The end of the month always arrives so suddenly for me… Again I left everything at the last minute like an idiot. Despite of this my picks for Rachel Weisz this month ended up being alright and not so bad. So without further ado, here’s another good month in the Hidden Gems movie challenge of 2021.
WHY RACHEL WEISZ?
There are many actresses I know very well and despite of that their filmography is basically unknown for me. Rachel Weisz is one of those actresses. She is such a familiar presence but I’ve seen the tiniest amount of her movies. All the ones I’ve seen she has had a very commanding screen presence which is why I picked her here. And she is so pretty, seeing her on screen is always a beautiful experience. Plus, I really wanted to see a Keanu Reeves movie. I miss Keanu.
STATISTICS
Letterboxd has 56 projects under Rachel Weisz of which I took out 6 (including a documentary) and was left with 50 movies. Out of those I had seen 11 already which is not the best.
So I’ve seen 11 of Rachel’s performances and these are my favourites: The Lobster, The Favourite, The Mummy, Runaway Jury and About a Boy.
I’ve also seen The Fountain, The Mummy Returns, Oz the Great and Powerful, Definitely Maybe, Eragon, My Blueberry Nights.
My picks for the Hidden Gems challenge were random and I ended up watching: Constantine (2005), My Cousin Rachel (2017) and Chain Reaction (1996).
CONSTANTINE (2005)
I know, I’m insane for not having seen this one but honestly I think it just nearly missed me. Part of me also thinks I’ve sort of seen it on the passing but not really watched it you know. Anyway, I watched it now! The movie’s premise is familiar to me since I’m also a fan of the short lived series with the same name. Part of me thinks that due to the nature of the story the movie doesn’t do Constantine justice.
While some of its effects look cool in the context of early 2000’s they feel a little dated now. Though still the visuals hold up nicely and it’s always a pleasure to see Keanu Reeves on the screen. Rachel Weisz here is as good as well even though her character is not as memorable.
MY COUSIN RACHEL (2017)
Period dramas are still a hit and miss genre for me especially due to my lack of interest towards so many of them. My Cousin Rachel on paper was definitely rather interesting in its concept. Weisz was cunning and perfect for such a role because you immediately want to trust her, even if she is not as trustworthy.
Sam Claflin plays the male lead here but unfortunately the chemistry between them is lacking. Also Claflin is supposed to be 17 years old at the start of the movie which is the strangest casting ever. If his character were to look younger, more innocent, the concept of the movie would have probably worked better. Now it just seemed a grown ass man was pining after an older woman… while it could have been a boy instead. Anyway, the potential was here but the execution wasn’t so good.
Before I get to my final pick here is Allie from Often Off Topic! Allie’s May was all about Paul Rudd. Read about her hidden gems month RIGHT HERE.
CHAIN REACTION (1996)
I accidentally chose two movies this month where Weisz and Reeves share the screen together. Both movies were alright but nothing amazing. Chain Reaction is this typical 90’s action movie with a predictable plot. Our main characters are scientist who have invented a machine that makes water into energy, something that could solve the world’s energy problem.
Of course bad guys are after this and all hell breaks loose. Weisz and Reeves have good chemistry here and I had an okay time. Though I’m not surprised this movie somehow passed me way back then. It’s not memorable and there isn’t much to talk about. Oh well.. at least I saw a lot of Keanu!
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all and despite the fact that I binged all three movies in one day I had fun. They weren’t necessarily bad movies but nothing simply stood out. I think Weisz actually has better movies in her filmography which I haven’t seen yet but I happened to stumble on a few studs. That being said, I’m sure she has even worse ones there as well because she has a lot of 90’s movies in her list.
So basically I feel lucky that I watched these three. But I’m not that lucky because I didn’t find a hidden gem.
Previously on Hidden Gems – JAMES MCAVOY
Next up on Hidden Gems – CATHERINE ZETA-JONES
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I remember Constantine being fun for the time! Though I have no knowledge of the source material even now. I was just in it for Keanu 🙂
I’ve only seen Constantine from your picks and it was only once in theaters and I don’t remember it anymore. lol. I need to see The Constant Gardner. I’ve only caught bits and pieces of it. The Favourite is my #1 for her.
Constantine was so almost one of my picks for Keanu month! Let’s face it, he’s been in so many movies I could pick him for Hidden Gems every year and not run out of movies to watch for a long time.
I’m glad you had a better month than I did, I haven’t seen any of your picks but I definitely want to see Chain Reaction.
Keanu has so much.. it would be hard to even pick. And I’m glad I had an okay month.. it could have been worse but I wish it was a bit better as well.
I quite enjoyed Constantine but that was a while ago. I didn’t realize Rachel Weisz is also in Chain Reaction, now I’m curious to check it out!
P.S. I haven’t been able to participate in Hidden Gems as honestly I couldn’t find an actor I want to do the series on. But I think I have just found the perfect person, so I’ll let you know when I’m about to post it!
Ahh that’s perfect! Do it, I’ll be waiting.
And yeah, Constantine was alright but I prefer the series to be honest. Just because it had more time to flesh out the story a bit more.
I love Rachel Weisz so much! She’s one of my favorite actresses. But argh I haven’t seen Constantine yet either which is so strange because I also love Keanu.
That’s amazing! I like her but I never have like.. fallen in love with her but I’m glad she has fans! Constantine is a must I think for Keanu and Rachel fans! 😀