Film 2354 - A Complete Unknown

Intro: Getting ready for the Oscars means to watch as many nominated movies as possible. And this year we were very committed.

Film 2354: "A Complete Unknown" (2024), James Mangold
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi, Elias
Thoughts: Biopics can be a hit or a miss, but I have to admit I enjoyed this movie enough. I say enough not because "A Complete Unknown" isn't a good movie - au contraire - but mainly because I don't know Bob Dylan's music that much and. And considering this is both a biopic AND a musical, not knowing any of the songs didn't help.
Again, I don't know Dylan's story, so I can only judge what I saw here, which isn't that pretty at times: it seems like the famous singer was a bit of a prick here and there (I mean, we all are in our own different ways) and I wasn't expecting to witness this side of him. His relationship with the two main female lead here isn't great, there's a lot of cheating and putting himself (and his music) first in the name of greatness.
That said, I particularly enjoyed the actors' performances. Timothée Chalamet really is one of the greatest (see his SAG speach which brought him so much controversy) and Monica Barbaro is phenomenal playing Joan Baez. Extremely well deserved Oscar noms for these two. I admit I was rooting for Chalamet to win. Althought this isn't my favourite movie by any means, of the 5 nominated performances (I watched only 4 so far), his was the one that impressed me the most.
Overall I liked "A Complete Unknown", not necessarily a movie that fits what I'm usually looking for in a film, still I enjoyed the watch.
Ps. It's silly, I know, but once you notice Chalamet's nails you can't unsee them.
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Scoot McNairy.
Box Office: $132 million
Worth a watch?: Bob Dylan's fans should really enjoy this movie. Not my favourite biopic or musical, but still a good film. Similar titles would be "Walk the Line" and Ray". For something a bit more fast-paced, "Dreamgirls", "8 Mile", "Elvis", "Better Man", "Rocketman" or "Judy".
Awards: Nominated for 8 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Chalamet), Supporting Actress (Barbaro), Supporting Actor (Norton), Adapted Screenplay, Sound, and Costume Design. 6 BAFTA nominations for Best Film, Actor in a Leading Role (Chalamet), Actor in a Supporting Role (Norton), Adapted Screenplay, Casting, and Costume Design. 3 Golden Globe noms in the Drama category for Best Picture, Best Actor (Chalamet), and Supporting Actor (Norton).
Key word: Folk.
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Bengi

Film 2353 - The Thin Red Line

Intro: Ages ago when I was still a teenager, I tried to watch this movie. I heard great things about it and I wanted to know what all the fuzz was about. 20 minutes in and I stopped. I remember thinking it started so slow, I felt I wasn't sure I could finish it. Decades have passed and, for watherver reason, a few weeks ago I remembered about this movie, remembered how I gave up when I tried to watch it the first time, and felt now it was the right time to give it a go.

Film 2353: "The Thin Red Line" (1998), Terrence Malick
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I wont' lie, it took all the patience I had in me to finish this movie. Not becuase it's bad - the very opposite - but it's so long (171 min) I wasn't sure I had it in me after a while.
That said, "The Thin Red Line" is extremely well made, I think you can tell that Malick is really interested in nature, a lot of the shots are actually just forest. It really does help you immerse yoursefl in the story, although including all these shots really encreases the runtime of the movie. Once you're at peace with that, you can really focus on the story.
There are a billion characters (and famous actors) in this movie, to the point that sometimes it's overwhelming. I was curious to see how the story would have handled so many storylines, but to be fair most of these famous actors that you read the name of on the poster are just there for a scene or two (George Clooney and John Travolta, for example), so that explains how they managed to secure so many famous names. It's still impressive how many famouse faces from that decade you recognize while watching the movie.
Overall, I really enjoyed "The Thin Red Line". In a way, it's more "poetic" than "Saving Private Ryan", although still very much grounded into reality, it has a way of telling its story differently, often stopping to focus on nature, a detail, a face. I liked this approach, in a way it gives you a moment to take all in, process the cruelty you just witnessed, the horrors of war. Funny enough, the two movies share similar topics and themes, they both faced against each other at the 1999 Oscars ceremony and they both lost Best Picture (still a massive scandal to this day) to "Shakespeare in Love".
Cast: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, Jared Leto, Tim Blake Nelson, Thomas Jane, Miranda Otto, John Travolta.
Box Office: $98.1 million
Worth a watch?: A tough watch, I won't lie. Definitely not a movie for all occasions or everybody, it handles a heavy topic (depicting a a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen, which was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War) and it takes its time to do it. I really liked it, but I'm not sure I'd watch it again.
Awards: Nominated for 7 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Original Dramatic Score, and Sound. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the César Awards. The movie won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Key word: Bunker.
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Bengi

Film 2352 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Intro: A couple of months ago I was watching a video on YouTube about the Oscars and the youtuber said something like nobody really remembers this movie anymore as it wasn't that good anyway. I cannot disagree more.

Film 2352: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), David Fincher
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has had such a massive impact on my life it's hard to explain how much I care for it. Not only it inspired the nickname I use to this day, Bengiamino Bottone, but I remember being obsessed with its soundtrack - I bought the CD - and I still listen to it to this day. Not to mention that my favourite actress Cate Blanchett plays the female lead character, which adds to this movie's appeal (to met).
Rewatching it almost felt like watching it for the first time all over again, as it's been a while since my last viewing. And it was probably my first time watching it in English, so in a way it felt like I was experiencing something new.
A very poetic movie, beautifully shot and, again, Alexandre Desplat's score is so good.
Film 200 - Il curioso caso di Benjamin Button
Film 1151 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Film 2352 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, Mahershala Ali, Jared Harris, Tilda Swinton.
Box Office: $335.8 million
Worth a watch?: One of my favourite movies, I never get tired of it. It is a bit long for sure, but I never really minded. Always a nice watch.
Awards: 3 Oscar wins for Best Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects out of 13 nominations (Picture, Director, Acotr for Brad Pitt, Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, and Sound Mixing). 3 BAFTA wins for Best Makeup & Hair, Production Design, and Visual Effects out of 11 noms (Film, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, and Music). 5 Golden Globe nominations in the Drama category (Film, Director, Actor, Screenplay, and Score). 1 MTV Movie + TV Awards for Best Female Performance (Taraji P. Henson). Nominated for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the Grammys.
Key word: Aging.
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Bengi

Film 2351 - Conclave

Intro: I'm obviously obsessed with this movie and I wanted to show it to Michael, who didn't have the chance to go and see it at the movies.

Film 2351: "Conclave" (2024), Edward Berger
Watched on: The TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: The more I watch it, the more I enjoy it and notice new details, pay more attention to the soundtrack (this wonderful score should have won Volker Bertelmann the Oscar), love Ralph Fiennes' performance even more.
"Conclave" is a great movie, stunningly beautiful, every shot looks like a painting, carefully crafted to please the eyes of the audience. I'm really captivated by this movie, I find it beautiful and smart, its story compelling and entertaining (although I still feel such a shocking ending isn't really necessary here: maybe it works better in the book, I'm not sure it translate well in its cinematic counterpart). And it gives me great joy to see Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellitto in such a prestigious production.
One of the best movies from last year, definitely my pick for Best Picture at the Oscar.
Film 2327 - Conclave
Film 2332 - Conclave
Film 2351 - Conclave
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Carlos Diehz, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini.
Box Office: $107.6 million
Worth a watch?: I'd watch it another 50 times. "Conclave" is great, perfectly narrated, beautifully crafted, masterfully acted. It's a thriller more than anything else, very political and extremely symbolical. Like an onion, there are multiple layers to peal here.
Awards: 1 Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay over 8 Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Actor for Fiennes, Supporting Actress for Rossellini, Original Score, Editing, Production Design, and Costume Design). 1 Golden Globe won for Best Screenplay out of 6 nominations in the drama category (Best Movie, Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and Original Score). 12 BAFTA nominations and 4 wins for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Key word: Certainty.
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Bengi

Film 2350 - Anora

Intro: I wan't sure about rewatching this movie already, but Michael really wanted to watch it and, to be fair, I couldn't say no. Because, after all, this was one of my favourite movies from last year.

Film 2350: "Anora" (2024), Sean Baker
Watched on: The projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's almost been two weeks and I still can't get over the fact that Demi Moore isn't an Oscar winner "because" of this movie. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever get over it. But let's start from the beginning.
When I watched "Anora" a couple of months ago, all the Oscars buzz and the controversies (about the intimacy coordinator) were there already. After winning at Cannes 2024, it was very obvious that this movie was destined to do really good come award season. So, that I expected. When Demi Moore started winning big, I got really excited, to the point that I didn't give too much credit to the BAFTAs when they rewarded Madison in their Leading Actress category. Usually the BAFTAs are a bit more "artsy" and/or go with British choices, so I didn't feel particularly defeated when Demi didn't win there (still, they rewarded "Emilia Pérez", but whatever). Demi subsequent win at SAG further cemented my idea: she was going to win the Oscar for sure now, seeing that the actors' branch was rewarding her performance a week before the Academy Awards. Boy I was up for a surprise.

With this in mind, I can't honestly deny that my disappointment for Demi's lost chance at winning her first Academy Award comes into play a bit when I'm thinking about this movie. I still think "Anora" is an interesting ride, but it's definitely not my best movie of the year. By a landslide. And, as much as I respect Mikey Madison's performance here - which is great, by the way! - hers is definitely not my favourite performance of 2024. (Who would have thought...)
"Anora" is a very, very loud movie, the dialogue is sometimes screamed at you, which reminded me of the terrible experience I had watching "Uncut Gems": I can take the noise, it's just that everything is too cahotic and frantic and I don't appreciated it.
Furthermore, the story didn't necessarily compelled me, not my cup of tea. The sex workers subject is interesting, but it lost me when the family got involved: I'm not much into movies about mafia, gangsters and similar topics. Not for me.
What I did really enjoye is Yura Borisov's character and performance. He is amazing in the movie, a real scene-stealer for me. At the beginning he's only in the background, but he slowly gains momentum until, in the end, he reveals himself to be one of the few people (possibly the only one) who shows Anora some kindness. I was really impressed by Borisov's portrayal, possibly also because he's not so in your face like every other character of this movie.
So, now that we all know that this is 2025's Best Picture winner at this Oscars, I'll say this (and maybe time will prove me wrong or I will change my mind): "The Substance" is an iconic movie in so many ways and it will forever be remembered as such. I don't know if we can say the same about "Anora".
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov.
Box Office: $47.2 million
Worth a watch?: #TeamDemi didn't work so here we are, with a different Best Actress winner, still an extremely impressive performance. Funny enough, the story of "The Substance" came to life on Oscars' night, when Demi Moore lost the chance of a lifetime to a younger actress.
"Anora" isn't my favourite movie, it's been a tough watch to be completely honest, it's a very loud movie and the characters constantly scream at each other. If you like that type of chaos, there's plenty for you here. The sex workers topic is also interesting, but the story quickly shifts to Anora and Vanya's crazy love story, so it's a bit of a missed opportunity there for me. All in all, it's worth watch it to come up with your own opinion about the movie, but I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
Awards: 6 Oscar nominations and 5 wins: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Mikey Madison), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing (only missed Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov). 2 BAFTA wins over 7 nominations (for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Casting) and 5 Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress (Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Borisov), Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie won the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Wedding.
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Bengi

Film 2349 - The Substance

Intro: I wan't sure about rewatching this movie already, but Michael really wanted to watch it and, to be fair, I couldn't say no. Because, after all, this was one of my favourite movies from last year.

Film 2349: "The Substance" (2024), Coralie Fargeat
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: I'm honestly so glad I rewatched this. I think the first time around "The Substance" was more an experience, rather than a film. I remembered I felt I was going through a rollercoaster during my first watch at the movies, but this time I knew what to expect and, in a way, I focused more on other aspects of this wild ride.
First, I paid more attention to Margaret Qualley's performance: she was definitely deserving of an Oscar nomination. Maybe not a win, but her role is iconic and there's no Elisabeth Sparkle without Sue. Remember: they are one.
Second, I paid more attention to the soundtrack and the visuals in general. I think "The Substance" does an amazing job at defyining itself through images and sound, not just the performances. It features a lot of ommages to other films, probably the easiest one to spot is "The Shining". Visually it's an extremely interesting movie, the colours are so bright and the music makes them feel even more "alive".
Thirdly, I reconsidered some of my previous concerns regarding the ending - there's a lot of "Carrie" in that live Christmas special - and although gruesome and gory, it really fits this story, complementing a crazy, wild ride in a way that is so unexpected as it is overwhelming at first. On a second watch, knowing what's about to happen, you focus less on the shock of what you're witnessing and more on the absurdity that is to put your life at risk to fulfill a (male) fantasy and pursue fame at all costs.
Film 2312 - The Substance
Film 2349 - The Substance
Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid.
Box Office: $77.1 million
Worth a watch?: Definitely not a movie for the general crowd, but an interesting and challenging movie nonetheless. On my second watch I loved it even more: Demi Moore needs to win that Oscar now. We'll see on Sunday what happens, but after her win at SAG last Sunday, it looks like she might have the support to achieve this amazing feat. What a journey for her. #TeamDemi
Awards: 5 Oscars nomination for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Original Screenplay, and Makeup and Hairstyling. 1 BAFTA win for Best Make Up & Hair out of 5 nominations (Director, Actress in a Leading Role, Original Screenplay, and Sound). 1 win at the Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Moore) out of 5 noms (Film, Director, Supporting Actress, Screenplay). The movie is currently nominated for Best Foreign Film at this year's César Awards.
Key word: Christmas Show.
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Bengi

Film 2348 - The Hunger Games

Intro: For our second watch at Michael's we went for something lighter and available on Netflix.

Film 2348: "The Hunger Games" (2012), Gary Ross
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: I always love the first two movies of this franchise, I think they're brilliant. It's unfortunate that greed came into play when it was time to adapt the third book and they decided to split it into two movies (the third one is bad), still "The Hunger Games" saga is a good one to watch and the best one in the young adult genre to come out recently.
Film 412 - Hunger Games
Film 461 - Hunger Games
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Film 2348 - The Hunger Games
Film 634 e 635 - Hunger Games: la ragazza di fuoco
Film 699 - Hunger Games: La ragazza di fuoco
Film 1171 - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Film 1552 - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Film 2078 - Hunger Games: La ragazza di fuoco
Film 836 - Hunger Games: il canto della rivolta - Parte I
Film 1176 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Film 1056 - Hunger Games: Il canto della rivolta - Parte 2
Film 1460 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Film 2239 - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland.
Box Office: $695.2 million
Worth a watch?: For those who appreciate the young adult genre, this is definitely a movie/saga to watch. First and second films are great.
Awards: The movie won Best Feature Film at the BAFTA Children's Award. Nominated for 1 Golden Globe for Best Original Song - Motion Picture ("Safe and Sound", Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett). 1 Gramm win (Best Song Written for Visual Media, "Safe and Sound") and 1 nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media ("Abraham's Daughter", T Bone Burnett, Win Butler, Régine Chassagne).
Key word: Tributes.
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Bengi

Film 2347 - A Real Pain

Intro: I stayed at Micheal's for almost a week, so I had my list of things I wanted to watch (to switch from our usual "Drag Race" frenzy...). And this movie came highly reccomended by Niamh, so I was really curious to watch it.

Film 2347: "A Real Pain" (2024), Jesse Eisenberg
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: This is the first movie written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg that I watched. I thought it was his directorial debut, but it actually isn't, as he previously wrote and directed a movie called "When You Finish Saving the World" with Julianne Moore. seen that I didn't know too much about his previous work in these roles, I didn't know what to expect.
"A Real Pain" is a really weel constructed movie and a solid one. Through his screenplay, Eisenberg is capable of building a quirky, yet profound world that function well thanks to the chemistry between Eisenberg and his co-lead Kieran Culkin. Together thei're a match made in heaven.
Culkin, especially, thanks to his character is able to stand out, portraying Benji in a way that resimbles his Roman Roy from "Succession", but in a more low-key, depressed and "hippie" way. I'm sure he's winning an Oscar for this role.
Other than the two actors, though, the story explores grief and mental health, for a on the road/self-discory story that follows David (Eisenberg) and Benji's Jewish family roots all the way to Poland to visit the village where their grandmother grew up. While in the country, they go on a Jewish heritage tour that will take them to Majdanek, the Nazi German concentration in Lublin.
Needless to say, the subject of this movie is extremely heavy and yet Eisenberg finds a good balance between heavier and lighter moments, for an overall result that isn't a tough watch, but the very opposite (still, I would classify this as a comedy movie, as the Golden Globes did when recognizing "A Real Pain" in their categories). Not my favourite movie of the year, but absolutely a worthy watch.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes.
Box Office: $19.6 million
Worth a watch?: A movie well done, with a charming cast and story, altough tough to process at times. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who are interest, definitely worth the watch. For those who thought Kieran Culkin gave the performance of a lifetime by playing Roman Roy, here's another character he mastered magnificently.
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Kieran Culkin) and Best Original Screenplay (Jesse Eisenberg); the movie won at BAFTA in the same two categories. At the Golden Globe, it won for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Culkin) out of 4 total nominations (Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and Screenplay).
Key word: Grandma.
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Bengi

Film 2346 - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Intro: We're going back in time for this one because I forgot to note in down in my list of movies to review and... I completely forgot about it until the Oscar nominations came out and Bowen Yang made that joke about so many movies nominated for Best Visual Effects portrays monkeys in their stories.

Film 2345: "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" (2024), Wes Ball
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: The fact that I completely forgot i watched this movie I think says it all. It's not a bad movie, to be fair, but it's nothing we've seen before. To be completely honest, the thing I remember the most about "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is how many times I yawned: the running time is too long (145 minutes) and for a lot of the plot nothing really happens. Probably I wasn't really in the mood to watch this film, but yeah, I remember I was bored.
The visual effects are great, though, and the premise of the "Planet of the Apes" franchise is always fascinating. But I feel like we milked it enough.
Ps. While I was writing down the list of the other "Planet of the Apes" movies I saw in the past, I noticed there's one missing from my reviews that I know I watched back in the day: "War for the Planet of the Apes". Funny enough, I forgot to write about another film from this saga.
Film 325 - L'alba del pianeta delle scimmie
Film 764 - Apes Revolution - Il pianeta delle scimmie
Film 2346 - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy.
Box Office: $397.4 million
Worth a watch?: If you enjoyed the previous entries of this rebooted saga, surely you'll enjoy "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes". For anyone else, either you start from the beginning (see list above) or you pick another film about mokeys (there's so many).
Awards: 1 nomination at the 2025 Oscars and BAFTAs for Best Visual Effects.
Key word: Egg.
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Bengi

Film 2245 - Better Man

Intro: I got so excited to see this movie I couldn't wait!

Film 2345: "Better Man" (2024), Michael Gracey
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: I'm not Robbie Williams biggest fan, but I definitely know his work and appreciate his music, so I was excited to watch a movie biopic about him and his start in the Tak That boy band back in the 80s all the way to today's time. And let me tell you, this movie delivers.
I understand not everyone is familiar with Williams - this resulted in this movie's biggest controversy: it's audience - but it shouldn't stop people from seeing this movie: "Better Man" is a great biopic and an even better musical. The songs are great and the dance routines (and camera work to go with it) amazing, perectly balancing emotional depth and entertainment. Not to mention this movie is extremely interesting visually, as (everybody knows) the main character, Robbie, is portrayed as a chimpanzee (various reasons behind this choice, I'll let you discover them). And although this may look odd at first glance, in reality this choice doesn't take anything away from the story and the audience connection to the protagonist. Yeah, it's a bit weird, but Robbie Williams never really played by the rules.
So, to summarize, this movie is great.
That said, it definitely overestimated its audience. America seems to have rejected it because Williams isn't really famous over there - funny enoug, "Anora", a film nominated for 6 Academy Awards this year, features the song "Greatest Day" by Take That, the group Williams first started his career in (although he's not included in this song) - but honestly I find this to be a lazy excuse. I watched countless American biopics focusing on people I didn't know much about, it has never stopped me from enjoying the movie. And I find annoying how many people (online) dismissed "Better Man" just because Williams isn't part of their American background, stating that he was never really famous because he never "made it" in the US. I remember growing up Robbie Williams was everywhere, delivering a smashing hit after another and selling millions of albums in Europe: I don't think this cultural phenomenon can be disregarded just becuase the US wasn't touched by it. (He even sang a song with Nicole Kidman back in 2001!)
Anyway it's obvious at this point that investing $110 million on this project was a massive risk that didn't pay off. These days is difficult for a superheroe movie to generate box-office frenzy, I don't think this biopic about a British popstar led by a motion capture generated monkey stood a chance. Which is said, considering how good this movie is.
A bittersweet feeling with this one: on one hand a very well executed and entertaining movie, on the other one of the biggest flop from 2024. But don't get you fooled by the box-office gross, "Better Man" is absolutely worth the watch.
Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Raechelle Banno.
Box Office: $19.7 million (so far)
Worth a watch?: A peculiar mix of "Trainspotting" and "Planet of the Apes". Robbie Williams and Take That's fun, this is your movie. Everyone else, give this film a chance, you won't be disappointed.
Awards: 1 nomination at the 2025 Oscars and BAFTAs for Best Visual Effects. 1 nomination for Best Original Song, Motion Picture ("Forbidden Road", Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek) at the 2025 Golden Globes.
Key word: "It".
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Bengi

Film 2344 - Spy

Intro: One evening at Micheal's we were trying to decide on what to watch and the, on Netflix, I finally found this. And I knew it was time to watch this movie again.

Film 2344: "Spy" (2015), Paul Feig
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: personally, I love this movie. I find it extremely funny, both in English and Italian (which is very rare considering not all the jockes necessarily translate well into Italian usually).
I think Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne do a great job here, bringing their A game to a movie that could have been either a potential meh or completely bad; instead "Spy" is funny and refreshing every time I watch it again. I still remember the first time I watched it at the movie, I thought this movie was hilarious.
So, every now and then, when I feel like watching something funny and lighthearted, I go back to "Spy" and enjoy myself.
Film 978 - Spy
Film 1101 - Spy
Film 1492 - Spy
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Film 2344 - Spy
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Jude Law, Morena Baccarin, 50 Cent, Ben Falcone.
Box Office: $235.7 million
Worth a watch?: Very funny, well executed and with a great cast. I know Melissa McCarthy isn't necessarily liked by everybody, but here she's at the top of her (comedic) game. I always have a great time watching this. (Also there's a cameo appearence from Verka Serduchka from Eurovision 2007, whic for me is a plus!)
Awards: Nominated for 2 Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (McCarthy). 2 nominations at the MTV Movie + TV Awards for Best Comedic Performance (McCarthy) and Best Fight.
Key word: Car.
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Bengi

Film 2343 - Nosferatu

Intro: Back from Italy after the holiday break, Niamh and I had this movie planned for as soon as we got back to Dublin.

Film 2343: "Nosferatu" (2024), Robert Eggers
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: I was excited to see this movie, but not as excited as Niamh was.
I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, which I think didn't make me too entusiastic about watching this movie to begin with. What excited me the most, though, was it's cast: with Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Willem Dafoe all in lead and supporting roles and none other than "It" itself Bill Skarsgård in the titular role, definitely "Nosferatu"'s star factor was playing a big role.
What hurt the chances of me liking and enjoying this movie experience, though, were two factors. Firstly, an external one: the movie theater we were in had no heating on and we ended up watching the movie wearing our jackets all buttoned up. It maybe (unintentionally) mimicked this film's atmosphere, but it wasn't at all pleasent and actually made imèatient to leave ("Nosferatu" is 132 min long...).
Secondly, I couldn't understand a single thing Bill Skarsgård says. The tone of his voice playing this character and especially the accent made impossible for me to grasp just a couple of words here and there, to the point I eventually gave up trying to understand what "Nosferatu" was saying. Which obviously made it kind of hard for me to understand what was going on with his character in general and especially with his relationship to and with Lily-Rose Depp's Ellen. To the point that I had to go and read the plot of this movie on Wikipedia to get a better sense of what I just watched.
So, maynly for these two reasons, i can't say I enjoyed watching "Nosferatu" as much as I was expecting to.
That said, it's undeniable that this movie has a clear point of view, is masterfully crafted and well acted and has a great sense of style and it's visually compelling. I particularly loved the gloomy atmosphere, the cinematography and costumes and the actor's perfromances. I think Robert Eggers once again proves that he has a really interesting point of view and his film are more and more becoming recognizable in terms of their clear style and visual, estethic and directing.
Also, I want to mention that I enjoyed Lily-Rose Depp's performance, this is the first time I see her act and she didn't disappoint (although I think this could have been another role Anya Taylor-Joy would have killed had she collaborated with Eggers once more after "The Witch" and "The Northman").
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe.
Box Office: $172.2 million (so far)
Worth a watch?: Visually intriguing, extremelly well crafted and directed, I'm sure "Nosferatu" won't disappoint the fans of the original (although I didn't watch it so take this with a pinch of salt). Some may require subtitles to understand what Bill Skarsgård is saying.
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscar: Cinematography, Production Design, Costumes and Makeup and Hairstyling. 5 BAFTAs nominations for Cinematography, Production Design, Costumes, Make Up & Hair and Original Score.
Key word: Plague.
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Bengi

Film 2342 - A Quiet Place: Day One

Intro: Back from a month-and-a-half long vacation in Brazil, I finally met my cousin Francesca in Bologna and, after celebrating Boxing Day with our families, we drove all the way to Igea marina where she lives. There, exahusted, we decided to watch a movie. A very quiet one...

Film 2342: "A Quiet Place: Day One" (2024), Michael Sarnoski
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Thoughts: I enjoy the "A Quiet Place" franchise, but I'm not a fan. I watched all the movies, yes, but I never felt the urge to re-watch them, for example. With that in mind, I decided it was time to give this new oting a go, since it was successful and, I remember, well liked by critics and viewers alike.
"A Quiet Place: Day One" is a well crafted, entertaining movie, similar enough to the previous two chapters of this sage, yet different enough to captivate its new audience. Which is obviously a smart move.
What was even smarter, though, was casting Lupita Nyong'o in the lead role: not only she's a great actress, but also a great horror actress as she proved already in Jordan Peele's "Us". Although her character isn't the easiest one to root for, Nyong'o's talent is undeniable and shines once again in this movie.
Other supporting performances by Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou are perfectly fine and serve the movie well, especially considering this is the closest it gets to a modern silent movie, so being able to actually act is essential.
An overall well made movie, especially considering it's a prequel, but also serves as a spin-off and it's the third outing of the series. I'm surprised it didn't get an Oscar nomination in the Best Sound category, but I guess it was hard to beat "Emila Pérez"...
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou.
Box Office: $261.8 million
Worth a watch?: Definitely a good horror movie, unique in its genre as there's barely any dialogue and the story is carried by the actors' performances (which are good). If you enjoyed the previous two movies, then this one can't be missed.
Awards: /
Key word: Pizza.
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Bengi

Film 2341 - Juror #2

Intro: Third movie in a row on my very busy Christmas day, I went for something not a lot of people were talking about (and I heard my parents were going to see at the movies the next day).

Film 2341: "Juror #2" (2024), Clint Eastwood
Watched on: From my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: Potentially Client Eastwood's last motion picture, there was a lot of controversy surrounding this movie because apparently - and for whatever reason - Warner Brothers, the distributor of the movie, decided not to promote it. It doesn't really make sense to me, as this is a solid movie and the cast is great, but as a result, "Juror #2" wasn't a big success at the box-office (quite the opposite actually: it cost around $35 million just to produce it) nor with award bodies, which is really shamefull.
Although I don't think this is Eastwood's greatest work, I still believe it deserved at least a chance: Nicholas Hoult's and Toni Collette's performances are great, the story is compelling and well narrated, the overall result is well done and entertaining. All of this achieved by a man in his 90s, not to mention that he is literally a movie legend. SO why was this movie snubbed and quietly released in theaters?
To be honest, I can't really tell what happened behind the scenes, but definitely something must have went wrong for the outcome to be so unexpected. "Juror #2" is a perfectly fine and well crafted movie that deserved the attention of the audience, especially the fans of Client Eastwood's body of work. I particularly enjoyed Nicholas Hoult's performance, as it doesn't happen often he is given the chance to be the leading man of a drama movie, especially one that sees him being the actor with the most star-power of all the cast. I think he should be given more opportunities like this one, as he's a capable actor and his performance here is no exeption. Needless to say that Toni Collette is flawless here, always on point (give her more roles too!).
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, Leslie Bibb, Gabriel Basso, Kiefer Sutherland.
Box Office: $24.8 million
Worth a watch?: A really good movie. The story reveals its unexpected twist pretty soon and the audience is forced to live, together with the main character, the consequences and implications of the choices he makes. This plot device is really interesting and shakes things up narration-wise. For those who still remember it, this movie heavily reminded me of another legal drama from 11 (!) years ago, "The Judge". So, if you liked that one, you'll definitely enjoy "Juror #2".
Awards: /
Key word: Deer.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2340 - Carry-On

Intro: The second movie I watched on Christmas day is one I had heard of, but didn't know what was about. So I reluctantly decided to give it a chance, not knowing what to expect.

Film 2340: "Carry-On" (2024), Jaume Collet-Serra
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I didn't expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but it definitely a better-than-expected thriller that once again showcase Taron Egerton's talent as a leading man.
Because of its story and setting, "Carry-On" also heavily reminded me of several other movies like "Flightplan", "Red Eye" and "Non-Stop", all of which are set in an airport, although this one doesn't take place on an actual plane.

That said, I really enjoyed this movie and as the first new movie I watched this year - and by this I mean a movie I had never watched before - I was happily impressed.
Not unforgettable, but definitely enjoyable.
Cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Jason Bateman.
Box Office: /
Worth a watch?: Usually I don't particularly enjoy Netflix's movies, but this one I did. It's a good ride, Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman play well off each other and the story is crazy enough to be entertaining. One of those movies set in an airport: if you enjoy this kind of films, then "Carry-On" will do the trick for you.
Awards: /
Key word: Promotion.
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Bengi