Film Review Thread

by **London_White** » Tue May 08, 2012 1:47 pm

That the new Mrs Peel then?
She's changed a bit over the years.

by **the flying pig** » Fri May 11, 2012 10:38 am

The Hunger Games

Over the BH weekend I ended up watching this at a multiplex near my parents-in-law's. More through its kickoff time tying in well with the in-laws' babysitting offer than any real excitement on my part about the film's pyjama party-friendly premise, having read the book, or similar.

It wasn't bad at all. Nothing too original in the plot for anyone familiar with one or more of such titles as 'the running man', 'battle royale', or even 'gladiator', but it still feels fresh enough. The central premise is compelling in a comfortable, well-worn, sort of way.

I quite liked the way that, even for a reasonably action and effects-heavy film, they resisted the temptation to go with 3D, which I'm not particularly a fan of.

There's some good action and it's mostly well-filmed. Somehow a bit lacking in moments of tension here & there, maybe.

Slight quibble re: the casting of Jennifer Lawrence[sp?] in the lead role, as per its title, the film takes part in a post-apocalyptic disutopia where people being hungry is, uh, endemic, but, although slim, JL's superb figure looks milk-fed and healthy that comfortably rules out any form of malnutrition. But generally speaking all of the [mostly young] cast do a great job.

The ending's not great, seeming to tee up a sequel more than anything else.

Overall I'd say that it just about crept over the 7 out of 10 goal-line.

by **AndyPaul** » Fri May 11, 2012 6:15 pm

topbin wrote:Just watched 'Drive' with Ryan Gosling in it. Utter shit. If you like watching Ryan Gosling be silent, you're in for a treat.

Just watched this, it seems as if some people think its really good and some think it's really shit with no middle ground. I am in total agreement with the above. I don't think Ryan Gosling is the greatest actor but fuck me, he is really bad in this.

0/10 - Avoid like the plague :thumbd:

by **Phil LUFC** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:05 pm

Phil LUFC wrote:
eric olthwaite wrote:... Sometimes I do wonder if my preference for foreign films is just down to me being a smug, pseudo-intellectual ponce, and sometimes I'm sure it's because 99% of Hollywood output is just fucking garbage.

I'm leaning more towards the latter as time goes on.

You're probably spot on. I still tend to just watch the mainstream stuff, and I'll opt for the girl with a dragon tattoo hollywood style rather than in swedish with subtitles or dubbed. But I did accidentally rent a french film, 22 bullets (didn't realise it was in french til I started watching it), and basically sat through it highlighting where hollywood would have fucked it up. Wasn't a great film, but good enough to make me watch and enjoy despite the subtitles.

Just watched the girl with the dragon tattoo, hollywood version, fucking fantastic it was. I'm partly tempted to now watch the swedish version, but doubt I'll get round to it.

by **jackos** » Thu May 31, 2012 6:06 am

Phil LUFC wrote:Just watched the girl with the dragon tattoo, hollywood version, fucking fantastic it was. I'm partly tempted to now watch the swedish version, but doubt I'll get round to it.

Yeah, the US version was much better than I expected after reading the critic it received in Sweden.

The Swedish films are spoilt because they where filmed for TV and cinema. All three books where filmed then released at the cinema first. Each film was a two part mini series on TV, and is missing 30 minutes or so of TV material, which I thought made them pretty difficult to follow. If you can get hold of the TV series I can recommend that, I'm sure it'll be available on a few torrent sites.

by **Porkchopexpress** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 7:07 pm

Just finished "The Guard" with Brendan Gleeson. Funny as fuck, thoroughly recommended.

by **LSD&2Es** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 8:05 pm

Porkchopexpress wrote:Just finished "The Guard" with Brendan Gleeson. Funny as fuck, thoroughly recommended.

I mentioned this back in April on here. Very good movie indeed. Same bloke that made the Commitments I think.

by **Dale White** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:11 am

The girl with the dragon tatoo, superb film, takes about 30 mins to get going but after that you are gripped by the balls, 9/10.

by **mi.mic.mick.mick jones** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:16 am

Dale White wrote:The girl with the dragon tatoo, superb film, takes about 30 mins to get going but after that you are gripped by the balls, 9/10.

Agreed, I enjoyed this one too.

For those who enjoy family guy, Seth McFarland has a film out called "Ted" check out the preview on you tube.....very puerile, thought some of you on here would identify with it.

by **the flying pig** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:10 pm

The iron lady (DVD/download etc). Good if you're after a really in/depth look at some fictitious imagined conversations between a senile MT and her long-dead husband spliced together with a few quick looks back at her days as a Tory party wannabe in grantham/dagenham. Otherwise avoid. Bizarrely brief treatment given to miners' strike, relationship with reagan, and so on.
partly redeemed by some good mimicry by meryl Streep, but only partly. 5 and a half out of 10.

by **Blackwhite** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:21 pm

Caught an old Hal Ashby movie from the US 70s golden seam, The Last Detail. Worth catching or DLing, Jack Nicholson stars and has one of his best lines: Two sailors with skin in the game are told to take a third to jail, and decide to show him a good time if they can. Sweet movie in its way.

by **AndyPaul** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:53 am

A brief catch up of some films I have seen lately.................

Felon - 8/10
Usual prison plot with a tyrant of a prison guard but really good actually. With Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff.

In time - 7/10
Featuring Justin Timberlake when the currency is years of your life. Unusual concept but works quite well.

Moonrise Kingdom - 6/10
Two kids do a runner on this small island. A weird film, strange humour but not too bad. Feat Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Bill Murray.

Prometheus - 7/10
This was better than I thought it was going to be. A group of scientists set out to meet the makers of the human race. Alien Prequel. Charlize Theron looking very pert.

What to expect when your expecting - 5/10
A load of couples going through pregnancy, it was OK I suppose, a few funny moments.

by **EEPW** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:28 am

prometheus

Where did you see this? its not been released yet and no torrents available!

by **Jovo Simanic** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:22 pm

EEPW wrote:prometheus

Where did you see this? its not been released yet and no torrents available!

It's out in London (saw it last night). 7/10 seems about right. Not as good as Alien or Aliens but that's a pretty big ask. Michael Fassbender's very good and it just about holds together but has an unsatisfactory sequel setting up ending.

by **Mustafaster** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:37 pm

Jovo Simanic wrote:
EEPW wrote:prometheus

Where did you see this? its not been released yet and no torrents available!

It's out in London (saw it last night). 7/10 seems about right. Not as good as Alien or Aliens but that's a pretty big ask. Michael Fassbender's very good and it just about holds together but has an unsatisfactory sequel setting up ending.

There are a couple of cam torrents out, reckon I'll wait until it gets to the cinema or a decent torrent becomes available.

by **AndyPaul** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:46 pm

EEPW wrote:prometheus

Where did you see this? its not been released yet and no torrents available!

It came out on Friday.

by **SimonB** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:24 pm

Men in Black 3 - wasn't as good as I was hoping, funny in places but it was a bit of been there and done that, it didn't really add much to the "franchise" in my opinion

by **Mustafaster** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:09 pm

Two very similar dark comedies about blokes who get fuckin sick of modern life being rubbish and go postal.
1. God Bless America. Bloke is diagnosed with cancer and thinks, fuck it, I'm going to do summat to improve the world before I go. He meets up with a teenage girl and together they go around shooting the fuck out of every fuckwit they find. Very funny at times, some decent acting. 7/10
2. Some Guy Who Kills People. Schlock Horror Comedy Gorefest about a bloke who gets out of the nuthouse and decides to have his revenge on those who made his life so miserable in the first place that they banged him up. Really, really funny, takes the piss out of gore movies so well. Great script. 7.5/10.

by **Dale White** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:19 am

Safe house 7/10 not a bad action film, a bit thin on plot but arent they all.

by **topbin** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:13 am

I watched a couple this weekend:

Super 8 - Speilberg/JJ Abrams club together to make a fairly run of the mill aliens attack a city/kids try to make it better story. Watchable, but not memorable - 7/10

Red - Retired CIA assassins start to get shot at, they club back together with Josh Lyman's squeeze from West Wing to find out who's killing them and take revenge. Pretty shoddy to be fair, some big names in it but Malkovitch is the only one of them who's entertaining. 6/10.