A spirited kung fu romp from Yeun Woo Ping,starring Yu Rongguang as Iron Monkey.A sort of Robin Hood figure who strives to liberate the people of mid 19th Century Northern China from the rule of an oppressive and corrupt governor.Totally enjoyable thanks to the spectacular fight scenes,unbelievable stunts,crazy plot developments and excellent performances all round especially Donnie Yen and Angie Sing.
Last night watched a third remake of Murder On the Orient Express with Kenneth Branagh starring as Hercule Poirot and trying to solve a murder. It was well made, good CGI at times but also tense in places. I've seen the others with Albert Finney(the original) and Peter Ustinov and this is up there with those. Worth a look I'd recommend it.
The other film I saw was with Orlando Bloom 'The Shanghai Job' where he plays a jaded security man who has to transport a valuable vase to London, but ends up staying in China battling for his life. It is very good, some great camera work from drones and...well I can't say anymore than that without giving things away. Worth a watch and don't forget some outtakes at the end of it. Find it on SKY satellite via the search option on your EPG.
A Simple Favour 7/10 - very good mystery thriller starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, it does have a pretty obvious twist but it is still very entertaining.
Previously thought to be extinct, a massive creature attacks a deep-sea submersible, leaving it disabled and trapping the crew at the bottom of the Pacific. With time running out, a visionary oceanographer recruits rescue diver Jonas Taylor to save the crew and the sea itself from an unimaginable threat -- a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon.
For what it is...this was definitely a lot better than I expected...both looked & sounded great (yeah...I know a JS movie)
8/10 enjoyable
A down-on-his luck man is contacted via phone by a mysterious caller offering him the chance to take part in a game that involves completing a series of challenges. Each challenge he completes will be rewarded with a higher cash prize than the last one. As a consequence his life spirals out of control as the challenges become more and more dangerous. However, the lure of the cash on offer proves an impossible prize to turn down. It's a good psychological horror that provides a suitable amount of tension and dark humour. Despite tailing off slightly towards the climax, it is still worth a look for fans of low budget horror thrillers and there's a twist ending that might not be immediately noticeable. Mark Webber, Devon Graye, Rutina Wesley, Ron Perlman and a voice role from George Coe provide a decent cast list. 3/5
The fourth film in the Insidious franchise & another prequel of sorts featuring Parapsychologist Dr Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye) from the previous 3 films.The film starts in 1955 in the small town of Five Keys & briefly explains the traumatic childhood Elise went through at the hands of her abusive father when she first starts to develop her ability to see the supernatural. When Elise witnesses her mother killed at the hands of an evil entity who stalks the house known as 'The Gate-Keeper' her abusive father believes Elise was responsible her mother's demise ever since.The film then briefly flits to when Elise is 16 when in a confrontation with her father she decides to run-away from home never to return leaving her younger brother behind.
The film forwards over 50 years later to 2010 when Elise receives a distress call from a resident who claims to be terrorized by spirits in the very same house she lived in as a child.Elise with her fellow Paranormal Investigator's Specs & Tucker in tow decide to take it upon themselves to finally lay old ghosts (& demons) to rest & confront 'The Gate-Keeper'.Along the way Elise gets to meet her long-lost brother (whom she has never seen since ran away at 16) & his two daughters (who also have paranormal abilities).
I really liked the first two Insidious films & the whole concepts behind them but with the 3rd & 4th films & their prequel nature (due to certain events that happened in the 1st & 2nd films) the films have kind of regressed a bit.This is a pretty decent film in itself but compared to the superior original & 2nd film this film is a bit like eating a pie that has had it's filling removed (kind of empty).6/10.
I really enjoyed this & it's a lot better than the reviews it's been getting. Tom Hardy is very good as Eddie Brock/Venom and it's a lot darker, violent & gorier than the mcu marvel films. The special effects are very good as are the action sequences/set pieces
Stan Lee has a fun cameo & there are 2 extra scenes once the credits start. One partway through that sets up a sequel or Spider-Man: Far From Home and another at the end that sets up Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
