What film are you watching tonight/watched last night???

Re watched Contact a few months ago for the first time in years. I had forgotten what a hell of a great film it was.

I know, it's still a fantastic experience even on re-watches. I do try and watch it every couple of years.
 
Sigh... another one I now have to add to the already long "must rewatch soon" list.
Great movie, I’m still in the close encounters camp as my favourite one but I’ve a soft spot for contact. Carl Sagan’s book is worth a read, goes into the contact in much more detail.
 
I’ve not rewatched it (Contact) for at least 2-3 years now.:eek:

From memory, the PQ is not the greatest by todays standards (hardly surprising as the BR is over a decade old) so i’ve been waiting patiently for a shiny new 4K release.

I’ll give it one more year as next year is 25th Anniversary time so i’d expect a 4K release by then.

Totally brilliant movie.:love::love:
 
I’ve not rewatched it (Contact) for at least 2-3 years now.:eek:

From memory, the PQ is not the greatest by todays standards (hardly surprising as the BR is over a decade old) so i’ve been waiting patiently for a shiny new 4K release.

I’ll give it one more year as next year is 25th Anniversary time so i’d expect a 4K release by then.

Totally brilliant movie.:love::love:

I actually think I'll be dead of old age before some films end up with the 4K treatment. Maybe they'll just go straight to 8K :D

Good film though, think I'll pop it on the list as well. I'm a bit sci-fi bonkers at the moment. Think it was that meteor the other night.
 
Great movie, I’m still in the close encounters camp as my favourite one but I’ve a soft spot for contact. Carl Sagan’s book is worth a read, goes into the contact in much more detail.
Well then let me queue in the book too... After I'll be done with The Expanse novels, which I've just started because, of course, of the TV show :)
 
The Dark Knight Rises

We all know it isn't as good as The Dark Knight but this is a good movie - that could do with 20 mins or so being cut out.

Bane is a great enemy, an absolute force of nature. The opening sequence is brilliant, the chase section on the bikes is exciting and funny, the batwing is great, Catwoman is well played and a good character.. but the film is slightly too long. Plus having Ben Mendelsohn and just having him as a generic and underwritten baddie is such a waste (many films have made the same mistake)

One thing that really stood out - i watched the 4k version and the IMAX scenes are absolutely breathtaking. Like looking through a window - great detail and excellent colours. The night time shots of Gotham are something else. The only detriment is that it makes the non IMAX stuff look worse than it actually is.

The ROTJ / Alien 3 of the trilogy - suffers in comparison to the ones before but has lots of good aspects.
 
The Dark Knight Rises

We all know it isn't as good as The Dark Knight but this is a good movie - that could do with 20 mins or so being cut out.

Bane is a great enemy, an absolute force of nature. The opening sequence is brilliant, the chase section on the bikes is exciting and funny, the batwing is great, Catwoman is well played and a good character.. but the film is slightly too long. Plus having Ben Mendelsohn and just having him as a generic and underwritten baddie is such a waste (many films have made the same mistake)

One thing that really stood out - i watched the 4k version and the IMAX scenes are absolutely breathtaking. Like looking through a window - great detail and excellent colours. The night time shots of Gotham are something else. The only detriment is that it makes the non IMAX stuff look worse than it actually is.

The ROTJ / Alien 3 of the trilogy - suffers in comparison to the ones before but has lots of good aspects.
Got me thinking about 3rd parts of trilogies that are the best. I cant see beyond john wick, disregarding return of the king as for me that’s the worst, ruined by too much dodgy cgi. And no Jaws 3 doesn’t make the cut either
 
Got me thinking about 3rd parts of trilogies that are the best. I cant see beyond john wick, disregarding return of the king as for me that’s the worst, ruined by too much dodgy cgi. And no Jaws 3 doesn’t make the cut either

The Good The Bad and the Ugly
 
I'm pretty sure we had a thread on this. The curse of three is very real.
 
Can't agree with Ragnarok it's the best one for me. But horses for courses.

Return of the Jedi, Return of the King, Godfather 3, BTTF 3, Army of Darkness, Beverly Hills Cop 3.

There are exceptions of course. Exorcist 3, Indy & The Last Crusade.
 
Star Wars Ep 3
 
Can't agree with Ragnarok it's the best one for me. But horses for courses.

Return of the Jedi, Return of the King, Godfather 3, BTTF 3, Army of Darkness, Beverly Hills Cop 3.

There are exceptions of course. Exorcist 3, Indy & The Last Crusade.
I thought we were thinking of trilogies where the 3rd was best?
 
I know there are 4 now but Toy Story 3 is the best out of that “trilogy”
I might possibly say Pitch Perfect 3 but I won’t mention that round here as I’ll lose my man points :)
 
Still ploughing through my Star watchlist. Action time:

Deadpool 2 (2018) - David Leitch
1614779226284.png

Just as much fun as the first, although the ending got a bit annoying. Not a fan of killing off Mrs Deadpool either. But apart from that I really like it and the addition of new characters spiced it up nicely. "Zip it, black black Widow". I even like TJ Miller in this one. 7/10


Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) - Drew Goddard
1614779917205.png

Looks and sounds good, love the style, but the execution is a mess. Terribly paced, boring, and miscast in several key roles. Jeff Bridges is one of the few high points and gives a better performance than the movie deserves. Quite liked Dakota Johnson too. Not enough to save the film though. The endless singing from one character seriously got on my nerves as well. 5/10


Con Air (1997) - Simon West
1614780198472.png

Proper 90s action cheese-a-thon with the bemulleted Nicholas Cage and a brilliantly named, cool-as-a-cucumber antagonist courtesy of John Malkovich. The action scenes themselves are a bit pants to be honest, all daft explosions and slo-mo, and the annoying score grated on my nerves. But it's the characters that make the movie. A real roster of colourful personalities that ensure the film never gets boring, even at its silliest. 6.5/10


Die Hard 2 (1990) - Renny Harlin
1614780375373.png

Pretty good in parts but it does feel a lot like a retread of the first film just in a different location. Goes a bit OTT and really jumps the shark a few times especially that ludicrous ejector seat moment. Got annoyed when McClane did his 'staggering-around-grunting-Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuully' at the end. It's fine though. 6/10


Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) - John McTiernan
1614780425229.png

Now we're talking. Best in the series after the first. Pairing Willis with Samuel LJ is dynamite, and it's great to see McClane in his natural New York habitat. Racial politics come to the fore and are still as relevant as ever. This one has a (slightly) more grounded feel than the previous two, and having John McT back at the helm certainly sharpens up the action scenes. A shake up of the 'trapped inside a...' format too. Heart breaking to notice the Twin Towers still in the skyline. Also its a pity the climax is a bit lame. 7/10


Crimson Tide (1995) - Tony Scott
1614813711430.png

Cracking movie absolutely bursting at the seams with tension and testosterone and with positively titanic performances from super-heavyweights Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. Lots of decent support too from the likes of Viggo Mortensen and George Dzundza among others. Made me think too about the dangers of putting such terrifying responsibility into the hands of men; men who respond differently to pressure and have differing interpretations of procedure. Really good stuff. 8/10
 
Still ploughing through my Star watchlist. Action time:

Deadpool 2 (2018) - David Leitch
View attachment 1469850
Just as much fun as the first, although the ending got a bit annoying. Not a fan of killing off Mrs Deadpool either. But apart from that I really like it and the addition of new characters spiced it up nicely. "Zip it, black black Widow". I even like TJ Miller in this one. 7/10


Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) - Drew Goddard
View attachment 1469865
Looks and sounds good, love the style, but the execution is a mess. Terribly paced, boring, and miscast in several key roles. Jeff Bridges is one of the few high points and gives a better performance than the movie deserves. Quite liked Dakota Johnson too. Not enough to save the film though. The endless singing from one character seriously got on my nerves as well. 5/10


Con Air (1997) - Simon West
View attachment 1469866
Proper 90s action cheese-a-thon with the bemulleted Nicholas Cage and a brilliantly named, cool-as-a-cucumber antagonist courtesy of John Malkovich. The action scenes themselves are a bit pants to be honest, all daft explosions and slo-mo, and the annoying score grated on my nerves. But it's the characters that make the movie. A real roster of colourful personalities that ensure the film never gets boring, even at its silliest. 6.5/10


Die Hard 2 (1990) - Renny Harlin
View attachment 1469867
Pretty good in parts but it does feel a lot like a retread of the first film just in a different location. Goes a bit OTT and really jumps the shark a few times especially that ludicrous ejector seat moment. Got annoyed when McClane did his 'staggering-around-grunting-Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuully' at the end. It's fine though. 6/10


Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) - John McTiernan
View attachment 1469869
Now we're talking. Best in the series after the first. Pairing Willis with Samuel LJ is dynamite, and it's great to see McClane in his natural New York habitat. Racial politics come to the fore and are still as relevant as ever. This one has a (slightly) more grounded feel than the previous two, and having John McT back at the helm certainly sharpens up the action scenes. A shake up of the 'trapped inside a...' format too. Heart breaking to notice the Twin Towers still in the skyline. Also its a pity the climax is a bit lame. 7/10


Crimson Tide (1995) - Tony Scott
View attachment 1470251
Cracking movie absolutely bursting at the seams with tension and testosterone and with positively titanic performances from super-heavyweights Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. Lots of decent support too from the likes of Viggo Mortensen and George Dzundza among others. Made me think too about the dangers of putting such terrifying responsibility into the hands of men; men who respond differently to pressure and have differing interpretations of procedure. Really good stuff. 8/10

I'm going to have to ask you fix your scores for Con Air and Die Hard 2 please.

You seen to have gotten the numbers '6' and '9' mixed up.

Much obliged :)
 
I love Die Hard 2 and 3 equally. I’d give them both an 8 (and I love the ejector seat!). :)
 
I love Die Hard 2 and 3 equally. I’d give them both an 8 (and I love the ejector seat!). :)

But it goes about 100ft in the air, and in the next moment he's half a mile off the ground! By the time the parachute even thought about opening, he should have been a smouldering heap in the snow!

Am I overthunking it?
 
Music (2021, UK iTunes)

Junior-Sociopath-in-Training's recent obsession with Dance Moms (shiver) means anything with next big teen moppet Maddie Zeigler (who?) in is a must see. And being aware of the recent controversy around this more than peaked my interest and managed to force a creaky opening of the wallet for a midweek rental......

Every bit the brainchild of Australian musical oddball and professional wig wearer Sia, this tale of a severely autistic young girl and the family and friends around her just feels clumsy. Unlike similar mainstream fare like say What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, the character of Music is given very little outside of her condition to give her any depth. We occasionally are treated to big colourful song and dance numbers that take us inside her head and into her world, but these feel so disjointed to the 'real' world that they don't offer us any connection to her as a real person.

And while the controversy of casting an able bodied actor to play this disabled character didn't really bother me (the dance scenes required a professional dancer), the fact that the character feels such a throwback in terms of depicting people with this condition feels more of a genuine concern.

Have now read a lot of comments about the portrayal of not just Music’s condition but some of the treatment meted out to her and while I have no experience of either, I can completely understand some of the vitriol leveled at the film and it’s yet another example of the horribly misguided nature of the whole thing.

The rest of the film is just as broad - the world is half gritty reality, half Wes Anderson whimsy that doesn't gel; Kate Hudson as the damaged sister tasked with having to take care of Music is typical pixie dream junkie with very little subtlety around her obvious redemption arc; and Leslie Odom Jnr as the sympathetic neighbour/love interest is given his own mystery condition to deal with but it very feels very much tacked on as if to ram home the worthy but very clunky message of family can overcome such damage if you let it.

The songs are decent and the dance numbers colourful and creatively staged, but they feel like musical interludes rather than an integral part of the film. And that's pretty much the while problem with the film - its written and created by a musician rather than a film maker and it feels very much like an extended set of music videos than a decent narrative. Everything feels first base and about twenty years too late in terms of its structure and message.

A real shame.
 
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