Films

[t8yman]

dunno, but its great. Turns out it was funded by a kickstarter that raised $630,000

Edited May 30, 2015 by t8yman

[Spindles]

Cracking stuff, I thought it was Milo Ventimiglia at first. Totally getting the comparisons to Blood dragon. Nothing to do with Iron sky, just similar in styling at times and similarly crowdsourced funding. Be assured I'll be spamming this over social media.

[Celery]

his opinions on 3d are ridiculous, I agree that films that have had 3d put over the top are cash grabbers, but watching a film in Imax 3d makes films so much more immeserive, which is the point of the cinema experience

Gravity, Avatar and Mad Max are three of my favourite cinema experiences, saw them all in 3d Imax, 5/5 each one

but when watching the films in a home cinema I would give them 4/5 because I don't feel part of that world, I feel like I'm watching a good film.

I dunno. When i watch 3D all it does it pull me out of the film. Gravity is the ONLY film i've enjoyed in threed.

On the subject of Kermode and with this being a music based forum, has anyone seen the Dodge Brothers? The live accompaniments they add to silent films are great and regular gigs are pretty fun too.

[viberunner]

Did you get to see Dredd in 3D? The drug cinematography was wonderful.

[Amy Lawn]

Kermode scored proper indie points when he name-dropped 65daysofstatic on BBC news the other week.

[t8yman]

3d is dogshit. it reduces immersion, and kills the colours on the screen by a large amount. it is a fad, and was only resurrected because the film studios needed a way of combatting piracy. a well made, well shot, well acted, well directed film will immerse you without it. kermode is absolutely right about it.

we just watched kingsman. absolutely loved it.

[viberunner]

I have stopped going to 3D at my ordinary cinema (Cineworld) I agree the dramatically reduced picture quality is not worth the effort. Very dark.

But I love 3D at the Imax. Edge of Tomorrow, Maleficent, Gravity, Fury Road... they've been beautiful. Bright and colourful. Gorgeous. I don't know if all Imax sites are created equal but my one is stunning. It also helps I've found the "perfect seats" and can guarantee them via online booking.

[jump]

I was told there is a flaming methhead guitarist who plays on top cars during the action scenes in Mad Max which made me want to see it and after watching it I'm confused about why it's being called the best action movie ever. It was fun and there was never a dull moment but none of the action was very different to each other or really memorable, maybe it's because I'm not a car guy or I was expecting something that would rival Raiders Of The Lost Arc.

[viberunner]

All the little touches.

Suicides into spike buggies as acts of faith? Human supercharger duel? Putting out the engine fire with sand plough? People Eater, the man who runs Gas Town, swaps gasoline for breastmilk cause that is what that dude considers most valuable cause HE FUCKING EATS PEOPLE? Max fighting a chainsaw boarding party as grandmothers snipe people? Max's tiniest-ever thumbs up? The Crow cargo cult? The Warboys V-8 salute? Nux and all the other paint-huffing kids were basically good kids following a bad leader rather than being HURF HURF EVIL? Furosa's grease warpaint? Miller's aggressive continuity "fuck you" of destroying Max's Interceptor TWICE?

All the villains were explained through visual clues rather than hours of boring exposition. Everyone really. Furiosa. The stilt-walkers. Gold-nose. You'll put it together or make their backstory and that's so much better. So many little carefully crafted details. The Warboys are minions perfected. They would have been nameless, faceless, mindless cannon fodder in 99.9% of all the action movies ever made. Fury Road made them wonderful. They have motivations, personalities and a common culture that manages to explain itself in the middle of a movie that never slows down.

Nux finally gets Joe's attention for the briefest of a second, and he's so happy, and then Slit (his lancer! his buddy!) rags on him a little in a totally natural way, and he's clearly breaking his buddy's balls there, but it's affectionately:

Nux: He looked at me! He looked right at me!

Slit: He looked at your blood bag!

Nux: He turned his head, he looked me straight in the eye!

Slit: He was scanning the horizon!

[jump]

All the little touches.

Suicides into spike buggies as acts of faith? Human supercharger duel? Putting out the engine fire with sand plough? People Eater, the man who runs Gas Town, swaps gasoline for breastmilk cause that is what that dude considers most valuable cause HE FUCKING EATS PEOPLE? Max fighting a chainsaw boarding party as grandmothers snipe people? Max's tiniest-ever thumbs up? The Crow cargo cult? The Warboys V-8 salute? Nux and all the other paint-huffing kids were basically good kids following a bad leader rather than being HURF HURF EVIL? Furosa's grease warpaint? Miller's aggressive continuity "fuck you" of destroying Max's Interceptor TWICE?

All the villains were explained through visual clues rather than hours of boring exposition. Everyone really. Furiosa. The stilt-walkers. Gold-nose. You'll put it together or make their backstory and that's so much better. So many little carefully crafted details. The Warboys are minions perfected. They would have been nameless, faceless, mindless cannon fodder in 99.9% of all the action movies ever made. Fury Road made them wonderful. They have motivations, personalities and a common culture that manages to explain itself in the middle of a movie that never slows down.

Nux finally gets Joe's attention for the briefest of a second, and he's so happy, and then Slit (his lancer! his buddy!) rags on him a little in a totally natural way, and he's clearly breaking his buddy's balls there, but it's affectionately:

Nux: He looked at me! He looked right at me!

Slit: He looked at your blood bag!

Nux: He turned his head, he looked me straight in the eye!

Slit: He was scanning the horizon!

Meh, it's a 2 hour car chase film.

[Amy Lawn]

I watched Two Days One Night on Nextflix last night, brilliant film, but not one you'd describe as enjoyable. No punches are pulled, it's a very cruel film, it did hit home with me, very close to the bone. The two scenes of hope that you do get in the film are very well placed, really pay off and make the whole film feel worthwhile, the ending really made the film for me. All the performances feel completely authentic, but Marion Cotillard was just fucking excellent, pulls off the whole mess of vulnerability, self-doubt, pride and determination so convincingly. One of the most intelligent and honest performances I've ever seen, she's earned maximum respect from me for this film.

One thing that did bother me a bit was the whole premise of the film. For anybody that hasn't seen it; a company holds a ballot among its employees, would they rather receive their bonus this year, or take back on a woman who has been on sick leave. Is that not massively fucking illegal?

[Spindles]

I'm another for the anti-3d crowd. I wear prism lenses so the effect "sort of" works for me, but not very well and gives me a nasty headache. I've got many friends both with and without specs who will wait and find a 2d screening as a preference, with it being the main reason that no one I know other than myself went to see Dredd at the pictures, because it's only the biggest releases that get 2d screenings as well.

3d is a gimmick which, while it can add much for some, detracts much for many. Avatar was the 3d poster child, but it's just as (if not more) enjoyable in 2d. I went to the pictures and watched it in both formats.

[philipsteak]

At my local cinema, the big blockbuster films tend to get 3 shows per day when first released and if it's in 3d then at least one of those will be in 2d. I'm with the anti's here. If anything, 3d brings me out of the film, even 'good' 3d

[Spindles]

Yeah, my town they usually have 2d on a week or 2 after release on a smaller screen, but films like Dredd just never got a 2d showing, only the kiddie cartoons and such.

[viberunner]

Meh, it's a 2 hour car chase film.

Technically a two hour truck chase.

[DomDom1984]

With the world's longest rock gig going on.

[jump]

With the world's longest rock gig going on.

I wished it was, with the main dramatic score (which I wasn't that keen on) overpowering the drums and guitar it felt like it was just a prop in the background. It's a shame as that could of really added to the film and fits in with it's throwback 80's feel.

Edited May 31, 2015 by jump

[LondonTom]

I am not 3D Hater but tbh most 3D films i barely notice any difference in them. (Maybe Imax, it feels a bit more immersive there).

I'd like to see more films actually use 3D, instead of just the odd character or flames popping out.

[Amy Lawn]

Watched Big Hero 6 with the kids this weekend Great family film

I built it up a bit too much in my expectations, but still really enjoyed it. The animation is wonderful, the scene where Hiro and Baymax first go flying around the city is amazing.

[DomDom1984]

San Andreas is a lot of nonsense and pure cheese but I enjoyed it immensely.

[Amy Lawn]

Finally got to see Tomorrowland. I thought it took far too long to get going, and a lot of the first half was bogged down with tropes and cliche, but when it finally hit its stride, I was on board. The visuals in this film were beautiful, you don't see stuff in this vein a lot anymore (which, along with the fact that this film was a commercial failure, is very meta), but none of the performances were memorable, even with my personal favourite, George Clooney being there. I found it an odd choice to have Clooney in there and not make any attempt at comedy, I reckon Brad Bird really should be smart enough to know that fantasy genre films are sold on comedy elements, this could have been a success if it'd been endearingly funny. The opening segment with the younger version of George Clooney made a point on the importance of fun, then the rest of the film didn't really make any emphasis on fun, except for the delightful sequence in the sci-fi shop. But for how unexpectedly well the plot hung together, and for pure cinematic spectacle, I'd give the film 3/5 as a whole.

[mjsell]

Saw Jurassic World last night... I hated it. So much so that I am annoyed with myself for giving it money.

 

So many film clichés, blockbuster shortcuts and a generally awful storyline mixed with crap dialogue. Its basically transformers with dinosaurs.  

 

Chris Pratt was probably the only minor salvage point, but it is very minor. Films like this that put me off going to the cinema - was an awful experience all round.  

[FloorFiller]

Saw Jurassic World last night... I hated it. So much so that I am annoyed with myself for giving it money.

 

So many film clichés, blockbuster shortcuts and a generally awful storyline mixed with crap dialogue. Its basically transformers with dinosaurs.  

 

Chris Pratt was probably the only minor salvage point, but it is very minor. Films like this that put me off going to the cinema - was an awful experience all round.  

 

a lot of people i know have said they loved it, but i've had my reservations from the moment i saw the trailer and posters. a genetically modified super dinosaur? Chris Pratt has velociraptor sidekicks? it all sounds ridiculous to me. reckon i'll just wait for it to leak rather than go see it in the cinema, but my expectations are ridiculously low so maybe it'll be a somewhat pleasant surprise

[t8yman]

there is a fairly decent TS of it in the usual places. I grabbed it yesterday and had a quick skip through. the quality is fairly decent. i might watch it, cos I didnt have high hopes, and reviews I read/watched have confirmed my suspicions.

[mjsell]

a lot of people i know have said they loved it, but i've had my reservations from the moment i saw the trailer and posters. a genetically modified super dinosaur? Chris Pratt has velociraptor sidekicks? it all sounds ridiculous to me. reckon i'll just wait for it to leak rather than go see it in the cinema, but my expectations are ridiculously low so maybe it'll be a somewhat pleasant surprise

 

Yeah for the blockbuster action enthusiast I can see why they may enjoy it. But the film is nowhere near the level I would expect of something that has clearly had money just thrown at it. I don't know who wrote the screenplay but I could honestly say I could do a better job. Like you say a genetically modified 'super' dinosaur was such a weak concept to begin with and the way the film goes (trying not to say any spoilers) its just lazy writing. And the ending is one of the worst things I have ever seen, such an undeserving film to have as the highest grossing opening weekend - and like I said, I'm pissed that I contributed to that.