Watched 'Das Boot' last night on Blu Ray. I was going to watch this over two nights as it is about 200 minutes but was riveted to the screen so watched it in the one sitting. What an absolute cracker of a film. I really didn't know what to expect so had an open mind and in my opinion this is a seriously good film. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. Don't get put off by the subtitles - made no difference.
"Everyone knows rock n' roll attained perfection in 1974; It's a scientific fact". - Homer J Simpson
A couple of films that, I've never actually seen before. Luckily a mate
loaned me a couple of old DVDs, so I can now say I have seen ...... Fear is the Key and Puppet on a string. -{ both excellent thrillers.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Despised it. It's an overstuffed fan film that is more concerned about checking off origin requirements than in telling a compelling story. It also completely fails to understand what Han, as a character, is. Instead of treating him like a rogue/scoundrel, he's given a typical hero's journey. Han is NOT a hero, he's a rogue with a moral compass.
The train heist and the Kessel run action sequences are well done and somewhat thrilling, but the rest of the movie really doesn't work. The first half hour, in particular, is a mess where characters are introduced willy nilly and aren't given anything to do that would allow the viewer to connect with them.
Wait for blu ray on this one.
Hmm after the superb Rogue One spin off I had a bad feeling about this one.
I honestly think Disney have already burned out Star Wars after the very poor Last Jedi and mediocre Force Awakens. Dread to think what the next installment will be like
yeh Rogue One is the only one that I thought was a genuinely good story.
Plotwise all they had to achieve was get the plans to Leia in time for the original film to begin. That aside, they were free to tell a proper story, and I thought they did that "classic influences" thing better than any of the sequels ever attempted.
Revenge of the Sith I remember as being a really badly told story for the same reasons Gymkata argues above, the entire last hour was devoted to clumsily tying up plot threads to set up the original film. Oh by the way, one of the wookies is named Chewbacca, now lets wipe the memories of the droids because people have been complaining about that plot-hole for six years. What about Obi-Wan's memory? why didn't he recognise the droids in the first film? do we have time to explain that too? oops its time for the closing credits already, let's hope fans wont notice.
Despised it. It's an overstuffed fan film that is more concerned about checking off origin requirements than in telling a compelling story. It also completely fails to understand what Han, as a character, is. Instead of treating him like a rogue/scoundrel, he's given a typical hero's journey. Han is NOT a hero, he's a rogue with a moral compass.
The train heist and the Kessel run action sequences are well done and somewhat thrilling, but the rest of the movie really doesn't work. The first half hour, in particular, is a mess where characters are introduced willy nilly and aren't given anything to do that would allow the viewer to connect with them.
Wait for blu ray on this one.
Hmm after the superb Rogue One spin off I had a bad feeling about this one.
I honestly think Disney have already burned out Star Wars after the very poor Last Jedi and mediocre Force Awakens. Dread to think what the next installment will be like
I'm with you, I loved Rogue One. I'm glad it took itself a little more seriously then the new trilogy films. Force Awakens was fun but was nothing new and the less said about the last jedi the better.
Despised it. It's an overstuffed fan film that is more concerned about checking off origin requirements than in telling a compelling story. It also completely fails to understand what Han, as a character, is. Instead of treating him like a rogue/scoundrel, he's given a typical hero's journey. Han is NOT a hero, he's a rogue with a moral compass.
The train heist and the Kessel run action sequences are well done and somewhat thrilling, but the rest of the movie really doesn't work. The first half hour, in particular, is a mess where characters are introduced willy nilly and aren't given anything to do that would allow the viewer to connect with them.
Wait for blu ray on this one.
Hmm after the superb Rogue One spin off I had a bad feeling about this one.
I honestly think Disney have already burned out Star Wars after the very poor Last Jedi and mediocre Force Awakens. Dread to think what the next installment will be like
I'm with you, I loved Rogue One. I'm glad it took itself a little more seriously then the new trilogy films. Force Awakens was fun but was nothing new and the less said about the last jedi the better.
I'm not sure I've seen the same films as you two. I took in SOLO today and indeed I'm one of those who absolutely loved it. I thought it was wall-to-wall fun (but I will admit that the last act dragged a bit), and I was surprised by how quickly I bought Ehrenreich in the role I thought only Harrison Ford could play. I enjoyed the caper element of the film, and I also liked Ron Howard's winks to not only other SW movies but to films like Paths of Glory and The Eiger Sanction.
I suspect that much of the dislike--not necessarily from you two gents--is from the Fanboy community, which is outraged that there isn't one mention of The Force or of Darth Vader, that Han Solo is actually something of an idealist, and that there is scarcely a light saber in sight. More than that, the film exists entirely outside the rest of the series--it's nice to see how Han and Chewie met and how Han got the Falcon, but none of these impact the arc of the saga. I say, see it for what it is: a good time at the movies.
Hmm after the superb Rogue One spin off I had a bad feeling about this one.
I honestly think Disney have already burned out Star Wars after the very poor Last Jedi and mediocre Force Awakens. Dread to think what the next installment will be like
I'm with you, I loved Rogue One. I'm glad it took itself a little more seriously then the new trilogy films. Force Awakens was fun but was nothing new and the less said about the last jedi the better.
I'm not sure I've seen the same films as you two. I took in SOLO today and indeed I'm one of those who absolutely loved it. I thought it was wall-to-wall fun (but I will admit that the last act dragged a bit), and I was surprised by how quickly I bought Ehrenreich in the role I thought only Harrison Ford could play. I enjoyed the caper element of the film, and I also liked Ron Howard's winks to not only other SW movies but to films like Paths of Glory and The Eiger Sanction.
I suspect that much of the dislike--not necessarily from you two gents--is from the Fanboy community, which is outraged that there isn't one mention of The Force or of Darth Vader, that Han Solo is actually something of an idealist, and that there is scarcely a light saber in sight. More than that, the film exists entirely outside the rest of the series--it's nice to see how Han and Chewie met and how Han got the Falcon, but none of these impact the arc of the saga. I say, see it for what it is: a good time at the movies.
I still have yet to see it but I absolutely love the bits of the score that I've heard. Much prefer it to Williams own Disney SW scores.
Very average film despite being directed by Spielberg and staring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
Tom Hanks I always enjoy but I am finding it increasingly difficult to watch Streep. I find her acting very effected. Never got the hype and it is now irritating me immensely that she just turns up in a film and gets an Oscar nom. There was absolutely nothing special about her performance in this. NOTHING !!
...Meryl Streep... I find her acting very effected. Never got the hype and it is now irritating me immensely that she just turns up in a film and gets an Oscar nom. There was absolutely nothing special about her performance in this. NOTHING !!
you might appreciate the episode of SCTV where Meryl Streep (played by Catherine O'Hara with a pointy prosthetic nose) gets blowed up real good!
I sure wish Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok were still around to keep blowing up pretentious celebrities they don't like, I bet there's more today than ever before in Earth's history.
Alien on bluray. I bought the boxset with all 6 films so will be watching them all in order. Been a while since I have seen the original. Brilliant film and for me still Ridley Scott's finest hour. May be even a better film than Cameron's sequel which I have seen more often. I am however dreading watching Alien3, but I have yet to see the Director's cut.
On a recent comedy show, someone pointed out how some actors are suited mainly to
one role and not another. As an example he used "Jayne Eyre" with Danny Dyre.
" Good day to you Mr Rochester, on this fine morning "
" You What ! Leave it out, you Slag, you're doing my head in ! "
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,762Chief of Staff
Watched the original Mission Impossible trilogy, and I have to say, it's a tossup between 2 and 3 being my favourites.
2 feels more like a complication of the best elements of mid-late 90s action movies while 3 feels like the better made movie.
1, IDK.
I like it and can definitely see its appeal but it felt too B-Movie-ish in parts.
Certain sets took me out of the experience but the high wire-act was stunningly well done.
I caught this with my brother today and we both ended up enjoying it. Make no mistake, there is nothing particularly original about the story here as it is very much an origin adventure that is content with showing us how Han got many of his familiar trademarks. But the cast has undeniable chemistry with one another, Alden Ehenreich and Donald Glover do a good job of channeling Han and Lando's swagger and mannerisms without resorting to imitation, the action sequences are well staged, and after the hopelessly derivative Force Awakens and annoying deconstruction of Last Jedi, it was refreshing to see a Star Wars movie that didn't try to subvert the mythos it is based on and had characters that behaved the way you hoped and expected them to. Maybe not the most innovative approach, but definitely a more satisfying one for a couple of older fans like us. About my only real issue was that the movie was visibly dark and murky for much of its running time; hopefully that was more due to the projection than actual cinematography.
I watched all the Boyle films my library has. They only had about half of them, so there's a bunch I missed.
Trainspotting - the only one I'd seen before, and y'all should too. Always thought it was awesome. Hilarious and cleverly structured. We always talk about the Bond references, but even better for a music geek is all the references to, and music from, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, and New Order. I must say it does glamourize heroin use, though, despite the dead baby scene. I was living in Vancouver in the 1990s when a flood of unusually pure heroin swept through the downtown east side and quite a few people I knew and liked did not make it, so I don't appreciate certain rock stars, or writers like William Burroughs, or stylish filmmakers making junkies look cool.
Millions - Basically a children's film with a Christian message. Some of it reminds me of the films of Wes Anderson, without the dysfunctional families. A lot of these Boyle films deal with the question of what would you really do if you suddenly came into a huge amount of money. Not much relevant to how he'd do a Bondfilm.
Slumdog Millionaire - The other really big one, can't believe I missed it when it won all the awards.Again huge stacks of money and the logic of a children's story. One Connery joke. Anything else Bond relevant? Well I'd love to see him do a remake of Octopussy. Our Octopussy depicts a 19th century fantasyland India where Indians are almost invisible and wealthy white folk live in the palaces. This looks a bit more like I understand India to be. Vast labyrinthine slums, gangsters living in gated mansions, towering highrise developments paving over the slums, call centre job markets, a shallow and easily duped tourist trade.
Not glamourous enough for the traditional escapist Bond travel experience, but I am certainly ready for more real-life globetrotting in our films, meaning well used locations where we actually learn something about another part of the world.
127 Hours - I turned it off after 15 minutes when I realised what real life story was being adapted. Sorry, I'm a wuss. Even though I could watch Kingsmen, but that's makebelieve. But from those 15 minutes I really liked the way he filmed the cave scenes, gave a much more persuasive experience of spelunking than did the cave scene in QoS.
Trance - A bit of Inception, a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. By far the trippiest of his films, and cleverly plays with our expectations of who is the good guy etc. A film experience mediated by a very unreliable narrator, which is usually a literary trick. And its a gangster film, guns and chases and torture, so that's all relevant.
hmmm, there's a Fleming story where Bond has amnesia that is yet to be adapted, maybe that's Boyles big idea?
Steve Jobs - the one I assumed would be a bore turned out to be very good indeed. Very theatrical, literally a three act play that takes place entirely backstage of three staged events, intercut with flashbacks, so therefor like certain old Hollywood films (eg All About Eve). Yet its about the guy behind the bloody iPhone, who singlehandedly created much of the world we live in today for better or worse. Michael Fassbender plays Jobs like a fascist who correctly guesses what the public really wants is no choice (excuse me I'm not a mac guy).
And very much like Elliot Carver. Otherwise maybe not much we can use for Bond25, we don't want a Bond film that is this talky. oh, maybe the technobabble, which was near constant but very easy to follow.
T2 - Big satisfying sequel, Renton is back after 20 years of training Anakin Skywalker and the consequent fall of the Republic, and gets the old gang back together again. Updated reprise of the Choose Life monolog (which in itself reprises the themes of the Jobs film). Showstopping duet by Renton and SickBoy called "No More Catholics".
Only one big and one little Bond reference though.
Robert Carlyle is again freakin terrifying, and reminds me his role as Renard was so much lesser. Sort of like the Christopher Waltz of his decade?
so you other agents will have to watch the rest of Boyle's films and tell us if they contain anything useful for Bond25. I'm particularly curious about The Beach because I did read the book, and it was full of learned Tintin references and other adventure travel fiction, like Apocalypse Now. There could be some Bond references in there perhaps?
I watched these the last 3 nights. Very enjoyable films and an easy watch. Lots to like. I thought the films were very well cast; Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine were all excellent in their respective roles. And Morgan Freeman is well, I can't remember a film I haven't enjoyed watching him in - brilliant actor.
I thought the films were very well shot and they had a nice darker edge for a super hero movie. A bit violent in parts but I've seen a lot worse. In my opinion the first two were excellent and the third was very good - but the last one dragged a bit and seemed a bit over the top.
Finally I thought the music was fantastic and was very apt for the films. -{
"Everyone knows rock n' roll attained perfection in 1974; It's a scientific fact". - Homer J Simpson
Hitchcock's breakthrough hit in America, and a good one. The eerie Mrs Danvers, housekeeper of Mandalay, is the Irma Bunt type again, though watching her I was put in mind of Ruth Madoc's Gladys Pugh in Hi-de-Hi, the way she goes very still, and the jealous streak. Olivier in this must have been the model for Dirk Bogarde, his voice sounds exactly the same and the mannerisms too. Joan Fontaine v good too.
Mission Impossible 1-3
Getting ready for MI:6, I started rewatching a series I neglected to look at seriously.
Being a fan of espionage films, I quite enjoyed the first one.
While it may be sacrilege for many of you here, I thought it played much like a funnier From Russia With Love.
Only gripe I had was that the sets didn't feel real enough and felt more like a 60s level of "realistic" than a 90s one.
And also Jean Reno as Krieger, who didn't fit or act the description of the character at all. Well, not like Ving Rhames; a natural.
The second one, I finally understood the comparisons made with GoldenEye and the whole setup and execution of the action felt a little bit all over the place. Definitely a film of its time and Woo directed it well; pigeons included. Might even be my favourite out of the three. Then there's the third one, which, unlike the others, I'd seen no footage of. It wooed me on how well made it actually was, even if this is the only one where the setup for each and every one of the impossible tasks started to drag. By the third time, it felt very cliched. As was some of the acting by Cruise particularly in the house-party scenes. Had they dove right into the action, it would've made a much more compelling stunt to see. And, finally, the story played out more like a Die Hard film than a MI one up until that point.
While it may seem that I've over nitpicked the third one, it's undoubtedly the best out of the three, even if two remains a favourite and sort of a guilty pleasure.
Out of the Zimmer scores, the second one I'd rate as the best.
It didn't feel like Zimmer. Maybe he was more imaginative back in those days.
Mission Impossible 1-3
Getting ready for MI:6, I started rewatching a series I neglected to look at seriously.
Being a fan of espionage films, I quite enjoyed the first one.
While it may be sacrilege for many of you here, I thought it played much like a funnier From Russia With Love.
Only gripe I had was that the sets didn't feel real enough and felt more like a 60s level of "realistic" than a 90s one.
And also Jean Reno as Krieger, who didn't fit or act the description of the character at all. Well, not like Ving Rhames; a natural.
The second one, I finally understood the comparisons made with GoldenEye and the whole setup and execution of the action felt a little bit all over the place. Definitely a film of its time and Woo directed it well; pigeons included. Might even be my favourite out of the three. Then there's the third one, which, unlike the others, I'd seen no footage of. It wooed me on how well made it actually was, even if this is the only one where the setup for each and every one of the impossible tasks started to drag. By the third time, it felt very cliched. As was some of the acting by Cruise particularly in the house-party scenes. Had they dove right into the action, it would've made a much more compelling stunt to see. And, finally, the story played out more like a Die Hard film than a MI one up until that point.
While it may seem that I've over nitpicked the third one, it's undoubtedly the best out of the three, even if two remains a favourite and sort of a guilty pleasure.
Out of the Zimmer scores, the second one I'd rate as the best.
It didn't feel like Zimmer. Maybe he was more imaginative back in those days.
Zimmer only scored MI:2, Danny Elfman did the first and Michael Giacchino did the third. But like you the second is probably my favorite even though its definitely a product of the early 2000's. It's refreshing because its the one MI film where Hunt doesn't go rogue and is actually working for IMF the whole film.
I'll leave my thoughts when I get around to GP and RN in the weekend.
M:I2 felt the OTT Bond-ish-est out of the bunch and maybe that's why I like it so much.
Late 90s/Early 2000s films were trying to outdo one another year after year and considering the time frame and its competing Bond films of that time, it's an all-out success.
Or maybe I just like Woo's Chow Yun Fat films too much.
I know about the Burj sequence on Ghost. Did you see it in IMAX, Gymkata?
Also, thanks M:I2, Iko Iko is stuck in my head again.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
About my only real issue was that the movie was visibly dark and murky for much of its running time; hopefully that was more due to the projection than actual cinematography.
I agree pretty much with the review, and I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected too... I honestly thought it was going to be a wreck of a movie, but it was actually great fun. I found the robot (L3) quite annoying, with an overly human personality and without the charm of K-2S0 from R1 and I just couldn't relate Alden Ehenreich to being the same character as Ford played. I'd give it a 7/10... and will look forward to seeing again when the blu-ray comes out.
I quoted that section of your post as I found the same... it was murky and drab and this was at a theater that normally has a pristine presentation [Picturehouse in Exeter] so I wonder if it is just the way it is... or we both were unluckly.
I agree with what’s said above about Solo’s dark look. Overall the movie isn’t bad but I found the pace a bit high, no time to relax. Must be the new way the shop is run since the change in ownership?
Comments
and LOVED IT ! {[]
loaned me a couple of old DVDs, so I can now say I have seen ......
Fear is the Key and Puppet on a string. -{ both excellent thrillers.
Edit: oh, sorry, I see you have!
not a propper sit down and watch them all they way through.
Hmm after the superb Rogue One spin off I had a bad feeling about this one.
I honestly think Disney have already burned out Star Wars after the very poor Last Jedi and mediocre Force Awakens. Dread to think what the next installment will be like
Plotwise all they had to achieve was get the plans to Leia in time for the original film to begin. That aside, they were free to tell a proper story, and I thought they did that "classic influences" thing better than any of the sequels ever attempted.
Revenge of the Sith I remember as being a really badly told story for the same reasons Gymkata argues above, the entire last hour was devoted to clumsily tying up plot threads to set up the original film. Oh by the way, one of the wookies is named Chewbacca, now lets wipe the memories of the droids because people have been complaining about that plot-hole for six years. What about Obi-Wan's memory? why didn't he recognise the droids in the first film? do we have time to explain that too? oops its time for the closing credits already, let's hope fans wont notice.
Always thought too that the English dub was excellent. Different to Stalingrad where it was awful, despite it being a good film I thought.
I'm not sure I've seen the same films as you two. I took in SOLO today and indeed I'm one of those who absolutely loved it. I thought it was wall-to-wall fun (but I will admit that the last act dragged a bit), and I was surprised by how quickly I bought Ehrenreich in the role I thought only Harrison Ford could play. I enjoyed the caper element of the film, and I also liked Ron Howard's winks to not only other SW movies but to films like Paths of Glory and The Eiger Sanction.
I suspect that much of the dislike--not necessarily from you two gents--is from the Fanboy community, which is outraged that there isn't one mention of The Force or of Darth Vader, that Han Solo is actually something of an idealist, and that there is scarcely a light saber in sight. More than that, the film exists entirely outside the rest of the series--it's nice to see how Han and Chewie met and how Han got the Falcon, but none of these impact the arc of the saga. I say, see it for what it is: a good time at the movies.
Very average film despite being directed by Spielberg and staring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
Tom Hanks I always enjoy but I am finding it increasingly difficult to watch Streep. I find her acting very effected. Never got the hype and it is now irritating me immensely that she just turns up in a film and gets an Oscar nom. There was absolutely nothing special about her performance in this. NOTHING !!
I sure wish Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok were still around to keep blowing up pretentious celebrities they don't like, I bet there's more today than ever before in Earth's history.
one role and not another. As an example he used "Jayne Eyre" with Danny Dyre.
" Good day to you Mr Rochester, on this fine morning "
" You What ! Leave it out, you Slag, you're doing my head in ! "
Although it’s a few years ago now, I really enjoyed the Directors Cut of Alien 3...it’s probably my favourite of all the Alien films.
2 feels more like a complication of the best elements of mid-late 90s action movies while 3 feels like the better made movie.
1, IDK.
I like it and can definitely see its appeal but it felt too B-Movie-ish in parts.
Certain sets took me out of the experience but the high wire-act was stunningly well done.
I caught this with my brother today and we both ended up enjoying it. Make no mistake, there is nothing particularly original about the story here as it is very much an origin adventure that is content with showing us how Han got many of his familiar trademarks. But the cast has undeniable chemistry with one another, Alden Ehenreich and Donald Glover do a good job of channeling Han and Lando's swagger and mannerisms without resorting to imitation, the action sequences are well staged, and after the hopelessly derivative Force Awakens and annoying deconstruction of Last Jedi, it was refreshing to see a Star Wars movie that didn't try to subvert the mythos it is based on and had characters that behaved the way you hoped and expected them to. Maybe not the most innovative approach, but definitely a more satisfying one for a couple of older fans like us. About my only real issue was that the movie was visibly dark and murky for much of its running time; hopefully that was more due to the projection than actual cinematography.
Trainspotting - the only one I'd seen before, and y'all should too. Always thought it was awesome. Hilarious and cleverly structured. We always talk about the Bond references, but even better for a music geek is all the references to, and music from, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, and New Order. I must say it does glamourize heroin use, though, despite the dead baby scene. I was living in Vancouver in the 1990s when a flood of unusually pure heroin swept through the downtown east side and quite a few people I knew and liked did not make it, so I don't appreciate certain rock stars, or writers like William Burroughs, or stylish filmmakers making junkies look cool.
Millions - Basically a children's film with a Christian message. Some of it reminds me of the films of Wes Anderson, without the dysfunctional families. A lot of these Boyle films deal with the question of what would you really do if you suddenly came into a huge amount of money. Not much relevant to how he'd do a Bondfilm.
Slumdog Millionaire - The other really big one, can't believe I missed it when it won all the awards.Again huge stacks of money and the logic of a children's story. One Connery joke. Anything else Bond relevant? Well I'd love to see him do a remake of Octopussy. Our Octopussy depicts a 19th century fantasyland India where Indians are almost invisible and wealthy white folk live in the palaces. This looks a bit more like I understand India to be. Vast labyrinthine slums, gangsters living in gated mansions, towering highrise developments paving over the slums, call centre job markets, a shallow and easily duped tourist trade.
Not glamourous enough for the traditional escapist Bond travel experience, but I am certainly ready for more real-life globetrotting in our films, meaning well used locations where we actually learn something about another part of the world.
127 Hours - I turned it off after 15 minutes when I realised what real life story was being adapted. Sorry, I'm a wuss. Even though I could watch Kingsmen, but that's makebelieve. But from those 15 minutes I really liked the way he filmed the cave scenes, gave a much more persuasive experience of spelunking than did the cave scene in QoS.
Trance - A bit of Inception, a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. By far the trippiest of his films, and cleverly plays with our expectations of who is the good guy etc. A film experience mediated by a very unreliable narrator, which is usually a literary trick. And its a gangster film, guns and chases and torture, so that's all relevant.
hmmm, there's a Fleming story where Bond has amnesia that is yet to be adapted, maybe that's Boyles big idea?
Steve Jobs - the one I assumed would be a bore turned out to be very good indeed. Very theatrical, literally a three act play that takes place entirely backstage of three staged events, intercut with flashbacks, so therefor like certain old Hollywood films (eg All About Eve). Yet its about the guy behind the bloody iPhone, who singlehandedly created much of the world we live in today for better or worse. Michael Fassbender plays Jobs like a fascist who correctly guesses what the public really wants is no choice (excuse me I'm not a mac guy).
And very much like Elliot Carver. Otherwise maybe not much we can use for Bond25, we don't want a Bond film that is this talky. oh, maybe the technobabble, which was near constant but very easy to follow.
T2 - Big satisfying sequel, Renton is back after 20 years of training Anakin Skywalker and the consequent fall of the Republic, and gets the old gang back together again. Updated reprise of the Choose Life monolog (which in itself reprises the themes of the Jobs film). Showstopping duet by Renton and SickBoy called "No More Catholics".
Only one big and one little Bond reference though.
Robert Carlyle is again freakin terrifying, and reminds me his role as Renard was so much lesser. Sort of like the Christopher Waltz of his decade?
so you other agents will have to watch the rest of Boyle's films and tell us if they contain anything useful for Bond25. I'm particularly curious about The Beach because I did read the book, and it was full of learned Tintin references and other adventure travel fiction, like Apocalypse Now. There could be some Bond references in there perhaps?
I watched these the last 3 nights. Very enjoyable films and an easy watch. Lots to like. I thought the films were very well cast; Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine were all excellent in their respective roles. And Morgan Freeman is well, I can't remember a film I haven't enjoyed watching him in - brilliant actor.
I thought the films were very well shot and they had a nice darker edge for a super hero movie. A bit violent in parts but I've seen a lot worse. In my opinion the first two were excellent and the third was very good - but the last one dragged a bit and seemed a bit over the top.
Finally I thought the music was fantastic and was very apt for the films. -{
Hitchcock's breakthrough hit in America, and a good one. The eerie Mrs Danvers, housekeeper of Mandalay, is the Irma Bunt type again, though watching her I was put in mind of Ruth Madoc's Gladys Pugh in Hi-de-Hi, the way she goes very still, and the jealous streak. Olivier in this must have been the model for Dirk Bogarde, his voice sounds exactly the same and the mannerisms too. Joan Fontaine v good too.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Getting ready for MI:6, I started rewatching a series I neglected to look at seriously.
Being a fan of espionage films, I quite enjoyed the first one.
While it may be sacrilege for many of you here, I thought it played much like a funnier From Russia With Love.
Only gripe I had was that the sets didn't feel real enough and felt more like a 60s level of "realistic" than a 90s one.
And also Jean Reno as Krieger, who didn't fit or act the description of the character at all. Well, not like Ving Rhames; a natural.
The second one, I finally understood the comparisons made with GoldenEye and the whole setup and execution of the action felt a little bit all over the place. Definitely a film of its time and Woo directed it well; pigeons included. Might even be my favourite out of the three. Then there's the third one, which, unlike the others, I'd seen no footage of. It wooed me on how well made it actually was, even if this is the only one where the setup for each and every one of the impossible tasks started to drag. By the third time, it felt very cliched. As was some of the acting by Cruise particularly in the house-party scenes. Had they dove right into the action, it would've made a much more compelling stunt to see. And, finally, the story played out more like a Die Hard film than a MI one up until that point.
While it may seem that I've over nitpicked the third one, it's undoubtedly the best out of the three, even if two remains a favourite and sort of a guilty pleasure.
Out of the Zimmer scores, the second one I'd rate as the best.
It didn't feel like Zimmer. Maybe he was more imaginative back in those days.
M:I2 felt the OTT Bond-ish-est out of the bunch and maybe that's why I like it so much.
Late 90s/Early 2000s films were trying to outdo one another year after year and considering the time frame and its competing Bond films of that time, it's an all-out success.
Or maybe I just like Woo's Chow Yun Fat films too much.
I know about the Burj sequence on Ghost. Did you see it in IMAX, Gymkata?
Also, thanks M:I2, Iko Iko is stuck in my head again.
I agree pretty much with the review, and I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected too... I honestly thought it was going to be a wreck of a movie, but it was actually great fun. I found the robot (L3) quite annoying, with an overly human personality and without the charm of K-2S0 from R1 and I just couldn't relate Alden Ehenreich to being the same character as Ford played. I'd give it a 7/10... and will look forward to seeing again when the blu-ray comes out.
I quoted that section of your post as I found the same... it was murky and drab and this was at a theater that normally has a pristine presentation [Picturehouse in Exeter] so I wonder if it is just the way it is... or we both were unluckly.