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Director : Camille Griffin – Cast Includes : Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Roman Griffin Davis, Annabelle Wallis, Lily-Rose Depp, Sope Dirisu, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Lucy Punch and Rufus Jones

SOMETIMES you have to get into the festive spirit and dip your toes into a movie treat sprinkled with dark humor, christmas decor, children & friends and then slowly watch as it all implodes with impending helplessness and agonising dispair : Camille Griffin’s SILENT NIGHT is a real gem, it’s not your normal Christmas affair more of an examination of us humans and how some would react to the crazy scenario that this group of family and friends finds themselves in… with swirls of Melancholia mixed with The Mist I really found it facinating and rather upsetting in what transpires in the country home of Nell and Simon played delightfully by Knightley and Goode, who both appear to be good parents trying to do what’s right… Silent Night has a magnificent cast all of which turn in good performances, such as Annabelle Wallis who always makes me smile with her boundless energy taking on the role of Sandra, mum to the rather eccentric Kitty, the fastly growing talent of Lily-Rose Depp who’s character Sophie has other things on her mind and the impressive JoJo Rabbit star Roman Griffin Davis who delivers yet another unnerving turn as Art the son of Nell and Simon who keeps questioning as the night goes on… I would certainly class Silent Night as a horror film as it tackles fear brilliantly, especially when you throw into the mix the children and as the film progresses you can’t help but get caught up in it’s nervous & frightening drive : I LOVED the chaotic last 10 minutes of the film, admiring how Simon stays calm as the twins want the same amount of coke and then that final shot was just WOW and how about that scene when Art runs away and comes across an abandoned car and I so enjoyed watching Sandra purr over James throughout… SILENT NIGHT is a movie executed with a passion and thought provoking precision by a director making her feature debut from a story she had written… it’s one that I just connected with right from the off and has now been added it to my rather long list of annual December rewatches ★★★★½

Director : Jeymes Samuel – Cast Includes : Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King

I fucking love The Bullitts aka: Jeymes Samuel he’s one talent dude and his latest The Harder They Fall is a breath of fresh air in the Western genre, and although the film’s a fictional piece, its characters are based on real cowboys, real lawmen and real outlaws of the American West around the 19th-century…. with a cast bursting at the seams I found this film to be simply MAGNIFICENT… a stylish, well worked western that contains an interesting storyline, a whole bunch of fun characters to sink your teeth into and root for including Lakeith Stanfield’s gunman Cherokee Bill and my favorite Danielle Deadwyler’s Cuffee a saloon hand turned outlaw and a killer soundtrack that matches each and every scene with great panache… some of the gunfights are violent and bloody, the colors used in the saloons are sumptuous, the camera angles, shadows in the dirt and overall photography by DP Mihai Mălaimare Jr are quite irresistible, another top notch performance by one of my favorite actors Jonathan Majors and the showdown between Stagecoach Mary and Trudy is off the charts GOOD… so if your looking for just over 2hrs of pure western escapism then The Harder They Fall will fit the bill perfectly : IT’S BRILLIANT ★★★★½

Pig (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 22, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: adam arkin, alex wolff, film blog, film geek, film night, like, love, movie reviews, movie website, Nicolas Cage, nicolas cage movies, oregon, photography, pig 2021, pig movie, pig review, portland, truffle pig, wilderness. Leave a comment

Director : Michael Sarnoski – Cast Includes : Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

Along with being a wonderful actor Nicolas Cage brings passion to his craft in each and every film he stars in, whether he’s chasing a wild Jaguar in Nick Powell’s Primal, taking down a hippie cult in the surreal blood filled Mandy or beating the crap out of demonic animatronics in Willy’s Wonderland he’s an actor you can’t help but admire, he’s an Oscar winner that’s not only comfortable in A list blockbusters but will star in pretty much anything that he likes the sound of… PIG is the movie debut of writer Michael Sarnoski and sees Cage once again in terrific form playing Robin Feld a former chef who lives in the remote wilderness of Portand with his truffle foraging pig… I love the start of the film as it shows the bond between the two, his life is a simple one spending his days looking for truffles deep in the wilds of Oregon, he enjoys sharing his breakfast with his companion, his appearance is unkempt and you can see there’s something troubling his character, he has a tape recording he doesn’t want to listen and the pain is noticeable, so when out of the blue he’s attacked and his beloved pig is taken from him Feld must return to his former life, tackle his past and track down the no good sons of bitches that have taken something from him… LIKE all of his previous work that contain that hint of oddity Cage gives a rousing display, and this is why he’s one of my favorite actors, regardless of the role he’s an all in 100% committed actor and in PIG he carries this overwhelming loss on his shoulders, he’s consumed by it and in Cage style he shows us his pain and the kidnap of his friend is the final straw : PIG totally caught me off guard, it’s not your standard thriller with Sarnoski playing the emotional card and Cage delivering a powerful display of sincerity, there’s also a good showing from Alex Wolff who plays Amir who’s gets caught in the middle of the pig’s disappearance and it’s unusual story doesn’t play out the way you think it would : Overall PIG is MUST WATCH thriller that’s tender, melancholic and just BRILLIANT to watch ★★★★

Richard Donner (1930-2021)

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 6, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: cinephile, classic 80s movies, Danny Glover, film, film blog, jodie foster, lethal weapon, love movies, Mel Gibson, movie website, richard donner, steven spielberg, the goonies. Leave a comment

Heartbreaking… Richard Donner’s films have been on repeat in my house for over the last three decades, his body of work have brought tears of laughter, smiles of joy and and you know something? they still seem as fresh today as they did back then… he was a Maverick of his time with movies such as Superman, The Goonies, the Lethal Weapon movies and so many more… he was loved by his peers, adored by his fans and although he’s no longer with us his legacy will continue to shine… “Hey, you guuuys!”

Here’s the trailer for HALLOWEEN KILLS… I’m a huge fan of Michael Myers and the film franchise that was started back in ’78 by Carpenter spawning numerous sequels and remakes, so the thought of visiting the cinema this October for another dose of Haddonfield has me all excited… I know what your thinking… you just can’t beat the originals and yep you would be right, but there was something fresh I took away from David Gordon Green’s Halloween back in 2018, I didn’t think it was as atmospheric as Carpenter’s masterpiece or as nasty as the Rob Zombie remake but I did love it’s story by Green & Mcbride, the film was well shot with it’s scares coming thick and fast and Myers was in devilishly good form, I really enjoyed the Judy Greer casting and of course seeing Jamie Lee return as Laurie Strode was the icing… so after you’ve watched the trailer for the sequel below why not (like I’m about to do) revisit the Halloween franchise, and see which ones are you favorite… Halloween Kills scares this October…

Today marks the 67th Birthday of Kathleen Turner, she’s not only one of my favorite all time actresses and a lady of immense talent but during my hey day back in the good old 80s she really did own the words SCREEN BEAUTY with sizzling turns in the likes of Body Heat, Crimes of Passion, The Man with Two Brains and of course Romancing the Stone and it’s sequel The Jewel of the Nile : but Kathleen is no one trick pony, she’s a superb theatre actress with two TONY nominations for her performances in Broadway roles as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and PLEASE people we need to talk more about Kathleen’s imense comedy work she’s incredibly FUNNY, check out The War of the Roses, Serial Mom, Prizzi’s Honor and Switching Channels and wasn’t it BLISS watching her reunite with Michael Douglas recently in the third and final series of the The Kominsky Method : Kathleen is someone who’s brought so much happiness to my movie loving bubble and yes I know she’s a tad older now but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for the movie gods to sanction a third Jack & Joan outing and of course bringing Ralph back would be the icing… but until then… Happy Birthday Kathleen 🙂

Two years after being left for dead, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer : I remember watching Daniel Benmayor‘s Tracers back in 2015 and being a little underwhelmed, it was an average movie with very little to write home about apart from some promising action sequences, roll on 6 years and we have the latest from the Spanish filmmaker XTREMO and HOLY BALLS this movie totally gave me a white knuckle ride, it’s pure guilt free entertainment and although the story is similar to those that’s come before there’s just something about the films star Teo García who plays Máximo that gives Xtremo that extra bite, the intensity and cruel nature of those bone crunchin, sword fighting, nail gun tooting action scenes are reminiscent of John Wick and The Raid but stamped with Benmayor‘s own filmmaking flare and so much fun to watch : along with Garcia’s Maximo Xtremo has a whole bunch of badass characters including Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s Finito a real nasty son of a bitch who gives us the audience someone to hate during those early parts of the movie, Óscar Jaenada’s Lucero who grew up with Maximo but turns all power hungry by attempting to kill everyone in his path, and then we have the kickass Maria played by the beautiful spaniard Andrea Duro who works for Lucero, that scene with Maria and Maximo on the training matt is a delight, we get to witness their undoubted connection, their passion & energy burns through the screen : so if your a fan of these high tempo, high body count action movies that are well choreographed & filmed in the most beautiful of places (in this case Barcelona), even containing bits of humor in the midst of all the violence (such as Lucero handing a delicious looking cake to one of his henchman and returning 5mins later to find it’s been eaten) then Xtremo will fit the bill and may give you a new hero to root for…. let’s hope the movie’s a success and Benmayor gets to film a sequel : EXPLOSIVE FUN ★★★★

A chilling true story of the supernatural, a violent murder and an unknown evil that shocked even the experienced paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren : If like me your a fan of The Conjuring franchise and invested in it’s characters and the horror universe it plays out in then Michael Chaves movie will get under your skin and deliver plenty of knee jerks, shivers and chewing of finger nails, yes of course I was disappointed to hear James Wan wasn’t returning to the franchise he started but after watching Michael Chaves brilliant directorial debut The Curse of La Llorona I was more than happy to enjoy another chapter of Conjuring : the third film of course sees the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren a real life husband and wife team of paranormal investigators who are now looking into the possession of David a young boy from Connecticut and the alarming events that followed : I watched this movie on the big screen, allowing the darkness of the movie theatre to consume me I was ready…. or so I thought…. in typical Conjuring fashion those sudden ear bursting moments of screaching SOUND really caught me off guard, especially at the beginning of the movie when David is being tormented by some evil entity and Ed & Lorraine with the help of some family members & a local priest are trying to perform an exorcism really startled me…. and AGAIN when David goes all Regan on the dining room table the SOUND matching the horrific intensity of the scene, really standing my hair on end : loved the nod to The Exorcist early on as Father Gordon arrives standing outside the Glatzel house looking up at the window, so poetic, Ed & Lorraine’s love story arch with it’s emotion and early flashback are beautifully handled (that gazebo scene had me like niagara falls), the supporting cast that includes Fringe’s John Noble (when is he not great eh?) & Ruairi O’Connor who I last seen in Teen Spirit are excellent and along with the well worked screenplay written by Aquaman’s David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick it’s the chemistry of it’s two stars Wilson and Farmiga that once again deliver believable and emotional characterisation of the Warren’s, this third film has more backstory allowing both stars to grow their respective roles even further : overall THE CONJURING 3 is a superb entry into the franchise and one that has everything you’d want from a horror movie : it’s super SCARY, has a COMPELLING and facinating story and the ATMOSPHERE you could cut with a knife ★★★★

A woman wakes in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there : Oxygène is yet another example of why I’m bonkers over French filmmaker Alexandre Aja, he’s currently in My Top 10 filmmakers directing horror/scifi, I mean his debut is still one of the scariest slasher movies in the last 20 years in High Tension, he’s directed good remakes of The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D, the supernatural Mirrors that starred Kiefer Sutherland certainly had it’s moments, the brilliant Daniel Radcliffe led Horns just blew me away and 2019’s Crawl made my best of list that year, an aligator pic that’s delicious on every level, fast paced, inventive and downright scary……. now it’s 2021 and I’ve just watched the magnificent Frenchman’s latest Oxygène and WOW it’s bloody good : shot during last year pandemic and starring Inglourious Basterds Mélanie Laurent this is one helluva nerve shredder, from those opening ten minutes your sucked into a claustrophobic mind melt trying to find out answers to what’s going on as you discover the main character has just woken up in a medical cryo chamber, her oxygen levels are dangerously low and she has to first find out how she ended up in this cryo whilst trying to preserve as much oxygen as she can whilst trying to deal with the internal workings of the chamber that’s only assisted by a rather creepy AI named Milo : Christie LeBlanc’s screenplay debut and the acting by Laurent are what makes Oxygène such a facinating (I still can’t stop thinking about it), utterly engrossing (watching the change of emotion from Laurent as she discovers that little bit more about herself and her where-abouts as her Oxygen decreases) and it’s disturbing reveal (it’s crushing yet hopeful depending on which side of the fence you sit) : overall Oxygène is another hugely enjoyable nail biter from Alexandre Aja and one I can’t wait to revisit ★★★★½

Two Sightseers charter a seaplane and it’s experienced crew to fly to a remote part of the Australian coast called Hells Reef when their fun turns into a real nightmare after a man-eating shark wants them for lunch : there’s been many imitators since Spielberg released his classic 1975 movie JAWS, some have relied on poor CGI with no story, others have decided on the gore route with cheese-o-rama dialogue often with actors that the studio have found dossing around some local shopping mall or the like but on the odd occassion a film comes out that takes elements from those good ones that have come before, giving the viewer an enjoyable ride and Martin Wilson’s film debut GREAT WHITE is one of them movies : I really love the way the film starts with Luke and Tracy enjoying as couples do the beauty of their surroundings then boom, the attack comes from nowhere, a circling predator, the sail mast and the chilling last moments of Tracy floating, unconcious in the waters depths : The films cast is led by The Bold and the Beautiful’s Katrina Bowden and Aussie actor Aaron Jakubenko who was last seen in Tidelands, Kaz & Charlie run their own business, owning a seaplane and taking passengers to some of the scenic spots in the country, I loved Katrina & Aaron’s energy, their chemistry and both are believable in their respective roles, their joined by the talented trio of Tim Kano, Kimie Tsukakoshi who play the tourists out to see the beauty of the area and Te Kohe Tuhaka’s Benny a likeable part of the crew stealing many of the scenes with his humor and deadpan stares, some of the film was shot just north of Brisbane on the Redcliffe Peninsula and the photography by Tony O’Loughlan really captures the fear, mystery and beauty above and below the surface of the ocean, I was also impressed by Tim Count’s haunting music that seemed to fit each scene of Wilson’s movie so well : So if your looking for one of those Syfy Shark movies with a bloodbath and cheap thrills such as Sharknado or Trailer Park Shark then don’t waste your time with Martin Wilson’s Great White a film that’s much more polished, much more of a tension driven, white knuckle ride that slowly builds in it’s first and finishes with an exciting, pulse racing climax, a film that overall I thoroughly enjoyed and I expect in years to come with multiple viewings it will garner it’s own fan base ★★★★

Frank McRae (1941 – 2021)

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 6, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 007, 1941, 48hrs, Batteries Not Included, character actor, film blog, film characters, film collection, film geek, films, frank mcrae, frank mcrae rip, license to kill, like, loaded weapon, love, love movies, movie website, movies, red dawn, rock films, the last action hero. Leave a comment

sad news the badass Frank McRae has died aged 80 : although he wasn’t a huge star and quite often found himself in smaller roles Frank managed to put his own stamp on the movie world, giving us character’s we fondly remember, with eye catching performances such as Harry in *batteries Not Included, Ogden Jones alongside Dan Aykroyd in 1941, Mr Teasdale in the 1984’s cult classic Red Dawn, Dekker in The Last Action Hero, and Haden in 48hrs, he also starred in other films such as 007’s Licence to Kill, 1973’s gangster film Dillinger and not to mention his collaboration’s with Sylvester Stallone on film’s such as F.I.S.T., Paradise Alley, Lock Up and Rocky II : as I look around my film library and spot some of the film’s mentioned I’m sad at his loss but I also smile reminiscing at the many delightful performances this wonderful character actor has given us….

The Virtuoso (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 3, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Abbie Cornish, anson mount, Anthony Hopkins, assassin, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, film website, films, hitman, like, love, love these movies, mentor, movie, movie website, Nick Stagliano, photography, Richard Brake, the virtuoso, the virtuoso movie, the vituoso 2021, the waitress, thriller, white rivers. Leave a comment

Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss : It’s been 10yrs since a movie directed by Nick Stagliano has hit our screens, and for me that’s way too long for a guy of his talent : The Virtuoso was also written by Stagliano and hosts a selection of top line performers including Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, Richard Brake and of course the leading star of the movie Cullen Bohannon himself the Irresistible Anson Mount : once the movie starts and I hear Anson’s sleepy narration as he describes his job, a paid killer living in isolation I just knew I was going to love the hell out of this cleverly written, character driven gem that splashes the screen with violence, mystery and twists and turns like the Le Castellet : the cemetery scene with Hopkins Mentor discussing the war with Anson Mount’s Virtuoso is quite breathtaking, haunting and delivered in typical commanding & at times scare style by the legendary Welshman, each character in the film has their own agenda, each has a part to play and the scenes in Rosie’s cafe when the Virtuoso rolls in to town to find his next target is so reminiscent of Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight with filmmaker Stagliano shifting gear leaving you along with the Virtuoso guessing who is white rivers? Once again Abbie Cornish steals each and every scene she’s part of, I just love her work and her character the waitress at Rosie’s Cafe really does help the film’s shift, she injects a purpose and a link to each of the characters and what happens to her is one of the reasons why a sequel/prequel would be awesome to watch : the cafe & motel scenes are effectively shot, the violence is to point considering the film’s storyline and a hitman movie without a dog these days would suck so if you like your thriller’s to contain a devilishly good story, some fine acting and a terrific pay off then please check out Nick Stagliano‘s The Virtuoso you’ll thank me later ★★★★

A woman who believes that she will die tomorrow spreads her thoughts to others around her in a small town like a contagion : I’ve seen a bunch of strange movies this year but Amy Seimetz’s She Dies Tomorrow takes the biscuit : from it’s flashing colors, dreamlike images and a cover of Mozart’s Lacrimosa playing on repeat, Seimetz’s picture is both haunting and strangely captivating as we find ourselves witnessing some highly irregular characters going about their daily life talking about the sex life of Dolphins, wanting to come back from death as a leather jacket and rivers flowing with period blood : I’m not sure I got what the movie was trying to say but it’s cast especially Kate Lyn Sheil who is quite mesmerising as the free spirited Amy, who loves nothing more than pouring out her emotions by the touch of a wall or floor board as she slow dances in her own space and the PJ wearing, confused Jane played by the tremendous Jane Adams makes She Dies Tomorrow insanely gnarly, utterly watchable and without question thought provoking : overall this movie will divide many with it’s unusual plot line, tackling the likes of anxiety, death etc and believe me it’s not an easy watch but as a movie fan I highly recommend you give it a go, it’s original story telling which is rare these days, colors that engulf the screen creating this alternate reality appearance, the fabulous ensemble with Josh Lucas, Chris Messina and Michelle Rodriguez in minor roles and the fact that Amy Seimetz’s talent and voice needs to be explored more in the future makes this movie essential viewing ★★★★

An ex-private investigator is hired to look into a suspicious death in the town of Wander : First film I’ve seen by Canadian filmmaker April Mullen and hopefully not the last : WANDER is one of them small town, nothing is quite what it seems type of movie that I found engrossing from the start, those early scenes of conspiracy theorists Arthur played by Aaron Eckhart and his faithful sidekick Jimmy played by old timer Tommy Lee Jones sat in the desert recording their latest deep web podcast that goes out live under the stars had me hook, line and sinker : with his bushy beard, big wide eyes and a limp Aaron Eckhart gives Wander it’s beacon, a lighthouse of a performance that shines throughout, he shows us the pain and trauma of his character who was once a family man, had everything going for him until a car accident kills his young daughter and leaves his wife in a comatose state : Arthur now lives in a camper van in the desert, in the middle of nowhere and spends his days looking after his dog Charlie, pod-casting with Jimmy and visiting his wife in a nursing facility…. one day he receives a visit by a women who wants to aquire his services as a Private Investigator, hiring him to look into her daughter’s suspicious death and so starts the domino effect, paranoia blurred with reality…. Arthur is down the rabbitt hole and he’s scrambling to get out : Wander is one of the better movies to come out of this crazy year, a small time GEM that’s well directed by April Mullen, well acted by it’s superb cast and has some beautiful New Mexico photography, it’s 90mins of character driven intrigue that delves into mental illness, the feeling of loss whilst touching on government cover-up, conspiracy and murder : ENJOYED very much ★★★★