Michael Shannon Movies Blog

  I wasn’t expecting to enjoy ‘The Flash’ due to its troubled production and so-so reviews but I really did. It was a bit long and possibly confusing (I’m not totally sure) but it was good fun with plenty of surprises and some decent action, albeit mostly CGI. I bailed out on the Justice League film and haven’t watched The Flash TV series, apart from that 90’s one, so I went into this somewhat cold. I do have a good idea of the comics but the Flash was never really a character I liked. Initially he could run fast but once he could travel through stuff and time it seemed a bit far fetched. I know! We meet Barry – the Flash’s alter ego - as he’s helping the Ben Affleck Batman sort out some Gotham based hassles. Gotham, which looks a lot like Glasgow, is under attack and whilst Batman does the heavy lifting the Flash saves some babies in a hospital in a funny sequence. Wonder Woman shows up too in a largely pointless cameo but she does generate a few laughs with her golde...

  Here’s fun bit of nonsense. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee, a bike courier in New York. The ‘premium rush’ of the title is a special delivery that just has to get there on time. We are introduced to the exciting world of bike couriers in a fast paced opening as Wilee goes through what’s involved, and we get a load of on screen graphics and ‘what if?’ moments as Wilee analyses situations in a moment as we see the various possible outcomes play out – most of which have the riders wiped out. The film opens and closes with the familiar sounds of The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley’ but this is no teenage wasteland - most of the cast, Wilee included, look like they are in their 30’s. Wiley works for an agency and has a rival in Manny and an off on girlfriend in Vanessa. They all have great tech kits and hearing, which lets them make and take calls whilst navigating NYC traffic. The thin plot concerns the delivery of a paper slip which is a Chinese money transfer receipt worth $5...

  It was only when I went to log my score for this film on the IMDb did I realise that I had already seen it. In truth bits of it did seem familiar, but I thought that was due to its close resemblance to ‘Equilibrium’ which was a lot more fun. I did like this film the second time around but it may not stay long in the memory – a bit like last time! The film is set in a near future America after the second civil war. Fascist types in black suits run the show and they have banned all but a few books and most other artistic items. Strangely everyone can read and write, but they all probably just have approved texts. Not sure why some characters can quote long bits of banned books, but I’m guessing everyone has a secret stash. Shannon plays Captain Beatty, the head of the local brigade of  'Firemen'. He is due for a promotion and his second in command, Michael B Jordan, off the ‘Creed’ films, is in line for a step up. The two are celebrities, as their nightly raids on...

  I had avoided this film when it came out, and even when it appeared on Netflix, as it looked like a dull Brad Pitt vehicle set on a train which was somewhat unappealing to me. Having watched it for this project I’m glad that I did as it was good fun with plenty of action. Brad stars as a hitman codenamed ‘Ladybird’ who is on a mission as a substitute for another killer. Brad is getting out of the murder game and took this job as it was a property snatch only. His breathy voiced handler (later revealed to be Sandra Bullock) keeps him on track as he navigates through the streets of Tokyo and on to the eponymous Choo-Choo. The film is flashy and a neon blaze with each character introduced with a caption and some backstory. Brad picks up a few items from a locker but leaves behind the offered gun – this is a straightforward baggage pick up after all – huge mistake! He quickly finds the briefcase he’s after but getting off the train is another matter. We soon learn that the t...

  I was aware of this film but hadn’t seen it before it popped up on my next to watch list. Gerard Butler is of course Paisley’s (well Ralston’s) finest but his movies aren’t normally my kind of thing. I assumed that this would be about a preacher with a machine gun, a bit like ‘Hobo With a Shotgun’, but it is in fact a bio-pic of Sam Childers a worthy man who looks out for kids in Southern Sudan. The film needs to set Sam up for a road to Damascus type conversion, so the first 20 minutes see him get out of prison and be a general scumbag. He yells at his wife for stopping being a stripper and he goes out on a bender with his old pal Donnie, played by our man Shannon. Shannon has a low rent role here, wearing a denim vest to show his lower status to Butler’s leather offering. Butler scoffs at his wife finding God but after some mildly tragic events he gets the message too. He finds a righteous path and the good Lord sends down a tornado so that he can get lots of construct...

  The second half of season 3 really ratchets up the action with a lot of long running storylines reaching a satisfying conclusion. Shannon however is reduced to a virtual bit part with his George Mueller trying to make an honest living but failing miserably. His job at the steam iron company ended when the practical jokes at his expense caused him to use the company’s product on a colleague’s face. He finds work with gangster O’Bannion but he finds the practical jokes with him even worse. His Norwegian wife Sigrid is clearly a social climber expecting Mueller to build her a house that will be furnished on tick. To pay off some gangsters they are provided with a still and a demand that they produce 24 bottles a week. Sigrid sees the chance to plug a gap in the market with her Norwegian Aqua-vita but inevitably, Mueller’s attempts to peddle her wares only leads to more trouble. The Gyp Rossetti storyline gathers apace when he blows up Nucky’s nightclub and his girlfrien...

  For our second look at a Michael Shannon film I’ve booted up his second appearance in the risible 1996 conspiracy action thriller ‘Chain Reaction’. I hadn’t seen this film before as it looked rubbish and having now watched it and confirmed this to be the case I’ll never have to watch it again. Unless I do a Brian Cox retrospective which is unlikely. Hmm ‘Rushmore’ though… Going forward I will pick a random Shannon film from my spreadsheet using Random.org. If I don’t have the file in my library I’ll go for the one above it and if it’s a Boardwalk Empire entry I’ll go to the last block that I haven’t seen. More fun doing a random film than plodding though in consecutive order. I’ll note the file number from my list (1-93) so you’ll know where it falls in the oeuvre. Anyway, I wanted to watch this next given that Shannon’s ‘Groundhog Day’ debut was a meagre two scenes and I wanted to see how he had progressed in his second credit, which took three years to appear. Guess wh...