What have you watched recently? 3D!

Fuascailteoir

The evil dead. Not really a Christmas film but one which has managed to retain its 'charm' after 40 years. Is the nastiest of the trilogy but by far the best. Stands as an example of what a group of friends can achieve when committed and driven to make a movie. Is no fluke that Raimi went on to direct a number of large films as his talent for movie making and experimenting with the camera is evident in his first outing around 20 years of age or so. Bruce Campbell is the perfect lead for this movie and most certainly was for the two sequels. Will be interesting to see where the next director takes the franchise as he was awarded it on the strength of hole in the ground

El Gato De Negocios

Love, Actually

Charming, sad, funny, cringey and sometimes wholly unbelievable, ie, exactly what a Christmas film should be. Very enjoyable film, the scenes with Gregor Fisher and Bill Nighy being the comedic highlights, Emma Thompson in the bedroom while Joni Mitchell plays retains all of its emotional punch, even with repeated viewings.

8/10

Sword of Vengeance

Early 70s Japanese samurai movie based on the "lone wolf and cub" manga. The Shoguns chief executioner is set up for treason by a shady tribe so he goes off on his merry way to seek revenge with his toddler in tow and dispatchs various ne'er-do-wells on his journey. Originally released in the UK as part of the movie Shogun Assassin (the first two movies in the series chopped in half and spliced together) this is just great. I've seen them all before however Criterion released all 6 of the movies in a gorgeous blu ray boxset a little while back so this was my first dive into it. The movie looks and sounds stunning and it nicely sets up what is to come, hopefully I will have the chance to get through a few more of them over the next week.

9/10

kerplun k

Anchorman 2
It’s aged very well. It’s more relevant than ever.

Homelander

Usually over Christmas I try and watch a wide range of movies, and so pick a few from different genres knowing very little about them other than being relatively well received. So far I've watched:

Blood on Her Name - really excellent low-key drama/thriller about an accidental killing that spirals out of control because the person responsible is too kind hearted for her own good. Amazing cast really make this unsettling and tense drama work.

Cold Pursuit - this one really surprised me, expected a predictable Liam Neeson out-for-revenge vehicle, what I actually got was a fairly solid homage to the Coen Brothers. Dark, stunning visuals, with plenty twists, and Neeson isn't as front and centre as I expected, at all.

The Rental - very solid, bleak debut from Dave Franco, who I believe wrote it as well. Combines drama and horror very well, and the former drives the latter in an actually fairly unique way as these movies go. Made even better by great turns from the cast, which include Dan Stephens and Allison Brie.

Good Boys - Completely silly and most definitely not family-friendly comedy about three naive, dorky "tweens" who embark on a ridiculous adventure as they desperately try to learn how to kiss before the big 6th grade kissing party on that night. Think Super-Bad, but for 12 year olds. It's stupid, but it has amazing heart.

Mulan - Probably the only film over Christmas so far that I've been lukewarm about, it's visually quite interesting and the first half is reasonably good, but the second half is a bit of a mess, completely lacking in imagination and by-the-numbers, and doesn't even have any genuinely thrilling battles, fights or encounters to offset that. Not the worst thing you will ever see, but wouldn't recommend it either.

Of those, Blood on Her Name would be the best film, but I'd say I enjoyed Cold Pursuit the most. All very solid though with the exceptin of Mulan, and again it isn't terrible, just not good.

Fysh

Barking Dogs Never Bite I've liked all of Bong Joon-ho's films that I've seen (although some are better than others) so it was interesting to watch his first feature film. It is recognisable as his work, albeit in an unrefined and less polished form. As with several of his films it is a wonderful black comedy.

The Midnight Man I wanted to watch something easy while I did my ironing and saw this listed on All4 On Demand. It starts out well enough, but degenerates into the kind of pish where the central premise no longer holds. There is a game where you summon a demon who will show you your worst fear, and you have to follow the rules to stay safe. Buuuuut....the demon breaks the rules, the game has no clear prize for victory, it's never explained what the demon gets out of things (or what makes it decide you've been scared enough to be killed) and the characters have no obvious reason for being played other than Plot Induced Stupidity. So rather than a passably entertaining supernatural horror to pass the time while I did a heap of ironing, it turned out to be an unsatisfying load of arsegravy. One to avoid.

johnny_ultimate

(Train to Busan presents) Peninsula: What a waste Recognisably a spiritual successor to the excellent Train to Busan, but gets lost in a larger-scale and super-bland post apocalypse. As someone who watches a lot of the good and bad of modern Asian cinema, I know they don't have the CG budgets or resources of Hollywood - but christ they really overshot with their ambitions here, and it just looks dreadful for long stretches with PS3-level effects. Stick with Train... - that's focused and thrilling where this is meandering and dull.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn - One of the absolute best films about cinema - as an experience, an artform, a physical space, a concept - there is. Perfection in utterly transfixing long takes. The new Blu-Ray is a pleasure to behold.

The Woman Who Ran - It's this year's Hong-Sang Soo joint, and predictably is a film that's both extremely straightforward and deceptively tricksy. I of course loved every second of it. One of the year's best, but that's par for the course at this stage with Hong's work rate.

Happiest Season - What a difference a cast makes. I swear if the casting had been slightly lower-tier this could well be a substantially worse film. But by over-casting nearly every role this seasonal rom-com is elevated into something more charming and winning than its shamelessly generic foundations suggest. Obviously the change of a familiar genre piece to a lesbian perspective adds some welcome freshness too (and the writing generally strikes the right balance of humour and schmaltz), but it's a cast working overtime that sells this as a perfectly tolerable watch. Slap that on the poster: 'perfectly tolerable'.

Air Force One - Never watched this before, but it was a mandatory destination in my ongoing tour of the 90s action movie canon. Not sure if I hallucinated the third act of this film, because it's completely bat**** insane to a frankly gobsmacking degree. For at least the first half of the film we're talking about a relatively taut, lean piece of 90s gubbins. But it goes so outrageously off the rails in almost every respect (from its increasingly ludicrous action to its unashamedly offensive geopolitics). Absolutely awful, but embarrassingly entertaining.

'FILMS ABOUT RUNAWAY TRAINS' DOUBLE BILL

Unstoppable - I've never been able to warm to Tony Scott's frentic visual style, but this is plenty enjoyable. I really like that the runaway train is not caused by terrorism or any such nonsense, but simply a dude ****ing up at work. Turns into a delightful story of workplace solidarity and working class ingenuity, while also being a gripping thriller about a train that's going fast.

Runaway Train - as the title helpfully suggests, this is indeed a film about a runaway train. It's also about Jon Voight and Eric Roberts battling to see who has the most bizarre accent possible. It's a draw in that regard. But as far as runaway trains go, this train is at least 150% more runaway than the Unstoppable one and going at quite frankly ludicrous speeds. The whole film has a deranged 80s pace and tone to it which you have to salute. In conclusion, I would rate this a 'runaway train' out of 'runaway train'.

Heckler

Maybe not quite a Christmas film but I watch Edward Scissorhands every Christmas. Danny Elfmans score is beautiful. Everyone rags on Depp and Burton blah blah but both at their finest here. I think Depp speaks about 2 lines in the whole movie but the character is captivating. Cinematography is gorgeous. And Alan Arkin. And Vincent Price !

Love it. Very underrated.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Heckler wrote: »

Maybe not quite a Christmas film but I watch Edward Scissorhands every Christmas. Danny Elfmans score is beautiful. Everyone rags on Depp and Burton blah blah but both at their finest here. I think Depp speaks about 2 lines in the whole movie but the character is captivating. Cinematography is gorgeous. And Alan Arkin. And Vincent Price !

Love it. Very underrated.

People rag on Burton now, but surely not on his early films? ESH, Beetlejuice, his Batman films, all classics.

shrapnel222

wonder woman 1984 is one big steaming pile of doodoo. god it's awful

Sugarlumps

Downhill – A skiing trip goes array, Ferrell and Dreyfus star. Miranda Otto had a notable mini role. Worth a watch.

Just Friends – Reynolds & Farris. Love this film, lot of laughs.

flasher0030

Sugarlumps wrote: »

Downhill – A skiing trip goes array, Ferrell and Dreyfus star. Miranda Otto had a notable mini role. Worth a watch.

Just Friends – Reynolds & Farris. Love this film, lot of laughs.

A gem of a movie. I think it's hilarious. Anna Harris is brilliant as the brass, obnoxious chick in it. Ryan Reynolds gives his best impression of Jim Carrey acting, but it works. I think I'll throw it on again today. God damn it, I need a good laugh. This may have been the start of that Reynolds style of acting. The smart-ass stuff.

shrapnel222

Sugarlumps wrote: »

Downhill – A skiing trip goes array, Ferrell and Dreyfus star. Miranda Otto had a notable mini role. Worth a watch.

the Swedish original Force Majeure is a million times better

Sugarlumps

shrapnel222 wrote: »

the Swedish original Force Majeure is a million times better

Will check it out.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Sugarlumps wrote: »

Just Friends – Reynolds & Farris. Love this film, lot of laughs.

I watched this again recently, having loved it but not seen it for a couple of years, and I was surprised how much of it has aged quite badly. There's some casual homophobia from the brother and even the basic plot, 2 guys trying to anger bang a girl who wasn't interested in them in high school, isn't great. 95% of it is still hilarious and Chris Klein and the mother steal every scene they're in, but there were a couple of moments I found quite jarring.

IAMAMORON

Mystic River 2003

Hadn't watched it in years and was thoroughly intriguing last night on TG4. Denis Lehane has written some great Bostonian crime dramas ( Gone Baby Gone springs to mind) and this was picked up by Clint Eastwood only 2 years after he finished it. It is a great mystery and acted wonderfully throughout. Well worth a watch.

It got me looking at the Oscar noms for 2003 and it really was a savage year for movies. The awards were swept by the Lord of the Rings ( a bit meh imo ) but also rans include great great movies such as

Master and Commander
Cold Mountain
City of God
Lost in Translation
In America
House of Sand and Fog ( very underrated )
The Barbarian Invasions ( hillarious French Canadian farce )

IAMAMORON

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Mystic River 2003

Hadn't watched it in years and was thoroughly intriguing last night on TG4. Denis Lehane has written some great Bostonian crime dramas ( Gone Baby Gone springs to mind) and this was picked up by Clint Eastwood only 2 years after he finished it. It is a great mystery and acted wonderfully throughout. Well worth a watch.

It got me looking at the Oscar noms for 2003 and it really was a savage year for movies. The awards were swept by the Lord of the Rings ( a bit meh imo ) but also rans include great great movies such as

Master and Commander
Cold Mountain
City of God
Lost in Translation
In America
House of Sand and Fog ( very underrated )
The Barbarian Invasions ( hillarious French Canadian farce )

good but very grim affair.

In America was sentimental drivel on the other hand I thought.

shrapnel222

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Mystic River 2003

Hadn't watched it in years and was thoroughly intriguing last night on TG4. Denis Lehane has written some great Bostonian crime dramas ( Gone Baby Gone springs to mind) and this was picked up by Clint Eastwood only 2 years after he finished it. It is a great mystery and acted wonderfully throughout. Well worth a watch.

It got me looking at the Oscar noms for 2003 and it really was a savage year for movies. The awards were swept by the Lord of the Rings ( a bit meh imo ) but also rans include great great movies such as

Master and Commander
Cold Mountain
City of God
Lost in Translation
In America
House of Sand and Fog ( very underrated )
The Barbarian Invasions ( hillarious French Canadian farce )

Huge fan of city of god and the barbarian invasions. Never heard of house of sand and fog so will definitely check it out!

al87987

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Mystic River 2003

Hadn't watched it in years and was thoroughly intriguing last night on TG4. Denis Lehane has written some great Bostonian crime dramas ( Gone Baby Gone springs to mind) and this was picked up by Clint Eastwood only 2 years after he finished it. It is a great mystery and acted wonderfully throughout. Well worth a watch.

It got me looking at the Oscar noms for 2003 and it really was a savage year for movies. The awards were swept by the Lord of the Rings ( a bit meh imo ) but also rans include great great movies such as

Master and Commander
Cold Mountain
City of God
Lost in Translation
In America
House of Sand and Fog ( very underrated )
The Barbarian Invasions ( hillarious French Canadian farce )

Some great films there although I haven't seen the last three, will check them out, City of God is special though and a cut above the rest.

shrapnel222

watched Soul last night. Lovely big hearted pixar. very enjoyable

NIMAN

Over last 2 nights watched Soul and Uncorking.

Was slightly disappointed in Soul if I'm honest. Maybe it's because pixar films have set such a high bar these days. It was good for sure, but just not up there with their best imho.

Uncorking appears to be a Netflix made film, about a guy whose dad wants him to take over the bbq business but he wants to be a sommelier. Enjoyable watch.

RocketRaccoon

We watched The Big Sick on Prime last night, didn't know anything of the storyline before hand but it was thoroughly enjoyable. The first time I've watched Ray Romano in something and didn't want to punch him.

Mad_maxx

Ma Raineys Black Bottom

done nothing for me whatsoever despite the rave reviews

nothing against plays on screen but this didnt do it

Another Round - 2020

Quite original drama with some comedy elements about 4 Danish teacher friends who decide to explore the theory that life may be more bearable and indeed optimal by maintaining a low-ish blood level of alcohol throughout the day. Most people will recognise Mads Mikkelsen (and if you've seen The Hunt Thomas Bo Larsen).

Certainly worth a watch.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10288566/

7.7 / 10

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Over last 2 nights watched Soul and Uncorking.

Was slightly disappointed in Soul if I'm honest. Maybe it's because pixar films have set such a high bar these days. It was good for sure, but just not up there with their best imho.

Uncorking appears to be a Netflix made film, about a guy whose dad wants him to take over the bbq business but he wants to be a sommelier. Enjoyable watch.

Uncorked

Sugarlumps

Sugarlumps wrote: »

Downhill – A skiing trip goes array, Ferrell and Dreyfus star. Miranda Otto had a notable mini role. Worth a watch.

Just Friends – Reynolds & Farris. Love this film, lot of laughs.

The original is much better.

Del.Monte

"Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019) on DVD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxy8udgWRmo

By far the weakest of the Terminator movies but a must have if you're a fan like me. The whole movie looked tired, the script was as confusing as ever and both Arnie and Linda Hamilton also look tired, the all important special effects offered nothing new.

It's in my collection now but it could be years before I give it a second look. Can it really be the last of the Terminator franchise?? 4/10

Ridley

Well, my first movie of 2021 was The New Mutants. Meh, felt like an extended pilot for a TV series that will never happen for the most part but I'll take it over Psylocke wandering through Auschwitz in her swimsuit and whatever the limbo Dark Phoenix was.

Plus the audio commentary is an interview with Bill Sienkiewicz and now I wish film-length talks with the creators was a thing on every comic movie (especially on the ones where I know next to nothing about the source material).

shrapnel222

First movie of the year for me was "promising young woman". First movie from the director of killing eve. A revenge movie with plenty of dark humor as you'd expect, and a fantastic performance by Carrie Mulligan. Really enjoyed it.

Tony EH

Del.Monte wrote: »

"Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019) on DVD.

Can it really be the last of the Terminator franchise?? 4/10

Here's hoping.

Mad_maxx

Del.Monte wrote: »

"Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019) on DVD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxy8udgWRmo

By far the weakest of the Terminator movies but a must have if you're a fan like me. The whole movie looked tired, the script was as confusing as ever and both Arnie and Linda Hamilton also look tired, the all important special effects offered nothing new.

It's in my collection now but it could be years before I give it a second look. Can it really be the last of the Terminator franchise?? 4/10

i really enjoyed it myself , saw it a month ago , a solid 6 out of 10 for me