Rate the last movie you watched.

[Kitten]

2012 :

condensed review! It's obv. a disaster movie & not just cos John Cusak is in it Bit daft and OTT in places, the effects are good (if bloody repetitive!), the story is decent enough (better than Day after tomorrow!) & I'd say if you're going to watch it, big screen is a must or it just won't come across with the same enormity. Very long though, over 2hr30 I think? Smuggle some sweets in! Good mid week fare would be happy enough if I'd pod for both tix instead of 2-1. One of the better disaster movies of recent years, if a little 'kim bauer' in places. Think people expect too much from this kind of thing nowadays, just sit back, suspend belief (that's the point, surely??) and enjoy

8/10 for the genre, 6.5 overall.


Paranormal Activity :

Heard lots of bad reviews. Didn't think it was bad at all. Unusual, gripping in places, think it depends a lot on the audience and the people watching it where I was were brill, squealing at the appropriate places and being generally scared & I think big screen is important. Probably rubbish on small. Not terrifying by any meals but clever, all done with suggestion. Probably wouldn't watch it again having seen it, but am not sorry I went!

7/10

[Garp]

Return To Oz

Hmmm.

Dorothy is having difficulty adjusting to the real world in Kansas, and get's sent for Electro-shock therapy...sorry I mean Electric Happiness, possibly one of the most barbaric forms of psychiatry ever invented, for treatment.
She ends up back in Oz which has been worn down by the years with everyone turned to stone, and there she must fight the evil Gnome King (the psychiatrist) and the evil Princess Mombi (the nasty Nurse at the psychiatrists) with the aid of her new friends Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead, and her trusty chicken Billina.

Oh dear. What an utterly bizarre film, but some how failing to posses the charm of films like Labyrinth whilst feeling reminiscent of it in it's visual presentation (or vice versa as Return to Oz came first.) The ending is just a dire piece of Deus Ex Machina, which just about topped it all off for me as one big waste of time.

2/10 reasonable effects, a few good quirky characters.

[Del Lardo]

Public Enemies

Johnny Depp & Christian Bale star in a depression era film based on the imfamous bank robber John Dillinger. Well shot and acted but the story line was a big let down as it failed to engage me. I also felt the style of the film slightly strange, I didn't know that Michael Mann was the director until the end but when I found out it did kind of make sense as parts of it felt very much like Transformers in 1930s Chicago.

I can't help but feel that another director could have done more with the film though that would have required a rewrite. Not a bad film but certainly not one that lives up to the hype or cast.

5/10

[Garp]

Originally Posted by Del Lardo

I didn't know that Michael Mann was the director until the end but when I found out it did kind of make sense as parts of it felt very much like Transformers in 1930s Chicago.

That's interesting given it was Michael Bay that did Transformers not Mann

[Wossi]

Had a bit of a movie weekend.

The Echelon Conspiracy

A carbon copy of Eagle Eye (or the other way round) where an IT bloke gets sent a phone and keeps receiving texts telling him ways of making him rich, like stock tips or which blackjack table to sit at. Obviously it all goes wrong and he's hunted by the FBI and the NSA. Was alright, nothing special, more of a take your brain out and watch.

6/10

Zack and Miri make a porno.

A Kevin Smith film about a couple of friends who decide to make a porno after getting their electricity and water turned off as they can't afford to pay the bills. A lot better than I thought it would be and genuinely made me laugh, which at 1 in the morning I had to try and stifle. Was weird to see Jason Mewes with short hair and there were a couple of cameos for Smith veterans.

8/10

It's A wonderful Life

A story about 1 man who's life is saved by an Angel when he decides he wants to kill himself. Since I had never seen this film before I figured it was about time really. A really lovely story and even though James Stewart is a bit of an arse throughout you can kind of understand why as all he wanted to do was leave his small town and visit the world, but events transpired to keep him there. I had a tear in my eye by the end of the film and was glad I watched it.

10/10

Bridge To Terabithia

A young lad befriends his new neighbour who has a bright outlook on life and they end up creating a whole new land with their imagination. At first we thought it was just another children's fantasy film on the lines of The Spiderwick Chronicles, but as the movie progressed we turned out to be wrong. At one point my sister turned to me and said "something bad is going to happen" and it did, if you haven't seen it don't click here
Spoiler Alert! - Highlight below to read!

when Jess comes back from the museum with his teacher and finds out that Leslie died while trying to cross the creek as the rope snapped

End Spoiler Alert!
We were both in bits from that point forward. Some great acting by the kids involved and even though we both liked the movie, we decided to not watch it for a long time due to the above.

9/10

Inglourious Basterds

A Tarantino movie about a small group of American Jews who go Nazi hunting in occupied France during world war 2. A very bizzare and graphic film that is mostly in French or German played mainly by French or German actors so at least we don't have to listen to atrocious accents, until Brad Pitt's Italian at least, but I think that was done on purpose.

9/10

[Will]

Harry Brown

I've always loved Michael Caine so thought to myself, "why not"? I hadn't heard of the movie, and having done a quick iPhone cinema app lookup, it seemed to be potentially a very good if somewhat dark film.

I wasn't disappointed. It starts off with a "bang" so to speak and actually made me feel really rather uncomfortable having experienced a similar incident (though not directly) myself. Really makes your blood run cold. It then goes on to be fairly unassuming for a half hour or more and thought "hmmm so we've got this old man ex war hero... and a friend of his sitting in a pub chatting about the "yoof" of today... ok... so something bad must happen.." Sure enough it did. However, before that, the build up to the story is just about right.

Without spoiling it, you do feel very uncomfortable with some of the "gang" youths, and certainly recognising the place where it was filmed, and the fact that this sort of behaviour and activity and that such people as portrayed in the film exists makes it feel ever more chilling. The police interaction with the OAPs seems cliché but at the same time completely palpable. The film plays to your prejudices and fears, and very extreme almost Daily Mail type of extremism... however in spite of this, it is so very believeable, and really leads to a lot of tense moments to the extent that you hold your breath waiting to see what happens.

The plot is simple so not exactly original (vigilante revenge type of thing). The script is pretty poor, however MC does a brilliant job at keeping you drawn in. The youths, you forget they are actors. You really do. I thought to myself, those little *****, you ****ing scum etc... It really did make you feel vitriolic towards them. Also desperate to believe that such people don't exist - whereas as fictional as this film is, sadly it brings you back to the reality that such lifestyles do exist and that the police sometimes are powerless to do anything about it. I though the police lead (female DI) was a bit weak and poor, but maybe it's a fair representation to the frustrations that victims have to not being dealt with better?

It's a dark, gritty and tense film. Not a fun film, but absolutely brilliant in terms of getting your money's worth of entertainment - however, it's almost too "real" to be totally comfortable with it, and definitely not able to call it enjoyable.

Were it not for the plot and poor script I'd give it 10/10, however in spite of that, the acting was brilliant and it does draw to mind your typical fears of London poor estates and the underworld of city crime and the underworld of gang lifestyles. Frightening. Anyone living in London or big city (Manchester, Liverpool etc...), or near a less salubrious estate (which I have done in the past) will really be able to connect a fear and understanding with this film - albeit as mentioned it is drawn on stereotypes and prejudices, however, there is always a modicum of truth in such things.

9/10

[Del Lardo]

Originally Posted by Garp

That's interesting given it was Michael Bay that did Transformers not Mann

They met at the Michael Club and Bay gave Mann some directing lessons

[Wossi]

Forgot this one.

Bedtime Stories.

Adam Sandler as a maintenance guy at a hotel that his dad used to own, until he got into debt and was bought off him. He is asked to look after his nephew and niece for a few nights and while telling them a story they help along, the next day the parts they say end up coming true. When he finally realises this he tries to get them to say what he wants to happen to himself, which doesn't always go exactly to plan.

Would have been good if not for his annoying voice. So this is another Sandler film that I'm not keen on.

4/10 because of his voice. Would have been a 6 otherwise.

[Mondo]

I think my mental age must be going backwards.

Hannah Montana - The Movie - I loved it, 8.5/10. It's sweet, its fun, the cinematography was good, even the script although predictable, is enjoyable. I'd expected it to be a larger and bigger version of the show but it turned out to be a proper movie.

p.s. Taylor Swift is in it !

I love it so much I might get it on Bluray for Xmas

[Feek]

The Truman Show
Everyone has seen this except me, so I've remedied that now.

What a great film, I'm not really a Jim Carrey fan but he's very good in this one. I enjoyed it a lot.

9/10.