The Sound of Music (1965)

Director: Robert Wise

Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker

A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.

The Nuns at the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg are not convinced free-spirited Maria (Julie Andrews) is ready to be a nun. The Reverand Mother then sends Maria to naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) – whose wife recently died – to look after his seven children.

The children are between the ages of five and sixteen. With Georg running the house as if he is on one of his ships, the children are subjected to a very strict upbringing and not even allowed to play. At first, it seems like its going to be a daunting task for our inexperienced young heroin, but as she gets to know the children – and they her – a strong bond forms between them.

When Georg goes away to visit Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Eleanor Parker) – whom he intends to marry – Maria and the children get a chance to be adventurous. In the process she becomes a mother figure to them. I enjoyed Maria being a free-spirited yet strong character who never allowed Georg to intimidate her, and she always voiced her opinion.

The love story was predictable, I suppose, but it is a beautiful and romantic story and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I must say, for a three-hour long movie, it was surprisingly fast-moving and I was never bored. On the contrary, I enjoyed every moment very much. The film took a very different direction during the third act, which I never expected, and it was wonderful.

‘The Sound of Music’ boasts fantastic sets and production design, beautiful costumes, good cinematography, good and funny dialogue, and superb performances. I absolutely love this delightful movie!

‘The Sound of Music’ received 31 award nominations, winning 18 including Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music. It also received Oscar nominations for Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Costume Design.

On a budget of $8.2 million, the film earned $286.2 million.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

The Innocents (2021)

Director: Eskil Vogt

Starring: Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf

During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren’t looking. In this original and gripping supernatural thriller, playtime takes a dangerous turn.

9-Year old Ida seems to have a nasty streak for wanting to hurt people. Although it appears to be innocent fun for a kid, we sense something almost sinister about her. Anna, her older sister, has autism and doesn’t speak. She only makes sounds, and also can’t feel pain.

Ida befriends Ben, who soon shows her that he is able to move small object via telekinesis. Ben appears to have cruel intentions, with seemingly no conscience. They befriend Aisha, who is able to communicate via telepathy. Ida decides to introduce them to Anna, and together the four kids slowly discover their powers. It turns out Anna is the only one with supernatural powers.

When Ben starts getting out of control, the others must stop him, and there’s enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat! The child actors are absolutely fantastic. Alva Brynsmo Ramstad was incredible in a very demanding role as Anna, while Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum was able to convey so much emotion with a simple glance, or stare.

‘The Innocents’ is a highly effective, slow burn psychological horror film. The innocents are not all that innocent after all…

The film reminded me of 2012’s ‘Chronicle’, with four teenagers discovering powers, and one of them slowly but surely getting out of control.

‘The Innocents’ received 33 award nominations, winning 16 including Best Non-English Language Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design, Best Editing, Best Feature Film, Best Actress (for Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum).

In Norwegian.

Would I watch it again? Maybe.

Amores Perros (2000)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo

An amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, all separately struggling to find love, find their lives transformed by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City.

‘Amores Perros’ tells three stories that interconnect. The first story is called ‘Octavio and Susana’. Susana is married to Ramiro, who works at a supermarket. To provide for them he robs stores. Ramiro’s brother, Octavio, lives with them. When Susana accidentally lets Ramiro’s dog Cofi out, Cofi kills Poncho – a fighter dog owned by Jarocho. Realizing Cofi’s capabilities, Octavio starts dog fighting with Cofi. (Many of these scenes will be too sensitive for dog lovers, as it was for me, even if shown merely for a few seconds). Octavio is secretly in love with Susana and – with Susana being ill-treated by Ramiro – Octavio asks Susana to run away with him. There are a few unexpected twists, though.

The second story is called ‘Daniel and Valeria’. Caught in a loveless marriage, Daniel is having an affair with model Valeria. When he eventually leaves his wife and buys an apartment for him and Valeria so they can finally be together, a car accident leaves Valeria seriously injured, causing her sponsors to cancel her modelling contract. With tension rising between them – being aggravated by Valeria’s dog being stuck under the floor boards! – their newfound freedom proves to be anything but the happy life they were hoping for.

The third story is ‘El Chivo and Maru’. El Chivo might look like a hobo – with a love for dogs – but there is more to him than meets the eye. We discover him and his wife separated years ago, telling their daughter, Maru, he was dead, but now El Chivo is trying to make contact with Maru again. As it turns out, El Chivo is a hitman, and pursuing his next target.

All these stories and characters interlink throughout the film. Prepare yourself, though, this is no feel-good movie. On the contrary, it is quite depressing, but it is a good film. Each story takes unexpected turns, and the film captured my attention from beginning to end.

‘Amores Perros’ earned $20.9 million on a budget of $2.4 million. It received 79 award nominations, winning 55 including Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Make-Up, Best Set Design, Best Cinematography, Best Actor in a Minor Role, Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

In Spanish.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.

The Wretched (2019)

Directors: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce

Starring: John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones

A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parents’ imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door.

Although the film’s logline mentions a witch, this antagonist has all the traits of a demon, and I will therefore view and review ‘The Wretched’ as a possession movie.

With so many possession movies out there, I need a movie of the genre to have a quality that sets it apart from the pack. There are so many cliched possession movies out there that it becomes a blur when I try to think of some of them.

Think 2023’s ‘When Evil Lurks’. This film dared to go beyond familiar ground and presented us with an utterly disturbing possession movie unlike I’ve seen in a while. ‘The Wretched’, for me, was just another possession movie in the myriad of movies in the genre. Having said that, ‘The Wretched’ is a well made movie and it is a good one. I just don’t know if I will remember this in time, because there was nothing uniquely memorable here.

When a young woman, Abbie, hits a buck on her way home from the forest, she takes it home to slaughter and to “teach her son meat doesn’t necessarily come from the grocery store shelf”. That night a creature that crawled out of the buck consumes Abbie, and she becomes possessed. Well, maybe not possessed in the true sense; possibly the witch entered her body and now acted as Abbie – which is all the same as possession, anyway.

Our hero is teenager Ben, who lives with his Dad, Liam. Liam works at the marina, and offered Ben a job. Liam and Ben are Abbie’s neighbours, and soon Ben becomes suspicious of the goings-on at the house next door.

There’s some family drama and a few twists. There are some creepy and scary moments. But ultimately ‘The Wretched’ was just another possession movie for me. I also didn’t find Ben a strong enough character (or actor) as the protagonist. And then there’s Mallory who also works at the marina and sort of became an interest (I hesitate saying love interest) to Ben. I couldn’t really place this character, who also, wasn’t really a strong enough character.

The make-up and contortion effects were excellent, and definitely the film’s highlight. ‘The Wretched’ is still worth a watch if you’re into the genre, but for me this is going to be forgettable.

Would I watch it again? No.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Director: Joel Anderson

Starring: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker

Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.

Presented documentary style, ‘Lake Mungo’ is a mockumentary – supposedly based on events that happened in 2005 in the small town of Ararat in Australia. The use of ‘police footage’ also gives the film a more realistic edge. The performances are so believable that one can easily be fooled into believing this to be a documentary.

The film – erm, documentary – is about Alice Palmer, a 16-year old girl who disappeared while the family were picnicking at a lake. Her body was found at the bottom of the lake just a few days later. Alice had drowned, and the family had a difficult time accepting what had happened.

Shortly thereafter the Palmer family started hearing noises coming from Alice’s bedroom, and later they had sightings of her. It became clear Alice’s ghost was in the Palmer home still. But this was only just the beginning of bizarre events that were to follow…

The film became more spooky and creepy as it progressed, but it also started losing its realistic feel when it edged towards the ‘Paranormal Activity’ genre. Still, those who believe in ghosts will definitely be freaked out by the film.

There are interesting – albeit shocking – reveals about innocent little Alice during the final act. ‘Lake Mungo’ was an interesting watch that had be captivated from beginning to end. I also loved the film’s subtle score.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.

Starship Troopers (1997)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer

Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.

I remember seeing ‘Starship Troopers’ many years ago and disliking it. Watching it now as an adult, I found too much time taken up by young love issues, which felt immature and like they belonged in a daily soap opera and not a big budget movie. ‘Starship Troopers’ felt like an ‘Aliens’ movie made for the teenage and young demographic, whereas ‘Aliens’ is obviously much more mature.

The acting also looked more like soapie performances. Our protagonist is Johnny Rico (Casper van Dien) who joins the Federal Services together with his girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards) and friend Carl (Neil Patrick Harris). All three quickly move their way up the ranks.

When Buenos Aires is destroyed by a bug meteorite, the Federal declares war against the Arachnids, and go to their planet to annihilate them. There’s plenty of blood, guts, and alien juices flowing in the clash against Man and Arachnid.

The film’s third act was by far the most exciting and entertaining – once all the petty love issues were out of the way, and it was non-stop action and fighting. The visual effects are excellent for its time, and actually still holds well by today’s standards. The action sequences are well done – visually and physically. There’s big character development and an amazing climax.

‘Starship Troopers’ received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Would I watch it again? I think so, yes… I’ll just skip the first few minutes.

The Wages of Fear (2024)

Director: Julien Leclercq

Starring: Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Sofiane Zermani, Bakary Diombera

In order to prevent a deadly explosion, an illicit crack team has 24 hours to drive two truckloads of nitroglycerine across a desert laden with danger.

1953 saw the release of the French film ‘The Wages of Fear’. It was a good, suspenseful film – best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes. The film was remade by America in 1977, titled ‘Sorcerer’. This film was good and suspenseful – best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes (again!).

‘The Wages of Fear’ has been remade again – once again in French. This film has been adapted for the new generation and is faster paced with more action (we all know the new generation does not have a good attention span, so enhancing the action is crucial).

Whereas the original ‘The Wages of Fear’ had a simple premise, there’s more back stories and intrigue in this new version. The beginning introduces us to Fred and Carla being pursued by gunmen. The film then goes back 9 months and tells us more about Fred. When one of Fred’s wealthy clients was executed in a deal gone wrong, Fred approached his brother Alex – who is an explosives expert – to help in stealing money from the safe. However, things did not go according to plan and Alex was captured and imprisoned.

Fred now works on the oil fields. When a gas pocket at a well was hit causing an explosion, the only way to extinguish the fire, is with 100 kilos of nitroglycerin. Fred is made an offer he can’t refuse to drive the truck load 500 miles from a power plant to the well. Oil executive Anne Marchand arranges for Alex to be released from prison, as they require his services. They only have 24 hours before a second gas pocket explodes, which risks destroying the entire village.

And so the nail-biting adventure begins as Fred, Alex, Carla and a few of their friends start the journey of transporting the dangerous cargo – all the while being pursued by gangs. With tension between the two brothers – with Alex blaming Fred for his fate – and time running out, this made for a thrilling viewing experience.

Many viewers will compare this film to the original and rate accordingly. Yes, I did think the original film was better in a way (considering when it was made), as long as you skip the first 40 minutes, as mentioned. This remake, however, is faster paced with more action. It’s not quite as suspenseful, but this was actually a fantastic film in its own right.

‘The Wages of Fear’ also has a good score and excellent aerial photography and cinematography. What I also like about cheaper, non-Hollywood films is the fact they use less CGI and shoot on location, resulting in films that look more realistic. I really enjoyed this film.

In French.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

The Apartment (1960)

Director: Billy Wilder

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray

A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.

C. C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a bachelor. He works at an insurance company that employs some 31,000 people. Hoping for a promotion, he makes his apartment available to a few of his managers, who uses the apartment for their own ‘personal affairs’ (and I mean this literally!). However inconvenient, he has to vacate his apartment during such a time.

When word about the apartment reaches Baxter’s boss, Jeff (Fred MacMurray) he, too, wants to make use of the apartment. Jeff is a “happily married man”, but has a history of having affairs with his secretaries – and others. He happens to be in love with Fran (Shirley MacLaine), the lift operator, and is prepared to leave his wife for her. But Baxter also has feelings for Fran, and he doesn’t know about Jeff, who in turn doesn’t know about Baxter’s feelings.

And this is where a few twists and surprises start. After a comedic start, the film takes a different turn when one of the characters tries to commit suicide. ‘The Apartment’ effectively treats the serious issues in a dramatic way, and the humour in a lighthearted way – without the one getting in the way of the other. This is a perfect blend of comedy and drama – although mostly comedy.

I really enjoyed ‘The Apartment’, and in particular Jack Lemmon’s performance. The film is also a beautiful romantic movie. This is well worth a watch.

‘The Apartment’ earned $24.6 million on a $3 million budget. It received several accolades and won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White), and Best Editing. It also received Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, and Best Cinematography (Black-and-White).

Would I watch it again? Yes.

The Secret in their Eyes (2009)

Director: Juan José Campanella

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago

A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior – both of which still haunt him decades later.

Benjamin Esposito is a retired counsellor who is writing a novel about his life, and the Morales case in particular. As he writes, he reflects on moments in his life that still haunts him.

We go back to the time he started investigating the rape and murder of 23-year old Liliana Colot de Morales. Her husband, Ricardo, believes the death penalty would be too easy for the killer, and he wants him to be locked up for life when found.

The film constantly jumps between past and present, but thanks to good make-up it is easy to distinguish between the different time periods. Together with Benjamin’s friend Pablo Sandoval – who was drunk most of the times – they tried to solve the mystery.

Although I didn’t find it entirely believable for them to track down the killer the way they did, it was nevertheless exciting. I also really enjoyed the subtle love story, which in time I found beautiful. ‘The Secret in their eyes’ is not really a whodunit murder mystery, as there never really is more than one suspect, but the film offers so much more than just a murder thriller. There’s also a good surprise ending.

‘The Secret in their eyes’ is a very well made film with good performances from the entire cast. With the film running 129 minutes long, I did find it a bit slow moving, but the interesting parts more than compensated for that and in general this was an enjoyable watch.

‘The Secret in their Eyes’ received universal acclaim and earned $34 million on a $2 million budget. It received 96 award nominations, winning 53 including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It also won awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best New Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Sound, among others.

In Spanish.

Would I watch it again? Maybe.

The 400 Blows (1959)

Director: François Truffaut

Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier

A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

It’s very rare for me to not make a single note during a film’s first 30 minutes. Fact is, there simply was nothing interesting happening, or anything that excited me. For most of these first 30 minutes we watch kids in a classroom. They occasionally cut to show us the home environment of young Antoine Doinel.

At first Antoine’s Dad comes across as a really likeable and cool guy, while his mother is …well, the opposite. During the course of the movie their character actions are reversed, so in that sense I suppose it was good character development. As for Antoine, his character pretty much remained the same throughout the entire movie. Despite what he was going through – and this might sound cruel and insensitive – I didn’t find myself rooting for him. He came across as a trouble maker, and appeared to be enjoying it.

When Antoine hears his parents fight over him one night, he decides to run away, and skips school. Believing school to be a waste of time, he wants to start working to earn a living, but in the meantime he has to steal to get by. Off course, this gets him into a lot of trouble.

Yawn! ‘The 400 Blows’ is an insanely slow paced movie and there truly never is anything interesting happening. The synopsis to this film doesn’t even sound interesting, and the only reason I decided to watch it, is because of its high acclaim. Critics, it seems, do enjoy slow and boring movies. This has been proven to me so many times before. Maybe I just don’t see the significance of the film, but when I watch a movie I want to be entertained. With ‘The 400 Blows’ I was not entertained; I was bored to death. In fact, this is one of the most boring movies I’ve seen in a while.

‘The 400 Blows’ received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay (oh, whatever, yawn…)

In French.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely not.