What was the last film you watched?

[Andrew]

If you thought the ending silly, cringe in fear when you find out that the writer actually wanted him to turn in to a tree at the end.

That would have been a way cool ending! Very 'eco'. As it was, we're kind of left with the thought that maybe he died and rotted back into the earth on some forsaken Scottish crag! I'm sure at the time the eco arguments were very poignant and caught the mood of the times but they come across today as heavy and clumsy, imho. And ever-so-slightly comical... hence me liking the idea of the tree ending!

I've read nothing but glowing reviews elsewhere so I appreciate I'm very much on my own here.
   

[Chris S]

I think once you accept that Craven - losing his wife to cancer and daughter of gunshot wounds ("I was there Mac, she died in my arms") - and so is probably completely nutso; what unfolds is quite believable.

[Andrew]

So you think Craven had flipped? I didn't know if we were meant to think that (seeing ghosts and all) but he seems outwardly to be handling it (almost too well) and is otherwise functional.  And whilst other characters voice their doubts over his sanity, and he sees a doctor for assessment, he's never actually labelled 'nutso'. His internal trauma is apparent and obviously eating him. It's that sort of vaguery that makes me uncertain about his character.

[Wascally Weasel]

If you thought the ending silly, cringe in fear when you find out that the writer actually wanted him to turn in to a tree at the end.

That would have been a way cool ending! Very 'eco'. As it was, we're kind of left with the thought that maybe he died and rotted back into the earth on some forsaken Scottish crag! I'm sure at the time the eco arguments were very poignant and caught the mood of the times but they come across today as heavy and clumsy, imho. And ever-so-slightly comical... hence me liking the idea of the tree ending!

I've read nothing but glowing reviews elsewhere so I appreciate I'm very much on my own here.
 

It’s difficult for those of us who watched ‘Edge of Darkness’ when it was new to be objective on how good it could be for those viewing it now.  It will obviously appear much more dated to anyone like yourself watching it fresh for the first time (also I think you may have missed the bit of dialogue about the black flowers, which later appear on Craven’s grave and does have that eco ending but much less surreal than him turning in to a tree).

It’s a bit like any old film/TV that you’ve got affection for – impossible to be objective as you’ve got a personal relationship with it that can often transcend the material (i.e.  the “It’s a load of old rubbish but it’s a load of old rubbish that I really enjoyed age 12 so you can’t talk me out of liking it” syndrome applies*).

What I have found from repeated rewatching is just how much creepier and creepier Craven’s relationship with his daughter is.





*E.g. ‘Hawk the Slayer’.

[Andrew]

What I have found from repeated rewatching is just how much creepier and creepier Craven’s relationship with his daughter

Blimey, it was creepy enough on 1st watching!

Re the black flowers, in the version I saw they appeared on the mountain side. We didn't see Craven die, though obviously he was going to.

I recall the era well but back then I didn't watch (much) tele. I'm sure that had I seen it at that time that it would have pushed my buttons too.

[mattc]

If,like me, you can't be bothered to watch any of the Avengers movies: http://wanna-joke.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/funny-gif-avengers-movies-tv.gif

[Jakob]

"300: Rise of an Empire"
Quite poor. Fighting sequences are very good, visuals are good, story and characters, not so good.
It doesn't help that I don't really find Eva Green attractive at all, so her role as an 'irresistable woman' kinda fails for me.

[Wascally Weasel]

"300: Rise of an Empire"
Quite poor. Fighting sequences are very good, visuals are good, story and characters, not so good.
It doesn't help that I don't really find Eva Green attractive at all, so her role as an 'irresistable woman' kinda fails for me.

I'm the opposite, I find Eva Green incredibly attractive (and think she's a great actor) but even she wasn't enough of a draw to make me watch that film.  Looking forward to seeing Penny Dreadful though.

[Ruth]

Planet Terror.

Bruce Willis, and Rose McGowan out of Charmed, among others.

Blimey.  It takes something to make me retch, I'll tell you, but this film did it. 

Gratuitous, everything in a couple of hours of my life I'll never get back.  So bad it's nearly good.

eta:  Oh, it's kind of a zombie movie.

[Pickled Onion]

Saving Mr Banks

Disney schmaltz, but a really enjoyable film. I simply want to be Mrs Travers.

(click to show/hide)

During the credits they play they play some of the audio tapes of the real PL Travers, and she sounds like a bit of an obnoxious old bag, but as played by Emma Thomson she is thoroughly likeable and wonderful.

The Family

A mob family in witness protection in France can't change their ways and blow their own cover.

Star studded cast, top director, pile of crap film. Not sure where it went wrong, mainly the whole pace of the film just didn't hold together, both in the action and the comedy timing. You keep thinking it could be a reasonable watch, but it's just shit.

[Pickled Onion]

Planet Terror.

Bruce Willis, and Rose McGowan out of Charmed, among others.

Blimey.  It takes something to make me retch, I'll tell you, but this film did it. 

Gratuitous, everything in a couple of hours of my life I'll never get back.  So bad it's nearly good.

eta:  Oh, it's kind of a zombie movie.

I just looked at the parental advisory on imdb.

(click to show/hide)

Ouch!

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Life of Pi. I liked the tiger.

[Andrew]

Gladiator - must admit, much to my surprise I enjoyed. I was half-expecting an overly long gorefest but found myself taken in by it. A well put together movie methinks. But it has to be said that Russell Crowe is not the best of actors.

[Jakob]

47 Ronin - The Keanu Reeves version. Was actually decent enough.

[LEE]

The Family

A mob family in witness protection in France can't change their ways and blow their own cover.

Star studded cast, top director, pile of crap film. Not sure where it went wrong, mainly the whole pace of the film just didn't hold together, both in the action and the comedy timing. You keep thinking it could be a reasonable watch, but it's just shit.

For the longest time now the sure sign of a crap film is Robert de Niro's presence in it.

Unless you're older than 30 Bob de Niro is just that mildly amusing generic Mobster in slapstick comedies.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Surrogates

Another BruceWillis film. One of his decent ones.

[Pickled Onion]

For the longest time now the sure sign of a crap film is Robert de Niro's presence in it.

Unless you're older than 30 Bob de Niro is just that mildly amusing generic Mobster in slapstick comedies.

True, though The Family was supposed to be slapstick, there was very little comedy. I guess I expected a lot more of Luc Besson, but looking through his filmography he's not done anything worth watching since Leon and Fifth Element, and that was nearly 20 years ago.

[spindrift]

Besson produced the new Kevin Costner flick that I watched for as long as I could before my mind shut down at the sheer ludicrousness of the film.

[Deano]

Wayne's World was on

I haven't seen it in years, and I'd forgotten how good it is. Totally nineties, soundtrack totally seventies, with a super-slimy Rob Lowe as Mr Eighties. I laughed throughout, it's brilliant.

[Pickled Onion]

Inside Llewyn Davis

A good film, even though the central character is not exactly likeable: you switch between feeling sorry for him, even rooting for him and just thinking he deserves all he gets for being such an idiot. No cliché lucky breaks here, just excellent story and cinema.

It's apparently based on - or inspired by - a real folk singer, whose name evades me at the moment.

Yes, it was inspired by the cover of the album Inside Dave Van Ronk, but most definitely not based on him. Van Ronk was in many ways the opposite to Davis, well liked and respected in the folk scene, and a great friend of Dylan whereas Davis throws away the opportunity to hook up with Dylan through his own pig-headedness.

The references to real people and events were very obscure, I found it was just good to enjoy the story and the film seemed to capture the era brilliantly.

[spindrift]

Under The Skin. People I trust and like raved about it, I thought it was meh but then I read a ton of sub text that I just didn't pick up at the time.

[spindrift]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNMJh_mWR4

Cough Mamma Mia rip off cough.

[Andrew]

Under The Skin. People I trust and like raved about it, I thought it was meh but then I read a ton of sub text that I just didn't pick up at the time.

I wasn't overawed either. Despite it obviously trying, it just didn't come together for me and I was left feeling uncertain of what I'd watched.

[mattc]

Under The Skin. People I trust and like raved about it, I thought it was meh but then I read a ton of sub text that I just didn't pick up at the time.

I wasn't overawed either. Despite it obviously trying, it just didn't come together for me and I was left feeling uncertain of what I'd watched.

From what I hear it's flawed but intriguing. Well, I am intrigued (not least, to hear Ms Johanson's accent!)

Will definitely give it a go, as soon as it hits my small screen ...

[Andrew]

I think Mark Kermode  (if it was he) summed it up nicely; he'd rather watch a failure of this kind (one that had some kind of intrigue,  something going on) than something that was brain dead from beginning to end. A failure with commendation kind of thing.