Ganepark32 Posted September 20, 2019 Posted September 20, 2019 Watched Mid90s last night and absolutely loved it. I remember hearing Mark Kermode on about it on the Film Review and when I saw it was a limited release with nowhere near me showing it, I put it to the back of my mind. But I saw it the other day in HMV when browsing and picked it up and I'm so glad I did. I was a little bit hesitant it'd be one of those cheesy homages to the 90s and I was a bit uncertain about Jonah Hill having directed it but those fears were completely unfounded as it was just brilliant. The look of the film and the acting were great and I liked how they let the story just bubble underneath the surface for it to all come bursting out at the end like it did. They really captured not just the 90s aesthetic but also that epoch of skating and music so well in a way that reminded me so much of the homemade 90s skate films you used to see and pass around your group of friends. It was so much more hard hitting than I was expecting and that's where I think it surprised me as I had gone in thinking it might be a cheesy 90s style film but so wasn't and definitely captured that struggle, the dysfunction that I'm sure a lot of families and kids went through not just in America but even over here really well. Cannot recommend it enough. I've not watched many new films that have come out this year but this is probably the best of the lot for me. So good.
Happenstance Posted September 22, 2019 Posted September 22, 2019 (edited) IT (1990) & IT (2017) First time watching either of these and I really enjoyed both. Probably the new one a bit more but that’ll be because it wasn’t bogged down yet by the adult sections. I think what I like the most about both of these versions though is less the horror and more the Stand By Me type story with the Losers Club. Both versions of Pennywise were great in their own way with Tim Curry’s one being able to show a lot more personality and Skarsgard’s being a lot more creepy and animalistic. Looking forward to getting Chapter 2 when it comes out on Blu Ray. Moving onto Halloween now. As most of them aren’t easy to get in the UK on Blu Ray I’m just gonna go with the new continuity and watch Halloween then Halloween (2018). I’ve seen most of the others anyway other than Resurrection and the 2 Rob Zombie versions. Edited September 22, 2019 by Happenstance
Josh64 Posted October 13, 2019 Posted October 13, 2019 (edited) The Kitchen - I liked the first half of this film, seeing how the wives rise up and take the place of their mob husband positions while they're in jail but it kind of fell apart near the end, with a twist that made no sense. It was fine but I wouldn't bother seeing it again 2/5 Rambo Last Blood - The most obvious money grab/retirement fund movie I've seen in a long time. It was passable at best, felt like a random Netflix film, and Rambo himself is so old I was fearful he'd drop at any moment, just sit down and relax son. 1.5/5 The Goldfinch - About half way through I thought "this must be a book adaptation" and when I looked it up after the film, turns out it was. I'm so torn on what to say as I loved the movie but they did such a ham fisted job of adapting it to film. There were SO MANY characters, so many time jumps, so much plot and so many locations that even as a 3 hour movie it still felt like you were being rushed through everything. They either should have trimmed the fat or made it a two parter because as it stands, it really does feel like youre reading as quick as possible in a 3 hour time slot. The movie itself is heart-warming and looks great. I would have happily watched a 3 hour movie of just the third act in the desert as the main character is coming of age with his best friend, experimenting with drugs and alcohol while his already flaky family falls into even deeper troubles. 3/5 because of bad execution, could have easily been a 5/5 with better direction. Edited October 13, 2019 by Josh64
Josh64 Posted October 15, 2019 Posted October 15, 2019 Joker - I always go into movies blind and read the reviews etc after seeing them so as to not skew my view beforehand but this was one I couldn't avoid because of all the US media going crazy - so going in I expected an over the top killing spree with a woman-hating Joker. Thankfully it wasn't that and I'm not quite sure where the media are getting the incel angle from (he's clearly suffering from mental illness as oppose to just being a hate-filled neckbeard/incel) Anyway, the actual movie, I really loved it. I expected it to start out with him as Joker and for a bunch of usual superhero (or villain in his case) movie tropes to follow and some threat to end the world or take over the city etc but instead it was a really interesting look into this guys life, showing how he slowly transforms into Joker which really pays off. I need to see it again as there's a lot to take in, his relationships with people are really interesting, especially as you slowly see him change toward his coworkers and mother. It also has one of the best scenes near the end but again I won't spoil it. He was creepy, menacing and at time vulnerable so he makes for a much more interesting character than the 1 dimensional one I was expecting. 4/5 Judy - The best acting I've seen all year without a doubt. Absolutely incredible film and about 10 minutes in I kept forgetting it ISN'T a behind the scenes documentary as Renee captures her so perfectly. I loved Judy Garland as an actress and have loved a bunch of her films but while knowing a few random facts and anecdotes about her life, I didn't know much so this was an incredibly interesting, tragic and loving film. It's so heart breaking throughout pretty much the whole duration that while I loved it and WANT to see it again, I don't know if I can. I felt so incredibly sad for her and couldn't wash away the feeling all day even hours after it had finished. 5/5
Hero-of-Time Posted October 17, 2019 Posted October 17, 2019 I snapped up a few Blu-rays recently and have been watching them this week, with me finishing them off this afternoon. Bumblebee I thought this was alright but nothing special. I know many people were saying it was the best Transformers movie but I didn't think that was the case at all. The movie reminded me of the original premise of the first movie, which was a film about a boy and his car. This was essentially the same thing. I did like the fact that the robot designs weren't over complicated and you could actually see what was going on during the fight scenes. I also loved that The Touch FINALLY got used in a live action Transformers movie, even if it was just a little snippet. I LOVED the start of the movie though. The battle on Cybertron, featuring the G1 designs, was absolutely fantastic and it truly does baffle me why they don't just make a CG movie with this setting. Why they keep trying to shoehorn humans into these things is beyond me. Aladdin Awful movie. I love the original Disney animated movie with all my heart and this was in no way near close to matching the quality of that. A lot of the costumes and sets looked so very cheap and a lot of the casting was very questionable. Jafar and Aladdin was absolutely awful, as were most of the side characters. Will Smith as the Genie didn't really bother me and I thought he did the best he could given the shoes he had to fill. Also, some of the shots were weird as hell. Why did the film keep moving fast and then slow at some points? Very jarring. Naomi Scott was probably the best thing about the movie and I loved the new song, Speechless. However, I hated the way they changed her character in this. There was really no need for it. Jasmine was already a forward thinking and independent character in the original but with this version they kept trying to hammer home the point. No surprise really given that Disney have been pushing the feminist movement in a number of their films now. Oh, one scene I did enjoy was the new dancing scene where the Genie is controlling Aladdin. Probably the best scene in the film. Aquaman Loved this. I was afraid it was going to be one of those films that try too hard to be funny. The Justice League movie kind of portrayed Aquaman in that way but that wasn't really the case here. Some of the things really didn't make sense but I didn't really mind because it was such a good popcorn flick. Also, Amber Heard as Mera....oh yes. Speaking of actors, what was Dolph Lundgren doing in this? I was very surprised to see him pop up. Same goes for Nicole Kidman, although given the amount of work she keeps having done to her face these days, she looks different every time she appears in a movie. The film had a hint of Indiana Jones/The Mummy to it. When the two characters were off looking for an item and then getting into various scraps, it did give off the feel off both those movies, which I certainly appreciated. The only thing I wasn't keen on was the actor who was playing Black Manta. I thought his performance was pretty rough, even laughable at times. Still, it didn't bring the movie down for me. Shazam! Loved this one as well. It was such a fun movie. I loved how it didn't take it self seriously at all. There were many moments that got a good laugh out of me. Spoiler Him going to a stripper bar and then teleporting everyone there later. Them trying beer for the first time. The bad guy giving his big speech and him not hearing a word of it. Oh, and Santa. The friendship with Billy and Freddy was great to watch and at times the back and forth between them was pretty funny, even more so when he actually turns into Shazam. It was also nice to see both Mark Strong and John Glover in this. I love both of them. I think John Glover was essentially just playing Lionel Luther again, which was totally fine for me. What I think both this and Aquaman had is heart, which is something that is missing from both Batman v Superman and Justice League. This more lighthearted approach to the DC universe is a welcome change and certainly something that I needed after watching the dark and boring film that was Joker. It's just a shame that they rushed the Justice League movie out of the door. Had they spent time building the world and characters, as seen in both these movies, I think we could have had something much better than what we got. X-Men: Dark Phoenix You know, this wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. I think the start is pretty rough but once the chase for Jean starts and everything ramps up a notch the movie kinda picks up. Still, it does annoy me that Hollywood insists on trying to tell this story in a single movie. It just can't be done well and it needs to be spread out across multiple movies for it to get the attention it deserves. One of the issues I have with the later X-Men movies is the selection of mutants that they use. There are so many comics and eras that they could pull from but they don't really use any interesting ones and this film is no different. Hell, Quicksilver is completely sidelined for most of the movie. I'd argue that the mutants they chose for The Gifted were far more interesting than what they've used in the recent movies. Still, Magneto has always been great in these films and once again he has some pretty cool scenes in this one as well. I guess the enemies used here were essentially replicating the Hellfire Club from the original story. I assume they didn't want to use them as they already used them in First Class. I mean, the main antagonist is essentially the White Queen. Overall I think this movie is still better than X-Men: Apocalypse. Man, that was a total train wreck that film was. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted October 24, 2019 Posted October 24, 2019 Seen Terminator: Dark Fate last night. Loved it. Thankfully, it felt much more like the first two films than it did the rest of them. Some of the story at the start didn't make any sense (time travel shenanigans) but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. The pace of the movie is pretty fast and it's not until the introduction of Arnie when things slow down a little and you're able to catch your breath. Speaking of which, his character has some amazingly funny lines. This was never going to reach the highs of the original 2 movies but it does a good job of erasing/ignoring the other 3. I'd quite happily go watch it again. 1
Goafer Posted October 25, 2019 Posted October 25, 2019 Blade Runner Obviously a classic, but I do find it a bit slow at times. Probably my favourite sci-fi world though. Blade Runner 2049 Really liked it. Still a bit slow in places, but overall better than the original in terms of keeping things interesting. Could have done with being a bit shorter though. Detective Pikachu Loved it. Pretty funny in places and loved the style of the Pokémon. May have to buy it in Blu-ray to watch it again in the future. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted October 27, 2019 Posted October 27, 2019 Toy Story 4 Bought this last week and watched it this afternoon. I seen all of the other Toy Story movies at the cinema but I skipped this one due to the third film ending perfectly and me thinking this would be telling a story that didn't need to be told. I'm sad to say that indeed was the case. It's not a bad movie but it wasn't that entertaining either. A lot of the old main characters are completely sidelined in this one and out of the new toys only the bunny and duck managed to get a laugh out of me. Their plans to steal the key were hilarious. For me this was a sequel that didn't need to be made and it has ruined the perfect ending to the series that was Toy Story 3. Chef This is one that I've been wanting to see for a while now. I was just browsing Amazon Prime and seen that it was on there so I finally gave it a viewing. It stars Jon Favreau who plays a chef who loves cooking but isn't allowed to be creative at work. Cooking is his passion, so much so that he has neglected his own son. The film is about his character getting his creative freedom back and also finding a way to get closer to his kid. It's a pretty heartwarming story and one that I really enjoyed. I'm gonna assume Jon called a few favours in and got his Marvel buddies ( Robert Downing Jr and Scarlett Johansson ) to appear in this, much like he done with his cooking show on Netflix.
Hero-of-Time Posted October 28, 2019 Posted October 28, 2019 I sat and watched Shaft (2019) last night. I'm a big fan of the version that came out in 2000 and while this one is different (more of a comedy) it was still highly enjoyable. It takes a bit of time for Sam Jackson to show up in the main story ( follows Shaft's kid for the first 15-20 minutes ) but once he does show up everything just becomes a riot. His interactions with his son had me howling a fair few times and the way he goes about his business is hilarious to watch. It's basically Sam Jackson turned up to 11 and I loved it.
Hero-of-Time Posted November 17, 2019 Posted November 17, 2019 I went and seen Le Mans '66 on Friday evening. Brilliant flick and up there with my favs of the year, which is a surprise given that I don't care for motor racing at all. Both Damon and Bale were outstanding in this. Damon playing the cool headed character who is trying to balance making the best car but keeping the suits happy and Bale playing the back talking Brit who does things his own way. I preferred Bale's character and enjoyed seeing the relationship he had with his wife and son. The guy goes through some hard times and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. There are some great interactions with his family and one particular scene with his son is very well done. The racing scenes are also very well done and there were times where I was on the edge of my seat. Going into the film I didn't know anything about the events that occurred in real life that this film is based off, which made these scenes more exciting. Spoiler I was absolutely livid at the end of the movie how Ken got screwed out of his with by that corporate tosser at Ford. I was still thinking about it yesterday and it still riled me up! The guy went through hell and showed incredible composure to catch and beat Ferrari and they still screwed him over. It was sad how he passed away but it could also but argued he died doing what he loved. Highly recommended.
Goafer Posted November 20, 2019 Posted November 20, 2019 Terminator Brilliant and the thought of a completely soulless, unstoppable machine is still terrifying. The sheer simplicity of a robot skeleton makes it probably my favourite bad guy design of all time. Terminator 2 It's amazing how little I remembered of the second half of the film. Still a great film and I'd say it was on par with the first. I know a lot of people prefer it, but I think it's a different type of film. The first one is almost slow paced horror and this is more sci-fi action. Both utter classics though. Klaus Really good. My other half just put it on as something to watch and I'd not heard of it before. Nice story and animation with likeable characters. Not groundbreaking, but a nice Christmas story. 1
bob Posted November 20, 2019 Posted November 20, 2019 Went to see Last Christmas on Saturday. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't what i expected. It definitely wasn't a Wham musical; it was barely even Wham related, but i enjoyed it as a light hearted rom com. 7.5/10
Josh64 Posted November 21, 2019 Posted November 21, 2019 On 24/10/2019 at 5:43 PM, Hero-of-Time said: Seen Terminator: Dark Fate last night. Loved it. Thankfully, it felt much more like the first two films than it did the rest of them. Some of the story at the start didn't make any sense (time travel shenanigans) but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. The pace of the movie is pretty fast and it's not until the introduction of Arnie when things slow down a little and you're able to catch your breath. Speaking of which, his character has some amazingly funny lines. This was never going to reach the highs of the original 2 movies but it does a good job of erasing/ignoring the other 3. I'd quite happily go watch it again. I'm not that familiar with the series, I saw the first two but a veryyyy long time ago so I thought maybe that's why I was a bit lost at the start. I have to admit the time travel stuff was somewhat confusing for the whole film lol. I really liked it too though, the action was great and Arnie was amazing - his history of drapes was astounding. Not really my kind of film but straddled a good line between serious action and the odd joke 3/5 1
Josh64 Posted November 21, 2019 Posted November 21, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, bob said: Went to see Last Christmas on Saturday. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't what i expected. It definitely wasn't a Wham musical; it was barely even Wham related, but i enjoyed it as a light hearted rom com. 7.5/10 Yeah the Wham aspect felt totally shoehorned in, other than there being a sticker on her suitcase was it ever actually mentioned? I really enjoyed it too, though I did struggle a little bit with some of the more cringe moments but I think that's just something you have to prepare yourself for these kinds of films. I really loved the shop keeper 'santa' character and especially loved the mother of the main protagonist (sorry, I'm dreadful with names lol) - Though is it me or was the whole brexit subplot a bit heavy handed and kinda thrown in there? Quite a light hearted silly movie and then almost out of nowhere some guy on a bus is all "GO BACK HOME", bit weird, had they have fleshed that aspect out a bit more it would have been fine but it just seemed to come out of the left field. There's a few other things I'd like to discuss but I've forgotten how to put things in spoiler tags on here (classic boomer move) so I'll leave it at that. 3.5/5 ________________ Midway - Retelling of the events of Pearl Harbour. Having never seen the other blockbuster of the event and being quite the dunce when it comes to history I found this pretty interesting. Some of the characters were a bit lame but generally a good time, I probably wouldn't watch it again but perfectly passable for a bit of action. 2/5 Aeronauts - I don't get the big deal with this film, honestly. I'd heard lots of great things and having seen the trailer was pretty excited to see it myself but it felt way too slow for me and a lot of the drama when up in the air felt kind of forced. It doesn't help that I wasn't a huge fan of the main character (though she does somewhat become more likeable later on when you hear the back story) Other than the jump scare with the dog I wasn't all that moved by this. 1.5/5 Gemini Man - Film where a younger PS2 version of Will Smith comes to assassinate older Will Smith for some reason. The last scene is one of the worst I've ever seen in a movie. 1/5 Countdown - This is a guilty pleasure of mine, so much so I went and saw it again the following week. 'Horror' film about some teens downloading an app that gives you a countdown to when you're going to die. About 5 mins of "damn this so stupid yo, who would believe in this" until ho boy, turns out its a real curse! A bunch of really corny but likeable characters go on a journey to outsmarting the app, with a love interest subplot and a couple of interesting side characters too. So stupid it's almost like a horror episode of Saved By The Bell but that's why I like it. 3.5/5 Edited November 21, 2019 by Josh64
S.C.G Posted November 21, 2019 Posted November 21, 2019 @Josh64 I meant to say a little while ago that I did end up watching Kikujiro by Takeshi Kitano based on your recommendation and I thoroughly enjoyed it, a very unique film indeed with some really great moments in it and the two characters make a surprisingly good but unlikely pairing at times, plus all the supporting cast are brilliant and entertaining as well, I can't remember if I mentioned watching it at the time as it was a few months ago and I haven't found the time to watch many films but this is one which stuck with me so thanks for posting about it. The only film I've seen recently is Dave Made a Maze by Bill Watterson which is a fantasy adventure, comedy film with mild horror elements which stars a guy called Dave who make a maze out of cardboard inside his apartment, the setup is that his girlfriend comes home to find him in the maze and it's one of those Tardis type deals where the maze is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, so there are lots of 'rules' which work just inside this film which add to the credibility of it even though it's pure fantasy... it works well within its own created parameters is what I'm trying to say, anyway Dave is stuck in this Maze, other people go in to rescue him and well... if you want to see what happens then I'd advise watching it as it has some great moments with some inventive set design. 1
Hero-of-Time Posted November 22, 2019 Posted November 22, 2019 I caught an early showing for Frozen 2 this morning. The cinema wasn't that crowded but I was surprised just how many parents had clearly let their kids skip school to watch it. The film itself was great and I think I like it more than the first one. The original film is a kinda standard Disney film but this one feels different and the adventure far more epic. There are a couple of story beats that are very obvious but it doesn't hurt the film in any way. The songs were great, with both Into the Unknown and Show Yourself being the stars of the show. Into the Unknown is being hailed as the signature song but I prefer Show Yourself. Into the Unknown is one of those very rare cases where I actually prefer the credits version rather than the original. I enjoyed the soundtrack so much that as soon as the movie finished I went to HMV, bought the CD and had it blasting on the drive home. On a technical level this film is something else. Disney are on a completely different scale when it comes to how their animated films look whe compared to the competition and this film has just raised the bar again. The level on detail in the characters expressions and the scenery, especially the water, is something to behold.
Josh64 Posted November 22, 2019 Posted November 22, 2019 7 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said: I caught an early showing for Frozen 2 this morning. The cinema wasn't that crowded but I was surprised just how many parents had clearly let their kids skip school to watch it. The film itself was great and I think I like it more than the first one. The original film is a kinda standard Disney film but this one feels different and the adventure far more epic. There are a couple of story beats that are very obvious but it doesn't hurt the film in any way. The songs were great, with both Into the Unknown and Show Yourself being the stars of the show. Into the Unknown is being hailed as the signature song but I prefer Show Yourself. Into the Unknown is one of those very rare cases where I actually prefer the credits version rather than the original. I enjoyed the soundtrack so much that as soon as the movie finished I went to HMV, bought the CD and had it blasting on the drive home. On a technical level this film is something else. Disney are on a completely different scale when it comes to how their animated films look whe compared to the competition and this film has just raised the bar again. The level on detail in the characters expressions and the scenery, especially the water, is something to behold. Yeah I couldn’t get over how great it looks, the water sprinkler horse mane was incredible! Story-wise I wasn’t too taken but I think it’s just because I didn’t feel that connected to any of the new characters, didn’t feel like they had much time to breathe. Olaf was surprising - I wasn’t too fond of him in the first but love him in this, his personality developed really well. And yeah songs were great but I agree, I really loved the credits version! 1
Josh64 Posted November 22, 2019 Posted November 22, 2019 On 21/11/2019 at 12:05 PM, S.C.G said: @Josh64 I meant to say a little while ago that I did end up watching Kikujiro by Takeshi Kitano based on your recommendation and I thoroughly enjoyed it, a very unique film indeed with some really great moments in it and the two characters make a surprisingly good but unlikely pairing at times, plus all the supporting cast are brilliant and entertaining as well, I can't remember if I mentioned watching it at the time as it was a few months ago and I haven't found the time to watch many films but this is one which stuck with me so thanks for posting about it. The only film I've seen recently is Dave Made a Maze by Bill Watterson which is a fantasy adventure, comedy film with mild horror elements which stars a guy called Dave who make a maze out of cardboard inside his apartment, the setup is that his girlfriend comes home to find him in the maze and it's one of those Tardis type deals where the maze is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, so there are lots of 'rules' which work just inside this film which add to the credibility of it even though it's pure fantasy... it works well within its own created parameters is what I'm trying to say, anyway Dave is stuck in this Maze, other people go in to rescue him and well... if you want to see what happens then I'd advise watching it as it has some great moments with some inventive set design. So glad you watched it man, I got it on a whim back then not knowing what to expect but all these months later I can safely say it still has an impact on me. Definitely one of my favourite films of the year (despite being a 1999 release lol) 1
LazyBoy Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 The Farewell - 5/5 The story of US based Chinese 30 something who returns to China to say goodbye to her terminally ill Grandma, with the central conflict being that the family does not tell the grandmother that she is is sick. Its sincerely heartfelt in a way that few movies are, with both a number of laughs and moments that left my wife in tears. It also had a lot of resonance with us because we've previously spent a lot of time in China, so the details just left me vulnerable to waves of nostalgia throughout. Even without that though the movie is so genuine that I cannot recommend it enough. And if you have any interest in China it is very much worth your time. 1
bob Posted November 24, 2019 Posted November 24, 2019 Saw Frozen 2 last night, and wasn't that impressed by it. The first 30 mins felt like a weird fan fiction, and the ending was very flat. I felt like the film needed a proper villain or something? Thought that the songs seemed crammed in, rather than occuring naturally, and none of them were very memorable. What were the two groups of people doing in the forest for 35 years? Were they fighting? Were they just living there together? Seemed a bit weird.Visuals were amazing though, and i loved the fire salamander, and the Sven/Christof duet. Olaf retelling the plot of the first film was the best bit by far though.
LazyBoy Posted December 7, 2019 Posted December 7, 2019 Parasite 5/5 go see this movie. Can't tell you anything about it, just trust me.
euroninfan Posted January 1, 2020 Posted January 1, 2020 Hello Did'nt watch a film, but started watching the mini-series I recorded on sky atlantic about chernobyl.
DannyYo Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 The most recent movie for me was Togo, and I absolutely love it!
Beast Posted January 8, 2020 Posted January 8, 2020 I watched Frozen 2 and I absolutely loved it. So much better than the first one and I liked the first one. The songs were brilliant. So much so that I couldn't name one as my favourite. Show Yourself and Lost in the Woods are awesome and Olaf retelling Frozen was brilliant! The animation was stunning, the characters much more developed and the story was a lot more indepth, mature and captivating. Definitely the best Disney sequel since The Lion King: Simba's Pride.
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