Last movie watched...

[James Stacey]

I quite enjoyed Pontypool. Shouldn't I have ?

[Davek]

Dorian Gray with Colin Firth and Ben Chaplin amongst others.  I hadnt read the book - thought the film was enjoyable although the ending seemed to go a bit 'Hollywood' (I suspect the ending is not entirely faithful to the original)!

[Professor Bear]

I'm finding more and more modern films to be unwatchable these days. In the past couple of weeks alone I've been thoroughly underwhelmed by 'Real Steel', 'Cowboys & Aliens', 'Warhorse' and 'The new Conan'.  In fact, I've turned them all off after 10-20 minutes. I'd also agree that Pontypool is a very flaky concept and not a very well-made film overall.

While I agree that the others are a mix of terrible and workmanlike exercises, I expected less than nothing from Real Steel, but have to admit that as flawed as it is even as an exercise in predictable by-the-numbers film-making and feelgood cliche, it's entertainingly committed to its daft premise.  A mate of mine saw it at the same time as I did and seemed surprised when I brought up that it starts with a fistfight with a bull which is quickly followed by the bull being on the receiving end of The Angle Slam, so I think you - like he - might just be suffering from concept fatigue and missing the good stuff when it happens.  Try some low-budget film-making, or seek out films you know you'll hate and try watching them and you might be surprised by what you end up enjoying, as I will go to my grave refusing to admit I enjoyed the Smurfs movie, BUT IT WILL BE A LIE.

I agree with you about Pontypool, all the same, though I should admit that I'm drawing a graphic novel at the minute that is also about an outbreak of a memetic virus, so PP was disappointing in that it seemed to have the basic idea but nothing beyond that - an idea but not a story, if you will.  If the premise intrigues you, though, you could do worse than pick up Stephen King's Cell, or Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, which both explore similar territory to Pontypool but - Snow Crash especially - are much, much better stories.

[Van Dom]

For me my enjoyment of Pontypool came from the acting and characterisation, especially of the lead character, the radio DJ. I thought the movie was more a character-piece than anything else and all of the characters really worked, and were very well portrayed I felt. Whoever played the DJ was very commanding though, and if not for him I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. I really should look it up and get his name, and possibly try to track down more of his work.

[JamesC]

I quite enjoyed Pontypool. Shouldn't I have ?

No!

Take yourself off for a good flogging!

[Professor Bear]

Whoever played the DJ was very commanding though, and if not for him I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. I really should look it up and get his name, and possibly try to track down more of his work.

I would advise against it, as Stephen McHattie is an actor who wouldn't turn down a part if his life depended on it, which has the side-effect of giving the impression that he is often the best thing in anything which he appears.  He may also be familiar to internet meme-watchers as the Romulan senator who says "it's a faaaaaaake!" - actually, come to think of it, go watch that episode of DS9 from which that meme derives (In the Pale Moonlight), as it's pretty great.

[Tiplodocus]

The second part of my Kurt Russell (well, he is gorgeous) double bill with SOLDIER.

It's great - if you don't know it's Rogue Trooper meets Shane and starts and ends in brutal fashion. Kurt only has about three lines (And those are "Yes, Sir") and for an old film with, I guess, a pretty small budget it still looks quite smart (even though the models don't always mesh with the backgrounds).  Director Paul Anderson doesn't up his game much (he even fails to get the chain fight sequence as good as it should be) but the person that designed and built the two mighty impressive crawlers deserves a pat on the back.

The story, by David Webb Peoples - who writes a lot of good stuff I'm beginning to notice - is slight and the characte arcs are predictable and I could do without the tears but gosh darn it, I like it.

And at least the kid doesn't suddenly speak.

[SmallBlueThing]

District 9

Flarping, grunting brilliant. Had been putting this off as something about it didnt appeal, but sat down with my lady to watch tonight. Stunning stuff, and i loved it. Started off terribly though, and almost got the double groan/ press eject within the first ten minutes, but picked up soon after and left us gasping. None of it made a great deal of sense- not the fluid turning him alien, or the massive guns the aliens had laying about yet happy to live in poverty, or the twenty year plan, or what they were trying to do throughout, or basically anything. But none of that mattered one jot. The most '2000AD' film ive ever seen, seemingly ripped from the pages of our favourite comic. And i now want them to do a sequel showing christopher's return, immediately.

SBT

[Keef Monkey]

Saw a ton of movies over the weekend at Frightfest, most of them really entertaining (Evidence, Rites Of Spring, Wang's Arrival, Cassadega), some brilliant (Corman's World, The Day, Crawl, Penumbra) and only one total clunker (Tape 407).

The last movie though was the UK premiere of The Raid, which blew me away so much that I know I'll be annoyingly enthusing about it for years. During it I remembered how it felt to watch Hard Boiled as a kid and just have my mind blown, and I realized that I haven't actually felt that since. It's not that I haven't enjoyed a ton of action movies since then, I just haven't seen anything where I've felt like the way I look at action has completely changed in the space of a couple of hours. This is really astonishing, I can't praise it enough. It pulls off something that most movies can't by actually being the relentless wall to wall 90 minute fight that the trailer makes it out to be, it seriously never takes a breather for more than a couple of minutes. The movie got an incredible response too, people were cheering and yelling through the fight scenes and it got a lengthy standing ovation, I've never seen a cinema respond as intensely as that. Also, we met Iko from the movie, who as it turns out is a really sweet, friendly guy. It was quite surreal after watching him kill his way through a bazillion people.

I'm just going to gush continuously if I keep typing (which would be messy), so I'll just post the trailer here. Please, I urge everyone who likes action to go and see this, you'll lose your minds!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWlmhMSnVdM

[Colin YNWA]

As ever with movies these days it seems never heard of this but by George that does look good.

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

Neck chopping-ly, head shooting-ly, ass kicking-ly good.

[Davek]

The Eagel - good Roman soldier adventure past Hadrians Wall for a lost gold Eagle standard (lost by teh 9th Legion).  Enjoyed this as it focussed a lot on the tribes of the north - noticed a Slaine esque salmon leap from the tribe's warriors in one of the fight sequences 

[Roger Godpleton]

RAMPART

This is best described as "busy", attempting as hard as it may to transcend genre-fluff status, inevitably vomiting a confused mess onto our laps. The script (from bullshit-artist extradordinare James Ellroy) contrives to make our anti-hero a failed lawyer fluent in legalese which lends what could generously be termed as a sub-Milchian sheen to the words. Woody Harrelson puts up a valiant effort but a bewildering array of quirks (for this is what they are) suffocate character development for the sake of a supposedly indifferent plot.

The direction utilizes some gimmicky lighting and gimmickier shots, culminating in a bizarre and wholly superfluous rave scene.


In summation: More like WETFART, AMIRITE BRAHS.

[Gonk]

Yeah it sounds crap having an ex lawyer as main character. Pish!

[Roger Godpleton]

I said "failed", not "ex."


You're the worst character ever, Towelie.