Films You Have Watched

[QualityChimp]

Grease (Secret Cinema)
Enter The Dragon (Cinema)
Metallica M72 (Cinema)
Strays (Cinema)
The Return of Sister Street Fighter (Blu-Ray)
Drive (2011 ITVX)
Drive (1997 DVD)
The Deer Hunter (iPlayer)
Jurassic Park (Cinema)
Ready Player One (3D Blu-Ray)
Good Will Hunting (ITVX)
The Equalizer 3 (Cinema)

[Finsbury Girl]

How was the Equaliser QC?

[QualityChimp]

How was the Equaliser QC?

I was supposed to see Gangs of New York, but I've seen it this year and I'm not a massive fan, so tried something else.

I don't even think I've seen Equalizer 2!
However, I don't think you need to for this.

It's a pretty simplistic story and feels like a take on older stories like Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars, but Denzel is really engaging and I liked that the action was fairly fleeting, giving it impact.

However, what raises the level is the beautiful setting in Sicily. He finds himself in a small coastal town and soon finds himself at home in the scenic town with its twisty streets and sea views.

It's a fun couple of hours for fans of the series, for sure.

[Baseley09]

Blade Runner 2049 UHD bluray, seen the movie many times so this is more a technical observation. I'd acquired an LG 4K /hdr /dolby vision LED TV yada yada for gratis from work, and lucked out with a local off the back of a lorry Sony UHD spinner for £100 so thought I'd give UHD discs a go, I'd started picking up some over the years.

Main TV is Panasonic plasma GT50 - while the detail is there on the 4K LCD , I would 100% say the experience of a 1080p bluray on a TV that can achieve deep blacks and superb contrast etc is much better. I'd like to try on a large OLED where this will likely shine, but my overiding thought is there is no aim in 4k UHD discs on middle of the road 4k TVs. Of course its not horrid - it's decent, HDR is welcom, films with well lit/outdoor scenes perform better, but I expected more.

[fallenangle]

Really bored by Snake Eyes on Film4 last night.

Modern day ninjas fighting the Yakuza sounded like fun but it wasn't.

[Dogg Thang]

I watched Death Race 2000. Great cast but the movie is awful.

Then I watched Buckaroo Banzai. Amazing cast but that movie is is even more awful.

Rewatched Rocky V and it’s not a fantastic watch with threads that are more soap than boxing movie but I do think it gets a bit of a bad rap. I admire that they made this after the high of Rocky IV rather than trying to one-up that movie. I feel the movie was needed and it ultimately led to Rocky Balboa.

[prinnysquad]

I still don’t know if I like Buckaroo. It’s warped.

Watched Police Story (1985) again, which was excellent. It is an all-time classic, with Jackie at the top of his game.

Then The Giant Behemoth (1959) on TPTV. I enjoyed this far more than the risible script and rip-off concept should have allowed. The black and white photography improved the general atmosphere significantly. The two leads were decent, and the Wallis O’Brien claymation effects were ok, utilising what was clearly a chronically under-funded budget to reasonable effect. The rubber version of the monster poking out of the sea was rotten, and looked totally different to the scenes of it stomping around London. I enjoyed this for what it was: B-movie dross done on a shoestring. It was an amusing way to spend 70 minutes.

The Killer is Loose (1956), also on TPTV, featured Joseph Cotten as a rozzer who accidentally shoots the wife of a bank robber. The robber swears that he will take his revenge on the cop’s wife in return. Three years later, he aims to make good on his vow. This was a decent little crime noir, with a cracking performance by Wendell Corey as the antagonist. He’s effectively menacing in some scenes, with an edge of insanity in his eyes. Again, a quality hour and a bit of entertainment.

[Neon Ignition]

A Haunting in Venice
The new third Brannagh Poirot movie. Probably the best made of the three in pure directing senses, plot wise probably the weakest but overall still a solid entry with the supernatural spin carrying it.

Batman
Batman Day on Saturday meant the cinema was showing the Burton 80's entry, it still sags a little in the middle when it becomes too Joker focused just after his transformation but the rest remains a classic.

Donnie Darko
Was and remains a overrated film that is largely just boring

[Dogg Thang]

Last night I watched the The Thing (2011). A prequel to Carpenter's movie while also kind of being a bit of a remake, the concept and approach works. I felt that when I saw it the first time and it still works now. As I remembered, the CG instead of practical effects really takes the edge off any horror. I know I'm not the only one but I wonder if it's universal that CG really struggles to scare. I'm always aware on some level that it isn't real. And yet the same must be true for practical effects, but something about the tangible physical presence of those effects feels more impactful to me.

Overall, it's not a bad movie. It's an enjoyable watch. I just think it doesn't quite commit to being either a scary movie or an action movie. It might be odd but the closest comparison I can make are the Resident Evil games in terms of having horror themes and horror imagery but, really, it's kind of action. Just not high intense action. This version of The Thing is like that, and yet I feel they missed a trick with that because it has all the elements for a very scary horror movie. Not bad, but not amazing either.

[charlesr]

Brazil.... Funny

[charlesr]

That moment when Tuttle zip wires down into the abyss for the second time. Pmsl

[prinnysquad]

Last night I watched the The Thing (2011). A prequel to Carpenter's movie while also kind of being a bit of a remake, the concept and approach works. I felt that when I saw it the first time and it still works now. As I remembered, the CG instead of practical effects really takes the edge off any horror. I know I'm not the only one but I wonder if it's universal that CG really struggles to scare. I'm always aware on some level that it isn't real. And yet the same must be true for practical effects, but something about the tangible physical presence of those effects feels more impactful to me.

Overall, it's not a bad movie. It's an enjoyable watch. I just think it doesn't quite commit to being either a scary movie or an action movie. It might be odd but the closest comparison I can make are the Resident Evil games in terms of having horror themes and horror imagery but, really, it's kind of action. Just not high intense action. This version of The Thing is like that, and yet I feel they missed a trick with that because it has all the elements for a very scary horror movie. Not bad, but not amazing either.

I found the film decent, and respected the fact that it didn’t try to remake the 1982 classic. I knew very little about it, and just presumed it was a remake, so I went into it ready to tear strips out of it. I was very wrong. It does a reasonably nice job of setting up the Carpenter entry, so was a pleasant surprise.

[Dogg Thang]

I found the film decent, and respected the fact that it didn’t try to remake the 1982 classic. I knew very little about it, and just presumed it was a remake, so I went into it ready to tear strips out of it. I was very wrong. It does a reasonably nice job of setting up the Carpenter entry, so was a pleasant surprise.

Yes, and it also doesn't repeat the ending, which I do remember expecting when I first watched it.

[Finsbury Girl]

Ruse de guerre - an enjoyable romp, full of laughs, everyone is having fun especially Hugh Grant, who plays the role to perfection. Another little gem from Guy Ritchie & too much Statham is never enough.

First Blood - I almost know this movie off by heart I've seen it that many times, but it never disappoints. Stallone gets enough emotional depth into Rambo to make you sympathetic in spite of the poor choices he makes throughout the film. As a kid I desperately wanted that big arse knife with the compass and survival kit in the handle!

[QualityChimp]

The Shining (via CInema) - Horror masterpiece that's still being directed decades after its release. I think some bits are continuity errors, but so much of it clever ways for Kubrick to mess with your mind. Some nice essays on YouTube by "Heavy Spoilers" and "Collative Learining".

A Haunting in Venice (via cinema) - Branagh's third take on Poirot. The story is fine, as are the performances. Venice looks amazing and is always going to look spooky in a storm with skewed camera angles and creepy music. Ultimately, a fun whodunit, but somehow lacking. I though "Don't Look Now" is the best film in Venice. *shudders*

Red Dawn (via Prime) - One I'd never seen, thinking the Conan director would just put out jingoistic junk, like Goonies vs. the Reds, but it turned out to be a lot darker than I expected, with some deep topics and the kids face a pretty bleak existence in the wilderness whilst the Commie alliance try to track them down.

Taxi Driver (via cinema) - The start of our Scorsese season in prep for his new film. One of those films where some blokes thinks Travis Bickle is supercool and quote the "You lookin' at me?" line, rather than see how broken he is and unable to properly function around others. Oh my, I'd forgotten how stunning Cybill Shepherd is in this. Love the shot where he's calling Betsy to apologise and the camera drifts across to an empty corridor to show Bickle's isolation.