What film are you watching tonight/watched last night???

A Vigilante (2018) Netflix

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This was never going to be an easy watch given it's theme of domestic violence. It's been depicted with absolute grit and realism in flicks such as Nil By Mouth, and or a smattering of Hollywood gloss in the likes of Sleeping With The Enemy and Enough. Director Sarah Daggar-Nickson ensures this falls somewhere in the middle.
Olivia Wilde, who I only really knew previously as the lovely Quorra in 'Tron : Legacy', takes centre stage here, and surprised the hell out of me. She plays Sadie, a domestic violence survivor, only able to cope with an everyday existence by attempting to free others from a similar fate. She really does deliver some 'next level' stuff here in terms of a performance, and it's what anchors the whole film.
Pretty much everything onscreen ensures a harsh watch, whether it's survivors talking over the horrors of their pasts, or Wilde dispensing her own special brand of reprisal against abusers. This is yet further amplified by the washed out palette of the whole thing, it's bleak winter setting, and a very urgent score.
And the last 30 minutes has to represent some of the most tense scenes I've come across in recent memory.
Well worth checking out, and Wilde was a genuine revelation.

7.5/10
 
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Airplane - 9/10 - The King of Comedys, not much else to be said really, the jokes come thick and fast and if one doesn't quite work there'll be another one along in a few seconds, laugh out loud funny when it hits and Leslie Nielsen nailed the character of the deadpan doctor superbly, genius stuff.
 
A Vigilante (2018) Netflix
Olivia Wilde, who I only really knew previously as the lovely Quorra in 'Tron : Legacy', takes centre stage here, and surprised the hell out of me.

Sounds good. I know it’s very “Hollywood” in style but I really enjoyed J-Lo’s Enough back in the day. Olivia Wilde - I think she’s a decent actress but has too often starred in films where her looks seem to eclipse the character she is playing (if that makes any sense?). She might just be too pretty. :D I first knew of her way back on the TV series The OC. Her feature length directorial debut BookSmart is highly rated (not got around to watching yet but currently on Amazon Prime).

I might subscribe to Netflix for a couple of months as I’d like to see A Vigilante; also because I’ve not watched Extraction and The Old Guard is out soon!
 
Hamilton (2020) Directed by Thomas Kail
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Went in fully expecting to bail out within 20 mins that didn't happen and I stuck around for the full show, by the end I did find it a bit draining but on the whole yeah I pretty much enjoyed it, the mod rap tells the story in a fun style and is a pretty solid listen, it's also pretty amusing in places which helped enormously with the runtime, the before the intermission chapters worked a lot better for me and do think if it was all whittled down to a more reasonable couple of hours it would have made for a more enjoyable viewing a lot of the riffs do suffer from a bit too much repetition and reprise wise, but a big up for the cast they all did a really great job.7/10
 
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You Should Have Left (2020) - David Koepp

Adapted from Daniel Kehlmann’s German novel of the same name, Kevin Bacon’s re-teaming with Koepp via Blumhouse - after more than 20 years, with its leading man still in very good fettle I might add - isn’t a patch on the atmospheric chills of their prior collaboration (Stir of Echoes). A former banker, his younger actress wife (Amanda Seyfried) and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems. The premise of You Should Have Left serves as a metaphor for guilt and inevitable penance, masquerading as a haunted house thriller. The narrative explores well trodden themes such as the blurring of dreams with reality, and of escalating paranoia.

Essentially a three hander ensemble piece, the fatal problem - despite the best efforts of an almost-but not quite-phoning it in Bacon; and Avery Essex (as the couple’s young daughter) - is that the film is not particularly exciting or scary. There is no great surprise when later revelations are revealed and the vibe is distinctly one of ‘seen it done before much better’ in countless other movies of its ilk. The well worn tropes/cliches are respectively annoying and predictable, e.g. Bacon’s Theo encounters a couple of weird, slightly ‘off’ locals who deliver cryptic warnings, and a later attempt to vacate the house via an arduous foot trek sees the protagonists end up exactly back where they don’t want to be. Fans of Stir of Echoes will be disappointed with a movie that’s not so much ‘you should have left’, but more a case of ‘you should not have bothered.’

2/5
 
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View attachment 1328945

You Should Have Left (2020) - David Koepp

Adapted from Daniel Kehlmann’s German novel of the same name, Kevin Bacon’s re-teaming with Koepp via Blumhouse - after more than 20 years, with its leading man still in very good fettle I might add - isn’t a patch on the atmospheric chills of their prior collaboration (Stir of Echoes). A former banker, his younger actress wife (Amanda Seyfried) and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems. The premise of You Should Have Left serves as a metaphor for guilt and inevitable penance, masquerading as a haunted house thriller. The narrative explores well trodden themes such as the blurring of dreams of reality, and of escalating paranoia.

Essentially a three hander ensemble piece, the fatal problem - despite the best efforts of an almost-but not quite-phoning it in Bacon; and Avery Essex (as the couple’s young daughter) - is that the film is not particularly exciting or scary. There is no great surprise when later revelations are revealed and the vibe is distinctly one of ‘seen it done before much better’ in countless other movies of its ilk. The well worn tropes/cliches are respectively annoying and predictable, e.g. Bacon’s Theo encounters a couple of weird, slightly ‘off’ locals who deliver cryptic warnings, and a later attempt to vacate the house via an arduous foot trek sees the protagonists end up exactly back where they don’t want to be. Fans of Stir of Echoes will be disappointed with a movie that’s not so much ‘you should have left’, but more a case of ‘you should not have bothered.’

2/5
Nice review, but it's a shame to hear that it doesn't live up to Stir Of Echoes standards. Might give that a long overdue rewatch instead.
 
Family Romance, LLC (2019) Directed by Werner Herzog
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A fascinating film that looks and plays like a documentary but isn't, with actors playing actors yep its a totally weird setup but thankfully Herzog makes it work especially with all the strange themes he incorporates and tackles into its story, Fathers for hire, robot hotels, fame seekers and hire your own funeral and coffin too role-play on what it feels like to be dead, you can catch it on Mubi for one day only and it also features another excellent Q&A with the man himself.8/10
 
View attachment 1328945

You Should Have Left (2020) - David Koepp

Adapted from Daniel Kehlmann’s German novel of the same name, Kevin Bacon’s re-teaming with Koepp via Blumhouse - after more than 20 years, with its leading man still in very good fettle I might add - isn’t a patch on the atmospheric chills of their prior collaboration (Stir of Echoes). A former banker, his younger actress wife (Amanda Seyfried) and their spirited daughter book a vacation at an isolated modern home in the Welsh countryside where nothing is quite as it seems. The premise of You Should Have Left serves as a metaphor for guilt and inevitable penance, masquerading as a haunted house thriller. The narrative explores well trodden themes such as the blurring of dreams of reality, and of escalating paranoia.

Essentially a three hander ensemble piece, the fatal problem - despite the best efforts of an almost-but not quite-phoning it in Bacon; and Avery Essex (as the couple’s young daughter) - is that the film is not particularly exciting or scary. There is no great surprise when later revelations are revealed and the vibe is distinctly one of ‘seen it done before much better’ in countless other movies of its ilk. The well worn tropes/cliches are respectively annoying and predictable, e.g. Bacon’s Theo encounters a couple of weird, slightly ‘off’ locals who deliver cryptic warnings, and a later attempt to vacate the house via an arduous foot trek sees the protagonists end up exactly back where they don’t want to be. Fans of Stir of Echoes will be disappointed with a movie that’s not so much ‘you should have left’, but more a case of ‘you should not have bothered.’

2/5

That's a real shame, looks like the Bacon needs to get that Tremors series back on the go.
 
I've spent the last 3 nights watching Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight on Blu Ray (with the third, The Dark Knight Rises, to follow).

Batman Begins - A solid introduction to Batman and a decent watch origin story. 7/10

The Dark Knight
- You know, I haven't watched this movie for at least 12 years and I'd forgotten how good it is. Easily the best of the 3, if not the best Batman film ever. 10/10
 
I've spent the last 3 nights watching Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight on Blu Ray (with the third, The Dark Knight Rises, to follow).

Batman Begins - A solid introduction to Batman and a decent watch origin story. 7/10

The Dark Knight
- You know, I haven't watched this movie for at least 12 years and I'd forgotten how good it is. Easily the best of the 3, if not the best Batman film ever. 10/10

First one was good, second was great - such a shame they couldn't stick the landing with the third :(
 
Table 19 (2017) Film4

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I'll go record as saying that comedy is far from my favourite genre, but in these troubled times it was nice to compromise with the Mrs, and actually have a good evening with one such film. Most mainstream comedies seem to either have a reliance on toilet humour, or the screenplay gets overly silly.
Imagine my surprise when I find myself having really enjoyed Table 19, and wanting to recommend it!
Jeffrey Blitz directs this enjoyable bit of fluff that sees a group of 6 very different wedding guests, all seated at the socially ostracized table 19. The oddball assortment of characters has to endure each other, and a day at a wedding where they aren't wanted.
Anna Kendrick makes a solid lead, and she's nicely complemented with Lisa Kudrow, an ace Craig Thompson, and a hilarious Stephen Merchant. The chemistry works a treat between them, and the comic timing on show could teach some of the more mainstream offerings a thing or two. No spoilers, but there's a terrific ongoing gag relating to the reception staff attire....
Despite my assumption 20 minutes in, that it will play out exactly how you expect, the script throws a welcome curveball here and there.
It did have a little more of an indie feel, and certainly isn't geared up for masses (despite Anna Kendrick's presence), but I see that as a positive.
It's not gonna change the world, but it's decent watch with some big laughs.

7.5/10
 
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Quest For Fire (1981) Directed by Jean- Jaques Annaud
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Another blast from the past and after a shaky start of monkey suit madness this then manages to pick itself up and evolve into quite a good adventure yarn, with no dialogue except the cavemen grunts it's surprising just how much you get involved into this little quest of keeping that fire burning, along the way you're treated to an incredibly vicious pack of wolves, sabre tooth tigers and some huge looking woolly mammoths, its also a bit saucy with some nakedness and more than a few sex scenes, along with these were also treated with quite a few decent gore scenes, oh and yeah Ron Pearlman whose facial attributes suited the film perfectly, the only downside is that the HD picture doesn't look that great at times especially the night scenes so it could do with a proper restoration but all in all its still a fun film.7/10
 
Surely the correct ratings are

Begins = very good
Dark Knight = masterpiece
Rises = good

Begins = pretty good
Dark Knight = very good
Rises = ok..ish

Only issue I have with the Dark Knight is the action scenes feel so lacklustre and slow with no excitement or urgency about them. Have never really felt Nolan was good at action scenes.
The rest of that film is perfect though :)
 
Miami Vice (Netflix)

Think this is a marmite film for a lot. I love the visuals, particularly the storms raging out to sea in a lot of the sequences, very atmospheric.

Some excellent gun fights throughout. The lack of dialogue and one liners puts this above quite of other Actioners.

Go fast boats, well want one of course 😀

Not usually a fan of Colin Farrell but he doesn't offend me in this.

I tried watching this during the great bit rate downgrade of ought 20 and it was horrendous, although last night one of the opening scenes on the top of the building was very blocky. The rest of the film was fine.

8 Ferraris out of 10 Fiddy Cals
 
Miami Vice (Netflix)

Think this is a marmite film for a lot. I love the visuals, particularly the storms raging out to sea in a lot of the sequences, very atmospheric.

Some excellent gun fights throughout. The lack of dialogue and one liners puts this above quite of other Actioners.

Go fast boats, well want one of course 😀

Not usually a fan of Colin Farrell but he doesn't offend me in this.

I tried watching this during the great bit rate downgrade of ought 20 and it was horrendous, although last night one of the opening scenes on the top of the building was very blocky. The rest of the film was fine.

8 Ferraris out of 10 Fiddy Cals

I've got this on bluray. There is an early scene which is very dark and grainy. I can imagine it would look poor if streamed with lower bitrates.
 
I've got this on bluray. There is an early scene which is very dark and grainy. I can imagine it would look poor if streamed with lower bitrates.
That's the scene, really odd as the rest of the film was fine. Just needs a small amount of remastering and it would be make a whole lot of difference.

Not a good start to the film, I turned it off when the bit rates were throttled assuming that was the cause.
 
The Babadook - 6.5/10 - A re-watch of this Oz set horror and I enjoyed it as much as the first time, its subtly creepy and doesn't rely too much on OTT CGI which is always a bonus, the ending is a little ambiguous but doesn't detract too much.
 
Been a long time since I watched The Babadook. Think it's one of the few digital titles I own somewhere. Think it's really good though, very clever stuff.
 

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