Month: March 2024

The Beautiful Game

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A football team led by their coach Mal (Bill Nighy), travel from London to Rome to compete in the Homeless World Cup. A last minute addition is former semi-professional Vinny Walker (Michael Ward) who has a chip on his shoulder, but a great set of skills. He soon learns that he will have to confront his past in order to help the team and move on with his own life.

I think what makes this movie so compelling is the fact that it is based on true events. The Homeless World Cup is a real life football competition that takes place annually. It gives opportunity to those who may not otherwise have it . And while the stories of our characters may be fabricated, I really enjoyed seeing how these countries banded together over the love of a game.

Nighy is a world class actor who has tackled many different roles throughout his career. He was the perfect choice for the England team coach. The way in which he mentored these men who had once lost their way was really lovely to see. His relationships with each team member (Callum Scott Howells, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor, Sheyi Cole, Kit Young and Robin Nazari) were special in their own way – he was like a father figure to them. I have to say that this is very much Ward’s movie, however. He gave a convincing performance as the jilted football star and while at times it was starting to get old, it was also necessary to the plot.

The match scenes were a joy to watch. They were filled with so much energy and excitement, which is normal for a football game, but this time around felt different. You could tell that this Cup meant so much to these characters and that just added to my overall enjoyment of the film. There were so many moments where I couldn’t decide which team I wanted to win!

I really liked The Beautiful Game. A feel good story at its core, it makes you appreciate the little things in life. There were various moments throughout where I had tears in my eyes because it really touched me and that wasn’t something I was expecting. I highly recommend checking out this wholesome film over this Easter holiday weekend.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Irish Wish

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Lindsay Lohan is back in her second venture with Netflix. In Irish Wish, she stars as Maddie, a book editor who has been in love with her boss Paul (Alexander Vlahos) ever since they started working together. When Paul gets engaged to her best friend Emma (Elizabeth Tan), Maddie puts her feelings aside and travels to Ireland for the wedding. Before the big day, she makes a wish for true love and wakes up as the bride to be. But just because all of her dreams are starting to come true doesn’t mean they won’t come at a price.

Words cannot describe how happy I am to have Lohan back on the scene. Her comeback holiday hit Falling For Christmas proved that she never should have left in the first place and I have since been excited to see what she would do next. With her natural charm and comedic chops, Lohan effortlessly carries this film on her back.

Being torn between two men is no easy feat, but it is the chemistry between Lohan’s Maddie and Ed Speleers as nature photographer James that wins. From the very first moment they meet to the moments they spend together in the alternate reality, it is clear that our heroine is meant to be with him instead of Paul. Vlahos did a great job in making the audience dislike his character. In fact, the rest of the casting was pretty spot on as well with Ayesha Curry as Maddie’s other bestie Heather, Matty McCabe as Paul’s brother Kory and Jane Seymour as Maddie’s mom Rosemary.

Another selling point of the film was its Irish backdrop. The cliffside landscapes and magical wishing garden mixed with the quaint town and the beautiful Kennedy estate all elevated the magical element of the story. I’ve been to Ireland before, but now I want to go back and explore even more of it.

Lindsay Lohan is what makes Irish Wish work so well. If she wasn’t in it, I probably wouldn’t have checked it out. We’ve seen various takes on the same story before and some of the dialogue cringey and uneven. But it was still cute and a perfect way to pass time after a long and tiring week and that’s all that matters.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

Damsel

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Doing what she thinks is best for her family, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry the handsome and seemingly perfect Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). When she realizes their union is a trap, it is too late – she’s thrown into a cave inhabited by a fire-breathing dragon and she must do whatever she can to survive.

Considering the fact that Netflix is known for putting out mediocre films, I went into this one with little to no expectations. Imagine my surprise when I found myself becoming invested and actually kind of enjoying myself?

While it takes way longer than it should to get going, the film did pick up in a big way. With no scene partner to work off of, Brown was completely at the forefront and I have to say that she totally delivered. Her tenacity and bravery to get to safety was thrilling to watch and I found myself waiting in bated breath to see how it would all turn out. Brown, who has been a Netflix protegee since Stranger Things, is certainly one to watch.

Though we don’t see them often, the additions of Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett and Robin Wright as the respective parents were selling points. Robinson unfortunately had quite a wooden performance as the prince thanks to some cringe worthy lines.

The special effects were mostly convincing save for a couple of green screen landscapes. The cave scenes in particular and the dragon itself was quite well done. At times it felt realistic and like the Kingdom of Aurea really does exist.

Damsel was way better than I was expecting it to be. Taking the damsel in distress trope and spinning it on its head was a brilliant idea. It’s no masterpiece by any means, but it made for an entertaining watch and that’s all that matters.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Dune Part Two

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The long awaited Dune sequel is here and holy crap was it worth the wait! I’m not the biggest science fiction fan, but even I have to admit that this instalment was on a whole other level. I was left completely and utterly transfixed on what was unfolding in front of me.

Picking up right from where we left off, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) has joined forces with the Fremen and is getting closer to Chani (Zendaya) as a result. Despite the prophecy claiming he is the Chosen One, he does all that he can to stay true to himself while grappling with his inevitable fate.

Firstly, it’s important to note how visually stunning the cinematography is here. The way in which the landscapes were shot from the sand dunes to the various locations were literally out of this world. It was like an overload to the senses at times and I mean that in the best way possible. Just absolutely outstanding!

The acting here is top notch with everyone delivering career best performances. Chalamet solidifies the fact that he was the right choice for our leader; I wasn’t sure of him before, but now I am. It was great to have more of Zendaya on screen this time around as she really was the grounding force throughout. Newcomers to the group Florence Pugh and Austin Butler fit right in; the former was the perfect Princess Irulan while the latter was completely chilling as the sadistic Feyd-Rautha. Complete with Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgärd and Charlotte Rampling, there was nothing they couldn’t do.

While there were times where I felt the pace needed to pick up slightly and the open ending, I was engrossed the whole way through. I remember enjoying the first film, but this was so much more elevated. It was easy to follow, had great story arcs and an incredible score that fit perfectly. This is what cinema is all about – being swept away into another world and forgetting where you are for that moment in time.

Dune Part Two really is worth the hype that it’s been getting. Run don’t walk to your nearest cinema and enjoy it on the big screen. You won’t be disappointed!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️.5