As with many films, I had little to no knowledge about it going in. I’ve just seen Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones on the poster, and I was sold immediately. And after the first ten minutes or so, I thought to myself: “Oh, it’s one of those ‘old people not having sex anymore’ movies, isn’t it?” I won’t lie, it is that, 100%. But it’s also so much more.

Hope Springs (is there a more generic title, by the way?) is a delightful movie that handles its topic extremely well. I could see this going too quirky or trying to be too funny, but no. The film takes a more serious approach and explores a relationship that’s way too comfortable. They both are stuck in their routines; they know precisely what they can expect from each other, and it seems to be working fine. Until Meryl’s character wants her husband back in their bed (yep, they sleep in separate rooms), and he’s objecting. So they go and see a therapist (played by the always amazing Steve Carell) trying to save the relationship.

What I appreciated about the movie is how it took its time. The sessions were sometimes taking a bit longer, but there was always a purpose behind it. This movie might seem too “dull”, but I would say it’s the exact opposite of it. And let’s face it, that’s because when you have such a powerhouse of actors, you can’t go wrong. Both Meryl and Tommy played their characters in such an understated, calm way you get where both are coming from once they start opening up. Especially Tommy Lee’s breakthrough and his reasoning behind his behaviour rang true.

Also, what I loved was the therapy, and them looking for a way back to each other again was just a part of the movie, not the entirety of it. We get to spend some time with them after their sessions are finished and see whether they have made some progress. And even if they did, that doesn’t mean everything is fixed now, and all is peachy. I liked the more realistic approach this movie took and showed us how with therapy, as with anything else, it’s never a sprint but a marathon. We need to brace ourselves to work on ourselves for a long time; it’s not “I will do a few weeks of this, and hooray, I am cured.”

And that is pretty much it. Your enjoyment of this movie heavily depends on how much you like Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, how much you like dramedies about relationships that have been going on for a long time when people often forget what brought them together in the first place. The spark, if you wish. That is this film’s greatest strength, in my view – its simplicity allows you to relax, sit down on a rainy Sunday afternoon and enjoy yourself while potentially thinking about your relationship and whether it needs sprucing up.

Overall, Hope Springs biggest flaw is that generic title. Everything else seemed honest and raw. Plus, the casting is superb; there is some drama but not too much, some comedy elements, but again, neither skew either way. That is what makes this movie, which otherwise could have been a snooze fest about “two old people not having sex anymore”, not only watchable but straight-up delightful.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

When I started this film, I had zero expectations, and quite honestly, zero clue as to what I was about to see. Because, unlike other horror movies, I have not heard much about this one. So when the film started, and the story was a bit slow, I thought there might have been a reason for me never hearing about this, as it was not worth mentioning. Boy, was I wrong.

Black Christmas is a nice slow burn. It’s almost like leaving meat in the smoker – if you check on it after only 20 minutes, it won’t be done, and you’ll just be disappointed. You have to trust the process that, in the end, you will eat a nice, juicy piece of meat of your choice.

The first thing I will say about this film that surprised me – I don’t see it as a slasher film. Sure the movie established plenty of things we now know from slasher films, for example, the group of students getting killed off one by one. It also helped to set in stone a lot of other “rules” for slasher movies. But, for the most time, I was thinking of Black Christmas as a psychological thriller rather than a slasher. And here’s why. The murders aren’t in your face; you don’t see a lot of blood, nudity or anything like that. Everything is more subtle than that, and often enough, you will see the killer’s POV, helping you feel uneasy. Plus, even “the final showdown” isn’t what you might expect. Everything is more tense, less bloody and overall plays with your head. Especially the ending (but I will get to that).

The second thing that surprised me about this film was the lack of nudity and not-so-subtle feminism. But, believe it or not, both were done very well. And here I think I need to explain myself – this film takes place in a sorority, in 1974. Forget about everything else, the movies from this era and with any kind of university setting is usually full of dated things, especially concerning behaviours towards women in general, their privacy, choice, you know, what I am talking about here. And here is where this movie is different. Not only it doesn’t go for some cheap “young girls in sorority have a lot of sex or are walking around naked all the time” scene, no. Our main character is vocal about not wanting to have a baby (she’s pregnant) and wanting an abortion. She is using the same language we still use today while discussing it. She is her own person and wants to be in charge of her body. And from reading the trivia, this was very much intended:

A strict rule that Clark had set for himself when it came to writing the female characters was to never objectify them sexually or give them nude scenes. He wanted the college girls to come off as real people and not disposable horror characters waiting to die.

Source: IMDb.com

It’s funny, isn’t it? How a simple rule like that, can have a profound impact on your movie? Because you can tell this film is different in plenty of ways. But what truly got me over the edge and got me praising this film as much as I am, was the ending. Or better yet, last 20 minutes or so, when the film is getting to some conclusion, where the tension is racing, and it seems, we will know who the killer is soon… Well, let’s talk about it…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

I am far from a horror movie aficionado, although I have seen my fair share of horror movies. And yet, I am failing to remember another film like Black Christmas, where the twist is that not only the killer isn’t the person we thought it was, but we never know who “Billy” is/was. I loved that decision. The entire time, I was thinking whether there might be a twist coming our way. And sure enough, the killer wasn’t the boyfriend, even though he had his issues. I adored the last sequence, where our heroine is lying in bed, surrounded by the police. We hear a chatter, news people wanting to go in. And slowly, everyone leaves the room. The camera starts to pan throughout the house, and suddenly, we hear the familiar noises, just like before every murder, and the ominous phone starts ringing. The camera zooms out of the house, leaving us wondering whether Olivia Hussey‘s character (a great performance by her) survives or not. Not only we don’t know that, but we never know who the killer is. And to me, that takes balls.

If you read through the trivia page on IMDb, you will discover that plenty of things this movie does (regarding the slasher/horror movie genre) is not “revolutionary” in the sense that this isn’t THE first movie to do this or that. But, and this is quite important, it helped to forge these rules. That is why Black Christmas is such an important film in the horror genre, as it might have not invented the tropes, but it helped showcase them, where movies/horrors afterwards took those elements and forged them once and for all to the clichés we all know and… love? Yes, the clichés themselves are not good or bad. Everything depends on how you use them, how you make them work for you. And this movie made them work.

Overall, Black Christmas is yet another example of “it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s about how you finish”. It’s a film that throws you into a situation where you might expect one thing to happen and then something else happens, leaving you pleasantly surprised. I went in, expecting nothing much but a decent slasher. What I got was a psychological thriller/horror, with great atmosphere, decent performances, superb ending and surprisingly strong feminist ideology that’s not “in your face”. And that is worth mentioning, especially from a movie made in 1974. I had a great time with this movie and maybe next watch, who knows? I might go all-in with my rating. Until then, this film is something you for sure want to re-watch or watch if you haven’t seen it yet for the upcoming Halloween.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I need to start this review by acknowledging my bias here. I have always loved Cameron Diaz. She has always been one of those actresses who was typecast (pretty, usually dumb blonde). Therefore, she wasn’t given the best roles to prove her talent. But she managed to have a great career, and I miss seeing her on the big screen. What I wouldn’t give to see her in a new movie. Anyway, this has been addressed, we can move on.

Knight and Day is the perfect example of what many action comedies go for, but plenty of them don’t succeed. They mix a great action with humour that’s not awkward or dumb or “proven hit” of the last couple of years – they don’t feel the need to shout jokes at us. While re-watching this movie, I have noticed how surprisingly “calm” both actors are while delivering most of their jokes. It’s a shame that this even needs to be said, but have you see a comedy nowadays? It is pretty clear somebody in Hollywood thinks: “The more loud/shouty we can be, the more laughs we get!” And that ain’t it, chief.

What is also different about this film is that you can’t fully switch your brain off. Because there are a couple of plot points in the movie that keep you interested (who is Tom Cruise watching on his phone, is he a good guy or a bad guy, what side is Viola Davis on…) and guessing. Sure, can you safely guess most of these? Yes. But the movie is at least trying to give us more than yet another “switch your brain off” action-comedy with two big stars.

Here the thing – I like this movie, mainly because it has Tom Cruise. What that means is, it’s not a secret that he does his own stunts. That inspires more people around him to try to do as much of their stunts as possible. And that is when we get an action film that doesn’t have to be cut to death. Yes, Knight and Day might not have the same big stunts/set-pieces as Mission Impossible franchise, but it still has a lot going for it. And when you don’t have to cut around stunt people to mask the fact the actors were on their break, not in front of the camera, your action scenes look better, plain and simple. I have talked about this before – I understand why they do it and how I can’t blame anybody who doesn’t want to do their stunts. After all, we all can’t be Tom Cruise. But all I am saying is, it makes a difference.

Another aspect this film has going for it, Cameron and Tom have chemistry. But not just “the one” chemistry, where you can see them being together, but they are both playing off each other perfectly. For most of the movie, Tom is the level-headed one and Cameron is the “fish out of water” character. But the film manages to turn this around too and give her a few things to do too. And since Cameron isn’t shy about action, it comes naturally to her, and you believe her when it’s her time to kick some ass.

This film also feels big in scale – plenty of different (real life, not just green screen) locations, a bunch of set pieces, so the movie never feels stale or slow. It almost felt like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps on going and going and going… Who also surprised me (by appearing in this for a few minutes) was Gal Gadot before she became “the Gal Gadot”. In here, she’s got almost a cameo role. It’s funny to think that now, she is a much bigger star than Cameron and on the same level as Tom Cruise, at least when comes to being recognizable.

Overall, Knight and Day is just a simple, fun movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s a funny action-comedy with two big stars, who play well off each other, have chemistry between them, so you are on board with their team-up. It also tries to give you something to think about, as it doesn’t want to be just a dumb, fun movie. Which is something I always appreciate. I honestly miss movies like this. I miss movies that realise what they are without going over the top with everything in them, you can still enjoy them. Even though there are things in this film that are unbelievable at times, they always tried to ground them in reality. If you crave a fun summer film with great casting, decent action scenes and some laughs, try this film.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

If you are like me and follow Ryan Reynolds on Twitter (if not, you definitely should, as he’s funny, charismatic and overall does seem like a good guy), you would have seen the massive push, him promoting this film. And honestly, if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have probably gone to the cinemas (the first time since the pandemic started!) and watched it alongside my girlfriend. Which would have been a shame, as we both liked the film, she even loved it. But that might have something to do with the overall sex appeal of Ryan. And who can blame her?

Free Guy is a film that 100% (strangely) benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic. Let me explain. This movie was supposed to get released in July 2020, but we all know why it got pushed back. So the filmmakers waited and put it in the cinemas now when it’s reasonably safe. And by that, they scratched something I call “the pandemic itch”. Don’t get me wrong this is by far the best video game based movie (even though is it fair to call it that? Will discuss it later.), so I think it would have been received well, but… I don’t think it would have been received nearly as well as it is being received now if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Why? Because people (myself included) are looking now more than ever for something light, funny, to brighten their day, to lift their spirit. And Free Guy is that. It’s a colourful, funny action-comedy that knows what it is, avoids most of the genre pitfalls well, and most importantly, it never gets boring.

This film also struck gold with casting. From the leading roles to the tens of cameo roles, some more expected than others. I won’t spoil any of those, as I’ve had some spoilt for me and let’s say if you don’t know, who might appear in this film, you are in for a treat. But let’s discuss our main stars. Let’s start with the aforementioned Ryan Reynolds. I appreciated this wasn’t a “Ryan Reynolds type” of a character. He always seems to be down to make fun of himself, and his Guy is a funny character who isn’t trying to be funny. I liked his performance. Jodie Comer was a newcomer for me, who gently reminded me that I have to watch Killing Eve (2018 – 2022) because she was great in this film. I loved that I can’t compare her to any other character from either film or a TV show. She plays a perfect mix of fun, clever and overall well-rounded character with a clear goal. To claim, what is hers. Who surprised me was Joe Keery, as I only know him from Stranger Things (2016 – 2022), where he is great. But as we know, just because you are great in one role in a TV show, that automatically does not translate to a movie. But he was fun to watch. I understood his character, his motivations, everything he did. I honestly hope we get to see more of him. Who kind of let me down, just a tiny bit (and is my only “complain” about the film) Taika Waititi. Listen, I love his work. I like the fact, he makes weird, over the top choices, and I understand what he and the director were going for in this film – I honestly do. But for me, his performance could have been toned down by good a 30% at least, as he was too obnoxious. Again, I understand that was the point of his character, but I think some of his jokes would have landed better if he wasn’t over the top from the very start.

As mentioned prior, after some thinking, I genuinely think this might be the best film based on video games. But as you can see, I wrote “video games” – hence my question. Does this count? Because other movies, based on video games (like the Resident Evil franchise, Silent Hill movies, even the coke and alcohol fest that is Super Mario Bros (1993, my review here)), all are based on one game or franchise of those games. Unlike Free Guy, which succeeded by playing it smart – borrowing the best elements across the spectrum. The biggest inspiration is Fortnite, but you can easily find GTA elements here, a few MMORPG game hints, and some nodes to classics like Half-Life, Portal etc. So this raises the question – since this film is “borrowing” from a plethora of games, is it any wonder it might be the best? Is it fair to say this did a better job than Silent Hill (2006)? A movie, btw, I consider being pretty much the best video game adaptation, as it came quite close to capturing the spirit of the game? Because if you think about it, by borrowing elements from a variety of games, you are not restricted by anything but your own mind/fantasy, whereas Silent Hill had to be contained. And this is a genuine question, as I don’t know myself. This question is not any “gotcha” towards Free Guy as what they have done was clever, and they executed it well.

Maybe this is the more important point – no matter how many elements the people behind this film might have borrowed, it wouldn’t have mattered if the movie wasn’t good. But this film is good. I honestly think the main reason for that, I believe (I don’t know whether I am right or not) that the people behind this are gamers. I used to be a massive gamer (both in the literal and not so literal sense). Nowadays, I don’t play as much, but I still got the references, but what’s more important, this will be one of those films that reward multiple viewings. Forget about the “obvious references” or even the story for a second. This film is jam-packed with literally hundreds of easter eggs in the background or the corner of the screen. I honestly think I can re-watch it five times, and each time, I will find something else I have missed before. I love movies like this.

What I also need to address is how they went about with the main story. They could have simply told the lazy “just a bit of magic/love, that is why we have an NPC, who broke his programming and acts like a player, all of a sudden” story, but no. The movie has a satisfactory explanation for why it happened that made sense and served the story in the real world. I was pleased that they did something different.

Overall, Free Guy is a “bubble-gum ice cream” equivalent of a movie. As in, right now, we live in a weird world. So, when a film like this comes around, which wouldn’t usually connect with you as much, it suddenly does. The same goes for “bubble-gum ice cream” – it’s not a flavour I would ever have/order. It’s too colourful, it can feel like it’s just for kids, and it can be too sweet. But then you get it, after a long time, and you are surprised. It’s still way too colourful and sweet, no question about that, but at the same time, it hits the spot. For whatever reason, it just does. Take my girlfriend, for example – she isn’t and never was a gamer. So she didn’t get most of the references. But she still enjoyed this film. And I used to be a hardcore gamer who has turned into a softcore gamer (phrasing!), and I still enjoyed this film. And who knows? Maybe on a second viewing, I might be down even with Taika’s acting. If Free Guy is playing in the cinema close to you and you feel safe going out, I would strongly recommend it. Even if it might seem from the trailers, it’s not your type of movie, go out and give it a try. It might surprise you.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Apples is one of those films I would have never even heard about if it wasn’t for Mubi. This review is not in any way paid by them (even though that’d be awesome) as I have been using this service for about four years now and still love it. Anyway, while browsing through their selection, this grabbed my attention – Greece, 2020, worldwide pandemic. When you see these words together, you think: “Really? Isn’t it a bit too early, random Greek filmmaker I have never heard of?” But this film isn’t about the real pandemic. This is a movie pandemic that causes people to suddenly suffer from amnesia. Only some of them. And we follow Aris, your normal Greek man, who just really loves apples.

Apples is an interesting movie that won’t be for everybody. Not because it’d be too complicated or some scenes uncomfortable to sit through. No, this film has its own pace, its own vibe, and it just flows. It isn’t concerned with the world, it’s a very “closed”, down-to-earth story about a man, who is dealing with this sudden amnesia, and we follow him, trying to get back, “live the life”. But if you suffer from amnesia, you don’t know/remember anybody, not even your name, it’s hard to get excited about life.

I loved the concept and how the movie went about its story. It’s minimalistic, it felt raw and most importantly, even though it doesn’t sound too exciting, the film knows how to keep your attention. Since this is a film not many people would see, I will put the spoiler tag soon, as I don’t want to discuss anything that might spoil the experience of this unique film. So before that, let me say that if you like dramas that deal with real people, going through real things (take away the “pandemic” aspect, and it’s as real as it gets), you might like this film. Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

I liked the twist this movie took. With the subtle hints dropped throughout the film, you soon realise that Aris might not have amnesia at all. He just wants to start over, using the situation to his advantage. At least that is what he thinks. But the “deeper” into the rehabilitation program he is, the more he realises starting again isn’t as great as he might have thought. And I appreciated that twist within a twist…?

The movie didn’t have to have any surprises in store, and it still would play well, but that surprise adds an extra layer of reality, as that would have probably happened if there was that kind of pandemic. What I liked about this story was the fact we can only speculate, what pushed him over the edge. What was the last straw? What motivated his character to try and start all over again? Apples is one of those films that ask plenty of questions, but it doesn’t answer most of them. Oddly enough, that doesn’t bother me, as it gives us the freedom to come to our conclusions about what he might have been through.

I also loved how the social interaction was broke down to its bare bones. For example, when he was going through the program, that should prepare him to be an active member of society again. The program did it so “perfectly” it took away the spark of humanity, which makes life interesting. How everything was just lined up for him, where he would play a tape that would tell him: “Go to a bar. Meet a woman. Try to flirt with her, don’t be afraid.” That is encouraging, but once we get to known Sofia Georgovassili‘s character, who is “a few steps” in front of him, he starts noticing and questioning her motives. If you think about it, that is not the best way to be a part of society again, questioning every single decision made by everybody around. Or wondering whether somebody is with you because they want to be, or just because they were told to be with you?

Overall, Apples is a movie that you need to experience rather than read about it. You can almost say the story doesn’t matter that much here as it is more about the characters. For example, the fact our main character isn’t suffering from amnesia doesn’t mean that much. The movie is trying to take a look at what it means to be a human. Are we honestly just nothing more than a collection of our past experiences? Because that would mean having no memory at all would nullify us, making us almost non-human. Isn’t it sometimes better to forget everything and start again? That is what the movie is trying to explore here, and I think it does it brilliantly. I will be looking forward to what is next in store for Christos Nikou.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke