What films have you watched recently?

DrCornelius

Just got home from ‘See How They Run’

Don’t bother , the cast are wasted on this - it was borderline walk out-able tbh

Philly_Q

Thor: Love and Thunder

So, after the success of the last Thor movie they gave Taika Waititi carte blanche to do whatever the fuck he wanted with this one... and he went into full-on comedy mode.  The whole thing feels semi-improvised and utterly absurd, kind of like a Ron Burgundy film, but nowhere near as funny.  The handful of serious moments are undermined by all the nonsense that's gone before, and Thor is now firmly established as a total buffoon, which may make it difficult to use the character in future projects.

However, if you throw enough shit at a wall some of it is going to stick, and there were some scenes I enjoyed and moments which made me laugh.  It's rubbish, but not as disappointing as the last Dr Strange movie.

Haych

Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg is one of those actors who can be either brilliant or irritating, depending on the film and character he’s portraying. 

Thankfully, in this he’s well in his comfort zone and he pulls off quite a fabulous performance of the underdog against the impossible. 

It’s also David Schwimmer’s first big screen directorial role and I have to say he knocked out the park.  

Dylan Moran is an excellent addition to the cast as well and the film is brilliantly funny and feel-good at the same time. 

Loved it and laughed all the way through. 

8/10 - on Netflix. 

axisus

Haych said:

Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg is one of those actors who can be either brilliant or irritating, depending on the film and character he’s portraying. 

Thankfully, in this he’s well in his comfort zone and he pulls off quite a fabulous performance of the underdog against the impossible. 

It’s also David Schwimmer’s first big screen directorial role and I have to say he knocked out the park.  

Dylan Moran is an excellent addition to the cast as well and the film is brilliantly funny and feel-good at the same time. 

Loved it and laughed all the way through. 

8/10 - on Netflix. 

Never seen it, but my heart is filled with joy at the thought that a geek like Pegg could get a gorgeous woman like Thandie Newton

EricTheWeary

Stan and Ollie

BBC 

Maybe not entirely gripping and budget restrictions show themselves here and there (looks a bit Call the Midwifey) but quite warm and touching. I don’t know how like the actual Stan Laurel he was but there seems to be some proper acting going on and not just Steve Coogan in a selection of hats. 

DesVegas

I watched Snatch on film 4 last night. I'd not seen it for an age. Superb acting, script and direction with Brad Pitt the stand out obvs but also felt Vinnie Jones put in a real shift too.

8.5/10

Shrews

DesVegas said:

I watched Snatch on film 4 last night. I'd not seen it for an age. Superb acting, script and direction with Brad Pitt the stand out obvs but also felt Vinnie Jones put in a real shift too.

8.5/10

It was actually a good evening on Film 4 - Raiders of the Lost Ark - Snatch - Layer Cake

All very enjoyable.

I agree about Snatch, Brad Pitt's finest performance.

rze99

Haych said:

Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg is one of those actors who can be either brilliant or irritating, depending on the film and character he’s portraying. 

Thankfully, in this he’s well in his comfort zone and he pulls off quite a fabulous performance of the underdog against the impossible. 

It’s also David Schwimmer’s first big screen directorial role and I have to say he knocked out the park.  

Dylan Moran is an excellent addition to the cast as well and the film is brilliantly funny and feel-good at the same time. 

Loved it and laughed all the way through. 

8/10 - on Netflix. 

Just watched this with my family.
Silly, rose-tinted predictable nonsense.
We all enjoyed it.
I have to say I snorted the wine down my nose in laughter at the "chaps in the gym changing room" scene.
7/10 feel good fun,
And Thandi is...utterly gorgeous.

ABTN = Anything but the News. Al united on that front!

Philly_Q

Nobody

Hutch Mansell is a quiet, ordinary family man with a humdrum 9 to 5 existence... but a burglary at his home sets off a chain of events which reveals that there is a lot more to Hutch than meets the eye.

I suppose the films which sprang to mind watching this were things like John Wick and The Accountant, with a touch more dark humour.  I haven't watched Better Call Saul, but Bob Odenkirk makes a surprisingly good action hero.

Brio

It is by the John Wick folks. Very enjoyable.

Philly_Q

Fantastic Four (2015)
I think this was the only Marvel-related movie I hadn't seen, I just never got round to it.  For the first 40 minutes I was really enjoying it, then they go to Planet Zero and acquire their powers... and for the last hour there's essentially no plot, just a load of terrible special effects.  It's awful.  It feels like an hour of the film's been cut out and replaced with... nothing.  Reboot needed.

Shrews

Allied (was on last night)

Part of the Brad Pitt season on Film4. I've not heard of this film before and was therefore expecting it to be a poor Brad Pitt effort, but I actually enjoyed it. I was surprised by the ending which is never a bad thing and it kept me interested throughout. 7/10

stufisher

Allied

Worth sticking with it as it pulls you along and unravels at a nice watchable pace. Good story, credibly performed ... solid 7/10

Rogue Agent
Really messed with my head because it seems incredulous ... but it's based on truth.
I enjoyed the fact that the filming is uncomplicated and not filled with distractions; it allowed me to really focus on the emotions and tensions between the principle actors ... who I do believe delivered solid performances.

8/10

Haych

A Walk Among the Tombstones

A fairly decent Liam Neeson drama/thriller thing.  Liam Neeson is a retired cop who is employed by a drug trafficker to find his wife's killers.

It's quite well done and is rather dark and disturbing and carries a certain mood throughout the film.  Neeson has done some clangers over the years but this is respectable, even if it isn't amazing.

Not sure I'd want to watch it again simply because it's not at all a feel good film but I'd give it a 6.5/10.

On Netflix.

Shrews

Goat (it was on Film 4 in the early hours of this morning)

Teenager gets the shit kicked out of him after driving home two strangers he meets at a party. He then get's invited to the college where his brother is at but there is a semester of humiliations, and in particular one week they call 'hell week'. A right of passage to join that particular frat house, where if you come through it, there is a promise of life-long friendship and a sort of old-boys network.  His brother, however, knowing what his younger brother went through with the assault, gets increasingly concerned for his brother's state of mind.

Gripping stuff, kept me awake until 4.30am.  There is a curveball to the story about 3/4 through which was unexpected. I'm surprised this one was stuck out in the wee small hours 8.5/10

Shrews

Arctic Heat (1986) - You Tube . This is otherwise known as 'Born American'



Finnish film with terrible American actors, one of them the son of Chuck Norris and another who is a looky-likey for Will from the Inbetweeners.

Appalling acting and pretty much dreadful in every way, but...it actually kept me watching to the end and is quite compelling for such a low budget effort.

Three American kids travelling in Finland stumble across the Russian border, decide to investigate and get stuck behind 'enemy' lines, whereby they get accused of a rape, have a battle with Russian soldiers and end up in a nick that makes Midnight Express look like the Hilton.

Needs a remake and a bigger budget, with maybe Will, Simon, Jay and Neil in the lead roles.

7/10 - (4 really, but an extra 3 points for helping me procrastinate from doing the ironing)

EricTheWeary

Magic 

TalkingPictures TV

I remember the film and the book from my early teens. It’s still incredibly creepy although I drifted off a bit from the plot. Something of a showcase for Anthony Hopkins as a,err, difficult person. 

DrCornelius

Moonage Daydream

A love letter to the Dame really . It’s a skilfully put together collage of images and songs tied together by snippets of Bowies voice.

I think you need to be more than a bit of a fan to really enjoy it . I am a huge fan so thought it was great

rze99

The Two Faces of January 

2014 iPlayer

Traditional almost Agatha Christie like thriller from the 1964 novel by Patricia Highsmith. Viggo Mortensen plays city financier Chester MacFarland with a younger blonde glamorous wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) who end up being drawn into an increasingly dangerous friendship with guide and petty swindler, Rydal (Oscar Isaac) while on holiday in Greece.

The movie looks beautiful with attractive cast, lovely period costumes and scenery and the story draws you in developing the narrative nicely without being overdrawn or obscure. 

Also it' nicely concise at just under 90 minutes a blessing when so many films seem to be overlong. You can cram it in after a nice dinner and be in bed before midnight. Recommended*.

*if you've recently given up smoking, avoid as the cast are smoking the whole time.
7/10

SteveRobinson

Philly_Q said:

His House (Netflix)

A refugee couple from South Sudan are housed in a dilapidated house in a bleak, run-down estate in an unnamed British town.  Within days they start experiencing strange sights and sounds, and the husband becomes convinced there are malign forces living in the walls of the house, including the spirit of their young daughter who died on the journey.

This had been on my watchlist for ages but I never got round to it... it's an unusual setup for a horror movie, the performances are pretty good and I was surprised to see Matt Smith as a council worker who's more sympathetic than he initially appears.  The psychological disturbances brought on by grief, loss and guilt are interesting ideas, but the film falls apart a bit when it strays into more typical horror territory.  Not bad though.

Thanks for this, watched it and thought it was great.