Tag Archives: Ian McShane

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

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John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Director: Chad Stahelski
Writer: Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, Marc Abrams
Sequel to: John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Tobias Segal, Anjelica Huston, Saïd Taghmaoui
Seen on: 3.6.2019

Plot:
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is in deep, deep trouble. He has been ousted from the society of assassins, forfeiting any protection they can offer. Instead there is a bounty on his head, and everybody from the assassin’s guild is after him to cash in on it. He has had a very small grace perios before the hunt starts, but his only real chance is to get out of the city and disappear.

I have been a huge fan of the first two installments of this series, and the third one manages to continue with it in the same high quality, making me itching for Chapter 4 (presumably the last one).

The film poster showing John Wick (Keanu Reeves) standing in the rain with a bruised face and a gun in his hand.
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Hellboy (2019)

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Hellboy
Director: Neil Marshall
Writer: Andrew Cosby
Based on: Mike Mignola‘s character
Cast: David Harbour, Daniel Dae Kim, Sasha Lane, Mark Stanley, Brian Gleeson, Milla Jovovich, Penelope Mitchell, Ian McShane, Mario de la Rosa, Sophie Okonedo, Thomas Haden Church, Kristina Klebe, Stephen Graham
Seen on: 16.4.2019
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Content Note: misogyny, lookism

Plot:
Hellboy (David Harbour) works at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence together with his adoptive father, Professor Bruttenholm (Ian McShane). After a mission that did not go the way it was supposed to and that ends with Hellboy having to kill his partner and hearing that even worse is to come for him, he is not in a good place – and then he finds himself double-crossed to boot. And that’s not even the threat he was warned about. Teaming up with his colleagues Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim) and Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane), Hellboy has to face an ancient evil witch to stop the end of the world.

I really should have listened to the critics that seemed to unanimously pan this film, because, by god, it was so very bad. A waste of pretty much everything that went into the film.

The film poster showing Hellboy (David Harbour) in full-horned glory standing in flames, holding a sword.
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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

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John Wick: Chapter 2
Director: Chad Stahelski
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Sequel to: John Wick
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Tobias Segal, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan, Thomas Sadoski, Erik Frandsen, David Patrick Kelly, Perry Yung, Peter Serafinowicz, Peter Stormare
Seen on: 22.2.2017

Plot:
After John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finished his quest of vengeance and made sure that there will be no continuation of a blood feud, all he wants is to get back to his life of peace and quiet. But his reappearance in the world of assassins hasn’t gone unnoticed and there is still a debt John owes to Santino (Riccardo Scarmarcio) – and Santino has come to collect. John wants to refuse, but if he does, he goes against one of the central principles of this world – and his life will be up for grabs.

John Wick: Chapter 2 may not have blown me away quite as much as the first film (which may be due mostly to my higher expectations now), but it is definitely a more than worthy sequel.

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Re-Watch: John Wick (2014)

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John Wick
Director: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Bridget Moynahan
Seen on: 21.2.2017
[Here’s my first review.]

Plot:
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) used to be a hitman. The best hitman. But he gave it all up for is wife (Bridget Moynahan) and went straight. But now he lost her after a long illness and he’s lost without her. When a little puppy arrives on his doorstep, courtesy of his wife who didn’t want him to lose his ability to love, he is immediately taken by it. But then he is robbed by Iosef Tasarov (Alfie Allen), a young thug who happens to be the son of mafia boss Viggo Tasarov (Michael Nyqvist). Iosef wants to steal John’s car, but can’t leave it at that: he kills John’s dog. That is the last straw for John who decides to get back into business and take his revenge on Iosef and anybody who stands in his way.

Before seeing the sequel, I knew I had to re-watch John Wick. And also on re-watching it’s a beautiful, amazing, wonderful action movie that I simply adore.

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John Wick (2014)

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John Wick
Director: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Bridget Moynahan
Seen on: 02.02.2015

Plot:
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) used to be a hitman. The best hitman. But he gave it all up for is wife (Bridget Moynahan) and went straight. But now he lost her after a long illness and he’s lost without her. When a little puppy arrives on his doorstep, courtesy of his wife who didn’t want him to lose his ability to love, he is immediately taken by it. But then he is robbed by Iosef Tasarov (Alfie Allen), a young thug who happens to be the son of mafia boss Viggo Tasarov (Michael Nyqvist). Iosef wants to steal John’s car, but can’t leave it at that: he kills John’s dog. That is the last straw for John who decides to get back into business and take his revenge on Iosef and anybody who stands in his way.

I expected John Wick to be a so bad it’s good kind of film. It isn’t. It is actually, unironically fantastic, a modern action masterpiece and I loved every second of it.

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Hercules (2014)

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Hercules
Director: Brett Ratner
Writer: Ryan Condal, Evan Spiliotopoulos
Based on: Steve Moore‘s comic
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Reece Ritchie, Joseph Fiennes, Tobias Santelmann, Rebecca Ferguson, Joe Anderson, Peter Mullan

Plot:
Everybody knows the legend of Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) and his heroic deeds, strategically enhanced by his nephew Iolaus (Reece Ritchie). Now that he completed his twelve tasks and after horrific past events that still haunt him, Hercules works as a sword for hire with his group – Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), Atalanta (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) and Iolaus. When he is approached by Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) for help defeating warlord Rheseus (Peter Santelmann), Hercules takes the job. But it isn’t quite as simple as it appears at first.

Hercules had everything I wanted it to have: self-awareness, nice action, quipping, Dwayne Johnson in a skirt, an excellent cast and so much fun. It was utterly enjoyable.

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Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

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Jack the Giant Slayer
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, Dan Studney
Based on: the fairy tale
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Eddie Marsan, Warwick Davis, Bill Nighy

Plot:
Jack (Nicholas Hoult) has always dreamed of giants, but his life is stuck more in reality. That is until he stumbles upon Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) and her knight protector (Ewan McGregor) at a play and saves her, then trades in his horse for a few magic beans and then Isabelle – who has been promised to the shady Roderick (Stanley Tucci) – shows up alone on his doorstep, looking for adventure. And suddenly Jack finds himself with his hands more than full, a magic beanstalk leading to the giants’ country in his garden and a mission to save the princess.

Jack the Giant Slayer is a movie of almosts. It is almost smart in the way it adapts the tale. Isabelle is almost an actual character. Nicholas Hoult almost actually acts. Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci are almost enough to make this movie worthwhile. But in the end, it just falls short of everything.

jack-the-giant-slayer

[Slightly spoiler-y, I guess.]

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Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

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Snow White and the Huntsman
Director: Rupert Sanders
Writer: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, Hossein Amini
Based on: the Snow White fairy tale
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris, Brian Gleeson, Vincent Regan

Plot:
10 years ago, Ravenna (Charlize Theron) killed the good king, imprisoned his daughter Snow White (Kristen Stewart) and took over the kingdom with her evil magic. But now that Snow White turned 18, she managed to escape her imprisonment. Since Ravenna desperately needs Snow White’s youth and beauty for her own magic, she sends the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her. But soon he rather joins Snow White in her fight against Ravenna.

Snow White and the Huntsman is the kind of film that opens with an apple tree in full bloom and ripe apples at the same time which tells you everything you need to know about the film: it puts style so high over substance that it leaves all logic far, far behind. Which would have been okay, if it wasn’t also incredibly boring.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the fourth Pirates movie, directed by Rob Marshall, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Keith Richards and a mini-cameo by Judi Dench.

Plot:
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives in England only to find out that he’s apparently been recruiting sailors. He quickly finds that Angelica (Penélope Cruz), who he has met in the past, has been posing as himself to find sailors for the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s (Ian McShane) ship. They are trying to find the Fountain of Youth. Against his will, Sparrow ends up on the mission, followed by Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who was sent by the English king to find the Fountain himself but who also still has an open tab with Blackbeard.

I thought Pirates of the Caribbean was really a lot of fun. It’s pretty mindless, doesn’t make much sense when you think about it and the 3D really sucked, but it still ended up very entertaining.

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