What’s Been Watched This Month – December 2021

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

First up a MASSIVE BIG happy New Year to you and hope 2022 brings beautiful things.

The TV

Loki – I went and put my monthly Disney+ payments to the test this festive season. First up I gave Thor’s naughty and mischievous brother Loki a go. Transported to a kind of limbo land by a time agency of police enforcement to be sentenced for his crimes, Loki has to use his wits and skills to try and escape. Owen Wilson joins Tom Hiddleston for this witty and fun fantasy adventure. It’s also great to see a classic British thespian turn up and strut some fine ham about on screen later in the series. The story follows cleverly straight on from a screen during the Avengers Endgame (2019). It’s good fun.

Hawkeye – Festive Marvel with our bow and arrow human hero Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). With the backdrop of New York Christmas this was an apt and entertaining short mini series. Aging reluctant hero Clint just want’s to go home and spent the weeks build up to xmas with his loving family. It’s all planned out until annoying rich kid Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) crosses his path and all hell breaks lose. Kate Bishop has mastered her skills around Clint Hawkeye ever since she witnessed him take on the alien invasion in The Avengers (2012). Soon the two are kind of working together as gangs and villains start to stack up against them. You know what, I wasn’t that into it with the first 2 episodes but I hang on in there as I enjoy talking to my son about these shows. Then right from episode three it had me hooked. It might actually be my favorite from all the Marvel Disney series. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and inter slices many aspects from newer comic book adventures. The story and villains twist and turn and you are blessed with a ridiculously entertaining final episode that has every enemy fighting against each other right outside the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Whereas most of the threat is done with a slice of lightheartedness it’s not until the addition of an old villain from a past Marvel Netflix series arrives and adds real danger to the escalating carnage. I had big fun with Hawkeye.

Ghosts – Had the third series of this wonderful little British comedy recorded on the Tivo box. Waiting for when my daughter was back for xmas as I did for last years series. It’s just the wonderful silly kind of humour we so love. This is from the original Horrible Histories crew. A brilliant children’s television show we watched together as the kids were growing up. The HH crew made the jump into more adult TV with the hilarious surreal show called Yonderland. Ghosts is about a collection of spirits that have died in or around an old country house throughout the ages and now inherited by young couple. Once again the writing team have really come into their game. Such a fun six episodes and another Christmas special too for the cherry on the top. BTW for the love of all things sacred why the fook has America thought it would be a good idea to remake it? OK if the original was say rubbish but as it’s not why can’t they just watch that and leave it alone? LOL…. It’s here Ghosts US

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. There’s been four seasons so far and it was another lovely surprise to see they had made another hour long Christmas special. It’s such a chilled show and I’m not even into fishing. Two old friends, Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse tolerate each other as they go fishing together. Paul picks the fishing spots and Bob sorts the food and somewhere to stay. Both are comedians I’ve grown up with and in a funny way shaped our generation’s humour. Along the way they share personal and comic experiences of life as they travel around different picturesque landscapes the country.

“All roads lead to The Expanse final season next week, now that’s a sci-fi epic saga!!” Were my words last month. I’m halfway through the mini finale of just 6 episodes and it really doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. The main issue and I hate to say it is the main antagonist and his son. A cross between hammed up overacting and really annoying. The science fiction saga has been one of my favorites and have actually watched the whole thing twice already, which is something I never do. Maybe I’m just too close to it but I feel I’m gonna be disappointed before I even get to the end. I hope and really wish my feelings to be wrong and they smash out a perfect ending right on the eleventh hour!!! Yep I know I gotta keep the faith. Buckle up Mikey and get ready for the juice. Though to be totally honest I’m just happy to be watching Roberta ‘Bobbie’ W. Draper (Frankie Adams) squeezed into her Martian battle suit. She could throw me around in zero G 247/365 hehe

The Films

11 films this month and a total of 163 this year
1099 since the start of the blog in January 2017.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.7
Haha at last I got to this one. I know you want to know what I thought? Well if you do I got my review right here ready to go.

Dead End (1937) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 7.3
Director William Wyler brings a young Humphrey Bogart to play the tough “Baby Face” Martin who revisits the New York City slum he had fought his way out of. All played out on one big set we watch as Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea try to live and hopefully crawl their way out of the slum. With all the focused drama around the three main stars there are also a gang of annoying youth called the Dead End Kids. Claire Trevor has a small but shocking standout role playing Baby Face’s old flame, Francey.

Escape Route (1952) – Wolfman Rating 5.5 – IMDB Rating 5.5
Also known as I’ll Get You. This on paper sounds amazing and a Cold War drama are always right up my street. After leading nuclear scientists are kidnapped and taken behind the Iron Curtain an American called Steve Rossi (George Raft) turns up in London and starts investigating. He is soon joined by the beautiful British agent Joan Miller (Sally Gray) as we try to decipher, along with them, what is going on. It’s pretty average to be honest which was a shame as it’s all there for some good old fashioned espionage fun.

The Rescue (2021) – Wolfman Rating 9 – IMDB Rating 8.4
I’m sure like me you were panic and distraught by the horrendous news of the twelve boys and their football coach who got lost and trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Thailand. This excellent made documentary uses real footage and brilliantly staged realistic reenactments that are a real gut punch of terrifying drama. The sheer scale of the operation is ridiculously unimaginable. The rescue mission is completely nuts and mindbogglingly horrifying. It’s hard to try and keep a dry eye whilst watching. I didn’t manage it.

Ladybug Ladybug (1963) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.2
Cold War paranoia as a school’s missile warning alarm goes off. I did a review of this one here.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – Wolfman Rating 7.5 – IMDB Rating 7.5
Much fun was had with the family watching this and eating dinner. So much crazy set piece action that at times you except to have Jackie Chan explode on to the screen. A Marvel hero I hadn’t heard of before but with that great title it had to be seen. The son (Simu Liu) of two powerful magical fighting legacies struggles to find himself after the death of his Mum and the rage of his father. Living in San Francisco he lives a normal life until his past comes looking for him. Michelle Yeoh still always looks gorgeous and Ben Kingsley and Awkwafina add comic relief. It’s has an old school kung-fu feeling and is all round great entertainment.

No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) – Wolfman Rating 6.5 – IMDB Rating 5.7
This was fun and I got to review this Kung Fu Fun Film right here.

Free Guy (2021) – Wolfman Rating 7.5 – IMDB Rating 7.2
Perfect family film entertainment for a Christmas day watch. This was really good fun. Even if you don’t get all the gaming references I’m sure they will still hit. It’s stupid and filled with many big laughs and giggles. Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a NPC (non-player character). One of many computer characters who’s role fills in background to make a story as the real game players fly around smashing and killing everything on sight. NPC’s are destined to have only a few routine repeated words and can be sometimes be seen glitching out in no man’s land in alleys and street corners for no reason. One day Guy kind of goes off script and starts to fall in love with a mysterious action girl called Millie (Jodie Comer). Back in the “real world” game programmer Keys (Joe Keery) tries to figure what’s going on under the nose of his tyrant boss Antwan (Taika Waititi). Get on it if you have Disney+.

Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material (2021) – Wolfman Rating 8 – IMDB Rating 7
Don’t watch if you don’t like dark comedy. You will be offended. I’m not a big Jimmy Carr fan TBH. He can be a bit annoying but it went up on Netflix and dived in with a few beers and laughed at all the stupid silliness. I felt like you could tell he’d been spending more time on the American stand-up scene with this new hour?

Central Intelligence (2016) – Wolfman Rating 5.5 – IMDB Rating 6.3
Goodness this was pretty bad! Not sure why as it has everything for a good time but something just didn’t click! Over long and needed to dial things back a bit. Ok I had a few laughs and like both Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart so maybe I wasn’t in the mood. Thing was I kinda of was and just wanted a silly action film. Yep got that but it could of been so much more.

Passport to Pimlico (1949) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 7.2
Residents of a part of London declare independence when they discover an old treaty. This leads to the need for a “Passport to Pimlico” and of course a right British farce to ensue. It’s very silly and a Ealing Studio’s production ticked off my list. Lots of the usual faces from that era with Stanley Holloway and the always brilliant Margaret Rutherford bringing lots of the giggles.

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Thanks for popping on by my humble little movie site. It really is much appreciated. Rather than do my usual, of late, apologies for lack of posts and not having the time to read and comment as much I would so love to on your posts. Instead, I’m just say I’m gonna try harder this year and hopefully I will rectify this. Here’s wishing you a wonderful 2022 and hope to catch up soon.

A few reviews coming soon could be, a surreal British war movie, Bond doing robberies, The Duke making a big appearance, more film noir and of course the blog main tagline, more cult movies… Hope you enjoy.

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

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