Fantastic review, important to go to the classics in order to see how bad and monotonous many contemporary films and tv shows are.
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Hot Fuzz - for a number beyond counting in the 14 years since it came out. Having been born and raised in a village, it is disturbingly relatable.
Though on a trip through England in 2007, I found watching the newly released DVD of the film, that I got in HMV mid journey, very comforting as a taste of home…take from that what you will.
EDIT: Added David Arnold’s theme, introduced by Timothy Dalton. Could there be anything more Bond?
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Miss Congeniality
It’s still hilarious 21 years later. Though I can’t believe this film is 21 years old and on top of that, that Sandra Bullock is almost 60.
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Sorry for the delay. I just haven’t had the time to come around much the past couple of weeks.
I think that there is a certain validity to what he says, but at the same time, when he makes the comment in one of his videos on the topic that some of it could also be down to the fact that he’s older and more experienced in the genre than the younger people for whom the films tend to be made these days, that it might be somewhat of a case of him falling into that trap that we all tend to from time to time when we think that what came before is better by default. For example, I’m sure that there were a few people back in the day who said similar things about The Exorcist when it was first released.
In the end, I think most films probably have some semblance of that concept in them. The only film that I can remember that is just truly uncomfortable throughout and really has a palpable sense of dread hanging over the entire thing is Ti West’s The House of the Devil. It’s a film that treads a lot of the same kind of ground that we’ve seen in horror films before (girl going to babysit in a strange house), but West does such a good job with it that you’re never able to really get comfortable. That’s the kind of film that I would like to see more of. Granted, those kinds of films are probably out there, but my taste in films, as it were, tends to stick more to the dumbed down mainstream fare anyway, so perhaps I’m just missing them.
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Finally got round to seeing Hush (2016)
OK slasher film with the novel idea of having the main protagonist as deaf/mute.
I remember this one. Was a solid enough film, but I think that they could have gotten more mileage out of the central premise of the film.
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Christopher Lee is the same character in every film?!??! I KNEW IT!!
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saw 2010 in Br glory it is actually quite a decent movie and does tell its story better than that Kubrick vehicle before that has always put me to sleep.
Godzilla vs Kong I saw it in the cinema, yes the return of the cinema, and I loved it probably also because it was my first cinematic visit in a year, the last one being Tenet and that one was a waste of precious time.
Brick - it’s a very “art school” movie, as my wife put it, but if you’re into a 40’s film noir twisted in an unexpected way, Rian Johnson’s first movie will definitely appeal. It’s a truly original work, something that seems massively undervalued no matter how much smug wan…critics call for it
Edit: and is snarled upon by all when it actually happens…not that it’s human nature to hate, whether strange or familiar…
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A Fall from Grace (2020)
Decent thriller about a woman who admits to killing her husband, but her defence lawyer is not so sure.
A pistol for Ringo (1965) I just love those Italian westerns a lot.
Casino - not a great Scorcese fan I must admit, remembered having seen this one on cinematic release, got it as a present so decided to have a look, Sharon Stone was fantastic the rest of the usual suspects were so so. I enjoyed the History Channel special far better which was the original story anyway.
Black Widow - I can see why Feige was very keen to avoid No Time To Die, it leans hard on the espionage angle and has not 1 but 2 major cast members from Quantum Of Solace. Also at one point Natasha is watching a certain film
Note: none of these are spoilers, the actors names a VERY prominent in the starting credits then the picture above is from the start and not that relevant to what’s going on.
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Bit like Moonraker really
Now I’ve finished it… SPOILERS AHEAD
The good - Black Widow is an incredibly enjoyable film, one that people on here will definitely enjoy as it is a spy film to its absolute core. Johanson, if it remains as such, gave her absolute best performance for her swan song, totally selling Natasha’s lifelong desire for a typical family. She is very well supported in particular by the family dynamic with Weisz, Harbour and Pugh, all 3 of whom give it their all to be both hilarious and heartbreaking, all whilst doing Russian accents. The action set pieces are incredibly good, and much in the style of Mission Impossible and Bond.
Now the bad - this way a HUGE spoiler lies. Was avoiding them mostly, hence why I haven’t discussed the plot, but one reveal annoyed me.
Summary
the bad guys. Ray Winstone as a Russian general. It’s as unbelievable and distracting as it sounds, particularly as his “Russian” accent pales in comparison to those done by Weisz, Harbour and Pugh. The secondary bad guy is Taskmaster, a very convincing threat, but a complete waste of Olga Kurylenko, (yes, Camille is the MCU version of Taskmaster) as her face is covered for most of the film (despite her being credited at the very start, so you KNOW she’s coming, and the longer it takes for her to turn up, the more obvious the “surprise” becomes) and she has one line. One. I hope to god that Marvel are intending for her to continue the role in a more significant way in the future.
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I’m not surprised Natasha knows what the best Bond film is. 
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Black Widow
One of the more grounded outings from the MCU, Black Widow is pretty much a female James Bond film. It is a very welcome, enjoyable, comfortable entry as well as return to cinema (though I watched it on Disney+ from my couch.) It’s closest in spirit to Captain America: The Winter Solder. But unlike that film, it does not break open the floodgates and flip the universe with a big reveal ala Hydra infiltrating SHIELD. It does explain how its events weren’t acknowledged by other films in the MCU timeline (2016 between the Civil and Infinity Wars), and that reads much like a Bond film (one in particular, and no, it’s not Moonraker.)
Indeed, Natasha gets a black market “Q” in the character of Mason supplying her with much needed hardware and equipment, the initial discovery in the film opens the door to a discovery of a global plot (like Silva’s plan in Skyfall), and a James Bond film Natasha watches early on foreshadows not only the next set piece but also the villain’s lair. In short, I’d be very happy if EON decided to hire this film’s director, Cate Shortland, to helm Bond 26. She’s nailed the stunts, globe trotting, opening theme song credits, and general formula of a Bond film. However, that’s both a strength and a weakness for this MCU entry.
Black Widow’s strength is not its plot, rather its performances and characters. Scarlett Johansen does her best turn yet with the character, and David Harbour does not disappoint as the much anticipated fan favorite. But it’s Florence Pugh who steals the show as Yelena, Natasha’s younger “sister.” Fortunately, Marvel has set it up so we will see much more of her in upcoming TV series and hopefully a movie or two (BW2?, CA4?)
The film’s other strength is its fight sequences. They’re a bit more brutal than most MCU fare, bordering on PG-13 with a few bones broken the wrong way that’s a tad stomach turning. But it’s never gory, and still has Natasha surviving stunts that would surely injure if not kill most humans (do Black Widows have a super serum of some sort injected?)
While much is made of this film being too little, too late from Marvel for delivering a Black Widow movie, we shouldn’t punish them for finally doing the right thing. Indeed, they did miss an opportunity for a trilogy by not delivering this sooner. Yet I found Natasha’s confronting her past informative as to her choice and fate in Endgame. It reminded me of Agent Melinda May’s reveal of her history as “The Cavalry” in Agents of SHIELD and her own misgivings about being a hero for the horrific things she did. Romanov has finally cleared the red in her ledger (and that is a twist that hardcore comic and video game fans may find as controversial as The Mandarin/Trevor Slattery.) It could (and should on rewatch) be viewed after Civil War except its post credits scene reveals the fate of the character in Endgame.
The first two thirds of the film is a lesson Marvel should heed moving forward as the character development and fight sequences are top notch. But the final third delivers the usual and expected Marvel cliche (even more so than WandaVision.) I enjoyed all the Bond and Mission Impossible references, but it bordered on homage versus copycat. Indeed, every element of this film was seen or foreshadowed in other MCU films and for that Black Widow is comfort food, but not groundbreaking.
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That is something that bothers me in every modern action movie. It immediately distances me from the characters, and the fight scenes become an empty spectacle with all the danger removed.
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I would agree with all of that. My only issue with the twist was its placing, as Kurylenko is a much better actress than the role allowed her to be.
I was so excited to see her in the credits, and so disappointed with what they ended up giving her (“just one line! Come on, Feige!”)
Summary
I found her character similar to that of Ghost in Ant-Man. Somewhat underwhelming, but totally sympathetic. “Is he gone?” She’s not angry at Natasha for her disfigurement, but at Dreykoff for what he did to her. That’s understandable, and not unlike Cyborg and his father, but it lets Romanov off the hook for her responsibility in Antonia’s fate.