Albino Rover Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 From the director of two very honourable films about the second World War, it's a disappointment to see one which looks like it's mostly about the importance of shooting towel-heads. I've also just seen it likened to "Nation's Pride", the Nazi propaganda film in Inglourious Basterds- which is an interesting comparison. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Joseph Stalin Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 American Sniper 8/10. Thought it was brilliant. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raidernation Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Divergent 7.5/10 Never read the book, ended up watching this last night by accident as it had just started as I got home. Enjoyed it, maybe a bit obvious teenage romance in places (infinitely better than any of that whole twilight/vampire type pish), but a decent idea, decent plot and it didn't drag. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raidernation Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Divergent 7.5/10 Had not read the book, and came across this purely by accident, it was on when I got home last night. Possibly a wee bit predictable, but thankfully and teen romance was kept to a minimum (unlike, say, twilight, or any of the other teen vampire/sci-fi/fantasy stuff kicking about these days). Enjoyed it, decent premise, a pleasant surprise, and a film I might not have gone out of my way to watch. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banana Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Started watching hobbit no 2 but got a bit bored, noticed it was ~3 hours long too, so cut it off around the hour mark.. Random dude has recut the idiotically long, half 'fictional' trilogy into one 4-hour movie. Can download it from his page: https://tolkieneditor.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/i-have-recut-peter-jacksons-hobbit-trilogy-into-a-single-4-hour-film/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Grave of the fireflies Is on my list :-) I don't think I'm ruining it to say the opening scene of that film is the ghost of a boy watching over himself starve to death in a subway station, and that marks the lightest part of that film. I didn't just sheaf a tear watching that film, I wept buckets. Be prepared. Brilliant but heartbreaking. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Skidmarks Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 American Sniper Republican propaganda and a fake baby. 4/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) The Sweeney 9\10 made for a decent Saturday night in last night Not the most joined-up storyline and it creaked a bit in parts (wasn't quite sure about the casting of Carter), but I really enjoyed this too. I've never been a huge fan of Ray Winston, but the film was made for him. Edited January 21, 2015 by Hampden Diehard 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the jambo-rocker Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Whiplash 9/10 From a critical point of view, I didn't think that Birdman was going to be bettered anytime soon, yet here we are. JK Simmons steals the show, it's absolutely no coincidence that he got the Oscar nomination. They even manage to make a torn face wee shit like Miles Teller not hateable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I thought that Teller wasn't likeable at all. Mainly because he had nothing to work with though. He gave it a good shot I thought. There's a couple of massive holes which led me to decide that Birdman is the best movie of the year so far, but Fletcher alone makes this run it close, even if the whole thing appears to be a vehicle for Simmons. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophe Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) (500) Days of Summer SHIT/10 Zoe Deschanel is an unbearable c**t for two hours Edited January 21, 2015 by Christophe -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophe Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 52 Tuesdays 8/10 Australian film in which a woman becomes a bloke and her teenage daughter has a threesome. Quite touching. Not porn. Better than Godzilla. -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteRoseKillie Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 American Sniper 5/10 Pretty well made for a 84 year old and not quite as gung ho as I'd expected but still pretty much Merica f**k YEAH! without a whole lot of subtlety or introspection. Exactly why it only got forty five minutes of my attention. At least Starship Troopers was funny... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albino Rover Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Boyhood A story that's been done before, in a method that hasn't, this film records a young Texan literally growing up from child to adult, along with his sister, parents and temporary acquaintances, doubling as a semi-nostalgic journey back through this century so far. The boy's name is Mason, his elder sister is Samantha and his divorced parents are Olivia, the insecure mother played by Patricia Arquette, and Mason Sr., the weekend dad who does as much growing up in those twelve years as the children- he's played by Ethan Hawke. Over the years the mater and pater have plenty to chew on: the film basically begins on Hawke's re-arrival after not seeing his son and daughter for 18 months; he takes them on outings to bowling alleys and baseball games, and plays them a song he wrote for them. He re-enters his children's lives as a 21st century hippy, and his gentle transition over time is slow-burning fuel for a terrific acting performance by Mr. Hawke. His on-screen ex-wife handles her load every bit as touchingly: in a husband, women might think the three most important things to look for are financial security, physical security and a loving father to the children, and Olivia finds all three of those, only in three separate husbands, each of whom also possesses severe flaws- which are exacerbated by chemicals. As a single parent she makes Mason and Sam's decisions for them- she makes sure they have shoes on their feet and food in their mouths, but she also moves them from home to home across Texas and exposes them to some very scarring environments. That constant juggling act doesn't allow much time for self-satisfaction, which to this inexperienced 21-year-old seems like a genuine portrayal of how life is for most parents. I think this, along with Ron Howard's Parenthood, should be compulsory viewing for anyone thinking of having children. It's perhaps predictable that the pro actors outplay the kids, but I can't emphasise enough my appreciation of the on-screen brother and sister, Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater, who gave their childhoods to the cause. I had felt that way about the young cast of the Harry Potter films, who spent much of their childhoods going back to the same film set, but these two take it to another level- they practically have their DNA on the screen. Some people might see a flaw in Mason himself, who is a bit of a stereotype: a lot of what he does is the stuff of cliché, which makes him quite annoying, but I think that's an accurate picture of modern life. He goes through phases, fashions and haircuts, and talks garbage like most teenagers do- and it's all captured soberly and candidly by Richard Linklater, who did an extraordinary job as this film's director. While it's not as effective a growing up story as many others, it's a complete original and it's undeniably much more ambitious. The whole film was a big risk by everyone involved, but I think it really paid off. 8/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.C Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Just watched Ex machina. Really interesting concept and very well done 8.5/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albino Rover Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Whiplash This film is very interesting. It's excellently written, shot, cut and acted, without an unintentional false note to be seen or heard, but it goes deeper than that- designing a unique teacher-pupil relationship within the setting of an ambitious jazz orchestra. The pupil is Andrew, a talented young drummer who won't settle for just being talented- he wants to become the best. He earns a trial in said orchestra, conducted by Mr. Fletcher- an extreme disciplinarian with no code of morals, who will do anything to make his students achieve greatness, including severe personal abuse, physical violence and strategic lies. Fletcher makes his players' lives hell, but Andrew doesn't even settle for that: he's just as hard on himself- he draws blood on a nightly basis trying to make himself great- and makes the personal sacrifices he sees necessary, devoting his life to the drum kit. If you've ever wanted to become great at anything, this film is a vivid interpretation of what it must be like. Some people have likened Mr. Fletcher to the gunnery sergeant from Full Metal Jacket; I saw him more like Sir Alex Ferguson, hair-drying and boot-flinging his team to success. In any case, J.K. Simmons, the master of bit-parts, handles his substantial role exceptionally well: his character gets all the good lines, and he weaponises every one of them to perfection. But that's as far as the film's message really goes. It's a great premise and it arrives at a very satisfying conclusion, but almost nothing is left to the imagination; I wanted it to go further and try more. I hope writer-director Damien Chazelle can do that with his next film, as this showed a lot of promise. The film seems to work for a lot of people but, while I can't fault the cinematics, it didn't hit me as hard as it could have. 8/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Ted 7/10 Project X 7/10 Horrible Bosses 6/10 Blue Valentine 8/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Jackie Brown - 7/10 - Pulp Fictionesque and Samuel Jackson is unreal. Funny as f**k and easy to watch. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Fresh - 8.5/10 - great watch, very easy going, liked the whole gangster element with the kid and the way it plays out is very very clever. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBud Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 City of God: 10/10 Exodus, Gods and Kings: 2/10 The Ultimate Gift: 2/10 Jackie Brown: 10/10 Foxcatcher: 9/10 Godfather Part Two: 10/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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