The Movies I Watched in August

Boat 2003  7/10

 

After Hours 1985  8/10

 

The Assessment 2024  7/10

 

Bruiser 2000  6/10 

Bug Crawls 2004  6/10 

Cannibal ferox 1981  4/10 

Cheers. Season 1 1982  8/10

 

Chugyeokja 2008  6/10 

The Dentist 1932  6/10 

The End of the Tour 2015  7/10

 

Fantasmi a Roma 1961 5/10 

Frasier. Season 2 2024  6/10 

Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich 2022  6/10 

GoodFellas 1990  10/10

 

Les innocents aux mains sales 1975  7/10

 

Intervalometer Experiments 2004  6/10 

Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter 2024  6/10 

Lamp 2003  5/10 

Lisa Frankenstein 2024  5/10 

Lonely Are the Brave 1962  7/10

 

Mado 1976  6/10 

The Misfits: Scream! 2000  6/10 

Monk in Pieces 2025  7/10

 

The Outrun 2024  7/10

 

Un prophète 2009  7/10

 

Stolen: Heist of the Century 2025  6/10 

The Thirteenth Floor 1999  6/10

The Time Travelers 1964  7/10

 

Burnt (2015)

A chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.

Bradley Cooper does his best to portray a disagreeable narcissistic man-child, but the makers' celebration of unnecessary competitiveness and their misunderstanding of the culinary art doesn't help much; the impressive cast serves as mere extras to the one-man show.

Tomb Raider (2018)

Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she discovers the island where her father disappeared.

Although the plot is not very inspired and barely credible, the movie itself is straight-forward and unpretentious, full of well-choreographed action sequences, and Alicia Vikander holds all our attention as a more down-to-earth, vulnerable, but always persevering heroine.

On rewatching:  Yeah, it's still good, but not very original entertainment.

Alicia Vikander

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowing boat.

Unabashedly old-fashioned tearjerker with good performances and beautiful scenic cinematography; watchable, but keep a handkerchief at hand. 

Tomb Raider (2018)

Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she discovers the island where her father disappeared.

Although the plot is not very inspired and barely credible, the movie itself is straight-forward and unpretentious, full of well-choreographed action sequences, and Alicia Vikander holds all our attention as a more down-to-earth, vulnerable, but always persevering heroine.

Alicia Vikander

Testament of Youth (2014)

A British woman recalls coming of age during World War I - a story of young love, the futility of war, and how to make sense of the darkest times.

Based on writer, feminist, and pacifist Vera Brittain's autobiography, this well-produced and well-cast movie is more melodrama than an illustration of the development of Brittain's convictions. 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.

Professionally made, but halfhearted rehash of a cult 60sespionage TV series, replacing the original's Cold War chauvinism with some playful irony.

Alicia Vikander

ph: Annie Leibovitz

The Movies I watched in October

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010  5
A Single Man 2009  7

A Street Cat Named Bob 2016  6
Alien: Covenant 2017  7

Allied 2016  6
Blade Runner 1982 10

Blade Runner 2049 2017  8

Blood Creek 2009  6
Broken Embraces 2009  6
Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter 1974  6
Child 44 2015  6
Crimson Peak 2015  6
Deep in the Woods 2010  6
Deepwater Horizon 2016  7

Fire on the Amazon 1993  3
Gods and Monsters 1998  6
Hope Springs 2012  6
Jane Eyre 2011  8

King Kong 1976  6
Pi 1998  7

Prisoners 2013  7

Sin Nombre 2009  7

Taxi 2015  7

The Danish Girl 2015  8

The Good Lie 2014  6
The Samaritan 2012  6
War of the Colossal Beast 1958  3
Westworld 1073  7

Youth 2015  6
Zodiac 2007  8

The Danish Girl (2015)

A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener whose marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Heart-wrenching period drama intensely explores the implications of deciding to change one's gender, but at heart the amazing performances of the two leads make this movie a near masterpiece.

Alicia Vikander

Seventh Son (2014)

When the queen of evil witches escapes the pit she was imprisoned in by professional monster hunter  decades ago and kills his apprentice, he recruits a young man, the seventh son of the seventh son, to help him.

Silly fantasy extravaganza with some nice visual effects; interesting to see what top stars do in between their more serious jobs.

Alicia Vikander

Ex Machina (2015)

A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.

A simple plot is masterfully turned into a fascinating and multifaceted parable; an instant classic of intelligent science fiction cinema.