If there was ever any doubt that director Eli Roth is a misogynist then Knock Knock absolutely confirms it. His portrayal of women in his films have been appalling in the past but what we see in this movie is staggering . This is the story of family man Evan Webber ( Keanu Reeves ) , who while his wife and kids are away , has a knock on the door from two young woman looking for help . The turn out to be Evan's worst nightmare. Despite Keanu Reeves typically wooden acting I actually didn't mind the first forty minutes of this. It's only when the girls start to go nuts that film immediately falls apart. The problem is Why? What is the motive of these girls? It's never explained despite a spurious " catch a predator" line ( which makes no sense ) as to why these girls terrorise Webber. Eli Roth not only turns these female characters into nasty , violent , sex machines he also treats the audience like idiots . This is classed as a Horror film but I would describe it as horrible.
Went to see Steve Jobs last night. Much anticipated by me and the missus, since it's directed by Danny Boyle, and while in NYC last month I'd heard a critic on the radio saying it was the best of the 4 films about him (4???).
Well you certainly won't be left in any doubt about what a grade A asshole he was, and the film is a bit relentless in portraying that, but on reflection you end up with a feeling of what it must have been like to work for him. It is also a film about him and not Apple, so you may be surprised at where the story ends.
Definitely a film worth seeing, surprisingly bleak in many ways and with some insights that we weren't aware of. In particular my wife noted that the character played by Kate Winslet, ostensibly his marketing director, but in fact a constant in his life, is somebody we'd not been aware of in the story of Apple. The film also suggests that the biggest personal explosions between Jobs and his colleagues (and family) tended to come in the minutes leading up to his legendary keynote product launch presentations. Mind boggling, if true . I'd be interested to know how accurate the depiction overall is considered to be.
But generally I reckon this will be seen as another strong contribution from Danny Boyle.
Just as a side note I'm often complaining about the idiotic distribution of films in the Czech market, we miss so many good ones. But in Prague the indy cinemas seem to be flourishing, and we saw this neo- premiere in a 9 row indy with a nice little cafe bar, with plush double seats, for exactly £3 a person. Worth noting if you are visiting.
Watched this last night (thanks Kodi) I struggled to keep up, but then Ive only just learnt to email using my phone. Difficult to understand how easily "friends" come and went in the name of business.
If there was ever any doubt that director Eli Roth is a misogynist then Knock Knock absolutely confirms it. His portrayal of women in his films have been appalling in the past but what we see in this movie is staggering . This is the story of family man Evan Webber ( Keanu Reeves ) , who while his wife and kids are away , has a knock on the door from two young woman looking for help . The turn out to be Evan's worst nightmare. Despite Keanu Reeves typically wooden acting I actually didn't mind the first forty minutes of this. It's only when the girls start to go nuts that film immediately falls apart. The problem is Why? What is the motive of these girls? It's never explained despite a spurious " catch a predator" line ( which makes no sense ) as to why these girls terrorise Webber. Eli Roth not only turns these female characters into nasty , violent , sex machines he also treats the audience like idiots . This is classed as a Horror film but I would describe it as horrible.
Went to see Steve Jobs last night. Much anticipated by me and the missus, since it's directed by Danny Boyle, and while in NYC last month I'd heard a critic on the radio saying it was the best of the 4 films about him (4???).
Well you certainly won't be left in any doubt about what a grade A asshole he was, and the film is a bit relentless in portraying that, but on reflection you end up with a feeling of what it must have been like to work for him. It is also a film about him and not Apple, so you may be surprised at where the story ends.
Definitely a film worth seeing, surprisingly bleak in many ways and with some insights that we weren't aware of. In particular my wife noted that the character played by Kate Winslet, ostensibly his marketing director, but in fact a constant in his life, is somebody we'd not been aware of in the story of Apple. The film also suggests that the biggest personal explosions between Jobs and his colleagues (and family) tended to come in the minutes leading up to his legendary keynote product launch presentations. Mind boggling, if true . I'd be interested to know how accurate the depiction overall is considered to be.
But generally I reckon this will be seen as another strong contribution from Danny Boyle.
Just as a side note I'm often complaining about the idiotic distribution of films in the Czech market, we miss so many good ones. But in Prague the indy cinemas seem to be flourishing, and we saw this neo- premiere in a 9 row indy with a nice little cafe bar, with plush double seats, for exactly £3 a person. Worth noting if you are visiting.
I saw this on Friday. I also read the biography written by Walter Issacson and published soon after his death. I think Jobs invited Issacson to spend a lot of time with him in the last year of his life so it may have become too sympathetic an account of his life even though Jobs did not want that to be the case. The use of the keynote address events to convey major conflict moments between him and his friends and family was purely a device in the film from what I can remember of Issacsson's biography. I was a bit disappointed in the film. Firstly because it made no reference to his wife and two kids, with whom Lisa, his daughter, spent time living with. Secondly, it made very little reference to his adoptive parents. Thirdly, it did not cover the last year of his life when he knew he was dying which, from what I remember in Issacsons's book, was a very interesting and reflective time for Jobs. I know a film can't include everything but these were all important strands in the complex story of Steve Jobs.
Most people of a certain age will know who Edwyn Collins is even if it's just because they know the 1994 song "I've never met a girl like you before" but not everyone will know his recent life story and a very sad one it is. in 2005, Collins said he felt unwell , two days later he suffered a major cerebral haemorrhage to his brain and his life completely changed . This documentary follows him and his wonderfully supportive partner Grace on part of the long hard road to recovery. Although the story is sad it's quite an uplifting documentary. It's obvious that due to the massive brain injury that Collins will never be the same as he was but that isn't stopping him doing what he loves best. Playing music. This does suffer from being a little bit too arty at times but nonetheless is still a film you should see.
It's a western-set tale of an innocent young Scottish lad (Kodi Smit-McPhee) on his way across the States to find his true love. He's lucky to have made it as far as he has when he stumbles across a cowboy (Michael Fassbender), who offers to escort him through the dangers ahead. Turns out the cowboy is a bounty hunter and the young lady is his latest target.
It's an off-beat movie, that's almost whimsical. I really, really liked its tone. Slow and deliberate but with an acidic sense of humour. Went straight into my favourites of the year, although I suspect it's not for everyone. A visual joke towards the end had me bursting out in laughter when really I should have been shedding a tear. Really nicely done.
Eli Roth not only turns these female characters into nasty , violent , sex machines he also treats the audience like idiots . 4 out of 10
Interesting take on it. Hadn't spent much time thinking about Roth's feministic outlook (I don't pay attention to his brand of horror much). But it's a very fair point.
It's a western-set tale of an innocent young Scottish lad (Kodi Smit-McPhee) on his way across the States to find his true love. He's lucky to have made it as far as he has when he stumbles across a cowboy (Michael Fassbender), who offers to escort him through the dangers ahead. Turns out the cowboy is a bounty hunter and the young lady is his latest target.
It's an off-beat movie, that's almost whimsical. I really, really liked its tone. Slow and deliberate but with an acidic sense of humour. Went straight into my favourites of the year, although I suspect it's not for everyone. A visual joke towards the end had me bursting out in laughter when really I should have been shedding a tear. Really nicely done.
I really liked this too. The Western is a genre that is rarely seen in recent years. Slow West made me want to see more.
It's archetypal Bond, with spectaculare action, scenery and members of the fairer sex, but it's also so much more than just that. If this is Mendes and Craig's swansong, they've gone out on a high.
A guy called Brian Mills ('Movies by Mills') produces a free online weekly newsletter and monthly magazine. He covers the quality end of the mainstream commercial market, as well as art house and world cinema etc. The latest edition has a feature on the recent London Film Festival. Here's a link in case anyone is interested - http://www.moviesbymills.com/
Saw the Bond film last night . Most interesting part of it was trying to decide whether the villain Fanz Oberhauser was in fact Roland Duchatelet . Maybe it's just the grey hair ,odd manner and megalomaniac parallels .
Bridge of spies- I really enjoyed this, 8 out of 10, I love Tom Hanks as an actor, but I can't get the voice of Woody from Toy Story out of my head. I'm sure I heard him say ' there's a snake in my boots'.
This is the story of the famous psychological experiment carried out at Stanford University in 1971 where a group of students drew straws to see who were to be prison guards and who were going to be prisoners for two weeks and how the were going to behave when put in their roles. I've seen this experiment replicated before on a channel 4 documentary and it's interesting to watch - This film wasn't' as interesting. You can argue that this experiment was the foundation for a lot of reality TV but the film didn't really work because it was just actors playing the parts . There was very little explanation as to why the experiment was being carried out in the first place and even less on why the students acted like they did. I found this utterly dull and that's unforgivable in a film.
Saw Bridge of Spies this afternoon. Really enjoyed it. I love Cold War films, hopefully this will spark off a few more as its a subject that's been neglected for a while. Loved the old ones from the 60's like The Prize, Torn Curtain, The Mackintosh Man, The Naked Runner and the first three Harry Palmer films. Funny thing happened when we arrived at the cinema, there were people sitting in our seats who had the same row and seat numbers on their e-ticket, so I went out to tell the usherette who came in and inspected the peoples tickets and found they were in the right seats but the wrong screen! Made us laugh anyway.
People always talk about Everest as the ultimate mountain to climb but that hasn't been true for a long time. On Everest you can hire Sherpas to carry your stuff , to fix your ropes for you and to take most of the risks. Most climbers worth their sorts have climbed it many times , some have even skied off of it. Mount Meru is a whole different ball game. This is documentary about three climbers who attempt to climb the unchartered "Shark Fin" summit of Meru and it tells their story along the way. In a way I enjoyed this more than the film Everest because this is real footage and of mountain I wasn't aware of before. You have to admire these people for their determination but on the other hand you can't help but think they have a death wish. I only wish I had an ounce of their determination and drive.
@Bedsaddick I actually watched The Stanford Prison Experiment in Sundance last year and really liked it. Thought the cast were excellent and the film had real tension. Takes all folks. Meru looks good, however there is an even better documentary to be released by Universal next year called Sherpa. Watch out for that.
Spy - Jason Statham is very, very funny. The extended edition (on Sky Store) is horrendously paced. McCarthy shouldn't be allowed to go off script in my opinion. Not a bad movie, presumably the shorter version is better. 2.5/5
Beasts of No Nation - technically adept and atmospheric, and genuinely disturbing at times. But it doesn't feel like it gets into the detail of what really happens in that world. Doesn't help that I don't think Idris Elba is a cinematic actor. 4/5
Southpaw - watchable but basic. We could have written that movie. I like Jake Gyllenhaal but he REALLY tries to act in this. You can tell he's in Oscar mode when he repeats his lines 7 or 8 times in quick succession. You could edit scenes from each Rocky together to make this film. Nothing new to say at all. 2/5
Victor Frankenstein - utter tosh, but in a good way. Fun and silly, with a visual flair that's worth the admission. James McAvoy puts the ham in hammer horror- he's off his nut in it, which is fun to watch. Sadly, it peters out at the end. They shift the monster stuff back for a big finish and that screws up a major part of the story. Still, plenty of fun to be had. 3/5
This is a film about two poker players who strike up a friendship and go on a journey to win their fortune. The problem is that one of them doesn't know when to quit. This is one the best films I've seen about gambling and poker in a long time. The two lead actors , Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn are brilliant and they work really well together. Mendelsohn in particular is really convincing as man with a severe gambling problem. Essentially this is a road movie that despite having many bumps is actually a really good journey to be on for the viewer.
Comments
If there was ever any doubt that director Eli Roth is a misogynist then Knock Knock absolutely confirms it. His portrayal of women in his films have been appalling in the past but what we see in this movie is staggering .
This is the story of family man Evan Webber ( Keanu Reeves ) , who while his wife and kids are away , has a knock on the door from two young woman looking for help . The turn out to be Evan's worst nightmare.
Despite Keanu Reeves typically wooden acting I actually didn't mind the first forty minutes of this. It's only when the girls start to go nuts that film immediately falls apart. The problem is Why? What is the motive of these girls? It's never explained despite a spurious " catch a predator" line ( which makes no sense ) as to why these girls terrorise Webber.
Eli Roth not only turns these female characters into nasty , violent , sex machines he also treats the audience like idiots .
This is classed as a Horror film but I would describe it as horrible.
4 out of 10
The Possibilities Are Endless
Most people of a certain age will know who Edwyn Collins is even if it's just because they know the 1994 song "I've never met a girl like you before" but not everyone will know his recent life story and a very sad one it is.
in 2005, Collins said he felt unwell , two days later he suffered a major cerebral haemorrhage to his brain and his life completely changed .
This documentary follows him and his wonderfully supportive partner Grace on part of the long hard road to recovery.
Although the story is sad it's quite an uplifting documentary. It's obvious that due to the massive brain injury that Collins will never be the same as he was but that isn't stopping him doing what he loves best. Playing music.
This does suffer from being a little bit too arty at times but nonetheless is still a film you should see.
7 out of 10
It's a western-set tale of an innocent young Scottish lad (Kodi Smit-McPhee) on his way across the States to find his true love. He's lucky to have made it as far as he has when he stumbles across a cowboy (Michael Fassbender), who offers to escort him through the dangers ahead. Turns out the cowboy is a bounty hunter and the young lady is his latest target.
It's an off-beat movie, that's almost whimsical. I really, really liked its tone. Slow and deliberate but with an acidic sense of humour. Went straight into my favourites of the year, although I suspect it's not for everyone. A visual joke towards the end had me bursting out in laughter when really I should have been shedding a tear. Really nicely done.
It's archetypal Bond, with spectaculare action, scenery and members of the fairer sex, but it's also so much more than just that. If this is Mendes and Craig's swansong, they've gone out on a high.
Brooklyn - 7 out of 10 a simple tale, but enjoyed it more.
Bridge of spies- I really enjoyed this, 8 out of 10, I love Tom Hanks as an actor, but I can't get the voice of Woody from Toy Story out of my head.
I'm sure I heard him say ' there's a snake in my boots'.
The Stanford Prison Experiment
This is the story of the famous psychological experiment carried out at Stanford University in 1971 where a group of students drew straws to see who were to be prison guards and who were going to be prisoners for two weeks and how the were going to behave when put in their roles.
I've seen this experiment replicated before on a channel 4 documentary and it's interesting to watch - This film wasn't' as interesting. You can argue that this experiment was the foundation for a lot of reality TV but the film didn't really work because it was just actors playing the parts . There was very little explanation as to why the experiment was being carried out in the first place and even less on why the students acted like they did.
I found this utterly dull and that's unforgivable in a film.
4 out of 10
Funny thing happened when we arrived at the cinema, there were people sitting in our seats who had the same row and seat numbers on their e-ticket, so I went out to tell the usherette who came in and inspected the peoples tickets and found they were in the right seats but the wrong screen! Made us laugh anyway.
People always talk about Everest as the ultimate mountain to climb but that hasn't been true for a long time. On Everest you can hire Sherpas to carry your stuff , to fix your ropes for you and to take most of the risks. Most climbers worth their sorts have climbed it many times , some have even skied off of it. Mount Meru is a whole different ball game.
This is documentary about three climbers who attempt to climb the unchartered "Shark Fin" summit of Meru and it tells their story along the way.
In a way I enjoyed this more than the film Everest because this is real footage and of mountain I wasn't aware of before.
You have to admire these people for their determination but on the other hand you can't help but think they have a death wish.
I only wish I had an ounce of their determination and drive.
7 out of 10
Mark Rylance is superb ... not only good in the theatre but can do it in the cinema as well.
Would happily watch this again - 9/10.
Beasts of No Nation - technically adept and atmospheric, and genuinely disturbing at times. But it doesn't feel like it gets into the detail of what really happens in that world. Doesn't help that I don't think Idris Elba is a cinematic actor. 4/5
Southpaw - watchable but basic. We could have written that movie. I like Jake Gyllenhaal but he REALLY tries to act in this. You can tell he's in Oscar mode when he repeats his lines 7 or 8 times in quick succession. You could edit scenes from each Rocky together to make this film. Nothing new to say at all. 2/5
Victor Frankenstein - utter tosh, but in a good way. Fun and silly, with a visual flair that's worth the admission. James McAvoy puts the ham in hammer horror- he's off his nut in it, which is fun to watch. Sadly, it peters out at the end. They shift the monster stuff back for a big finish and that screws up a major part of the story. Still, plenty of fun to be had. 3/5
Mississippi Grind
This is a film about two poker players who strike up a friendship and go on a journey to win their fortune. The problem is that one of them doesn't know when to quit.
This is one the best films I've seen about gambling and poker in a long time. The two lead actors , Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn are brilliant and they work really well together. Mendelsohn in particular is really convincing as man with a severe gambling problem.
Essentially this is a road movie that despite having many bumps is actually a really good journey to be on for the viewer.
8 out of 10