Went in with very low expectations, and ended up really enjoying it. Lots of interesting twists and turns, some of which are predictable and some which aren't. I've never been a Tom Cruise fan (Last Samurai notwithstanding) and while he has some typically eye-rolling lines, it doesn't detract from a very good story. It's filled with beautiful vistas and special effects which adds a lot to the tone of the movie.
It's just a vibe I've gotten since the second movie. The strange extravagance and theatrics the screenplay have added to the character since then make it difficult to take it seriously as an actual superhero.
I think it's that fecking dance which ruined it for me.
I thought that it was the best documentary that I had ever seen, doubly so as the title seemed to give the twist away, but the real twist was even odder. Bloody brilliant, especially given the degree of cooperation they got from the main players.
Borrowed a few blus.....Shame, Edge of Darkness(apparently awesome in a stupid classic Mel way....), Sinister......where do I start? I'm thinking Shame, the other two might never even get watched -_-
Borrowed a few blus.....Shame, Edge of Darkness(apparently awesome in a stupid classic Mel way....), Sinister......where do I start? I'm thinking Shame, the other two might never even get watched -_-
Borrowed a few blus.....Shame, Edge of Darkness(apparently awesome in a stupid classic Mel way....), Sinister......where do I start? I'm thinking Shame, the other two might never even get watched -_-
Thought Shame was brilliant myself, it very cleverly dealt with its themes, I like Steve McQueen's style and the acting was brilliant. Just not a fan of a part towards the end which was just a bit too much. But definitely worth a watch.
I agree with Dirty Schwein, check out Sinister if you haven't read or seen anything about it, if you like those kind of films you shouldn't be disappointed, it's pretty well done and I remember the music being particularly well chosen.
Don't know about Edge of Darkness, haven't heard about that film.
Edge of Darkness is entertaining but stupid, much like Mel Gibson himself. Shame was the best film I saw last year.
I have just seen The Imposter and thought it was an interesting story, filmed in an interesting way. I did wonder if some of the framing devices were problematic though. The level of artifice that is applied, to what is essentially the story of a missing (murdered?) child, felt potentially too manipulative and exploitative (particularly the dramatised scene of the private detective digging a hole). But in presenting the story in such a way, the film does raise interesting questions about the nature and language of documentary film.
The British TV show it was based on was far far better.
I have just seen The Imposter and thought it was an interesting story, filmed in an interesting way. I did wonder if some of the framing devices were problematic though. The level of artifice that is applied, to what is essentially the story of a missing (murdered?) child, felt potentially too manipulative and exploitative (particularly the dramatised scene of the private detective digging a hole). But in presenting the story in such a way, the film does raise interesting questions about the nature and language of documentary film.
It was always clear to me what was dramatised so didn't feel exploited or manipulated. In essence they were telling the story as it unfolded from the time the imposter got involved which worked really well. And that is what elevated the story from just another missing kid story of which there are sadly hundreds.
Watched this in the cinema last night, definitely not a movie to watch with your girlfriend. Tits, asses, cocaine but I felt they got 1994-1995 America spot on, especially the environment around the characters.
I thought that it was the best documentary that I had ever seen, doubly so as the title seemed to give the twist away, but the real twist was even odder. Bloody brilliant, especially given the degree of cooperation they got from the main players.
I was almost perfect storm of people involved in a crazy/amazing situation... the film has stuck with me days since watching it,
One of the great things about the film is that... well, how much can you trust anything that the family members, and especially the main guy are telling you. He is such a pathological liar that everything he says must be treated with caution, but then you can't dispell the legitimately good points he raises... which in turn mean the family are also trying to fit an agenda with what they're saying... but then at the same time, are they just a family trying to cope with extreme loss?? Fascinating stuff I thought...
Really, the only people who didn't have any agenda were the people working for the authorities... and their view points/accounts of what happened were equally interesting/revealing about that situation.
Edge of Darkness is entertaining but stupid, much like Mel Gibson himself. Shame was the best film I saw last year.
I have just seen The Imposter and thought it was an interesting story, filmed in an interesting way. I did wonder if some of the framing devices were problematic though. The level of artifice that is applied, to what is essentially the story of a missing (murdered?) child, felt potentially too manipulative and exploitative (particularly the dramatised scene of the private detective digging a hole). But in presenting the story in such a way, the film does raise interesting questions about the nature and language of documentary film.
Apparently the hole digging scene was real-time legitimate film making. The director of the film was convinced that they wouldn't find anything and so filmed was prepared to film him.
I didn't have a problem believing it either... that private eye guy was clearly such a caricature and a man who liked attention, that he would think it would be a good idea to dig up the blokes garden.
I thought the dramatisations in the film in general were fine though, and as this is whole story is a case of an unreliable narrator, the fact that these reenactments you see on screen could be embellished/exaggerated fits in with the story.
I quite enjoyed this (if you can really use the word 'enjoy' on a film with so many gruesome scenes).
It certainly had gotten way too silly by the end but as a revenge thriller it was reasonably engrossing. Good performances by both leads and it was beautifully shot.
Ending spoiler -
I actually thought that he was going to kill his family in front of him at the end to confirm his transformation into a monster but he went the other way instead.
The Manchurian candidate (1962) - First heard for this movie when I was reading some theories about the order 66 and how the clones could have been brainwashed (Star Wars). I finally watched it tonight, and I must say that it was an excellent movie. The concept was very interesting, and the acting from both Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey were excellent (though personally I liked more Harvey). A very good movie, with an interesting topic that will let you think a lot after it finishes. 9/10
I quite enjoyed this (if you can really use the word 'enjoy' on a film with so many gruesome scenes).
It certainly had gotten way too silly by the end but as a revenge thriller it was reasonably engrossing. Good performances by both leads and it was beautifully shot.
Ending spoiler -
I actually thought that he was going to kill his family in front of him at the end to confirm his transformation into a monster but he went the other way instead.
Beautiful Creatures - Twilight with witches. Don't all rush to watch it at once. Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons are in it, presumably because they just wanted to do a southern accent and didn't care what the film was about. I watched it to fuel an Emmy Rossum obsession, but she isn't in it much.
Iron Man 3 - 5/10 Decent film. A bit to long, campy, but yea it's a comic book film. John Favreau isn't funny anymore. Matter of act, I'm tired of seeing his face. He's become too Hollywood.
Disappointed in the wasted talents of Ben Kingsley. His and Pearce's roles should of been reversed. Or at the very least, Pearce helping the Mandarin instead of being an decoy actor.
Thinking about comic book films tonight. If they do it right, Justice League would be one fecking sweet film.
It's an ambitious film that manages to put together a good story. Gosling and Cooper are great and it would have probably scored a 9 if the second half of the movie was upto the standards of the first.
How I spent my Summer Vacation - I was actually pleasently surprised by this. True, my expectations going in were very low, but I had a good time with it. The Mexican prison setting is really well realised and the film does a good job of making you believe the world and Mel Gibsons role in it. The story is a bit daft, but the script is pretty solid, and Gibson is a fun lead... and at little over 90 minutes, it doesn't over stay its welcome.
Greek film about a bearded poet with a terminal disease nearing the end as he tries to find a home for his dog, befriends an Albanian waif, and talks to his dead wife among other things. Slowly paced and beautifully shot. Not a film for everyone but I thought it was quite moving and captured the poetry of the idea of an "eternity and a day."
Argo - Watched it only now. Decent movie, an interesting topic and good directing. Hated the cliche things like answering the phone on the last second etc. But yeah, an enjoyable movie 8/10
Utterly fecking stupid, but alright for an excuse to throw popcorn in the general direction of your face. feck me it's stupid though, a bunch of Koreans get control of the White House piss easy.
I was looking forward to seeing that. Was hoping for a decent popcorn movie.
Also watched Full Metal Jacket the other day. It's a weird one because the first half of the movie could have been a movie on it's own and so could the second half. That kinda annoys me about it because it's all about Private Pile up until he does what he does and then it's all about Joker with no reference to the first hour. It's still a very good movie though and well worth a watch, but I'm sure everyone in here has seen it a few times by now.
Natural Born Killers - Meh, it was alright. I can sort of see why people love it, but I wasn't one of those people. I wasn't a fan of the style, which generally took me out of the film, and I didn't really like Julliete Lewis either... though Downey Jr and Tommy Lee Jones are great in what screen time they do get. But yeah, after years of being told how great it is, my expectations were probably a bit too high and I was left disappointed.
I thought Gosling was quite good in Crazy Stupid Love and Lars and the Real Girl.
The only other film I've seen of his was Drive, which seems to be a bit of a marmite film.
Sorry for long post, my cat died after being run over by a car and out of depression, I just sat around watching films instead of enjoying the sun
Dead Man Down
Decent revenge flick. Awkwardly paced but the film was watchable due to some good performances, and I'm usually not a fan of Colin Farell but even he was ok in it. A bit forgettable but a decent way to spend 120 minutes. 6/10
Iron Man 3
Better than 2, but that isn't hard. I heard many people say its a brilliant film so I thought why not give it a go? Was bitterly disappointed. Yes, there were some funny bits, Guy Pearce was good and there were awesome special effects but the whole film just felt overly long and hollow.
The Mandarin being a hoax really set the film for a bad fall, was a very stupid twist for the sake of being a twist it seemed.
I think they need to stop making these now. 4/10
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
Fell asleep watching this. After a promising opening sequence, the film goes dramatically downhill... one stupid scenario after another. My 5 year old niece has better decision making skills than the morons in this film. Utterly boring and completely formulaic horror film. Avoid. 2.5/10
Syrup
Starring super hot Amber Heard, this was quite a surprising film that I really enjoyed. It's not a chick flick as my girlfriend (who selected it) thought it would be, but rather a film about advertising/marketing and image with a hint of romance. Well paced, not very long, some interesting 4th wall elements and overall quite a pleasant 90 mins. 7/10
Maniac
Haven't seen the original so can't compare but as a stand alone film, I loved it. It's one of those rare horror films that leaves you thinking about it long after it's finished. It really puts the viewer into the shoes of the killer as it is 90% shot in P.O.V. There were some things I didn't like; Sometimes the camera went out of POV, it was very distracting. The dialogue was clearly recorded during post, possibly in ADR, you can clearly tell the difference. A few plot holes and silly things happening here and there but overall, a very disturbing and quite original film. 7.5/10
Schwein:
- is Texas thingy a recent film just released in cinemas? Didn't know they were doing yet another one of those, is it meant to be a reboot of the franchise?
- Syrup sounds ok, I'm in love with Amber Heard also so I'll probably try to watch it at some point. What is the plot about exactly?
- is Maniac very violent? I hesitated going to see it at the pictures with my girlfriend, she doesn't mind horror films but isn't a fan of all the torture porn ones such as Hostel or Saw and I was afraid it would be deranging for her as it seemed pretty brutal. Is it?
Schwein:
- is Texas thingy a recent film just released in cinemas? Didn't know they were doing yet another one of those, is it meant to be a reboot of the franchise?
It's pretty new, I think it was released a month or two ago. It's not a reboot, it actually plays as a sequel. If you are thinking about watching it, please don't, I wouldn't want anyone to go through that junk.
- Syrup sounds ok, I'm in love with Amber Heard also so I'll probably try to watch it at some point. What is the plot about exactly?
It's about a guy that gets screwed over by Amber (who is a marketing and development manager) when he has a $Billion idea. She then gets screwed over by another guy and teams up with the first guy to try and screw over this second dude. But there is a lot of tension as the first guy finds it hard to trust her as she keep lying. Definitely worth a watch I'd say.
- is Maniac very violent? I hesitated going to see it at the pictures with my girlfriend, she doesn't mind horror films but isn't a fan of all the torture porn ones such as Hostel or Saw and I was afraid it would be deranging for her as it seemed pretty brutal. Is it?
It is quite brutal, the 'gore scenes' are pretty much shown in their entirety but unlike Saw (apart from the first one) and Hostel, there is a reason for it and it makes sense why there is so much violence. I'd say watch it by yourself first and then maybe you can watch with the other half, it's a film you can watch more than once.
I thought Gosling was quite good in Crazy Stupid Love and Lars and the Real Girl.
The only other film I've seen of his was Drive, which seems to be a bit of a marmite film.
I was looking forward to seeing that. Was hoping for a decent popcorn movie.