Film 2487 - Neighbors

Intro: Second evening in Dingle, second movie from the couch. After a night out in town, of course.

Film 2487: "Neighbors" (2014), Nicholas Stoller
Watched: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Debbi, Niamh, Eimear
Thoughts: I've watched this movie a bunch of times already and always find it funny. It's not a masterpiece or anything, but it's almost like a comfort watch that, at the right time, delivers exactly what I need. Similar to other films like "21 Jump Street", "22 Jump Street" or "We're the Millers".
So I guess the vibe was once again right for me, as I really enjoyed rewatching this first "Neighbors" - the sequel isn't that good - after so many years since I last saw it.
I think Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne have great chemistry together, and watching the two of them go up against the other screen duo, Zac Efron and Dave Franco, is a pleasure. My personal highlights: the airbag and milking scenes. Hilarious.
All in all, a solid comedy that still works more than 10 years later. And these days, that's quite the feat.
Film 773 - Cattivi vicini
Film 1060 - Cattivi vicini
Film 2487 - Neighbors
Film 1192 - Cattivi vicini 2
Cast: Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Lisa Kudrow.
Box Office: $270.7 million
Worth a watch?: It's the type of comedy that isn't for everybody, I understand that, but if you enjoy a less refined humor that goes all in on the politically incorrect, this is the movie for you. This one. Again, not the second one.
Awards: 3 wins at the MTV Movie + TV Awards Best Shirtless Performance (Zac Efron), Best Duo (Zac Efron, Dave Franco), and Best WTF Moment (Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne) over 7 nominations (Best Comedic Performance for Rose Byrne, Best Musical Moment, Best Kiss, Best Fight).
Key word: Police.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2473 - What Lies Beneath

Intro: Simon came over to watch a movie at mine, and I suggested this one, which had been on my watchlist for a while (and, of course, he hadn't seen it before as he's younger than me...).

Film 2473: "What Lies Beneath" (2000), Robert Zemeckis
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: Simon
Thoughts: 26 years later, I'm still a big fan of this movie. I remember going to the theater with my mom the first time I saw it, so I obviously have a personal connection to it, but I still think it's a great blockbuster film.
I do believe it's insane that this film cost $100 million to produce. I think it's a bit mad, if I'm being honest. Like, yeah, it looks good, but to justify a price tag like that, you'd expect something a bit grander and on a bigger scale. Instead, most of the story is shot indoors, mainly in the gigantic house our main couple lives in, so it's a bit mind-boggling to think that a story like this one cost this much to bring to life. On the flip side, "What Lies Beneath" still looks amazing all these years later.
Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer are amazing leads, and they really exude that A-list Hollywood aura; they're just so hot together. Pfeiffer especially—the real lead of this film—is captivating to watch and gives a great performance. She basically carries almost the whole story by herself, considering Ford is, for the most part, more of a supporting character. They should have co-starred in more films together; I really enjoyed their chemistry on screen.
The only small critique I have of this film is its length: 130 minutes feels a bit too long for this genre, especially because it takes a while to get to the juicy, spooky bits. For a film categorized as a supernatural horror thriller, the supernatural—and especially the horror—elements come quite late into the game. I still enjoyed the build-up and the fact that the screenplay takes its time fleshing out the characters, especially the dynamic between the two leads. Still, a few things here and there could have been shortened—I feel like we really didn't need to go all the way to the couple's daughter's dorm on the day she leaves for college, for example—but considering Robert Zemeckis directed this film, I'm not surprised by the attention to detail ("Forrest Gump", "Contact", and "Cast Away" all run for at least 140 minutes each).
All in all, I really enjoyed rewatching "What Lies Beneath". I think it's very entertaining and fun for what it is, and Pfeiffer and Ford really help elevate the final product thanks to their committed performances. Without them, this would have been just another average, slightly scary film the turn of the millennium.
Cast: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton, James Remar, Miranda Otto, Amber Valletta.
Box Office: $291.4 million
Worth a watch?: "The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost—or that she is losing her mind" (IMDb): sounds interesting? Well, if you give it a go, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the ride. Especially if you like that late '90s–early 2000s vibe that movies from that era encapsulate so perfectly.
Awards: /
Key word: Braid of hair.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2470 - 30 notti con il mio ex

Intro: Still in Italy, I was looking for something to watch on the one evening I decided to spend at home. I was scrolling through Netflix, unsure what to watch, and found this. The last time I watched a new Italian movie was ages ago, so I decided to give it a go. To feel a bit like I still belong.

Film 2470: "30 notti con il mio ex" (2025), Guido Chiesa
Watched: From the TV
Language: Italian
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I think the idea behind this story works and the potential is there, but I didn't fully buy the overall execution.
Bruno (Edoardo Leo) lives with his teenage daughter, with whom he struggles to connect. His ex-wife (Micaela Ramazzotti) comes back into the picture when she spends 30 days with them before being able to return to the real world now that her mental health treatment has concluded. I thought this premise was intriguing and could definitely set up an interesting story for all the characters involved, which it does to a certain extent. Being back together as a family is initially a struggle, but then things seem to work once again and, inevitably, feelings resurface and it all gets messy again. I'm fine with the story; I think it certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does a decent job of portraying a realistic scenario of what it would look like if a situation similar to the one depicted here happened in real life.
The issue for me lies with the ending, a classic cliffhanger that doesn't really work here. I'm not sure if this choice of ending the movie this way was intentional or just a replica of the Argentinian film this movie is inspired by ("30 noches con mi ex" by Adrián Suar), but it really bothered me. You've invested a couple of hours in this story, these characters, their lives and struggles, and how they finally start to cope with the new setup they're in and... the story ends. Caput. No more. Go home.
I'm sure this is supposed to be the movie's way of letting you decide for yourself what happens to these people, but it's actually just extremely frustrating. I really, really don't like open endings and, for a movie like this one, an alleged romcom, it is possibly the worst way to end your story. Or rather, not end it at all.
Ending aside, I appreciated Edoardo Leo's performance. To me, it was the one most grounded in reality. Micaela Ramazzotti is an extremely gifted actress, but here I felt she was basically giving off the same character vibes as the one she previously played in "La pazza gioia". Additionally, the whimsical, slightly frantic way she plays Terry started to get on my nerves after a while. You'd expect her character to grow and change as the story progresses, but there's a child-like quality to her that never really goes away, and I thought it felt unnecessary once Terry starts to regain her confidence and reconnect with her family.
I think I was expecting "30 notti con il mio ex" to be something different, maybe more comedic and lighthearted than it actually is. Which is obviously fine, but possibly not what I was looking for at that moment. That said, I still believe this could have been a better movie with a different ending, fewer dead moments, and a more grounded portrayal of mental illness, recovery, and reconnecting with the world and your loved ones.
Cast: Edoardo Leo, Micaela Ramazzotti, Gloria Harvey, Claudio Colica, Francesca Valtorta, Matteo Scattaretico, Anna Bonaiuto.
Box Office: $1,552,852
Worth a watch?: Not a romcom, more a dramedy... maybe? I didn't necessarily laugh, but there are definitely lighter moments. The ending was a big no-no for me. Overall, if you enjoy Italian movies, this is definitely not the worst one you could watch, but not the best either. It's more middle of the way for me.
Awards: /
Key word: Mental illness.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2464 - The Drama

Intro: TThe buzz around this movie was impossible to miss: an A24 production with Zendaya & Robert Pattinson (on their first movie collaboration of many upcoming ones in 2026), an interesting concept, a marketing campaign for the ages and, cherry on top, good reviews. We couldn't miss it.

Film 2464: "The Drama" (2026), Kristoffer Borgli
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I can't say I was completely won over by it, but I definitely found it interesting, and I appreciate how it sparked a conversation and a media frenzy around the story's main topic, as well as how well Alana Haim played her character. I'll say it straight away: I liked "The Drama". I think Zendaya and Pattinson are perfect scene partners and deliver amazing performances, the screenplay is well written - really funny at times, surreal at others - and overall this is a very interesting ride. The dramatic aspects of the story definitely land, although I wish the film had focused on more than just one subject. I won't spoil anything; suffice it to say that the dramatic core of the story stems from a revelation made by Zendaya's character at the beginning of the movie. From there, chaos slowly builds until the day of the wedding, where everything culminates in madness. I'm not mad at the fact that the dramatics promised by the title of the movie - and the posters and trailers - are ultimately tied to only one element of the story, I just wish they had delivered a bit more. Because of how the marketing campaign was handled, I imagined shenanigans happening left and right, some sort of trainwreck unfolding in slow motion as the wedding date approached. Instead, although shenanigans do happen, they all stem from one thing and one thing only. And look, that's OK, but after a while I have to admit I got a bit tired of how the story kept bringing this revealed secret back up without having the characters really acknowledge it until the very end of the movie. It could have been cool to use it as the perfect dramatic engine to kick the story off and then eventually move on to other shocking revelations or events so that the story would keep progressing and become more chaotic each time. Instead, we spend the whole movie focused on one topic, and the screenplay chooses to explore how all the characters react and interact after the secret has been exposed. As I said, I'm not mad about it; it's all handled in a way that works for the story. I just think a different approach would have worked better for me. That said, while the two main leads are perfectly matched for their roles, I think Alana Haim is really the scene-stealer here. Her performance as Rachel is so good that you can't help but hate her. I was really impressed by her portrayal. All in all, "The Drama" definitely delivered enough dramatics to be entertaining and refreshingly good. The story could have pushed things even further, but I appreciate how the movie manages to start a conversation around a tough topic in a way that shows both depth and a clear point of view, while being satirical and serious at the same time.
Cast: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Benton Gates, Zoë Winters.
Box Office: $130.8 million
Worth a watch?: Its vibe reminded me of another A24 film that came out last year, "The Materialist", though obviously the two stories are different. If you enjoyed that one - or if you appreciate A24 movies in general - definitely give this one a watch. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson once again prove their star power and why they are two of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood today.
Awards: /
Key word: Worst thing.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2457 - Eternity

Intro: This was recommended to me by one of the girls I took the Screenwriting course with.

Film 2457: "Eternity" (2025), David Freyne
Watched: From my computer
Language: English
Watched with: Bill
Thoughts: I think this is one of those movies that sounds better on paper. I'm not saying "Eternity" is a bad movie or anything - I actually quite enjoyed it - but there's a clear limitation to its potential: once the main idea is revealed and the plot is in motion, there really isn't much else to talk about. Let me explain.
I'll start with the logline you can find on IMDb: "In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive." This perfectly sums up what you find in this movie, because honestly there isn't much else to it, which is exactly what I was referring to. The main idea is so powerful and interesting, but the movie barely explores any other topic beyond it. It's like there's an ocean of possible storylines, but the screenplay corners itself: there's a time constraint, there's a choice to be made, and there are only two options (technically three if Joan decided to leave both men behind). And that's the end of the road.
Although the movie explores many themes - loss, love, aspirations, memories - and is filled with a decent number of characters, the scope of the story remains tied to the love triangle and never really lets go until it gets resolved. Which happens at the end of the movie, obviously. So once that happens, we fade to black and go home. Which I found, in the grand scheme of things, acceptable, but also a waste of great potential. The afterlife feels like a two-dimensional carnival: a fun ride, but not much else beyond picking your ideal scenario and off you go for the rest of eternity. I don't know, I just hope the afterlife, if it exists, doesn't actually look like this one because it would stress the hell (see what I did there?) out of me. And considering you have all eternity ahead of you, and there's definitely no lack of space over there, I really don't see why people are required to make their choice within a week. That creative decision didn't really make sense to me, especially considering that once you pick your afterlife scenario, you can't change your mind. Forever. You're stuck there. Endless scenarios to choose from and you give me seven days?! Too intense for my little brain.
All of this said, I think "Eternity" is a beautifully crafted movie. Its aesthetics are quite pleasing and although the color correction is a bit too on the nose at times, I still appreciated how bright and vibrant the colors were.
Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, and Callum Turner make for a very interesting trio: all great actors and all perfectly cast for their parts. I thought Turner's character was unbearable and his story arc is something you can guess from a mile away, but look, we all need a villain. It also has to be said that Da'Vine Joy Randolph steals the show. She's unforgettable - she has such presence and charisma that you can't take your eyes off her when she's on screen. Such a star!
All in all, I enjoyed "Eternity". It's an unconventional story, it balances comedic and dramatic moments well, and it's beautifully shot. God save stories that try something different!
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz, Betty Buckley, Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Box Office: $35 million
Worth a watch?: I liked it, although I was hoping the scope of the story would be a bit broader. If you like A24 movies, this is another one you shouldn't miss.
Awards: /
Key word: Hair.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

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
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2375 - Black Bag

Intro: Really curious to see this movie, although not many people were talking about it.

Film 2375: "Black Bag" (2025), Steven Soderbergh
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I'll be honest here, I was expecting great things and i think by doing that I shut myself in the foot.
The cast is great, but I really struggle to follow the story as a) most of the time I had no clue what they were talking about and b) because I couldn't follow the story properly, I started to get distracted.
So, because of this, I don't really have much to say about "Black Bag". I think Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are great leads (and a pretty damn good looking couple) and it was really nice to see Naomie Harris and Pierce Brosnan once again. Regé-Jean Page feels like the "baby" of the group against all these other A-listers, but he holds his own.
All in all, I was definitely expecting something else (and more engaging).
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan.
Box Office: $42.7 million
Worth a watch?: With hindsight, I would definitely watch this movie with subtitles and by paying way more attention. The cast is cool, Soderbergh does Soderbergh, but other than that it didn't resonate with me.
Awards: /
Key word: Severus.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
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.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2336 - The Holiday

Intro: I think I've only watched this once at the movies and that was it. Recently, tho, a lot of people were talking about it, especially since the Christmas season was approaching. So I decided to give another go...

Film 2336: "The Holiday" (2006), Nancy Meyers
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: I remember I didn't particularly like this movie the first time I watched it and I cannot say I changed my mind this time around really. Not that it is a bad movie by any means, it's just a bit meh, although enjoyable. 

I just say that, of all the Christmas movies out there, this isn't my favourite. Also, Nancy Meyers (the director) said she never conceived "The Holiday" as a Christmas movie in the first place.

That said, I'll admit that some bits work and I particularly enjoyed Cameron Diaz's performance. Maybe she isn't the greatest actress of all time, but she surely works for these type of movies, romcoms especially. And she has good chemistry with the co-star Jude Law. They're obviously a gorgeous pair and that doesn't hurt either.

What didn't work for me, tho, is Kate Winslet's character's storyline. Or, to better put it, hers and Jack Black's. I really didn't vibe with these two and not because the actors do a bad job, but rather because it's such an odd pairing it's distracting. 

Additionally, their 'relationship' grows at a very slow pace all to speed up at the very end of the movie very suddenly. We know from the start where the story is trying to go, yet it doesn't really commit until the end.
Furthermore, Iris' (Winslet) story reminded me quite a lot of Bridget Jones'.
Anyway, again, I don't think "The Holiday" is a terrible movie, it's just not my favourite.
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Kathryn Hahn, John Krasinski; (cameos): Dustin Hoffman, Lindsay Lohan, James Franco.
Box Office: $205.8 million
Worth a watch?: I understand the Christmas appeal and this movie is definitely a good option to watch during the holidays, yet this is not my favourite pick when it come to pictures to (re)watch during thc Christmas season.
Awards: 1 nomination at the 2007's MTV Movie + TV Awards for Best Kiss (Jude Law & Cameron Diaz).
Key word: Home.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2333 - Gone Girl

Intro: A few months ago I picked a new book to read after I finished Melanie C's authobiography back in the summer and I decided to take a break from ready for a month or two.
Once I felt going back to reading again, I finally decided to give this book a chance after I've been re-watching the movie it inspired so many times over the years. And while reading in Malta, I started to feel the urge to go back to the movie once again... And here we are again.

Film 2333: "Gone Girl" (2014), David Fincher
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Briefly: I think it's fair to say that I really, really like this movie. I think it's great cinema and that Rosamund Pike gave the performance of a lifetime (that should have gotten rewarded a bit more).
I'm not reading the book yet, tho i felt the urge to go back to what for me was the source material: David Fincher's (crazingly underrrated) adaptation of Gillian Flynn's book.
Now that I have better insight on the story and, especially, on the character of Amy Elliott Dunne (Pike), I have to admit that my feelings towards her have schifted a bit: yes, she's crazy, manipulative, disturbing, yet there was always something there that fascinated me (still there, tbf). Some sort of respect for the guts she has, let's say
This time, tho, it was different. Knowing what she was doing willingly to her husband Nick (Affleck), reading the words coming straight from the character's mind... it was different. I felt disgusted by her and, to a certain degree (case yeah, she's a fictional character at the end of the day and this is just a well told story after all) I hated her.
And I think this says even more how great Rosamund Pike is in this movie. It's like she was born to play this part: she's unsetteling and mysterious, cold and manipulative and... it's impossible not to love her!
And I'll add this: I think Ben Affleck does a realy good job in portraying his character, readying the book gave me a better understanding of Nick and how he behaves and faces certain stressful situation adn I think Affleck should have gotten more praise for his performance.
Anyway, overall great movie, always compelling, beautifully shot and great sound track.
Film 853 - L'amore bugiardo - Gone Girl
Film 1020 - L'amore bugiardo - Gone Girl
Film 1544 - L'amore bugiardo - Gone Girl
Film 1739 - Gone Girl
Film 2156 - Gone Girl
Film 2331 - Gone Girl
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Missi Pyle, Emily Ratajkowski, Sela Ward.
Box Office: $370.9 milion
Worth a watch? Not Fincher's best movie, but definitely a great one. It's a gripping thriller wonderfully written adn acted marvellously. If you hadn't watched it yet... what are you waiting for?
Awards: 1 Oscars nomination for Best Actress (Pike). 4 Golden Globes nomination for Best director, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Pike), Best Screenplay and Best Score. At BAFTA, the movie was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Pike) and Best Adapted Screenplay. 1 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. 4 nominations at the MTV Movie + TV Awards: Movie of the Year, Breakthrough Performance (Pike), Best Scared-As-S**t Performance (Pike), Best Villain (Pike)
Key word: Diary.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi