Saw "First Man" last night. Too long and over sentimental for me. The performances were decent but Armstrong came across and somewhat dull and boring which i'm sure he wasn't in real life. I'd have to say i was a bit disappointed overall.
Having seen an interview with Armstrong's son I think the portrayal was pretty accurate - he was a modest and quiet man. The film certainly wasn't sentimental for me - Armstrong had to deal with the loss of both of his daughter and his colleagues.
I thought it worked so well because it didn't overhype things and that probably won't work with a lot of modern audiences used to explosive science fiction.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an intense kindergarten teacher who perceives herself as living a mundane and unfulfilling life. Seeking a richer and more fulfilling existence, she joins a local poetry class, although her prosaic efforts elicit little appreciation from her teacher or classmates. Things change when a 5-year old boy in her care starts to recite poetry, leading to an obsession with her protégé.
An adaptation of an Israeli film of the same name, I thought this was a decent enough - if somewhat implausible - film, in which both Gyllenhaal and the little boy were very good - 6/10
El Angel (Argentina)
A biopic of one of Argentina’s most infamous thieves and serial killers, the teenager, Carlitos Robledo Puch. A stylish and entertaining film, which reminded me of another fact-based Argentinian biopic, ‘The Clan’ - 7/10
If Beale Street Could Talk (USA)
This is Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwins’ novel, which is set in 1970s Harlem. It is a tender love story but things take a turn for the worse when the young black guy is falsely accused of rape and his girlfriend and her family struggle against a prejudiced justice system to exonerate him.
A pretty good film, if a little predictable - 7/10
Burning (South Korea)
This is a psychological mystery drama, involving a kind of love triangle between Jongsu, a recently graduated country boy with no obvious prospects, an attractive young woman with whom he has a budding relationship and a rich and sophisticated guy whom she meets whilst abroad and who usurps Jongsu in the pecking order. It is set against a backcloth of modern consumerist Korea, with a marked divide between the have and have-nots.
The film has attracted critical acclaim and a raft of 5-star reviews. Perhaps it is just me but I am afraid that I found it the slowest of slow-burners over 148 minutes and, overall, a major disappointment - 5/10.
Saw it this evening - pretty lightweight but not as bad as I expected. Dialogue is a bit contrived but Rami Malek does a decent turn as Freddie and holds it all together. Enjoyed the music and it's an easy enough watch.
I saw this too about 3 months ago. Had to use your link to remind me of the storyline! But I enjoyed it and thought the themes were sensitively covered.
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Fantastic film, Newman was brilliant and so was James Mason. Newman lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to someone who wouldn't have been allowed to play his role these days...
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Fantastic film, Newman was brilliant and so was James Mason. Newman lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to someone who wouldn't have been allowed to play his role these days...
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Fantastic film, Newman was brilliant and so was James Mason. Newman lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to someone who wouldn't have been allowed to play his role these days...
You mean Sir Ben as Gandhi? Why not?
Because he's not Indian...
Just take Ed Skrien for example, he was supposed to be in a Hellboy (a comic book) reboot, yet because the character was Japanese-American he withdrew after criticsm...
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Fantastic film, Newman was brilliant and so was James Mason. Newman lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to someone who wouldn't have been allowed to play his role these days...
You mean Sir Ben as Gandhi? Why not?
Because he's not Indian...
Just take Ed Skrien for example, he was supposed to be in a Hellboy (a comic book) reboot, yet because the character was Japanese-American he withdrew after criticsm...
Hmmmm... Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. His father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born medical doctor, of Gujarati Indian descent
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Fantastic film, Newman was brilliant and so was James Mason. Newman lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to someone who wouldn't have been allowed to play his role these days...
You mean Sir Ben as Gandhi? Why not?
Because he's not Indian...
Just take Ed Skrien for example, he was supposed to be in a Hellboy (a comic book) reboot, yet because the character was Japanese-American he withdrew after criticsm...
Hmmmm... Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. His father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born medical doctor, of Gujarati Indian descent
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
I'm just happy we don't have to endure minstrel shows and blacked up white actors looking ridiculous and delivering terrible performances.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Yes he is. This is how Ian Fleming described him.
I think that's a weak argument - this is the same Fleming who didn't want Sean Connery to play Bond.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Yes he is. This is how Ian Fleming described him.
I think that's a weak argument - this is the same Fleming who didn't want Sean Connery to play Bond.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
So when people advocate a black actor should be the next Bond they are also suggesting he should put on “white face”?
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Yes he is. This is how Ian Fleming described him.
I think that's a weak argument - this is the same Fleming who didn't want Sean Connery to play Bond.
Lol! It's not a weak argument, it's a fact!
What I am saying is, what Fleming thought and believed is not what defines James Bond today. He didn't want a Scottish, working class Connery to be Bond. Most of the movies since Brosnan took over have not been based on his work anyway.
Taking the author out of the equation, if you boil down Bond's character traits and came up with someone to portray those traits, skin colour is entirely irrelevant. He could be of Japanese, French or Fraggle Rock descent as long as he's capable of ticking the key trait boxes.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I don't think it's the film industry that doesn't think so. It's the Twitter backlash that studios have to deal with.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
Yes he is. This is how Ian Fleming described him.
I think that's a weak argument - this is the same Fleming who didn't want Sean Connery to play Bond.
Lol! It's not a weak argument, it's a fact!
What I am saying is, what Fleming thought and believed is not what defines James Bond today. He didn't want a Scottish, working class Connery to be Bond. Most of the movies since Brosnan took over have not been based on his work anyway.
Taking the author out of the equation, if you boil down Bond's character traits and came up with someone to portray those traits, skin colour is entirely irrelevant. He could be of Japanese, French or Fraggle Rock descent as long as he's capable of ticking the key trait boxes.
This film had some really decent elements to it, the camera work is something I am increasingly noticing in films and this one had some brilliant examples of it. It had a really good shoot out that I didn't expect. Sadly the film made no fucking sense whatsoever! Films like this do my head in, there was a hint at something however it was illogical. The ending was poor, like a radio controlled car just stopping when the batteries ran out. This is increasingly a theme I'm finding with films. They get set up really well, have a good mid section and are then utterly let down by the final act.
Some good performances were put in but it's a 5 out of ten purely for the shoot outs and the cinematography
Was off sick last week, got through loads of stuff.
The Disaster Artist **** Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary ** Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict ***** Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 **** Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 ** Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
I'm glad there's someone else who didn't like Hereditary. Thought it was a marketing con-job. It had one really disturbing, well directed scene, after which I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stomach the rest, but it quickly fell apart and most of the audience we watched it with were cracking up at the supposed horror moments towards the end.
Technically he 'browned up'. I think it's absolutely fine for actors to play people of different cultures. That's why it's called acting. I mean, do we want to live in a world where Michael J. Fox can't voice the cat in Homeward Bound? Still, I have no idea if Sir Ben is Indian enough to avoid causing offence. I just know that he's capable of making the character convincing on screen, which is the point.
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
Of course it is!! But many in the film industry no longer believe so, unless it's a black actor playing a white character like James Bond of course. There are some who don't think straight actors should play gay roles but of course they wouldn't have it the other way round would they? As you say acting is acting and everyone should be able to play anyone with the make-up applied to make it authentic.
I think the issue is that for non-white actors in the UK and the US you are traditionally going to be seen only for a handful of roles that require the character to be non-white, rather than imagining that a non-white person could play a best friend, gritty cop, troubled genius, scheming billionaire, dynamic hero who happens to not be white. Female actors also get similar pigeon-holing of certain roles in casting. Therefore there is a certain protectionism as if you are a classical lead actor, you can dip into roles that these actors can play, but it doesn't work the other way. Of course any human actor should be able to play any character, but it is right to try and work through these historical issues with what type of characters are written, and why they need to be cast predominantly with a certain type of aesthetic.
Comments
I thought it worked so well because it didn't overhype things and that probably won't work with a lot of modern audiences used to explosive science fiction.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an intense kindergarten teacher who perceives herself as living a mundane and unfulfilling life. Seeking a richer and more fulfilling existence, she joins a local poetry class, although her prosaic efforts elicit little appreciation from her teacher or classmates. Things change when a 5-year old boy in her care starts to recite poetry, leading to an obsession with her protégé.
An adaptation of an Israeli film of the same name, I thought this was a decent enough - if somewhat implausible - film, in which both Gyllenhaal and the little boy were very good - 6/10
El Angel (Argentina)
A biopic of one of Argentina’s most infamous thieves and serial killers, the teenager, Carlitos Robledo Puch. A stylish and entertaining film, which reminded me of another fact-based Argentinian biopic, ‘The Clan’ - 7/10
If Beale Street Could Talk (USA)
This is Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwins’ novel, which is set in 1970s Harlem. It is a tender love story but things take a turn for the worse when the young black guy is falsely accused of rape and his girlfriend and her family struggle against a prejudiced justice system to exonerate him.
A pretty good film, if a little predictable - 7/10
Burning (South Korea)
This is a psychological mystery drama, involving a kind of love triangle between Jongsu, a recently graduated country boy with no obvious prospects, an attractive young woman with whom he has a budding relationship and a rich and sophisticated guy whom she meets whilst abroad and who usurps Jongsu in the pecking order. It is set against a backcloth of modern consumerist Korea, with a marked divide between the have and have-nots.
The film has attracted critical acclaim and a raft of 5-star reviews. Perhaps it is just me but I am afraid that I found it the slowest of slow-burners over 148 minutes and, overall, a major disappointment - 5/10.
Saw it this evening - pretty lightweight but not as bad as I expected. Dialogue is a bit contrived but Rami Malek does a decent turn as Freddie and holds it all together. Enjoyed the music and it's an easy enough watch.
Rami Malek a definite standout though, did very well to portray Mercury.
The Disaster Artist ****
Thoroughly enjoyed it, thought it was funny enough, the cast were all enjoying themselves and it seemed quite accurate. Not sure if it stands alone - If you don't know The Room I am not sure you would be bothered by it. I've got a friend who is very fussy about what films he watches, and I wouldn't recommend it to him as he'd be bemused by the whole affair.
Hereditary **
Didn't like it at all. Don't get what the fuss is about. I'm not a horror fan generally, so might not be the best judge. I just felt it relied on some cliched stuff to be scary (particularly music/ sound). The direction did a good job of making me feel uneasy, I just didn't have much time for the plot I suppose.
The Verdict *****
Saw it was available on an on demand service and thought I'd best finally see it. Sidney Lumet stuff is always so engaging. I did feel like Newman was playing for an Oscar to an extent, but hey, it worked.
Transformers: The Last Knight
This is the third time I have tried to watch this film. I beat my record and got to 12 minutes before I deleted it from the hard drive. There won't be a fourth attempt.
The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 and 2 ****
Animated version of the classic graphic novel. I don't go in for this stuff much, fortunately this is very well written and the animation works for me.
Ocean's 8 **
Imagine someone being on a work away day and stuck with a team of four or five people they don't normally work with. Then you get told "here's a pad of paper, you have one hour to write a new Ocean's movie." - I am pretty sure that's how this movie was made. They thought of a bunch of cliches from the previous three movies and whacked them together, and hired the oldest young-looking women who are still allowed by Hollywood to play non motherly roles. Turgid, boring and void of any ideas of its own.
Just take Ed Skrien for example, he was supposed to be in a Hellboy (a comic book) reboot, yet because the character was Japanese-American he withdrew after criticsm...
Hmmmm... Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. His father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born medical doctor, of Gujarati Indian descent
That said, I would rather have seen an unknown Japanese actress in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell than Scarlett Johansson. There are times when Hollywood relies on a name when someone more suitable is available. But that's the economics of filmmaking.
As for Bond - he's a British, suave, alcoholic, womanising, cold-blooded killer. He's not defined by skin colour.
https://goo.gl/images/h8fwFy
Taking the author out of the equation, if you boil down Bond's character traits and came up with someone to portray those traits, skin colour is entirely irrelevant. He could be of Japanese, French or Fraggle Rock descent as long as he's capable of ticking the key trait boxes.
This film had some really decent elements to it, the camera work is something I am increasingly noticing in films and this one had some brilliant examples of it. It had a really good shoot out that I didn't expect. Sadly the film made no fucking sense whatsoever! Films like this do my head in, there was a hint at something however it was illogical. The ending was poor, like a radio controlled car just stopping when the batteries ran out. This is increasingly a theme I'm finding with films. They get set up really well, have a good mid section and are then utterly let down by the final act.
Some good performances were put in but it's a 5 out of ten purely for the shoot outs and the cinematography