Film 2009

[Easy 10]

Inglourious Basterds was my fave film of 2009. FANTASTIC performance from Christoph Waltz as Landa (the "Jew Hunter"), he absolutely steals the show from Brad Pitt. Its not what you'd call action-packed I'd agree, but long scenes of dialogue is just what Tarantino does, and the writing for this was splendid. Can't wait to watch this again, its on my blu-ray list for christmas.

 

[Nibble]

Inglourious Basterds was my fave film of 2009. FANTASTIC performance from Christoph Waltz as Landa (the "Jew Hunter"), he absolutely steals the show from Brad Pitt. Its not what you'd call action-packed I'd agree, but long scenes of dialogue is just what Tarantino does, and the writing for this was splendid. Can't wait to watch this again, its on my blu-ray list for christmas.

Yeah, The Landa character is fantastic. I think I need to give this another viewing overChrimbo and re-assess. I thought Brad Pitt was trying far too hard to be cool in this.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Has anyone seen 'Eve Green'?

A magical book, but unsure as to whether to see the film.

 

[Easy 10]

Yeah, The Landa character is fantastic. I think I need to give this another viewing overChrimbo and re-assess. I thought Brad Pitt was trying far too hard to be cool in this.

Well, Brads character is kind of tongue-in-cheek, supposed to be totally OTT and I thought he played up to that well.

Its one of those films that will, I think, get better with further viewing. I remember I was totally underwhelmed when I first went to see Reservoir Dogs, probably because I was expecting more action, but now its firmly lodged in my all-time top 5. Its the performances and the writing that make it so compelling, and I G falls into that bracket for me as well.

 

[Questions]

Avatar
Well, where do you begin ? This film has an awesome sweep and it could be said to be a little over long. The thing is, sometimes, you don’t want a film like this to end !

Without ruining the film too much there are numerous nods to previous sci fi films, actioneers and genres. I picked up on touches of Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Aliens and it even seems a little Shrek-like in its early innocence.
Jake Scully is a paraplegic who is given a chance to join the Avatar programme , at short notice on the planet Pandora, when his brother is killed in a robbery. The Avatar programme is a “Hearts and Minds” operation wherein humans control test tube grown Pandorans who can be linked via a neural net. Jake becomes reborn when inhabiting his avatar and can live the life of a huntin’ shootin’ redneck as he learns the ways of Pandora and the Na’vi inhabitants.
The trouble is The Company, mining for a mineral unique to Pandora, has discovered the Na’vi people are living right on top of the equivalent of the Kimberly Diamond Mine. The Na’vi have the disarming form of being 10’ high super athletes with exceptional hand/eye coordination and a longbow which can frankly launch spears! So, we are set for an epic clash of cultures.

Its said that this film is a subtle critique of American expansionism and indeed, there are almost direct references to recent events such as “ Shock and Awe”. Avatar can be viewed as either a blockbuster or a veiled criticism of U.S. foreign policy.

Jake develops a deep conscience and finds himself caught between the factions with his loyalties deeply divided. I suppose looking at the film with an objective eye, there are some clichés and I know this story has been done before but, never before, with such an awesome sweep of visual images. Top advice is to try to remember to breathe for the last 20 minutes or so !


This film can’t be rated in mere numbers, I’d just have to say it’s like jumping from Vinyl to CD, Propeller to Jet engine, Harvey’s to Dark Star !

Awesome !

Man joins other side and realises they are not the savages after all and joins their fight.
So its Dances with Wolves with a bit of Soldier Blue thrown in - I wish - The truth is it steals from just about every sci-fi/fantasy adventure film you`ve ever seen. The dialogue is quite frankly embarrasing at times and if this is the best Cameron can come up with, displaying such a lack of originality as this then maybe another 12 year break should be taken. Christ, he even ripped off a scene from his own dreadful Aliens from 1986 when Ripley gets in the bi-ped machine but reverses the good versus evil axis in the scene. He is a poor mans Ridley Scott IMHO.
I`ll give him the first Terminator film but thats it.

 

[Nibble]

Avatar . Shit film.

 

[vegster]

Avatar . Shit film.

Surely, only Uncle Spielberg can save this film from being canned ?...Uncle, If you are out there ?.... turn off that pirate copy of Transformers 2 and come back and save Cameron's reputation...

 

[herecomesaregular]

Christ, he even ripped off a scene from his own dreadful Aliens from 1986.

no wayyyyyyyyy!! Ok, Alien is the better film but Aliens was THE film of my youth and still one of the great 80s war films.

 

[Acker79]

I'm still avoiding avatar.

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold
M'eh. Some funny moments, but not enough to justify the film.

 

[dannyboy]

i enjoed avatar

8.3

yeh its cheesy , yeh its got crap dialogue but without doubt one of the most visually stunning films ever. dont try and analyse it too much , just go and enjoy it.

 

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold
M'eh. Some funny moments, but not enough to justify the film.

Saw this sunday evening. Was never going to top the original but wasnt an awful film by a long shot, however I won't be rushing back to watch it again anytime soon.

5.9.....and why is there a lizard there!!!

 

[Questions]

no wayyyyyyyyy!! Ok, Alien is the better film but Aliens was THE film of my youth and still one of the great 80s war films.

He ruins action films for me because of his ridiculous gung-ho battle scenes.

Even when I see scenes from Titanic I half expect to see some bad ass marines storming the boat and shooting up the orchestra.




edit ; actualy I dont think that would have harmed THAT film in the least.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

i enjoed avatar

8.3

yeh its cheesy , yeh its got crap dialogue but without doubt one of the most visually stunning films ever. dont try and analyse it too much , just go and enjoy it.

Thats the trouble some people cant quite grasp the "popcorn" type movie. They want a "message" or "juxtaposition" or a "social commentary" etc

Sometimes people just want to be entertained. Plain and simple. Also I know exactly what to expect when I go and see it - which is what you have said.

 

[keaton]

It's A Wonderful Life
Perfect
10

I'm man enough to admit I cried at the end

Muppet's Christmas Carol
Very entertaining
7.5

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Avatar was superb, I second what everyone has said on here regarding the cliched storyline etc - but go see it in 3D and WOW, just wow.

 

[Uncle C]

Avatar was superb, I second what everyone has said on here regarding the cliched storyline etc - but go see it in 3D and WOW, just wow.

Does 3D use the same old green/red specs that give you a headache after 10 minutes?

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Does 3D use the same old green/red specs that give you a headache after 10 minutes?

No. 3d films have moved on alot since then. You get quite funky plastic glasses to wear now and can even do "my name is Michael Caine" impressions in them!

 

[vegster]

Avatar was superb, I second what everyone has said on here regarding the cliched storyline etc - but go see it in 3D and WOW, just wow.

My point entirely, this story may have been done before, but never this spectacularly !

 

[Acker79]

Nine
There were massive queues, and I'd only given myself 5 minutes to spare, so the queuing led to me missing the first 5-10 minutes of Nine.
I really enjoyed it. The film relies heavily on the performance of DDL, and he was really really good, I thought. The music was decent, I really enjoyed the 'Be Italian' song that features in the trailer (performed by fergie), and one other, but I can't remember anything about it except that I liked it more than the others (though not as much as be italian), other than that the songs didn't stand out, like they were more narrative songs than stand out songs. I didn't think the make up/costumes/cinematography/camera angles etc showed the ladies in their best lights, big noses, double chins, wrinkles, chubby cheeks were all there to see.

There were technical issues, which made the sound quite awful in points, but I still enjoyed it.


Sherlock Holmes
I enjoyed it, but the place was sold out and it felt like people wanted to enjoy it, but felt the shouldn't in case they disrupt anyone else, like people wanted to laugh but thought other people might tell them to shut up. I did enjoy it, but it did have moments of silliness and guy ritchie-ness, but the main stars carried the film with their charms and chemistry.



I don't see myself squeezing in any more cinema visits this year (though still want to see nowhere boy, and a friend has mentioned forcing us to go see avatar because he hates us). So here is the summary of my cinema year:

Movies I've seen at the cinema this year (2009). *=I own on dvd
My ratings are quite arbitrary, and are strongly influenced by my mood just after watching them. I look back and think I'd give different ratings to lots of films, but can't be bothered to actually do that now.

Jan
*1). The Spirit (8/10)
2). Yes Man (6.5/10)
*3). Slumdog Millionaire (8.1/10)
*4). My Bloody Valentine 3D (6.4/10)
5). Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (6/10)
6). Frost/Nixon (8.6/10)
*7). The Wrestler (8.2/10)
8). My Bloody Valentine 3D
9). Valkyrie (6.8/10)
10). The Reader (8.6/10)

Visits: 10
New Films: 9

Feb
11). Milk (7.9/10)
12). Revolutionary Road (7.8/10)
13). Nick and Norah's Infinite Play list (7.1/10)
14). Bolt 3D (7.6/10)
15). The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (6.2/10)
16). Doubt (8.1/10)
17). He's Just Not In To You (7.9/10)
18). Vicky Cristina Barcelona (5/10)
19). Push (6.8/10)
20). Friday the 13th (6.1/10)
21). Franklyn (6.2/10)

Visits: 11
New Films: 11

Mar
22). The International (5.7/10)
23). Gran Torino (6.5/10)
24). The Unborn (6/10)
*25). Watchmen (8/10)
26). Marley and Me (7.8/10)
27). Young Victoria (7.6/10)
28). Lesbian Vampire Killers (8/10)
29). Paul Blart: Mall Cop (6.7/10)
30). Duplicity (8/10)
31). Knowing (7.9/10)
*32). Monsters v Aliens (8.6/10)
33). Haunting in Connecticut (7.1/10)

Visits: 11
New Films: 11

Apr
34). The Boat That Rocked (8.6/10)
35). Dragonball Evolution (6.9/10)
36). Fast & Furious (5/10)
37). Race to Witch Mountain (6.4/10)
38). 17 Again (7.8/10)
39).[P1] In The Loop (7.2/10)
40).[P2] Let the Right One In (7.9/10)
41). Crank: High Voltage (7.9/10)
42). State of Play (7.2/10)
43). Observe and Report (6.2/10)
44). I Love You, Man (7.6/10)
*45). X-Men Origins: Wolverine (6.8/10)

Visits: 12
New Films: 12

May
46). X-Men Origins: Wolverine
47). I Love You, Man
48). Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (7.4/10)
49). Coraline 3D (7.3/10)
*50). Star Trek (8.2/10)
*51). Angels and Demons (7.1/10)
52). Tormented (8.3/10)
53). Night at the Museum 2 (6.3/10)
54). 12 Rounds (5.9/10)
55). Drag Me To Hell (8.2/10)

Visits: 10
New Films: 8

Jun
*56). Terminator: Salvation (6.6/10)
57). Last House on the Left (6.3/10)
58). Star Trek
59). The Hangover (7.3/10)
*60). Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (7.7/10)
61). Transformers 2
62). Transformers 2
63). Year One (6.9/10)
64). Night at the Museum 2
65). Terminator Salvation

Visits: 10
New Films: 5

Jul
66). Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (6.1/10)
67). Public Enemies (8.2/10)
68). Bruno (7.9/10)
*69). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (8.8/10)
70). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
71). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
72). The Proposal (7.1/10)
*73). The Blues Brothers (9.1/10)
74). The Taking of Pelham 123 (7.3/10)
75). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Visits: 10
New Films: 6

Aug
76). G-Force 3D (6.6/10)
*77). GI Joe (6.2/10)
78). The Ugly Truth (6.4/10)
79). The Time Traveller's Wife (7.1/10)
80). Aliens in the Attic (5.7/10)
*81). Bandslam (7.9/10)
82). Dance Flick (6.1/10)
83). The Final Destination (6.6/10)
84). The Final Destination
85). GI Joe
86). Inglourious Basterds (7.9/10)

Visits: 11
New Films: 9

Sep
87). 500 Days of Summer (7.2/10)
88). District 9 (8.1/10)
89). Funny People (8.0/10)
90). District 9
91). Dorian Gray (7.4/10)
92). Julie and Julia (8.0/10)
93). Gamer (6.4/10)
94). Sorority Row (6.3/10)
95). Fame (7.1/10)
96). Creation (7.6/10)
97). Surrogates (6.8/10)
98). The Firm (6.7/10)

Visits: 12
New Films: 11

Oct
99). Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (8.0/10)
100). The Soloist (6.3/10)
101). Pandorum (7.2/10)
102). The Invention of Lying (7.3/10)
103). Zombieland (7.9/10)
104). Zombieland
105). Halloween 2 (7.1/10)
106). Pandorum
107). The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (8.1/10)
108). Saw VI (7.3/10)
109). Couples Retreat (7.9/10)
110). Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (6.8/10)
111). Saw VI
112). 9 (7.8/10)

Visits: 14
New Films: 11

Nov
113). The Fantastic Mr Fox (8.3/10)
114). Up 3D (7.4/10)
115). Men Who Stare at Goats (7.3/10)
116). Jennifer's Body (5.4/10)
117). 2012 (5.4/10)
118). The Informant! (7.1/10)
119). Harry Brown (7.7/10)
120). Law Abiding Citizen (7.6/10)
121). Nativity! (7.9/10)
122). Fantastic Mr Fox

Visits: 10
New Films: 9

Dec
123). The Box (3.4/10)
124). Twilight: New Moon (3.5/10)
125). Planet 51 (6.6/10)
126). Paranormal Activity (5.9/10)
127). A Christmas Carol 3D (7.0/10)
128). Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakual (5.1/10)
129). Where the Wild Things Are (7.4/10)
130). St Trinian' 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (5.4/10)
131). Nine (8.3/10)
132). Sherlock Holmes (7.8/10)

Visits: 10
New Films: 10


Number of Different films seen: 112

 

[Questions]

My point entirely, this story may have been done before, but never this spectacularly !

Pa, what do you know about films anyway. You only went because you`ve got a new chick and you wanted a big snog. Bet you never even watched the movie.