Last movie I went to see (Jurassic World) which was forgettable, I tried to use my Sinemia pass and it didn’t seem to work. Likely user error, but when I tried for Incredibles 2 later in the month it was’t available. So I have cancelled my subscription. It is only the stale, aging films in the theatres with empty seats that are available under this program. So not only do you need to see a movie a month (2 to make it pay for itself), they have to be older. It’s just not working for me.
Onto the films. I have only seen older films this past couple of weeks. One was Spiderman Homecoming which is the Avengers side story when Spiderman the 15yo kid is parked by Iron Man to “mature” and he bungs the whole thing up by getting all “I’m an adult and can take on the world thing”. He’s a kid. A quirky kid who hangs out with the overweight dude excited about building the Lego Death Star. Here we have Michael Keaton (the original Batman) portraying an ordinary guy who is cleaning up an Avengers Alien mess and stumbles upon alien power eggs – so he goes into the underground weapons business. As part of this he creates his own Birdman (how clever!!) outfit to steal his materials. Birdman of course is the 2015 Oscar Winner for Best Picture, NOT supported by me who maintains Imitation Game is the superior film — but I digress. Here Birdman takes on the Spider-child. There is a moment of shocking disbelief in this film that I won’t describe further. But in the genre where your level of disbelief must be rather low already, this is a kick in the frank and beans. Do I need to see more Avengers and superhero movies? No. Not unless they are Christopher Nolan Batman quality. In an age of Ant Man and Aqua Man, do I think that those will materialize? Nope. But one can always be hopeful. I don’t certainly need to see another Spidey like this one.
The Stranger is by Orson Welles and from 1946. It is a black and white picture. It was nominated for Best Story. It didn’t win. It’s a basic story with a detective of sorts (Edward G Robinson) trying to track down a Nazi who was responsible for Death Camps (Welles). Welles a Professor named Rankin is looking to disappear in the US, and hopes to marry a Supreme Court Justice’s daughter. I had been curious lately about Welles and I had seen previously Third Man and Citizen Kane. Welles is a master, although he seems to have only been deemed that in his later years and after he was gone. He died at 70yo back in 1985.
I am hearing good things about Mission Impossible Fallout. Ebert site calls it one of the best pictures of the year. I liked Ghost Protocol, as I felt the new female lead was a good addition (Rebecca Ferguson) and she was also good in The Greatest Showman. I wasn’t as happy about the peeling faces off in earlier versions, but these were better. Anyway, it is on the list to see – without the Sinemia app!
Mondays With Robbie 