What Films did You Watch Last Week (09/08 - 15/08) CLOSED

I more or less agree with your wins.

First Time Viewing:

Closed Circuit (2013; John Crowley) - Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are lawyers defending a muslim terrorist in this low-key British spy drama. While the story has some potential the whole thing is just too ordinary to really engage the viewer.
4/10

The Duel (2016; Kieran Darcy-Smith) - This western drama runs for almost two hours, but it feels at least twice as long. A marshall (Liam Hemsworth) is tasked with infiltrating the cult of a charismatic preacher (Woody Harrelson) who might be responsible for the deaths of some Mexican immigrants. Hemsworth is surprisingly convincing as the lead and Harrelson gives his best effort as the villain, but it's as exciting as watching paint dry.
4/10

Escape Room (2019; Adam Robitel) - The escape room sets are the best thing about this, but it takes some time to get to them. The character introductions are rather inane, and acting-wise no-one gets to shine here, with everybody relegated to falling into panic and screaming their lungs out. The ending is also a huge cop-out.
5/10

The Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1977; Juan Piquer Simón) - There is the classic version featuring James Mason and then there is cheap C-movie trash like this.
4/10

Journey To The Center Of Time (1967; David L. Hewitt) - Another take on the Jules Verne classic. Only recommended for completists or people suffering from insomnia.
3/10

Lost Continent (1951; Sam Newfield) - Incredibly dull science-fiction movie about an expedition to a planet populated by dinosaurs.
3/10

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981; Oldrich Lipský) - Growing up I read a lot of Jules Verne, but I never got to The Castle in the Carpathians. I'm beginning to think that Czech movies are not for me. Just like Valerie - A Week Of Wonders this is a bizzarro trip into a weird world full of nonsensical happenings. Had I not read the synopsis I would've had no clue what was going on here.
4/10

Mystery on Monster Island (1981; Juan Piquer Simón) - Jules Verne's name gets used again for a trashy piece of nonsense. Not even Peter Cushing and Terence Stamp can save this.
4/10

Not Safe For Work (2014, Joe Johnston) - Aka. the Blumhouse movie no one has ever heard of. An office worker (Max Minghella) is stuck in a building with a hitman (J. J. Fields) on the lose. It's an okay movie with some black laughs, but it's so by-the-numbers that it's hard to recommend.
5/10

The Secret of Steel City (1979; Ludvik Ráza) - Another Czech Jules Verne adaptation, about two warring towns, this time the source material is rewritten to serve as communist propaganda.
4.5/10

Warlords Of Atlantis (1978; Kevin Connor) - This has some fun moments and my inner 12 year old wanted to like it, but I'm afraid I've grown out of films like this.
6/10

TV

The Terror- Season 1 (2018) - I have to admit that I abandoned the Dan Simmons novel this was adapted from after about a 100 pages, and was tempted to do the same with this series after the first two episodes. I still decided to stick it out to the end. It tells the story of the doomed Arctic expedition led by John Franklin (Ciaran Hinds). Based on a true story it adds some supernatural stuff which doesn't always work. It has good production values and excellent atmosphere, but the plot is a bit hard to swallow and most of the characters aren't exactly likeable. Jared Harris is a stand-out however making the viewer really emphasize with Francis Crozier.
6/10


Contraband (2012; Balthasar Kormakúr) - Better than average action thriller. I don't care much for Wahlberg, but I enjoyed this one.
6.5/10

Spy Game (2001; Tony Scott) - I didn't like this much when I first saw it and rewatching it now I still think that Tony Scott was the wrong choice of director for this. The movie is far too stylized for it's own good where especially in the war scenes a grittier more realistic approach would've been needed. The plot isn't terribly original or particularly meaningful either.
6/10

Repeat Viewings:

Macao (1952) 5/10

First Viewings:

Rampage (1963) 6/10

Georgetown (2019) 5/10

Three Hours to Kill (1954) 7/10

Western Union (1941) 6/10

Ruthless People (1986) 7/10