[Film] Film 2017

[sussex_guy2k2]

I was just to write of Jackie. I'm very much with you in that Portman was for the most part excellent, yet didn't make the character likeable at all, and it made me wonder of Portman's intent. Bits of it were very good, and there were elements of the chaos in amongst the trauma of such graphic and personal loss - what could and would she be now, or what could a woman be in those days of male-led inequality, how can she build on the myth of her husband's greatness, in part as I am sure we would all do when someone so close has gone, but also to her own sense of public identity - but whichever messages it was trying to release weren't clearly painted. I liked her in interview mode, of how in control she was whilst the remorse seemed to have begun to drift away a tad. The music was a bit much toward the end too. Was alright, but could have been more interestingly told. And without Greta Gerwig, whose hipster-face is even less changeable than Actorfleck.

I totally agree with all of that. Her motivations even seemed scewed with regards to just how intimate and loving her relationship really was with her husband, but again, that impression came from a couple of throwaway comments she made about their relationship which were never really shown further or built upon.

That had nothing to do with Portman, however. She had me. But it led to a lack of identity for the character, with how they'd written her. It's a shame, as it had the potential to be a 10/10 with slightly slicker writing.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Lion was very good and had a big emotional hit for me. Some really good films around atm so for me this year

La La Land 95 out of 100
Lion 86 out of 100

Next to see Hacksaw Ridge

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Opening day matinee of T2 Trainspotting seem to take forever to come around. Much like Southern trains really. But its here now, and I'm happy to report it is magnificent, a totally fitting sequel to the iconic original. Same cast (20 years older, if very little wiser), same flash panache Danny Boyle direction, same gorgeous swelling soundtrack that veers from banging to melancholy and back again with no halfway house. Fillets the bones of Porno, then cleverly weaves together the remaining strands into a formidable whole. If you loved and cherished Trainspotting for the past couple of decades, you'll not be disappointed with this effort. 9/10

 

[banjo]

Opening day matinee of T2 Trainspotting seem to take forever to come around. Much like Southern trains really. But its here now, and I'm happy to report it is magnificent, a totally fitting sequel to the iconic original. Same cast (20 years older, if very little wiser), same flash panache Danny Boyle direction, same gorgeous swelling soundtrack that veers from banging to melancholy and back again with no halfway house. Fillets the bones of Porno, then cleverly weaves together the remaining strands into a formidable whole. If you loved and cherished Trainspotting for the past couple of decades, you'll not be disappointed with this effort. 9/10

Great review, booked tickets to see this on Monday. Can't wait.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

La La Land

Quite simply the best film I have seen in the last 5 years. It is an absolute delight from start to finish. As near to perfect a film it is possible to be

A homage to the Hollywood musical greats and a brilliant addition to a forgotten genre

So many memorable scenes and a wonderful score I do not know where to start

Brilliant acting and a great script and story

Oscars will be showered on this film if there is any justice

It is firmly in my top 10 films of all time

I will be amazed if there is a better film than this in 2017

95 out of 100

Absolutely loved it.I was sceptical because of the hype but the opening scene (one shot, maybe two?) had me hooked.

 

[wakeytom]

Opening day matinee of T2 Trainspotting seem to take forever to come around. Much like Southern trains really. But its here now, and I'm happy to report it is magnificent, a totally fitting sequel to the iconic original. Same cast (20 years older, if very little wiser), same flash panache Danny Boyle direction, same gorgeous swelling soundtrack that veers from banging to melancholy and back again with no halfway house. Fillets the bones of Porno, then cleverly weaves together the remaining strands into a formidable whole. If you loved and cherished Trainspotting for the past couple of decades, you'll not be disappointed with this effort. 9/10

Agreed Tom although I feel a 9 is a little stingy and this could weigh in for me with a perfect (day) 10

Its almost hard to talk about without giving things away - all I wanted it to be

 

[Worthingite]

Agreed Tom although I feel a 9 is a little stingy and this could weigh in for me with a perfect (day) 10

Its almost hard to talk about without giving things away - all I wanted it to be

You may have been in the same screening as me at cineworld- it was rammo!!

Agree in every single way. Brilliant film- everything I wanted it to be and more

 

[Wilko]

Just saw Lion. Brilliant, js such a lovely film and the young actors are exceptional. Not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eyes too.

 

[Buzzer]

A heads up for anyone with Netflix - I watched a great film on there recently: Rogue Agent. Don't be put off by the very crap title, it's an above average thriller set in Serbia and a relatively unknown cast. Ostensibly, it's about a rookie agent trying to solve the mystery of his first case that went spectacularly wrong but it's far more than that and pretty unforgiving in places.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Just saw Lion. Brilliant, js such a lovely film and the young actors are exceptional. Not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eyes too.

Hit me very hard for many reasons. A Great film for sure

 

[Larry Day]

Loved La La Land. Infectious and engaging, with a pretty bold ending. Emma Stone's performance was particularly affecting. A paean to the Hollywood musical, to jazz and indeed LA itself. Great stuff.

Manchester by the Sea, by contrast, left me disappointed. Although the acting, largely, was outstanding I simply couldn't buy the apparent lack of grief shown by Patrick (Lucas Hedges). This undermined the whole movie for me. Michelle Williams, who I think is a wonderful actor, strayed a little close to over-wrought at times. A fault perhaps of being writer-director project, and a lack of objectivity...?

Films of year so far, Nocturnal Animals and Hell or High Water. The latter is somewhat under the radar. Shame. as it's outstanding. Taylor Sheridan fully deserves Best Original Screenplay award.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Went and had a look at Hacksaw Ridge on a rainy Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it.
Incredible true story and very realistic war scenes.
Probably a bit too long
7.5/10

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

The best start to a year for great films for a long time. Hacksaw Ridge. Probably Mel Gibspn's best film as a director for me. Garfield made it work though with a superb acting perforrnance, brutal war scenes and a moving and important story. 85 out of 100. La La Land is the stand out so far for me, though

1. La La Land 95
2. Lion 86
3. Hacksaw Ridge 85

 

[chippy]

Emma Stone really annoyed me in La La Land, thought the bloke was very good though. Just didn't see what the big fuss is about, it's ok, but neither clever enough to be a true homage nor 'new' enough to actually be a modern day version of the genre. Dance set-pieces weren't really imaginative in any way, and the over-use of the 'room falls dark with spotlight on singer' device was a bit much.

Hidden figures on the other hand is a strong contender for outside-bet award winning I reckon. Nice touches, good story and a reminder for those worried about current events of a time when racism in the USA really was a systematic issue.

 

[Rogero]

I have just seen Hacksaw Ridge and really enjoyed it. It is an amazing true story and it is the best film that I have seen for a long time. £3.00 entrance at the Dome in Worthing.

 

[banjo]

Went to see T2 Trainspotting yesterday at the Dome. £3, Bargain!! Great sequel. Glad I watched the first film just a week ago. Well worth a watch.

 

[Rogero]

The best deal is at the Odeon Silver Screen (silver something) and for £3.00 you not only see the film,but you get coffee or tea,biscuits and a free Argus. That is a bargain.

 

[dolphins]

Went to see T2 Trainspotting yesterday at the Dome. £3, Bargain!! Great sequel. Glad I watched the first film just a week ago. Well worth a watch.

I saw it this evening and whilst I enjoyed it, it felt so different to the first one. Quite solemn, introspective, regretful... Thought the lack of music in it worked well, really made it stripped back and much more stark.

 

[Acker79]

Didn't cover these last year:

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusader - Brilliant. A delightful animated feature length film with the surviving cast of the 60s tv show. A delight
Jack Reacher Never Go Back - Eh
Inferno - Predictable, and predictably not that great.
Doctor Strange 2D - Fun visuals, but it's hard to be wowed by Marvel films.
Train to Busan - Great zombie film.
Nocturnal Animals - Has issues, but generally good filmmaking
Arrival - Eh. Felt like a one watch film, only thing I enjoyed was the revelation, and going in again it wouldn't have the same affect
Free Fire - Fun, saw this as part of the cinecity festival, it's released this year. Was filmed in the old argus building, apparently.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Tour - Fun, a lot of people walked out and missed the 30 minutes of concert footage after the main documentary.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Fun, though not as good as Harry Potter
The Accountant - Better than I was expecting, but not really above a decent forgettable action film.
Raw - Another cinecity film to be released this year, french film about a vegan who develops a taste for flesh after a dentist school initiation. Nice.
Moana - A lot of fun.
Birth of a Nation - Eh. Felt quite typical.
Sully - Fine
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Took 10-20 mins to get into it, but eventually really dug it, especially k2
Passengers - Wanted to like it more, felt it needed a better approach to its central premise.
A Monster Calls - Delightful

I managed to go to the cinema at least once a week every week last year. Not putting so much pressure on myself this year. To wit, January looks like this (plus a second viewing of passengers):

Sing - Fine, not as much as a musical as I thought.
Split - Better than I expected, while it had a 'you didn't realise it, but...' "twist", it's more of a post script that allows the main story to stand on its own, almost like there was no twist.
La La Land - I love musicals, but every so often there are musicals that receive so much award love, and I find myself not enjoying them, and then this one comes along and has two actors I'm not particularly fond of, and a focus on Jazz, a music style that isn't one of my go tos. I went in with low expectations. I probably enjoyed it a bit more than I expected, but not much. I found it difficult to hear the lyrics over the music so didn't enjoy the songs much, I didn't care about the characters (it has led to the discovery I'm not fond of the cliche of struggling actress, particularly when played by a successful one, either), so wasn't that interested in their story, and that small refrain they kept playing was irritating me long before the end of the movie. I did like the performances from John Legend, though.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I can't for a second rival Tom Hark's beautiful review, but last night I went to Trainspotting 2 in part from how he wrote of it. I was never a ginormous fan of the first one, but I think I came to it late and just wasn't that carefree whippsnapper any more that could embrace that interminable and bloody thrust toward opportunity. This one, though, was more right for me in its beautifully composed and shot take on the dreaded curse of time and wear. There's such a sad feeling toward those who've rottenly stuck to who they were, and those who've tried to break away but found no great sense of lasting worth in doing so. As they're mildly embedded in nostalgia, so are we whilst watching, and think there's still something in them, and the capers modestly thrill.
The performances were a bit cartoonish and extreme, but the direction and music were great. Some beautiful and refined imagery. Good film that.