10s Movie Review - Filth

Director: Jon S. Baird
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent, Imogen Poots

Description: A corrupt, junkie sop (James McAvoy) with bipolar disorder attempts to manipulate his way though a promotion in order to win back his wife and daughter while also fighting his own inner demons.

I WATCHED THIS FILM FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 18: A FILM WITH JAMES MCAVOY
 
Review: Bruce Robertson possesses every bad trait you can think of: he is manipulative, negative, vulgar and hates everyone. When he hears that he can get a promotion to police inspector, he wants to do everything he can to get this job. He is convinced that this way he can restore his relationship with his wife and daughter. Then he puts everything into defeating his competitors and pits his fellow police officers against each other. In between, he drinks, smokes, fucks and uses drugs on a regular basis. And Bruce is getting worse and worse.

There is a reason why James McAvoy is one of my favorite actors and here is another one. In “Filth” he is fantastic. His character Bruce is irredeemable, he is so unlikeable because of everything he says and does. It becomes increasingly difficult to sympathize with Bruce. But somehow he manages to turn this around right at the end. And McAvoy steals the show and carries the entire film.

Would I recommend “Filth”. Not to everyone. If you’re into sarcasm, dark comedy and a highly unlikeable and disturbed main character, this is for you. If none of this speaks to you, you’d better skip it. This is a typical case of you hate it or you love it.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Review - Speak No Evil

Director: James Watkins
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi,  Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough. Kris Hitchen
 
Description: A family is invited to spend a whole weekend in a lonely home in the countryside, but as the weekend progresses, they realize that a dark side lies withing the family who invited them.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 50: A FILM FROM AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING/ NOMINATED ACTOR OR ACTRESS

Review: Although the original “Speak No Evil” with a significant role for my country, is still fresh in our mind, for America it is already time for a remake. Hollywood has a habit of Americanizing successful films from abroad, but as many show, this is not always a success. Fortunately, “Speak No Evil” is a great remake.

Vacations are the ultimate time to relax. When the placid Louise and Ben take their daughter to Italy, they meet an eccentric family there. The lovely wife Ciara, their little son Ant, who has a disability and has difficulty communicating, and the dominant but enthusiastic Paddy. Things click between the two families. Ben and Louise are invited to spend a weekend at Paddy and Ciara’s country home in England. Although they have only just met the family, after a while they decide to visit.

A recurring theme is the discomfort created by certain standards and behavior. The tension that the film builds with this from the beginning gets stronger and stronger. There is this constant feeling of unease and questioning yourself if something going on.

The uncomfortable feeling also occasionally creates a black-comic tone, with Louise and ben getting into increasingly strange situations, but staying neat out of politeness. The film plays heavily on behavioral norms and cultural differences between people and charts in multiple layers.

There are many themes woven into the tension and story, such as gender inequality, parenting and cultural differences, but the most prominent is toxic masculinity. On one side James McAvoy as Paddy, is the ultimate alpha male: dominant, muscular and overpowering. On the other side is Scoot McNairy’s Ben, who has difficulty countering Paddy and, in the process, also experiences difficulties with his wife, who repeatedly asks him to intervene. Their characters complement each other perfectly, which enhances the poignancy of the situation.

James McAvoy is, without a doubt, the star of the show. In his acting, he manages to sublimely combine grandeur and nuance. With minimal looks, facial expressions and use of voice, he gives weight to each scene. Although McAvoy indicates no having seen the original, he manages to bring out and even transcend the scariest sides of Fedja van Huêt.

The tension is wonderfully built up, with many shots and dialogues foreshadowing the explosive final act. In it, many plot twists converge to a worthy conclusion.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Director: Simon Kinberg
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jessica Chastain

Description: Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix, causing the X-Men to decide if her life is worth more than all of humanity.

Review: “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is reportedly the end of the film series, that started about 20 years ago. But it doesn’t feel like a traditional epic end, with a satisfying ending and closure for all the storylines and characters.
The “X-Men” series never had reboots or remakes and it blew new life into the series with the prequels, starting with “X-Men: First Class”. It never repeats itself or reuses storylines, until “X-Men: Dark Phoenix”. Where we see again how Jean Grey becomes bigger than her powers and finds a darker side to herself. This also happened in “X-Men: The Last Stand”. Because of “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Jean Grey could start with a clean sleight, but this film doesn’t use it for the best. There was a great chance her, but they missed out.
The best part of “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is the acting. This is strong, solid and convincing. And Sophie Turner, who plays Jean Grey, has enough power to stand strong between big names like James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence.
Jessica Chastain plays the villain role, which she does well. But there is no backstory to her and her group and her meeting with Jean should lead to something bigger. But it never really goes anywhere. This storyline is almost disposable because it’s written so poorly.
I also had issues with the timeline. This happened because of “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and it makes everything a lot harder to follow. And overall the film is really bland and dull.
“X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is by no means a terrible movie, but it’s probably not one I will ever rewatch.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - It Chapter Two

Director: Andy Muschietti
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 169 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Teach Grant, Nicholas Hamiltoon, Javier Botet, Xavier Dolan, Taylor Frey, Molly Atkinson

Description: Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

Review: Twenty-seven years ago, the Losers Club took an oath: if It returns, they will return to Derry and kill It. Most have buried their younger years and all the terrifying happenings, but a phone call from the only one that stayed in Derry brings it all back to them. Only together they can beat It.
Director Andy Muschietti managed to surprise everyone with his version of “It”. It was a stylish coming-of-ages story with jump scares. The movie, based on a novel by Stephen King, wasn’t gruesome horror but it was very well crafted. In “It Chapter Two”, we move on with the story. Mike is the only Loser that stayed in Derry and he definitely didn’t forget about Pennywise. After the brutal murder of one of the citizens, he is sure It returned and he contacts every member of the group in ask to return.
Th first film was a success partially because of the young cast and their recognizable stories and fears. Everyone feels like an outsider at times and together they could face their fears. In “It Chapter Two” that feeling of being connected is strong present again, because when they see each other after so many years it feels like the old days. The resemblance with their younger versions are uncanning and each of them was perfectly cast for the role. Especially Bill Hader as adult Richie, who is the best part of the film.
Their chemistry is here also very strong. Sadly a big chunk of the film is each of them going on a quest on their own. That’s the only negative thing I have to say about the film. Because the film and story are strongest when the group is together. That group dynamic is very important and works well.
The film has some really big jump scares and it has more blood and gore than the first film. But it still shows that Muschietti has love for the craft and for this story. Because the film looks stunning.
Like in most cases, “It Chapter Two” isn’t as good as its predecessor, but it still a really strong film.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Glass

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark

Description: Security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.

Review: M. Night Shyamalan is a very good director, but made some movies that a lot of people hate. He was praised for the thriller “The Sixth Sense” with that amazing twist. And “Signs” and Unbreakable” were also very well received. “The Village” I liked, but most people had mixed feelings. And the rest, we don’t really want to talk about. But gladly in 2016, Shyamalan came back with another amazing film: “Split”. Which was surprisingly tied to “Unbreakable”, from 2000. And with now “Glass” we got a trilogy that no one saw coming.
We already know the character in “Glass”, they were introduced to us in “Unbreakable” and “Split”. I recommend you’d see them before, but it’s possible to watch “Glass” without that knowledge. The story is very interesting and off course we’re all waiting for that twist. And all the films finally come together at the end. Before that, it’s not very clear where the movie is heading. James McAvoy is fantastic in his role, like he was in “Split”. It’s amazing to see his range of emotions and expressions and how easily he goes from one personality to another. He is definitely the highlight of “Glass”. The performances by Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Sarah Paulson are also very solid.
The atmosphere in “Glass” is realistic and grim. And in the superhero world, that’s a welcome addition, because they are mostly bombastic and colorful.
“Glass” is a good film, but it could have been great if it got a little more substance. “Unbreakable” and “Split” were definitely better. But I am glad I saw “Glass”.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Atomic Blonde

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action/ Thriller
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman, Toby Jones, Sofia Boutella, Bill Skarsgård, Til Schweiger

Description: An undercover MI6 agent (Charlize Theron) is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

Review: The adaptation of the graphic novel seems pretentious and forced, but is a great rollercoaster ride with a great cast. And an awesome soundtrack! It’s a straight to the point story without any array.
Director David Leitch has to proof that movies like “Atomic Blonde”, with exaggerating plots and unbelievable characters, can actually be good.
Broughton is a relentless agent for the MI6. She is very driven and a skilled fighter. We see Broughton being interrogated by the CIA en she is telling her story.
Star of the show is off course Charlize Theron, who often proved that she is a very versatile actress. Her character is strong and self-assured and she easily manages in a man’s world.
“Atomic Blonde” is not too complicated, the entire thing is fairly simple. Yet it’s a great explosion of action and fun, with a killer soundtrack filled with amazing 80s songs.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 109: Starter For 10

Director: Tom Vaughan
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2006
Starring: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Corden, Charles Dance

Description: Set in 1985, working-class student Brian Jackson (McAvoy) navigates his first year at Bristol University.

Review: “Starter For 10” is based on a novel by David Nichols, one of my favorite authors. The film is set in the 80s, but it really looks like it was actually made in that era. Everything breaths 80s.
No special effects, no fancy camera positions, no tricks. This film’s strengths are in the nostalgic atmosphere, talented and strong actors and a well-directed script. Okay, sometimes it’s a bit cheesy and predictable. But it’s such a fun film.
I really love James Mcavoy in this coming-of-age story. As am 80s baby and hopeless romantic, “Starter For 10” is a win!

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 70: Split

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Betty Buckley, Neal Huff, Jessica Sula

Description: Three girls are kidnapped by a man (James McAvoy) with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

Review: The story of “Split” is simple: Kevin suffers from dissociative identity disorder, or split personality. One of these personalities finds darks reason to kidnap three teenage girls.
M. Night Shyamalan will never make a movie that won’t be compared with his biggest success “The Sixth Sense”. He made really good films after that, being “Unbreakable” and “Signs” and I even appreciate “The Village”. And when he gets it right, you can see what a great director Shyamalan really is. With some mishaps, he didn’t give up and now he’s here with “Split”. Is this a film that we can put on his ‘good’ list? Yes!
James McAvoy is a great actor, one of my favorites. And man does he show that here. It’s amazing how he can go from one character and emotion to another in a heartbeat, with a seamless transition. He changes his way of speaking, facial expression, posture. Fascinating!
M. Night Shyamalan always assumes that people will go along for the ride, when he decides to all of a sudden add supernatural elements to the film. And for the first time in a long time, he manages to succeed again. It’s not only to thank the great script, but also his leading actor.
I’m glad M. Night Shyamalan is back with a good film, I’m also glad for him. I think he got a lot of negative response after some of his films, but he doesn’t deserve that. Because I believe he is an amazing storyteller and director. “Split” is a really good film, with that twist right before the credits start rolling. Very clever!

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 105: X-Men: Apocalypse

Director: Bryan Singer
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 143 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Olivia Munn

Description: After the re-emergence of the world's first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

Review: With “X-Men: Apocalypse”, director Bryan Singer concludes the second X-Men trilogy. It’s Singer’s fourth X-Men film, but the first final film in a series. And Singer delivered a great superhero film.
This time the world’s first mutant comes back and wants to destroy mankind. The X-Men have to join forces again to try to defeat him.
Eventhough “X-Men: Apocalypse” is the final film in the trilogy, started by Matthew Vaughn, the story takes some time to introduce new characters. Well, not really new, because we already knew Jean Grey, Scott Summers and Nightcrawler. We meet their younger versions and how it started for them. This way it doesn’t only feel like a great finale, it’s also a fresh start.
James McAvoy is really good as Charles Xavier and Jennifer Lawrence can exploit her character more in this film. Oscar Isaac is villain Apocalypse and is doing a solid job. Bt none of the actors ever reach Michael Fassbender’s level, who plays Magneto.
“X-Men: Apocalypse” is an entertaining and action packed conlusion in a good trilogy. The movie is over two hours long, but the time passes really quickly. That’s a good sign. I really enjoyed “X-Men Apocalypse”.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 156: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 132 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore

Description: The X-Men send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Review: In “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, Wolverine is send back in time to stop mutants from going under. The X-Men are threatened by Sentinels, robots who have to exterminate mutants. Many mutants have lost the battle against them and all hope is set on Wolverine. His goal is to stop the inventor from going through with his plans. Wolverine gets help from a young Professor Xavier and Magneto.

Bryan Singer returns as a director, he also directed “X-Men” and “X2”. He doesn’t stay close to the original source material, which could bother fans. Yet “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was very well received by the audience and is so far the highest rated movie in the series.

Again the movie is filled with beautiful special effects, but I did miss the more emotional and personal touch that “X-Men: First Class” had. The focus is on Wolverine, but also on Charles Xavier and Magneto. The connection between Hank McCoy aka Beasy and Mystique, that was a storyline in the previous film, is never spoken of. Actors Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do work well together and it’s a joy to watch them together.

Although I enjoyed watching “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, it didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s a good looking movie, but it lacked depth.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Favorites: Atonement

Synopsis: When Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), 13 years old and an aspiring writer, sees her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) at the fountain in front of the family estate she misinterprets what is happening thus setting into motion a series of misunderstandings and a childish pique that will have lasting repercussions for all of them. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his time at Cambridge and now he plans on going to medical school. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a deviant. When her cousin Lola is raped, she tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed.

 

Unique Selling Point: The movie is based on a best-selling novel and it stays very close to the source. It’s a romantic drama, set during world war II, with secrets, lies and betrayal as important themes.

Most Valuable Player: Saoirse Ronan as young Briony Tallis. She is fantastic and overshadows her very experienced co-stars.

Best Moment: The moment where Cecilia and Robbie meet up at the fountain. We get to see their version and how Briony sees it.

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 61: X-Men: First Class

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Genre: Action/ Drama/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 132 minutes

Year: 2011
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Oliver Platt

 

Description: In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

 

Review: “X-Men: First Class” is a so called origin story, that explains how the lead characters from this well-known series became the people they are now. It’s not based on the comics, so the fans might be disappointed.

Like “X-Men”, this films starts in concentration camp Auschwitz. Young Magneto, who then is still Erik Lehnsherr, suffers under the cruel Nazi science of Dr. Schmidt. In another part of the world is telepath Charles Xavier leading a privileged but lonely life. Erik and Xavier meet each other as adults, in the sixties, where they develop a close friendship. They decide to join forces and form a group with young mutants to protect the world from Dr. Schmidt.

“X-Men: First Class” isn’t flawless. It starts out as a clear and solid story about Xaviers idealism versus a cynical Erik. Halfway through subplots develop and supporting characters are added, who aren’t all interesting enough. Take Emma Frost, who is literally a sparkling character but comes off a bit bland.  You only get  a more closer look at Beast and Mystique, who both struggle with their physical appearance.

It’s easy to forgive these shortcomings, because the movie is strong because of its dark humor, action and special effects. Michael Fassbender is cast perfectly as the charismatic and cynical Magneto. James McAvoy is a bit more timid in his performance, but has manpower enough to make Xavier the powerful and charming man that he is. Jennifer Lawrence is also solid as Mystique, who you see change throughout the film.

I really enjoyed “X-Men: First Class”, a good prequel to the series.

 

Rating: 4/ 5

Video of the Week (3)

I was watching "The Graham Norton Show", as I do every saturday, and three lovely gentleman actors where sitting on Graham's red couch: Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, for the promotion of their new "X-Men" movie. Hugh starting talking about Michael, who Always came on set while the song "Blurred Lines" was playing. The three guys decided to show the audience how it looks on set.

 

 

Pic Spam: James McAvoy

For me he's that other hot James who can act (with Franco being the first). James McAvoy made some great films and I really love watching him. His best movies are "Atonement" and "The Last King of Scotland". Here are his best pictures.

Movie Tip #4 - Atonement

Director: Joe Wright

Starring: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave,Benedict Cumberbatch, Juno Temple

Description: The young Briony Tallis has a wild imagination. Because of a lie she breaks up her sister Cecelia (Keira Knightley) and her lover Robbie (James McAvoy). A lie that will change all of their lives....

Review: I read the book a while ago and I immediately loved the story. The characters are perfectly played by the actors and the story is extremely close to the original. The three chapters in the book (young Briony, 18 year old Briony and older Briony) were pictured the way it was supposed to. Not complicated, perfectly directed by Joe Wright. People who like a lot of action won't like this film, because it's not a blockbuster movie. But if you like the book, you will love the film. They're equally good.