Watched Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck last night. Thought it was excellent. Admittedly I'm probably quite biased and to anyone who doesn't particularly like Nirvana it probably won't be for them. That said though the way it was compiled was excellent, fusing old homemade video and recordings, animation and new interviews worked very well. It was a bit refreshing that it wasn't just a straight story of this happened then this and charting the rise and fall of the man, a lot was implied and it didn't focus so much on what happened with the band.
Also, as someone who watches a lot of documentaries it was nice that this didn't feature the very much in thing at the moment of turning photos into "3D images" (clearly I don't know the technical name for this). That has become so common now and has started to detract for some good films. Here the animations helped fill in and was a nice change.
As an avid fan of Spooks I saw the film "Spooks - For the greater good" yesterday.
Apart from the rather implausible prisoner escape at the beginning, I found it entertaining with lots of twists and turns in it. Harry Pearce is such a great character, superbly acted by Peter Firth.
So far behind the game here but watched Fury on a flight to the US and thought it was the biggest load of pish I have seen for ages. Didn't get the whole sequence where they have dinner with the two German birds just didn't make any sense. We all know war is horrifying and people die horrific deaths but is the planet short of another WW2 movie? Waste of time.
The Canal is a genuinely creepy Psychological horror film about a family who moves into a house that has an horrific history and it's past starts to influence their lives in a dramatic way. Not being a great lover of Horror films ( they bore me more than scare me) it's good to come across an independent film like this that actually does the job it's meant to. Sure , it's silly at times and the decision making by the characters is puzzling at best but i found it really watchable and i really liked the ending. The acting from the child , who must be no more than four years old , is really good too. Er 6 out of 10
The Mule is another one of the quirky and odd Australian movies that are released every year that involves characters who are way over the top . This the the story of a football player who is coerced into going to Thailand to bring back heroin inside his body and when he gets back he is hauled up in a hotel room by police who wait til the packages come out naturally. I think this is supposed to be a black comedy but i don't remember laughing once. The lead actor has a face you want to smack and there is only so much of his grimacing you can put up with. It's obviously not a movie that takes itself too seriously but falls down due to casting problems. It's not terrible but it's not a film i could recommend either.
"Tracks" 2014. The fascinating and engaging true story of Robyn Davidson's 1977 trek across the Australian outback from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. With camels and companion dog, she walks for over six months and 1700 miles in scorching heat, as like many of us at various times in life, we have had enough of people. If you enjoyed last year's "Wild", in my view, "Tracks" will take you on a far more authentic journey.
"Tracks" 2014. The fascinating and engaging true story of Robyn Davidson's 1977 trek across the Australian outback from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. With camels and companion dog, she walks for over six months and 1700 miles in scorching heat, as like many of us at various times in life, we have had enough of people. If you enjoyed last year's "Wild", in my view, "Tracks" will take you on a far more authentic journey.
Wow, the unabridged audio book of Robyn Davidson's true story (via audible.com) is even better than the film.
Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini an Olympian who spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. I have to admit this film got me. I didn't think i would fall for the sentimentality , director Angelina Jolie smothered this film with , but i did. It is an amazing story and Jack O'Connell is ever so impressive in the lead role. The ending is very emotional and Louis Zamperini deserves such a glowing tribute.
The book of Unbroken is up there as one of my favourites, as such I'm a bit reluctant to watch the film. Truly remarkable human being though.
I went to see Mad Max last night, thought it was excellent, probably doesn't rank as high in my estimation as the originals (well probably better than Thunderdome). Visually it was superb, the story was bonkers so all good. Just wasn't too keen on Tom Hardy and is portrayal. Think I would have preffered him to brin a bit more rather than attempting an imitation of Gibson. The story of Nicholas Hoult's character was a bit unbelievable as well. Bet hey ho, as an action film it was great.
Back to childrens films for me, and I caught the Shaun the Sheep film on saturday. To be honest, I planned to go to the Deportivo supporters club in Barcelona, and watch the Barça-Depor match in the company of likeminded supporters, but my nerve gave out, and memories of other days when I shunned my children in favor of horrible football matches (Northwich away was one) sprang up, so I went to the cinema. This film is okay. It starts slowly, and provides a few good laughs on the way, but having read the rotten tometoes reviews that rated it at 100%, I was more disappointed than entertained. The ending was pretty forseeable, and a lot of the film seemed to have jokes that were cut and pasted from other animated movies I have seen. The children enjoyed it, but were'nt over the top, and I doubt they'll be demanding it on DVD. Altogether, a very so-so afternoon, though the Deportivo equaliser I saw on the text made up for the movie.
Finally watched Kingsman last night. Like others have said here before, extreme violence and similar style to kick ass. Very good IMO
I just watched it yesterday. Some hilarious parts but overall very silly and not my cup of tea I have to say. One thing did catch my eye though: in a scene there was a Millwall scarf hanging on the mirror in Eggsy's bedroom so he was supposed to be a Millwall fan......... Anyone noticed that?
Last night we saw Mad Max 3D at the iMax. Top Gear in the desert, on steroids. Waste of money and 120 minutes. No real story, you could pick it up at any point and not get lost. Just a collection of stunts on a grand scale. Although they were very impressive. As dated as the first 2 are (3rd was bloody awful) I still preferred them. At least the first one was quite original for its time and as a 14 year old I enjoyed it. May be you need to be a 14 year old to enjoy this new version.
Now this is a strange one. Anybody who loves their arty nonsensical movies will adore this. This the story of a female couple who are into a mild form of S&M and how it affect's their lives and their relationship on a day to day basis. To say this is slow is an understatement . I really like Sidse Babett Knudsen as an actress , especially her role as Birgitte Nyborg in Borgen but this performance really didn't do anything for me. I'm sure there are many people who will tell you that there are many underlying messages to this film but to be honest i don't really care and i you're expecting something remotely erotic you will be dissapointed . One for the purists.
John Wick is basically just another in the long list of revenge action films that have been released in recent times. It's enjoyable , it looks good but lacks any real substance. You can't blame Keanu Reeves for cashing in on the genre and to be fair , he is quite good as the assassin who kills dozens of men because someone killed his puppy! One thing i didn't like was the CGI blood when people got shot . It didn't look right. If you like this sort of thing then i can recommend it but it's nothing you haven't seen many times before.
Now this is a strange one. Anybody who loves their arty nonsensical movies will adore this. This the story of a female couple who are into a mild form of S&M and how it affect's their lives and their relationship on a day to day basis. To say this is slow is an understatement . I really like Sidse Babett Knudsen as an actress , especially her role as Birgitte Nyborg in Borgen but this performance really didn't do anything for me. I'm sure there are many people who will tell you that there are many underlying messages to this film but to be honest i don't really care and if you're expecting something remotely erotic you will be dissapointed . One for the purists.
Went to see far from the madding crowd , read the book as a teenager, absolutely loved it, something completely different to the general stuff churned out at the moment.
If you like period pieces , costumes , intrigue, love , deception, murder etc then this is the ticket, beautifully shot and shown in 4K the landscape (set in Devon in 1870) is stunning and the colours vibrant.
Not really a lads film as such, one to take the missus too if you like that sort of thing , but i loved it, 9 out of 10.
If you like Downton Abbey / Jane Austen chances are you'll like this.
Now this is a strange one. Anybody who loves their arty nonsensical movies will adore this. This the story of a female couple who are into a mild form of S&M and how it affect's their lives and their relationship on a day to day basis. To say this is slow is an understatement . I really like Sidse Babett Knudsen as an actress , especially her role as Birgitte Nyborg in Borgen but this performance really didn't do anything for me. I'm sure there are many people who will tell you that there are many underlying messages to this film but to be honest i don't really care and if you're expecting something remotely erotic you will be dissapointed . One for the purists.
Last month Sky Atlantic temporarily shelved this HBO expose on Scientology due to it supposedly breaking British libel laws but thanks to the power of the Internet this documentary is freely available as it was shown in The States in March. This film really does expose what a sleazy , corrupt and nasty organisation the Church of Scientology is and what makes this remarkable is that the revelations are genuine as some of the highest members of this cult have left and have exposed it's goings on in this film . The most amazing thing or me is that there is actually nothing religious about this organisation ( that's a tax exemption thing). It doesn't even have any real beliefs , although they make members believe there are secrets to be had the further up you go but what it does do is want your money and lots of it and you're in trouble if you don't do what they want . It goes into the history of the founder L. Ron Hubbard and his bizarre thought process and talks about the celebrity members . It does make you look at these people in a different light. I almost feel sorry them as even they are trapped in this shady little world . If you get the chance to see this , do so. Hopefully it will be on Sky in the near future .
Latest film seen: Man Up, which as it turns out is a really odd title for what is a pretty standard romcom when all is said and done. It's amusing enough I suppose but not really laugh out loud gut-busting funny, Simon Pegg makes a convincing enough romantic lead when it deliberately plays on his 'loser' persona rather than trying to convince us he's a dashing traditional romantic star. Most of the time I spent trying to work out if I actually am attracted to (leading lady) Lake Bell or not, for some reason I can't quite work it out. But overall... alright. I guess.
Last month Sky Atlantic temporarily shelved this HBO expose on Scientology due to it supposedly breaking British libel laws but thanks to the power of the Internet this documentary is freely available as it was shown in The States in March. This film really does expose what a sleazy , corrupt and nasty organisation the Church of Scientology is and what makes this remarkable is that the revelations are genuine as some of the highest members of this cult have left and have exposed it's goings on in this film . The most amazing thing or me is that there is actually nothing religious about this organisation ( that's a tax exemption thing). It doesn't even have any real beliefs , although they make members believe there are secrets to be had the further up you go but what it does do is want your money and lots of it and you're in trouble if you don't do what they want . It goes into the history of the founder L. Ron Hubbard and his bizarre thought process and talks about the celebrity members . It does make you look at these people in a different light. I almost feel sorry them as even they are trapped in this shady little world . If you get the chance to see this , do so. Hopefully it will be on Sky in the near future .
Ok finally got to see Mad Max, and whilst it was pretty nuts and action filled, I didn't particularly warm or empathise with the characters, and felt a tad disappointed with the plot, my mind started to wander and i couldn't wait for the end of the film, a bit of a let down for me I'm afraid.
I overheard a group of blokes who came out of the cinema the same time as me say ' it was all one big long chase'
6 out of 10 for me.
My son however loved it and thought it was brilliant.
Last month Sky Atlantic temporarily shelved this HBO expose on Scientology due to it supposedly breaking British libel laws but thanks to the power of the Internet this documentary is freely available as it was shown in The States in March. This film really does expose what a sleazy , corrupt and nasty organisation the Church of Scientology is and what makes this remarkable is that the revelations are genuine as some of the highest members of this cult have left and have exposed it's goings on in this film . The most amazing thing or me is that there is actually nothing religious about this organisation ( that's a tax exemption thing). It doesn't even have any real beliefs , although they make members believe there are secrets to be had the further up you go but what it does do is want your money and lots of it and you're in trouble if you don't do what they want . It goes into the history of the founder L. Ron Hubbard and his bizarre thought process and talks about the celebrity members . It does make you look at these people in a different light. I almost feel sorry them as even they are trapped in this shady little world . If you get the chance to see this , do so. Hopefully it will be on Sky in the near future .
Well, yes, a remarkable expose of scientology. A must-see. However, the more the documentary continued, the more i wondered what is so different about scientology, compared with other popular tax exempt/personality driven organizations, such as all the various shades of christian, catholic, islam, jewish faiths etc. etc. etc.?
Comments
Also, as someone who watches a lot of documentaries it was nice that this didn't feature the very much in thing at the moment of turning photos into "3D images" (clearly I don't know the technical name for this). That has become so common now and has started to detract for some good films. Here the animations helped fill in and was a nice change.
Apart from the rather implausible prisoner escape at the beginning, I found it entertaining with lots of twists and turns in it. Harry Pearce is such a great character, superbly acted by Peter Firth.
Like others have said here before, extreme violence and similar style to kick ass.
Very good IMO
Another one of mine Beds!!!
The Mule
The Mule is another one of the quirky and odd Australian movies that are released every year that involves characters who are way over the top . This the the story of a football player who is coerced into going to Thailand to bring back heroin inside his body and when he gets back he is hauled up in a hotel room by police who wait til the packages come out naturally.
I think this is supposed to be a black comedy but i don't remember laughing once. The lead actor has a face you want to smack and there is only so much of his grimacing you can put up with. It's obviously not a movie that takes itself too seriously but falls down due to casting problems.
It's not terrible but it's not a film i could recommend either.
4 out of 10
Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini an Olympian who spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
I have to admit this film got me. I didn't think i would fall for the sentimentality , director Angelina Jolie smothered this film with , but i did.
It is an amazing story and Jack O'Connell is ever so impressive in the lead role.
The ending is very emotional and Louis Zamperini deserves such a glowing tribute.
Recommended
9 out of 10
I went to see Mad Max last night, thought it was excellent, probably doesn't rank as high in my estimation as the originals (well probably better than Thunderdome). Visually it was superb, the story was bonkers so all good. Just wasn't too keen on Tom Hardy and is portrayal. Think I would have preffered him to brin a bit more rather than attempting an imitation of Gibson. The story of Nicholas Hoult's character was a bit unbelievable as well. Bet hey ho, as an action film it was great.
5/10
Top Gear in the desert, on steroids.
Waste of money and 120 minutes. No real story, you could pick it up at any point and not get lost. Just a collection of stunts on a grand scale. Although they were very impressive.
As dated as the first 2 are (3rd was bloody awful) I still preferred them. At least the first one was quite original for its time and as a 14 year old I enjoyed it. May be you need to be a 14 year old to enjoy this new version.
The Duke of Burgundy
Now this is a strange one. Anybody who loves their arty nonsensical movies will adore this.
This the story of a female couple who are into a mild form of S&M and how it affect's their lives and their relationship on a day to day basis.
To say this is slow is an understatement . I really like Sidse Babett Knudsen as an actress , especially her role as Birgitte Nyborg in Borgen but this performance really didn't do anything for me.
I'm sure there are many people who will tell you that there are many underlying messages to this film but to be honest i don't really care and i you're expecting something remotely erotic you will be dissapointed .
One for the purists.
3 out of 10
Probably a 7/10 imo
;-)
If you like period pieces , costumes , intrigue, love , deception, murder etc then this is the ticket, beautifully shot and shown in 4K the landscape (set in Devon in 1870) is stunning and the colours vibrant.
Not really a lads film as such, one to take the missus too if you like that sort of thing , but i loved it, 9 out of 10.
If you like Downton Abbey / Jane Austen chances are you'll like this.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2935476/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Still waiting to see Mad Max!
GOING CLEAR: Scientology & the Prison of Belief
Last month Sky Atlantic temporarily shelved this HBO expose on Scientology due to it supposedly breaking British libel laws but thanks to the power of the Internet this documentary is freely available as it was shown in The States in March.
This film really does expose what a sleazy , corrupt and nasty organisation the Church of Scientology is and what makes this remarkable is that the revelations are genuine as some of the highest members of this cult have left and have exposed it's goings on in this film .
The most amazing thing or me is that there is actually nothing religious about this organisation ( that's a tax exemption thing). It doesn't even have any real beliefs , although they make members believe there are secrets to be had the further up you go but what it does do is want your money and lots of it and you're in trouble if you don't do what they want .
It goes into the history of the founder L. Ron Hubbard and his bizarre thought process and talks about the celebrity members . It does make you look at these people in a different light. I almost feel sorry them as even they are trapped in this shady little world .
If you get the chance to see this , do so. Hopefully it will be on Sky in the near future .
7 out of 10
A very Liam Neeson film.
If you like taken, you'll like this. If you don't, you won't!
I overheard a group of blokes who came out of the cinema the same time as me say ' it was all one big long chase'
6 out of 10 for me.
My son however loved it and thought it was brilliant.