Bit of an old one but watched Room 237 last night. The Shining is one of my favourite films and to see all the layers of additional meaning was fascinating ( not including the Moon landing stuff which I thought was a tad far fetched ).
Saw a preview of this yesterday (think it is released on Friday) and really hope it can somehow beat Roma to the best foreign language film at the Oscars.
A tough watch - and will have limited box office appeal - but all the more thought-provoking for the fact that a lot of the actors are apparently not professionals and their lives were similar to those of their characters.
Which is probably where the film failed for me @Addickhead86@hoof_it_up_to_benty. because was it a romance, family drama or a reflection of the social injustice in America.
The romance while sweet and the family bond important, weren't enough to carry the film on it's own, IMO and would have benefitted from a bit more of the racial divide being played out.
I really dislike Horror films, so what possessed me to sit through the new Halloween film last night with my missus, and pay £10 for the privilege through Sky Cinema, i don't know. Complete and utter shite.
Horror is cheap to make and generally profitable which leads to a lot of mediocre stuff. I rarely watch horror movies - Halloween was one I did see. I thought it was a solid but uninspired movie and you’re right, it ain’t worth ten quid.
I really dislike Horror films, so what possessed me to sit through the new Halloween film last night with my missus, and pay £10 for the privilege through Sky Cinema, i don't know. Complete and utter shite.
Saw a preview of this yesterday (think it is released on Friday) and really hope it can somehow beat Roma to the best foreign language film at the Oscars.
A tough watch - and will have limited box office appeal - but all the more thought-provoking for the fact that a lot of the actors are apparently not professionals and their lives were similar to those of their characters.
Always seems daft why they have a best foreign language film category - seems to imply films can't be compared unless they're in the same language.
Will look out for Capernaum - I enjoyed Roma and Shoplifters which are both up for the award. Both of these had limited box office appeal.
Thought it was atmospheric and interestingly filmed, but nothing ground breaking, better than Birdbox for sure but nothing that will stick with me. Felt more like a monster thriller than a horror to me. Probably didn't help that my flatmate had bigged it up to kingdom come.
I really dislike Horror films, so what possessed me to sit through the new Halloween film last night with my missus, and pay £10 for the privilege through Sky Cinema, i don't know. Complete and utter shite.
They should use your quote on the advertising. I'm with you on disliking horror films.
I find the whole Genre repetitive and lazy. Its either old houses haunted by a murdered family or a crazed killer with a weak motive. I don't think I've seen an original horror since Saw.
I enjoyed The Boy which in my opinion was a little bit of a better story than most 'old creepy house' horrors.
A STAR IS BORN I thought the film was really well shot and the performances from both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were excellent. It's a promising directorial debut from Cooper and there seems a genuine chemistry between the two actors. The ending of the best and most gripping films I've seen in a long time.
A Japanese comic book thing turned into a Hollywood movie. I thought the trailer looked rubbish, but I saw it's directed by Robert Rodriguez and written/ produced by James Cameron. That's a combo with a lot of potential, so I gave it a shot.
It's the future, some war has screwed up the giant floating cities that populated the world and there's only one left. Underneath it is a giant scrap pile and a sprawling junkyard metropolis. There, a doctor finds a cyborg girl in pieces, and puts her back together. She's got no memory but clearly has a violent past. The doctor has a secret life that introduces Alita to a world of bounty hunters, and after that the plot falls to pieces.
Firstly, it's all set up for sequels, and that messes with the story. We don't really meet the bad guy, so we get 4 or 5 minor villains instead. She meets a cute guy who is smugger than a vegan on a Sunday bike ride, and his plot developments range from mildly interesting to utterly baffling.
By the end the plot makes almost no sense, and it's a wonder James Cameron has a writing credit. The man knows how to tell a story so this is bizarre.
I did expect the girl to sit in the uncanny valley, and I was pleasantly surprised to find she was a decent CG creation. The effects were pretty damn good. But beyond that, there's not a lot to see here.
2/8
I really enjoyed Alita: Battle Angel, but that's maybe because I'm coming at it as a fan of the original manga. I get where you're coming from with the plot, although it made sense to me as I'm familiar with the original so wasn't running to keep up with this new world. James Cameron spent 20 years trying to adapt it and it's a bit of a mash of the first couple of volumes (there are 9 in total) plus the motorball fight which was lifted from a later volume and shoehorned in to get some epic action sequences.
The original manga was kind of crazy, ultra violent and full of bizarre freakshow cyborg characters. I think they did a good job of making this believable live action but still keeping a sense of the manga's excess and just toning it down enough to make it edible for a wider audience. The action is fast, exciting and it's easy to follow what's going on, unlike a lot of modern headache inducing CGI giant fighting robot movies I could mention.
Alita herself was very well done. I wasn't convinced about the choice of giving of her outsize 'manga' eyes but before you long you buy into it. She looks realistic, but they leave enough 'uncanny valley' in there to make her appear slightly unnatural as a cyborg. The SFX overall were superb, absolutely state of the art top notch stuff.
Bit annoying that it chose to end with a sequel set-up rather than finish it off properly, but I guess Cameron is hopeful of getting the rest of the story made too.
It's a good fun, popcorn blast. I'd give it a solid 27/38
Watched Widows the other night. By Steve McQueen who also directed 12 years a slave. About a group of women who pull off a dead husband's planned bank heist.
Watched the official trailer for Rocketman this week and other promos/makings of.
Taran Egerton looks nailed on for awards' nominations already.
This seems have been forever in the making . I remember seeing stills from it ages ago . Let’s hope it’s as good fun as Bohemian Rhapsody ( editing aside ) .
Awful film, storyline is ok as is the setting 1970’s Harlem but unbelievably slow, didn’t think the acting was very good either.
Painful!
Going to see it this week - had high hopes.
IMO you can keep them relatively high, wasn't quite as impactful as Moonlight, but I thought it was very good.
Saw If Beale Street could talk last night - some bits of the film are excellent and the acting was oustanding. Visually it's stunning but the narrative for me was a little disjointed. Not as impactful as you say as Moonlight. 8/10
Awful film, storyline is ok as is the setting 1970’s Harlem but unbelievably slow, didn’t think the acting was very good either.
Painful!
Going to see it this week - had high hopes.
IMO you can keep them relatively high, wasn't quite as impactful as Moonlight, but I thought it was very good.
Saw If Beale Street could talk last night - some bits of the film are excellent and the acting was oustanding. Visually it's stunning but the narrative for me was a little disjointed. Not as impactful as you say as Moonlight. 8/10
I agree too. Liked it, but thought it could have been trimmed by 20 minutes. It felt long.
Saw " Can you ever believe me" yesterday. A really interesting and at times very funny film with excellent performances from Melissa McCarthy & Richard E Grant in the lead roles.
Went to see Alita: Battle Angel. Usually not my type of film but I really enjoyed it. The visual effects are great and the film is fast-paced. Very exciting. Some say the storyline is weak but I liked it. Overall it surpassed my expectations. 8.5/10
Went to see Alita: Battle Angel. Usually not my type of film but I really enjoyed it. The visual effects are great and the film is fast-paced. Very exciting. Some say the storyline is weak but I liked it. Overall it surpassed my expectations. 8.5/10
Interesting to hear how Alita is viewed in China. I think they're pinning quite a bit on the Chinese market to put the film in profit so that they can make a sequel. It seems to be doing quite well, even when it has to compete with Wandering Earth.
Stupid Academy Awards are tonight. The only thing I really care about is that I hope “Free Solo” beats the fawning, uncritical “RBG” for best documentary. Free Solo was the most riveting thing I saw on the big screen in 2019.
Stupid Academy Awards are tonight. The only thing I really care about is that I hope “Free Solo” beats the fawning, uncritical “RBG” for best documentary. Free Solo was the most riveting thing I saw on the big screen in 2019.
RBG for me. Planning to go see “On the Basis of Sex” on Tuesday. Looking forward to learning more about this amazing women 😁
Stupid Academy Awards are tonight. The only thing I really care about is that I hope “Free Solo” beats the fawning, uncritical “RBG” for best documentary. Free Solo was the most riveting thing I saw on the big screen in 2019.
This is on National Geographic channel on 3rd March. Been hoping to watch it for ages
Comments
Saw a preview of this yesterday (think it is released on Friday) and really hope it can somehow beat Roma to the best foreign language film at the Oscars.
A tough watch - and will have limited box office appeal - but all the more thought-provoking for the fact that a lot of the actors are apparently not professionals and their lives were similar to those of their characters.
because was it a romance, family drama or a reflection of the social injustice in America.
The romance while sweet and the family bond important, weren't enough to carry the film on it's own, IMO and would have benefitted from a bit more of the racial divide being played out.
Directorial debut by Jonah Hill . A very interesting coming of age film about a young lad who hooks up with a skateboard gang .
Shot entirety on 16mm film.
It took me while to get used to the format but once i did i quite enjoyed it.
7 out of 10
Will look out for Capernaum - I enjoyed Roma and Shoplifters which are both up for the award. Both of these had limited box office appeal.
Thought it was atmospheric and interestingly filmed, but nothing ground breaking, better than Birdbox for sure but nothing that will stick with me. Felt more like a monster thriller than a horror to me. Probably didn't help that my flatmate had bigged it up to kingdom come.
Have a bash on that if you see it.
Saw Green Book yesterday. One of my great films of all time. Just loved the music.
The original manga was kind of crazy, ultra violent and full of bizarre freakshow cyborg characters. I think they did a good job of making this believable live action but still keeping a sense of the manga's excess and just toning it down enough to make it edible for a wider audience. The action is fast, exciting and it's easy to follow what's going on, unlike a lot of modern headache inducing CGI giant fighting robot movies I could mention.
Alita herself was very well done. I wasn't convinced about the choice of giving of her outsize 'manga' eyes but before you long you buy into it. She looks realistic, but they leave enough 'uncanny valley' in there to make her appear slightly unnatural as a cyborg. The SFX overall were superb, absolutely state of the art top notch stuff.
Bit annoying that it chose to end with a sequel set-up rather than finish it off properly, but I guess Cameron is hopeful of getting the rest of the story made too.
It's a good fun, popcorn blast. I'd give it a solid 27/38
Interesting take on a heist movie. Worth a watch.
Watched the official trailer for Rocketman this week and other promos/makings of.
Taran Egerton looks nailed on for awards' nominations already.
https://youtu.be/8z6wJHPhJUM