Film 2401 - Together

Intro: I was curious to see this movie, the trailer seemed interesting.

Film 2401: "Together" (2025), Michael Shanks
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: I'll be honest, not a big fan of this one. It's not bad per se, it just didn't deliver to the potential of its premise.
The imagination is there, the story has some interesting twists - althought the biggest one you can see it coming from a mile away - but ultimately "Together" is not as gripping as you would expect. The body horror and physical stunts are great - the visual effects really help here - but there's something missing and ultimately the movie didn't resonate too much with me. Something similar we've seen last year could be "The Substance", but that movie reaches a level of iconic that is never matched here. Dave Franco and Alison Brie are really committed though, and they're a great pair on the big screen.
Cast: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey.
Box Office: $32.3 million
Worth a watch?: "Together" could be the baby of "The Substance" and "Midsommar", although this movie never reaches the peak that the other two films are able to achieve. It's not bad, but not great either.
Awards: /
Key word: Muscle relaxers.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2400 - Materialists

Intro: I think it's kinda funny - in a twisted way - that I finally get to write about this movie that I saw a while ago on a date night with Yegor, the day after we broke up.

Film 2400: "Materialists" (2025), Celine Song
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor
Thoughts: I think this movie has a lot of potential, but I didn't necessarily loved it. The ending is bittersweet - we all knew about it, of course - and the fact that she gets back with her boyfriend is never a good storyline in my opinion, but "Materialists" explores a lot of interesting teams, and very current ones (the title gives it away from the get go, to be fair).
I know this is not a rom-com, we cannot really blame the story for turning into something less expected and exploring heavy themes, still it caught me a bit off guard. I appreciate that this film is more than just a fairytale with an happy ending and actually grounds itself in reality more than other outings in the genre, my issue was more with the tone and pace, although nothing is really wrong overall here.
Dakota Johnson delivers an honest performance and I think she really carries the whole movie. She doesn't have that 'grandeur' when acting, but with the right project she's absolutely able to shine. Both Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal are fine, but she really is the star of "Materialists".
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoë Winters, Louisa Jacobson.
Box Office: $108 million
Worth a watch?: Probably not the best movie to watch on a romantic date nor one to talk about the next day your relationship ended. It's not groundbreaking, but overall a good film.
Awards: /
Key word: Checking the boxes.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2399 - Weapons

Intro: I decided to wait for the Golden Globes nominations to be announced before writing this review because I was curios to see if this movie would actually get the nomination everyone was talking about.

Film 2399: "Weapons" (2025), Zach Cregger
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi, Yegor
Thoughts: This year, no other horror movie has been this successfull and a performance achieved this level of praise and iconic status since "The Substance" came out last year and Demi Moore was nominated for her first Oscar. Amy Madigan seems to be heading in the same direction (and disappointment?).
To be honest, I don't think she really has a shot at winning - especially considering what happened this year at the Academy Awards - but it's nice to finally see a great performance in the horror genre being recognized and brought front and center of the award season ahead. Madigan and her aunt Gladys are the glue of this film, not to mention the most entertaining part of it.
What I liked about "Weapons" is its dual nature: there's a mystery to be solved that feels very mch grounded into reality and there's the horror movie components that lurk in and elevate the story. Yes, one would have to be fun of the genre to better appreciate the scary moments, but this is still a pretty compelling story and entertaining piece of media.
The cast is on point, the screenplay well written thanks to a very intreaguing premise and, overall, Zach Cregger's latest cinematic effort is one of the best movies we've seen in this otherwise lucklaster 2025.
Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Justin Long, June Diane Raphael, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan.
Box Office: $268.2 million
Worth a watch?: One of my favourite movies that came out this year and definitely one of the best horrors we got in a while.
Awards: Nominated for 2 Golden Globes: Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Amy Madigan) and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Key word: Aunt.
Trailer
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Bengi

Golden Globes 2026: nominees and winners

83rd Golden Globe Awards 

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
It Was Just An Accident (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Bugonia (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme (A24)
No Other Choice (Neon)
Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Animated
Arco (Neon)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (Aniplex, Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Kpop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain (Gkids)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Cinematic And Box Office Achievement
Avatar: Fire And Ash (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
F1 (Apple Original Films)
Kpop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Weapons (Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
It Was Just An Accident (Neon) – France
No Other Choice (Neon) – South Korea
The Secret Agent (Neon) – Brazil
Sentimental Value (Neon) – Norway
Sirāt (Neon) – Spain
The Voice Of Hind Rajab (Willa) – Tunisia

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
Julia Roberts (After The Hunt)
Tessa Thompson (Hedda)
Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama
Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein)
Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine)
Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)
Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
Amanda Seyfried (The Testament Of Ann Lee)
Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
Leonardo Dicaprio (One Battle After Another)
Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
Lee Byung-Hun (No Other Choice)
Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture
Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine)
Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
Amy Madigan (Weapons)
Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture
Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another)
Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)
Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

Best Director – Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein)
Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident)
Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’farrell (Hamnet)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein)
Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another)
Kangding Ray (Sirāt)
Max Richter (Hamnet)
Hans Zimmer (F1)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Dream As One” –– Avatar: Fire And Ash
Music By: Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson, Simon Franglen
Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson, Simon Franglen

“Golden” –– Kpop Demon Hunters
Music By: Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, Park Hong Jun
Lyrics By: Kim Eun-Jae (Ejae), Mark Sonnenblick

“I Lied To You” –– Sinners
Music By: Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson
Lyrics By: Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson

“No Place Like Home” –– Wicked: For Good
Music By: Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics By: Stephen Schwartz

“The Girl In The Bubble” –– Wicked: For Good
Music By: Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics By: Stephen Schwartz

“Train Dreams” –– Train Dreams
Music By: Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner
Lyrics By: Nick Cave

Best Television Series – Drama
The Diplomat (Netflix)
The Pitt (Hbo Max)
Pluribus (Apple Tv)
Severance (Apple Tv)
Slow Horses (Apple Tv)
The White Lotus (Hbo Max)

Best Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Abbott Elementary (Abc)
The Bear (Fx On Hulu)
Hacks (Hbo Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)
The Studio (Apple Tv)

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Adolescence (Netflix)
All Her Fault (Peacock)
The Beast In Me (Netflix)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Dying For Sex (Fx On Hulu)
The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Kathy Bates (Matlock)
Britt Lower (Severance)
Helen Mirren (Mobland)
Bella Ramsey (The Last Of Us)
Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Sterling K. Brown (Paradise)
Diego Luna (Andor)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Mark Ruffalo (Task)
Adam Scott (Severance)
Noah Wyle (The Pitt)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
Selena Gomez (Only Murders In The Building)
Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)
Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)
Jean Smart (Hacks)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
Steve Martin (Only Murders In The Building)
Glen Powell (Chad Powers)
Seth Rogen (The Studio)
Martin Short (Only Murders In The Building)
Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Limited Series, Anthology Series, Or A Motion Picture Made For Television
Claire Danes (The Beast In Me)
Rashida Jones (Black Mirror)
Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River)
Sarah Snook (All Her Fault)
Michelle Williams (Dying For Sex)
Robin Wright (The Girlfriend)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Limited Series, Anthology Series, Or A Motion Picture Made For Television
Jacob Elordi (The Narrow Road To The Deep North)
Paul Giamatti (Black Mirror)
Stephen Graham (Adolescence)
Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story)
Jude Law (Black Rabbit)
Matthew Rhys (The Beast In Me)

Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role On Television
Carrie Coon (The White Lotus)
Erin Doherty (Adolescence)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Catherine O’hara (The Studio)
Parker Posey (The White Lotus)
Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus)

Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role On Television
Owen Cooper (Adolescence)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Walton Goggins (The White Lotus)
Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus)
Tramell Tillman (Severance)
Ashley Walters (Adolescence)

Best Performance In Stand-Up Comedy On Television
Bill Maher (Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?
Brett Goldstein (Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life)
Kevin Hart (Kevin Hart: Acting My Age)
Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts)
Ricky Gervais (Ricky Gervais: Mortality)
Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman: Postmortem)

Best Podcast
Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard (Wondery)
Call Her Daddy (Siriusxm)
Good Hang With Amy Poehler (Spotify)
The Mel Robbins Podcast (Siriusxm)
Smartless (Siriusxm)
Up First (Npr (National Public Radio)

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Bengi

Film 2398 - Flow

Intro: I forgot to include this movie in my list of movies to review and I'm including it now!

Film 2398: "Flow" (2024), Gints Zilbalodis
Watched: On the laptop
Language: /
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: The experience of watching this movie is a very interesting one for me.
Back in February, I decided to give it a go on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, Spain. I wanted something nice and easy to watch on the 4 hour Ryanair journey, something to keep me company, but also wouldn't require too much brain power. And because we were really, REALLY deep into Oscar season, it only made sense to watch one of the nominees. And, to be honest, it was the best decision.
One thing I have to say beforehand is that the journey to Spain was insane. Turblence would get so bad at moments that it would be impossible to hold my laptop on my lap. Considering my second most irrational fear is dying in a plane crash, it's fair to say that it wasn't a pleasant experience. But watching "Flow" definitely helped.
One thing I didn't expect is the complete lack of dialogue. No human interactions - although humans are definitely part of this world considering the amount of man-made items present - just a cat on his journey to... I'm still not sure.
It's a very fascinating movie, it feels kind of magical at times and the story just progresses at its own pace, while the sea level (I guess?) is rising and our cat protagonist is trying to escape it.
There are a lot of wonderful shots in this movie, a lot of creative vision and an aesthetic that is simple, yet extremely effective. All of this, wrapped in a soundtrack that absolutely complements the end result.
I didn't know what to expect when I started this journey - both the cat's from the movie and mine on the plane - but I sure did enjoy it.
Cast: /
Box Office: €50 million
Worth a watch?: Definitely. It's an interesting movie and story, well crafted - amid a fairly low budget of €3.5 million - and executed. The absence of dialogue forces you to carefully follow the story, you can't get distracted or you'll miss some detail of the story. It's unusual and it takes a second to get used to it, but it's also so calming at times to just listen to the wind or the sound of the surroundings. Not to mention that there is definitely a very contemporary message being carried by the story: climate change and its effects on the planet.
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars for Best International Feature Film and Best Animated Feature Film, it won the latter. 2 BAFTAs nominations (Best Animated Feature Film and Best Children's & Family Film) and 1 Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture - Animated. The movie also won the César for Best Animated Film and was in competition for the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes 2024.
Key word: .
Trailer
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Bengi