Movie Review - The Thursday Murder Club

Director: Chris Columbus
Genre: Mystery/ Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, David Tennant, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Jonathan Pryce, Richard E. Grant
 
Description: Four irrepressible retirees spend their time solving cold case murders for fun, but their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn when they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands.
 
Review: Anyone who has read the bestseller “The Thursday Murder Club”, knows the story: in the fictional English town Fairhaven, the elderly residents of Cooper’s Chase lead a peaceful existence. For some of the seniors, that is too boring, so they get together every Thursday to discuss unsolved murder cases.

To do this, they transform the puzzle room into a small office filled with crime scene photos and clues. As a former secret agent, Elizabeth Best is the natural leader, supported by union representative Ron Ritchie, psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and nurse Joyce Meadowcroft.

They all have a specialism, which naturally comes in handy during the investigation. When their retirement home is shaken with a real murder of a real estate developer, the foursome suddenly find itself with a brand new murder case on its hands.

Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley were kind of already in my mind, when I was reading the book (almost 5 books in the series now). Mirren is perfect as Elizabeth and so is Kingsley as Ibrahim. Wasn’t sold on Pierce Brosnan as Ron. I pictured someone like Ray Winstone, but Brosnan is good in his role. He plays his own version of Ron, he is not book Ron. My favorite character in the books is Joyce and Celia Imrie brought her to life in the most perfect way. I love Imrie as Joyce. Still my favorite character.

I love these books, would recommend them any time. And for the most part, Chris Columbus stays true to the source material. There have been changes made, which is always the case with a book to movie adaptation. And I’m fairly okay with them. I’m just not so happy with what they did with the character of Bogdan, towards the end. People who’ve read the book, will probably understand.

I really don’t understand why there are so many negative reviews out there. Many say the film is boring, but they probably found the book boring as well. This movie gave me the same vibe as the book did. The cozy mystery vibes are there. And the cast is amazing! I hope the do all the books (especially number 4), because I’m in!

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Good Grief

Director: Dan levy
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Dan Levy, Ruth Negga, Himish Patel, Luke Evans, Celia Imrie, David Bradley, Kaitlyn Dever, Arnaud Valois
 
Description: When his husband (Luke Evans) unexpectedly dies, Marc’s (Dan Levy) world shatters, sending him and his two best friends (Himesh Patel, Ruth Negga) on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face.

Review: A cozy Christmas party with friends turns into a tragedy when Marc’s husband Oliver is killed in a car accident. Slowly trying to come to terms with the loss of Oliver, he is supported in this by his two best friends, Sophie and Thomas. But after a year, Marc discovers that Oliver had met someone else and was secretly renting an apartment in paris. Looking for answers, he takes Sophie and Thomas to Paris.

Marc’s grieving process is the focus, but you don’t spen an hour and a half watching a sad character. He is also angry with Oliver, and because the widower himself has told some lies, the friendship with Sophie and Thomas comes under pressure. Because friendship is such an important part of “Good Grief”, it never becomes a depressing film and story remains very hopeful.

Dan Levy, Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel have a fine chemistry and as a result it seems as if they have known each other for years. The mutual banter between the friends also keeps the film lighthearted and in the sharp dialogue you can see that Levy, who also wrote and directed the film, is a comedian. But he understands that “Good Grief” is a serious drama and never lets the humor dominate. There is a good balance.

I expected this movie to have more enthusiastic reviews, I really loved this movie. I loved Dan Levy. And I hope he will star in more movies that he wrote and directed himself.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 80: A Cure For Welness

Director: Gore Verbinski
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 146 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth, Celia Imrie

Description: An ambitious young executive (Dane DeHaan) is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps, but soon suspects that the spa's treatments are not what they seem.

Review: “A Cure For Wellness” is one of my most anticipated movies for 2017 (Dutch release) and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a visually interesting mystery thriller.
In “A Cure For Wellness”, the ambitious stockbroker Lockhart travels to a spa in Switzerland, to retrieve the CEO of the company he works for. The task to bring Pembroke back isn’t that easy though. Not only does the clinic seem mysterious and suspicious, the treatment by doctor Volmer sounds strange too. When Lockhart gets into an accident, he ends up in the clinic himself and he starts to discover the mystery behind the clinic.
The movie is visually stunning. Lots of great camera work and beautiful images. The story is interesting and captivating. But also scary and disturbing at times.
The film got mixed reviews, but I loved “A Cure For Wellness”. It’s a bit odd, makes bold choices and is risky. It’s definitely not for everyone. Especially not for the weak stomach. But I love how this film dares to be different and takes risks. It works. The movie is original and keeps you in the dark for a long time. This can frustrate you, but I liked that. It isn’t until almost at the end, that you see what is really going on in that clinic.
I seriously don’t understand why people hate this film.

Rating: 5/ 5