Michael Shannon Movies Blog

  Here’s another film that I had previously reviewed for my Definite Article Movie blog. I’d forgotten I’d seen it and even went so far as buying a DVD of the film from eBay as I couldn’t find it on any of my other resources. About 20 minutes in it dawned on me that I’d seen Pierce Brosnan’s terrible gurning before. I did watch it through again however, it was £1.49 after all, and my reaction to it was much the same the second time around.   This film opens with Kick-Ass getting it on with Carey Mulligan - enjoy this happy scene as it’s the last bit of joy you’ll get for another 90 minutes, as a dysfunctional family deals with the loss of their son. Kick-Ass you see may be ‘the greatest’ in bed but isn’t so hot on his driving. He stops in the middle of the road to profess his love and is killed by Michael Shannon’s truck for his trouble.   His mother Susan Sarandon is devastated, and his father Pierce Brosnan is a bit upset too. His brother is mostly stoned and th...

  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...