Starring Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe and Derek Jacobi.
IMDB gives it 6.2/10
“In the aftermath of World War II, a former circus entertainer who was spared from the gas chamber becomes the ringleader at an asylum for Holocaust survivors.”
Perhaps not the most detailed account of the second world war this movie decides to focus on Adam, a somewhat unique former circus entertainer with a knack for making Nazis laugh. What we have is a unique movie with some dramatic acting and disturbing concepts.
Adam is living in an asylum in the idle of the desert following the end of the second world war. He has a charismatic way of acting and Goldblum did a decent job with the psychiatric symptoms. Symptoms which can be classed as a severe form of traumatic stress.
Adam was forced to act as an animal in a concentration camp, leaving him scarred. All the more harrowing is his connection with the nurse, a somewhat sexual deviance reminiscent of his days gallivanting about a stage with women. He is keen to get better, and so too are his doctors wanting this. However, he soon discovers another inpatient who is in a worse condition that he is.
A type of spiritual dramatic movie, Adams personal journey through mentally unwell to a released and normal person is warming, and is quite good to see.
Willem Dafoe doesn’t make much of an appearance but when he does he’s playing the bad guy, which isn’t unusual for him. He’s a harrowing Nazi who abused Adam. Perhaps the directors and writers were themselves confused as to how to use his character. He wasn’t going to play a very big physical but instead emotional role in Adam’s recovery.
It’s a little bit of a hidden gem, but it also certainly no Schindlers List. If you want an uncomfortable movie to watch this is it. Not least down to the acting. I felt like Adam was a bit too flamboyant. There’s little wrong with the set design. It is fairly grim as one would expect and lighting and camera angles were good. Unlike other movies which tend to flick back and forth several times a minute.
I can’t bring myself to rate it more than 7/10 but I do feel it is worth a watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 30% – IMDB: 4.8/10 (Please read my review before considering these)
Release date: 2009
Runtime: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Directed by: George A. Romero.
Survival of the Dead is George A. Romero’s last movie directorial effort before his demise in 2017. A zombie classic but one movie which received critical reviews from all parts of the reviews world. Sometimes referred to as a massive failure, this movie, I hope to explain in my review isn’t a bad movie at all. In fact, this is a genius work of art.
It is important to note that Romero never had the giant funding of rich movie studios on any of his works. Land of the Dead (2005) was funded by Universal Pictures but this is a far cry from the pittance he’d received for previous films. That movie also had some big actors on the cast including legendary Dennis Hopper who was fantastic in his role. The next two movies wouldn’t have the same production values.
Survival of the Dead was produced by independent companies, and distributed by Artfire Pictures – released to DVD in 2010. The budget was 4 million dollars. The budget doesn’t detract from the movie, it is a professional art work with good acting, good directing, plot and pace, beautiful set pieces including well chosen locations for the mainland and island on which the latter half of the film would unfold.
So as far as it not being a big budget movie like Land of the Dead, it is nonetheless stunning and given how it looks when watching it I’d say the crew did a great job especially the director of photography.
We have a movie which I would call ‘aesthetically pleasing’, meaning it is nice to look at and the way the actors are presented on screen is also telling of this being a work of art, with deeper meanings than simply another zombie movie. What I particularly like is that right from the word go, we are drawn into quite a dark, haunted world and Romero gives us a zombie kill early on, albeit in a rather black-humour kind of way. Classic Romero, throwing in humour, which he has done before in his movies. Survival of the Dead has more of it, in terms of the zombie kills being somewhat laughable but that doesn’t detract from the effort put into making this.
So, we get dropped into this dark, zombie infested world in which the zombies have taken over. Since Night of the Living Dead Romero has kept the zombies going, with the world becoming increasingly apocalyptic and chaotic. The exception would be the Diary of the Dead in which we see the dead rise for the first time again. In this addition, Survival of the Dead takes us into a warm embrace and George sure knows how to please.
Soldiers go looking for an island, hoping to find safety in a new, terrible world. What they find is that there have been – as is shown at the beginning of the movie with some brilliant acting by Kenneth Welsh – some ongoing feuds between two Irish families. Reminiscent of the Irish civil war in a way, the two men have their own beliefs. One man, Muldoon wants to keep the zombies around and use them to try to get them to eat something other than the living. O’Flynn wants to put them to rest. At first you might be siding with O’Flynn, despite the fact he’s been robbing people and sending them to the island for money, only for them to arrive and be killed by Muldoons people. Intent on keeping the island his own, it is clear the soldiers have stumbled onto a familiar power struggle.
The living fighting the dead. Two Irish men, fighting since childhood. Determined to outwit and outdo the other, the movie sort of trails off from any sort of survival aspect. Which, to me, is genius. Not only are the zombies in the background playing a central role to one of these men, or so he believes, but they are also there are post marks to the climax of the movie. With neither side willing to back down and admit defeat I wondered, initially, what would happen. There was no doubt that blood would be shed. Killing of living and dead. Betrayal, family feud and warring neighbours. It’s drama at its best. I don’t say that lightly.
What Romero is giving us is a human portrait, and I stress again that the acting is good, you just need to be able to appreciate the plot and style to see it. This war between the living comes at great cost. Arrogance and pride take the limelight. Religion and good old fashioned guns combat one another. If morality exists in this movie, neither of the warring parties have it. O’Flynn, too ignorant to stand down has already lost his daughter. I can see his point, and partially agree with ending the zombies. Muldoon comes across at first as very unlikeable. However, as he explains his point I started to see what he was doing. I think, given the movies ending that we can safely say that had both men just lowered their guns and shared the island, that things might have turned out okay for them all.
The soldiers are just caught in the middle of this war, which I find amusing as they are afterall, soldiers. You could say this is a nod to the Green zones in which soldiers become accustomed to being at rest, not firing weapons or being attacked until one day, they are. They side with O’Flynn from the beginning, but at the end of the movie, the soldiers left have told us – through narration by Alan Van Sprang (Sarge) – that he too though there was more to Muldoon’s argument.
It’s a movie with tension, dark humour and slower paced drama that blends rather well into something of a horror. The horrors of war, no side backing down, losing people in the process until nobody is left. Each side taking hits, because they want to be right and to win. George Romero should be glad at this effort as it was not wasted. Far from it.
Further reviews have gone on to say that film doesn’t have the societal issues interwoven into the plot like other Romero movies. This isn’t true because as I said previously the drama and conflict is demonstrated right from the beginning of the movie. If you can see the artistic work here, and what is really being said I believe you will enjoy it. Sure, you might find the scenes stilted and lackluster, but I can see there is a purpose to this. By having no music in one scene it heightens the emotion of a sad character. By keeping the camera stationary when O’Flynn goes to shoot the dead children, we can sense his isolation and pride, being too difficult even for him to do.
I say this many years after I first watched it, but thank you to George A. Romero for this masterpiece. I can see the point. I enjoyed this film, the choice of locations, the direction, the lighting, the aesthetically pleasing set pieces and costume design and the funny zombie kills. It is just a shame that it was your last.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
It’s truly a 5 star movie. Give it a chance. It’s a masterpiece.
The Little Things is a 2021 American neo-noir psychological crime thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by John Lee Hancock and co-produced by Mark Johnson. Set in early 1990s Los Angeles, the film follows two detectives who investigate a string of murders, which lead them to a strange loner who may be the culprit.
IMDB = 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes = 44%
Metacritic = 54/100
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Genre: Crime · Drama · Mystery · Thriller
Director: John Lee Hancock
Runtime: 2 hours 8 minutes
I watched The Little Things last night on Amazon Prime Video. It is recently added. I must say that I’ve wanted to see this for a while so when it suddenly appeared I was quick to put it on. Surprisingly interesting, captivating is a better word for it, dark, mysterious and somewhat noir in nature, the film offers crime thrilling at its best.
Firstly I want to address the acting, it is very much an acquired taste, the variety I have seen before in other movies. It involves some aspects on method acting. Jared Leto again has changed appearance and is very, very good at playing the ‘bad’ guy… if you can really call him that. On top of this the relationship between Malek and Washington starts off a little rusty, building and building until the two are fairly comfortable with each other. I find some of the dialogue challenging, but realistic.
What can I say of the plot? It starts off with a crime, murder. From there we have officers trying to track down the killer, looking for clues, following leads, looking for the little things that will help them catch them. Of course, about half way through the investigation and movie they have a lead, and it’s from there that the cops become convinced of their killer. To their detriment.
From a movie point of view; the lighting, direction, dialogues, acting, angles and scenes/aesthetic are very good. It reminds me of the older 90s crime movies. The plot is certainly tense and kept me wanting to see what would happen. There is a lot of questions to be answered and on that front, not a lot of answers. I suppose that is the point, they want us to figure it out ourselves.
When you see Malek and Washington discovering body after body of mutilated women – trends in the killers acts – and pursuing one lead, you do question what motif the cops have.. I say that lightly, as it’s like they have simply chosen a man based on a few factors and the fact that Leto makes the guy creepy as hell. Sure they have a few things that may connect him with a girl in question, but there is nothing else to go on. From there they simply follow him, determined to catch him.
It could be a case of one cop whose simply fallen off the edge and doesn’t care who it is, he wants someone to blame. There is the underlying dark and relatively strange Washington character, who is also a cop but who also does some questionable things. It makes me wonder if they could simply be looking in the wrong direction.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so go and watch it now. I do recommend this movie because it felt good, looked good, great cast and acting, the story was realistic compared to most other crime movies – reminded me a little of Silence of the Lambs for some reason.
Strange World is a brand new animated movie by Disney. It focuses on a family who have to navigate through a foreign land where nothing is normal. Surrounded by a series of weird, fantastical creatures they must find the source of the problems in their world.
A film rated 74% by Rotten Tomatoes.
Runtime of approximately 1 hour 42 minutes.
It’s not a bad film, and offers some fun adventure time. But, it is also a far cry from previous Disney movies. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen many of their new films that makes this come across so differently. Is this what Disney has moved toward?
I watched it yesterday expecting some good fun, but the movie was ultimately overshadowed by a lot of equality and what is referred to as virtue-signaling. One of the main characters is a young boy who is openly homosexual. Now I understand diversity but when it’s a kids film, it shouldn’t really be included as a normal thing.
From an action and adventure point it was fun, and I enjoyed the struggles of the characters as they battle through a weird mystical world to find the source or cause of the problems in their world. A world where they farm energy. Once inside the strange world things turn out even weirder, taking you through huge fields of breathing life, acidic lakes and tetradactyl like translucent birds. There’s no shortcoming of eye-candy, as an adult I thought it was enjoyable.
There is not much to say about it, since it would spoil the movie. I do recommend it, but I’d wait to rent it or watch it through the Disney+ when it’s released. It feels adventurous and fun. A living world our main characters have to get through. The music was somewhat familiar and didn’t feel that original. It also reminded me of the older movie Treasure Planet
Before Pierce Brosnan took the leap into James Bond, he played a variety of roles in action movies in which he is using guns. I can see now why they chose him. Take this 80s gem, Taffin, a hard-boiled and small movie with big drama and direction.
It was rated at 5.6/10 by IMDB which is a shame since I found it overall to be interesting, with characters that had clear motivations. There is drama, conflict, a bit of action, some violence, some nudity, and Brosnan as the hard edged Taffin which made the movie quite over played but enjoyable.
Taffin is a 1988 thriller film directed by Francis Megahy and starring Pierce Brosnan in the title role of Mark Taffin. It also featured Ray McAnally, Alison Doody and Jeremy Child. It is based on Lyndon Mallet’s book series.
Directed by Francis Megahy and with a runtime of approx. 1 hour 36 minutes it clocks in to be an easy evening viewing.
For those who want to see hard men doing hard things this is the film for you. Brosnan plays Taffin who is a no-holds-barred debt collector working freelance. Come the debt, come the Taffin. Soon though the little town he lives in comes under a much bigger threat, that of a new development plan on the local playing fields to build a chemical factory. It gets dirty, very quickly.
Taffin, determined not to get involved is pulled in for his love of the town. So are other people. What starts as a back and forth fight between the corps and the people turns bloody, with fighting, shooting, blackmail, threats, and death.
Taffin, being the man everyone relied on to help, is sadly left to do the dirty work and when the corps hire a freelance hitman – or whatever he is – to burn down a house resulting in a mans death, Taffin is blamed. He is blamed because the people new he was involved and suspected he took it too far. The people push him out despite him helping them when they needed it. In the end, he takes it to the top, he reaches the man he’s meant to reach and eventually flies off with his girlfriend.
A fairly abrupt ending but the film itself was tense, and I found it rewarding and interesting. Although the lack of reciprocation from the people to Taffin after the fire is disheartening.
This is a short review because it’s an easy to view film which doesn’t require much in depth analysis. You have people on opposite sides wanting different things, things turn ugly. This is still a very true albeit fictional account of things that happen in real life. Taffin is also an Irish movie with Brosnan being Irish (although a lot assume he is English because he played James Bond). It is certainly one of the more flamboyant roles, in which Taffin has the ego that could fill your living room.
The Banshees of Inisherin is a 2022 black tragicomedy film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. The film follows lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship; Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan also star. It reunites Farrell and Gleeson, who previously worked together on McDonagh’s directorial debut In Bruges.
Starring: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
Genre: Drama, Comedy, (Black comedy/tragicomedy)
Directed by: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
Highly rated by Rotten Tomatoes at 97% and IMDB at 8.2.
This review is based on a viewing of the movie yesterday. I was looking for something good to watch at the cinema after missing Bullet Train and found the movie called The Banshees of Inisherin starring reuniting stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson who had previously paired up in the black comedy In Bruges – also directed by the Martin McDonagh. I didn’t read any reviews prior to seeing the film and went with an open mind. Having seen the trailer it looked interesting enough.
So, the film starts off pretty quickly and there is no explanation or showing of the main characters relationship before this crisis hits them. Pádraic Súilleabháín (Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Gleeson) were obviously close friends having lived on the island for many years, sharing the same pub. However we are dropped right into Colm telling Pádraic that he no longer wants to be friends, and that he should stop talking to him. This last for some time, about half an hour of the film is this tension back and forth as the Irish men seperate and the locals who live on the island begin to take it seriously.
It is a rather sad and callous action for Colm to cut his friend off like this. But he reasons that it is because Pádraic is dull and talks **** for hours on end. Colm would rather have peace, play his violin and make music that Island will remember. This is occuring on an island off the coast off Ireland during the civil war, some time ago now. As the reality settles in and Pádraic struggles to find the reason, and finds it hard to accept, he is trying to make amends believing he is in the wrong, yet Colm doesn’t want to hear any of this.
After some time, Colm makes the ultimatum that every time Pádraic talks to him he’ll cut one of his left hand fingers off. The hand he plays the violin with. With time, and the two in silence not helping one another, Pádraic makes the mistake of talking to his ex friend, revealing to the pub goers, and island folk that it was no bluff. Despite living with his sister, Pádraic is lonely, and misses his friend, as is his sister. With time the loneliness grows. But Colm is pushed further and eventually cuts all fingers off.
As for the characters; interesting to say the least. The humour is very stark and black but does well in places. The over arching theme is loneliness, despite me thinking it was about something else entirely. The two best friends, now seperated because Colm wants peace, ultimately proves too much for Pádraic who can’t handle it. He’s soon talking to animals and keeping them in the house for company.
It is quite dramatic, yet quite tear jerking because the man can’t move on easily from this relationship. On the way the other island residents soon turn out to be just as callous. But it isn’t this that causes us to connect. We are seeing that the world here on the island is far sinister, it’s isolating. Something that we all can relate to. The friendship that was broken was strong on one end, but revealing on the other. Colm, potentially wrestling with his own demons is clearly not in his right mind to do these things, and neither is Pádraic.
What we are left with is a broken relationship and isolation on both ends. What should have been an amicable departure turns sour. Yes there is humour, but there is more drama. I was left hoping that something good would happen, but it sort of fizzles of at the end of the movie. The ending is abrupt and we have to piece together whether the men are friends again, or simply calling it quits on this fighting. There is some heart touching moments, and yet bitter moments. Characters struggle with the realities and some perish, telling of the high rates of depression among the isolated and indeed in those times – and even to this day.
What I wanted was more comedy, a bit more backstory into the friendship, like a scene of the two friends etc. Without this, it sort of plays out as a very weird, but likeable story. There is more to the men than we realise. There is more to the residents, to the island, to the story. This goes beyond a friendship breakup to the harrowing inner workings of a society held together literally by space and time.
Acting is super, and I didn’t expect less from the Irish pair Colin Farrel and Brendan Gleeson. It was a welcome reunion, and you can see that the pair on on form, at the top of their game. But they’ve always been good actors, this is just a very different acting style, almost like watching a play at the theater. The island location is beautiful, the decadent decaying homes of the farmers run down and revealing of their hearts desire. A movie I’d like to watch again. Although the dark air to the film is a little unsettling. Some genius somewhere will decode all the symbolism and things to tell us the real meaning and happenings in time.
This is far from a comprehensive review: so, thank you for reading! I give it generous: 4/5 because I like these sorts of movies, small places, tight acting, stringent storylines and potent drama.
Top Gun: Maverick is from the start a complete and utter amazement of a movie. This is the man movie of the 21st century and a must see for anyone who likes planes, fighter jets, Tom Cruise, friendship and extremely actionable movie sequences involving life and death situations. Today, I had the pleasure of watching this unexpected gem of an action movie, welcome to the review!
It was rated at 97% by Rotten Tomatoes and at 78 by Metacritic.
The movie was directed by: Joseph Kosinski, and released on the 27th May 2022 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed $817.30 million dollars, and counting. Starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer and more! It is an action and drama movie. It runs at around 2 hours and 10 minutes.
“After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell (Maverick) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot.”
Ladies and gentlemen I expected a copycat rehash and reboot, what I got was an interesting, action filled and feeling movie that really surprised me. It is not dragged out at all, and is always focused on the mission. Maverick (Cruise) is pulled from his edge of the seat role as aircraft test pilot where he pushes the limit until his superior Cain (Ed Harris) comes to pull him out and send him back to… TOPGUN. Maverick is assigned the task of teaching and training the class graduates of the Top Gun programme for a near impossible mission.
Of course this comes after a rollercoaster of an opening scene, which sees Maverick push an aircraft to mach 10, speeding round the atmosphere until he burns his aircraft up and ends up in the next shot walking into a bar and asking ‘where am I?’ to which a small child at the bar looks to a burned and ash covered face of Maverick and responds ‘earth.’ There are a few funny moments, but I didn’t find all of them funny like a lot of people, but they added humour in a way that diffuses any sad scenes, so the sad scenes don’t drag out too long. This film is positive, and has strong positive themes.
Maverick is now back to the training ground, back with old ‘friends,’ until he realises that one of the Top Gun graduates is Goose’s son, whom Maverick thinks still blames him for his fathers death. Throughout the movie we see that he is still struggling with Goose’s death and a big part of the movie, is forgiveness and acceptance and moving on. Maverick returns to Ice (Val Kilmer) now ailed and unable to speak, which reflects the actors real state, as Kilmer cannot speak anymore. He confesses before the deadly mission he cannot move on from Goose’s death, he doesn’t know how to. Of course, he and Rooster (Goose’s son) do have their differences, and they do get along, but Maverick is still conscious that he won’t ever be truly forgiven, or something like that.
During the training, the action of the movie cranks up, Maverick is shown what the top secret mission is, to target a small couple of feet vent and drop bombs, after navigating a small valley laden with SAMs. Training takes its toll, pushing the aircraft to the limit, pulling many Gs, pushing the Top Gun pilots to the limit. Rooster reminds Maverick of Goose to the point he pulls the young mans application to the navy academy because his mother didn’t want him to do it. I suppose the story has strong father and son tones, so it was fitting to watch it this father day.
It is the constant action in the training and the cool aerial shots and soundtrack that keep this movie at the top of its game. Maverick is not just an excellent fighter pilot, but he knows how to make the others the best too. That was why he was chosen. For this missions, of destroying a small target, it will take the best, and he selects 6 other people to do it, along with 6 on standby. Luckily nobody dies, but the training builds up in such a way to give the impression that someone will not make it out alive. Maverick suspects Rooster is not experienced or ready, yet decides to take him. It was nice to see Tom Cruise showing emotions on screen, shedding tears in his quest to move on, and this was what made me think ‘this is not just good acting, this is great acting,’ and you can really feel the emotions of all the characters.
The team are friends, are more than just pilots, this is a team and we get to feel connected to this group. There is 1 female out of the 12 selected, but I don’t think this detracted because she was in the main mission. But we move on and the mission is ready to begin, after 3 weeks of training, and crashes and near misses and intense dog fights. The main mission begins, and I couldn’t help but feel scared for them, they were extremely brave going into it, and Maverick, Tom Cruise acting is great. I felt like Maverick had the magic and more, years of experience making him the best of the best. It is all Hollywood blockbuster action, dropping bombs, intense dog fights, exploding bases, blowing up planes, losing flares, running low on fuel, being close to dying. This film kept me both entertained and on the edge of my seat.
I honestly believed in Maverick but suspected he would die, and he does get shot down after tackling rockets alone, but, to his aid comes Rooster, not only after he crashed but still as he was trying to retreat. Maverick after being shot down by these nameless enemies (I was unsure why nationality wasn’t disclosed unless it was out of fear of stoking tensions with eastern countries) Maverick is alive but forced to take shelter from a fighter helicopter, and here comes Rooster, who blows the chopper to pieces. It is amazing how good the scenes are, and the use of explosives. But Rooster is shot down, another heart wrenching moment, but of course the positive vibes of the movie meant he was still alive, and Maverick on his trail to show his hate of the youngster risking his life.
As we approach the end of the movie, Maverick and Rooster, on foot manage to penetrate the enemy base, and I had to hold my tongue because they slipped in, stole a jet and managed to take off on like 30 feet of concrete A little unbelievable but then again, the base was in chaos, destroyed and the enemy more concerned about other things. I thought that the action had been good so far with excellent shots of jets swerving the mountains and performing incredible aerial stunts but it didn’t last too long and when they escaped I kind of wanted them to be challenged. They were, as two new generation fighters get on their tail, an awesome dog fight ensues and luckily they are rescued by the standby crew, something that I found emotional. True bravery was demonstrated in this movie, and although fiction is likely not far off what real fighter pilots do.
So the movie comes to an end, we see Maverick back in his hangar fixing his aircraft, back to his place, and we get that happy ending. A film which didn’t drag on the sad things and kept us on our seats, fully immersed. Tom Cruise did well and I mean that, along with everyone else, it had a completely different feel than the first and is the first movie I have seen in a long time where I actually enjoyed every moment. I had my assumptions about a sequel, thinking it would be rubbish, but this movie really does stand alone, and does make references to the first movie, but it is done in such a way that they are merely flashbacks which have been used in movies before which didn’t even have a first movie.
Anyone who goes to the cinema should try this movie. RATING 5/5
“The film had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021, and was released in limited theatres on November 19, 2021, by A24. It has received acclaim from critics, with praise for its performances, direction, and cinematography.”
“Johnny is a radio journalist traveling the country with his producing partners, interviewing children about their lives and their thoughts on the future. While in Detroit he calls his sister Viv; they had not spoken for the past year since their mother’s death from dementia. Viv asks Johnny if he can come to Los Angeles and watch her nine-year-old son Jesse, as she has to travel to Oakland to care for her estranged husband Paul struggling with mental illness.”
A dramatic and family based movie, one with a music score, direction and more that you don’t find in many movies now. Classical music to my taste and I suppose that works well. I watched it on Amazon Prime as it is recently added. A low key movie for Joaquin Phoenix because I personally, hadn’t heard of it until yesterday.
What we have is disconnected family. Johnny is already trying to connect with children about their own experiences and expectations in life, delving into big questions, not usually the sort people ask children. Like, ‘what do you think happens after you die,’ and ‘do you think this is real.’ I suppose the thought revolution has to begin somewhere. For the most part, adults don’t bother with these ideas as they would rather live in ignorance. So, getting into the care of his nephew, which I found to be quite heartbreaking. Why? Because the kid has been having issues at home, his mother is worried about his absent father, who is taken unwell, to a treatment facility. We don’t actually get all the answers as to what is going on with his father, but we can assume it is not good.
Naturally Johnny and Jesse have their differences, as Johnny tries to connect. But it does take some time. Yet with the movie shot in black and white, and the musical score, it sort of feels like it is going for a whole take on ‘what is life’, so that we as an audience can see what it is. Dramatic yes, the child Jesse is not to keen on opening up, but despite that Johnny has only good intentions in his heart and wants to try and be a good role model. Jesse is quite the unbearable kid at times, having his tantrums, running off etc. Johnny comes to a sad realisation that he cannot take care of Jesse any longer, because he thinks he is spoiled. I found it quite difficult to watch this part. There is a lot to read between the lines. Jesse doesn’t even want to go back to his mother, understandable I guess. It leaves Johnny in the position of either keep looking after him or send him back, but he sticks with it.
They are in Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans for most of the movie, but most time is spent focused on the interaction and chat of the two. Johnny is trying to learn about children, finding Jesse to be more withholding of emotions. The way the movie is produced and delivered is slightly different too. It makes use of books, with the the title and author shown on our screen as it is being read in the movie. I found this great, because we can go find those books if we want. They are for children, but the messages in ‘starchild’ or something like that, a book read to Jesse, delivers the message that we come from nothing, and will return to nothing. I think it’s more of an existential scene because I felt Johnny was the one struggling with the idea of dying alone. That is why the ending is difficult for him. Jesse will go and because of the distance, life and other variables is unlikely to see him for some time, although the movie seems to suggest that Jesse will forget, and they might never remember the time together.
It is a dramatic movie, about emotions, family, connection, existence, and the more deep questions like why are we here, and what do we need from life? I’m sure you will appreciate that this is considerably different to Joaquin Phoenix previous movies. I enjoyed the movie, it actually had substance and morality and these deep ideas about empathy and compassion, existence which we don’t see in life that much. Movies have taken on shallow meanings, however, I thought the acting, directing, delivery, scriptwriting and music and scene selection made for an effective art piece.
Never Say Never Again blasted onto screens in 1983 and we sat back and let it rot as the black sheep of the franchise. It saw a lawsuit taken to the High Court in England to prevent its production. It is the least known and most under rated Bond movie ever, and I am going to look in more depth at the movie! What a final showdown for Sean Connery.
Released – 1983
Film duration – 2hr
Genre – spy, action, adventure, thriller
IMDB – 6.1/10 & Rotten Tomatoes 70
Starring: Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max Von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, Edward Fox, Rowan Atkinson.
Song – Never Say Never Again – music by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman and performed by Lani Hall.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E has stolen two American nuclear warheads, and James Bond must find the targets before they are detonated.
A remake of the 1965 movie Thunderball (easily a top 3 Bond movie), Never Say Never Again (I won’t I promise), was one of the more mature and laid back Bond movies, but still packed a punch and left its heated mark on the world. 007 is re-activated in this movie and has to find two nuclear warheads in time. It is not made by Eon.
The movie does not have the classic shot down the barrel James Bond introduction, rather, we are introduced to the movie with a background song Never Say Never Again, music by Michel Legrand and performed by Lani Hall. It is a good song and quite memorable, and doesn’t lack a Bond feel, it is simply played out differently, without all the naked women, and instead we get to see Bond break into a complex with armed guards and fight them one by one, eventually revealing it is a training mission.
It is clear that Bond is not much liked despite saving the world multiple times, as he is sent to a health center, after being told, “too many free radicals, that’s your problem, caused by eating too much red meat, white bread, too many martinis!” Bond (Connery) seems to have taken onboard the wit that Roger Moore was employing and using the same sort of accent by responding, “then I shall cut out the white bread, sir.” In this health center or spa, we see a fight unfold, and it happens to be the best part of the movie in terms of both action and humour. I find it hilarious yet really satisfying to watch. Bond and his larger, stronger attacker make their fight way through the kitchens, hallways, bedrooms and laboratory, and we get to see the magnificence of the building itself, being luxurious. Connery has no issues with the humour and seems to revel in it, throwing a sample of his own urine at the attacker stops him, so we think. It is just a good fight sequence, and the setting is perfect. Bond has aged, we see that, but is still very self aware and doesn’t shy from a challenge. It is laid back and so is Bond.
I would argue that Connery as Bond in this movie is actually better than the previous movies. Diamonds are Forever was good, so were the others. But this new one is just laid back and relaxing, we know Bond will win, which makes it satisfying to watch, because it is a struggle for him. Of course, it is because of a man called Maximillian Largo that Bond is attacked. Largo is under the control of Blofeld from Spectre. Brandauer plays the villain extremely well, giving him charisma and ego, and that hidden maniac within that we all fear. He does not have an eye patch like in Thunderball however, and does in fact have a bit more mystery to him. There is also no shark pool in this movie, but there is a lot of sharks further into the movie. The villain doesn’t mind getting close to Bond or letting him on his ship, with his woman Domino, or for that matter even in his casino.
We are introduced in the health center to Fatima Blush (Carrera), who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as the villainess. The woman has personality, hates men, abuses them, and is crazy and works for Spectre, specifically under the orders of Largo. She stands out as strong and not to be messed with, she sort of overshadows the first part until Bond eventually blows her up after an intense bike chase scene, he does that with a screw pen which doesn’t work at first and Bond remarks that it’s “not perfected yet.” The other Bond girl is Domino, who’s air force pilot brother Largo killed. She is always dressed to expose her toned buttocks or breasts and I noticed after rewatching the movie last night, that a lot of camera work is on them. Particularly during a scene when she is being auctioned off and we get to see her bum bouncing up and down on a horse. I am not complaining though, because she acted the part well.
So Bond has been introduced to Largo. It is the scene in the casino which is a real Bond moment. But before I talk about that, Bond has explored an underwater wreck, been surrounded by sharks, and has escaped. Brief overview, but the scene is only a little important. The film includes Felix Lighter and he works quite closely with Bond in this film.
So the casino, Bond turns up, not wielding his spy glasses this time that allow him to see through clothes though, dumps a pistol in an ice bucket (don’t ask why they did this, it makes no sense) and then he proceeds to a unique game with Largo, it is memorable and defines the film. The pair has to use two joysticks to fight for control or to defend the different countries of the world, the loser is given an electric shock. As you can imagine Bond never gives up, after a series of debilitating shocks decides to challenge Largo to the world. Largo loses and it shows Bond that he is “certifiably” , which means Bond is saying that Largo is certifiably insane. I agree, the whole scene is crazy, because what sane minded person get electric shocks for money? Seems like a game designed to control peoples minds more than anything. Anyway, Bond settles for one dance with Domino, which Largo agrees to. We know Bond doesn’t usually take money, probably because he has enough or no use for it.
During the dance, he exposes Largo to Domino, saying Largo killed her brother. It is a large and luxurious ballroom, a bit like the building. This to me is a statement of Bond. He is luxurious, among the elite in this fantasy, but is a killer, a spy. For the most part he has been among the elite and has blended in well. But I couldn’t help find the dance scene slightly amusing, because Bond and Domino are the only ones dancing, and when he is talking to her, it would be impossible for the guests not to hear him due to his proximity to them.
Next memorable scene, and so far the film has demonstrated that Connery is making a final statement, he is the ultimate James Bond, 007. Nobody will ever beat him, and he knows it, or so he appears to show he is the best. It could be that it is not an official Bond movie that makes it so good. Because of the new directors and writing, it has quirks and differences which highlight it as actually being a really good spy action movie. Forget the one liner nonsense, it is passionate and true to the original concepts. The scene where he goes home (safehouse) after the casino still suited, finds his female associate dead, killed by crazy Fatima on orders of Largo. He then cracks then bike open out of site and comes shooting out of the garage. It is a great scene and you can see that later movies that used bikes, made the scenes and action look awfully similar. No Time To Die did nothing but promote the opening sequence on the motorbike, but it was Connery who was jumping over ledges, riding down stairs, and doing insane jumps decades before. The entire scene is fast paced and fantastic to watch. It made me think of a completely different movie with Sean Connery called The Rock and you can find he review here! Overall it is classic Bond, say no more.
We approach the end of the movie and all is not lost. Another sequence involving a horse, similar to The Living Daylights scenes. Bond escapes his capture using a laser watch. This movie does well in regard to using his gadgets, and using many of them. We don’t see that in other movies. He whisks Domino away from the African warlords bidders, across the ruins of the castle and into the ocean. Some versions, and I believe the television people will cut the 8 second clip of the horse falling into the water on its back, because of animal cruelty or something. I suspect the animal was not harmed. They are picked up by Felix and Bond tells that one bomb is under Washington and the other they have to find. The tears of Allah a rather bizarre name for a terrorist operation, way back in the 80s of movies too. No mention of that in the original Thunderball. But nonetheless emphasises that Largo is crazy.
Final showdown in an ancient tomb and a good old fashioned shoot out. It is Domino who shoots Largo underwater. Oh well, fate eh? I think the movie offers a lot in terms of entertainment. I find the rewatch value to be high, meaning that it never becomes boring, and it will not leave you wondering when it will end. I suggest you watch the movie. I have many times. Last night just made me realise how under rated the movie was. Most people don’t even acknowledge the efforts, classing it as a rip off. He is called James Bond 007, it has Q & M, Felix, and spy gadgets, based on Thunderball. It has a theme song. It has spectre and Blofeld. What more do you want? It is a real James Bond movie and Sean Connery’s 7th and final outing. Imagine the fan base finding out that he was returning to the role after 12 years? The title is a clear take from Connery, who remarked after Diamonds are Forever that he would never play the role again. He was in his 50s! Filmed in France, Spain, the Bahamas and Elstree Studios!
On conclusion, the film is one of the better Bond movies. Connery is appealing, talented and imaginative as 007 reprising his role for the final time. The film is full of well timed wit, excellent dialogue and character development, brilliant storylines and script, effective and exciting fight scenes and action and a good production which was a commercial success.
Sean Connery leapt onto the movie screens as James Bond in 1962 movie DR NO. From there Connery went on to become the most recognisable British agent in the world, setting a legend and undefeatable position as the ultimate spy from British MI6. Nobody would ever beat him as 007.
However, Connery made a surprise return in super awesome Diamonds are Forever (1971), appearing slightly aged as he was now in his 40s. However this was the last film Connery would appear in as James Bond. The era that started the Bond franchise, the best movies ever made, the most underrated time for the franchise which later went on to be the biggest in the world. It was huge in the 60s, and thanks to the glorious novels that Ian Fleming gave us, the books provided a solid real grounding and likeable backstory for this icon. Fleming died in 1964 and did not see the success of the series as it was turned to film. He witnessed the beginning though, and probably knew what it would become. The James Bond novels which he wrote are great and I encourage you to read them even if you have seen the movies! He wrote them at his Goldeneye Estate in Jamaica!
Wait, there was a retelling of the story Thunderball in 1983’s movie Never Say Never Again! Sean Connery, despite saying he would never return to the role, came back 12 years after Diamonds are Forever at age 52 to reprise the role he essentially helped to create. Although the movie gets a bad reputation as being a rip off of actual Bond movies, it is in fact a James Bond movie, and a good one. It is enjoyable and thrilling, and Connery does not show any signs of slowing down in it. I do prefer the original Thunderball though, simply because it is the best James Bond ever made (Top 3 at least), but I will come on to that later.
Sean was young, following a brief stint as a bodybuilder he became the ultimate spy, a womanising secret agent who smoked, drank and gambled with no remorse, and he killed people. Who was this cool, laid back, 6 ft dark haired gent with thick accent? It was every mans fantasy, or how they might see themselves. Bond was how many men wanted to be, and at a time of great changes, it is understandable that he was very popular. The 60s movies don’t come across as offensive toward women either, they do objectify women slightly, being Bond’s sex and nothing more. But, many of them are villains, play strong characters and don’t just sit in the background. I think the films are still good, and still acceptable to watch.
The first 3 movies solidified his position and it paved the way for a high standard. Actors had to be in top physical condition and all Bond actors including Daniel Craig have complained at least once about the requirements for the role. I believe actors like Pierce Brosnan jogged on moving trains for the movies, jumping carriage to carriage. Sean Connery had the edge from the beginning, being a bodybuilder. He had that physical strength and in the movies you can see the muscles on his shoulders, particularly in Dr No, when he is captured and put into the cell, wearing a white t-shirt. What came after the first 4 movies was more about the character already being well-established. It gave fans nostalgia of the previous movies, and relied not so much on the original scripting and direction as it did stunts and ‘being cool fighting’.
One scene in You Only Live Twice, when Bond flies Little Nellie, a cool little copter, is a stand out scene. Alongside the jetpack in the opening to Thunderball. Or the scene where Bond swings from a skyscraper in Diamonds are Forever using 2 thin sets of strings. What about in Goldfinger, when Bond is driving his car down the alleyway directly at an oncoming vehicle, only to crash into the wall, and we discover it was a mirror? All memorable and tense moments from a series of movies which will always be the best. I say again, Sean Connery’s movies were the best. Yes, there were other great films to come, some of which are my favourite, but the originals really are special. They are nostalgic, magical, professional and extremely well made. I cannot imagine how excited they must have felt in the 60’s going to see one of these classics at the movie theatres.
My reasoning could go on, but the main winning point being the fantastic scripting, acting, direction, music scores, drama, storytelling, humour and wit and winning production crew making the most fantastic worthwhile movies in history. No expense spared in terms of quality, which is what makes them the best. You see, a fantastic line, delivered in the perfect setting can win a scene more than shooting and action ever could. The 60s was a decade of good movies, period. James Bond being born in that decade is no coincidence. An era of genius film makers and dedicated studios, including Pinewood studios where Eon Productions filmed the movies.
Dr No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Thunderball – to demonstrate my point it gets the full 5 stars. This is the high point for Sean Connery and the early Bond movies. You need to watch this to appreciate the scale of both the acting, script writing, direction, and overall production, being one of the best movies ever made, in film in general.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever – not that I don’t think they are great, just to prove that the peak resulted a inevitable decrease which would continue.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
NeverSay Never Again – the rogue Bond movie of 1983, and aged Connery but nonetheless a gripping retelling of Thunderball. What a hidden gem, and having the original Bond return for the role must have been a brilliant surprise.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
We said goodbye to a 90 year old Connery in 2020, but his legacy lived on for many years. He went on to star in so many famous movies after James Bond that to think he played the original is a little surreal. I really am grateful that I have had the joy of his movies since I was a child. Without him as Bond it would not be the same. I don’t want to discredit other actors playing the role, as they all brought unique qualities to the position. For me, Timothy Dalton was brilliant and so was Pierce Brosnan, both for the same reasons, their movies were high tech, multiple gadget action movies which had such thrilling action. I rate The Living Daylights and Goldeneye in my top 10.
It is time to end this post here. Thank you for reading. Which Bond actor is your favourite? Which Sean Connery movie was your favourite? Which Bond movie is your favourite? What do you get nostalgic about?
psychedelicwizard 