The Old Guard — A Review.

18th July, 2020.

Right now … ?

It has to be said, right now, I seriously need some cash.

I’m right when — in the video intro for this post — I say I need to see a film.

And need a haircut.

No … I really need a haircut … !

It’s getting frustratingly lank … !

~≈†≈~

It’s not, unfortunately, something I can do anything about … yet.

At least, until I get paid.

That’s the point I’ll be joining the queue for the nearest barbers.

Just me, there’s a a few of them: queues and barbers.

But it’s not something I can do anything about, right here and now.

Saying that, I can — and have — gone for the other option in I mention in the introduction.

Yes.

I’ve seen a film.

The Gina Prince-Bythewood directed, The Old Guard.

Hmmm … 

~≈†≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 7-8-2019: Charlize Theron.

7th August, 2019.

Right … 

I start the new job, tomorrow: so … I’m thinking there’s one or two forms I need to fill in.

Including filling the job centre’s change of circumstances form: AND put in for a Back to Work Grant.

(I’m good at typos: I initially wrote Back to Wok, there.)

At any rate … ?

It’s … looking interesting, right now.

~≈§≈~

Just so everyone knows … ?

I was at my uncle’s funeral, yesterday.

I have to say, it went well enough.

And think he may have been pleased.

It’s only the second funeral I’ve been to where there’s been so many people attending it, there wasn’t enough seats.

Literally, standing room, only.

That’s quite something … 

~≈§≈~

As a final point … ?   One I’ve been meaning to mention for a while, now … 

Last Friday, a man from Dublin was arrested in Dover: trying to smuggle sixty handguns into the UK.

He’s since appeared in court.

Every statement I’ve seen about this?

Tells me that various law enforcement bodies believe the guns are heading for “organised crime.”

Personally?

I think it was heading for dissident republicans: ones unhappy about a No-Backstop Brexit.

I don’t like that idea.   But can’t say I’m surprised.

And have to ask … 

How many other consignments have got through … ?

~≈§≈~

Mad Max: Fury Road: A Review … !

5th October, 2015.

Now, it has to be said, I like a film or two, now and again.

Who doesn’t?

After all, I think part of what makes us all human is a desire to tell — and listen to — stories.

All the way back from when — as cavemen/women/persons — we sat around a fire, telling each other of gods and monsters.

All the way to now: when an account with Netflix, Sky or iTunes has replaced the communal fire.

And gods, monsters, myths and legends have been replaced with other things.

Personally … ?

Personally, I’m the same: I like a tale or two.

As, I suspect, do you.

We like stories.

TV.   Books.   Hell, poetic epics!

Oh … and as I think I’m trying to say … movies.

I’ve been looking forward to one for a while, now.

The fourth member of the Mad Max franchise.

The George Miller directed, 2015, film that is … 

Mad Max: Fury Road.

And, yes: I think ‘Nice’ may be under-selling it … 

~≈fi≈~

Hancock — Big Budget FUN!

28th January, 2015.

You know, there’s nights when I get bored.

I’ve the night off, no-one’s around, nothing’s on TV, and frankly … ?

Frankly I’ve no need — right at the moment — to get romping on writing Teasers: nor to knock out a batch of the accompanying slideshows.

What to do, one wonders … ?

Especially if one has no actual cash with which to head out.

Personally?

Personally, I like to catch a movie, if possible.

Or listen to music.

Or write … 

Or … 

Well, there’s plenty of stuff I do.

Tonight … ?

Tonight, wanting a film — and only having a few pounds in my iTunes account — I raided my collection.

Frankly … ?   Frankly, I’m glad a copy of the 2006, Will Smith film, Hancock sitting around.

I’d’ve been rather bored, without.

~≈Á≈~

Prometheus: Flawed, but functioning …

You know, I’m confused … but entertained … 

And I’ll be frank: I don’t know quite what I’ve just seen.

It’s good … 

And could’ve been worse … or better … 

Ummm … 

I suppose I’d best tell you what I’m talking about, hadn’t I … ?

~~~~~

Now, I mentioned — in this morning’s Teaser — that I’d had a very small tax rebate, hadn’t I … ?

I had, I think.

And it’s one I’d managed to spend on milk, sugar, a loaf: and the one thing I’ve been able to treat myself to, this year.

A movie, courtesy of iTunes.

As you’ve possibly guessed, the iTunes standard-definition version of a movie I’ve been itching to see since it came out, on the big screens.

Ridley Scott’s newest — and much talked about — release, the 2012 film, Prometheus.

And … 

Hmmm … 

It’s a slippery one … 

But let me try to sum up.

~~~~~

Set in 2089, Prometheus sees Drs Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway — Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green — archeologists who’ve uncovered that various human cultures have recorded a star map that points to the same place.

A small moon, orbiting a planet, around the star, Zeta 2 Reticula: and one that they’ve long assumed to be home to a race they dub “The Engineeers”.

A race both scientists assume have died out … just before creating humanity …

It’s only once they — and the very expensive expedition sponsored by the Weyland Corporation — get to the moon they realise that the Engineers are a lot less alien than they’d assumed.

And that the moon seems to be a military testing station that seems to have lost control of

something.

~~~~~

Now … 

The fact I was umming and ahh’ing, at the start of this post … ?

I’m thinking, here, that I potentially have good reason.

You see, I’m thinking that Prometheus has had some flak in the time it’s been available to the likes of you and me.

I can  appreciate why: some of the scenes don’t quite hang together as well as they could: there’s one between David (Michael Fassbender) and Dr Holloway that doesn’t quite flow properly into the next.

I also feel that — at 124 minutes — Prometheus was maybe a touch too short: possibly 20 minutes more could have allowed for more time developing the characters, to show us more of what they could do.

Saying that … ?

Messrs Scott and company have given us a beautifully shot and acted film: and one that is surprisingly better than the bad press would have you believe.

It’s ALSO one that manages to tie itself to the franchise it’s a spin off from — the final reveal of its take on Giger’s Xenomorph is VERY much on the mould of the latter — in a far better way than the recent re-take of The Thing.

Tie itself in … without being bound.

Personally … ?

If I were you, I go see Prometheus.

You won’t get a fantastic film.

For all that, you will get a very watchable one.

Prometheus.   
★☆☆☆

The Devil's Advocate: Hell’s A Popping …

20/11/10

You know, Movie Nights can be both a heck of a lot of fun, sometimes.

And — as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now — also generate quite a bit of discussion.

Something of a relevant one, tonight, actually …

Maybe not one of any great merit in the sum total of everything that is Life, The Universe and Everything, but certainly one that’s relevantº …

Now, if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll probably know that Kevin D, Movie Night Adrian and I get together — as frequently as we can — for a film.

The discussion … ?

Was triggered by our semi regular guest, Squeaky.

Who knew, bless her, that 1) I have a copy of the Al Pacino/Keanu Reeves film, The Devils Advocate, sitting around.

And 2) that we’ve been chewing over good on-screen performances as the Devil, now, for some time …

||»»•««||

21/11/10

After all, there’s been a few that’s ben mentioned, over the past few months.

Adrian had bee umming and ahhing about Robert De Niro’s devilish performance as Mr Cyphre in Angel Heart, I’d always favoured Gabriel Byrne in End of Days, Kevin, bless him, always gives a brief nod to Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwich. And Squeaky, Adrian and I all ticked Kevin off for not checking out Joseph Mawle’s nastily urban performance as Papa B, in Heartless.

But we near enough all agreed on one thing.

Near the top of anyone’s list of assorted devils …

Is a certain Mr Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate …

The Devil’s Advocate sees’ Keanu Reeves playing lawyer, Kevin Lomax: an arrogant lawyer who — on winning his 65th case* in a row — is contacted by a representative from New York law firm, headed by John Milton, played by Al Pacino.

And offered a job. One that has both a huge salary on offer.

And more hidden extra’s than first revealed.

||»»•««||

Now, I know that supernatural drama’s aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

But I’d seriously recommend The Devil’s Advocate to all and sundry.

For starters, the two male leads — Pacino and Reeves — put in great performances, Pacino in particular.

Arguably, his is one of the performances as the Devil.

For me, though … ?

An equally good performance was by Charlize Theron, as Mary Ann Lomax: slowly going mad, over the course of the film.

||»»•««||

Right … !

Now here’s where I’m going to have to leave you.

After all, laundry does not do itself.

But one thought I will leave you with … ?

Go see The Devil’s Advocate.

* A rather nasty one involving a teacher accused of abusing a pupil.

º Along with one that wasn’t: mostly a variation of our old favourite, is cinema dead. Or game stores, in this case …