Help me choose a movie to watch

[Stan_Lite]

I'm offshore at the moment and we are in a well control situation (i.e. things have gone tits up and we are trying to get things back the way they should be). This situation doesn't really invlove me and is a long process, as a result, I have very little to do. I don't usually carry movies with me as I rarely have the time or patience to watch them but I have been given access to a selection of movies if I want.

As I said, I don't watch many movies and don't really pay attention to what's going on in the movie world so I'm not sure what's good and what isn't. I have a list of the movies available and would be grateful if those of you with more knowledge would assist me in finding a good movie to pass the time. I would prefer something that doesn't take a lot of concentration as there are occasional interruptions and I do have to take a wander now and then to check my equipment (FNARR).

Please give me your recommendations from the following list (a brief summary would be useful, if you can be bothered) :)

Raise Your Voice
Blow
Chasing Liberty
Crank
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Ghost Raider
Highway Men
Hollow Man
Paradise Now
Running Scared
Saints and Soldiers
Saved
Senseless
Shooter
Shopgirl
Silent Hill
The Baxter
The Illusionist
The Last King of Scotland
The Last Unicorn
The Zodiac
The Sentinel
Transformers
The Usual Suspects
Who Am I
X-Men - The Last Stand


Fankoo in advance.

[goldilocks]

21 and 26 are EXCELLENT films.
The last King of Scotland is about a young scottish doctor who accidentally ends up working for Idi Amin - I can't really summarise the plot without ruining the film for you, but it is really worth watching (the book is pretty awesome too)
The usual suspects (i can't believe you haven't seen that already!) is a classic - again, it is impossible to tell you the plot without spoiling it, but it is superb - and keeps you guessing all the way to the end.
5 is meant to be brilliant too. I watched half of it, and had to turn it off (because I was by myself in the house, and it was making me sad watching it), but I intend to watch the rest at some point!

Thats 6 hours filled for you!

[Stan_Lite]

Thats 6 hours filled for you!

That's half a shift :D Thanks :)

I've heard people speaking about 21 and 26 but never seen them, I've never heard of 5 though :o

I rarely have the time or the patience to watch movies so I do tend not to see many - even popular blockbuster type ones.

[Pheebs]

Mister Stan Stan The Whiskey Man!

Here's what I reckon of the ones I know/would like to watch!

2. Blow
I watched this with Picky yeeeeears ago and I wasn't best impressed. A bit slow moving from what I remember about some drug barons and well. Yeh... wouldn't watch it again too quickly (or maybe I would just to check I was right)!

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Love this filum but you have to watch it to follow it (if you're looking for a veg out filum I wouldn't suggest this one!) Jim Carey and Kate Winslet are superb. They really are! I have to be in the mood to watch this film though - it's quite lengthy but interesting!

6. Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer
Not seen it - but just been lent it by Mister Fake Snake! Going by the last one I would suggest it's a Candy Floss filum (ie, you can watch it without having to think!) I'm excited about it but then I like comicy filums! :D

10. Hollow Man
A good film! I liked this lots! Predictable? Most probably! But Kevin Bacon really plays a loon very well (even though you canny see him most of the film!) and the affects are pretty cool!

18. Silent Hill
Not seen, want to see, as the game we got to play we were too scared of and sent back! If it's as jumpy scary as the game then I think it would be a giggle but then I am slightly biased as I heart zombies muchly (and there are half zombie beings in it! Or atleast... there should be!) But on the other hand, it could be an excuse to have a pretty lady getting scared and running around lots in "danger" trying to save a small child whilst finding a handsome man to help her... which she falls in love with and they snog at the end (or he dies and she wonders off alone/wakes up in bed). I dunno! Watch it and tell me what you think!

25. Transformers
I gave you a good preview of this at the cottage ;) Hehehe! Once again - it's been leant to Picky and I by Mister Fakesnake and I reckon it will be genius! FS says it's superb so yeh, a big thumbs up this side of the world!

26. The Usual Suspects
Genius film! Loved it lots but I have to be in the mood for it! Action, comedy moments and superb actors! YAY!

28. X-Men - The Last Stand
I HEART THIS FILM! I love the X-men series! Despite being very negative about them prior to seeing them, I am now a huge follower! It's a truly terrific film - brilliant action, good story line (it's sturdy) and fantastic scenes/special FX :D WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT! If you haven't seen the others you should as they're awesome! I would suggest on reading up on what happened in the last filums if you haven't seen it either else it mebbe a bit confusing (there's a bit of a love triangle happening with a supposedly dead lady!)

And yus. That's all I have to say!

Enjoy mister :D

[goldilocks]

25. Transformers
I gave you a good preview of this at the cottage ;) Hehehe! Once again - it's been leant to Picky and I by Mister Fakesnake and I reckon it will be genius! FS says it's superb so yeh, a big thumbs up this side of the world!


i didn't even spot that on the list!
another vote for transformers - it's reeeeeeally good!

[Tak]

Transformers is great :D They kept the 1980s "man can save the world as long as he works together" cheese that was in the cartoon :D

Other than that I've only seen The X-Men from that list :o (thats a great "leave brain by the side of the sofa" movie too)

[Stan_Lite]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Pheeeeeeeeeeebs, thanks for uber hooooge helpness. I think I'll watch Transformers this afternoon whilst on shift as it seems to be a popular choice and silent hill tonight, in darkness, in my room since it should be scary and let you know what it's like.

Please keep the suggestions coming folks, there's a good chance I'll be in the same situation for a few days yet.

I saw one of the X-Men films but can't remember which one it was :o I thought it was a bit naff but good mindless fun nonetheless so I'll prolly watch that at some point. I quite fancy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind so I may give that a look some evening when I can concentrate on it. Still not sure about the others so keep the help coming guys.

Anybody else noticed that it's only girlies replied so far - come on blokes, help me out :p

[Dymetrie]

5
8
10
25
26
27
28

:D

Eternal Sunshine is an awesome crazy film, some excellent performances and a freaky story made me love it.

Ghost Rider was ok, but it did have the fantastic option of being able to go "NICHOLAS CAGE'S FACE IS ON FIRE!!! THAT IS AMAZING!" which I liked :p

Hollow Man is actually quite a good translation of the Invisible Man story, the FX are good and Kevin Bacon does crazy pretty well. The scene with the dog made my ex hate Kevin Bacon forever :( Then I made her watch Stir of Echos :D

Transformers. That is all.

Usual Suspects is quite possibly one of the best films ever made and has one of the best performances from Kevin Spacey I've ever seen, he rocks, completely.

Every Jackie Chan film in the world is brilliant :p

The Last Stand is a good continuation of the world created by the first two films. The only requirement during this film is to enjoy it and to point and laugh at Vinnie Jones ;D

[Stan_Lite]

Never realised Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had Jim Carey in it :( I'll try it but if he hasn't broadened his repertoire from pulling stupid faces and making daft noises, I'll switch it off.

Thanks Dym. From your brief description of Ghost Rider, I've seen it - thought it was a bit WTF in places but not as bad as it could have been (not as good as it could have been either). I've quite liked Kevin Bacon in the films (must stop calling them movies - that's what happens when you work with Americans for too long) I've seen him in so I'll probably give Hollow Man a whirl at some point.

Usual suspects has been getting quite a few mentions so that may be worth a look.

[Kell_ee001]

I would suggest the new fantasy ones (transformers, x-men, F4) as they're all pretty good and easy to watch, but my favourite out of that list is definately The Usual Suspects, only you may need to concentrate on it.

[semi-pro waster]

Mr Safety Champion, how could you let it get to a well control situation? Pre-emptive measures are better than fixing it afterwards*. :p

As a different choice to the rest so far, number 4) Crank is quite good if you just want a film to switch off your brain at, mindless violence, implausible plot and one of the more amusing endings I've seen recently (great use of a Jefferson Starship - Miracles). It is pretty stupid but it doesn't pretend to be anything else and that is always good.


*I've actually got no clue about what it involves despite the fact that one of my uncles used to work on the rigs.

[Stan_Lite]

Mr Safety Champion, how could you let it get to a well control situation? Pre-emptive measures are better than fixing it afterwards*. :p
Wasn't on my shift :p

As a different choice to the rest so far, number 4) Crank is quite good if you just want a film to switch off your brain at, mindless violence, implausible plot and one of the more amusing endings I've seen recently (great use of a Jefferson Starship - Miracles). It is pretty stupid but it doesn't pretend to be anything else and that is always good.


Mindless violence and implausible plot sounds like my cup of tea - I'll give that a try :D

I tried to watch Transformers this afternoon but my taste in films must be different from you guys - I got half way through and couldn't force myself to watch any more :dunno:

[Pumpkinstew]

The Usual Suspects is my favourite film. Ever. (Although tomorrow it'll be Alien again, I can't separate them to so I have to alternate), although you'll have to pay a bit of attention to it to get the most out of it.
Eternal Sunshine is quirky but well worth watching although again it needs a bit of attention to get the most out of.
Hollow Man is like most Paul Verhoeven films in that it has tits, gore and sensational special effects (well they were 5 years ago) but ultimately the end is a bit silly.

[Roberta]

2. Blow - Annoying characters making the same mistakes over and over again. Didn't enjoy much.
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Beautiful. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
7. Get Rich or Die Tryin' - See 2. When someone kills your buddy you gotta go kill them even if you know you're going to get killed yourself and then someone will have to avenge you...on and on and on.
10. Hollow Man - Kevin Bacon getting a bit touchy feely with the ex then going mad.
18. Silent Hill - Great film. Very atmospheric and great spooky scenery. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Scary blind nurses for the win!
23. The Zodiac - Nice little film. Kept me interested.
28. X-Men - The Last Stand - I wanted to slap Jean Grey - hard. When Superheroes go Emo. Pull yourself together woman and stop eating your fancy men. Pfft. Vinnie Jones was great though.

I'd recommend Eternal Sunshine.

[killerkebab]

I haven't seen many films from that list but I'll tell you about these :)

Transformers - True classic. No groundbreaking plot but there was no need for one. If you want some of the best CGI out there, watch this :D

The Usual Suspects - Absolutely heroic film. Watch this before anything else on that list, for this film stomps everything else in existence.

X-Men: The Last Stand - Not a bad film by all means, but heavily outclassed by the other X-Men titles. Disappointing, to say the least.

The Sentinel - I enjoyed this. Nothing special, a good 2 hour film about how an investigation into the death of a Secret Service agent goes horribly wrong.

Shooter - On the same subject as The Sentinel, an 'investigation' is more than it seems. Good film, another one to watch if you don't really feel like paying too much attention.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Watch this if you don't really want to pay any attention. Not a good film really, only good to kill time.

[Haly]

18. Silent Hill - Great film. Very atmospheric and great spooky scenery. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Scary blind nurses for the win!
23. The Zodiac - Nice little film. Kept me interested.

What she said :D

Oh and Jim Carrey's surprisingly good when he's not being a tit and acts :)

[Roberta]

What she said :D



Didn't we go to see those two together?

[Haly]

Didn't we go to see those two together?

Yup :D

[Roberta]

Thought so!

[testpattern]

Hollow Man is actually quite a good translation of the Invisible Man story, the FX are good and Kevin Bacon does crazy pretty well. The scene with the dog made my ex hate Kevin Bacon forever :( Then I made her watch Stir of Echos :D

plus you get to see his willy in it. bacon's cock is a feast for all :p

watched silver surfer on the plane recently and it was surprisingly entertaining. only problem is that if you watch it anytime near die hard 4.0 you double take...BRUCE WAYNE'S HACKER VILLAIN IS ACTUALLY MR FANTASTIC?!

[BBx]

I have only seen the below ones of the list and so have put what I thought about the films :)

I have given a brain usage rating in blue ;)

Crank - I thought it was stupid, but watched it because Jason Stratham was in it - a no brainer :p
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - when you finish it you will keep thinking 'wtf?!' - I had to use my brain mildy
Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer - easy no brainer fun... Jessica Alba - hubba hubba!
Get Rich or Die Tryin' - erm.. thought this was just a blatant opp for 50 cent to sing his tunes... was ok... watch if you are desperate and seen all the others - no brain required.
Silent Hill - scary zombies and wingid creatures!!! ARgghh! I hid for most of it :(
The Illusionist - BRILLIANT!!! mmmm Christian Bale... but out of all of them I would recommend this... will require mild brain activity but will make you :)
Transformers... and of course this one I recommend no brains needed :p
The Usual Suspects - watched it 4 times but never straight through to the end I think you might need to use your brain for this film... I didn't... I always seem to fall asleep :(
X-Men - The Last Stand - love X men :D Hugh Jackman....phwahor no brainer easy film

BB x

[Pumpkinstew]

The Illusionist - BRILLIANT!!! mmmm Christian Bale... but out of all of them I would recommend this... will require mild brain activity but will make you :)


I think you're getting it mixed up with The Prestige. I'm pretty sure the Illusionist is Edward Norton.

[BBx]

I think you're getting it mixed up with The Prestige. I'm pretty sure the Illusionist is Edward Norton.

B*gger you are right... seen both of them again recently you see :p and they are both brilliant films!!!!

BB x

[Stan_Lite]

As I said yesterday, I watched half of Transformers and couldn't suffer it any longer so I gave up. Didn't watch anything last night as I was sleepy and couldn't watch any through the day today as I actually managed to find some work to do :shocked:

I have just finished watching Silent Hill. A most enjoyable watch, a decent mix of suspense and gore and a complete WTF ending - excellent stuff. Pity about Sean Bean, terrible actor IMO but his involvement is minimal enough to not matter too much.

Pheebs, watch it, the zombie things are waaaay cool, Roberta, you were right, I loved the scary blind nurse - should have been more of them. BBx, watch it properly, there's not much to be scared of ya big wuss :p

A little concentration required for this one but not huge amounts - nice film :cool:

Might have to give the game a go - or at least one of them.

[Kell_ee001]

I think you're getting it mixed up with The Prestige. I'm pretty sure the Illusionist is Edward Norton.

Prestige! You remember watching that one, don't you Stan? Even Jennie got bored ;D

[Jhadur]

Might have to give the game a go

That's another good movie :)





Obscure post of the day :D


Oh and another vote for Usual Suspects a superb film

[karbon]

i can't believe there was only one suggestion for crank.

its an hour and a half of mindless violence. drugs (a tiny wee bit of not graphic) sex and general awesome.

[semi-pro waster]

i can't believe there was only one suggestion for crank.

Damn right, Crank is never going to be a classy film but entertaining it is certainly and I respect the fact that Statham knows it isn't going to be a film that requires respect. It is a bit stupid but it is massively entertaining for all that and I reckon that is about all I need :)
//edit, all I can see is people that should know from before with crank, whoops, If I'm not paying enough attention to people who want an upload or something else then just kick me in the nuts or well just kick me anyway and I'll sort mself out. :)

//really late edit, my first edit doesn't even make sense to me properly.