What was the last film you watched?

[Jakob]

Hateful Eight (70mm version). Not sure. It's beautifully lit and shot. Gripping story, typical Tarantino over-the-top characters, but he.........................drags...........................................it......................out.....................

[citoyen]

Paddington

As a childhood fan of the animated TV series, I was instinctively against this film when it came out last year - it just looked wrong, with the cgi bear, and too much 'action' etc. But my wife has been desperate to see it for ages, so Father Christmas popped the DVD in her stocking and we watched it yesterday evening and... I bloody loved it. Laughed out loud several times, really sharp script and very well acted throughout. And I adored the style of it, with the dolls' house gimmick and the calypso band. Really very good indeed.

It can't compare to the TV series, which holds a special place in my heart, but it deserves to be judged on its own merits.

[Andrew]

The Apartment - a 1960 Billy Wilder film with Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. Despite it's dubious morality and portrayal/treatment of women (which was, I think, it's point and so one must take account of the era of it's production), this was a remarkably entertaining watch. Jack Lemmon is excellent and the dialogue fizzes. It's maybe a tad too long but is none-the-less a recommended watch.

I watched Carol again, this time on the small screen. It's a brilliant movie, no question, but you miss a deal of the nuance of Blanchett's performance, she does so much with her eyes and micro-expressions. Makes me want to invest in a big screen and projector.

[mattc]

Brave - the pixar thing on Christmas Day.

Scottish tom-boy princess rebels against arranged marriage to comedy "braveheart" scottish types.

Almost perfect (if you liked stuff like Up and Toy Storys anyway!).

(I'm not really bothered by the quality of modern animations ... but her hair! Just wow. )

The Double - Richard Ayoade's 2nd film, a dark comedy with Jesse Eisenberg in the title roles. Quite closely based on the Dostoevsky story, apparently (which I havent read, sorry. )

Not perfect! But intriguing. Undisguised homage to Brazil visually, but there's no harm in that.
I think I wanted something a bit less grim. And the final act was ambiguous:

(click to show/hide)

There were elements of Simon actually being James (or vice versa). And at the same time he is clearly having a breakdown (as happened in the book). But it seemed like the writer couldnt quite decide - so at the end I wasnt sure if it was left deliberately ambiguous, or if I'd just missed a few hints, or simpy drunk/eaten too much to follow the twists and turns.

[LEE]

Hateful Eight (70mm version). Not sure. It's beautifully lit and shot. Gripping story, typical Tarantino over-the-top characters, but he.........................drags...........................................it......................out.....................

Oh Christ .. it's 3 hours!!!

Why does he insist on doing this?

Djanjo Unchained was a great film but 45 mins too long.  So much dead time.  I think it's a big failing of Tarantino's that he mistakes boring scenes for tension-filled dialogue.

He needs to hand over his work to a good editor.

[ElyDave]

Speaking to my sister on the phone earlier, they were watching the entire Godfather trilogy.

I settled for Skyfall this evening, seen it before, but I do think Craig and Dalton got closest to the Fleming writing of Bond.

Watched the Dark Knight Rises over the weekend, but really couldn't follow the disjointedness and lost interest.     

Just finished reading 1984, want to watch that again now.

[Jakob]

Hateful Eight (70mm version). Not sure. It's beautifully lit and shot. Gripping story, typical Tarantino over-the-top characters, but he.........................drags...........................................it......................out.....................

Oh Christ .. it's 3 hours!!!

Why does he insist on doing this?

Djanjo Unchained was a great film but 45 mins too long.  So much dead time.  I think it's a big failing of Tarantino's that he mistakes boring scenes for tension-filled dialogue.

He needs to hand over his work to a good editor.

Apparently it's only the 70mm version that's that long..the general release will be shorter. I'll watch it again...maybe not in the cinema, but I'll definitely watch it again.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

The Birds.

[tiermat]

Chappie

I like Niell Blomkamp's films and this one does not disappoint. Mad Saffers, robots and an ED-209 clone.

Fun and funny, in places, bloody in others.

[LEE]

The Birds.

I named my son Miitch after the lead character, 27 years ago.

[/familytrivia]

[Andrij]

Chappie

I like Niell Blomkamp's films and this one does not disappoint. Mad Saffers, robots and an ED-209 clone.

Fun and funny, in places, bloody in others.

Saw that on Christmas Day.  Great film.  Now I must see District 9.

That same evening, we also watched Pixels.
Mr. Sandler is not one of my favourite cinematic artists, but that film was brilliant.      I well remember spending too much time and money in video arcades.

[redshift]

District 9 was very good.  Chappie was not.  I remember the Tetra Vaal short he did, and thought it might be worth it, but I prefer Short Circuit.

[Kim]

I enjoyed Chappie, but I don't think it'd stand up to re-watching.  It suffered from never being sure how cutesy it was trying to be, and the plot's general failure to make sense.

[ian]

Hateful Eight (70mm version). Not sure. It's beautifully lit and shot. Gripping story, typical Tarantino over-the-top characters, but he.........................drags...........................................it......................out.....................

Oh Christ .. it's 3 hours!!!

Why does he insist on doing this?

Djanjo Unchained was a great film but 45 mins too long.  So much dead time.  I think it's a big failing of Tarantino's that he mistakes boring scenes for tension-filled dialogue.

He needs to hand over his work to a good editor.

This. It's been a downhill slide since Inglourious Basterds and those overextended scenes. Tarantino's dialogue is entertaining, no one forgets the riffs from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but they don't stand being extended into long scenes because people only talk like that in Tarantino films and that soon becomes gratingly obvious.

I'm off to see Star Wars this evening. Da-daaa da da da daaaa da da da daaaa!

[citoyen]

This. It's been a downhill slide since Inglourious Basterds

Pfffft. It's been downhill since Reservoir Dogs.

[ian]

Pulp Fiction was great, but after that, the law of diminishing returns applies. Inglourious Basterds was the movie that cried out for someone to tell Tarantino to cut. There was that awful, contrived scene in the basement that went on for what felt like forever and for all I know is still running. At least a third of the movie could have left on the floor and it would have been all the better for it. I'm a bit so-so on the violence too, I kind of get the shock value, but then it goes on and on, like it's being applied with a trowel. Less is sometimes more.

[rafletcher]

Sexy Beast.  Ben Kingsley makes a fantastic psychopath.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Escape to Victory. 

[Ruthie]

Sabotage.  Brilliant film but not my favourite AH.

[red marley]

Escape to Victory. 

Is that the one that proves actors can't play football and footballers can't act?

[mattc]

Escape to Victory. 

Is that the one that proves actors can't play football and footballers can't act?

Since disproved by Vinnie. Surely?!?

[Mr Larrington]

Based on Mr Jones' performance in:

• a Wimbledon shirt, and
• "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels"

I'm not sure the latter counts as acting.  Except that he didn't try to twist off anyone's knackers in the latter.

[Jakob]

Pulp Fiction was great, but after that, the law of diminishing returns applies. Inglourious Basterds was the movie that cried out for someone to tell Tarantino to cut. There was that awful, contrived scene in the basement that went on for what felt like forever and for all I know is still running. At least a third of the movie could have left on the floor and it would have been all the better for it. I'm a bit so-so on the violence too, I kind of get the shock value, but then it goes on and on, like it's being applied with a trowel. Less is sometimes more.

Wasn't too keen on Inglourious Basterds (although it does have it's moments), but I loved the first 2 acts of Django. 3rd act, not so much and I tend to skip it when I put it on.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Luckily for me I watched Inglourious Basterds when the alternative would have been doing b*gger all in a foreign city where b*gger all happens until it is time to leave.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Escape to Victory. 

Is that the one that proves actors can't play football and footballers can't act?

Since disproved by Vinnie. Surely?!?

Eric Cantona's not the worst actor I've ever seen.