Rita, Sue and Bob too?
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Old but Gold :0)
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Watched Captain America: Brave New World. Even though I’m an old school comic book head, like many I’ve recently really gone off the superhero movie genre. Has been way too much quantity and scarce on the quality (few exceptions such as the latest Deadpool). But this one seems like a bit of return to form. Quite enjoyed it even though I was expecting not to. And they’re setting up for something big again.
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I didnt hear great things. Ive heard good things about Thunderbolts though.
I didnt hear much talk about Blackbag, but everything I heard raved about it. It was just released on Peacock over here so will probably watch that this weekend.
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I noticed in the news that Andy Serkis has produced a new animated version of Animal Farm:
I’m curious how he has adapted this. I know the 1954 version gets criticism for changing the ending (as well as receiving funding from the CIA) but I think it was a decent adaptation, as well as a landmark for the British animation industry.
It’s meant to be getting a cinema release in July, although it’s not clear who is distributing it.
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Took the kid to see thunderbolts.
Didn’t have many expectations from that but the movie was surprisingly good. Keeping in mind the usual standards of the recent Marvel movies.
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We’ve had a stormy bank holiday weekend so far so was stuck inside yesterday.
Black Bag - I’d heard great things. It’s stylish, suspenseful, but ultimately half baked. Big disappointment
Anora - Genuinely brilliant.
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Watched Mountainhead last night, written by Jesse Armstrong of Peep Show and Succession fame.
It was funny, in the same way Succession is, delightfully horrible characters 
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If I could choose the best and most memorable fight scene I’ve ever seen in a movie, this scene would be the winner.
After witnessing the death of his son, Uncas. Chingachgook, (Russell Means) the last of his people, faces off against the Huron war Chief Magua (Wes Studi).
The last of the Mohicans, from 1992.
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James Doohan’s journey from war hero to sci-fi icon is the kind of story that feels almost mythic. By the time he stepped back into the role of Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), he was not only recovering from a heart attack but also reaffirming his place as the beating heart of the Star Trek crew. That sly line about having “a wee bout” wasn’t just character color—it was a quiet nod to the very real brush with death Doohan had just endured.
His life had always been defined by resilience. On D-Day, he charged Juno Beach with the Royal Canadian Artillery, only to be shot six times that night—four times in the leg, once in the hand, and once in the chest. Only a cigarette case in his pocket, gifted by his brother, prevented the chest wound from being fatal. The war cost him a finger, but not his spirit. He would spend the rest of his acting career cleverly hiding the injury, his missing middle finger barely noticeable unless you knew to look—though it does make a brief appearance in The Wrath of Khan, during Spock’s funeral bagpipe scene.
Ironically, DeForest Kelley, usually the one delivering the immortal line, “He’s dead, Jim,” chose not to say it when Spock dies—believing it would reduce the gravity of the moment. Instead, it was Doohan who gave us the quietly devastating line, “He’s dead already,” proving that even in grief, Scotty remained the emotional soul of the crew.
More than just the Enterprise’s miracle-working engineer, Doohan infused Scotty with warmth, humor, and deep technical know-how. He often credited the authenticity of the character to his own background: “99% James Doohan and 1% accent,” he’d say, with a grin. The accent—Scottish, by choice—was something he believed conveyed a rugged sense of ingenuity and reliability. He was right. To generations of fans and future engineers, Scotty wasn’t fiction—he was inspiration.
James Doohan died on July 20, 2005, at the age of 85, his final voyage symbolized by his ashes being sent into space. It was a fitting farewell for the man who made the stars seem just a little closer, and reminded us all that with heart, humor, and a bit of engineering genius, you really can fix anything.
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Just watched this again recently. A fantastic, but troubling film. Marvellous performances by the leads and some great scenes of New York in the late sixties.
Interesting article about the background to a classic.
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Anyone seen the Minecraft movie yet? Any good?
I took my boy a few a weeks back and actually really enjoyed it. Some genuinely funny parts.
Directed by the same dude who directed Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, so if you enjoyed the daft/random humour in those then you might enjoy it.
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We seem to have spent the weekend watching musicals, but we noticed that Prime had a few films on offer for 99¢. As a result, we ended up watching an Irish horror film called Oddity last night.
It wasn’t one I had heard of, but it is actually rather good. Essentially, it is a supernatural horror but with a murder mystery intertwined. Lots of strange atmospherics, creepy performances and some genuinely well timed jump scares.
There are very few horror films that aren’t just generic routine reworkings of every other in the genre, but this one is particularly well done.
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Just catching up on a couple of recent releases that are now on streaming.
I’ve just watched A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan bio, on Disney+. Timothée Chalamet is the lead and he has nasal mumbling down to a tee. It’s actually a brilliant performance and the actress that does Joan Biaz is amazing. I’m not sure if it would appeal as much if you aren’t that familiar with that period of history (1961-65) but I would still recommend it.
I also watched Paddington in Peru, the third Paddington bear movie. It’s a perfectly acceptable family film, but I thought it lacked something from the first two films. The broad appeal of Paddington is that he is an immigrant viewing English eccentricity through alien eyes, and once you put him on home turf, he is just an accident prone anthropomorphic bear with an amusing back story. Not a bad film, but not essential viewing either.
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The git may be persona non grata at the moment, but I have to agree. This documentary is essential. Hopefully it finds its way out of Disney’s confines.
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Shit, what has Attenborough done?
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Finally got around to watching “Anora” last night with the missus.
Very disappointing. What was the fuss about? It didn’t seem to know if it was a comedy or a drama. No depth in the characters, very cartoon like, but was that the intention?
It felt like it was a missed opportunity. There is an interesting film to be made about sex workers, their motivation, their backgrounds, the power dynamics etc. There is an interesting film to be made about spoilt rich kids too, but this was neither.
Mikey Madison was great though.
Denis Villeneuve announced as the director of the next Bond film, great catch
I loved this and didn’t understand the negative reviews. I’m a Dylan fan and thought Chalamet did an incredible job
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