Last movie watched...

[Tiplodocus]

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would. The action scenes go on slightly too long (especially the Statue of Liberty sequence but, to be fair, they had a lot to resolve) and the quiet moments are the best. Willem Defoe and Alfred Molina are obviously having a blast.

I hope Tom Holland isn't type cast in a straight to DVD ghetto after his stint at Marvel. I'd love for him to have a long Kurt Russell style career.

[Rara Avis]

The Northman

The utterly unsubtle (I assume deliberately) illusion to Hamlet, mean you pretty much know where this is going and however much you dress up an action revenge thriller with lush cinematography , nice Viking history bits, I assume pretty accurate, certainly enough to fool my layman Viking knowledge and cooool nordic mythology, its still an action revenge thriller. Throwing some shakespearn references doesn't change that at all.

I saw this yesterday and while I would recommend it it's not without it's flaws. I'm sure I saw the trailer but it was not evident to me before going what it was about. After the opening scene I was like 'Oh no it's Hamlet'.  Not that I'd have a problem with Viking Hamlet but I was expecting something different. It's quite long as well for such a simple story but yes visually stunning.

I also thought it suffered from some miscasting. I did not like Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor- Joy's attempt at a Russian accent was dreadful and distracting. Similarly I don't think that Alexander Skarsgard can act. While you might think that his monotone emotionless delivery is appropriate for this role - he is the same in everything. When he's not shouting angrily his performance lacks any nuance or depth.

But overall it's absolutely worth a watch!

[Colin YNWA]

Why isn't The Rocketeer universially loved? Its almost impossible not imagine not falling for its easy charms...

...and maybe there lies the problem. I'd not seen it for an age. In fact possibly since not in the day, since it came out (on video) at least. I've seen bits of it loads of times, but never sat down since then to watch it all. I've always cast it aside thinking it was pretty dull. I've loved the comics for years and seeing as a new comic series had started and this was on Disney+ I thought why not give it another go, not expecting much... and loved it, absolutely loved it.

The only problem is that easy charm, its a little too easy, its not dull, far, from it but the direction could be tighter. The action could be a bit slicker. I mean a Nazi, Mob, FBI shot out and it doesn't quite grab and completely thrill you, you are not on the edge of your seat until the final balloon scene. But if it doesn't completely thrill you, it does thrill you. Its charms and amuses, not at a Princess Bride level, but something that at least understands what makes Princess Bride quite the film it is and tries to get there. And damn it gets close.

It looks stunning too.

So yeah why isn't this more lauded? Its as good as most the romantically remembered films of the time and I really wished I'd returned to it sooner as I suspect I'd have watched it many times.

[Funt Solo]

I've never watched The Rockateer, but the poster's design aesthetic turns me off. I just don't like Googie. See also: The Jetsons.

Of course - this is a shallow bias, and says nothing of the quality of the movie.

[Colin YNWA]

I did not know the term Googie before - everyday is a school day as they say.

[Dark Jimbo]

I've never watched The Rockateer, but the poster's design aesthetic turns me off. I just don't like Googie. See also: The Jetsons.

Interesting side note: George Jetson was a 40-year old father in 2062, meaning he's born this very year.

[Tiplodocus]

The score is magnificent too. Apparently the poster had people thinking it was animated which put people off.

Timothy Dalton is having a ball, isn't he?

[Trooper McFad]

On a bank holiday I was scrolling through Netflix and plumped for Robot Overlord - not the most entertaining film watched even though Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson are both in it.
However and it’s not a spoiler about 10-15 minutes in two characters are sitting in a basement/loft ready 80s porgs (should have paused the film for the prog numbers as they commented on the vocabulary used)

[Richmond Clements]

On a bank holiday I was scrolling through Netflix and plumped for Robot Overlord - not the most entertaining film watched even though Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson are both in it.
However and it’s not a spoiler about 10-15 minutes in two characters are sitting in a basement/loft ready 80s porgs (should have paused the film for the prog numbers as they commented on the vocabulary used)

I interviewed the director at the time and mentioned that - yeah, he's a squaxx.

[CalHab]

A weekend trip to Edinburgh meant I got to return to the wonderful Filmhouse and catch their screening of Once Upon a Time in the West, part of their Morricone season. I'd only seen this on a tv before, and this was an entirely different experience. The pacing is slow, almost to the point of parody, but it is absolutely riveting throughout. The soundtrack, and the matching of the visuals to it (it was made before the film) might well be unmatched in cinema.

Anyway. Well worth seeing if it appears on a big screen near you.

[broodblik]

Watched the Uncharted movie this weekend. I enjoyed the movie for what it is and over-the-top unrealistic action movie. So this is not an academy award winning movie it is a good fun action movie. The movie is  fun that is it.

[Colin YNWA]

A weekend trip to Edinburgh meant I got to return to the wonderful Filmhouse and catch their screening of Once Upon a Time in the West, part of their Morricone season. I'd only seen this on a tv before, and this was an entirely different experience. The pacing is slow, almost to the point of parody, but it is absolutely riveting throughout. The soundtrack, and the matching of the visuals to it (it was made before the film) might well be unmatched in cinema.

Anyway. Well worth seeing if it appears on a big screen near you.

I love that movie. Better than any of the Eastwood Sergio films (which are all excellent too). I've only seen it on a telly screen, but it must have been an exceptional experience seeing it on a proper cinema screen.

I don't really notice the pacing being slow. As you say its so engaging it zips by. That opening scene at the railway is practically glacial but not a moment feels wasted.

[Tiplodocus]

A weekend trip to Edinburgh meant I got to return to the wonderful Filmhouse and catch their screening of Once Upon a Time in the West, part of their Morricone season. I'd only seen this on a tv before, and this was an entirely different experience. The pacing is slow, almost to the point of parody, but it is absolutely riveting throughout. The soundtrack, and the matching of the visuals to it (it was made before the film) might well be unmatched in cinema.

Anyway. Well worth seeing if it appears on a big screen near you.

I love that movie. Better than any of the Eastwood Sergio films (which are all excellent too). I've only seen it on a telly screen, but it must have been an exceptional experience seeing it on a proper cinema screen.

I don't really notice the pacing being slow. As you say its so engaging it zips by. That opening scene at the railway is practically glacial but not a moment feels wasted.

And imagine what it would have been like to see it at cinema at the time of release "Oh, here comes Henry Fonda, the goodie..."

[Funt Solo]

A weekend trip to Edinburgh meant I got to return to the wonderful Filmhouse and catch their screening of Once Upon a Time in the West, part of their Morricone season. I'd only seen this on a tv before, and this was an entirely different experience. The pacing is slow, almost to the point of parody, but it is absolutely riveting throughout. The soundtrack, and the matching of the visuals to it (it was made before the film) might well be unmatched in cinema.

Anyway. Well worth seeing if it appears on a big screen near you.

I absolutely love that movie, and the soundtrack is something else - especially the haunting Harmonica theme - play it loud!

Talking of parody, though: A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques.

[CalHab]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I meant to see The Northman, but we turned up at the wrong cinema. Oops. This was on, though, so we saw it instead.

This was a load of fun. It's very recognisably a Sam Raimi film, and he plays up the horror aspects. Bruce Campbell's cameo even references Evil Dead 2.

There are the usual bits of MCU lore and "surprise" characters, which all add to it.

Well worth an evening out. But I still need to see The Northman.