Jun 25 2020

The Spy (2019) Movie Review

Director: Jens Jonsson

Writer: Harald Rosenlow-Eeg, Jan Trygve Royneland (Screenplay)

Starring: Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Rolf Lassgard, Damien Chapelle, Alexander Scheer, Erik Hivju, Edvin Endre

Plot: Sonja Wigert is a diva and star in Stockholm when WW2 breaks out, rapidly getting attention from the Nazi officer Josef Terboven. She’s then recruited by Swedish intelligence as a spy, but Terboven makes her spy on the Swedes.

Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Spy Thriller 101

Story: The Spy starts as we see entertainer Sonja Wigert (Berdal) wow the crowds in Sweden, she has drawn the attention of new Nazi leader of the country Josef Terboven (Scheer). As it becomes clear the Andor Gellert (Chapelle) would like to keep Sonja around, the Swedish intelligence turn to her to start spying on him, giving them crucial information during the war.

As Sonja gets closer to Josef, she meets Hungarian officer Andor, she starts to find herself being torn between finding the secrets, giving away secret or just being with a man that she loves.

Thoughts on The Spy

Characters – Sonja Wigert is a star of the stage, a diva that turned heads across Scandinavia, performing in Sweden she grabs the attention on a Nazi leader and is drawn into getting close to him in an attempt to get information for the intelligence in Sweden, she is left in the middle of wanting to help the people or the feelings she is having for a man that is considered the enemy. Andor Gellert is the Nazi solider placed into a position of power in Sweden, he falls for Sonja, proving to her that not every Nazi is as evil as the stories have been made out. We od have the Swedish handler, trying to keep Sonja on the right path when it comes to learning the truth and collecting information.

Performances – Ingrid Bolso Berdal is great in the leading role, she brings the presence to the stage, the insecurity off the stage and what it means to show falling in love. Damien Chapelle is strong too, which is what we will see from the whole cast in this film.

Story – The story here follows a star and diva that is drawn into the world of espionage during World War II as she is forced to spy on the Nazis, while falling in love with her mark and being left in a position of not knowing which side to help out the most. When it comes to seeing what people have achieved in history, this will give another glimpse into the life on one of those people. The idea we watch Sonja getting caught up in the middle of what she wants to do or what she is expected to do, does come through strongly through the film.

Biopic/War – The biopic side of the film shows what Sonja did during the war, it shows what she was forced into, risked and changed over the time.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show the different environments that Sonja finds herself in, with it in the entertainment world and the shady underworld.

Scene of the Movie – The time away.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t seem to see many secrets exchanged.

Final Thoughts –This is a romantic thriller that shows how somebody can be drawn into the world without knowing where to stand in the middle of the war.

Overall: Wartime thriller 101

Signature Entertainment release The Spy on DVD and Digital HD 29th June

Jun 25 2020

Trailer Alert – Root of the Problem

Root of the Problem will be available on July 7, 2020, on VOD for an SRP of $4.99 – $9.99 from platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon, and FandangoNow, as well as cable affiliates everywhere. The film will also be available on DVD from July 14 from all major online retailers.

Jun 25 2020

ABC Film Challenge – Sci-Fi – Y – James vs. His Future Self (2019) Movie Review

We are truly clutching at straws with Y, as we are focusing on James being visited by someone from yesterday, showing he needs to learn about yourself.

Director: Jeremy LaLonde

Writer: Jonas Chernick, Jeremy LaLonde (Screenplay)

Starring: Jonas Chernick, Daniel Stern, Cleopatra Coleman, Frances Conroy, Tara Spencer-Nairn

Plot: A scientist meets a version of himself from the future who has traveled back in time to stop himself from inventing time travel.

Tagline – It’s man versus himself. Literally.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Interesting Idea

Story: James vs. His Future Self starts as scientist James (Chernick) is on the verge of his great breakthrough in time travel, only for him to get a visitor, Jimmy (Stern) an older version of himself, warning him to stop wasting his time on time travel.

James needs to listen to the warnings about his life, so he doesn’t follow the same mistakes his future self-made, including following his heart with best friend Courtney (Coleman) or just someone who wastes his time with time travel, being trapped in a cycle of isolation.

Thoughts on James vs. His Future Self

Characters – James is a young scientist who has been working on the possibilities of time travel for his whole life, he is giving up much of his personal life in this pursuit, which sees his relationship with his sister strained, the woman he loves is only a friend, only he gets visited by an older man, a man that claims to be him from the future. He needs to learn to stop and take a break in life to see what is in front of him before making the same mistakes again. Jimmy is the older version of James, he has been through time countless times, as part of the experiments, he doesn’t want to see James make the same mistakes again, he wants to fix everything in his life, teaching his younger self to enjoy life. Courtney is the co-worker, best friend and love of James life, she has a future beyond brilliance in her life and if James doesn’t learn about her importance to him, she will do it without him.

Performances – Jonas Chernick and Daniel Stern work well together in the film, we see how one has seen the mistakes and will look to learn from them, one shows the determination of a future, while the other shows the beaten down life of regret. Cleopatra Coleman works very well in the role, showing the person that is caught in the middle of a future with or without the person they love.

Story – The story here follows a young scientist that is about to get a career making moment, only to get visited by his future self, to warn him about the decisions he will end up making in life, one that will have consequences he can’t imagine. This is a story about learning to make the most of the time you have in life and now missing the best moments of your life, the ones you can only make happen, by pausing in life more often. It warns about career being put before love and shows how extreme lengths an older version of yourself will always have regrets the younger ones make.

Comedy/Sci-Fi – The comedy in the film comes from seeing what Jimmy does to try and stop James making the mistakes, while the sci-fi side of the film, does focus on time travel and what it could achieve for you in life.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show the working environment, home environment, a location which is filled with tragedy and the secret location where Jimmy must spend his days, the locations do show how James hasn’t been able to make more of his own life, the way he would want to.

Scene of the Movie – The café meeting.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain jokes don’t fit the tone of the film.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting idea for a film, it shows us how living with regret can haunt people, only this time we get to see the true meaning of this regret with time travel.

Overall: Interesting Idea.