By Neptune DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS – Honour among Thieves **1/2 This whole theme of medieval adventure and humour was originally an interactive game. Hugely popular, it has been turned into another blockbuster franchise to draw in the young crowd. It is mostly innocent fantasy escapades, with all sorts of tricks and strange creatures – something […]
FILM: AIR *** Ben Affleck and Matt Damon together again
7 April 2023. By Neptune AIR *** Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, long-time friends from school days in Massachusetts, have always been powerhouse actors and creators, especially while working together, as they did in 1997 when, on their first collaborative film, they won screenwriting Oscars for Gus van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting”. Well, they’re back […]
FILM: THE LOST KING ***
31 March 2023. By Neptune THE LOST KING *** Great – another Stephen Frears film! The works of this English director – such as “My Beautiful Laundrette” (with Daniel Day Lewis), “Dangerous Liaisons” (with John Malkovich and Glenn Close), “The Queen” (with Helen Mirren), or “Florence Foster Jenkins” (with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant) – […]
FILM: JOHN WICK – Chapter IV *1/2 – one kill per minute
24 March 2023. By Neptune JOHN WICK – Chapter IV *1/2 Apparently there is one kill per minute of runtime – bodies being shattered and smithereened – in the latest instalment of this brutal franchise. That really says it all. The film, almost 3 hours long, is pure mayhem, with a few moments of respite […]
FILM: HALLELUJAH : LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG ****
17 March 2023. By Neptune HALLELUJAH : LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG **** Seriously, this documentary is one not to be missed! Especially if you are in the AVS category, and lived the delights of the 1960s. And for all others who appreciate a charismatic ‘mensch’. From his sublime “Suzanne” in 1967 to “Dance […]
FILM: WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? ***
10 March 2023. By Neptune WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? *** A good romantic comedy is a rare thing these days, so this one is a gift that you should not let slip by. The title actually says it all, for this film is about diverging views on finding lasting love. With the […]
FILM: CREED III **1/2
3 March 2023. By Neptune CREED III **1/2 We are in the footsteps of “Rocky” in this umpteenth chapter of a string of boxing giants, created originally by Sylvester Stallone. There’s obviously a great deal of brutal, bruising boxing scenes for that’s the leitmotif of this whole franchise. But somehow this one seems more character-driven […]
FILM: THE FABELMANS **1/2 – Spielberg’s childhood
24 February 2023. By Neptune THE FABELMANS **1/2 Steven Spielberg – scenarist, director, producer – is no doubt one of the greats of filmdom. From his first thrilling “Duel” in 1971 at the age of 25, to “E.T.”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Catch Me If You Can”, and his ultimate masterpiece “Schindler’s List” (to list only […]
FILM: TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE ***1/2
17 February 2023. By Neptune TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE ***1/2 (vo Russian) Film directors can be like the rebel directors of today’s opera productions who take a grand classic such as Mozart’s “Abduction from the Seraglio” and set it on a cruise ship; or Olivier Py, who has taken Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” and Berg‘s “Lulu” and made sexual […]
FILM: MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE **
10 February 2023. By Neptune MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE ** This Steven Soderbergh extravaganza starts off with quite a bang. We’re in beautiful Miami and the living is rich. Our hero, Mike, who was a male stripper (played by the talented Tatum Channing, from the past two Magic Mike movies), is now bartending at the […]
