Wow. What a film Drive is. I had heard of the Dunlop name many years ago but not being a road racing fan i never knew their story other than hearing Joey's name when i was a kid. This remarkable documentary tells the story of Brothers Joey and Robert , intermingled with footage of Robert's two sons and how road racing is their life . I can't imagine what makes these men play with their lives , road racing on these extremely dangerous machines but this film gives some sort of insight in to how dedicated these men were. Narrated by Liam Neeson with moving interviews from family and friends and some amazing race footage , this is one of the best films i have seen in a very long time.
Wow. What a film Road is. I had heard of the Dunlop name many years ago but not being a road racing fan i never knew their story other than hearing Joey's name when i was a kid. This remarkable documentary tells the story of Brothers Joey and Robert , intermingled with footage of Robert's two sons and how road racing is their life . I can't imagine what makes these men play with their lives , road racing on these extremely dangerous machines but this film gives some sort of insight in to how dedicated these men were. Narrated by Liam Neeson with moving interviews from family and friends and some amazing race footage , this is one of the best films i have seen in a very long time.
Mildly amusing comedy that is made much the more watchable because of the gorgeous Elizabeth Banks. A film packed full of Cliches , stereotypes plus a massive flaw in the plot ( why didn't she just go back to the boyfriend's flat ? ) but not terrible by any means.
Based on real-life events, this tells the story of the relationship between wrestling world champions, Mark and Dave Shultz, and their multi-millionaire benefactor, John E du Pont, whose motives for 'coaching' Mark (and subsequently Dave and the rest of the USA wrestling team) to Olympic victory seem dubious at best. The introverted Mark, who struggles in the shadow of his older brother Dave, is beguiled by du Pont's state-of-the-art training facilities and the accompanying accommodation and infrastructure, but there is a pervasive sense of foreboding throughout.
This is a very good film, with a particularly outstanding performance by the unrecognisable Steve Carell as the oddball du Pont - 8/10.
Whiplash (USA)
An extremely intense film, portraying the high-octane and aggressive relationship between a fiercely ambitious (if somewhat unstable) musical prodigy - a drummer - and his tyrannical and highly unorthodox instructor. It is set in the top music college in New York and there is a particularly powerful performance from Terrence Fletcher as the teacher/conductor of the college’s leading jazz orchestra, as he endeavours to push his pupil beyond the limits of the latter's perceived ability and ambition. The music is very good and this is certainly one for Buddy Rich fans.
Certainly a good film and most others who saw it were fuller in their praise of it than me - 7/10.
The Salvation (Denmark)
This is a revenge Western, with a typically strong turn by Mads Mikkelsen. It has all the normal hallmarks of the genre, albeit with Danish writing, direction and production. Westerns do not usually appeal to me but I certainly enjoyed this film - 7/10.
Wild (USA)
Reese Witherspoon play a young woman attempting to work through some personal issues and get her life back on track during a 1,100 mile hike across the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the borders of Mexico up to Canada. It is based on the best-selling 2012 memoirs of a lady called Cheryl Strayed and the backstory is told in flashbacks as Reese negotiates the desert and mountainous terrain.
It was ok but I found it a bit corny in parts - 6/10.
Mildly amusing comedy that is made much the more watchable because of the gorgeous Elizabeth Banks. A film packed full of Cliches , stereotypes plus a massive flaw in the plot ( why didn't she just go back to the boyfriend's flat ? ) but not terrible by any means.
Scarlett Johansson has released three very interesting films in the last 18 months. Her , Under the Skin and Lucy. All good films , all a little surreal. I have heard people say that in the last 20 minutes of Lucy . loses it's way but i disagree. Sure , it becomes a different movie than the first hour but it has to to show what is happening to Lucy's brain. You may need to take some of the drug CPH4 to understand what's happening! Lucy is a cross between Oldboy and Tree of life and i enjoyed it.
Favor is an enjoyable little movie about a man who who asks a BIG favour from an old friend but soon regrets it , as the price he has to pay is very expensive in more ways than one. Some of the acting in favor feels a little amateurish at times ( especially from the police woman) and it's very far fetched but that didn't stop this film being really watchable.
Svengali is bad on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. It's the story of a Welsh music fan who see's a band on Youtube and moves to London with his girlfriend to manage them. it's not the terrible script that makes this a stinker , it's not the awful acting ( especially from Vicky McClure and Michael Socha ) , it's the fact that the band that Dixie wants to manage are a nasty bunch and that we never hear them play so the viewer doesn't get why he want's to manage them. One plus point is that Jonny Owen ( Dixie) looks like a promising actor. Avoid.
One of the worst sins a director(s) can commit is to make a boring film and Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez have excelled themselves with this snorefest. It's fine having lots of flash special affects and an A list cast but if the story is rubbish it's never going to work. I just hope they don't make a third Sin City film.
Watched A Most Wanted Man last evening. I loved Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy so I had high hopes for this one. I was a little sceptical about the director Anton Corbijn though (I am a big fan of Depeche Mode but don't like Corbijn's 'stylish' music videos). The film turned out to be slightly faster-paced than I thought and lived up to my expectations. Philip Seymour Hoffman's acting was flawless. The ending kind of made me feel sad, espceially thinking about the fact that Hoffman himself is dead. His death is a truly big loss for the film world. The storyline though is not as sophisticated as Tinker Tailor, well, much simpler than I expected. Overall 7.5/10.
Svengali is bad on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. It's the story of a Welsh music fan who see's a band on Youtube and moves to London with his girlfriend to manage them. it's not the terrible script that makes this a stinker , it's not the awful acting ( especially from Vicky McClure and Michael Socha ) , it's the fact that the band that Dixie wants to manage are a nasty bunch and that we never hear them play so the viewer doesn't get why he want's to manage them. One plus point is that Jonny Owen ( Dixie) looks like a promising actor. Avoid.
Isn't this the film that Soccer AM plugged to death because there's a scene in it where they're on the programme? At the time I thought it looked a bit lame and the way they were talking it up seemed a bit desperate.
Svengali is bad on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. It's the story of a Welsh music fan who see's a band on Youtube and moves to London with his girlfriend to manage them. it's not the terrible script that makes this a stinker , it's not the awful acting ( especially from Vicky McClure and Michael Socha ) , it's the fact that the band that Dixie wants to manage are a nasty bunch and that we never hear them play so the viewer doesn't get why he want's to manage them. One plus point is that Jonny Owen ( Dixie) looks like a promising actor. Avoid.
Isn't this the film that Soccer AM plugged to death because there's a scene in it where they're on the programme? At the time I thought it looked a bit lame and the way they were talking it up seemed a bit desperate.
Second viewing of Cloud Atlas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a little bit baffled first time round but understood it more on the second viewing. Superb cast playing various different characters ( was surprised at who played Dens wife when the credits rolled ), an ambitious storyline and great cinematography plus a few laughs and poignant moments throughout. Will definitely be reading the book and watching again.
Saw Fury last night. Good of its type, though fairly predictable. The ending was ridiculously unlikely unless you think Germans are incredibly stupid. But entertaining and the time passed quickly. 6.5/10
After the first 10 minutes of Honour i was pretty much convinced i wasn't going to like this but the longer this film went on the more it won me over. This is an interesting film about a Muslim family who want the daughter/Sister killed because she is seeing a Punjabi man. ( it's never really explained why this is so bad ). Paddy Considine isn't the greatest actor but there is something about him that makes him very watchable and so was this film.
Second viewing of Cloud Atlas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a little bit baffled first time round but understood it more on the second viewing. Superb cast playing various different characters ( was surprised at who played Dens wife when the credits rolled ), an ambitious storyline and great cinematography plus a few laughs and poignant moments throughout. Will definitely be reading the book and watching again.
Second viewing of Cloud Atlas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a little bit baffled first time round but understood it more on the second viewing. Superb cast playing various different characters ( was surprised at who played Dens wife when the credits rolled ), an ambitious storyline and great cinematography plus a few laughs and poignant moments throughout. Will definitely be reading the book and watching again.
Might have to give it another go then, first time I watched it I thought it was alright.
My mrs dragged me to see it as she loved the book, thought Hanks was quality in it.
Also went to see Fury, I'm not a big fan of Brad Pitt stuff generally, but I thought he did alright, and if you've got an interest in war films and haven't seen one for a while it's probably worth a look.
It is a bit far fetched plot wise, the battle scenes are quite good, it's a bit gory in places, but what you'd expect.
I'm sure the film has got its merits, but I would have preferred a film, particularly this year of all years that could have done justice to the horror and sufferings that people/ soldiers went through in the 1st world war, rather than the 2nd world war.
Second viewing of Cloud Atlas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a little bit baffled first time round but understood it more on the second viewing. Superb cast playing various different characters ( was surprised at who played Dens wife when the credits rolled ), an ambitious storyline and great cinematography plus a few laughs and poignant moments throughout. Will definitely be reading the book and watching again.
Might have to give it another go then, first time I watched it I thought it was alright.
My mrs dragged me to see it as she loved the book, thought Hanks was quality in it.
The book is all over the shop, i tried my best and failed miserably with it.
Saw Interstellar last night. It's good, but not Inception good. Nolan's editing is becoming akin to watching an M Night Shyamalan movie. Same tricks, different story. Good story although not as ambiguous as I'd have liked. It's Contact meets Sunshine meets 2001 meets Signs.
I'm not a big lover of the horror genre but i was looking forward to The Babadook because i'd heard good things about it. The film started promisingly , it had a menacing feel about it and the acting was pretty good , it even had a couple of little scares but then half way through it lost it's way. It's fine having a good idea and scary monster to boot but once you have that , it's criminal not to know what to do with them and The Babadook is guilty of that.
Second viewing of Cloud Atlas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a little bit baffled first time round but understood it more on the second viewing. Superb cast playing various different characters ( was surprised at who played Dens wife when the credits rolled ), an ambitious storyline and great cinematography plus a few laughs and poignant moments throughout. Will definitely be reading the book and watching again.
Might have to give it another go then, first time I watched it I thought it was alright.
My mrs dragged me to see it as she loved the book, thought Hanks was quality in it.
Its well worth a second go and I thought there were great performances all round.
Saw Interstellar last night. Impressive stuff but still trying to work out what the hell was going on! Not as good as Inception IMO but not many films are
Just watched Under the Skin, one of the darkest,weirdest,most brilliant films I've seen in years. Will certainly not be to everyone's taste, but would be interested to hear what others think.
Just watched Under the Skin, one of the darkest,weirdest,most brilliant films I've seen in years. Will certainly not be to everyone's taste, but would be interested to hear what others think.
I liked it. Definitely thought provoking. One of those films that you don't forget easily.
Comments
Road
Wow. What a film Road is.
I had heard of the Dunlop name many years ago but not being a road racing fan i never knew their story other than hearing Joey's name when i was a kid. This remarkable documentary tells the story of Brothers Joey and Robert , intermingled with footage of Robert's two sons and how road racing is their life .
I can't imagine what makes these men play with their lives , road racing on these extremely dangerous machines but this film gives some sort of insight in to how dedicated these men were.
Narrated by Liam Neeson with moving interviews from family and friends and some amazing race footage , this is one of the best films i have seen in a very long time.
10 out of 10
Mildly amusing comedy that is made much the more watchable because of the gorgeous Elizabeth Banks. A film packed full of Cliches , stereotypes plus a massive flaw in the plot ( why didn't she just go back to the boyfriend's flat ? ) but not terrible by any means.
5 out of 10
Based on real-life events, this tells the story of the relationship between wrestling world champions, Mark and Dave Shultz, and their multi-millionaire benefactor, John E du Pont, whose motives for 'coaching' Mark (and subsequently Dave and the rest of the USA wrestling team) to Olympic victory seem dubious at best. The introverted Mark, who struggles in the shadow of his older brother Dave, is beguiled by du Pont's state-of-the-art training facilities and the accompanying accommodation and infrastructure, but there is a pervasive sense of foreboding throughout.
This is a very good film, with a particularly outstanding performance by the unrecognisable Steve Carell as the oddball du Pont - 8/10.
Whiplash (USA)
An extremely intense film, portraying the high-octane and aggressive relationship between a fiercely ambitious (if somewhat unstable) musical prodigy - a drummer - and his tyrannical and highly unorthodox instructor. It is set in the top music college in New York and there is a particularly powerful performance from Terrence Fletcher as the teacher/conductor of the college’s leading jazz orchestra, as he endeavours to push his pupil beyond the limits of the latter's perceived ability and ambition. The music is very good and this is certainly one for Buddy Rich fans.
Certainly a good film and most others who saw it were fuller in their praise of it than me - 7/10.
The Salvation (Denmark)
This is a revenge Western, with a typically strong turn by Mads Mikkelsen. It has all the normal hallmarks of the genre, albeit with Danish writing, direction and production. Westerns do not usually appeal to me but I certainly enjoyed this film - 7/10.
Wild (USA)
Reese Witherspoon play a young woman attempting to work through some personal issues and get her life back on track during a 1,100 mile hike across the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the borders of Mexico up to Canada. It is based on the best-selling 2012 memoirs of a lady called Cheryl Strayed and the backstory is told in flashbacks as Reese negotiates the desert and mountainous terrain.
It was ok but I found it a bit corny in parts - 6/10.
Scarlett Johansson has released three very interesting films in the last 18 months. Her , Under the Skin and Lucy. All good films , all a little surreal.
I have heard people say that in the last 20 minutes of Lucy . loses it's way but i disagree. Sure , it becomes a different movie than the first hour but it has to to show what is happening to Lucy's brain.
You may need to take some of the drug CPH4 to understand what's happening!
Lucy is a cross between Oldboy and Tree of life and i enjoyed it.
7 out of 10
Everyone plays their characters amazingly well.
I try to get people to watch it but not enough do!
Favor is an enjoyable little movie about a man who who asks a BIG favour from an old friend but soon regrets it , as the price he has to pay is very expensive in more ways than one.
Some of the acting in favor feels a little amateurish at times ( especially from the police woman) and it's very far fetched but that didn't stop this film being really watchable.
6 out of 10
Svengali is bad on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. It's the story of a Welsh music fan who see's a band on Youtube and moves to London with his girlfriend to manage them.
it's not the terrible script that makes this a stinker , it's not the awful acting ( especially from Vicky McClure and Michael Socha ) , it's the fact that the band that Dixie wants to manage are a nasty bunch and that we never hear them play so the viewer doesn't get why he want's to manage them. One plus point is that Jonny Owen ( Dixie) looks like a promising actor.
Avoid.
3 out of 10
One of the worst sins a director(s) can commit is to make a boring film and Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez have excelled themselves with this snorefest. It's fine having lots of flash special affects and an A list cast but if the story is rubbish it's never going to work.
I just hope they don't make a third Sin City film.
3 out of 10
At the time I thought it looked a bit lame and the way they were talking it up seemed a bit desperate.
After the first 10 minutes of Honour i was pretty much convinced i wasn't going to like this but the longer this film went on the more it won me over. This is an interesting film about a Muslim family who want the daughter/Sister killed because she is seeing a Punjabi man. ( it's never really explained why this is so bad ). Paddy Considine isn't the greatest actor but there is something about him that makes him very watchable and so was this film.
6 out of 10
My mrs dragged me to see it as she loved the book, thought Hanks was quality in it.
It is a bit far fetched plot wise, the battle scenes are quite good, it's a bit gory in places, but what you'd expect.
I'm sure the film has got its merits, but I would have preferred a film, particularly this year of all years that could have done justice to the horror and sufferings that people/ soldiers went through in the 1st world war, rather than the 2nd world war.
I'm not a big lover of the horror genre but i was looking forward to The Babadook because i'd heard good things about it.
The film started promisingly , it had a menacing feel about it and the acting was pretty good , it even had a couple of little scares but then half way through it lost it's way. It's fine having a good idea and scary monster to boot but once you have that , it's criminal not to know what to do with them and The Babadook is guilty of that.
6 out of 10
Will certainly not be to everyone's taste, but would be interested to hear what others think.