Tag Archives: Russell Crowe

Action, One Person Amy Action, Thriller

KRAVEN THE HUNTER (2024): New Trailer From Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinge, Christopher Abbott…

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Kraven The Hunter (2024), Alessandro Nivola, Marvel Entertainment
Kraven The Hunter (2024), Alessandro Nivola, Marvel Entertainment

Kraven the Hunter, Marvel’s latest action/thriller is about one man’s complex relationship with his father.

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe, Christopher Abbott and Fred Hechinge; vengeance with brutal consequences is what we can expect from director J.C. Chandor’s movie, also categorised on IMDb as as a ‘one-person army action’. film.

There’s clearly no end to the list of comic book stories I’m clueless about.

Fans of Kraven the Hunter comic books are undoubtedly excited about this. What I’m looking forward to most is Alessandro Nivola’s ‘The Rhino‘ character. Something about the menacing confidence in his slow movements, I’m sure. I especially want to learn whether The Rhino will still be my favourite once the film ends. Or will Taylor-Johnson’s Sergei Kravinoff (Kraven) take over?

Are you interested in immersing yourself in the world of Kraven the Hunter?

Billy Barratt, Levi Miller, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Murat Seven, Duran Fulton Brown, Chi Lewis-Parry, Dritan Kastrati, Elander Moore, Rachel Handshaw, Sachiko Yokoyama and Greg Kolpakchi also star.

Kraven The Hunter Release Dates: December 11th, 2024 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, No Spoiler Reviews, Sci-Fi

MAN OF STEEL (2013): The Things I Liked…

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Man of Steel (2012), Henry Cavill, Warner Bros. Pictures
Man of Steel (2012), Henry Cavill, Warner Bros. Pictures

Three things I realised while watching director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013): 

  1. Henry Cavill is a great Superman.
  2. Christopher Nolan, a.k.a ‘Inception (2010) and Tenet (2020) director Christopher Nolan’ wrote the script. Had I known this beforehand, I’d have watched the movie much sooner. Nolan’s involvement may also be why the musical score was so noticeably good. You know, as per most if not all Nolan films.
  3. This third point is a tad random buy here we go: To my (I want to say ‘expert’) eyes, Diane Lane and Paula Pattern (not in the movie) look as though they could be related. Do you see it?

I enjoyed most of what happens in Man of Steel, from the music, performances, very engaging story to the special effects and action. Yet I can’t deny that I did start to lose interest after the two-hour mark when there was still another twenty-three minutes remainig. 

Other things that stood out less positively include the fight sequence between Superman and General Zod (Michael Shannon) towards the end. It just wasn’t quite the exciting well-choreographed face-off I expected. Also, there’s a strange moment in the film when a military officer references Superman’s ‘hotness’/attractiveness. Instead of being funny, the dialogue felt more out of place.

I know it’s been seven years since this movie was released, which means you’ve probably seen it already, if not more than once. Nevertheless, I say Man of Steel is worth watching. Particularly because of Cavill and all the other positive points mentioned above. 

Happy Film Loving

G

Biography, Crime, Drama

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (2019): New Trailer From Nicholas Hoult, George MacKay, Charlie Hannum, Russell Crowe…

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The True Story Of The Kelly Gang (2019), Charlie Hunnam
The True Story Of The Kelly Gang (2019), Charlie Hunnam

Set during 1870s Australia, The History Of The Kelly Gang is a new crime/biography about Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities

Based on the novel by Peter Carey, director Justin Kurzel’s key cast includes George MacKay, Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam.

It’s not so much the story of all the killing that interests me, or even the Ned Kelly legend. I mostly want to to find out how well the finished product comes together with the mix of Hoult, Hunnam and Crowe.

Essie Davis, Orlando Schwerdt, Thomasin McKenzie, Earl Cave, Marlon Williams, Sean Keenan and Louis Hewison also star.

The History Of The Kelly Gang Release Dates…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Biography, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

BOY ERASED (2018): The Thing I Liked…

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Boy Erased (2018), Nicole Kidman, Lucas Hedges
Boy Erased (2018), Nicole Kidman, Lucas Hedges

Boy Erased is a biographical drama based on a specific time in the life of Garrard Conley, a Baptist preacher’s son who as a teenager was forced to take part in a church-supported gay conversion program. A disturbing and damaging practice that I’m sadly unsurprised to learn still continues today. 

Besides standing out for being a heartbreaking true story that’s well-acted and directed, Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Joel Edgerton’s latest movie features several scenes that will stay with me for a while.

My very favourite one is a scene so moving that it made me realise I don’t actually recall the last time I so desperately wanted a person’s all-important phone call to be answered.

My second favourite scene takes place just before the one with the phone call. It’s a moment that had me hoping every parent with a strong-willed child recognises the value of their child’s will. Especially when the child chooses to question what appears as nonsense, at the most crucial time, regardless of who may be spewing said nonsense.

Boy Erased has many heartbreaking things that happen, meaning you really won’t be laughing much, if at all. Still, I found the experience worthwhile for the insight into what can occur at gay conversion camps, and for well-executed and memorable scenes that take place towards the end.

Watch it if it intrigues you enough, and also because it’s more hopeful than you might think.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, No Spoiler Reviews

THE MUMMY (2017): The Things I Liked…

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The Mummy (2017), Sofia Boutella
The Mummy (2017), Sofia Boutella

Starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Russell Crowe and Annabelle Wallis; there are parts of director Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy, a story about an ancient Egyptian princess, one awakened from her crypt and determined to wreak havoc, that I enjoyed. An example would be Russell Crowe’s ‘second character’ who proved a lot of fun to watch even though he appears but very briefly.

Another highlight is courtesy of Sofia Boutella, an actress who was introduced to many audiences as Gazelle in Matthew Vaughn’s rather good Kingsman – The Secret Service (2014). I adored Gazelle even though she was a ‘baddie.’ And because of that experience, I was sure that Boutella would bring something special, particularly physicality-wise to the character of The Mummy (Princess Ahmanet).

Princess Ahmanet stood out so much for me that all other performances and characters mostly paled in comparison. Perhaps her character was just the most interesting overall. What I know for sure is that I found myself genuinely scared of the idea that I might personally encounter the princess as I went about my day-to-day. Something to do with the costume design and special effects, I’m sure. That and Boutella’s performance, of course. There’s also the fact that a lot of the film is set in London, England, my beloved city.

I admit that there are points during The Mummy when I thought, ‘This is interesting. Now, I’m excited about the other movies coming from Universal’s ‘Dark Universe’. It’s just unfortunate that by the end of the film, I was singing an entirely different tune altogether.  The story, writing and execution turned out to feel too basic for me, especially for a Tom Cruise movie. 

On a more positive note, I’m now even more curious about Egypt’s real history and I may just delve into that as a result. I may even…

Who am I kidding? I’m busy, and far too into film to make time for more history books.

Give The Mummy a chance if you’re curious.

Happy Film Loving,

G