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Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Gentle family comedy-drama probably isn't anything really special, but compared to Peter Rabbit (which it has a number of similarities to) it looks like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Seven Samurai (or whatever you think one of History's Great Films is). Christopher Robin lives through the Second World War, grows up to become an unhappy office drone in danger of losing his soul; Pooh Bear and the other stuffed animals manifest to help him remember the Important Things in Life.

No real surprises, to be honest, but it's well-made, quite well-played, reasonably well-written, and it doesn't try to make Winnie the Pooh 'contemporary' or 'irreverent'. Some parts of it are genuinely quite sweet, others funny (Mark Gatiss' hairpiece always seems about to take on a CGI life of its own). Hardly essential viewing, but the whole family could probably watch this together and have a decent time doing so.
  
    Carman for VAG

    Carman for VAG

    Utilities and Productivity

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    This product scans VAG vehicles for problems, clear any existing fault codes. The app can detect and...

    Arab Idol

    Arab Idol

    1.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    YouTube Channel

    برنامج Arab Idol من أشهر البرامج الغنائية في العالم والذي...

Fast & Furious (2009)
Fast & Furious (2009)
2009 | Action, Mystery
Back on track
The best way to describe Fast & Furious would be as a guilty pleasure. There's nothing to lend weight to this film as a great work, an Oscar contender or a movie worthy of critical acclaim, but there something about this, as there was with the first, The Fast And The Furious, back in 2001.

Rob Cohen has never been known for subtlety and his 2001 film was far from it, but even even though he had nothing to do with this, his stamp is well and truly on it. Fast & Furious is the fourth in this surprising successful franchise, and besides the fact that I liked the original in spite of the fact that I'm NOT a motor-head, I've avoided the intervening sequels, 2 fast, 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift, for one simple reason, besides the fact that just didn't fancy them.

No Vin Diesel. I'm not suggesting that Vin is the greatest actor in the Hollywood, nor should be treading the boards of the Royal Shakespeare Company anytime soon, but his blockhead with a heart of gold persona works for me. He's likable and suits this role down to a tee, as does his dimwitted surfer dude sidekick, Paul Walker.

Walker offers nothing significant to the film except for his relationship with Diesel. The pairing is enjoyable but little more, but isn't that the point of adrenalin films like this? This is about cars, women, cops and robbers, and great fun to boot. The tone of this movie is on par with Cohen's original and though I can't justifiably compare this to the sequels which I have never seen, I don't want too either. This is the sequel that 2 Fast should have been and I only hope that now they're back on track, that Fast & Furious 5 could be another romp worthy of a watch.

It's nice to see a franchise go off track and find its feet again after so many years and it is a testament to the original cast who, though only have a limited range, have clearly breathed life back into the franchise.
  
The Tree of Life (2011)
The Tree of Life (2011)
2011 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Challenge yourself. Give this a watch!
I have to admit to not having seen many films directed by Terrence Malick. Not by choice, just hadn't gotten around to it. I watched The Thin Red Line when it was released, but thought it was inferior to Saving Private Ryan which was released around the same time. I will give a rewatch soon.

I saw another review which said to describe this film would be like trying to describe the color blue to someone who was blind. A basically impossible task.

The easiest way for me would be to mention other movies, so if you took parts of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mother!, Revolutionary Road and Stand By Me you might start to come close to the interesting weave of imagery and story which conjoin this film.



Loosely speaking, it's about a family with 3 young boys in Texas in the 1950s. Their relationships, their troubles, their triumphs, the small insignificant moments in their lives combined with the very important ones. Throw in scenes of the creation of the universe, dinosaurs and unusual images of the Earth itself you'll finally start to maybe understand the complexity of this film.

Of course, this is a film like 2001 or Mother in which some will say it is crap or there is no meaning beyond what is displayed onscreen, but I would beg to differ. I respect everyone's opinions, but strive to seek out films that make me think a little and make me ponder during and after the end credits are complete and this film will do that for sure.

I am not a religious person, but you don't need to be to appreciate the vivid imagery in this film. I believe Malick supports differing views whether you believe in God or not.

In short, in a world of summer blockbusters just beyond the horizon, I would challenge you to enjoy those films as they have their place, but also challenge yourself with something rich.

I know I will be finding Days of Heaven and Badlands to get more Malick in the weeks ahead.