Film 2013

[Brightonfan1983]

I must say this thread is full of really enjoyable and very readable stuff!

Saw The Hunt last night, a Danish - maybe 'family' - drama which was very very good. It made me very angry and a bit upset in quick succession, and the acting is faultless. A quick google will tell you the story but watching it unfold was a treat.

 

[vegster]

Behind The Candelabra

Saw this with Mrs V on an impulse tonight at the DOY's. very impressed overall. Michael Douglas as you have never seen him before or probably again gives a wonderful portrayal of Liberace.He manages to shuffle between being a predatory homosexual and someone vulnerable who hides behind his stage persona. This was based on the book written by Scott Thorsen, who was Liberace's live in lover in all but name. It charts their meeting and life together and deals with the way the relationship falls apart in acrimony at the end. Moments of great humour and yet some vulgarity appear hand in hand with sadness and camp kitsch.

Very enjoyable, 7.8

 

[Stat Brother]

Finally got round to seeing Star Trek today.

I really enjoyed it.
I'm not quite a Trekkie but I certainly know a good Kirk & Spock interpretation, when I see one, and the characters are very well played.
BC is great channeling his inner Lector.
The visuals are stunning.

But I think this was all rather let down by the story, and constant nods to Wrath of Khan.
Once the plot was set, it was basically a rerun of Wrath, so suspension went out of the window.

Oh and Alice Eve is smokin hot, even with her clothes on!!!

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Recent Movies

Iron Man 3 - 2D
Wonderful film. Very funny, whilst taking the time to explore the damage that being Iron Man can do to a person. A tight, yet clever plot. Ben Kingsley is very good as the Mandarin. 9/10

Star Trek in Darkness - 3D
A proper romp of a movie, that whips along at 100 miles and hour from the start. I'm sure if it slowed down long enough plot holes would appear, but there's no time to rest as the story moves on. All of the main crew have something to do in this one. I really enoyed it though, and I know there's a lot of hatred amongst Trek purists for the way it borrows from Trek Prime stories, but I was fine with most of that, with the odd glaring exception. Visually beautiful, especially in 3D. Lots of lense flare. 8/10

The Hangover Part III - 2D

Having enjoyed the 2 previous outings in a guilty pleasure sort of way, I was hoping for more of the same here. Oddly, they move away from the setup / loss of memory / what on earth did we do? / re-tracing their steps formula, which i thought was a shame. It is funny at times, but in my opinion not as good as the 2 previous outings. The final mid-end credits scene is however, hilarious. 7/10

 

[vegster]

Finally got round to seeing Star Trek today.

I really enjoyed it.
I'm not quite a Trekkie but I certainly know a good Kirk & Spock interpretation, when I see one, and the characters are very well played.
BC is great channeling his inner Lector.
The visuals are stunning.

But I think this was all rather let down by the story, and constant nods to Wrath of Khan.
Once the plot was set, it was basically a rerun of Wrath, so suspension went out of the window.

Oh and Alice Eve is smokin hot, even with her clothes on!!!

It was not so much a nod to Wrath of Khan, more an introduction to the character. In WoK, Khan, the super genius escapes and seeks revenge against Kirk and the boys for getting him banged up and later marooned on a planet full of evil King Ragworm. Expect our anti hero to return from time to time.

 

[Stat Brother]

I know Veg.

But did they have to go so far as to have an identical story, with the same script, even the same inflection to the words.

What are the chances EXACTLY the same events happen in 30 years time.
The radiation death, the inability to touch, the cry of KKKhhhaaaannnnnn.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I sat through Hangover 3 last night and i pretty much despised it from the off. Oh my god it was just awful. Finding the horrendous scrote played by Gianafilikikisakas at all amusing or bearable to watch was simply beyond me. What a horrid creature. The others spend all their time very boringly waiting for him to say another of his off-centre comments and then look at each other despairingly. An embarrassment for the bit-parters throughout. I just found it a terrible and mirthless watch. The idea that there could be a trilogy of this tripe angered me much of the way through.
There.
Strangely, on the cycle back from there to where i play football on a Monday night, i stop at a traffic light dutifully. Who pulls up to stop next to me? That's right: BORIS JOHNSON. I had seen him a few years ago cycling without a helmet and waving at fans around a roundabout, like a dimwitted madman. Yesterday, i tap him on the shoulder and tell him how i saw him in the past on that occasion. I said well done for wearing a helmet now and that the roads aren't really somewhere to play around on are they. I doubt i taught him a lesson of any sort. A woman behind me said HEY BORIS I LOVE YOUR BIKES, to which i replied something along the lines of THAT WAS RED KEN'S BLOODY IDEA, and cycled off as the light went green. An odd momentary episode, i thought. I am a very cowardly person and never say anything much to anyone, but for some reason i felt the need to tell Boris i had seen him act as a danger on the roads, and i felt alright with it. Inspirational, that Boris, accidentally.

 

[vegster]

I know Veg.

But did they have to go so far as to have an identical story, with the same script, even the same inflection to the words.

What are the chances EXACTLY the same events happen in 30 years time.
The radiation death, the inability to touch, the cry of KKKhhhaaaannnnnn.

I must admit that the Kirk radiation death bit was a straight rip off of the Spock radiation bit. However, there is some classy chin to chin from Pine and Quinto. great double act.
Not sure we saw a lot of Khan prior to TWoK, lots of references to him being a twisted psychotic genius, personally I always thought Ricardo Montalban was a tad too sweet for the role

 

[Acker79]

Man of Steel
Over all, I liked this. I have issues, starting with too many recognisable faces taking me out of the moment. There was a fear that Snyder would over use his fast/slow/fast effects in fight scenes, nfortunately, he doesn't use them at all. When superma and the kryptonians fight at superspeed, it is hard to keep track of what was going on, and it would have benefited from slowing the action down. Amy Adams and Henry cavill lack chemistry, but then I'm not overly fond of Amy Adams, or Russell Crowe, who had a much more significant role as jor el then one might expect.

That said, this is much more actiony than previous instalments, you get to see superman let loose in a fight, and I always tend to enjoy superhero movies. It felt very reminiscent of nolan's batman films, there was a greater emphasis on the sic fi aspect of superman. Previous films and TV shows have shied away from alien looking things, which has led to the misconception that he is invulnerable. With kryptonian monsters, and spaceships etc. a world of sci fi is opened up for sequels. Henry seemed to do well as superman, I'm not convinced by his Clark though. The genius of Christopher reeve (and the under appreciated talent of Brandon routh) was the way they played Clark as a different character making it slightly less unbelievable that people didn't notice the similarities. I also think I like the approach they have taken with the Lois and Clark relationship.

But all things considered, I enjoyed this, and shall watch it again.


Epic
I didn't have high hopes for this. Generally, cartoons set in forest communities tend to be preachy and dull, and lay on the environmentalist angle a bit much. This was ok, though. A bit too heavy or serious making it less fun, but fine enough.


After earth
Awful. It's like will smith acted badly in the hopes his son looked better by comparison, but it didn't work, and so both main characters were awful. He story was predictable, the most convincing, sympathetic and well performed character was a cgi bird. Worst (of 43) films I've seen at the cinema so far this year.

 

[RowleyBirkinQ.C(deceased)]

I too saw man of steel this evening, epic action, amazing battle sequences, hugely disappointing. Its the first film in ages that I've walked out at the end and felt really flat. Was all style little substance, which could be forgiven if there was some humour, a la Ironman, there was none. The first half of the film wasn't too bad but (trying not to give too much away)the second half, scene after scene of destruction and mayhem just gets tiresome. I didn't mind Russell crow as supermans bio father but winced when I saw Kevin Costner as the Earth father. As for for Henry Cavill as the main guy, looks the part but again, I was very disappointed, probably wasn't helped by some very cheesy dialogue. overall it was a bit of a let down and I'm gutted to be so negative because I was really looking forward to this. Oh well, just hoping worlds end and world war z are better.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Having garnered some very tasty reviews, the common law partner and I went along to this in anticipation of a celluloid feast. Great acting, great costumes/sets and great make up but it lacked a certain edge and I was borderline bored throughout - there are only so many times you can watch Damon and Douglas sipping champagne in the bath together before it wears a little thin. Didn't quite live up to the hype for me.

6.9 octaves out of 10.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I should add that the above is for Behind the Candleabra!!

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

Last week, I trotted along to the Komedia for the Danish film A Hijacking. Unsurprisingly, it's about some Danes whose ship gets hijacked by some modern-day pirates. It's shot in a documentary style, so it feels quite gritty rather than a typical Hollywood film. Having said that, it doesn't feel very rough round the edges - it's shot well, particularly the contrast between the chaos on the boat and the silent tension of the office in Denmark, which works really well. There is a big focus on the psychological effects of all involved, not just for the people on the boat but also the guys doing the negotiating too. It's gripping, tense and powerful. I give it 8.8. Go see it while you still can.

 

[Nibble]

Point Breaks. A surfing film set in the early 90's starring Keanu Reaves and Nic Nolte as a cocky CIA agent and an older ex-con gone straight respectively following a gang of burglars as they try to raise money for sky-diving and their extreme hobbies. River Phoenix plays the burglar, Banditsatva who dies at the end instead of being killed by cops. He falls off a high wave. It's brilliant.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Point Breaks. A surfing film set in the early 90's starring Keanu Reaves and Nic Nolte as a cocky CIA agent and an older ex-con gone straight respectively following a gang of burglars as they try to raise money for sky-diving and their extreme hobbies. River Phoenix plays the burglar, Banditsatva who dies at the end instead of being killed by cops. He falls off a high wave. It's brilliant.

Shiver me timbers Dribble!

 

[Meade's Ball]

The last time i can recall being at a trilogy in one sitting was the Star Wars lot sometime in the mid-80s, down the Odeon on West Street. During Jedi many people had grown bored and i seem to remember a fight breaking out between my troop of 10 year olds and a similar-aged lot a row or two ahead, all thanks to the mysterious tossing of a bananaskin by one of the "gangs". Today, no scraps were had, but someone did fall asleep with tedium, albeit in film 2 of the 3, awaking themselves with an ear-cracking snore. There was very very little at all childish in the at times gruelling threesome put together by Ulrich Seidl, a director i'd not seen the work of before. The trilogy is called Paradise, each chapter being Love, Faith and Hope. They're linked by each being tough tales about related individuals, each of them female.
The first if of Teresa, a chunky woman in and around 50 who leaves Austria for a trip to Kenya, a jaunt laced in determined sexual frolics with the unknown that her friend has already gleefully discovered - black flesh. The resort itself is Paradise, for white people that is. The scenery is stunning and guards endlessy walk to prevent invaders. A foot-high rope is the barrier on the polished white beach between the bathers and the Kenyans who stand statuesque, their arms and hands filled with dangling jewelry they'll look to harass to sell as soon as the sea is approached and the guard put on hold. On top of those knick-knacks on the for sale list are the genitals of the salesmen and the feigned love they offer for the middled-aged women seemingly so desperate for affection and another chance for love. It's a sordid affair with misplaced alliances and sexual hunger fed at a price for both sides. It's all told in a matter-of-fact way, and that means the sex being as candid as the violence in bits then seems. Tough to watch at times, but amusing in odd places too.

The second tale is back in Austria of Teresa's sister, a zanily devout catholic who holidays around her hometown to find those in need and convert them to catholicism with the aid of the model of the Mother of God in her bag. Her faith is tested by the return of her crippled muslim husband who is not the nicest of chaps, horribly aggressive and even screaming like a vampire when she squirts some holy water on him. The messages in this tale are a little too obvious, but again sometimes darkly amusing. And near the start of it our nun in waiting accidentally stumbles upon some nighttime dogging of which the details are openly pornographic, so there are no holds barred, as we then see with our holy sister whipping herself for what she'd seen and nakedly asking for Jesus' forgiveness.

The final part is of the daughter of our Kenyan traveller, only 14, and her time at a diet camp. A slightly less uncomfortable viewing, this teen making friends in this military style camp and coming of age, although doing it in a bit of a wrong way by falling for the 50-year old doctor who seems in ways to be leading her on. It's fairly clear that in fact she wants father figure and confuses this desire with one of a sexual nature, but the potential sins of this medic of responsibility could be severe if their togetherness physicalised. Having seen erections and shaven parts in the last 2 chapters, i feared for the worst, but we're allowed to fear without everything being shown in this one.

Overall, i thought it was good enough. Not a laugh a minute over the 6 hours, but managed to mix the hardcore and heartbreaking with a slight lightheartedness that lifted the potential pure depressiveness of it all. The stories themselves were gripping enough in spite of their ploddingness and the acting was generally darkly honestly excellent. I might need a bit of a break before i see any of the other bruising works of Seidl. He has a style though, a merciless one, with something to say and that's refreshing in comparison with much of the vapid Hollywood fare i fling myself groaningly in front of.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Although i had some light enjoyment of the Superman films with Christopher Reeve stiffly being the indestructable man-alien, i never had any love for him in comicbook form. Clark Kent wasn't bequeathed with varied character and the godly status of Superman made him too far from humanity to be given either empathy or sympathy in the hard times. In seeing the hugely uninspiring Zack Snyder take on him the other evening, again i am witnessing a rocky creature without any layered depth. I blame Snyder and Nolan for that really. The latter has a continued moody boyish wish for superficial darkness in his adventures in which dialogue is either lost under the clatter or generally rather empty/purely story-leading. Snyder, on the other hand, evaporates the slightest sense of human feeling from his narratives, intense in his wish for show rather than fluttering heart. Put the two of them together and you have a flashy, smileless piece of fare, and that's what's there.

It was by no means atrocious and some of the graphics were keen, but i was dismayed by the cheap hammyness shown by nearly everyone - particularly Crowe and Shannon, the latter a groaningly bad Zod. And some of it just didn't make any believable sense. Maybe Superman was a novice in his duties, but the sense that he would fight someone with identical powers to him in a fully-populated sister rather than lure that villain to the wilderness was ludicrous. And the lack of much or any Clark Kent made it shoddy in terms of one of the major hurts for any hero being them having to live in disguise.
I came out of the cinema with my usual shruggishness. Good graphics at times, but a bit measly in emotion or tension.

 

[martyn20]

I really felt Man of Steel showed the wrong way to make a superhero movie where Iron Man and the Avengers have shown the right way

 

[Meade's Ball]

I really felt Man of Steel showed the wrong way to make a superhero movie where Iron Man and the Avengers have shown the right way

I'm with you there over Man of Steel attempting the dreary Batman formula. Not GREAT films at all those two, but they had a bit of humour in amongst the world crises and didn't bore on with these endlessly grim faces.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Not the ideal pick but i thought it'd be ok after a bit of overtime: World War Z. I had wishes for Brad Pitt, it's characterless star, to have been chewed apart by zombies, but sadly, as the hero, that can't really happen can it. Or can it. No, it can't. Still, the film, part-produced by Pitt, took advantage of him not saying many words and therefore only sometimes lowering the efficacy of the piece with his chumpy drawl.
Tis a film of mania and a world-ending onslaught of these suddenly rabid once-humans with a taste for blood. Not much time really for thought and analysis. Everyone is just running for their lives and the laws normally attached to zombies aren't much gone into. Just the hunt for what started it all and finding an antidote. Luckily, former UN undercover super-surviver in the form of the chiselled and emotionally non-descript Pitt. Pow.
It was ok to be honest. The 3D-ness seemed irrelevant and unnecessary and both the graphics and acting of these flesh-feasters was a bit inept, but the set-pieces were decent and suspenseful. Twas a shame though that even as a 15 they didn't allow us to see much clubbing of beasts of the dead. I was hoping for a tad of gore. Ah well.

Not bad.