My flatmate went to see the new Predator movie last night, said it was totally pants. He nearly walked out. The characters were all over the place, it was more comedy than action apparently and even the comedy was hammed up attempts at re-running the jokes from the original 2 films. I suggest you avoid!
Shane Black seemed like a great choice for it. He was in the first one, he's made some excellent stuff since - his Iron Man 3 was a decent blockbuster. But quips aside, there's hardly two jokes to rub together from the first two movies. Predator is NOT a comedy franchise, and Black can only do Black. It's a real shame, and I hope he hasn't killed the franchise.
Wife likes a rom-com so I sat through the 'Nights in Rodanthe' (Netflix - 2008) trying not to make any negative comments. Best avoided at all costs, unless you need to score a few points in the quest for nookie.
My flatmate went to see the new Predator movie last night, said it was totally pants. He nearly walked out. The characters were all over the place, it was more comedy than action apparently and even the comedy was hammed up attempts at re-running the jokes from the original 2 films. I suggest you avoid!
Shane Black seemed like a great choice for it. He was in the first one, he's made some excellent stuff since - his Iron Man 3 was a decent blockbuster. But quips aside, there's hardly two jokes to rub together from the first two movies. Predator is NOT a comedy franchise, and Black can only do Black. It's a real shame, and I hope he hasn't killed the franchise.
I feel like I have seen most of the movie with all the trailers that were released for it. And it looked pants. As far as I am concerned the first 2 are classics and all you need to see.
Bit last year I know but saw Finding Your Feet on my flight out here last week. A more gentle enjoyable heartwarming comedy you simply couldn’t wish to see.
Come on! Let’s have these King of Theives reviews. Really concerned it’s going to be crap.
Not the best film I have seen, but watchable. Probably because I like all the actors.
Won’t win any prizes but worth a viewing.
The dialogue after the robbery is very much based on tapes that the police made when the blaggers were debating what to do next while drinking in the pub
Come on! Let’s have these King of Theives reviews. Really concerned it’s going to be crap.
Not the best film I have seen, but watchable. Probably because I like all the actors.
Won’t win any prizes but worth a viewing.
The dialogue after the robbery is very much based on tapes that the police made when the blaggers were debating what to do next while drinking in the pub
Agree with this. Not the greatest film & won't win any awards, but I still enjoyed it because I like all the actors in the film
Come on! Let’s have these King of Theives reviews. Really concerned it’s going to be crap.
Not the best film I have seen, but watchable. Probably because I like all the actors.
Won’t win any prizes but worth a viewing.
The dialogue after the robbery is very much based on tapes that the police made when the blaggers were debating what to do next while drinking in the pub
Agree with this. Not the greatest film & won't win any awards, but I still enjoyed it because I like all the actors in the film
I've just watched Deadpool 2. It was excellent, some real genuine laugh out loud moments and an awful lot to giggle at. Ryan Reynolds is a proper movie star personality and this film is perfect for him. Josh Brolin looks the part and the rest of the cast do their thing. I don't expect deep and meaningful from a film like this.
I watched wind river again the other night and I still reckon the shoot out is one of the best in a film for years and the acting is brilliant. My missus cried her eyes out and said it was horrible. It's dark but I w9uldbt say it's horrible
If you get a chance, do get out and see Lucky. At 90 it was Harry Dean Stanton's final role, and you just have to admire the balls of leaving it all out there at that age. Quite slow paced, but it's a pleasure to spend 90 mins with HDS' cantankerous, sweet and humorous portrayal of an old geezer that don't (or maybe does) give a shit.
I've just watched Deadpool 2. It was excellent, some real genuine laugh out loud moments and an awful lot to giggle at. Ryan Reynolds is a proper movie star personality and this film is perfect for him. Josh Brolin looks the part and the rest of the cast do their thing. I don't expect deep and meaningful from a film like this.
I watched wind river again the other night and I still reckon the shoot out is one of the best in a film for years and the acting is brilliant. My missus cried her eyes out and said it was horrible. It's dark but I w9uldbt say it's horrible
We watched Wind River last night for the 1st time and were pleasantly surprised by the film as a whole but especially by the cast.
It was indeed dark and the finale extremely blood thirsty but was probably the only way to ensure the viewers felt that justice was seen to be done, despite some innocent lives being lost.
What we found very telling was the statement on the screen before the credits rolled that there are no statistics kept of how many Native American women go missing.......
Wind River was a goto for me as it got great reviews and was written by someone involved in Hell or High Water. i don't know if you could call it horrible, but harrowing would certainly come near, and one review I read described it as being as cold as the weather portrayed, and that was also true. It isn't an easy watch, but it is a great film, and both the acting and visuals were great (plus the shoot out).
Wind River was a goto for me as it got great reviews and was written by someone involved in Hell or High Water. i don't know if you could call it horrible, but harrowing would certainly come near, and one review I read described it as being as cold as the weather portrayed, and that was also true. It isn't an easy watch, but it is a great film, and both the acting and visuals were great (plus the shoot out).
I couldn't agree more, I picked it out for the same reasons and I viewed the film the same. Gloriously shot and it was indeed bleak, cold and hard but a fantastic film. I think my wife's assessment of horrible was due to the subject matter and the graphic nature of the violence but she isn't a fan of films like this and she didn't go much on 3 billboards which I thought was awesome
A pretty brutal film with a great performance by Joe Cole at the forefront. From the off, the film is punishing and doesn't shy away from showing the cruelty within the thai prison and looking in to the darkness in Billy Moore's character. The film has very little human contact and interaction, so the sparse contact Moore receives feels like a snatch of fresh air for his character. I wouldn't watch this expecting loads of fight scenes, but is well directed to show the redemption of his character. Well worth a watch - 8/10
The story follows the fortunes of two star-crossed lovers against the backcloth of post-War Europe and the ideological conflict of the Cold War. An interesting film with great cinematography and a luminous performance from Joanna Kulig as the co-lead. 'Cold War' has garnered a raft of 5-star reviews although, in my view, it falls some way short of Pawlikowski’s previous film, the outstanding ‘Ida’ - 7/10.
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
I caught up with this film earlier this month and see that Sky Premiere have now acquired the rights. A young transgender woman finds herself facing hostility from both the authorities and her lover’s relatives when dies unexpectedly. An unusual, important and thought-provoking film, anchored by a magnetic performance from the lead - 8/10.
Faces Places (France)
Filmmaker Agnes Varda (a stalwart of the French New Wave and now 90) joins forces with JR, a street artist and photographer to roam the French countryside in his van, taking and exhibiting extraordinary, outsized photos of all who venture inside it. The film was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar and it is certainly a highly original and interesting piece of work - 7/10.
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
Ove is an archetypal angry old man who spends his days enforcing block association rules that no one cares about and visiting his wife’s grave, until an unlikely friendship develops and his life takes a new path. A beautifully crafted, tender and offbeat film - very funny and a perfect mix of humour and pathos. I thought it was an excellent adaptation of the best-selling novel by Fredrik Backman (which I'd also thoroughly recommend).
I saw this at film club at the end of April and it garnered the highest audience score of our 18-film season. 'A Man Called Ove' also went on to win the Film Society ‘Film of the Year Award’ earlier this month, based on votes from film societies and community cinemas across the UK. It is (or certainly was) on Amazon Prime and is very well worth seeing if you get the chance - 9/10.
The Rider (USA)
A young rodeo star suffers a serious head injury and has to try to come to terms with the fact that he can never compete again, working instead as a horse trainer. A quiet and sensitive drama, whose quasi-documentary feel is enhanced by the use of non-professional actors, including the lead. It is a very accomplished film, if a little sobering and grim - 7/10.
The Wife (USA/UK)
A woman (Glenn Close) who has, for many years, sacrificed her own creative talents in support of her husband, re-evaluates her position on a trip to Sweden where he is due to collect the Nobel prize for Literature. I saw this at the film society screenings and thought it was reasonably good, albeit not something that would have tempted me out to the cinema - 7/10.
A SIMPLE FAVOUR A lightweight thriller about a missing woman - entertaining enough and Anna Kendrick delivers a good performance but it's more style over substance. 6.5/10
BLACK 47 A revenge thriller set during the time of the Irish famine - reminded me a bit of Clint Eastwood. Very bleak and gripping and interesting from a historical viewpoint. Well worth a watch especially for a superb performance from Jim Broadbent as a brutal English landowner. 8/10
Johnny English Returns Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too). 6/10
Johnny English Returns Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too). 6/10
I remember seeing a preview of the second movie, where he's trying to hold a serious conversation with the PM while fixing the height of his chair. It was so funny. At that point I realised, you can't criticise this series of movies. They're just... silly and fun.
A pretty brutal film with a great performance by Joe Cole at the forefront. From the off, the film is punishing and doesn't shy away from showing the cruelty within the thai prison and looking in to the darkness in Billy Moore's character. The film has very little human contact and interaction, so the sparse contact Moore receives feels like a snatch of fresh air for his character. I wouldn't watch this expecting loads of fight scenes, but is well directed to show the redemption of his character. Well worth a watch - 8/10
This is one of those films I KNOW I will like and respect, but I just can't bring myself to watch!
Johnny English Returns Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too). 6/10
I remember seeing a preview of the second movie, where he's trying to hold a serious conversation with the PM while fixing the height of his chair. It was so funny. At that point I realised, you can't criticise this series of movies. They're just... silly and fun.
A SIMPLE FAVOUR A lightweight thriller about a missing woman - entertaining enough and Anna Kendrick delivers a good performance but it's more style over substance. 6.5/10
BLACK 47 A revenge thriller set during the time of the Irish famine - reminded me a bit of Clint Eastwood. Very bleak and gripping and interesting from a historical viewpoint. Well worth a watch especially for a superb performance from Jim Broadbent as a brutal English landowner. 8/10
I quite enjoyed A Simple Favour even though the plot twists and turns wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny.
Who took advantage of the National Lottery Cinema Day yesterday and saw a film for the price of a lottery ticket?
We went to The Ritzy and saw BlackkKlansman (the coolest hair on the screen this year!) and A Simple Favour (learnt a new way to make a gin Martini). Both films are very enjoyable though I don't think either will be troubling the awards ceremonies except perhaps for Best Costume.
Had to review a screener of Blue Iguana yesterday - it's a heist comedy starring Sam Rockwell, who also produced. So I thought this would be decent.
Turns out it's fucking awful. Two, maybe three laughs inside 95 minutes were simply not enough. Rockwell, Phoebe Fox and Ben Schwartz were all decent but the fake Begbie guy was annoying, as were most of the villains. The tone is all over the place, the comedy is lowest common denominator stuff and the plot is either nonsensical or contrived. It's just a bit shit.
It was shot before he did 3 Billboards which explains how an Oscar winner can be in this, but even still, Rockwell has been above this kind of stuff for a lot longer than that.
The story follows the fortunes of two star-crossed lovers against the backcloth of post-War Europe and the ideological conflict of the Cold War. An interesting film with great cinematography and a luminous performance from Joanna Kulig as the co-lead. 'Cold War' has garnered a raft of 5-star reviews although, in my view, it falls some way short of Pawlikowski’s previous film, the outstanding ‘Ida’ - 7/10.
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
I caught up with this film earlier this month and see that Sky Premiere have now acquired the rights. A young transgender woman finds herself facing hostility from both the authorities and her lover’s relatives when dies unexpectedly. An unusual, important and thought-provoking film, anchored by a magnetic performance from the lead - 8/10.
Faces Places (France)
Filmmaker Agnes Varda (a stalwart of the French New Wave and now 90) joins forces with JR, a street artist and photographer to roam the French countryside in his van, taking and exhibiting extraordinary, outsized photos of all who venture inside it. The film was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar and it is certainly a highly original and interesting piece of work - 7/10.
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
Ove is an archetypal angry old man who spends his days enforcing block association rules that no one cares about and visiting his wife’s grave, until an unlikely friendship develops and his life takes a new path. A beautifully crafted, tender and offbeat film - very funny and a perfect mix of humour and pathos. I thought it was an excellent adaptation of the best-selling novel by Fredrik Backman (which I'd also thoroughly recommend).
I saw this at film club at the end of April and it garnered the highest audience score of our 18-film season. 'A Man Called Ove' also went on to win the Film Society ‘Film of the Year Award’ earlier this month, based on votes from film societies and community cinemas across the UK. It is (or certainly was) on Amazon Prime and is very well worth seeing if you get the chance - 9/10.
The Rider (USA)
A young rodeo star suffers a serious head injury and has to try to come to terms with the fact that he can never compete again, working instead as a horse trainer. A quiet and sensitive drama, whose quasi-documentary feel is enhanced by the use of non-professional actors, including the lead. It is a very accomplished film, if a little sobering and grim - 7/10.
The Wife (USA/UK)
A woman (Glenn Close) who has, for many years, sacrificed her own creative talents in support of her husband, re-evaluates her position on a trip to Sweden where he is due to collect the Nobel prize for Literature. I saw this at the film society screenings and thought it was reasonably good, albeit not something that would have tempted me out to the cinema - 7/10.
Glad you finally got to see and enjoy A MAN CALLED OVE, Blucher. Certainly one of the best films I've seen this year.
Johnny English Returns Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too). 6/10
Just got back from seeing it and feel exactly the same. I’m not a fan of the character or Mr Bean style comedy but this really made me laugh out loud. Predictable, daft but very funny.
Johnny English Returns Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too). 6/10
Just got back from seeing it and feel exactly the same. I’m not a fan of the character or Mr Bean style comedy but this really made me laugh out loud. Predictable, daft but very funny.
Saw it today with my daughter - there were some very funny bits and it was better than I expected.
Comments
Won’t win any prizes but worth a viewing.
The dialogue after the robbery is very much based on tapes that the police made when the blaggers were debating what to do next while drinking in the pub
I watched wind river again the other night and I still reckon the shoot out is one of the best in a film for years and the acting is brilliant. My missus cried her eyes out and said it was horrible. It's dark but I w9uldbt say it's horrible
It was indeed dark and the finale extremely blood thirsty but was probably the only way to ensure the viewers felt that justice was seen to be done, despite some innocent lives being lost.
What we found very telling was the statement on the screen before the credits rolled that there are no statistics kept of how many Native American women go missing.......
A pretty brutal film with a great performance by Joe Cole at the forefront. From the off, the film is punishing and doesn't shy away from showing the cruelty within the thai prison and looking in to the darkness in Billy Moore's character. The film has very little human contact and interaction, so the sparse contact Moore receives feels like a snatch of fresh air for his character. I wouldn't watch this expecting loads of fight scenes, but is well directed to show the redemption of his character. Well worth a watch - 8/10
The story follows the fortunes of two star-crossed lovers against the backcloth of post-War Europe and the ideological conflict of the Cold War. An interesting film with great cinematography and a luminous performance from Joanna Kulig as the co-lead. 'Cold War' has garnered a raft of 5-star reviews although, in my view, it falls some way short of Pawlikowski’s previous film, the outstanding ‘Ida’ - 7/10.
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
I caught up with this film earlier this month and see that Sky Premiere have now acquired the rights. A young transgender woman finds herself facing hostility from both the authorities and her lover’s relatives when dies unexpectedly. An unusual, important and thought-provoking film, anchored by a magnetic performance from the lead - 8/10.
Faces Places (France)
Filmmaker Agnes Varda (a stalwart of the French New Wave and now 90) joins forces with JR, a street artist and photographer to roam the French countryside in his van, taking and exhibiting extraordinary, outsized photos of all who venture inside it. The film was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar and it is certainly a highly original and interesting piece of work - 7/10.
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
Ove is an archetypal angry old man who spends his days enforcing block association rules that no one cares about and visiting his wife’s grave, until an unlikely friendship develops and his life takes a new path. A beautifully crafted, tender and offbeat film - very funny and a perfect mix of humour and pathos. I thought it was an excellent adaptation of the best-selling novel by Fredrik Backman (which I'd also thoroughly recommend).
I saw this at film club at the end of April and it garnered the highest audience score of our 18-film season. 'A Man Called Ove' also went on to win the Film Society ‘Film of the Year Award’ earlier this month, based on votes from film societies and community cinemas across the UK. It is (or certainly was) on Amazon Prime and is very well worth seeing if you get the chance - 9/10.
The Rider (USA)
A young rodeo star suffers a serious head injury and has to try to come to terms with the fact that he can never compete again, working instead as a horse trainer. A quiet and sensitive drama, whose quasi-documentary feel is enhanced by the use of non-professional actors, including the lead. It is a very accomplished film, if a little sobering and grim - 7/10.
The Wife (USA/UK)
A woman (Glenn Close) who has, for many years, sacrificed her own creative talents in support of her husband, re-evaluates her position on a trip to Sweden where he is due to collect the Nobel prize for Literature. I saw this at the film society screenings and thought it was reasonably good, albeit not something that would have tempted me out to the cinema - 7/10.
A lightweight thriller about a missing woman - entertaining enough and Anna Kendrick delivers a good performance but it's more style over substance. 6.5/10
BLACK 47
A revenge thriller set during the time of the Irish famine - reminded me a bit of Clint Eastwood. Very bleak and gripping and interesting from a historical viewpoint.
Well worth a watch especially for a superb performance from Jim Broadbent as a brutal English landowner. 8/10
Sometimes you go in with no expectations at all and enjoy the movie a lot. I really didn't fancy this, but it had me howling with laughter at times. Not a classic comedy by any standards, but a fun family afternoon (my daughters and wife all enjoyed it too).
6/10
We went to The Ritzy and saw BlackkKlansman (the coolest hair on the screen this year!) and A Simple Favour (learnt a new way to make a gin Martini). Both films are very enjoyable though I don't think either will be troubling the awards ceremonies except perhaps for Best Costume.
Turns out it's fucking awful. Two, maybe three laughs inside 95 minutes were simply not enough. Rockwell, Phoebe Fox and Ben Schwartz were all decent but the fake Begbie guy was annoying, as were most of the villains. The tone is all over the place, the comedy is lowest common denominator stuff and the plot is either nonsensical or contrived. It's just a bit shit.
It was shot before he did 3 Billboards which explains how an Oscar winner can be in this, but even still, Rockwell has been above this kind of stuff for a lot longer than that.
1/5.