Movies you've just watched

[Vexorg]

Another pick out of the big 007 box set...

Licence to Kill: ***1/2

The second of two Timothy Dalton James Bond movies. It's a shame there aren't more of them because I think he actually does pretty well with the role (not quite Moore/Connery level, but easily better than Daniel Craig.). This one is noted for being unusually violent for a James Bomd film (not like there are any particularly non-violent ones, but still...). Some good action scenes make up for what ends up being a rather confusing plot. The best part of the film is probably seeing Q get out of the lab and in the field for a bit...

[Skykid]

^ Dalton is the best actor of all the bonds, if we're talking pure theatrical ability - but he's too weak. Bond's meant to be tougher, and he doesn't quite cut it the way Connery, Moore or even Brosnan managed. Perhaps equal to Lazenby in that respect.

[system11]

Dalton was my favourite bond, such a shame he didn't get to do more of them.

[GaijinPunch]

Still got my fingers crossed for Idris Elba. He's just a handsome man, no two ways about it.

[kaicooper]

Another pick out of the big 007 box set...

Licence to Kill: ***1/2

The second of two Timothy Dalton James Bond movies. It's a shame there aren't more of them because I think he actually does pretty well with the role (not quite Moore/Connery level, but easily better than Daniel Craig.). This one is noted for being unusually violent for a James Bomd film (not like there are any particularly non-violent ones, but still...). Some good action scenes make up for what ends up being a rather confusing plot. The best part of the film is probably seeing Q get out of the lab and in the field for a bit...

Casino Royal the only best for Daniel Craig..the rest meh and worst

[Vexorg]

Waking Ned (AKA Waking Ned Devine): **

If you watch only one feel-good Irish film from the late 1990s about committing massive lottery fraud this year, make it this one. To make a long story short, a man in a sleepy Irish coastal town of 54 residents is found dead in his house with a winning lottery ticket worth about £7 million in his hand, and several people conspire to claim the money for themselves by impersonating the dead guy, ultimately involving almost the entire population of the town (except the one cranky crazy cat lady neighbor who tries to blackmail them by threatening to report the fraud for a reward of 10% of the prize. The end result is one of those films that somehow manages to end up being a comedy in spite of having hardly anything in it that could be considered humorous. I thought it could have used a few more explosions.

[Ixmucane2]

Dheepan
A simple but deep story of emigration, with very interesting characters. Dheepan and his fake wife and daughter bring the civil war from Sri Lanka to Paris in their hearts, struggling to find a new life in a degraded neighbourhood.

Excellent pacing and photography; Audiard can tell a story with small meaningful details, without unrealistic speeches and explanations. There are many overly symbolic elements and an ambiguous epilogue.

Costumes and scenes are outstanding and very important for the film's storytelling.

[boagman]

^ Dalton is the best actor of all the bonds, if we're talking pure theatrical ability - but he's too weak. Bond's meant to be tougher, and he doesn't quite cut it the way Connery, Moore or even Brosnan managed. Perhaps equal to Lazenby in that respect.

But is that *his* fault, or the pretty terrible scripts that he had to work with?

I'm sure you can tell that I think it's the latter.

[boagman]

Another pick out of the big 007 box set...

Licence to Kill: ***1/2

The second of two Timothy Dalton James Bond movies. It's a shame there aren't more of them because I think he actually does pretty well with the role (not quite Moore/Connery level, but easily better than Daniel Craig.). This one is noted for being unusually violent for a James Bomd film (not like there are any particularly non-violent ones, but still...). Some good action scenes make up for what ends up being a rather confusing plot. The best part of the film is probably seeing Q get out of the lab and in the field for a bit...

Casino Royal the only best for Daniel Craig..the rest meh and worst

I thought "Skyfall" was pretty good. Javier Bardem was a good villain, and I liked the movie well enough. In fact, it was the first Craig Bond movie that I really liked him in, I think.

[Skykid]

^ Dalton is the best actor of all the bonds, if we're talking pure theatrical ability - but he's too weak. Bond's meant to be tougher, and he doesn't quite cut it the way Connery, Moore or even Brosnan managed. Perhaps equal to Lazenby in that respect.

But is that *his* fault, or the pretty terrible scripts that he had to work with?

I'm sure you can tell that I think it's the latter.

Why would a script make an actor appear weaker? Even Arnie could macho up bad dialogue.

Dalton is and was a thespian, a very good, very experienced stage actor with a lot of experience in Shakespeare and similar, which he was well suited to.

It's his character and personality that were too soft to make a convincing Bond, which is a shame. The script - which you correctly identified as trash - wouldn't have much to do with it.

Regarding Craig, Kaicooper is right, only Casino Royale is really any good. Quantum is one of the worst Bonds ever made, and Skyfall, while passable, is mostly very stupid and full of unnecessary misfires and nonsense.

[Some-Mist]

dheepan - another one sold out at the chicago international film festival. I invited a friend... who in turn invited 3 more friends, and all 4 of them hated it (lol). I also heard some people in the crowd say "I thought it was going to have a lot more action per the trailer". I actually enjoyed dheepan although it wasn't as strong as audiard's other films (though more enjoyable than rust and bone). It's basically about this guy dheepan, who grew up as a child soldier but chooses to escape sri lanka in his later years to find a new peaceful life. when he arrives in france he ends up in another crime-ridden living situation but this time he decides to deal with it.

[Skykid]

ANT MAN


God fucking damn it.

I heard Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish had written the screenplay for this, so went to see it last night based entirely on that fact. It was ok. Very generic Marvel superhero fare for the most with incredibly predictable humour and plotting, some plainly awful dialogue and see-it-coming-a-mile-away ping pong quips.

But it was entertaining enough. I didn't hate it. It was certainly more fun and relaxing than Avengers 2, but it just didn't really do much of anything. Paul Rudd is likeable enough, but kind of a shitty actor, all told, and I didn't think much of the other casting generally.

But mainly I was thinking "this is an Edgar Wright screenplay? Really?"

There were these really clever moments where they did unconventional things. Particularly when there's a guy telling how info was passed through the grapevine and they do a flashback where all the people involved are miming this guy's hispanic accent. That struck me as really creative. And again, during a major battle, when you see the action from a human sized perspective rather than ant size, and it looks really amusingly perfunctory. That was clever and made me laugh. But I couldn't see Edgar Wright or Cornish having left much of a mark on it, and that struck me as very strange - these guys have a very recognisable style.

Then I went home to check Wikipedia and found this:

McKay stated that Rudd helped him rewrite the script, saying, "I've always known Paul Rudd's a really good writer from improvising with him on set, but I had no idea he was that good—he's really great with dialogue. So the two of us holed up in hotel rooms on the east and west coast, and I think it was like six to eight weeks we just ground it out and did a giant rewrite of the script. I was really proud of what we did, I really thought we put some amazing stuff in there and built on an already strong script from Edgar Wright and sort of just enhanced some stuff."[126] Rudd elaborated, "The idea, the trajectory, the goal, and the blueprint of it all, is really Edgar and Joe. It's their story. We changed some scenes, we added new sequences, we changed some characters, we added new characters. If you took the two scripts and held them up together they'd be very different—but the idea is all theirs."[127] Reed also offered contributions to the revised script, as did Lilly and Stoll, who contributed ideas to help flesh out their respective characters. Lilly's character received a fuller arc and more action sequences as a result.[15] For their efforts, McKay and Rudd were credited as additional writers of the screenplay, with Wright and Cornish credited for the screenplay and story.[128] Wright also held an executive producer credit on the film.[129]

By the end of July, Wilson left the film because of scheduling conflicts brought on by the filming delay, and characters being played by Gerald and Kevin Weisman were cut from McKay's revised script.[28] Also, Reed indicated that filming would take place in San Francisco as well as Georgia.[130] In August 2014, Reed revealed that Scott Lang's daughter would appear in the film,[131] and Gabriel Ferrari and Andrew Barrer were hired to make further revisions to the script.[132] After reading the revised script, Evangeline Lilly said, "I saw with my own eyes that Marvel had just pulled the script into their world. I mean, they've established a universe, and everyone has come to expect a certain aesthetic [and] a certain feel for Marvel films. And what Edgar was creating was much more in the Edgar Wright camp of films. They were very different. And I feel like, if [Marvel] had created Edgar's incredible vision — which would have been, like, classic comic book — it would have been such a riot to film [and] it would have been so much fun to watch. [But] it wouldn't have fit in the Marvel Universe. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb, no matter how good it was. It just would have taken you away from this cohesive universe they're trying to create. And therefore it ruins the suspended disbelief that they've built."[13]

So they rewrote the entire script. To make it more "Marvel".

So we got a movie that's okay. With crappy dialogue for the most. Fun but forgettable. Altogether rather cliche. And very, very going-through-the-motions Marvel.

Fucking unreal. Edgar Wright must be in despair over this producer system. I bet his original screenplay was a blast.

Come back to England man. Call up Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, get Filmfour funding and just do something you want again. Forget that Hollywood nonsense, the money isn't worth it.

[Squire Grooktook]

That's the most depressing (entertainment related) thing I've read in a long time.

[Skykid]

That's the most depressing (entertainment related) thing I've read in a long time.

It's really a great shame to see the producer system in full effect. They won't take a risk because it has to be absolutely canon with the rest of the Marvel movie 'universe'. So it's all very one-dimensional to ensure it accommodates the same of everything that already exists in that world.

Were comic books ever like that? Amazing Mystery, Tales from the Crypt, Suspense Stories, Action Comics. If you look at the way Batman, Superman and Spiderman existed, they were all in very different worlds despite often co-inhabting. Comics were about different universes and adventures, not the same guys all living in the exact same streets doing mildly different shit.

Nowadays I look back at Raimi's Spiderman like it was the exception rather than the trendsetter, since it's the only one with a real directorial stylistic stamp on it.

All I know is, Ant Man + Edgar Wright = Would have been a movie of absolute win. Clearly it would have been fresh, different, and full of humour, but sadly it will never be made.

[JBC]

I keep hoping Prometheus will be better each time I watch it but it only ever gets worse. It's better than AvP & Resurrection, but it's still bad. Ridley Scott's commentary track makes it even more obvious that he didn't really care. Everything about it feels half-ass.

Even Alien 3 is better, and it's the black sheep. I have no faith in Alien: Paradise Lost, but after that Blomkamp's soft reboot could do the job.

[Strider77]

Particularly when there's a guy telling how info was passed through the grapevine and they do a flashback where all the people involved are miming this guy's hispanic accent.

I thought that was dumb to be honest but.... it fit in perfectly with the dumbness of the movie.

[Skykid]

Particularly when there's a guy telling how info was passed through the grapevine and they do a flashback where all the people involved are miming this guy's hispanic accent.

I thought that was dumb to be honest but.... it fit in perfectly with the dumbness of the movie.

Only as dumb as it was meant to be. If you look at it objectively it was probably the most creative thing in the entire movie!

[kaicooper]

going back to 80's now to watch BACK TO THE FUTURE I and II

[SuperGrafx]

Madman on Amazon Prime instant video

It's like they had a good concept and the movie started out decently enough, but man, about halfway through it's like they ran out of money or something.
Contrived and dull middle and ending.

[Skykid]

21 Jump Street

The most surprisingly entertaining and actually funny cop buddy comedy I've seen since Rush Hour 2 most probably. Good chemistry between the leads, lots of self-referential humour and plenty of amusing situational nonsense makes this a fun one. Totally unexpected, but recommended brain trash if that's what you're after.


22 Jump Street

Terrible. Nearly 2 hours of nothing but improvisation, most of which is unfunny or misplaced, and Jonah Hill feeling weirdly noncommittal and out of touch with the production. It does plenty to inform its audience that it's essentially a cash grab, almost remaking the original beat for beat, painfully so at times (by the time it reaches the embarrassingly hacked together drug trip scene any curried favour is completely gone) but that doesn't excuse the fact it retreads that ground to a fault and spends too much time flogging stale and aimless homoerotic bromance themes.

One of the laziest Hollywood follow-ups ever made most probably. I'd be surprised if there was even a script. Disappointing.

[boagman]

21 Jump Street

The most surprisingly entertaining and actually funny cop buddy comedy I've seen since Rush Hour 2 most probably. Good chemistry between the leads, lots of self-referential humour and plenty of amusing situational nonsense makes this a fun one. Totally unexpected, but recommended brain trash if that's what you're after.


22 Jump Street

Terrible. Nearly 2 hours of nothing but improvisation, most of which is unfunny or misplaced, and Jonah Hill feeling weirdly noncommittal and out of touch with the production. It does plenty to inform its audience that it's essentially a cash grab, almost remaking the original beat for beat, painfully so at times (by the time it reaches the embarrassingly hacked together drug trip scene any curried favour is completely gone) but that doesn't excuse the fact it retreads that ground to a fault and spends too much time flogging stale and aimless homoerotic bromance themes.

One of the laziest Hollywood follow-ups ever made most probably. I'd be surprised if there was even a script. Disappointing.

Interesting. I actually caught the second on one of the cable movie channels that I subscribe to *without* having seen the first one. I thought the second one was rather fun. Nothing life-changing at all, but fun. Makes me wonder what I missed with the first one.

[Skykid]

Unfortunately that's really going the wrong way around. The entire second movie is self referencing everything that happened in the first. It's got the same plot, the same sequence of events... Basically watching 2 is like a terrible spoiler for all the humour and developments in the first. Except it's much, much worse in execution.

[JBC]

It's been a long time since I've seen a new old horror movie that I've liked. I thought I had seen them all, but then tonight I discovered Waxworks.

[options]

ANT MAN
Fun but forgettable. Altogether rather cliche. And very, very going-through-the-motions Marvel.

You're spot on with this, tho seeing it on the heels of the ultra-bloated Age of Ultron made it seem like a breath of fresh air at the time of its release. (I loved the shift in scale from Iron Man suiting up in a huge, high-tech lab to Ant Man getting changed in some dude's shower.) I liked it, but yeah, extremely disposable. The post-credit scene got me real hype, tho.

Marvel just announced their Phase 2 box set and the only one of the lot I'd care to own is The Winter Soldier

------

Victoria

Art house heist flick centering on a lonely Spanish girl on a work holiday in Berlin. From the same guy who did Run Lola Run. The hook here is that the entire film is shot in a single take, following the protagonist from drunken post-club antics to the wee hours of the morning after shit hits the fan.

For a movie that could've easily been soulless due to its ambitious technical framework, the characters are strong and the protagonist especially is fleshed out with clever peeks into her backstory. The actors were all great. My only real gripes can both be pinned on the single-take thing: it moved a bit slowly at times and the camera didn't have the freedom to pull back and really give a sense of the city in which the story was taking place. I would've liked to have seen more of Berlin. Still recommended.

[Skykid]

ANT MAN
Fun but forgettable. Altogether rather cliche. And very, very going-through-the-motions Marvel.

You're spot on with this, tho seeing it on the heels of the ultra-bloated Age of Ultron made it seem like a breath of fresh air at the time of its release.

Yeah the more I think about AoU the more terrible it gets. Was really dull and bogged down under a mountain of, well, characters, all of whom were painfully cardboard.

So in comparison, Ant Man was definitely more fun, i'm with you - but I'm starting to find the Marvel movie formula so formulaic it's tiresome. I know they can remake comic book movies infinitely, I'm just hoping for the day they finally break the mould and let some fresh creativity in. Which is why the unofficial rewrite (destruction) of Edgar Wright's screenplay is even more disappointing.

[JBC]

Another winner tonight: Return Of The Living Dead

[neorichieb1971]

Another winner tonight: Return Of The Living Dead

You need to move onto House 2 and then The people under the stairs. Both are comedy horror fun banter.

[neorichieb1971]

ANT MAN
Fun but forgettable. Altogether rather cliche. And very, very going-through-the-motions Marvel.

You're spot on with this, tho seeing it on the heels of the ultra-bloated Age of Ultron made it seem like a breath of fresh air at the time of its release.

Yeah the more I think about AoU the more terrible it gets. Was really dull and bogged down under a mountain of, well, characters, all of whom were painfully cardboard.

So in comparison, Ant Man was definitely more fun, i'm with you - but I'm starting to find the Marvel movie formula so formulaic it's tiresome. I know they can remake comic book movies infinitely, I'm just hoping for the day they finally break the mould and let some fresh creativity in. Which is why the unofficial rewrite (destruction) of Edgar Wright's screenplay is even more disappointing.

The Marvel movies suck because they are designed to appeal to kids. Its the same reason why every Dragon movie to date has sucked. Then you have a TV show that comes along with Dragons that appeals to adults and suddenly you have a great TV show. So moral of the story is.. Drop the special effects and big name actors, make it cheaper to produce, slap a 15 or 18 rating on it and you might end up with a great product that will make less than 10% of what AoU made at the box office. But it most likely would be a good/great movie.

So again, its kids kids kids that spoil all the adult fun.

Star Wars VII will find it very hard to find a balance especially if not one single storm trooper or tie fighter gets a good hit in with all that shenanigans going on in the trailer.

[BIL]

Another winner tonight: Return Of The Living Dead

A movie so fuckin good, just seeing its title makes me wanna rewatch.

[Some-Mist]

the dark horse
absolutely loved this one. it's based on the real story of genesis potini who was an amazing chess player that suffered from bipolar disorder. had to watch it with subtitles since the new zealand accents were kind of hard to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3YopiaQ3k8