Films I watched this week
Discussion
marcosgt said:
The Hobbit - Battle of the 5 Armies
Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I very much enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I watched The Hobbit part 1 at the IMAX 3D 48 frames per second, and whilst it had some good parts, watching characters drink and sing in a hobbit-hole for an hour I should have realised set the scene of the pace of the thing.
The second one I watched in 3D at home, and nearly fell asleep from halfway in.
The Battle of Five Armies I watched on my projector, and I got halfway through and genuinely sat there thinking 'why am I still watching?'. However, I'd invested so much time, I thought I may as well get to the end.
I tried watching in three different settings that showed the CGI and stuff to best effect, but still, this did not gain my interest enough.
It's a real shame as after LOTR there was a real appetite for more. Now, I think it's more like a meal that is huge, but you are forced to get to the end, and afterwards vow never to eat the same thing again. A shame.
JustinP1 said:
marcosgt said:
The Hobbit - Battle of the 5 Armies
Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I very much enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I watched The Hobbit part 1 at the IMAX 3D 48 frames per second, and whilst it had some good parts, watching characters drink and sing in a hobbit-hole for an hour I should have realised set the scene of the pace of the thing.
The second one I watched in 3D at home, and nearly fell asleep from halfway in.
The Battle of Five Armies I watched on my projector, and I got halfway through and genuinely sat there thinking 'why am I still watching?'. However, I'd invested so much time, I thought I may as well get to the end.
I tried watching in three different settings that showed the CGI and stuff to best effect, but still, this did not gain my interest enough.
It's a real shame as after LOTR there was a real appetite for more. Now, I think it's more like a meal that is huge, but you are forced to get to the end, and afterwards vow never to eat the same thing again. A shame.
The standard length films were a struggle to sit through.
The Dish - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873
Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
50 Shades of Grey - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2322441
This just didn't work, the whole this was sterile and wooden, the concept wasn't terrible as such but it was just a bit naff.
3/10
Amy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870648
This is interesting, a lot of people in Winehouse's life were clearly letting her down and taking advantage, they don't come off well. A bit upsetting to watch. What is curious is just how much of her private life was recorded, the whole thing is on tape. As odd as she was she really could sing.
7/10
Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
50 Shades of Grey - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2322441
This just didn't work, the whole this was sterile and wooden, the concept wasn't terrible as such but it was just a bit naff.
3/10
Amy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870648
This is interesting, a lot of people in Winehouse's life were clearly letting her down and taking advantage, they don't come off well. A bit upsetting to watch. What is curious is just how much of her private life was recorded, the whole thing is on tape. As odd as she was she really could sing.
7/10
Edited by qube_TA on Monday 16th November 11:09
qube_TA said:
The Dish - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873
Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
One of my all time favourites. Speaking of which dad and I watched Apollo 13 for the umpteenth time this weekend - never get tired of that film.Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
Edited by parabolica on Monday 16th November 11:54
chris watton said:
JustinP1 said:
marcosgt said:
The Hobbit - Battle of the 5 Armies
Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I very much enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Felt like they were using up all the CGI battle scenes left over from the LOTR films.
To be honest, I thought this was a directionless mess of a film and I'm told, 99% of the film is unrelated to the book!
In my view, The Hobbit 1 and 2 should have been merged into 1 film and 3 should never have happened, still it passed a few hours.
2/10...
M.
I watched The Hobbit part 1 at the IMAX 3D 48 frames per second, and whilst it had some good parts, watching characters drink and sing in a hobbit-hole for an hour I should have realised set the scene of the pace of the thing.
The second one I watched in 3D at home, and nearly fell asleep from halfway in.
The Battle of Five Armies I watched on my projector, and I got halfway through and genuinely sat there thinking 'why am I still watching?'. However, I'd invested so much time, I thought I may as well get to the end.
I tried watching in three different settings that showed the CGI and stuff to best effect, but still, this did not gain my interest enough.
It's a real shame as after LOTR there was a real appetite for more. Now, I think it's more like a meal that is huge, but you are forced to get to the end, and afterwards vow never to eat the same thing again. A shame.
The standard length films were a struggle to sit through.
M
"What we do in the Shadows" Spoof documentary about the day today life of Vampires living in modern day New Zealand. A very silly idea from the guys behind the flight of the concords, but it actually really works. I like the way the various vampires are all comedy versions of Vampires we have previously seen on film. I especially liked the anger management approach by the werewolves.
8/10 (its on Netflix, so no excuses)
Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.
My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it. Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
8/10 (its on Netflix, so no excuses)
Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.
My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it. Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
robemcdonald said:
Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.
My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it.
Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
I never really saw that even after I knew it was supposed to be full of Christian imagery! So a major character comes back to life, but that's hardly unique to the Bible!My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it.
Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
Anyway, I really liked these films, for what they were, a good family film series of a classic tale.
M
parabolica said:
qube_TA said:
The Dish - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873
Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
One of my all time favourites. Speaking of which dad and I watched Apollo 13 for the umpteenth time this weekend - never get tired of that film.Think it's a lovely little film, based on the true story of the radio receiver used to relay the footage of the Apollo 11 landing.
7.5/10
Edited by parabolica on Monday 16th November 11:54
qube_TA said:
Amy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870648
This is interesting, a lot of people in Winehouse's life were clearly letting her down and taking advantage, they don't come off well. A bit upsetting to watch. What is curious is just how much of her private life was recorded, the whole thing is on tape. As odd as she was she really could sing.
7/10
I saw Amy last week, quite sad to watch, she was an amazing artist.This is interesting, a lot of people in Winehouse's life were clearly letting her down and taking advantage, they don't come off well. A bit upsetting to watch. What is curious is just how much of her private life was recorded, the whole thing is on tape. As odd as she was she really could sing.
7/10
Edited by qube_TA on Monday 16th November 11:09
Also watched Ant-Man, excellent film with great action & humour, plus I found it a lot easier to actually care about the characters compared to the others in the MCU.
robemcdonald said:
Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.
My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it. Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
It's tough to do! And fairly impossible in the second, where it just seems to be Aslan acting like a My eldest wasn't feeling very well, so dug this out for a cold Sunday afternoon. Better than I remembered it. I think when it was released it was held up in comparison to Lord of the rings. Obviously it didn't get the same level of acclaim. Viewed in isolation as a more family oriented fantasy and it works better. Some of the violence and themes might not be suitable for very young children, but it has a broad universal appeal. My daughter loved it. Ignore the Christian resurrection analogy if you can.
7/10
and playing headgames with children.
Started watching "the captains" a documentary about the actors who have played captains in the various star trek shows. Listening to Patrick Stewart talking about Shakespeare got the cringey sense tingling. Shatter doing improv blues signing with Avery Brooks had me hiding behind a cushion. I couldn't get any further than that.
My god my teeth are itching....
1701 / 10
My god my teeth are itching....
1701 / 10
vxr8mate said:
No Escape. Had low expectations for this and it over delivered. A solid 6/10
Watched this last night and would agree. However, as the father of 2 similar age girls and in light of the events in Paris I did find it a bit unsettling.Watched Spectre at the weekend. Thought it was an enjoyable Bond romp, but not amazing. 7/10.
It Follows
I don't watch modern 'horror' films simply because the genre has become iterative and stale in the last ten years, along with the poor production values that comes along with churning out 'Generic Evil Spirit 4'.
On the basis of a positive review I gave this a punt though. The premise is a teenage girl sleeps with a slightly older bloke who drugs her. When she awakes she's in the middle of nowhere tied to a wheelchair. He explains that the reason he has done this is that she has been passed on something which means that the entity will pick up a random person's body, and follow the infected at walking pace and kill the host. The best she can do is 'pass it on'.
As a film, it's thoughtfully and well shot, and gives a sense of timelessness. It harks back to the tropes of 80's horror films. It's a good looking indy film. The premise takes itself in a decent direction, and is played out well, all backed by an 80'sesque synth soundtrack.
All in all, not your 'average' modern horror flick, it's refreshingly a bit more than that. 6.66/10
That said, it's not a patch on The Babadouk which is the best of the genre in a good few years.
I don't watch modern 'horror' films simply because the genre has become iterative and stale in the last ten years, along with the poor production values that comes along with churning out 'Generic Evil Spirit 4'.
On the basis of a positive review I gave this a punt though. The premise is a teenage girl sleeps with a slightly older bloke who drugs her. When she awakes she's in the middle of nowhere tied to a wheelchair. He explains that the reason he has done this is that she has been passed on something which means that the entity will pick up a random person's body, and follow the infected at walking pace and kill the host. The best she can do is 'pass it on'.
As a film, it's thoughtfully and well shot, and gives a sense of timelessness. It harks back to the tropes of 80's horror films. It's a good looking indy film. The premise takes itself in a decent direction, and is played out well, all backed by an 80'sesque synth soundtrack.
All in all, not your 'average' modern horror flick, it's refreshingly a bit more than that. 6.66/10
That said, it's not a patch on The Babadouk which is the best of the genre in a good few years.
Last night watched "Hitman: Audi47 Agent47". I wasnt really paying attention to the plot, but that was ok - it pretty much delivered as an action movie. Nice choreographed fist and gun fights very reminiscent of "Equilibrium" & "The Matrix", though started to stray into the realms of superpowers, whereas the previous film i think was more based around "normal" people (I havent played any of the games, so i dont know which is more true to the original idea)
Agent47 is now played by Rupert Friend, who i only know from Homeland. In that, as Quinn, i like him best when hes doing his occasional special forces action scenes and stealthing it up, so was pleased to have a whole film of him doing it.
6.5/10, solid action shenanigans.
Agent47 is now played by Rupert Friend, who i only know from Homeland. In that, as Quinn, i like him best when hes doing his occasional special forces action scenes and stealthing it up, so was pleased to have a whole film of him doing it.
6.5/10, solid action shenanigans.
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