Films I watched this week (NO SPOILERS) (Vol 3)
Discussion
272BHP said:
Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game - 2022
Story about a journalist who helped turn around the ban on Pinball machines in New York in the 70s.
Great story telling and excellent performances, surprisingly moving as well. Low key and low budget but highly recommended.
8/10
I enjoyed that.Story about a journalist who helped turn around the ban on Pinball machines in New York in the 70s.
Great story telling and excellent performances, surprisingly moving as well. Low key and low budget but highly recommended.
8/10
The lead actress is stunning too, which was a bonus.
ajprice said:
The theme tune doesn't ring any bells? Or Heather a Thomas in a bikini? 
Random info from a recent Smith & Sniff. For the pickup to do the jumps, instead of buying a load of standard ones and wrecking them (like Dukes of Hazzard), they had a custom built stunt truck, mid engined so that it stayed level in the air and didn't nosedive from being front heavy, and with full on Baja spec suspension to take the landings.
Nope, nothing. Not even the bikini. Random info from a recent Smith & Sniff. For the pickup to do the jumps, instead of buying a load of standard ones and wrecking them (like Dukes of Hazzard), they had a custom built stunt truck, mid engined so that it stayed level in the air and didn't nosedive from being front heavy, and with full on Baja spec suspension to take the landings.
Just got back from fall guy . A good, if very daft and self aware, popcorn flick. No real drama or stakes but the chemistry between the leads and a lot of the supporting cast was great. You can see they had a great time. Emily Blunt looked on the verge of laughter in every take. And a lot of the stunts were real, shown in true burt Reynolds fashion to the side of the credits.
A solid 7.5 barrel rolls out of 10 blanks.
The $6m man sounds effects were especially meta.
A solid 7.5 barrel rolls out of 10 blanks.
The $6m man sounds effects were especially meta.
fatbutt said:
Just got back from fall guy . A good, if very daft and self aware, popcorn flick. No real drama or stakes but the chemistry between the leads and a lot of the supporting cast was great. You can see they had a great time. Emily Blunt looked on the verge of laughter in every take. And a lot of the stunts were real, shown in true burt Reynolds fashion to the side of the credits.
A solid 7.5 barrel rolls out of 10 blanks.
The $6m man sounds effects were especially meta.
I went to watch it with my 13 year old son, i thought it was pretty good. Some of the stunts were decent if a little far fetching but that’s what I was expecting. A solid 7.5 barrel rolls out of 10 blanks.
The $6m man sounds effects were especially meta.
Cinema must be struggling, Vue in Farnborough is £4.99 and there were about 20 people watching on a Saturday afternoon.
At least I didn’t get the short straw watching King Foo Panda 4 with the youngest.
. Tycho said:
TX1 said:
Tycho said:
Just finished watching A man called Otto. Imaging the first 5 minutes of Up! as a live action 2hr film. Managed to hold it together until the end. Both my wife and I really enjoyed it and Hanks was great in it.
Watch the original called "A Man Called Ove" as I personally think it's even better, that is if you do not mind subtitles.
smn159 said:
Zone of Interest on Prime
Kommandant of Aushwitz and his family create an idyllic home life next to the camp. The banality of office politics, meetings and home life set against the ever present horrors of next door
Recommended.
I'm.glad you watched that and recommended it, as Prime really is insistent I watch it! I will do at some point, but Kommandant of Aushwitz and his family create an idyllic home life next to the camp. The banality of office politics, meetings and home life set against the ever present horrors of next door
Recommended.
Unlocked
Was on, which is a bit of a silly spy yarn, but huge cast, nice twists, and Noomi Rapace. What's not to like?
7.5/10
smn159 said:
Zone of Interest on Prime
Kommandant of Aushwitz and his family create an idyllic home life next to the camp. The banality of office politics, meetings and home life set against the ever present horrors of next door
Recommended.
I've not seen this yet (it's on the list), but I read a bit about how they filmed it. Apparently, real house set up with cameras in every room and they had multiple scenes being shot all at the same time in different rooms with no crew on set to really give the feeling of a "working" house with the background noise of people moving and talking in the different rooms. Fascinating approach. Kommandant of Aushwitz and his family create an idyllic home life next to the camp. The banality of office politics, meetings and home life set against the ever present horrors of next door
Recommended.
A few for me this weekend:
Challangers
I really wanted to see this due to the polarizing opinions I've been seeing in the reviews. I've rarely seen such opposite views, with some saying they loved it, 10/10, others saying it was dire!
So, where did I sit?
Whilst watching it, I honestly thought this was one of the most cringe-inducing, awfully made films I've watched. At some points, I was thinking about walking out it was that unbearable. I can only think of one other film I've nearly walked out of it was that bad.
Let me list the issues I had, starting with the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are great and the score to this film is actually very good. The problem is, the composers were apparently asked to create the score having never seen the film and never knowing what it's about. The main hook is this techno beat that gets dropped in the middle of every scene where it doesn't belong. At one point, it starts right in the middle of dialogue and basically drowns out the conversation (it's not meant to as it's quite an important conversation). It become unintentionally hilarious when this beat keeps dropping like a 90s rave in the middle of absolutely nothing.
Then we have the script. There are some awful, awful lines in this film. So clunky and cliched it's like someone's first attempt at a script. Some of the forced tennis metaphors feel very Fast and Furious and not in a good way (there's one that's literally a rip off of "I live my life a quarter mile at a time.....in those 10 seconds or less, I'm free".
The three leads I will say, weirdly, are very good with what they have. I can't fault their performances at all, Zendaya especially, Many argue that she just delivers her lines in the same way in everything she's in but in this I thought there were one or two scenes where she really stepped it up. This is all despite the script and some atrocious make up/costumes. None of them look the age their supposed to be at any point (the movie has time jumps, quite significant).
The biggest issue aside from all that is the actual characters and story. None of the characters are likeable in any way, but their not horrible enough for you to dislike them either. You just don't care. Same about the overall plot. This is a film with tennis at it's core but tennis is presented to badly it's shocking.
The next biggest issue is the production. The director has tried to use every trendy camera angle and technique in one film (sometimes one scene!) and it's just all over the place, not it a good way. There's no framing, everything looks overly produced and are just not engaged with the outcome at all. Scenes draaaaaaag on way past when you want them to end and add nothing. There's one scene in an alleyway with two characters leaning against a wall and talking. For some unknown reason, the director chooses to shoot part of it with each actor talking direct to camera, but the camera is positioned directly level with the actor along the wall. It's supposed to be POV from the other character's position but it's obviously not because they should be at different heights, but the director has the camera at the perfect eye level of the actor talking. I'm doing a bad job of explaining why it's wrong but when you see it it's very obvious the actor is talking to a camera and not that it's shot from the POV of the other actor. It's just wrong and jars you out of the film.
And yet....
After getting out and moaning about it with my GF who agreed with my overall view.....I started thinking about watching it again. I started to think about how ridiculous it was, how laughable it was unintentionally and how annoying the score was. And I realised I wouldn't mind seeing it again to check I was actually right in my view of it. I won't be paying to see it again, but when it's out on streaming I'll watch it again.
Overall, this is not a good film (IMO) for many technical reasons. It's contrived, it has nothing original to say, it's not fun and the performances whilst good are not the best you'll see from these actors. But you might love it and I wouldn't argue with you.
For me, 5/10.
I also watched some old stuff, as it was May 4th there was only one thing to watch.....
Star Trek (2009)
I'm a big ST fan and my GF likes to intentionally confuse the franchises to try and annoy me, however, she suggested we watch the JJ Abrahms trilogy this weekend and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity as it's been a while since I saw them.
The first one I've seen several times but I bought the set on 4k for a steal recently so this is my first watch of the upgrade. As someone who didn't grow up with TOS I've never had an issue with Trek doing things with it and I loved this when it came out. It captures the essence perfectly and updates it in a way that really works (the box set even comes with a little pull out of the "Kelvin" timeline so you understand how it works, which I passed to the GF for her referral
).
Yes, there's more lens flare in this than almost anything JJ has done before or since and his love for shakey cameras is a bit of a distraction at times but he absolutely understood the assignment with this film. Beautiful, lingering ship porn with the redesigned Enterprise in all manner of settings set to an incredible score from Michale Giacchino (who has to be one of the best composers working today IMO.) who worked with JJ on Lost and you can hear it in the score at times.
The chemistry between the main cast is brilliant for a first outing, with everyone doing a great version of beloved characters. It's a lot of fun and accessible to anyone, not just Trek fans.
8/10
Star Trek: Into Darkness
This got a lot of hate at the time for trying (and failing) to conceal the plot. I'll spoiler my review just incase someone has managed to not see it.
The biggest issue people have is it's a remake/alternative version of arguably the best Trek film, Wrath of Khan. The argument is that had you made this without the Khan link it would have worked better. Whilst I don't disagree, I don't think there's an issue with it being Khan. The problem is they don't spend enough time setting up Khan or explaining who he is (despite the lonegst run time of the three). The same could be said for WOK though as that required knowledge of an episode of TOS to really understand it, although there is enough exposition in the film to catch you up a bit.
Like the title, it is a bit darker than the original and loses some of the fun that made the first one so enjoyable. Peter Weller is actually very good as the big bad and the story could have been great with some tweaks. The biggest fault for me was following the plot of WOK too much by "killing" one of the characters again. We know they don't stay dead, even if it's a reversal of the original.
That all said, it has some great scenes such as the end chase on Earth and Cumberbatch is a very good villain. Just maybe not Khan.
6.5/10
Star Trek: Beyond
Not seen this since the cinema I don't think, again it lifts some plot elements from ST3/4 in but is an original story overall. The crew face off against an enemy chasing a thing, they explore a new area of space, and chaos ensues.
Simon Pegg wrote this one and I think it has the best character development of all three. He really gets into each character and their dynamic within the group and there are some very funny moments along with some decently scripted original action (the bike chase scene is particularly good). I do think it lifts a bit too much from other things in Trek but you'll only notice if you're a die hard fan.
Idris Elba as the big bad is good but underused and underdeveloped unfortunately and weirdly it ends in the same way as Into Darkness which feels a little unoriginal when you watch them one after the other.
Some much better beauty shots in this one, the final showdown particularly is stunning and the soundtrack is back to the majesty of the original.
7/10
Challangers
I really wanted to see this due to the polarizing opinions I've been seeing in the reviews. I've rarely seen such opposite views, with some saying they loved it, 10/10, others saying it was dire!
So, where did I sit?
Whilst watching it, I honestly thought this was one of the most cringe-inducing, awfully made films I've watched. At some points, I was thinking about walking out it was that unbearable. I can only think of one other film I've nearly walked out of it was that bad.
Let me list the issues I had, starting with the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are great and the score to this film is actually very good. The problem is, the composers were apparently asked to create the score having never seen the film and never knowing what it's about. The main hook is this techno beat that gets dropped in the middle of every scene where it doesn't belong. At one point, it starts right in the middle of dialogue and basically drowns out the conversation (it's not meant to as it's quite an important conversation). It become unintentionally hilarious when this beat keeps dropping like a 90s rave in the middle of absolutely nothing.
Then we have the script. There are some awful, awful lines in this film. So clunky and cliched it's like someone's first attempt at a script. Some of the forced tennis metaphors feel very Fast and Furious and not in a good way (there's one that's literally a rip off of "I live my life a quarter mile at a time.....in those 10 seconds or less, I'm free".
The three leads I will say, weirdly, are very good with what they have. I can't fault their performances at all, Zendaya especially, Many argue that she just delivers her lines in the same way in everything she's in but in this I thought there were one or two scenes where she really stepped it up. This is all despite the script and some atrocious make up/costumes. None of them look the age their supposed to be at any point (the movie has time jumps, quite significant).
The biggest issue aside from all that is the actual characters and story. None of the characters are likeable in any way, but their not horrible enough for you to dislike them either. You just don't care. Same about the overall plot. This is a film with tennis at it's core but tennis is presented to badly it's shocking.
The next biggest issue is the production. The director has tried to use every trendy camera angle and technique in one film (sometimes one scene!) and it's just all over the place, not it a good way. There's no framing, everything looks overly produced and are just not engaged with the outcome at all. Scenes draaaaaaag on way past when you want them to end and add nothing. There's one scene in an alleyway with two characters leaning against a wall and talking. For some unknown reason, the director chooses to shoot part of it with each actor talking direct to camera, but the camera is positioned directly level with the actor along the wall. It's supposed to be POV from the other character's position but it's obviously not because they should be at different heights, but the director has the camera at the perfect eye level of the actor talking. I'm doing a bad job of explaining why it's wrong but when you see it it's very obvious the actor is talking to a camera and not that it's shot from the POV of the other actor. It's just wrong and jars you out of the film.
And yet....
After getting out and moaning about it with my GF who agreed with my overall view.....I started thinking about watching it again. I started to think about how ridiculous it was, how laughable it was unintentionally and how annoying the score was. And I realised I wouldn't mind seeing it again to check I was actually right in my view of it. I won't be paying to see it again, but when it's out on streaming I'll watch it again.
Overall, this is not a good film (IMO) for many technical reasons. It's contrived, it has nothing original to say, it's not fun and the performances whilst good are not the best you'll see from these actors. But you might love it and I wouldn't argue with you.
For me, 5/10.
I also watched some old stuff, as it was May 4th there was only one thing to watch.....
Star Trek (2009)
I'm a big ST fan and my GF likes to intentionally confuse the franchises to try and annoy me, however, she suggested we watch the JJ Abrahms trilogy this weekend and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity as it's been a while since I saw them.
The first one I've seen several times but I bought the set on 4k for a steal recently so this is my first watch of the upgrade. As someone who didn't grow up with TOS I've never had an issue with Trek doing things with it and I loved this when it came out. It captures the essence perfectly and updates it in a way that really works (the box set even comes with a little pull out of the "Kelvin" timeline so you understand how it works, which I passed to the GF for her referral
). Yes, there's more lens flare in this than almost anything JJ has done before or since and his love for shakey cameras is a bit of a distraction at times but he absolutely understood the assignment with this film. Beautiful, lingering ship porn with the redesigned Enterprise in all manner of settings set to an incredible score from Michale Giacchino (who has to be one of the best composers working today IMO.) who worked with JJ on Lost and you can hear it in the score at times.
The chemistry between the main cast is brilliant for a first outing, with everyone doing a great version of beloved characters. It's a lot of fun and accessible to anyone, not just Trek fans.
8/10
Star Trek: Into Darkness
This got a lot of hate at the time for trying (and failing) to conceal the plot. I'll spoiler my review just incase someone has managed to not see it.
The biggest issue people have is it's a remake/alternative version of arguably the best Trek film, Wrath of Khan. The argument is that had you made this without the Khan link it would have worked better. Whilst I don't disagree, I don't think there's an issue with it being Khan. The problem is they don't spend enough time setting up Khan or explaining who he is (despite the lonegst run time of the three). The same could be said for WOK though as that required knowledge of an episode of TOS to really understand it, although there is enough exposition in the film to catch you up a bit.
Like the title, it is a bit darker than the original and loses some of the fun that made the first one so enjoyable. Peter Weller is actually very good as the big bad and the story could have been great with some tweaks. The biggest fault for me was following the plot of WOK too much by "killing" one of the characters again. We know they don't stay dead, even if it's a reversal of the original.
That all said, it has some great scenes such as the end chase on Earth and Cumberbatch is a very good villain. Just maybe not Khan.
6.5/10
Star Trek: Beyond
Not seen this since the cinema I don't think, again it lifts some plot elements from ST3/4 in but is an original story overall. The crew face off against an enemy chasing a thing, they explore a new area of space, and chaos ensues.
Simon Pegg wrote this one and I think it has the best character development of all three. He really gets into each character and their dynamic within the group and there are some very funny moments along with some decently scripted original action (the bike chase scene is particularly good). I do think it lifts a bit too much from other things in Trek but you'll only notice if you're a die hard fan.
Idris Elba as the big bad is good but underused and underdeveloped unfortunately and weirdly it ends in the same way as Into Darkness which feels a little unoriginal when you watch them one after the other.
Some much better beauty shots in this one, the final showdown particularly is stunning and the soundtrack is back to the majesty of the original.
7/10
272BHP said:
Red, White & Royal Blue
Light hearted movie that asks the question what if the 'spare' to the throne was gay? and what if he fell in love with the son of the POTUS?
Easy watching and entertaining rom-com.
7/10
does beg the question (I honestly don't know, not being at all interested in the royals) if the heir was gay would that preclude him/her from getting the top job these days?Light hearted movie that asks the question what if the 'spare' to the throne was gay? and what if he fell in love with the son of the POTUS?
Easy watching and entertaining rom-com.
7/10
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