Films I watched this week (NO SPOILERS) (Vol 3)
Discussion
Bullett said:
I watched Borderlands so you don't have to.
I like the games.
The trailers made it appear that they got the look right.
I don't tend to follow reviews too closely.
They hadn't. It was awful.
Everyone phoned in the performances.
The characters were all wrong and even if you didn't know any lore they didn't really hang together with their motivations and actions.
Any reveals were pretty obvious.
The effects were very bad, some very shonky cgi.
The fight choreography was poor.
Costumes looked like they were put together at the last minute by a primary school drama department and the whole thing looked like a bad 90's straight to DVD film or even a Saturday afternoon action series.
For a film thats not much more than 90 minutes long it seemed to last forever.
Avoid.
If it will cheer you up after your sacrifice they did a Pitch meeting for it. I like the games.
The trailers made it appear that they got the look right.
I don't tend to follow reviews too closely.
They hadn't. It was awful.
Everyone phoned in the performances.
The characters were all wrong and even if you didn't know any lore they didn't really hang together with their motivations and actions.
Any reveals were pretty obvious.
The effects were very bad, some very shonky cgi.
The fight choreography was poor.
Costumes looked like they were put together at the last minute by a primary school drama department and the whole thing looked like a bad 90's straight to DVD film or even a Saturday afternoon action series.
For a film thats not much more than 90 minutes long it seemed to last forever.
Avoid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCLaUkZxtJ4&t=...
JagLover said:
Bullett said:
I watched Borderlands so you don't have to.
I like the games.
The trailers made it appear that they got the look right.
I don't tend to follow reviews too closely.
They hadn't. It was awful.
Everyone phoned in the performances.
The characters were all wrong and even if you didn't know any lore they didn't really hang together with their motivations and actions.
Any reveals were pretty obvious.
The effects were very bad, some very shonky cgi.
The fight choreography was poor.
Costumes looked like they were put together at the last minute by a primary school drama department and the whole thing looked like a bad 90's straight to DVD film or even a Saturday afternoon action series.
For a film thats not much more than 90 minutes long it seemed to last forever.
Avoid.
If it will cheer you up after your sacrifice they did a Pitch meeting for it. I like the games.
The trailers made it appear that they got the look right.
I don't tend to follow reviews too closely.
They hadn't. It was awful.
Everyone phoned in the performances.
The characters were all wrong and even if you didn't know any lore they didn't really hang together with their motivations and actions.
Any reveals were pretty obvious.
The effects were very bad, some very shonky cgi.
The fight choreography was poor.
Costumes looked like they were put together at the last minute by a primary school drama department and the whole thing looked like a bad 90's straight to DVD film or even a Saturday afternoon action series.
For a film thats not much more than 90 minutes long it seemed to last forever.
Avoid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCLaUkZxtJ4&t=...
Seriously though, it's a good way of seeing a bad film in 10 minutes instead of 2 hours, and it's funnier. I did Madame Web, Borderlands, Megalopolis and Red One that way
. Canary Black Amazon Prime
Kate Beckinsale (protagonist), Rupert Friend (husband), Ray Stevenson (mentor).
Yeah, ok. You've seen this before. Exceptional spy-person carries out assignment, their boss is their mentor, they go home to a 'normal' life with a naïve partner.
Tragedy! happens and they must go 'rouge' except the mentor knows what's going on.
So nothing new at all there at all. The opening set piece is pretty good. Kate looks amazing and the action felt just believable enough for me to invest.
There's no real plot building and you can guess how it's going but the action scenes are just a bit better than I expected so I was happy to keep watching. There are some dodgy over dubbings for some reason.
There is a tiny twist at the end which I enjoyed and the final bit is ok.
I liked it, but maybe not enough to rush back any time soon.
6.5 platinum wigs/ 10 Bouncing Bettys.
Kate Beckinsale (protagonist), Rupert Friend (husband), Ray Stevenson (mentor).
Yeah, ok. You've seen this before. Exceptional spy-person carries out assignment, their boss is their mentor, they go home to a 'normal' life with a naïve partner.
Tragedy! happens and they must go 'rouge' except the mentor knows what's going on.
So nothing new at all there at all. The opening set piece is pretty good. Kate looks amazing and the action felt just believable enough for me to invest.
There's no real plot building and you can guess how it's going but the action scenes are just a bit better than I expected so I was happy to keep watching. There are some dodgy over dubbings for some reason.
There is a tiny twist at the end which I enjoyed and the final bit is ok.
I liked it, but maybe not enough to rush back any time soon.
6.5 platinum wigs/ 10 Bouncing Bettys.
ajprice said:
Watching the Pitch Meeting of a film you don't really want to watch because it's going to be crap is tight!
Seriously though, it's a good way of seeing a bad film in 10 minutes instead of 2 hours, and it's funnier. I did Madame Web, Borderlands, Megalopolis and Red One that way .
I watched the pitch meeting after writing this review, it was super easy, barely and inconvenience.Seriously though, it's a good way of seeing a bad film in 10 minutes instead of 2 hours, and it's funnier. I did Madame Web, Borderlands, Megalopolis and Red One that way
.I did Mickey 17 down the cinema today.
Not bothered about the politics, which were rather basic.
Compared to the book which had some real pace, this felt leaden in comparison and I don't get why the quasi antagonist of the book was replaced with odd caricatures.
Not a win for me, but still great to see some original IP on screen.
Not bothered about the politics, which were rather basic.
Compared to the book which had some real pace, this felt leaden in comparison and I don't get why the quasi antagonist of the book was replaced with odd caricatures.
Not a win for me, but still great to see some original IP on screen.
stemll said:
C5_Steve said:
Oh I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the last few years (I enjoy EVERY year) but nothing you mentioned I would describe as a cinematic classic. And I LOVED several of the films you mentioned. But they've not changed the landscape not spawned any copies. Many of them clearly draw influence elsewhere.
My point was more around true innovation. But I guess as CC points out even things like The Matrix draw their ideas from elsewhere.
(Ps the fact you missed Dune Part 2 off that list for last year is an actual crime
)
Not discussing my opinion of both parts of Dune, CC will tell me off again My point was more around true innovation. But I guess as CC points out even things like The Matrix draw their ideas from elsewhere.
(Ps the fact you missed Dune Part 2 off that list for last year is an actual crime
)
. But now you mention it, Chalamet's performance is the crime regardless of what the film is. 
Not sure how you can claim innovation when you have Goldeneye (generic Bond in every way) and the third Die Hard of a series of very similar films (all good and With a Vengeance is possibly the best but it's not innovative). I will grant you that I had the seventh Alien and fifth Mad Max and Indiana Jones on my list
Gibson has even said Braveheart was inspired by Dancing With Wolves.
True innovation in cinema is rare now. Of your list, I'd only say that Toy Story was innovative.
As for not spawning any copies, it's a little early to say that none of them will do that
But I'm glad we agree on Chalamet Dune preferences aside
Heat (4k)
Mentioned I wanted to give this a whirl after Collateral. Purely from a technical perspective, this is a must but if you're into 4K. One of the best transfers/restorations I've seen and it brings SO MUCH to the visuals and sound. It might be my favourite looking 4k it's that good and this is a film I've seen untold times. It's that good.
The film, well, masterpiece gets thrown around alot but I think this is a perfectly acceptable word for this film. My biggest thought watching it was just how well balanced it is. That theme of balance/opposition is woven throughout the narrative in everything you're presented with and the new transfer really enhances that. From the day/night scenes, each beautifully lit and shot (Mann really is a master of shooting at night, I want to beat the House of the Dragon crew to death with this disc I swear to god) to the individual narratives for Vincent and Neil of their own lives away from their "jobs", to how each deals with their own wants and needs. It's just incredible. The score; perfection. No notes.
Everyone in this is outstanding and that's no mean feat when you've got Pacino absolutely chewing threw the script giving one of his best performances. De Niro is the perfect counter to him, with his cold calculated approach to everything but doing more with a look than many could hope to portray with a page of dialogue. His last minute decision in the car on the way to his out is a great example of this as he wrestles with his priorities.
I really don't know what they're going to do with the sequel but it's been so long who knows. Nothing will ever change how great a film this is.
10/10
Anora
Jumped on the hype train with this one and caught it at the cinema. There's a lot to like here. The story is fun and heartbreaking at the same time. Mikey Madison is great, the soundtrack is excellent and it feels small and intimate.
Did I love it? No. I just didn't connect with it in the way others seem to. I liked it don't get me wrong, but there was no part I thought was a stand out. Just good al around.
Was Madison the best performance I saw from the nominations? Again, no not in my eyes. I think overlooking Moore in this instance was a shame and I thought she was incredible in The Substance.
Was it the best picture? Again, not in my eyes but even objectively there were better in that category.
Does any of that matter? No. The Oscars are and always have been weird in their selection of recipients so I think using the awards as a measure of anything is a lost cause. I'd wanted to see this film before it won but it did perhaps prompt me to see it in the cinema rather than at home.
I'd say it's worth seeing but I doubt it'd even make my top ten for the year. It's funny (more than I expected) but has a sentimental core. I can see how you could fall in love with the character, but if you don't make that connection I think it's hard to forgive the rest of the film just being very decent but not outstanding.
7/10
Mentioned I wanted to give this a whirl after Collateral. Purely from a technical perspective, this is a must but if you're into 4K. One of the best transfers/restorations I've seen and it brings SO MUCH to the visuals and sound. It might be my favourite looking 4k it's that good and this is a film I've seen untold times. It's that good.
The film, well, masterpiece gets thrown around alot but I think this is a perfectly acceptable word for this film. My biggest thought watching it was just how well balanced it is. That theme of balance/opposition is woven throughout the narrative in everything you're presented with and the new transfer really enhances that. From the day/night scenes, each beautifully lit and shot (Mann really is a master of shooting at night, I want to beat the House of the Dragon crew to death with this disc I swear to god) to the individual narratives for Vincent and Neil of their own lives away from their "jobs", to how each deals with their own wants and needs. It's just incredible. The score; perfection. No notes.
Everyone in this is outstanding and that's no mean feat when you've got Pacino absolutely chewing threw the script giving one of his best performances. De Niro is the perfect counter to him, with his cold calculated approach to everything but doing more with a look than many could hope to portray with a page of dialogue. His last minute decision in the car on the way to his out is a great example of this as he wrestles with his priorities.
I really don't know what they're going to do with the sequel but it's been so long who knows. Nothing will ever change how great a film this is.
10/10
Anora
Jumped on the hype train with this one and caught it at the cinema. There's a lot to like here. The story is fun and heartbreaking at the same time. Mikey Madison is great, the soundtrack is excellent and it feels small and intimate.
Did I love it? No. I just didn't connect with it in the way others seem to. I liked it don't get me wrong, but there was no part I thought was a stand out. Just good al around.
Was Madison the best performance I saw from the nominations? Again, no not in my eyes. I think overlooking Moore in this instance was a shame and I thought she was incredible in The Substance.
Was it the best picture? Again, not in my eyes but even objectively there were better in that category.
Does any of that matter? No. The Oscars are and always have been weird in their selection of recipients so I think using the awards as a measure of anything is a lost cause. I'd wanted to see this film before it won but it did perhaps prompt me to see it in the cinema rather than at home.
I'd say it's worth seeing but I doubt it'd even make my top ten for the year. It's funny (more than I expected) but has a sentimental core. I can see how you could fall in love with the character, but if you don't make that connection I think it's hard to forgive the rest of the film just being very decent but not outstanding.
7/10
C5_Steve said:
Heat (4k)
Nothing will ever change how great a film this is.
10/10
That. Nothing will ever change how great a film this is.
10/10
Literal textbook for weapons handling on screen.
Anyway,
Mississippi Burning
Another Gene Hackman classic with Willem Defoe being truly excellent too. Should have been Oscar gold, but 1989, Rain Man, Dangerous Liaisons, Working Girl, Big, even A Fish Called Wanda. Now that was a really good year.
[9/10]
Get Carter
Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Halmyre said:
Get Carter
Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Top film. Caine never better.Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Unreal said:
Halmyre said:
Get Carter
Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Top film. Caine never better.Saw it on the BBC2 schedule the other night. "I'm not watching that", I thought. "I've seen it often enough. I know it back to front and inside out."
So, yes, I watched it. Again. And I'll probably watch it next time I see it's on. In fact, I might just watch it on iPlayer shortly...
Terrific film.
lauda said:
macron said:
That.
Literal textbook for weapons handling on screen.
Anyway,
I remember reading somewhere that they employed Andy McNab of Bravo Two Zero fame for the weapons training, hence why it's so realistic.Literal textbook for weapons handling on screen.
Anyway,
yellowjack said:
lauda said:
macron said:
That.
Literal textbook for weapons handling on screen.
Anyway,
I remember reading somewhere that they employed Andy McNab of Bravo Two Zero fame for the weapons training, hence why it's so realistic.Literal textbook for weapons handling on screen.
Anyway,
Conclave
Wasn't looking forward to this at the cinema if honest despite the rave reviews, but the wife wanted to see it.
Glad we went in the end and sat mesmerised by the acting for 2hrs or whatever it was!
Lots of sighing and breathing with the weight of their actions but a great insight into how its done etc.
As a big fan of Father Ted I suspect I wasn't their target audience but I did enjoy it throughout!
9/10
Wasn't looking forward to this at the cinema if honest despite the rave reviews, but the wife wanted to see it.
Glad we went in the end and sat mesmerised by the acting for 2hrs or whatever it was!
Lots of sighing and breathing with the weight of their actions but a great insight into how its done etc.
As a big fan of Father Ted I suspect I wasn't their target audience but I did enjoy it throughout!
9/10
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