Last movie watched...

[HdE]

Sunshine

Managed about half the film. Then gave up. Deleted from hard disk.

...

Life too short to stare at films that go nowhere.

THIS. I bloody HATE Sunshine. Boring, over-long, turgid rubbish. It's symptomatic of a lot of problems with modern movies, I think. Great initial concept quickly gives way to a generic slasher movie plot.

The problem with it, in my opinion, isn't that it goes nowhere... it just goes nowhere remotely interesting.

[Keef Monkey]

I love Sunshine, although admittedly it takes a couple if turns I'm not keen on towards the end. Love the look of it, and it has one of my favorite scores of all time and one that's been massively influential on a ton of movies since. It gets two thumbs fresh from me!

[JamesC]

The Lone Ranger:

Oh dear. There seem to be two very different films occupying the same spacetime - one is a dark revenge film about a man seeking revenge on the man who are his brother's heart, the other is a buddy comedy about two fools and their magic horse. Either could have been entertaining in its own right but they don't work in unison.
It almost feels like no one really wanted to make a Lone Ranger film in the first place as every thing that is associated with the character in popular culture is mocked in a way that suggests the film makers are slightly embarrassed.

War of the Worlds:

Oh dear again! There are some really impressive set pieces in this film and Tom Cruise certainly does his best to pull everything together but he's fighting a losing battle. The production design is pretty awful, the script is naff and unbelievable and the two kids are contenders for 'most annoying character in a film - ever'.

[Spikes]

War of the Worlds:

Oh dear again! There are some really impressive set pieces in this film and Tom Cruise certainly does his best to pull everything together but he's fighting a losing battle. The production design is pretty awful, the script is naff and unbelievable and the two kids are contenders for 'most annoying character in a film - ever'.

^ This.
Ol' Steven certainly mishandled this one, which is a real shame. As you say, some impressive set pieces, but an awful lot to fast-forward as well.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

20 Feet From Stardom

A documentary about backing singers, specifically African American women. Jesus but those ladies can sing. Chills and goosebumps and alla that shite. Really interesting show, you come out the other end with a different perspective on many pop classics.

And the coloured girls go do, do-do, do-do, do-do-do,
do, do-do, do-do, do-do-do....

[HdE]

I actually found The Lone Ranger really entertaining!

There are a few things that do feel incongruous with the source material. William Fichtner's cannibal tendencies seem like an overly dark turn for something so firmly rooted in Saturday morning matinee territory, and the final half hour does feel like a different movie. But I still think it's good fun.

Plus, the movie actually features a one legged prostitute. Need I say more?

[Keef Monkey]

I remember really enjoying parts of War Of The Worlds in the cinema, but have never felt like a revisit. I distinctly remember feeling the build-up at the start to be very tense, up to the first tripod appearance and everything going mental. Maybe it's just because I've always been utterly terrified of the tripods, but I was on the edge of my seat for that first part.

Only just got round to The Amazing Spiderman. I'd avoided it because it seemed a bit dumb to be rebooting it so soon and I figured it would just be a rehash of the first Raimi one. Then I remembered that (despite being a huge fan of his early films) I don't actually like Raimi's Spiderman films all that much* so it probably made perfect sense for me to give the reboot a chance!

Glad I did, some dodgy CG on the villain aside I enjoyed it. Felt more like the Spiderman I remember from comics and cartoons as a kid, and I liked the lead actor in the role way more, and Emma Stone was very likeable too. Martin Sheen was a great Uncle Ben too.

Not amazing or anything, but an enjoyable adventure film.

*Ok, I enjoyed 2.

[TordelBack]

I remember really enjoying parts of War Of The Worlds in the cinema, but have never felt like a revisit. I distinctly remember feeling the build-up at the start to be very tense, up to the first tripod appearance and everything going mental. Maybe it's just because I've always been utterly terrified of the tripods, but I was on the edge of my seat for that first part.

Agreed.  It's an excellent opening, Cruise's character's house is a great believable location, and there's a well-communicated sense of terror and incomprehension.  Even the daft way the invaders are supposed to 'arrive' works as an update because it has an unsettling and bewlidering aspect to it that modern audiences simply wouldn't get from yet another alien spaceship landing.

After that it becomes shrill and aimless, despite having some visually brilliant set-pieces, and the happy ending is one of the most unsatisfying in movie history.  When you can't get a good performance out of Tim Robbins something has gone badly wrong.

Imagine an animated version of the Edgy/Dizzy adaptation and weep bitter tears.

[Theblazeuk]

Sunshine is my favourite cinematic experience of all time. I came out of that darkened cinema and looked up at the small circle of light burning millions of miles away and couldn't help feeling exactly how fragile and tenuous Earth as I knew it was, how closely everything I know is linked to something incredibly vast and incredibly far away.

As a sci-fi movie it didn't need the slasher bit but I don't take against it all that much. Pinbacker seemed a little extraneous but I think he articulates something worth adding to the movie; a nihilism created from the entropy of nature. Would have been happier if he'd stayed on the Icarus 2 though.

However for me one of the movie's greatest points is that for once we had a mission to save the world that took that concept seriously; everyone is expendable. If we don't do this, there's nothing anyway. If you fail you kill the entire world. No love interests to complicate this, no pointless heroics and arguing, just a brutal calculation that extends even to the person making it; I am expendable and no effort is too much. To stretch the point, in familiar terms it's the kind of pragmatism that defines Judge Dredd, at least in my eyes.

I also thought that the cast was brilliant, the designs incredible and the soundtrack was beautiful (and oft ripped off). That scene where the captain stands on the ship's hull whilst the aurora of radiation and heat rips towards him; the improvised return from Icarus 2; the silent exertion of walking through the voided ship towards the payload; the "Oh shit" moments when people realise they have made a mistake; they all stick in my head and frankly, it's easily one of my favourite movies of all time. If this was a thrill it would have been an eternal classic.

[Keef Monkey]

REC3: Genesis - quite disappointed really as a huge, huuuuuuge fan of the first two. It's clearly not even trying to be in the same vein, more of a traditional splatter horror with some gags peppered throughout. The gags didn't really land for me though and I just wound up really missing the panic/terror of the first films. I come to a REC movie to have my nerves shredded dammit!

Had a couple of cool moments so not a total write-off but definitely not the the film I wanted. The REC4 trailer looks like it could be a return to full-on horror so here's hoping that one is pure brown trouser time.

[GrinningChimera]

REC3: Genesis - quite disappointed really as a huge, huuuuuuge fan of the first two. It's clearly not even trying to be in the same vein, more of a traditional splatter horror with some gags peppered throughout. The gags didn't really land for me though and I just wound up really missing the panic/terror of the first films. I come to a REC movie to have my nerves shredded dammit!

Had a couple of cool moments so not a total write-off but definitely not the the film I wanted. The REC4 trailer looks like it could be a return to full-on horror so here's hoping that one is pure brown trouser time.

I agree it was something different to the first two. The sponge john thing had me laughing. The ending gave me what I was after in terms of gore. You are right though, it's got nothing on the first two. Plus Manuela Velasco is soooo sexy. Maybe I just have a thing for girls who clash with the undead/infected/supernatural

[Keef Monkey]

REC3: Genesis - quite disappointed really as a huge, huuuuuuge fan of the first two. It's clearly not even trying to be in the same vein, more of a traditional splatter horror with some gags peppered throughout. The gags didn't really land for me though and I just wound up really missing the panic/terror of the first films. I come to a REC movie to have my nerves shredded dammit!

Had a couple of cool moments so not a total write-off but definitely not the the film I wanted. The REC4 trailer looks like it could be a return to full-on horror so here's hoping that one is pure brown trouser time.

I agree it was something different to the first two. The sponge john thing had me laughing. The ending gave me what I was after in terms of gore. You are right though, it's got nothing on the first two. Plus Manuela Velasco is soooo sexy. Maybe I just have a thing for girls who clash with the undead/infected/supernatural

I was forgetting Sponge John, that did actually get a big laugh! I know what you mean about girls clashing with the undead, there was a point in REC3 where the actress is in her wedding dress wielding a chainsaw and it just looked awesome, such a cool badass image.

Manuela is indeed quite incredible, she's back for the 4th (and apparently final) film, trailer looks promising, like it might be closer to what I want from a REC movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdjrvwYO9nc

[Colin YNWA]

Oh I've been meaning to do this for a wee while now BUT I've previously said how I hate Frozen based purely on my daughter singing one half remembered song from it on some sort of infant auto-repeat for what felt like weeks on end, but was probably only a couple of days. ANYWAY we were pestered into buying it for her a few weeks ago and I have to say, even though I've not seen it all in one go but now having seen just about all of it in various stages of my daughter endlessly watching it and having seen some parts about 7896234224 times I really rather approve of the whole thing.

Its a brilliant film that really moves the whole Disney Princess genre to new levels and I wholeheartedly approve of the message its sending my daughter. Now I'm not going crazy here and saying as a movie its as good as Tangled but its certainly a wonderful film for a growing girl.

And I even like the song that she was mauling for so long, and now she had has the video she does quite a cute proper version of it - aided by hours of practice at school I think.

So yeah my apologies to the evil corporation Disney and anyone who defended the film - you were right all along.

[JamesC]

Welcome to the Punch

A British action thriller starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong with an excellent supporting cast.
I really enjoyed this film - decent story, strong performances and a stand out scene set in an old lady's front room.
Recommended.

[JOE SOAP]

Welcome to the Punch

A British action thriller starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong with an excellent supporting cast.
I really enjoyed this film - decent story, strong performances and a stand out scene set in an old lady's front room.
Recommended.

The lengthy explanation of the plot at the end was pretty bad, though.