Films I watched this week (NO SPOILERS) (Vol 3)
Discussion
Billionaire Boys Club
This is something that I thought would be right up my street: LA / 80s / Money…
Eddie the Eagle and Baby Driver are not rich kids in the rich kids college, after graduating they scheme a bit and get in with the rich kids to make lots of money.
No spoiler but you’re waiting for it to go wrong which it does.
Based on a true story, somehow it just wasn’t very good. Apart from Kevin Spacey who absolutely does not assault anyone.
5 Ticking Rolex watches out of 10 M635csi BMWs
This is something that I thought would be right up my street: LA / 80s / Money…
Eddie the Eagle and Baby Driver are not rich kids in the rich kids college, after graduating they scheme a bit and get in with the rich kids to make lots of money.
No spoiler but you’re waiting for it to go wrong which it does.
Based on a true story, somehow it just wasn’t very good. Apart from Kevin Spacey who absolutely does not assault anyone.
5 Ticking Rolex watches out of 10 M635csi BMWs
Clockwork Cupcake said:
stemll said:
Robocop hasn't aged well IMO. Loved it when it was released in the late 80's but watched it recently and errr... don't any more.
You're having a laugh; it's absolutely timeless!The only thing that has potentially aged is the stop-motion of ED-209 but that's the only thing I can think of.
stemll said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
stemll said:
Robocop hasn't aged well IMO. Loved it when it was released in the late 80's but watched it recently and errr... don't any more.
You're having a laugh; it's absolutely timeless!The only thing that has potentially aged is the stop-motion of ED-209 but that's the only thing I can think of.
stemll said:
I think we just need to agree that we don't like the same stuff or are you going to tell me I was wrong about Dune part 2 again? The world would be an incredibly dull place if we all liked the same things.
But it wasn't a question of like or dislike. You said that it had dated and I was saying that I couldn't see how, apart from maybe the SFXAnyway, no matter.
Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Wednesday 15th May 09:34
Ex Machina
After everyone getting their undergarments in a twist over the new version of Chat GPT flirting with you I was tempted to watch Her again, but I love that film and have seen it many times so thought I'd give this a go as shockingly, I saw it in the cinema, bought it on physical media and then according to the freshly cellophaned box never watched it again! So as it's another film about AI it satisfied my appetite just the same.
Firstly, I am shocked this film is now 10 years old. And I'm upset with myself I never rewatched it in all that time. I think, for me, it's very similar to my view on Annihilation (another Alex Garland film). I saw it on release, and liked it but just something about it at the time made me feel uncomfortable. I've rewatched Annihilation 2 or 3 times in the last 2 years and think it's incredible now but I just think his films pose some very deep questions that need reflection to fully appreciate. The same is very much the case with Ex Machina.
For anyone who's not seen it, Oscar Isaac plays a tech billionaire who's created an AI and wants Domhnall Gleeson to come to his secluded hideaway and test it to see if it passes the Turing test. Alicia Vikander plays the AI.
Watching this last night I couldn't help feel how far ahead of it's time this film was. The film is set in the not-so-distant future but it's telling that in the film, human looking robots are not unusual but actual AI still hasn't been created. The world is currently obsessed with AI however we are still so far away from genuine AI, yet Boston Dynamics continues to throw out more and more capable robots I imagine real life will continue to mirror the film and we'll have human looking robots long before a version of AI that can create anything original.
The film is set entirely in Isaac's tech billionaire hide away but it never feel small, the effects ten years on are still practically flawless and it does such a good job of drawing you in to what seems a very basic premise. It won the Oscar for best VFX at the time and whilst this was a surprise at the time I don't think there's a question now as to why.
The film asks some big questions but it's not as abstract as Annihilation; whilst the bigger topics on life and humanity are certainly there the film is much easier to follow and enjoy I find without needing to really think about the meaning behind everything or the representation. There are some interesting concepts and themes which are all very accessible and reward repeat viewings for sure.
I certainly enjoyed this more the second time round, I think because on first viewing I was a little upset Ava leaves Caleb behind. I think I was hoping for a happy ending
but it makes total sense. For her to survive she needs to escape on her own and disappear. Whilst Caleb is a bit of a victim here, his motivations weren't totally selfless and were driven by attraction. So he doesn't remain innocent, even though he's far far away from Nathan in terms of morality.
8/10
After everyone getting their undergarments in a twist over the new version of Chat GPT flirting with you I was tempted to watch Her again, but I love that film and have seen it many times so thought I'd give this a go as shockingly, I saw it in the cinema, bought it on physical media and then according to the freshly cellophaned box never watched it again! So as it's another film about AI it satisfied my appetite just the same.
Firstly, I am shocked this film is now 10 years old. And I'm upset with myself I never rewatched it in all that time. I think, for me, it's very similar to my view on Annihilation (another Alex Garland film). I saw it on release, and liked it but just something about it at the time made me feel uncomfortable. I've rewatched Annihilation 2 or 3 times in the last 2 years and think it's incredible now but I just think his films pose some very deep questions that need reflection to fully appreciate. The same is very much the case with Ex Machina.
For anyone who's not seen it, Oscar Isaac plays a tech billionaire who's created an AI and wants Domhnall Gleeson to come to his secluded hideaway and test it to see if it passes the Turing test. Alicia Vikander plays the AI.
Watching this last night I couldn't help feel how far ahead of it's time this film was. The film is set in the not-so-distant future but it's telling that in the film, human looking robots are not unusual but actual AI still hasn't been created. The world is currently obsessed with AI however we are still so far away from genuine AI, yet Boston Dynamics continues to throw out more and more capable robots I imagine real life will continue to mirror the film and we'll have human looking robots long before a version of AI that can create anything original.
The film is set entirely in Isaac's tech billionaire hide away but it never feel small, the effects ten years on are still practically flawless and it does such a good job of drawing you in to what seems a very basic premise. It won the Oscar for best VFX at the time and whilst this was a surprise at the time I don't think there's a question now as to why.
The film asks some big questions but it's not as abstract as Annihilation; whilst the bigger topics on life and humanity are certainly there the film is much easier to follow and enjoy I find without needing to really think about the meaning behind everything or the representation. There are some interesting concepts and themes which are all very accessible and reward repeat viewings for sure.
I certainly enjoyed this more the second time round, I think because on first viewing I was a little upset Ava leaves Caleb behind. I think I was hoping for a happy ending
but it makes total sense. For her to survive she needs to escape on her own and disappear. Whilst Caleb is a bit of a victim here, his motivations weren't totally selfless and were driven by attraction. So he doesn't remain innocent, even though he's far far away from Nathan in terms of morality.8/10
I love both of those films. Must watch annihilation again, it's genuinely superb. Anyway, I pop in every time Ex Machina comes up to mention the house in which it's set is an hotel & you can stay there.
https://juvet.com/en/
https://juvet.com/en/
President Merkin said:
I love both of those films. Must watch annihilation again, it's genuinely superb. Anyway, I pop in every time Ex Machina comes up to mention the house in which it's set is an hotel & you can stay there.
https://juvet.com/en/
I do hope the doors don't lock you in and leave you to die, in the event of a total power outage or systems failure! https://juvet.com/en/
President Merkin said:
I love both of those films. Must watch annihilation again, it's genuinely superb. Anyway, I pop in every time Ex Machina comes up to mention the house in which it's set is an hotel & you can stay there.
https://juvet.com/en/
Ah thanks for that, I knew it was a hotel but hadn't looked for it online. https://juvet.com/en/
(not cheap is it!!)
President Merkin said:
I love both of those films. Must watch annihilation again, it's genuinely superb. Anyway, I pop in every time Ex Machina comes up to mention the house in which it's set is an hotel & you can stay there.
https://juvet.com/en/
Thanks, I had no idea. Absoltely beautiful place. And surprisingly affordable (if £350 in low season is affordable). https://juvet.com/en/
I saw on the website that they mention Succession - but I don't recall it being in that show?
ETA Succession - s4 e5, apparently.
Edited by suffolk009 on Wednesday 15th May 16:28
President Merkin said:
I love both of those films. Must watch annihilation again, it's genuinely superb. Anyway, I pop in every time Ex Machina comes up to mention the house in which it's set is an hotel & you can stay there.
https://juvet.com/en/
If you were Michael Fassbender how tempted would you be to book the whole place out for a week? https://juvet.com/en/
Some Other Women - Sky Premier
Hard to explain this without spoiling it so just going to put the IMDb description.
Eve was promised a few months on a tropical island for her husbands work - Years later, unable to build the family they wanted, reality starts to unravel when she encounters a strange woman who begins taking over her life piece by piece.
I'm pretty good with films but if anyone could explain wtf actually happened in this film then I'm all ears.
Hard to explain this without spoiling it so just going to put the IMDb description.
Eve was promised a few months on a tropical island for her husbands work - Years later, unable to build the family they wanted, reality starts to unravel when she encounters a strange woman who begins taking over her life piece by piece.
I'm pretty good with films but if anyone could explain wtf actually happened in this film then I'm all ears.
alisdairm said:
ajprice said:
Going to Talking Monkeys 4 tonight 
, staying away from reviews and spoilers.
How was the monkey film Mr Rice? , staying away from reviews and spoilers.Its an option for my Friday night film club.
7.5 eagle eggs / 10 cattle prod sticks.
The Last Starfighter
I understand this is a bit of a "cult classic"? I saw it was getting a 4k release so thought I'd give it a go to see what the fuss is about, imagine my surprise when I found the whole film on YouTube!
I imagine if you saw this as a kid, it would have blown your mind. Think Star Wars but with Tron style computer graphics for the space scenes.
It's harmless, but I really needed to see it at the time to appreciate it I think. Not a bad film, but won't set your world alight if you watch it as an adult.
Most interesting bit was trying to work out who the main guy's co-pilot was (who I thought the whole time was called Greg ), IMDB put me out of my misery and he's one of the old men in Robocop 1/2. Very different role here.
6/10
The Proposal
Someone at work mentioned this was one of their favourite films, it's on Netflix and I wanted something easy to watch whilst doing something else. Stuck it on, rom-com with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Renolds. It's not bad, a bit by the numbers but the two stars are very good in their respective roles with Bullock playing a mean boss for a change but you can see where it's going from the start plot wise. Doesn't stop if being funny though, I think both of them are always brilliant in comedic roles and there were a few big laughs in the film for me. If you're not the biggest fan of those two there's not much here for you so perhaps give it a pass.
6.5/10
I understand this is a bit of a "cult classic"? I saw it was getting a 4k release so thought I'd give it a go to see what the fuss is about, imagine my surprise when I found the whole film on YouTube!
I imagine if you saw this as a kid, it would have blown your mind. Think Star Wars but with Tron style computer graphics for the space scenes.
It's harmless, but I really needed to see it at the time to appreciate it I think. Not a bad film, but won't set your world alight if you watch it as an adult.
Most interesting bit was trying to work out who the main guy's co-pilot was (who I thought the whole time was called Greg
), IMDB put me out of my misery and he's one of the old men in Robocop 1/2. Very different role here.6/10
The Proposal
Someone at work mentioned this was one of their favourite films, it's on Netflix and I wanted something easy to watch whilst doing something else. Stuck it on, rom-com with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Renolds. It's not bad, a bit by the numbers but the two stars are very good in their respective roles with Bullock playing a mean boss for a change but you can see where it's going from the start plot wise. Doesn't stop if being funny though, I think both of them are always brilliant in comedic roles and there were a few big laughs in the film for me. If you're not the biggest fan of those two there's not much here for you so perhaps give it a pass.
6.5/10
C5_Steve said:
The Last Starfighter
I understand this is a bit of a "cult classic"? I saw it was getting a 4k release so thought I'd give it a go to see what the fuss is about, imagine my surprise when I found the whole film on YouTube!
I imagine if you saw this as a kid, it would have blown your mind. Think Star Wars but with Tron style computer graphics for the space scenes.
It's harmless, but I really needed to see it at the time to appreciate it I think. Not a bad film, but won't set your world alight if you watch it as an adult.
Most interesting bit was trying to work out who the main guy's co-pilot was (who I thought the whole time was called Greg ), IMDB put me out of my misery and he's one of the old men in Robocop 1/2. Very different role here.
6/10
It was an absolutely landmark film as it was the first proper extensive use of CGI in a film. Whilst TRON came before it, it actually used CGI incredibly sparingly and some scenes in TRON that look CGI are actually animated. That isn't to take anything away from TRON, btw. I understand this is a bit of a "cult classic"? I saw it was getting a 4k release so thought I'd give it a go to see what the fuss is about, imagine my surprise when I found the whole film on YouTube!
I imagine if you saw this as a kid, it would have blown your mind. Think Star Wars but with Tron style computer graphics for the space scenes.
It's harmless, but I really needed to see it at the time to appreciate it I think. Not a bad film, but won't set your world alight if you watch it as an adult.
Most interesting bit was trying to work out who the main guy's co-pilot was (who I thought the whole time was called Greg
), IMDB put me out of my misery and he's one of the old men in Robocop 1/2. Very different role here.6/10
Last Starfighter was so groundbreaking that there was an exhibition at the Science Museum in London, which I remember going to, that was to do with it. I remember one exhibit was a prototype plasma panel showing a rendering of the Gun Star. It absolutely blew me away.
Perhaps the film hasn't aged well given how things have moved on, but it remains an absolute landmark in the history of cinema.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
It was an absolutely landmark film as it was the first proper extensive use of CGI in a film. Whilst TRON came before it, it actually used CGI incredibly sparingly and some scenes in TRON that look CGI are actually animated. That isn't to take anything away from TRON, btw.
Last Starfighter was so groundbreaking that there was an exhibition at the Science Museum in London, which I remember going to, that was to do with it. I remember one exhibit was a prototype plasma panel showing a rendering of the Gun Star. It absolutely blew me away.
Perhaps the film hasn't aged well given how things have moved on, but it remains an absolute landmark in the history of cinema.
Ah nice to hear from someone who saw it back in the day, it get's a lot of love generally and I can appreciate why. Whilst the effects aren't in any way sophisticated they are well done for the time and very unique. We're just spoilt for choice now. Last Starfighter was so groundbreaking that there was an exhibition at the Science Museum in London, which I remember going to, that was to do with it. I remember one exhibit was a prototype plasma panel showing a rendering of the Gun Star. It absolutely blew me away.
Perhaps the film hasn't aged well given how things have moved on, but it remains an absolute landmark in the history of cinema.
Tron was the film that had the same effect on me as a kid hence the comparison. My GF loves Tron Legacy so I sat her down to watch the original one day. Her face was immediately unimpressed
Heartbreaking, I'll hear nothing bad against that film it's one of my childhood classics. I remember having this as a kid as well which was as close to being in Tron as you could get:I might still have it somewhere actually.....
C5_Steve said:
Ah nice to hear from someone who saw it back in the day, it get's a lot of love generally and I can appreciate why. Whilst the effects aren't in any way sophisticated they are well done for the time and very unique. We're just spoilt for choice now.
Indeed. I also forgot to mention that contemporary to the release of the film, and the aforementioned Science Museum exhibit, there was a multi-page article about Last Starfighter and the birth of CGI (also mentioning Tron) in New Scientist too. Back when New Scientist was an actual serious scientific magazine. I hear that these days it is not (which may, in part, be down to it now being owned by the Daily Mail group)BTW, I have a huge amount of love for both Tron and Tron:Legacy
Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Thursday 16th May 12:09
suffolk009 said:
Thanks, I had no idea. Absoltely beautiful place. And surprisingly affordable (if £350 in low season is affordable).
I saw on the website that they mention Succession - but I don't recall it being in that show?
ETA Succession - s4 e5, apparently.
Just noticed this, it's used in the final season when Logan Roy is trying to sell Waystar to tech bro Lukas Mattson & they all decamp there for the tense meeting to try to close the deal.I saw on the website that they mention Succession - but I don't recall it being in that show?
ETA Succession - s4 e5, apparently.
Edited by suffolk009 on Wednesday 15th May 16:28
suffolk009 said:
stemll said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
stemll said:
Robocop hasn't aged well IMO. Loved it when it was released in the late 80's but watched it recently and errr... don't any more.
You're having a laugh; it's absolutely timeless!The only thing that has potentially aged is the stop-motion of ED-209 but that's the only thing I can think of.
Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff