I also saw Hacksaw Ridge yesterday. Based on a true story. Enjoyed it but I thought there were a couple of 'Hollywood' moments if you know what I mean. It didn't really need that as it was a strong enough subject without that. But, all in all a good movie but not the pick of the bunch I wouldn't have thought from the other Oscar nominations.
Watched it with a theatre full of Americans so they all clapped at the end. They tend to do that when they've watched an American 'Rah Rah' kind of movie.
I saw it last month and felt the same. I was quite surprised it got very high ratings on many websites and even received Oscar nominations...
I finally got round to watching Deepwater Horizon, thought it was very good. John Malkovich a great "villain" for want of a better word. The realisation that what you were seeing on screen was based on such horrificly true circumstances was terrifying.
Another Mark Wahlberg film, also based on true events... I watched Patriots Day this week too, based on the events of and after the bombings of the Boston marathon a few years back. Virtually all of the main characters are based on, or had story's based on real people from that day, with the exception being Wahlberg himself. Another very good film which, like Sully and Deepwater Horizon recently, it shows some genuine news clips throughout and/or at the end with survivors/people involved.
Finally, I watched the accountant this afternoon which I also enjoyed. It was certainly better than some of the reviews I've read seemed to suggest. Probably of the 3 it's the one I'm least likely to want to watch again but it's still worth a couple of hours of anyone's time imo.
3 films, no duds.
I saw Deepwater Horizon when it just came out and totally loved it. It was a Peter Berg film and Patriots Day is also directed by him. Wahlberg and Berg have now collaberated on three films, two of which I've seen and loved, the first being Lone Survivor. So I'm glad to know Patriots Day is good as well. I'll definitely go to see it if/when it is released here in China.
I also agree The Accountant is a decent film. Watched it earlier this month and thought it was interesting.
Manchester By The Sea is a sombre, serious, marvellous piece of film-making. It's the kind of grown-up movie that is rare in this age when most mainstream American movies seem made for 10 year old minds. Impeccable acting throughout and if Casey Affleck doesn't get the Best Actor Oscar there is no justice.
I watched Manchester By The Sea this week. I've been looking forward to it for a year.... I'm a big fan of Kyle Chandler and also Casey Affleck. I was surprised when I learned that they were going to play brothers though! I think the film is okay and two scenes absolutely stand out: the accident and Lee's encounter with Randy on the street. Michelle Williams is such a great actress. I simply couldn't stop crying watching that scene. That said, I think the whole film is too slow. Casey Affleck is a very talented actor but.... I've seen almost every film that he's been in and honestly speaking, he's played quite a few similar characters before (and I don't know why but to me he always seems like that kind of person). People probably just didn't know that. And as for winning an Oscar, I'm not sure if anyone has heard of the sexual harassment allegations. I guess that will be a problem. Anyway, I still think he's a very good actor and I never understand why he hasn't been a bigger star since his role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
The best film I've seen lately is Nocturnal Animals. It surpassed my expectations and I totally loved it. I didn't like Tom Ford's debut work A Single Man (but the soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski is one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard). I thought it was too self-indulgent and almost like a two-hour-long TV commercial/music video. But Nocturnal Animals has got stories and they're quite compelling, especially the novel one within. Jake Gyllenhaal did a wonderful job and Amy Adams was SO beautiful.... The ending was a small surprise but the film got me thinking. I know it received mixed reviews but it's my latest favourite. Not to mention the soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski whose work never disappoints.
Saw Hacksaw ridge last night. I enjoyed it, but very much filmed for an American audience. It was very religion heavy, which I completely understand given the protagonists views, but it got a bit much for me. Not as good as the reviews I read made it out to be.
Manchester by sea is brilliant. one of the best films I've seen in several years.
Casey Affleck is superb. storyline and script are excellent. reminds me of a European film in the sense that for Hollywood it seems far too serious. though there are some witty lines between Affleck and his nephew.
It's strange because Manchester by the sea didn't do it for me at all. I get the tragedy side of things and how sad it was but I found it slow and a little depressing. Casey Affleck is good but I don't get the adulation this film has got.
it is slow and depressing but i found the pace of the film just right for the subject. it's similar to a lot of European cinema. it didn't make me think to myself "gawd, when is this gonna end?"
still it's subjective, it was only last year where The Revenant was picking up all the awards and i wasn't all that impressed by it. apart from the cinematography at times and Tom Hardys (and the bears) performance i found it average.
Just back from T2 Trainspottng. I rewatched the original last week in preparation for seeing this, and glad I did. It would just about stand alone, but you get so much more out of it if you've seen the first. It's sweary, of course, but I'd say slightly less violent and a bit funnier than the first, several laugh out loud moments. I'd give it a solid 8.5, and would happily sit through it again tomorrow.
Just fished Manchester by the sea, it is slow but I didn't feel like it dragged on. Great performances from all and will no doubt win a few awards, only thing I didn't really like was the score - some parts just seemed to go on too long and felt too loud
Really strange the way people react to different films. I saw Manchester by the Sea a few weeks ago. Easily the best film I have seen in the last 2 or 3 years. Best film I have seen since American Hustle. I know a lot on here think that film was rubbish. I saw Arrival a couple of months ago. I thought it was absolute rubbish. They must have spent about $1 million on the sets and props and script and about $100 million on the Actors. It was a complete insult to my intelligence.
Totally agree about Arrival. Now that, not Manchester By The Sea, was slow. The only redeeming thing about the film was the comedy of this 'greatest linguist on the planet" holding up a flash card saying HUMAN to the Aliens. They could have got a primary school teaching assistant to do that!
Totally agree about Arrival. Now that, not Manchester By The Sea, was slow. The only redeeming thing about the film was the comedy of this 'greatest linguist on the planet" holding up a flash card saying HUMAN to the Aliens. They could have got a primary school teaching assistant to do that!
That's like saying why hire Tom Cruise for a Mission Impossible movie when you could hire Pee Wee Herman to load a gun.
Totally agree about Arrival. Now that, not Manchester By The Sea, was slow. The only redeeming thing about the film was the comedy of this 'greatest linguist on the planet" holding up a flash card saying HUMAN to the Aliens. They could have got a primary school teaching assistant to do that!
That's like saying why hire Tom Cruise for a Mission Impossible movie when you could hire Pee Wee Herman to load a gun.
Just back from T2 Trainspottng. I rewatched the original last week in preparation for seeing this, and glad I did. It would just about stand alone, but you get so much more out of it if you've seen the first. It's sweary, of course, but I'd say slightly less violent and a bit funnier than the first, several laugh out loud moments. I'd give it a solid 8.5, and would happily sit through it again tomorrow.
saw it last night and would agree with all of the above, some proper LOL moments
Just back from T2 Trainspottng. I rewatched the original last week in preparation for seeing this, and glad I did. It would just about stand alone, but you get so much more out of it if you've seen the first. It's sweary, of course, but I'd say slightly less violent and a bit funnier than the first, several laugh out loud moments. I'd give it a solid 8.5, and would happily sit through it again tomorrow.
saw it last night and would agree with all of the above, some proper LOL moments
I am not a science fiction fan or a scientist but after reading many newspaper and magazine articles over the course of the last couple of decades about first contact with Aliens I was under the impression that attempts to communicate would have more to do with radio signals, prime numbers and immense computer processing power rather than using the tools and techniques that our early explorers used when encountering primitive tribes in Africa.
Maybe I missed something. Maybe the parts dealing with communicating with the Aliens was not meant to be taken literally. Maybe the film is not about communicating with Aliens at all but about communication between humans and family members.
In addition, as the article implies, a lot of the allegorical devices/references in the film were clunky, phoney and not very challenging.
Hacksaw ridge was just more mel gibson garbage. A great true story but is gibson's tried and tested formula of a "perfect" protaganist refusing to change and be bent by the world around him and eventually saves everyone, with tonnes of gore in between. Braveheart, passion etc were the same.
T2 was brilliant, rewatched trainspotting this week and definitely has the feel of the original, just definitely not as iconic. But still a really good watch and would recommend.
Keep thinking of some of the scenes with Begbie in and breaking out into a grin. (when Spud is reading back his notes about Begbie about the smashed glass in the pub and what he said at the time)
Very nostalgic, obviously, but a great watch. Thought they'd all aged well until you saw the flash backs!
Totally agree about Arrival. Now that, not Manchester By The Sea, was slow. The only redeeming thing about the film was the comedy of this 'greatest linguist on the planet" holding up a flash card saying HUMAN to the Aliens. They could have got a primary school teaching assistant to do that!
That's like saying why hire Tom Cruise for a Mission Impossible movie when you could hire Pee Wee Herman to load a gun.
I don't quite think so.
Obviously you don't, but that doesn't make your statement any less silly. The film was about an expert learning the language and eventually saving mankind by doing so - and you're saying anyone could have done the very first thing she did. I need to read Red_in_SE8's link to see how that critique works, but yours doesn't make any sense.
Hacksaw ridge was just more mel gibson garbage. A great true story but is gibson's tried and tested formula of a "perfect" protaganist refusing to change and be bent by the world around him and eventually saves everyone, with tonnes of gore in between. Braveheart, passion etc were the same.
T2 was brilliant, rewatched trainspotting this week and definitely has the feel of the original, just definitely not as iconic. But still a really good watch and would recommend.
Haven't seen Hacksaw yet but spot on with Mel's storytelling. Apocalypto aside, I wouldn't go back and watch any of his work. Even Braveheart has dated very badly.
Totally agree about Arrival. Now that, not Manchester By The Sea, was slow. The only redeeming thing about the film was the comedy of this 'greatest linguist on the planet" holding up a flash card saying HUMAN to the Aliens. They could have got a primary school teaching assistant to do that!
That's like saying why hire Tom Cruise for a Mission Impossible movie when you could hire Pee Wee Herman to load a gun.
I don't quite think so.
Obviously you don't, but that doesn't make your statement any less silly. The film was about an expert learning the language and eventually saving mankind by doing so - and you're saying anyone could have done the very first thing she did. I need to read Red_in_SE8's link to see how that critique works, but yours doesn't make any sense.
Oooh, cruel. Are you trying to get us on the Argument Alert threat? ;-)
Comments
I also agree The Accountant is a decent film. Watched it earlier this month and thought it was interesting.
Hadn't clicked until you said it that all 3 have same director/star combination.
Casey Affleck is superb. storyline and script are excellent. reminds me of a European film in the sense that for Hollywood it seems far too serious. though there are some witty lines between Affleck and his nephew.
I get the tragedy side of things and how sad it was but I found it slow and a little depressing.
Casey Affleck is good but I don't get the adulation this film has got.
it didn't make me think to myself "gawd, when is this gonna end?"
still it's subjective, it was only last year where The Revenant was picking up all the awards and i wasn't all that impressed by it. apart from the cinematography at times and Tom Hardys (and the bears) performance i found it average.
I rewatched the original last week in preparation for seeing this, and glad I did. It would just about stand alone, but you get so much more out of it if you've seen the first.
It's sweary, of course, but I'd say slightly less violent and a bit funnier than the first, several laugh out loud moments.
I'd give it a solid 8.5, and would happily sit through it again tomorrow.
Great performances from all and will no doubt win a few awards, only thing I didn't really like was the score - some parts just seemed to go on too long and felt too loud
Any good?
http://ew.com/article/2016/11/17/arrival-ending-contact-2001-sci-fi/
I am not a science fiction fan or a scientist but after reading many newspaper and magazine articles over the course of the last couple of decades about first contact with Aliens I was under the impression that attempts to communicate would have more to do with radio signals, prime numbers and immense computer processing power rather than using the tools and techniques that our early explorers used when encountering primitive tribes in Africa.
Maybe I missed something. Maybe the parts dealing with communicating with the Aliens was not meant to be taken literally. Maybe the film is not about communicating with Aliens at all but about communication between humans and family members.
In addition, as the article implies, a lot of the allegorical devices/references in the film were clunky, phoney and not very challenging.
Magnificent
Hacksaw ridge was just more mel gibson garbage. A great true story but is gibson's tried and tested formula of a "perfect" protaganist refusing to change and be bent by the world around him and eventually saves everyone, with tonnes of gore in between. Braveheart, passion etc were the same.
T2 was brilliant, rewatched trainspotting this week and definitely has the feel of the original, just definitely not as iconic. But still a really good watch and would recommend.
Keep thinking of some of the scenes with Begbie in and breaking out into a grin. (when Spud is reading back his notes about Begbie about the smashed glass in the pub and what he said at the time)
Very nostalgic, obviously, but a great watch. Thought they'd all aged well until you saw the flash backs!
The war scenes are very realistic and show how terrifying it was.
8/10