What was the last film you watched?

[ian]

No idea on the technical merits – certain scenes looked a bit odd, I wasn't sure if that was on purpose, but if they'd run with the idea that Mr Anderson sticks with the blue pill and chasing extracurricular activities with Tiffany, they could have conjured up another classic, but they didn't.

WB, I have this movie written in my head. Call me.

[rogerzilla]

Four Weddings and a Funeral, for the umpteenth time.

The plot still makes no sense.  Carrie is obviously an incorrigible strumpet and any red-blooded male would have jumped on Kristin Scott-Thomas instead*.  As long as she agreed not to smoke in the house.

*and, I am reliably informed, many red-blooded females

[fd3]

Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets. 
The book was better.
The book was not good.

[T42]

Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets. 
The book was better.
The book was not good.

+1. I found most of the books instantly forgettable.

[T42]

A thing called Collateral Beauty, persuaded that with such a pricey cast it must be worth watching. Humph. Going to need a good dose of something low-brow to clear away the schlock.

[rogerzilla]

Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets. 
The book was better.
The book was not good.

Of course! Phoenix tears have healing powers

is probably the worst-delivered line in the series.  Rupert Grint is the only one that can vaguely act, from the children.

[bhoot]

"Some like it hot" - for the first time!
Found it whilst scrolling on iplayer looking for some entertainment, great choice, very funny (and an interesting comparison between the "yachts" of the rich then and the ugly oligarch things that come to Canary Wharf)

[drossall]

Of course! Phoenix tears have healing powers

is probably the worst-delivered line in the series.  Rupert Grint is the only one that can vaguely act, from the children.

I think that's a shame. We enjoyed the series of films, and the books before them, which were part of our children growing up. Whilst I've had no real interest in most of the other things that the actors have gone on to do, their continued prominence suggests that others disagree with your assessment. There have been plenty of child actors who have disappeared afterwards to suggest that a career cannot be sustained just on early success.

[rogerzilla]

Well, some of them have improved as adults.  Emma Watson in the original series is so wooden that you could make a sideboard from her 

The adults' acting in the series is generally very good.  I never thought Ralph Fiennes was quite nasty enough.

[toontra]

The original Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - 1931

Somehow never seen this before and expectations were low, but it was really rather entertaining.  Marvellous over-acting (as of the early talkie period), terrific directing and camerawork and even the special effects stand up remarkably well.  Peppered with Hollywood cockerney dialogue which is always amusing.

[Canardly]

Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets. 
The book was better.
The book was not good.

+1. I found most of the books instantly forgettable.

+1 I never understood the success really, the books are really not that well written although the the scenarios are novel.  There are many others, such as the Moon of Gomrath (Garner) which are a better read.

[woollypigs]

Ya'll clearly didn't read it while being 13

But what do I know I've never read it, just watched some of the movies, ok for escapism, brain turned off entertainment.

[drossall]

There are many others, such as the Moon of Gomrath (Garner) which are a better read.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen was a local novel for us when we were growing up. But my wife has just reread The Moon of Gomrath and not got into it this time. It's funny how a book/film/whatever can be better one time around than another.

[fd3]

Of course! Phoenix tears have healing powers

is probably the worst-delivered line in the series.  Rupert Grint is the only one that can vaguely act, from the children.

Not sure if its the delivery/acting or the selection of what to focus on in the films and what to drop.  For example in the film Harry finds the diary, reads it once, then it's gone.  Why would he get upset?  The film is not a telling of a story, it's a series of summarised scenes in some sort of order, they don't hang together well or develop ... anything.
The line you mention does stand out, but I think it's because of the disjointed storytelling rather than bad acting.

Ya'll clearly didn't read it while being 13

I'm still reading it to #1 son (just turned 12), we are on Deathly Hallows.  It does help socialise him as he doesn't care for sports/football so he needs to know enough Harry Potter to talk to the other crowd.  That said, he does query plot holes and inconsistencies.  He's also not a fan of the film.

[mattc]

"Some like it hot" - for the first time!
Found it whilst scrolling on iplayer looking for some entertainment, great choice, very funny (and an interesting comparison between the "yachts" of the rich then and the ugly oligarch things that come to Canary Wharf)

Happy New Year!

[TheLurker]

Gave up trying to watch The Eagle has Landed an hour or so ago.  Mr. Sutherland's acting and not terribly convincing* Irish accent repeatedly pulled the rug out from under my willing suspension of disbelief. 


*May contain traces of understatement.

[Hot Flatus]

I started watching The Ipcress File which preceded it on BBC 2.

I couldn't believe just how staggeringly bad it was. When I saw it first in late 70s as a kid it seemed incredible.

[drossall]

Oh that can't have been as much a let-down as I had, when I saw the original, proper, Batman series as an adult and realised that my childhood heroes had been hamming it up all along

[rogerzilla]

I started watching The Ipcress File which preceded it on BBC 2.

I couldn't believe just how staggeringly bad it was. When I saw it first in late 70s as a kid it seemed incredible.

Saw it years ago.  Embarrassingly poor.

[Mr Larrington]

I started watching The Ipcress File which preceded it on BBC 2.

I couldn't believe just how staggeringly bad it was. When I saw it first in late 70s as a kid it seemed incredible.

Saw it years ago.  Embarrassingly poor.

They obviously didn’t have the budget to shoot the bits of the book set at a USAnian A-bomb test on a Pacific island, even in the BBC gravel pit.  See also “Horse Under Water and why we didn’t make that one at all on account of it being set mostly in Portugal”.

[Jaded]

Fury

Entertaining war movie trying not to be hokum and looking for realism. Spent not an insignificant amount of time pondering plotholes and technical errors.

Fun, nonetheless.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Gave up trying to watch The Eagle has Landed an hour or so ago.  Mr. Sutherland's acting and not terribly convincing* Irish accent repeatedly pulled the rug out from under my willing suspension of disbelief. 


*May contain traces of understatement.

You want to hear something worse?  I've read the sequels to the book. The 'love interest' of Sutherland's character is stated to be 13.

[Kim]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Reasonably satisfying, if entirely predictable, piece of fan-wank.  Clearly a labour of love by the writers, and manages to hit the same tone of played-straight comedy that made the original film work so well.

[fd3]

Blade runner 2049.  What is the cinematic equivalent of “word soup”? 

[Jaded]

A Good Liar

A Good Vehicle for two of the Uk's most revered actors, Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen.

Pick holes.
Complain.
Other stuff.

Or, just watch it and enjoy a film.