What was the last film you watched?

[Jakob]

Speaking of Chappie, Sharlto Copley who 'plays' Chappie, had a T-shirt made with the names of all the VFX people who helped make it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T13R-Rz5ZgI ..not like Andy Serkis.

On a somewhat related note, I also recently watched Automata, expecting it to be crap, but it was actually quite good. Fades in second half, but still highly recommended, sci-fi, robots,etc.

[citoyen]

I've seen Alien and Aliens. Both great. I remain stubbornly unaware of anything after that.

Simply ignoring the sequels is generally effective as a policy. You might occasionally miss out on some good stuff (ok, I admit it: I've never seen The Godfather Pt II) but it's the easiest way to avoid disappointment on the whole. See also: Rocky, American Pie.

I broke my own rule for The Matrix, much to my regret.

[hillbilly]

You'd miss Empire Strikes Back with that rule. 

And also the finest piece of acting committed to celluloid:

http://youtu.be/qXNqEURmKtA

(The "sequels better than the first film" has come up many times at my lunch table over the years)

[Nuncio]

Didn't you break your own rule for Aliens? 

[ian]

I broke my own rule for The Matrix, much to my regret.

I did do the Matrix trilogy at Christmas. The sequels aren't that bad, just a bit meh and indulgent. The dialogue (admittedly clunky in the first one) doesn't improve and everything is said. slowly. with. portent. It was like everyone was channelling Keanu's slightly bemused acting style. Really, I'm in a movie. A movie? Why yes, Keanu, you are, and we're as surprised as you are. There's the dancing in the cave thing where Keanu finally gets his lovemuffin in the oven (Really, I'm in – OK, we get it) that lasts for about 1000 hours. And many of the fight scenes go on and on to the point where everyone gets bored of bouncing off walls. Especially the audience. Some fine set pieces but the movies didn't half drag between them and the cod-philosophy got a bit wearing. Unlike the original, where the special effects are nicely stylised, some of the CGI hasn't stood up to time. It's very obviously CG in places.

I really enjoyed the Matrix, I remember we had one of those Virgin all-you-can watch cinema passes so we'd get on a tram and go watch whatever was showing, often with no clue what the movie was. The Matrix was one of those. Also Fight Club, which sounded immensely dull but it was raining outside so we decided, what the hell, to see another movie.

[Vince]

I saw Alien in 1983 at the college film club. It was on 16mm film. I think this was in days before feature films got released on VHS.

[Mr Larrington]

I saw "Debbie Does Dallas" on VHS in 1982 and now I've sent the thread plummeting beyond the event horizon and into a black smut-filled hole.

[ian]

I saw "Debbie Does Dallas" on VHS in 1982 and now I've sent the thread plummeting beyond the event horizon and into a black smut-filled hole.

The lowering of threads is rightfully my job.

Proper porn, of course, was always on VHS. A boy hasn't lived until he's had to disentangle and extract a stuck playground-traded VHS tape of Hot MILFs 22 from the family VCR. That fateful moment where the bump and grind starts to go awry and then scrunch-le-le wooo-wooo as everything, including the onscreen action, grinds to a halt. The eject button part works, but the tape is reluctant to expose anything other than its title in emboldened 48 pt type through the slot. Many stressful hours spent extracting the cassette and untangling the entrails of magnetic tape that seem to have filled the entire machine, knowing that any moment you're going to have explain to your mother what you've been watching.

And of course, then you've got to explain to the loaner that one of the schoolyard's most precious commodities has been lost in action. Worse, when you know he's borrowed it from his dad's stash, and that's the kind of absence that will be both be noticed and come with a very short list of suspects.

Computers have a robbed a young boy of this kind of character-building experience.

[Jaded]

I saw Logan's Run on Video Disk in 1982. That new technology was amazing - you could replay, freeze and so on!

[Nuncio]

I remember that.  You could do everything except have a 30th birthday.

[citoyen]

You'd miss Empire Strikes Back with that rule. 

Tbh, I could live with that.

Didn't you break your own rule for Aliens? 

Yes and no - Aliens is such a different film to Alien, I'm not sure it counts. Anyway, like all good politicians, I only stick to the stated policy when it suits me.

The sequels aren't that bad, just a bit meh and indulgent ... lasts for about 1000 hours ... fight scenes go on and on

That pretty much sums up my feelings. I saw the final part in a late-night showing at Aylesbury Odeon as a way of killing an evening when I was in the area on a business trip. It felt so mind-numbingly long that I was expecting it to be daylight by the time I left the cinema.

The Matrix (the original) is still brilliant.

[Pickled Onion]

This has reminded me that despite consuming vast quantities of films over the last few years, I've never seen Alien, or Logan's Run. They are now on the list, along with Wicker Man. And yes, it's true, "I've never seen Star Wars" either, and I don't intend to!

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

The thing about the Wicker Man is, there's so much singing in it it's practically a musical.

[Mr Larrington]

Enjoyed "The Matrix" enough to go to the flicks for the sequel.  Then we wished we hadn't.  #3 remains unwatched to this day though They appear to be knocking out the box-set for about a tenner these days.

[LEE]

My recommendation for a good laugh-out-loud flick is...wait for it..."Ted".

It's  film about a boy's Teddy Bear that comes alive after he wishes on a star.

Look, I realise what this sounds like but stay with me on this.  Have a few beers and watch it with your mates, it's bloody great.

WRONG.

It is shit. End of.

Maybe I should qualify that by saying that it's funny if you find Beavis & Butthead, Family Guy and South Park funny.

It's a film about a foul-mouthed toy bear after all.

[mattc]

I believe Ted is a rip-off of the idea behind http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_(Australian_TV_series)
(but I stand to be corrected).
I've only seen the US version of WIlfred (starring a wonderfully-downtroddn Elijah Wood),  and rather enjoyed it.

I should watch the Aussie version one day,  but "Ted" sounds much dumber (and not very funny).

[Jakob]

Ted was surprisingly decent.

[tiermat]

As it happens, I like Family Guy, South Park, King of the Hill and B&B. Ted is still shit, though.

Today I am watching "Closer to the Edge" the story of the 2010 Isle of Man TT, and particularly (unsurprising as it is made by the same people who made "The Boat That Guy Built" "Our Guy in India" etc) Guy Martin.

[Jaded]

Pontoon.

I saw it in the cinema, when it came out.

I cannot remember anything after Elias gets shot in the clearing as the helicopters fly round, helpless. Were there two versions? I seem to have missed 30 minutes of film!

[mattc]

Pontoon.

I saw it in the cinema, when it came out.

I cannot remember anything after Elias gets shot in the clearing as the helicopters fly round, helpless. Were there two versions? I seem to have missed 30 minutes of film!

There was a version called "Platoon".

HTH

[lisat]

2nd best marigold hotel. I want to go back to India now. In fact every film I have seen lately has brought out a bit if wanderlust.

[Jaded]

The Ideas of March

George Clooney smoothed his way through this film. It was rather underwhelming, in plot and engagement, although the acting was a counter to that. After watching it I wondered where they got the trailer from, it was made up of the most gripping bits.

Not on the list of films to see again.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

War Horse. 

[ian]

Alien³. While it seemed to have all the ingredients the result didn't rise to meet expectations. The characters were mostly interchangeable and unsympathetic. So effectively the same plot as Alien but you're mostly rooting for the monster. Except the monster isn't very scary, now rendered in CGI it's a lot a less scary than a man-in-a-suit. I've seen scarier kittens. Plus they killed off Hicks and Newt and rendered everything in Aliens moot and well, you feel cheated, because they had you rooting for them. Notably even the director thinks it's shit, and on the quadrilogy special edition they had to the get the tea boy or someone to say something nice about the movie in the intro rather than the director.

Aliens Resurrection was a bit better if a bit meh. Didn't make much sense either. They've had two centuries and are still using IT from my comprehensive school classroom and are still desperate for a 'biological weapon' that erm, well, I have no idea. Or why they needed to clone Ripley to get an alien (huh?) or why she ended up part alien (huh²?). The huhs pile up until your sense of disbelief starts to creak ominously under their weight. And then after saving the Earth we find out its trashed anyway. So why bother? And just where the fuck was everyone while you crashed a big starship into the planet. Shonky plot, a few overblown scenes stitched together. It was watchable though you'd probably scratch a hole through your head trying to make any sense of it.

Using Aliens as a benchmark:

Alien = 1
Aliens = 1.5
Aliens³ = 0.3
Alien Resurrection = 0.4
Prometheus = -435945685946948595486942874872387483284732897598435

I hope this helps with selecting your future viewing.

[Jakob]

John Wick. Probably the best Keanu Reeves film since the Matrix. (For what that's worth).
Plot is stupid:
Retired hitman is brought back into action after the Russian mob steals his car and kills his puppy.
Yes, it's that stupid, but it works.
Very violent, but also quite entertaining.