The London Film Club - A Chat about Films

I didn't get to see The Island, probably will see it some point next year.

My next movie I want to see is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

 

I went to see Goblet of Fire last Friday - I loved it!

Shame they cut out some bits, but understandable!

I liked the Durmstrang entrance - very Skeletor-esque (If you understand the reference, PM me!).

I'm also looking forward to Narnia - looks like a kick-ass film! But can't see it till after my exams Not a bad post-exam treat though !

 

Glad you liked it Raj
I'm still a tad surprised how much I liked it and for me is one of the best films this year!!

Johnathan Ross didn't seem to like Narnia that much, but others have said it's brilliant. I'll probably try and see it this weekend or next, but my one concern from the clips I've seen is that this film looks to have come from the school of Schizo editing, and I hate schizo editing

King Kong has also been getting rave reviews, but I can't quite believe it's over three hours long
But of Narnia and Kong, I'm more excited by Kong so that's the one I'm really waiting for

 

Me too
I hope its good

 

The Fog

I went to a special screening lastnight and here?s what I thought....
The film is a re-make of a John Carpenter original (which I haven?t seen) and is basically a ghost story about revenge, so you can expect lots of scary moments, loud bangs and some gore (although not a great deal).
The leading roles are played by Tom Welling (Clark Kent from Smallville) and Maggie Grace (the blonde sister from Lost). Performance wise, they are just about adequate although Maggie does stand out slightly more. The story is not too bad but it wont blow you away and is pretty predictable once you grasp the basic clues. Thankfully it?s more meaty then your average teen horror flick, and it does a good job of creating an eerie and foggy atmosphere. There are some other good and fun characters thrown in too, the highlight being Selma Blair?s Radio DJ character and her slight stalkerish weatherman friend who you can?t help but like.
It?s not great, but it?s not terrible either and if you like the genre, then you probably wont be too disappointed either. 3 stars seems too much, but 2 is not enough so 2.5 seems fair.

 

The nominations for the 2006 Golden Globes have been released, and Keira Knightley has been nominated

However, she's been nominated under the category for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, for her role in Pride & Predjudice. Granted I haven't seen the film, but I wasn't aware that the film was a musical or comedy !!
Unless they find her performance laughable of cause

Here's a link for the other nominations: Golden Globes 2006 Nominations

 

Did anyone watch Clash of the Titans today? I havent seen it in years and completely forgot how good it is.

 

I also love Clash of the Titans
I didn't get to watch it on Saturday but the R2 DVD is finally out now so will get it very soon. Along with Jason and the Argonauts and Star Wars, these are films I always watched as a young lad and have greatly influenced me.

I saw Narnia at the weekend too and really enjoyed it. It wasn't brilliant, but still very good and entertaining. I think they did the animal visual effects very well and the big battle finale was very refreshing for once. I think they showed just about the right amount and paced it very well.

King Kong next for me......

 

Anyone stay up to watch the Oscars???
Any thoughts??

I haven?t seen many of the films that won the big awards, but pleased that Wallace & Gromit won best animation film and that King Kong got some gongs.


Saw a TV Spot for V for Vendetta lastnight.
I really hate the way that this film is being billed as a Wachowski Brother's creation when it?s based on Alan Moore?s Comicbook....although I did hear ages ago that Alan Moore hates the Wachowski Brother?s treatment of it so maybe he?s glad he isn?t being associated with it

None the less, I?m looking forward to seeing it despite the fears.

 

I didn't stay up, I had to go bed as I had lectures this morning plus a nice long walk to uni so figured I needed the sleep.

To be honest I am not sure on what to make of V for Vendetta. I'll probably watch it later in the year when it is out for rent.

I'm saving money for seeing Xmen 3, Da Vinci Code and Pirates of Caribbean 2. There are loads I want to see but those are the important ones

 

I'm really looking forward to those three too, jeanette. I havn't read The Da Vinci Code yet, but have it and plan to get reading soon... And the trailers for X3 and Pirates 2 both got me interested.

Saw a couple of films last night. Fantastic 4 was really bad, shallow, and pretty pointless. The Skeleton Key on the other hand was interesting, enjoyable, and well acted IMO.

Also there are several films in the cinema at the mo that I still want to see... Good Night and Good Luck, is supposed to be great, Memoirs of a Geisha appeals to me, and I'm also told Walk the line is good too. Plus I rather like the work of Jonnie Cash, so that's a bonus...

 

Superman Returns is my most anticipated film this year, but X-men3 and Pirates 2 are also way up there.
I'm very intrigued by V for Vendetta and the source material is very highly regarded, and I have a weakness for Natalie Portman

Will the sequel to Fantastic 4 be called Fantastic 4 2?? That could get confussing..... "four tickets for Fantastic 4 2 at four 'o' clock please."

I'd also like to see all those films you mentioned Ant, plus Brokeback Mountain and Crash, although the latter will be out soon on DVD. So many films and so little time **sigh**

Last film I saw at the cinema was Chicken Little last Friday, and I rather enjoyed it

 

amberstarbright,i'm shocked you're giving a natalie portman film a miss!
i thought you were right up on natalie portman.
and while we're on the subject of V for vendetta...
unfortunately,it's down to poor reviewing/reporting that has the wachowski bros as the creative forces behind this adaptation.
i read the original story when it was serialised in warrior magazine years ago.
i was never a fan of it,but got the dc comics continuation when they republished it some years later.
in all honesty the film does look a lot better than the comic... so fairplay to the director,james mcteigue(?) and the wachowskis for thier 'interpretation.
btw,xmen3 looks crap.
as a longtime reader of the comicbooks...

 

chicken little.
really...?

 

Chicken Little isn't as highly polished as the Pixar films, but the story takes an interesting twist which makes it stand out.

**Special Attention**

Alan Moore (the REAL writer of V for Vendetta) is being interviewed on tonight's Culture Show on BBC2 at 7:00pm (also repeated at 11:20pmish). I'm sure he'll be giving his opinion on the film and worth checking out I think because he's an interesting character. and his owrk has influenced many, both in the comic and film world.

I have a random story to tell. I was in a Waterstones bookshop a few weeks ago, looking at the comics, and some guy came up to me and said I should buy the V for Vendetta comicbook because it's the best thing he's ever read!! He then went off to look at some maps. Very bizarre but I do aim to check it out eventually.

Jamie, have you heard any more news on the Watchmen film or has it died yet another death (again)??

 

sadly,the watchmen movie is still very much a 'go'...although there are apparantly the usual budget concerns.
this is only what i've read in magazines,so who knows...
don't worry,if it does turn out crap i will hunt down those responsible...

 

Did anyone see the Culture Show??

I thought it was a great Alan Moore segment and very insightful. As suspected, he hates Hollywood and would rather his comics not be adapted to film because they were designed to be comics and nothing more. I can see his POV, but adapting a comic (or novel even) to film is a worthy challenge and always worth a crack, as long as you treat them as two different entities. But I loved his quote saying 'if you are going to make my comics into film, then at least make sure they're good films.'
He also showed one of his scrpit pages from the League of Ex.Gentlemen.....one-and-a-half-page describtion for one panel
I thought some of the scripts I've worked off were deatiled, but his are something else

And it's the Empire film awards tonight....Go Kong and Bats!!

 

Hm. I missed the Culture show, I've seen it a couple times. I've been watching Movie Lounge on Five, which is decent.

 

I've never watched Movie Lounge on Five, but if I can remember I may try and watch it this week. I'd like a second opinion on V for Vendetta after Johnathan Ross slated it to pieces lastnight on Film 2006

Here are the main winners from last night's Empire film awards. I have to agree with pretty much all of them, although it?s a shame Batman Begins didn?t get any.

Best Newcomer
Kelly Reilly
Mrs. Henderson Presents/Pride & Prejudice

Scene of the Year!
'The Birth Of Vader'
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

Best Sci-Fi
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

Best Thriller
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Best Horror
The Descent

Best Comedy
Team America: World Police

Best Actress
Thandie Newton
Crash

Best Actor
Johnny Depp
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Best Director
Nick Park & Steve Box
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

Best British Film
Pride & Prejudice

Best Film
King Kong

 

i don't believe it...
ep3 won best sci-fi? that should have gone to serenity,hands down the best film of the year,let alone best sci-fi.
good god,what's the world coming to.
and the birth of vader was a terrible scene,the dialogue was shockingly dull and badly delivered.
saying that,hurrah for 'the descent'!
saw the hills have eyes' the other night.
oh dear.

 

For me, the birth of Vader bit was when the mask went on, no more, no less. But the bit afterwards was terrible, I quite agree.

I also liked The Descent, well worth seeing.

Here's what I thought of V for Vendetta, which feels like ages ago now

The best words to describe it would be 'distinctly average'. There was a lot of potential that never quite got met. The last third of the film, however, was a vast improvement on the rest of it. The story and characterization became stronger and it began to feel like a proper film. But because the majority of the film is weak, it loses a lot of marks for that.
One gripe was that the film was meant to be set in the near future, and yet they were driving around in Rover 75's which just didn't feel or look right. Plus Dell computers haven't changed much. And I never quite got the eggy fried bread thing....looked horrible.
Natalie Portman's performance was pretty bad too. Largely down to the poor English accent, but she just looked so uncomfortable most of the time....even worse then her Padme performances which says it all She looked very pretty though, and when her hair got shaved, her performance went up a gear or two.

So a bit of a disappointment. I'm going to get the Comic soon and I can already tell that after reading that, I will dislike the film far more. That said, I know people that really liked the film, but also know people who hated it. One of Ant's housemates said that with each passing day, their hatred for the film grows, lol. People seem very divided on this one.

 

for such a highly respected young actress,and i'm not talking about daniel radcliffe,natalie portman has been putting in some terrible perfomances lately... what with ep3,v for vendetta and closer-if they'd kept in the m*nge shot,i doubt it would have helped!
thank god for superman returns.

 

You're right regarding her performances, though Ep3 isn't her fault, it's hard for anyone to act with a Lucas script and him directing (though I personally still enjoyed the movie).

Can't say I've seen Closer, but I did enjoy V for Vendetta, though more as a "popcorn" movie than the serious political diatribe of the comic - and why oh why did they have to attempt to put in the lame romance sub-plot between V and Evey!

However, if you would like to see what I consider to be a great performance by Natalie Portman, check out Zach Braf's directorial debut (he also stars in it) Garden State. I loved this film. Subtle, funny, serious, enlightening, with some great moments from both the leads, Zach and Natalie.

 

I think Natalie Portman is one of the most inconsistent actors ever. She needs the right film and script it would seem, because in some films she's brillaint while in others, namely Star Wars and V, she's very poor. I've seen the later half of Closer and thought she was good in that, although best to think of that film as a theatre play rather then a film.

Haven't seen Garden State but I'd really like to. I've heard good things about it and I think those kind of "coming of age" type films suit her well.

I saw KIss,kiss, Bang, Bang tonight. Good stuff but I got a bit lost due to not concentrating enough

And Kong is out on Monday!!!

 

and asda are doing it for under a tenner!
which just about means i will justify buying it... for completist reasons only.
i certainly wouldn't pay over twenty quid for it...
transporter 2,on the other hand...