Really slow start, a lot of back story which dragged, but then your typical Saw, twisted / squeamish. It's decent enough and recommend if you like the rest of the series.
Equalizer 3 last night- very good little film this; 8/10 for me. It's a bit formulaic as if built around a template of how to make an efficient, feel-good film, of the right length, and with the essential plot details, but i was grateful for that as i didn't have to work the brain too hard, and it was well paced, and was all over in what felt like 90 minutes (but was actually 1hr 49, i now see).
On Off_it's point about the reason for him being in Italy- that held up well for me; the whole film is a bit of a stretch, in it's romanticising of Italy and it's village life v mob culture, the CIA, let alone Denzil's nose for trouble and how to fight it - a broad poetic licence granted.
Thank you and other posters for talking about this film. Just watched it with my parents and we all really enjoyed it. I didn't expect much but it totally surpassed my expectations. My mum kept saying how better this was than Mission Impossible which we had just watched last night. I tend to agree with her because it's more realistic. And I also thought the reason why Denzel Washington was there was a decent plot. It reminds me slightly of Spiderman/Batman without all the supernatural powers which I'm never interested in. I've watched the previous two films so I was pleasantly surprised to see Fanning's character was actually the daughter of Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo. But I only vaguely remember they were both killed?
A pub landlord in a previously thriving - but now deeply depressed - mining community in a County Durham village struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise amongst locals when refugees from war-torn Syria are placed in empty houses in the village.
As a director, I find Ken Loach as subtle as a brick but this was much closer in quality to I, Daniel Blake and a big upgrade on the extremely depressing Sorry I Missed You. The two leads (including the ex-fireman) were excellent and it could hardly be more topical, given the rhetoric of the right wing press and Suella Braverman.
Struggling to fit in at Oxford University, Oliver, a young student from an apparently troubled background befriends the charismatic and aristocratic Felix, who invites him to spend the summer at Saltburn, his family’s sprawling estate. From here, we follow Oliver’s attempts to inveigle himself into the family.
The film is quite dark and included a couple of scenes that even I found a little distasteful. On the plus side, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan had some very amusing lines but even they and a good ensemble cast could not, in my view, elevate the film above the average.
It was written, directed and produced by Emerald Fennell, whose first film, A Promising Young Women, was nominated for five Oscars and won for Best Original Screenplay. As a result, Saltburn has a high profile, although I found it an uninspiring choice to open the London Film Festival.
Just watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Netflix.
Oh my. I have just been transported back to my young self who was completely captivated by this book. It was the second Dahl book I read after Danny The Champion of the World.
The Exorcist: Believer. The film is probably the best of the lot so far, since the original which I think will remain unbeatable. Definitely filmed in such a way that it reminds you of the original, half decent story and a few jumpy moments. I enjoyed the twist at the end aka Sophie's Choice. I'd go 7/10
Was a bit spooky in the cinema as there was just me and one other in attendance....
Watched Exorcist - The Believer and The Creator on Sunday. Exorcist was ok - a 15, it wasn't overly scary and it's lost a ton of money based on the $225m it cost to acquire the option to the name and make the first film - only took $50m globally opening weekend. The Creator was excellent. Really smart film. Didn't cry - but it tugs at the heartstrings. Proper story telling.
Tonight I'm off to see Blackberry and Saw X. Am excited to see Blackberry and looking forward to scaring the missus to death watching Saw X :-)
i'm super interested in seeing peoples views on Saw X -
as a massive horror flick fan it both baffles and brings me joy that it is possible to kill off a protagonist in film 3 and still milk 7 sequels out of it without breaking into the supernatural, yet we still can't get a proper Evil Dead 4 movie with Bruce Campbell
i'm super interested in seeing peoples views on Saw X -
as a massive horror flick fan it both baffles and brings me joy that it is possible to kill off a protagonist in film 3 and still milk 7 sequels out of it without breaking into the supernatural, yet we still can't get a proper Evil Dead 4 movie with Bruce Campbell
It's a film, i get your issue and it was odd but i take them for what they are. You know what you are getting and still very clever and twisted. The fact JK died in an earlier sequel doesn't really factor as i take them each on their own.
The Exorcist: Believer. The film is probably the best of the lot so far, since the original which I think will remain unbeatable. Definitely filmed in such a way that it reminds you of the original, half decent story and a few jumpy moments. I enjoyed the twist at the end aka Sophie's Choice. I'd go 7/10
Was a bit spooky in the cinema as there was just me and one other in attendance....
The Exorcist: Believer. The film is probably the best of the lot so far, since the original which I think will remain unbeatable. Definitely filmed in such a way that it reminds you of the original, half decent story and a few jumpy moments. I enjoyed the twist at the end aka Sophie's Choice. I'd go 7/10
Was a bit spooky in the cinema as there was just me and one other in attendance....
Was it the Devil 😈 ?
Would you recommend, thinking of seeing it?
indeed I think it was.....huge empty cinema, Ice cold aircon....
Yeah I enjoyed it....its better than a lot of the follow ups to the Original. Cant say as I was scared though.
Took my 5 year old to the cinema to see PAW Patrol. Actually not all that bad for what it is, obviously not something most adults are going to watch by choice but a few decent jokes.
Took my 5 year old to the cinema to see PAW Patrol. Actually not all that bad for what it is, obviously not something most adults are going to watch by choice but a few decent jokes.
Sounds like the kind of film I used to take my kids to so I could get an hour's or two sleep.
Just watched Reptile on Netflix which has only been available from tonight.
Another film that requires your full attention as lots of characters so lots of questions here ..." Who's that, then ? Have we seen him before ? " etc.
Enjoyable enough & kept us engaged for most of the 2 hours plus. Worth a look IMO.
Just watched this last night and totally agree with how you felt. Can't believe it is a debut from a young director*. The story itself is not overly complicated but the way the director shoots it makes it very intense and special. Great cast, too. Highly recommended.
Just looked him up on IMDB and was surprised to find that he directed some of the very interesting pop music videos that I've watched before, like Sam Smith's How Do You Sleep and The Weeknd's Starboy.
Just back from The Great Escaper. Was very emotional; one of the guys in front of me was in bits. If you don’t know the (true) story it’s about a 90 year old Navy man who was on the landing craft on Sword beach who “escapes” from his care home to independently attend the 70-year commemoration of the D-Day landings. Michael Caine’s last ever film before retirement and Glenda Jackson’s last before she passed away (she was excellent btw). Well worth a look; 7.5/10
Just back from The Great Escaper. Was very emotional; one of the guys in front of me was in bits. If you don’t know the (true) story it’s about a 90 year old Navy man who was on the landing craft on Sword beach who “escapes” from his care home to independently attend the 70-year commemoration of the D-Day landings. Michael Caine’s last ever film before retirement and Glenda Jackson’s last before she passed away (she was excellent btw). Well worth a look; 7.5/10
I didn’t realise it was about yer man who broke out for the D Day celebrations. He popped up on my feed the other day. The photo of him surrounded by all the lovely ladies at the channel crossing. Wonderful 🤩
Took my 5 year old to the cinema to see PAW Patrol. Actually not all that bad for what it is, obviously not something most adults are going to watch by choice but a few decent jokes.
Sounds like the kind of film I used to take my kids to so I could get an hour's or two sleep.
I watched a good number of films at the London Film Festival earlier this month. Of the ones I saw, I thought the following were the best:
The Holdovers(USA, Alexander Payne)
The most entertaining feature I saw at the LFF. Alexander Payne reunites with Paul Giametti 20 years after Sideways. Set in December 1970, Giametti plays a curmudgeonly history teacher at an exclusive boarding school who is forced to remain on campus over the Christmas holidays with a disaffected student whose mother and step-father don’t want him home, together with the school cook/cafeteria manager, whose son recently died in Vietnam. What ensues is an excellent, poignant and very funny comedy.
It is released in the UK on 19 January 2024.
The Zone of Interest(UK/Poland/Germany, Jonathan Glazer)
Based on Martin Amis’ 2014 novel, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), strive to create bucolic bliss and a dream home for their family in a house and garden just outside the walls of the camp. The juxtaposition of banal everyday domesticity with what we know is taking place next-door is chilling.
A very skilfully crafted film, with a discomfiting, discordant score, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Interestingly, it has also been selected as the UK entry for the Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards; I think it is likely to be nominated and make the shortlist.
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan, Hamaguchi of Drive My Car fame)
A corporation seeks to push through a ‘glamping’ development near a peaceful rural village which will forever change the community and their environment, not least by polluting the local fresh water supply. A beguiling drama but its enigmatic and sudden ending is likely to alienate a number of viewers.
Winner of the Best Film award at the LFF.
Eileen (USA, William Oldroyd)
In Oldroyd’s follow-up to Lady Macbeth, a shy young prison employee in 1960s Massachusetts (Thomasin McKenzie) becomes infatuated with the facility’s glamorous new psychiatrist (Anne Hathaway). Things take a sinister turn, as the the story veers into a psychological crime thriller, film noir and black-comedy horror.
It is released in the UK on 1 December.
Poor Things (UK, Yorgos Lanthimos; Golden Lion, Venice)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to The Favourite is a surreal black comedy set initially in Victorian London. Emma Stone gives an excellent performance as Bella, a corpse brought back to life in a Frankenstein-type experiment conducted by a brilliant and eccentric scientist (Willem Defoe). Initially child-like and naive, she is keen to learn more about the world and runs off with an opportunist lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) to travel across continents, giving full vent to her voracious carnal and other desires. As a ‘woman reborn’, Bella has a liberated mindset, completely free of societal constraints and mores.
A highly original, bizarre, humorous and entertaining film, with impressive cinematography, set design and costumes. I thought it was very good but, for me, it did not quite live up to some of the hype surrounding it. It is released in the UK on 12 January.
This arrives in cinemas tomorrow (20 October). It's a sci-fi psychological drama, set in a dystopian 2065 when the earth is dying as a result of sustained droughts. A couple’s lives are turned upside down when the husband is forced to go to space.
I was lured onto the rocks by Saoirse Ronan (and, to a lesser extent, by Paul Mescal). As it transpired, I thought this Apple-funded film was a total mess and a terrible waste of acting talent. An absolute turkey - and doubtless an expensive one at that. Avoid.
The Killer (USA, David Fincher) - 6.5/10
Michael Fassbender is well cast as an ice-cold professional assassin, who listens to The Smiths on his earphones as an aide to concentration. When an assignment goes badly wrong and his former employer and client make him a target, he has to kill or be killed.
I thought this was pretty entertaining, even if it's a little predictable and formulaic. It's in cinemas in a week's time before coming onto Netflix.
I watched a good number of films at the London Film Festival earlier this month. Of the ones I saw, I thought the following were the best:
The Holdovers(USA, Alexander Payne)
The most entertaining feature I saw at the LFF. Alexander Payne reunites with Paul Giametti 20 years after Sideways. Set in December 1970, Giametti plays a curmudgeonly history teacher at an exclusive boarding school who is forced to remain on campus over the Christmas holidays with a disaffected student whose mother and step-father don’t want him home, together with the school cook/cafeteria manager, whose son recently died in Vietnam. What ensues is an excellent, poignant and very funny comedy.
It is released in the UK on 19 January 2024.
The Zone of Interest(UK/Poland/Germany, Jonathan Glazer)
Based on Martin Amis’ 2014 novel, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), strive to create bucolic bliss and a dream home for their family in a house and garden just outside the walls of the camp. The juxtaposition of banal everyday domesticity with what we know is taking place next-door is chilling.
A very skilfully crafted film, with a discomfiting, discordant score, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Interestingly, it has also been selected as the UK entry for the Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards; I think it is likely to be nominated and make the shortlist.
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan, Hamaguchi of Drive My Car fame)
A corporation seeks to push through a ‘glamping’ development near a peaceful rural village which will forever change the community and their environment, not least by polluting the local fresh water supply. A beguiling drama but its enigmatic and sudden ending is likely to alienate a number of viewers.
Winner of the Best Film award at the LFF.
Eileen (USA, William Oldroyd)
In Oldroyd’s follow-up to Lady Macbeth, a shy young prison employee in 1960s Massachusetts (Thomasin McKenzie) becomes infatuated with the facility’s glamorous new psychiatrist (Anne Hathaway). Things take a sinister turn, as the the story veers into a psychological crime thriller, film noir and black-comedy horror.
It is released in the UK on 1 December.
Poor Things (UK, Yorgos Lanthimos; Golden Lion, Venice)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to The Favourite is a surreal black comedy set initially in Victorian London. Emma Stone gives an excellent performance as Bella, a corpse brought back to life in a Frankenstein-type experiment conducted by a brilliant and eccentric scientist (Willem Defoe). Initially child-like and naive, she is keen to learn more about the world and runs off with an opportunist lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) to travel across continents, giving full vent to her voracious carnal and other desires. As a ‘woman reborn’, Bella has a liberated mindset, completely free of societal constraints and mores.
A highly original, bizarre, humorous and entertaining film, with impressive cinematography, set design and costumes. I thought it was very good but, for me, it did not quite live up to some of the hype surrounding it. It is released in the UK on 12 January.
I tried to buy Eileen when it played in Sundance. Enjoyed it.
@Blucher - did you watch Baltimore starring Imogen Poots? I have bought that and am releasing it end of Q1 next year - can thoroughly recommend that one.
Comments
Preferred it to dumb money, a lot of effing and jeffing, but thought the story got better and better as the film went on, worth a watch - 7 out of 10.
Forgot to say, some good characters / acting, to the point where you really hate one of the characters in how he treats people.
Really slow start, a lot of back story which dragged, but then your typical Saw, twisted / squeamish. It's decent enough and recommend if you like the rest of the series.
A pub landlord in a previously thriving - but now deeply depressed - mining community in a County Durham village struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise amongst locals when refugees from war-torn Syria are placed in empty houses in the village.
As a director, I find Ken Loach as subtle as a brick but this was much closer in quality to I, Daniel Blake and a big upgrade on the extremely depressing Sorry I Missed You. The two leads (including the ex-fireman) were excellent and it could hardly be more topical, given the rhetoric of the right wing press and Suella Braverman.
Saltburn - 6/10
Struggling to fit in at Oxford University, Oliver, a young student from an apparently troubled background befriends the charismatic and aristocratic Felix, who invites him to spend the summer at Saltburn, his family’s sprawling estate. From here, we follow Oliver’s attempts to inveigle himself into the family.
The film is quite dark and included a couple of scenes that even I found a little distasteful. On the plus side, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan had some very amusing lines but even they and a good ensemble cast could not, in my view, elevate the film above the average.
It was written, directed and produced by Emerald Fennell, whose first film, A Promising Young Women, was nominated for five Oscars and won for Best Original Screenplay. As a result, Saltburn has a high profile, although I found it an uninspiring choice to open the London Film Festival.
Oh my. I have just been transported back to my young self who was completely captivated by this book. It was the second Dahl book I read after Danny The Champion of the World.
Wes Anderson has told & cast it brilliantly.
A joyful hour of anyone’s day.
I’m off to stare at a candle again 🙏🏻
Was a bit spooky in the cinema as there was just me and one other in attendance....
Tonight I'm off to see Blackberry and Saw X. Am excited to see Blackberry and looking forward to scaring the missus to death watching Saw X :-)
as a massive horror flick fan it both baffles and brings me joy that it is possible to kill off a protagonist in film 3 and still milk 7 sequels out of it without breaking into the supernatural, yet we still can't get a proper Evil Dead 4 movie with Bruce Campbell
Would you recommend, thinking of seeing it?
Yeah I enjoyed it....its better than a lot of the follow ups to the Original. Cant say as I was scared though.
Just looked him up on IMDB and was surprised to find that he directed some of the very interesting pop music videos that I've watched before, like Sam Smith's How Do You Sleep and The Weeknd's Starboy.
He popped up on my feed the other day.
The photo of him surrounded by all the lovely ladies at the channel crossing.
Wonderful 🤩
The Holdovers (USA, Alexander Payne)
The most entertaining feature I saw at the LFF. Alexander Payne reunites with Paul Giametti 20 years after Sideways. Set in December 1970, Giametti plays a curmudgeonly history teacher at an exclusive boarding school who is forced to remain on campus over the Christmas holidays with a disaffected student whose mother and step-father don’t want him home, together with the school cook/cafeteria manager, whose son recently died in Vietnam. What ensues is an excellent, poignant and very funny comedy.
It is released in the UK on 19 January 2024.
The Zone of Interest (UK/Poland/Germany, Jonathan Glazer)
Based on Martin Amis’ 2014 novel, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), strive to create bucolic bliss and a dream home for their family in a house and garden just outside the walls of the camp. The juxtaposition of banal everyday domesticity with what we know is taking place next-door is chilling.
A very skilfully crafted film, with a discomfiting, discordant score, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Interestingly, it has also been selected as the UK entry for the Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards; I think it is likely to be nominated and make the shortlist.
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan, Hamaguchi of Drive My Car fame)
A corporation seeks to push through a ‘glamping’ development near a peaceful rural village which will forever change the community and their environment, not least by polluting the local fresh water supply. A beguiling drama but its enigmatic and sudden ending is likely to alienate a number of viewers.
Winner of the Best Film award at the LFF.
Eileen (USA, William Oldroyd)
In Oldroyd’s follow-up to Lady Macbeth, a shy young prison employee in 1960s Massachusetts (Thomasin McKenzie) becomes infatuated with the facility’s glamorous new psychiatrist (Anne Hathaway). Things take a sinister turn, as the the story veers into a psychological crime thriller, film noir and black-comedy horror.
It is released in the UK on 1 December.
Poor Things (UK, Yorgos Lanthimos; Golden Lion, Venice)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to The Favourite is a surreal black comedy set initially in Victorian London. Emma Stone gives an excellent performance as Bella, a corpse brought back to life in a Frankenstein-type experiment conducted by a brilliant and eccentric scientist (Willem Defoe). Initially child-like and naive, she is keen to learn more about the world and runs off with an opportunist lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) to travel across continents, giving full vent to her voracious carnal and other desires. As a ‘woman reborn’, Bella has a liberated mindset, completely free of societal constraints and mores.
A highly original, bizarre, humorous and entertaining film, with impressive cinematography, set design and costumes. I thought it was very good but, for me, it did not quite live up to some of the hype surrounding it. It is released in the UK on 12 January.
However, last week I saw the "Great Escaper" and throughly enjoyed that. Tomorrow I am returning to the cinema to watch "Killers of the Flower Moon".
Foe - 3/10
This arrives in cinemas tomorrow (20 October). It's a sci-fi psychological drama, set in a dystopian 2065 when the earth is dying as a result of sustained droughts. A couple’s lives are turned upside down when the husband is forced to go to space.
I was lured onto the rocks by Saoirse Ronan (and, to a lesser extent, by Paul Mescal). As it transpired, I thought this Apple-funded film was a total mess and a terrible waste of acting talent. An absolute turkey - and doubtless an expensive one at that. Avoid.
The Killer (USA, David Fincher) - 6.5/10
Michael Fassbender is well cast as an ice-cold professional assassin, who listens to The Smiths on his earphones as an aide to concentration. When an assignment goes badly wrong and his former employer and client make him a target, he has to kill or be killed.
I thought this was pretty entertaining, even if it's a little predictable and formulaic. It's in cinemas in a week's time before coming onto Netflix.
@Blucher - did you watch Baltimore starring Imogen Poots? I have bought that and am releasing it end of Q1 next year - can thoroughly recommend that one.