I’m beginning to think I spend too much time watching films, if that’s possible?

Last week I was working on the weekend so I had a random day of mid-week. My writing was done for the day, and Tabby was working and I haven’t really been playing games lately, so I was just looking through the various streaming sites and saw that Snowpiercer was on Prime video, which had been on my neverending list of films to watch at some point. I thought why not and pressed play. A seriously good watch. A post-appocalyptic future where the whole world is frozen. The only surviving humans are living on a train that circles the entire world, never stopping. The train is split into the front half and the back half. The rich and the poor. Chris Evans and John Hurt lead a revolution from the back half of the train and try to take over the front half.

One of the things I really like about this film is that there is actual risk all the way through it. Early on there is a fight, which pretty much every named character survives, just as in most typical films. It did bother me a little, but then straight away afterwards death and consequence becomes real. This film does not shy away from killing its characters, which is very refreshing. As you watch the film you are drawn into the world lives of those from the back half of the train. Watching them die is heartbreaking and painful. It doesn’t at any point feel like they are killing characters for shock value and each death hits home.

Tilda Swinton is also a highlight in Snowpiercer, but when isn’t she? I haven’t seen many films that she has starred in, but I know I’m going to enjoy a film whenever I see her name pop up at the beginning. Somebody I really should look into watching more from.

The next film that I finally got around to was Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. We watched the first one last year, and seeing that the new film is only a few weeks away from its UK release, we decided to finally get around to the second one. That makes it soud like Tabby and I were putting it off. We weren’t. Keanu Reeves is one of Tabby’s favourite actors and we did both enjoy the first film. The second was actually even better. Laugh out loud funny and the perfect film for a Friday night after work. I think we are both looking forward to the next one in a few weeks time.

Last Saturday I crossed off one of the films from very high on my list. Bonnie and Clyde from 1967 staring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. This is a film that I kept on hearing about. It was mentioned in podcasts, documentaries and books about movies. Each time I heard about it I kept on making a note that I needed to watch it. I love Badlands, True Romance and Thelma and Louise and I kept on hearing that this sub-genre of crime films where the leads are on the run started with Bonnie and Clyde. I could feel the influence that it had over the later films when watching it. It was the worth the wait and I really enjoyed it.

The story of two criminals travelling America with their gang and robbing banks. The film makes you really care for them. While I’m not sure how accurate it was to the true story, I was engrossed and I even though I knew their fate, I really didn’t want them to die by the end and what an ending it was. So brutally bloody. I’m pretty sure it’s not a spoiler to say they are gunned down by the police at the end. It’s the one thing I knew for sure about them before watching. The film takes you on a journey and makes you care about Bonnie and Clyde and even though you know it’s going to happen, it’s not easy to watch. Even by today’s standards it’s a bloodbath.

Funnily enough I spent most of this week watching the 12 part documntary The Movies, which tells the story of the rise of movies from the silent beginnings to the modern superhero blockbuster. It turns out that Bonnie and Clyde isn’t the beginning of this sub-genre. The movie itself was inspired by a french film from 1960 called Breathless, directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Something else I’ve added to my list.

The last film I’ve watched this week was the new live-action re-make of Mulan. Tabby’s favourite Disney film. I didn’t watch the animated film as a child so I don’t hold it in a special place. I did enjoy it when I finally got around to seeing it, but I don’t remember much about it and it didn’t leave the new film a massive benchmark to live up to. For the most part I’m not sure how I feel about the live-action Disney remakes. I’ve liked some, mainly Jungle Book and Aladdin, the others just seemed pointless and Dumbo was just awful. We were supposed to see Mulan back in March, the week of Tabby’s birthday and then the whole world stopped for 6 months. Paying for it on Disney plus was a no brainer for us. A late birthday present for Tabby.

I enjoyed it. A fun family friendly action fantasy film. The story is the same and there are some good laughs along the way. Tabby enjoyed it, emotional from the opening scene. The film is absolutely gorgeous and I do wish we could have seen the breathtaking scenery on the big screen. It is probably worth a watch just for that. There are no surprises here, and like most of the re-makes it stay close to the source material. I wouldn’t say go out of your way for it, but I think if you like the original there is nothing to worry about here. It’s fun and enjoyable.

My favourite movie of the bunch is Snowpiercer. Original and thrilling. I wish I had watched it sooner and can’t recommend it enough. There is a TV series as well, which is a retelling of the film’s story. I will give it a go at some point, but I know it won’t live up. Some stories just don’t need more than 2 hours.

There are 3 films we have for the weekend. Official Secrets, Greed and Angel Heart. Not 100% sure what to expect, but I’m excited to find out. I’m also hoping to find time to watch I’m thinking of Ending Things. The trailer looked interesting enough and it does looks like something different.

Let me know if you’ve seen any of the films I’ve mentioned or have any recommendations. What are you watching this week?

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley