[Film] Film 2022

[Brightonfan1983]

This was the secret screening at cineworld this evening. Got a little applause at the end, I didn't think it was that good, but thought it was fine. Did look good. and I enjoyed the van morrison-heavy soundtrack (by van morrison!).

Caught Ken B talking about it on Kermode and Mayo yesterday - they have tipped it for Best Picture but as always the proof is in the eating; I'll definitely go and see it.

I've seen Boiling Point. It is superb. 90 minutes filmed in one shot - a *true* one shot - and really really good. I was going to post a trailer but since I only knew it's set in a restaurant kitchen and Stephen Graham is in it, why wouldn't you watch it too? Just let it unfold in front of you without knowing anything. Go on, do it.

 

[Gabbafella]

Watched a couple of films this week, Eternals being one.
Crap. In no way did it feel like a Marvel movie, more like a straight to TV, low budget job. Boring characters, flimsy story and only loosely connected to other MCU films. The only thing that kept me remotely interested was Gemma Chan. 2/10

We've just got back from watching Scream, it was alright, kind of what we expected, it did exactly what it supposed to do. There was loads of nods to the previous films, plenty of cheese and a predictable story (we guessed the killer(s) from the start) but relatively enjoyable. Courtney Cox is looking as rough as a hedgehogs ******** now though. 6/10

See for me, about a blind girl caught in the middle of a home invasion. Not that original, but better than I imagined it would be, but still a little bit poo. Somewhat tense in places even though there are the typical "why is she doing that" kind of moments that you expect in a horror/thriller where the main character should be running out the door but instead gets themselves caught. Can't say the blind girl is that likeable so I was kind of rooting for the bad guys. 4.5/10

 

[Acker79]

Saw Scream this lunchtime. I really enjoyed it. I re-watched the first four earlier this week, so they were fresh in my mind. It did get a little too meta/self-referential (and I loved the meta/self-references in the orignals). A bit more graphic in its violence, and some questionable cg in a couple of points.


Followed it up with Licorice Pizza. Tale of a 15 year old dating a 25 year old, but it's ok because the 15 year old is a boy and the 25 year old is a woman. So it's cool. Felt very much like someone who was a loser at school writing a fantasy story where his avatar is a success at 15, child actor, using his wealth to set up various successful ventures, while being successful with them also popular with the ladies. Starts potentially interesting side plots, then drops them and forgets them. Characters weren't particularly likeable, so didn't really care about the relationship at the core of the film.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Get the best (female) actor in the world with a top grade Denzil, add Joel Coen and you know you are on to a winner.

The Tragedy of Macbeth, what a stunning piece of work.

111 / 119

 

[keaton]

I know there's a prime thread, but this is more of a 'new film I watched' rather than a recommendation to others - The Tender Bar. I watched because there's been some early awards buzz for Ben Affleck. I'm not sure this film would receive such awards buzz if it wasn't directed by George Clooney and starring Ben Affleck. I mean, it wasn't a terrible film. It felt like a decent TV movie adaptation of a book, but with higher production values. Based on a memoir-type book, the main character (the older of which was played by one of the interchangeable bland young actors that seem popular at the moment Tye Sheriden? Miles Teller? Ansel Elgort? Alden Ehrenreich?) takes us through his upbringing and efforts to get to an ivy league university initially to become a lawyer, by his single mother (lily rabe who I know from the american horror stories series), at his grandfather's (Christopher Lloyd) home, where his uncle (Affleck) acts as a surrogate father figure.

Kermode described Clooney as a solid film maker and I think that sums up this film. It's nothing special but done well. I would say the first half is much better, I could have watched the young boy and uncle for much longer though the meeting the girlfriend's parents scene is very good

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Mass

A tour de force of 4 acting performances. Probably one of the best I have ever seen. 90 minutes of 2 couples meeting after a school shooting in the USA. One set of parents the victim, the other the killer. Harrowing and stunning. 92 out of 100

 

[Acker79]

It's that time of the year that talk starts to heat up on what might be nominated at the Oscars, so I start watching films with such buzz.

To that end, over the weekend I watched The Tragedy of Macbeth (I think the oscar buzz is about who is involved, with it only just being released it hasn't really had a chance for people to really appreciate it and its oscar merits). I did enjoy it. I struggle to focus on a lot of Shakespeare stuff, but Macbeth was one I did in school, so am generally familiar with it. The stark sets was reminiscent of some other Shakespeare plays put on by the national theatre, and the black and white added to the feel, I thought it looked great, and the performances all seemed good and somewhat more human and recognisable through the language.

I also watched Mass. There's some buzz around Anne Dowd for supporting actress. There's an (appropriate) awkwardness around the early scenes, and an increasing emotional intensity as the parents of a victim of a school shooting, meet the parents of a perpetrator of said shooting. I think one suprising aspect of the film is that it was written and directed by 'that stoner dude from Cabin in the Woods', Fran Kranz.

 

[Acker79]

More Oscar hyped movies recently

The Lost Daughter (netflix). It was fine, constant sense of unease. Not sure it really connected with me, though. Woman on holiday gets entwined with another family with a young mother, paralled to her own behaviour as a mother when younger. In the conversation for picture, director, actress

A Hero (prime) tooke me a while to change from english audio description to Farsi (I prefer subtitles with original audio, to english dubbing, especially if the dubbing also has audio description). Good film. Another one with a constant stress all the way through. Decent. A man on day release from debtor's prison is involved in a convoluted plan to return a purse with lots of gold coins in it to a woman and claim credit to repair his own reputation, but things get out of control. Outside chance of picture, director, better chance for international feature.

 

[Goldstone1976]

A second vote for Mass. 90 minutes. A masterpiece. Astonishing writing, directing, and acting from a 4-way ensemble cast. Watch it.

 

[vegster]

Saw Belfast this evening. Lovely film, beautifully shot, atmospheric and poignant. The only slight criticism I have is that on occasions it was difficult to pick up the dialogue due to the strong Irish accents, I am a bit mutt & Jeff these days and that does not help. Definitely worth seeing though.

 

[Acker79]

Crikey, I'm a bit behind

Nightmare Alley
In the Oscar conversation for Best film, outside chances of director for Guillermo Del Torro and Actor for Bradley Cooper and adapted screenplay. It looks good (I saw it in colour, there is an 'a study of light and dark' version that is black and white). A remake of a 1940s movie about the rise and fall of a mentalist, whose over confidence leads to his downfall. The remake has most of the cast acting like they're in a noir, then as we get to pivotal later scenes we're introduced to Richard Jenkins and he seemed to be acting like he was in a modern movie, which is a little jarring. It wasn't a bad performance, it just didn't fit with everything else. I don't know if I really connected with the story. I don't know if it was a distance from the character, never really getting a sense of whether we should be happy for him, never understanding what drove him, why he was so unsatisfied and kept wanting more, were we meant to feel sorry for him, happy he got his just desserts, what was driving cate blanchett (surface eplanation seems too simple and disproportionate) etc. Also at times it felt like a 2.5 hour pro-smoking/anti-drinking advert

Dear Evan Hansen
Has an outside chance of being nominated for original song. Only had a limited cinema release late last year. I have seen the stage show and that was why I wanted to watch it (plus my general love of musicals) rather than any oscar potential. It wasn't really embraced on release, mainly based on two things; 1) It is a story about a boy who lies to grieving parents, and starts dating the deceased boy's sister 2) almsot 30 year old ben platt plays the teenage evan hansen, making the deception to date a teen girl more awkward.

The story is a little more nuanced, his social awkwardness and the parents' desperation to believe their son had a friend resulted in the lie at the heart of the story, and of course this isn't the first film to have older people playing teenagers in american high school (hi, Grease!) and Ben Platt originated the role on stage, so there's a degree of fan service in his casting. Naturally his performance was pretty good if you put the rest aside. There were some changes, trying to give Evan more repurcussions. Lacked some of the energy and life of the stage show, but I enjoyed it enough.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye
There was a lot of early oscar love for actress for Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield is looking at actor for tick tick boom, but also has outstide chances of actor for mainstream, and supporitng actor for this. He seems to be having a moment. The film is also in the conversation for makeup oscar. Telling the story of the televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker (with, as the title suggests, more of a tocus on Tammy). I really enjoyed this. I thought the performances were great, the make up was intiailly distracting because JC and AG look like themselves but slightly off (a squarer jaw for JC, puffier cheeks for AG). Tonally it felt to me like it was a mixture of walking a line of respecting their religious beliefs without reverence, while showing you something and evoking an opposite reaction; heartbreaking drama on the screen that was hilarious, positive loving generosity on the screen that felt sad and downbeat. I thought the finale was quite brilliant.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Just looking at the options at the pictures this afternoon and watched the trailer for COW.

Is this a joke? I can't believe what I just saw and reading the blurb I am none the wiser.

93 minutes of a cow.

I've watched some sh1t for 93 minutes in the past, but this is unbelievable.

Has anyone seen it? Why?

 

[Barry Izbak]

So we went to see Belfast in the fabulous Screen One at The Dome in Worthing.

The young lad Jude Hill stole it for me. But maybe because of his age he is not one of the six BAFTA nominations.

Overall the film was good, but not great. Odd sort of ending. Some terrific acting performances.

I'll watch it again when it's back on TV, but won't rush put for the DVD or anything

6/10

 

[Acker79]

Just looking at the options at the pictures this afternoon and watched the trailer for COW.

Is this a joke? I can't believe what I just saw and reading the blurb I am none the wiser.

93 minutes of a cow.

I've watched some sh1t for 93 minutes in the past, but this is unbelievable.

Has anyone seen it? Why?

I've not seen it, but it's getting some strong reviews. Currently 90% on rotten tomatoes, for whatever that is worth.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Cow is a nominee for a BAFTA

 

[Gabbafella]

Watched Nightmare Alley the other day, 2.5hrs of my life I won't get back. What a load of shit.
Started off promising, kind of intriguing as to where it was going, good atmosphere, but then it turned out that I wasn't intrigued by any of the characters as they're all very 1 dimensional, story is predictable and doesn't go anywhere at all, it's all a bit bland. The only thing to hold my attention was Cate Blanchet but even she was a bit beige.

Watched Rocky Horror Picture Show for the first time......turned it off half way through. I'm sure it was very controversial and entertaining when it first came out, but like most cult classics, it's actually a load of nonsense for the diehard fan only.

 

[Oscar]

I'm sad to say that my cinema-going days are at an end or at they're set to be least VERY rare after my long-awaited return last week.

Oscar Jr. finally persuaded Mrs Oscar and myself to end our long Covid-caused pause of going to the cinema last week for one of the final showings of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

While what I saw of the film looked promising, the experience was dire. Granted this was Odeon*but if this is mainstream cinema now, I'll just watch at home thanks.

The projection was awful but worst of all was some of the behaviour from our fellow audience members. We sat on one of the wings, masked up, so as to feel a little more at ease given our long abstinence but a group in the 'Premiere Seats' meant we lasted an hour.

Talking as if they were in the street, the constant din of snacks and sweets. On the chairs, off the chairs, sitting on the floor, out to get something more to guzzle and back and out again. The final straw from what I initially thought was one of a group of yobs was one of then regularly coughing into the air. Others in the audience did the usual scowl and tut but it had no effect. I went over, still masked up, and gave a socially distant bollocking to what turned out to be a middle-aged woman (the coffer) and her kids - Not toddlers, this was a 12-rated film - on seats, on the floor, shoes and snacks strewn everywhere.

The occasion ruined and satisfied I had at least given this woman what's-for, I got the hell outa there, got a full refund and deployed Odeon's skeleton team of teenage staff to go and embarrass the culprits further.

My late father was a projectionist. I grew up in cinemas around Brighton but I'm done. Pre-pandemic was bad enough but now the minority has caused me to think it's not worth the gamble to watch a film how it's apparently supposed to be seen: badly projected, in a smelly pit of a cinema with a smattering of selfish pricks - at least that's the Odeon for you.

0/10

 

[Barry Izbak]

The occasion ruined and satisfied I had at least given this woman what's-for, I got the hell outa there, got a full refund and deployed Odeon's skeleton team of teenage staff to go and embarrass the culprits further.
0/10

Sad to hear. But we'll done for not letting Odeon of the hook. I was getting sick of them pre lockdown for the staffing, absence of box office, audience behaviour etc.

BUT, before you throw the towel in on cinema, please can I strongly recommend the Dome in Worthing. We love the place.

Screen one is spectacular. Socially distanced.
Screen two and three cosy and terrific.

Drinks in the theatre at reasonable prices in proper glasses.
Two adults for eleven quid. It's great.

Don't give up because of Odeon

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Just looking at the options at the pictures this afternoon and watched the trailer for COW.

Is this a joke? I can't believe what I just saw and reading the blurb I am none the wiser.

93 minutes of a cow.

I've watched some sh1t for 93 minutes in the past, but this is unbelievable.

Has anyone seen it? Why?

I have not seen it but my understanding is as to why ? To highlight the pretty sh*t life of a milking Cow, surely ?

 

[Barry Izbak]

I have not seen it but my understanding is as to why ? To highlight the pretty sh*t life of a milking Cow, surely ?

93 minutes??

Please report back after you've sat through it