Amph What was the last movie you saw?

Jane Got a Gun (2016)

Generic westerner elevated by Joel Edgerton who's the only reason to see this. Portman is dreadful, and I can understand why she's not getting work these days.

Ride Along (2014)

Ya know, if pre-2005 John Singleton or F. Gary Grey had directed this it'd be a gritty, tight, and well made cop thriller with comedic elements, but it's just incredibly stupid and creepy.

Ride Along 2 (2016)

Well, this one is even worse, though Munn was good, I thought.

 

Been on a bit of a war film kick at the moment, so I watched Ice Cold in Alex today. I really enjoyed it but I did think the famous line was right out of a beer advert.

 

Continued my war film marathon with Went The Day Well?. Thee plot was very similar to the Eagle Has Landed, and I was surprised just how bleak the tone of this film was a) made by Ealing and b) designed as a piece of war propaganda. Good film all thee same.

 

I bought this film off the back of it being an Ealing production. I love that era of film making and the b&w movies, in particular the naivety of the films at that time with a kind of upbeat tone, such as Hue and Cry for instance, but like you I was really surprised about the tone of it. Much more bleak than I thought it would be with some really cold blooded murders in it.

Simply one of the best war movies ever, great performances all round.

 

Warcraft

Coming from a former WoW player, I liked how the movie started, but it just turns to crap. I don't think I want to see a sequel.

The only really good thing is the orcs. They look and act phenomenal. Very well done there.

 

Love and Mercy-I was never the biggest Beach Boys fan but after watching I have a bigger appreciation

 

That was quite a heartfelt movie.
It played in the cinemas at the same time as the Amy Winehouse doco, which is a similar story with a far more tragic end.

 

Brave Archer and his Mate (1982) - absolute stinker of a Venoms mob film, Chu Ko rocking his wuxia take on Lemmy's mutton chops is the only person worth watching in this mess. His martial performance in the last 20 minutes happily flushes most of the boring and unlikeable characters who populate this unofficial entry to the Brave Archer series. But still this is better than Ode to Gallantry which was really bad. While the other acrobatic Venoms might be more notable, I think Chu Ko tops all of them even my loved Lu Feng. It was great to see him perform in both films I saw in 35mm last night.

 

Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Brilliant and nostalgic documentary. Even as the huge Turtles fan that I am, I learnt new things from this

 

The Last Station About the end of Leo Tolstoy's life. Christopher Plummer plays Tolstoy and Helen Mirren plays his barely-keeping-it-together wife. James McAvoy plays a "Tolstoyan" disciple whom the film follows, but he mostly acts as an audience avatar. I'm fascinated by Tolstoy's views and personal life, so I really enjoyed this movie. It goes out of its way to point out how stupid "Tolstoyan" asceticism is and how it contradicts the broader message of "love" he tries to promote. His desire for "selflessness" is also shown as potentially harming people who depend upon him and under the right circumstances it's easy for people who have ulterior motives to take advantage of him.

Trapped A documentary focusing on Alabama (2-3 clinics), Mississippi (1), and Texas (~6) abortion providers in the wake of Texas House Bill 2 which among other things requires abortion clinics to be equipped as ambulatory surgical centers. The law is one among many TRAP (targeted regulation of abortion providers) laws in at least 25 states, which are intended to regulate legal abortion out of existence. I admire the people shown in the documentary who work so hard to help women (and girls as young as 13) in need. They religiously (pun intended) follow every stupid regulation and citation imposed upon them and still manage to keep everything going. One of the abortion providers is a plaintiff in the case the Supreme Court will decide (or not) within days-- namely whether the state regulations place an "undue burden" upon those who perform the procedure. I think the answer is obvious, but so many people seem to miss the obvious. Go figure.

Sonic Sea About the meteoric rise in ocean noise pollution in the past 50 years and its damaging effects on marine wildlife including cetaceans. It names three major culprits: commercial shipping (the big container ships), oil and gas exploration using explosive charges, and naval operations (especially active sonar, which is a lot louder than traditional sonar). I thought it was very effective, and the solutions are rather simple. For example, there are designs for container ship engines that can be 90% quieter and, as an advantage to people who only care about money, are more fuel efficient. I disliked the anthropocentric argument that the documentary hinged upon-- "If the whales go away, we're in trouble too!" Well, yeah, probably. But can't we just feel sympathy for the suffering of other sentient beings without making it about our hypothetical future suffering? (No.)

 

The movie the Conjuring 2 at the theater today.

 

Capote. As an examination of Truman Capote's complex relationship with the killers he profiled in In Cold Blood, it's interesting, but I'm not sure that it ultimately added up to a lot for me. It always felt a bit like the film was holding Capote at arm's length. It's well made but for some reason never quite clicked all the way with me.

 

Friday.

 

Independence Day

While far from perfect, Independence Day stands strongly in 2016 to the extent that it is unclear why or how a sequel is possible. Despite it many flaws in the writing and overall portrayal of the characters, ID4 has plenty of heart and passion behind it as evidenced by the production in its use of miniatures, sets, costumes, and outstanding cast. Its stupidity and oversimplification, while definitely distracting at the best of times, is forgivable because the film is self-aware that it is in itself a soft parody of the spaghetti western or American propaganda film from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Yes, it's evident when it attempts to tug at the heartstrings and, of course, America save the day. But, Independence Day tells its epic story without the forceful arrogance of a modern blockbuster from the likes of Michael Bay. Its tone isn't abrasive or puffy chested. Instead, Independence Day is unabashed escapism. It's a reminder and a flashback of a simpler form of filmmaking where danger and fun went hand in hand, much like the films which would inspire Spielberg and Lucas to create Indiana Jones. Essentially, Independence Day is a very expensive B-Movie and it need not be anything more.

While the overall concept may be lacking in areas, it is more than made up for in its outstanding casting where the likes of Will Smith, Bill Pullman (who is an underrated actor anyway), and Jeff Goldblum are at the peak of their form as actors. The chemistry between the principle cast is terrific. Keeping in mind, between takes the cast must have been sniggering and rolling their eyes. But, it doesn't show in their performances because they are invested in their characters which is what makes them so likeable. If anything, it would have been good to see Smith and Goldblum work with one another a little more because there was very much the sense that their partnership had only really begun to blossom in the final moments of the film. Meanwhile, despite a very minor role, Brent Spiner plays a much necessary quirky and unusual character as does Randy Quaid who is the obvious comic relief and missile cowboy. Overall, the script has just the right mix of intensity, humour, warmth, and winking necessary to keep the pace of the film consistent.

But, above all, Independence Day still looks fresh and believable in that technology has not aged the film. This is far more which can be said about the likes of The Matrix or the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy where the look and feel of those films have aged just as the software which made them possible is now defunct. ID4 is proof that while CGI is an excellent tool and has contributed to much innovation in cinema that it is a mistake to totally use CGI to override the craftsmanship of miniatures and models. Though, I must admit, many of the sets from Area 51 feel recycled from Stargate. But, this is minor.

This is why I feel the sequel (which I am seeing tomorrow) will come off second best because despite also being a blockbuster, it just appears to lack the heart of ID4 from, 1996. Nevertheless, no matter how awful Resurgence will be, i'll always have this treat to revisit in future. This film still feel great. I don't think even the most ill fated of sequels can take away from that.

4 out of 5

 

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, just yesterday, for the umpteenth time

 

Independence Day Resurgence


In a word, predictable.

This was a Roland Emmerich "paint by number" type of flick, where the land marks are destroyed and characters react to the situation in the most nonchalant manner. And thus, the film loses the dramatic gravitas. I never got the sense that all hope was lost or the characters themselves felt they were in grave danger.

This is a movie you can wait until it comes out on home video.

Thumbs down.

 

Thanks for the recommendation Doom Trooper

The Hidden (1987) - Plot; A no nonsense cop is paired with a mysterious FBI agent on a case that finds them tracking an alien life form who takes over people's bodies.

Feeling equal parts Alien Nation and I come In Peace (aka Dark Angel), the far lesser known The Hidden actually beat both of them to theaters by a few years. It's a quirky buddy cop style film that features several familiar genre tropes, but to its credit it never gorges on them. The sci-fi element is revealed early, but we're otherwise kept in the dark until the third act--and even then not much is really explained (a point of mild frustration). The "twist" is rather obvious, but it's still fun to watch it play itself out thanks mostly to effective performances from leads Michael Nouri and Kyle MacGlachlan.

This is a surprisingly well made B-movie with a strong cast. The tumblers fall into place a little clumsily, but I still found it to be, if not a hidden gem, then at least an effective and entertaining genre mash-up. - 6.5/10

 

I may agree in a few hours.

 

It wore me out. Too much computerised creatures endlessly fighting. I was a huge LOTR nut, but this was the death of it all for me.

 

I saw the neon demon once on friday and again sunday morning, I'm a fan of the directors previous work so its no surprise i'd be hyped about this one. Its refreshing to see a movie that indulges in itself and takes its time as opposed to so many throw away action movies that come out lately. I daresay I liked this movie more than JJ abrams star wars because at least this stuck with me...when I watched TFA I felt like I was watching a flashy more action packed version of the previous Star Wars films, no shred of any new ideas present. The neon demon isn't exactly treading new ground either... but at least if left me thinking about it several days later.

 

The Lobster (2015) – Yorgos Lanthimos



Now the fact that you will turn into an animal if you fail to fall in love with someone during your stay here is not something that should upset you or get you down. Just think, as an animal you’ll have a second chance to find a companion.

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this movie for years; Lanthimos, director of Alps and Dogtooth, is certainly one of the most interesting directors working today and I was excited to see his first English language film. Lanthimos has a real gift for dazzlingly strange high concept and this film is right in that vein. In this strange, muted film, society doesn’t just frown on people being single; it’s literally against the law. So, a minimal, but brilliant, Colin Farrell finds himself at a mysterious hotel for singles where he has forty-five days to meet someone and fall in love or he will be transformed into an animal. That’s really all I want to tell you, because this is a movie you need to see knowing very little about it. It’s a very strange movie, for sure, but it’s both a sharply written, hilarious satire and a melancholy musing on loneliness and isolation. The cast is absolutely stellar. Besides Farrell, there’s Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, John C. Reilly, Olivia Colman (you know, from Broadchurch) and scene stealing turns from Jessica Barden and, in particular, a brilliant Aggeliki Papoulia as a sociopathic woman searching for a man as unfeeling and cruel as she is. Again, I could talk about so many amazing scenes, but I’m just not going to do so because this is most certainly one of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year and you really have to go watch it. It’s a without question masterpiece that is both absolutely engrossing in the moment and haunting in the memory. It’s, in my estimation, as close to perfect as a film can get. In the early scenes of the film, Farrell has to let the hotel staff know what kind of animal he’d like to be turned into, should he fail to find love. When he tells Olivia Colman his choice, she muses, “Lobster is an excellent choice.” What an understatement. 4 stars.

tl;dr – side-splittingly funny, hauntingly melancholy, brilliantly performed by a great ensemble; The Lobster is a brilliantly strange masterpiece from the iconoclastic Lanthimos. 4 stars.

More Movie Reviews!

 

Fantastic Four (2015)-I didn't think it was the disaster its reputation may suggest it is. It has some promise in the beginning but ultimately it commits the biggest sin of not being interesting. By the end I was pretty bored

 

Not awful just...pedestrian. *shrugs*

No need to own the home release.

I'm done.

 

I'm a huge LOTR fan, but I like the Hobbit trilogy too and Martin Freeman as young Bilbo is amazing!

 

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