What’s Been Watched This Month – January 2021

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Here’s what square eyed Mikey Wolfman been watching throughout January 2021.

Here we go! First month of 2021 done and dusted. Managed to watch a few movies but still can’t seem to get in the mindset to watch some really deep films! Gotta be this stinking covid saga spoiling all the fun. On positive side, I’ve had my daughter back from Uni for the month. So a lot of the films have been me introducing the kids to things…

The TV

The Expanse. I do love this series. I got one episode of season 5 to go. It’s had it highs and lows this season but generally speaking it’s been very good. We here for the gang, the crew. Annoyingly they’ve split them all up like last season! However I don’t really mind as I love watching it and I’m sure the writers are reading this and taking notes. Mikey wants the crew together for the 6th and final season. Thanks writers. Even though I know that’s not gonna happen with recent cast news! Boo.

The Films

13 films this month and a total of 13 this year
947 since the start of the blog in January 2017.

Doomwatch (1972) – Wolfman Rating 6 – IMDB Rating 5.5
Here’s a review I did for a website magazine called Mystery and Suspense. A review on a British thriller with Wicker Man vibes. It’s also here on my site too.

Submarine (2010) – Wolfman Rating 8 – IMDB Rating 7.3
The wonderful Richard Ayoade directs his first movie with this quirky comedy love story. The two young leads, Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige are superb and Paddy Considine, in a small role, gives a hilarious performance. Been meaning to watch it for ten years! Yep I could not believe ten years had past by since I’ve been trying to get to it!. Watched this with my daughter and we both thought it was most excellent.

Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) – Wolfman Rating 9 – IMDB Rating 7.6
Paddy Considine again. One I introduced to my children, don’t worry they are adults now. I did slightly forget how hardcore it is in places. A real modern horror story. There’s very funny moment’s within the disturbing darkness. Like driving around in a convertible green and white Citroen CV2. Director Shane Meadows gets the pitch spot on. A truly incredible film that hits you square in the face with a shovel.

Memento (2000) – Wolfman Rating 10 – IMDB Rating 8.4
Coming into 21 years old now! How can that be? Christopher Nolan’s big budget debut film after the sublime independent Following (1998) is a wonder to watch. A double Nolan wonder at that as he adapts his brother, Jonathan’s short story. So original and mind blowingly brilliantly edited. You could think you’d get lost watching it all back to front but it all fits in so perfectly. I love Nolan’s films. I hadn’t seen Memento since it was released and it was another great movie to watch with my two children. If you got 18 minutes spare there’s a great YT video with Christopher Nolan showing how he tackled the construction of the timeline. It’s really fascinating, HERE

Trespass (1992) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 6.3
It’s a Walter Hill action flick with Bill Paxton and review from me. My Trespass review here.

The Bad And The Beautiful (1952) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.8
Liza Minnelli’s Dad Vincente Minnelli directs this drama set in the world of the Hollywood film studio system. It’s really good. It shows a screenwriter, a director and an actresses point of view of having to work with a charming but unscrupulous, fame hungry movie producer played by Kirk Douglas. Told in three separate stories. A very enjoyable watch. Lots of great scenes but the over the top madness of Lana Turner driving a car in the rain is a pure highlight.

Archive (2020) – Wolfman Rating 6.5 – IMDB Rating 6.3
Interesting science fiction piece, even if it has the feel of many better films before it. It’s set in 2038 with a solitary scientist working on artificial intelligence. I did find myself enjoying it. However it has many problems and it’s difficult to talk about. Generally and personally I’d of liked it to have gone in a different direction.

Chaos (2005) – Wolfman Rating 6 – IMDB Rating 6.5
HA!, there maybe no pub to stagger back from but I can still stagger around and watch a Jason Statham Friday night action film. It’s actually pretty good this one, until you start to think about it, then it really falls down hill! Two cops chase down Wesley Snipes who looking real sharp here. Best line from Statham when asked “Can I have a word?“…… “I’ll give you two…… Blow me…” So you know what you getting into.

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.6
Another of those classic Ealing film studio films that bring such joy. I’d seen this many years ago but so I adored watching it again. Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway are wonderful together. This is the one with a gold robbery master plan. The perfect plan that is fool proof!! Lots of crazy set pieces to enjoy. The robbery and the market stall painting is one to look out for but best by far is the crazy running down the spiral staircase of the Eiffel Tower. I’d love to see how they filmed that scene. It’s bonkers.

Outside The Wire (2021) – Wolfman Rating 4.5 – IMDB Rating 5.4
Netflix announces it will be releasing a new film a week for 2021. Fantastic there has to be some good film at last! Anthony Mackie starring in a science fiction, action packed android flick sounded an ace way to get started. To get the Netflix film frenzy ball rolling. Oh guess what? it’s a total dud. It’s all there on the screen but you really don’t care for any of it. A real shame.

True Lies (1994) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 7.2
Family roasty and introduce Arnie in this big James Cameron directed action film. I hadn’t seen it since it came out. Its a real product of the 90s. Dare I say it’s dated a fair bit and is way over long. I still enjoyed it but we did all laugh at some of the over the top and improbable scenes. Funny how it switches between slap stick comedy to screaming terrorists with nuclear war heads. The batteries running out bit still cracked me up. Bill Paxton is always, forever awesome and that Jamie Lee Curtis scene was still very titillating hehe.

Run Lola Run (1998) – Wolfman Rating 9 – IMDB Rating 7.6
Loved this on release. So inventive and high octane, in your face non-stop action. Brilliantly creative German movie that really holds up well after all these years. The editing and animated cut scenes all work well next to the pumping soundtrack. My daughter is doing film history alongside English at Uni and I mentioned it would be a good one to watch. The next day it came up in a lecture. Cool Dad points. Franka Potente as Lola is absolutely fantastic as the forever running hero. If you haven’t seen it, I really recommended it.

Minority Report (2002) – Wolfman Rating 8 – IMDB Rating 8.2
Great to watch this again. Really dark at times for a sci-fi actioner from Steven Spielberg. Tom Cruise gets to be good ole Tom, performing his trademark running around and doing crazy action stuff. Colin Farrell is in one of his best roles here IMHO and I can only imagine how emotional drained Samantha Morton must of been at the end. The tech design team really went to town on cool technologies stuff for the future. The very final scene is a bit wet but overall Minority Report holds up well.

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As usual I did see a few more. To be honest my “to do review” list of films I’ve held back from the monthly round up is getting out of hand. Around 40 odd films I’d love to get the time to review! Maybe one day I’ll just do a few sentence review of them all and get caught up. But where’s the fun in that I say!!

Thanks for popping on by my humble little movie site. Please stay safe.

Any goodies in there you have seen and liked? Thoughts, recommends etc always welcome if you fancy too.

Keep watching the screens. Thanks for having a look to see what’s been watched. All the best……… The howling one, Mikey