What's the Latest Thing You've Seen at the Cinema II

Mr Underhill posted:

Black Panther

A well crafted script sets up a villain with whom you can have some empathy. Great production design and a new feel as the protagonist holds authority in a society where choices are not always easy or pure. Yet, somehow this film left me curiously detached. Part of the problem is that however well made these films are there are no genuine stakes, the forthcoming Infinity War may fix that as an issue.

Ultimately a well made by the numbers Marvel film. For me no genuine joy, excitement or suspense.

M

I was disappointed with Black Panther. As you said the core tale of revenge starts solid but runs out of steam quite quickly, and by the end we're not seeing anything in terms of visuals or stakes, that we didn't see earlier in the same film. The serious backdrop of conflicting views on how and if Wakanda should open up to the outside world is handled so halfheartedly, it would be a better fit in a DCU movie. The very occasional attempts at comedy didn't come off well, either - Bozeman has the charisma, but his comedic timing may need some work on this evidence. 

Tomb Raider (or: Lara Croft and the Last Crusade)

Just missed Ms Vikander in London yesterday, but with some downtime decided to watch her latest movie today at Leicester Square. Not a great movie, but fun, solid, entertainment. Vikander plays it straight and is IMO a much better Croft than the cynical, self aware Angelina Jolie.

cheers

EJ

Foxtrot

Despite the very good reviews we did not enjoy the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrBEDEmUceM

EJS posted:

Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

McDonagh's follow-up to In Bruges is a fantastic film carried by Frances McDormand as a bitter, guilt-ridden mother trying to shake up the police (and the community) into solving the murder of her daughter. She is surrounded by a colourful cast of characters including equally superb performances by Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, who make sure that her actions find plenty of grip. Some hard hitting emotional scenes balance out the dark comedy, much like as In Bruges. Don't miss it!

EJ

 

Thanks for the heads up regarding In Bruges.

We found it a most enjoyable, quirky film. I preferred it to 3 Billboards and it left us with a desire to visit the Venice of the North. 

OK, so it's probably not going to trouble anyone's Top 3 Spielberg list but it's very entertaining and technically amazing.

And a Tsunami of references start to finish, from Nicol Williamson's Charm of Making to Holy Hand Grenades (I kid you not) means I'm going to have to watch it on DVD to collect the ones I missed...

count.d posted:

The Shape of Water. Very disappointing given all the reviews and awards. Perhaps the awards were given based on it's lighting, sets, etc. I thought the film was childish, but with adult content.

Strongly disagree. We thought it was great. The lighting and cinematography were special, and so was the rest of it.

thebigfredc posted:

EJS posted:

Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

McDonagh's follow-up to In Bruges is a fantastic film carried by Frances McDormand as a bitter, guilt-ridden mother trying to shake up the police (and the community) into solving the murder of her daughter. She is surrounded by a colourful cast of characters including equally superb performances by Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, who make sure that her actions find plenty of grip. Some hard hitting emotional scenes balance out the dark comedy, much like as In Bruges. Don't miss it!

EJ

 

Thanks for the heads up regarding In Bruges.

We found it a most enjoyable, quirky film. I preferred it to 3 Billboards and it left us with a desire to visit the Venice of the North. 

In between In Bruges and 3 Billboards is McDonagh's also-excellent 7 Psychopaths. Highly recommended.

Thanks for another heads up - we shall have a look out for 7 Psychopaths.

Pacific Rim Uprising

Went in with lowish expectations, but what a blast! Incredibly fun film, and like Part 1 a candidate for the year’s best bad film.  Boyega and Eastwood, who acts like his dad in an exagerated fashion, manage to easily carry the film.

cheers

EJ

Ready Player One

Executive Summary
Desperately disappointing although technically excellent. A well acted reference fest that lacks an emotional center, and avoids all the questions that desperately need addressing in the areas within which it plays.

Thoughts (with mild spoilers)
The film is set in a dystopian future where most people appear to live in multi-story trailer parks. Their existence is centred on living in a virtual reality where they can live as someone else. This awful state is barely addressed by the film itself. It quickly dives into the faux reality and it is the stakes in that digital existence that form most of the drama that is addressed. The awfulness of living your life based around communicating with the avatars of (perhaps) people is acknowledged at the end of the film, as a barely thought about tacked on couple of lines.

The film has the main characters facing off against an army of people who must have known their morally ambiguous roles, but were happy to go along with 'The Company' in return for the material benefits gained. Something of strong resonance with the world we face today; and, something that was simply accepted as the norm and not addressed or confronted.

Overall we were given a dreadful world populated with people who had little moral or ethical centre, and neither of these situations was properly examined by the film. The main protagonist ONLY triumphed, whatever that means in this context, as the main antagonist appeared to suffer a moral twinge at the end - and, as he had acted in a dimwitted and direct way when he had staff available who would be more proficient and give him plausible deniability. Sloppy writing.

For me this film would have been so much better if it had concentrated on what was happening in the real world, with forays into the digital world that helped the protagonists solve and address problems they were facing.

The more I consider this film the less I like it. The only element I did enjoy was picking up all the references. My wife watched the first ten minutes and then fell asleep.

Duck Duck Goose

If you have children in the 4 - 12 age range then I think this will keep them nicely occupied, and there is some content for the accompanying adult; I have to say that i enjoyed it, but I can verge on the soppy.

Although based in the animal world it is all about the human world. Two children are separated from their siblings and are picked up by an injured adult who thinks of them as mobile cover, the rest is a tale of bonding , but done well. You will see a number of borrowed homages, or simple plagiarism, but this will simply go over the head of the target audience.

This film does have some nice animation and a few directorial flourishes, I particularly enjoyed the sequences in the caves and later in the film when some daring do was called for, I won't get any more specific as that would be spoilers.

If you have children in the right age range then I would say this is a solid recommendation.

M

Black Panther, now I am excited to see The Avengers: Infinity War. 

Ready Player One - II

Spoke to a friend of mine who is 16 this morning. He told me he was so disappointed in this film that he walked out 40 minutes before the end. His summary echoed my own.

M

A fascinating documentary about the now-defunct UK music weekly and its chief staff photographer. At this showing at the Regent Street Cinema (right next to the plaque commemorating the formation of Pink Floyd), director Coles and MM stalwarts, Chrises Welch and Charlesworth were on hand to take questions. Worth 85 minutes of your time if it comes on telly, orr to a fleapit near you.

Infinity War

This film is Thanos's. It is he upon whom we concentrate and who gets development, everyone else are bit part players; but, boy some of those bits are fun, and dramatic.

For anyone with even a passing interest in the Marvel universe this is not difficult to follow or complex, as long as you have an understanding of the powers of the stones; the Dr Strange primer being especially relevant.

Any irritations? For me there is the standard trope of simply having hoards charging at each other, at a stroke three thousand years of strategy and tactics is forgotten as we return to the school yard. I can accept that they are not aiming to recreate Waterloo but some nod in that direction would be appreciated, at least by me.

My only hope is that in Part II they do NOT simply wind back the dramatic moments of this film, ape Game of Thrones and have some true emotional weight.

Recommended.

M

Avengers IW

It’s quite good.

Deadpool 2

If you enjoyed the first then this will b right up your alley. I did, laughed a lot.

M

Mr Underhill posted:

Deadpool 2

If you enjoyed the first then this will b right up your alley. I did, laughed a lot.

M

Not long back from watching Deadpool 2. Can't remember the last time i laughed so much during a film. Great bit of entertainment. 

I'll leave you with this phrase from the film "prison wallet". I'll say no more....   

Mr Underhill posted:

Deadpool 2

If you enjoyed the first then this will b right up your alley. I did, laughed a lot.

M

Does one need to have seen the first one to enjoy the second?

Entebee

I remember the hijacking and eventual outcome from the news when i was about 10 so it was  interesting to revisit the subject as a 50 something and to get a wider appreciation of the political backdrop to the events.

6 out of 10 for the actual film, could have been better could have been worse.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Sergio Leone's masterpiece - perhaps the best western ever, and certainly one of the finest pictures ever made - was given a limited theatrical re-release in a sparkling new print.

It looks stunning at the cinema and just gets better and better with age, despite (or perhaps because of) its glacial pacing. Fonda (cast very much against type) and Robards are superb, while Tonino Delli Colli's cinematography and Morricone's score are magnificent. Leone's framing and slow cutting are wondrous and his use of the vast, bleak landscapes of Monument Valley in Utah are unsurpassed in any western.

Well worth three hours of your time.

The trailer doesn't do justice to the picture's monumental quality, but here it is for those interested...

Kevin-W posted:

 

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Sergio Leone's masterpiece - perhaps the best western ever, and certainly one of the finest pictures ever made - was given a limited theatrical re-release in a sparkling new print.

Well worth three hours of your time.

 

 

Great film.

Fonda was who Leone wanted to play 'The Man with No Name'; kicked off Clint Eatwood's film career instead.

Kevin-W posted:

The trailer doesn't do justice to the picture's monumental quality, but here it is for those interested...

Jack Elam presaging his greatest role in 'Support Your Local Sheriff':

.......maybe not!

M

Kevin-W posted:

Mr Underhill posted:

Deadpool 2

If you enjoyed the first then this will b right up your alley. I did, laughed a lot.

M

Does one need to have seen the first one to enjoy the second?

You'll know what your getting yourself into ....and whether you'll enjoy it.