Are we eeeking this out to TV Mini Series too?
If so I’ve been watching The First (about a mission to Mars) It’s been ok, slow but ok. It’s more about the relationship of the Head of Ops and his Daughter and the interaction with the CEO of the Mission. Sean Penn has been quite good in it, but the daughter I think is the star.
It’s been a whole year in the waiting and I’m still anxious about the new season of Tin Star. Season 1 was flipping awesome, I’m expecting the same from season 2 (out in Jan19... ferchristsake)
TV Mini Series too
Looks like it.
I didn’t make it past the Proclaimers karaoke on that. Bloody appalling.
Now, Kidding, the Jim Carey thing on Sky Atlantic, has rapidly become my 2nd fave series of the year. It’s incredible. Apart from when they advertise the thing you’ve just watched during the end credits! WTF is that about?!
Ready Player One. How the hell has it got a rating of over 7 on imdb/rotten tomatos? A work colleague recommended it to me, said it was very good. Despite my misgivings I watched it as same work colleague had also recommended 3 billboards (an infinitely superior film). Waste of time, should have stuck to my guns and said no it looks shit. It is.
RPO is on Sky Movies this week..
I didn’t get into Kidding, I am a fan of Carey but this was just too depressing to watch.
I don't think our plans to move in together are gonna work out 😉
Ready Player One.
The book is far superior, I think the movie suffers as well as it's ideas that have been done 1000s of times, so it all feels very familiar. (also it was technically a 2017 movie...)
I don’t think our plans to move in together are gonna work out
🤣
Vive la difference
Ready Player One.
Visually good, good characters but had the plot depth and predictability of a video game.
ive seen far fewer films this year than ever before! not sure why, possibly all the quality streaming services and box sets to get through? but i just havent been to the pictures much...
Kermode doing top 10 best and worst of the decade this year! gonna need alternative top tens of 2018 to pad out my watchlist over crimbo...
Just been to see Stan & Ollie. Enjoyed it. If you like slapstick, you’ll like it too.
Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Another Netflix film, it's a bit odd to say the least, but it looks beautiful with HDR.
Rather than one film, it's 6 short stories, set around the same time, in the same setting (the Old Wild West) but as far as I could tell, unrelated.
First is pretty fun, with a dark edge which only makes the funny parts, funnier.
As they progress they become darker, sadder and more macabre at each stage.
Whilst it has elements of Western films about it, really I think it's more about mortality and morality. I say I think because it's one of those films that's got a entertaining outer shell, but there's a lot going on just under the surface which makes me think I've missed a lot of it.
I really liked it, if you've got your thinking head on and don't just fancy a brain-out film, it's pretty good, if you're in the mood for a Mission Impossible type explosion fest, it's would really suck after the first 10 mins or so.
I say I think because it’s one of those films that’s got a entertaining outer shell, but there’s a lot going on just under the surface
It's Coen Brothers. (Has been discussed on the Netflix recommends thread)
I didn't get the afterlife stuff though (last segment, apparently)(maybe cos I'm a non-believer). But Tom Waits was fab.
I'm not ashamed to say I loved the new Mary Poppins Returns. It took me back 40+ years pitch perfectly.
Emily Blunt is terrific and plays the roll differently to Julie Andrews. But what I liked best (as with A Force Awakens) it was a homage to the tone of the original film.
It put me right in a Christmas mood.
Finally caught up with Leave no Trace. Got to say this would be in my top ten of the year. Beautifully understated film-making.
And last night Watched Netflix's Bird-Box which was actually very good. Well Directed and creepy enough with some tense moments. Sure it's a little close to 'A Quiet Place' but it had enough differences to become a film of its own. Quite shocking in places. Very cross-genre and Sandra Bullock is fantastic.
The Festival
Simon from The Inbetweeners (36 playing a 21 year old) only he’s called Nick now goes to a festival after a messy embarrassing break up with Carli sorry Caitlin on graduation day from High School, no, Uni, who’s still a **** but at least played by the women who played Tara in The Inbetweeners.
By complete coincidence he arrives to find that Carli, sorry Caitlin is also there, but seems to be attached to a cooler, but arrogant Man who is mean to him.
That’s right, it’s basiclaly 25% of the first Inbetweeners film, it’s crap but watchable silliness.
The mad loner from the film is also in it and steals every scene he’s in.
Just watched “I don’t feel at home in this world anymore” on Netflix
I thought it was brilliant, best film I’ve watched in ages. If you like Cohen brothers type stuff, you should love this.
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore
Apt film title for Christmas, don’t ya fink?
I watched Bird Box last night and quite enjoyed it. It's not as similar to A Quiet Place as I was expecting and I liked the sinister feeling the invisible "entities" brought to it.
I found the whole navigating a fast flowing river blindfolded thing stretched believability quite a bit but as it seemed to be secondary to the main flashback segments it didn't damage my enjoyment too much.
i enjoyed bird box too
bad times at el royale was good if a little long
A second vote for Mary Poppins Returns. La Blunt masters a range of singing styles and there are numerous visual and audio nods towards the original. (There's also some trials/BMX riding to keep us amused).
A Cover Is Not The Book is superb and The Place Where Lost Things Go reduced this rufty-tufty cyclist to tears. (Or it may have been the Gin). The youngsters in the film were enraptured. Gnusmas if you go take tissues.
Just watched (again) Avengers
Bring me Thanos!
Did watch 2017 Spider-Man homecoming which was ok... best part was Aunt May at the end...
Just watched (again) Avengers
Bring me Thanos!
I've just noticed Infinity War is on Netflix.
Not seen it on UK netflix?
bad times at el royale was good if a little long
I really liked this, maybe not for everyone but worth checking it out.
I was dragged along to (no s****ing at the back there) 'A Star Is Born' last night ("I always see your films!"). Well, I thought, 5 Star review in Empire, how bad can it be?
Absolutely, one of the worst films I've had to sit through, is the answer. I can't stand over-acting and Bradley Cooper was horrendous, at the start I wondered why he was doing a bad impression of a drunk Sam Elliot ... then Sam Elliot turns up as his brother!! His voice and manner just got on my wick everytime he was onscreen. Then there was the music, from hideous ****y guitar solo country rock, to cliche ridden ballads, it was an absolute nightmare. It's like - "Ok people who watch films are too stupid to undersand music, let's make it as simple as possible for them".
Shallow-shall-all-all-all-ow-shaa-a-low. Christ I was so glad at the end when he
Here's hoping for some quality chick-flicks in 2019!
I can’t stand over-acting and Bradley Cooper was horrendous, at the start I wondered why he was doing a bad impression of a drunk Sam Elliot … then Sam Elliot turns up as his brother!! His voice and manner just got on my wick everytime he was onscreen.
I've got to agree with this. His voice and mannerisms were very annoying.
I didn't hate it as much as you but I recognise all of your points. It was incredibly overrated but I enjoyed the first half.
The dog at the end was the best thing in it.
Not seen it on UK netflix?
It's on Canadian Netflix.
I thought A Star Is Born was the best followed by Shoplifters.
Free Solo
Its not a star wars prison bust movie, but a rather fantastic documentary about Alex Honnold attempting to free climbing ELCap in Yosemite. Interesting and driven man, beautifully shot and palm sweatingly vertiginous filming. Go if you want to be inspired don't go if you don't like heights.
Also watched Free Solo yesterday. Incredible film. Great camera work and a real insight into Alex's character. Genuinely stressful watching, I felt exhausted when I left the cinema.
Birdbox , more hyped up drivel. Bird sh1t more like. More hours scraped from my mundane existence for this dire film.
Blackkklansman... finally got to see this yesterday. Very good.. just off being one of the films of the year for me just for being overly long. Some of the speeches needed cutting down. But otherwise enjoyed it. Adam Driver is superb. And the shocker at the end is extremely well done.
Saw Mary Poppins... total opposite view to Sandwich. I never expected to like it but was prepared to try to for the kids, but thought it was terrible.
I kept trying to see its relevance but struggled. For me it was too much of a remake of the original. Too shallow to evoke emotion, too real to offer fantasy escapism (my 6 year old's only question about the bath scene was "can they breathe underwater"), too much of the original schmaltz, too unfunny to offer any relief.
And it felt long with a very simple, predictable storyline - Mary Poppins could have fixed their problems straight away but just let the Banks family go through a load of unnecessary stress which they won't learn from because in the end they were just helped out by some senile old duffer who wrote off their debt. Just like in real life kids.... not.
The kids liked it, especially the lamp lighter dancing bits which they reenacted on the way home.
The Favourite
Its a great film, lots of fun, darkly funny brilliantly acted. It's very stylised, if you've seen The Draughtman's Contract you'll be familiar with the scene setting. It's been "modernised" this works well in some ways (the dance is hilarious, the custumes are fabulous) the script less so the "OK" , "I guess" , and "thanks for the job" just don't work and feel out of place.
The main cast are great and overall I enjoyed it
Went to see glass on Friday.
Thought it was pretty good, not quite as good as unbreakable or split and James McAvoy steals the film.
The FavouriteIts a great film, lots of fun, darkly funny brilliantly acted. It’s very stylised, if you’ve seen The Draughtman’s Contract you’ll be familiar with the scene setting. It’s been “modernised” this works well in some ways (the dance is hilarious, the custumes are fabulous) the script less so the “OK” , “I guess” , and “thanks for the job” just don’t work and feel out of place.
The main cast are great and overall I enjoyed it
Saw it last night, I really enjoyed it. Some of the music was slightly jarring - the plinky intrusive piano music didn't work at all and was just annoying. The lighting and filming was beautiful, some nicely scripted moments and while it wasn't historically accurate, it was nice to see the interplay of three strong female leads.
Over Christmas I watched the original Dragon Tattoo trilogy, subtitled, not dubbed. As good as I remembered. A couple of weeks back I saw the Daniel Craig remake of the first one and thought it fine, just a bit lacking in comparison with the original. Tonight though I saw The a Girl in The Spider’s Web. It’s like having James Bond in the previous film gave them the right to throw in a bunch of 007 action and Mission Impossible tech. A good film but so far away from the original trilogy.
At a time when ScandiNoir is doing so well why the need for the explosions and tech fest? There’s even a stolen Lamborghini in a Swedish winter ffs! Not the most inconspicuous car to nick in a small country.
That's a bit of a shit thing to do, cashing in on a dead guys work by bastardising his original series. A movie is bad enough but the ****ing **** even wrote a fourth book.
They even wrote a fifth.
The Favourite
I thought it was very odd, giggled a couple of times but left the cinema thinking 'eh?' and that I was glad I hadn't paid to see it (unlimited cinema pass), though I can appreciate I may not be enough of a film critic/clever enough to enjoy it.
The Favourite
I thought it was very odd, giggled a couple of times but left the cinema thinking ‘eh?’
You should watch some of his older films - eg The Lobster. Not just "eh?" but "EHHHH????! What the?!" 😆 Crackers I tell ya.
A few 2018 stragglers...
Very much enjoyed A Simple Favour - very black, twisty comedy-thriller. Had average reviews but I really like the tonal shifts and the performances were great - Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick act their socks off. Not for everyone but if you liked Paul Feig's Bridesmaids and like a tongue-in-cheek melodrama you will probably lap this up.
Caught up with American Animals - a bonkers True Story with clever direction (and mis-direction), that is a wild ride of snappy dialogue and heist gone wrong. Manages to effortlessly blend genres with the docu-drama style to fresh and startling effect.
Easily sitting in my top ten of last year.
(Just Bad Times at the El Royale on my list now)
You should watch some of his older films – eg The Lobster. Not just “eh?” but “EHHHH????! What the?!” 😆 Crackers I tell ya.
I fell asleep on the setee the other week and woke up with that part way through, I thought I was having a mental twisted dream.
The Last Movie Star..
Its on Sky Movies now..
I really enjoyed it, and it’s got Burt Reynolds in... playing himself.
Blackkklansman… finally got to see this yesterday. Very good.. just off being one of the films of the year for me just for being overly long. Some of the speeches needed cutting down. But otherwise enjoyed it. Adam Driver is superb. And the shocker at the end is extremely well done.
Just watched this last night, and couldn't disagree more - thought it was pretty terrible tbh.
It had a couple of good scenes - but I found it plodding and pretty dull. The editing was terrible, the character development non-existent, and the performances generally pretty poor - Adam Driver did a good job, but it felt like he's had quite a few scenes cut. The ending (in the police station and diner) was so hammy that I thought it was a dream sequence.
