Film #71: The Forbidden Kingdom

A film from 10 years that I managed to miss at the time, which is odd for a Jackie Chan film.

A stupid kid comes across a mystical staff that he has to deliver with the protection of Jackie and a female warrior. Jet Li is in it and has a good fight with Jackie.

The plot is contrived and boring, you know where it's going to end up. Kid with no martial arts wins the day, because he's American and they can't lose.

Film #70: The Prestige

My second Hugh Jackman film of the flight was one I've seen before and really enjoyed. Wolverine and Christian Bale are rival magicians trying to outdo each other. When one starts performing a trip the other can't figure out the competitiveness becomes more obsessive. David Bowie has a cameo as Nikolai Tesla; it's a weird bit of casting.

oh, and the opening scene is there for a reason...

Film #69: The Greatest Showman

I saw this on the plane to my American holiday and then heard the tracks whilst out there, over and over and over again. I shouldn't have liked this but have to confess as musical films go it's alright. Is it really the cast singing or are they miming?

Film #68: Jurassic World

I didn't see the last Jurassic World film but I did play the Lego game of it, so I was familiar with the backstory to this one. In this one those that survived the theme park accident of the other film are encouraged to go back to help get some dinos off the island before a volcano kills them all.

It's alright. It's one of those films where you have to disbelieve a little bit, not just because it's about dinosaurs but because some of the story is really dumb. It is a good romp!

Film #67: Mary and the Witch's Flower

A bunch of people left Studio Ghibli and set up their own studio, and this is their first film.

It's really good and tells the story of a clumsy friendless ginger kid who finds a magic broom and is taken to a mysterious world where an evil doctor is capturing animals and experimenting on them.

The animation is great and the story is solid. A great film for all the family!

Film #66: Ocean's 8

Ocean's 11 was very good, 12 and 13 not so much. Now the franchise gets the Ghostbusters treatment and is remade with women. In this one her from Speed, Sandra Bullock plays Clooney's younger sister who wants to steal a diamond necklace from the neck of catwoman Anne Hathaway with a crew consisting of Rhianna playing a hacker and a bunch of other women I didn't really recognise but apparently they're famous. I did recognise Cate Blanchett who has the Brad Pitt role and she does great even taking the title of best jacket in a film from Ryan Babygoose in Drive.

I enjoyed despite it starring that talent parasite James Corden. Why do people think he's entertaining?

Film #65: The 100 Faces of Dunjia

A rather strange film I found on Netflix that features an opening sequence where a man fights a fish.

It peaks early.

Event: Phobiarama

Phobiarama - Dries Verhoeven (UK trailer 2018) from Dries Verhoeven on Vimeo.

A 30-minute ghost train ride, what's not to like? This isn't your usual dark ride though. It's aim to make you uncomfortable definitely happened in my case, and whilst I didn't succumb to jump scares, some other riders definitely felt the need to do so. It's definitely art but art that makes you think about preconceptions that you may have. There is an option to meet the cast after the show, which you should consider doing too.

This is as spoiler free as I think I can get. 

The show is next in Milton Keynes in July. 

Event: Space Shambles @ Royal Albert Hall

An evening of science at the Albert Hall organised by Robin Ince, one of the guys behind The Infinity Monkey Cage. 

I didn't take any photos but some good official ones can be seen here.

The highlights for me were the Festival of the Spoken Nerd who did some pi themed maths using pies, Stewart Lee who brought the astronauts down to earth with a bump and a guy who had built lunar lander with a large laser, but the whole evening was good and with Public Service Broadcasting playing a few songs as a headliner act we finished on a high.

Film #64: Hereditary

Always be wary of marketing that proclaims a horror movie is the scariest yet, or compares it to a classic; both signs that that won't be the case and the film company is trying to maximise their profits through false advertising.

Well Hereditary is this generation's The Exorcist and it's not very good. There's a lot of tension through the film with a bizarre pay off that has divided a lot of people. I got it but didn't like it.

Anyway a demon that is already using a young girl as a host decides she's not suitable and plans to move to her brother but can only do so when he's at his weakest; so the film is just him being worn down until that can happen. The only thing wrong with the girl is that she has a peanut allergy, so this is a film about a demon that can't handle peanuts. 

Film #63: Piranha

You know you're getting old when films celebrate their 40th anniversary.

This 70s horror flick comes on the back of the success of Jaws and features military experimented piranha being inadvertently released into a river and killing people along the way.

Terrible effects, mostly just kids screaming and splashing, but a joy to watch, especially on the big screen. Here's hoping the sequel Flying Killers also gets a showing. 

Film #62: Jailbreak

Another Raid-a-like, this time coming from Cambodia. This one features a squad of cops trapped in a rioting prison. More solid fight sequences but with a little nod of humour and again, like the Villainess, the cameraman is right in the middle of the action.

Film #61: The Villainess

This is a film tha I missed last year, I'm not sure if it actually got a cinema release or not. But finding it on Netflix was a nice surprise. If you like The Raid or its sequel then you might like this one. The action is crazy with the camera man at times seeming to be part of the action. The opening is a first-person fight fest and the finale on a bus is just incredible. The pace does lag as the film tries to do a lot in it's 2 hours, but the fighting does make up for it.

Film #60: So I Married an Axe Murderer

A 25th birthday celebration of my favourite Mike Myers film (although Waynes World is good too). I don't know what happened to the woman in this though. The best character is the dad by far. 

Film #59: Stand by Me

A bit of a classic but not a film I'd seen at the cinema as far as I could recall. Arguably the best Stephen King adaptation which tells the story of 4 boys on a quest to find a dead body, who grow up along the way.

Excellent performances from a great child cast, and a film that still holds up today.

Film #58: Mechanic: Resurrection

The second Mechanic film is just like every other Jason Statham film. Fights, stunts and him taking his top off. In this one he has to do 3 hits on bad guys or else his recently discovered girlfriend will be killed. It's a bit like Hitman, in fact the second hit looks to have been taken straight from one of the games. Jessica Alba who plays the love interest hasn't aged one bit. 

I enjoyed it but I suspected I knew what I was letting myself in for and wasn't disappointed.

Film #57: Society

A film from 1989, being shown on the big screen and a film that definitely leaves a scar to those who have seen it. It was fun seeing it tonight as you could tell who was seeing it for the first time.

Billy Warlock (great name) plays the son in the family that doesn't fit in with his parents or sister. He prefers to play ball, whilst they go off to lavish parties. The film builds to a great climax and a shunting scene that cannot be forgotten. Dark and twisted but entertaining.