Sicario 2 worth a watch as well
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Another vote for "The Founder"
If you ever get the chance to watch "Marvellous", it's a fantastic film. Real life account of Neil Baldwin. Was on BBC2 about a year or so ago but not seen it since.
Don't normally like Adam Sandler films, but I thought "Hustle" on Netflix was excellent, and showed he can play a straight character when given the chance. Yet to see SpaceMan
Lastly "MoneyBall" on Netflix is an old film that's definitely worth a watch, especially seeing as it's also based on a true story.
Road House (2024 remake of the 80s Patrick Swayze film) on Prime. Serve with a pint or two of wine, highly entertaining. Jake Gyllenhaal is great as a ripped, washed up UFC fighter turned bouncer. In fact he brings so much charm and melancholy to the role that it’s not immediately obvious how silly it’s about to become. But a series of entertaining villains, including a seriously bulked up and surprisingly naked Conor McGregor, plus some great over the top fights soon make it clear that this is roughly as serious as The Gentlemen. Probably not for everyone but if that sounds like fun, go for it.
Last edited by Itsguy; 9th April 2024 at 18:48.
Watched Wind River again last night. Worth a watch.
"East of Boulder Flats, deep into the vast and unforgiving white territory of the Wind River Indian Reservation, the seasoned game tracker, Cory Lambert, discovers the frozen body of the young Native American, Natalie. As this is a federal crime, the F.B.I. dispatches the inexperienced but courageous agent Jane Banner to lead the investigation, however, the unprepared outsider will soon team up with Cory to unravel the mystery of Natalie's murder. Before long, Cory will inevitably have to face his own past, while at the same time, both he and Jane are thirsting to see justice done. In the end, will this be a fruitful alliance"?
Civil War, Alex Garland’s gut wrenchingly visceral take on an alternate present day, or near future American civil war. It deserves to be seen in a cinema, at full volume. It’s had some mixed reviews, with some criticism of the apparently apolitical take on the conflict, avoiding signposting what the war is about. But the clues are there, as the president is well into his third term when only two are allowed, so he doesn’t seem all that interested in democracy. Sounds familiar?
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD: If there’s a criticism, it’s that the heart of the movie, a study of a hardened war photographer passing the torch to a new generation, seems almost disconnected from the provocative American civil war premise. However it does work as a narrative device to give us a grand tour of the conflict, while musing on our progressive desensitisation to violence, and the potential consequences of divisions in contemporary America. But in the end, there may be more to this than meets the eye, rather than less as some critics have suggested. As the film builds to a climax, it’s impossible to avoid getting sucked into the action, experiencing the rush of a video game style assault, and perhaps some catharsis too. And all the while the photographer’s dispassionate camera shutter is clicking, asking you who you are identifying with, what you are feeling, how complicit are you in a brewing civil war, on either side?
Last edited by Itsguy; 16th April 2024 at 12:00.
Collateral
on film 4 catchup atm
It is the best role that I have seen the diminutive scientologist Cruise in.
B
Had a bit of down time recently and watched a couple of movies and really enjoyed them both
'Finestkind' with Tommy Lee jones & Ben Foster. Drama/thriller, no great surprises but an enjoyable watch
'About my father' with Robert De Niro, family comedy, you know where it's going but feet up for an hour or so with a couple of laughs, one of the main characters wears a Panerai (111 or similar) Mrs T. even commented 'is he wearing a Panerai?'
Just finished Ruben Ostlund's satire 'Trinagle Of Sadness'. Rolex and Patek make an appearance but not necessarily in a good way. Highly recommended.
Finished E5 of A Gentleman in Moscow with Ewan McGregor...very good but a bit slow-moving.
Watched a few Oscar films over the last couple of weeks; Past Lives, Poor Things and Anatomy of a Fall were all very good, solid 8.5, just a notch below Oppenheimer, 9.
Also saw Anyone But You with It Girl Sweeney and she does a good job as does her Top Gun partner, enjoyed it more than I thought. Very different from White Lotus, where she is excellent as the pretty terrifying Gen Z Woke hypocrite from hell.
A quick search suggests this film hasn't previously been mentioned: One Life the story of Nicholas Winton's rescue of 669 children from Prague just before the outbreak of WWII. Anthony Hopkins plays Nicholas Winton and, as you'd expect, is brilliant.
Father Stu on Netflix is very good.
Was fortunate enough to watch it through a decent DAC and headphone combo on my iPad and was blown away with both the sound design (for which it won an Oscar) and the movie itself. Jaw dropping and thought provoking, particularly in the current climate. I can’t improve on what the Director of the Auschwitz Museum said in response to stooshie about the Directors acceptance speech at the Oscars:
https://x.com/auschwitzmuseum/status...5MjqtzBmqM6CLA
I can thoroughly recommend The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti. Directed by Alexander Payne who did Sideways with Giamatti and it has a similar feel...... some very funny and also very touching moments.
Agreed - watched it on Saturday night. A solid performance by Hopkins, as is to be expected, and I also enjoyed Johnny Flynn as the young Winton together with the delectable Romola Garai. I'm not really sure what Lena Olin added, particularly given the amount her faced creaked everytime she moved it (I assume that botox hadn't been invented in 1988).
Another thumbs up for The Zone Of Interest. Astonishing use of sound. Still thinking about it.
I watched The Zone of Interest a few days ago. The set design is impressive. The 1940s house was like stepping back in time. And the sound is remarkable, the intermittent gunfire and furnace white (or in this case black) noise. It reminds me of Eraserhead and The Elephant Man by David Lynch, and even The Shining, where the kid rides through the halls on the Big Wheel, Jack throws the ball against the wall, and the ballroom scene with the ghost crowd and band. The party scene in The Zone of Interest with the string quartet is like The Titanic when the musicians play while the ship slowly sinks.
The Zone of Interest blurs the lines between historical drama and horror, melodrama or even fantasy, for example with the parts about Hansel and Gretel, an interesting novel way to try to understand the Holocaust. Or the approach is showing that it is not comprehensible? Either way the feeling I was left with is that the movie feels like the present, and that is what is so disturbing and horrifying.
Equaliser 3 on Now TV movies, the usual fare but nicely done and best of the 3 films IMHO and worth a watch.
An Oscar well awarded for this superb performance by Renée Zellweger.
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I thought Dune part 2 was an incredible bit of cinema, so looking forward to part 3 when it comes.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Typical Guy Ritchie film, quite funny in parts and for a 2 hour movie it's well worth the watch.
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I saw the 4K scan (of the original 16mm print, restoration and new 5.1 sound supervised by Nolan) of Following today.
Nolan buffs will find much to hang their learning upon. The time shifting storyline. Shepard tone style audio cues. Women as props for a storyline about men.
The rest of us can just watch a smart thriller unfold, in a perfectly paced yet concise 70 minutes. Nolan wrote, directed and shot this when he was 26 years old.
It's very very good.
Atlas on Netflix. A turn your brain off action sci-fi movie starring Jennifer Lopez. Perfect for the bank holiday. Could possibly be wearing a Omega seamaster 300m. Well the bracelet looks like it anyway.
Not a good movie, but don’t know where else to post.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but I tried to watch The Fall Guy this afternoon.
I had to turn it off after about 10 minutes.
Absolutely dreadful. Definitely one of the worst films I’ve had the displeasure to see.
Avoid at all costs.
Last edited by Cynar; 26th May 2024 at 21:27.
Finally got round to watching Living on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago. Set in 1953, it's a touching tale of an elderly bureaucrat at County Hall played by Bill Nighy who learns that he doesn't have long to live and sets out to make the most of his remaining time.
It's a heartwarming, touching story but the 1950s mood, enhanced by a beautiful orchestral soundtrack and some stunning photography, is immaculate. It's like time travel. The sets, the decor, the hairstyles and clothes, and importantly the language and manner of the characters. Nighy's performance is note-perfect; gently understated and fragile.
I especially loved the County Hall scenes - the portrayal of the stultefying bureaucracy of the time (surely exaggerated) gently leans into the surreal; it reminded me of Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
Must admit I'm a sucker for period pieces set in the recent past. I can't abide Wuthering Heights, Far from the Madding Crowd, Pride and Prejudice and all that nonsense but give me something set in the '40s or '50s and I'm in.
I found this in the US on the free library streaming service Kanopy which may be available at some UK libraries. Anyway, thank you for the recommendation, the movie is very good. It is described as neo-noir and has an interesting mix of late 40s and late 90s vibes. It makes me want to rewatch The Conversation with Gene Hackman, which has some similarities and parallels.
Civil War. Alex Garlands stab at a possible future for America. Given the political state of things the idea isn't not too far fetched, though I won't detail the specifics so as not to spoil it!
Enjoyed it. Not what I expected but I'd gone in thinking it was more action orientated rather than a journey type film.
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Another + for Civil War.
Quite a bleak film but I was drawn in by the thought of how it is not beyond reason that things could reach the portrayed state.
Back to the Wasteland for this prequel to Fury Road, George Miller excellent once again.
Really enjoy the 'high octane' action sequences difficult to tell where the practical effects end and the CGI start.
Hope George has at least one more to make, really do enjoy and will be revisiting Mad Max 2 for kicks.
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I've just watched Close on BBC iPlayer. A superbly acted story of friendship, loss and grief. It's a very sad, but excellent film.
Hit Man - definely puts a smile on your face, and it’s a great date night movie too.
Atlas on Netflix, I quite enjoyed it and only fell sleep for 20 minutes in the middle.
Land of Bad on Prime plays out like a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare level. Present and correct are drone pilots, helicopters, fighter jets, and the usual grizzled, stranded US special forces, verses waves of generically foreign bad guys, who keep spawning until you reach the next checkpoint. A pretty good idea of how team America sees the rest of the world perhaps, right down to the toilets looking suspect. If you’re in the mood for that genre, it’s efficient and tense enough, and well shot too.
Watched Shutter Island last night with the family. Really enjoyed it, something a bit different.
I watched "Bullet Train" last night.
Not terrible, but not brilliant.
Sadly, the finale teetered into the ridiculous for me and rather spoilt it.
I'd still say if you want a mad, shoot-em-up movie, "Shoot 'em up" is the best.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
An action film based on possibly a true story.
It must have been good as I didn't fall asleep.