I have just seen a preview screening of Truth , another film about reporters trying to uncover a big story this time about the then President George W. Bush's military service. Although the subject matter of the investigation is completely different , this did have a Spotlight feel about it. There are some really good performances especially from Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett and it's a story I knew absolutely nothing about but wasn't at all surprised at. I suspect this would have been released last year in the U.S solely with the Oscars in mind because it does have that feel about it but it never quite hits the heights that Spotlight did , although I enjoyed it nearly as much.
Theeb (Jordan) - two young Bedouin brothers are asked to guide a British soldier to a distant well, with a view to the latter destroying an important Ottoman railway. A tense ‘Bedouin Western’, set in 1916 amid the stunning desert landscapes of southern Jordan. Thoroughly enjoyable, with an excellent performance from the young lead. It was shortlisted for the Foreign Language Oscar - 8/10
Rams (Iceland) - a tale of two estranged bachelor sheep farmers in Iceland, who find their flocks under threat following an outbreak of scrapie, a fatal, degenerative disease. I had high hopes for this and confess that I found it a bit disappointing. There were some amusing moments but I didn't think it was in the same class as 'Of Horses And Men' - 7/10
Watched The Revenant last night. Stunning cinematography and camera trickery to stitch together all those action scenes that puts you right in the middle of it all which adds to the tension.
Watched The Revenant last night. Stunning cinematography and camera trickery to stitch together all those action scenes that puts you right in the middle of it all which adds to the tension.
Funny how we all see things differently. Although there was some good acting in it, I thought it was a boring, dull film
Daft Punk documentary on the iplayer is superb and a must for any music fans, their story is so unique.
I saw them at V97 and they blew my mind. Would have given anything to have been at that Coachella 2006, looks like it was an absolute banger of a performance.
Watched The Revenant last night. Stunning cinematography and camera trickery to stitch together all those action scenes that puts you right in the middle of it all which adds to the tension.
Funny how we all see things differently. Although there was some good acting in it, I thought it was a boring, dull film
Maybe a bit of a predictable ending but dull and boring it definitely wasn't for me. What impressed me was the sounds and the silence between the action which ramped up the tension but as you say, one mans meat is another mans poison.
Bone Tomahawk is a very atmospheric western/horror movie that pulls no punches whatsoever. It's the story of a team of gunslingers, led by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) who set out to bring home a kidnap victim but their enemy is more ruthless than anyone could have imagined. I went into this without knowing anything about it and was really impressed with what I saw. There are some great performances from Kurt Russell , Matthew Fox and the underrated Patrick Wilson and they all help make this a nerve jangling ride full of blood curdling scenes from the very start. It starts of like a typical western but then turns into a cannibalistic horror where you never quite know who is going to survive. Recommended.
Recently watched Bridge of Spies and Straight Outta Compton on a flight, enjoyed them both.
Nothing ground breaking about Bridge of Spies, but a bunch of expert film makers just doing their thing.
NWA are little bit before my time so didn't know too much about their story or the backdrop of late 80s/early 90s LA but thought it was a compelling story.
Both stories all the more interesting for being 'true'.
Star Wars Force Awakens - Really enjoyable, lots of nods to the first one, A New Hope and was thoroughly rip roaring from start to finish.
Sicario - Very good thriller with Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt.
99 Homes - Best of the three I saw on the plane. Andrew Garfield as a construction worker who loses his job and house and Michael Shannon as a totally convincing scum bag of a real estate broker. Surprised this did not get a look in at the oscars.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is very much the concluding part of a trilogy and as such if the other two weren't your cup of tea this one certainly won't change your mind. If on the other hand you (like me) did enjoy the first two then you should definitely see this one, it has the same excellent performances (especially Jack Black, surprisingly enough), fantastic music and stunning animation. Some of the action is simply phenomenally well done to my eyes. Sadly the villain is a bit undercooked compared to the prior two and the other characters are basically props but this is definitely a choice made not a chance wasted for me.
Spielberg & Harrison Ford reunite for Indiana Jones 5 announced for July 2019
Really? I know it's a silly question but Why?
For fortune, if not glory.
Apparently HF wanted to be killed off in the last one but Speilberg managed to convince him with the aid of a few sheckles. Kingdom of The Crystal Skull was puke inducingly bad.
A walk in the woods is a gentle comedy about writer Bill Bryson who decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends. I thought this was going to be one of those movies where the sensible one has to put up with his irritating friend from the past but it wasn't like that all . Once I got past the slightly annoying voice of Nick Nolte I actually really liked his character , Stephen. He seemed to be the fun one , the one who was good company whilst Bill Bryson was a bit of a miserable old git. It's a little bit depressing to see two extremely well known actors grow old but there is no doubt they both still have it. There weren't many belly laughs in this but there were plenty of moments that made me smile.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
Recently seen; Rams highly recommended beautiful film about sibling relationship. Set in Icelandic sheep farming country. And there's a collie delivering messages between the warring brothers. Marguerite, French comedy about a rich woman convinced she can sing. She can't. Good plot and good acting. Anomalisa, an extraordinary stop motion animation about existentialism in middle aged men. Fantastic. Would recommend all of these highly.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
How about watching it before making judgements? The title may be a little misleading for you, it isn't a boxing match.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
Unless Batman has a Kryptonite weave to his costume.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
How about watching it before making judgements? The title may be a little misleading for you, it isn't a boxing match.
How come Batman kept punching Superman in the face? It might not be Queensbury rules but it's most definitely a punch up.
As for the original question, they have ways of making the face off work that are closely tied to the plot, but with the villain being as simplistic as he is, it all falls apart. The shoehorning of DC future characters is woefully executed too.
And Snyder is a hack, which is why the action scenes are irritating rather than interesting.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
How about watching it before making judgements? The title may be a little misleading for you, it isn't a boxing match.
How come Batman kept punching Superman in the face? It might not be Queensbury rules but it's most definitely a punch up.
As for the original question, they have ways of making the face off work that are closely tied to the plot, but with the villain being as simplistic as he is, it all falls apart. The shoehorning of DC future characters is woefully executed too.
And Snyder is a hack, which is why the action scenes are irritating rather than interesting.
Haven't seen it yet but disagree about Snyder. He clearly polarises opinions. I think he's made some excellent (and tbf some bad) films. But I can't get on board with people who instantly discount his films.
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Haven't seen it but I don't get how this could even be a contest, Superman can move the speed of light-game over....instantly!
How about watching it before making judgements? The title may be a little misleading for you, it isn't a boxing match.
How come Batman kept punching Superman in the face? It might not be Queensbury rules but it's most definitely a punch up.
As for the original question, they have ways of making the face off work that are closely tied to the plot, but with the villain being as simplistic as he is, it all falls apart. The shoehorning of DC future characters is woefully executed too.
And Snyder is a hack, which is why the action scenes are irritating rather than interesting.
Haven't seen it yet but disagree about Snyder. He clearly polarises opinions. I think he's made some excellent (and tbf some bad) films. But I can't get on board with people who instantly discount his films.
He started off well with his Dawn of the Dead, and 300 was very well done, flawed but fun, and sadly instantly cliched. But beyond that, I'll keep fighting the good fight with anyone who calls that hack excellent. I find that opinion to be nonsense.
He can paint a pretty picture, certainly, but there is no substance to his work. Watchmen worked because the story was already shaped for him. It was the perfect storyboard.
Any time he's had to tell a story he's come up wanting. Owls of Ga'Hoole was pish, Man of Steel showed hints of quality (Nolan advised and or inspired) but was drowned out by Snyder's offensively shit action. And Sucker Punch is a proper, proper turkey. BvS is getting universally slammed, and rightly so. It defines his inability to tell a story at the cost of slamming special effects into buildings over, and over, and over again.
So I'll discount his films having seen them, instantly, because it doesn't take very long to realise how shit they are.
Comments
I have just seen a preview screening of Truth , another film about reporters trying to uncover a big story this time about the then President George W. Bush's military service.
Although the subject matter of the investigation is completely different , this did have a Spotlight feel about it. There are some really good performances especially from Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett and it's a story I knew absolutely nothing about but wasn't at all surprised at.
I suspect this would have been released last year in the U.S solely with the Oscars in mind because it does have that feel about it but it never quite hits the heights that Spotlight did , although I enjoyed it nearly as much.
7 out of 10
Rams (Iceland) - a tale of two estranged bachelor sheep farmers in Iceland, who find their flocks under threat following an outbreak of scrapie, a fatal, degenerative disease. I had high hopes for this and confess that I found it a bit disappointing. There were some amusing moments but I didn't think it was in the same class as 'Of Horses And Men' - 7/10
I saw them at V97 and they blew my mind. Would have given anything to have been at that Coachella 2006, looks like it was an absolute banger of a performance.
Bone Tomahawk
Bone Tomahawk is a very atmospheric western/horror movie that pulls no punches whatsoever.
It's the story of a team of gunslingers, led by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) who set out to bring home a kidnap victim but their enemy is more ruthless than anyone could have imagined.
I went into this without knowing anything about it and was really impressed with what I saw. There are some great performances from Kurt Russell , Matthew Fox and the underrated Patrick Wilson and they all help make this a nerve jangling ride full of blood curdling scenes from the very start. It starts of like a typical western but then turns into a cannibalistic horror where you never quite know who is going to survive.
Recommended.
8 out of 10
Nothing ground breaking about Bridge of Spies, but a bunch of expert film makers just doing their thing.
NWA are little bit before my time so didn't know too much about their story or the backdrop of late 80s/early 90s LA but thought it was a compelling story.
Both stories all the more interesting for being 'true'.
Star Wars Force Awakens - Really enjoyable, lots of nods to the first one, A New Hope and was thoroughly rip roaring from start to finish.
Sicario - Very good thriller with Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt.
99 Homes - Best of the three I saw on the plane. Andrew Garfield as a construction worker who loses his job and house and Michael Shannon as a totally convincing scum bag of a real estate broker. Surprised this did not get a look in at the oscars.
Indiana Jones the Arthritic Years
A Walk in the Woods
A walk in the woods is a gentle comedy about writer Bill Bryson who decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.
I thought this was going to be one of those movies where the sensible one has to put up with his irritating friend from the past but it wasn't like that all . Once I got past the slightly annoying voice of Nick Nolte I actually really liked his character , Stephen.
He seemed to be the fun one , the one who was good company whilst Bill Bryson was a bit of a miserable old git.
It's a little bit depressing to see two extremely well known actors grow old but there is no doubt they both still have it.
There weren't many belly laughs in this but there were plenty of moments that made me smile.
6 out of 10
Smashy smashy bang bang, kaboom bang smash. Turn it down please kaboom smash boom wallop. Oh there's Lex, holy cow he's irritating smashy bang Batman's pretty good oh bam bam bam smash will somebody please punch Lex bam what? They're friends? Bammy smash smash this film makes no sense at all smashy bang.
Rams highly recommended beautiful film about sibling relationship. Set in Icelandic sheep farming country. And there's a collie delivering messages between the warring brothers.
Marguerite, French comedy about a rich woman convinced she can sing. She can't. Good plot and good acting.
Anomalisa, an extraordinary stop motion animation about existentialism in middle aged men. Fantastic.
Would recommend all of these highly.
As for the original question, they have ways of making the face off work that are closely tied to the plot, but with the villain being as simplistic as he is, it all falls apart. The shoehorning of DC future characters is woefully executed too.
And Snyder is a hack, which is why the action scenes are irritating rather than interesting.
Game of Thrones as an example, though excellent isn't as good as what my imagination conjured up from some words on a page.
September 2014
Saw 'Before I go to Sleep' yesterday after reading the book last weekend.
Sorry Suzi, I was so disappointed with this film I refused to pass it on to the family, I have a reputation to maintain even if it is a bad one.
He can paint a pretty picture, certainly, but there is no substance to his work. Watchmen worked because the story was already shaped for him. It was the perfect storyboard.
Any time he's had to tell a story he's come up wanting. Owls of Ga'Hoole was pish, Man of Steel showed hints of quality (Nolan advised and or inspired) but was drowned out by Snyder's offensively shit action. And Sucker Punch is a proper, proper turkey. BvS is getting universally slammed, and rightly so. It defines his inability to tell a story at the cost of slamming special effects into buildings over, and over, and over again.
So I'll discount his films having seen them, instantly, because it doesn't take very long to realise how shit they are.