Last movie watched...

[qtwerk]

The Dark Knight Rises, which wasn't anywhere near as rotten as some of you lot lead me to expect. It's just Batman Forever with ideas, but I thought Bane was the most hilarious villain I've seen on screen. The disparity between how he looks and how he speaks is endlessly entertaining, and I can't stop doing the voice and quotes. I'm glad Nolan finally took the stick (halfway) out his arse and made something as funny as the character's Sixties screen incarnation.

Gosh how very knowing and modern!

Except Bane wasn't supposed to be funny, Nolan didn't make any attempt to inject silly, camp humour and it's nothing like Batman Forever.

But you knew that already

[Mabs]

The look of the film is also really beautiful; especially the Mos Eisley Cantinaesque/ H.P Lovecraft inspired Troll Market scene. Absolutely breathtaking.

Just recently saw HB2 for the first time a few weeks back, and I have to agree with these sentiments.  Excellent, excellent film, huge buckets of style and heart. 

I was a little disappointed by the 'we're going to the Giant's Causeway' but then actually go somewhere else entirely bit, but that was the full extent of my criticisms.  The kind of movie where you instantly lament the absence of another instalment even before the credits roll.

TordelBack, if you still have the copy of the DVD/ Blu-ray in your possession (and if you have the time) then i really urge you to listen to the commentary by Del Toro, and even the extra's, its such a fascinating process and Del Toro makes for a very fun watch/ listen! I think he mention's something about the Giant's Causeway too (as Richmond has said above) i think it was budgetary reasons.

And i agree, the film has a lot of heart, on top of all the beautiful imagery and thrilling action on show. The ending in particular was really poignant especially Nuada's speech.  I for one would love to see a third film. 

[TordelBack]

TordelBack, if you still have the copy of the DVD/ Blu-ray in your possession (and if you have the time) then i really urge you to listen to the commentary by Del Toro, and even the extra's, its such a fascinating process and Del Toro makes for a very fun watch/ listen! I think he mention's something about the Giant's Causeway too (as Richmond has said above) i think it was budgetary reasons.

This I will do.  What's funny about the Giant's Causeway bit is that normally the prospect of a movie visit to Aul' Oirland would fill me with cringing dread and haunting flashbacks of Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and Captain Planet - whereas in HB2 we perked right up and said 'Oh man, he's going to Ireland! Cool!'.  As it was, the substitute hillside, while not specifically Antrimish never mind anywhere near the Causeway, was perfectly acceptably Irish,  and John Alexander's legless goblin who meets them there works fine as a native.  This is high praise.

[Mabs]

The Dark Knight Rises, which wasn't anywhere near as rotten as some of you lot lead me to expect. It's just Batman Forever with ideas, but I thought Bane was the most hilarious villain I've seen on screen. The disparity between how he looks and how he speaks is endlessly entertaining, and I can't stop doing the voice and quotes. I'm glad Nolan finally took the stick (halfway) out his arse and made something as funny as the character's Sixties screen incarnation.

Gosh how very knowing and modern!

Except Bane wasn't supposed to be funny, Nolan didn't make any attempt to inject silly, camp humour and it's nothing like Batman Forever.

But you knew that already

The thing is qtwerk, even if Nolan's Bane wasn't meant to be funny, inadvertently he is!  just the contrast between his look and speech is, in my opinion, a masterstroke by Nolan!

[Colin YNWA]

Made it through Amazing Spider-man. Took me three sittings. What a frustrating film. There's times when its close to getting there and some nice nerdy friendly touches like the Alien tribute, but its not enough to make up for some incredibly 'lazy' scripting and some terrible CGI at points. I can normally let little plot holes, or bits that are a little too convenient, slip by for the sake of an entertaining film, but this is chock full of them. It really is and I say 'lazy' scripting for just this reason and the fact often there seems little attempt to explain anything and just assume the watcher will be so washed up in the excitement as it not notice or care.

I'm torn over Andy Murray's... sorry I mean Andrew Garfield's performance as Peter Parker. It was defo interesting and worth the effort, whether its right well not sure. Rhys Ifans tries way too hard to give the kinda villain performance that has defined so many great Superhero stories and in doing so gives a bloody showing cliched pastiche of all those previous effort. The script for Uncle Ben and Aunt May is so trite as to destroy any chance of the great actors playing the parts role working and Emma Stone is just so mah.

What the hell was the morkish cranes things about while I'm on one. I get that Spidey is meant to be embraced as part of the fabric of New York and in the heart of New Yorkers, but really they couldn't think of a better way to dramatize this than that. Ouch very pinnacle of the over sentimentality that cuts through this film. Though of course this I'm guessing is aimed at an audience or than 41 year old grumps like me and may well work a treat for the teen audience this film seems shot for so I need to just get over it! This is spider-man for the Twilight generation.

Finally when the hell will movie makers realise that as they are different from comics they shouldn't make these attempts to emulate them. So like Ange Lee's use of 'panels' in Hulk and here the use of freeze frames. Cos you know comics are a static medium and by freezing, or really slowing the action they seem to think they are paying tribute to the source material. All they're doing is showing a lack of understanding in my book. Spider-man is never still in comics, never. Sure the individual panel may be static, but the nature of the medium, the way reader intreact with it and the work of the great artists on the books means in the readers mind he's moving, swinging through the moment we see...

Wow for a movie that I wasn't fussed about I have a lot to say!

[Mabs]

Thanks Colin, you've convinced me to finally see this film! 

[Richmond Clements]

Django Unchained Brilliant. Wasn't expecting too much after being less than impressed by his last couple of movies, but this is a cracking bit of entertainment.

[Buttonman]

The Keep - bonkers 80's Nazis vs monster epic courtesy of Michael Mann.

[I, Cosh]

I thoroughly enjoyed Arnie's comeback in The Last Stand. It's a solid, entertaining and interestingly understated action movie which has clearly had more money thrown at it than the premise would warrant with someone else playing the lead. While it does ultimately pay off in an OTT showdown, there is a fair bit of restraint shown in the first half as the characters and situation are built up.

Arnie's character seems an interesting, deliberate choice too. In some ways it's a continuation of the everyman role he's often filled but it seems less ridiculous here (he's an older guy with experience and still able to handle himself but it clearly takes its toll0, there's no love interest and he plays the straight man for most of the comic lines.

I'd hoped to do a compare and contrast between this and Stallone's Bullet to the Head but managed to miss that. I liked this a lot and am a bit disappointed it's been a failure. Looks like it's been a bad choice as the first English language film from the director of I Saw the Devil and The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Or maybe it's a good thing and he'll go back to making mental Korean films.

[Hawkmumbler]

Keith Lemon: The Film- Dire, cringe inducing and more than a bit shit.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again- Always classic.

[radiator]

The Guard.

Fucking amazing, an instant classic.

Brendan Gleeson is a legend.

[Richmond Clements]

The Guard.

Fucking amazing, an instant classic.

Brendan Gleeson is a legend.

Yup. I've said it before, but for me, Gleeson's pretty much the best screen actor in the world.

[Frank]

The Avengers. There was certainly a lot of movement and colour.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Just watched Snow White and the Huntsman and it was hugely entertaining. Those two hours flew by

[Mabs]

It was Sauchie who recently reignited my goal to watch the Coen Brother's True Grit, and would you believe it, while out shopping on Friday i managed to grab a copy of said film for £3! When i say grab i literally mean grab - seeing as it was the last copy...

Anyways, i managed to finally watch it last night and i must say i thoroughly enjoyed it. The thing you notice first is the magnificent cinematography by (Briton) Roger Deakins, my word does this film look beautiful. From the lush landscape, to the scene of the main characters on horseback against a white snowy back drop....its one of the most handsome films or westerns since The Assassination of Jesse James...which was photographed incidentally, by Deakins too!

As for the story, it was very engaging and mediative, not to mention thrilling in places too. Nearly all the actors do a stellar job, especially the three main characters; Hailee Steinfeld as the self assured and strong willed 14 year old Mattie Ross, Jeff Bridges as the whiskey drinking one eyed U.S Marshal Rooster Cogburn and of course Matt Damon as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf. Even actors with a minor role such as Barry Pepper (Lucky Ned) are excellent. In fact Pepper looks unrecognisable, with his manky teeth and shrivelled weather worn features.

The film cracks along at a steady speed, stopping just for a few memorable moments; such as the scene of the hanged man, and the Indian 'doctor' who, when we first see approaching on screen , looks like a bear riding a horse! The film may seem like a typical western; but it is full of these very Coen-esque moments. This is not a remake of the John Wayne film of the same name, rather a straight up adaption of the original novel. But the Coen's imbue the film with their own unique flavour and stamp.

In the end it was a very satisfying watch and as a fan of westerns and of both the Coen's, i enjoyed it. If there was one criticism it would have to be the ending which felt was too rushed for my liking, especially as the film up to that point,spent a great deal of time getting us aquainted with the characters. Nonetheless is was a sad and poignant finish to an excellent film. I wish Hollywood would make more westerns like this.