Last movie watched...

[Mattofthespurs]

Passengers
Vapid, by the numbers and generally empty but still mildly entertaining. A solid 6/10
More plot holes than a shop that sells plot holes and with characters introduced simply to explain the plot and move it along very slightly.
But Jennifer Lawrence is pretty and my missus liked looking at Chris Pratt's bottom so not a complete waste of time.

[Colin YNWA]

Asterix and the Mansion of the Gods

Just want you need on a day filled with bad news and with the return to work looming on the horizon. Sure it has the infuriating Jack Whitehall voicing Asterix  I'm pretty sure Asterix shouldn't sound like a posh, insincere publiuc school boy) but it does have plenty of belly laughs. Immense fun.

[TordelBack]

Mad Max: Fury Road. At long bloody last the stars aligned and I finally saw it, many years after absolutely everyone else did. Not only is it every bit as ludicrously good as they all claimed, but it was also full of surprises: I suspected that I had seen the whole thing in the trailers, but not even vaguely. I truly love a film where almost every scene has something I've never seen before: Lucasfilm take note. 10/10. (I almost docked it half a point for having a happy ending, but feck it, they earned it).

Pacific Rim. Introduced the kids to this tonight (can't have children of mine thinking Bay's Transformers movies are acceptable), just gets more enjoyable every time. Giant stompy robots, a stream of kaiju, machismo, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman, luscious neon landscapes and unrepentent silliness throughout: there are 4 unwatchable Transformers movies, and a sequel to this is still over a year away... Madness. 8/10.

Incidentally, was Rogue One homaging Pentecost's farewell to Mako in [spoiler]Chirrut's last words to Baze[/spoiler], or am I missing some common antecedent?

[Mardroid]

Maniac Cop.

This is an 80s cult film which somehow passed me by. I'd seen it advertised, etc, but I never really felt any inclination to watch it. Then on an Evil Dead fansite I found out Bruce Campbell was in it, and I thought... give it a go.

Was it good? Not particularly, but it was entertaining enough. [spoiler]Kudos for killing off the main character part way through.(Bruce Campbell's character takes a central role later, but he actually doesn't appear until quite a way into the film, and much of the legwork and investigation is done by Tom Atkins character. [/spoiler] Tom Atkins introduces the film on the DVD and there's a nice interview with him as part of the extras. Seems a very nice fella.

Script isn't that great. It's rather hammy and I found one character particularly irritating. But the story isn't that bad, although it goes to a silly place* which is kind of expected for these slasher type films. It played with some interesting ideas like switching things around so the icon of law enforcement becomes the villain and the paranoia which results. [spoiler](Amusingly one lady in a news broadcast talks about how crime has gone down, now cops had started killing people. Although unlike the judges of Mega City One, this guy kills the innocent, although there is an agenda apart from being a psycho. Well, an agenda as WELL as being a psycho.)[/spoiler]

But it could have been played much better, I think.

It's probably worth a watch though.

* Big spoiler: [spoiler]There is a strong suggestion that the Maniac Cop himself is some kind of revenant. Brighter than your average zombie for sure, but when he takes several shots to the body (and apparently a couple to the head according to  Jack Forrest's screechy girlfriend, although that seems to be off-screen) and keeps going, he must be something supernatural. That and she states, that he did not appear to breathe.

Later on you find out that he was on death's door after an attack after being stabbed and slashed up royally in prison, but the prison doctor detected life and revived him and allowed him to go in the care of his girlfriend, albeit in a brain damaged state, which I guess also explains his change in morality. (He was always a hardliner, and quick to draw his gun, but it was criminals who died. Not so different from a certain other Lawman we know and love, although I think he is a bit more restrained.) So... that's technically alive right? And breathing? I kind of like the ambiguity though.[/spoiler]

[JamesC]

I always liked Maniac Cop. Watched again a few years ago and it certainly shows its age but was still good fun, if very hammy. I think it still holds the record for featuring the longest 'burning man' stunt though.
Maniac Cop 2 has the brilliant 'Maniac Cop Rap' over the end credits.

In a similar vain, I've been keeping one eye on the horror channel on the off chance that they may show The Ambulance.

[Mattofthespurs]

In a similar vain, I've been keeping one eye on the horror channel on the off chance that they may show The Ambulance.

Haven't seen that for years. Think I have a copy around here somewhere...

[TordelBack]

Zootropolis.  Got this as a very welcome Chrimbas present, only just got round to watching it. Look, I made no secret of my love for this film when I saw it in the cinema, but I'm now leaning towards it being in my Top Three animated films of all time (The Incredibles and Jungle Book). I love every single thing about it, from voice acting to character designs to gags to concept to plot to music and its deadly serious surprisingly nuanced message: diversity is difficult. WHERE'S MY 'HOPPS & WILD' TV SERIES.

[Professor Bear]

Urban Warriors - watched sober and during daylight hours, so not enjoyed as it should be.  One of many truly terrible Italian post-apocalyptic action movies made during the 1980s when Italians realised that their country looked the Apocalypse had already happened (we can presume such films will shortly become Greece's next growth industry).  It's no Desert Warrior, but then what is?  Entertainingly crap, if that's any recommendation.

The Light Between Oceans - some newlyweds decide to raise a baby they find on the beach of their isolated lighthouse home, but a chance encounter with the grieving mother of the child triggers survivor's guilt from The War for Mickey Fassbender's character - just not enough to tell the grieving mum the truth.  Three years later, the truth emerges and Fassy falls on his sword to save the missus from jail, presumably forgetting that ALL OF AUSTRALIA IS A JAIL ALREADY.  The hopeless melodrama of the first hour or so is at least consistent, but it all falls apart on the last leg when it asks you to swallow that Australians in the 1920s thought that stealing someone's baby was a bad thing to do rather than something the state had been doing for decades already - and still does to this very day - in their ongoing genocide of the continent's native population.  Yes I am being flippant, but my point about it all falling apart in the final stretch remains.
It's all about guilt and isolation, with the lighthouse as a metaphor, so very highbrow and no-one has a wrestling match with a topless lady with a blonde perm, so not quite as fun as Urban Warriors but you do nearly get to see Lizzy Vikander's jugs, so you might be able to knock one out if you're quick.

[CrazyFoxMachine]

Pom Poko

The pacing can be inconsistent but there are some stunning moments as well as beautiful painted backgrounds and the outright insanity is wrapped around a poignant environmental message as well as some sweet, sweet raccoonads.

[HdE]

Pom Poko

The pacing can be inconsistent but there are some stunning moments as well as beautiful painted backgrounds and the outright insanity is wrapped around a poignant environmental message as well as some sweet, sweet raccoonads gonads.

Fixed that for you, matey.

Quite seriously, though, the Ghibli kick you're on surprises me a bit. I would have pegged you more as the type to enjoy stuff like 'Belladonna of Sadness'.

BUT! Enjoy what you will. For that's the only law where these thing are concerned.

[dweezil2]

Caught Werner Herzog's fascinating documentary on the internet, Low And Behold on Netflix.

Essential viewing for anyone who's interest on how technology is increasingly dominating our lives and fans of Herzog's other films.

[Pegasus P Artichoke]

Finally managed to see Bone Tomahawk and it was marvellous stuff

If you are a fan of Neil Marshall's The Descent then you should enjoy it, or if you just like cowboy films with a good dose of horror then should be all good

Cast are all good in their roles, the plot boils along nicely building to a climax of brutal violence...especially one part in particular

[Colin YNWA]

Zootropolis.  Got this as a very welcome Chrimbas present, only just got round to watching it. Look, I made no secret of my love for this film when I saw it in the cinema, but I'm now leaning towards it being in my Top Three animated films of all time (The Incredibles and Jungle Book).

I'll top ya, its my favourite animated film of all time. In my 10 ten movies full stop too.

[dweezil2]

Finally managed to see Bone Tomahawk and it was marvellous stuff

If you are a fan of Neil Marshall's The Descent then you should enjoy it, or if you just like cowboy films with a good dose of horror then should be all good

Cast are all good in their roles, the plot boils along nicely building to a climax of brutal violence...especially one part in particular

Nice to see Sean Young in a film again, even if it was only a minor role.

Had been wondering what the hell had happened to her.

[Pegasus P Artichoke]

Finally managed to see Bone Tomahawk and it was marvellous stuff

If you are a fan of Neil Marshall's The Descent then you should enjoy it, or if you just like cowboy films with a good dose of horror then should be all good

Cast are all good in their roles, the plot boils along nicely building to a climax of brutal violence...especially one part in particular

Nice to see Sean Young in a film again, even if it was only a minor role.

Had been wondering what the hell had happened to her.

Yeah I agree and although it's a small part it's actually a great wee part in which you fully understand her character and relationship with the town with only one scene and a few lines of dialogue