[Film] Film 2014

[Brightonfan1983]

Boyhood

Richard Linklater filmed the same actors once a year for 12 years.
While I wouldn't say it's the masterpiece that many critics have it is an excellent film about childhood, adulthood, parenting and growing old and up

The lad gets worse at acting as he gets older! Great concept, really well executed - I've got a lot of time for Linklater, you at least know he believes in what he's doing (see 'Fast Food Nation')

 

[London Irish]

Boyhood

Richard Linklater filmed the same actors once a year for 12 years.
While I wouldn't say it's the masterpiece that many critics have it is an excellent film about childhood, adulthood, parenting and growing old and up

This will probably end up being the critics' film of the year so I approached it nervously, given how over the top they were about Under the Skin which I utterly hated.

But yes, it was a hugely enjoyable and charming 2 and half hours - it doesn't set out to say much, people are all "winging it" and the key line is people don't seize moments, but moments seize them, ie. it is somewhat fatalistic about life - you bumble along without much clue and have to take what it serves up. While that all rings true, it's not inspirational or very profound stuff.

So I am wondering if I will remember much about this film a year from now - my guess is probably not. Another feted American indie film I saw last year Frances Ha covered similar ground to Boyhood and I've nearly all but forgotten that as well, it was another enchanting but ultimately listless (pointless?) drama.

Anyway here's an interesting article examining critics' approval of Boyhood
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwi...d-for-film-criticism-and-for-boyhood-20140804

 

[Meade's Ball]

For a film starring the oldest teens on screen, The Inbetweeners 2 was quite amusing. Nothing smart about it, but the likability of the 4 lads just about ties together a series of gross-out scenes and comical embarrassments for the hapless foursome with a minute narrative somewhere beneath them to largely ignore. Not sure they could really stretch it to a third, or really hide the wrinkles, but this one did enough for me and girlfriend to give us some childish giggles.

 

[big nuts]

For a film starring the oldest teens on screen, The Inbetweeners 2 was quite amusing. Nothing smart about it, but the likability of the 4 lads just about ties together a series of gross-out scenes and comical embarrassments for the hapless foursome with a minute narrative somewhere beneath them to largely ignore. Not sure they could really stretch it to a third, or really hide the wrinkles, but this one did enough for me and girlfriend to give us some childish giggles.

I'm a fan of the series but I thought this was poor. A few laughs but the series has run it's course now.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I saw the film Once on Filmfour a few years ago and reasonably enjoyed it's gentleness. The music in the musical seem not so out of place as it does in most when people burst into song at the merest sniff of an emotion welling up inside them and wail supposedly mellifluously when either love or death approach them closest. The makers of Once look to repeat the trick with Begin Again, but this time starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo as the unavoidably-glued-to-music strangers brought potentially together by lyric and song, and it's largely a laughable 90 minutes or so. Part of the can't-stop-laughing-ness of it comes in the shape of Knightley's generally appalling acting mixed in with her incessant gurning. Ruffalo is made out to be an out there down-on-his-luck talent-spotter who might just have refound his ticket to the good times in the form of the pilled-up-chinny Knightley, but for all his charms the Ruff is a hugely unbelievable fop full of stereotypes that deserve to be derided. Compared to Once, this is just cheesily unrealistic and lacking the quality of song to make one forget the unlikeliness of what one's watching. But Bruce Forsthknightley makes it a generally funny viewing, by accident.

Before the film i saw some trailers of films i beg to soon avoid and particularly that Hector and the Search for Happiness makes me want to kill.
Anyway, Begin Again was better than that seemed to be. But not by much. I still wanted to punch a number of the "actors".

 

[piersa]

Inbetweeners2 is better than 1 and is one of the funniest films I have seen.

 

[Randsta]

I recently saw Guardians of the Galaxy > and I thoroughly enjoyed it, one of the best films I've seen in a while - It had a good balance of action and comedy so I would recommend you see it.

 

[Beach Hut]

Inbetweeners2 is better than 1 and is one of the funniest films I have seen.

Excellent review, going to see this film tonight

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I recently saw Guardians of the Galaxy > and I thoroughly enjoyed it, one of the best films I've seen in a while - It had a good balance of action and comedy so I would recommend you see it.

Saw this too and had minimal expectations. Turned out to be the most enjoyable cinema trip in a long while.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I ought to be thankful that during my sicklier times, which are growing to be all too regular, i am able to toddle around the block to see some good cinema. I thank myself for that really, and dread the time when i select somewhere new to live and the distance betwixt me and a theatre is more than an 8th of a mile. This afternoon, with a rucksack full of paracetamol and Halls Extra Strong, i had the emotional experience of watching Two Days One Night, the latest piece of growingly piercing naturalism from the Dardenne Brothers. What a gripping 90 minutes. Tis the tale of Marion Cotillard embarrassingly pleading with her workmates, one by one, to give up their bonuses in exchange for her keeping her job. It perhaps sounds unthrilling, but blimey some bits of it grabbed me by the heart, whilst the knowledge that the seemingly broken Sandra, played excellently by Cotillard, had a mere weekend to visit colleagues and ask for their help at their own cost had the build-up to the final vote incredibly suspenseful.

Not every moment was perfect, and the ups and downs of Sandra's journey were not entirely believable further along, but it got me to thinking of workplaces and friendship and decency and self-interest and how my expectations of workmates may have lessened down the years, whilst hoping their expectations of me haven't. I thought of difficulties my mother had at Sussex Uni and my girlfriend at the BBC, both left isolated and drained by a lack of support from above above and around them, leaving them feel so unwanted and worthless; and of myself during my more unwell times and how now i'd look to support my workmates, even down to those i generally haven't much feeling or time for now, if they were in need.

A really good drama. Two Days One Night.

 

[Nibble]

Saw The Rover yesterday on Shaftesbury Avenue Curzon. A nice cinema but ignorant staff, as my mate said, that's what happens when you exclusively hire 21 year old hipsters who are more interested in reading their book than helping. Anyways, the film was superb. Guy Pearce looking grizzly and acting brutal as the loner who Will stop at nothing to get what he wants and Robert Pattinson doing a splendid turn as the simple but ultimately decent man in peril.

It's a stark, post Apocalyptic thump of a picture with lingering shots of the Australian outback from the director of Animal Kingdom. It has adults doing adult things, none of your Decaprios sporting "proof of age" facial hair or Thomas Mapother Cruise III's piloting transforming robot monsters through LA.

I give it a solid 7/10. Very good indeed.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Into The Storm

Fantastic special effects and some very gripping scenes but the " story " is a vehicle for the Tornado's and special effects and nothing more. Worth a watch, cinema was sold out. I would give it 6.5, mainly for the technical merits of the film

 

[albion534]

Saw Lucy last night

went in with zero expectations, but was pleasantly surprised,good popcorn film, plus Scarlett Johanson in a bra always helps

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Into The Storm

Fantastic special effects and some very gripping scenes but the " story " is a vehicle for the Tornado's and special effects and nothing more. Worth a watch, cinema was sold out. I would give it 6.5, mainly for the technical merits of the film

Watched this yesterday and all i could think of was all the faults with various scenes which seemed to be all the special effects rather than having any basis in reality. A typical effects driven Hollywood blockbuster. (for example, a 300mph twister approaches an airport and the nose of a plane gets torn off before the twister is that close yet the plane (a 747) would normally fly at far higher speeds at that or when they are all hiding in the school and there are students being pulled by the power of the tornado outside but the doors at the end of the corridor barely open or move, even as the schools roof is being ripped off above it. both scenes are in the trailer i think)

Avoid imo - far better on offer for your money.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Watched this yesterday and all i could think of was all the faults with various scenes which seemed to be all the special effects rather than having any basis in reality. A typical effects driven Hollywood blockbuster. (for example, a 300mph twister approaches an airport and the nose of a plane gets torn off before the twister is that close yet the plane (a 747) would normally fly at far higher speeds at that or when they are all hiding in the school and there are students being pulled by the power of the tornado outside but the doors at the end of the corridor barely open or move, even as the schools roof is being ripped off above it. both scenes are in the trailer i think)

Avoid imo - far better on offer for your money.

It was ok but then I am easily pleased. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Maleficent both wiped the floor with Into The Storm. 6.5 for me is a low score

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I watched Gravity yesterday and can't see what the fuss is all about. Stunning cinematography but pretty implausible, only so much shit can happen when you are lost in space!

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I watched Gravity yesterday and can't see what the fuss is all about. Stunning cinematography but pretty implausible, only so much shit can happen when you are lost in space!

Clooney did complain at the wrap party that spending all that time filming in space was too much like watching 'soccer' from the ESU - absolutely no atmosphere.

 

[Worthingite]

Went the cinema to see Sex Tape with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal. Basically a 2 hour long advert for Apple products, and the only humour I derived from this "comedy" was picking up on every little bit of product placement there was!!!

Incidentally, first time in a couple of years I've been to Cineworld- usually go to the Dome in Worthing- and f**k my life, I nearly had to sell my kidneys when I totted up the cost of 2x tickets, 1 small popcorn, 1 small bag of pick 'n' mix and two bottles of coke- just under £40 to see a bloody film!! Absolutely mental....

 

[brighton_girl87]

Went the cinema to see Sex Tape with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal. Basically a 2 hour long advert for Apple products, and the only humour I derived from this "comedy" was picking up on every little bit of product placement there was!!!

Incidentally, first time in a couple of years I've been to Cineworld- usually go to the Dome in Worthing- and f**k my life, I nearly had to sell my kidneys when I totted up the cost of 2x tickets, 1 small popcorn, 1 small bag of pick 'n' mix and two bottles of coke- just under £40 to see a bloody film!! Absolutely mental....

Yeah it's crazy! Long gone are the days of me just going to the cinema to see a film I'm only mildly interested in seeing, I now only go see a film if it's something I've been looking forward to for ages and I can't wait for it to be released on dvd/netlifx/download etc.

 

[Acker79]

It's been a while since I last went to the cinema because the films that have been out just haven't interested me. I did catch a couple more showings of Guardians of the Galaxy.

But I went this past weekend for a triple bill

Lucy
I expected it to be a bit more fun in tone, more like The Fifth Element, but it was a more "serious" action film. Like a lot of action films, especially those that have a degree of fantasy sci-fi in them, there was an element of humour, just not as much as I expected.

Generally decent enough though.

The Boxtrolls
I knew nothing about this, but den of geek has been raving about it, and it allowed fit between lucy and the guest so I figured I'd take a look.

A dark and twisted "kids" claymation film about boxtrolls (trolls that live in cardboard boxes) who raise a baby (they supposedly stole) underneath a town that is terrified by them. One of the townsfolk is working to rid them of the boxtrolls.

It was quite fun, several laugh out loud moments, and a cute end credit bonus scene.

The Guest
I'm not sure what I thought of this. I think it was generally fine enough to round out a triple bill of films, but had I made the effort to go to the cinema just for this I may have been disappointed.