a bunch of characters that aren’t important in the final third, the screen writer streamlined it and make it work in the context of the film. I was actually really impressed with how well they did actually.

Another series that needs to be is The Chronicles of Narnia. Adapted several times of the years, I was introduced to it by Walden Media’s take on the series. I though the first one, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was actually really decently adapted. Quality of life changes, sure, but still ok. The sequel, Prince Caspian was less successful in adapting the source material in my opinion, but was still a fun little movie. I unfortunately never saw the third film. I’m not about to say that these adaptations were perfect by any means, but it got kids into high fantasy, as well into good fantasy literature. That has to count for something.

The same cannot be said by the ill-fated Eragon film. Ugh. That film is like my first relationship: all promise, no payoff. I was a fan of the book when it came out, but the film actually killed any love I had for the series. (This has happened since as well, with Beautiful Creatures ruining my want to continue past the first book, because all I remember is that horrible movie). I still can’t really get over the fact that the cast was actually pretty amazing (excluding Ed Speleers, who was in his first film role, though his career did rebound and he was amazing in Downton Abbey six years later).

A series that deserves mention in the same vein as Eragon is the His Dark Materials series. in 2007, when The Golden Compass adaptation was released, it had another amazing cast with a young unknown playing the main role. Once again, the adaptation failed to live up to the source material. (I though it was passable, but I know why everyone hates it.) I will give BBC One and HBO credit where credit is do, as they have redeemed His Dark Materials into a successful television series. (I don’t have HBO right now, so I actually haven’t see it yet. It’s on my list, I swear.)

Sometimes, adaptations actually end up flying under the radar for one reason or another. There is one that I know of that I only knew about the film version because I followed the lead actress, Maki Horikita. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is a book based in America that was adapted into a Japanese film in 2010. It had an really good cast, including the late Anton Yelchin. I hate that it is so hard to see in the United States, because it actually is a pretty decent adaptation, even with the shifting of the setting from the US to Japan.

If we’re talking source materials that shift from one country to another, let’s bring the overly expensive and critically disliked Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets into the mix. I actually enjoyed this film! It was a good mind suck. And yes, it is an adaptation, as it is based on a French sci-fi series called Valerian and Laureline. I’m not about to say that this film is amazing or anything, but it was fun to watch, and really pretty.

And it is here that I realized that I missed two of the big YA adaptations from the past ten years. Oops. The Hunger Games and Divergent. One that is actually really good and did a decent job adapting the source material (for the most part). The other that just… wasn’t. Guess which way I lean. (Hint: the lead actress starred in a spy thriller in 2018 with one of my favorite actors of late, Matthias Schoenaerts. And I’ll get to him in a second). Honestly, I’m not surprised that the prequel to Hunger Games is getting made. At least that team knows what they’re doing.

Ok, fine. Let’s get to the whole real reason for this topic. The Old Guard is based on the comics written by Greg Rucka, illustrated by Leandro Fernandex, published by Image Comics. The movie adapted the comics spectacularly, including my favorite scene of 2020, the van scene. The cast is stellar. The writing on point. Give me the damn sequel. I will accept no criticism for loving this film. Hell, it got me to watch another adaptation, Far From the Madding Crowd (thanks Matthias for Gabriel Oak), and I’m trying to do research Diabolik comics before the film hits on New Years Eve (thanks Luca for Diabolik). And I rewatched Aladdin, which is an adaptation in of itself (thanks Marwan for hot!Jafar).

It’s obvious that I could only skim the surface of adaptations in one post. The obvious ones I missed are Game of Thrones (only saw two or three episodes, don’t have an opinion), Lord of the Rings (saw the first movie, kinda meh about it), and Twilight (not even going there). And there are so many YA adaptations that have been released in the past few years, both as films and series, that I could be here for a year and only just get started on the list.

If I missed one that you want me to talk about, drop it in the comments. I’ll happily discuss these films and shows above as well as anything else I can get my hands onto. I know I had to skip a few heavy hitters (The Hate U Give is another), but I just wanted to hit a range.

Until next time!

What’s On My Current “To Watch” List – Blogtober!

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Okay, I’m prepared to say that I’m somewhat obsessed with the cast of The Old Guard at this point.

Over the past couple months, I’ve been slowly working my way through the filmography of Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Kiki Layne, and Charlize Theron. It’s a thing. I don’t really care at this point.

My goal has been to try to broaden my movie-viewing. By that, I mean I’m watching films in a language other than English (or animated in Japanese). I totally admit that I’m a bit of a snob about what I watch, and I’ve done my utmost to only watch certain genres for years. But I’m getting better!

For instance, I absolutely loved Far from the Madding Crowd, which is based on the 1874 book by the same name. It’s one of Matthias’ films, and it was amazing. To the point that I actually went and bought the book to read it (though I now get to wait until my mother gives it up at some point). I’ve also watched A Bigger Splash and A Little Chaos, please see yesterday’s post for my thoughts on that.

I also was able to get a hold of several of Luca’s films, most of which are only available in Italy, so it was a bit of a chore. Waves was odd but interesting, and Il Padre d’Italia broke my heart. Luca needs to not cry on screen, it makes me cry damnit. I also watched him on Trust, which was a FX miniseries, where he played an Italian gangster who led the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. Ever feel conflicted rooting for a villain in certain scenes? Yeah, here too. (I live for the 70’s murder-pornstash dear God). And let’s not forget A Dangerous Fortune, a German TV film where Luca plays the bad guy/man whore (at least, manipulator/man whore. That was my take, anyway.). He’s hot, the story sucks, and the ending is an utter waste.

As for what I’m planning on watching, I have several films for each of them queued up. I’ll break up that list by actor, only for the sake of my sanity. I also may add movies to this list, this is just what I have right now.

For Matthias, I’m about to watch Rust and Bone and Bullhead. Probably some of his others as well, depending on if I can get my hands on them. (Not The Loft. NO.)

Luca’s list is bigger. I’m planning on watching Martin Eden, Ricordi?, Fabrizio De Andre: Principe libero and Il mondo fino in fondo. Ok, basically everything he’s been in. Don’t judge me.

From Marwan’s list, I want to watch Wolf and Aladdin (again, for reasons). Probably some of his others, depending on the subject matter.

Of Kiki’s filmography, the only film I really want to see is If Beale Street Could Talk. No offense to the other amazing films, they’re just not for me.

As for Charlize, I’ve already seen a number of her films over the years. But I would love to finally see Atomic Blonde, and I want to rewatch The Italian Job (once again, for reasons).

I guess I have a lot of watching to do. Hopefully I find the time before the end of the year, because I really need a smile.

Until next time!

[For the record, I typed the back half of this post one handed, because I managed to smash my hand into a pot at 6AM yesterday, and now my knuckles are is so much pain that typing hurts. So… Yeah. Enjoy the short content. Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll be able to type more.]

Watching Movies in Cars For Reasons – Blogtober!

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I spent most of today sitting in my car outside various doctors, waiting on my uncle who got cataract surgery today. The locations were just far enough away from our apartment that it didn’t make sense to go back home while I was waiting on him. I also didn’t want to potentially bring something home to Mom, so staying away until we were entirely done made more sense. (Also, there were delays, so what should have been four hours total stretched to nearly seven).

I ended up watching a couple movies I had pre-downloaded while I waited. Three that I had already seen, one that was new to me. All were Matthias Schoenaerts’ films.

I started with Far From the Madding Crowd, which is a adaptation of the novel of same name by Thomas Hardy. It’s a period piece, one that served Schoenaerts’ talents of long looks and quiet acting, while also giving him the ability to show some of his range. I happened to watch it a few weeks ago with my mom, and it was spectacular. I am not someone who particularly enjoys period pieces, preferring to stay within the modern settings if possible. But something about this movie made me watch it again. I’ll be started the book in the next few days, once I can get it from my mother’s grasp, so I’m curious to see how well the adaptation is.

The next film I decided to watch was A Bigger Splash, also starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton. Wow, I should not have been watching this one in public. I’m actually very glad that I was in my car with the windows up, because there are a few scenes that I wouldn’t want to watch around people I don’t know. It’s a good little film, with some problematic themes and making me want to punch Fiennes in the nose for reasons. I am glad that I watched it though, because it’s fun watching Matthias get to act in a modern setting. Also those blue shorts. Why.

For the new film, I ended up watching A Little Chaos, directed by Alan Rickman. Another period piece, the film takes place in the 1680s and tells the story of one of the designers of the gardens of Versailles in France, as commissioned by King Louis XIV. While I enjoyed the film overall, I will say I had trouble with Kate Winslet as the lead. Nothing against her acting, I just felt that the role just didn’t do her justice. A minor complaint against a stunning backdrop and halfway decent story. Also, there were springer spaniels, which makes the film perfect for the two seconds they are on screen. (Let’s just not talk about Matthias’ wig for this one. No offence, but they could have done more. Or better. Or… anything.)

And of course, for the final film I watched. Ok, I watched a bunch of scenes from The Old Guard. In my defense, I couldn’t get my Youtube downloads to load, and I had no wifi. It was the last movie I still had downloaded. I didn’t have time to watch the whole film (less than an hour actually), so instead I just skipped around to my favorite scenes, or scenes I really watched to watch again. So, the hotel scene, the kill floor, Nile vs Andy on the plane, the campfire cave talk (which Matthias is in full form, fight me), Andy’s capture and Booker’s betrayal (… I want Oscar nods for them. If only for that scene. There is range.), and the third act. I know that I have an almost unhealthy obsession with this film, but I was having too much fun watching the actors that I’ve grown to like.

If you’re curious, I’m starting to watch the filmography of the five main actors. Not everything, due to me being a selective brat, but a good selection. I think I have like five of Matthias’ films left on my list, a bunch of Luca’s, and too many to name for the other actors. There are some films I’m having trouble getting, but we shall see what the next day brings.

Now I’m going to bed. Sitting in a car for like seven hours is boring as all get.

Until next time!