Film 2417 - Black Phone 2

Intro: Once I refreshed my memory on the first film, it was time to go and catch the second one at the movies.

Film 2417: "Black Phone 2" (2025), Scott Derrickson
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor, Niamh
Thoughts: “The Black Phone” — or how to ruin a franchise. I think this is one of the biggest disappointments of 2025, definitely one of the worst films I've watched this year. I was so excited that a sequel to the original "The Black Phone" was coming out, as I loved the first movie. But after seeing what they did with the story and how they decided to continue it, the only question I had in my mind was: “Why?” It's not because this film is so different from the first one — that wouldn't have bothered me too much, although it did because of how bad it was. It's mainly because this is such a departure from the original that it doesn’t even feel like they belong to the same franchise. The cinematography is bad, the whole look is glossy (which doesn't really make sense for a horror movie?), and most of it seems to have been filmed in front of a green screen, whereas The Black Phone felt grounded in reality, even though it belonged to the supernatural horror genre. This one… feels like a fever dream of its own. I know "Black Phone 2" got decent reviews, but it really didn't work for me. Bad.
Film 2117 - The Black Phone
Film 2416 - The Black Phone
Film 2417 - Black Phone 2
Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, Demián Bichir, Ethan Hawke.
Box Office: $132 million
Worth a watch?: If you liked the first one… you won’t like this one. At least I didn’t. I wish I hadn’t seen it — it really ruined this franchise for me.
Awards: /
Key word: Bad dreams.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2416 - The Black Phone

Intro: Kate and I are rediscovering watching movies together at home, like we used to back in the day when we lived together in DCU. Only this time, we have a projector to make things feel more cinematic.

Film 2416: "The Black Phone" (2021), Scott Derrickson
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor, Kate
Thoughts: I remember watching this in theaters and not knowing what to expect. I ended up really liking the movie, so it was only a matter of time before I rewatched it, especially with the second one coming out.
To no one’s surprise, I enjoyed this second watch as well. I remembered enough of the movie to know what to expect; still, it didn’t ruin the experience for me. I still think it’s a great addition to the supernatural horror genre, and Ethan Hawke is an amazing baddie, especially considering he acts with a mask on for almost the entire film.
One thing I really appreciate about "The Black Phone" is how grounded in reality it feels, even though the supernatural element of the story is so prominent.
Great movie.
Film 2117 - The Black Phone
Film 2416 - The Black Phone
Film 2417 - Black Phone 2
Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, Ethan Hawke.
Box Office: $161.4 million
Worth a watch?: If you’re a fan of supernatural horror movies, this one should be on your watch list. A sequel recently came out, which is even more reason to check this film out.
Awards: /
Key word: 23317.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2390 - How to Train Your Dragon

Intro: Back to the movies to watch this live-action. And i wasn't necessarily thrilled at the idea...

Film 2390: "How to Train Your Dragon" (2025), Dean DeBlois
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: Not that I felt we needed a live-action version of this movie, but what the hell, "How to Train Your Dragon" was actually quite good. Definitely better than I expected.
I personally believe it's time to let go of this copy and paste frenzy when it comes to animated movies turned into real life adaptations, yet I was impressed by how well this movie brought the story back to the big screen. It starts in a way that recalls the original and you can't avoid comparing the two products, but after a while this one goes its own way, at its own pace and it works.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a masterpiece, but it definitely is a well produced homage to the original film, with its fun and heartfelt moments.
Film 762 - Dragon Trainer
Film 778 - Dragon Trainer 2
Film 1740 - How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Film 2390 - How to Train Your Dragon
Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Frost, Gerard Butler.
Box Office: $635.1 million
Worth a watch?: If you love the original, definitely worth giving this one a go. At times it reminded me of 'Avatar', but obviously the tone is different. Great fun, perfect movie to watch with your family, entertaining, fun and with its own interesting visual aesthetics that complements the original cartoon.
Awards: /
Key word: Queen.
Trailer
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Bengi

Film 2117 - The Black Phone

Intro: La scelta era tra questa pellicola e "Elvis". Ero sicuro che Ciarán avrebbe scelto "Elvis", dato che non guarda horror, eppure dopo aver visto il trailer di questo film qualche settimana fa, gli era rimasto impresso. E quindi sì, per la prima volta io e Ciarán siamo andati al cinema a vedere una pellicola horror insieme.

Film 2117: "The Black Phone" (2021) di Scott Derrickson

Visto: al cinema
Lingua: inglese
Compagnia: Ciarán

In sintesi: "The Black Phone", ovvero il thriller che non ti aspetti.
Mascherata da horror - a mio avviso per motivi commerciali - la pellicola di Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Sinister", ma anche il primo "Doctor Strange") è in realtà un mix davvero ben bilanciato di soprannaturale e thriller, con un quanto basta di spaventoso per tenere lo spettatore incollato alla sedia dall'inizio alla fine, pronto a saltare al minimo accenno di possibile spavento. Che, immancabile, arriva.
Questa pellicola fa un ottimo lavoro in termini di suspense e tensione, regala ottime performance da parte di un cast di giovani attori davvero dotati - specialmente Madeleine McGraw, qui talvolta anche elemento comico della storia - e un Ethan Hawke maledettamente inquietante anche con una maschera sulla faccia per il 95% del film, il tutto per un risultato finale che è una montagna russa emotiva, andando a tirare in ballo classici elementi horror, insieme a momenti più legati al soprannaturale e una maggiorparte (inaspettata) di classici momenti thriller e temi per niente scontati in un prodotto che mira al più largo consumo possibile come questo: rapimento di bambini e il loro omicidio, plausibili abusi, oltre che un padre violento alcolizzato. Insomma, non esattamente il classico titolo dell'orrore.
Ma "The Black Phone" gestisce tutto questo mix di elementi apparentementi difficili da mescolare insieme davvero alla grande e il risultato finale è un tour de force che lascia davvero soddisfatti.
Film 2117 - The Black Phone
Film 2416 - The Black Phone
Film 2417 - Black Phone 2
Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, Ethan Hawke.
Box Office: $99.1 milioni (ad oggi)
Vale o non vale: Decisamente una bella sorpresa per un titolo che potrebbe apparire il classico horror un po' banale e tirato via che, invece, sorprende positivamente per una trama ben pensata, un grande cast e un risultato finale pauroso quanto basta e sorprendentemente interessante da seguire.
Premi: /
Parola chiave: Sogni.
Trailer
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Bengi