Silent Runner

You won't go wrong with many Scott Adkins films - The Debt Collector and Accident Man are great fun.

Underwater https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774060/ A crew of oceanic researchers working for a deep sea drilling company try to get to safety after a mysterious earthquake devastates their deepwater research and drilling facility located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This rips off about 10 other, much better, films - Aliens, The Descent, The Abyss etc. But never really amounts to anything. Kristen Stewart and Vincent Cassel but in good turns but they can't really save it. The frustrating thing is that it feels like there is the bones of a good film here but it never gets a chance to live. For example, about 30 seconds into the film the disaster hits and from there on it's panic all the way. But if they'd taken a few minutes to introduce characters and the setting I might have cared a bit more when they start getting killed off. And it looks like it has a decent budget - the sets are nice, the character design on the monsters in competent and there's a bit of thought gone into the design. A real waste of potential. 2/5

He put his boot thought that one unlike what he was doing in the first half. Really great stuff this half.

Probably - think the poll needs more options. I bought the most expensive sub back during lockdown 1 because I kept getting the 'Too many simultaneous log-ins' error. Because my sister, nephews, nieces and parents were all stuck in their houses and used my account. The only things I've watched recently were Glass Onion (excellent) and Pretty Little Liars (removed in October before I finished it). If they have a reasonably priced 4K, 1 screen price I might keep it but it's slipping down the subscription services for me.

I'm curious to see how many times that prick can pull the shirt off Saka before a foul is given.

If Nketiah through the middle is the only option until Jesus is back we're finished.

Nah, isn't the line something like which is a great line.

I really liked it. There's some nice twists and misdirection and the cast are all great. It's probably one of those stories that fall apart if you think about it too long but it's a fun ride while you're watching.

I watched Violent Night this evening. David Harbour is Santa Claus who gets caught up in a home invasion in an isolated mansion. It lifts from Die Hard, Home Alone and a few other far superior films. Thought this was total dog-shit. Just lazy, humourless and annoying. A total waste of a good premise and decent cast. 2/5

Yeah, it didn’t really work. The couple were fun but the story and the ‘twist’ were pretty weak. I don’t think it will replace The Devil of Christmas as their best Christmas work.

Mike Hodges died. He directed Get Carter, Flash Gordon and loads more. He had a good run.

This is my unordered list - there's a few more I want to see before the end of the year. Red Rocket Benedetta The Worst Person in The World The French Dispatch X Olivia Rodrigo - driving home to u Bull The Batman Men Prey Orphan First Kill Nope Speak No Evil Bodies Bodies Bodies Barbarian Don't Worry Darling A Wounded Fawn Vengeance Banshees of Inisherin Crime of The Future X will probably by my favourite of the year. Haven't seen Top Gun or Avatar, probably won't bother with them.

Angelo Badalamenti died. So much great music, I still regularly give his Twin Peaks stuff a spin.

Vengeance https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11976532/ A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her. BJ Novak is a cliched New York millennial - he writes for the New Yorker, has a string of women in his phone and is trying to get a podcast started. After a miscommunication he ends up in rural west-Texas for a funeral. And while there gets involved in what might be a murder investigation but he sees it as an opportunity to get a new podcast off the ground. This came out a while back and kind-of disappeared but I thought it was really good. It starts out as a cliched city-type in amongst a load of hicks but it flips that early on. As he records his podcast he discovers that there might be something to the story and that maybe he's in danger. Or maybe the whole thing is a shaggy-dog story with nothing under the surface. I had an absolute blast with this. The cast are excellent - Novak is perfect as the slightly jaded New Yorker and the support cast (Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron) are all quality. It looks great and the big Texas scenery is always dramatic, the plot is tight and it's really funny in places. It might be recency-bias but this is one of my favourites of the year. Loved it. 4.5/5

Manuel Neuer broke his leg skiing and is out for the rest of the season. Seems absolutely wild that players getting paid millions are allowed have these dangerous hobbies.

Looks a lot like Gaslit, the TV show from earlier this year. It was about the same people - Liddy, Dean, Mitchell etc. Watergate nostalgia is a powerful thing.

Great stuff from Argentina. They should eat Croatia.

Oh fuck this anyway.

How is Messi not booked there?

Good half there. Big fan of the referee firing out cards all over the place.

Absolute quality. Thank god for that.

Drive My Car https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14039582/ A renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with his wife's unexpected passing when he receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. This is a long film (three hour run-time) based on a short-story. It's told in 6 languages (including Korean sign-language) and spans 2 years. A theatre actor discovers his wife is having an affair, before he can confront her she dies. He's destroyed with guilt and grief and seems to be drifting aimlessly until he is asked to direct a play in Hiroshima. The film then follows him as he auditions actors for the roles, develops the staging, manages relationships etc all while still grieving his wife. When he starts his work he is surprised to learn that the job comes with a driver who will bring him to and from the theatre every day. At first their relationship is a bit strained but the slowly become friends and they start to discuss their pasts. Every support character is well-written and every story plays out in a satisfying way. I know the above isn’t really selling this film but I think it’s the best thing I’ve watched this year. The slow pace let’s everything reveal itself gradually but at just the right speed. The cast are all excellent, it looks amazing - all empty streets at night, beautiful interiors and nice Japanese countryside - there’s a great soundtrack and a perfect ending. 5/5

Nothing better than seeing those dog-shit penalties batted away - anyone doing one of those staggered, walk-ups should be ashamed at this stage.

It's like watching Brazil.

Embarrassing stuff from Japan.