A History of Violence

Viggo Mortensen was the reason that I first chose to watch this film. It started as a bucolic fairytale seeming movie then took a sharp turn into an action/mystery film. Over all, I enjoyed the film. If you are a Mortensen fan or in actions/mystery van then this might be a good movie for you to watch. Poster to follow.

Snow Cake

I love Alan Rickman. So sad that he died. He and Sigourney Weaver did a great job in this film. A story of a man and an adult Autistic woman dealing with their lives as best they can in Wintery Canada. Good acting, well written story, good cinematography. All in all, a good watch! Oh, and Carrie Ann Moss was enjoyable too.

The Exception

Very interesting story. I don't know how much of it is true. About Kaiser Wilhelm being sequestered on a mansion in Holland after WWI and a German who comes to be in charge of his protection detail during WWII. Probably only the part about the Kaiser being in Holland...The movie has a love story in the middle of a political/spy story. But Lily James makes the whole thing even more enjoyable. Good acting. And I love period pieces - yay costumes! The actor who played the lead German was unfamiliar to me. And Christopher Plummer rocked his Wilhelm. All in all an enjoyable (to me) film!

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Surprisingly enjoyable. The reviews for this movie are pretty bad. As an Arthurian story, it does get a bit far from the traditional story. But as an action/sword and sorcery movie, it was pretty good. Arthur escapes death and floats down the river (like Moses?). Some nice prostitutes take him in and he is raised on the wrong side of the tracks where he learns to be a bad ass and at the same time a good leader. His evil Uncle, played by a scenery chewing Jude Law (not always, but a few times during the movie) is searching for the "born king." Mayhem ensues. Enjoyable mayhem. If you like Sword and Sorcery Adventure movies, you might like this film. If you are a diehard, true to the accumulated myths Arthur fan, I would definitely steer clear of this one. Not an island movie, yet good fun.

Slow West

As far as Westerns are concerned, this one was pretty good. I like Westerns generally. I like the Wild West. There was some grittiness to this movie that I appreciated. The leads were both good - is it me or does Michael Fassbender seem to be in a lot of movies lately? The story is about a young guy from England seeking his beloved who has fled to the West of the US. And the semi-moralistic bounty hunter who helps him out. Kind of a buddy movie. Kind of a typical Western. A good see. (Nope, not on the island.)

Blood Ties

I liked this movie more than I thought I would. Another trailer find, I think. Clive Owen was in it, who I usually enjoy. Mila Kunis who has never thrilled me. Marion Cotillard who I know from somewhere was good. Overall the acting was decent. And the story of two brothers who end up on different sides of the law, although not by any stretch of imagination is a new thing, was handled decently. A little predictable at the end, though. Not a terrible waste of time for sure!

The Expendables 2

The second one was actually better, at least more enjoyable than the first one. I don't think that it was good enough to make me endure the 3 and 4 installments, though. The really good thing about this one was that they added bigger roles for Arnold Schwarzeneger and Bruce Willis. And parts for Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme. And this one had more of a sense of fun and a sense of the ridiculousness of the whole thing. If you must watch one of the Expendables, this would be the one. And Jason Statham!

The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone wrote, starred in and directed this action hero mash-up. When I watched the extra material for the second one, I discovered that my perception of the first movie was similar to Sly's - that it didn't really know what genre it wanted to be. It had a lot of splattering blood. And a few moments of humor. A few of seriousness. Who knows? Anyway, glad I won't have to watch it again. I have never been a huge Sylvester Stallone fan...

Dark Shadows

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp worked together to create a movie version of the TV show (about which I only know the name). I have mixed feelings about both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. When the work gels, it is excellent. This movie just felt a bit off somehow. Maybe it was the 20 minutes of exposition at the beginning, which, though necessary was still long. I didn't really like any of the characters in the movie. And the plot sort of lumped along. Good effects. I don't know, just not a huge fan of this movie. Yes, it was an origin story, and maybe the original had characters that people grew to love. I just didn't like any of them. Oh well. Chloe was in it, so that was a good thing. I think that might have been how I came upon this movie...

Nowhere Boy

This is a John Lennon early days biopic. I saw a trailer for it and thought "Heck, I would like to know more about John Lennon's time before The Beatles." So I got it out of the library. Not a bad film. I sort of had learned some things about John's life through osmosis. I don't know how accurate Nowhere Boy is, but it was interesting and enjoyable to me.

Burnt

Third movie of the night and I saved the best for last! Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper (who I have a soft spot for) was the lead - a chef who had flamed out a few years before the start of the movie and burned a lot of bridges. Movies about food are one of my favorites. I think they ought to be a genre unto themselves. Has there been a tragic food movie? I know there have been comedies and thrillers (Rabbit anyone?). Good acting all around, great looking food (I wish I could afford to eat like that once a month) and a script that was fresh enough that it mostly kept me interested. If you like Bradley Cooper, or food movies then this will be a particularly tasty treat for you. Still not an island movie - though it was close.

The Sweet Life

I had no idea what this movie was about beyond the little blurb on Netflix and that it told me it was a 94% match whatever the heck that means. (And then there was dementia - probably Alzheimers.) I liked both of the lead actors. A few predictable bits. A few unpredictable as the two leads travel across the country with plans to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Good enough for government work, meaning that it is a good watch in my book. But not an island movie.

The Outcasts

I love coming of age films. And high school movies. And this was both of those. As an example of the genre it was fun but not great. I liked a few of the actors and characters. A bunch of outcasts try to turn their high school hierarchy around with mixed results. Not for everyone unless you like the genres mentioned above. Certainly won't be on the island with me, but not devastated that I watched it.

Love, Rosie

I watched this because of Lily Collins. Not ashamed to admit it. I wonder if she and Liv Tyler et al hang out together. Am I the only person who thinks that all celebrities hang out together? The movie turned out to be entertaining. It was a romanic comedy, one of my favorite genres, along the lines of When Harry Met Sally but with a few twists here and there. The other characters were interesting. And the script was good. Overall, I give it a good, but not an island movie score.

After the Wedding

Yay! Another movie with dying in it. And not the silly kind like in action movies. Sigh. Death is every where. Anyway, this film had a lot of twists in it, which is a good thing. I like when films are not predictable. Started off with a man who was helping orphans in India having to fly to Denmark to meet a potential benefactor - but everything isn't as it seems. The lead is invited to a wedding at the benefactor's house and it just goes off in tangents from there. Good stuff overall. If you are a fan of foreign films, or like well written and well acted dramas, this just might be a movie you would like to watch. Not an island movie, but good.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Comic movies! Rah! As such, this wasn't too bad. A few plot holes here and there, a little bit of scenery chewing. Good effects and a decent story overall - the young mutants have to fight a super mutant from Egyptian times. Jennifer Lawrence had a biggish part, which made me happy. I think the actor who plays Professor X is a bit, I don't know the right word, smarmy perhaps? Anyway, good action sequences for the most part and a fun movie. Especially if you like that sort of thing. If you are lukewarm to comic book movies, give this one a pass. Oh, and Olivia Munn! Not great role for her in terms of onscreen time but I do enjoy seeing her.

Life of Crime

Despite a decent cast, I just found almost nothing to like about this movie. It is a sort of black comedy I guess. Some people kidnap a woman only to find out that her husband isn't so interested in ransoming her. Right. So. Watch it only if you absolutely love some of the actors. Otherwise, watch something else.

The Last Witch Hunter

Vin Diesel is not my favorite. Oh well. I like things about magic (which includes witches) and action movies so it checked those two boxes. Elijah Wood was in the movie but didn't seem like his was that substantial a role. Michael Caine is always enjoyable. And an actress named Rose Leslie who I vaguely recalled from somewhere. Looking her up on IMDB reveals that she was on Downton Abbey! Ah, I remember her now. She was the one who wanted to become a secretary. Anyway, quick synopsis - Vin Diesel kills a witch and then is cursed with immortality - and he keeps on killing witches. I don't want to give way too much, so I will leave it there. Ok at best overall. Definitely not going anywhere near the island, despite Michael Caine and Rose Leslie.

Private Fears in Public Places (Coeurs)

Hearts is a much simpler title. The English title comes from Alan Ayckbourn's play. There were some good performances in this darkish comedy about love and missed connections. And some oddities - like the kinky life of the rental agency worker. And again, it had some resonances with me - the bartender character took care of his mother till she passed and then took in his estranged father to do his best at taking care of him too. It is hard looking for one's own relationship when one is a caregiver, or at least that was my experience. I would recommend this film for people who like Alan Ayckbourn or movies about love (even the missed sort of love...) Still not an island film yet. How many of those do I get, BTW? I was thinking five...

American Ultra

Kristen Stewart. Again. And I still don't find her intriguing. Jesse Eisenberg I have a soft spot for. I don't know why. This movie had potential - a laid back Bourne Identity sort of movie. And there were a few good bits here and there - though Jesse did a bit of scenery chewing when he was playing angst. But it just missed the mark for me. Topher Grace was a pleasant surprise for me - I always like to see him. And Connie Britton. Not an A-Lister, is she, but I still like to see her in things. So, not a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Maybe more of an aloha sort of had gesture thingy.

You Kill Me

Took me a while to recognize Ben Kingsley, which is a good thing I guess. Interesting movie about a mob's hitman who gets sent to SF for rehab. Good acting all around. OK story. Ben Kingsley's accent was a bit confusing to me. I always like Téa Leoni for some reason. And I always enjoy SF settings. My old stomping grounds. All in all, worth a watch if you like any of the leads or enjoy dark comedies about assassins.

Okja

Why did I watch this? The second disturbing movie of the night. What a great way to spend a Sunday night - watching two movies that make me feel guilty for eating. Sigh. This was an odd film and I am not really sure what its message was supposed to be. Some company creates a super pig program and farms the piglets out all over the world. One ends up in remote Korea where a young girl and the superpig grow up together and form a special bond. Then the evil company wants to slaughter the pig. Sigh. Glad I was finished dinner by the time I watched this. Ack, even. Not a bad movie, just not something I would willing watch again or suggest to anyone to watch, unless you have "thing" for CGI super pigs.

Sausage Party

A little too much potty mouth - and I am not a huge Seth Rogen fan (who played the lead), this animated adult feature was quite disturbing. Looking at food from the food's perspective made eating dinner (which I happened to be doing while watching the film) odd. There was a bit too much scatological and sexual for my tastes. Others might enjoy it much more than I did.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Hit home a bit with someone dying and all. Oops, that is a bit of a spoiler, sort of. Anyway, I enjoy independent films. This one had a few actors none of whom I recognized. The two main leads were both enjoyable to watch. I think I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the movies that Earl and Greg created. I didn't think much of the movie that they made for the dying girl. Grief is a powerful force. Opportunities to cry a bit seem to everywhere just now.

Welcome to the Rileys

I had seen a trailer but had forgotten what the movie was about. Good cast, interesting story. Set in New Orleans for the most part. Hard to really say what it was about except for the search for connection, perhaps. Kristen Stewart was in this as well - she seems to have been in a lot of movies that I have seen lately. Enjoyable movie - though I did find James Gandolfini's accent to be inconsistent and a little weird. Pleasantly surprised but not an island movie for sure.