What films have you watched recently?

Offset

zepp76 said:

Shadow in the clouds


Utter shite.

That is all that needs to be said.

1/10

I've just read the synopsis and I suspect suspension of disbelief will be a challenge.  Who knows - it might be so bad it's almost good so on that basis, I'll give it a go later after a couple of beers.

HAL9000

Sully: Miracle on the Hudson. True story about the pilot who after losing both engines managed to put his aircraft down on the Hudson River without loss of life. The film focuses on the subsequent investigation trying to prove pilot error and that the aircraft was capable of putting down at another nearby airport. Engrossing but a little bit too ‘Hollywood’ in places. CGI sometimes a bit dodgy. Nonetheless a solid 8/10 from me.

Blueingreen

ICBM said:

grappagreen said:

American Beauty 

 A film that literally had me in tears given the mid-life crisis theme (amongst a plethora of other equally heart wrenching themes..).

Wonderfully directed by Mendes and a world class cast who, for me, deliver a spellbinding performance.

The scene where Spacey & Belling momentarily revert to their younger selves and are rudely brought back to reality by Belling's comment is sooo wonderfully painful to watch.. how many couches would you give to go back in time, even for the briefest of moments?

It operates on so many levels..

This. An outstandingly brilliant film that repays watching much more than once. I always love the drive-through scene as well, it's almost cringingly painful but done to perfection.

Such a shame it's tainted by what we now know of Kevin Spacey, but for me it can't stop it being a great film.

There was a huge critical backlash against this film, predating the issues with Kevin Spacey.  Everybody loved it in 1999, just about anybody with a claim to being on-trend seemed to hate it 10 years later.  By the time I'd seen it for I think a third time, my initial enthusiasm for it had dimmed slightly - there are some false notes that are more obvious on a re-watch - but I still thought it was a very good film.  I'm delighted people are still watching it and enjoying it and putting two fingers up to the revisionist critics.

Offset

Offset said:

zepp76 said:

Shadow in the clouds


Utter shite.

That is all that needs to be said.

1/10

I've just read the synopsis and I suspect suspension of disbelief will be a challenge.  Who knows - it might be so bad it's almost good so on that basis, I'll give it a go later after a couple of beers.

I gave up when the contents of the mystery package were revealed.  This isn't just shite... it's utter shite.  0/10.

skullfunkerry

We’ve watched loads of films lately… some of them have been utterly anonymous, but a few have stuck in my mind:

Archive - Theo James is a scientist whose wife was killed in a car accident. Really enjoyed this, although it made me quite sad, for a variety of reasons.

Pet Sematary - didn’t really enjoy it; they changed it quite a lot from the book, and it felt like a very Hollywood version of the story, very much dumbed down. Main criticism though was that it was boring and dull.

Apartment 1BR - kind of a nice idea, but wasn’t really great. Had a couple of proper horror film moments, but didn’t really deliver.

What Happened to Monday - made by Netflix apparently, so I wasn’t really expecting much, but actually this was pretty enjoyable.

Fear Street parts 1, 2 & 3 - really enjoyed these: we actually watched all three in one sitting last weekend
Nothing particularly new or groundbreaking, but they were good fun, and it was cool how each film told you a bit more about the story.

Blood Red Sky - similar to Fear Street, this was really good fun, nicely done enjoyable silliness. Nice idea, and pretty well executed. 

Philly_Q

Offset said:

Offset said:

zepp76 said:

Shadow in the clouds


Utter shite.

That is all that needs to be said.

1/10

I've just read the synopsis and I suspect suspension of disbelief will be a challenge.  Who knows - it might be so bad it's almost good so on that basis, I'll give it a go later after a couple of beers.

I gave up when the contents of the mystery package were revealed.  This isn't just shite... it's utter shite.  0/10.

Whenever I see a no-stars review, it's almost like a challenge... and I do have a soft spot for a low-budget horror movie.  So...

Shadow in the Cloud

The first half of the movie is basically a tribute to an old Twilight Zone episode starring William Shatner, it's static and talky and Chloe Grace Moretz isn't really up to the task of carrying the film all by herself... but then the action shifts and suddenly there's a scene (and the accompanying soundtrack) which is so ridiculous, I thought either I give up now, or I just go with it... and I went with it.  Sorry, but I kind of loved it.

ICBM

The Missing

2003 Western with Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett, directed by Ron Howard. 

Jones and Blanchett are excellent as you would expect - I don't think I've seen either of them in a really bad film, and never give a bad performance - and many of the supporting cast are as well, but overall the film is less great. It's well-made visually but the plot is ridiculously clichéd - you can predict the major plot points as you go along with almost painful obviousness. It also mixes some fairly gritty brutality (at least by Ron Howard standards) with terrible, old-fashioned Western lack of realism - men that spend three days in the desert and remain perfectly clean-shaven, small saddle packs that contain an improbable amount of equipment, gun battles using enough ammunition to supply an army and never any need to reload etc. It just jars too badly to overlook it all despite the actors, and the quite worthy use of Native American language without subtitles, which is actually one of the only bits where you have to interpret things for yourself as you go along.

6/10

(Netflix)

Haych

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Two hours from the Coen Brothers split into half a dozen different stories of the old west. 

Some are amusing, some are deeply dark, some are tragic, some are all three. One or two are a bit WTF as well. 

Overall it’s quite weird but excellently done for all that. 

Offset

The Appearance, 2018.  Starring lots of people I'd never heard of.  Medieval monk, monastery and witchcraft nonsense.  Fairly slow to start, but atmospheric and dark with a few jumps and scares along the way.  I had low expectations if honest, but I actually really enjoyed it.  Not exactly The Name Of The Rose, but a reasonable way to spend 140 minutes without working your brain too hard. 6/10.

Kalimna

I sat down to watch Inglourious Basterds again t'other night. Each time I watch it, I find myself more impressed with the attention to detail in both the script and cinematography. And, of course, Christopher Waltz. That opening scene with the glass of milk is perfect.

Adam

guitartango

The Ice Road

Predictable Liam Neeson film, car chases (trucks) a few baddies and a happy ending, what more do you need on a Saturday night ?

6/10 

paulnb57

Blitz (2011) Netflix

Detective Tom Brant (Jason Statham) is tasked with tracking down a serial killer who targets police officers. However, the culprit constantly frustrates him with his elusiveness.

Statham plays a London copper (cant abide Statham with a US accent) pretty predictable, nicely un PC…

We enjoyed it.  6/10

axisus

FAQ about time travel

Under the radar comedy time travel film with Chris O'Dowd and the ever watchable Marc Wootten. A fun film with some interesting ideas. Well worth ferreting out if you are into the time travel thing.

If you are like me and watch to the very end of the credits there are a couple of tiny extra bits. 

Offset

Aftermath, 2021.  Couple-move-to-new-house-for-new-start movie.  Tried as I might, I really couldn't warm to this film.  I really didn't like the main characters and found it difficult to sympathise with them;  various strands of the plot have been done elsewhere many times; and in the end I just didn't care too much about the denouement.  That said, there are some good scares and the production values are decent, but in the end - meh. 5/10.

HAL9000

Haych said:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Two hours from the Coen Brothers split into half a dozen different stories of the old west. 

Some are amusing, some are deeply dark, some are tragic, some are all three. One or two are a bit WTF as well. 

Overall it’s quite weird but excellently done for all that. 

Agreed. Well done but a bit hit and miss.

skullfunkerry

Offset said:

Aftermath, 2021.  Couple-move-to-new-house-for-new-start movie.  Tried as I might, I really couldn't warm to this film.  I really didn't like the main characters and found it difficult to sympathise with them;  various strands of the plot have been done elsewhere many times; and in the end I just didn't care too much about the denouement.  That said, there are some good scares and the production values are decent, but in the end - meh. 5/10.

We watched that last night. Some genuinely creepy bits and a couple of jumps, but we both thought the end was just ridiculous; my wife properly cracked up when the reveal happened

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

The Missing

2003 Western with Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett, directed by Ron Howard. 

I remember back in the days when people used to buy dodgy knock-off DVDs in pubs or on street corners, a friend of mine lent me a copy of that.  It looked like it had been filmed on a camcorder from someone's TV screen, through a dirty window and a pair of net curtains.

I've still never seen the film.

HAL9000

Eric Clapton: My Life in 12 Bars.

I don’t normally swear but, fuck, what an awful childhood. And for quite a lot of the film what a horrible person. Ultimately he does redeem himself but, very sadly, it takes the death of his son to bring him to his senses. Certainly not an easy watch (and quite upsetting - and unsettling - in parts) but definitely worthwhile. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you’re a Clapton fan but otherwise probably not really of interest.

Offset

HAL9000 said:

Eric Clapton: My Life in 12 Bars.

I don’t normally swear but, fuck, what an awful childhood. And for quite a lot of the film what a horrible person. Ultimately he does redeem himself but, very sadly, it takes the death of his to bring him to his senses. Certainly not an easy watch (and quite upsetting - and unsettling - in parts) but definitely worthwhile. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you’re a Clapton fan but otherwise probably not really of interest.

I'm an admirer of Clapton but not a fan, if that makes sense.  I really found this absorbing, but it was a hard watch.  'Enjoyed' it would be the wrong way of describing it, but it's a very worthy documentary regardless of whether you love the guy or not.

Offset

I See You - absolutely brilliant.  Just adore it.  Not much more to be said - 10/10.