Pages Of Power 4
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.



 
HomeLatest imagesSearchRegisterLog in
Search
 
 

Display results as :
 
Rechercher Advanced Search
Latest topics
» This or That
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:51 pm by Donald McKinney

» Getting to know you
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:50 pm by Donald McKinney

» Favourite Song Of
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:49 pm by Donald McKinney

» Same TV Show/actor/director: Part 2
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:47 pm by Donald McKinney

» Same Movie & Actor/Director: Part IV - The Final Chapter
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:44 pm by Donald McKinney

» The Pointless Movie Game
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:44 pm by Donald McKinney

» Four Letter Word Game
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:43 pm by Donald McKinney

» Favourite Film Of
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:42 pm by Donald McKinney

» Word Association
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Mar 24, 2024 6:42 pm by Donald McKinney


 

 What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again

Go down 
+2
Donald McKinney
Gimli The Avenger
6 posters
Go to page : Previous  1 ... 7 ... 10, 11, 12 ... 20 ... 29  Next
AuthorMessage
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyMon May 18, 2015 10:46 pm

High Hopes (1988), written and directed by Mike Leigh, whose only cinematic release before this had been Bleak Moments (1971), since then, Leigh had worked mainly in the theatre and doing TV plays for the BBC and Channel 4, most notably Abigail's Party (1977). High Hopes originally started out as a one off drama for Channel 4, but the producers saw that it had cinematic potential, and more money was raised to get it into cinemas. It's a good character piece with some good performances in it. Set in and around Kings Cross, London. Cyril (Philip Davis) is a socialist who works as a motorcycle courier who lives with his girlfriend Shirley (Ruth Sheen). He dispairs of his senile mother (Edna Doré), who votes Tory. On the other side of the spectrum is Cyril's social climbing, crass sister Valerie (Heather Tobias) and her loutish husband Martin (Philip Jackson). After the mother gets locked out, she gets looked after by her selfish yuppie neighbours Laetitia Boothe-Braine (Lesley Manville) and her husband Rupert (David Bamber). Cyril and Heather do a 70th Birthday party for their mother, which is a disaster. It's a good social study on the sort of people you'd get in the 1980's, the lower-working classes who'd bemoan Thatcherism, the middle classes all comfy and the Thatcherite scum at the top of the social ladder. It gave Leigh the bug to make more films for the cinema. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 OER-Gex1c04

Life Is Sweet (1990), after High Hopes (1988) proved to be a surprise success with critics and some audiences, Channel 4 offered writer/director Mike Leigh the chance to make another film immediately. Leigh started straight away, and Channel 4, wanting to appeal to a larger audience, wanted Leigh to cast Americans in the film, but Leigh stood his ground and refused, and made it as English and down to earth as High Hopes was. It's a good study of family life in the suburbs with a sense of humour. The film focuses on Andy (Jim Broadbent), a chef in a top London catering company, and his wife Wendy (Alison Steadman), who works in a baby clothing shop and teaches a dance class. Their daughers Natalie (Claire Skinner) is planning on going on holiday to America, and their other daughter Nicola (Jane Horrocks) is a bit of an eccentric, she eats chocolate until she vomits and has a weird fetish she has her boyfriend (David Thewlis) do during sex. Their friend Aubrey (Timothy Spall) has opened up his new restaurant in town, but it's having teething problems. It's a good social study of families moving from the dark days of the 1980's into the 1990's and what the decade would have to offer. It makes a good companion piece with High Hopes (1988), contrasting suburbian living and families. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 2zzrsht
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue May 19, 2015 1:00 am

I love LIfe Is Sweet and really need to get round to watching High Hopes.


Le Trou (1st view) - Four prisoners sharing a cell are planning on escaping, so when a fifth convict is placed in with them they have no choice but to include him in ther plans. The meticulous attention to the details of the escape are excellent - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Le_trou_becker_poster3


Last Year at Marienbad (1st view) - A man meets a woman who he claims to have met previously, last year at Marienbad,. She doesn't remember. A second man, who may or may not be the woman's husband, repeatedly belittles the first man. An infuriating and baffling film - 2/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 220px-Marienbadposter
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue May 19, 2015 12:07 pm

Cemetery Junction (2010), written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, this is a very personal film for the comedy duo, especially Gervais, who grew up in the area the film was set. It was a shift away from the comedy of The Office and Extras. This is a coming of age comedy drama in the vein of Gregory's Girl (1981) and Diner (1982), it's a heartfelt study on the last gasp of teenage freedom and mischief we go though, before we all have to grow up and become adults like the rest of the world. Set in Reading in 1973, it focuses on 3 friends, Freddie (Christian Cooke), Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan). Freddie has just got a job with a respectable assurance firm in town ran by Mr. Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes), who is the father of his old school crush Julie (Felicity Jones). Freddie wants to get ahead in life, and not end up in a dead end job like his father Len (Gervais). Meanwhile, Bruce and Snork always get into trouble, ending up in jail, but always getting off thanks to Sgt. Davis (Steve Speirs), who knows Bruce's father (Francis Magee). Meanwhile, Freddie rekindles with Julie, who shows him there's much more to the world than Reading, but she's tied down. It's a good film, and it's a shame it didn't do as well as it should have at the time, as it shows Gervais and Merchant are good directors of actors, and it captures the era well, where it was a man's world, and women stayed at home. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 11010_poster2

Dinner for Schmucks (2010), directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and Meet the Parents (2000), this is a very loose adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons (1998) by Francis Veber. While most of Le Dîner de Cons was confined to one apartment over the space of one evening, this expands the action and this film creates a new third act to expand the action. It might not be respectful to the original film, but it does have laughs abound. Financial executive Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) is coming up with ways to impress Swiss businessman Martin Mueller (David Walliams), which he does. As a result, Tim's boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood), and Tim is invited to dinner, but he must bring an eccentric with a special talent. Tim literally runs into Barry Speck (Steve Carell), and he makes dioramas with dead mice. Barry manages to nearly ruin Tim's life over the space of one evening, and then Tim takes Barry to the dinner, and they meet other eccentrics such as Thurman Murch (Zach Galifianakis) and Marco (Chris O'Dowd). It's an extremely silly film, but it manages to hold it's own, and it's actually a funny little film. Rudd and Carell manage to make a good duo, and there's some genuine laughs to be had. The use of The Fool on the Hill by The Beatles in the film sums it up. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 423e0acc86039eeb
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyThu May 21, 2015 12:25 am

The Heat (1st view) - I enjoyed this perhaps more than I should. Certainly funnier than Bridesmaids - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The_Heat_poster


Piranha 3DD (1st view) - I remember when I saw the first Piranha at the cinema, I overheard one guy saying "That made Private Ryan look like a Rugrats cartoon". The sequel can't compare in the gore stakes but it's just as ridiculous. It's quite terrible overall but I kinda liked it.  - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 File:Piranha-3dd-poster-2


Last edited by Gimli The Avenger on Sat May 23, 2015 11:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyFri May 22, 2015 8:26 am

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (1st view) - Largely a rousing success. A immensely entertaining film.

The novelty factor of seeing the heroes get together may have perhaps gone but the camaraderie and conflict is more successful here, and the addition of new characters and returning sidekicks only helps that. But with so many characters, and so many powerful characters it could have been very one-sided. In the 1st Avengers just having Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk, each capable on their own of taking out a Leviathan, almost seemed to make the team unstoppable. Indeed, having the entire team on hand just to take out HYDRA mooks during the opening battle looked like overkill. Vision, who seems to be just as powerful as a God or rampaging monster (to the point where, you have to wonder, what's he need training for), makes the inevitablity of success almost guaranteed in the sequel and yet this is also the first MCU film in which the threat seems very genuine and real. A lot of that is due to James Spader, awesome as Ulton, absolutely perfect vocals and the CGI that rendered him impeccable. The most sinister, unnerving and genuinely threatening villain from the MCU yet, they've really upped the game in the bad guy stakes, a move that was required in order to deal with he ever-increasing hero count (I think we had 12 known good guys in the final battle). But all the returning cast, now firmly settled into their roles are on fine form, and new faces blend in well, save for a few dodgy accents.

Had I not known he was signed on for future films (and even then, those appearances could be flashbacks etc) I'd have been convinced that Hawkeye wold be killed off. Good to see him given more to do, a greater sense of idenity and worth. In fact, all 6 Avengers seemed to have more soul-searching to do this time round, no bad thing, although there's a sense that some was trimmed so that the film could clock in at under 2 and a half hours. I'm sure there must be deleted scenes somewhere featuring Peggy Carter, Heimdall and Selvig.

Liked the fact that both the epic heroic tracking shot and the back-to-back battle formation made it from the 1st Avengers film to the second. I think they were more successful in the first film but I'd like it to be not just a Wheden trait but an Avengers one. Similarly, the MCU films tend to have some ace pre-credit scene credit montages, and this was no exception.

The final shot of a new roster of Avengers or at least new recruits who can be swapped in or used when needed is a fine starting point for the next batch of films. In fact it makes me wonder why Ant-Man and not this is the end of Phase 2, I'm genuinely curious what Ant-Man will bring to the table.

There are quibbles but that's largely to do with the way the plot goes at times. It's not as funny on the whole and much of the humour there is seems to crop as witty banter during massive fight scenes, which kind of lessens the threat. Andy Serkis seems to be forgotten about after two minutes and you do almost have to wonder about how dire a situation the fall of Shield is. Because the Avengers have been avenging constantly, they have two bases, Fury isn't as underground as we perhaps thought and they still have a fully staffed helicarrier. I also spent half the film wondering why they'd didn't get Rhodes in to help so much so that when he did appear it was almost as if they suddenly remembered when filming that they were actually paying Don Cheadle so they might as well use him.

But they pale in comparison to everything that seesm right about the film. Take it as a standalone film, 2nd Avengers film, 4th Captain America, 5th Iron Man, 11th MCU film or a setup for Phase 3, it works. And I really can't wait to see what comes next.


What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Avengers_Age_of_Ultron


Last edited by Gimli The Avenger on Sat May 23, 2015 11:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySat May 23, 2015 11:53 pm

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2nd view) - You wait years for a comedy about a mall security guard and the two come along at once. Or at least they did back in 2009. Better than I remembered it being - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Paul_blart_mall_cop_film

Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun May 31, 2015 12:06 am

Mad Max: Fury Road (1st view) - Rather excellent, and far better than any of the previous three. Batshit crazy and all the better for it, with some of the most glorious action scenes I've seen in a long while (the sandstorm scene was hypnotically good with those flashes of black and white). It loses it's way at times when peple outside of Max and Furiosa are required to speak but for the most part this is a winner - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Max_Mad_Fury_Road_Newest_Poster



By The Bluest Of Seas (1st view) - Russian drama about two sailors who are shipwrecked, and end up falling the same woman on the island upon which they arrive - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 51GBHA42lKL._AA160_


The Day He Arrives (1st view) - Korean black and white drama about. Decent but forgettable - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The_Day_He_Arrives
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyWed Jun 03, 2015 7:10 am

San Andreas (1st view, 3D) - I do tend to love disaster films, and this was no exception. Not as gloriously OTT and cheesy as 2012 was, the film that this bears the most resemblance too, but it shares the same gleeful sense of destruction and disregard for science. Not entirely sure why Kylie Minogue popped up for all of 30 seconds though - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 San_Andreas_poster
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyWed Jun 03, 2015 1:19 pm

Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), after a historical film (The Duellists (1977), two science fiction films (Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982)) and a fantasy film (Legend (1985)), Ridley Scott decided it was time to try a more realistic and serious film. From a screenplay by Howard Franklyn, (Quick Change (1990)), this crime drama was Scott's first film set in the then present day, and he was looking for something simpler after Legend proved to be a troubled production. It showed he could handle down to earth films. Set in New York, Rich socialite Claire Gregory (Mimi Rogers) witnesses her friend Winn Hockings (Mark Moses) being stabbed to death by his former business partner Joey Venza (Andreas Katsulas), who was shunted out of a business deal. Detective Mike Keegan (Tom Berenger) is assigned to protect Claire until she can identify Venza when he's arrested. But Keegan soon finds himself falling for Claire, even though he's a married to Ellie (Lorraine Bracco), and this puts a strain on his already delicate marriage, and he's torn between Claire and Ellie, and Venza is planning revenge. It's a pedestrian thriller, but Scott does well with it. Scott would follow it with more contemporary films set in the present like Black Rain (1989) and Thelma & Louise (1991), but it gave him a chance to work with actors. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 C254622646e

F/X2 (1991), after the small success of F/X (1986), producers Orion Pictures thought that was enough to warrant a sequel. Just as well, as shortly after release, Orion went bankrupt. But, they hired Richard Franklin (Psycho II (1983) to direct the film, and Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters (1998), Dreamgirls (2006) and Mr. Holmes (2015)), to write the screenplay. It's a good sequel, with some effective sequences thoughout, it might not be as good as the first film, but it has good imagination on display. Special effects designer Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is approached by Police detective Mike Brandon (Tom Mason), the ex-husband of Rollie's girlfriend Kim (Rachel Ticotin), to help the police catch a serial killer using Rollie's special effects. The plan is set, and it looks like it might go perfectly, however, it all goes horribly wrong and Tom ends up being murdered. Rollie suspects a cover up and police corruption, and he calls in old friend Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) to protect him and Kim, and this case involves stolen gold medallions belonging to the Catholic Church. It's a good thriller, complete with a few suspenseful moments, including a shootout in a supermarket including some good booby traps using household items. A TV series followed soon afterwards, and a remake has been planned, but nothing's happened yet. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Ncf8ns
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Jun 07, 2015 12:36 am

Penguins of Madagascar (1st view) - Lots of fun. By some distance better than the Madagascar films and possibly the best animated film to come out of Dreamworks. Visually it seemed more inventive than many of their films - the Venice chase and airplane escape spring to mind - and the film is never more than 20 seconds away from a joke. Some don't work but most do, even the incredibly silly punnage involving celebrity names. Took me a while to get used to some different actors doing the voice than in the TV show (and I've only now just discovered that the show has ended Sad) but I can myself wathcing this a lot in the future - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Penguins_of_Madagascar_poster


The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1st view) - The oldest surviving animated feature film. Been wanting to see this for years now and it didn't disappoint - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 PrinzenAchmedTitle
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyMon Jun 08, 2015 12:49 am

The Imitation Game (1st view) - Solid, if historically iffy, look at Alan Turing and the breaking of the Enigma code. Performances are the best thing about it - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The_Imitation_Game_poster
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyMon Jun 08, 2015 11:23 pm

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971), Werner Herzog was a very busy director between 1968 and 1972, directing 4 feature films, 3 documentaries and a short film. This was one of his documentaries, and it focuses on the saddening world of deaf and blind people, and how they strive to live normal lives and it also shows on how they communicate. What could be mawkish and upsetting turns out being quite thoughtful and philosophical. It doesn't make a big thing of it, it shows these people as they are. The film mostly tells the story of Fini Straubinger a deaf-blind German woman, Herzog follows Straubinger as he studies on how she communicates with other people who are also deaf-blind, which is done with strokes and taps on the fingers and palms of one another's hand. It also focuses on other people in the deaf-blind community, those born deaf-blind, and those who became that way. The film focuses on Fini and a group of people experiencing flying in a plane for the first time, and some experiencing swimming, and Herzog shows how these people get by in life being deaf and blind. Herzog shows the sort of people that don't often get a lot of exposure in society, and some might prefer it that way, but there's something uplifting about this, and it doesn't resort of sensationalism either, which is a good thing. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 LandOfSilenceAndDarkness

Maria Full of Grace (2004), the directorial debut of Joshua Marston, who had gone from TV journalist for ABC News, English teacher in Prague and Paris correspondent for Life magazine. You could say his globetrotting inspired this gritty drama about drug smuggling. It looks like a foreign film, but it was funded by HBO and made with an American crew, and shot in little over a month for £3 million. It has a touch of Ken Loach about it, it's heavy going but it's quite compelling as well. In Colombia, 17 year old María Álvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) works in appalling conditions in a flower plantation, and her minimal pay helps to support her family. But, Maria loses it with her boss, and quits, and then discovers she's become pregnant. Now desperate for work, she ends up becoming a drugs mule with her friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega). They end up swallowing drug pellets and entering the United States. Maria and Blanca go with another experienced drug mule, Lucy (Guilied Lopez). Despite getting through customs, it all goes horribly wrong for them. It's a heavy going film, but it shows the lengths people will go to in order to survive in some South American countries. The film is a sad, harrowing indictment of something that's still rife today, but Moreno gives a brilliant debut performances in this film. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Maria_full_of_grace_poster
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue Jun 09, 2015 12:36 am

The Servant (1st view) - James Fox stars as a wealthy young man who hires Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde) as his manservant but the roles between the two gradually reverse. Never been the greatest fan of Dirk Bogarde but he rocked in this - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The_Servant_%28film%29
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue Jun 09, 2015 10:46 am

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), 30 years after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Max Rockatansky returns. George Miller had the film planned for 15 years, and it briefly jumped a couple of studios, and went through many story changes and false starts. Filmed back in 2012, it took nearly 3 years to complete, but you can see what Miller has had in mind all along. It's an insane action film which doesn't stop, and it's a great example of a chase film, and it's so fast and furious, it leaves you wanting more. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is a loner roaming the desert of Earth after a nuclear holocaust. Max is captured by the army of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), an evil leader who rules Joe's Citadel. Immortan Joe sends driver Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to collect petrol, but she's gone missing, and so has Immortan Joe's wives. Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Capable (Riley Keough), Cheedo (Courtney Eaton), Toast (Zoë Kravitz), and the Dag (Abbey Lee). Immortan Joe sends an army to find them, Max is being used as a blood bag for Nux (Nicholas Hoult), but Max soon gets free. It's a wild and frenetic film, it has a couple of moments which allow for a breather, but it never lets up, and the action is always inventive and it's great that Miller has done most of the stunts without CGI. Miller has more Mad Max films planned after this one, in that case, bring them on!! 4.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 MadMax1

Hideous Kinky (1998), directed by Gillies MacKinnon (Small Faces (1996), Trojan Eddie (1996) and Regeneration (1997)), this was based on Esther Freud's 1992 novel of the same name, which documented her early life with her sister and mother in Morocco. It's a beautifully understated film, with some lovely local colour and it captures the mood of the time, with hippies still hanging on to the goal of looking for inner peace. It's very little seen, and it sadly sank without trace at the time. Set in 1972, it follows mother Julia (Kate Winslet), her 8 year old daughter Bea (Bella Riza) and 6 year old daughter Lucy (Carrie Mullan), as they travel to Morocco. Sick of life in London, Julia believes that this will be a new start for their lives, and they live in a low rent Marrakesh hotel, living on the profits from sales of hand-sewn dolls and money sent by the girl's father, a poet living in London. Meanwhile, Julia finds herself falling for Bilal (Saïd Taghmaoui), a Moroccan con-man and acrobat. They befriend rich European Santoni (Pierre Clémenti), but the daughters start to rebel. It's a good little travelogue, but that's all there is to it. Which is a shame, as it could have been more substantial. Plus, despite hype regarding director MacKinnon being the next great director, his career sadly dwindled, which is a sad shame really. 3/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Normal_hideous-kinky_posters_001
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue Jun 09, 2015 9:08 pm

Far and Away (1992), from directed Ron Howard, who during the 1990's moved into making more serious film, as demonstrated with Backdraft (1991). For his next film, Howard made a more personal film, as his great-grandparents actually participated in the Great Land Rush of 1893, which is depicted in this film. Howard concocted the story with Bob Dolman, who had wrote Willow (1988) for Howard. It's a massive epic, shot in Super Panavision 70, the first film to have been done so since Ryan's Daughter (1970). Beginning in Ireland in 1892, it has the family home of Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise) being burnt down by the men of the local landlord Daniel Christie (Robert Prosky). Joseph plans to kill Christie, but instead, he ends up with Christie's daughter Shannon (Nicole Kidman), and they end up on a ship to America, where they've heard about land in Oklahoma up for grabs. But, when they land in America, they have to share a room, and Joseph gets by doing bare knuckle fighting for Boss Kelly (Colm Meaney). Meanwhile, Shannon's parents have fallen on hard times, and they head to America. It's a good romantic epic, even if Cruise's Irish accent is laughable at times. But you can see Howard's heart was in the right place, and it's benefitted from having a good John Williams score to top things off. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 C061c66095b

We Were Soldiers (2002), written and directed by Randall Wallace (screenwriter of Braveheart (1995), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001)), this was based on the 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young by Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. This is a Vietnam war film which focuses on the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965, as well as the build up to the central battle as well. It's a good film, but there have been better Vietnam films made. In 1965, and the Vietnam war beginning to get more and more violent, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) is chosen to train and lead a battalion to fight in Vietnam. Out there, Moore learns that an American base out there was attacked, and he's ordered to take his men out to Ia Drang Valley to take out the North Vietnamese troops. However, what they didn't take into account is that there's 4,000 NV soldiers, and Moore's men are lured into a violent and tense ambush. Their only hope is if Major Crandall (Greg Kinnear) can reach Moore and his men in time. It's all been done before, and this one has a touch of Zulu (1964) about it as well. Wallace get's a bad press because he wrote Braveheart and Pearl Harbor, but he actually does OK with this film, but it's not perfect, and it's Gibson's last good film before he cracked up. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 25garz10
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyFri Jun 12, 2015 7:29 pm

Big Wednesday (1978), from writer and director John Milius, (The Wind and the Lion (1975) and Conan The Barbarian (1982)), this was a very personal film for Milius, as he used to do surfing when he was younger. However, the genesis of this film came from a 1974 Surfer Magazine article entitled "No Pants Mance, written by Dennis Aaberg, (Aaberg co-wrote the screenplay with Milius). The end result is Milius' answer to American Graffiti (1973), it's about lost youth, and the coming of age over 12 years, The film begins in 1962, and it focuses on a group of friends. Matt Johnson (Jan-Michael Vincent) is a self-destructive daredevil, Jack Barlowe (William Katt) is more grown-up and sensible and Leroy "The Masochist" Smith (Gary Busey) is what is nickname suggests. The 3 friends share a passion for surfing and catching the perfect wave. It follows their lives of partying and growing up when the Vietnam War hits America and Matt, Jack and Leroy try to draft-dodge in 1965, but Jack ends up going to Vietnam, and so begins manhood, but they never forget their love for surfing. Many critics accused the film of being grandiose and pretentious, and it is, but in a good way. Milius gets the best out of his cast, and the surfing sequences are very well filmed, and it's one of 1970's cinema's best kept secrets. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 CEQcPH5WoAAeeVL

Tomorrowland (2015), directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007) and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)), from a screenplay by Bird and Damon Lindelof (Prometheus (2012) and World War Z (2013)), this is an old fashioned fantasy adventure which harks back to the sort of films Disney used to make in the 1970's. While it's a visually stunning and admittedly original film, it's storytelling could have been improved upon, but it's worth a look. Teenager Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), finds a badge which seems to transport her to Tomorrowland, albeit only for a few minutes. She wants to see more, so she investigates further, and with the help of little girl android Athena (Raffey Cassidy) it takes her to disgruntled former child prodigy Frank Walker (George Clooney). Who reluctantly takes them to Tomorrowland, via a steampunk spaceship. Walker used to live in Tomorrowland, until he was banished by leader David Nix (Hugh Laurie). When they get there, Nix is waiting for them, and a tachyon machine Walker invented. This is the film Interstellar (2014) would have been had the makers decided to ignore the wormhole and deep space theories. Despite what the critics say, it's a good adventure film with a lot of imagination on display, and it deserves to be seen and admired. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Tomorrowland-450x666
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyFri Jun 12, 2015 8:25 pm

Creepshow (1982), directed by George A. Romero, who had just come off his biker joust romp Knightriders (1981), here Romero found himself teaming up with horror writer Stephen King, whose novels were being adapted ad infinitum at that time, for a horror compendium with a vein of black comedy about them. It's a mixed bag, but as is the case with films like this, if there's one segment that doesn't work or is dragging, there'll be another one along shortly that might be better. It's good fun to watch though. It has 5 stories, the first segment, Father's Day, has a family of grandkids, including Sylvia and Richard Grantham (Carrie Nye and Werner Shook) and Cass and Hank Blaine (Elizabeth Regan and Ed Harris) discovering a dark family secret. In The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, the titular Verrill (King) succumbs to an alien disease. In Something to Tide You Over, Richard Vickers (Leslie Neilsen) extracts revenge on Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson). In The Crate, Dexter Stanley (Fritz Weaver) finds a way to get rid of his wife, and in They're Creeping Up On You, Upson Pratt (E. G. Marshall) succumbs to cockroaches. It's an extremely silly horror compendium, but it has it's moments, The Crate segment is overlong, but the Neilsen and Marshall segments are the best. It shows how confident and inventive Romero was as a director, and he had fun here. 3.5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Locandina

Two Evil Eyes (1990). two stories, one written and directed by George A. Romero and the other one written and directed by Dario Argento. This horror double bill has two horror maestros creating two different stories on the same bill. Sort of like what Grindhouse (2007) should have been been, although Romero and Argento had worked together before on Dawn of the Dead (1978). For this film, Romero and Argento turned to two works by Edgar Allen Poe, and both made in Pittsburgh. The first story is Romero's film, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdema, based on Poe's 1845 story, and it has Ernest Valdemar (Bingo O'Malley) dying from a terminal illness, and he has his lawyer Steven Pike (E.G. Marshall) set about liquidating his assets, as he believes his wife Jessica (Adrienne Barbeau) is trying to kill him, which is actually is. In Argento's film, The Black Cat, based on Poe's 1843 story, it has Rod Usher (Harvey Keitel) has done a book of crime scene photos, and his relationship with girlfriend Annabel (Madeleine Potter) has grown estranged, and then Rod snaps literally. If this had come out a decade sooner, it would have been a masterpiece, but it seems a bit stale and even tame by the time the 1990's came around. Romero and Argento hadn't had hits in a few years by then, which is a shame, as it could have been better. 2/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Two_evil_eyes
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyFri Jun 12, 2015 9:20 pm

The Mask of Zorro (1998), directed by Martin Campbell (Goldeneye (1995), Casino Royale (2006) and Green Lantern (2011)). This was written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)), and based on Johnston McCulley's character, created in 1919. This new version had been optioned by Steven Spielberg in 1992, but it took a few years to find the right tone and story. It's brilliant that they got it right, and they made an entertaining swashbuckler. It begins in Mexico in 1821, when the Mexican War of Independence see's out the Spaniards, Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) helps fight against govenor Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson). Montero finds out Zorro's true identity as Don Diego De La Vega, and kills his wife and takes his daughter. 20 years later, Montero returns to Mexico with a new vision of creating an independent California, Vega see's his daughter Eléna (Catherine Zeta Jones) believing Montero is her father. Vega plans revenge, and he trains Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) into becoming a new Zorro to help the people. It's very well made with some good set pieces and a good sense of humour as well. Banderas and Hopkins make a good duo as well. A sequel, The Legend of Zorro (2005) followed, also directed by Campbell. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 9f0df9004b4727fbbf7b1ce94cc1d78f

Cinderella (2015), directed by Kenneth Branagh, who has moved away from Shakespeare epics like Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1996), to making a Marvel superhero film with Thor (2011) and a spy thriller with Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Here, Disney offered him to do a new version of Cinderella, which Disney did in 1950 based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, here adapted by Chris Weitz (About A Boy (2002) and The Golden Compass (2007)), it's an extremely well made version with some really good performances in it, and it's faithful to the 1950 version too. Ella (Lily James) once had a happy life with her mother and father (Hayley Atwell and Ben Chaplin), but her mother died and her father decides to remarry. He marries the widow Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett), and she brings her two daughters Drisella (Sophie McShera) and Anastasia (Holliday Grainger). They are sniffy of Ella. After Ella dies, they become even more cruel to Ella, and when they forbid her going to the palace ball. Ella's Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) see's that she will go to the ball. It's a very lavish and beautifully filmed fairy tale, and they don't try and pad it out, it keeps the story's simple roots and what could have been daft and twee ends up being genuinely magical and beautiful to watch. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 CIN_7C_1SHT_PAYOFF_RUNNING_RGB-e1425785923206
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyFri Jun 12, 2015 9:37 pm

The Descendants (2011), the first film in 7 years by Alexander Payne, (Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004)), based on the 2008 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, this is a touching comedy-drama that has high emotions and a gentle sense of humour, despite the tragic proceedings. Set in Honolulu, lawyer Matt King (George Clooney) is facing a family crisis, his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been seriously injured in a boating accident, leaving her in a coma and brain-damaged. Now, Matt is having to bond and connect with his two daughters 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17-year-old Alex (Shailene Woodley). Scottie is mischievous and getting into trouble with other children while Alex drinks heavily and swears alot, which rubs off on Scottie. While Matt tries to finalise a deal for the development of 25,000 acres of land in Kaua'i, which has been in his family trust. He learns from Alex that Elizabeth was having an affair shortly before the accident with real estate agent Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard), so Matt goes on a quest to find out who Brian Speer is and what he was doing with his wife in the first place. It's a brilliantly performed film that manages to be a serious comedy and a funny drama. Clooney is brilliant as the grief-stricken father trying to bring his family together, and it's got Payne's usual touch of humanity about the proceedings, it's about how we come to terms with death, when it comes, set among the backdrop of Hawaii. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The-descendants

The Drop (2014), written by novellist Dennis Lehane, author of novels like Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone and Shutter Island, this was adapted from a short story Lehane wrote in 2009 called Animal Rescue, this adaptation is directed by Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead (2011)), and it's a good crime drama with a well put together cast, and while there have been loads of films like this before, this benefits having a good script. Set in Brooklyn, Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) works as a bartender in a bar called Cousin Marv's, which is ran by Marv (James Gandolfini), who is Bob's cousin. The bar is used as a drop point for local criminals to launder money. Bob meets local girl Nadia (Noomi Rapace) when Bob finds a pitbull in Nadia's bin outside her house, but he later finds out the pitbull belongs to Nadia's brutal and unpredictable Eric Deeds (Matthias Schoenaerts). There's also a robbery at Cousin Marv's, and Bob is able to identify one of the thieves, which seems to upset Marv a lot, even though Bob thought he was doing the right thing reporting it. While there's a lot of films like this, parts of this have the feel and structure of a chamber piece, a tight character piece which is blessed with some good performances, but it has added poignancy, as it's James Gandolfini's final film, and he puts in a great performance, and he definitely had more to offer as an actor. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The-drop-poster
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySun Jun 14, 2015 1:51 am

A Million Ways To Die In The West (1st view) - I get the feeling I liked this a lot more than I should have. Much like MacFarlane's American Dad, he throws as many jokes as he can at the screen and hopes that some stick, which of course means that many don't. And a lot of the jokes are based around farts. It's all very silly and stupid but I did enjoy watching it. Charlize Theron should be in more comedy films - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 A_Million_Ways_to_Die_in_the_West_poster



Captain Philips (2nd view) - Minimal shakycam, Hanks' best performance in about a decade, and a good debut from Barkhad Abdi - 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Captain_Phillips_Poster



Cliffhanger (2nd view) - I haven't seen this in full since about 1994, just caught bits here and there when it's been on TV since. It has a very 90s feel to it but remains one of the best "Die Hard on a " variations - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Cliffhanger_Poster



Interstellar (2nd view) - SPOILERS - But if Matty Mc spooking his daughter is the sole reason he goes into space in the first place, how did he get into space to spook his daughter? Explain that one! Liked it at the cinema, enjoyed it an awful lot more second time though I'm still trying to get my head around gravitational time dilation - 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Interstellar_film_poster



Ride Along (1st view) - Has moments of humour but I think I'll mainly remember it for how annoying Kevin Hart is - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 File:Ride_Along_poster
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptySat Jun 20, 2015 9:19 am


Last Vegas (1st view) - Probably about what I expected. Kevin Kline was good fun - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Last_Vegas_Poster


The Babadook (1st view) - Fantastic horror with some actual, proper scary moments and two terrific performances - 4/5*


What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The-Babadook-Poster


Orchestra Seats (1st view) - Reasonable French drama - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Fauteuils-dorchestre


Honeymoon (1st view) - Newlyweds Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway spend their honeymoon in a remote Canadian cabin, but the trip turns sour after she is found sleepwalking naked in the forest. Tense and unsettling horror - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Honeymoon_film_poster


Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (1st view) - When I saw the first Anchorman for the second time in 2013 I said "Even worse than I remembered. Morbidly unfunny. The world was a better place before this was spawned. Its very presence is cause for misery and depression. The fact that there is a sequel makes me weep for humanity". As such, I didn't hold out much hope for this sequel. Thankfully the sequel is a much better film with actual funny jokes - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Anchorman_2_Teaser_Poster


Wild Hogs (2nd view) - Juvenile and not really very good but I kinda like it - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Wild-hogs-poster-750


Drive Hard (1st view) - Remember when John Cusack starred in filma that people actually liked? In this he plays a thief who tricks former racing driver turned driving instructor Thomas Jane into being his getaway driver. The comedic aspects of the script fit uncomfortably alongside the action - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Drive_Hard_film_poster



Bad Neighbours (1st view) - I've always quite liked Seth Rogen and this is one of his better films but Rose Bryne is the funniest cast member here - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Neighbors_%282013%29_Poster



Black Sea (1st view) - Claustrophobic thriller in which submariner Jude Law leads a crew to salvage nazi gold from a u-boat in the Black Sea. There isn't one single character to root for though, so when their ridiculous actions lead to their downfall itls actually a relief - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Black_Sea_%28film%29


The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1st view) - Endearing and quite tender, this manages to be both quite uplifing and rather depressing at the same time. As an actor Stiller has rarely been this good, and it certainly looks lovely. Makes me want to pack up and travel to Iceland - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 The_Secret_Life_of_Walter_Mitty_poster
Back to top Go down
Gimli The Avenger
Admin
Admin
Gimli The Avenger


Posts : 27722
Join date : 2008-07-23
Location : Middle Earth

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyTue Jun 23, 2015 12:34 am

Mr Peabody and Sherman (1st view) - I can kind of understand why this flopped but it's a shame, quite funny and better than many CG animated films of recent years - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Mr_Peabody_%26_Sherman_Poster


About Time (1st view) - Domhnall Gleeson does a good Hugh Grant impersonation. The time travel aspect feels unnecessary mostly, would've worked just as well as a straightforward romcom - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 About_Time_Poster


High Fidelity (2nd view) - Not seen this for ages, about 13 years I reckon. I remember when it came out a lot of people I knew said this film "spoke" to them. Can't say it does to me, what with my lack of musical knowledge and distinct lack of former romances. In general soul-searching nostalgia-fests aren't my thing but this is fun - 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 High_Fidelity_poster


The Class (1st view) - French drama about an inner city school. Clocking in at almost 150 minutes, it goes on a bit - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 >Entrelesmurs


Grand Piano (1st view) - Five years after retiring following a flubbed performance, pianist Elijah Wood returns to the stage, only to discover there's a sniper in the theatre who will shoot him if he plays a wrong note. It's a bit HItchcockian, very silly and overblown but at 78 minutes doesn't outstay its welcome. Still, it's no match for the best ever pianist-in-danger film, The Cat Concerto - 4/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Grand_Piano_Official_Poster


Carry On Follow That Camel (1st view) - Never seen this one and if I have it's so long ago I've forgotten. Not the best in the series but Phil Silvers is good fun and the lack of Sid James in a Carry on is always a bonus - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 330px-Follow_That_Camel_FilmPoster


Hypothermia (1st view) - Michael Rooker and his family are ice fishing (Dear God, can anything be more boring?) when the world's most boorish oaf and his son set up camp nearby. And then a man in a Creature From The Black Lagoon costume starts attacking them all. Enjoyably naff - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 330px-Hypothermia


The Seasoning House (1st view) - Unpleasant revenge thriller in which a deaf mute girl attacks those responsible for imprisoning her and other girls as sex slaves in eastern Europe - 3/5*

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Th?id=JN.R2pKlUhJ9SZWb8KgKZzrzQ&pid=15


Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyWed Jun 24, 2015 7:36 pm

Whiplash (2014), written and directed by Damien Chazelle, whose debut Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), was a jazz musical with gritty overtones. For his next film, this grew out of Chazelle's experience as a jazz musician at Princeton High School and the competitiveness that came out of performing. Chazelle's screenplay made the 2012 Black List of unproduced screenplays. Chazelle was able to make a short film out of it, and then a film version followed. It's extremely shattering and tense. At the Shaffer Conservatory in New York, first year music student Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) aspires to be a great jazz drummer like Buddy Rich. His drumming catches the attention of conductor Terence Fletcher (J. K. Simmons), who enlists Andrew to be the alternate for core drummer Carl Tanner (Nate Lang). But, it's when Andrew joins that he see's Fletcher's true colours, Fletcher is abusive, verbally and physically. But, when Tanner leaves, Ryan Connolly (Austin Stowell), who turns out to be a better drummer than Andrew, but Andrew wants to prove he's a perfect drummer. Made for $3.3 million in and around Los Angeles, and shot in a breakneck 19 days, it's a fast and tense character piece, and there's a battle of wills at the centre of this film, and J.K. Simmons is terrifying, and he rightfully deserved his Oscar. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Whiplash-uk-trailer

San Andreas (2015), directed by Brad Peyton (Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010) and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)), and written by Carlton Cuse. (creator of TV's Nash Bridges and Bates Motel), this disaster film harks back to the likes of The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974). There's some good action sequences in it, but it's all been seen before, and there's a lot of cheese of display, and it manages to be entertaining. Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter pilot Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) is in the middle of a divorce from his wife Emma (Carla Gugino), their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) is going to San Francisco with Emma's new boyfriend Daniel Riddick (Ioan Gruffudd), where he's building a new skyscraper. Meanwhile, seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) is doing earthquake prediction research at the Hoover Dam, when a massive earthquake hits, and heads for Los Angeles and San Francisco, Ray ends up having to save Emma, then find Blake. It's a daft piece of entertainment, but the earthquake sequences are well done, although a lot of it is a load of predictable guff, but it's enjoyable piece of guff at that, and it's good to see a disaster film that wasn't made by Roland Emmerich. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 42_t
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyWed Jun 24, 2015 7:48 pm

Skyfall (2012), Bond 23, and the 007 franchise came perilously close to ending when MGM went bankrupt, but MGM found money, and they got to make this, with Sam Mendes at the helm too, the first Oscar winning director to do a Bond. The delayed production gave them chance to make the script the best ever, get the best performances from all concerned, and get top talent in front and behind the camera. It's one of the best Bonds of them all. James Bond (Daniel Craig) is seemingly killed while trying to retrieve a computer hard-drive from assassin Patrice (Ola Rapace). The hard-drive contains the information and identities of NATO agents deep undercover, M (Judi Dench) finds herself under pressure from government officer Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), and after MI6 is attacked, Bond reappears. M assigns Bond with finding whoever did this, it takes Bond to Shanghai and Macau, where he meets Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe), who takes Bond to Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who was behind the attack, but Silva has a past, and it involves M... It's a brilliant piece of entertainment, it's a Bond unlike all the others, but it's also old fashioned in it's direction and acting. Craig is brilliant as Bond, and here he gets to have a bit more fun than his first two outings. It's emotionally charged, and it's the best looking Bond of them all, with real danger and threat too. 5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 4252-007%20Skyfall

Shutter Island (2010), after winning his Best Director Oscar for The Departed (2006), Martin Scorsese returns with this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel. It's something quite different for Scorsese, and it borrows alot from Hitchcock. In fact, in parts, it doesn't feel like a Scorsese film at all, although it does have some nice visual flourishes. But it is quite moody, and the outcome can be a little hard to accept. Set in 1954, it has U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), go to the Ashecliff Hospital on Shutter Island, just off the coast of Boston to investigate the disapperance of one of the patients. The hospital is run by Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), who is trying to use new methods to help the patients. It turns out Daniels has another agenda on the island, his wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) was killed in an apartment fire, and he wants to see the man who caused it, and Teddy is haunted by dreams of his wife. It's a psychological horror/thriller, much more of a think piece rather than going for out and out scares, but it is gothic and very atmospheric, although the twist at the end, if you haven't worked it out, will leave you scratching your head. Still, it has a brilliant supporting cast, including Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas, Ted Levine, Jackie Earle Haley and Max Von Sydow. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Img2e9afbdfzikbzj
Back to top Go down
Donald McKinney
Admin
Admin
Donald McKinney


Posts : 24450
Join date : 2008-07-21

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 EmptyWed Jun 24, 2015 8:46 pm

You Only Live Twice (1967), The 5th Bond film, and with the gargantuan success of Thunderball under their hats, producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman decided the next Bond would be the biggest and best on yet, it's certainly the best Sean Connery Bond film, (even for a time this looked like it would be Connery's last one, but fate would prove otherwise), but it's very well made and it has a big epic scope. It would be a while before there was a big epic Bond like this for a while. The film follows James Bond (Connery) as he tries to investigate the disappearance of manned space capsules. But, he's just faked his own death in Hong Kong, the reason for this is to ensure that his villain's THINK he's dead, so he can move around more without fear of getting caught, but wherever he goes, people want him dead. The mission takes him around Japan, leading from Osato Chemicals to a hollowed out volcano, where evil organisation SPECTRE have been hiding, led by Ernst Stavros Blofeld (Donald Pleasence). With a deft and taut script by Roald Dahl, it has some of the best set pieces of the 60's Bond films, even if there's a big sense of excess about this one, but it's still good to watch, and the direction by Lewis Gilbert, cinematography by Freddie Young and best of all, the production design by Ken Adam are all perfect. Maybe we need a Bond like this again... 5/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 F_man_lever_bara_2_ganger

Spy (2015), written and directed by Paul Feig, (Bridesmaids (2011) and The Heat (2013)), this is a very funny spy comedy which Feig reunites once again with Melissa McCarthy, who has come into her own as a talented and likeable comedy actress. Here, Feig gives her some brilliant comedic set pieces, and he also manages to get some equally hilarious performances from his other lead actors too. It's certainly no spy spoof, but it has fun sending up the usual spy film cliches and the like. CIA analyst Susan Cooper (McCarthy) has had full training as a CIA agent, but has a desk job, helping her spy partner Agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). But, when Fine vanishes, and with the identities of undercover CIA spies compromised and a nuclear bomb up for grabs. Cooper volunteers to go undercover to find the bomb and what happened to Fine, and she's mocked by hardman agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham). But, she goes undercover, and with help from her friend and co-worker Nancy (Miranda Hart), Cooper does well and it leads her to Rayna Boyanov (Rose Bryne). On one hand, it's a hard edged action film with some good fight sequences, and on the other hand, it's a hilarious comedy with some good laughs and it's always fun to see McCarthy turn the air blue with foul language, but it gives other spy comedies a run for their money. 4/5

What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 0514040-r_x_600-f_jpg-q_x-xxyxx
Back to top Go down
Sponsored content





What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty
PostSubject: Re: What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again   What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again - Page 11 Empty

Back to top Go down
 
What I've Just Watched Part 4: There And Back Again
Back to top 
Page 11 of 29Go to page : Previous  1 ... 7 ... 10, 11, 12 ... 20 ... 29  Next
 Similar topics
-
» What I've Just Watched: Part 2
» What I've Just Watched: Part 3 - The Search for Spock
» What I've just watched
» Rate the last TV programme the above user watched
» Rate the last film the above user watched.

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Pages Of Power 4 :: Entertainment :: Film-
Jump to: