Our film fanatic gives his verdict on three new movies he's seen over the past week, as well as an old Irish classic.
Another cinema triumph for Jonathan Majors this week, who was excellent in Creed III and also shines in Marvel's Ant-man and the Wasp : Quantumania.
Whilst not an all-time classic, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humour peppered into the script, the ludicrous walking, talking broccoli character, and Majors levelling up the acting as Kang. Subtle it is not, but if you don't mind a generous dollop of CGI, this will keep you entertained for a couple of hours. The plot is a bit of a surreal blancmange, but I'd say to rank it last out of the 30 plus films in the Marvel universe so far, as one review has done, is more than a little harsh.
Meanwhile, 65 was the first time I've had a tiny nap in the cinema since Peter Rabbit 2. It was nowhere near as bad as that abomination though, and was actually fairly good once it got going! Adam Driver's ship has crashed, and he has to unite with Koa, a nine-year-old girl who is the only other survivor, to find their way to the rescue craft. Unfortunately, it's not plain sailing, due to some very hungry and aggressive dinosaurs who are determined to enjoy them for supper.
It turns out they've crashed onto Earth 65 million years ago, and in spite of their language barrier, human spirit unites them in their battle against the beasts. But can they make it before they are turned into Jurassic jerky for the slavering gnashers of the prehistoric creatures? The small cast delivered their parts effectively, and I'd say the final third was the best. Luckily by then, my filter coffee had kicked in. A few good jump scares, but not one you'll be talking about in 65 hours after watching it, let alone days or months.
Also this week, I took a trip to Willy's Wonderland, an abandoned theme park being cleaned for the night by a dialogue-free Nicolas Cage. It's a role that only Cage could do. He cleans, he drinks copious amounts of energy drinks, he plays pinball, and he's entirely unflustered by the range of animatronic characters who are out to kill him It's off-the-wall, bizarre, and rather excellent for a Saturday night 'switch your brain off' movie. Find it on Amazon Prime Video. You'll never look at a toilet plunger in the same way again.
Plus, I caught Darby O' Gill and the Little People on DVD (remember those?). It's over six decades old, but still rather charming and lovely. Not one I've heard of, but a favourite of Sports Show host Katie Catherall. Gaelic charm aplenty. Perfect ahead of St Patrick's Day on Friday! I'd imagine the special effects were pretty incredible back in 1959, and it's a charming family movie with a nice message, also starring a youthful looking Sean Connery in his pre-Bond days.
Later in March, John Wick IV arrives. I can't wait for that one! Total guilty pleasure franchise. Happy film watching!
You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.
Alex also has a regular newspaper column where he gives his unique take on life. Read his latest one here.
