nickphelan-25748's reviews

I liked Knives Out though not as much as everyone else. It was overhyped in my opinion. I still looked forward to this but its a big letdown to be honest. It has a very good middle section but a preposterous ending. A slow start to a movie full of camp over the top and unfortunately unlikeable characters. I imagine the starry cast had fun making it but Daniel Craig is really the only one whose performance I enjoyed as much as the actor did. There's a glossy set which sums up the movie, style over substance. It's a mildly diverting movie which I'm glad I got to see on Netflix rather than shelling out cash in the cinema for.

One of my first crushes was Whitney Houston. The video for Saving all my love for you, she was so glamorous, sexy, sophisticated but pure and that voice!!! Then as has been well documented in books, media and documentaries things went pear shaped a few years later with bad boy Bobby Brown getting blamed almost everywhere. There's nothing really new in this except the Robin relationship being acknowledged head on. Naimi Ackie is brilliant. Looks nothing like Whitney but as the movie continued all I saw was Whitney. The songs, so many good ones!! A lot of the story is rushed. There's a good TV series here but it was a nostalgic, diverting night at the cinema. You could hear a pin drop!! Unfortunately a reminder of a too early loss of a massive talent but what a catalogue she has left behind. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy this movie.

One of my favourite books ever is A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The story of a curmudgeonly old fella who is obsessed with rules and patrols his community zealously for any misbeviour. Its not a spoiler to say Ove who in thus movie is called Otto has enough with life.

A very fine movie of this book is already available and is perhaps truer to the book but here comes hood old nice guy Tom Hanks playing against type for a big Hollywood version. The schmaltz is laid on with a shovel but I still fell in love with the movie. New neighbours move in and see through the old crank for what he really is and the journey is delightful, though a woman in front of me at the cinema really went through a supply of tissues. This is good old fashioned family fare. Predictable? Yes. As good as the book? No. Thoroughly enjoyable? YES.

Sunday afternoon. It's lashing down outside. Open fire lighting. That's the time to watch this. A solid film told in flashback of a three way relationship. Harry Styles is the title character in a relationship both with the excellent Emma Corrin and David Dawson. This being when homosexuality was not only frowned upon but a criminal offence. Gina McKee, Linus Roache and Rupert Everett play the characters late in life. All the performances are solid but the pacing is slow and hard to empathise with the characters as its so stiff upper lip. I'd feel short changed if I'd watched in cinema but a good watch at home.

The Oirishness grated a bit but I had to forgive it for the quality of the performances, cinematography and storytelling. Colin Farrell deserves every award going as nice guy Paraic whose best friend Colm played by Brendan Gleeson decides he doesn't want to talk to him anymore. Thr story is set on a small island and strong support comes from Kerry Condon as his sister and Barry Keoghan as the local idiot. Gary Lydon shines too as a nasty policeman. I laughed out loud in the first hour and as the mood darkened I continued to sympathise with Farrells good hearted character.

It's a movie that will divide opinion. Gory in places and certainly not everyone at my showing liked it but I loved it. Martin McDonagh and his crazy mind has done it again making cinema to enjoy AND talk about.

A movie about a bereaved woman who thinks her husband has been reincarnated as a dog. Yes, you read that right!!! From a bonkers premise comes this charming whimsical tale.

In a golden period of Irish language cinema, this can hold it's head up high. I admit early on, I had doubts if I'd like it but I soon became as sucked into the premise as the lead ( see what I did there ) The dog becomes a hurling coach to a shy kid and a thorn in the side of a pursuer of the widow and Frank soon becomes a valued member of the community. And no that WASN'T a lump in my throat near the end. !!!

Recommended.

What a big burst of sunshine this movie is. Fair enough, you don't have to be Einstein to know how this film will end within minutes of it starting but when an enjoyable trip. Bali looks amazing on screen . The two leads Julia Roberts and George Clooney are possibly the two most likeable movie stars on the planet who just possess the old style movie type glamour and charm. A few laughs, lots of smiles and you can leave your brain in the foyer but thus movie should have you leaving the cinema with a big goofy grin on your face.

Basic plot summary is a divorced couple who hate each other travel to Bali to prevent their daughter getting married as they feel she's too young.

Knives out treaded similar water and I wasn't a massive fan. This however is clever. An affectionate send up of Agatha Christie whodunits based on a murder at a production of The Mousetrap. Saoirse Ronan is excellent as the inexperienced constable assisting Sam Rockwell's inspector. A game supporting cast have fun without going over the top like the Knives Out cast. Some great gags, it looks fantastic, simply a very enjoyable trip to the cinema. This will be perfect Sunday tv fodder in years to come. I would love to see Ronan's character back on the screen again. It's good to see her having fun in a lighthearted movie for a change, showing her range. Rockwell out of character too. Recommended.

Leave your brain at the door and enjoy this mad daft blast of a movie. I loved the book this was based on so was really looking forward to it. As nearly always the case it's not as good as the book bit it is fun..Brad Pitt has fun, there's lots of very big star cameos. Great one liners and lots of action but it dies outstay it's welcome a bit. Plot? A briefcase on a train with a lot of killers with different agendas who inevitably clash. No classic but fun all the same.

Read the book. Loved it. This is not one of those reviews that says movie ruined the book. It is different in the book tho. Daisy Edgar Jones is a great actress and does nothing wrong here but is totally unlike the vision of Kya in my head. The best thing about the movie is the cinematography. With no sound this movie would be lush. The dialogue is clunky though, a lot of the supporting actors wooden particularly the love interests. The courtroom scenes are predictable. David Straitharn is great as a cut price Atticus Finch. The middle section of the movie lags and feels like a Hallmark movie , however by the end I was sucked in and left the cinema smiling.

Plot synopsis without spoilers is basically a young girl fending for herself in the marshlands is charged with murder.

Better than the mainstream reviews suggest.

Mark Wahlberg us likeable and believable as a washed up boxer trying his luck in Hollywood. He encounters a woman played nicely by Teresa Ruiz in a supermarket which brings him into close contact with the Catholic Church. He falls in love and events conspire to make him wanting to become a priest despite concerns from everyone in his life. A great cast with top notch performances from everyone including Mel Gubson and Jakki Weaver as his parents. My confession? Despite a solid, interesting premise, and good performances it's dull. There was a man in the cinema at my showing snoring!! It doesn't tug the heartstrings like ir should and there's no big emotional punch despite best efforts of cast. It's good not great.

Quite simply, the best Irish movie, I've ever seen. Not just Irish language but Irish! Sublime cinematography, direction and acting. Based on Claire Keegan's book Foster, this tells the story of Cait a withdrawn little girl from a poor big rural family who during her mother's latest pregnancy is packed off to live with a older rural couple who are relatives. Catherine Clinch is a revelation as the title character and Carrie Crowleyis her usual reliable self and Andrew Bennett in his role as the taciturn substitute father developing a relationship with Cait who delivers a powerful emotional punch. This movie had me welling up unexpectedly a number of times and there are so many nostalgic moments in relation to late 70s early 80s Ireland in relation to tv, sport and clothes. It is a joyous film that I cannot recommend highly enough it hypnotised me . I'm not staying quiet about this!

First, Mark Rylance is just brilliant in this. He plays Maurice an eccentric man just made redundant. He uses this opportunity to take up golf and enter the British Open as you do. A bizarre story made all the more so because it's true! He became to golf what Eddie the Eagle did to skiing. Not the uproarious comedy some reviewers might lead you to believe but a nice gentle story that raises lots of smiles. The type of movie you'll see on Sunday afternoon TV in years to come and enjoy and wonder why you've never heard of it before. Sally Hawkins provides able support. Better than a Fore!! , this is not a bogie movie ! I left the cinema smiling and can't ask for more than that.

Eagle did to skiing. A gentle story with lots of hu humou.

First up, not a kids movie. Second it's predictable, manipulative but but but it's still good. Channing Tatum is massively likeable as the military guy escorting a war hero dog to a war hero's funeral . It's nothing original but it passes the time nicely solely on the back of the two leads (well three if you include the dogs 🐕 😀 😄)

I knew nothing about the plot of this movie entering the cinema and what a pleasurable trip it turned out to be. Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren and Fionn Whitehead are all excellent in this retelling of a true story. Broadbent plays a really likeable eccentric man who along with his son come into possession of a valuable piece of art embarrassing the authorities and leads to a trial for theft. Without revealing more, this is a lovely warm movie with some great lines that had me leaving the cinema with a big smile on my face.

A big warm hug of a movie. Kenneth Branagh gives an affectionate account of his young life. A fantastic cast with possibly the best looking couple to appear in screen, this movie may be in black and white but it lights up the screen. An amazing soundtrack, a love letter to movies and Belfast, this is nostalgic movie making at its finest. I smiled, welled up and all things in-between. Recommended.

This movie got me from the get go. A really charming cast tells the story of King Richard Williams and his master plan to turn his daughters into champion tennis players. Straight out of Compton to Flushing Meadows. Was expecting a totally airbrushed look at the title character but Will Smith plays him with flair showing flaws and all. Aunjanue Ellis is excellent also as the sometimes suffering wife. I got totally immersed in the journey knowing the destination but not all the stof offs. There's one scene involving a visit from a social worker that got me showing the cast had done their job and got me involved in the story. It possibly could have twenty minutes lobbed off the running time but I really enjoyed and highly recommend. Game set and match again Will Smith and what amazing athletes and told models Venus and Serena are!!

It's great to be back at the cinema again, and what a great movie to mark my return. A brilliant cast particularly Graham Early and a cracking old fashioned plot kept me engaged til the very end. Two brothers on the opposite side of the law become involved in a robbery that goes wrong from different sides. Loyalty to family vs job vs friends is the decision that needs to be made. One fantastic scene in particular of the brothers bonding and reminiscing over a spliff. John Connors is usual charismatic self but I'd like to see him in a different type of role for a change. Good solud film making which is really well acted. Recommended.

A good proper old fashioned movie. Nothing flashy just outstanding performances telling a brilliant true story of how the eponymous character went from hero to zero and was treated horribly by the establishment. Originally hailed as a hero saving lives from a bombing and then being accused of being the bomber. Paul Walter Hauser as the lead is incredible. Olivia Wilde deserved an Oscar nod. Kathy Bates deservedly got nominated and the ever reliable Sam Rockwell is his usual class self. Highly recommended

I really wanted to like this movie. Tom Hanks is a great actor but I was underwhelmed. It's a NICE movie, charming places but if I'm to be honest I found it to be a bit of a snooze fest. A Sunday afternoon TV movie of the future and I'm afraid I'd be changing channels. Judging by other reviews I'm on my own on this one.

A massive and brilliant cast bring a lively script to the big screen with great humour, cinematography and top notch performances. Great to see veteran Irish actress Rosaleen in a wonderful cameo. Great supporting turns from among others Peter Capaldi and Bronagh Gallagher but it's Hugh Laurie who steals the show. If you want a movie to brighten up these winter days and evenings, this is it. Guaranteed to leave the cinema with a smile on your face.

Thought this movie was sluggish at the start and a bit tv movie of the week but two amazing central performances from Jordan and Foxx had lured me into a false sense of security. A story that keeps needing to be told. I left the cinema angry and truth be told near the end I was getting wet eyed. Go see this please.

Brilliant casting sees Hugh Grant and Henry Golding play against type as just two of the Gentlemen. Matthew McConaghey has a drugs empire that a lot of people want to take control of. Lots of double crossing and madcap action ensue. Tries a bit too hard to be clever at times but the great cast save it. Good fun

Was reticent about seeing this so soon after the also excellent TV series The Loudest voice thinking it would be too familiar. People can't see this story often enough. It might stop this behaviour. A top notch cast of big names with Theron, Robbie and Kidman all excellent. Moves at a good pace and is recommended.

First movie of the year in cinema for me and it's a brilliant start to the year. A brazenly original movie with a universally excellent cast among them the two young leads, the director himself and the always brilliant Sam Rockwell. From the opening scene I knew I was going to love this. A satire on Hitler's Germany I don't want to say anything that could spoil your enjoyment. A fantastic soundtrack, it looks excellent, has moments of fantastic humour, moments of suspence and moments that are so gutwrenching it's like getting a punch in the stomach. Taika Waititi take a bow your movie has shot into my all time favourites list and I'm around a long time!!!