Watched I Came By (2022) from letterboxd.com
A rebellious young graffiti artist who targets the homes of the wealthy elite but discovers a shocking secret that leads him on a journey endangering himself and those closest to him.

Honestly, after Wounds, I was hoping for something a bit freakier.

★★★

My review

Watched Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) from letterboxd.com
After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now inexplicably wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

The Thor and Mighty Thor thing works well enough. Nice to see the King of Asgard back in action as well. Korg sadly demoted from hilarious comedy foil to exposition fountain. Christian Bale about the most one-dimension baddie since Malekith.

I can’t say much about the plot. I’m not sure there is one.

How do you go from a top 5 slot on your first MCU movie to a bottom 5 on your second?

★★

My review

Watched The Guard (2011) from letterboxd.com
When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.

This is the kind of film that you quote lines from, to yourself, and chuckle. Then a colleague asks you what you’re laughing at and you try to explain but end up looking like psychopath. Sorry, sociopath.

★★★★

My review

Watched Ms. Marvel (2022) from letterboxd.com
A great student, avid gamer, and voracious fan-fic scribe, Kamala Khan has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. However, she struggles to fit in at home and at school — that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?

Swings hard for style over substance and pretty much pulls it off. The recap at the start of E6 contains the whole “story”, so it’s disappointing on that front.

Iman Vellani is a wonderful Ms Marvel. To be honest, the only bit of casting I didn’t warm to was Bruno 🤷‍♀️

The multigenerational story of Kamala’s maternal heritage really worked for me.

★★★½

My review

Watched Venom (2018) from letterboxd.com
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock attempts a comeback following a scandal, but accidentally becomes the host of Venom, a violent, super powerful alien symbiote. Soon, he must rely on his newfound powers to protect the world from a shadowy organization looking for a symbiote of their own.

My expectations for this movie were rock bottom. But this movie knows exactly what it is and goes for it.

It’s based on a comic about a dude that bonds with an alien, symbiotic lifeform. Others have tried to “elevate” this type of source material and failed.

This doesn’t try to be anything more than it is (total nonsense) and on that basis it fully succeeds.

I’ve not seen Michelle Williams in anything since Brokeback Mountain. She’s great.

★★★

My review

Watched Prince of Darkness (1987) from letterboxd.com
A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.

First watch. It’s 35 years old but I’ve not seen anything quite like that before.

★★★½

My review

Watched Jacob's Ladder (1990) from letterboxd.com
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

The people behind the Denzel version of The Manchurian Candidate loved this movie, I reckon.

But, this is actually a story about the power of love, I guess.

★★★★

My review

Watched Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008) from letterboxd.com
When Giratina is discovered to be able to create parallel dimensions, it's up to Ash and his friends to stop a mysterious stranger from using its powers for evil.

Another thumbs up from the Pokénuts.

Fairly standard Pokémon film. I do like the positive environmental messages. The baddie in this one is exceptionally unhinged.

★★

My review

Watched Trolls World Tour (2020) from letterboxd.com
Queen Poppy and Branch make a surprising discovery — there are other Troll worlds beyond their own, and their distinct differences create big clashes between these various tribes. When a mysterious threat puts all of the Trolls across the land in danger, Poppy, Branch, and their band of friends must embark on an epic quest to create harmony among the feuding Trolls to unite them against certain doom.

The techno trolls, clearly the best thing in it, are grossly under-used!

★★

My review