Films

I saw the film Her recently starring Joaquin Phoenix and I loved it. The synopsis is a bit odd as it is about a guy that falls in love with his computer operating system but it is quite deep and is like holding up a mirror to modern day society and online relationships etc. The sci-fi geeks on the forums are too engrossed with the technical side of it and trying to find plot holes based on technology. Consider what it says about our over reliance on technology and the way we live our lives. Probably worth a 2nd watch too.

I've seen most of the films that won Oscars. I liked 12 Years A Slave, hard to say enjoyed it as you leave the cinema feeling drained but its worthy of the accolades. Dallas Buyers Club is excellent and both McConnaughey and Jared Leto were very good. Gravity isn't just a visual effects film but it needs to be seen in a cinema in 3d as the effects are brilliant and add loads to the film. I've recently seen Inside Llewyn Davies and Prince Avalanche, found them both quite disappointing. Hope to see The Book Thief and Grand Budapest Hotel this week.
 
I watched a film called The Hunt last night, it's Danish with English subtitles. It's about a little lie that gets out of hand and an innocent man is accused of being a sex offender. It soon turns into a witch hunt and looks at how it impacts on his relationships with his girlfriend, son and the local community. Very good film and definitely worth watching.
 
I'd like to see that. Mads Mikkelson is a brilliant actor [saw him in A Royal Affair, one of my favourite films from a couple of years back].
 
moehat said:
I'd like to see that. Mads Mikkelson is a brilliant actor [saw him in A Royal Affair, one of my favourite films from a couple of years back].
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He was very good in this film. It's available to buy on play.com and is fairly cheap. I got the Blu Ray for less than a tenner.
 
Going to see "the known unknown" on sat. On Donald Rumsfeld and by the director of the superb fog of war
 
The Escapist with Brian Cox. A good prison break film with an excellent cast and a twist at the end. I believe it is being aired some time this week - but cannot remember the channel or day. Sorry.
 
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Revolutionary Road was on telly the other night. Annoyingly I fell asleep yet again [it was on very late]. What I did see was pretty good albeit rather disturbing and claustrophobic. Would like to see it properly [but not so much that I want to buy the dvd, so hope it's on again. The Quiet Man was on telly yesterday; pity it was on at the same time as the racing because it's one of my favourite films; now I shall get the dvd of that one day. There were posters for it all over the place when we went to Dingle years back [and I was named after Maureen 'O'Hara!].
 
Saw known unknowns. It has been compared unfavourably with the fog of war but that's very unfair given that that was one of the finest of all documentaries

Rumsfeld is fascinating. Extremely sharp. Like most genuinely highly intelligent people he is very clear and extremely articulate. And dry humour too. You don't have to like his politics to admire him. I found it gripping.

Also saw good old Freda on Netflix . The Beatles fan club secretary. Very entertaining but doesn't tell you anything you wouldn't have expected. However it was genuinely moving at the end and she was hugely likeable
 
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Read an article about Freda in the Observer a while back; didn't realise it was a film/documentary. Would like to see it. Haven't been to the cinema for a while [other than seeing War Horse again]. Our cinema car park was on fire last week so we now have to walk across town; annoying because we'd be at the cinema and sat down @ 15 minutes from leaving home. Could have been worse; we might have been there that night and the car would have gone up in smoke. Jack O'Connell [our patron] is getting rave reviews at the moment; local boy dun good.
 
Get Netflix

It's there and even though I watch only about one or two films a month on it, it's a bargain

It's geared towards quality stuff too and a great selection of documentaries
 
If any of you have a local Cineworld the Unlimited card they do is great value. £15 a month but see as many films as you want whenever you want. Discount on food and drink and access to preview screenings. I'm off to see The Raid 2 Preview Screening on Monday night. Discount on food and drink starts at 10%, increases to 25% after 12 months and also no extra cost for 3d films, normally about £1.50 extra.

The Cineworld in Sheffield is impressive and also has a huge IMAX screen. My local ones are Bradford and Castleford but the Bradford one has loads of Bollywood stuff on, meaning I miss out on a lot of Indie/Art House type films. Putting the prices into context, its about £8.10 to see one film so if I see 2 films a month I've covered the cost of the card. If you have an orange Wednesday code you can also get a free ticket for a friend with your Unlimited card.
 
I watched 300: Rise Of An Empire today and was disappointed. There are a couple of completely unnecessary "sex" scenes and it's very difficult to keep up with what the film is describing, flashbacks are not obvious. One minute you're in the present, next in the past and then back to the present without it being clear. 3/10

Others I have seen recently...

Anchorman 2;
I thought this was just dreadful. Over-acting at it's worst but maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this type of movie? 2/10

FILTH;
Started off well and promised a lot but fizzled out like a firework on a rainy night in early November. Second half of the movie was spent asking the question "is that really something that we are expected to see as realistic?" 6/10

The Wolf Of Wall Street;
Fast paced, believable and keeps you interested. I can't help feeling that I have seen this movie before with someone else in the lead role, is this one with Di Caprio a remake? 8/10

Nebraska;
Slow at the start but offers just enough to keep you interested all the way through. At the end I thought to myself that this would have been a much better film in colour, but when I think about it some more, I'm not so sure. Totally believable story that touches the heart. 9/10

The Book Thief;
Charming 2nd WW tale of a little girl in Germany. A little slow in places but did make me chuckle at times, especially when the little blond boy paints himself black to be like Jessie Owens !! 7/10
 
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Wolf of Wall St is excellent - you wouldn't believe it's all true without reading Jordan Belfort's book. I urge you to read it.

Watched We Need to Talk About Kevin on Sat (it was on BBC). Very dark, but very good.

Another I have seen recently is A Time to Kill - I thought that was pretty good as well.


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Wolf of Wall Street-excellent,really enjoyed it but probably half an hour too long.
Twelve Years a Slave-good but not great.
Gravity-very good
Captain Philips-really enjoyed it.
Maybe I'm at an age where I want to be entertained and not educated when I see a film but give me the Wolf over 12years any day.
 
At the weekend I saw "Non Stop" starring Liam Neeson. I liked this film despite it being "another airline disaster type movie" mainly because it was not easy to guess the ending. By that I mean who the bad guys were as we all know that it will end with everyone getting off intact. 8/10

I just finished watching "Delivery Man" and enjoyed it a lot. There were moments that made me laugh, moments that were sad and a storyline that has not been done before. 8/10
 
Said it before but I think wolf had some faults. Far far too much about the drugs to the extent it became tedious. Some scenes were Ott and the female roles (as ever in scorceses films) were shallow. Good film but no more

Saw The Past yesterday. Superb French drama. One of those where you daren't miss a single line. By the Iranian director who directed A Separation, which I really must see now. Recommend it to anyone who values storyline, performances and dialogue (rather than car chases)
 
It's had rave reviews hasn't it. I'm missing so many films at the moment; need to get back on track.
 
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moehat said:
It's had rave reviews hasn't it. I'm missing so many films at the moment; need to get back on track.
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It has. Although my paper was slightly down on it. I couldn't really fault it. Could argue that the characters were not altogether appealing but tat was part of the point. And they unfold throughout the film. The more I think about it, the impressed I am

Some scenes were superb. Real quality cinema. The metro and the final scene as well a small cameo of silence at the kitchen table were memorable

Off to the old vic today for Other Desert Cities. Picked up cheap tickets and it's had some fine reviews. Quite a cultural week
 
Jack O'Connell is coming to our cinema tomorrow to introduce Starred Up; so annoying that, with the car park out of bounds we don't really want to walk across town at midnight. Marooned in our village with road works and road closures in all directions and now the car park has gone. 20 Feet from Stardom is on next week along with The Double and Under the Skin. Realised we're away when The Past is on; damn.
 
I've seen 3 films over the weekend. Muppets Most Wanted was great, even though I took my 7 yr old I loved it, great childhood memories of Kermit and the gang and worth a watch. I saw Non Stop on Monday and thought it was poor, ending was a bit ridiculous and these Neeson films are getting a bit tedious now. On Monday night I went to the preview screening of The Raid 2, absolutely brilliant but you probably need to like this sort of film. Loads of fantastic choreography for the fight scenes, decent story, brutal and bloody but brilliant. If you've seen the 1st one and enjoyed it you'll love the 2nd one. (It is in Indonesian with subtitles.)

Will try catch Starred Up and Captain America this weekend.
 
clivex said:
Far far too much about the drugs to the extent it became tedious. Some scenes were Ott)
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If you'd read the book you'd realise they could hardly have overplayed the drugs thing, and the guy's life was OTT - that's why it was made into a film.

I understand if it's not highbrow enough for you - if only it was filmed in French with an Iranian director...


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Very childish. And ignorant. You thnk films are "highbrow" because of the nationalities?

Hardly worth responding to. But frankly I don't need to see endless scenes (most very boring) to know the effects of various drugs.

Its a bit like having 2 hours of hardcore humping dropped into Romeo and Juliet whilst the family feud is effectively dropped

Most people know what drugs do (yawn)and there are few more terminally boring subjects. And few people are more boring than those that find drugs fascinating.

It was a good film but like all scorceses films since casino, full of flaws
 
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