10.2.21

the old guard (2020)

"I've been here before. Over and over again."
A team of mercenaries led by Andy (Charlize Theron), has their cover blown and must fight to keep their identity and their secret weapon a secret.
An easy to watch actioner that screams to be a Netflix series.

midsommar (2019)

aka midsommer
"All of our oracles are deliberate products of inbreeding."
Dani (Florence Pugh) travels with her partner and some friends to a rural Swedish village, to explore its mid-summer festival. But this initially sweet pagan cult starts to become unnerving...
The initial Wicker Man vibe, soon delves into more shocking areas, as this film comes into its own.

the man with the iron fists (2012)

"Everyone's so afraid of these men. Are you? "
A mix of people incuding fighters (Rick Yune), a brothel owner (Lucy Liu), a blacksmith (RZA), and a British soldier (Russell Crowe), come together in feudal China to protect a shipment of gold. Against them is Brass Body (Dave Bautista), Silver Lion (Byron Mann) and Bronze Lion (Chun Le).
Lots of fun martial arts equals a Friday night flick for those who love the Shaw Brothers.

the secret of dorian gray (1970)

Dorian Gray.
"Lets always be honest with each other."
Dorian (Helmut berger), is a beautiful young man, living in swinging London, and having a great time. Especially when he meets and falls for Sybil (). But the his friend produces a portrait of Dorian, who makes a pact with the devil, exchanging his soul for youth. From this point, Dorian becomes more and amoral.
A contempory take on the Wilde tale.

double world (2019)

aka Zheng tu.
"This man shows you no respect."
A warlord decides to organise a competition to bring the best warriors together. Three of every clan have to compete. Dong Yilong (Henry Lau), volunteers from his clan, and bands together with a couple of unlikely warriors. But little do they know, that this is an elaborate plot to bring down the country.
Fine fantasy, chock full of CGI, with some political intrigue thrown in.

the night eats the world (2018)

aka La nuit a dévoré le monde
"and then this happens...
Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) wakes to an empty apartment, and finds that Paris is full of zombies. Ever the pragmatist, he initially decides to barricade himself inside and wait it out, but soon the silence and solitude starts to get to him...
Being French this adds a level of philosophy to the zombie genre, making a thoughtful and entertaining film.

#alive (2020)

aka #Saraitda
"I must survive."
Oh Joon-woo (Ah-In Yoo) is an young online gamer, who wakes to find an epidemic has broken out in Seoul, which turns the infected into zombies. He decides to stick it out in his apartment, but alone and isolated he soon realises he has no skills to survive the...
Similar to the 2018 French film The Night Eats the World in it's initial premise, and just as enjoyable.

raising the wind (1961)

aka Roommates
"...If we tried to get some of the notes in the right places."
A group of music students move into a shared house, and subsequently share some comical adventures, especially when one of their number drunkenly sells a song to some unscrupulous music publishers, which looks to have broken the rules of his scholarship.
The usual suspects all pop up, from James Robertson Justice, Liz Fraser, through to Leslie Phillips in this inconsequential but likeable comedy.

city of tiny lights (2016)

"You expecting trouble?"
London based private inestigator Tommy (Riz Ahmed) takes on a seemingly straightforward missing-person case, of a missing Russian prostitute, but it soon throws him into into a dangerous world of politics and fundimentalism.
Raymond Chandler transposed to seedy modern day London, which works.

the shape of water (2017)

"Don't play with the cats."
Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a cleaner in a secret military establishment. Her humdrum life changes when the lab takes in the creature from the black lagoon, and when she treats it with compassion she sees it respond in kind...
A beautifully shot adult fairy tale, mixing drama with touches of black comedy.