Nasty Goes To The Movies

Skyfall.

I saw the latest (23rd) outing of James Bond last week. Here is the very brief synopsis as shown on IMDB website,

"Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

Sound like fun!? Well it is, mostly. Incidentally it shows as an 8.1/10 at the moment on that website. I don't really go in for star ratings though.
Daniel Craig is great as Bond again, although I'll always remember him as Lieutenant Berry in the ITV's 'Sharpes Eagle' in the early 90's, but I digress! The action moves at a fairly frenetic pace, slowing down only briefly in the middle at which point my wife fell asleep! Javier Bardem plays the villain and is reasonably effective for me. Certainly has some degree of menace although borders on the cartoonish. Perhaps that's how Bond fans want to see their villains?
I think my lasting impression of this film will be that it could easily have been about 20 minutes shorter. Many sequences seemed unneccesarily prolonged and the end of the film had about three moments when I thought.. "that's it now... oh hang on it's not". Having said that there are a few nice touches and nods to previous incarnations that are nice to see and there is a strong feeling of getting down to the nitty gritty of the characters too that I enjoyed about it.
One of the big differences in this film to other action bonanza's that you often see nowadays is that they felt somehow real. With a couple of exceptions it felt like that had actually filmed everything that took place, not just CGI'd it all. That makes a big difference in how much you can suspend disbelief and believe me at times you need to suspend disbelief (as is tradition with James Bond).

Overall I rate this films quite highly as an action piece. Not as enjoyable as Daniel Craig's first outing, Casino Royale, but if you like Bond then it is a must see.

Repeat watchability? I think I'll buy the DVD... on ebay. ;)

Reply #1. Nov 29 12, 8:36 AM

nasty_liar

End of Watch (2012)

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena

"Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel, during a routine traffic stop."

IMDB rating: 7.8

I saw this earlier this week and was reasonably impressed. What marks this film out as being superior to films of this genre is the amount of screen time devoted to building the relationship between the lead characters. The two have great chemistry too and this bond carries the weight of what would otherwise be a fairly unremarkable movie.
The unique use of different camera angles, such as the interior shots of the cruiser, help to give this movie an edginess and a realism that other cop movies often lack. If you liked Training Day, you'll love this.
If you're easily offended this is not your movie. I quickly lost count of the expletives within the first few minutes and it also contains some reasonably grotesque scenes involving dead bodies, wounds etc. (although it still managed to stay 15 certificate here in the UK).

Overall it is a solid action movie with some nice points of difference from other cop movies that makes sure to bring you kicking and screaming into the movie emotionally too by investing so much time and effort into the two leads.

Reply #2. Dec 02 12, 11:46 AM

nasty_liar

Trouble With the Curve (2012)

Starring
Clint Eastwood
Amy Adams
Justin Timberlake

"An ailing baseball scout in his twilight years takes his daughter along for one last recruiting trip."

I was surprised to find this cute little film out when I last went to the cinema. Clint Eastwood is magnificent as usual playing a crotchety old man but he gives his performance such detail and nuance that you are hanging on his every word. Interestingly this is the first outing since 1993 that he has not directed himself in.

As you might expect given the synopsis this film is about the characters and how they interact and grow throughout the course of the film. So playing opposite Eastwood is the incredibly talented and very attractive Amy Adams. She plays off Eastwood beautifully and is a match for him.

You are dragged through the world of baseball scouting along with the protagonists and the interactions make sure that no part of this film drags out, excellent pacing. The film benefits from brief roles for some great actors such as John Goodman, Robert Patrick and Bob Gunton. But none catch the eye more than another excellent turn by Justin Timberlake (see 'The Social Network' for another noteworthy one). To me he is a very promising on screen presence and has a lot of potential.

This is a nice film that explores the father/child relationship whilst managing to keep upbeat, have a sensible plot and tick all the right boxes for emotional content. Surprised it only has a rating of 6.7/10 on the IMDB website.

Reply #3. Dec 22 12, 10:58 AM

lesley153

It'll be good if the trailer's anything to go by. It was a well-judged and compelling snippet, and a pleasant surprise to see an ex-Mickey Mouser doing well with a script!

Reply #4. Dec 23 12, 1:26 PM

nasty_liar

On the evidence I've seen so far that Mickey Mouser is on course for a superstar film career, thanks for your post Lesley :)

Reply #5. Jan 08 13, 7:00 AM

nasty_liar

Total Recall (2012)

A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Stars
Colin Farrell
Kate Beckinsale
Jessica Biel

scores 6.3/10 on the IMDB website (although a paltry 43/100 from critics on same website)

Where do I start with this abomination?

I'm not always convinced by Colin Farrell even though he has had his highlights such as Phone Booth. He is very generic and dull in this remake. The female leads are terrible, though easy on the eye.

If you bother to watch this film expect tireless action scenes set up one after the other with absolutely no concern shown to constructing any sort of flowing story or much time spent setting up the characters. That means that by the time the 3rd or 4th set piece sequence shows up you just don't care whether or not Colin Farrells character gets his head chopped off by floating elevator vehicles or whether he can survive a plummet in his flying car from way above London to street level...

Did I tell you I HATE this modern day filmakers trick of shining lights right down the camera? (Yes JJ Abrams I'm looking at you too). They call it a camera flare or something and it's a terrible fad that will be over soon (hopefully) but one that is only going to serve to date films made in this era badly. Anyway, director Len Wiseman seems to like it, so much that I'm still dizzy! So glad I didn't fork out to see this on the big screen.

Very poor effort. Just watch the 1990 version so that even if you hate it then you can laugh at the hilarious performance of Arnie and enjoy another OTT turn from the awesome Michael Ironside.

Reply #6. Jan 08 13, 7:14 AM

nasty_liar

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out on a "unexpected journey" to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim a their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug.

Starring
Ian McKellen
Martin Freeman
Richard Armitage

Went to see this film on tuesday with rather limited expectations but was blown away with just how good this film actually is. I would highly recommend it.

Love the songs, the dwarves, the telling of the story in which no detail seems to have been spared. I grant you that it is a long time since I've read the book but it evoked my memories of all my favourite parts of the book.

My only criticism is that somebody could have told Peter Jackson that you are allowed to edit your films! I think it drags on about twenty minutes longer than it should and part of that is due to prolonged 'chase' scenes during which characters do a lot of running. Yes they like to show how good they are at action scenes with super special effects but some of them are boring. But that hardly detracts from a great film. Can't wait for the next part(and that is from somebody who was griping and moaning about it being split into three films before he went to see it)!

Go see it.

(IMDB rating currently 8.3/10)

Reply #7. Jan 11 13, 7:51 AM

Jazmee27

I don't know when yet, but my mother is taking me to see it--it's one of my Christmas gifts. I can't wait. I've never actually read the book, but my sixth grade teacher read it to the class and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (I attempted to read it--but got a bad copy from the library, so wasn't able to).

Reply #8. Jan 11 13, 5:26 PM

callie_ross

I saw The Hobbit about 2 weeks ago & enjoyed it very much! I have always loved the books by J.R.R. Tolkien & I loved the LOTR movies so I knew I would love The Hobbit as well. Part 2 will be in theaters on 12-13-13 & I plan on going to see it!

Reply #9. Jan 11 13, 7:11 PM

lesley153

Oh dear - it's such a long time since I read the book, I can't remember a single thing about it!

A friend (old) saw it and said it was in 3D and all she said about it was that she was constantly bombarded by things flying towards her out of the screen. My son (young) liked it more, and said Martin Freeman was particularly good. Thought he would be. :)

Reply #10. Jan 11 13, 7:34 PM

lesley153

PS Aren't "remake" and "abomination" the same thing?

Reply #11. Jan 11 13, 7:36 PM

Professer

i would concur with you Lesley, am watching Les Miserables for 6th time now thanks to a friend who has given me his newspapers review dvd knowing how much i love it.

Sorry to hijack your blog nasty am enjoying your reviews btw.

Reply #12. Jan 13 13, 8:49 AM

nasty_liar

Feel free to leave your views in agreement, disagreement, neutrality or completely off topic.

Lesley, I don't think all remakes are abominations but I feel that there must be a valid reason to do the remake. I will do a review soon of a film that I saw a few months ago that was most definitely better than its original.

That said, there are probably many more remakes that are worse than the original than there are improvements or better than simply an improvement - a renewed take on it.

Reply #13. Jan 13 13, 10:16 AM

lesley153

Sorry for generalising! Can you think of any remakes that were better than the original?

Reply #14. Jan 13 13, 4:36 PM

lesley153

Oh dear, sorry again - looking forward to seeing a review of an exception! (I did read what you wrote, but it went. I have no excuse. *sobs*)

Reply #15. Jan 13 13, 4:38 PM

CmdrK

Like you, Nasty, I went with some hesitation. I didn’t see how they could turn the book into three movies. When the dwarves started singing I thought we were going to get “Tolkien: The Musical.” Then there were the mountain trolls doing the Three Stooges skit. But for the most part it was a good movie. Quite heavy on computer animation but given the subject matter it really has to be. There were some stretched-out portions but I think we got what we would expect from Peter Jackson.

Reply #16. Jan 15 13, 3:06 PM

nasty_liar

Life of Pi (2012)

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor ... a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan

I haven't read the book so can only go on what I have seen here. I went to see this knowing very little about what to expect or even what it was about (I find that I gain most by occasionally doing this)

It is a very good movie, I even went in for ...3D! Something I rarely do as I find it adds very little to any film and they try to wrangle more money out of you for the privilege. Anyway, I digress, the 3D complimented some of the breathtaking sequences very nicely. I have to admit to squirming uncomfortably during the early scenes aboard the ship during the storm, very effective. Not sure how they shot most of it but this is a very elegant film, everything looks fantastic.

I liked the way that the older Pi tells the story and that way the action can be interspersed with clips from the present day to break up the action slightly. Nicely done. What is also very nicely done are the parts that tug on ones emotions, again very well done and well acted too (Sharma is excellent as younger Pi).

I would recommend this film to all even though I disliked the last minutes of it (not discussable without spoilers I feel). While this film has a spiritual feel to it, I think that it is this aspect that ultimately lets it down for me. It's almost like it is trying TOO hard, not sure what the book is like, but that's just the feeling I came away with as well as the disappointment of the way it is wrapped up.

Overall, really good looking movie and ticks all the right boxes but just doesn't quite pull together for me but I will watch it again sometime, surely that's good enough endorsement ;)

Reply #17. Jan 15 13, 4:30 PM

nasty_liar

Yeah, I think that's pretty much the concensus CmdrK (nice to hear from you again so soon by the way - been a long time since we were teammates eh).

And Tolkien the musical? Well surely his work was always been itching to be put on stage? I mean he wrote all the lyrics already!

Jackson just seems to like to make long films, I remember going to see The Two Towers for the second time on the big screen and falling asleep halfway through... it was ok though, I didn't miss Orlando Bloom skating-boarding. I couldn't decide when I wrote my piece whether I was being harsh on it because I had gone in to watch it immediately after seeing Life of Pi so it had been a bit of a marathon.

Reply #18. Jan 15 13, 4:40 PM

nasty_liar

Jack Reacher (2012)

A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.

Stars
Tom Cruise
Rosamund Pike

I nearly always enjoy Tom Cruise movies and so I thought I'd give this one a whirl even though it's more my wife's genre of choice.

I would describe this film as easy watching. It's certainly nothing special but Cruise plays his part well enough (before anyone says anything, no I don't know the books and I don't want to, I'm judging simply on the film). Nice to see Ms. Pike and there is a nice turn towards the end of the movie from Robert Duvall... in fact he damn near steals the show for me.

The opening segments are confusing and I thought I was in on a very intriguing and interesting plot... but don't be fooled, this is a very straight forward piece. Visually it's good, although it has visual sequences that go on far too long (car chase that never ends, fight scenes that go on too long as two examples) and considering the run time of 130 minutes then maybe this sort of thing could have been trimmed.

Overall, it's like a bar of chocolate - enjoyable enough but it's only a snack. Don't spend your money on this, wait for dvd.

Reply #19. Jan 28 13, 4:36 PM

nasty_liar

The Impossible (2012)

An account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time.

Stars
Ewan Mcgregor
Naomi Watts
and promising young actor Tom Holland

Visually effective, terrifying, upsetting, gutwrenching but also hope inspiring.

Reply #20. Jan 28 13, 4:50 PM

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