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Subject: Nasty Goes To The Movies

Posted by: nasty_liar
Date: Nov 29 12

What it says up there

489 replies. On page 9 of 25 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

nasty_liar

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Humanity finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, object buried beneath the Lunar surface and, with the intelligent computer H.A.L. 9000, sets off on a quest.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Stars Keir Dullea

Reply #161. Dec 05 14, 2:59 PM

nasty_liar

I saw 2001 at the cinema last night and I have to say it is an incredible visual masterpiece. Kubrick really set the benchmark for the genre with this remarkable movie.

The team must have slaved over producing the camera work to the degree of depth and quality that is shown.the attention to detail is also incredible. I like the premise and the ideas that it makes you think about. I like that there are no big actors providing a performance to distract from the overall vision, although I have to say that Dullea puts in an exquisite performance opposite HAL9000!

This is absolutely brilliant.

Reply #162. Dec 05 14, 4:02 PM

nasty_liar

Avengers Assemble (2012) (originally 'the avengers')

Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

Starring
Robert Downey jr and many others.

Boxing Day film on TV, I saw it at the cinema a couple of years ago and thought I'd rewatch something easy to tune into.

It's easy to tune into because there's nothing to it. This is a generic action flick from the comic book genre. The typical quick cutting, screen full of CGI action scenes make this if look and feel like so many others of recent times. Especially its forerunners in the film series. I realise that this film brings together the storylines of the various characters involved and their history and motivations should already have been established and explored in those incarnations but still, this movie is devoid of any character depth and fails sorely to involve the audience emotionally in any way. Even the 'will he make it/won't be ending' falls flat.

On the plus, some of the interaction between he superheroes is nice and probably has fanboys very excited indeed but that's not much to get invested in. Another plus is seeing Scarlett Johansson.

Tomorrow I'm going to watch The Hunger Games (first one) that I thought was on tonight but misread the TV guide. Duh!

Reply #163. Dec 26 14, 6:07 PM

Anton

"this movie is devoid of any character depth and fails sorely to involve the audience emotionally in any way."

I could not disagree more.

When it comes to character depth, we see that Banner has finally achieved almost total control of Hulk; something he had struggled to do. We see both Hawkeye and Widow's past brought into the spotlight, if even for a couple scenes. But, what more do you want from a movie whose sole purpose was to end phase one and lead phase two? We also see Iron Man finally become the hero, not just in his own mind. We see Cap become the undisputed leader of the team. The only one of the bunch who didn't have any depth or development was Thor.

Then in regards to the emotional investment needed from the movie? No offense but you missed the obvious point of this story, which was to bring six loners, five of whom have almost nothing but self-righteous tendencies into a team who fight for the good of the planet. Apparently you didn't, but the scene where they all came together and saved the world had me cheering inside. Then at the end where Iron Man almost died saving the world, I choked up a bit when Thor and Hulk both showed that they cared for him. There was certainly emotion in the movie.

Reply #164. Dec 26 14, 6:52 PM

rockinsteve

We're talking about comic book characters here, NOT real people!

Reply #165. Dec 27 14, 2:29 AM

nasty_liar

I did get those things Anton but it did not grab me at all, just did not connect with me very much at all. It's fine as a generic action flick but it's nothing special for me so we'll have to agree to disagree. To be honest I don't really feel much for any of the avengers movies that I have seen except maybe Iron Man.

This is the beauty of movies/books etc. what turns some of us on doesn't work for others. I have been given Days of Future Past as a gift by the way so look forward yo watching that!

Reply #166. Dec 27 14, 6:18 AM

13LuckyLady

nasty_liar, do you plan to see 'Lucy'?

Thanks for the reviews.

Reply #167. Jan 22 15, 8:22 AM

nasty_liar

Mad Max (1979)

In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.

Starring
Mel Gibson

Saw this as a back to back at local cinema with mad max 2 a few months back. It was the first time I'd seen them and as I'd always wanted to watch them what better way than on the big screen!

I thoroughly enjoyed this film from first to last. From the car and bike sequences to the over the top campness of the leather fetish police officers (just watch the scene where max goes to see Fifi where the guy has no shirt on but is watering his plants. It creased me up!). Hugh Keays-Byrne is so enjoyable as Toecutter with his deranged performance and Roger Ward is hilarious as the aforementioned Fifi.

I like the story that is somehow crammed into the 90 minute run time. The journey for Max is believable and somehow doesn't seem rushed despite the shortness of the film. I was actually upset by what befalls the character towards the end and a film is doing well to evoke that response in me as I'm fairly detached from that sort of thing in movies usually. Gibson manages to draw you into his characters world as the protagonist and does a pretty good job.

I was surprised to see that his film had a lower rating than the second instalment, The Road Warrior, on the IMDB. Anyone like these movies and rate Mad Max 2 as a better film? Could you explain why because I thought this one was top draw and the second one hangs on the coat tails and success of the first.

Anyway, I highly recommend this. Now onto number two....

Reply #168. Jun 26 15, 4:27 AM

nasty_liar

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.

Starring Mel Gibson

Totally different to its predecessor, this film is more about the action. Things have moved on quite a bit in storyline since the first movie and it makes for an even more dire world to set the scene. I really think the directors vision of what this world looks like comes across so well.

Gibson does not need to do too much in this film but plays his character consistently with how he would have changed and evolved since the last outing. Bruce spence steals the show as the gyro captain and lifts this film greatly with much needed humour and lightheartedness.

Love the build up and then the end sequence and finally the ending is clever. Once again, a lot of film seems to be fitted into 96 minutes. Not a patch on the first film for me though, nowhere near the depth for Max as a character and not as 'out there' as the first. I would think that after the success of the first one this was made knowing it would be reaching a large audience and is therefore safer.

Overall decent enough though.

In between the two films we were shown the trailer for the new 2015 film, Mad Max Fury Road. It looked absolutely abysmal but it's out now and reviews seem favourable. Anyone seen it? I love Tom Hardy but when I saw the trailer I thought it might be one to skip.

Reply #169. Jun 26 15, 4:39 AM

nasty_liar

Jurassic World (2015)

A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park's newest attraction--a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine--escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.

Stars
Chris Pratt
Bryce Dallas Howard

The 4th instalment of the ever popular franchise. This movie is breaking all sorts of records at the box office I believe. I wasn't actually going to go and see it especially since I don't have much time for it anymore but my wife really loves the three earlier films and dragged me along.

This was exactly what I expected it to be. A cliched, spectacular but shallow, nonsense of an action film. Enjoyable on a basic level but nothing special. At least none of the characters annoyed me dramatically so that's a plus but they were so one note that it was hard to connect with them at all. Chris Pratt has a great screen presence that really saves this film from being a bore. Never heard of him before but I have since read that he auditioned for Captain Kirk for the new Star Trek films and I think I might have preferred him to Chris Pine but that's unimportant since those films are so bad anyway. I digress!

This is also one of these modern blockbusters that is ridiculously bloodthirsty but is edited and shot in such a way that it can get away with what is known as a 12a rating here in the UK. i don't like it.

It's got great effects, very polished, nicely paced but ultimately there are too many fast cutting scenes of total and utter nonsense towards the end of the movie. I honestly had no clue what was actually happening to the characters during some of the action scenes as they focused on what the dinosaurs were doing to each other. Half hearted efforts to personify the monsters? Not for me, focus on your actors characters and giving some depth to hold the viewers interest through your set piece special effects scenes.

It's not the only franchise where no sequels should ever have been made....

Reply #170. Jul 10 15, 8:44 AM

nasty_liar

The Theory of Everything (2014)

A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.

Stars
Eddie Redmayne
Felicity Jones

Yes I actually watched a movie in Deccember (and have watched another earlier this week too). Eddie Redmayne seems totally believable in his role as Hawking. In fact his performance is brilliant but Felicity Jones also has to play her part in selling the emotional impact of caring for somebody with a serious condition.

The actual movie is one of those nice ones where everything just flows along and there is no excessive amount of drama. While I admire them for sticking to the events without tinkering to create extra drama I couldn't help but feel I was watching the less interesting version of 'A Beautiful Mind'. I'm really not knocking this movie or Stephen Hawking as he has lived this story as did John Nash live his but that movie is better to me and when there are so many similarities it is hard not to measure them up and these are movies, not documentaries.

So I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I didn't rush to the cinema to see it because aside from the performances it is not the most amazing thing I ever saw. Some would probably enjoy it more. Especially if, like my wife, you don't like sad things then this is right up your street. It is filled with the positivity and uplifting spirit that Stephen Hawking must have to have battled his way through this disease and continues to do so.

Reply #171. Jan 08 16, 4:20 AM

nasty_liar

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Stars
Jeff Goldblum
Julianne Moore
Pete Postlethwaite
Vince Vaughan

Directed by Steven Spielberg

I recently sat through this mess of a film again in order to glean some trivia I require for a quiz I'm writing. I don't ever wish to see the movie again, I've seen it too many times as my wife loves the Jurassic Park movies.

It's a confused mess. If they'd stuck to the plot of the book I'm sure a second fantastic film would have appeared but sadly no. Even the Goldblum is sadly lacking here and Julianne Moore (who I love to watch normally) is also quite unwatchable. The positive performances come from the two peripheral figures in Postlethwaite and Vaughan including the only thought provoking exchanges of the entire movie (the activist vs the hunter).

There's a lack of true suspense most of the way through and the movie shifts into the absurd when the action shifts to San Diego. I realise this is supposed to be a basic action blockbuster but they don't have to be so ridiculously stupid! These movies can be classy, clever, gripping and nerve wracking. This one is just plain silly.

Oh well, at least I didn't watch Jurassic Park 3..... Or did I? Argh!

Reply #172. Mar 04 16, 4:38 PM

nasty_liar

Jurassic Park III (2001)

A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr. Alan Grant to go to Isla Sorna (the second InGen dinosaur lab.), resulting in an unexpected landing...and unexpected new inhabitants on the island.

Stars
Sam Neill
William H. Macy
Tea Leoni

So, I thought The Lost World was bad.... This is much worse. The main good thing I can say about this film is that it is nice and short so it doesn't feel like you've wasted much of you time. It's like a quick snack rather than a main meal so perhaps that's why I'm not quite so offended after having sat through it.

Directed by Joe Johnston, didn't realise the former snooker world champion started to make movies once his career ended... Sorry, sorry, that's "Johnson" anyway. Maybe it went over your heads anyway, let's hope so.

What is there to say about this? Sam Neill looks like he has no idea why he's there, he comedic relief isn't funny, the action is lame, the dinosaurs are boring, the story has absolutely nothing to offer above the action. Skip it.

Reply #173. Mar 04 16, 4:46 PM

nasty_liar

Creed (2015)

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Stars
Michael B Jordan
Sylvester Stallone
Tessa Thompson

Surprisingly good Rocky sequel. How many is that now? Too many but I don't care, give me more!

Jordan managed to get me invested in the character enough to carry my attention. Stallone was very good though, he knows this character and when he plays him he seems to really believe it and makes you feel it.

Of course the story is reasonably predictable and it steals from the themes of the earlier movies heavily. Fighter/trainer relationship Stallone/Jordan similar to Meredith/Stallone. Love interest similar to Adrian. Other things that will spoil the plot for this film if I mention them too. It is all done nicely though but still feels quite unoriginal.

Overall I enjoyed it but the original Rocky is the benchmark and is head and shoulders above all the sequels.

Reply #174. Mar 04 16, 5:02 PM

nasty_liar

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

Stars
Harrison Ford
Carrie Fisher
Mark Hamill
Daisy Ridley
Adam Driver
John Boyega

Well, it finally came. A big part of me dreaded watching this movie because as somebody who has read dozens of Star Wars books that are set after Episode VI that are referred to as the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars I felt that I was going to feel disappointed that all of my knowledge into Star Wars back story and future story was going to be completely and utterly trampled on and revised. And it was! But somehow I enjoyed this new outing for what it was.

The other thing I was worried about was J.J. Abrams after he made such an abomination of Star Trek Into Darkness and the way he shot the Star Trek reboots using awful techniques such as the persistent use of lens flare. What he did here, though, is create a film that "felt" like old school Star Wars somehow. It didn't feel over special effected or blitz your eyes with light and ears with sound it was pleasantly surprising.

Harrison Ford was used perfectly, the new actors seemed to do quite nicely too. They seemed to be fleshed out enough to understand what their motivations are and get behind (or against) them.

On the downside, much of it felt ripped off from Episode IV. Why did they do that? I cannot understand. But it really did detract from the end product for me. Also some Abrams story telling silliness thrown in for good measure.

Solid start, hope they get better!

Reply #175. Mar 04 16, 5:15 PM

nasty_liar

12 Angry Men (1957)

A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Stars
Henry Fonda

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. All you need is a room, twelve actors and a camera. Watching this film was a joy, hooked from start to finish. Great performances all round, super script, timeless.

10/10.

Reply #176. Mar 04 16, 5:21 PM

samak

"In between the two films we were shown the trailer for the new 2015 film, Mad Max Fury Road. It looked absolutely abysmal but it's out now and reviews seem favourable. Anyone seen it? I love Tom Hardy but when I saw the trailer I thought it might be one to skip."

Your instincts were right; I thought Fury Road was absolutely abysmal. It was on TV and I tried to stay with it, but after about 30 minutes I gave up. A big disappointment because I enjoyed MM and MM2.

Reply #177. May 17 16, 9:49 PM

nasty_liar

Reminder for myself,

Speed
X-men first class
X-Men
The best exotic marigold hotel
Ghost
Braveheart

Reply #178. Jun 09 16, 2:50 PM

nasty_liar

And Good Will Hunting

Reply #179. Jun 09 16, 3:03 PM

nasty_liar

Speed (1994)

A young cop must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Keanu Reeves
Sandra Bullock
Dennis Hopper

1994? Is it really that long? This is an enjoyable romp. Reminds me of a Tony Scott film actually, simplistic but entertaining. Not much is required of Reeves, which is a good job. Bullock plays the 'every-woman' and Hopper plays the maniacal, hammed up bad guy.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster but sometimes you throw a load of ingredients together and you get 2 hours of fun. It's a fairly typical action/chase movie where they stumble from one predicament to another until they finally figure out how to get to the bad guy.

Watch this if you want to watch something that doesn't require concentration or thought and just be taken for a ride... at over 50 mph. Because, you know, sometimes that's what we want!

Reply #180. Aug 08 16, 7:15 AM

489 replies. On page 9 of 25 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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