Bruno Ganz is on top form in this characterful study of desire - physical and spiritual. He is "Daniel" an angel invisible to all but his own kind (and to the innocence of children) who finds himself, with his colleague "Cassiel" (Otto Sander) policing the city of Berlin at the end of the second world war. Needless to say, there are no shortages of claimants on their compassion and they do what they can to help assuage the difficulties faced by the desperate and the struggling. When he alights on circus trapeze artiste "Marion" (Solveig Dommartin) though, "Daniel" starts to have doubts. His entire raison d'être starts to become compromised as he realises that there are benefits to being mortal, and human, and that being in love is probably the greatest of these. Up until this moment, his life has been intangible and he determines that must change. It's risky though... There are no guarantees! It's a bit of a slow burn so don't expect a great deal to happen quickly. It is, however, quite a potent tale of realising priorities and dealing with demons - some more apparent than others - told in a gradually accumulating, effective and emotionally charged manner. It is not in the least sentimental but just as the angels observe their subjects, we are invited by Wim Wenders to do the same with them - and it's surprisingly effective to watch as some of the questions and challenges facing him could easily be applied to those in the audience. The monochrome photography is also striking and well authenticates the scenario of a desolate and despairing post war environment. Perhaps serendipity takes too big an hand at the end, but... you decide.

This was truly fantastic!
You'd expect Disney/Pixar to make this film, but Netflix beat em to it!
And Ken Jeong voicing Gobi; hilarious! He was like the new Olaf.
I truly enjoyed this film.

**Fall and rise, a revenge tale.**
Number four for the director Affleck after his other film won the Oscars four years ago. He has also written the screenplay and produced it. It was based on the book of the same name. The story of a World War I veteran turned notorious gangster. Escaping from the war, falling in love with a gangster's woman, a bank heist, prison time, the son of a police officer and his journey to the top of the criminal world after losing everything at one stage of his life. More like a revenge film, but the intention was not aggressive. Only the time and the life passage give one to him.
From all his directional films, probably this could be the worst one. It had everything a gangster film needed like gun fights, car chase, revenge, romance, yet I felt lacked depth in its overall theme. Actors were not bad, the settings looked fine. The length of the film was a bit long, but the film offered nothing new. It looked like someone's biography or made it look like one. I think that's the point. Even the end part of the film extends, only to annoy us after two long hours patiently sat for it.
The best part of the film, what I liked was the 1920s. The story about between two the World Wars, that too was about an internal affair like underworld activities looked nice on the screen. The cast and crew were best for the film, yet failed to impress us. Though it was not totally a bad film of the year, only it did not stand and deliver as it was promised. So, still it can be watched once if you prefer, but not guaranteed entertainment.
_6/10_

They finally figured out how to make freddy bleed. They bring him out of their dreams. Will this be Freddy's final death?

First off, if you learn all the Spanish in this movie, you will be the coolest motherfucker in the world. Just like Miklo. Blonde, blue eyed but the Latines accept him in to their hearts. Gringo version of the gaijin dream. Not even Tom Cruise could be Japanese, though. The Latine culture is just so much more welcoming!
This movie is called Blood in Blood out. It is not called Bound By Honor. Stupid name. The act of swearing blood oaths is honour-based. Blood In. Blood Out. But then it doesn't really mean a blood oath. But it kind of is. It's a very good title.
It's long. Good god is it long. But I enjoyed it. Laughed a bit. Intense shit happens. Amazing Spanish. Vatos Locos, baby. I want to be in a gang now...but I'm old and from a small mountain town and only had 2 channels. I could be in a gang but I'm not really drawn to the life in a meaningful way.
I hope that tamale place and tree are still there.
Blood in...blood ouuuuut!!!

**It's not a bad action movie, it's a good thriller!**
Mine is the story of a Marine who's waiting for assistance to retrieve him from a particularly dangerous situation. Be careful about the genre because you have to realize that it's not a movie packed with action, instead it's a thriller packed with suspense.
I find myself rating this picture with a solid 7 out of 10. In my opinion there's an evident issue with its contents. It's a movie that can be split in three very distinctive parts: it starts off really well, after a while we face a pretty long boring part (which lasts about 25/30 minutes), and then everything gets extremely better.
There's nothing wrong with the main plot, actors are great and each and every soundtrack is pretty enjoyable. Conclusion: it almost made me cry, it's something worth watching!
_(7 stars out of 10)_

Perfection and I fell slowly in love with this film.
Challenge: Make an Indy hit with a tiny budget; "no name" actors in there; and use actors with no or limited acting experience. Have the plot be basic (Guy meets Girl early on), but realistic. Keep the characters relatable and add humour. Now make it a musical with at least 10 tracks. Oh and also, make sure an Oscar is won.
THIS is just what this movie achieved and Im blown away by it.
Hansard and Irglova are so believable in their roles, I didnt know they had such limited act experience. And the music they make together is glorious, heart felt and raw.
This is the modern-day musical that people should watch. Not the over-rated Hamilton, or self indulgent La-La Land, or the tragedy that is Cats.
This is just: love, music, people.
And I love it (despite the tears it brings).
(And reading up on this, I teared up again - There is a moment towards the end of the movie when Guy asks Girl whether she loves her husband. Girl responds, "No. I love you" (her response is unsubtitled), so Guy does not understand her).
If you have a heart and love being moved by movies, watch this. WATCH THIS ASAP.

Not done with the 1st month of 2017 when I saw this but this is officially my first new fave movie to watch this year. It has been on my ‘films to watch’ list for like a while after watching **Sing Street** - another **John Carney** film. And i did like his other film **Begin Again **(love the song Lost Stars). All have similar themes…not just music, but the process of making music.
**I love the simplicity of Once** - feels more raw and natural (than Sing Steet and Begin Again). And the songs are really beautiful. I have been listening to it everyday. My top 2 favorite scenes are: Falling Slowly (video above) at the music shop - instant connection through music! Doesn’t have to be a love story between the guy and the girl, just relate and connect for their love for making music. Second one would be the recording studio scene: When Your Mind’s Made Up. I love how the guy who’s ‘pressing the buttons’ was like meh just here to work with whatever wannabee band, and then when they start to play he’s like…what is this? this is actually good - support! And from there it’s just something magical for all of them, that you know these musicians are in their element and will remember it for the rest of their lives, doing something that they are all so passionate about. Everyone inside the studio - just very endearing characters.
Well I love the whole film so all the scenes are great. My favorite emotional song, Lies. It’s so powerful and heartbreaking, I think most relateable scene as well.
Just might replace Garden State as my background film to play when I am doing something else, just to hear it. A must see for musicians and just music lovers like me.

Interesting movie kind of like Back to the Future. Instead they go way back into time with dinosaurs. It's pretty funny and there monkey looking friend.

So many good moments. Great movie. Quoting Chaka is becoming a family tradition (well, mostly its just me saying CHORIZA TACAS randomly)

Sixteen year old "Jenny" (Carey Mulligan) lives with her aspiring, middle class, parents "Jack" (Alfred Molina) and "Marjorie" (Cara Seymour) whose only real desire in life is for her to study at Oxford University. This is and has been her sole focus throughout her childhood, until, that is - she encounters the dashing "David" (Peter Skarsgard). He's easily twice her age but is so much more stimulating than her schoolboy friend "Graham" (Matthew Beard). This isn't a sweep her off her feet relationship, he gradually engages her in conversation and finds they share common interests. He makes her feel special, interesting, grown up - and when he introduces her to his friends "Danny" (Dominic Cooper) and "Helen" (Rosamund Pike) she starts to feel like the proper fourth wheel on a social wagon that's truly exhilarating. Needless to say, her schoolwork starts to suffer - much to the chagrin of her teacher (Olivia Williams) and, like we all were at that age, there's no telling her that her short term path is not necessarily in her long term interests. As the film develops, we discover that though harmless enough, "David" and his pal are a pair of cads who make their living legally, but maybe just a little immorally - and when "Jenny" discovers that he has one whopping great (if predictable) skeleton in his closet, she has to put her new found maturity to good use. There's something very natural not just about Mulligan's performance here, but also about her burgeoning relationship with a man who knows just which buttons to press. He's not a nasty man, he has no agenda to get her straight into bed, indeed he seems just as dependent on having this young woman around to make him feel alive as she does him; and those characterisations proves quite effective. The star for me, though, was probably Molina. He portrays almost perfectly a father whose dreams for his daughter partnered with his own middle-class mores leaves him caught between his paternal instincts to protect his daughter and his ambitions that she live a better, more fulfilled, life than he. It does run out of steam a little at the end, but then again I'm not quite sure how I would have wanted it to conclude without copping out - one way or another, so maybe it is for the best. It looks classy, the 1960s cars, costumes and soundtrack see to that and it's well worth a watch,

Despite an A-list cast, this is a really poor and disjointed film that is much more about the stars than it is about any cohesive story. Television executive "Joanna" (Nicole Kidman) has burned the candle at both ends for too long, has a bit of a breakdown, and is shunted off to the manicured hedges and lawns of Stepford in Connecticut by her rather insipid husband "Walter" (Matthew Broderick). It doesn't take them long to realise that this is conceivably the most sterile, charm free place on the planet. All their neighbours have wives who would vie for the most vacuous woman prize - doting on their looks, their dresses, their hair, their gardens - whilst their men folk, under the watchful eye of "Mike Wellington" (Christopher Walker) and his uber-glamorous wife "Claire" (Glenn Close) seem to live the life of Reilly. Luckily, "Bobbie" (Bette Midler) offers "Joanna" the vaguest of lifelines as the only other voice of near sanity in this oasis of feminine perfection, but how long before they succumb too - or can they resist the mysterious effects of the spa and the gentleman's club? There is really very little to like or enjoy in this. For it to have worked, it would have required much more humour and charisma on screen. The narrative meanders in just too flat and stolid a fashion, with little for us to get our teeth into. Middler has probably the best chance at injecting a degree of personality into the thing, but even she struggles with the wordy dialogue and the lacklustre delivery. It looks good, effort has certainly been expended there - but the rest of this is just poor and disappointing. The 1975 film isn't great, but it's way better than this.

_**Confused comedic remake of the original 1975 film**_
A couple (Nicole Kidman & Matthew Broderick) moves from the Big Apple to Stepford, Connecticut, where many of the wives of the village are wholly dedicated to their husbands, home & garden and keeping themselves well-groomed and primed for sex. The husband joins the mysterious all-male organization of the town which seems to be up to something fishy. Bette Midler plays Joanna’s best friend while Glenn Close & Christopher Walken are on hand as high society leaders.
“The Stepford Wives” (2004) is a confused comedic remake of the iconic 1975 film. It starts out like it might be a fun farce, and it is to some degree, but it’s hindered by an annoying stereotypical “gay” character and doomed by befuddled writing, the result of bad-management wherein rewrites and reshoots ruined the story's continuity and created plot holes.
The most glaring example is the implication that the wives are replaced by robots; for instance, one woman is used as an ATM machine. At the end, however, Joanna (Kidman) discovers they've just been brainwashed by microchips inserted in their brains. If the latter is true, why was there an android version of Joanna? Do the men have a choice of a robot model or a human-with-a-microchip model? Do they choose “accessories”? It’s never elucidated.
The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Connecticut and New York/New Jersey.
GRADE: D+

"Fuller" (Armin Mueller-Stahl) needs to share the news of his ground-breaking discovery with his partner 'Hall" (Craig Bierko) but is wary that he isn't safe. He decides that the best precaution might be to leave a letter for him and deposit it in their computer-generated alter-world. This place wouldn't have looked out of place in a Fritz Lang movie, and when his colleague is, indeed, slain, it falls to "Hall" - now the prime suspect for the crime - to piece together the clues left by his friend and try to identify the true culprit whilst rescuing the innovation from it's simulated home. What I quite enjoyed about this drams is the simplicity with which it juggles it's timelines. We don't have to struggle or concentrate trying to follow the changing environments coming at us from all angles of the screen overpowering what is essentially quite an intriguing crime thriller. Nobody on the screen really stands out, but the ensemble approach along with some quite potent comment on just how dependent we are becoming on technology in our lives is quite effective at keeping the story tight and interesting. The denouement is also a little left field, and all told this is a surprisingly decent attempt at an early multi-verse experience that works quite well.

It's kind of like The Matrix, It is kind of like eXistenZ...only it is also kind of neo noir, and it is far more mystery/thriller...and it...wait, not it's actually a completely different film.
Let me start again...
It's kind of like Dark City and it's kind of like The Matrix and....no, that really doesn't fit either.
It's kind of like a lot of elements in other movies that are kind of like this one. So people are going to see similarities...but it is also going to throw them for a loop and be a lot different than the movies that you can compare it to
It's not original, it's just combined enough to be kind of completely original.
In fact, forget it, just sit down and watch it yourself, it will entertain you and that was the point of making it.

The Thirteenth Floor has an amazing premise and some great ideas. Shame that it's also mired by terrible dialogue, B-movie plotting, and a cheap looking production. Blending elements of Dark City and The Matrix though never achieving the greatness of either of those magnificent works of sci-fi, I would still recommend The Thirteenth Floor for what it sets out to do. It's also cool to see the younger versions of Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Dennis Haysbert.

The Discovery poses a very interesting question. If life after death was scientifically proven, would this knowledge cause a massive wave of suicides? Oh, wait; did I say “interesting”? Actually, I meant “stupid.” Dr. Thomas Harbor (Robert Redford) claims to have discovered, in Hamlet's words, "the undiscovered country." Six months later, “the number of suicides has quickly reached one million.” They say curiosity killed the cat, but even a cat has more common sense than this. It’s impossible to take The Discovery seriously for the simple reason that millions and millions of people have believed and continue to do so in some kind of afterlife, and none of them save the most deranged and disturbed are in any hurry to cross over to the other side.
What's more, these believers have no regard for scientific proof – if they did, they wouldn’t be believers at all –; to them, it all comes down to faith, which is the basis for all religions. By the same token, most religions have laws against suicide; oh, those who take their own lives do go somewhere, but it’s not a place anyone is looking forward to spending the rest of eternity at. Of course, it’s possible that the afterlife Dr. Redford has discovered is not governed according to the tenets of any one theology – but then its true nature is never specified, so who’s to say that all these idiots offing themselves aren’t punching a one-way ticket straight to hell (or worse)?
One thing’s for sure, though, and it’s that these suicidal maniacs are too dumb to live anyway. All of Redford’s considerable gravitas can’t keep the good doctor from coming across as a quack, whose explanation for the afterlife sounds, accordingly, as a crock of pseudoscientific drivel. The makers of this movie undoubtedly have a low opinion of the same masses one assumes they expected to lure into watching this dreck, if they truly believe so many of us would so carelessly engage in an experiment that is tantamount to jumping into a pool that may or may not have any water in it.

A little light on story, though that stop-motion animation is noice.
At just under 1hr 20mins, 'James and the Giant Peach is simply a pleasant to watch flick with a sweet story and excellent animation. Miriam Margolyes and Joanna Lumley as the aunts is great casting, while the voice cast all perform well.
I like it enough, even with the ineffective singing bits. Overall, this 1996 release is, in my opinion, nothing great but nothing bad either.

Well made romance-drama featuring nice performances from Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah. I've seen this a few times over the years and still holds up (outside of the dated technological items). Also was an interesting concept which kudos to Peter Hewitt pulled off. **3.75/5**

It's a bad movie, but more than that, it's a bad _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_.
_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible._

**The return of Yuri Boyka!**
The last film in the series was seven years ago. I almost forgot everything about it. I had no time to have a quick glance on those before trying this, but while watching this, all the memories came back. It was different. Different means, they wanted the franchise back in action, so they have started with a simple storyline. Everything was predictable in the film, but that was not the point. They a wanted platform, so to move to the better side in the future.
Yuri Boyka was looking forward to take park in a big league, but his last fight did not go well. He won it by a knockout, though the opponent did not survive. That mentally disturbed him, so he wanted to make a few things right. Now, on the eve of the big event, he set to a quick trip to Russia. Why he went and what had happened there, all are the other side of the tale with some good fights and emotions.
Scott Adkins was great. This part kind of reminded me the 'Rocky'. Particularly for the sentimental reasons. The mix of that and stunts were good. Familiarity was the weakness of the film, even though enjoyable. Especially it is for Boyka and 'Undisputed' series fans. They surely would love it. It was a wonderful re-initiation, but hoping better sequels to follow and in a grand scale as well. So when's the next one!
**6/10**

“Boyka is BACK”
This movie is the 4th installment in this amazing fighting franchise it was of great experience where we get to see a soft side of boyka from his usual ruthless aggression which makes the viewers see a good side of him. So the movie starts in a way we see he is trying to get into the big leagues that’s when he causes a death by accident then after that follows the whole events with accordance to that incident. Am not going to explain more as it will ruin the movie don’t want to be a movie spoiler. Scott Adkins is back as boyka for the 4th time he did justice to his role yet again with some amazing action sequences. The story has not been repeated of course the ending is predictable but each scene keeps us at the edge of our seats I have enjoyed all the installments till now and the heroine was also really good with her acting skills .So it’s good for a one time watch. Rated R for brutal violence and language throughout. The movie is directed by Todor Chapkanov. The writers were Boaz Davidson and David N. White. The movie was shot in Bulgaria.
Notable acting
Scott Adkins (Boyka) known for his acting in the movies Doctor Strange, The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Ultimatum
Teodora Duhovnikova (Alma)
Alon Aboutboul (Zourab) known for his acting in the movie The dark knight rises
Genre: Action, Crime and Thriller
My Rating: 8/10

Bones and All is a surprisingly delightful feast of romantic cannibalism, and it’s the first film featuring Timothée Chalamet where he hasn’t turned my stomach — an impressive feat considering he plays a cannibal. The film attempts to elevate a love story between two misfits with beautiful cinematography and dialogue that is both riveting and grotesquely poetic. Who wouldn’t want to hear heartfelt confessions about devouring one’s love interest? Bravo to Chalamet for making cannibalism almost charming!

Creepy. Gruesome. Very good.
I'd totally recommend 'Bones and All'. I found plenty of enjoyment across the just over 2hr run time, despite plenty of unsettling moments scattered in there. I personally found the first half stronger than what follows it, though all in all it's a movie I had a positive time with.
Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, two actors who give impressive showings in this 2022 production. Russell kinda outshines Chalamet in parts, but the latter does come up trumps with some strong emotion near the end. One thing's certain though: Mark Rylance is the star of the show, for my money at least. What a performance, loved every second of him being onscreen. Simply the perfect actor for the role of Sully!
A well made film, props to 'em for sticking with the creepiness of the story too. I mentioned recently after watching 'Saltburn' that I was disturbed. In that sense, well, that was child's play compared to this! Big fan of these sorta flicks that make you feel uncomfortable.

A beautiful and intense coming of age story

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition
"Bones and All holds committed, chemistry-filled performances from Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, telling a complex, interpretive story about true love and what we really need to survive.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' score shines and is the work's greatest chance of receiving an Oscar nomination, taking into account the shocking approach to cannibalism - it partially affects the connection with the protagonists - and horror aspects.
A thought-provoking screenplay by David Kajganich and unrestrained direction by Luca Guadagnino elevate a film that deserves to be seen - and felt - on the big screen."
Rating: B

"Maren" (Taylor Russell) sneaks out of her home to visit her girlfriends one night only for one of them to discover that she has a peculiar appetite - and I'm not talking sexually! Forced to flee with her father, who subsequently abandons her, she decides to try to track down her mother. A few bus journies later, she encounters the enigmatic "Sully" (Sir Mark Rylance) with whom she shares a snack and from whom she discovers a little more about her nature. Still, he makes her very nervous so she continues her journey alone where next she encounters "Lee" (Timothée Chalamet) after an altercation in a grocery store. He also has the same nourishment predilections and so the two start to bond. He helps her with her familial quest before an unexpected visitor throws quite a spanner in their plan. At times this is little better than a derivative road movie. The characterisations are all just a bit too contrived, and the narrative is hardly original - but, that said, there is a quirkily spooky performance from Sir Mark - who looks like he would not be out of place half way up an Alp and Russell offers a reasonable effort as the conflicted and confused young woman trying to reconcile her innate desires with her aspirations as a woman. Chalamet presents us with one of his more natural and charismatic performances here, even if - shirtless for much of it as he is - he still makes me want to force feed him a bowl of fries (indeed the title could have been applied just to him!) Lots of dialogue, too much really, but the story has layers of complexity to it surrounding issues of identity and purpose - especially amongst the American young, some fine photography and it plays the accruing sense of affection between the youngsters without cringing sentimentality before an ending that seemed a little unnecessarily brutal. I suspect this may get better with another viewing.

_Bones and All_ is one of the most unique movies I have ever seen. It somehow simultaneously disgusts me while filling me with intense emotion capable of drawing tears to my eyes. It is a perfect blend, that I was unaware that I needed.
The journey our characters take in immense in terms of emotion and distance. I had such a great time watching our leads travel across country going wherever their hearts desired or wherever their noses took them. There were some creepy and intense encounters that had me on the edge of my seat but that was balanced with intimate moments between our leads. These scenes fill the majority of the 2 hour and twenty-minute runtime, and while that is a decently long film, it flew by, and the pace never seemed to lull. There were some scenes that could have been cut to save some time, but I argue that they were essential for character development and to make the film whole.
Throughout the course of the runtime there are intense introspective themes of morality that are at constant play. Watching the characters balance desire and need was so heartbreaking and real. Despite the horrific acts our main characters are performing, there is a deep hidden shame that seeps out as our character learns more and more about what she is.
These are very complex emotions to handle on screen and our two leads absolutely nailed it. Both Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet were brilliant! I will be honest, Timothée Chalamet is one of the big reasons why I wanted to see this movie so much and while he did an excellent job, he was outshined by Taylor Russell. She was so excellent, honestly perfect! This is the first film I have seen her in, and I was blown away. She deserves all the award recognitions for this film.
Bones and All is a masterpiece and needs to be seen in theaters. This is a hard movie to sell to an audience, but it was done perfectly and deserves all the credit, awards, and viewership.
**Score:** _94%_ |
**Verdict:** _Masterpiece_

Alex Honnold made a huge feat and this documentary shows it to you in an excellent way.
It never lets you go and at all times I was surprised and excited.
Deserved winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary.

Charlton Heston's "Taylor" returns to top and tail this otherwise pretty poor sequel that features James Franciscus as "Brent". He, too, is an astronaut who is fleeing the wrath of the apes when he meets up with "Nova" (Linda Harrison). That's lucky because he's looking for "Taylor" and she was his gal for a while. Might she be able to lead him to him before the pursuing militia string them up? Well, she does lead him to an underground city that's populated with human religious zealots who have remarkable telepathic powers and worship a (golden) nuclear missile as their god. Yep, it's all a bit weak around the knees this. It's over scripted, there is nowhere near enough action to sustain it and I have never really understood Hollywood's flirtation with the Heston-esque Franciscus who looked ok with his shirt off, but really offered very little when it came to characterisation. I quite liked the ending - I just wished it had maybe come half an hour earlier! More to come, no doubt - let's hope they are better.