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Funny People (2009)

Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza

Written & Directed By: Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, Train Wreck)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.3/10, RT: 69% Fresh

Runtime: 146 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: When seasoned comedian George Simmons learns of his terminal, inoperable health condition, his desire to form a genuine friendship causes him to take a relatively green performer under his wing as his opening act.

Verdict: I thought, oh yay another Adam Sandler movie! This one seemed different though, 20 minutes in I honestly thought about turning it off but then it hit me with a joke which was funny, so I stuck around and then I started to enjoy it. My god, an Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen movie where both of them are funny AND Sandler is actually doing a decent job of making me invest in his character and care. Could it be? Could this be an Adam Sandler film.... that I actually like and enjoy?? 

And then it outstayed its welcome. Apatow is the one who s**ts the bed, with a runtime of 2hrs 21mins its just too damn long, if 40 minutes had been cut out of this I would be saying this is Sandlers best movie, however thats still Happy Gilmore but we were close. Hats off to Sandler for doing something different and pulling it off, pity he's made more s**t movies than Chevy Chase. Oh well.

The Funhouse Massacre (2015)

Robert Englund, Jere Burns, Scottie Thompson, Matt Angel, Chasty Ballesteros, Clint Howard

Directed by: Andy Palmer

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.2/10, RT: 69% Fresh

Runtime: 90 Minutes (Watched 20)

Synopsis: Six of the world's scariest psychopaths escape from a local Asylum and proceed to unleash terror on the unsuspecting crowd of a Halloween Funhouse, whose themed mazes are inspired by their various reigns of terror.

Verdict: All tongue in cheek but it still needs to be entertaining, feels too much like Rob Zombie light.

qThe Funhouse (1981)

Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff, Miles Chapin

Directed by: Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Salems Lot, Poltergeist, Life Force)

Platform: Horror Channel (TV)

IMDB: 5.6/10, RT: 67% Fresh

Runtime: 96 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Two young couples on a double date go to a mysterious carnival. As a prank they decide to spend the night in the funhouse. When they witness a brutal murder, they suddenly find themselves in horrific danger.

Verdict: Not the worst 80s horror I've seen but then there is very little of it until the end, you have to wade through quite a bit of teens having a good time first, filled with cliches of the genre its well directed but far from Hoopers best.

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Based upon the novel "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving" (2012) by Jonathan Evison

Craig Roberts, Paul Rudd, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle, Megan Ferguson

Written & Directed by: Rob Burnett

Platform: Netflix - a Netflix original movie 

IMDB: 7.3/10, RT: 77% Fresh

Runtime: 93 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: A writer (Paul Rudd) retires after a personal tragedy and becomes a disabled teen's caregiver. When the two embark on an impromptu road trip, their ability to cope is tested as they start to understand the importance of hope and friendship.

Verdict: Enjoyable coming-of-age road trip movie, Rudd being somewhat subdued and allowing his young co-star to make most of the jokes, rather sarcastically. They all have good chemistry together and the film works well. Worth a watch.

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Based on the true story of Oscar Grant III who tragically lost his life in a fatal Police shooting 

Michael B.Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Ariana Neal

Written & Directed by: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 7.5/10, RT: 94% Fresh

Runtime: 84 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Verdict: A film that has a fantastic performance by Jordan who got to showcase what a great actor he can be, watching the real footage at the beginning was quite unnerving and how Coogler pretty much re-enacted it shot for shot. The excessive force showed by police just makes you loss for words. Coogler shows how deft a director he is quite early on that I hope he gets back to directing something this impactful once he's done with popcorn flicks. Recommended!

Frost/Nixon (2008)

Based upon the stage play that itself was based on the real life interviews that took place between David Frost & Richard Nixon in 1977

Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones

Directed by: Ron Howard

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 93% Fresh

Runtime: 123 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.

Verdict: I thought this was excellent with two compelling performances. Recommended!

Fright Fest (2018)

Called "American Fright Fest" in the U.S.

Dylan Walsh, Romeo Miller, Madison McKinley, Pancho Moler, Robert Scott Wilson

Directed by: Ante Novakovic

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 3.6/10

Runtime: 90 Minutes (Watched 18)

Synopsis: Blood runs rampant on Halloween night when a small towns' Fright Fest becomes real inside the walls of a long abandoned asylum.

Verdict: Awful.

Friends With Benefits (2011)

Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins and Woody Harrelson

Directed by: Will Gluck (Peter Rabbit)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.5/10, RT: 68% Fresh

Runtime: 102 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Jamie Rellis is a New York City head-hunter trying to sign Los Angeles-based art director Dylan Harper for her client. When he takes the job and makes the move, they quickly become friends. Their friendship turns into a friendship with benefits, but with Jamie's emotionally damaged past and Dylan's history of being emotionally unavailable, they have to try to not fall for each other the way Hollywood romantic comedies dictate.

Verdict: Normally I avoid rom-coms but I do like Mila Kunis , this actually surprised me. I enjoyed less for the story but more for the great chemistry and comedy timing between the two leads, they make this a better film than it would normally be.

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Based upon the non-fiction book "Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream" (1990) by H.G.Bissinger

Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Lee Jackson

Directed by: Peter Berg (Hancock, Battleship, Deepwater Horizon)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 7.2/10, RT: 81% Fresh

Runtime: 117 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: A straight arrow coach leads his team to the 1988 Texas state semifinals in the west Texas city of Odessa, where high school football is king. Expectations of classmates, coaches, family, and community members exact a toll on the athletes central to the story.

Verdict: One of the better movies about American Football, even better thats its based on a true story although a few things was left out from the book like the racial undertones from what I've read. Maybe one my American friends can explain why College Football is such a big thing when you already have the NFL? It would be like me watching Football in the EPL and then being obsessed about watching under 18s Football.

Fred (2018)

Documentary 

Freddie Foreman

Written & Directed by: Paul Van Carter (The Guv'nor)

Platform: Netflix 

Runtime: 89 Minutes (Watched All)

Subject: A somber and intimate portrait of notorious villain Freddie Foreman, now aged 85 and seeking a catharsis from his sins.

Thoughts: A decent biopic if you are interested in gangsters and the time of the Krays.

Fractured (2019)

Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Lucy Capri, Adjoa Andoh, Stephen Tobolowsky

Directed by: Brad Anderson (Session 9, The Machinist, Transsiberian, The Cell)

Platform: Netflix - a Netflix original movie 

IMDB: 6.3/10, RT: 62% Fresh

Runtime: 100 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While the wife and daughter go downstairs for an MRI, Ray, exhausted, passes out in a chair in the lobby. Upon waking up, they have no record or knowledge of Ray's family ever being checked in.

Verdict: An ok mystery thriller with a committed performance by Worthington, I always enjoy Andersons movies and this one works fine even though I worked out the ending. Worth a watch if nothing else is on.

Foxy Brown (1974)

Pam Grier, Antonio Fargas, Peter Brown, Terry Carter, Kathryn Loder

Written & Directed by: Jack Hill

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.5/10, RT: 60% Fresh

Runtime: 91 Minutes (Watched 30)

Synopsis: A voluptuous black vigilante takes a job as a high-class prostitute in order to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.

Verdict: Of its time and I couldn't watch anymore than half hour but damn, Pam Grier 

Para Sempre Chape (Forever Chape) (2018)

Documentary 

Portuguese language with English subtitles 

Directed by: Luis Ara

Platform: Netflix 

Runtime: 80 Minutes (Watched All)

Subject: FOREVER CHAPE tells the story of the soccer team of Santa Catarina, Brazil. This small club had achieved the incredible feat of ascending from the fourth division of brazilian football to the first division of the country that has more passion for football on the planet. On November 28, while the team was flying to Colombia to play the final of the South American soccer tournament, its plane crashed within minutes of reaching the destination. The tragedy that took the lives of 71 people mourned the entire world. The history of this club didn't stop and in honor of the victims and the survivors of the tragedy, the club today looks reborn.

Thoughts: A well made documentary filled with raw emotion conveyed by the survivors and the relative/friends of the victims, I admit even I teared up towards the end. Recommended!

The Foreigner (2017)

Based upon the novel "The Chinaman" (1992) by Stephen Leather

Some Mandarin language with English subtitles 

Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Ray Fearon, Rory Fleck Byrne, Lia Williams, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady

Directed by: Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Mask of Zorro, Legend of Zorro, Casino Royale, Green Lantern)

Platform: Netflix - a Netflix original movie 

IMDB: 7/10, RT: 65% Fresh

Runtime: 113 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: A humble businessman with a buried past seeks justice when his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. A cat-and-mouse conflict ensues with a government official, whose past may hold clues to the killers' identities.

Verdict: Really enjoyed this, probably Chans best movie in a longtime, a different performance for him where he is allowed to portray a different character but still kick with the best of them even at his age. Brosnan is also good. Recommended!

Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story (2017)

Documentary 

Directed by: John Carey & Adam Darke

Platform: Netflix 

Runtime: 80 Minutes (Watched All)

Subject: (From RT) Justin Fashanu rose to fame in 1980 after scoring the goal of the season against Liverpool, leading a generation of black footballers through the English league. Abandoned as a child and raised by a white foster family in the UK, he faced plenty of uphill battles. But despite bigotry and bullying from unruly football fans during the Thatcher era, Fashanu blazed his own trail by also becoming the first openly gay athlete on the pitch. He had the talent, swagger and charisma to become one of the most celebrated athletes Britain had ever seen. Through unprecedented access to coaches, teammates and family, filmmakers Adam Darke and Jon Carey unpack one of the most fascinating and ultimately tragic sports stories you'll ever see. Forbidden Games not only explores Fashanu's battle with issues of race and sexuality in professional sports, but also the understanding that not everyone is ready for the spotlight.

Verdict: A very well made, honest and sobering documentary diving deep into Fashanu's life and untimely death, he was a complex individual and this documentary attempts and succeeds (IMO) to uncover the person, away from the money, the football, the scandals and the limelight and I think it shows someone who just didn't know how to deal with a lot of issues from childhood. I think one of the saddest things I will see this year is a teary eyed John Fashanu (who really doesn't come out looking all that good in this) never having reconciled with his brother, he says nothing but his eyes conveyed everything. Recommended!

For The Love Of Spock (2016)

Documentary 

Directed by: Adam Nimoy

Platform: Netflix 

Runtime: 111 Minutes (Watched All)

Subject: A look at Leonard Nimoy, his portrayal of Spock but also his family and how playing a pop culture icon had an affect on his family. Some very emotional and personal interviews with cast and family members, especially his son with the documentary feeling like a farewell to his father.

Thoughts: A fantastic documentary, you don't just have to be a Star Trek fan to really appreciate this. I think Adam Nimoy did a great job and it definitely comes across as a passion project and a fantastic eulogy to his famous father. I learned so much about Nimoy I didn't know. Recommended.

First Kill (2017)

Bruce Willis, Hayden Christiansen, Ty Shelton, Megan Leonard, Gethin Anthony

Directed by: Steven C.Miller (Also directed such crud as Escape Plan 2 and Extraction, seriously I cannot escape this director!)

Platform: Sony Movies (TV)

IMDB: 5/10, RT: 12% Rotten

Runtime: 97 Minutes (Watched 25)

Synopsis: A Wall Street broker is forced to evade a police chief investigating a bank robbery as he attempts to recover the stolen money in exchange for his son's life.

Verdict: Another paint by numbers DTV actioner. Yawn!

Fletch (1985)

Loosely based upon the novel "Fletch" (1974) by Gregory McDonald

Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Tim Matheson, M.Emmett Walsh, George Wendt, Geena Davis

Directed by: Michael Ritchie (The Golden Child, Fletch Lives)

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 6.9/10, RT: 77% Fresh

Runtime: 98 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher is a newspaper reporter being offered a large sum to off a cancerous millionaire, but is on the run, risking his job and finding clues when it's clear the man is healthy.

Verdict: I quite enjoyed this, one of the rare films where Chevy Chase was funny! My kind of one liners, dry humour and a fun car chase that was funny as well. Worth a watch!

Fled (1996)

Laurence Fishburne, Stephen Baldwin, Will Patton, Robert John Burke, Victor Rivers, Ken Jenkins, Salma Hayek

Directed by: Kevin Hooks (Passenger 57)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.4/10, RT: 16% Rotten 

Runtime: 98 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Two prisoners chained together flee during an escape attempt gone bad.

Verdict: Entertaining 90s action fluff, decent lead performances, decent action, typical buddy cop convict movie.

Flatliners (2017)

Remake of "Flatliners" (1990)

Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons & Kiefer Sutherland 

Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.2/10, RT: 4% Rotten 

Runtime: 108 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: Five medical students, obsessed by what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods, each triggers a near-death experience - giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife.

Verdict: Its ok for what it is, acting is fine the story descends into predictable supernatural territory with the usual tropes, its watchable but ultimately forgettable. I've never seen the original so have nothing to compare it to.

Five Nights in Maine (2016)

David Oyelowo, Diane Wiest, Rosie Perez

Written & Directed By: Maris Curran

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 4.5/10, RT: 28% Rotten 

Runtime: 82 Minutes (Watched All)

Synopsis: A young African American man, reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law, who is herself confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death.

Verdict: Its very well acted and deals with the weighty subject of grief which it does explore, the films biggest problem is you learn absolutely nothing about the main characters that the whole exercise is pointless.

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Billy Green Bush, Lois Smith, Susan Anspach, Ralph Waite

Directed by: Bob Rafelson (The Postman Always Rings Twice)

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 7.5/10, RT: 88% Fresh

Runtime: 98 Minutes (Watched All)

Karen Black won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress

Synopsis: Robert Dupea has given up his promising career as a concert pianist and is now working in oil fields. He lives together with Rayette, who's a waitress in a diner. When Robert hears from his sister that his father isn't well, he drives up to Washington to see him, taking Rayette with him. There he gets confronted with his rich, cultured family that he had left behind.

Verdict: A fantastic performance by Nicholson is what kept me watching, the story was ok but not always compelling, I know this is considered a classic but it didn't exactly hit the mark for me entirely.

Fist Fight (2017)

Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Christina Hendricks, Jillian Bell, Dean Norris

Directed by: Richie Keen

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.6/10, RT: 24% Rotten

Runtime: 91 Minutes (Watched 20)

Synopsis: When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher's dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight.

Verdict: Another unfunny Ice Cube comedy, yawn.