Last movie watched...

[ThryllSeekyr]

Watched The Terminator 2: Judgement Day last night on the telly.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Not that I should mention it here, but I will anyway.

I went to the KIZZ concert in Brisbane last Tuesday night. With very special guests MOTLEY CRUE featuring THIN LIZZY ( Not the original band but a very good cover band.) and DIVA DEMOLITION.

There was firebreathing and blood spittting, hydrolic lifting platforms, flying on wires, and lots of pyrotechinics. It's just pity they KIZZ had to replace their original line up with a new lead guitarist and drummer. They played well though and I'm still getting over it.

[TordelBack]

Primer.  Good fun, but I don't think it quite strikes the correct balance between slow first half and insane last quarter.  I like that the wife and I spent almost an hour with a pen and paper trying to work it out last night, and started back into sorting our thoughts as soon as we woke up this morning, but if the last 15 minutes had just been slower I feel we'd have had a better chance of following it without an informal seminar. 

[Spikes]

The Alex Garland scripted Sunshine - Im always struck by just how darn good this relatively low budget film looks. As with Dredd, they clearly used every penny to maximum effect.
Plenty of stand-out scenes throughout, though the final act requires suspension of disbelief somewhat. But thoroughly enjoyed this re-watch.

[Mabs]

The Alex Garland scripted Sunshine - Im always struck by just how darn good this relatively low budget film looks. As with Dredd, they clearly used every penny to maximum effect.
Plenty of stand-out scenes throughout, though the final act requires suspension of disbelief somewhat. But thoroughly enjoyed this re-watch.

Yes Judge Jack, its a great sci-fi film, and one which i loved from start to finish (including that ending). Best moment; Kaneda's union with the sun. Beautiful and tragic in the same breadth.

[Spikes]

Yep, that whole sequence is just knockout, isnt it.  And its scenes like that, that definitely sets the film apart from the usual run of the mill sci-fi tosh.
The ending isnt really a problem, just the character of Pindecker(?) takes it into Jason Vorhees territory, somewhat.
But i do love how he's potrayed in the film. An insane blur of static.

[Mabs]

Yep, that whole sequence is just knockout, isnt it.  And its scenes like that, that definitely sets the film apart from the usual run of the mill sci-fi tosh.
The ending isnt really a problem, just the character of Pindecker(?) takes it into Jason Vorhees territory, somewhat.
But i do love how he's potrayed in the film. An insane blur of static.

I was on the fence somewhat regarding the character of Pinbacker, at first it seemed like a poor choice as an antagonist. But he delivers some chilling lines;

"At the end of time, a moment will come when just one man remains. Then the moment will pass. Man will be gone. There will be nothing to show that we were ever here... but stardust."

Its clear he's gone insane, a la Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver; 'God's lonely man'.

[Professor Bear]

Star Trek: Wrath Of Khan - the motherfucking business.  Much as I enjoy the reboot, it really is the flipside of the old Trek movies in attitude, as with this one there was pretty much a cap on the series with Kirk coming out the other side of his mid-life crisis and realising growing up doesn't mean growing old, it means dropping the platitudes and bravado and still being the man he is, an unthinkable sentiment in the rebooted Trek where revenge is the motivator rather than the enemy of good and compassionate men capable of greatness, but there's also solid character work I never even noticed until now, especially Shatner's eschewing the usual shit-eating grin from Kirk as he flies off after another grand adventure, and the scene with his son just before it is positively leaden with meaning, but the general gist is that the Kirk everyone thinks they know is a sham.  I gather from the EU stuff that this was something Shatner was heavily in favor of pushing, but the sequels went back to the galactic gallivanting pretty readily and I suppose that's why they mostly come out seeming lightweight, as they essentially step backwards from what's built here.  Still great stuff, but some of the FX could do with cleaning up.

The A-Team - I have no idea why I love this update of the old show considering everything that is wrong with it - Face is dreadful and takes up too much screen time and the plot makes no damn sense at all - but gosh darn it, it sure is eventful and faithful to the source material so much so that when someone says "shit" or BA says "hell" or "god damn" (Mr T is a devout Christian) it almost takes me out of things, but it is far and away one of the best mainstream Hollywood actioners for an age, wilfully dumb and without shakycam verite pretensions of being a documentary.

[Jim_Campbell]

it is far and away one of the best mainstream Hollywood actioners for an age, wilfully dumb and without shakycam verite pretensions of being a documentary.

This is pretty much my feeling. No actors/directors spouting on about how the 'original vision' of the TV series was darker and they're taking the movie back to that, no 're-imagining' bollocks, they clearly just realized the TV show was about a lot of shit getting extravagantly blown up with the characters (and, one suspects, the actors) having as much fun as possible with the nonsensical crap that connects the set-pieces.

I enjoyed it...

Cheers!

Jim

[Hawkmumbler]

This lovely set turned up today so i'll be having a triple bill of retro anime over the next few nights. 

[TordelBack]

Monsters, Inc. (3D version).  Another mind-numbingly cheap early morning kids' show*, especially for a 3D film, and my first time seeing this.  Really enjoyed it, the snow-cone gag had me almost hyper-ventilating with laughter, and there's a very pleasing attention to detail in the way the world is built and how the characters move through it.  There are some niggly inconsistencies (Boo screams and laughs the whole way through, but she only has an affect on the power situation when the plot calls for it), and maybe the third quarter runs too long, but on the whole it's a quality film.  John Goodman has his usual embiggening effect on almost everything he touches, Billy Crystal is only mildly annoying, but it's James Coburn who steals every scene he's in: what a delivery.

The 3D rejigging on the characters and action sequences is pretty excellent (albeit utterly pointless), not so good on the backgrounds which look oddly cramped. Plus, no headache for me and the kids kept their glasses on the whole way through, which is a first.

Rather looking forward to the prequel now.



*Was going to see Oz, which would have worked out at about EUR35 for the four of us - this was EUR15.

[mygrimmbrother]

Oz The Great & Powerful. A huge disappointment. James Franco just looks uncomfortable doing his slightly madcap thing and Rachel Weisz chews all the fake CGI scenery. Mila Kunis was ok, but the best thing in the film was Michelle Wiliams - the only cast member who convinced at all. The rest of the film lacked any charm or menace whatsoever, but hey, it's raked in shitloads of money and a sequel and theme park ride are already on the cards, so job's a good 'un then.

[Mabs]

Monsters, Inc. (3D version).  Another mind-numbingly cheap early morning kids' show*, especially for a 3D film, and my first time seeing this.  Really enjoyed it, the snow-cone gag had me almost hyper-ventilating with laughter, and there's a very pleasing attention to detail in the way the world is built and how the characters move through it.  There are some niggly inconsistencies (Boo screams and laughs the whole way through, but she only has an affect on the power situation when the plot calls for it), and maybe the third quarter runs too long, but on the whole it's a quality film.  John Goodman has his usual embiggening effect on almost everything he touches, Billy Crystal is only mildly annoying, but it's James Coburn who steals every scene he's in: what a delivery.

The 3D rejigging on the characters and action sequences is pretty excellent (albeit utterly pointless), not so good on the backgrounds which look oddly cramped. Plus, no headache for me and the kids kept their glasses on the whole way through, which is a first.

Rather looking forward to the prequel now.



*Was going to see Oz, which would have worked out at about EUR35 for the four of us - this was EUR15.

Great to see you enjoyed this, Tordelback! At one time i remember Monsters Inc being on a constant loop at home, its the only thing my little girl wanted to watch! But it's a great film for all ages too. There's so many laugh out loud moments, as you mentioned - the snow cone moment being one. But i also loved the injokes too like the 'Harryhausen's' restaurant our protagonists go to eat. The voices are spot on; my favourite without doubt is Billy Crystal (he does a similar sterling job in Howls Moving Castle, although in less screen time). I cannot wait for the prequel (i thought it was going to be a sequel? But thats news to me); definitely one of Pixar's best and my favourite after Toy Story!

[Tiplodocus]

Monsters Inc. definitely sags - it was the first movie we took Tiny Tips to and he was glued to the screen and attention began to wander when there was a bit too much running up and down corridors but then the door sequence came on and he was glued to the screen again. And what an ending!

A-Team has just too many of those "This isn't the A-Team character I know" moments for my liking. But it is a rocking good action movie. I yawned at the prospect of another movie finale in a container port but then they went and did something very different with it.

In other news:

OFFICE SPACE - which was jolly good. The cast, in particular Ron Livingston and Gary Cole, is superb with some great gags even if the targets are a little easy (and they let the "hypnotised" plot dwindle out). And an ace melon farming sound track. Has Mike Judge done any other live action movies? 

[Frank]

OFFICE SPACE - which was jolly good. The cast, in particular Ron Livingston and Gary Cole, is superb with some great gags even if the targets are a little easy (and they let the "hypnotised" plot dwindle out). And an ace melon farming sound track. Has Mike Judge done any other live action movies?

Idiocracy is a bit pish, but I haven't seen Extract. Office Space is one of my favourite films of all time, and makes an excellent double bill with Fight Club when you're hacked off with the day job.