[Film] Film 2019

[dolphins]

Long Shot

Seth Rogan, Charlise Theron.

Don't believe the reviews. This is a strange, muddled film that is just oddly unfunny from start to finish. Avoid. 2/10

And on the other hand... I saw this on Wednesday and really enjoyed it! A so-called "rom-com" that's far more "com" than "rom"; the two leads work well together, good chuckles through the film, and didn't find it muddled at all. Seeing Tolkien next week, despite the weak reviews.

 

[The Clamp]

John Wick Chapter 3

Picks up straight after 2, everyone is still trying to kill John. Goes straight into fantastic action stuff. Dips a bit in the middle and I went a bit action blind as it’s just so full on.
Picks up for the finale.
Solid action film making with some exceptional set pieces.
I recommend.
7/10

 

[Meade's Ball]

I've spent the week alone. Not entirely. I had working days and a Spanish lesson - what's the Spanish for flounder? - and a couple of evenings involving a lickle bit of booze. But at home, i was on my lonesome. Lady Meade and Meade Jr i left in Spain. I took this opportunity to exercise a little more than usual, eat a little more than usual, if that was possible, and head out to the cinema. 5 films, dabnabbit. And all within the last week. I'll dumb it down tomorrow with that Wick nonsense, but i sat through a lot of reasonable films.

I suppose i'll begin with today and work backwards. A strong advantage to today was the film being on at 9.30am, and no one else watching it. I had the screen to myself, which i quite liked, and what i saw was Beats. It was largely a John Hughes film of two teenagers and their friendship and being rebellious and finding first loves. The only difference was it being black and white, set in grotty Scotland, and the teens wanting to go to a rave and necking some pills. Also, there about 40 uses of the word c*nt, and i guess that's what made it an 18, along with the drugs and a bit of a trip out scene. I quite liked it. Tony Blair is constantly on the news, talking about disenfranchisement and the collapse of the family, whilst at the same illegalising raves. I never went to a rave, but my head bobbed fiendishly when the music was played, and it seemed a ridiculous thing to send so many police toward to crush.

Friday evening i chose to see Amazing Grace. An interesting array of footage of Aretha Franklin's performance in a church in LA. She is there to record a live album of gospel songs, whilst Sydney Pollock is there to direct the television show of it. Technical difficulties caused it never to be televised, but the footage was there. There was little intro, and under way it got. I thought this the best way to do it. Hearing people reminisce over something gives a very different feel to be being thrust into it. What unfolded had me a little enthralled, but not into into. The version of Amazing Grace went very slowly and not as emotional as was made it, but some tracks gripped. I found it a little annoying to see Mick Jagger in the audience, doing his stupid body movements. But there he was. I preferred seeing others go haywire in it, religiously madcap and enveloped by the rhythm, and some of the hairstyles of 1972 were amazing. Worth a see.

Hmm, Wednesday? Yup, it was for Woman at War, and Icelandic black comedy. Not bad. A 49 year old lady is trying to undo a deal between the government and that of the Chinese government that will wreck the landscape, which is beautifully shot. She is constantly on the run from drones and helicopters, inbetween going home to host a choir group. The tone of it all set, though, by the backing track being played by 3 bearded hipsters, live and folky. So the directly is playing with form, and tickling amidst and at the end of each scene, quelling the emotion, mostly. Although, when talk of her successful application to adopt a Ukrainian girl comes through, the musicians are replaced by 3 wailing Ukrainian singers, and this adds to the emotion. Anyway, it was jovial and heartfelt and the acting for the main character Halla was excellent.

Tuesday. Um, oh yeah, High Life. The reviews for this were good, and i chose front row tickets at the BFI to be swamped by space. It was alright, but i didn't get into it hugely. Quite a lot of ******* going on as evil doctor, played by Juliet Binoche, gives her fellow criminals in space drugs in exchange for their sperm to impregnate the female prisoners. I was uncomfortable with Andre 3000 fiddling with venom. The lead actor though was Robert Pattinson, who certainly seems to want to escape his pretty boy heritage. I found the flashbacks to earth interesting, with the characters pondering the wrongdoing that had them cast onto this ship to check out a black hole, but it wasn't done enough, i felt, and sperm dominated proceedings, in amongst the brutality.

SO last of all, on the long ago Monday, was Madeline's Madeline. What can i recall. An in and out of focus take of a teenage girl's mental health problems. She is in an improv theatre group, the leader of which she is growingly close to, unaware that her tale may be used by the group. It's dizzying and strained and awash with close-ups and swirls, to be in there with Madeline and her mother, who seems at the edge of being able to cope. Well acted and muddled, and engrossing enough, if all a bit much.

 

[dolphins]

John Wick Chapter 3

Picks up straight after 2, everyone is still trying to kill John. Goes straight into fantastic action stuff. Dips a bit in the middle and I went a bit action blind as it’s just so full on.
Picks up for the finale.
Solid action film making with some exceptional set pieces.
I recommend.
7/10

Saw it Saturday and (taking it for exactly what it is) thoroughly enjoyed it. The JW films are all a bit daft, really, but executed really well.

Contrasted it with Blackkklansman last night which I missed in the cinema and picked up on Blu-ray for a fiver at Asda - what a great film; thought provoking, particularly the end sequence. True story too.

 

[pearl]

I've spent the week alone. Not entirely. I had working days and a Spanish lesson - what's the Spanish for flounder? - and a couple of evenings involving a lickle bit of booze. But at home, i was on my lonesome. Lady Meade and Meade Jr i left in Spain. I took this opportunity to exercise a little more than usual, eat a little more than usual, if that was possible, and head out to the cinema. 5 films, dabnabbit. And all within the last week. I'll dumb it down tomorrow with that Wick nonsense, but i sat through a lot of reasonable films.

I suppose i'll begin with today and work backwards. A strong advantage to today was the film being on at 9.30am, and no one else watching it. I had the screen to myself, which i quite liked, and what i saw was Beats. It was largely a John Hughes film of two teenagers and their friendship and being rebellious and finding first loves. The only difference was it being black and white, set in grotty Scotland, and the teens wanting to go to a rave and necking some pills. Also, there about 40 uses of the word c*nt, and i guess that's what made it an 18, along with the drugs and a bit of a trip out scene. I quite liked it. Tony Blair is constantly on the news, talking about disenfranchisement and the collapse of the family, whilst at the same illegalising raves. I never went to a rave, but my head bobbed fiendishly when the music was played, and it seemed a ridiculous thing to send so many police toward to crush.

Friday evening i chose to see Amazing Grace. An interesting array of footage of Aretha Franklin's performance in a church in LA. She is there to record a live album of gospel songs, whilst Sydney Pollock is there to direct the television show of it. Technical difficulties caused it never to be televised, but the footage was there. There was little intro, and under way it got. I thought this the best way to do it. Hearing people reminisce over something gives a very different feel to be being thrust into it. What unfolded had me a little enthralled, but not into into. The version of Amazing Grace went very slowly and not as emotional as was made it, but some tracks gripped. I found it a little annoying to see Mick Jagger in the audience, doing his stupid body movements. But there he was. I preferred seeing others go haywire in it, religiously madcap and enveloped by the rhythm, and some of the hairstyles of 1972 were amazing. Worth a see.

Hmm, Wednesday? Yup, it was for Woman at War, and Icelandic black comedy. Not bad. A 49 year old lady is trying to undo a deal between the government and that of the Chinese government that will wreck the landscape, which is beautifully shot. She is constantly on the run from drones and helicopters, inbetween going home to host a choir group. The tone of it all set, though, by the backing track being played by 3 bearded hipsters, live and folky. So the directly is playing with form, and tickling amidst and at the end of each scene, quelling the emotion, mostly. Although, when talk of her successful application to adopt a Ukrainian girl comes through, the musicians are replaced by 3 wailing Ukrainian singers, and this adds to the emotion. Anyway, it was jovial and heartfelt and the acting for the main character Halla was excellent.

Tuesday. Um, oh yeah, High Life. The reviews for this were good, and i chose front row tickets at the BFI to be swamped by space. It was alright, but i didn't get into it hugely. Quite a lot of ******* going on as evil doctor, played by Juliet Binoche, gives her fellow criminals in space drugs in exchange for their sperm to impregnate the female prisoners. I was uncomfortable with Andre 3000 fiddling with venom. The lead actor though was Robert Pattinson, who certainly seems to want to escape his pretty boy heritage. I found the flashbacks to earth interesting, with the characters pondering the wrongdoing that had them cast onto this ship to check out a black hole, but it wasn't done enough, i felt, and sperm dominated proceedings, in amongst the brutality.

SO last of all, on the long ago Monday, was Madeline's Madeline. What can i recall. An in and out of focus take of a teenage girl's mental health problems. She is in an improv theatre group, the leader of which she is growingly close to, unaware that her tale may be used by the group. It's dizzying and strained and awash with close-ups and swirls, to be in there with Madeline and her mother, who seems at the edge of being able to cope. Well acted and muddled, and engrossing enough, if all a bit much.

Thanks for that. I was going to see High Life, but think I'll give it a miss. I like the sound of Beats though

 

[Meade's Ball]

Thanks for that. I was going to see High Life, but think I'll give it a miss. I like the sound of Beats though

If you want to see Binoche writhing on a heaving dildo, then High Life still might be for you.

 

[pearl]

If you want to see Binoche writhing on a heaving dildo, then High Life still might be for you.

I don't, but thanks anyway

 

[Acker79]

I saw John Wick last week. I really enjoyed it. I think some of the action scenes were a bit repetitive, but I just thought that was intended as a joke, in the similar vein to Peter Griffin hurting his knee in Family Guy - where his wincing is initially funny, but it keeps going and gets boring, but then keeps on going and becomes funny again. Oh look here another glass box...

 

[The Clamp]

A

I saw John Wick last week. I really enjoyed it. I think some of the action scenes were a bit repetitive, but I just thought that was intended as a joke, in the similar vein to Peter Griffin hurting his knee in Family Guy - where his wincing is initially funny, but it keeps going and gets boring, but then keeps on going and becomes funny again. Oh look here another glass box...

Yep, I think you’re right. Just keep doing it and it becomes sublime again. I really enjoyed it except for the 2nd act in Casablanca which became rather repetitive but on the whole a great action film.

 

[The Clamp]

Saw it Saturday and (taking it for exactly what it is) thoroughly enjoyed it. The JW films are all a bit daft, really, but executed really well.

Contrasted it with Blackkklansman last night which I missed in the cinema and picked up on Blu-ray for a fiver at Asda - what a great film; thought provoking, particularly the end sequence. True story too.

Agree, Blackkklansman was very good. The perfect mix of comedy and thought provocation.

 

[Weststander]

We went to watch Aladdin, the new Guy Ritchie movie.

It’s a really good movie and musical, not just for nippers!

7/10.

 

[studio150]

Went to see Rocketman this afternoon, and didn't enjoy the film.

While the film seems to have received good reviews, I found it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a stage musical or a movie biopic and ended up being boring and falling between the two.

I certainly won't be watching again when it hits the TV schedules

 

[drew]

Went to see Rocketman this afternoon, and didn't enjoy the film.

While the film seems to have received good reviews, I found it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a stage musical or a movie biopic and ended up being boring and falling between the two.

I certainly won't be watching again when it hits the TV schedules

Saw this today. Have to say don't necessarily agree with you comments as thought It was a good depiction of his life and internal struggles. Different to the way Bohemian Rhapsody was a biopic. Great performance from Taron Egerton.

 

[Acker79]

Had a triplebill today:

Rocketman
I loved this. A musical biopic that leaned very heavily into musical (verging on fantasy at times). Didn't restrict itself to only Elton singing, nor to only having the songs feature in chronological order.

Aladdin
Eh. It had some good moments and some moments that felt like they were there to appease Will Smith's ego/the money men who wanted a name to sell. The songs sounded muffled.

Ma
Eh. May have enjoyed it more if it had been the only film I saw. Perhaps a little tired by the time I saw it, and it's one that builds to a finale rather than one that keeps trying to make you jump so felt a bit slow after a couple of films that break into song every five to ten minutes.

 

[Stat Brother]

[tweet]1135346319147524096[/tweet]

 

[dolphins]

[tweet]1135346319147524096[/tweet]

Looks good!

 

[The Clamp]

[tweet]1135346319147524096[/tweet]

Thought Bale was Hugh Laurie on first glance!

 

[Meade's Ball]

So, now that i recall, i went to see that there John Wick 3 and that was rather enjoyable. I sneered for the first 10 minutes, but as soon as a colossus was being whacked repeatedly around the head with a book i took to its violent stupidity. I don't remember why anything happened, or care in the slightest, but the knife-play and impossible beatings were good fun, allowing the awfulness of Reeves acting to be lesser noticed. Good to see a couple of The Raid dudes in action there too.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Is Rocketman any good ? The box office is disappointing compared to Bohemian Rhapsody and the imdb average is lower. Kermode almost wet himself with excitement at the film but not seen much other evidence of big appeal

 

[The Clamp]

Is Rocketman any good ? The box office is disappointing compared to Bohemian Rhapsody and the imdb average is lower. Kermode almost wet himself with excitement at the film but not seen much other evidence of big appeal

Mrs The Clamp and her Mother went to see it at Worthing Dome last week and thought it was brilliant. They’re not easily impressed and rarely visit the cinema but couldn’t sing it’s praises enough. I’m going to see it tomorrow on the strength of their review and I had zero interest before they saw it.
As an aside I saw Saving Private Ryan on the big screen last week at the odeon. It’s stunning on the big screen. Was blown away.