The Last Film watched (CONTAINS STAR WARS SPOILERS!!)

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Quite enjoyed rec 3 although it's not really much to do with the first 2 films.

If it had been a standalone film, I think the critical response would have been better. For me it was really entertaining.

No arguments there. I'd love a go.

I watched Kingsman last night. I really wasn't sure what to expect but it's great fun. It's the sort of film that's a good old-fashioned unscrew your brain and have a laugh kind of movie. Slightly bonkers megalomaniac wants to take over the world and spies battle to stop them.

Add in the plot of them needing to recruit new spies due to some grisly deaths and it works rather well. The casting is great: Michael Caine, Colin Firth, Samuel L Mother****in' Jackson (with a lisp), Jack Davenport, Mark Strong, Samantha Womack (Janus) and Mark Hamill. Newcomers Taron Egerton and Sophie Cookson do well amongst such big names and there's the added fun of a double-amputee killer with ultra-sharp prosthetic legs.

Don't go expecting a high-brow spy thriller, but it is great fun, if a little predictable. There was a bit more gore than expected (it is rated 15) but the fight scenes are well choreographed and Colin Firth kicks butt. A lot. 8/10

Just finished watching Kingsman - best film I have seen in years. Loved every minute of it.

Watched Fargo last night..... actually over two nights.

And that's the interesting part - over two nights.  

I had never seen it.  Always knew I would but because of life requirements, I just never got round to it until now.

Yep, my kind of movie, like I always knew it would be - very heavily weighed on cheeky, rhythmic dialogue interchanges.  The rhythms of the conversations go back to the great film noires of the 40s, where budgets might have kept the scenery minimal but the scripts were full of juicy collisions between characters who certainly knew how to talk.

So I watched the first half two nights ago and had a ball with the scenery, and the setting up of the plot and the wonderful converstions by the assortment of chancers and idiots who got dragged into the story.

Then on the second night I started off from where Marge Gunderson goes out to see the three bodies.  And from that moment I began to see probably a little bit of the wheels of direction begin to act on it - and the situations became a little less pleasing.  

In short the 'Ya, yas, you betchas' started happening far too often, and the bright eyed 'innocence' of the people didn't sit as sweetly with me.  The gimmick finally came with a hammer when the first half relied more on genuinely interesting, mad-as-f**k, comic yet serious characters.  

Marge was okay (and McDormand got her Oscar) but for me, her portayal was a little too twee and gimmicky.

But still - very funny movie.  Must try to catch it on the whole one night to see will it all gell better on one sitting.

I watched Pitch Perfect. And I loved it. Hilarious, love the humour in it. Very similar to Mean Girls with the sort of jokes and tone they take, plus Anna Kendrick is super hot. I await the sequel this summer with giddy excitement.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - very funny. Will watch again when not so tired (kept nodding off)

The Drop- very good film, great performance from Tom Hardy. James Gandolfini's last film I think. 8/10

incontinentia wrote:The Drop- very good film, great performance from Tom Hardy. James Gandolfini's last film I think. 8/10

I have a friend in Rome called Incontinentia.

You mean Wome, right?!

You mean fwiend, wight?

One of my favorite films that I watched again the other week is "The Last of Sheila" 1973...

A whodunnit where Producer James Coburn's wife gets killed by a hit and run driver whilst leaving a bel air party !!... So he invites six people from the movie profession and the bel air party.... to his yacht on the riviera thinking one of them is the killer....He's right !!..

He invents a game to flush him/her out but the killer decides to play a different one..........with deadly consequences...

James, Coburn, James Mason.........A very young Ian Mcshane, Raquel Welsh, 70s Icon Richard Benjamin (who was in Westworld another fave)... and the brilliant, tragic and underrated Joan Hackett..

Give it a go..............Top class.

Go on, tell us, Robert Wagner was the chief suspect, wasn't he?

Natalie Wood wasn't in it

Noah

Just awful all round, except for Hermione. How Ray Winstone gets cast in any film is beyond me, he's a dreadful 'actor'.

3/10.

TheSecondComing wrote:Noah

Just awful all round, except for Hermione. How Ray Winstone gets cast in any film is beyond me, he's a dreadful  'actor'.

3/10.

Eye'm the whisperin' cockney, yeah?
Winston, wif the eternal grudge.
I frown from dawn to dusk and back
And just blast people that don't f**kin budge.

I alwys got me hidden backstory,
That I'll only mumble about a bih.
I don't like sayin' much at all
But I'm willing to remove me kih.

I've been a crim in Sherwood
And in cities, and by the pool,
And if ya think I give a f**k wot you siy
You're a c**tin' f**kin tool!

Anyone seen Ray Winstone's first movie, Scum? Probably his best work....

The Saint wrote:Anyone seen Ray Winstone's first movie, Scum? Probably his best work....

SEXY BEAST is brilliant but Ben Kingsley has much to do with that and Winstone rides on his coat-tails a bit. Still a good film though.

The greatest movie has yet to be made, but it would star Ray Winstone and Danny Dyer. It would be a four hour film shot in real time and completely improvised...the only way to improve it would be to have a cameo from the late Bob Hoskins (they can do wonders with computers these days).

Anyway, watched "The Drop" yesterday. Really enjoyed it. Good performances from Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini. Didn't realize it was based on a short story by Dennis Lehane who is one of my favourite authors.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:One of my favorite films that I watched again the other week is "The Last of Sheila" 1973...

A whodunnit where Producer James Coburn's wife gets killed by a hit and run driver whilst leaving a bel air party !!... So he invites six people from the movie profession and the bel air party....  to his yacht on the riviera thinking one of them is the killer....He's right !!..

He invents a game to flush him/her out but the killer decides to play a different one..........with deadly consequences...

James, Coburn, James Mason.........A very young Ian Mcshane, Raquel Welsh, 70s Icon Richard Benjamin (who was in Westworld another fave)... and the brilliant, tragic and underrated Joan Hackett..

Give it a go..............Top class.

That is a film I must watch every time I see its on TV.  Love it.  Has such a good feel to it and a great idea.

Calvary. Mind-blowingly bleak, but brilliant for it. Brendan Gleason is fantastic in it.

Second that. He's a fantastic actor and really outdid himself in Calvary.

The Marathon Man, classic 70s conspiracy thriller. Hoffman is brilliant, Laurence Olivier hams it up brilliantly and Roy Schneider is in it as well. What's not to love there.

Rowley wrote:The Marathon Man, classic 70s conspiracy thriller. Hoffman is brilliant, Laurence Olivier hams it up brilliantly and Roy Schneider is in it as well. What's not to love there.

Ah, the scene of one of the most famous (or notorious) movie anecdotes - whether true or false.
Dustin running and running and running to be in the right 'moment' before shooting a scene where he has just ended a race or training run.  Anyway, Larry looks at the young actor and winces at the effort of the 'method'.... so he says to Hoffman:  "But, dear boy, haven't you ever tried acting?"

I've heard that story, is one you dearly want to be true. Great film either way

Grand Budapest Hotel. A quirky little film revolving around the story of the concierge/manager trying to prove he is innocent of murder. It is so lively, humorous and energetic I found it impossible not to enjoy. The cinematography is excellent and each and every character is brought to life superbly (by the main cast and a heap of cameos that pop up throughout). Would highly recommend it.

SecretFly wrote:

Rowley wrote:The Marathon Man, classic 70s conspiracy thriller. Hoffman is brilliant, Laurence Olivier hams it up brilliantly and Roy Schneider is in it as well. What's not to love there.

Ah, the scene of one of the most famous (or notorious) movie anecdotes - whether true or false.
Dustin running and running and running to be in the right 'moment' before shooting a scene where he has just ended a race or training run.  Anyway, Larry looks at the young actor and winces at the effort of the 'method'.... so he says to Hoffman:  "But, dear boy, haven't you ever tried acting?"

I always thought Olivier was overrated.............

Roy Scheider and Hoffman were excellent in that film so to was Devane.....Olivier was a non entity !!........Caine peed all over him in Sleuth............

In Rebecca ....Joan fontaine taught him how to act !!..............He got to see real character acting up against Douglas in Spartacus !!

No charisma and overrated acting ability.............Maybe he was good "Larging" it on stage...........If he's a good Shakespearian actor... Good luck to him because I wouldn't know what one of them is........."Though giveth one us, A slappeth on the rumpus"

Burton, Neeson, Harris and Hopkins brilliant !!........Olivier can't see the big deal...You can have him !!!

I watched Jupiter Ascending last week. This had been delayed due to poor reviews at advanced screenings so they re-cut it from what I understand. I wasn't expecting brilliant things as a result.

I won't tell you too much about the plot due to spoilers, but being a film by the Wachowskis there are one or two nods to the Matrix trilogy. The feel of it is very "Space-steampunk" with a fair few excellent visuals (Chandeliers in a spaceship anyone?). The casting is pretty good - Mila Kunis is her usual pretty (if somewhat bland) self, Channing Tatum is all grunting, tough guy looks and muscles, Sean Bean is there as is Eddie Redmayne (probably as far from Stephen Hawking as is possible) and there's minor roles for James D'Arcy and Maria "The Commitments" Doyle.

The main issue I have with this film though is the editing. It's clear that the original was much more an "epic" with many more scenes that explained why things were happening in more clarity. It's a bit jumbled and some things either don't make sense or are simply not explained. That said, it's bright, amusing and worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do. I certainly wouldn't rate it amongst my top 100 films, but it's good enough to watch if it's on tv. 6/10

watched big hero 6 last night for a easy watch and was pleasantly surprised. found it funny and a good watch. plenty for adults not just kids. funnily enough watched finding nemo before that also a great film that does all of the above

Just finished The Raid 2

F**K ME!

and goodnight.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

Rowley wrote:The Marathon Man, classic 70s conspiracy thriller. Hoffman is brilliant, Laurence Olivier hams it up brilliantly and Roy Schneider is in it as well. What's not to love there.

Ah, the scene of one of the most famous (or notorious) movie anecdotes - whether true or false.
Dustin running and running and running to be in the right 'moment' before shooting a scene where he has just ended a race or training run.  Anyway, Larry looks at the young actor and winces at the effort of the 'method'.... so he says to Hoffman:  "But, dear boy, haven't you ever tried acting?"

I always thought Olivier was overrated.............

Roy Scheider and Hoffman were excellent in that film so to was Devane.....Olivier was a non entity !!........Caine peed all over him in Sleuth............

In Rebecca ....Joan fontaine taught him how to act !!..............He got to see real character acting up against Douglas in Spartacus !!

No charisma and overrated acting ability.............Maybe he was good "Larging" it on stage...........If he's a good Shakespearian actor... Good luck to him because I wouldn't know what one of them is........."Though giveth one us, A slappeth on the rumpus"

Burton, Neeson, Harris and Hopkins brilliant !!........Olivier can't see the big deal...You can have him !!!

Oh I wouldn't disagree with you on that point of 'overrated' about the man.  And yes, there were times when he couldn't quite leave the loudness and histrionics of the stage behind him.  But he did have his moments on film, when he allowed himself to be quieter and realise the face and its subtle expressions can do a lot of work for you on film.

His Crassus in Spartacus is a powerful and meditative quieter role that allows you right into the complex mind of an ambitious man.  I don't see Larry, the darling, in that role at all - you'd almost be forgiven for thinking Larry wasn't involved in the film.

And his Hamlet.... his dark, gothic, brooding Hamlet with what I think is the most brilliantly realised ghost ever put on screen (Olivier also directed) -  there have been a few attempts at bettering it - but none of them have come remotely close.  And he, Olivier, gave the definitive version of a man full of rage and brooding on revenge.  
The problem I always have with Shakespeare is that you always see the acting - getting those lines right and in their proper place always drains too much energy from actors and it all too often looks wooden.  But Olivier knew the lines inside out and gave them true depth.

Imitation game. Cumberbatch is superb. Shot over three periods of Alan Turings life as he recounts the story of Bletchley park to a detective in 1950s. A Travesty what eventually happened to him at the hands of the government...

SecretFly wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

Rowley wrote:The Marathon Man, classic 70s conspiracy thriller. Hoffman is brilliant, Laurence Olivier hams it up brilliantly and Roy Schneider is in it as well. What's not to love there.

Ah, the scene of one of the most famous (or notorious) movie anecdotes - whether true or false.
Dustin running and running and running to be in the right 'moment' before shooting a scene where he has just ended a race or training run.  Anyway, Larry looks at the young actor and winces at the effort of the 'method'.... so he says to Hoffman:  "But, dear boy, haven't you ever tried acting?"

I always thought Olivier was overrated.............

Roy Scheider and Hoffman were excellent in that film so to was Devane.....Olivier was a non entity !!........Caine peed all over him in Sleuth............

In Rebecca ....Joan fontaine taught him how to act !!..............He got to see real character acting up against Douglas in Spartacus !!

No charisma and overrated acting ability.............Maybe he was good "Larging" it on stage...........If he's a good Shakespearian actor... Good luck to him because I wouldn't know what one of them is........."Though giveth one us, A slappeth on the rumpus"

Burton, Neeson, Harris and Hopkins brilliant !!........Olivier can't see the big deal...You can have him !!!

Oh I wouldn't disagree with you on that point of 'overrated' about the man.  And yes, there were times when he couldn't quite leave the loudness and histrionics of the stage behind him.  But he did have his moments on film, when he allowed himself to be quieter and realise the face and its subtle expressions can do a lot of work for you on film.

His Crassus in Spartacus is a powerful and meditative quieter role that allows you right into the complex mind of an ambitious man.  I don't see Larry, the darling, in that role at all - you'd almost be forgiven for thinking Larry wasn't involved in the film.

And his Hamlet.... his dark, gothic, brooding Hamlet with what I think is the most brilliantly realised ghost ever put on screen (Olivier also directed) -  there have been a few attempts at bettering it - but none of them have come remotely close.  And he, Olivier, gave the definitive version of a man full of rage and brooding on revenge.  
The problem I always have with Shakespeare is that you always see the acting - getting those lines right and in their proper place always drains too much energy from actors and it all too often looks wooden.  But Olivier knew the lines inside out and gave them true depth.

I'm amazed TRUSS doesn't like Larry's role in Spartacus given the homosexual undertones of the scene with Tony Curtis

Never said I didn't like his "role" in Spartacus !!

I finally caved in and watched Star Wars yesterday (the one from 1977). I'd just like to say I thought it was awful, and I roundly condemn everyone involved. Maybe the other films in the franchise are better, but I shan't try to find out.

incontinentia wrote:I finally caved in and watched Star Wars yesterday (the one from 1977). I'd just like to say I thought it was awful, and I roundly condemn everyone involved. Maybe the other films in the franchise are better, but I shan't try to find out.    

God, you're young!

Well, yes................. they have aged.  But everything has a context - and the context of that age is that the old rust bucket Millennium Falcon actually looked like it had spent a hard/eventful life in the depths of space as a cargo/logistics vessel.  (Never bested in my eyes as a ship I'd like to take a spin on) It smelt of oil and rust and old leather seats.... and probably Solo's body odour drifted around in there too.  
And Tatooine looked real too - because it was - real.  Real barren desert-scape out of which would come a 'hero' who had then a real sense of a real background far removed from the world of space battles and Dark Sith Lords.
In 1977, space had never seemed as real before.  It's easy to see the strings and cellotape now in retrospect when we can look at the most expensive CGI, but so too can you look back at the original King Kong and laugh at Kong's mechanical nuts and bolts mouth.  But you don't look at the original King Kong with modern cynical eyes.  You appreciate how it worked in its time.

Anyway, yes I can understand the reaction incontinentia - but all three of the original trilogy are a million galaxies in quality above the big budget flops that were the later three.

I enjoyed the retro look of the set SF, just not the silliness of the whole thing!! It seems to be one of those 'cult' films that come along every now and again that people feel compelled to buy in to. I do despair when these films don't turn out how you expect

compelling and rich wrote:watched big hero 6 last night for a easy watch and was pleasantly surprised. found it funny and a good watch. plenty for adults not just kids. funnily enough watched finding nemo before that also a great film that does all of the above

I enjoyed it far more than I expected to. I think having low expectations meant it was quite easy on the eye. But I can see there being four sequels, each lessening in quality as time goes by.

Jupiter ascending. The effects were top notch, loved the premise and it started very well. Went downhill after about the halfway mark though. All in all it's the type of film I could have waited until TV release to see it. 5/10.

superflyweight wrote:Calvary.  Mind-blowingly bleak, but brilliant for it.  Brendan Gleason is fantastic in it.  

Watched this based on your recommendation Super, enjoyed it, Gleason is indeed fantastic. Think I preferred The Guard, but still though this was excellent.

Loved Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back & Return Of The Jedi.

Revenge Of The Sith etc, I thought were dreadful.

I hope the new one will be worth the watch.

Watched Kingsman: The Secret Service over the weekend. Great fun movie with some really good action sequences, and a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.

This means War.

Not to bad, thought Hardy & Pine were good in it.
Witherspoon looked pretty hot.

Watched a film called Wyrmwood a few days ago. It's a zombie film that really doesn't take itself seriously which adds to the fun. Was made with a budget of just $160,000 as well. Well worth a watch if you get a chance.

True grit (the recent version). Thought it was very good. Had heard great things about it and it didn't disappointed.

Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Directed incredible well, very funny film and the acting is brilliant. Kept thinking to myself during the film how it has such a KickAss vibe as well. (Went into this film having not seen the trailer or anything and really did enjoy it)

8.7/10

Fury. Load of hype, so disappointed to an extent as I expecting something like Saving P Ryan, in terms of action. Quite slow, not much tank battle action at all, focused more on the effects of war on the people involved. That middle scene with the two woman also dragged on too long for my liking & the ending just seemed unrealistic against the SS.

7/10

Birdman was awesome.

Rowley wrote:

superflyweight wrote:Calvary.  Mind-blowingly bleak, but brilliant for it.  Brendan Gleason is fantastic in it.  

Watched this based on your recommendation Super, enjoyed it, Gleason is indeed fantastic. Think I preferred The Guard, but still though this was excellent.

Good man, jeff. I think it's one of those films that stays with you as I have thought about it a lot since I watched it. Haven't seen the Guard but will look it out.

The Guard has Don Cheadle in it. I always consider that a tick in any films plus column.

Rowley wrote:The Guard has Don Cheadle in it. I always consider that a tick in any films plus column.

I did enjoy that film. Gleason does that sort of thing in his sleep though

Crap movie for me. Dreadfully wooden acting and 'is-this-my-line-next?' choppiness. No fluidity.
Best thing in it was Mark Strong in his bit part.