What was the last film you watched?

[ian]

All this merely serves to reinforce my decision not to watch fillums of that genre 

Sound idea in principle, but at some point all new films will be of that genre.  I'm sure ian or someone could come up with some powerpoint slides to show exactly when.

It's a tough one to predict as someone might undo the timeline in a future powerpoint slide.

I like the genre, I confess. I've enjoyed the MCU films. The DC ones less so, much portent and brooding, what's that Batman? Another origin story, you say? Aquaman I enjoyed, it's a bit Thor-lite, but entertaining enough. Everything is better than the Fantastic Four reboot, which was less like watching a car crash and more like being in one. That's the sort of movie Nic Cage turns down.

As for Dark Phoenix, it was like being set up a four-course meal in a top-notch restaurant recommended by Jay Rayner and then ending up with a bargain meal in Chicken Cottage.

[Redlight]

Mini-Redlight was off at Scout Camp yesterday so we took advantage of our freedom to see two films. These were what looked to be the two best on offer at our local.

Late Night - Mediocre, predictable drama with Emma Thompson playing Emma Thompson. A few good lines but the premise of the story undermined by each of the two "big' moments where Thompson's character delivers an impromptu speech in front of a sceptical audience, to predictably rapturous applause.  Frankly, 15 seconds in she would have been jeered off the stage.  One to watch on TV if it ever comes around.

Rocket Man - I was an Elton John fan, up until the Blue Moves period and thereafter.  I still like most of his early albums.  However, this is probably the worst film that I have seen at the cinema in the past decade. I cannot begin to describe how dreadful it is, so I won't try.  Just don't waste your money.

[αdαmsκι]

Rocket Man - I was an Elton John fan, up until the Blue Moves period and thereafter.  I still like most of his early albums.  However, this is probably the worst film that I have seen at the cinema in the past decade. I cannot begin to describe how dreadful it is, so I won't try.  Just don't waste your money.

Too late. Only I didn't think it was of my waste of money.

[sg37409]

Maudie - A Canadian indie film: A very lovely biopic of an artist in Nova Scotia who is crippled by arthritis, and how her talent wins through against her very hard living conditions.  Gentle, touching, and great acting. On Netflix just now.

[essexian]

The Time Machine (2002 remake)

Now, a very quick and simply review.... "The Time Machine (2002 remake): Crap."

Frankly, to try to rewrite and improve HG Well's book and the 1960's film is either folly or results in the work of a genius. In this case it was the former. This film was terrible and was not worth the 90 minutes spent watching it.

Sometimes I do wonder why I just don't turn crap like this off. I suppose I wanted to get to the end to see if it improved. It did not. 

[sg37409]

The 12th Man - True story of the survivor of a group of 12 saboteurs in Norway in WW2. His escape to Sweden with the help of local people and resistance to evade the gestapo is astonishing.  Well made, cast and filmed.   

[Mr Larrington]

Is that based on the story of Jan Baalsrud?  Gets most of a chapter in David Howarth's "The Shetland Bus"; Howarth later wrote "We Die Alone" just about Baalsrud's escape.

[T42]

We rewatched Angels in America over the last two nights. Maybe for the 5th or 6th time but it's still superb.

[sg37409]

Is that based on the story of Jan Baalsrud?

Yes it is.  I’ll get round to reading that to see how close the film is.  I got the impression it was very close to the true story.   

[Legs]

Free Solo.
Man climbs thing, doesn't fall off. The end.
People who struggle to answer the question why they want to cycle x hundred kilometers might appreciate aspects of this.
I really enjoyed it in spite of very sweaty palms!

We're watching this on All4 at the moment.  Thanks for the spolier! 
It's very good.  He's a bit... errm... eccentric!

[citoyen]

Somewhat randomly, Big was on telly the other night. Don’t know how many times I’ve seen it but I can walk into a room where it’s on the telly and I’ll just have to sit down and watch it. Which is exactly what happened the other night. It’s a perfect film, and Tom Hanks is perfect in it.

[lou boutin]

I have just watched the TV version of Dirty Dancing.  Errmm, yes!

[ian]

Us (by the same guy who did the splendid Get Out, and let's not forget Keanu, which is the most awesome kitten-and-gangs themed movie ever, and which features quite possibly the best joke ever).

Very, very good, with an excellent Twilight Zone feel rather than the usual horror movie jump-scares. If you liked Get Out, you'll enjoy.

Glass, which was so-so enough that I wouldn't bother unless you're confined to an airliner at 30,000 feet. It could have been clever but lacked the deftness to be so.

A Simple Favor, which was a quite entertaining random-movie-I've-never-heard-of selection in a twisty-turny fashion.

[T42]

The new Casa de Papel series.  It's more than a bit stupid - reminiscent of Fred Brooks' dictum 'the second version of anything is always shit'*.

* more or less

[Jakob]

The 12th Man - True story of the survivor of a group of 12 saboteurs in Norway in WW2. His escape to Sweden with the help of local people and resistance to evade the gestapo is astonishing.  Well made, cast and filmed.   

That was good, thanks!

[citoyen]

Us...
Very, very good, with an excellent Twilight Zone feel rather than the usual horror movie jump-scares. If you liked Get Out, you'll enjoy.

But still genuinely terrifying - much scarier than Get Out, I thought, and less overtly comedic, though I did a proper LOL at the NWA moment.

Great use of music generally. I had Luniz and Minnie Riperton as earworms for weeks after seeing it.

Haven’t seen Keanu. Must track it down.

[ian]

Yes, the NWA segment was pure brilliance. The kids had some brilliant lines and there were lots of in-refs that made me smile (Lost Boys etc.)

[T42]

The Great Hack, Netflux's exposée of the CA/Arsebook data-mining scandal. Verry interestink...

[nobby]

Deadwood and we enjoyed it that much that we are working through the boxed sets to end up watching it again.

[caerau]

First Man - that there biopic of Neil Armstrong and chronicle of his journey from 1961 to the mission of the first Moon landing.




Sadly, quite disappointing I thought.  It's a sloooow film and mostly really about his family relationships - where he comes across as a real cold-fish (that might be Ryan Gosling - that's what he does in everything I've seen him in).  Very light touch on interpersonal relationships of the astronauts and their families (or not very well done I suppose).
It was good - but I'd been led to believe it was so much better than it actually was.
I don't really know anything more about him than I did before I watched it and Buzz Aldrin charismatizes* (if that's a word - don't think so    ) him off the screen and is only in it fairly briefly.

Worth watching but not amazing.

[Ashaman42]

We watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty again last night and it's reawoken the wanderlust.

[T42]

First Man - that there biopic of Neil Armstrong and chronicle of his journey from 1961 to the mission of the first Moon landing.




Sadly, quite disappointing I thought.  It's a sloooow film and mostly really about his family relationships - where he comes across as a real cold-fish (that might be Ryan Gosling - that's what he does in everything I've seen him in).  Very light touch on interpersonal relationships of the astronauts and their families (or not very well done I suppose).
It was good - but I'd been led to believe it was so much better than it actually was.
I don't really know anything more about him than I did before I watched it and Buzz Aldrin charismatizes* (if that's a word - don't think so    ) him off the screen and is only in it fairly briefly.

Worth watching but not amazing.

The bit in the Apollo 11 transcript where he makes a joke is listed in the Mission Highlights.

[Kim]

I think that's the nature of Neil Armstrong, which is presumably why he got the job.

[T42]

Very likely. There was one of the Mercury 7 who cracked a lot of jokes and nearly got canned for it - Pete Conrad, I think (quick Gargle: yes, here. Gift-wrapped stool sample, etc.)

Then when he was asked to deliver a stool sample to the onsite lab, he placed it in a gift box and tied a red ribbon around it. Eventually, he decided that he had had enough. After dropping his full enema bag on the desk of the clinic's commanding officer, he walked out. His initial application to NASA was denied with the notation not suitable for long-duration flight

[Peter]

Just caught the end of The Third Man on 81.  There has never been a better film, or score, in my experience.