Rate the last movie you watched. [Archive] - Page 4

Wossi

10-04-2009, 22:19

[REC]

Spanish horror about a reporter and camerman that get caught in an apartment complex 1 night when following the fire service for a news report. Think Blair Witch crossed with Descent but better. Can't say what happens as it will spoil it, but considering I don't scare easily I was almost at the point of filling my pants from about half way through till the very end.
I suppose watching it on my own in a closed room with surround sound wasn't the best idea I ever had (you'd have thought I would have learned when I watched the original Japanese version of The Grudge).

I'd have to give it 8.5/10

I'm off to watch a Disney film now.

Belmit

10-04-2009, 22:37

Mr. Brooks

Kevin Costner in double-life schizo serial killer mode.

Not really sure where to start, but this'll do. It's brilliant. The best performance is probably William Hurt as Costner's 'attention to detail' split personality, but only by the smallest of margins, and possibly because he gets the slightly more 'fun' part of the two. Costner is still outstanding though, which threw me a little as he's not been prevalent in the mainstream as of late.

I constantly found myself trying to outthink Mr. Brooks but I kept failing; he's just too good. Or rather 'they're' too good. The plot is really enthralling and the story is superbly paced. I really loved the theme of father and daughter, (which I didn't really pick up on until right at the end... and frustratingly I'm sure that's exactly how they meant it to be), and the very, very end is quite shocking but a little annoying that they used an old movie plot classic to trick us a little. Demi Moore was also very good, again, surprisingly with her recent absence from our screens. Her performance seemed very forced at first, almost over-eager, but I came to appreciate that a lot of that is meant to be the character.

Intricately woven story, a worryingly accurate portrayal of how a serial killer might think, and a couple of nice little action scenes to mix things up. Rare that I would give a film this score.

10/10

Edit: A couple more things I forgot to mention. First, that I've never had more empathy for a cold-blooded killer, and second, as an audience member, laughing along with a psychopath who's laughing along with his other personality sharing a joke is weird.

Belmit

10-04-2009, 22:49

No Country For Old Balls

Sorry, Old Men.

Certainly Oscar-worthy stuff, especially Javier Bardem as the contract killer personifying death itself. An apparant complete transposition of the book straight to film (minus some minor plot segways), I found myself fairly gripped all the way to the finish. Which it did, all of a sudden.

Just brilliant performances, but really no payoff in terms of your average film. Maybe I missed something subtle along the way as the film expertly dealt with destiny, the chosen path, morals and the inevitability of missed opportunity. Maybe the point was that sometimes there is no point? When it's time it's time.

8/10

divine

12-04-2009, 12:43

Fast and Furious

Exactly what you'd expect. Fast cars, action, mild violence, somewhat contrived story.

Good stuff, just what I wanted.

7/10

Side note: New Vue Cinema is great, Premium seats are nice big leather jobs with arm rests you can actually use. Not like Odeons idea of a premium where you get 5 inches more of sticky floor and a bit of extra padding on the seat. There were also beanbags but they were a bit too close to the screen for my liking. I was perfectly happy with my big leather seat for £4 though.

Belmit

12-04-2009, 13:22

The Invasion

Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig battle an alien infection, in what is pretty much another remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, except less scary because there's no pointing and screaming.

Very well made and gripping enough to keep me watching, but felt quite long even at 90-odd minutes. Didn't give us much of an ending except for a slight moral pondering on whether giving up emotion is a price worth paying for world peace.

6/10

Psymonkee

12-04-2009, 14:26

3 more from me:

Hannibal

First saw this in the cinema when it came out. I remember being confused, most people thinking it sucked and the smell of scampi fries. Oh and my friend snoring :p

Second viewing now and I have to say having now read the book it misses out a few characters and their interactions. Ending is different because of this but the film I feel stands up well enough on it's own. Makes for an enjoyable (if slightly creepy) film with excellent tension.

Recasting of Clarice Starling was a little odd (especially watching them so close together) but the performance was acceptable.

7/10

Quantum of Solace

Too much action not enough story - still really not sure what took place throughout :confused: Pace was relentless and explosions etc were pretty though.

It struck me after the film though that maybe they are trying to tell a larger story of many films which is fine in it's own way but simply not what I (or the rest of the Bond fans) are used to.

Noisy, Explosive and somewhat fun.

6/10

Snakes on a Plane

Watched this immediately after QoS and have to say I enjoyed this far more. Paper thin plot, over the top characters, epic attacks by the snakes - all good :D

Predictable but very entertaining. Didn't pay much interest at first (was browsing the web) but as soon as the snakes were released I was hooked :D

7/10

semi-pro waster

12-04-2009, 22:40

Boksuneun naui geot (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance)

Starring Kang-ho Song Ha-kyun Shin Du-na Bae Ji-Eun Lim
Weird, just plain weird

8/10 Bought when I thought Zavvi was shutting down and I'm glad I did. It's probably lost something in the translation since there were a few times when I thought it could have used more subtitles since I don't read Korean but overall well told and interesting, be aware that you've got to be following relatively closely to actually link all the strands sometimes. One of my mates reckon it is more depressing than Requiem For A Dream, I'm not sure I'd go that far but it might give you an idea of the films level.

Office Space

Starring Ron Livingston Jennifer Aniston David Herman Ajay Naidu
Comedy

7/10 I had pretty low expectations for this but it's a whole lot funnier than I would have anticipated, a few things were overplayed but pretty good really. An easy way to pass 90 minutes and probably a wise choice after the above film.

Glaucus

12-04-2009, 23:06

The great escape

9/10. it maybe old but the story and music just make this a classic which just doesn't age.

Tak

12-04-2009, 23:13

Fast and Furious

Exactly what you'd expect. Fast cars, action, mild violence, somewhat contrived story.

Good stuff, just what I wanted.

7/10

Ditto this review but I'd probably give it 8/10 :) Leave brain at the door, watching cars going broooooom and going fast :)

Haly

12-04-2009, 23:58

Taken

Really enjoyed this. Totally unbelievable half the time but very enjoyable and Liam Neeson was brilliant in it.
Think Jack Bauer on speed :D;D

8/10

NokkonWud

13-04-2009, 00:15

Office Space

Starring Ron Livingston Jennifer Aniston David Herman Ajay Naidu
Comedy

7/10 I had pretty low expectations for this but it's a whole lot funnier than I would have anticipated, a few things were overplayed but pretty good really. An easy way to pass 90 minutes and probably a wise choice after the above film.

I love this film. Just enjoyable every time I see it.

Jingo

13-04-2009, 16:14

M o n s t e r s __ v s __ A l i e n s

7.5/10

The immediately recognisable visual forms of a Dreamworks production are as highly polished as one has come to expect from the makers of Shrek, Madegascar & Antz (:p)...

Despite a somewhat unoriginal antagonist in the form of a 'rule-hungry alien from outer space', the sheerly spectacular visual effects and animation of Monsters vs Aliens will provide many, many hours of easy babysitting material.

Nonetheless, it's entertainment value alone lacks the buxom heart that will see this title replayed during festive periods to come.

The more nerdy viewers (fnar) will find themselves cock-a-hoop at the plentiful sci-fi cliches and references, in addition to some punchy one liners delivered by voice actors Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland makes for entertainment you won't mind re-watching with your kids, nieces, nephews and godchildren... just don't expect it to spend too much time out of it's case thereafter!

Monsters vs Aliens; rent, watch, laugh, enjoy but don't buy. :)

A Place of Light

13-04-2009, 23:39

Taken

Really enjoyed this. Totally unbelievable half the time but very enjoyable and Liam Neeson was brilliant in it.
Think Jack Bauer on speed :D;D

8/10

The "we used to contract this type of work out" line made me smile.

Great movie IMHO.

Peige

14-04-2009, 16:49

Monsters v Aliens (3D)

I was really looking forward to this one, but felt decidedly under whelmed by it.. it seemed one of those films where the best bits were in the trailers. The 3D aspect was good (although I liked Bolt 3D more) but I couldn't really rate it higher than filling in some time with the kids over half term.

Haly

14-04-2009, 23:01

Milk
Brilliant film. Very interesting and powerful stuff. Sean Penn was incredible in it imo and well deserving of the Oscar. James Franco was also impressive as I haven't seen him play anything other than a stoner before. Josh Brolin was good too.....hell everyone was well cast and acted even better. Really good likenesses as well.
9/10

Briggykins

17-04-2009, 22:40

Changeling
Rented this tonight - I was a bit dubious as I'm not a great fan of Angelina Jolie and I thought the subject matter might be a bit soppy.
Wow. It's actually an incredible film - powerful, dramatic, emotional, and incredibly well-acted (Geoff Pierson as the lawyer Hahn was my favourite, wish he'd been in it more. Jeffrey Donovan as the police captain J J Jones was brilliant as well). I might not have bought some of the plot, but I did a few checks afterward and most of it is completely accurate to the true story.
In short, a brilliant cast and a very moving story that at no points becomes mawkish or melodramatic.

SiD the Turtle

19-04-2009, 11:01

The Fifth Element

Starring:

Bruce Willis
Gary Oldman
Ian Holm
Milla Jovovich
Chris Tucker

Genres:

Sci-Fi
Action
Comedy

Rating: 9/10

Where do we start? The cast list over-flows with recognisable names, the cameo list is enormous (link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Element#Minor_roles_and_cameos)) and everyone seems to be having a great time. Bruce Willis is in his comfort zone as the grizzled action hero, Chris Tucker is at his most amusing without having to resort to cheap, slightly racist jokes (see: Rush Hours 1-3) and even Milla Jonovich pulls her weight (I find models tend to ruin movies in general, strutting around with zero talent, barely arsed to act). Gary Oldman deserves praise for such a fantastic performance as the villan Zorg (that's Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg), hamming it up without being cheesy. The special effects are top-notch, the film sitting firmly in the period where sci-fi still meant models with a dash of CG, so it doesn't look too dated. The 23rd Century New York with super-tall sky scrapers and queues of flying traffic has been done a hundred times before but the rich, vibrant colours of the city mixed with the Arabic 'market-bustle' music differentiates it from what has come before. The aliens of the film are a mix of the obvious and the strangely charming, but aren't overused. Pay special attention to the Mangalores, Zorg's henchmen. Clearly you can tell it's a bloke in a rubber face mask, but they've got it spot on with the fluid lip movements and even the raised eyebrows. The theming of the future fits the style of the movie well, with even the costume design (by Jean-Paul Gaultier, no less) spot on, with mad futuristic costumes and crazy hairdos making sure that the future doesn't look stuck in the era in which it was filmed (see: all 60s and 70s sci-fi).

It also earns a few more points from me for the amount of pop-culture and subtle references littered throughout the movie, like the golden arches of McDonalds, the small keystones of information that help define the future the movie sits in, such as the cigarettes with massive filters, cheesy TV adverts and the fog that settles at street level and the number of British people in the cast (well, it was filmed here).

The film loses a point for some wonky acting by the less experienced members of the cast, but more importantly for the criminal attention the film has been given for home release. I have the original DVD, and the transfer is terrible and the surround-sound placement is all over the place. The film went to Blu-Ray with a notoriously bad (see this review (http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2/fifthelement.html)) release that was a replaced with a better transfer, but still completely missing any form of extras. These are the kind of movies that beg for behind the scenes commentaries, documentaries and photo galleries. The Blu-Ray is also nowhere to be seen on these shores (though it is at least region free). Bad form Sony!

Belmit

19-04-2009, 11:51

Good review - spot on! The dodgiest acting comes from the various Euro models playing receptionists, flight attendants etc. but it kind of almost works with the theme of the film.

I think its biggest triumph is that it's light-hearted and comedic on the surface but still very violent and dark. Not many directors could pull that off.

Streeteh

19-04-2009, 14:10

Luc Besson is imo one of the greatest directors there is.

Oh and, the 'better' blu ray transfer is utterly sublime. Top notch picture and the sound is to die for, it's one of my better blu-rays.

NokkonWud

19-04-2009, 15:39

And isn't Fifth Element the most high profile case of the main reel being lost? So rather than a fresh transfer from original source it has to be tweaked every time?

A Place of Light

20-04-2009, 02:02

NokkonWud

20-04-2009, 22:21

She is probably the worst actress ever. She's rubbish. She can't even deliver a single line without being annoying, whiney or just acceptable.

Greenlizard0

21-04-2009, 03:05

Do you mean the annoying English cow who was on Hustle? If so, then yes I entirely agree. Butt ugly stick insect who's just talentless.

I have just seen The Reader (finally!), and I have to say that it's my favourite "tip" from the Oscars. Just pushing Frost/Nixon out, which itself just edged Milk for me.

8/10

NokkonWud

21-04-2009, 12:04

I'm talking about Dexters sister. But then again, the woman from Hustle also falls into that catagory.

Wossi

22-04-2009, 10:36

Quarantine.

Dire.
I've finally had my suspicions confirmed that the "actress" from Dexter really does only have partial control of her facial muscles. Nice to see the director had previously seen Cloverfield and decided to shoot in exactly the same stupidly annoying way.

3.5/10

It's a remake of the Spanish film [REC] which is all shot basically on handycam through the eyes of a reporter and her camerman.

Streeteh

22-04-2009, 11:22

[REC] (after seeing people talk so much about quarantine)

Terrified me and the missus but we're both utter wimps so this didn't come as any surprise to us. Absolutely loved it, really horrific but believable gore, kneck biting granny, small zombie child, what's not to love?

Sure it had plot holes all over the shop, but what horror movie doesn't these days? The acting was believable but it's difficult to tell if the acting is top notch if you can't understand a word they're saying. I'm unsure whether the nasty thing at the end was CG or not, it was too well done to look CG but also too inhuman to be a person in a suit, really scared me when you saw it in the distance down the corridor.

One of the best horror movies i've seen in years, in fact the only horror movie to scare me in years.

8/10, docking 1 point for the plot holes and another for the cheap, hollywoodesque scare in the loft near the end. Such a shame, was really clever in the ways it scared you other than that moment. I will never be watching Quarantine, i utterly detest it when the Yanks see something good and decide to copy it.

Mondo

22-04-2009, 14:02

Wild Child - Saw it on a flight 2 months ago but i forgot to take it off my rental list so i got it again. Watched it again and it's just as enjoyable. Yes, it is cliche, it is predictable, but it is fun and was entertained through out. It also starred the late Natasha Richardson.

divine

23-04-2009, 00:41

Quarantine.

Dire.
I've finally had my suspicions confirmed that the "actress" from Dexter really does only have partial control of her facial muscles. Nice to see the director had previously seen Cloverfield and decided to shoot in exactly the same stupidly annoying way.

3.5/10

I suggest you watch the original; [.REC], as like virtually every US remake of a foreign film ever, the proper one is several orders of magnitude better.

Though Cloverfield likely had nothing to do with the direction, as it was an attempt at a shot for shot remake, except they failed miserably.

Snuggle Ferret

25-04-2009, 15:39

Gran Torino

9/10

Clint Eastwood rocks!

Snuggle Ferret

25-04-2009, 15:49

There Will Be Blood - Great acting by Daniel Day Lewis but one of the most boring films I've seen for quite some time :( 5/10

*agrees*

A Place of Light

25-04-2009, 20:41

Gran Torino

9/10

Clint Eastwood rocks!

As you've used this specific word, I think I can guess your favourite line from the movie.....mainly because I think it's the same as mine :D

Sandbags? ;)

Belmit

26-04-2009, 17:36

Jackie Brown

First time I've ever watched this all the way through as it's pretty long and no-one I know ever really enthused all that much about it. I have to say though, it's heavily underrated. As far as Tarantino films go it's about as conventional as he'll probably ever be. Everyone goes bananas over Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction but the dialogue and acting in this are far more subtle. Standout performances for me were Pam Grier and Robert Forster (the latter inparticular). De Niro didn't really get much of a character to work with and seems to shamble through the film until he finally gets to do some proper acting near the end, but that's a minor issue. Overall a great little movie.

8/10

Stardust

Decent family movie, if a little dark. Lots of people seem to snuff it, a lot of the time through being impaled or stabbed. I guess they tried to go for a kind of Grimm fairytale for the modern age, though it doesn't quite feel like it works on that level.

Good for a 'spot the British character actors' game as there's all kinds of minor celebs from David Walliams to Sarah Alexander. Most of the main actors play their parts well, especially Charlie Cox, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer and Claire Danes, who is incredibly radiant in this and not just because she's playing a star (hence the name of the film). Robert De Niro gets to have the most fun as the poncey Captain Shakespeare though, in a far deeper role than the one in Jackie Brown!

7/10

Kitten

26-04-2009, 22:05

I loved Stardust, I'd give it a 9/10 definitely, possibly even 10. Can't fault it & i felt the darkness worked perfectly alongside the main theme of the movie :)

Haly

26-04-2009, 23:16

I loved Stardust, I'd give it a 9/10 definitely, possibly even 10. Can't fault it & i felt the darkness worked perfectly alongside the main theme of the movie :)
What she said, one of my favourite films of recent years :)

Del Lardo

27-04-2009, 00:35

Blighter

27-04-2009, 00:47

Tropic Thunder

Awesome cast, awesome soundtrack, awesome storyline, awesome everything.

Summer comedy film perfectional awesomeness :D

10/10

Peige

27-04-2009, 08:14

Butterfly Effect 3 (revelations)

Having really enjoyied the first one and then thinking the second one was pants I wasn't even entertaining the idea of the 3rd one until I read some good stuff about it.

really enjoyed this, fans of the first should too, the "rules" have been changed a bit but the outcomes and the twist at the end are very entertaining.

Glaucus

27-04-2009, 09:45

In the loop
I didn't think I would like it as it's a political comedy. But I have to say it was brilliant. Most of the comedy is built around "creative swearing" and big political events everyone will know. Well worth a watch. Not much point in watching it at the cinema like I did though. There's no awesome sound or action scenes to warrant the cinema effect.

9/10

semi-pro waster

01-05-2009, 22:54

Maverick

Starring Mel Gibson Jodie Foster James Garner Graham Greene
Western of sorts

7/10 It's silly and cheesy and great for all that, suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and just enjoy it.

Old School

Starring Luke Wilson Will Ferrell Vince Vaughn Jeremy Piven
Comedy

7/10 It's actually quite funny and Will Ferrell is in it yet I don't hate it, that's probably as resounding a recommendation for any film where Will Ferrell is in it for more than a few minutes as I'll ever give. Bless 'em, he does try quite hard to ruin this one too but happily it somehow manages to overcome that burden.

The Eiger Sanction

Starring Clint Eastwood George Kennedy Vonetta McGee Jack Cassidy
Thriller

8/10 I'd never heard of it before a mate recommended it to me so I figured I'd buy it and see, it's a pretty good film overall and one of Clint Eastwood's early efforts as a director. It's a little bit dated looking now with a distinct lack of political correctness but provided you can accept that it is thoroughly entertaining.

Garp

01-05-2009, 23:52

Fast and Furious

After previous two films I wasn't expecting much.

I got more than I expected, but less than I could hope for.

Big positives: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker back in the lead roles. Both play their parts well and add much needed strength back into the series.

Negatives: Well.. it's a Fast and Furious film. The essential purpose is the cars, and finding excuses to show racing and tricked out cars, a nice bit of high-octane action.
Problem is it seems the story writers were trying to push for a story with a bit more depth to it.. and failed.

Take 2 minutes, close your eyes, blank your mind. Think crime on the streets of LA. What is the crime, who are the criminals?

No prizes for guessing: Drugs and Mexicans. Gee whiz, I didn't see that one coming.

Without spoiling anything you don't find out in the first 10 minutes of the film, Dom's GF, Letty is murdered by some lowlife drug running scum. That scum's boss just happens to be the guy FBI agent Brian O'Connor is tracking down.

Both Dom and Brian end up racing cars to get infiltrate the gang for their own purposes.. once. In fact, given it's a fast and furious film I can only remember 4 main car racing sequences in it. The amount of car pr0n is rather small as well. Maybe a dozen fancy cars, but almost no time talking about mods or showing them off in any way.

You end up with this curious kind of film, it's not really a car racing film, but not really a full on action film, or a reluctant buddy film.

The characters all around them are naturally utterly predictable and so 2 dimensional they might as well have used cardboard cut outs and had Vin and Walker do the entire conversations with them in a weird Gollumesque schizo sequence. Would have at least added something to the film that way.

That said, it's not a bad film. Vin Diesel revives an almost Riddick like anti-hero, and Walker builds up the not-quite-a-goody-two-shoes anti-establishment-pro-justice good guy.

Overall... it's a tough one. Far superior to any of the sequels, but not as good as the first.

6/10

I loved Stardust, I'd give it a 9/10 definitely, possibly even 10. Can't fault it & i felt the darkness worked perfectly alongside the main theme of the movie :)

Absolutely. Plus add in the "blue" blood and so on which gives it a strong note of unreality :) Stardust is up there amongst my favourite ever films.

Del Lardo

03-05-2009, 01:41

Marley and Me

Really wasn't expecting to like this film but Mrs DL really wanted to watch it and I had alcohol so thought what the hey. I'm really not a Jennifer Aniston fan and the only film I have liked with her in was Office Space which I thought was great despite her. Imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying the film and not hating Aniston.

Basically the film is about a journalist and his wife going through their 30s and how their badly behaved dog Marley has an impact. I suspect that the reason I enjoyed the film was purely down to the dog (a Lab, I love Labs) though there were a couple of LOL moments. On the down side parts of the film felt very disjointed and there were a couple of scenes that felt like filler and would have been better off on the cutting room floor.

If you're a dog person then you will like this film. If you are not a dog person then you will probably not like it as much but it may help you understand why people love dogs so much.

7/10

Garp

03-05-2009, 09:47

I didn't watch Marley and Me all the way through, just wasn't my type of film and more interesting stuff was on in another room.

But I do think it was amongst the most badly mis-sold films of recent years. The adverts for it on TV and in the cinema just played on the naughty dog theme and left me expecting it to be some kind of Beethoven-esque film, when the reality is so far from that.

Haly

03-05-2009, 11:32

I really enjoyed it, but it was definitely very badly mis-marketed. I expected something much more frivolous than I got. Obviously if you've read the book previously then you'd be fine but I hadn't so was rather surprised.
I've read the book since though and really enjoyed that too :)

Ben M

03-05-2009, 12:13

I watched Teeth. It was about a girl with a biting vagina. It was awesome. 10/10.

Feek

03-05-2009, 12:30

RoboCop

The Criterion Edition, which is basically the original with a couple of minutes of extra gore shots thrown in for good measure. LMF walked away just after ED-209 'malfunctioned'

Absolutely superb film, Paul Verhoeven doing what he does really well. The only thing that lets it down is the poor animation of ED-209 but this film is over twenty years old so it can be excused for that.

You have twenty seconds to agree that it's fantastic :)

semi-pro waster

03-05-2009, 22:20

Remember The Titans

Starring Denzel Washington Will Patton Wood Harris Graham Ryan Hurst
College sports film set at the time of integration in American schools

8/10 It's a powerful film which speaks of the troubles of the time but it still remains resolutely entertaining as well. Well acted throughout with a number of well known faces, Heroes fans might notice a rather young Miss Panettiere. Right up there in the pantheon of great sports films even if it doesn't quite reach the top.

Quarantine

Starring Jennifer Carpenter Steve Harris Jay Hernandez Johnathon Schaech
I'd say horror but I was too busy laughing to be sure

4/10 I somehow didn't notice the warnings above so when my mate suggested watching the DVD he'd just bought I didn't say no. It's really quite laughably bad for the most part, I was swithering between 3 and 4 for the score, I've decided to be generous since I could laugh at it.

Soylent Green

Starring Charlton Heston Leigh Taylor-Young Chuck Conners Joseph Cotten
Futuristic dystopian thriller

9/10 A great film and an interesting message, strong performances throughout including Edward G. Robinson in his last role shortly before he died of cancer. Very well worth the watch and one of the more memorable final lines in cinematic history.

Del Lardo

04-05-2009, 11:47

Mum & Dad

British horror film in the Saw genre. Basic premise is that a Polish cleaner at Heathrow gets tricked onto going back to the house of one of her collegues where nasty things happen.

I'm not really into these kind of films but it was only £1 on Virgin VOD and it got quite a good review on Radio1 so I thought I'd give it a go.

I did enjoy it but as I find the genre pretty uninspiring I was never going to love it.

5/10

NokkonWud

04-05-2009, 14:30

Snuggle Ferret

06-05-2009, 16:02

Meet the Spartans

1/10 .. should have been named Most Formulaic Spoof Movie Ever Made. The 1/10 is for the marching. And, how Hercules has fallen!

Deception

5/10

Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams. Another formulaic action thriller. Didn't recognise Hugh Jackman at first.

I Am Legend

7/10 Would have enjoyed it more if it didn't have so many CGI effect in it.

Will

06-05-2009, 17:02

Tropic Thunder

Awesome cast, awesome soundtrack, awesome storyline, awesome everything.

Summer comedy film perfectional awesomeness :D

10/10

I found it thoroughly dull and dire :o

Will

06-05-2009, 17:04

Haly

06-05-2009, 17:05

I liked Tropic Thunder but it does seem quite marmite-ish. Seems to have been an even mix of customers at work who either loved it or hated it.
I reckon it would have been absolutely awful it wasn't for Robert Downey Jr, but as it was, it was decent mindless fun.

Del Lardo

06-05-2009, 17:09

I found it thoroughly dull and dire :o

Glad it wasn't just me. I should have loved it as I have a pretty ****ed up sense of humour but I don't think I laughed once.

I loved it, but was in tears at the end :o

Just like Klara. Therefore Will=a big girl :p

Streeteh

06-05-2009, 20:34

I too thought Tropic Thunder was rubbish, the girlfriend fell asleep and i turned it off out of boredom before the end.

A Place of Light

06-05-2009, 21:22

I found it thoroughly dull and dire :o

I switched it off after about 35 mins.

Del Lardo

07-05-2009, 02:57

Star Trek
Like Casino Royale, Star Trek has been tasked with the relaunch of a sick franchise and like Casino Royale I think that it has succeeded. There is more phaser fire in the first 10 minutes of the film than in all seven series of TNG and what follows on is the story of how the crew come together.

A lot of people will refuse to see this film because "it's Star Trek" or because "Lost is ****" and will they be cursing this decision on their death bed? To be honest no they won't. This is by no means an all time great but instead 2 hours of nearly constant action, fun, very good special effects and a pretty thin story line. All the ingredients of a Summer Blockbuster.

That is not to say that Star Trek fans will be dissapointed, there are enough in jokes to keep the fans happy without confusing the wider audience and the look and design of the Enterprise is excellent making it look futuristic while staying true to the 1960s original.

So should you spend your hard earned on this film? If you enjoy Sci-Fi then quite simply yes, it is not without its problems but unlike previous films you do not need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy it and walk out the cinema feeling like you have been entertained.

8/10

BBx

07-05-2009, 09:16

Wolverine

Was much better than I thought it would be, explains a few things and was most enjoyable (esp the bit when Hugh Jackman gets nekkid ;))

8/10

-2 deducted for dodgy CGI

BB x

A Place of Light

08-05-2009, 19:46

Wolverine

Was much better than I thought it would be, explains a few things and was most enjoyable (esp the bit when Hugh Jackman gets nekkid ;))

8/10

-2 deducted for dodgy CGI

BB x

Some continuity problems with the previous X men movies too.

Garp

09-05-2009, 06:32

Sphere

It's been 11 years since this film was released, and probably about 15 years since I read the Michael Crichton novel, today was the first time I've watched it. My memory of the novel was a little hazy though I remember absolutely loving it.

A psychologist, biologist, mathematician and an astrophysicist are brought together to investigate an alien space ship that's been found on the bottom of the pacific after having been there for 300 years, only everything isn't quite what it seems and the discovery of an odd floating sphere in the belly of the ship leads to a desperate fight for survival against an increasingly bizarre series of phenomenon.

The film is good, suitably scary, but diverges from the book. All actors do a great job in their roles, and the ending is suitably ambiguous :)

8/10 - There were a few places it diverges from what I remember of the book, but nothing I felt was a killer. Will re-read the book soon.

Mondo

10-05-2009, 01:53

Glory Road

I caught this on the BBC last weekend for 30mins before i had to go, so i added it on Tesco DVD and watched the whole thing from the start again.

It depicts the story of a basketball team from 1966, a time where race is still very much on the cards in everyday life in america. A time where White man are perceived to be better than Blacks in sports, and in this case, basketball.

Based on a true story and most of the characters are still alive, with lots of interviews in the extra. It gives the story extra foundation. The story follows a little basketball team from New Mexico playing in the American College Basketball league, due to the lack of funds, the main character - Don Haskins has to recruit players that other teams rejects, players from the streets, that means black players.

You can pretty much guess how it ends, being a Disney production, but how it got there and the ending is very satisfying. I very much enjoyed the entire movie through out.

7.5/10

semi-pro waster

10-05-2009, 16:29

Hostage

Starring Bruce Willis Kevin Pollak Jimmy Bennett Michelle Horn
Thriller

6/10 A fairly entertaining way to pass a couple of hours, it's not great and the story doesn't hang together completely but it's not something that you'd feel cheated by watching.

Belmit

10-05-2009, 17:10

The Bucket List

Inevitably great performances from Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, and a decent supporting role for the overly camp dude from Will and Grace. It's about two guys who learn they have months to live and form a 'Bucket List'; things to do before they kick the bucket. Both characters learn a lot from each other, have an adventure and become good friends. Nice little twist at the end too.

8/10

Red Dragon

Saw this when it first came out but it was on again last night. Absolutely fantastic performances from, naturally, Anthony Hopkins, but also the rest of the cast who seem to have really delved deep for this one. Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton and Harvey Keitel are all superb, and it's a nice twist on the usual serial killer romp as we get a far more in-depth view of the killer's everyday life and how he's a product of his upbringing. Really left me wanting more, and only loses a point because of the slightly contrived way Ed Norton's character suddenly pieces the clues together, and because it uses a few too many tried and tested serial killer clichés.

9/10

Snuggle Ferret

10-05-2009, 17:21

Belmit

10-05-2009, 18:38

I've seen it, but it was a long time ago. Will have to seek it out again!

semi-pro waster

10-05-2009, 21:53

The Hudsucker Proxy

Starring Tim Robbins Jennifer Jason Leigh Paul Newman Charles Durning
Comedy

8/10 I can't say I'd ever heard much about it before but it's great comedy and I say that despite Ms Jason Leigh's accent which is somewhere between great and unbelievably irritating. It's directed by Joel Coen which should give you a fair idea of the style of offbeat comedy you'll get.

semi-pro waster

13-05-2009, 17:41

Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In)

Starring Kåre Hedebrant Lina Leandersson Per Ragnar Henrik Dahl
Vampire film

8/10 It's a good film and actually quite sweet with the focus more on the love story than going just for gore. It is subtitled however which may put some people off and unfortunately I've heard rumours that Hollywood is thinking about remaking it already.

A Place of Light

13-05-2009, 19:46

semi-pro waster

13-05-2009, 21:44

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Starring Hugh Jackman Liev Schreiber Danny Huston Will i Am
Superhero film

6/10 It's entertaining enough to pass the time and it's even quite enjoyable in places but it's slightly unsatisfying in the end because it feels like a wasted opportunity. I'm not a big comic book fan but I think if you are then you'll feel much more disappointed than I did because it is rather haphazard about the way it introduces and discards characters.

Pumpkinstew

13-05-2009, 23:35

Star Trek
8/10

I totally agree with all of your comments, but I'm going to be one mark stingier because it begins so well and ends so unsatisfactorily.

7/10

Benders Game

It's a shame that the Futurama feature length specials came to an end just as the writing staff seemed to be getting the hang of writing for an extended format.
Bender get's hooked on old school Dungeons and Dragons and the crew get warped into his twisted roleplaying imaginings. Shambling plot but a high percentage of jokes hit their mark. Some even roll a critical success causing your ribs to break in mirthful appreciation leaving you stunned for 5 rounds. ;)

Way better than Beast with a Billion Backs and funnier than Wild Green Yonder.
8/10

Justsomebloke

14-05-2009, 17:49

The Devils Rejects - Available On Demand Discount Bargain bucket price of £1.75 I think it was. :cool:

Price is Uber cool as I would have paid £3.50 to watch this Beauty of a Film, Proper my kind of film this with Mindless violence & general carnage, Anarchy reigns in this film & it smells as sweet as warm blood dripping from a calfs carcass. :cool:
It felt like I had seen this film before :huh: Don't know whether I have or whether it was just a few dreams I'd had in the past that were close. ;D
Anyway get your fingers on that button & sit back for sick, Film starts & the killing starts, The main family/characters are Awesome & you'll have to tell me whether you fell for them as much as I did, Without Spoiling it I want to know whether you actually felt sorry for them later in the film or whether I need to go back & see that Special Doctor over at Loughborough Uni again. :o

One thing I may have to keep to myself (well away from me Docs) is My Passion for Violent Psycho women, Same with Natural Born Killers I've been in Love with Juliette Lewis ever since the film, There is something Wild & sexually exciting about a Woman who can kick somebody to death. ;D;D;D

Right then Get it watch it or I am coming to get you, Woooo Ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Very Dodgey Clown in this film so be warned. ;D

semi-pro waster

16-05-2009, 17:38

Best In Show

Starring Jay Brazeau Parker Posey Michael Hitchcock Catherine O'Hara
Mockumentary

8/10 It's by the people behind This Is Spinal Tap and it's in the same vein of surreal but well observed humour. I hadn't heard much about this before but it is very entertaining with good performances throughout, Eugene Levy and Fred Willard both do sterling work as supporting actors.

Commando

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger Rae Dawn Chong Dan Hedaya Vernon Wells
Action film

8/10 One of the greatest brainless action films ever and oh so quotable, it's totally unrealistic and brilliant.

DOA: Dead Or Alive

Starring Jaime Pressly Devon Aoki Holly Valance Sarah Carter
Video game film

5/10 The word preceding film above should tell you all you need to know here, it's cheesy, the dialogue is rubbish, the fight scenes aren't even that good but strangely entertaining for all that, definitely one of the films that loops round from atrocious to just about passable.

semi-pro waster

17-05-2009, 17:43

The Replacements

Starring Keanu Reeves Gene Hackman Brooke Langton Orlando Jones
Sports comedy film

7/10 I've given it a score but frankly that's entirely unimportant in how much I enjoy this film, it's not the best film I own, hell it's not even the best sports film I own but for sheer hours of amusement I don't think anything else comes vaguely close. It's silly fun for the better part of two hours, nothing more than that and no pretensions to be anything else, this is one of my favourite films ever and I say that despite it starring Keanu Reeves (who's surprisingly good in this).

leowyatt

17-05-2009, 17:55

It's awesome!!! ;D

semi-pro waster

17-05-2009, 22:49

Looking back on the last few posts in this thread I'm beginning to wonder if I watch too many films. :o ;D

Charlie Wilson's War

Starring Tom Hanks Amy Adams Julia Roberts Philip Seymour Hoffman
Dramatisation

8/10 I'd heard of the film before but for some reason it didn't really appeal because I didn't know anything much about it. It's a very good film with strong performances throughout, some brilliant lines and Tom Hanks is great as a cad with a concience, equally Philip Seymour Hoffman doesn't disappoint as a bolshy CIA agent.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Starring Clint Eastwood Chief Dan George Sondra Locke Bill Mckinney
Western

9/10 Thanks to A Place Of Light for the recommendation, I'd expected a good story and some excellent performances but I hadn't expected so much wry humour which percolates through the film. I'm not a huge Western fan in general but this is just a great film without reference to genre.

Snuggle Ferret

18-05-2009, 18:41

Snuggle Ferret

18-05-2009, 18:43

27 Dresses

6/10 Predictable RomCom with some out loud laugh moments. Katherine Heigl is amusing and pretty on the eyes for the blokes and there are a couple of hotties for the girlies as well.

Dan in Real Life

7/10 Not sure what I was expecting from this film as it had Steve Carrell in it and didn't really enjoy The 40 Year Old Virgin or Anchorman. However, he does semi serious quite well. A few heart string tuggages along the way.

Mondo

20-05-2009, 08:36

Inkheart

a story about a man who's reading words bring the words to life and in turn something from our world replaces whatever came out of the book. Intriguing idea but badly executed, it could've been so much more fun, or so much darker, except it is neither.

5/10

Justsomebloke

20-05-2009, 09:00

MONSTER

Watched this last night on Film4, Old film but well worth a mention, Superb performance by the lead actress, Based on a True story about some Doris that wasted 6 blokes. I watched it all even though it was a late start & didn't finish till gone 2am, I felt for the woman but then she did remind me of my old Ma.
Top film & well worth a watch.

semi-pro waster

20-05-2009, 11:03

Poolhall Junkies

Starring Chazz Palmintieri Rick Schroder Rod Steiger Michael Rosenbaum
The third best pool film ever

7/10 It's a first time directorial effort and leading role from Mars Callaghan, done on a limited budget and it's pretty good, we're not talking untrammelled brilliance here but it's quite entertaining and there are strong performances from the other actors including Christopher Walken who is amusing as ever.

American Pie

Starring Jason Biggs Chris Klein Thomas Ian Nicholas Alyson Hannigan
Comedy

7/10 Probably the best of the films as it manages to steer a fine line between plain gross out humour and wit to remain funny throughout. Eugene Levy is on fine form as the dad trying to support his son no matter what but always inadvertently embarrassing him.

Green Street

Starring David Alexander Oliver Allison James Allison Joel Beckett
Football hooligans

7/10 It's a fairly decent attempt at a film on football violence, not as good as I.D. and on a par with Football Factory. Charlie Hunnam gives a good performance as the leader of one firm, I'm not sure how realistic it is (probably not very) but it's entertaining enough. My major problem with the film is attempting to take Elijah Wood seriously as a football hooligan, he just doesn't seem to be anywhere close to it - I almost docked a point for it but that would be a bit unfair on the other actors who do their jobs well enough.

Monster

Starring Charlize Theron Christina Ricci Bruce Dern Lee Tergesen
True crime dramatisation

8/10 Good performances throughout with Charlize Theron being completely unlike you've ever seen her before, it doesn't quite make up for the turkey that followed in Aeon Flux but at least you could see why people thought she could act. Not particularly comfortable viewing but definitely worth watching.

Haly

20-05-2009, 11:10

I thought I watched a lot of films ;D

semi-pro waster

20-05-2009, 12:15

I thought I watched a lot of films ;D

Hey, I'm off work for the moment due to the contract finishing so I've got more spare time than usual. :p

Haly

20-05-2009, 13:23

Fair enough :D
I should write reviews for the films I see really, but never get round to it as I think the games reviewing does me in reviewing wise ;D

Glaucus

21-05-2009, 19:17

Star trek 6/10

I don't like the star trek series or films. however I have to say this is a good fun movie on the same sort of reasons as amergedon. cheesy most certainly.

However I thought the story line was very clever allowing them free range of familiar characters without being tied tow hat people allready know.

semi-pro waster

25-05-2009, 22:48

The Wrestler

Starring Mickey Rourke Marisa Tomei Evan Rachel Wood Mark Margolis
Drama

8/10 I wasn't sure what to expect with this and have put it off for quite a while thinking that it might not live up to the hype but Mickey Rourke gives a great performance as a wrestler in the twilight of his career. It definitely deserves its place in the top 250, I may revise the score on a future watch but I suspect if I do it will go up rather than down.

Belmit

25-05-2009, 22:54

I too saw this a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. Ending came as something of a... well not a shock, but... I was just surprised. Unexpected!

Rourke was superb.

BBx

26-05-2009, 20:40

I too saw this a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. Ending came as something of a... well not a shock, but... I was just surprised. Unexpected!

I missed the fricking ending :(

That'll teach me for watching a film with only 2hrs till landing!

BB x

Greenlizard0

27-05-2009, 23:39

Gran Torino.

6.5/10

I have to say after watching the preview I couldn't really be bothered about this film, but after seeing I thought it was pretty good. Well shot and enjoyable.

Greenlizard0

28-05-2009, 03:44

Mysterious skin

7/10

It's really difficult to explain this one without giving it away, but not to be watched by somebody faint hearted. I put it on the same level as Irreversible in terms of shock factor.

Inkheart

a story about a man who's reading words bring the words to life and in turn something from our world replaces whatever came out of the book. Intriguing idea but badly executed, it could've been so much more fun, or so much darker, except it is neither.

5/10

Yea, I thought that as well; it tried to sit in the middle of two ratings and didn't really pull it off. Pity really as the potential was there, a good cast as well.

Garp

28-05-2009, 07:46

Because it's DULL, you twit. It'll hurt more.

Robin Hood : Prince Of Theives

Cheesily bad version of Robin Hood story, full of stupid gaffs (Dover to Nottingham, on foot, in a day? Seriously? Yet it takes a day to get from the castle to the woods?).

Kevin Costner fails to play an endearing Robin Hood, the role requires a charisma he just fails to demonstrate.
The less said about Christian Slater the better.
Morgan Freeman pretty much phones in the role of Azeem, a rather wasted and pointless character I fail to find the need for other than to make subtle digs at racist ancestors.

Worst of all is Sean Connery as Richard the Lionheart with a broad scottish accent. He's on screen for probably less than a minute and I want to stab him.

The one redeeming person in the film has to be Alan Rickman with possibly the best Sheriff of Nottingham ever, who proceeds to get almost all the best lines in the film.

Despite all thats dire and wrong with the film and most especially that song, I found myself rather enjoying it a little too much ;D

6.5/10

Belmit

28-05-2009, 10:48

I have so many films to review and very little time! I've just recorded 15 Hitchcock movies off Sky Movies Classic too, so they'll be up next!

Das Boot

Superb. Claustrophobic, tense, often funny, thrilling, poignant and frankly amazing special effects. Jurgen Prochnow was especially good as the ambivolent captain, with a thirst for action but complete respect for the enemy.

I don't much like giving half marks but this didn't deserve a score as low as 9, nor quite as high as ten. 9.5/10.

Severance

Brits find themselves lost in the forest on a Hungarian teambuilding sojourn and are hunted down by... well... who knows?! Surprisingly good script, and pretty funny too. The deaths are all fairly spectacular and/or gruesome but it never falls far from tongue-in-cheek. Some nice subtle ironies in there as well.

7/10

The Darjeeling Limited

Almost deleted this off the planner but I'm glad I didn't. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman are estranged brothers on a train ride through India. It's a journey of discovery, subtle humour and understated performances. One of the best films I've seen this year, which is strange considering I found Wes Anderson's previous efforts fairly uninspiring. The growth and increased closeness of the three main characters throughout never feels forced and to those not following the film very closely might even go unnoticed until the very end.

Also, for a film running in at less than 90 minutes it feels so much richer and drawn out than most 120-minute equivalents. The laid back pace is certainly deceptive.

9/10

semi-pro waster

28-05-2009, 13:58

25th Hour

Starring Edwart Norton Philip Seymour Hoffman Barry Pepper Rosario Dawson
Drama

8/10 A good film with strong performances but quite an open ending, you can take a message of hope from it regarding a life that almost didn't happen or you can assume it was all a dream.

Dog Soldiers

Starring Sean Pertwee Kevin McKidd Emma Cleasby Liam Cunningham
Horror film

7/10 An entertaining horror film with some great lines and certainly one of the better horror films of the past 10 years.

My Name Is Bruce

Starring Bruce Campbell Grace Thorsen Taylor Sharpe Ted Riami
Horror comedy

6/10 The score is an actual rating of it as a film but if you're a fan of the man, the chin, the legend then you can add on 2 marks. Sorry I got that the wrong way round - if you're a fan of the legend, the man, the chin then add on 2 marks. Cheesy and oh so kitsch but with nods throughout to the Campbell oeuvre, it doesn't take itself seriously and it's much the better for that.

Belmit

29-05-2009, 22:23

How could I forget I'd seen...

Doomsday

Ex-Lara Croft model turned actress Rhona Mitra plays a special forces operative who, as a little girl, was airlifted out of Scotland just as the border was shut off due to a hideous disease. The whole of Scotland is quarantined and left to rot for 30 years. Surprise surprise, she has to return to try and find a cure after people in London start to fall foul of the same illness, and satellite images show survivors in the old quarantine zone.

This film is hideous.

The first ten minutes leading up to the sealing off of Scotland are absolutely gripping and I really hoped we were in for a hidden gem. Unfortunately the second we're transported to 'present day' (30 years on) it all goes a bit tits-up. To begin with, the main character has a removable bionic eye. There doesn't seem to be any reason for this except for the purposes of tying the movie up at the end. They could easily have done it another way that didn't involve this ludicrous premise.

The film just feels very much like a hotch-potch of other ideas from films - it's pretty much Tomb Raider meets Mad Max meets 28 Days Later meets Aliens meets Escape from New York meets Waterworld... in a kilt... with full scrotal exposure. The survivors in the zone (formerly Glasgow) have basically created a hideously stereotypical pseudo-punk society, which is seemingly anarchic but with a kind of hierarchy. They all seem to waver incredulously between super camp and ultra violent and the little stageshow complete with dancers has to be seen to be believed. Part of me wondered if maybe they just filmed Glasgow as-is.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any stranger we find there's a bunch of other people who are living a sort of medieval existance with horses and swords. There's another old chestnut in the form of a gladiatorial battle-pit with baying peasants around the parapets. Malcolm McDowell is their leader, as if it couldn't get cheesey enough.

There's also a pretty much unused plot device where she has an envelope with her old address on it. A lot is made of this near the start and again, serves only to explain something right at the end that could have been done in another way without having to force the issue.

I haven't even mentioned the Mad Max style road race in a Bentley, or the completely random team that's assembled to go in at the start that gets butt****ed by punks with sticks. Nor have I mentioned Sean Pertwee being cooked alive and eaten, though I probably should have held back and let you find that lovely nugget of cellulloid greatness yourselves.

Bob Hoskins plays Bob Hoskins. There's a brilliantly unintentionally funny bit where he shoots an infected person approaching a safety bunker just before they reach the closing safety doors... and seconds later in the same scene after the doors have closed is on the inside after presumably coming through some sort of unsecure side door!

I'm giving this 1 point for Rhona Mitra, who is hot, 1 for the unbelievable scene with the dancers on the stage in the Mad Max style arena, and 1 for them not giving in to the cheesiness and trying to make this a proper action-horror flick.

3/10

However, if I was rating it out of ten on whether you should watch it or not... Definitely ten.

semi-pro waster

29-05-2009, 22:53

I'd rate it worth watching just for Rhona Mitra's arse if I'm being perfectly honest, the odd thing is I went to watch it at the cinema with a mate and his girlfriend and we could all swear that it was a lead up to an ending shot that zooms in low through her legs and is framed by her backside again - I've got the DVD now and that scene isn't in there so I don't know whether it was mass hallucination or if it was just removed from the DVD release. :o

Flibster

29-05-2009, 23:04

Not a movie, but I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue - Live!

The late, great Humphry Lyttleton, Barry Cryer, Tim Brook-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Jeremy Hardy.

I'm in so much pain from laughter... Jeremy Hardy really can't sing at all. So of course, they get him 'singing' as often as possible. Cruel buggers. :D

Excellent - 9/10

Snuggle Ferret

30-05-2009, 14:47

Star Trek

A blinding 2 hours of silliness, quips, green alien women, Simon Pegg *sigh* and geekness.

8/10

Garp

31-05-2009, 18:46

Terminator Salvation

Damn that's a loud film. I heard that criticism before I saw the film but figured it was the cinema. Nope, my local was just as loud. Volume was set right too or the dialogue would have been too quiet.

Wow.

Wow.

It's a superbly envisaged film. The post-apocalypse earth is stunning, suitably grimy and dangerous. The Terminators themselves have never looked quite so realistic as they did in this film.

Brief spoiler free outline of the plot:

2003: Marcus Wright is on Death Row in Texas, having killed some folks. He signs his body over for research post-mortem... and then wakes up in 2018 discovering the world to be post-Judgement Day. That's got to be a shock to the system. Waking up randomly near LA with no idea how you got there, what's going on or why the world is nearly totally destroyed. Especially when your last memory was being strapped to an execution table and having lethal drugs pumped into your arms. One Kyle Reese, only a teenager at this stage, saves his life and they set out to find the resistance.

John Conner isn't even a squad leader, but is known as a prophet to many in the rebellion thanks to his regular radio broadcasts telling people what is likely to come, and things are changing. For reasons he doesn't say, the T800 (Arnie model) is slightly different from the one he knew. The resistance forces have discovered a way to wipe out Skynet and it's up to John Conner to achieve the goal.

It's a different kind of animal to the previous Terminator films, aided in no small part by drastic improvements in CGI. Christian Bale does a good job as John Conner, though I now point blank refuse to get in a helicopter with him. Sam Worthington is trying to be american, but his aussie accent keeps slipping through. That said he does a good job of playing the time-lost man, desperate to find his place in the world.
Second time this month I've seen Anton Yelchin, who was Chekov in Star Trek, this time playing a believable teenage Kyle Reese, desperately trying to survive and fight back.

The kinda-Arnie cameo is some of the best acting I've ever seen him do. Probably at most 30 seconds screen time, one clear shot of his head.. and it's a very young Arnie, probably in his early 20s at most. Superb CGI, you couldn't tell it was fake at all (but obviously is).

The film is nothing OMG Amazing, MUST WATCH AGAIN!!!!1111oneoneonetwothree, but it's also not utter pap (unlike T3), it's actually quite a decent film and bodes well for the future sequels.

I'm sure with Fox at the helm we'll never see the end of the Terminator series, not whilst they can squeeze out a few more meager $$$s from the franchise, but who cares as long as the individual films remain solid? The fight against Skynet is merely the framework in which stuff can be explored.

7/10

A Place of Light

01-06-2009, 23:48

The boy in the striped pyjamas

First up, I have to say that I enjoyed it.....perhaps due to the main subject being an interest of mine. The movie is shot from the childs perspective, showing the reality of nazi-ism as it slowly dawns on him. You see the confusion in the boy as his tutor tells him that he should stop wasting his time with the stuff and nonsense (as he calls it) of fables and fiction, only to replace it with their twisted version of history which, to the boy, is even more ridiculous and far fetched.

I'm having trouble scoring this one, but I'd add that it's not (IMHO) as good as Schindlers list but it is a different movie with a different perspective.

Watch it.

Flibster

02-06-2009, 00:08

Wanted

Piece of crap.

2/10

Greenlizard0

02-06-2009, 01:07

Superman Returns.

I only really just got round to finishing this off, and I have to say it's not that bad. I fell asleep after ten minutes the first time round and woke up by my shoe rack.

The special effects were a little cheesy, but the dialogue didn't do too badly and fall into the same trap. I thought the bloke who was superman was pretty cool, Kevin Spacey pulls off another good (but by no means his best) performance as Lex Luther. The woman who played Louis was just annoying though.

6/10

Belmit

02-06-2009, 09:56

Pathology

Was apprehensive about this as Milo Ventigmilia (or however it's spelt) isn't renowned for being a good actor (it's Peter from Heroes for those unfamiliar with the name).

The film started out really solidly as he transfers from his perfect life to a city pathology lab, where he instantly starts showing up some of the current doctors with his knowledge and instinct.

Unfortunately the first half hour is probably the strongest part - where you're unsure of the motives of his colleagues and there's a real sinister air to the whole piece. Pretty soon there's a big reveal about why this is the case, and it turns out the other pathologists are all playing a sick, twisted game with the dead bodies... both before and after they're dead. At this point it all becomes a bit ridiculous, with people getting away with things that just wouldn't go unnoticed. The main character's descension into 'The Game' is, well, out of character.

Overall it's a decent attempt at a psychological thriller, with the guy playing Dr. Gallows turning out a great performance as the ringleader. Just a shame it wasn't put together better. It's a potentially great premise but falls the wrong side of the intelligence line, promising something really clever in the first 30-45 minutes but relying on tried and tested psycho-thriller material towards the end. They also seem to tie it all up in about ten minutes, and although the ending has some kind of satisfaction it just feels like another betrayal of its potential. The end performances are also disturbingly unemotional, and not in a good way. Like the actors just can't be bothered and want to get it over with.

Alyssa Milano in a minor role tips this further toward B-movie territory.

7/10 for a promising start, 5/10 by the time it was over.

Snuggle Ferret

02-06-2009, 17:47

Crank

Completely a "leave your brain at the door" type film which is great. Apart from nearly choking with laughter at one point, which wasn't so great :-)

8/10

Snuggle Ferret

04-06-2009, 16:52

The American President

I don't know how many times I've seen this film but I love it all the same. And after watching The West Wing, it was interesting to see how many people appear in the film that appear in the series. And the same scene decorator did both.

Anyway, I'd give it a 8/10.

Greenlizard0

04-06-2009, 17:09

Pebs

04-06-2009, 17:25

Wolf Creek

Pap, other than 1 scene where I thought 'oooooo harsh!!'
5/10

Hostel
Pap, other than one scene where I though 'ooooo grim!'
5/10

Smoking Aces
Alright. Predictable.
5.5/10

Click

Interestingly dark. Still hate Adam Sandler but he is marginably less hateable in this
6/10

Star Trek
Loved it!!
8.5/10

Greenlizard0

04-06-2009, 17:32

Interestingly dark. Still hate Adam Sandler but he is marginably less hateable in this

I know what you mean, his comedy voice is just high pitched and gratey. When he popped into the film I reviewed above I didn't have high hopes, but when he acts normally he's pretty good.

Haly

04-06-2009, 18:45

He's Just Not That Into You

I'm not a huge fan of romantic soppy films as they're not my ideal type of time to spend submerged within a movie.

However, like a few others e.g. Love Actually, this is quite witty, it has a good score and the cast (Barrymore, Affleck, Aniston, Sandler, little man from Entourage) do really well. Enjoyable Sunday evening movie.

From the few times I've done something wrong in a past life and have had to endure Desperate House Wives or Sex in the City, I can see similarities in this film. Fans of both sitcoms will enjoy this I reckon.

5.5/10
I saw this initially at the cinema and really enjoyed it. So I rented it the other day thinking I'd really enjoy it.......wow it was like two different films :shocked:
Huge sign of my mental state the first time round I think, as the second time I thought it was far too girly and cheesy ;D

Bradley Cooper = hot though but probably not very relevant for you ;D

Adam Sandler's not in it though so not sure who you've got confused with him there!

Greenlizard0

04-06-2009, 19:31

Adam Sandler's not in it though so not sure who you've got confused with him there!

Bah, not Sandler, I meant Justin Long the guy who plays the barman.

Haly

04-06-2009, 19:34

Bah, not Sandler, I meant the actor playing the bar manager.

Ahh, Justin Long :D Also in Dodgeball and Zack and Miri Make a Porno :)

leowyatt

04-06-2009, 20:02

Justin Long is cool, was also in DH4 and he's a mac too ;)

Greenlizard0

04-06-2009, 20:27

Ahh, Justin Long :D Also in Dodgeball and Zack and Miri Make a Porno :)

Yeap similarly goofy parts to what Sandler usually plays ;)

Haly

04-06-2009, 20:29

Yeap similarly goofy parts to what Sandler usually plays ;)

You think? The gay guy he played in Zack and Miri didn't really seem very goofy to me. :confused: An odd character but not at all Adam Sandler-esque imo!
Can sorta see your point with Dodgeball but I've still never really thought of them as similar :)

Greenlizard0

04-06-2009, 20:53

You think? The gay guy he played in Zack and Miri didn't really seem very goofy to me. :confused: An odd character but not at all Adam Sandler-esque imo!
Can sorta see your point with Dodgeball but I've still never really thought of them as similar :)

More that the parts/characters were goofy, not that they were particularly akin.

Belmit

04-06-2009, 21:01

Click

Interestingly dark. Still hate Adam Sandler but he is marginably less hateable in this
6/10

Check out my synopsis here *spoilers!*

http://www.boat-drinks.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6208

Haly

04-06-2009, 21:03

More that the parts/characters were goofy, not that they were particularly akin.

Ahh fair enough :)

Just read your synopsis Belmit, couldn't agree more!

Flibster

04-06-2009, 22:28

Ahh, Justin Long :D Also in Dodgeball and Zack and Miri Make a Porno :)

And Accepted.

All three good films - I still think that Zack and Miri is possibly the best Kevin Smith film.

Toby

04-06-2009, 22:52

Terminator Salvation

9/10

Epic - loved every second of it. Not your typical "Terminator" film like the previous ones but refreshing for it. Good plot with many superb action films and really conveyed the gritty nature of the war against the machines.

Basically echo everything Garp said about it - not much point repeating it all here. Ignore the so-so reviews and go see it - you won't be disappointed, unless you were just expecting a rerun of T1/2.

NokkonWud

06-06-2009, 20:12

Justin Long is cool, was also in DH4 and he's a mac too ;)

And he also dated Drew Barrymore, so I wouldn't trust his taste too much ;).

leowyatt

06-06-2009, 20:53

And he also dated Drew Barrymore, so I wouldn't trust his taste too much ;).

:shocked:

Belmit

06-06-2009, 21:33

Juno

Nicely crafted story, really well acted and nice to see a subject not talked about a lot in film. Ellen Page pretty much acts everyone off the screen, though JK Simmons and Michael Cera turn in decent performances as her dad and 'boyfriend' respectively.

Enjoyed it, but it was spoilt a little by the godawful soundtrack which is pretty much made up of songs that sound like they were written and performed by people who had only been told what music was and had never actually heard it. At best, they're like syruppy adult nursery-rhymes. The one over the animated opening credits was OK but before long I started to realise they were in every other scene and it became quite a distraction, as did the team of runners who bookend half the external shots.

Without Ellen Page this film probably would have fallen at the wayside as it needed her performance to shine like it did. Jennifer Garner does deserve a nod though for playing the baby-obsessed thirty-something. Her neurotic performance made me feel quite uncomfortable at times. Shame the writers/director didn't give her anything decent to work with towards the end when it felt like she needed to be far more emotional than she was. Considering her performance up until that point I was expecting something explosive, but she just kind of fizzled out.

7/10 for the film, 9/10 for Ellen Page's performance.

Roberta

07-06-2009, 00:15

Drag Me To Hell.

Funniest night for a while. Sat in a packed cinema with a load of welsh people and Paul! Mass hysteria put me on the edge of my seat the whole film but also laughing the whole time. It didn't help that I was sat next to a very large welsh man who was terrified and coming out with funny lines.

Lady in film: The spirit! He's coming!
Man next to me in terrified welsh voice: Tell him to go away!

Well worth a watch!

semi-pro waster

07-06-2009, 12:32

Rushmore

Starring Jason Schwartzman Bill Murray Olivia Williams Seymour Cassel
Comedy

7/10 It's a bit of a strange film about a gauche teenager who falls in love with one of his teachers but with friendship and maturity as themes thrown in too. For most of the film I can't say I enjoyed it all that much relying as it does on the kind of awkward observational comedy that Ricky Gervais specialises in and more than once I thought about switching it off, however I'm glad I persevered as the end just about makes up for it. If you like Ricky Gervais and your comedy squirmy (for want of a better phrase) you'll probably enjoy this more than I did but the game is just about worth the candle here.

NokkonWud

07-06-2009, 14:41

Without Ellen Page this film probably would have fallen at the wayside as it needed her performance to shine like it did. Jennifer Garner does deserve a nod though for playing the baby-obsessed thirty-something. Her neurotic performance made me feel quite uncomfortable at times. Shame the writers/director didn't give her anything decent to work with towards the end when it felt like she needed to be far more emotional than she was. Considering her performance up until that point I was expecting something explosive, but she just kind of fizzled out.

I felt Garner was the star of the movie, she was fabulous. I wasn't overly bowled over by Ellen Page, I thought a few people gave a better performance.

Snuggle Ferret

07-06-2009, 15:32

Things We Lost In the Fire

Halle Berry
Benicio Del Toro
David Duchovny

Halle Berry and David Duchovny are married and are the all American ideal family. 2 kids, one of each, big house, perfect job, no money worries.

Benicio Del Toro is Duchovny's friend since 5th Grade and is a heroin addicted ex-Lawyer who David sees once a year on his birthday without fail.

Film is about grief, denial, drugs, family. Highly recommend. Go to IMDB for better synopsis as don't want to spoil.

8/10

semi-pro waster

09-06-2009, 13:48

Kung Fu Hustle

Starring Stephen Chow Xiaogang Feng Wah Yuen Zing Hua Dong
Martial arts comedy

8/10 C'est magnifique. It's brilliantly, wonderfully, gloriously over the top and silly and so much the better for it. I like martial arts films in general but even if you don't you'd be well advised to watch this, it's not just for hardcore fans, it's for anyone who wants some lighthearted entertainment with some clever nods to a whole host of other films. We're not talking one of the great films of our time but for plain old fashioned fun it's one of the best in the past five years certainly.

Pumpkinstew

09-06-2009, 14:41

The Hangover

The premise is that three memers of a stag party wake up in Vegas with no memory of last night.... and no idea where the stag is. The script then proceeds to wring every last drop of mileage from this simple set-up as the trio stagger haphazardly through the fallout from the nights events.

The set-up maybe well worn but where this film succeeds is in being funny. Very funny. Easily the funniest film I've seen this year. It seems to distil all of the best parts of Swingers, Dude, Where's My Car and There's Something About Mary and serves up something potent but easily consumed with a warm finish.

Recommended. 9/10

Snuggle Ferret

09-06-2009, 14:52

Sex and the City

Surprisingly better than I was expecting. Not going to a life changing movie or win anything but not a waste of 2 hours.

6/10

Haly

09-06-2009, 15:52

A Place of Light

09-06-2009, 19:09

Kung Fu Hustle

Thanks for reminding me of this one.
I meant to watch it but totally forgot about the thing.
FWIW I thought the trailers looked like a hoot.

leowyatt

09-06-2009, 19:42

I really really enjoyed it APoL, highly recommended :)

Greenlizard0

12-06-2009, 05:21

The International

Very good movie indeed. I'm not a fan of Clive Owen by any stretch of the imagination and find his whole persona in general a bit boring. But he plays just the right amount of emotion in this and for once doesn't act like he's trying too hard. Good story involving unscrupulous banks at their sordid worst which meant that Owen and his partner (Naomi Watts) ran around Europe, the USA, and then back again in an intelligent plot.

It's just unfortunate that since all three Bourne films were so good this doesn't compare - but in my opinion still easily worth a :

7/10

A Place of Light

13-06-2009, 12:15

I really really enjoyed it APoL, highly recommended :)

Got hold of a copy but haven't had time to watch it yet.
Am I going mental, or is it really from 2004?

Garp

13-06-2009, 17:27

Kung Fu Hustle

I love it, it's gloriously silly, poignant to just the right amount and entertaining from beginning to end.

Greenlizard0

14-06-2009, 23:21

Nobel Son

This little gem I hadn't heard of until recently was very witty and captivating. It's a straight forward, who did it/what? kind of film starring Alan Rickman (sometimes forgot he plays an American character) and a few others. Essentially he's about to recieve a Nobel prize in Chemistry for work, that as it happens may not have been his. Not only that, but such a fact is intertwined with who his very own family are and his ruthless selfish, rude, obnoxious lifestyle.

The movie is well shot, and the score while good, is ever so slightly out of place and ultimately conveys a more MTV-esque kind of feel. It does however give the film a more light hearted approach and makes it a dark comedy. Well worth a watch.

7/10

Belmit

15-06-2009, 12:48

Shutter

Pacey from Dawson's Creek is a newlywed photographer on his honeymoon when he and his wife appear to knock a girl down in the road. Unable to find any trace of her they carry on with the holiday... but when they get home they find some strange imperfections in the photos... oooooh!

Absolutely chock full of modern horror clichés, but on occasion genuinely unsettling when not relying on shock tactics. A couple of decent twists but nothing to shout about.

5/10

leowyatt

15-06-2009, 13:36

Got hold of a copy but haven't had time to watch it yet.
Am I going mental, or is it really from 2004?

No you aren't going mental it is that old ;D

Lomster

15-06-2009, 13:50

Snuggle Ferret

15-06-2009, 17:38

Be Kind Rewind

Jack Black
Mos Def
Danny Glover

You've probably seen all the trailers with Jack Black and Mos Def remaking the films that Jack Black's character have erased. Yes, that is funny but it's not the whole story. The real story is actually quite sad and funny.

6/10

Streeteh

15-06-2009, 17:50

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Interesting concept but ultimately poorly delivered. It was far longer than it needed to be, some really good acting hidden away in there but i didn't care; i just wanted it to end.

6/10

Would have been 4 if it weren't for the top quality acting from the majority of the cast.

A Place of Light

16-06-2009, 00:07

No you aren't going mental it is that old ;D

So the trailers I remember watching on TV and thinking "I quite fancy watching that" were five YEARS ago??
Holy crap.

Fayshun

16-06-2009, 01:06

I watched sweeny Todd demon of fleet street (whatever its called) I really liked it, although I did get a bit confused as I wasn't paying full attention to it until 30mins or so into film.
I have it on sky+ so shall watch it again.

I'd give it a 7/10

Funnily enough, by a weird quirk of co-inky-dink, Sweeney Todd, was that last film I watched. Despite having to explain the end to Lom as she was distracted by other things, I really enjoyed it.

Also 7/10 on the Faysh-o-meter

Greenlizard0

17-06-2009, 19:12

Terminator Salvation

Not a bad film to be honest, and well worth the £2.90 (half price woo) I paid for it. Bale does well as do the rest of the cast. The story isn't too bad either and it was nice to see a homage to a certain person in there too. The special effects were pretty cool.

6.5/10

semi-pro waster

17-06-2009, 22:08

Day Watch

Starring Konstantin Khabenskiy Mariya Poroshina Vladimir Menshov Galina Tyunina

Second part of the "Watch" films

6/10 It's just weird and doesn't have a strongly defined story that you can easily follow, it seems to rely on knowledge that the audience doesn't necessarily have and that's despite the fact that I quite enjoyed Night Watch. Maybe something got lost in the translation that worked in the first one but I watched it with a few mates and no one thought it was as good or even that it was a coherant whole - for the most part they're not the sort of people who have trouble following a film either.

Drunken Master

Starring Jackie Chan Siu Tien Yuen Jang Lee Hwang Ching Chiang

Martial arts film

8/10 It features Jackie Chan on great form, both in terms of his physical acrobatics and the humour that he demonstrates through the film, ably assisted by Siu Tien Yuen as the cantankerous old sot and original drunken master. It's probably not a film with universal appeal but I thoroughly enjoyed it again.

Admiral Huddy

18-06-2009, 08:44

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Directed by David Fincher who also directed the superb Se7en.

Stars: Cate Blanchett as Daisy, Jason Flemyng (Thomas Button) and strangely enough, Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button) to name a few.

9/10 - An original compelling story captivating the imagination throughout accompanied by some great acting. Well worth the time watching. Made the Mrs cry at the end :D

Joe 90

20-06-2009, 03:08

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963743/)

Something my brother had, i didn't think much of it to begin with, but watched it anyway.
Seemed like a bit of a kids film due to the fact its about a bunch of 14/15 year olds, but I have to say it was actually a pretty good film, and not to forget a British one!

It's even got it's own LoLcat! bonus.

I wouldn't usually leave a review in here, but this film surprised me so I thought I'd share it :)

Garp

20-06-2009, 04:18

The Duchess

Lana decided to add this to our Netflix queue.

Oh dear :(

Keira Knightley on top form as a stupid young lady who marries the richest duke in all the land (Ralph Fiennes). Somehow she believed that his proposal which was not even done to her face but through her mother, conducted after he had seen her just twice, with one of those viewings being at a distance... somehow meant he had fallen madly in love with her.

Sure.

She then proceeds to discover that all he wants from her is a male heir, and has more affection for his dogs than her, and sleeps around with as many women as he fancies all in pursuit of that heir.

Enter the almost forgettable Sky from Mamma Mia as the 2nd Earl Grey, a man so monumentally important he even has a blend of tea named after him, and was even at one stage Prime Minister. From his performance here, though, you would barely have thought he had even one iota of a brain in his head, let alone the political acumen to gain power.

The plot is so tediously predictable, and the acting quality so different from one actor to the next (Keirra good as her stupid little world is torn apart, Fiennes unusually bad, Dominic Cooper.. bland) by half way through the film I was wondering why anyone would bother watching it.

So I stopped. Lana watched it all, told me the ending and I discovered I really hadn't missed anything.

2/10 - 1 point for Keirra, 1 point for the Duke's two dogs that were the best actors in the film.

Belmit

20-06-2009, 12:09

Hannibal

This is my favourite of the Thomas Harris adaptations set in this particular world. I've read both The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, and seen both the films, and in both mediums it's the latter that appeals more to me. I know that this film couldn't possibly exist without tSotL, but for me the real delight comes from learning more about Dr. Lecter who is just a fascinating character. For me it's an almost perfect film, and while the first was a kind of psychological/police thriller, this is more of a portrait of the both elegant and monstrous eponymous character. For once we get to see a glimpse of his fallibility, and a taste of how his freedom is his life... yet he's willing to trade that freedom to his own ends, knowing that the opportunity for escape is but a waiting game.

Something that isn't covered quite so comprehensively as in the book is his internal library; a quiet, solidly imagined reserve where he can retreat to and ponder over all his learnings and reference anything he's ever taken in. I think it was a bold move on Ridley Scott/David Mamet's part to not include this intrinsically and spell it out. It's done well in the book but wouldn't translate to the screen with ease.

Julianne Moore couldn't have done any more to replace Jodie Foster as the Clarice Starling character. She gets the mannerisms and the accent, and plays the part as it should have been, in great tribute to Foster's spot-on performance in tSotL. An unrecognisable Gary Oldman as Mason Verger is on form as usual, playing a character hell-bent on revenge but without the physical power to carry his vengeance through... but certainly the means.

The plot is engaging and believable, and serves well to bring out the beast in Dr. Lecter, which is where the true delight lives for me. On his own, Lecter is erudite, highly moral, polite, charming and knowledgable... possibly a genius. But when something threatens his freedoms and ideals he will strike back like a parent protecting a child, allowing nothing to hurt them. This is of course a huge social inbalance caused by his upbringing (see Hannibal Rising for some insight).

I'm also a fan of how Lecter loves delicious irony as a garnish on everything, and his quirky way of dropping in contemporary slang with a subtle 'Okey-dokey', or by way of insult.

Anthony Hopkins was simply born to embody this character.

10/10

NokkonWud

20-06-2009, 12:59

Were you not disappointed at all by the drastic change between the book and movie Belmit? I really didn't like the way they went with the movie, though, despite that Anthony Hopkins is again phenomenal as is Ray Liotta who still remains massively underrated.

It also has one of my favourite ever actors in it, Gary Oldman, the guy is a God, what can I say. I love him. Jullianne Moore is brilliant, bettert han Jodie Foster, but the accent does annoy me, but Moore is a far superior actress and she's also amazingly hawt.

I just wish they'd stuck to the book.

Mondo

20-06-2009, 13:18

Drunken Master

Starring Jackie Chan Siu Tien Yuen Jang Lee Hwang Ching Chiang

Martial arts film

8/10 It features Jackie Chan on great form, both in terms of his physical acrobatics and the humour that he demonstrates through the film, ably assisted by Siu Tien Yuen as the cantankerous old sot and original drunken master. It's probably not a film with universal appeal but I thoroughly enjoyed it again.

Basically what Karate kid ought to be :p

I saw DM when i was little and just loved it ever since, it was one of my first Jackie Chan movies i've seen.

Glaucus

20-06-2009, 13:28

Transformers II, rise of the fallen

Action scenes where few for an action film. They also loved there close up, so you couldn't see anything.
It was very slow paced for most of it and then they won so easily at he end.
Then we come to the comedy, the first film had a nice balance of comedy. But this one was one comedy scene to the next. Literally hundreds of comedy scenes.

The black homie bots were annoying, the small bots where annoying, the comedy was annoying and to op it of Fox looks like she's had her lips done.

very poor movie

3/10

Belmit

20-06-2009, 13:47

Were you not disappointed at all by the drastic change between the book and movie Belmit?

Maybe it's because I haven't read the book in a while and saw the film again last night, but the film in its own right is so well done, so beautifully shot and written that I think it would be unfair to make too close a comparison. After all, how many films adapted from books are ever a patch on the original story anyway?

Fayshun

20-06-2009, 14:52

Currently watching

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas

The kids are half watching it and will moan like buggery if I turn it off. It's not as good as the first Flintstones movie, the casting's all wrong. And Wilma is hotter than Betty.

What's with the little green alien as well?

4/10

divine

20-06-2009, 23:59

The Hangover

Far far funnier than I was expecting. Some very novel and unpredictable twists in there, plenty of laughs, Mike Tyson singing and much more.

Definitely recommend!

8/10

edit - no, make that 9/10 it was brilliant. If you're going to the flicks this weekend, sod the rest - this will be better.

Haly

21-06-2009, 00:20

Have to echo divine, I saw it Wednesday and it was brilliant :) Very funny and well worth a watch.

Fayshun

21-06-2009, 08:08

Black Sheep

Zombie sheep? What more does a film need. Reminded me of early Peter Jackson, but a bit less messy. Started slowly but by improved about 1/2 way through and drew me in a bit more.

6/10 first half, 7/10 second half.

Flibster

21-06-2009, 11:16

Capricorn One

Charles Brubaker is the astronaut leading NASA's first manned mission to Mars. Seconds before the launch, the entire team is pulled from the capsule and the rocket leaves earth unmanned much to Brubaker's anger. The head of the programme explains that the life support system was faulty and that NASA can't afford the publicity of a scratched mission. The plan is to fake the Mars landing and keep the astronauts at a remote base until the mission is over, but then investigative journalist Robert Caulfield starts to suspect something.

Truly excellent film. Was recommended it by my Dad and I've only just got it from Lovefilm.

Wonderfully written and acted.

9/10

Lomster

21-06-2009, 12:55

Black sheep was slow but it did get there and is very funny in places :D 7/10

Kreeeee

21-06-2009, 14:53

A Place of Light

21-06-2009, 16:19

The Unborn

85 minutes I could've used for something else TBH.
REALLY surprised that Gary Oldman signed up for this one, although I suppose the script showed more promise than they were able to bestow upon the finished product.

Greenlizard0

22-06-2009, 16:51

Transformers II - Revenge of the Fallen

It's not even worth me writing this really, as I won't be objective. I'll admit I used to love the toys and cartoons for years as a kid and it still rocks my trousers seeing them on the big screen like that.

Yes, there are plot holes, slightly non-canonical quirks and it's cheesy in places. However I expected that, and in all honesty it's what is to be expected from Michael Bay. Go see it for a few hours of brain dead fun, giant robots, fantastic visuals, great sound effects and if you want, Meg Fox in white trousers (giggidy).

Film snobs have berated this, but it isn't supposed to be a brilliant film it's just supposed to be awesome (dude). Anybody expecting anything else probably doesn't know anything about the Transformers and their target audience, or dopily went into the wrong screen. :p

However, I do envy that the Batman series were/are clearly the movies that were given the best in the industry - it does show what can happen with the right attention to films being made that are based on ANY comic books. It's a pity that they couldn't do this with the Transformers since I reckon with all the brilliant special effects it would have been a Batman beater.

9.5/10

A Place of Light

22-06-2009, 18:37

^^^
9.5/10???
Really?

You can't think of many movies that are better than Transformers 2???

Snuggle Ferret

22-06-2009, 19:25

The Condemned

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin
Vinnie Jones

Surprisingly OK for a no-brainer action movie that was brought to you by WWE!

A mix of Running Man/Battle Royale. Lots of violence and silly lines from Jones and was disappointed that Austin didn't say he'd open a can of whoop-ass.

6/10

NokkonWud

22-06-2009, 20:15

cheets

22-06-2009, 20:35

I am gonna go watch T2 at the cinema, very rare I do go but its one of the films I want to see on the big screen.

also Nokkon how have you got GB the video game

BBx

22-06-2009, 21:00

Basically what Karate kid ought to be :p

I saw DM when i was little and just loved it ever since, it was one of my first Jackie Chan movies i've seen.

Ditto me and my bro!

BB x

Belmit

22-06-2009, 21:01

The Condemned

Saw this too. Was actually OK considering it was doomed to be pretty formulaic. Vinnie Jones added the sadistic/comedy edge it needed and Steve Austin was surprisingly decent as the antihero. I was disappointed at the end because...

Everyone gets killed. No lessons learned, just Stone Cold Justice dealt out. I guess it was technically a happyish ending but hugely unsatisfying.

5/10 from me.

also Nokkon how have you got GB the video game

This, very much.

NokkonWud

22-06-2009, 21:15

Will this still be on at the cinema around the 5th July?

Yes, but with less showings.

also Nokkon how have you got GB the video game
Imported from Canadia Land, it's region free.

KennyBhoy

22-06-2009, 21:29

The Hangover

Me and the missus went to see it on Saturday night and it had me in fits of laughter. Your usual silly, crude and rude jokes. Tyson is awful in it though. Not known mainly for his acting ability i know! ;)

If you go and see it, stay for the credits! :D

8/10

Greenlizard0

22-06-2009, 22:25

I really enjoyed it, but never a 9.5. I couldn't give it that purely because it tried to be too gimmicky with comedy robots at the start and needless humour with the mother on campus which was just awful. Thankfully the final hour of the film is absolutely fantastic.

^^^
9.5/10???
Really?

You can't think of many movies that are better than Transformers 2???

Transformers II - Revenge of the Fallen

It's not even worth me writing this really, as I won't be objective.
9.5/10

:D

Think of it err, as like the food critic at the end of Ratatouille; doesn't matter about it's brilliance, but it just so happens at that time the right buttons were hit. :)

NokkonWud

22-06-2009, 22:25

Even with the annoying comedy?

Greenlizard0

22-06-2009, 22:31

Even with the annoying comedy?

Dogs humping are hilarious!:evil:

No, it wasn't that great, but I suppose it was better than the woeful 'teenage antics in bedroom' connotations from the first film. It also wasn't really the point of the film at all, so it was easy to look the other way in the brief scene or two that they were present in.

As said - I wasn't objective for that review. ;)

NokkonWud

22-06-2009, 23:02

The bedroom connotations didn't bother me, I thought it was quite in keeping with the parents, however the parents going on campus and the mother getting off her head on hash brownies is just ridiculous, as are robots that far fire and have a cock-gun. If those were removed I'd give it a 9.

Greenlizard0

22-06-2009, 23:52

As said above, it's best not to critique it too seriously and literally (as with almost any film). I personally didn't really mind the humour.

Edit - who had a cock gun?

Wossi

22-06-2009, 23:56

Knowing.

Sat and watched this with my dad earlier. Not a bad film, annoying in places, but in theory a good idea.

Apart form the end. I had a feeling what was going to happen and was truly dissapointed when I was correct.

Oh, and Nicholas Cage is perhaps one of the most frustrating actors around, there are times when he is truly brilliant and times when he's not. This was not one of those times.

5/10 due to the way it ended.

NokkonWud

23-06-2009, 00:46

As said above, it's best not to critique it too seriously and literally (as with almost any film). I personally didn't really mind the humour.

Edit - who had a cock gun?

One of those crazy kitchen robots that came to life! :shocked:
I didn't mind the proper humour later in it from John Turturro as he was brilliant (again), it's just childish, very American slapstick makes me cringe. Without that it would be a solid 9/10 for me.

NokkonWud

23-06-2009, 00:47

Oh, and Nicholas Cage is perhaps one of the most frustrating actors around, there are times when he is truly brilliant and times when he's not. This was not one of those times.

It really is infuriating, I agree. He constantly picks the wrong movies now too as his credibility is at an all time low.

Garp

23-06-2009, 04:23

Oh, and Nicholas Cage is perhaps one of the most frustrating actors around, there are times when he is truly brilliant and times when he's not. This was not one of those times.

I really wonder about him, such a crazy history of hot and cold performances it's almost impossible to guess what you're going to get. There never seems to be any kind of rhyme or reason behind them either.

Wossi

23-06-2009, 10:29

Leaving Las Vegas and Face/Off (when he was Castor Troy/Caster Troy) were both amazing, especially the former, I think the problem is that he seems kind of, well, wet and miserable in most of his films.

NokkonWud

23-06-2009, 12:24

Greenlizard0

23-06-2009, 15:38

Fracture

This is with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. This starts off really well where Hopkins murders his wife at home after learning that she is having an affair. When the police comes round the first person to deal with him happens to be the very officer that she is having a fling with. The lawyer chosen to take the case is about to leave what he's doing to start his dream job. It's ok though, this case seems to be straight forward. Until of course the murder weapon can't be found...

It's made quite clear early on that Hopkins plays the part of a (mad) genius, and there were definitely touches of his famed Dr Hannibal character in it. It came off well, added a dark feel to the movie, which was well shot with good colours, and had a nice score in its armory.

The only thing that let it down was the story. It made itself out to be an intelligent thriller, and it seemed to start so well, all the cast members really pulling their weight behind it. But, what happens in the end let it down badly. It wasn't even a surprise, you're told the facts before hand. I finished it with a big "d'oh!" to be honest.

5/10

semi-pro waster

23-06-2009, 19:47

I can't believe there is a discussion about the merits of Nicholas Cage with no mention of the opus that is Con Air, that film is all kinds of wrong and yet it's still brilliant - I've said it before and I'll say it again, whoever thought of getting Nicholas Cage to speak in a faux Southern accent is a stone cold genius.

Belmit

23-06-2009, 20:37

The holy trinity of Nic Cage movies is The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off. If possible they should all be watched consecutively with no pause, or just simultaneously.

Agreed that he's completely hit and miss in other films. National Treasure, yes please. Ghost Rider, do not want.

Desmo

23-06-2009, 21:05

When Nicolas Cage talks....I want his head to implode ::/: I've no idea why, his voice just does me in. Three of his films in a row? I don't think I could take it.

divine

23-06-2009, 23:46

Saw Transformers 2 cos my mates were going.

It was awful. Just... rubbish.

Chuckles

24-06-2009, 10:17

That wasn't the 8.15 showing in Leisureworld last night was it? ;)

And yeah, it was total gash.

"You can't die.........Because..... I love you......" - Do please **** ***!!!

divine

24-06-2009, 10:20

It certainly was. You better not have been that knob who kept laughing really bloody loud HAW HAW HAW.

Chuckles

24-06-2009, 11:25

It certainly was. You better not have been that knob who kept laughing really bloody loud HAW HAW HAW.

Nah,

For about the last 12 months, I've started snorting when I laugh too loud.:(

Greenlizard0

25-06-2009, 01:14

Vicky & Christina Barcelona

This film starts off fairly simply; a pair of female American friends head to Barcelona for over a month. One likes her romantic life more "old school" in a fairly solid kind of way and it's unsurprising perhaps that she's happily engaged to be married with a great fella. The other is the opposite, very haphazardly running through partners taking the highs as well as the lows that come with such an approach.

The pair arrive and are immediately pounced upon by a Spaniard who at first appears vomit inducingly nauseaus and er muff hungry. Well, for the last part he remains like this through out the film; the story basically follows the lives that are involved with the pair and their interactions.

The film starts off god awful and I almost turned it off but through it I realised it's not a wholly unintelligent film, it has several good points we can all relate to though at times does take extreme examples of love.

I don't think this film really helps American stereotypes of Europeans and got somewhat annoyed by the cliches of the single girl's look on love and the bull****ting approach the Spaniard had.

The story isn't bad and at the end of it I edged towards bemusement away from sharing with the aforementioned husband slighty apathy and disgust with the plot. We get to see some fairly well played characters and their corresponding flaws with their romantic lives. It's not bad overall, Barcelona and Spain's excellent architecture help the film move along with good visuals and the score which at times is clearly influenced by more generic Spanish sounds isn't over powering.

5.5/10

Fayshun

25-06-2009, 21:39

Last night was quiet at work so we watched....

Predator 2

I remember the first time I saw this, I thought it was awesome.

It's not aged well, on the whole the acting is pretty ropey, Danny Glover plays Danny Glover, Gary Busey snarls and shouts a lot and everyone else either overacts or gets outacted by doors. However, the Predator is cool as f***.

I hear they're making a third film "Predators", I hope it's not crap.

Black Hawk Down

Based on the true story of The first Battle of Mogadishu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mogadishu_(1993)")

Great cast, well acted. Made me thankful I never became a soldier, stuff getting shot at for a living. It was a bit "Yay America" but they did get helped out by the Pakistanis at the end which seemed to be played down a bit.

The Transporter

Will's gym buddy Jason Statham kicking arse, playing Leon, the TNT man. My workmate spent the whole film drooling over Jason. Loved it, completely over the top action film. Brain off, enjoy the fighting/driving!

As a film night 9/10.

Greenlizard0

26-06-2009, 21:50

Capricorn One

~

IMDB lists two, but one in production for 2010, are they doing a remake of this?

Kitten

26-06-2009, 22:01

I really loved him in The Rock and Bringing Out the Dead too. But yes, Leaving Las Vegas was phenomenal. Never seen Adaptation, but heard he was brilliant in that too.

So he can do it. I just wish he wouldn't take on projects like Bankok Dangerous, National Treasure (which I didn't mind) and Ghostrider. He's too good an actor to get cast in tat.

Have you seen the Weather Man? Didn't expect much but really enjoyed it. Really allowed him to play the character.

Oh... and Knowing. Anyone know what that classic music was that they used? It's on an advert now, and I just LOVE it!

leowyatt

26-06-2009, 22:05

Have you seen the Weather Man? Didn't expect much but really enjoyed it. Really allowed him to play the character.

The beer festival scene is particularly interesting ;)

Kitten

26-06-2009, 22:06

Oh this is because of the boobies...just in case anyone doubted it for a second :p

Fayshun

26-06-2009, 23:38

\o/ boobies!

NokkonWud

27-06-2009, 01:19

I haven't seen The Weather Man, no. I've meant to view it a few times.

If anyone wants a good performance, watch Bringing Out The Dead, but beware, it is NOT a happy film. But it's one of the best depression performances I've ever seen.

Garp

27-06-2009, 02:25

Sense and Sensibility

Oh dear. More period drama.

Silly women stuck in a "small" cottage in Sussex of a size most families would love, at the whim of a manipulative shrew of a woman.
Middle of 3 daughter (played by Kate Winslet) seems hell bent on throwing herself after any man that expresses even the slightest hint of romance, first Alan Rickman playing.. umm.. Alan Rickman, and then on Greg Wise, even whilst Mr Rickman is still visiting her daily. At the same time Daughter 1, sadly to say the great Emma Thompson looking too old for the age of the character she's playing (good 10 years too old at the time), is being charmed by Hugh Grant playing yet another doddering fopp of a man with clerical ambitions.
When Mr Wise proves himself to be shallow, and runs to London and marries riches having discovered his playboy lifestyle was to come to an end with his inheritance being taken away from him, not once did anyone dare to tell Kate that she wasn't exactly blameless in this case, being a tart for jumping from man to man in the first place!

Reasonable acting from most people, though, it must be said.

Plot - 3/10
Acting - 5/10 (Would have been 10 but for Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman just being the same typecast characters yet again)

Overall.. 4/10

Flibster

27-06-2009, 12:11

IMDB lists two, but one in production for 2010, are they doing a remake of this?

I ****ing hope not!

But, it's hollywood, so they probably are.

Bastards!

Flibster

27-06-2009, 12:44

Ghostbusters - Blu-ray

Excellent film. The hi-def transfer isn't as slick as I was hoping for, still a lot of noise and the contrast is way too high, but it's better than the DVD was.

On the plus side - it's Ghostbusters baby!

All 3 of the headline cast *Aykroyd, Murray and Ramis* are fantastic and so are the supporting cast. I still think this is one of Bill Murray's best films - He plays the sleeze absolutely perfectly.

Got to be a solid 10/10 for this - and not just for the film from my childhood factor - it really is that good.

Greenlizard0

27-06-2009, 16:29

Match Point

This scores quite highly on imdb and noting the cast I do remember meaning to watch it, and it was only last night that I did have the pleasure of seeing it.

Anybody who's watched tennis has already worked out when the ball hits the top of the net, sometimes the physics exist to carry it over, and sometimes the physics exist to cause it to fall back into the hitter's side of the court. A point is gained for the person hitting it, or not respectively and so it's easier to characterise what happens as lucky or unlucky; and this is the notion the film starts us with.

Jonathon Rhys-Meyers is an ex tennis pro who begins coaching at a top London club, one that's full with connections of the who's who of society. He begins to fall for the sister (played by Emily Mortimer) of a lad he starts to coach and everything seems fine. The options suddenly available to him through her father are numerous and a new flat and job follow shortly after he marries her.

However, the movie starts to warm as by this time Rhys-Meyers has already infatuated himself with his student's fiancée, and she allows herself to be seduced. They embark on an affair and the film follows him trying to pull all sorts of strings as they secretly meet up. Things take a turn for the worse, when unsurprisingly she becomes pregnant; quite weird, considering he is unable to impregnate his own wife.

The flim has a pretty good story that, while seemingly absurd at first, starts to fall together towards the end in a mood similar to the tennis analogy above.

The dialogue is well written, though sometimes accidentally over pompous at times. All the parts are played well and it actually took me half the film to realise that a familiar face was Brian Cox's. The score was excellent and fittingly included a few famous operas and arias.

7/10

Haly

27-06-2009, 17:17

On a Woody Allen kick this week Greenlizard0? :D

Greenlizard0

27-06-2009, 17:57

On a Woody Allen kick this week Greenlizard0? :D

I have a fetish for small old American men.

Haly

27-06-2009, 18:08

I have a fetish for small old American men.

;D Well someone has to, I guess :D

Belmit

27-06-2009, 18:24

All the parts are played well and it actually took me half the film to realise that a familiar face was Brian Cox's.

Every damn film he's in it takes me five minutes of 'hmm, where have I seen him before...' before I suddenly go 'ah yeah! It's.... um...' then another five minutes to remember his name!

Last film I did that with was The Ring.

Greenlizard0

27-06-2009, 18:56

Every damn film he's in it takes me five minutes of 'hmm, where have I seen him before...' before I suddenly go 'ah yeah! It's.... um...' then another five minutes to remember his name!

Last film I did that with was The Ring.

It's quite annoying, it's like he's in almost anything but as a secondary or tertiary character each time.

;D Well someone has to, I guess :D

It's why he keeps on living!:D

semi-pro waster

27-06-2009, 23:55

The Hangover

Starring Bradley Cooper Ed Helms Zach Galifianakis Justin Bartha

Comedy

8/10 Very funny, a lot of it is gross out humour but it's quite cleverly done for the most part and to a greater or lesser extent most of us can probably relate to a night where you don't remember everything that went on.

Greenlizard0

28-06-2009, 01:23

Simon Says (Not Mercury Rising)

This god awful piece of crap starts with some kids (like dudes and babes yer know?) who are off camping. They venture into the woods, they get mauled to death in an amusingly graphical manner by a rampant rabbit of a man, whose actions are dictated by whether he says "Simon says..." (see? See that? That's how they got the title!! :D).

Except he didn't quite stick to that rule, therefore what he did was rather weird and random. The film ended up not making any sense, and even though the ending had a slight twist, interest had wandered over to the more serious issue of why there are suddenly so many daddy long legs in the lounge. The score was crap too.

Some girl flashed her tits from a moving vehicle so :

1.5/10

Garp

28-06-2009, 02:18

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

Oh dear.. I think this is a "Sci-Fi original" (commissioned by the Sci-Fi channel) which means you know you're in for a cheesily bad film, usually with one or two major TV actors in it.

Mr H.G. Wells would be spinning in the grave at what they've decided "happened next".
It turns out the Martians need to feed on our blood to survive.. bizarrely.. and worked out a way of filtering out the infection that killed them on earth during the first invasion. It's now 2 years after the last invasion, and mankind's technology has stunningly propelled forward to the point of having what appear to be inter-stellar F18s, and Time Jumps which are like mini wormholes across a solar system.

During the second invasion, a counter-attack is arranged. In the mean time, some people are stuck on Mars unbeknown to themselves whilst they're studied by the Martians.

At least I think that's what the plot was. It was so badly done it's hard to figure out quite what was going on in places.

The plot goes downhill from there, the CGI is attrocious, the acting is laughable at best.. and not once does it ever managed to reach the level of "Cheesiness". It's just bad, bad, bad, bad.

The only 'famous' name amongst them is Christopher Reid, Kid of Kid'n'Play fame.

0.5/10 - One of the buildings they hide in does a remarkable acting job, looking amazingly like a building. Stunning work from it, so I'm giving it 0.5.

Jhadur

28-06-2009, 07:09

It turns out the Martians need to feed on our blood to survive.. bizarrely..

That bit was in the Jeff Waynes - "War of the Worlds" where the narrator saw the new machine picking people up and putting them in a cage it carries. Then later he saw a martian injecting human blood into itself.

So unfortunately not a new idea, but the rest of the movie sounds great :p Will run out and see if I can get it on VHS :) :p

NokkonWud

28-06-2009, 10:55

All 3 of the headline cast *Aykroyd, Murray and Ramis* are fantastic and so are the supporting cast. I still think this is one of Bill Murray's best films - He plays the sleeze absolutely perfectly.

I've been playing the game on Xbox360 and all of them are captured, the sleeze factor of Murray is still there as good as ever too. It really is a brilliant movie, from those of his films I'm seen I would say only Groundhog Day is a better Murray movie.

Belmit

28-06-2009, 11:09

American Beauty

Forgot how good this was. I'm sure most of you have seen it so I won't go into a long explanation, but most of the story revolves around Kevin Spacey as a man ground down by living the facade of a perfect life and suddenly decides he's had enough and will do what he wants. This change affects a myriad of other characters, who on the whole end up doing the same.

All outstanding performances, beautifully shot, some great music and one of the best lines in cinematic history:

"1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule!"

9/10

Del Lardo

28-06-2009, 14:22

No Country for Old Men

Perhaps someone can explain why this is supposed to be a great film because I sure as hell couldn't work it out. Acting was OK but the plot was dull and as original as copy and pasting a work assignment from Wikipedia, I got so bored that I turned it off after 90 minutes which takes some doing!

2/10

Snuggle Ferret

30-06-2009, 16:30

Sixteen Candles

Molly Ringwald
Anthony Michael Hall

One of the lesser known 80's Brat Pack films. Ringwald lives with her parents and 3 siblings. Older sister getting married, so they forget her 16th birthday. Hall, actually titled The Geek, is hot for her but has a heart of gold deep down even though he's trying to get into any girls pants.

Not as good as The Breakfast Club etc., but not awful.

7/10

Kitten

30-06-2009, 19:46

Angel-A

Very unusual film. B&W in French with subtitles. Darkly funny, has a hint of the tarantino about it without the pretension some think his movies suffer from.

Amazingly touching scene in front of the mirror towards the end. I'd recommend you see this, you'll either really like it, or switch it off in the first 10 minutes. Fans of Amilie should enjoy it, that's the closest I can relate it too really.

7.5/10

Haly

01-07-2009, 23:08

Despite watching a ridiculous amount of films lately, I never get round to posting about them :o However this one deserved it:

Public Enemies
Really enjoyable tale of the gangster John Dillinger. Both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale put great performances in, although Bale's voice does seem to go a bit Batman-ish but otherwise I can forgive him. From what I know of Dillinger, it's relatively accurate although has a romance sub plot which was possibly not needed but was decent enough and didn't intefere too much with the main story.
My only real complaint is that there were a couple of scenes near the end that weren't really needed and slightly detracted from the otherwise good film.

Decent cinematography and period piece things too. :)

8/10

Mondo

01-07-2009, 23:15

confessions of a shopaholic

It's quite fun, predictable, a bit like Devil Wears Prada but doesn't have Emily Watson and Meryl Streep. Isla Fisher is quite good though, she is very likable. It's not a keepy though, but if you want a mindless chick flick, its worth checking out.

6/10

Peige

02-07-2009, 08:23

Push
Its an OK movie, I expected more to be honest. The basic plot looks quite good, kind of authorities against all those with special powers, so they all hide etc etc, but I think it trys to be too clever and then doesn't know where to go with it. The other problem for me was the ending, it didn't really seem to :s
6/10

Gran Turano
Took me by surprise this one, picked it by random for a night in with my girlfriend. A well crafted story of an old man set in his ways coming to terms with his age and his prejudices. The ending is fantastic and not at all what I expected. Clint Eastwood proving that he doesn't just do Dirty Harry.
9/10

Knowing
Another OK film, I liked the plot.. almost akin to National secrets I suppose and Nicholas Cage is, as usual, playing Nicholas Cage ;) The story is good and the action sequences are good, just about keeping away from gory stuff whilst letting your mind do the work on the things you don't see.
7/10

Will

02-07-2009, 10:22

The hangover.

****ing hilarious. 'nuff said. It did get a little weak in the middle for about 10-20mins, but it reels you back in nicely and the ending is quality.

8/10.

Matblack

02-07-2009, 10:47

Franklyn

Watched this last night and found it a very interesting film, two plots running side by side, one set in a futuristic gothic city and one set in the present day, the central characters and interesting and pretty messed up and there is an embeded theme about the existance of a higher power, the film distills down nicely into an almost satifying ending but does leave you hanging a little. Its not an easy watch but it is an interesting take on the masked superhero genre.

Worth a look 7/10

MB

Haly

02-07-2009, 11:22

Briggykins

04-07-2009, 18:41

La habitación de Fermat (Fermat's Room)

Watched this after hearing Mark Kermode recommend it. It's a Spanish-language thriller in which four people are trapped in a room and have to solve mathematical enigmas to stop the walls closing in. It's very much along the same lines as Cube, except it relies a lot more on plot and character.
It's a very tense, claustrophobic and fast-paced film with quite a few twists. Despite the fact that it references quite a lot of mathematicians and mathematical theories in the film, you don't need to know anything about maths to enjoy it (in fact, most of the enigmas are in fact riddles, many of which I'd already heard). It's subtitled, which doesn't usually cause me a problem although in this film there are a couple of places where...well, it's probably not a spoiler but I'll put a spoiler tag in here just in case.
Two of the puzzles rely on words being shown on screen that you don't immediately understand the significance of. This is fine if the film's in your language, but when subtitled the filmmakers have two choices - don't subtitle the word when it appears and have the foreign audience miss it completely, or subtitle it and make the audience immediately aware that it's important, and hence get the solution. Still, it's only two occasions.
The acting's good for the most part, especially when things get tense. Overall I'd give it 8/10 - well worth a watch if you don't mind subtitles and like a tight thriller.

Belmit

04-07-2009, 19:04

That was kind of a problem with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly too. In it they read through the most common letters in the alphabet until they reach the one he wants and he blinks, eventually spelling out words. Of course, it's in French, so the letters they're reading out don't match the subtitles because they have to spell out the English word. It's especially odd when the equivalent English word doesn't have the same amount of letters!

The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

It had yetis, dragons, and a terracotta army fighting the undead.

And it was still better than the last Indiana Jones film.

5/10

Matblack

04-07-2009, 19:12

Knowing

Starts poorly, gets better then SMACK! an ending of pure fail

Mostly 6/10 diving to a 1/10 and that's generous

MB

Matblack

04-07-2009, 19:15

Wolverine Origins

Ok, its Wolverine so you'd have to try really hard to make it suck, its not a proper Xmen movie but it wills in the gaps, young Patrick Stewart is hilarious

MB

A Place of Light

05-07-2009, 15:01

Wolverine Origins

Ok, its Wolverine so you'd have to try really hard to make it suck, its not a proper Xmen movie but it wills in the gaps, young Patrick Stewart is hilarious

MB

I liked this, but I felt it lacking for reasons I can't put my finger on. The young Prof. X had the same makeup as he did in "The Last Stand" IIRC.

Nutcase

05-07-2009, 21:25

Capricorn One

Wonderfully written and acted.

9/10

Don't think I've seen the film, know it exists though. The book is very very good though, read it quite a few times :cool:

Just watched Grand Torino.

Easily the best film I've watched this year so far. 9.5/10 for a very entertaining and poigniont (sp!) film.

A Place of Light

06-07-2009, 18:32

Don't think I've seen the film, know it exists though. The book is very very good though, read it quite a few times :cool:

Just watched Grand Torino.

Easily the best film I've watched this year so far. 9.5/10 for a very entertaining and poigniont (sp!) film.

How high did he stack those sandbags?
;)

Fantastic movie.

Dunketh

06-07-2009, 18:55

My Wife and eldest daughter watched Taken last night whilst I was on the Xbox 360 in the same room, I ended up putting the controller down to watch the film, very good, one of the best action flicks of recent years, 4 out of 5.

A Place of Light

07-07-2009, 18:17

Goose

07-07-2009, 18:18

I love Taken, it's ace. I wish I was 2 inches taller and Irish! :D

Haly

07-07-2009, 19:52

Taken was brilliant :) not something I'd usually watch but I was pestered into it by a friend at work. Really good film and decent, tight script.

Belmit

10-07-2009, 20:02

Drillbit Taylor

Surprisingly charming film starring Owen Wilson as a homeless ex-army ranger hired by some kids to protect them from the school bully. Co-written by Seth Rogen it has some great performances by the kids and a kick-ass ending. Best scenes are the rap-off and the kids punching each other to learn how to deal with pain.

7/10

Briggykins

11-07-2009, 10:19

Babel

Picked this up simply because the wife noticed it had Brad Pitt in. It follows the stories of four groups of people who are affected in some way by one of them firing a gun, and is meant to show how we're all interconnected blah blah etc.
It didn't have any new ideas and those that were here were trapped within a turgid storyline which meandered about all over the place without really getting anywhere. The film could easily have had about half an hour shaved off just by cutting out the shots where the camera lingered on one person not doing very much. Some of the plots (especially the Japanese story) remain pointlessly unresolved at the end of the film, and some of the plots are just pointless (Mexico lady, I'm looking at you).
Plus points are the scenes set in the hills of Morocco, where the scenery is stunning in a harsh, barren way. The Moroccan kids story is also one of the more interesting as at least it has some kind of interesting plot that gets properly sorted at the end. Can't complain about the quality of the acting either - all the kids do well and the Mexican woman is very good.
The film received quite a lot of awards so I may well be missing some grand message behind the film, but imo it doesn't do anything the Butterfly Effect didn't do a lot better and in a lot more entertaining way. Can't give this film any more than 3/10.

SiD the Turtle

11-07-2009, 18:13

Recently I realised that we had enough Nectar points for four cinema tickets, so the missus and I just spent the day sat in the cinema to watch two movies:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

When the first modern Transformers movie was released, everyone screamed 'get rid of the humans, more robots!'. Whoops. Instead we have two and a half hours of CGI as robots have a fight. Now as much as a movie snob as I am I went into the movie with an open mind and tried to switch off my brain, forget the plot and watch some robot and gun porn. Still, I was BORED. About half way through the movie there's a fight in a forest, it's well done and was paced well. Then for the rest of the movie I lost track of which robot was which in a messy last couple of acts. I had made the fatal mistake of having a drink beforehand that meant I had to leave the cinema for a couple of minutes, on returning I asked the missus what I missed, her reply? 'Dunno, some robots fighting'. That just about sums it up, technically impressive but thoroughly boring.

2/10

Public Enemies

(I should probably prepend my opinion by mentioning that after watching hours of explodey robots, I was in the mood for an action movie so I may be a little harsh on this movie's pacing).
For me this was a movie of two conflicting opinions. On the negative side the cinematography fell over at times with poor framing and rough cutting, Jonny Depp's partners in crime were all the same white, hat and brace wearing gangsters so it was hard to keep track of who was who and the soundtrack was too biased for the actions scenes and the sounds of machine guns- the actors' thick period accents being hard to make out at times. On the positive side Depp is on top form and Bale proves he can do more than grunt loudly. The high production values let you slide right into the feel of the 1930s with the old school car chases, rat-a-tat-tat of the guns and swish night clubs stocked with glamorous women. It's an entertaining movie but I left not quite sure what the 'point' of the movie was. This one I'd recommend, I'm not sure it will be big at the cinemas, but it may be a sleeper hit on DVD.

7/10

loki

11-07-2009, 18:45

Defiance (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034303/)

Watched this on me hols this week. The story follows two brothers in Nazi occupied Eastern Europe in WWII. They take it upon themselves to protect a number of Jewish civilians as the Germans continue their advances. Based on a true story Daniel Craig really played the role of Tuvia well. Not a lot to say as it would spoil the film but if you want some WWII drama that hasn't been CGI'd or Hollywooded to death then you won't go far wrong with defiance. IMDB has a score of 7 and I think that's a good barometer of the film

7/10

Streeteh

11-07-2009, 18:53

Babel

3/10.

I agree, incredibly overrated film imo.

A Place of Light

14-07-2009, 00:19

Jhadur

14-07-2009, 00:37

Knowing

Starts poorly, gets better then SMACK! an ending of pure fail

Mostly 6/10 diving to a 1/10 and that's generous

MB

Yep pretty much agree with this. The ending was a complete WTF. :shocked:

Blighter

14-07-2009, 01:06

I found that with Bruno... really odd ending :S

Whole film was absolutely brilliant then spoilt by a crappy ending :(

Flibster

14-07-2009, 23:36

I've been busy doing nothing.
Nothing the whole day though....

5 films in one day :D

Gran Torino, Lesbian Vampire Killers. Bolt, W and Kung Fu Panda

Gran Torino was my favourite of the day surprisingly. Only rented it because I needed 4 for the £10 offer and I kinda like the Gran Torino. *hangs head in shame* As an Eastwood directed film, I expected it to follow his normal style, and I was right. Very realistic. Acting is excellent throughout *although I'm not sure it all was acting with Clint ;)* and the way the film worked as it went along really struck something with me.

Loved it. 9.5/10

Lesbian Vampire Killers

I really wasn't expecting anything other than what was in the title with this one. And thats pretty much all you get. I did enjoy it though - I liked the obvious childish humour in it. It's certainly not a deep film by any stretch. :D

Still, 7.5/10 I think.

Bolt and Kung Fu Panda

I'll do these together as they can easily be praised and criticised for the same things.
Voice acting is generally excellent - Ian McShane in particular in Panda stands out for me. Generally the films are pretty good, but the main criticism you can lay against them is they just aren't as good as Pixar films, there's just something missing from them. Bolt suffers from this a lot. It's just a bit ... forgettable...

Bolt - 6.5/10
Kung Fu Panda - 7/10

W

Goonies never say die!
Right, with that out of the way.. ;)

I find it hard to classify this - is it a comedy, drama, satire.. what?
It does have some stonklingly good performances in it though. Josh Brolin does possibly the best performance as George W Gump that I have seen in years - Sadly overlooked at the oscars. It was that good imo. Richard Dreyfuss also puts in a supreme performance as Cheney.

Overall the film did leave me feeling a bit uncomfortable as it takes real events and shows what a puppet he really was in many cases. Well worth a watch though just for the performances.

8/10

Dunketh

20-07-2009, 00:40

Gran Torino

This was to the standard you would expect from an Eastwood movie of the last decade or so, not only the direction but the acting of Eastwood himself, the movie was full of emotion a real roller-coaster which made me laugh out loud in parts and almost brought a tear to my eye (that mainly because of how much Eastwood reminds me of my Father, especially in this movie), and was nice to see such an emotional and touching film like this amongst the high budget, high action movies of today's Hollywood.

4 out of 5

SiD the Turtle

20-07-2009, 22:38

Moon
It's a hard film to review without spoiling, but think of it as sci-fi before sci-fi meant explosions and giant robots. This is sci-fi where the main hook is the 'human condition', not the technology. Both heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time, Moon is a brilliant film from the establishing shot of the Earth to reinforce the loneliness of the main character all the way to the fantastic, if slightly predictable ending.

10/10

Side rant: this film is only on limited release. This film has not been advertised at all. It's a crime. A film that costs pennies compared to Hollywood blockbusters but outshines them in every way, relegated to a single screen in a handful of cinemas. I guess people don't want to think in the cinema any more, but are content with explosions, lens flare and eye candy.

Haly

20-07-2009, 22:45

I really, really want to see Moon, but the nearest cinema showing it is 50 miles away :( So frustrating when films are on such limited releases.

SiD the Turtle

21-07-2009, 07:43

Haly did you see the list of cinemas I posted over on OcUK? If not perhaps there is one closer than you are aware?

http://www.empireonline.com/features/damonwise/post.asp?id=573

Belmit

21-07-2009, 09:52

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Odd film. Brendan Fraser is a scientist whose brother was a Vernian (someone who believes Jules Verne's stories were based on fact) but went missing ten years ago, seemingly searching for the portal to the centre of the Earth. The seismic probes he left around the world have been gradually failing one by one, and Fraser has been watching them for a decade, dismally keeping his brother's legacy alive (though he doesn't know the exact purpose of why his brother left until later).

The premise sounds good, but this is a Hollywood B-movie through and through. It's a paint by numbers adventure and the first half-hour is just one giant sluice to get Fraser, his estranged 13-year-old nephew and a hot Icelandic girl (the wonderful Anita Briem who is too good for this movie and will no doubt go on to great things) to the portal in Iceland.

It's all almost plausible right up until the minecart bit, then you know we're slap bang in the middle of CGI cheese (yum!) and contrived action. I think the film was released in 3D at the cinemas and I can see how it would fare much better in that medium.

Good premise, but poorly thought out and about 70% CGI. The only thing that elevates this above a made for TV film is the acting of the three leads, which just about makes it bearable to sit through. Shame it couldn't have been better.

3/10