What films are you watching?

By all accounts the newly released horror 'It Follows' is a very good film indeed. I'll just have to go and see for myself I suppose.

I watched Y Tu Mama Tambien last night - been on my to-watch list for a while but I never got round to it. Not sure why it took me so long! It really is a stunning film, lovingly shot and brilliantly acted by everyone. Reminded me in a way of City of God where the location is a pivotal character and adds so much to the story and the overall aesthetic of the film

I only knew of Alfonso Cuaron from Children of Men, but after watching this film I plan on mowing through the rest of his work over the weekend - Solo Con Tu Pareja is up tonight.

brilliantly acted

it's hard to tell good acting when bros are speaking in foreign. I think foreign films get off lightly with criticism of Acting and Dialogue! Take that Crouching Tiger movie! If some of the dumb stuff they're saying in that was being said in English, we'd be like :rolleyes:

it's hard to tell good acting when bros are speaking in foreign. I think foreign films get off lightly with criticism of Acting and Dialogue! Take that Crouching Tiger movie! If some of the dumb stuff they're saying in that was being said in English, we'd be like :rolleyes:

Crouching Tiger is regarded out east as being as badly acted as the Keith Lemon movie, but because us western bros don't speak Asian we think it's a masterpiece of modern cinema.

You can tell this film is well acted though because there's a scene where both of the main dudes are w4nking by a swimming pool and they don't even giggle once. Oscar worthy.

You have to have at least a basic understanding of Mandarin if you are going to give a movie review these days bear.

Surely Crouching tiger is all about the beautiful violence?

I have seen a couple of decent movies over the weekend. First up would be Limitless, which is a competent enough film - quite an interesting one too. Not quite sure if it's a superhero movie in disguise or an allegory on addiction. Both, probably - but Bradley Cooper does a decent job of a main using the 80% of the brain we don't presently use.

Nowhere near as popcorn, Beneath Hill 60 was the other film I watched. Australian movie, about a load of engineers trying to tunnel their way under No-Mans-Land, which is something I never realised was tried. Excellent performances from most, but the Western Front is the real star of the show here. They've pulled some punches; it's not quite the body-strewn hell of poison gas, barbed wire hell - but they go extreme in short bursts, and can't really be accused of trying to sanitise proceedings. The exterior shots are beautifully lit, giving a sense of the unending chaos on the Western Front. It'd be an exaggeration to say that the viewer gets shell-shocked, but through the audio mix, the visuals and the performances, hard not to get a sense of it. A must for any history buffs.

I watched Fury last night. I'd forgotten that I'd downloaded it but, IMHO, it was shiite. I felt no empathy at all with any of the characters and when they were in the 3:1 fight with the Tiger I rather hoped that they'd all die there and then.

I also watched Mockingjay Part 1. Sets things up perfectly for the final instalment.

I have seen a couple of decent movies over the weekend. First up would be Limitless, which is a competent enough film - quite an interesting one too. Not quite sure if it's a superhero movie in disguise or an allegory on addiction. Both, probably - but Bradley Cooper does a decent job of a main using the 80% of the brain we don't presently use.

 

Nowhere near as popcorn, Beneath Hill 60 was the other film I watched. Australian movie, about a load of engineers trying to tunnel their way under No-Mans-Land, which is something I never realised was tried. Excellent performances from most, but the Western Front is the real star of the show here. They've pulled some punches; it's not quite the body-strewn hell of poison gas, barbed wire hell - but they go extreme in short bursts, and can't really be accused of trying to sanitise proceedings. The exterior shots are beautifully lit, giving a sense of the unending chaos on the Western Front. It'd be an exaggeration to say that the viewer gets shell-shocked, but through the audio mix, the visuals and the performances, hard not to get a sense of it. A must for any history buffs.

You never knew they tunnelled in WW1?

You never knew they tunnelled in WW1?

I knew that they tunnelled for trenches. The Germans' trenches were particularly well dug out. But as a means to get to the other side, nope.

I knew that they tunnelled for trenches. The Germans' trenches were particularly well dug out. But as a means to get to the other side, nope.

The novel Birdsong is centred on the WW1 mining. Lots of very good lit' on it out there. BBC did a doc last year about a perfectly preserved tunnel system near Messines.

The novel Birdsong is centred on the WW1 mining. Lots of very good lit' on it out there. BBC did a doc last year about a perfectly preserved tunnel system near Messines.

I've mostly been reading non-fiction for the past year or so. I'm reading "Now It Can Be Told" by Philip Gibbs, the post-war memoir by a journalist that was seriously hampered during hostilities. Excellent book. Going to look at a German perspective next.

I note with much interest that a film version of ''Child 44'' will be coming to our screens soon. I believe that I'm not the only person on here who has read Tom Rob Smith's novel on which the film will be based, so I guess that I'm also probably not alone in hoping that Hollywood (for once) does it justice.

Only those who have read this morally complex and enthralling book will understand just how big a 'ask' that may prove to be.

Is that the one where he's chasing a serial killer round Russia for 10 years, then it turns out it was his own brother all along

Secret In Their Eyes - good but not as good I thought it was going to be. Ricardo Darin was excellent as usual. Worth checking him out in 'Nine Queens' if you can deal with subtitles.

I watched Fury last night. I'd forgotten that I'd downloaded it but, IMHO, it was shiite. I felt no empathy at all with any of the characters and when they were in the 3:1 fight with the Tiger I rather hoped that they'd all die there and then.

 

I also watched Mockingjay Part 1. Sets things up perfectly for the final instalment.

Don't agree on Fury. Depressing but good film I thought. Agree didn't feel empathy but not necessarily a bad thing

Like I suspect many, I have an idealised and compressed view of what the James Bond films are. I have a tendency to crystallise all the great stuff, and forget that many of the films are a little bit dull in parts, and involve Bond walking about in a safari suit. The Bond reboot looks to finally be getting us in to the warm familiar groove of Bond, and long may it continue. I am very much looking forward to Spectre. Thought Skyfall was excellent on second viewing, once I'd got past the "bloomin' finale is in Scotland!" moment. That said, the reboot is its own thing, and to its credit, is giving us an impression of how they think Bond will work now.

A movie taking a slightly different approach is Kingsman: The Secret Service. It's directed by Matthew Vaughn, the bloke who brought us both the Kick Ass movies. Kickass meets Bond would be a crude, but not unreasonable way to describe it. Really though, it is clearly a love letter to that compressed, idealised version of Bond we all have in our heads. Super-villain? Check. Lair? Check. Crazy stunts? Check. It's as knowing as Austin Powers when referencing Bond, but where the Powers films make mockery of the tropes their prime concern, Kingsman reveres its inspiration, and in doing so, has managed to create an unofficial Bond movie better than most Bond movies, and with a lot more heart than the young pretenders trying to do the same thing.

It should be noted that the movie aims for action comedy, rather than trying to take itself too seriously. The central thread, involving a chav kid bidding to become a top agent, is compelling - in much the same way that Rose and her entourage gave Doctor Who a solid, contemporary grounding when that series returned. Saying that, the action, stylistic and overblown as it is, is top notch. They really don't compromise on that; when the film gets into that groove, which it frequently does, it thrills. Vaughn's movies have a habit of creeping up on you. He keeps you engaged throughout, before knocking you off your feet at the end. Exactly how I felt about both(!) the Kick Ass films, but especially the first, and exactly how I feel about this one too, except Vaughn has excelled himself in increasing scope and making you feel like this is a big, global deal.

The action comedy caveat aside, go watch it. Old school Bond fans will love it, and might even get to know something about the new school too

It's directed by Matthew Vaughn, the bloke who brought us both the Kick Ass movies.

hi pap point of order Matthew Vaughn only brought us the first Kick Ass movie, which is prob why the second one sucked

By all accounts the newly released horror 'It Follows' is a very good film indeed. I'll just have to go and see for myself I suppose.

hi charlie i watched this movie it was pretty good, i like the idea of an STD that you can only get rid of by passing it onto someone else, that would be v.exciting if it worked like that with i.e. HIV

hi pap point of order Matthew Vaughn only brought us the first Kick Ass movie, which is prob why the second one sucked [emoji106]

Fair dos Bear, but I rather liked the second one. Should check out Kingsman.

By all accounts the newly released horror 'It Follows' is a very good film indeed. I'll just have to go and see for myself I suppose.

 

Saw this, it was a pretty good idea, as the concept of being chased by something slow (walking speed) but relentless is a pretty common nightmare and hasn't really been done so effectively and simply before. They tried to add an extra layer which seemed to be commenting on people who spread STDs as well. It was nice that they didn't really try to explain it, just introduce a simple concept and then give a foreboding feeling for the rest of the movie, but you sense there will be rubbish sequels that will try to explain it.

I found myself wondering a bit what would happen if they went to live on a boat or even in another country. It follows, but does it swim or fly from Heathrow too?

yeah i would've fucked a dolphin good luck chasing that follows man

i also dunno why they didn't try trapping him i would have lure the follows man into i.e. big hole and then filled it with i.e. concretes

or the other thing i would have done, right, is i would fix it so that the follows man got his head stuck in i.e. a railing, and then i would have lowered his trousers and underpants and butt-fucked him bad so i.e. then he had to follow himself

Well, now I find myself warming to the idea of a sequel.

I bought tickets to 2 different showings of Mad Max: Fury Road today by mistake - best mistake I ever made. Just back from the 3pm showing and going again at 9pm!

As for the film....f*cking spectacular. That's all I can say.

I bought tickets to 2 different showings of Mad Max: Fury Road today by mistake - best mistake I ever made. Just back from the 3pm showing and going again at 9pm!

 

As for the film....f*cking spectacular. That's all I can say.

Is it true that its just Hollywood feminist propaganda designed to further undermine the patriarchy?

Is it true that its just Hollywood feminist propaganda designed to further undermine the patriarchy?

http://time.com/3850323/mad-max-fury-road-eve-ensler-feminist/?xid=tcoshare

They got the woman who wrote the Vagina Monologues in as a consultant on the film. Think we could be in trouble here boys, it's all set for an uprising...

I love Mad Max purely for how angry it has made the 'manosphere' (I'm not making that up btw, that's a real thing).

I've not even seen the darn thing.

So Kermode says you the 3d brings nothing to Mad Max.

What dya reckon Mikey?

So Kermode says you the 3d brings nothing to Mad Max.

What dya reckon Mikey?

I agree and disagree with him - there are times where the 3D really helps the action pop out of the screen, and other times it feels a bit forced and pointless. There are some stunning shots where the 3D helps to give more depth (both long shots of a landscape with people in the foreground and distance) so I would say it's worth it. Definitely worth a watch in Imax though, got to get the big screen to fit more mayhem into it!

I love Mad Max purely for how angry it has made the 'manosphere' (I'm not making that up btw, that's a real thing).

 

I've not even seen the darn thing.

I've seen quite a few people on Twitter and message boards saying that they were really looking forward to the film but are now not going to see it because it's "too feminist". I wonder how our species has got this far sometimes..

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/05/20/mad-max-posters-improved-dailymail-comments/

Few little gems from Daily Mail readers with regards to Mad Max [emoji38]

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/05/20/mad-max-posters-improved-dailymail-comments/

 

Few little gems from Daily Mail readers with regards to Mad Max [emoji38]

Excellent. I genuinely love how upset dudes are getting about it. Some MRAs even tried to boycot it.

http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2015/05/12/furious-about-furiosa-misogynists-are-losing-it-over-charlize-therons-starring-role-in-mad-max-fury-road/

Not only REFUSE to see the movie, but spread the word to as many men as possible. … Because if [men] sheepishly attend and Fury Road is a blockbuster, then you, me, and all the other men (and real women) in the world will never be able to see a real action movie ever again that doesn’t contain some damn political lecture or moray about feminism, SJW-ing, and socialism.

Which, yeah went REALLY well. It's ok though, because they are still claiming victory, somehow.

http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2015/05/16/fury-and-furiouser-the-boycott-of-mad-max-fury-road-is-the-biggest-joke-on-the-internet-manbabies-declare-victory/

Even though we were incorrectly identified as a men’s rights site, the idea that Hollywood is spreading feminist propaganda has for the first time reached the ossified brains of over one million new people this week, perhaps more. Most of these individuals will never allow themselves to accept how unnatural and phony it is to have female heroes who are as strong as men, but a few of them will encounter another movie in the future that portrays women as so comically masculine that they can’t help but remember the site with the word Kings in the title that described that very phenomenon.

...you may of heard about Roosh recently, a story went around about him. He has been (completely seriously) advocating for the decriminalisation of rape, in order to make women think about how they act. Because, yeah?

And one more, just for fun:

http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2015/05/15/a-voice-for-men-doesnt-hate-mad-max-fury-road-except-when-it-does/

That's a great little blog for laughing at whiny little man babies in general as well. I think some of members of this forum would align with some of the the subject material on there. You know, the ones that are absolutely insistent that sexism (also racism) doesn't exist in any way shape or form. Obviously.

Being a fan of the series I couldn't resist seeing 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and what a agreeable way to waste a dull Bank Holiday afternoon it was.

The script is notable mostly by its absence, the character development was sketchy at best and this film is badly in need of an injection of the wry sense of humour that would (occasionally) interrupt the mayhem in the earlier Mel Gibson films. As for the cast, I really can't say that Tom Hardy made much of a impression on me as 'Max' but Charlize Theron is certainly a competent actor and young Nicholas Hoult did seem to make the most of what the script gave him.

None of that really matters however because the action - magnificently staged - is so utterly non stop you hardly notice this films flaws. As far as I could tell the lavish action sequences were mostly 'old school' physical stunt work, rather than the unconvincing CGI you so often see now, and the film was all the better for that. I should add here that the production designer and his team did great work here making the all various modified vehicles employed.

So leave your brain behind and settle down for a couple of hours of dumb fun - you won't regret it I think.

Watched Jurassic world earlier.

was alright. better than films 2 and 3 but not a patch on the original

lots of nods to the original mind

wont say too much more as only just came out and do not want to ruin it for others

Just seen it with kids in 3D IMAX. Thoroughly enjoyed it although fck me the cost?!

Eases my conscience about using Pirate Bay now though.

Watched Jurassic world earlier.

was alright. better than films 2 and 3 but not a patch on the original

 

lots of nods to the original mind

wont say too much more as only just came out and do not want to ruin it for others

Does it feature any snakes in the grass?

'Echoes from the Dead' - BBC iPlayer

The Baltic island of Öland 1945. Two surrendering German solders are murdered by a local man for the money their have looted. He then goes on the run - mercilessly killing a policeman in the process. Thirty years later a innocent little boy goes missing on Öland's desolate and fog shrouded grasslands, never to be seen again ...

The mystery of how these two seeming unconnected events are in fact inextricably linked together, and how the consequences of violence can echo down across the decades, impacting on the lives of everyone involved, from the basis of this sombre but never less than intriguing story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04lp7xn/echoes-from-the-dead

So if, like me, you like your drama in the dark and Scandinavian style, then this film I think may be right 'up your street' as it were.

watched Entourage.

average at best

Enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel the other day. Visual style is brilliant and original, charming and funny.

Enjoyed seeing Walkabout again and especially hearing the mellifluous tones of the young Jenny Agutter and John Barry`s spellbinding score.

Enjoyed seeing Walkabout again and especially hearing the mellifluous tones of the young Jenny Agutter and John Barry`s spellbinding score.

Great film, very moving.

''Minions'' is epic

Although with all those hip 1960's references I may have gotten more out of it than the kids did.

While waiting for the adorable little yellow fiends to do their stuff we saw this 'coming attraction' trailer - which judging by the audience reaction may well be the next big thing in kids films - you have been warned.

[video=youtube;i-80SGWfEjM]

Watched the Wedding Ringer. Light hearted yank comedy

watch it if you are stuck for something to stream. quite funny

2nd Best Marigold Hotel is very good. Both films are a great watch

Despite receiving a generally lukewarm reception from the critics, I went to see 'Terminator Genisys' the other day anyway. It has to be said this film is very far from being a unmitigated success - many of the set pieces are specular but essentially updated versions of what has already been seen in previous films of this long running franchise - especially James Cameron's magnificent 'T2: Judgement day'. Another disappointment was that any attempt to lighten the story with the occassional moment of humour invariably fails - seeing a ferocious Terminator cyborg attempting to mimic a human smile may have been amusing 20 years ago, but trust me the joke has fallen somewhat flat now.

Any story that revolves around time travel, and the endless paradoxes implicit in that idea, has the potential to be confusing of course. However, the writers of this film seen to have gone out of their way to befuddle the audience at every opportunity. There were times during this film when - despite being a veteran Terminator fan - I for one didn't have a clue what was going on. On a more positive note, the way CGI has been employed to seamlessly merge footage of a young Schwarzenegger (lifted from the original 1984 'Terminator' methinks) into this movie is a triumph - Arnie may have a long posthumous career ahead of him when he dies.

So overall 'Genisys' is yet another sci-fi film that I can't recommend without reservation - it may be that the golden age of big budget cinema science fiction has passed.

PS - In what I felt was a rather unexceptional cast, look out for our very own Matt Smith in his first big post 'Doctor Who' role.

I had the misfortune to watch San Andreas with my nipper.

Dear God, I've watched some crap in my life but this was up there in the top 1.

anyone seen the new Bond film yet?

does not interest me this time.

got tickets for the new Star Wars though. 18 Dec

I`ve been watching Talking Pictures - Sky Channel 343 - they show only old films, most of them black and white. Quite fascinating - those were the days when films had stories and ham acting, to the extent that when they are being `serious,` it`s really rather funny, engagingly so.

I`ve been watching Talking Pictures - Sky Channel 343 - they show only old films, most of them black and white. Quite fascinating - those were the days when films had stories and ham acting, to the extent that when they are being `serious,` it`s really rather funny, engagingly so.

Thanks for the heads-up.

I see they have "Yesterday's Hero" on tonight at 9.20. Utter crap footy film with Ian McShane playing a George Best type wastrel. Memorable for using our League Cup Final against Nottm Forest as the backdrop. My old next door neighbour gets a full screen shot during the match.

I`ve been watching Talking Pictures - Sky Channel 343 - they show only old films, most of them black and white. Quite fascinating - those were the days when films had stories and ham acting, to the extent that when they are being `serious,` it`s really rather funny, engagingly so.

I'm pleased to say that Talking Pictures is also available to us cheapskates on Freeview now - channel 81.

I fully agree, one way or another watching these seldom (if ever) broadcast old movies can be enormous fun. Although obviously dated now, among a fair amount of rubbish quite a few forgotten gems can be found. For example, 'Jigsaw' although rather conventional is nevertheless a interesting take on the Brighton Suitcase Murder case from the 60's. 'The Boys' is still a watchable enough courtroom drama - from a time when a guilty verdict might mean execution. 'Grand National' where the killer outwits the police and actually gets away with it for once, proved to be highly entertaining.

I can even find some enjoyment from the VERY old stuff they show from the 1930's and 40's - although it may be awhile before Hollywood embarks upon a big budget remake of the 'Old Mother Riley' franchise ...