In the span of life, that’s near everything. “The Magic of Ordinary Days” (2005)

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directed by Brent Shields
© 2005 Empire Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

What about a Hallmark romance? But wait! Don’t close it yet! Give me a chance to encourage you, because I believe it’s worth your time. Really, no jokes. I found this film one day and thought – yeah, I need something easy to follow with a predictable screenplay. Well, it’s not the most complicated story, but it’s not that boring either. We follow Livy (Keri Russell), a young woman who gets pregnant by a soldier, who serves during World War II. Her family doesn’t approve of this, because she should get married first, and then have a child. You know, like a real decent woman back then. That is why Livy is sent to a farm where she’s forced to marry a local man, Ray (Skeet Ulrich). Those two couldn’t be more different. She’s an educated woman with big ambitions and a dream to explore the world, and he’s a simple farmer who works hard and focuses on his everyday life. However, Ray agrees to marry Livy and raise her child in order to build a family. Even though the woman ends up in a new community, she’s warmly accepted, which helps her adapt to the situation. Still, she still misses her old life and hopes to reunite with the child’s father. In the meantime, she also starts building a lovely relation with Ray. What happens next – is for you to see, and you might be surprised. It’s not an ordinary romance, because WWII is a significant background to it. We know what kind of tragedy that was, yet we’re following two people living in a farm, just living their life and hearing about the battles happening far away. Some may say it’s a film showing that women shouldn’t dream big, just settle down and find happiness in such ordinary life. However, I see something different here. Juxtaposing the war with the life on the farm, we may actually realise that this “boring” existence may be a real goal to reach. Some people out there would love to have their own house and loved ones beside them. So sometimes the real magic really is in those ordinary days. I swear, I enjoyed this film for its simple, yet forgotten message. So if you’re in need of a story that will hug you tight, go for it.

My rating: 7/10
S.

No pain, no gain. “Novocaine” (2025)

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directed by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
© 2025 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Hell yeah! That’s what’s I’m talking about! A superhero who flies? Boring. A superhero that is very fast? Lame! A superhero that’s huge and green? Cute, but nah. Let’s take a random guy with a rare disorder who makes use of it to save the love of his life. Yay! Welcome to “Novocaine”. We get to meet Nathan (Jack Quaid), who used to be called “Novocaine” when we went to school. Why? Because he cannot feel pain. At all. And in case you didn’t know, novocaine is the drug that doctors use to make you stay still during the procedure. Sounds fun not to feel any pain, right? Well, not really. It can also be dangerous, so Nathan has to be very careful and because of that his life has always been quite boring. Getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new seems like a chance to hurt yourself without noticing it. However, there’s a person who changes his way of thinking – Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a colleague working at the same bank. Those two have a great chemistry between each other, but they need to learn to be together – because he’s a very reserved introvert, and she’s a yolo extrovert. Unfortunately, one day their bank is robbed and Sherry is kidnapped by the criminals. At this moment, Nathan stops worring about himself and decides to save his girlfriend. And his annoying disorder may actually become quite useful. I had so much fun watching this film! We really needed such superhero, because those old ones are way too copy-paste, aren’t they? Nathan is adorably clumsy, yet clever and dedicated. That’s a character you simply cannot dislike. The story is simple, but the lines – hilarious! I don’t remember when was the last time I felt so hyped watching an action film. Even though I know sequels are usually worse than originals, I really hope for another part about Novocaine. No more to say – it’s probably the best action film made this year.

My rating: 8/10
S.

What’s the special ingredient? “Mystic Pizza” (1988)

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directed by Donald Petrie
© 1988 The Samuel Goldwyn Company. All Rights Reserved.

November has been a quite depressing and spooky month, so let’s change the vibe and enjoy a cute rom-com from the 80s, shall we? Even though it seems like a film to play in the background at a lazy weekend, it’s full of topics to reflect on. I’d especially recommend it to young women and female teenagers, who feel overwhelmed with the world around them. But what is it all about? We get to know two sisters, Kat and Daisy (Annabeth Gish & Julia Roberts), who work together as waitresses at a pizza place called “Mystic Pizza”. They also have a great friend working with them – Josephine, called JoJo (Lili Taylor) and all three women are of American-Portuguese origin. So the first thing that you may notice is the spotlight on how the life of mixed-heritage people looks like in the USA. And I guess not only there – we tend to stay together with those who are similar to us, because it gives us comfort. Unfortunately, some people may discriminate us because of who we are. Even though it’s important to adress such problem, that’s not the main topic of the film – the focus is definitely on the diversity of goals that women may have in life and how they achieve them. Kat is very ambitious, she wishes to become an astronomer and except studying hard, she also works in order to save as much money for her future education as possible. Her sister Daisy, however, loves to have fun, flirt and enjoy life as it is. Finally, JoJo is a hopeless romantic in love with her boyfriend Bill and she wishes to get married and settle down. Each woman has different needs and expectations, but life likes to play games, right? So as you can be guessing, each of them faces some troubles in reaching their goals. In order to deal with them, all three will have to fight their inner demons and accept that very often you have to take what’s given. It’s an adorable story about how diverse we are and how absolutely okay it is to have our own paths, even if others don’t approve of them. A woman doesn’t have to be anything, but she can be anyone. Oof, that was deep, wasn’t it? But jokes aside – I truly believe that. If you don’t hurt anyone, you’re free to do whatever you want, sister! Now, order a pizza and enjoy the film.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Only monsters play god. “Frankenstein” (2025)

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directed by Guillermo del Toro
© 2025 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Before I move on to telling you about the film, let me just remind you about one important fact: Frankenstein is the surname of the scientist who made the creature, not the creature itself. But I guess no matter how many times someone says that, we will still see the green head with screws in it. Anyway, we’ve seen so many different adaptations of this story, so the question is: do we need another one? And my answer is: yes, we do. Before I explain you my point of view, let me introduce you to the plot in case some of you might not be familiar with it that much. We move back to the 19th century where we meet Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a son of the best surgeon, who follows his father’s steps. Victor wishes to become an even better specialist who will be able to win with death. The medical community pushes him away for such attempts, but then, a wealthy merchant, Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), offers his money to support Victor’s work. If you think it was just a friendly gesture then you’ll see that nothing comes for free. Anyway, as you might be guessing, Victor succeeds and revives a creature, which becomes a huge challenge to face. Now, whatever happens to the “monster” is his creator’s choice. And Victor doesn’t really know how to play god… Now, do you know why we need next adaptations of this story? Because it’s universal and each time it may give us a different kind of reflection. After watching del Toro’s film I realised that he managed to tell two stories in one. The first is about a boy whose traumatic experience and fear of losing control pushed him to creating something he couldn’t take responsibility for. The second is about a creature that doesn’t belong to this world and cannot even count on the person that brought it here. And you know what they have in common? They both struggle with loneliness, just in their own way. Even though “Frankenstein” was written in 1818, its messages might still be useful nowadays. I know it’s hard to accept sometimes, but we’re just humans, so instead of playing god, we should just make the best of what’s in our hands. But, getting back to this adaptation – if Jacob Elordi and make-up artists working on set do not get at least nominations to Oscars and other cinema awards, I’ll be incredibly disappointed. They absolutely nailed it and I have to say that Elordi is incredibly attractive even with this number of stitches on his body. The only thing that I’d change would be the length of the film – to me, it could have been a bit shorter. But I loved the fact that we could learn the story from two perspectives and sympathise with both of them. Yes, I sympathised with Victor, because I understand where his anger came from. Perhaps you’ll have a different reflection. Check it out.

My rating: 7/10
S.

This is to imagine a world where human beings cease to be human. “The Invasion” (2007)

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directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
© 2007 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

It’s important to promote female protagonists, you know? And I’m actually glad to see a woman in a leading role here, especially since in the 1993 version we had the female pioneer. So, since I’ve already mentioned, this time we follow Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman), a psychiatrist, that starts to notice a strange change in behaviour among people. All that is caused by some fungus-like creature that has recently ended up in the USA from space. So again, same story, but this time in another form. The first adaptation was more of a drama, the second more of a sci-fi, the third definitely a horror, and this one I’d say is a very decent thriller. It’s way less scary than the last one, but quite dynamic and full of suspense, so even though there’re aliens in the background, you may forget about the sci-fi origin of the story. In fact, I rather focused on analysing the meaning of humanity and what makes us human, which brought me back to the version from the 50s. This film is also a very good representation of this genre in the 00s, because it’s not complex, we may easily guess what happens next, yet we have fun and enjoy a bit of thrill. And that’s exactly what this film is. However, if I may complain (and of course I can because it’s my blog), I definitely didn’t like the ending. I know, I know, classic American story, but hey – look at the previous versions. And if you still haven’t joined my marathon of body snatchers, then that’s the final sign for you. We’re ending here and I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey through years and genres. If you expect me to say which adaptation is my favourite, I must be honest – no idea. To me, they are so different, that it’s impossible for me to compare. Each film has something I appreciate and something I’d personally change. Does it mean we need another adaptation? Maybe a musical this time? Imagine smooth jazz singers in the background while a human is being infected by the fungus alien… Don’t laugh, some people may actually take it as a serious suggestion. So if anything like this becomes a reality, then… you’re welcome, I guess.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Where you gonna go, where you gonna run, where you gonna hide? “Body Snatchers” (1993)

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directed by Abel Ferrara
© 1993 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Still not tired of our body snatchers? Then let me introduce you to the most disgusting adaptation, which is much more of a horror than a sci-fi to me. So in case you’re planning a family afternoon with a film – try something else. This time we move to a military base, where soldiers are being replaced by our well-known aliens in a seed pod form. The only way to distinguish real people from imposters is that the first ones can actually express emotions, which makes setting the film’s action in a military base quite funny. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never seen soldiers as the most emotional people, at least not showing them that directly. Anyway, we follow Steve (Terry Kinney), who’s an agent sent to examine the ecological influence the military has on the surroundings. He moves there together with his family and, as you can guess, they are about to be next victims of the body snatchers. Doom, doom, doom. As I said at the beginning, this film is the creepiest of them all. Some critics say the plot of this part is the weakest, and I kind of agree, but the horror vibe makes up for it. I was actually positively surprised, because watching another similar adaptation would put me to sleep. Yet, this one kept me entertained. In fact, you may observe an interesting change in the narration here. As in the two previous adaptations the scientist/doctor was the protagonist, here, at some point, we get a new leader – Marti (Gabrielle Anwar), Steve’s daughter. And it’s not only a pleasant surprise in this production, but also a significant part of a revolution in horrors. You see, in old horrors, the protagonist was very often a man, while in the 80-90s the filmmakers wanted to create more female characters in this role. Marti is a perfect example and I just adore how she becomes the protagonist at some point instead of being one from the very beginning. So as you can see, even while watching angry aliens destroying humanity you may learn something about the history of cinema. And if you survive this adaptation, there’s one more waiting for you. Stay tuned!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Sleep and be born again into a world without fear and hate. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

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directed by Philip Kaufman
© 1978 United Artists. All Rights Reserved.

Continuing our adventure with body snatchers, today I’m recommending you the film made in 1978, which in my opinion is the most sci-fi of them all. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching sci-fi films from the 70-90s and anything made back then seems more interesting to me when it comes to this genre. I don’t know. Anyway, if the version from the 50s wasn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry and try this one. The story is the same, yet there are slight changes that make the film more dynamic and futuristic, I’d say. So we get to learn that some aliens need to leave their own planet and they travel to our lovely Earth to settle here. And if you’re used to seeing aliens as creepy creatures with big heads and black eyes, let me say that these aliens are way more… sophisticated. They arrive in a form of seed pods with flowers. Isn’t that cute? Wait till they eat your brains and take over your bodies… Anyway, one scientist analysing the strange plant decides to bring it home (how thoughtful!) and show it to her boyfriend. How surprised she is when the next day the man is acting weird. That’s why you shouldn’t take work home, people! Elizabeth (Brooke Adams), the irresponsible scientist with silly ideas, asks her friend Matthew (Donald Sutherland) for help. The man obviously recommends her boyfriend to meet a psychiatrist, but soon more extraordinary things begin to happen and it seems like not only that poor guy might need mental health support… I wasn’t that engaged in the psychological reflection as I was while watching the previous version, but I was definitely more entertained. This film is a classic sci-fi from that time of the cinema and I’m not surprised it’s the most popular version of them all. Is it the best? I wouldn’t say so, because to me each version is unique in its own way and I hope that thanks to those posts I’m sharing you will notice that as well. What I absolutely loved about this film is the ending. Just please, don’t search for it – watch the film and let it surprise you! And if you’re hoping for some chills, see you next time for the most horror version of the story…

My rating: 6/10
S.

I’ve seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)

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directed by Don Siegel
© 1956 Allied Artists Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

November is this gloomy month where we’re still in Halloween mood, yet Christmas is knocking on our door. Since the atmosphere is already spooky, let me spoil you with four films telling basically the same story, just in four different ways. Boring? Nah, trust me, you may have fun. Especially if you’re a cinephile who enjoys films not only for their plots, but also for all the technicalities. I watched all four films one after the other and I believe recommending you the same marathon is actually interesting. Let’s start our journey from the oldest film, which is the one made in 1956. We move to Los Angeles where a man named Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is in hospital claming that people have been replaced by impostors. In order to understand the patient better, he is asked to explain everything step by step – and that’s how we also learn the whole story. In fact, Mr. Bennell is a psychiatrist himself and at work he started meeting more and more people suffering from Capgras delusion – which is believing that someone in our surrounding is an impostor. Sounds like a typical day in a psychiatric ward? Sort of, but things get complicated when Miles finds strange bodies without any features. Is it true? Are people actually being replaced by some mysterious creatures? Well, that’s for you to see, but considering the title of the film, the answer is obvious. It’s labelled a horror, but to me it felt more like a drama/action production. I didn’t feel this sci-fi or horror vibe, which is perhaps because I watched it 70 years after the releasing. However, I could observe the real drama going on in the characters’ heads. I mean, to me it was more of a story about identity and humanity crisis than a horror that anyhow scared me. Still, even though it’s not the spookiest thing I’ve seen in my life, I enjoyed it and I recommend you to experience the dramatic adventure. This film is the most dramatic of them all – next ones will be creepy, strange and terrifying. Get ready for a ride!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Revenge has never been sweeter. “Thelma” (2024)

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directed by Josh Margolin
© 2024 Magnolia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t mess with grandmas! I mean it. They won’t only feed you till you can’t move – they can also fight criminals like pros! If you’re in need of good vibes, this comedy is definitely for you. We get to know Thelma (June Squibb), who’s a 93-year-old woman living alone and enjoying her retirement. She has a loving grandson, Danny (Fred Hechinger), who’s overly protective and always makes sure his grandma is fine. One day, Thelma answers a phone from Danny who says that he’s arrested and the woman has to send $10 000 to a certain adress to let him free. The woman panics and does it, but soon after she finds out that the caller wasn’t her Danny and she’s got scammed. Thelma is furious about the situation and asks the police for help, but they don’t even bother. And when people don’t seem to care, what do we do? Yes, baby, we do it ourselves! The brave granny decides to find the scammer’s address and visit them in order to get her money back. But how will an elderly lady like her actually manage to fight a criminal? Oh, you’d be surprised… I absolutely loved this comedy and the story about Thelma, because it gives positive vibes and shows how much power elderly people still have. We often see grandmas and grandads being pushed away from our everyday life as if they weren’t able to join us in numerous activities. Well, if you ask them to run a marathon, they may rather refuse, but so would I and I’m much younger. However, they deserve to be seen and included. And they have the right to catch the scammer that fooled them. As I said, I had a lot of fun watching this film, but I also find it important when it comes to picturing seniors nowadays. I wish for more productions like this one, so please – feel free to tell stories of brave and crazy grandparents who break the boring stereotypes! Cheers to Thelma and all the unstoppable seniors!

My rating: 7/10
S.

I can make them hurt each other. “Weapons” (2025)

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directed by Zach Cregger
© 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Halloween is coming! And you know what we need? Lots of sweets (to eat or to give to little terrorists in bedsheets with holes), candles (for the atmosphere and smell), creepy decorations (so China doesn’t go bankrupt) and a decent horror. Today, I’m recommending you a film that is perhaps not the scariest thing I’ve seen, but surely one of the weirdest recently. And if you dislike children and they creep you out, then you’ll love this one! The story is told in a nonlinear way, so we jump from a perspective to a perspective and we put everything together like puzzles, but I’ll try to give you a small idea what this film is about. We end up in Maybrook where one night, exactly at 2:17 a.m., 17 children disappear. UFO? Kidnappers? Well, we don’t know. They simply run out of their houses and poof – gone. Turns out those were all students of one class and after the night only one classmate, Alex (Cary Christopher), survived and showed up to school. Since it’s an unusual coincidence, the boy is asked lots of questions and the class teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), becomes the main suspect. The woman feels like an outsider, yet she tries to make sure her only present student, Alex, is fine. When she starts following him, she notices strange things about him, his house and his parents. Doom, doom, doom. What can I tell you… the previous horror by Zach Cregger (“Barbarian”) was much more interesting to me, because it was strange and surprising, yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed. This one is like a protein shake made by 3 different people who didn’t discuss the ingredients so each of them adds something random. Still, I enjoyed the fact that the narration wasn’t linear and I had to discover everything myself instead of just being told what happened. However, this film also made realise that I’m not a big fan of Julia Garner. She’s a lovely lady, but her performances here and in “Wolf Man” were actually disappointing. Perhaps it’s just wrong casting, so I hope to change my mind and appreciate her acting skills in the future, because for now I just found her characters incompatible with the films. But, when it comes to the boy playing Alex, Cary, he did a wonderful job. I had chills how convincing he was, so chapeau bas, little man! Anyway, if you feel like you’ve guessed what happens in this horror, I bet you’re so wrong, because literally everything happens here. I kind of miss those simple horrors where there was just a guy with a chainsaw and people running for 90 minutes. Still, I stayed entertained and this film qualifies as a horror, so why not recommending it to you? Have fun and watch it after you give strange children sweets. Because after this film you might not want to open your door. You’re welcome, buddy.

My rating: 6/10
S.