This is showing at the Prince Charles cinema. However, in the end I didn't see it as it would have meant going into town again; I'd already gone in in the morning to buy a mop and bucket - I had misgivings about that because I figured Danny the landlord should be buying it as it's his place, but then I figured I could use it at my folks' place if and when I moved...
"Last Film Not Seen" {[]
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Annoying film about annoying well-off New Yorkers who try to put their neuroses aside to mate with other people within their accepted social group who are as annoying as they are, and have nothing else to whine about except how their lives lack meaning. Poncey shower of ****. Avoid like a squirrel with a chainsaw.
After their existential road trip in the first films, the duo tackle politics with the kind of profundity and insight that Dan Same could only dream about. I won't spoil it for anybody by revealing any of the set-ups, but this had me in stitches. Neil Patrick Harris reprises his role from the first film, playing a parody of himself as a drug and booze fuelled hedonist, that steals the movie. Easily the most thoughtful film about life in a post-9/11 world to be made so far.
Definately one of the - surprisingly for me - most fun films so far this year. Surpassed only by "Son of Rambow." "Priceless" was really exceptional also.
This is showing at the Prince Charles cinema. However, in the end I didn't see it as it would have meant going into town again; I'd already gone in in the morning to buy a mop and bucket - I had misgivings about that because I figured Danny the landlord should be buying it as it's his place, but then I figured I could use it at my folks' place if and when I moved...
) ) ) Only you could write an absolutely irrevevant post and make it funny.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Saw most of this Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg vehicle. Fell short because, as my landlord Danny pointed out, it should really stay within its time ie Victorian. There's probably a reason why nuclear bombs and fighter aircraft couldn't take out these tripods and I missed it, but technology has moved on.
Also, Cruise just has less appeal to me now. Not just his eccentric/vaguely odd personal life but back then he was 'the man' because of his kudos at the box office. Now he doesn't have that ( actually he and Beckham have a fair bit in common) and he doesn't have the gravitas for this kind of movie. Not being shortist, but seeing his teen son tower over him is a bit offputting too. And the finale
when his 'dead' son reappears despite having been lost in a Hierynomous Bosch hell of burning fire
was ludicrous.
Still, some genuinly creepy moments in it. Didn't quite get why people were crowding onto a ferry, or how the Cruiser had the road to himself for so much of the time.
The Six Million Dollar Man - The Solid Gold Kidnapping
Third pilot (how many did they need?) of sub-Bond hokum featuring our inexpressive hero. This one featured a soft-focussed Luciana Paluzzi of Thunderball fame, 10 years on. But of the two 45-minute episodes, she wasn't in the first one and had only five mins of the second!
Competent direction but still a bit squiffy. You can see why Roger Moore was such a hit, he was like Lee Majors but with a personality! Poor, limited use of Steve Austin's bionic powers however.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
FelixLeiter ♀Staffordshire or a pubPosts: 1,286MI6 Agent
Flash Gordon
This was the first time I'd seen the film all the way through, though it turned out I had seen most of it.
Alright, so I knew it was incredibly cheesy and possibly in many senses one of the worst superhero movies ever made...
But I love it!
The Queen soundtrack certainly makes it all the better and though everything in the entire movie is completely ridiculous, I still thought it was great.
This was the first time I'd seen the film all the way through, though it turned out I had seen most of it.
Alright, so I knew it was incredibly cheesy and possibly in many senses one of the worst superhero movies ever made...
But I love it!
The Queen soundtrack certainly makes it all the better and though everything in the entire movie is completely ridiculous, I still thought it was great.
Have any of you seen this? I got in free because I was doing a cinema feature and the manager of the 02 cinema in North Greenwich said, you're welcome to catch the film. It was on Screen 11, the largest in London. {[]
I enjoyed it and wasn't bored ever, but it did sort of seem something of nothing. About 20 mins in it's like, okay, here's the Joker doing his thing again, what's the angle? Turned out Nolan has it as a heavy handed allegory on the war on terror, which I didn't find too convincing. I mean, you could just off the Joker in this film and problem solved to a large degree, whereas if you off an al Quaida leader like Bin Laden there would still be loads of suicide bombers out there...
It had a bit of the problem of Superman II in that it seems they've tired of the hero very early on and he's thinking of turning it all in to be 'normal'. That's the problem with doing the whole coming-of-age thing, where do you go from there? QoS might suffer in a similar way, the day-to-day heroics may start to seem a bit so-what?.
Maggie G has a face like the back of a spoon, Bale has a face seen through a fish-eye lens. They looked more goonish than the Joker.
As for the Joker, well I wasn't blown away by Heath Ledger performance, which at times was simply how Michael Keaton would have played it had he been cast as the purple freak rather than the Dark Knight back in the day. Ledger's Joker has a bit of the Beetlejuice about him, other times it's Brando in one of his flamboyant roles, or a bit hulking Philip Seymore Hoffman. I meet weirder people while out freelancing. There's never any joy to any of his joking, he doesn't seem to really get off on it that much or giggle convincingly or weirdly. His drag outfit reminded me of Bobby Davro dressed up or something.
Overall I think that Nolan's direction lacks visual flair for all this, it's too heavygoing. It started to feel like a busy day at the office where you're tied up with work and home issues, and it's all a bit rushed but banal at the same time. There's just too much going on. And was it all meant as an apology for Dubya? That Batman becomes unpopular for standing up to scum?
Edit: I've posted this also in the Dark Knight thread so you can respond to it there, save two threads going.
George Clooney vehicle in which he plays a 'fixer' at a law firm, disparagingly referred to as 'the janitor'. He had legal ambitions but got sidelined; his boss (the late Sydney Pollack) is a mix of bluff amiability and hardnosed ruthlessness characteristic of the actor's roles.
I liked it, it's grown up stuff. But -sigh - it didn't make it easy for you. It's one of those films where you feel like you're eavesdropping on conversations at a social gathering and no one's gonna make eye contact to ease you in. You have to pick it up as it goes along. I'd had a drink or two before and needed another drink to understand it.
Clooney's character has to step in when one of their top-rated lawyers goes barmy.
Wasn't sold on the ending
where Clooney wears a wire to get Tilda Swinton to 'fess up - because she just seems to be going along with his suggestions for more cash, she didn't seem to incriminate herself too much; she could talk herself out of it later I'd imagine
Double feature: Ironman and The Incredible Hulk. Makes for a nice evening, interesting that both depict the US Army/weapons research in rather a bad light, yet by the end the military is helping the superhero against the bad apple.
Electric guitar should be mandatory in all superhero film scores.
Well, I can't be cheerful about this, so look away now if that's a problem...
I took my Mum to see this, one of her few trips to the cinema, but boy... You'll know it's set in a post sort-of apocalyptic world, where a 'cute' robot is cleaning up Earth, or crushing metal into little square slabs, like the fate of my near namesake in Goldfinger. Then a snazzy white supposedly female robot arrives on Earth, zapping things.
Problem was, I didn't like Wall-E the robot. Or his love interest; I might as well log on to a porn site to watch a dustbin humping a dalek for all the pleasure it would give me. Wall-E seemed too desperate the whole time, like a stray cat you might feed but then kind of wish he'd go away. The newer white robot seemed a stupid cow, like a bossy sort showing up at the office one day and ordering people about. Naturally Wall-E falls in love, and when she laughs it's like one of the Flinstones wives, all tee-hee shaking shoulders.
I got bored watching them go about their business and found the 2001 Space Odyssey reference a bit of an annoying rip-off rather than a homage.
It became a real grind, still it's mainly two characters and if you don't like 'em, that's gonna be that.
As we left the cinema, I heard one bloke say
"Those people had it all sorted, they had a great life, then those two robots came along and spoiled it all!
I would pay to see a snuff movie with Wall-E being loaded into the crusher!
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
scaramanga1The English RivieraPosts: 845Chief of Staff
Just watched a movie directed by Michael Winner in 1963 starrying Oliver Reed called "The System" Its about a gang of young men who are out to bed the female holidaymakers that visit Torbay in the summer -its a fun look at 1960s holiday culture with a slightly more serious undertone -ie whose using who -the locals or the holiday makers. As I live in Torbay myself I absolutely loved this movie -and know from my own experience that the "System" is still in use. I was also amazed at the number of places I recognised in this movie - Torbay hasn't really changed that much in forty plus years!
FelixLeiter ♀Staffordshire or a pubPosts: 1,286MI6 Agent
Miss Potter
...on BBC1. The channel was sort of just left on whilst we were all reading the papers and magazines. We'd been watching the Dad's Army thing on before lol.
It turned out to be rather good and I never really got through my magazine. It was sweet and nice, making a surprisingly welcome change from the usual action/thrillers I tend to watch.
An incredible monster movie/FX extravaganza, tailor made for the popcorn crowd. What's good about this film is it actually makes you care about the characters, rather than let the special effects take all the attraction.
It's also only 90 minutes long, and so beats similar films like Transformers and the Hollywood version of Godzilla in terms of leanness.
8/10
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
Just watched a movie directed by Michael Winner in 1963 starrying Oliver Reed called "The System" Its about a gang of young men who are out to bed the female holidaymakers that visit Torbay in the summer -its a fun look at 1960s holiday culture with a slightly more serious undertone -ie whose using who -the locals or the holiday makers. As I live in Torbay myself I absolutely loved this movie -and know from my own experience that the "System" is still in use. I was also amazed at the number of places I recognised in this movie - Torbay hasn't really changed that much in forty plus years!
I've seen this movie. It was retitled THE GIRL-GETTERS here. I don't remember much though besides Jane Merrow, an actress I love from a little film called NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT, where she literally "heats up" the entire town! (also remember her in an episode of the Saint)
Not a movie, but a wonderful 3-part internet show from Buffy maestro Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris is Billy/Dr Horrible who describes his feelings in a video blog and his intentions to impress the super-villain Bad Horse and win his place on the Evil League of Evil. But he's also a sensitive soul, and yearns after Penny, (Felicia Day who is achingly lovely) the shy girl he sees every other day at the Laundromat. But when one of his plans goes awry, it sends Penny into the arms of his nemesis, the arrogant superhero, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Like Whedon's best work, it's funny, touching and tinged with sadness. And NPH is fast becoming one of my favourite actors after this and the Harold and Kumar films. It's also a musical, and this is one of my favourite tracks.
Another Tinto Brass flick, all boobs and suspenders. But within two minutes I was disgusted and knew I wouldn't want to see the rest of it.
What fresh perversion had irked the sensibilities of AJB's prime perveyer of filth? What lewd conduct had left him speechless with dismay?
It was dubbed over with English, rather than having the original Italian with subtitles. It made a mockery of every bit of flirtatious seduction. Shame, because the cinematography was good. What would Alessandra say?
Problem was, I didn't like Wall-E the robot. Or his love interest; I might as well log on to a porn site to watch a dustbin humping a dalek for all the pleasure it would give me. Wall-E seemed too desperate the whole time, like a stray cat you might feed but then kind of wish he'd go away. The newer white robot seemed a stupid cow, like a bossy sort showing up at the office one day and ordering people about. Naturally Wall-E falls in love, and when she laughs it's like one of the Flinstones wives, all tee-hee shaking shoulders.
Funnily enough, I had the opposite reaction. I really liked the robots, and I found it quite incredible that I actually cared about these two characters even though they could barely converse with one another. I think they build the characters very well indeed (Eve a 'stupid cow'? I think not!), and I enjoyed the whole thing overall. It was good fun and made me think a little bit, although it was not quite as good as Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc.
As we left the cinema, I heard one bloke say
"Those people had it all sorted, they had a great life, then those two robots came along and spoiled it all!
You know, that is actually a very good point!
I have just come back from watching the new X Files. It is better than the critics are saying - Duchovny and Anderson (especially Anderson) are great as ever, with the chemistry coming to life again. Billy Connolly is very good also. The story is a little bit slow, I suppose, and it does often consist of Mulder - "I believe him", Scully - "I don't". That's a bit reductive though, and I did find it quite entertaining if not quite as 'supernatural' as I'd hoped for. Luckily I was able to slip back into it - I had been a hardcore X-Files fan when at school, but fell out of it around season 5 or 6. There are a couple of references I didn't quite get, but it is not like you have to have watched those episodes to understand the picture.
Oh, and while the George W joke was quite funny, it did divert somewhat from the tone of the film.
Not the fine new Depp/Burton version, but a creaky old Brit movie from 1936 with Tod Slaughter chewing the scenery and emphasising his character's villainy with every line. It's rather quaint, but didn't really hold the attention.
Facing a dull evening I went to the $1.50 second-run theater and took in The Happening. I'd say I got what I paid for. To be fair, this isn't as bad as M. Night Scam-a-man's last two movies, The Village (a bore with a ludicrous, tacked-on "surprise" ending), and especially the downright ridiculous Lady in the Water. Still, I couldn't get past the mannered, weird performances and wooden dialogue; and the story often plays like a parody of The Birds. Really--the grass and trees are conspiring to kill us? Did I really see Marky-Mark run for his life from the wind? And why was this rated R? The Dark Knight was far more violent--and scarier, for that matter. Sigh: I think it's time for M. Night Shamalamadingdong's one-trick pony to be put out to pasture.
Excellent moody black and white French film from the early 1960s, said to have ushered in the new wave. Miles Davis score, lovely shots of evening Paris. It's about a killing that goes wrong, and the killer's attempts to remedy his mistake before the police discover the body.
Loved it from the start, just the shots of the guy stepping outside his office on the balcony did it for me, it had an uplifting vibe unlike current movies. Some snags - I wasn't convinced the killer would be so foolhardy as to leave a vital bit of evidence behind, at least not the way it was filmed. But it didn't really mar my enjoyment.
You think the whole film will be about this guy's difficulties but thankfully there's an intriguing subplot which neatly dovetails with the main events.
I very much recommend this. It's a bit Hitchcockian towards the end but it has that Gallic shrug, that Kubrickesque thing where you really don't know how it will turn out, there's no safety net.
Interesting sci-fi from Mario Bava that seems to have been made on a tiny budget, yet still Bava is able to do something with it. It's not in the same league as the other Bava films I've seen, but it has some nice touches. Imagine what this guy could have done with a huge budget.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited August 2008
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK Director's Cut
Okay, I know that it bombed at the box office back in '04 but I don't care. This is a very beautifully made sci-fi movie with a great score.
I like Vin Diesel despite him getting ripped to shreds from others for being a bad actor but he seems to have made the role of Riddick his own. This film has a top notch cast, including Colm Feore playing once again a snooty villian, and great special effects.
It lulls abit in spots I'll admit but that's typical of alot of movies; some parts in it just seemed like filler material. Don't get me wrong, it's not Logan's Run by any stretch but man, do I love watching this one. I recommend the director's cut over the one that was shown in cinemas because of the 17 extra minutes added where the story melds together alot smoother.
It is arguably one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever and I'd love trying to find one of those Necromonger masks. B-)
Riddick should return in some capacity whether it's a tv show or movie. I don't think that director Twohy will be greenlit for another big budget turn when it comes to the Furyan.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Watchable sequel that improves on the awful second movie, but is nowhere near as much fun as the original. Jet Li's supposed retirement seems to be working out for him just fine. He's busier than ever.
Outpost
Now this I liked. A cheap and not so cheerful horror film with the new Punisher star, Ray Stevenson taking on a platoon of zombified Nazi's. It's grim, but effective stuff, and Stevenson looks like he'll do just fine as Frank Castle.
Documentary about the new wave band, culled from drummer Stewart Copeland's Super 8 home movies on the road. It's nearly scuppered by Copeland's present-day, gee-whizz narrative, which is square and self-regarding. It's like being followed around by an American dad when you're round your mate's house, you keep hoping he'll disappear so you can raid the fridge for beers and watch Chuck's Jenna Jameson flick.
Eventually Copeland shuts up and the footage takes on a real quirky charm, the blonds larking about like moptop Beatles in negative, though you sometimes wonder if bands were always like that or if having a camera were the equivalent of larking about for a facebook picture today.
Some good music and Copeland is interesting about the bad effects of fame towards the end. It doesn't outstay its welcome at just 70 mins.
Jet Li's supposed retirement seems to be working out for him just fine. He's busier than ever.
I know, isn't it awesome?
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Michael Haneke's US remake of his German movie. I got the point the first time around, and Haneke is a tiresome bore.
Ah, JD, I wish you'd written more. Maybe you would have inspired me to take that movie out of my Netflix queue and thus I'd have been saved the pain of watching it last night. I'd never seen the Austrian original and I didn't know what I was in for. What a contemptible film--a nihilistic, sadistic, degrading, pitiless and pretentious piece of trash that actually condemns the viewer for even watching it. I was wondering how Naomi Watts could consent to being so viciously degraded on film, but, hell, she actually produced this thing! Some people on IMDb are whining that critics of the film just don't get it--well, I got its message; I just think it was delivered badly. Avoid.
Netflix? Guess that's the US equivalent of lovefilm. Hey HB, that might explain why you've had the occassional run of bad films. Going back over my rented movies, I was surprised at how few I've rated 4 stars or more. I tend to get lured into renting curiosities.
The beginning of The Matador on telly. Brosnan is terrific in this and it starts really well. Cinematography is great - it's by the DAD guy! Those colours work better with terracotta tones. But it falls down because I just couldn't believe in the relationship between the killer and the salesman, it's not plausible after Julian Noble's tactless outbursts. It could have worked; have Greg Kinnear as a lonelier type, saddled with a snitty, soulless work colleague - then you'd believe he could hook up with the charismatic Noble just for the kicks. I think David Hyde Pierce would have been better in the Kinnear role, funnier. As it was, the awkward moments you really felt were awkward but the funny moments never really took off. Shame.
Comments
"Last Film Not Seen" {[]
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Annoying film about annoying well-off New Yorkers who try to put their neuroses aside to mate with other people within their accepted social group who are as annoying as they are, and have nothing else to whine about except how their lives lack meaning. Poncey shower of ****. Avoid like a squirrel with a chainsaw.
Saw most of this Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg vehicle. Fell short because, as my landlord Danny pointed out, it should really stay within its time ie Victorian. There's probably a reason why nuclear bombs and fighter aircraft couldn't take out these tripods and I missed it, but technology has moved on.
Also, Cruise just has less appeal to me now. Not just his eccentric/vaguely odd personal life but back then he was 'the man' because of his kudos at the box office. Now he doesn't have that ( actually he and Beckham have a fair bit in common) and he doesn't have the gravitas for this kind of movie. Not being shortist, but seeing his teen son tower over him is a bit offputting too. And the finale
Still, some genuinly creepy moments in it. Didn't quite get why people were crowding onto a ferry, or how the Cruiser had the road to himself for so much of the time.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace
The original trilogy is by far the best. Untouchable. Revenge of the Sith was the best of the prequels, and the other two were nothing special.
Third pilot (how many did they need?) of sub-Bond hokum featuring our inexpressive hero. This one featured a soft-focussed Luciana Paluzzi of Thunderball fame, 10 years on. But of the two 45-minute episodes, she wasn't in the first one and had only five mins of the second!
Competent direction but still a bit squiffy. You can see why Roger Moore was such a hit, he was like Lee Majors but with a personality! Poor, limited use of Steve Austin's bionic powers however.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
This was the first time I'd seen the film all the way through, though it turned out I had seen most of it.
Alright, so I knew it was incredibly cheesy and possibly in many senses one of the worst superhero movies ever made...
But I love it!
The Queen soundtrack certainly makes it all the better and though everything in the entire movie is completely ridiculous, I still thought it was great.
Have any of you seen this? I got in free because I was doing a cinema feature and the manager of the 02 cinema in North Greenwich said, you're welcome to catch the film. It was on Screen 11, the largest in London. {[]
I enjoyed it and wasn't bored ever, but it did sort of seem something of nothing. About 20 mins in it's like, okay, here's the Joker doing his thing again, what's the angle? Turned out Nolan has it as a heavy handed allegory on the war on terror, which I didn't find too convincing. I mean, you could just off the Joker in this film and problem solved to a large degree, whereas if you off an al Quaida leader like Bin Laden there would still be loads of suicide bombers out there...
It had a bit of the problem of Superman II in that it seems they've tired of the hero very early on and he's thinking of turning it all in to be 'normal'. That's the problem with doing the whole coming-of-age thing, where do you go from there? QoS might suffer in a similar way, the day-to-day heroics may start to seem a bit so-what?.
Maggie G has a face like the back of a spoon, Bale has a face seen through a fish-eye lens. They looked more goonish than the Joker.
As for the Joker, well I wasn't blown away by Heath Ledger performance, which at times was simply how Michael Keaton would have played it had he been cast as the purple freak rather than the Dark Knight back in the day. Ledger's Joker has a bit of the Beetlejuice about him, other times it's Brando in one of his flamboyant roles, or a bit hulking Philip Seymore Hoffman. I meet weirder people while out freelancing. There's never any joy to any of his joking, he doesn't seem to really get off on it that much or giggle convincingly or weirdly. His drag outfit reminded me of Bobby Davro dressed up or something.
Overall I think that Nolan's direction lacks visual flair for all this, it's too heavygoing. It started to feel like a busy day at the office where you're tied up with work and home issues, and it's all a bit rushed but banal at the same time. There's just too much going on. And was it all meant as an apology for Dubya? That Batman becomes unpopular for standing up to scum?
Edit: I've posted this also in the Dark Knight thread so you can respond to it there, save two threads going.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
George Clooney vehicle in which he plays a 'fixer' at a law firm, disparagingly referred to as 'the janitor'. He had legal ambitions but got sidelined; his boss (the late Sydney Pollack) is a mix of bluff amiability and hardnosed ruthlessness characteristic of the actor's roles.
I liked it, it's grown up stuff. But -sigh - it didn't make it easy for you. It's one of those films where you feel like you're eavesdropping on conversations at a social gathering and no one's gonna make eye contact to ease you in. You have to pick it up as it goes along. I'd had a drink or two before and needed another drink to understand it.
Clooney's character has to step in when one of their top-rated lawyers goes barmy.
Wasn't sold on the ending
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Electric guitar should be mandatory in all superhero film scores.
Well, I can't be cheerful about this, so look away now if that's a problem...
I took my Mum to see this, one of her few trips to the cinema, but boy... You'll know it's set in a post sort-of apocalyptic world, where a 'cute' robot is cleaning up Earth, or crushing metal into little square slabs, like the fate of my near namesake in Goldfinger. Then a snazzy white supposedly female robot arrives on Earth, zapping things.
Problem was, I didn't like Wall-E the robot. Or his love interest; I might as well log on to a porn site to watch a dustbin humping a dalek for all the pleasure it would give me. Wall-E seemed too desperate the whole time, like a stray cat you might feed but then kind of wish he'd go away. The newer white robot seemed a stupid cow, like a bossy sort showing up at the office one day and ordering people about. Naturally Wall-E falls in love, and when she laughs it's like one of the Flinstones wives, all tee-hee shaking shoulders.
I got bored watching them go about their business and found the 2001 Space Odyssey reference a bit of an annoying rip-off rather than a homage.
It became a real grind, still it's mainly two characters and if you don't like 'em, that's gonna be that.
As we left the cinema, I heard one bloke say
I would pay to see a snuff movie with Wall-E being loaded into the crusher!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
...on BBC1. The channel was sort of just left on whilst we were all reading the papers and magazines. We'd been watching the Dad's Army thing on before lol.
It turned out to be rather good and I never really got through my magazine.
An incredible monster movie/FX extravaganza, tailor made for the popcorn crowd. What's good about this film is it actually makes you care about the characters, rather than let the special effects take all the attraction.
It's also only 90 minutes long, and so beats similar films like Transformers and the Hollywood version of Godzilla in terms of leanness.
8/10
Not a movie, but a wonderful 3-part internet show from Buffy maestro Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris is Billy/Dr Horrible who describes his feelings in a video blog and his intentions to impress the super-villain Bad Horse and win his place on the Evil League of Evil. But he's also a sensitive soul, and yearns after Penny, (Felicia Day who is achingly lovely) the shy girl he sees every other day at the Laundromat. But when one of his plans goes awry, it sends Penny into the arms of his nemesis, the arrogant superhero, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Like Whedon's best work, it's funny, touching and tinged with sadness. And NPH is fast becoming one of my favourite actors after this and the Harold and Kumar films. It's also a musical, and this is one of my favourite tracks.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKm7mxGV6w&feature=related
Another Tinto Brass flick, all boobs and suspenders. But within two minutes I was disgusted and knew I wouldn't want to see the rest of it.
What fresh perversion had irked the sensibilities of AJB's prime perveyer of filth? What lewd conduct had left him speechless with dismay?
It was dubbed over with English, rather than having the original Italian with subtitles. It made a mockery of every bit of flirtatious seduction. Shame, because the cinematography was good. What would Alessandra say?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You know, that is actually a very good point!
I have just come back from watching the new X Files. It is better than the critics are saying - Duchovny and Anderson (especially Anderson) are great as ever, with the chemistry coming to life again. Billy Connolly is very good also. The story is a little bit slow, I suppose, and it does often consist of Mulder - "I believe him", Scully - "I don't". That's a bit reductive though, and I did find it quite entertaining if not quite as 'supernatural' as I'd hoped for. Luckily I was able to slip back into it - I had been a hardcore X-Files fan when at school, but fell out of it around season 5 or 6. There are a couple of references I didn't quite get, but it is not like you have to have watched those episodes to understand the picture.
Oh, and while the George W joke was quite funny, it did divert somewhat from the tone of the film.
Not the fine new Depp/Burton version, but a creaky old Brit movie from 1936 with Tod Slaughter chewing the scenery and emphasising his character's villainy with every line. It's rather quaint, but didn't really hold the attention.
Excellent moody black and white French film from the early 1960s, said to have ushered in the new wave. Miles Davis score, lovely shots of evening Paris. It's about a killing that goes wrong, and the killer's attempts to remedy his mistake before the police discover the body.
Loved it from the start, just the shots of the guy stepping outside his office on the balcony did it for me, it had an uplifting vibe unlike current movies. Some snags - I wasn't convinced the killer would be so foolhardy as to leave a vital bit of evidence behind, at least not the way it was filmed. But it didn't really mar my enjoyment.
You think the whole film will be about this guy's difficulties but thankfully there's an intriguing subplot which neatly dovetails with the main events.
I very much recommend this. It's a bit Hitchcockian towards the end but it has that Gallic shrug, that Kubrickesque thing where you really don't know how it will turn out, there's no safety net.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Interesting sci-fi from Mario Bava that seems to have been made on a tiny budget, yet still Bava is able to do something with it. It's not in the same league as the other Bava films I've seen, but it has some nice touches. Imagine what this guy could have done with a huge budget.
Okay, I know that it bombed at the box office back in '04 but I don't care. This is a very beautifully made sci-fi movie with a great score.
I like Vin Diesel despite him getting ripped to shreds from others for being a bad actor but he seems to have made the role of Riddick his own. This film has a top notch cast, including Colm Feore playing once again a snooty villian, and great special effects.
It lulls abit in spots I'll admit but that's typical of alot of movies; some parts in it just seemed like filler material. Don't get me wrong, it's not Logan's Run by any stretch but man, do I love watching this one. I recommend the director's cut over the one that was shown in cinemas because of the 17 extra minutes added where the story melds together alot smoother.
It is arguably one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever and I'd love trying to find one of those Necromonger masks. B-)
Riddick should return in some capacity whether it's a tv show or movie. I don't think that director Twohy will be greenlit for another big budget turn when it comes to the Furyan.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Watchable sequel that improves on the awful second movie, but is nowhere near as much fun as the original. Jet Li's supposed retirement seems to be working out for him just fine. He's busier than ever.
Outpost
Now this I liked. A cheap and not so cheerful horror film with the new Punisher star, Ray Stevenson taking on a platoon of zombified Nazi's. It's grim, but effective stuff, and Stevenson looks like he'll do just fine as Frank Castle.
Documentary about the new wave band, culled from drummer Stewart Copeland's Super 8 home movies on the road. It's nearly scuppered by Copeland's present-day, gee-whizz narrative, which is square and self-regarding. It's like being followed around by an American dad when you're round your mate's house, you keep hoping he'll disappear so you can raid the fridge for beers and watch Chuck's Jenna Jameson flick.
Eventually Copeland shuts up and the footage takes on a real quirky charm, the blonds larking about like moptop Beatles in negative, though you sometimes wonder if bands were always like that or if having a camera were the equivalent of larking about for a facebook picture today.
Some good music and Copeland is interesting about the bad effects of fame towards the end. It doesn't outstay its welcome at just 70 mins.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Ah, JD, I wish you'd written more. Maybe you would have inspired me to take that movie out of my Netflix queue and thus I'd have been saved the pain of watching it last night. I'd never seen the Austrian original and I didn't know what I was in for. What a contemptible film--a nihilistic, sadistic, degrading, pitiless and pretentious piece of trash that actually condemns the viewer for even watching it. I was wondering how Naomi Watts could consent to being so viciously degraded on film, but, hell, she actually produced this thing! Some people on IMDb are whining that critics of the film just don't get it--well, I got its message; I just think it was delivered badly. Avoid.
The beginning of The Matador on telly. Brosnan is terrific in this and it starts really well. Cinematography is great - it's by the DAD guy! Those colours work better with terracotta tones. But it falls down because I just couldn't believe in the relationship between the killer and the salesman, it's not plausible after Julian Noble's tactless outbursts. It could have worked; have Greg Kinnear as a lonelier type, saddled with a snitty, soulless work colleague - then you'd believe he could hook up with the charismatic Noble just for the kicks. I think David Hyde Pierce would have been better in the Kinnear role, funnier. As it was, the awkward moments you really felt were awkward but the funny moments never really took off. Shame.
Roger Moore 1927-2017