Film 2476 - Backrooms

Intro: Extremely excited to see this movie, we timed it perfectly so that Jake—whether he wanted to or not—ended up coming with us. It was his first time at the movies in years, so I was happy to be the one who brought him back.

Film 2476: "Backrooms" (2026), Kane Parsons
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Jake, Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: What a time to be a horror fan!
Within the span of a couple of weeks, "Obsession" and this film have taken the box office by storm, brought people back to the theater, smashed record after record, and created such a cultural phenomenon that we haven't seen in a while. Not of Barbenheimer proportions, but quite impressive still. Keep all of this in mind when I say: I had big expectations for this one.
Pumped up by my "Obsession" fever, ecstatic because of the massive opening weekend gross in the US ($81.5 million! The movie cost $10 million to produce!), and excited about this horror abundance, I didn't necessarily know what to expect, but I was really hoping that "Backrooms" could deliver. And, well, it did. And it didn't. Let me explain.
I want to start by saying I don't know anything about the lore behind this story. I didn't know Kane Parsons or his web series, I didn't know what creepypasta meant—I still don't, if I'm being honest. So I went into this just hoping for a good time. Which I did have, for the most part.
The premise is this: Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) owns a furniture store. His life is falling apart: he's an alcoholic, he's getting divorced, and the business is failing. For this reason, he moves into the store. One night, he notices the lights flickering mysteriously in the basement and, when he goes to check the breaker box, there's a glowing slit in a wall. When Clark approaches it, he falls through and enters the Backrooms. And what are the Backrooms? (From Wiki:) A labyrinthine extradimensional space containing a chaotic expanse of dull yellow rooms, fluorescent lights, long corridors, and malformed furniture.
So the story starts really strong: the mystery is intriguing and the screenplay does a great job of giving you enough details to understand what's going on while avoiding giving too much away, so that the second part of the movie doesn't get ruined. Amazing. The issues, though, start with the second part of the movie.
The more the screenplay tries to explain itself and its lore, the more things start to get complicated and harder to understand. Or maybe I just lost interest, I don't know. I was initially extremely invested, but once Clark's therapist (Renate Reinsve) enters the Backrooms herself and the big mystery behind the monster is revealed... things really take an odd turn, and the big reveal is so meh that I found it almost lazy, if I'm being honest. I don't want to give too much away, but I don't understand how the monster was created. And what's its meaning in the story? I don't get what it's supposed to symbolize, considering the first thing it does after we see it on screen for the first time is kill its creator.
Another thing that I found confusing is why the Async Research Institute plotline is so underutilized. The movie opens with a scientist from this project being killed by the monster: was the monster the same one that is later revealed, or was it a different one? Because it seemed to me that Clark doesn't enter the Backrooms until after the scientist has been killed, so how could the monster be that monster, if you know what I mean (I'm trying so hard to avoid spoilers and name names not to give anything away). And, anyway, why don't we get more details about this research institute? Maybe they're going to use it in the already announced sequel, but so far it's absolutely unclear to me what is going on with the science people and why they're there.
So yeah, a lot of confusion that kind of ruined the well-built first half of the movie. The tension and uncertainty I experienced at the beginning of the story quickly disappeared once the monster was finally revealed, and for the rest of the movie I struggled to follow and grasp what was going on. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad: it could be that all of this gets fixed in the sequel and we get all the explanations and details we lack here. I highly doubt it, but it's possible.
Based on the information I have now, though, I have to admit that "Backrooms" was a bit of a letdown: a great starting point and build-up, but the plot twist and ending didn't deliver for me.
All in all, I did enjoy "Backrooms" as a collective cinematic experience: the theater was full, and it was nice, for once, to be in sync with the current pop-cultural discourse (usually I'm always late to the game). On top of that, Chiwetel Ejiofor's and Renate Reinsve's performances are extremely good so, if not for the plot, I appreciated this movie for their committed, convincing performances.
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell.
Box Office: $350 million (as of today)
Worth a watch?: Is it my favourite horror movie? No, but it's still a solid one. I think "Backrooms'" problem is that its premise is so good and intriguing that it's hard to write a whole story that can keep the hype and mystery as high. So yeah, the plot twist isn't my favourite, but overall this movie is a good watch and a fascinating one: the whole liminal-space aesthetic, malformed furniture, and insane spaces all come together to create such a distinct cinematic experience that it's hard to describe unless you see it. So give it a go and see it for yourself. You might enjoy it more than I did.
Awards: /
Key word: Mascot.
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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.
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Bengi

Film 2453 - O Agente Secreto

Intro: Finally back to the movies—it's still Oscars time, and we decide to go and watch this film before it leaves theaters.

Film 2453: "O Agente Secreto" (2025), Kleber Mendonça Filho
Watched: At the movies
Language: Portuguese, German
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: I haven't seen many Brazilian movies in my life, so it was inevitable that I would compare this one to the one I watched a year ago, which was also nominated for multiple Oscars. The thing is, "O Agente Secreto" is not "Ainda Estou Aqui".
There are things I really enjoyed about this film: Wagner Moura, for one, is amazing. I think I saw him in previous American endeavours like "Elysium" and "Civil War", but I can't really say I remember his performances there. "The Secret Agent" was my real introduction to his work, and my oh my, I was impressed. I knew he didn't have a shot at winning Best Actor at the Oscars, but his is definitely one of my favourite performances from last year.
Furthermore, this is a very compelling story, especially for someone like me with no prior knowledge of Brazilian history. Once you get into the groove of the plot and how it’s told, once you figure out what the whole hairy leg situation is about, you do get invested. And here’s my biggest problem with this film: it's really hard to follow the story.
I know it might sound contradictory considering what I just said, but I found it really, really hard to follow everything that was going on—the time jumps, events I know nothing about, the number of characters, reading between the lines while also keeping up with subtitles, the three Wagner Moura characters... it’s a lot. Not even Debbi—who was born and raised in Brazil and lived there until 2023—knew about the leg thing and had to google it to understand what it meant (apparently it was a form of satire used in newspapers to call out shady police work back in the day, or at least that’s what she told me). I also had to check the plot on Wikipedia afterwards because I wasn’t sure about some parts (I should disclose that I fell asleep at one point, right at the pivotal moment of the sofa conversation where he's recording testimony about Ghirotti's corrupt activities. So yeah, that didn’t help).
Overall, I think "O Agente Secreto" is a good movie, but too chaotic for a story so complex and rich in detail and historical references that I knew nothing about. A more straightforward plotline would have definitely helped me grasp what I was watching without having to rely on the internet for a recap or further explanation. I'm not saying the story should have been simplified for international audiences, but at least for me, a more linear narration would have made a difference. And I know comparisons aren’t always fair, but the emotional impact that "Ainda Estou Aqui" had on me didn’t quite carry over here.
Cast: Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Alice Carvalho, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Udo Kier.
Box Office: $22.5 million
Worth a watch?: Not an easy watch. The plot is dense (from Wikipedia: "It follows Armando (Wagner Moura), a former professor caught in political turmoil during the Brazilian military dictatorship, attempting to flee persecution.") and the screenplay doesn’t make it particularly easy to follow what’s going on—or at least that was my experience. Wagner Moura delivers a performance for the ages and proves he’s a superstar.
Awards: 4 Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Actor, Casting, and International Feature Film). 2 BAFTA nominations (Best Original Screenplay and Film Not in the English Language) and 2 Golden Globe wins (Best Foreign Language Film, Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama) over 3 nominations (Best Motion Picture – Drama). Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2026 César Awards. The movie competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2025, where it won 4 awards (FIPRESCI Prize, Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai, Best Director, and Best Actor).
Key word: Hairy leg.
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Bengi

Film 2450 - Mamma Mia!

Intro: Another evening in Fuerteventura, another movie at Debbi's. This time the trio reunited for dinner, and we decided to watch a movie that we all love (and that was available on Netflix).

Film 2450: "Mamma Mia!" (2008), Phyllida Lloyd
Watched: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Debbi, Niamh
Thoughts: Lately, musicals have been a hit or miss for me, but there are some that I can always go back to and enjoy. "Mamma Mia!" is one of them.
It's not perfect by any means. I think some of the shots are clunky, and the heavy use of green screen really takes you out of it in some scenes, but overall the music is great and the cast is fantastic, so it's an extremely enjoyable experience. More so than its sequel anyway.
Meryl Streep is a perfect Donna, and I think she has great chemistry with both Amanda Seyfried and her two bandmates (Julie Walters and Christine Baranski). In general, the female cast is a step above everybody else. The energy they bring and the fun they're having together transcend the screen and really reach the audience—it's contagious. Even more so if you know the songs: try not to sing along!
From a technical point of view, I think the movie could have been a bit "cleaner," but it compensates for its clumsiness with charismatic energy, wit, and a lot of fun.
Ps. I've been taking a Screenwriting class at the Lir Academy lately, and our lecturer asked us to come up with a couple of loglines for movies we had watched in the past. I picked "Weapons" and "Mamma Mia!", so I thought I'd include the one I wrote for this movie here:

A young woman planning her wedding on a small island in Greece decides to invite her three possible fathers to the celebration without telling her free-spirited mother. Things get complicated when the three men arrive at the same time, each believing he might be her father.

Film 1664 - Mamma Mia!
Film 1705 - Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Film 2450 - Mamma Mia!
Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski.
Box Office: $706.4 million
Worth a watch?: If you love musicals, or this one specifically, "Mamma Mia!" the movie adaptation is good fun and shouldn't be missed. If musicals are not your thing... then it's better to leave it.
Awards: 3 nominations at the 2009 BAFTAs for Outstanding British Film, Best Film Music, and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. 2 Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical (Meryl Streep) and 1 Razzie Award win for Worst Supporting Actor (Pierce Brosnan). The movie was nominated for 1 Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and Best Breakthrough Female Performance (Amanda Seyfried) at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Key word: Wedding.
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Bengi

Film 2443 - The Long Walk

Intro: I didn't even know this movie existed before randomly watching a TikTok about the best movies that came out last year. This film was highly ranked and praised, so I was interested in giving it a go.

Film 2443: "The Long Walk" (2025), Francis Lawrence
Watched: From the computer
Language: English
Watched with: Luke
Thoughts: There are a lot of adaptations of a Stephen King's novel out there, and not all of them are good. This one is.
The idea behind this story is simple and effective: a group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as "The Long Walk," in which they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot (IMDb). Walk for as long as you can—there's only one winner and no finish line.
In theory, it's insane to think that someone would willingly participate in this "competition," but for the sake of this story, I won't focus too much on that. Yes, there is a prize involved, but how desperate do you have to be to participate knowing that your chances of winning are 1 in 50?
Anyway, the premise of this film is intriguing, and the execution is overall extremely well made. I was skeptical at the beginning, as this is a story of constant movement with no fixed location. Before watching "The Long Walk," it's hard to picture how the movie is going to portray this concept—something that works well on paper but doesn't necessarily translate into what we consider a conventional storyline for the big screen. Yet, Francis Lawrence manages to deliver a cohesive and entertaining piece of media that is never boring or overstimulating for the audience, which I find extremely impressive. On top of that, all the actors deliver strong performances, and I was particularly impressed with Cooper Hoffman—the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman—who gives a solid performance.
Overall, this movie reminded me a lot of "The Hunger Games" franchise: a deadly competition, the promise of enduring glory for the winner, the voyeuristic aspect of it (the walk is live-streamed for the whole country to watch), and young adults competing against each other but eventually bonding over this sadistic experience. There's less background story here—we're thrown into the action almost immediately and never leave it until the end—yet the similarities with Suzanne Collins's story are still there. And I think it's only fitting that the same director delivered both this film and four out of the five "Hunger Games" movies. Chapeau.
Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Jordan Gonzalez, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill.
Box Office: $63.1 million
Worth a watch?: Very tense and controversial, "The Long Walk" isn't a film for everyone, but it's definitely a good movie. If you enjoy dystopian survival thriller stories, this one can't be missed.
Awards: /
Key word: One wish.
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Bengi

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.
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Bengi

Film 2435 - The Housemaid

Intro: I wasn't planning to watch it, to be honest, but when everybody started talking about it in a favorable manner, I kinda got curious.

Film 2435: "The Housemaid" (2025), Paul Feig
Watched: From my computer
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: I didn’t read the book, so this was definitely an unexpected, crazy ride for me.
I don’t think "The Housemaid" is necessarily a good movie, but it’s definitely an entertaining one. Amanda Seyfried is great in it and perfectly fits her role. Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Sklenar, and Michele Morrone are also there.
I think, in general, the movie is too long (131 minutes), and some parts could have been cut without really damaging the end result. Especially towards the end—and after all the flashbacks showing how we got there—the repetitiveness starts to show, and you really want the story to end. Once the teeth, hair, and cuts twists are put into place, it starts to feel like there’s more shock value than actual narrative, so things get a bit too crazy.
Overall, though, "The Housemaid" is better than you might expect, in the sense that for as crazy as it is, you still end up having a good enough time. Or maybe my expectations were just too low.
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins.
Box Office: $329.6 million (to date)
Worth a watch?: An unexpected box-office hit, "The Housemaid" is far from a masterpiece, yet it delivers some entertaining moments. If you enjoy thrillers with wild plot twists, this movie will definitely be enjoyable.
Awards: /
Key word: Hair roots.
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Bengi

Film 2432 - Sentimental Value

Intro: I'm in my movie era once again and lately I've been trying to catch up with all the films that I missed during last year or saved "for later" and never went back to. So here we are, giving this franchise another chance after its disappointing latest entries. But I was looking for somthing fun and easy and I thought this one could be a good candidate.

Film 2432: "Sentimental Value" (2025), Joachim Trier
Watched: At the mnovies
Language: Norwegian, English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: One of my favourite movies from last year (even though I only watched it a couple of weeks ago), "Sentimental Value" continues the collaboration between Joachim Trier and Renate Reinsve after "The Worst Person in the World" came out in 2021.
I’m usually skeptical of movies that come out months before to overwhelming reviews, because that kind of hype tends to compromise the way I perceive both the film and the story. I inevitably start building expectations about where the screenplay will go and how great the cinematic experience is supposed to be — and I usually end up extremely disappointed. This time around, I wasn’t.
After a rough end to 2025, I think I needed a story that would value emotions over stunts, a quieter tone over chaotic storytelling, and, overall, something more intimate. In a way, I feel like I was destined to like "Sentimental Value" at this particular moment in my life. I especially resonated with the character of Nora (Reinsve): her complicated past resurfacing, her strained relationship with her father, the anxiety, the sadness. She’s obviously an extreme example of what depression — and what happens to you — can lead to, but especially right now, it was easy for me to see a little bit of myself in her.
Additionally, "Sentimental Value" has a strong aesthetic identity that deeply contributes to the film’s overall feeling. The house itself becomes one of the characters, and the story carefully explores its history, the people who lived in it, and how it looked in the past compared to the present. It’s fascinating and extremely well done, enhanced by a sort of documentary-like approach that I personally appreciate (the past, whether real or fictional, has always fascinated me).
Overall, I think this is a beautifully made film and a powerful story. The way it unfolds feels like a quiet storm, slowly building toward an ending that genuinely moved me. Renate Reinsve once again proves what an incredible lead she is. The entire cast is excellent, with performances that are mostly restrained yet deeply affecting. They stay with you long after the credits roll and you start walking back home. I particularly enjoyed Elle Fanning’s performance — an actress I’ve only truly discovered recently through The Great. Her work here feels tender, sincere, and emotionally honest, and I was genuinely impressed (even though I didn’t expect she might have a shot at an Oscar nomination).
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Anders Danielsen Lie, Elle Fanning.
Box Office: $22 million
Worth a watch?: A great movie that opens with a powerful first scene, placing the audience in an uncomfortable position and immediately setting the tone for everything that follows. "Sentimental Value" is a quiet storm: it initially feels like the depiction of a delicate and intimate story, yet it eventually unleashes emotions and family trauma (and drama), a wave of feelings that hits you in ways you don’t quite anticipate. Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård are formidable — the latter definitely winning his first Oscar — and a true pleasure to watch on screen. I realize this isn’t a film for every audience, but it’s undeniably an intense and deeply emotional journey.
Awards: Nominated for 9 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Renate Reinsve), Supporting Actress (for both Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning), Supporting Actor (Stellan Skarsgård), Original Screenplay, Editing, International Feature Film. The film won 1 Golden Globe (Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture) over 7 nominations (Best Motion Picture – Drama, Motion Picture – Non-English Language, Director, Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Screenplay, and Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture). In competition at Cannes 2025, it won the Grand Prix award.
Key word: Script.
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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.
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Bengi

Film 2373 - The Monkey

Intro: I was curious to watch this movie, especially because it's a horror + it seemed the critics enjoyed it, so when I got a chance I gave it a go.

Film 2373: "The Monkey" (2025), Osgood Perkins
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I mean, I did enjoy it overall, but the overpromising marketing campaign kinda ruined this movie for me a bit.
First, yeah I liked "Longlegs" enough, but not as much as everybody else did, so the appeal of seeing the same director returning for another hell of a ride only worked so far with me. Additionally, I'm always a bit sceptical with new projects that adapt Stephen King's body of work. They usually don't work great.
Horror movies aren't easy to make, especially these days, so kudos to "The Monkey" for offering an actual horror story. Was I blown away by the end result? No, but I did enjoy the watch. and Theo James is a good lead.
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood.
Box Office: $68.9 million
Worth a watch?: It's very gruesome and extremely detailed in portraying the various death scenes: for some people works, for others might be a bit intense. If you love the genere and Osgood Perkins's work, tho, it's a nice ride.
Awards: /
Key word: Toy.
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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.
Trailer
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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.
Trailer
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Bengi