Last movie watched...

[ThryllSeekyr]

I just watched the last half of Carrie - 2014 (The year, because, you know, there was a original version of this film in 80's and I think there was some sort of sequel (Yeah, that one was silly!) made in the 90's or 00's.)

This one was much prettier and more modern than the original. Yet, the original had a better cast with Piper Laurie her mother (Who I also recall from some freaky film called The Faculty, don't know of any other of her stuff aside from Carrie itself.), Sissy Spacek who is plain, but not unattractive, yet strange in a way that made this role work for her and as Carrie twice in nudity. (Don't know her work, but her spouse, is or was into a lot of vaudeville comedy, I think, but can't recall his name!) John Travolta. One of the many of bully's that tormented Carrie. (Everybody at school hated her for her strangeness and not sure wether they knew about her powers or if that was the reason they hated her.) Murphy's partner from the original Robocop another one of her tormenters and totally naked in the locker room as her younger self. Both of them were so good at being terrible to Carrie in the first film and had wondering they were that bad in real life.   

Just like to say it's sad thing when people feel the need to do this and I think it's in order to keep everybody else from singling them out and doing the same to them. Even though they're each painting a target on them selves for doing so and literally so as well. (Without giving to much a way!) Never was like them self or to the same level at least, I think they were all quite over the top with they're bullying.....

Now the modern version.....

That girl who was the daughter of the Ghost-Rider from Kick-Ass (No, not actually Ghost-Rider from Kick-Ass, but from the film of the same name. You should know that if you are as smart as I think you are....no offence intended!) and the her religious and overbearing porn-star mum (That last part, because she was one in Boogie Nights, which is kind of reminiscent of Linda Lovelace who started out one way and end up going in the opposite direction. Porn memory better than Actual memory )

Don't know anyone else in this film and most of it was largely ignored with bouts of drifting in and out of unconsciousness and all films mentioned above would make for a great science-fiction/superhero/adult film extravaganza, and what if John Travolta brought in Battlefield Earth as the Alien Slave-Master high school bully with the other lady as a naughty high school cop (Like Robo-Cop and all those Police Academy spoof films combined!) ) while Carries father moonlights as a motor cycle riding skull head demon  and cop who barely escaped getting burnt to death in giant-wicker-man. Only to die by being burnet to death while tied to chair. While Carrie goes her way smacking around the brattier girls with that smart-stick that causes them to vomit from both ends of their bodies.

I thought that female actress was bratty in Kick-Ass as well, but in good way, I guess and didn't think she was the right choice []b]Carrie as she didn't express the same awkwardness as Sissy. Either, not a good casting choice or just not part of her range of skill to look less popular. Yet, I guess it takes all types these days and  I may need to watch this again properly. Just to be sure.

Yet, it was obvious that this female actress had matured physically and socially than the original as far as it seemed on film and she added to this with essence of the bratty-ness of her previous work.

She might as well, had been one of her own tormentors and some other actress chosen for her natural awkwardness.

Who could that be?

Speaking of all those films crossed over with this one, I thinking about what if this part of a Judge Dredd with the likes of Psi Anderson and Juliet November Who could have been Drew Barry more revitalising her previous role as the Fire-Starter. Who knows how far Carrie could have gone in world where her power was more common and a better chance for support group? 

[Professor Bear]

Saw it on USA Netflix last night

These Final Hours

Australian film about end of the world as the comet hit USA, and people in Perth got 11 hours left, and it was enjoyable and brutal.

The only problem I had with These Final Hours was that after watching Wentworth and Underbelly, I pretty much assumed this is what modern Australia is like all the time.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Saw it on USA Netflix last night

These Final Hours

Australian film about end of the world as the comet hit USA, and people in Perth got 11 hours left, and it was enjoyable and brutal.

The only problem I had with These Final Hours was that after watching Wentworth and Underbelly, I pretty much assumed this is what modern Australia is like all the time.

I think Wentworth is set inside female prison and that's modern and Underbelly is set in present day Sydney depending on which series your watching.

I thinking there is spin-0ff called Razor set during the 1940's in Melbourne.

[Buttonman]

Wild Horses couldn't drag me back for a second viewing!

[CrazyFoxMachine]

A Bug's Life

A likeable but relatively thin film from the early Pixar canon. The story (Seven SamurANT) is frustratingly linear and the animation much weaker than Toy Story from three years previous. It just feels like it needed more time - and at that point I think it's likely that they were struggling to meet deadlines to justify their visions. A great shame as there are some nice character moments here and it's a colourful enough romp through a miniature world. It just feels lacking - even without the inevitable comparison to the thematically and visually grander Antz.

[Buttonman]

Martin Lawrence (there was my clue!) crap-fest What's the Worst That Could Happen?

[Magnetica]

We have watched a couple of Luc Besson films on Netflix in the last week: 3 Days to Kill and The Family.

Both very much 3 out of 5, I am afraid to say (in my opinion)

[Buttonman]

More Netflix (fool's) Gold in the shape of We Are the Freaks

[ThryllSeekyr]

More Netflix (fool's) Gold in the shape of We Are the Freaks

More like the Trainspotting film of this day. Yet set back in the 90's.

I don't fancy her much either.

[Buttonman]

Jesse Eisenberg dealing with issues in Why Stop Now? - wish he would!

[Jim_Campbell]

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Twisty plot. Splendidly odious villain. Very hot Rebecca Ferguson. Several brilliant set pieces. Eminently watchable, although admittedly tosh. Far worse ways to kill two hours.

Also: Tom Cruise is 53. There's unquestionably a painting in his attic that don't look so good.

Cheers

Jim

[I, Cosh]

Finally watched Guardians of the Galaxy. Pleasingly silly in parts and there was a decent chemistry between the leads. All in all, pretty good fun but maybe a victim of all the gushing reviews at the time as it didn't blow me away. Would still watch another. Surprised to see nothing on IMDB about one, yet Zoe Saldana is already lined up for three new Avatars!

Liked the device the soundtrack was built around but didn't like any of the songs (except Bowie).


The last two-thirds of X-Men: First Class was OK to have on in the background while making dinner.  Quite enjoyed the sixties spy movie stylings, but it didn't inspire me to go back and watch it from the start. McKellen and Stewart brought an unwarranted gravitas to the nonsense of the original films; Fassbender is an able substitute but MacAvoy doesn't really have the same presence and, of the others, only Mystique really gets anything interesting to work with.

I'm assuming there's a common ancestor, but Emma Frost reminded me of nothing so much as White She-Devil from Undercover Brother.

[sheridan]

Finally watched Guardians of the Galaxy. Pleasingly silly in parts and there was a decent chemistry between the leads. All in all, pretty good fun but maybe a victim of all the gushing reviews at the time as it didn't blow me away. Would still watch another. Surprised to see nothing on IMDB about one, yet Zoe Saldana is already lined up for three new Avatars!

Sequel starts filming next year, due to be released the year after.  Also whispers of an Avengers/Guardians crossover.

[TordelBack]

Turns out that a key metric for my enjoyment of action movies is the degree to which I root for the heroes. On that scale GotG scored very high indeed, the (utterly predictable) moment when Ronan emerged from the crash wreckage eliciting an out-loud 'oh fuuuuuu**', which equates to a 9 on the Root axis and at least an 8 on the Disbelief Suspended axis. (See also: Millenium Falcon coming out of the sun, which scores a double 11,  slightly to the right-and-up of the maximum values on both axes)

[radiator]

Movie double bill for us last night.

First up was the Clint Eastwood starring Escape From Alcatraz, a movie with a spoiler in the title if there was one. We got to visit Alcatraz itself last week (which was awesome and highly recommended), and were fascinated by the real-life events, so wanted to check out the movie. It's really great. I mean, it's very much a movie so there's obviously a lot of embellishing going on - the escapees come across as folk heroes and almost victims rather than the habitual career criminals they were irl. Despite knowing the ending going in, it's astonishing how much the tension ratchets up. Interesting too just how many elements were lifted wholesale for The Shawshank Redemption (though I suppose you're going to get repetition of story beats in any prison break movie).

Fantastic stuff. 5/5.

And then we finally got around to Ex Machina. What can I say that hasn't been said already? It's something of a triumph. Three superb lead performances from three of the best actors of this generation, excellent music, and it's a beautifully crisp-looking film - the vfx and art direction are astonishingly good by any standard, let alone for a film that cost what it did. My girlfriend really didn't want to watch it (cos it 'looked scary') but also loved it. She has an annoying habit of whipping her phone out the moment she gets a bit bored during a film, but didn't reach for it once. She also now really wants to stay at the hotel where it was filmed. Maybe one day!

Was thoroughly gripped throughout, and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped. Kudos to Mr Garland - can't wait to see whatever he does next.

5/5.