Seen Todd Philips' Frat House the other day, his time spent discovering fraternity houses in american universities. Wasnt expecting much but it was quite brilliant and funny. As Dylan Moron said American stupid is just that bit more stupid than the rest of the world.
Checked later on wiki and virtually every year people die in the "hazing" ceremonies. And to think i thought maynooth was a bit wild!
Birdman - Was expecting something good with the cast involved. Put aside the hype, didn't buy into the trailers (as they always pick the best bits) and just wanted to enjoy something to kick off the New Year with. Terribly disappointing. Started slowly, got slower, meandered with self-congratulatory dialogue and ended trying to be "cool". Keaton was his usual decent self, Edward Norton okay, the rest were by-standers. If this movie picks up any Oscars then..... 1/5
Gone Girl
Ben Affleck as a guy who appears to have a perfect life,co owns a bar with his sister and has a beautiful wife who mysteriously goes missing so we are left wondering what happened to her,have to say I watched this with low expectations but thought it was really good with plot twists and turns throughout and the acting is top class.
Over 2 hours long but you wouldn't notice the time going by. 9/10.
you lost me thereOriginally Posted by the 12 th man
Sat down with a bunch of DVD's yesterday evening, determined to get through them until the early hours as I have today off work. Need to add, the DVD's are legal and I'm not a crim.
Unbroken - 12 years as a slave in the South Pacific. Cannot wait to see what South Park will do with this one. Of course the story is interesting, but is it jus tme, or is did Mel Gibson open up a whole world of S&M Hollywood style? The "will they, won't they, did they?" relationship between jailer and jailee went so overboard as to be painful to watch. While the cinematography and special CGI are impressive, the lead actor is quite wooden, the story drags and the film woudl be better done as a History Channel docu, but where are the bucks in that? Quite a balanced view of the war - showing the effect of allied blanket bombing from both sides, and while it dangerously strays into the yay yay USA field, it is more a movie to be watched in installments, and while drunk. 1/5
American Sniper - I don't know what to believe, that the lead is a genuine decent soul who suffered for his job and used his pain to turn around te lives of others, and was a good Dad and hubby, or he was a racist, violent socipath who loved killing. The story is of a good ol boy who goes into the SEALS and is the all-time super pooper sniper. I like Bradley Cooper and really like Clint Eastwood's movie making style, as well as him being an icon. I, inadvertently, read a Guardian article about the real life guy and was a bit sceptical about the movie, though....it is a good movie. It moves at a good pace, is violent but not overly so (cutting away or going to distance shots) and shows both sides of the story. I don't know how it will fare in awards, but I can't see it scooping all before it. 3/5
The Imitation Game - I was waiting for this one as the story of Alan Turing was one that is interesting on so many levels. It moved at an okay pace, Cumberbatch remains quite overrated (imho) but I have not seen any of Sherlock so maybe I miss something. The story is of the tortured genius who suffered under repressive laws regarding homosexual acts and losing his first love as a schoolboy was something which he was unable to deal with. I think today he would be regarded as being on the mildly autistic/aspergers spectrum, as while being a genius, he always seemed to have suffered from a disconnect with people. I liked Keira Knightley in this, she played a strange and strong character, loyal to Turing. Some liberty was taken with his true story and while there is uncovering of the fun and games in the British secret service and spies, and the ability to allow some die so others can be saved/war won, is quite upsetting. It's worth a watch and Mark Strong delivers, as well as Charles Dance at his pompous best. 3/5
Finally
Kill the Messenger - I'd read about this story in the book Flat Earth News but the film brought to life something very powerful. Jeremy Renner is a damaged journalist who uncovers links between Nicaraguan drug cartels and the sale of cocaine and crack in the USA in order to support the CIA's war against the elected government (via the Contras). A powerful piece that does more to show up the hypocrisy in both government, business and media than many other films. It was the last movie I watched and at 3am I was figuring, oh here we go, but it was really good. The ability for the media to turn en masse and rob the same material off each other is impressive, while government "sources" are key in many cases. We have it close to home, especially the Garda expose and the journalist hung out to dry and smeared, yet we all go along blithely buying the nonense. Well worth a watch and I think the movie will become an instruction for journo's in Uni's and Colleges, at least I hope so. 3.5/5
Taken 3 - watched it online in English (thanks to a member of foot.ie for a link) and then took in the big screen version, in Russian. I am very thankful that my girlfriend wanted to see it (she's a fan of such movies) and it was fun. Poor old Liam was struggling a little, the film was speeded up a few times so that he was not creaking and the "Russians" were brilliantly miscast. The whole plot was obvious from the start but some of the stunts were impressive and the action is good. As it is almost certainly the final, final, final installment it shoudl be watched and enjoyed. Plot - ex-wife wants to get it on with ex-husband (marital troubles with hubby #2). Love rekindles only to be snuffed out. Enter nasty Russians, dodgy business and Forest Whittaker. Chase and fight scenes, cool lines and some laughs. And best of all - no gore! People get shot, beaten but it's not the teen boy spankathon ufc stuff that seems to have taken over cinema. Instead it's left to the imagination, or blindingly obvious. For that return to good old intelligent values I'll add 1 to make it 3/5.
I thought 'Birdman' was pretty funny satire, albeit after a slow start. Maybe a bit pretentious and self-important, but, overall, I enjoyed it. The fluid camera was impressive. The whole film follows through seamlessly as if shot in one take.
The movie was tense and action-packed, as you'd expect, with more thoughtful peaceful interludes when Chris Kyle was back home between tours, although I found the ending especially jingoistic and a bit cringeworthy. Kyle is portrayed as a hero and it felt like I was watching a tribute by the time the credits concluded.
The real Kyle, however, seemed to have been a rather uncritical and unthinking individual who saw the world and what he was doing in embarrassingly simplistic black-and-white terms. He was almost certainly a racist sociopath. There's an interesting piece on him here from Salon: http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/deat...erican_sniper/
The jingoistic element is certainly strong, but balanced enough. I youtubed the original footage and it was just as it was in the film (well, it was the real footage). It's something Eastwood does with effect - Invictus a case in point.
I've read nothing balanced on Kyle, nothing. It is either Fox News or Guardian/Salon, so it's tough to know who/what he is. He was certainly not a great thinker, but that's not important for his line of business.
There's always Kyle's own book.
Critical thinking would probably have hampered his ability to coolly kill a few hundred men and women from a distance simply because he was told they were "the bad guys". It's just the complete absence of curiosity or imagination that I find a bit eerie. Even if he ultimately believed in what he was doing, there was absolutely no grey for him. He seemingly had never even considered that any moral questions whatsoever might have surrounded his actions or why the US military was engaged in Iraq. He was a killing robot, but also strangely affable.
There's a Time interview with him here:
Speaking of before he ever made his first kill, he talks about having been worried before hand, but it wasn't that he was having any scruples about the taking of another human being's life; he just wanted to be sure that he had the all clear from his superiors to shoot a "guy who's really bad" so that he wouldn't get into trouble with politicians back home.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 19/01/2015 at 2:42 PM.
Leviathan - went to a sneak peek preview this lunchtime - sweet jesus, I wanted to tuck into a bottle of vodka and disappear. It is everything that is good and bad about Russia at once! It is a really class movie, one of hte best to come out of Russia in a long time. Excellent quality of footage, contrasts, scenery. Some of the dialogue is a bit difficult, but the characters are very much true to life. It's basically one man against the system, and being betrayed by all those he trusts. There are 2-3 funny moments, especially when out shooting guns, but these are a real contrast to the grinding pain and growing disconnect of the "hero". At one point in the film I felt like I was out there in the icy wastes of Murmansk Oblast. I cannot say it is a great movie, I cannot say it is a classic nor should it deserve to win an Oscar, but for a pretty good illumination of all that is good and bad about the human character, it is it.
I also heard, at coffee after, that it exposes the true Russian "mentality", I don't fully buy this, but it does expose how standing alone means falling alone. 4/5
Salon's Zaid Jilani seeks to correct what he views as the misleading and mythical impression of the real Chris Kyle (and the US invasion of Iraq) generated by 'American Sniper': http://www.salon.com/2015/01/23/7_en...erica_partner/
The Hunt - An achingly good film. Revolves around a man, teacher, who is accused by a friends daughter of abuse. The "abuse" spreads so that all the kids were abused by the same man. Set in a village in Denmark it stars Mads Mikkelsen and just keeps you hooked until a chilling finale. It is a perfect example of mob mentality and how those meant to care for children, very often care more about their reputation than due process. One of the best films I've seen in 2015 and one I would not like to watch again, because I know I will be having some chilling nightmares on this one. The pace is deceptively fast (like a LOI full back) and while it appears the acting is not brilliant, it could be argued that it is more real than reality. Would really recommend this for an evening with a bottle of wine - not a cup of tea on a Bank Holiday weekend! 3.5/5
Anyone seen "The Water Diviner" ? Considering going to cinema wondering if it any good nothing else but pure muck on
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It is a big vehicle for Russell Crowe, what can be termed a vanity project. The basic story is interesting, man loses sons to war, loses wife to grief, gives everything up to go find the bodies and bring them home. Along the way battles the evil English attitude, meets some likeable Turks and meets a war widow - the horrifically untalented ex-Bond mannequin Kurylenko. Until a point the movie is decent, then it starts borrowing scenes from Lawrence of Arabia and other biggies.
If you like Russell Crowe, you'll enjoy it. If you want to shed a few tears (at 2 points), you'll like it. It's worth a look, but I'd wait until it's on CD to FF the crowbarred in love bits.
Saw Mad Max Fury Road today, nothing great but decent action film. But what the f@ck was with that guitarist
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I stuck it out for just under 20 minutes, then had to switch off. The original series scarred me for life!
I enjoyed Mad Max. Pure action and a bit nuts. Great fun.
The new Poltergeist was a bit dull. No real atmosphere, no tension and not enough character building to develop any attachment. It had all been done before and done much better.
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Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 - 2/5
Not as good as the first movie. Kevin James is a likable lead though.
Watched "Unfinished Business" - was looking forward to seeing it in English as it was not quite interesting in Russian. Disappointed. I like Vince Vaughan and Tom Wilkinson, and Nick Frost can be hilarious, but it was a bit drab. It was kind of Eurotrip means middle age and without fresh jokes. The other lad Dave Franco was kind of funny as a challenged individual, but that was about it. Main story - good salesman tries to balance family life with work, sets out on his own with 2 outsiders, and travels around America and the to Europe - even if there are some seriously poor edit errors. 1.5/5
Survivor - if ever there was a movie which needed a proper female lead, it was this. The car crash that is Milla Jovovich someone manages to destroy every scene as she's supposed to be a security agent who is filtering visa applications in the US Embassy in London. Pierce Brosnan is a kind of baddy, but the whole film has a straight to bargain bin in Poundworld about it. Jovovich should wander off into the sunset. 0.5/5
Spy - Was caught a little with the hype, though I find Melissa McCarthy more than a bit boring and unfunny. Basic story is a secret service/spy who is desk bound. Her colleague is killed and she goes off to get revenge with Jason Statham. Statham is quite funny in an "ould eejit" kind of way, but after an hour I'd enough and left the cinema. I know it's poor form to walk out before time, but in any language it's just a bit boring. McCarthy is the same as in every other movie, the story is a bit too out there plot wise and unless you're trying to get on the good side of your partner, who has recently begun to let their standards slip, it's not worth the entry fee. 1/5
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