Pain and Glory (Dolor Y Gloria)

I know this is supposed to be showcasing Antonio Banderas, but I can't help but once again be enamoured by Penelope Cruz, who is just so ageless and radiant. 

One and a half thumbs up - not perfect but it was very beautiful, especially the flashbacks. It is described as a "series of reunions" which was a lovely way to put it in hindsight. 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Spies? Spies in the 1960s? Spies in the 1960s with cool fashion? Spies in the 1960s with cool fashion in Italy? Spies in the 1960s with cool fashion in Italy cavorting with wealthy people with nice things? AND everyone is ridiculously good-looking? Yes to everything.

One and a half thumbs up - what fun and a feast for the eyes! I know this didn't rate very well, but it doesn't take itself too seriously and I enjoy it a lot! 

Selena

Ali Wong is how I first knew about Selena. J.Lo notably mentioned for it intrigued me more. And this scene was very affirming. 

Half a thumbs up - as a movie, not that great. Having already read (multiple times) the Wikipedia entry for Selena, I was expecting a bit more. And in my head I always thought the antagonist was a young woman (I was wrong). But J.Lo was really good in it. Am disappointed however that she didn't get to sing in this, but was asked to lip-sync. 

The Shop Around The Corner

 Any scene or dialogue involving the 'Ochi Tchornya' cigarette box was JUST HILARIOUS. Especially when they all picked it up!

One and three quarters thumbs up - I loved it! It was so funny and sweet. What a wonderful surprise. I literally squealed in delight at these original scenes that were paralleled in 'You've Got Mail'. Should have had more goulash though! :p

Jumanji: The Next Level

I am blurring the lines between Danny DeVito and Frank Reynolds because so many times when it was his character/avatar in Jumanji, I was expecting much more crude dialogue than what it ends up being (e.g. can you imagine what Frank Reynolds would be saying if he was in the body of an Asian woman?!)

One and a quarter thumbs up - that was a fun ride, as expected. 

Joe Versus The Volcano

This is so wildly inferior to 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'You've Got Mail'. I see why no one talks about this Hanks/Ryan film. 

One thumbs down - it was a bit very lame. And any movie where you make up an ethnic people and culture is always fraught with being racist. Despite how crap it was, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan did have good chemistry and I am glad the universe/Nora Ephron gave them a second chance. 

National Treasure

Food club surprise was Nicolas Cage-free egg snacks. I was very proud of myself, if I must say so myself. 

One thumbs up - now this was silly. So was Nicolas Cage - he wanted to squeeze lemon juice, or possibly rub the lemon, DIRECTLY on the Declaration of Independence. 

Tenet

Look, I still don't fully get Inception. So I came into this expecting to not understand anything, which is exactly what happened. But you have to lean in and accept that you will have no idea what is going on, but to just go along with. Don't fight the quicksand/sinkhole into the land of confusion; just enjoy the swirl.

One and a half thumbs up - though this is probably over-rated by a quarter thumbs because it was just so good to be back in the cinema (I can't achieve this level of sound at home! Feel the vibrations because it was so loud!). But I enjoyed it, and I would even watch it again but only in the hearing-impaired session with closed captions. 

Wonder Woman

I wish there was a playlist of movie action sounds for me to fall asleep to. I don't know why, but I just do.

A quarter of a thumbs up - there isn't as much 'fun' or good fight scenes in this compared to say a Marvel movie. 

Being John Malkovich

Which comes first? The director or the screenplay writer? 

Turns out it's the screenwriter. The weird (primarily) and wonderful (eh) Charlie Kaufman. I mostly can't with him; it's just too wacky for me. The Jonze made the Kaufman slightly more palatable for this one. 

Three quarters thumbs up - my face was a constant battle between 'aa that is so weird' and 'heh that was funny'. However despite how weird and unnerving it was, I. Was. Hooked. 

Her Smell

I seriously could not understand any dialogue for the first hour. Could not tell if it was because of the constant and excessive background noises or because it was drug-addled jibber-jabber. 

One and a half thumbs down - probably being a bit harsh because I just cannot separate my dislike for the character with the movie. We have watched a lot of despicable characters in Movie Club but there is something about this brand of asshole that just riles me up. Don't do drugs kids. It makes you super selfish, self-absorbed, sweaty and breathy. Also don't go full dad jumper haha!

Bend It Like Beckham

I have always liked this film. It is very fun. And I always get a kick from seeing 'typical Asian family dynamics' on screen. Like I TOTALLY understand the strictness, the lying and sneaking, covering for your siblings. We just GET IT. 

One and a half thumbs up - probably because of the current zeitgeist, I am particularly aware that this is a film featuring mostly women, predominately 'of colour' and touches on racism, LGBT; but is overall a fairly liked film with a lot of people. I think being centred around sports helped. A lot. 

The Sound of Music

 Me: I don't remember this song ('Something Good' by Maria and the Captain before they get married) at all!

Daniel: Can't all be bangers

One and a half thumbs up - and noticing little anti-Nazi clues (the Austrian flag bit!) that clearly went over my head as a child. 

First Cow

I did not expect pastries to be the most exciting thing in a movie featuring an Asian person in Western Frontier times. 

Half a thumbs up - though it got much better, it doesn't make up for the first 20 minutes which was so boring and dragged out and 'not-integral' (-Nicole) to anything. This is why directors should not edit their own stuff; we get stuck with crap they will not let go of.  

The Fugitive

Of course this is the only reason I know of this film. P.S. there was an actual dam! Not just a Simpsons thing. 

One and a half thumbs up - sexy fast-paced action. Not sexy, but that was refreshing that they avoided the cliche and ditched both potential 'love interests'. I also liked that both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones' characters were smart, quick-to-action and not dumb-dumbs.