giving the best picture to that soppy fish fantasy is yet another confirmation of how crap the Oscars is.
The trouble is a lot of people will go and watch it thinking it must be good if it won an Oscar and discover that It's actually a bit shit.
I'm amazed it won the best picture Oscar. I enjoyed the movie, but couldn't help feeling disappointed it wasn't on a par with Pan's Labyrinth, given all the hype around it. There wasn't one original thing in it, and plenty you could say had been straight up nicked from other films.
Maybe the Academy had one of those Scorcese moments, where they never gave an Oscar for all the brilliant stuff he'd done in the past but felt like he ought to get one at some point, so just any old film would do.
giving the best picture to that soppy fish fantasy is yet another confirmation of how crap the Oscars is.
The trouble is a lot of people will go and watch it thinking it must be good if it won an Oscar and discover that It's actually a bit shit.
I'm amazed it won the best picture Oscar. I enjoyed the movie, but couldn't help feeling disappointed it wasn't on a par with Pan's Labyrinth, given all the hype around it. There wasn't one original thing in it, and plenty you could say had been straight up nicked from other films.
Maybe the Academy had one of those Scorcese moments, where they never gave an Oscar for all the brilliant stuff he'd done in the past but felt like he ought to get one at some point, so just any old film would do.
There does seen to be a 'sympathy' oscar when a director or actor gets an Oscar to make up for not getting one for previous nominations. Paul Newman got an Oscar for The Colour of Money which was certainly not one of his best performances.
I, Tonya Very entertaining mockumentary film that tells the story of skater Tonya Harding and the background to her attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. Margot Robbie as Tonya and Alison Janney as her mother are both excellent and it's a great piece of storytelling - hard to believe that all these events took place.
Some very funny moments - the dialogue is very sharp. 8.5/10
All the performances in the main roles are top notch but Margot Robbie and Alison Janney really do stand out. It's second only to Three Billboards... as my favourite film so far this year.
I, Tonya Very entertaining mockumentary film that tells the story of skater Tonya Harding and the background to her attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. Margot Robbie as Tonya and Alison Janney as her mother are both excellent and it's a great piece of storytelling - hard to believe that all these events took place.
Some very funny moments - the dialogue is very sharp. 8.5/10
All the performances in the main roles are top notch but Margot Robbie and Alison Janney really do stand out. It's second only to Three Billboards... as my favourite film so far this year.
I think Lady Bird is my favourite so far followed by Three Billboards and I Tonya.
The Shape of bollocks has to be the most disappointing.
And unlike many Oscar Winning Best Pictures, very few people will look at Shape of Water winning and go "Oh! I need to check this out." If Three Billboards would have won, its box office would have doubled. It might still just because of the two best acting wins.
Just saw 3 Billboards for the second time. It's gotta be in my top 10 movies of all time list.
Rockwell completely deserved Best Supporting Actor. He has been an outstanding actor for so long and very happy he won.
Agreed, rockwell has been a seriously underrated actor for years (I’m still to see 3 billboards even though I love Rockwell, mcdonagh and McDormand)
thought he was great in Moon, Lawn Dogs and the way way back. he's starting to become recognised.
I've been a fan of his since I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford about ten years ago. I really loved his performance as the older brother of Robert Ford and later watched a lot of his films. Lawn Dogs is my all-time favorite one (pleasantly surprised you mentioned it as not many people have even heard of it) but he has been consistently brilliant in every film over the years I think. Moon, Snow Angels, Conviction, Confessions of a Dangerous, Mind, Everybody's fine, just to name a few. I'm really glad that he's finally recognised by the critics and the general audiences. He had been overlooked for too long.
My mum dragged my dad, and me to the cinema on Sunday to watch this, and I'm still not sure what I think about it frankly. The writing was good and developed Streep's character quite well from being a reserved female in a mans world into a woman empowering herself and taking charge of a difficult situation and telling the men how its going to be. It felt quite atmospheric of the times and got the importance of the event across well to the audience, but it never really gripped me (or my dad I don't think, though he daren't say so in front of my mum), I was never particularly attached to any of the characters, and the beginning felt a bit slow.
Maybe i'm not a fair judge as I was tired (and hanging) from an all day sesh the day before and I wasn't too bothered about seeing the film, but it definitely didn't blow me out of the water.
7/10
Finally saw this and have to say it was much better than I expected. Very compelling storyline about Vietnam cover up by the US government and the fight by the press to expose it - very relevant given what's going on today. Hanks and Streep were both very good. 8/10
Saw I, Tonya at the weekend in the wonderfully refurbished Campbeltown Picture House (near the Mull of Kintyre).
Can I admit, despite the excellent performances, I was a tiny bit disappointed? Thought Tonya was not quite as rough as real life - could have used make up better to take the edge off Margot Robbie's perfection?
Would also have liked a bit more insight into the relationship / rivalry between Harding & Kerrigan. Enjoyed it but overall good rather than brilliant. 7/10.
giving the best picture to that soppy fish fantasy is yet another confirmation of how crap the Oscars is.
The trouble is a lot of people will go and watch it thinking it must be good if it won an Oscar and discover that It's actually a bit shit.
I'm amazed it won the best picture Oscar. I enjoyed the movie, but couldn't help feeling disappointed it wasn't on a par with Pan's Labyrinth, given all the hype around it. There wasn't one original thing in it, and plenty you could say had been straight up nicked from other films.
Maybe the Academy had one of those Scorcese moments, where they never gave an Oscar for all the brilliant stuff he'd done in the past but felt like he ought to get one at some point, so just any old film would do.
But then again the departed is a fantastic piece of work, his best in years.
Saw I, Tonya at the weekend in the wonderfully refurbished Campbeltown Picture House (near the Mull of Kintyre).
Can I admit, despite the excellent performances, I was a tiny bit disappointed? Thought Tonya was not quite as rough as real life - could have used make up better to take the edge off Margot Robbie's perfection?
Would also have liked a bit more insight into the relationship / rivalry between Harding & Kerrigan. Enjoyed it but overall good rather than brilliant. 7/10.
Saw it the other day, and I agree - I was expecting the Harding/Kerrigan relationship to play a much bigger part in the film. The one brief mention of it felt like an afterthought.
You Were Never Really Here. Film starring Joaquin Phoenix which is a violent thriller about a veteran with a troubled past who hunts down missing girls. Very disturbing, very dark and very haunting. There is very little dialogue which makes it all the more disturbing. Phoenix is very scary and dominates the screen.
Not a feel good movie obviously but may be of interest. Hard to recommend because of the subject matter. 8/10
Yep, 3 Billboards is the biz, wife and I agreed. Had not realised it is directed by the British director who did "In Bruges".
It's a subtle film with Scandi-like characters whom you perceive very differently as the film twists and turns. And ultimately there is an upbeat message that in the end you can find some good in even the apparently biggest dickhead.
We are not rushing to book a road holiday through Missouri (or North Carolina) after that, though.
We went to see Lady Bird last night. The storyline is far from original (teenager coming of age in Culturalwasteland, USA) and it came across to me like American Graffiti with less jokes and great tunes. However, the actors are uniformly good and in the case of the the mother (Laurie Metcalf) and daughter (Saoirse Ronan), excellent. Definitely worth seeing for the performances.
I thought this was a fantastic film with a great script and excellent performances from the cast. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf are outstanding. Some very touching moments and by far the best film I've seen this year. Beautifully shot and a story that is easy to relate to. Definitely my type of film. 9.5/10
That's really interesting Hoof. Really enjoyed it, and it was up there with my favourites too. Certainly gets my vote for credible/believable film of the year.
I also enjoyed the 'soppy fish fantasy' too though.
Don't know if this has been reviewed by people previously as it came out last year, I've been meaning to watch it for ages and finally got around to it the other day after being reminded of it after it won an Oscar for best documentary.
A film about blood doping in sport that starts off with a focus on Lance Armstrong and how he beat the WADA tests for years turns into almost a political conspiracy thriller as the Russian Doping Scandal breaks into major news and this documentary and its main character are in the eye of the storm. I found it fascinating although some aspects of the film were a little shoehorned in for dramatic effect (The 1984 references I felt were unnecessary) and the detailed insight into the Russian state-sponsored doping and especially the explanation of how the Russians cheated at the Sochi Olympics were incredible. Found it very interesting myself and would suggest it to anyone with any interest in sport and doping in general. Made me more certain than ever that everyone in high level sport is on the gear.
Checked out Shape of Water. Set in 1962 so some great cars and smart suits (Mad Men comes to mind). Oscar voters are suckers for film nostalgia and this movie had lots of celebrations of the old musicals and it was probably this director's turn for the big one anyway. The wife liked all the fish stuff but I came away feeling sorry for the Russian spy which is probably what the director wanted.
Watched I, Daniel Blake the other night. Grim, funny and sad. And in preparation for Blade Runner 2049 I watched the Blade Runner directors cut earlier. A timeless classic.
Can’t believe The Shape of Water won best picture . The Oscars are a joke.
Well, I stand by my previous quote that I thought it was one of the best films of the year...behind Wind River but in front of Three Billboards. We all have differing tastes in movies, variety is the spice of life.
RED SPARROW Glossy thriller with lots of violence and dodgy Russian accents. Jennifer Lawrence is cast as a Russian spy and there's plenty of double crossing going on. The story keeps you interested and it was far more watchable than I expected. 7/10
Blade Runner 2049. Wow. The perfect accompaniment to the original.
Think I may get strung up for saying this but.... I genuinely think 2049 might be better Imho... need watch it again first though. Only seen it the once in the cinema
Blade Runner 2049. Wow. The perfect accompaniment to the original.
Think I may get strung up for saying this but.... I genuinely think 2049 might be better Imho... need watch it again first though. Only seen it the once in the cinema
I prefer the second film but think the first one was more significant in terms of cinema history. Making a film like that in 1982 with the technology/effects available was amazing and it was hugely atmospheric. Hard to do a direct comparison between the two - love them both.
Still not seen Blade Runner 2049 . Will watch it tonight hopefuly.
I never really saw what the fuss was about with the original.
It was ahead of the game along with Metropolis and 2001 a space Odyssey in its depiction of the future. It wasn't a typical sci-fi film and I can see those wanting more special effects etc might not be enamoured of it.
I'm not normally a fan of sci-fi but I was impressed with both Blade Runner films. I was never into Star Wars.
Blade Runner 2049. Wow. The perfect accompaniment to the original.
Think I may get strung up for saying this but.... I genuinely think 2049 might be better Imho... need watch it again first though. Only seen it the once in the cinema
I can’t say one is better than the other. I’ve watched the original a few times prior to the latest film and to watch both on Blu Ray on a big screen just makes it even more enjoyable. The second one is just as grimey as the first.
Comments
with Pan's Labyrinth, given all the hype around it. There wasn't one original thing in it, and plenty you could say had been straight up nicked from other films.
Maybe the Academy had one of those Scorcese moments, where they never gave an Oscar for all the brilliant stuff he'd done in the past but felt like he ought to get one at some point, so just any old film would do.
The Shape of bollocks has to be the most disappointing.
A little bit contrived in one or two places but a very good film with strong performances, especially from the the lead.
8/10
Gary Oldman was terrific & thoroughly deserved his Oscar IMO.
Can I admit, despite the excellent performances, I was a tiny bit disappointed? Thought Tonya was not quite as rough as real life - could have used make up better to take the edge off Margot Robbie's perfection?
Would also have liked a bit more insight into the relationship / rivalry between Harding & Kerrigan. Enjoyed it but overall good rather than brilliant. 7/10.
Film starring Joaquin Phoenix which is a violent thriller about a veteran with a troubled past who hunts down missing girls. Very disturbing, very dark and very haunting. There is very little dialogue which makes it all the more disturbing. Phoenix is very scary and dominates the screen.
Not a feel good movie obviously but may be of interest. Hard to recommend because of the subject matter. 8/10
It's a subtle film with Scandi-like characters whom you perceive very differently as the film twists and turns. And ultimately there is an upbeat message that in the end you can find some good in even the apparently biggest dickhead.
We are not rushing to book a road holiday through Missouri (or North Carolina) after that, though.
I also enjoyed the 'soppy fish fantasy' too though.
An Englishman, a Nigerian, Mexican cartels, Americans, guns, drugs..
An uncomplicated fun film. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Don't know if this has been reviewed by people previously as it came out last year, I've been meaning to watch it for ages and finally got around to it the other day after being reminded of it after it won an Oscar for best documentary.
A film about blood doping in sport that starts off with a focus on Lance Armstrong and how he beat the WADA tests for years turns into almost a political conspiracy thriller as the Russian Doping Scandal breaks into major news and this documentary and its main character are in the eye of the storm. I found it fascinating although some aspects of the film were a little shoehorned in for dramatic effect (The 1984 references I felt were unnecessary) and the detailed insight into the Russian state-sponsored doping and especially the explanation of how the Russians cheated at the Sochi Olympics were incredible. Found it very interesting myself and would suggest it to anyone with any interest in sport and doping in general. Made me more certain than ever that everyone in high level sport is on the gear.
8/10
And as good as McDormand was, Sam Rockwell hit it out of the park. His was the best acting I saw by anyone the last year.
PS- Woody Harrelson kicked ass too.
Glossy thriller with lots of violence and dodgy Russian accents. Jennifer Lawrence is cast as a Russian spy and there's plenty of double crossing going on. The story keeps you interested and it was far more watchable than I expected. 7/10
I never really saw what the fuss was about with the original.
I'm not normally a fan of sci-fi but I was impressed with both Blade Runner films. I was never into Star Wars.