Nothing much, apart from the fact that Scientology is provable bullshit, because it's only been around about fifty years, whilst 'real' (oxymoron?) religions have been around since antiquity, so there is a possibility (however vague) that some of it might be true. Also, most religions don't demand that you give them money (though they might make it look like they do) whereas it's a basic tenet of Scientology
Chappie is Neill Blomkamp's third film , all of which are robot related and for me it seems his films are getting progressively worse. District 9 was a good film because it was something new. Alysium was more of a Sci fi movie and was ok . Blomkamp has gone back to his South African roots with Chappie but it's definitely no District 9 . This is the story of Chappie the police droid who is given a mind of his own by his maker but is then kidnapped by Johannesburgs underworld to commit crimes. I found this nauseating and I couldn't wait for this film to end. I think Blomkamp attempted to make the audience feel sorry for Chappie and make him the only one with human feelings but he failed miserably. All he did was make Chappie look like a woose. I couldn't wait for the pathetic machine's batteries to fail , he was so annoying , as were ALL the human characters. There is something about the south African accent that annoys me too and to have a robot with the same accent didn't help. The special affect are OK but nothing you haven't seen many times before. Give this a miss.
Nothing much, apart from the fact that Scientology is provable bullshit, because it's only been around about fifty years, whilst 'real' (oxymoron?) religions have been around since antiquity, so there is a possibility (however vague) that some of it might be true. Also, most religions don't demand that you give them money (though they might make it look like they do) whereas it's a basic tenet of Scientology
The comparisons remain obvious to me, only that scientology is a younger version of the very same model that brought us all the other religions. As for scientology being the only faith that demands money from it's followers, oh please! The various shades of religion across the world possess immense financial assets in myriad forms, only outstripped by our new gods of the past century - toyota, nike, apple, shell etc.. How did the religions of the world amass this money? By using every tactic possible to convince the less well off masses to part with what little they have. Anyway, not really seeking to start something here, and it's the wrong thread too. Appreciate the brief exchange "Leroy".
Nothing much, apart from the fact that Scientology is provable bullshit, because it's only been around about fifty years, whilst 'real' (oxymoron?) religions have been around since antiquity, so there is a possibility (however vague) that some of it might be true. Also, most religions don't demand that you give them money (though they might make it look like they do) whereas it's a basic tenet of Scientology
The comparisons remain obvious to me, only that scientology is a younger version of the very same model that brought us all the other religions. As for scientology being the only faith that demands money from it's followers, oh please! The various shades of religion across the world possess immense financial assets in myriad forms, only outstripped by our new gods of the past century - toyota, nike, apple, shell etc.. How did the religions of the world amass this money? By using every tactic possible to convince the less well off masses to part with what little they have. Anyway, not really seeking to start something here, and it's the wrong thread too. Appreciate the brief exchange "Leroy".
Note - I said DEMANDS money. You've failed to read the rest of the sentence. I can walk into any church, mosque or synagogue in the world and worship God/Allah/Elohim for free. I could continue doing that indefinitely. Not quite the same in Scientology...
I don't remember seeing a film as intense and as harrowing as Kajaki in a very long time. This is brilliant British independent film about a group of British soldiers in Afghanistan and while on a routine manoeuvre get caught in a minefield . Any wrong move can and does result in them losing limbs or worse. None of the actors are well known and could easily pass for real British military. The dialogue and banter between the men is spot on , even when they are extreme pain and in life threatening situations the dry sense of humour continues and it feels absolutely right but this is no comedy. Some of the scenes are extremely gruesome and in a kind of way this is a horror film. This was nominated for a Bafta earlier in the year and how it didn't win i dont know. First time director Paul Katis has created an absolute gem of a movie here and i highly recommend everyone see it. It's widely available to buy now.
Just seen Mad Max Fury Road for a second time (cos it was free so why not?) and it's just as impressive the second time, or more. Saying it's 'just' a chase movie is doing it a very large disservice. The little touches add up to a deceptively deep and well thought out narrative, it's show don't tell done right. There are very few things that don't make sense in the world it presents and that's world-building done right. The only real issue is where it fits on the hypothetical timeline but Miller apparently sees them all as separate stories about a man who is called Max rather than one narrative whole. Which is at the least interesting, especially compared to the convolution and chicanery Marvel (just for example) go through to get every single film to fit together like a bright, noisy jigsaw.
Having seen the trailer and read a couple of reviews for Kingsman: The Secret Service i wasnt expecting too much from this film but i actually thought it was a lot of fun. Sure , it has quite a few faults ( which film doesn't ? ) and it's extremely silly but the action is very good and at no stage was i bored. It's a cross between Spy Kids , James Bond and Austin Powers and it's strange to see Colin Firth involved in something so left of field but he does a pretty good job. The language is pretty raw through out so it's not something the kids or granny should watch , which is a shame because apart from that and the violence , it's a very childish film.
I just watched Mad Max. It has to be one of the worst films i've ever seen.
If you fancy watching the same scene over and over again, go see it. It is just a car chase with explosions and people swopping driver's seats for 80% of the film. The other 20% is the gang talking to some women on a sand dune.
I just watched Mad Max. It has to be one of the worst films i've ever seen.
If you fancy watching the same scene over and over again, go see it. It is just a car chase with explosions and people swopping driver's seats for 80% of the film. The other 20% is the gang talking to some women on a sand dune.
It's pure cinema.
It's not really about narrative in my opinion, although their are some beautiful moments of sub-plot - "It's not his blood...", what a great line!
It's a way for the director to say you sit in that cinema, you watch what I can do with a camera and I'll make you go "wow". It worked for me, I was mightily impressed, if not intellectually challenged.
Ex Machina is a slick Sci Fi film about a low level employee of the words biggest search engine company who is selected by the billionaire owner to participate in an experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating a female robot or A.I. This is a fascinating film. It looks fantastic and you are never quite sure of the motives of the characters on display.It's difficult to say too much about it without giving the plot away. Brilliant performances from Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander make this a really good film. I wan't one of those A.I 's in my wardrobe !
Ex Machina is a slick Sci Fi film about a low level employee of the words biggest search engine company who is selected by the billionaire owner to participate in an experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating a female robot or A.I. This is a fascinating film. It looks fantastic and you are never quite sure of the motives of the characters on display.It's difficult to say too much about it without giving the plot away. Brilliant performances from Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander make this a really good film. I wan't one of those A.I 's in my wardrobe !
So Jurassic World... Is really, really silly. But in A really good way. It's so well done that I didn't mind the most ludicrous elements. And they are ludicrous!
It's kind of a combo of the first two movies, with all the usual plot beats, some nods to the original and such. Some of the dinosaurs act a little too.. human like at times, and that's when it gets really silly but the action is so fast paced it's worth going with it. Chris Pratt helps sell it too, he's very good and you can see why he's being touted as the next Indiana Jones.
all I can say is Wow, chapter 1 brilliant, chapter 2 brilliant, chapter 3 blew the other 2 out the water, I love scary movies and don't often jump but man did I jump watching that, and it was a number of times as well.
SPOILER ALERT the ending was just crazy, I genuinely thought I was going to have a heart attack, really was not expecting that
So @supaclive The Voices one of yours? Good fun in a strange sort of way!
It was, but I got paid off to give the rights to somebody else!! It is quirky and different, but enjoyable. However I never turn down serious free money!!!
Saw it on Sunday at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. It's a very funny comedy about a Peckham postman getting superpowers. Excellent performances by Brett Goldstein, Natalia Tena and Catherine Tate.
Saw it on Sunday at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. It's a very funny comedy about a Peckham postman getting superpowers. Excellent performances by Brett Goldstein, Natalia Tena and Catherine Tate.
Friend of mine produced that. Struggling to.find a home for distribution. I'm a distributor, sales agent and exec producer @AddicksAddict
Saw it on Sunday at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. It's a very funny comedy about a Peckham postman getting superpowers. Excellent performances by Brett Goldstein, Natalia Tena and Catherine Tate.
Friend of mine produced that. Struggling to.find a home for distribution. I'm a distributor, sales agent and exec producer @AddicksAddict
Do you ever deal with the Acquisitions team at Sky?
I work with those guys. Funnily enough I had a long chat yesterday with one of the SM buyers (Liz) as I'm considering a slight change in career, and Aquisitions sounds like a lot of fun. Certainly liked the sound of being bought dinner and trips to Cannes!
all I can say is Wow, chapter 1 brilliant, chapter 2 brilliant, chapter 3 blew the other 2 out the water, I love scary movies and don't often jump but man did I jump watching that, and it was a number of times as well.
SPOILER ALERT the ending was just crazy, I genuinely thought I was going to have a heart attack, really was not expecting that
Saw it on Sunday at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. It's a very funny comedy about a Peckham postman getting superpowers. Excellent performances by Brett Goldstein, Natalia Tena and Catherine Tate.
Friend of mine produced that. Struggling to.find a home for distribution. I'm a distributor, sales agent and exec producer @AddicksAddict
@supaclive I talked to Jon the director after the film and he said they're hoping to get it in cinemas at the end of the summer. He's sending me flyers that I'm going to put in with shipments to my customers- -I thoroughly enjoyed the film and am happy to do what I can to get it an audience.
I work with those guys. Funnily enough I had a long chat yesterday with one of the SM buyers (Liz) as I'm considering a slight change in career, and Aquisitions sounds like a lot of fun. Certainly liked the sound of being bought dinner and trips to Cannes!
Went to an advance screening of Entourage on Thursday. I'd say if you don't like the series then give it a miss. I love the show but it's probably only a 7/10 for me.
Saw Ex Machina last night, absolutely brilliant. I can only echo Beds' comments earlier. Looks brilliant, great performances, suspense throughout and really makes you ask yourself some serious questions about the future of technology. Everyone should watch this film. 9/10
Nothing much new to say about this that hasn't already been said. It's not terrible but it's also not something that will last in the memory beyond next week. More of the same from Liam Neeson , still taking advantage of his all action hero status regardless of the script. To be fair this is actually better than the second film and Forest Whitaker is really good as the cop trying to find Bryan Mills ( no one has been taken !) but i think i would have preferred half an hour shaved off it but you can't have everything. Watchable nonsense.
So Jurassic World... Is really, really silly. But in A really good way. It's so well done that I didn't mind the most ludicrous elements. And they are ludicrous!
It's kind of a combo of the first two movies, with all the usual plot beats, some nods to the original and such. Some of the dinosaurs act a little too.. human like at times, and that's when it gets really silly but the action is so fast paced it's worth going with it. Chris Pratt helps sell it too, he's very good and you can see why he's being touted as the next Indiana Jones.
All in all, a lot of fun. 4/5.
Agree with that. A couple of hours of good clean fun. Boys will love it.
I thought about something in JW that bothered me; the product placement. I mean, that stuff bothers me anyway, but there are jokes about commercialism in the movie, I'd argue there are even themes of that nature. But I can't figure out if the movie is being, for want of a better word, 'meta', or if it's hypocritical.
For example, they have a line about the new dinosaur being sponsored by Verizon, just after flashing the Beats headphones in close-up.
The lines about "dinosaurs don't entertain kids anymore, they have to be supersized" is aimed at us as much as the characters in the movie. I think Treverrow is sharp enough to intend that, but it is still a bit off for them to commit to what they're mocking, or at least observing.
Does product placement really bother people that much? I barely notice it. I know it is there but considering how commercialised everything in real-life is, I think it helps the illusion if there are recognisable names/logos.
Does product placement really bother people that much? I barely notice it. I know it is there but considering how commercialised everything in real-life is, I think it helps the illusion if there are recognisable names/logos.
It never used to bother me but increasingly i notice it ( especially with cars ) and it does annoy me. The last Avengers film especially . Having said that . the Bond films are the worse culprits yet because they are all about gadgets it doesn't bother me,
Comments
Chappie
Chappie is Neill Blomkamp's third film , all of which are robot related and for me it seems his films are getting progressively worse. District 9 was a good film because it was something new. Alysium was more of a Sci fi movie and was ok . Blomkamp has gone back to his South African roots with Chappie but it's definitely no District 9 .
This is the story of Chappie the police droid who is given a mind of his own by his maker but is then kidnapped by Johannesburgs underworld to commit crimes.
I found this nauseating and I couldn't wait for this film to end.
I think Blomkamp attempted to make the audience feel sorry for Chappie and make him the only one with human feelings but he failed miserably. All he did was make Chappie look like a woose. I couldn't wait for the pathetic machine's batteries to fail , he was so annoying , as were ALL the human characters.
There is something about the south African accent that annoys me too and to have a robot with the same accent didn't help.
The special affect are OK but nothing you haven't seen many times before.
Give this a miss.
4 out of 10
KAJAKI
I don't remember seeing a film as intense and as harrowing as Kajaki in a very long time. This is brilliant British independent film about a group of British soldiers in Afghanistan and while on a routine manoeuvre get caught in a minefield . Any wrong move can and does result in them losing limbs or worse.
None of the actors are well known and could easily pass for real British military. The dialogue and banter between the men is spot on , even when they are extreme pain and in life threatening situations the dry sense of humour continues and it feels absolutely right but this is no comedy.
Some of the scenes are extremely gruesome and in a kind of way this is a horror film.
This was nominated for a Bafta earlier in the year and how it didn't win i dont know.
First time director Paul Katis has created an absolute gem of a movie here and i highly recommend everyone see it.
It's widely available to buy now.
9 out of 10
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Having seen the trailer and read a couple of reviews for Kingsman: The Secret Service i wasnt expecting too much from this film but i actually thought it was a lot of fun.
Sure , it has quite a few faults ( which film doesn't ? ) and it's extremely silly but the action is very good and at no stage was i bored.
It's a cross between Spy Kids , James Bond and Austin Powers and it's strange to see Colin Firth involved in something so left of field but he does a pretty good job.
The language is pretty raw through out so it's not something the kids or granny should watch , which is a shame because apart from that and the violence , it's a very childish film.
7 out of 10
If you fancy watching the same scene over and over again, go see it. It is just a car chase with explosions and people swopping driver's seats for 80% of the film. The other 20% is the gang talking to some women on a sand dune.
It's not really about narrative in my opinion, although their are some beautiful moments of sub-plot - "It's not his blood...", what a great line!
It's a way for the director to say you sit in that cinema, you watch what I can do with a camera and I'll make you go "wow". It worked for me, I was mightily impressed, if not intellectually challenged.
Ex Machina is a slick Sci Fi film about a low level employee of the words biggest search engine company who is selected by the billionaire owner to participate in an experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating a female robot or A.I.
This is a fascinating film. It looks fantastic and you are never quite sure of the motives of the characters on display.It's difficult to say too much about it without giving the plot away.
Brilliant performances from Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander make this a really good film.
I wan't one of those A.I 's in my wardrobe !
8 out of 10
It's kind of a combo of the first two movies, with all the usual plot beats, some nods to the original and such. Some of the dinosaurs act a little too.. human like at times, and that's when it gets really silly but the action is so fast paced it's worth going with it. Chris Pratt helps sell it too, he's very good and you can see why he's being touted as the next Indiana Jones.
All in all, a lot of fun. 4/5.
all I can say is Wow, chapter 1 brilliant, chapter 2 brilliant, chapter 3 blew the other 2 out the water, I love scary movies and don't often jump but man did I jump watching that, and it was a number of times as well.
SPOILER ALERT
the ending was just crazy, I genuinely thought I was going to have a heart attack, really was not expecting that
Saw it on Sunday at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. It's a very funny comedy about a Peckham postman getting superpowers. Excellent performances by Brett Goldstein, Natalia Tena and Catherine Tate.
Went to an advance screening of Entourage on Thursday. I'd say if you don't like the series then give it a miss. I love the show but it's probably only a 7/10 for me.
Saw Ex Machina last night, absolutely brilliant. I can only echo Beds' comments earlier. Looks brilliant, great performances, suspense throughout and really makes you ask yourself some serious questions about the future of technology. Everyone should watch this film. 9/10
Nothing much new to say about this that hasn't already been said. It's not terrible but it's also not something that will last in the memory beyond next week. More of the same from Liam Neeson , still taking advantage of his all action hero status regardless of the script. To be fair this is actually better than the second film and Forest Whitaker is really good as the cop trying to find Bryan Mills ( no one has been taken !) but i think i would have preferred half an hour shaved off it but you can't have everything.
Watchable nonsense.
6 out of 10
A couple of hours of good clean fun. Boys will love it.
For example, they have a line about the new dinosaur being sponsored by Verizon, just after flashing the Beats headphones in close-up.
The lines about "dinosaurs don't entertain kids anymore, they have to be supersized" is aimed at us as much as the characters in the movie. I think Treverrow is sharp enough to intend that, but it is still a bit off for them to commit to what they're mocking, or at least observing.