Last movie watched...

[Professor Bear]

You're thinking of Yul Brynner in The Magnificent Seven

You're right, it was Brynner - I got the (many) stories mixed up as McQueen was a serial arsehole.

[Buttonman]

Not that mad on 'The Cincinnati Kid' - for a start I remembered it being in B&W which was strange and I also misremembered a scene where they put the poker table in a jail cell over night after someone got sick. That was from a more fondly remembered film clearly!

This one was a bit sketchy with very little done by way of character development apart from moody looks through a haze of cigarette smoke. The first 40 minutes is just a set up for the big match with the Kid's lady troubles just a (very welcome) excuse to get Ann Margaret into her skimpies. Karl Malden and Edward G Robinson are more interesting than Steve. As for him being the best poker player in the world, he risks his whole stack when he doesn't have the nuts - think I'd be asking why Edward G is sticking $5k into a pot if he doesn't have the Jack seeing as Steve has two pair exposed. A bluff? doubtful from the established character we'd seen before.

[Buttonman]

'The Getaway' was pretty good - quite fat paced with some good action and  standard Sam Peckinpah claret spilling. I preferred the subplot of the wronged henchmen chasing our heroes with a bickering couple in tow. Probably preferred the remake but that was down to Kim Basinger taking her clothes off.

'Papillion' was good too but a bit over-long with endless passages where there is nothing said - this helped emphasis the solitude but it sent me drifting off to sleep. Dustin Hoffman is better value than McQueen playing the weasely forger Dega and it was good to see 'Mathias' Anthony Zebre showing up as a leper - one of the most unmistakable voices in the movies! McQueen does his best in a series of ever greyer wigs and it's probably one of her better 'acting' performances - in most other things you get the sense he's just being himself.

[Mardroid]

Only thing I wasn't keen on was the resolution. But it was good.

Well, [spoiler]the clue is in the title![/spoiler]

Oh that part I didn't mind too much.

I'm referring more to the fact that (massive spoilers alert) [spoiler]an argument from one individual (backed by his mates) was enough to cause the alien masters to leave.

That being said I don't mind that so much now. I suspect he and his remaining 'musketeers' were the only ones to argue their case so well, and the very fact the majority of the town had to be turned just supported their case.[/spoiler]

[JamesC]

47 Ronin.

I quite enjoyed this. I like a good revenge tale and this had a bit of super nature and some monsters thrown in for good measure.
The visuals were pretty striking throughout and, while the effects weren't top tier, they did their job. There were some nice set designs and the Dragon and rampaging beast thing looked great.
I think this was a bit of a flop but I'd recommend giving it a try if you like this sort of thing.

[Theblazeuk]

I think it was the indignity of being told to **** off back to Legoland that did it.

[Bobblehead]

 Guardians of the Galaxy - Loved it! It had action,humour and space ships shooting each other, the 3 things like I like most in my films    I think I enjoyed it more than most of the other comic book films I've seen in the past few years (except Dredd ofc) because it didnt spend 90% of the screentime with origin stories for the heroes and villians.The action was good and the humour was more or less laugh out loud funny.
    Also it had a talking raccoon with a big gun.

Looking forward to a sequel and its actually got me interested in the comic series, one title that i've never had any interest in.
All in all i highly recommend it! 

[Tiplodocus]

BLUE THUNDER
A nice slice of 80s action movie for you that remarkably, has aged pretty well. 

Of course, now (and one might argue that even at the time) it seems terribly cliche but there's a lot of fun to be had with a smart story, witty script, good performances from Roy Scheider, Candy Clarke, Warren Oates and a very young looking Daniel Stern, quality swearing, helicopter chases in downtown LA and a barrel load of fab stunt work and practical model effects effect.

Warren Oates could play "pissed off Police Captain" in his sleep but writers O'Bannon and Jakoby give him some cracking lines to work with here.

It suffers from 80s hero being an asshole syndrome (Murphy pointing a gun at a cleaner for no reason?). 80s heroes really were selfish dicks a lot of the time. Go back and watch Ghostbusters and see what a major douche Bill Murray's character is.

And it could do with slightly ramping up the political element just a little bit more - it gets slightly overwhelmed by the chases and action.

And amusingly, the main news anchor is also the main news anchor from Robocop - another film where he also talks about Officer Murphy a lot. What are the chances?

And Blue Thunder itself, and it's accompanying theme music, make for mighty fine cinema.

Go catch it on Nutflix.

[shaolin_monkey]

BLUE THUNDER

It suffers from 80s hero being an asshole syndrome (Murphy pointing a gun at a cleaner for no reason?). 80s heroes really were selfish dicks a lot of the time. Go back and watch Ghostbusters and see what a major douche Bill Murray's character is.

Yeah, completely agree with this.  Ghostbusters would have been half the comedy without Venkman, but I can't help wondering if had he been a bit nicer to Peck then maybe he could have avoided the spectral explosion that was the trigger for Gozer to turn up.

But where's the fun in watching a business co-operating with a health and safety regulator?   

[TordelBack]

How to Train Your Dragon 2.  A magnificent, ambitious film that broadens and illuminates the scope of the first one.  The middle act is probably the most successful sustained spectacle of any fantasy film I've seen, easily topping 'Rings.  Unfortunately the kids found the dark conclusion of that chunk quite upsetting (and not without reason), and as a result it put a bit of a downer on the solid resolution (itself only slightly let down by a surprisingly awkward piece of the signature VO narration that felt like a last minute response to a perceived obligation to the form).

My only serious gripe was the neutering of Astrid - arguably the strongest character in the first film is largely reduced here to supportive helpmeet.  Happily, Hiccup continues to be a really special central character - his sense of mission and utter conviction is moving, as is his relationship with the still-adorable Toothless.  And as is, of course, the movie's surprise central romance, which is quite simply beautiful, and jerked more than a few tears.  I don't quite know what Cate Blanchett was going for accent/delivery-wise, but her character and costume design more than made up for it. 

I'd be deliriously happy if SW:VII could capture a fraction of the sense of wonder and excitement of the first act of HTTYD:2 or the spectacle of the second, or indeed handle the inevitable passing of the old guard with as much weight and significance, but for now I'll just be waiting for the third one of these. 

[zombemybabynow]

watched 47 ronin & to my surprise it was f-kin brilliant

[JOE SOAP]

80s heroes really were selfish dicks a lot of the time. Go back and watch Ghostbusters and see what a major douche Bill Murray's character is.

Which was probably the reason Venkman was my favourite. Stantz was the nice guy, Spengler the nerd and Zeddemore the black- I wish they'd done more than just use him as an audience surrogate.

[JOE SOAP]

I'd be deliriously happy if SW:VII could capture a fraction of the sense of wonder and excitement of the first act of HTTYD:2 or the spectacle of the second

Prepare for the Intergalactic Potato Famine.

[TordelBack]

Go back and watch any movie with Bill Murray and see what a major douche Bill Murray's character is.

FTFY.

'S why he's so bloody great.  He's like a sourly petulant potato.  Segue.

[ThryllSeekyr]

The stupid bloody problems I'm now having with the internet...I couldn't even submit my last post....

Maybe sometime tomorrow