You cannot stain a black coat. “Nicholas Nickleby” (2002)

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directed by Douglas McGrath
© 2002 MGM Distribution Co. All Rights Reserved.

Today I have a recommendation both for those who like watching films and those who prefer reading books. “Nicholas Nickleby” is based on “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” by Charles Dickens and, at least to me, they are equally good, so no matter which one you choose, it’s worth to learn the story. Charles Dickens was a fantastic writer and, personally, I adore his work. However, in the film adaptation, we may see plenty of very good actors. And when I say “good” I mean gooooooooood, such as Charlie Hunnam, Nathan Lane, Jim Broadbent, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Bell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Cumming, Timothy Spall or Romola Garai. And, to be honest, I enjoyed the cast more than the story itself. If you know what the book is about, then you should understand me. It’s generally about a family from the countryside who lose their man of the house and are left with no money. Therefore, Mrs. Nickelby (Stella Gonet), her son Nicholas (Charlie Hunnam) and daughter Kate (Romola Garai) need to move to London to ask their uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) for help. Ralph, however, isn’t the nicest person and he feels no sympathy towards his family. Still, he gets jobs for Nicholas and Kate – the girl starts working as a seamstress and the boy as a tutor at Dotheboys Hall in Yorkshire. Nicholas soon finds out that the owners of the school treat the students as if they were prisoners, abusing them physically, verbally and emotionally. One day he has enough and runs away from the workplace together with Smike (Jamie Bell), a servant. And the story continues, but you’re not here to read it and I’m not Dickens to write a wonderful novel for you. The film has received quite positive reviews, but most of them talk about the acting, not the way this film was made. And I hate to say that I was missing this something that should keep me staring at the screen. The production isn’t very engaging, to be honest. Not sure if it’s because of the script or directing, but my final opinion is rather positive and I highly appreciate all the performances done by the cast. It was great to see such names together in one film.

My rating: 6/10
S.

It took my breath way away… “Top Gun” (1986)

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directed by Tony Scott
© 1986 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Recently I was having a discussion about the “Top Gun” sequel and I was asked: do you know how Tom Cruise looked like in the first part of this film? And I said: yes, exactly the same way as he does now. Before I start talking about this absolute classic, may I take a moment of your time to say… TOM CRUISE IS SOME SORT OF AN ALIEN. I mean, it’s definitely not normal to look this way. I bet Tom and Keanu Reeves come from the same planet. Insane! Okay, enough. I bet most of you know exactly what “Top Gun” is about, but just shortly for those who have no idea: we follow Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise), known as Maverick, who is a young and horribly reckless naval aviator. Despite his character and behaviour, he’s a really talented beast so he’s sent to Naval Fighter Weapons School, known as Topgun. And this is the main story. But what would a film with Tom Cruise be without a little love plot? Before starting the trainings, he meets an incredibly beautiful lady at a bar. Unfortunately, despite looking like Tom Cruise, he doesn’t manage to hit on her. The next day he meets the woman again, but this time she turns out to be Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), an astrophysicist and civilian Topgun instructor. I guess I don’t need to share more, but let me just say that the story is rather simple. So why did this film become so popular? Obvious reasons, the main male and female characters are gorgeous. But if we focus on more serious reasons, I would say the way they shot this film. Nowadays we have computers and a huge group of people making everything happen on the screen. Back then, they needed to actually fly those planes and shoot all the scenes in real. You can’t even imagine how much money, time and effort it cost them. There was even a fatal accident during the shooting, so, as you can see, it was a very difficult production to make. Besides, I bet there’s no single person on this planet that doesn’t know the soundtrack of “Top Gun”. Even if you think you don’t, I’m sure you must have heard it somewhere. It’s one of the most popular soundtracks ever, which isn’t surprising really – it’s damn good. Despite the fact this is a very simple story, I loved it because of the visible effort they put into it. And if you’re still not convinced, Tom Cruise goes shirtless at some point. If that doesn’t encourage you, I don’t know what will. By the way, get ready for part two, hopefully to be released in June. Tom Cruise and Miles Teller together on the screen – we all need to prepare for such an amount of awesomeness.

My rating: 7/10
S.

You’re incredible, do you understand? “Good Time” (2017)

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directed by Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie
© 2017 A24. All Rights Reserved.

I have to start today’s post with a question: do you know what a dye pack is? If you don’t, let me tell you. It’s a small device that’s put in a hollowed-out space within a stack of banknotes. Why? Well, in case there’s a bank robbery, the person packing the money for the robber may also pack this special stack. Later, when the robber is already gone, someone can make the device explode, which later dyes all the stolen banknotes (and the robber themselves). Pretty cool, huh? That way nobody can use this money and it’s pretty easy for the police to spot the criminal. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m telling you this. Well, it’s an important element of my today’s recommendation. The main character of “Good Time” is Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson), who comes up with an idea to rob a bank. In order to succeed, he takes his disabled brother Nick (Benny Safdie) with him. You may think it’s ridiculous, but Nick is actually a very big man and he listens to his older brother, so, potentially, he’s a great help. The men do rob the bank, but here appears our special device. The dye pack explodes and it makes everything more complicated. They get stopped by police, who want to arrest them, but Connie manages to escape. However, his brother ends up in jail, so Connie’s priority right now is to help him get out of there. Unfortunately, he cannot collect enough money and has to come up with a different plan. And here I’m about to stop, because you should learn what happens next yourselves. Perhaps this isn’t a masterpiece and I think it could have been written better (it’s way too slow sometimes), but, in the end, I appreciated the story. Again, those who think that Robert Pattinson is just a shiny teenage vampire, you have a chance to change your mind. Both actors did a fine job and I was touched by the ending. The only thing I would work on is the script, but maybe it’s just me being picky. Enjoy.

My rating: 6/10
S.

It’s not a party without a little drama, am I right? “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey” (2020)

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directed by Cathy Yan
© 2020 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Friday the 13th deserves a real nightmare in cinematography. Perhaps this production isn’t such a nightmare, but it’s definitely something I wouldn’t like to watch again. Those who’ve been following my blog know that I’m not a fan of action films, because they are always the same. However, from time to time I appreciate such productions, but only if they are somehow surprising or extraordinary. “Suicide Squad” was rather acceptable, although for me it’s still rather average. Still, I liked the character of Harley Quinn and I think Margot Robbie did a really good job back then. So when I saw the trailer of today’s film, I even got excited (me excited about an action film is rarer than a dancing toucan in Finland). But then I saw the film and I just cried inside a little. Margot had decided to produce it (good for her!), but I guess she asked the wrong people to help her with that. With all the respect, the script and directing in this film are so hard to stand, that I wanted to turn it off in the middle. This story had potential. I mean, after “Suicide Squad”, there were so many Harley Quinns on Halloween that Joker must have been taking antidepressants. People have fallen in love with this character and I think “Birds of Prey” has got some good ratings because of the respect towards Margot Robbie and her character, and not because it’s a well-done piece. Lots of pointless scenes and dialogues, and oh, something that I recently was writing about. I told you about “Zombieland” and how I appreciate it because its characters are very specific and sort of irreplaceable. Here, you could exchange almost all the actresses in the middle of the film and most people wouldn’t notice. Not because those aren’t good actresses, but their roles were absolutely plane. Why am I giving this film 4/10? Appreciation for Margot Robbie for her decision to produce it and also for her acting, which is definitely worth seeing. Then also the music used in the production (made me smile several times, great job!) and certain jokes. The idea + acting + music + jokes = 4 out of 10. Yet, I hope they will continue the story, but perhaps with a slightly different crew.

My rating: 4/10
S.

If you love something, you shoot it in the face. “Zombieland: Double Tap” (2019)

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directed by Ruben Fleischer
© 2019 Sony Pictures Releasing. All Rights Reserved.

As I promised yesterday, today I’m recommending you the second part of “Zombieland” story, which was surprisingly equally good as the first one. At least in my opinion. I loved the first part, but I was worried that after 10 years they wouldn’t be able to make such a fun production again. Oh how happy I am to have been wrong. It took them quite some time, but somehow they managed to keep the same humour as it was in Zombieland uno. And it’s cool what they did to the story, because, obviously, the actors got older, so they couldn’t pretend that the second part is an immediate continuation. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are older, more aware of what’s going on, they can handle everything around them and they’re living in the White House. Yes, THE White House. Sounds cool, huh? They’ve got used to their new reality so much that they don’t seem to bother about the world full of zombies. However, in this part they struggle with something way worse than zombies. All of them feel lonely and need someone by their side. Not just a friend, but someone a bit more special. Soon they will go on an adventure again, because one of them decides to follow their dream of having a partner and runs away, and the rest need to find this person. Not telling you who’s that, you will find out on your own. But honestly, I think both parts are equally cool and I had a good laugh watching the second one after many years. Perhaps it’s because all the producers, the actors and the crew are in love with this film, so they tried hard to make it awesome. All of them are incredibly busy with their careers, and yet they found time to shoot this one. So if they found time to shoot it, I’m sure you will find time to watch it. And you won’t regret it, promise.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Time to nut up or shut up. “Zombieland” (2009)

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directed by Ruben Fleischer
© 2009 Sony Pictures Releasing. All Rights Reserved.

I hope you won’t be mad at me for writing about this film today. But I see plenty of people watching films about viruses and epidemics these days (to comfort themselves? to know what to do in case it gets worse?), so perhaps recommending a comedy about fighting with zombies won’t be such a horrible move. Especially since it’s a good comedy, it can make you feel better and maybe you’ll learn something. You know, just in case. Okay, jokes aside. I’m incredibly sorry for everyone who’s struggling with the virus and who have lost someone because of it. Lots of people are stuck in their houses and cities, which is highly inconvenient. But try not to panic, take care and definitely don’t forget to entertain yourselves, because laughter is the best medicine. That’s why I’m writing about “Zombieland” today, because I find it a really cool film that is kind of goofy, but you can tell it took them a lot of effort to make it. I guess you already know what it’s about, not a very mysterious title. Generally, the world is full of zombies, but it would be quite boring if we didn’t have any healthy humans, so of course we do. We have an awkward student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a know-it-all guy who likes shooting – Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). They’re all survivors trying to get what they want. Together, as a team, they decide to travel across America, which will be full of amazing adventures, because there are way more zombies there than you can imagine. I remember, even though it was over 11 years ago, that I wasn’t really feeling like watching that film. I thought it would be another silly zombie-killing production. However, what I appreciate in it, it’s the humour and the way they formed the characters. Each of those four is very specific and excluding even one would mean the story wouldn’t go the same way. Sometimes we have several characters in a film and we can’t remember any of them. Here, after ten years, I could still recognise each person. I said ten years, because in 2019 the second part of the film was released, but I will share more about it tomorrow. For now, wash your hands, make sure you have enough pasta and toilet paper, relax and let “Zombieland” make us forget about the reality we’re living in now.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Not to be alive. That’s what I want. “Irina” (2018)

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directed by Nadejda Koseva
© 2018 Art Fest. All Rights Reserved.

Today I have a quite difficult drama for you, so if you’re already overwhelmed by your week, perhaps you will want to see it some other time. Still, I want to share a few words about it, because it made me reflect and I felt quite uncomfortable while watching, which is an advantage of this film, to be honest. The story seems real, but I guess that’s exactly what made me feel peculiarly. That in our times, people still have to struggle to survive and they need to “sell” themselves to have a full fridge. Or rather to have anything in that fridge. The story is about Irina (Martina Apostolova) who is a waitress living in a small Bulgarian town. She tries to earn extra money on sort of stealing and one day she gets fired because of that. On the same day, her husband Sasho (Hristo Ushev) has a serious accident and ends up on a wheelchair. Since her partner is unable to work, Irina has to find a way to provide for her family. Which is not easy, as you may be guessing. Therefore, she makes a very difficult decision – she agrees to become a surrogate for one couple, which means she needs to give birth to their child and give it away immediately after the birth. The woman, even though she seems strong, can be very sensitive and being a surrogate is painful for her. Still, she has a husband and a child of her own to fight for, so she has to manage somehow. The film is very raw, I would say. I mean, it looks as if you actually entered a Bulgarian house and saw it with your own eyes. Martina Apostolova is incredibly true and natural in this role, so I believed her from the beginning. The story is, as I said, quite disturbing and I didn’t feel well watching it. But it isn’t a flaw of this production and I’m glad such films are being made. Bulgarian cinema can be quite harsh, but sometimes we need a good slap to wake up from all those overly sweet copy-paste comedies.

My rating: 6/10
S.

What an excellent day for an exorcism. “The Exorcist” (1973)

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directed by William Friedkin
© 1973 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Isn’t Monday an every-week exorcism for some of us? But that’s not the reason why I’m writing about this film today. The reason is actually more real and definitely more depressing. We’ve just lost Max von Sydow, a very good actor that happened to play in “The Exorcist” and he’s often associated with this production. So as a small tribute to him, I’m recommending you one of the most significant horrors of all times. I’m sure lots of you know the story very well, but let’s share a few words for those who don’t. It’s indeed about an exorcist, but firstly we should focus on Chris and Regan. Chris (Ellen Burstyn) is an actress who raises her 12-year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair). One day, the girl starts acting strangely. She says very rude things, makes weird noises and opposes to her mother. Okay, that sounds like a typical teenager, but it’s not normal for Regan. They ask for help of numerous doctors and specialists, but nobody can help them. It seems as if the girl was totally healthy. And as you may be guessing, they finally think of performing an exorcism, because they think that Regan is possessed. This film was made around 50 years ago, so I’m sure that some of you may say it’s nothing special anymore. But back then, this kind of production was something big. In fact, it was the first horror to be nominated for the Academy Awards. Obviously, we may laugh at it now, but, even today, I can still appreciate the amount of work they put into that. I adore the music and make up in “The Exorcist” so much. Do you know that Max von Sydow was 44 when shooting, but he needed to look about 30 years older? It may sound funny, but he actually wore more make up than the girl playing Regan who is already “looking possessed” (no idea how to write it nicely, but you know what I mean). So even if you’re already spoilt by modern special effects, give “The Exorcist” a try. For Mr. von Sydow. And for little Linda, who was marvellous.

My rating: 7/10
S.

It’s useful being top banana in the shock department. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)

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directed by Blake Edwards
© 1961 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Ladies! Today is your day, so I’ve decided to recommend you an absolute classic that’s loved and admired by women all over the world. I bet most of you know what “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is and that it’s not really about eating anything. However, before I wish you all the best, I’m aware that there are still those who haven’t seen the film, so I’d like to share a few sentences about the story. Still, even if you haven’t seen this production, I’m sure you can recognise the main actress. Audrey Hepburn is an icon of 20th century American cinema and today’s film was probably one of the most significant ones in her professional life. She played Holly Golightly, an adorable young woman who has moved to New York in order to make her life a little bit more interesting. Despite not being rich, she’s a very stylish and elegant person. From the very beginning we can see her in a lovely black dress, long black gloves, hair in a high chignon, fancy sunglasses and shiny jewellery. She’s a lady, with a capital L. You probably know this look very well, because Hepburn as Holly is often presented on posters, notebooks, mugs and other stuff these days. Another important element of her character’s appearance is an oversized cigarette holder, but I’m sure most of you know that. Anyway, back to the story. Soon she meets her new neighbour Paul Varjak (George Peppard). He’s a rather introvert writer, who immediately becomes fascinated by Holly. The woman is charismatic and totally different from other ladies he knows. And that’s very important to understand why this film was appreciated so much back then. Nowadays we still struggle with the “perfect” picture of a woman. She must be this, and that, and this, and that. Blah, blah, blah. And in the 60s it was even worse. Women had to behave in a certain way or they wouldn’t be accepted by anyone. The character of Holly was revolutionary. Women got a unofficial permission to be silly, to be ridiculous, irresponsible, messy or, let’s face it, even real. In the 21st century we admire Hepburn for her appearance in this film, which is indeed lovely. Back then, she was an inspiration for young girls who wished a different quality life for themselves. And this is what I wish you. No matter if you want to be a stay-at-home mom or a business woman travelling the world, I want you to be brave enough to make your decision and feel comfortable with yourself. You don’t belong to anyone but yourselves, so keep that in mind. All the best, beautiful ladies!

My rating: 7/10
S.

There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes. “Richard Jewell” (2019)

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directed by Clint Eastwood
© 2019 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

This film was nominated to an Oscar, but I bet most people don’t even know about it or haven’t seen it. The production isn’t that bad, but generally not many people have gone to the cinema to watch it and it’s one of the biggest Clint Eastwood’s box office flops. And I would get it if it wasn’t a good film. But the thing is that it’s really a decent one. Richard Jewell, the main character of the film, is a real man whose story was an inspiration to produce this film. He’s a simple man who has a huge respect towards law enforcement. He wishes to protect people just like other officers, so he keeps searching for a job where he could do what he’s passionate about. Finally, Richard (Paul Walter Hauser) gets a job as a security guard at the Olympic Games. One day, during a concert in Centennial Park, he spots a random unattended package beneath a bench. Richard informs others and together with officers they try to take people away from it. The package indeed contains a bomb, so it finally explodes. Luckily, they managed to inform the majority of attendees, so they survived the explosion and Richard is considered a real hero. However, somehow FBI start suspecting that perhaps it was Richard who put that package there. He’s a simple man who always wished to work in law enforcement, so he probably wanted to prove what a brave and smart person he is. And here we go… I must say this film isn’t the best production by Eastwood, but it’s a pity they didn’t earn more money on it. It’s definitely not a cinema film, so knowing it now, I would prefer to watch it at home. But still, it’s worth seeing, because it shows how ridiculous our society can be. We have to judge and criticise even those, who save our butts. We always need to find something wrong about another person. And it’s quite depressing, you know? Richard Jewell is a cool guy, especially if he’d really done what they showed at the end of the story (you will see). But one thing I have to comment on – Kathy Bates should have won the Oscar for the best supporting actress this year. She played Richard’s mother, but, holy spirits, she PLAYED it! She played it so well that I had chills. I knew it’s a superwoman of cinema, but that was the best performance of all the five nominees. Love you Laura Dern, but Kathy burnt the screen.

My rating: 7/10
S.