Movie Review - The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzalez, Cary Elwes, Henry Golding, Babs Olusanmokun, Til Schweiger, Rory Kinnear, Freddie Fox, Hero Fiennes Tiffin
 
Description: The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II.

Review: Gus March-Phillips is the man commissioned by Winston Churchill to assemble a team that will eventually take part in a dangerous mission off the West African coast. March-Phillips has one demand: his buddy Geoffrey Appleyard must lead the gang of unguided missiles. Small problem: Appleyard has been arrested by the Gestapo and is stuck on the Spanish Island of Palma. But March-Phillips and his team have little trouble taking out an entire battalion.

The first movie that comes to mind when watching “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds”. It has several similarities, but Guy Ritchie’s action film never reaches the same level. It’s a little more lighthearted and frivolous, but still very entertaining, apt, funny, action-packed, has some fun one-liners, a great movie score and a solid cast. And it has a clever, subtle nod to James Bond. I enjoyed it, but “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is not the most memorable film. 

 
Rating: 3/ 5

00s Movie Review - Brick

Director: Rian Johnson
Genre: Crime
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emile de Ravin, Meagan Good, Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, Mat O’Leary, Noah Segan

Description: A teenage loner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) pushes his way into the underwold of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A CRIME OR DETECTIVE FILM
 
Review: We meet Brendan, a loner, who just broke up with his girlfriend. He has a feeling she is in trouble. When she goes missing, Brendan decides to investigate himself. Getting himself into a dangerous crime ring and a web of lies.

It’s Rian Johnson’s directorial debut, who we now know for films like “Looper” and “Knives Out”. “Brick” is a low-budget film and it’s cool to see what Johnson managed to do with it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good in his role as Brendan and the film has some clever twists.

A really strong crime film, I don’t think known to many.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Young Woman and the Sea

Director: Joachim Rønning
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Stephen Graham, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Sian Clifford, Christopher Eccleston, Kim Bodnia, Jeanette Hain
 
Description: The story of competitive swimmer Trudy Ederle (Daisly Ridley), who, in 1926, was the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel.

Review: Imagine having to swim the English Channel. But now imagine not wearing a hydrodynamic wetsuit, no energy bars or vitamin drinks, and having to rely on the escort of one dastardly steamer. Kust hours and hours of swimming, without fuss, but with jellyfish. That is exactly the challenge that Trudy Ederle took on in 1926, as the first woman ever to.

We meet young Trudy Ederle, who wants to learn how to swim together with her sister Meg. In the roaring 20s, no such thing was for girls. When the sisters get older, the join an all woman’s swim team. With Meg being the most promising, it’s Trudy with the talent. They both start entering competitions, and Trudy wins every time. Even when Trudy is selected to go the Olympics, her Father is not convinced and feels like this is no place for a woman.

After the Olympics, where the woman’s teams was not so successful, because the never get the chance to properly train, Trudy is about to quit and live the life her father wishes for her. Until she sees a film about Bill Burgess, who swam the English Channel. No woman has ever tried this and it becomes Trudy’s number one goal.

Trudy will stop at nothing and she is determine to swim the English Channel. Proving everyone wrong for telling that a woman will never be fit for such a thing. Daisy Ridley is amazing as Trudy, she is the heart of the film. And she proves she can easily carry one. She is accompanied by Stephen Graham, who has a smaller role then I expected which was a shame. I wanted more screentime for him, I always want more screentime for Graham. He is such an overlooked and underrated actor. I really liked his rol in “Young Woman and the Sea”.

“Young Woman and the Sea” is an inspiring sports film about a champion for women’s rights and recognition. Based on a true story, as amazed as I was for what Trudy Ederle did, you should also watch the film “Nyad” with a similar theme and also a true tale. Even more amazing actually. “Nyad” is probably the stronger film of the two, but I also absolutely loved “Young Woman and the Sea”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Number One Fan by Meg Elison

Title: Number One Fan
Author: Meg Elison
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2022
 
Description: On her way to a speaking engagement, bestselling novelist Eli Grey gets into a cab and accepts a drink from the driver, trusting that everything is fine. She wakes up chained in the stranger’s basement. With no close family or friends expecting her to check in, Eli knows she needs to save herself. She soon realizes that her abduction wasn’t random, and though she things she might recognize the captor, she cant figure out what he wants. Her only clues are that he’s very familiar with her books and deeply invested in the fantastical world she creates. What follows is a test of wills as Eli pits herself against a man who believes she owes him everything – and is determined to take it from her.
 
Review: The first thing that came to mind, when reading the synopsis, was “Misery” by Stephen King. In this book, Annie Wilkes, number one fan of author Paul Sheldon, keeps her favorite writer hostage in her house and is obsessed with his work and its main character. In “Number One Fan”, the genders are swapped, but the set-up is similar.
 
Eli Grey is the author of fantasy novels and is kept chained in a basement of a man who is a fan of her work. This captor remains unnamed at first, but we soon learn who he is. But we are still left in the dark about his motives. The story is very different from “Misery” aside from the premise, but it’s clear this book was an inspiration for Meg Elison.
 
The book is pretty disturbing and gruesome, in what the captor does to Eli and the circumstances he lets her live in. The story is told from the third person and that works well. This way we get to know things that the other characters don’t know yet.
 
WARNING!!! THE NEXT PART MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!
 
Towards the end, we are in the courtroom. I did not like this part of the book and it ruined my overall experience of the book. I would’ve been more interested in Eli’s state of mind after the fact and how she would be dealing with everything. We get a small glimpse of it, but Elison could have explored this more.
 
“Number One Fan” is a disturbing thriller novel, that is well-written but didn’t quite stick the landing in the end. I found that last part a bit disappointing.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

80s Movie Review - The Elephant Man

Director: David Lynch
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 1980
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Hannah Gordon

Description: A Victortian surgeon (Anthony Hopkins) rescues a heavily disfigured man (John Hurt) who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 29: A FILM THAT’S A CULT CLASSIC
 
Review: While visiting a so-called freak show, surgeon Frederick Treves comes upon the trail of the severely deformed John Merrick. As he gets to know Merrick better, his scientific interest gives way to sympathy.

“The Elephant Man” was produced by none other than comedy icon Mel Brooks. Yet there is little to laugh in this biographical film about the hapless John Merrick. In his own way,  director David Lynch turns Victorian London into a nightmare; a tangle of dark alleys populated by figures all preying on the vulnerable Merrick.

The oppressive atmosphere is enhanced by repeating shots of the old-fashioned machines that launched the industrial revolution. In doing so, Lynch evokes the ideao that there is no room in an industrial process for deviant parts: a sentiment that resonates with the Victorian community. Due to his hideous appearance, Merrick is seen by most as a blemish on society; a defect that does not contribute to the progress of society.

It is understandable that an eccentric filmmaker like Lynch would be drawn to “The Elephant Man”. John Hurt plays Johnn Merrick and this role was a huge ordeal, even for such an experiences actors as Hurt. It took seven hours to apply the make-up and prostetics and another two to remove it. And it looks so realistic. Hurt is unrecognizable and he is excellent. And very well assisted by Anthony Hopkins. In his role as the empathic Frederic Treves he serves as the viewer surrogate. Through Treves, we begin to see John Merrick as a human being rather than a curiosity. When Merrick eventually garners a place in British high society, we share Treves’ sadness at the realization that Merrick will always be defined by his appearance, despite his sophisticated personality.

Filmed in black and white, “The Elephant Man” is an engaging tragedy. With the acting of John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins as highlights and the great direction of Dacid Lynch.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - A Quiet Place: Day One

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction/ Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
 
Description: A young woman name Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself trapped in new York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.

Review: Making a prequel to a successful film like “A Quiet Place’ is probably a curse rather than a blessing. The film not being director by John Krasinski (returned as a writer though), like the other two films, is also not working in its favor. But it worked and it pays off. 

The first two films were unique. The people dealing with the invasion had already adapted to the situation. They learned how to live in a world with these creatures in it, knew what attracts them and how to survive. It had a small town, country setting. In “A Quiet Place Part Two” we got a glimpse on that first day, with the characters we then knew, in that same setting. But in “A Quiet Place: Day One” we see how it started, switching the décor for New York, a place that is loud and alive 24/ 7. An interesting take for this universe to further explore it.

We follow Sam, a young woman dealing with a terminal illness. All she has is her cat Frodo. When she is visiting New York City, all hell breaks loose and creatures start attacking people. Quickly finding out that they can’t see and rely on super sensitive hearing, she tries to make her way through the city.

Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam and really carries this film. She is a cynical character, but manages to put down a remarkable engaging main character, for whom she is especially allowed to pull out all the stops non-verbally. She gets great counterplay from Joseph Quinn, who plays the anxious Eric.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” could easily be viewed without having seen the other two movies, but I would recommend to watch the others first. I highly enjoyed it, was spooked, on the edge of my seat. And loved Lupita Nyong’o, who proves again what a great actress she is. And can we also praise cat Schnitzel, who played Frodo. Constantly panicking where he was, when he wasn’t in frame. “A Quiet Place: Day One” is best views in theaters, just like its predecessors.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Title: Part of Your World (Part of Your World # 1)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary
Published: 2022
 
Description: After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come – the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
 
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of worl renowed surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
 
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
 
Review: The praise that Abby Jimenez got for “Part of Your World” got me curious enough to check it out. I’m not a contemporary romance reader and was weirdly skeptical about it. But I was so surprised with how much I ended up loving this book. So much, that I really want to read more of her books.
 
I seriously can’t think of anything I didn’t like about “Part of Your World”. We meet Alexis, a successful doctor carrying on a legacy from a long line of talented doctors. She meets small-town carpenter Daniel when her car breaks down and eventually ends up at his house, spending the night together. He is ten years younger and their lives couldn’t be more different. But they can’t deny the chemistry that they have between them. It does not sound like anything new in the rom-com universe. But Jimenez somehow made it so heartfelt.
 
Most characters in contemporary romance stories are a bit superficial. I liked both Alexis and Daniel from the start and they have depth. Alexis has been dealing with a lot of pressure in her life. As coming from a family of successful doctors, who expect a lot from her, she feels constant pressure and a fear of failing. Her brother, who was actually the golden child of the family, has turned his back on the legacy by marrying the woman he loves. But a woman their parents, especially the father, does not approve of. Now all eyes are on Alexis. Her breaking up with long-time boyfriend Neil, doesn’t make it any better. Neil, who is also a successful doctor, is very loved by her parents. They still keep meeting up with him. Even though he cheated on Alexis and he was mentally abusive to her.
 
A man like Daniel is perfect. He lives in a small town, is a hardworking man, always thinking about others, putting himself second at all times. Daniel is kind, handsome and handy. But Alexis could not bring Daniel into her world, because he wouldn’t fit in. Not with her life as a doctor in a big city, but also with her family. Who would disapprove of him instantly, because he doesn’t come from money and hasn’t, in their eyes, accomplished anything noteworthy.
 
Even with Alexis and Daniel being so different, there is something in both characters that you can relate to. You can understand both. You get Daniel, for wanting to give up everything to be with her even though the little town of Wakan is where he belongs. And Alexis, who really thrives when she is with Daniel, but she is also scared of disappointing her parents. Especially since her brother did the same and her parents turned their back on him.
 
“Part of Your World” deals with light themes, but also manages to touch upon some heavier themes like abuse. It’s interwoven in the story and never gets too heavy, but it was beautifully done. This book made me laugh out loud, but also made me cry a couple of times. I’m a happy single, but I know I will never settle for anyone less than a man like Daniel. Thank you Abby Jimenez, for making me love this book so much as a non-romance reader.  
 
Rating: 5/ 5