What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[yoda]

Flight

The trailer essentially outlines the plot of the film so I won't go into that.

The plane sequence is incredibly gripping, I was sitting on the edge of my seat as soon as "shit went down". Denzel Washington is, as one might expect, good but it is the weakest performance of the Oscar Best Actor category. That's not a criticism of him, it's just that this performance (and character) is up against four very good performances.

The supporting cast are good enough: John Goodman obviously has fun, Don Cheadle does what is required, and I quite like Kelly Reilly as an actress, although she's nothing special acting-wise. Several noteworthy cameos from Melissa Leo, Judge Phelan from The Wire, Barrigan from The Departed, and Catalina from My Name Is Earl. The soundtrack is enjoyable as well.

However, my main problem is that I found the film very heavy handed in it's preaching (if you've seen the film you'll know what I mean) and the comic relief seemed pretty forced at times. Other than Washington, I didn't find it engaging (other than the plane sequence). There is one scene/shot which I thought was outstanding, featuring nothing more than a miniature bottle of vodka.

6.5/10

[Albino Rover]

yoda: I agree with your point about the theme of religion in Flight. Not long back from rewatching it and it stood out even more the second time around. There are religious extremists as well as cynics, I didn't feel particularly preached-to throughout,

but it does become clear by the end that the religious encounters had an impact on Whip. As far as "seeing the light" goes, that kind of plot often appeals to me (see Jake LaMotta- "I once was blind but now I can see"), and troubled characters with crises of conscience make great films, so I don't fault that, but I agree religion and religious imagery played too big a part in the film, from the cancer patient to the co-pilot and his partner to the plane hitting the church roof and Christians helping save the passengers...it was certainly laid on thick.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Albino Rover

[Daviehaybhoy]

Typical of yoda to reject a film because of a hint of religious belief and the benefits that has for those of suitable faith. The narrow mindedness of some people astounds me

[yoda]

I'm not adverse to "seeing the light" playing a role in films either. Anyway, the trailers were a highlight - I like the look of Side Effects.

Typical of yoda to reject a film because of a hint of religious belief and the benefits that has for those of suitable faith. The narrow mindedness of some people astounds me

You say that but I count There Will Be Blood as one of my favourite films, and there's plenty of religious imagery in there. There's plenty of religious undertones in other films I like but that doesn't fit your tedious trolling agenda Sheamus.

Edited February 19, 2013 by yoda

[yoda]

I'll let you in on a secret...

I like it because a Christian gets killed with a bowling pin.

[DomDom]

Think we should just ignore any of seamus' "KAFFLICKS RULEZ~~~!!!" stuff in this thread. Let them bite to that shite elsewhere.

[Daviehaybhoy]

Lawless

7/10

Luggy thinks he's the man

[Albino Rover]

In America

Everything I've heard about this film has been positive, and everything of Jim Sheridan that I've seen has been brilliant. I finally watched this film and my high expectations were met.

It's about a family of four Irish illegal immigrants who move to New York not just for a prosperous future, but also to escape their demons of the past. At first they are swept away by the bright lights and The American Dream, but eventually they realise not only that life in America isn't as easy as it first looks, but that you can't run away from your problems.

The story is told from the point of view of Christy, the elder of two daughters. The family arrive in America and we quickly get to know their personalities, relationships and secrets. Everything develops into a something very special to watch, and it becomes a real fairy tale. The family face every sort of problem they could imagine including unemployment, poverty, living in a dangerous neighbourhood, isolation from other people,

grievance and unplanned pregnancy

and all these difficulties are portrayed realistically and creatively by both Sheridan's writing and directing and his wonderful cast.

There are all kinds of magic moments in the film; it's packed with humour and optimism as well as genuinely moving troughs of tragedy, with lots of goodies who you can't help but will to come out well in the end. The film also contains one of the best directed sex scenes that I've ever seen. They seem so hard to do without being distasteful, or to an extent uncomfortable, but there's one in this film that sticks out as being actually very good.

I touched on the acting, which is top notch from Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton, as well as a triumphant and heroic performance as the troubled soul and unlikely family friend, by the Beninese acting dynamo that is Djimon Hounsou. Last, and certainly not least, I'd like to mention the Bolger sisters, Sarah and Emma, who play Christy and Ariel with all the strength and emotion of their adult colleagues. Another thing I like about the personnel involved is Jim Sheridan's almost all-Irish crew; it's wonderful that a film like this was made in America without any Hollywood or even East Coast egos in sight.

It's a magical film, all about realism, optimism, friendship, family and dealing with problems, and despite its modesty and charm the results are nothing less than breathtaking.

When Christy's voiceover broke the fourth wall at the end, it sealed my opinion that this film is one of Ireland's finest works of cinematic art.

9/10

[54_and_counting]

Avengers Assemble

I'll admit that this review will likely be biased as i have really enjoyed the Marvel superhero films in recent years, but baws to it im sticking it in here anyway.

Cracking film, the effects are as good as you would expect for a big budget superhero film, but what stands out is the way that the characters managed to slot into a group theme no bother.

Another good part is some of the one liners in the film, plenty of parts made me laugh, most notably including the hulk.

Wont score the film 10/10 as every film can be improved on, but its not far away imo from being it, with the simplicity of the plot there isnt many places where it seems flimsy or falls apart, the film does what it says on the tin

Looking forward to Iron Man 2, Thor 2 and Captain America: Winter Soldier, then we have Avengers Assemble 2

9/10

[DomDom]

It's a fun ride really. Plenty of action, and Whedon put together a decent script for it too, which made Tony Stark both a smartarse and likeable, which Iron Man 2 couldn't achieve.

[54_and_counting]

It's a fun ride really. Plenty of action, and Whedon put together a decent script for it too, which made Tony Stark both a smartarse and likeable, which Iron Man 2 couldn't achieve.

It felt like they tried too hard in iron man 2 tbh, i think in AA the fact it wasnt just him helped tone his character down

[WFAANW]

Think it was ZULU. Doesn't have the flash effects of modern films but still some pretty epic scenes especially near the end

8/10

[forehead7]

Looking forward to Iron Man 2, Thor 2 and Captain America: Winter Soldier, then we have Avengers Assemble 2

There's a Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming out in 2014 before Avengers 2 (2015) which will also be a tie-in to the universe.

I'm not hugely familiar with the series but I expect it'll tie into the villain for 2 (if you saw the post-credits scene when you watched Avengers then you'll know who)

[54_and_counting]

There's a Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming out in 2014 before Avengers 2 (2015) which will also be a tie-in to the universe.

I'm not hugely familiar with the series but I expect it'll tie into the villain for 2 (if you saw the post-credits scene when you watched Avengers then you'll know who)

could be interesting if they manage to tie it in properly, hopefully they explain the guardians of the galaxy thing a good bit so if they do end up in avengers 2 (especially if the villain ends up the same) we dont just think "oh where did they come from"

[11thHour]

Still cant buy into the popularity of The Avengers. Didnt think it was any good at all, some of the script is downright cheesy and I thought a lot of the acting really lacked. Probably has something to do with me only really enjoying the two Iron Man films. The others really fell short for me.

[forehead7]

could be interesting if they manage to tie it in properly, hopefully they explain the guardians of the galaxy thing a good bit so if they do end up in avengers 2 (especially if the villain ends up the same) we dont just think "oh where did they come from"

I have no idea but I don't think any of the heroes from Guardians of the Galaxy will be in Avengers 2 but if they are, then it'll probably be similar to how Loki was introduced in Avengers, you'll see scenes taken place off-Earth and it'll show them coming down.

I'll spoiler it since it's based on easter eggs that take place in previous films but I haven't read any spoilers or anything so it's purely from my head;

Thanos will break into Asgard in Thor 2. I don't know if Loki will be involved but when the Jottun broke into Asgard and you saw the armoury, there was an item in it that looked a lot like the Infinity Gauntlet. It's a glove and you attach 5 power gems to it and if you have all six of those then it's immensely powerful. So I reckon we'll see him take that. I don't know if they'll bother with him trying to get the gems (in the comics, they split the gems up and each of Iron Man, Mr Fantastic, Professor X, Blackbolt (member of Inhumans - race who live on the moon) and Namor (Atlantian King - live under the sea) took the gems, I think) so having the gems involved would need to extend the film a lot.

I really am not sure about how the Guardians of the Galaxy tie into it. I didn't think they were at all popular, not when there's loads of characters like Black Panther, Dr Strange, Vision who've yet to make it into a film. I suspect we'll see them encounter Thanos first given they're outside the Earth and Thanos will probably f**k them up. That's what I'd do anything, use that film to make Thanos look destructive.

[DomDom]

I've not enjoyed Captain America or Iron Man 2, but other than that, I've been fairly entertained by the whole thing. I'm not looking forward to the sequels though, if Iron Man 2 is anything to go by. Apart from the actual Joss Whedon Avengers one.

[Christophe]

A Good Day To Die Hard - I don't know why I watched this, but this is a contender for one of the worst films ever. Don't watch it. Please. Absolutely none of it makes any sense whatsoever. Everything is just completely implausible. Terrible dialogue, no character motivation, action scenes filmed so quickly but you can still figure out how it's bollocks, people jumping out of windows without knowing there's anything to break their fall, but of course there is. The bad guys are rubbish, it's meant to be in Moscow but filmed in Budapest (no pointless shots of Red Square even?), just utter, utter tosh

ZERO

[DomDom]

If you liked the last one, does this still apply?

[~~~]

It breaks my heart what they have done to Die Hard in recent years. they should have left it at with a vengeance