Movies
Surprisingly well-made action film by Collet-Serra. I'm not a big fan of the man's work and Run All Night certainly isn't strong enough to change my mind about him, but it is a film that delivered what I'd hoped to get from it. A simple, fun and entertaining two hours sporting some rather impressive action scenes. Neeson can do these kinds of roles with his eyes closed. There's a little drama between him and his son that doesn't really add much to the film, but at least Kinnaman and Neeson are decent enough actors to not botch it up. The rest is pure action cinema, within a classic crime setting. The camera (work, because I assume there's quite a bit CG involved) is the biggest star of the film, as it flies through the sets and puts you right in there with the action. Some memorable moments and impressive set pieces, that's what I wanted from this film, and that's exactly what I got. Not bad at all.Read all
A surprisingly fun and decent adventure flick. Disney making a film based on a theme park attraction didn't create high expectations for me personally, I didn't care much for their previous attempts, but Jungle Cruise is a nice exception to the rule. Don't expect anything thoroughly special or unique, just a well-executed (and expensive) genre flick. Lily Houghton is a female adventurer who isn't taken seriously by her male colleagues. She steals an important artifact and travels to Brazil together with her best friend, where she'll try to find a mysterious tree whose petals are said to cure all disease. Together with a quirky skipper, she starts her journey on the Amazon. The chemistry between Johnson and Blunt is amusing, the villains are cheeky, the setting is nice and though the CG can be a bit obvious, it's never really distracting. A bit long maybe and the music is a bit bland, Collet-Serra is also mostly absent as a director, other than that, a simple but fun blockbuster.Read all
Another typical Collet-Serra/Neeson collaboration. This is pretty much Non-Stop (at least, from what I can remember of it), only in a train. I'm not the biggest fan of these films, but they're pretty entertaining and even though Neeson's getting a bit old to play the action hero who saves the day, he can still pull it off (though barely). When Michael is on his daily commute, a stranger sits down across him. She makes him a deal where he has to unmask a passenger on the train in return for a big, lump sum of money. Michael is a bit hesitant, but when it turns out his family is held hostage he has no choice but to comply with their demands. Neeson can play these parts with his eyes closed, other performances are decent too, the limited set feels aptly claustrophobic and there are some solid action scenes. It's all a bit predictable and the ending could've used some extra spice, but overall this was pretty fun and well-made filler.Read all
I'm not sure why I never watched this film before, but it's one of the bigger horror titles of the 00s that had managed to escape me. Until now that is. I went in with relatively low expectations, which turned out to be the right mindset. It's not the worst film, there are some interesting elements, but overall it's just not that great. A group of friends goes away for the weekend, hoping to catch the biggest football game of the year. They take a shortcut driving there, but end up in the middle of nowhere. A strange figure stalks their campsite at night and the next morning, one of their cars won't start. Slowly, their little trip takes a turn for the worse. The runtime is excessive for a simple horror flick, the characters are dim and the backstory of the villains is pretty lame. The wax house and statues on the other hand are pretty cool, and the finale is one to remember. It's not enough to save the entire film, but at least it wasn't a complete dud.Read all
This was a pretty big mess. I'm not a big fan of these superhero flicks regardless, but I do wonder why it is so difficult for them to make something remotely entertaining. Black Adam is too cheesy, too tone-deaf, too boring, and way too occupied with serving diversity, making it impossible for me to even make the effort to invest in its world. Black Adam is the protector of Kahndaq, an ancient city. Centuries after saving the place for the first time, he is awakened again. The city is now under the rule of Intergang, an oppressive organization. Adam has god-like powers, but he's not quite the man that people spoke of in the legends. There's not a single character here I cared for, the aesthetic of the film is ugly, the CG lacks creativity and the action is chaotic (and not in a good way). It's a very noisy film, and that's about all there is to it. DC should just lay its cinematic universe to rest, these films are becoming really painful to watch.Read all