#henrys movie reviews | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jordanrosenburg · 3 months

Text

Argylle - A Breath of Fresh Air

**Spoilers Ahead**

I just got back from seeing Argylle with a friend. I knew I had wanted to see it because I like a lot of the actors in it, but I had seen the trailer so many times that I felt like I had already watched it.

That trailer couldn't have prepared me for the unadulterated fun I was about to have. Every other line out of Sam Rockwell's mouth was laugh out loud funny. What kept me drawn in, though, was the editing. The splices between Rockwell and Cavill was seamless. I know with modern technology, they easily could have greenscreened a lot of it, but it still must have taken a while to film all the same fight scenes in the same exact way to make the cuts as seamless as they were.

The score and soundtrack were brilliant. Between the funky tunes used for the fight scenes, and the dramatic notes used during what would be dramatic in a regular spy thriller, had me enjoying every minute. I will be looking up the soundtrack playlist on Spotify and listening repeatedly.

Henry Cavill is no stranger to playing a spy. In between Superman movies, Cavill starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The latter was another movie that didn't mind being silly and wasn't afraid to have its comedic moments. Because Cavill has played so many daring roles over the years, where he's been the hero or the brute or even just the eye candy, he was the perfect fit for Argylle. You can tell he was having a blast, and not taking things too seriously. The audience isn't supposed to take it seriously either. The Argylle books in the movie are a personification of how cheesy those sorts of books and movies can be. The eye-rolling puns, the use of a femme fatale, and crude jokes.

Back in the day, that's how most James Bond movies were. They had their serious moments, but Bond was a cheeky spy who liked to fuck and crack wise with his villains. He was suave and sure of himself and a badass. But there was a transition in the 90's when the Austin Powers movies started rolling out. Now, I'm a huge fan of Austin Powers movies, I'll watch them any time, any place. But those movies, being replicas of the old Bond films but with more humor, outlandish sex, and over the top puns, made it difficult for the new Bond films to be silly. Suddenly, they were getting more and more serious, with more and more over the top action scenes and explosions.

Argylle brought back the silliness and the goofiness, and the ability to laugh at itself. Suspension of disbelief, etc etc. Sometimes you just need to sit back and let yourself enjoy the ride. Throughout the film, as the layers kept being peeled back, I kept thinking, "What is this movie?!" I can usually figure out what's going to happen, but the twists and turns in this film kept throwing me off, and that kept me in my seat and having fun.

There's a scene where Bryce Dallas Howard's character, Elly, thinks she's seen her parents die in cold blood. Rockwell is driving her somewhere in the south of France, and he asks her if she's okay. Howard, astonished, asks, "Am I okay? Am I okay?!", and then she started crying. This made me lean over to my friend and say, "all of us @ Elmo the other day", and we burst into hysterics. (If you're unfamiliar, Elmo's X account posted asking how everyone was, and there was a surge of responses of people using memes to show how not well they all are.)

A little more than halfway through, we find out that Elly's real name is Rachel Kyle. She had gotten into a bad accident on a spy mission and had no memory. The bad guys brainwashed her into thinking she was someone else, and it worked. The Argylle books she wrote as Elly, were really just memories coming back to her. We were made to believe her books were predicting future events, but really, it was the past. Samuel L. Jackson explained that to her. Rockwell then had to calm Howard down and get her to settle into the information. Slowly, Rachel remembers who she is. She hasn't lost all of Elly, but she makes it seem like she has in order to complete the overall mission.

Rockwell thinks that Howard has double crossed her, but in a very Knives Out fashion, she explains that she knew if she shot him in the chest in just the right spot, he wouldn't die. We learn that the two were lovers back in the day. Not only did he feel betrayed, but he was heartbroken. Later on, she double crosses the bad guys, finds her cat, then finds a room with all the weapons she could possibly need to get out. Rockwell finds her there, and they're able to hash things out. She assures him that they're on the same side.

This leads into one of the most incredibly choreographed fight scenes I've ever seen. You can tell the actors were having an incredible time. Smoke pours into the corridor and the two come out shooting. While throwing in body rolls and other dance movements, they take everyone out. This also included Howard lifting Rockwell up, much like how Dua Lipa was lifted up during the beginning of the movie by Henry Cavill, spread eagle. The shots used every time there was a lift like this was not subtle. We get it, it's an innuendo for sitting on someone's face. And it was funny every single time.

Then the next fight scene happened, which gave Howard a moment to shine. They were trapped in a room that was slowly filling with oil, so they couldn't shoot their guns. She remembers she's actually good at ice skating, and puts together makeshift skates. She sticks a knife into a gun, then rushes out like a hockey player. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard. It was the perfect mix of hockey style skating and figure skating. Were these scenes filled with CGI and body doubles? Yes. Did it make them less fun? Absolutely not.

Everything works out in the end because of course it does. Her ending is given to Argylle and Wyatt. Personally, I think Henry Cavill and John Cena should have kissed, they were clearly in love. I thought they would have since Rockwell and Howard kissed. All of the scenes paralleled one another, so why couldn't that one? I digress.

For one last big laugh, at the end of the movie, Howard is back to pretending to be Elly the author, and is doing a book reading of the final Argylle book. She's taking questions from the audience, and she calls on a man. He stands and knowingly smiles. It's Henry Cavill, only he has a curly mullet and a southern accent. What is it with British actors and doing southern accents that brings me so much joy? He says, "I don't have any questions, but I'm sure you have a couple for me", and winks.

There was a post-credits scene. It was supposed to be the actual Argylle book's first film adaptation. The scene takes place in a bar called The King's Man. An Easter egg thrown in by director, Matthew Vaughn, who has also directed the 2021 film by the same name. We couldn't tell if it was serious or not, but I'd love to see a movie based off the fake books. I think mostly because the writer, Jason Fuchs, and Matthew Vaughn, should definitely team up again.

Even though there were parts reminiscent to other spy movies, this is one of the most creative movies I've seen in a while. This is my favorite kind of satire. There are so many movies that are just remakes of remakes of remakes these days. It feels like there are no original ideas left. So, this was a breath of fresh air. It was so funny and so brilliant with a star studded cast. I bet this movie was so fun to work on, you could just feel that energy radiating from the actors. There were some slower parts, but that's to be expected. For the most part, my attention was kept. It was one of those movies where I left thinking, "I can't wait for this to come to streaming so I can watch it again".

I don't think Howard is the strongest actor, and some of the plot between the good spies and the bad spies was a little confusing. I found a lot of that hard to follow, maybe that was supposed to be on purpose. Most spy movies aren't always clear on what the main issue is.

Anyways, if you're looking for an escape from the cold, or an escape in general, this is definitely the movie to see.

#argylle #henry cavill #bryce dallas howard #sam rockwell #samuel l jackson #john cena #dua lipa #matthew vaughn #jason fuchs #brian cranston #bryan cranston #catherine o'hara #movie review #film review #universal pictures

40 notes · View notes

wernerherzoghaircut · 8 days

Text

It's Raining Men and Dead Nazis, Hallelujah: A Review of the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) is a movie I did not know I needed as badly as I did. Once it's released on home video, I'm going to glue every frame to my eyeballs and be content forever.

It's a WWII action-adventure comedy about buff, tough dudes (who giggle, flirt -- with each other! -- and feel feelings the way actual human beings do).

Nazis die by the busload. This is a plus. (I kid you not, in the theater bathrooms I overheard a son and father discuss the movie; the dad was like, "Any movie where Nazis get mowed down, it's a good movie." God bless America.)

The score is a mix of big band Jazz exuberance and Spaghetti Western bravado. Christopher Benstead did not need to go as hard as he did, but thank goodness he chose to fire on all cylinders.

Guy Ritchie popped his whole... well, you know... with this one. The entire cast, from the heroes to villains to Cary Elwes, is to die for.

TMOUW is a kind of cinematic enema at a time when most mainstream films feel overproduced, underdeveloped, and like they're trying to sell you something.

Oh yeah, and Alan Ritchson, if you are reading this, I am free on Thursday...

@st-bullshit @junior-stargazer-goke91 @zacksnydered

5/12/2024 update: tagging @scaryrabbit for creating several wonderful TMOUW gifs. They are a godsend!

#the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare #tmouw #guy ritchie #alan ritchson #henry cavill #henry golding #alex pettyfer #hero fiennes tiffin #movie reviews #film reviews

30 notes · View notes

kindacts · 9 months

Text

i've watched the get low scene a stupid amount of times but it's just too good. like... alex being an absolute dreamboat dancing on the other side of the floor while henry sneaks peeks at him and awkwardly tries to bop along?? and of course the way alex looks at him when everyone drops low and henry gets all shy and blushy? aforementioned genuinely sweet/serious moment happening as lil jon screams about shaking ass which is also the funniest thing ever? matthew lopez did suchhh a great job capturing the heady feeling of a crush damn

ETA apparently kyle hanagami the LEGEND choreographer was behind this so no wonder it was so damn smooth, thank you king

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #LITERALLY A WHOLE STAR RIGHT THERE THAT ONE LETTERBOXD REVIEW WASNT KIDDING.#the viewer could feel exactly what henry was feeling and that’s how you know it’s effective #like yes there were a lot of things in the movie i wished had been different but i loved this #the only thing that could have made it better is 'SHUT YOUR DUMB FACE THIS IS MY SHIT'#anyway i promise i will shut up about everything eventually but i'm still living here.

86 notes · View notes

bigswitchenergyy · 9 months

Text

RWRB movie thoughts (SPOILER HEAVY!)

So, I watched it. Twice. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

First off, non-spoilers - I loved this movie. I loved the energy, I loved the humor, I loved the chemistry between all of the actors. Taylor and Nick in particular had phenomenal chemistry and I can't stop thinking about them and firstprince and how beautiful it all was. I miss the boys already. 😭 SPOILERS!!

I'm gonna get the (incredibly minor) gripes out of the way.

We got cornbread!! But we didn't get "cornbread knows my sins" which I was a little bummed about. But the beauty of the scene as a whole absolutely made up for it.

The lack of the emotional kiss after the fight really bugged me, because to me, that kiss is the breaking point for them both. That's the "gonna love this stubborn shithead forever" moment, and it's all of the tension and pain and heartbreak poured out into a desperate, hungry, incredibly passionate kiss. going right from "tell me to leave" to the V&A felt a little like mood whiplash, but the V&A scene is so good I can get past it pretty easily

I wish we could have had more of their emails, the phone call where Henry begins to open up about his family, and more pet names. Especially more baby, considering how much that one word affects Henry in the book.

I know why Matthew did it but fuck Miguel, I miss Rafael and Liam

WE NEEDED MORE PEZ, NORA, AND BEA

Now, for my favorite quotes/moments!!

"I'd break the sound barrier for you." when i tell you i fucking screamed into a pillow and sobbed

HISTORY HUH BEING SAID AT THE V&A, I LOVED IT SO MUCH, I SQUEALED AUDIBLY

THE CAKE SCENE, 10/10

Zahra and Amy are the absolute fucking best and were truly able to shine in a way I didn't expect, I'm so glad we got so many great scenes

"I will brexit your head from your body" I know it was in the trailer but it's SO FUCKING FUNNY

The texting scenes were done so well?? I loved hearing their voices saying the lines and I loved the way they portrayed the long distance conversations. The turkey scene in particular is fucking cinema

THE MOTHERFUCKING RED ROOM SCENE. NEED I SAY MORE.

THE SCENE RIGHT AFTER?? AND THEN THE ONE IN ALEX'S ROOM?? I'M FUCKING WEAK, MAN. THEIR CHEMISTRY IS OFF THE CHARTS

The closet scene was SO good. Watching Alex's entire perception of the man change in a matter of minutes is so well done, and Henry realizing that Alex's feelings about it all were completely valid & apologizing is so 10/10

jesus fuck, PARIS. OH MY GOD. The cafe scene, the one where they're taking a walk, and then their first time having sex. It's so beautiful and emotional and i just... I was breathless watching it. It's steamy but it's just beautiful and loving and the way alex and henry are just so enamored with each other absolutely destroyed me.

"You don't know what that's like." "I'm learning." SOBBING

the entire new year's eve sequence was wonderful. Henry's so happy when he's with Alex and Alex is just so happy he's there, and then that fucking SHOT?? The way they're just staring at each other across the crowded room?? C I N E M A

The first kiss was STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOOK and it was MAGICAL

Nora is a queen and deserved more screentime but I LOVE her scenes with Alex. I think having her not be his ex in this version is a nice change too

And, of course, the motherfucking STORMING OF KENSINGTON. The boys acted their asses off and Nick in particular broke my heart so many times over

The leak. The leaaaaak. fuck.

"Hello?" "Baby." "Alex??" when i tell you i cried so hard

the piano scene 10/10

THE SCENE WHERE THEY COME OUT TO THE CROWD. THE ENTIRE END TBH

CASEYYY!!!!!!

So, yeah. I loved this movie. I'm gonna be thinking about it for a long time, and I sincerely hope Matthew releases the extended cut & all of the deleted scenes and bloopers, because we NEED THEM.

I also hope that Matthew, Casey, Nick, and Taylor know how much we love this film and book. How thankful we are that these beautiful characters were not only written, but then able to come to life. I will forever be thankful for Alex Claremont-Diaz and Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor (yes, i'm using his book last name LMAO) and for their beautiful love.

#rwrb #lgbtqia #henry x alex #boys in love #alex x henry #casey mcquiston #henry fox mountchristen windsor #firstprince #alex claremont diaz #love #rwrb movie #red white and royal blue #red white and royal blue movie #nicholas galitzine #taylor zakhar perez #matthew lopez #rwrb review #rwrb thoughts #history huh

85 notes · View notes

i-didnt-hate-it · 26 days

Text

I didn't hate The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, I thought it was a lot of fun!

There are some movies that make a point to humanize the Nazi soldiers to add a bit more depth to the story. This movie isn't like that, and it's better for it. This isn't a war movie, it's a heist/spy thriller that is set in World War II, and it's got some good war stuff thrown in there.

The action kicks off splendidly, and the building of tension is probably the story's biggest strength. The pacing got thrown off a little toward the end, but it got back on track quickly for a fantastic payoff.

Now about the cast, with what may be slight spoilers.

I'll be honest I don't remember many of the names, there were too many accents to try and understand and remember everyone.

Henry Cavill was great as the main guy, even though he didn't really feel like the main character, and I don't mean that as a bad thing. The ensemble was very strong here. If it didn't feel so annoying, I would love to style my mustache like him. And I don't like guns, but if I had to have one I'd pick the big tube gun thing with the silencer that he uses.

Like I said, the ensemble is very strong, but I think a lot of people are going to be talking about Alan Ritchson's performance as Lassen. He's got this crazy berserker Norse energy that's a lot of fun to watch.

The rest of the team is great but of course my favorite has got to be Eiza González. If you don't already love her, you will after this. She's strikes a perfect (and I mean perfect) balance of intelligence, confidence, experience, and downright sexiness. But she's not just those things, that's something the movie does really well is show the characters falter. They aren't perfect, but when they make a mistake or a wrench is thrown in the plan, they might panic for a second, but then they recalibrate. Also, Eiza's costumes are just plain gorgeous, like you won't be able to take your eyes off of them, but not in a distracting from the story kind of way. It makes sense why she is dressed like Cleopatra, for example.

Babs Olusanmokun is also fantastic, he reminds me a lot of his character from Dune, just more sophisticated.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn't perfect, the plot armor on the main characters is extremely thick, and I feel like silencers aren't really that silent, but most little details don't really make a difference. The movie is a ton of fun, especially if you want to watch attractive people kill Nazi's and mess with the British

#the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare #guy ritchie #jerry bruckheimer #henry cavill #eiza gonzalez #alan ritchson #hero fiennes tiffin #henry golding #rory kinnear #cary elwes #babs olusanmokun #film #i didn't hate it #movies #film review #cinema #spoilers #ian fleming #winston churchill

21 notes · View notes

pricelesscinemas · 9 months

Text

118 notes · View notes

simsim54 · 9 months

Text

I CAN LOVE YOU,

I CAN WANT YOU AND,

STILL NOT WANT THAT LIFE,

I’M ALLOWED.

this is hands down the saddest and most heart-wrenching line in the entire movie and that’s the truth of it.

85 notes · View notes

coffeebookslovegt · 4 months

Text

He cruzado el océano.

He irrumpido un puto castillo.

Para mirarte a los ojos y decirte que te amo.

24 notes · View notes

the-monologues · 8 months

Text

Okay here me out, I love how complementary Henry and Alex's dynamic was to each other. I mean in public, Henry is one with lead (not calling anyone superior blah blah blah, just lacked the proper words). Henry would be like oh I can recite the rules of "celebrity public behaviour 101" even in my sleep, whereas, Alex is very conscious, and kinda nervous when in public.

On the other hand, when in private, though Henry has more experience and guides Alex throughout...he allows Alex to babygirl him (again lack of words).

Once Henry's walls go down, we see how much of softie he is and how he likes being taken care of by Alex. Which was not the case early on.

#just what I thought while watching the movie #I am open to alternative or add ons obviously #I can talk for daaaayyyysss on RWRB lmao #rwrb fandom #rwrb review #rwrb movie #rwrbedit #rwrb #rwrb film #red white and royal blue movie #red white and royal blue #henry x alex #alex claremont diaz #firstprince #prince henry of wales #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry fox #alex x henry #prince henry rwrb

103 notes · View notes

thequeenofsastiel · 9 months

Text

My thoughts on Red, White, and Royal Blue the movie(spoilers for the book and movie)

I'll start with the good parts:

The casting was very good. I loved Uma Thurman as Ellen Claremont-Diaz.

The main characters had excellent chemistry, and the scenes in which they were intimate were well directed. They genuinely seemed to desire each other.

Building on that last point, I appreciated the fact that the movie didn't dial down the fact that they were extremely sexually attracted to each other. It didn't try to desexualize(yes that's a word now) them in order to make it more palatable for people who are still homophobic. Granted, it's unlikely that very homophobic people would watch the movie, but I can imagine people who are at least somewhat homophobic getting persuaded to watch it by someone they love. This movie didn't cater to that audience, and I think that's great.

The movie did a good job at showing us their texts and emails in a way that's more enjoyable than just having us see their texts. It effectively made them cinematic.

It was very funny when it wanted to be, and moving when it wanted to be.

The score was excellent.

Now onto things I didn't like:

They shouldn't have gotten rid of Alex's sister, June. She was a significant part of his life and I think the movie suffered for not having her there.

While I understand changing the fact that Ellen got divorced made things simpler, and wasn't relevant to the main plot in any way, I still would have preferred it if that had stayed the same.

I wish they hadn't gotten rid of Rafael Luna. I totally get it, he was an expendable character, and the movie was already two hours long. They didn't need him figuring out that Richards was spying on Alex and Henry to win the election. That plot point could be tossed aside. I still didn't like it.

I absolutely hated the fact that Alex didn't fly to England asap to see Henry the way he did in the book, and emotionally supported Henry for quite a bit.

I also disliked the fact that Henry's mother wasn't there to support him. It was inspiring to see the way her son's distress drove her out of her depression so she could be there for him. The way she stood up to her mother to protect Henry was one of my favorite scenes in the novel, and I was crushed that they just tossed that to the side.

I detest that Alex gave a speech confirming their relationship without consulting Henry. In the novel they made that decision together and Henry was right by his side. The movie made it seem like he was outing Henry without Henry's consent, and that's a big no-no in the queer community. We don't out each other. Ever. For all movie Alex knew, Henry was planning on calling the emails a hoax. The movie did Alex dirty.

"History, huh?" In the book, that was something that got said in one of their emails, and people took that quote and made shirts about it. It made me cry. I hate that they changed it.

I also feel like they should have included more emails. In the novel, Henry and Alex grow more and more verbally affectionate with each other even before the "I love you," so it felt a lot more natural in the book when Alex was ready to say it.

It's hard for me to grade this movie, because I'm comparing it to the book, which I know is very often a bad idea. But still. This movie was a lot of fun. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't feel like I was watching the book on fast forward with some of my favorite scenes cut out. If you haven't read the novel, I do recommend it. They did a good job adapting it to the screen, despite what they cut out. For the most part, the things that got cut weren't crucial to the plot, so the movie didn't feel incomplete. My biggest gripe is about Alex giving the speech without Henry. It made him look bad. In the novel, Alex was very, very cautious about making sure that Henry was entirely ready to come out to the world. He was encouraging without being overtly pressuring. So to have him confess to the world without talking to Henry first...it was deeply upsetting.

Still, overall it's a good movie. I'll probably rewatch it at some point, though if I do it with other people I might be the obnoxious person going "ACHTUALLY, IN THE BOOK--"

I will say, I think the movie was too short for the novel. It should have been three hours long, so they could have included all the events and people that were cut out. But honestly I tend to think that in general movies are too short. It's probably why I prefer television series.

Thanks for reading!

#red white and royal blue #red white and royal blue the movie #movie review #my reviews #alex x henry #firstprince

37 notes · View notes

poppletonink · 9 months

Text

Review: Red, White and Royal Blue Movie

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"You need to figure out if you feel forever about him. Do you love him?"

The so-called "Cake Gate" was an accident - I mean, nobody would choose to have a £75,000 cake fall on top of you and your worst enemy. Alex Claremont-Diaz didn't mean to create an international scandal, but it doesn't mean he didn't do it. Now, his mother, the President of the United States needs him to do some damage control in order to not mess up her opportunity of winning the next election. Except, Alex Claremont-Diaz cannot stand Prince Henry and now he has to pretend they're best friends. Yet as Alex and Henry spend more time together, they realise that their hatred towards each other is completely unprecedented and quickly find themselves hurtling into a secret relationship with each other. As the election draws closer, Alex realises that he feels something more for Henry. Alex realises that he is in love with him. The question is what is worth the sacrifice? Is he willing to potentially upend two nations and ruin his mother's campaign? Is true love really worth it?

Red, White and Royal Blue seems like some sort of whacky, wild fan fiction in summary - it's a royal au, follows the enemies to lovers trope and very much so idiots in love. Despite the AO3 tags it perfectly fits into, Red, White and Royal Blue is so much more than it seems. It's a beautiful love story, a tale of hurt, heartbreak and comfort, that emotionally hits the viewer in ways you aren't expecting.

As someone who read the book a long time before the film was even conceptualised, (and as it's one of my favourite books of all time) my standards for how great this film needed to be were extremely - and I mean extremely - high. Despite leaving out bits from the book, which as sad as it may be is understandable due to time constraints, it still hit me just as viscerally as the book. Somehow even though some of the largest plot points (e.g. Bea's cocaine addiction) and most important characters (June Claremont-Diaz who I adore so very much) were missing, it still remained really accurate to the book. That sounds really contradictory, I know, but it was genuinely amazing how many lines they kept word for word from the original novel. It's something that I truly appreciate about recent book to screen adaptations, and I loved the fact that I could notice every time that it happened.

Nick and Taylor's chemistry was off the charts, which is something that seemingly came out of left field for a lot of people, but quite genuinely made the perfect Alex and Henry. They perfectly performed the witty banter, the yearning looks and the complete and utter disdain they have for each other at times. They made Alex Claremont-Diaz and Henry Fox Mountchristen Windsor real and by doing that they too made history.

Music played quite a large role in this film from the beginning until the end. I think the greatest song choice was undoubtedly Katarina Stratford's anthem. Bad Reputation was a brilliant choice for the theme song - it's such a perfect representation of Alex as a person, of him not caring what other people think and simply doing what he wants to do. It was also great to see Henry's karaoke performance of Don't Stop Me Now by Queen on the screen, and Henry and Alex dancing in the V&A was quite frankly beautiful.

Overall, Red, White and Royal Blue is a must-watch film of 2023. It's raw and emotional; it's a master class in romance; and it's extremely funny. It's a story that will make history.

37 notes · View notes

toomuchlovereviews · 3 months

Text

Argylle (2024)

⭐️⭐️.5

So, I expected a spy thriller. And it was. But it wasn’t so much James Bond as it was Maxwell Smart. If Smart had semi-predictable twists and some wickedly cool fight scenes. My friend and I sat in the 4D chairs for the first time at this show, and let me tell you, they were only worth it for the fight scenes.

Watch this if you:

enjoy cheesy dialogue, I did expect a darker reality but it very much mirrored the Argylle-verse

find comfort in the fact that Henry Cavill and John Cena are partners and Partners TM in this film

can get past the odd references to Apple (guess who’s studio helped out with this movie)

Similar titles:

Get Smart (1965-1970) (what? did you think I meant the Steve Carrell version? don’t worry)

#movie #movie review #review #argylle #argylle 2024 #matthew vaughn #bryce dallas howard #henry cavill #sam rockwell #samuel l jackson #john cena #dua lipa

14 notes · View notes

simplyclary · 7 months

Text

Red, White and Royal Blue: A Royal Obsession

(Photo credits: Entertainment Weekly)

This is honestly a long overdue [personal] review of one of my most favorite book to movie adaptations EVER, considering it came out last August 11, 2023, and I wrote this entire thing on October 11, 2023 (Wow, on the 2nd month anniversary of the movie's release! How ironic!). But hey, what's important is it's here and it's here for you to read.

To be quite honest with you all, I have no particular format for this review, but I will be reviewing the storyline, the characters, the dialogue and what's in the book but not in the movie and vice versa.

I will also discuss the perfection that is the CASTING!! Like I can't imagine anybody else as Alex and Henry than who was casted, and you should know their names by now even though I'm gonna state their names a little later, so stay tuned.

Feel free to keep reading even though you haven't watched the movie or read the book, I'll leave it to your discretion but there is a section where I discuss the differences between the movie and the book so skip that if you wish ;)

So with that, I'll go ahead and jump into the movie and book review.

RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE AND BOOK REVIEW

Let's talk about the storyline first.

The storyline is not one for your typical romantic comedy. To be honest, this is the first romantic comedy storyline of its kind that I have ever seen in my life, like its not set in like high school or whatsoever where stakes are low. This is sort of high stakes (though not fantasy level high stakes), considering that the lives of the main characters Alex and Henry are forever altered with what happens in the story. This is also a story with an enemies/rivals-to-lovers trope, which I personally love, like I'm such a fan for any story with that trope.

The story has plot and it's a good one. It's one of those plots that are sort of unforgettable and you really need to watch until the end to find out what happens. The storyline of this balances the comedy to the romance and the drama. Like I love that so much, it's everything I want in a romantic comedy story.

Also, there are certain changes between the movie and the book but I'll discuss that in a bit.

Now, let's talk about the dialogue.

With regards to the dialogue, I wouldn't call it cringe because some of the lines are just the wittiest and hit lines that I have ever heard and read. The banter between characters is so fun to read and the way the actors delivered the dialogue is just worth remembering. Like there are certain scenes that I can never unhear from my brain, even while I was reading the book. I would also like to point out that the dialogue are not those cringy one-liners that other rom-coms have and so, it was one aspect that set it apart from your typical rom-com.

One thing that I would like to point out is the conversations between Alex and Henry through text and emails. Now, this was an aspect in the movie that I loved, like the way they executed their conversations in the emails and texts by having text bubbles show up is just cool. Their emails were longer in the book, with some poetry involved but I didn't mind how it turned out in the movie.

I'll now talk about the characters and the utter PERFECTION that is the CASTING.

This story does not have an overload of characters, which makes it easy to remember almost everybody in the story. There were some characters who were not included in the movie or was changed in the movie but kind of had the same vibe with the original character in the book. The titular characters of this story are Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry. Notable side characters include June Claremont-Diaz, Nora Holleran, Princess Beatrice, Zahra Bankston, President Ellen Claremont, Oscar Diaz, Shaan Srivastava (Henry's equerry), Rafael Luna, Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Duchess Catherine of Edinburgh, Queen Mary and Henry's pet beagle David.

Casting wise, I have nothing to say except that the characters were casted perfectly. Having Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex and Nicholas Galitzine as Henry was nothing but PERFECT! Like, their chemistry was off the charts and emanating through the screen as I was watching the movie. The banter that flowed between them is so natural and so fun to watch. They did have to be close immediately because of the intimacy of the story, and I love how easily they got along considering that Nick was casted first and they had to find someone who can easily bond with him and I'm happy they found Taylor because their friendship is a gem to be treasured.

Even when I read the book after watching the movie (I know, it's a sin. PEACE!), I heard their voices in my mind as I was reading their characters' dialogues. As for the supporting characters, Uma Thurman as President Ellen Claremont was a force of nature, her speech toward the end of the movie was something else, Sarah Shahi was hilarious and iconic as Zahra, Rachel Hilson as Nora is the best friend you want in your life, and Ellie Bamber as Princess Beatrice is the sweetest and supportive sister you want with you during tough times.

Honestly, I have nothing but praise for the casting of this movie. Other casting directors should learn from this (just kidding, but lowkey, yes, they should!).

Moving on to the twists and differences from book to screen.

Similar to every other book to screen adaptation, not every element from the book gets adapted on screen and this movie is no different. Certain characters were also not adapted and changed and certain scenes were not included.

Let's talk about the differences in characters first.

One of the characters that I really wanted to see in the movie (this is after reading the book already) was June Claremont-Diaz. June is Alex's older sister and the First Daughter of the US. She was not included in the movie, which kinda made me sad because her banter with Alex and Nora is one of my favorites in the book. Also, she just provides that sisterly vibe to Alex similar to what Beatrice provides to Henry. I would've also loved to see the Claremont-Diaz siblings banter on screen but sadly, that is not the case. I would also like to mention that one of my favorite actresses Emeraude Toubia was the fancast for June and simply imagining her with Taylor just makes me giddy and happy.

Another character that was not there but mentioned multiple times in the movie was Henry's mother Duchess Catherine of Edinburgh. She was present in the book but not in the movie so that's another character that I would've loved to see on screen.

For the characters that were changed, a few notable ones were Rafael Luna. Rafael's character became Miguel in the movie, and believe me when I tell you that Miguel irritates me in the movie, especially when he is around Alex, which is always! Another notable character change was the royal ruler of England. In the book, it was Queen Mary but in the movie, the character became King James so it was a transition from a queen to a king which I don't mind.

So far, those are the only ones that really come to mind. The other side characters like Zahra, Nora, Shaan, and Percy were maintained. I would also like to add that it's a smart move when they decided to have the author of the book Casey Mcquiston appear in the movie! That's a slay, honestly.

As for the differences in the storyline and dialogue...

Storyline-wise, the movie stayed pretty true to the book, which is honestly good because I am not the biggest fan of when they put too much twists in a book to screen adaptation that sometimes it already strays away from the original plot. Some iconic scenes from the book that did not make it to the movie (the Cornetto scene, for example, but it was released later on) and some minor changes to places were made like in the book, Alex and Henry first met in the Rio Olympics while in the movie, they first met at the Melbourne Climate Conference.

Dialogue-wise, it is pretty much the same thing. Some dialogue was just made more dramatic in the movie (Zahra saying "I will Brexit your head right off your body" to Henry in the movie is one of my favorites), but most of it was taken from the book itself which honestly, slay because the book basically gives you your script so if changes were to be made, it would be minor and not super major.

More deleted scenes could possibly be coming, so keep manifesting for their release, you guys!

Before I end, let's talk intimacy, smut and spice

This story is definitely not YA, and it has spice and smut within. Honestly, I would rate the spice 3/5 chili peppers because it's not like a full-blown "frack me boneless" or something but it still has hooking up and making love scenes that are essential to show the growing romance between Alex and Henry. To be fair, since I watched the movie before reading the book, I was surprised by the speed of the spice but I was also enchanted by the tenderness of when they made love in their room in Paris. Like that scene was beautifully executed and I was speechless after that.

The intimacy level of the story is one of the main reasons (if not the main reason) why Nick and Taylor had to be close so fast because the level of trust that needs to be established in order to execute the intimate scenes is necessary between two actors. Their dedication to their craft just leaves me in awe every time I think of the care and work they, along with the entire cast and crew, put into this movie.

Now, to conclude,

To end, I do not regret watching Red, White and Royal Blue. It's one of those feel-good movies that I could never get tired of no matter how many times I have already seen the movie, read bits of the book and heard the dialogue. It's just that good. The movie easily became a comfort movie for me and the book is one of my 5-star reads for the year.

History, huh? This movie definitely made some.

#red white and royal blue #rwrb #rwrb movie #alex claremont diaz #prince henry rwrb #nicholas galitzine #taylor zakhar perez #firstprince #review

27 notes · View notes

browesishu · 6 months

Text

Prince buttercup and Chino boy have ruined my life.

#rwrb #prince henry rwrb #alex claremont diaz #red white & royal blue #rwrb book #books #book review #movie review #fyp #rwrb movie

19 notes · View notes

lord-rosenth0rne · 7 months

Text

Went into FNAF with low expectations and I'm glad I did. Any movie that looks THAT GOOD with legendary puppeteers creating characters that seem to have just been pulled directly from the games will have some huge drawback to it and that was the writing.

Also, when I hear "it's for the fans" coming from Hollywood of all places, I know something's up. Something got Disney-fied in order to have it appeal to a larger crowd that may water down the content.

The actors were great, LOVED Matthew Lillard and his Scream reference, the atmosphere is creepy when it needs to be and the animatronics were just perfect. The cameos and easter eggs made it so nice.

The storytelling sucks. BAD. Bad to the point that I'm going to have to sit down with my mother later after she watches it and SHOW her (because the movie has a problem with telling, not showing) what her granddaughter, my niece is actually in love with that the movie skips out on, that being the horror itself. This is a HORROR franchise and it's gotten soft over its continuation.

The script should have been given to someone who was a fan of the series, particularly the first three games (can't say the books as they seem to have their own premise), AND a horror movie buff. The movie forgets it's a horror movie and doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.

There are a lot of key pieces I would have changed to make it enjoyable for newcomers while simultaneously being for the fans:

-Make this a series and not a movie. Mike should be in jail by the end of the movie with all the stuff they glossed over. Cop gets gravely injured and he and his sister are the only witnesses? With Afton "dead" and locked away, who else could have done it? The woman he's in a custody battle with is lying dead on his floor AND he has a history of violence and drug use? Yeah. No. This needed more time to deal with its issues or be rewritten entirely which I am all for.

-Garrett's disappearance needed to have a DIRECT line to the pizzeria instead of happening in the middle of BFE Nebraska.

-Nix the dream crap. Mike should have been killed the first time he ever fell asleep in that place. Next security guard, please. Though, I will say, if he falls asleep or he loses consciousness, they could have Garrett communicate with him to give a couple of clues on what he needs to do next and warn him to stay away from the animatronics.

-Speaking of animatronics, they're vengeful spirits that should go after anything with a pulse. Or at least any adult with a blindness for faces. While I can excuse how they acted around Abby, I can't excuse it around Mike or Vanessa. They should get the same treatment the idiots who broke into the place did regardless of who they are.

-Utilize the cameras more to keep an air of mystery and horror going. Maybe have Mike chase some kid through the place like Max did only to go look back at the cameras to see that he wasn't chasing anything or if he sees a kid on the cameras, he goes to find them only to find the respective animatronic standing there instead. Lean harder into the paranormal aspect.

-Have Afton's motives actually explained. WHY was he doing this? What was his end goal of killing kids and putting them in suits? Yeah, it can be a simple answer, but not one given in the movie. Also, have him more involved in the plot. Have him physically haunting the place as Springtrap. Having Mike ask him "Why" and him answering "Why not?" would be fucked up as hell and mirror real-life child kidnappings/murders. Grieving families do ask the killers of their loved ones "Why?"

-Nix Vanessa. OG fans remember when we had to piece things together through visuals. Not exposition. Mike should find out about the other disappearances through articles and such, even Garrett's disappearance which he could be trying to solve, and stumbled upon a golden opportunity when he found a Craigslist ad for a Night Guard for the very place his brother went missing. Besides, Vanessa has her own lore that wouldn't be in play until later additions to the franchise. Nothing like finding out the body of a dead child is hiding in one of the animatronics by "injuring" the animatronic to keep up the horror aspect.

-I would have kept the family angle with Mike knowing Afton was his father, he just used "Mike Schmit" to get a job at the place his father is protective over to investigate instead of "Michael Afton", given how common "Schmit" is. Afton himself probably wouldn't recognize him unless face to face.

-Bring in Henry Emily. Give a red herring that maybe HE'S the one behind all of it. Have him investigate at the same time Mike is and neither trust each other with that information, causing them to suspect one another.

You see, this movie would have been ten times better if they used what was already there instead of using an entirely different story with the same characters. They could have used old cliches and made them work.

#FNAF movie #FNAF spoilers #Michael Afton #Mike Schmit #William Afton #Abby Schmit #henry emily #FNAF review

20 notes · View notes