We need to talk about Venom

Even though it had a better than expected box-office first week ("Venom" was initially projected to gross $60–70 million, but it went on to gross $80.3 million, marking the best October opening weekend of all-time, as well as the seventh best opening for a Sony film), Tom Hardy's new antihero Eddie Brock struggled to find critics consensus.
With an approval rating of 30% based on 258 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 on Metacritic and an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale on CinemaScore, the movie didn't exactly topped fans and critics expectations. With some reviews describing it as "worthless", "aggressively loud and stupid without being much fun at all" or even "chaotic, noisy, and in desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man", "Venom" has apparently failed to impress its crowd, yet still managing to make strong business: with a worldwide gross of $466.5 million the movie was able to surpass the $450 million gross it needed to break even (Deadline Hollywood estimates).
So what is it about "Venom"? Is it that bad or it just wasn't able to reflect the expectation behind it? You decide. And, in the meantime, you can enjoy our latest info pic!

Film 1688 - Venom

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Film 1518 - Lilo & Stitch

Intro: One of my favourite animated feature films ever!

Film 1518: "Lilo & Stitch" (2002), Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Watched: my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Briefly: this movie is great and I remember I was so caught up by the story when I first watched it, which it really surprised me. "Lilo & Stitch" is funny and entertaining, sweet and kind to a new, enjoyable level. Lilo's character is built up so perfectly, she's a real human being role model, always open to second chances and new possibilities in life. I really do love her;
smart and well written, this isn't just a family movie, but also an enriching story that reminds us that differences are everywhere in life, yet still they shouldn't really matter: you can be a crazy weird invincible alien mad at everyone and still find your place in life thanks to new friends and an open mind. We should embrace our differences and not being scared by them.
Film 1118 - Lilo & Stitch
Film 1518 - Lilo & Stitch
Cast: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Zoe Caldwell, Jason Scott Lee, Kevin Michael Richardson.
Box Office: $273.1 million
Worth watching?: Terribly sweet and - honestly - unexpectedly funny, "Lilo & Stitch" is a must see not only for every Walt Disney Pictures fan, but for everyone who's looking for a nice movie experience and a perfect cartoon choice. Trust me!
Awards: Nominated at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature.
Key word: Experiment 626.
Did you like it? Buy it HERE!

Trailer
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Bengi

Film 1517 - Lady Bird

Intro: I was so into this movie without even had a clue about it, but I loved the fact that this is an all-women project and the movie got ravishing reviews. Not to mention all the nominations that it got from the latest award season...

Film 1517: "Lady Bird" (2017), Greta Gerwig
Watched: my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Briefly: I really have to say that I wasn't impressed by "Lady Bird". Greta Gerwig directorial debut can be fun sometimes and it is surely solid when it comes to the plot, but in the end I didn't enjoy it that much. Probably my expectations were too high for a movie that got so far with reviews and awards. And most of the time it's hard to match what you would like to see with what you're actually seeing;
I am definitely in love with Saoirse Ronan, she really can act! I think she deserves her Golden Globe as Best Actress even though an Oscar win would have been difficult to imagine, mostly because of the other performances nominated this year. Anyway I prefer her in "Brooklyn", where she is simply divine. A round of applause also to Laurie Metcalf, absolutely perfect in this role;
I find a little bit difficult to see where does Gerwig Best Director nomination comes from. Nolan in "Dunkirk" is amazing and was about time that Guillermo del Toro's talent got recognised, but "Lady Bird" directorial effort is not any different from other coming-of-age comedy-drama movies we see almost everyday;
I think this is a decent film that works mostly because of its great cast and a story that sounds really true even though it's fiction. It's easy to relate with Lady Bird McPherson, a senior student at a Catholic high school in Sacramento, that struggles to find herself in a world that she doesn't see as her own. She needs to find her way through school, parents expectations, friends, dreams and all that stuff teenagers must experience while they try to figure it out what they'd like to be in adult life. Apart from that, "Lady Bird" isn't that amazing, even though it has its moments.
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lois Smith.
Box Office: $78.5 million
Worth watching?: I was expecting something else or, probably, I was just expecting too much. Anyway I find "Lady Bird" a very normal film that deserve a chance, even though it's not that great as the critics want you to believe.
Awards: Nominated for 5 Oscars (Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Original Screenplay), 4 Golden Globes (winning Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress) and 3 BAFTAs (Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Leading Actress).
Key word: College.
Did you like it? Buy it HERE!

Trailer
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Bengi

Film 1516 - Wonder

Intro: I was curious to see this movie, an unexpected huge box office hit that I didn't know anything about until it hit the theatres.

Film 1516: "Wonder" (2017), Stephen Chbosky
Watched: my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Briefly: a nice movie with an heartwarming story, "Wonder" works well thanks to its cast. Jacob Tremblay is a talented young actor (he's Brie Larson kid in "Room") able to lead this project on his own shoulders; Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson are an unexpectedly well matched married couple on the screen and, of course, they know how to act;
apart from the acting point of view, this picture is filled with feel-good vibes and good intentions, even though you can tell from the start where the plot is gonna lead you. You know that the poor kid with the facial deformity (Treacher Collins syndrome) will struggle at school, as you already know that at the end he will find he's way through the pain. He'll be always different, but he'll manage to make friends and survive his first school year. So, as I was saying, "Wonder" tells you a great story, even an empowering one, but fails to deliver something new to watch.
Cast: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs, Izabela Vidovic.
Box Office: $305.9 milion
Worth watching?: The perfect choice if you're looking for a decent movie with a feel-good vibes heart. It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio.
Awards: Nominated for 1 Academy Award (Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling) and 1 BAFTA Award (Best Make Up/Hair).
Key word: Friendship.
Did you like it? Buy it HERE!

Trailer
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Bengi

Film 1515 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Intro: One of my favourite movies of all time. There's no need to have an excuse to watch it all over again.

Film 1515: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), Peter Jackson
Watched: my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Briefly: perfectly directed and acted, the first film of this trilogy is the one that made me fall in love with the movies. It's epic, it's entertaining and brilliant, outstandingly crafted thanks to the work of motion picture industry artists, and I think it pays a perfect homage to the book;
visual effects are still stunning even though it's a 17 years old work. The soundtrack is simply amazing and it manages to balance the action sequences with the romantic or quieter moments. Howard Shore and Enya did a great job;
Peter Jackson leads this picture perfectly: I'm still getting excited every time I watch this movie thanks to his great vision and talent.
Film 159 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Film 313 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Film 1270 - Il signore degli anelli - La compagnia dell'anello
Film 1515 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Film 1803 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Film 2079 - Il Signore degli Anelli - La Compagnia dell'Anello
Film 314 - Il signore degli anelli - Le due torri
Film 1279 - Il Signore degli Anelli - Le due torri
Film 1295 - Il Signore degli Anelli - Il ritorno del re
Film 2214 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis.
Box Office: $871.5 milion
Worth watching?: Between "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" one I have always preferred the first. It's groundbreaking, absolutely entertaining and magical at the same time. So if you love J.R.R. Tolkien, fantasy or you're simply looking for a good story, start with "The Fellowship of the Ring" and don't stop until the Ring of Power has been destroyed.
Awards: 4 Oscars win out of 13 nominations (Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Music, Original Score, Best Effects, Visual Effects), 4 Golden Globes nominations (Best Motion Picture - Drama, Director, Score, Song), and 5 BAFTAs win (Best Film, Best Direction, the Audience Award, Best Special Effects, Best Make-up).
Key word: Moria.
Did you like it? Buy it HERE!

Trailer
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Bengi

Film 1514 - The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Intro: I was intrigued by the the incomprehensible plot and the tense trailer, not to mention the good reviews and the best screenplay win at the Cannes Film Festival last year. That's why I was so keen to see the latest Lanthimos directorial effort.

Film 1514: "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" (2017), Yorgos Lanthimos
Watched: my laptop
Language: English
Watched with: Fre
Briefly: tense, but particularly slow, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" aims to be a thriller with horror vibes even though it just manages to exacerbate the viewers with its deviant plot. In my opinion it's more boring than scaring;
Farrell and Kidman are beautiful actors and they carry the story as far as they can, the problem is that nothing really happens here until the end and it's frustrating that you have to wait for the very last minutes to get the plot moving forward. Probably it was one of Lanthimos goals to induce these kind of emotions in the viewers, yet still you really need to be committed to the cause to actually enjoying it;
"The Killing of a Sacred Deer" has a really powerful finale that partially redeems its previous 90minutes of nothing happening while you wait for the good stuff to come, but I don't think it's enough to appreciate a 2 hour-long movie that leads nowhere for the most of its running time. I think "The Lobster" has a powerful message underneath that is missing here. And you can definitely feel it.
Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp.
Box Office: $6.1 milion
Worth watching?: Yorgos Lanthimos fans will find it interesting and probably entertaining, but for those who don't know the previous Greek director works it's probably better if they start with "The Lobster" first: "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is even slower and less fun.
Awards: Best Screenplay at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival (tied with Lynne Ramsay for You Were Never Really Here).
Key word: Alcoholism.
Did you like it? Buy it HERE!

Trailer
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Bengi