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wrenster rated Hereditary

 Hereditary 8/10

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Slow burning horror drama with Toni Collette as a woman whose mother dies, bringing with it a divide within her family, while at the same time hiding a dark secret. When tragedy strikes again, the secret starts to appear. Raved by critics, this is flawed, certainly but it does manage to get under the skin. Some have said it's the 21st century's The Exorcist but if you follow that, you will be disappointed. It will infuriate, frustrate and even bore some but I found it had a 70's tone in it's pacing that worked for me.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster rated Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

 Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze 6/10

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Ludicrous adventure with Roy Ely as Doc Savage, a man of strength as well as brain, who goes in search of the truth about his father's death. Produced by George Pal, this romp has some silly set pieces and green, animated snakes to up the peril. The dialogue is sometimes ridiculous and it does look like a film made for TV but for nostalgia fans and those who remember it as a child, this will bring back a fond sense of the kind of films they don't make anymore.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster rated The Spy with My Face

 The Spy with My Face 5/10

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. gets the big screen version as two episodes of the popular show are spliced together. Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo is captured by T.H.R.U.S.T and replaced by a cloned identical. A real sense of 60's style and sexism is mixed together with a plot with so many holes, you wonder how these guys could ever be spies. Total nonsense and fun while watching but is almost immediately forgettable. Absolutely no close to Bond.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A simple, non-pretentious drama about a woman coping with finding out the truth about her past that starts to affect her own life. From the first ten minutes, I knew this was going to be a good film. Really well acted, beautifully shot and one particular moment was incredibly moving. Reminded me of Almodovar's work with the way the females characters take centre stage. A terrific piece of work.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A classic character study with Jack Nicholson on exceptional form as a middle-class man who could have been a fantastic musician who turns his back on his piano playing to work in a lower-class environment until he is forced to return home. Nicholson's character is hardly sympathetic and the plot is nothing more than a series of incidents but the film is superbly executed and the diner scene must go down as one of the most famous.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Cherry Broadway show in which a sketch in a musical revue brings offence to a wealthy family in New York and they threaten to sue. Complications arise when the daughter, Madeline Carroll, who falls for leading man, Dick Powell. With songs by Irving Berlin, this fun and frothy musical has plenty to enjoy, even if it does include the annoying Ritz Brothers, the poor man's Marx Brothers. A nice, gentle watch.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A reimagination of the story of Sleeping Beauty, as told from the point of view of Maleficent, the evil fairy who put the curse on the princess. Angelina Jolie relishes playing the powerful fairy, with her strong cheekbones and pouting lips, while Elle Fanning makes for an agreeable princess. The film's real fun comes from Imelda Staunton, Leslie Manville and Juno Temple's good fairies. Bright, imaginative but doesn't manage to capture the magic of the original Disney cartoon.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster rated Lake Placid

 Lake Placid 8/10

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A gloriously entertaining horror comedy with Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt and Brendan Gleeson as a mismatched group hunting for a giant crocodile who is eating his way through Lake Placid. The film's strength lies in the banter of the four leads while the horror is in the same vein as Jaws. while it's not a patch on Spielberg's 1975 shark thriller, this has plenty to enjoy and no matter how silly it gets, the cast keeps it refreshingly fun.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster rated Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian 8/10

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

While this sequel moves the characters from their original surroundings, I prefer this to the first film, mainly for the added bonus of Amy Adams and the humour comes across as something Monty Python would have produced. Yes, it has genuine belly laughs and the cast give it they're all. It's silly and ludicrous but it also has charm and just the scene between Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria arguing about boundaries is worth watching.

5 years, 10 months ago

wrenster rated Our Man in Havana (1959)

 Our Man in Havana (1959) 7/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Complex espionage thriller with Alec Guinness as a vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana who is approached by British Intelligence to work for them. In order for him to be looked upon as important, he feeds them false information. Carol Reed's second film version of a Grahame Greene story has a strong cast including Burl Ives and Maureen O'Hara. A film you have to really concentrate on every inch of information being given otherwise confusion will set in.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Book Club

 Book Club 4/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A complete waste of talent as four lifelong friends have their lives turned upside down when one brings Fifty Shades of Grey to their monthly book club. A script that ticks every cliched box, while the lead females throw themselves into their roles, even if none of it feels real. Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen steal the film but you wish you can watch them in a much stronger script. Three laughs in a film with Jane Fonda and Diane Keaton is not a success.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Trancers

 Trancers 4/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Enjoyably bad 80's sci-fi thriller with Tim Thompson as Jack Deth, a detective from the future sent to Los Angeles in 1985 in order to protect the ancestors of top politicians from being killed by a man determined to overthrow the future government. Helen Hunt (yes, the Oscar winner) plays the girl Deth falls for, in this low budget Terminator-esque tale that is fun while you are watching, with its ludicrous dialogue and cheap special effects but it doesn't rise much higher than B-movie status.

5 years, 11 months ago