What film did you watch last night?
- Thread starter Richeh
- Start date
I think it's a balance. I think you're right that there's a lot of people being overly critical of stuff that could be easily explained with a little thought and Star Wars has always been wonderfully full of semi-sensical weirdness; but Anakin is a - possibly the - main character of the sequels. The films are following Palpatine's take-over and Anakin's rise and fall. The suspension of disbelief required for his character bites to the heart of the story being told.
Carrying on with my Star Wars watch through
Revenge of the Sith
I've never actually watched this one all the way through, having given it a miss in the cinema I've caught some parts of it before when it's been on TV but not start-to-finish. The same flaws that mark the rest of the prequel series are here in force: bad CGI, clumsy pacing, bad writing, and a faithless attitude to the original trilogy. Watching Star Wars directly after it probably brought these flaws into starker relief. The characters followed through just don't seem like the same characters, and the story does not feel like it leads to the world of the original trilogy within a couple of decades. Still, the actual plot of the episode is pretty good and the dark story of Anakin's turn to the Dark Side is completed. The problem is the delivery. There are a couple of decent scenes but also some comically awful ones.
A cluster of missed opportunities and ill-judged scenes 4/10
Star Wars (the "enhanced" edition)
Unfortunately Disney+ only carries the cacked up version and not the theatrical release (I have in on DVD somewhere but I couldn't be bothered to find it). I'll address that first: the added scenes are bad, they harm the pace of the movie and they make no sense in the wider story of the three films. The CGI is awful and looks terrible next to the physical effects that have aged well. Han Solo should have shot first.
That aside. This is a masterful movie and time has done it no harm. Yes, some of the acting is clumsy, but the view of a spectacular space fantasy galaxy is still awe inspiring and the story is as solid and simple as it has always been. Darth Vader and the Grand Moff are perfectly pitched villains; Obi Wan is on point; and the balance of zaniness, humour, spectacle, and action is one of the best in film history. You can easily see why its considered one of the most influential films of the latter part of the 20th century.
The theatrical release would get 10/10, but this version gets 9/10.
Revenge of the Sith
I've never actually watched this one all the way through, having given it a miss in the cinema I've caught some parts of it before when it's been on TV but not start-to-finish. The same flaws that mark the rest of the prequel series are here in force: bad CGI, clumsy pacing, bad writing, and a faithless attitude to the original trilogy. Watching Star Wars directly after it probably brought these flaws into starker relief. The characters followed through just don't seem like the same characters, and the story does not feel like it leads to the world of the original trilogy within a couple of decades. Still, the actual plot of the episode is pretty good and the dark story of Anakin's turn to the Dark Side is completed. The problem is the delivery. There are a couple of decent scenes but also some comically awful ones.
A cluster of missed opportunities and ill-judged scenes 4/10
Star Wars (the "enhanced" edition)
Unfortunately Disney+ only carries the cacked up version and not the theatrical release (I have in on DVD somewhere but I couldn't be bothered to find it). I'll address that first: the added scenes are bad, they harm the pace of the movie and they make no sense in the wider story of the three films. The CGI is awful and looks terrible next to the physical effects that have aged well. Han Solo should have shot first.
That aside. This is a masterful movie and time has done it no harm. Yes, some of the acting is clumsy, but the view of a spectacular space fantasy galaxy is still awe inspiring and the story is as solid and simple as it has always been. Darth Vader and the Grand Moff are perfectly pitched villains; Obi Wan is on point; and the balance of zaniness, humour, spectacle, and action is one of the best in film history. You can easily see why its considered one of the most influential films of the latter part of the 20th century.
The theatrical release would get 10/10, but this version gets 9/10.
Yes, you’re being fair with that reasoning, even if we have a different ‘weighting’ when it comes to the specifics.
I suppose I am a little sensitive as to how people are generally so (unduly) damning of many popular franchises as if they are ‘the worst thing ever’. It is all subjective but to me they are clearly not the worst. So (not aimed at you) I find the ‘perpetual unpicking’ method of criticism to often be overzealous, lazy, pseudo-intellectual and rather dumb (even if it can be justified and used fairly from time to time).
It’s somewhat akin to the balance of ‘holding on’ (caring) and ‘letting go’ (not caring). So much pain and torment can be spared from not ‘holding on’ so tightly... and by letting go every now and then
Yes, AotC has aged really badly!
Watched both Ant Man movies this week. Very entertaining and fun. Kids loved them too. Got a lot MU stuff to catch up on now the kids are old enough. I think I've seen the first movie of each of the different spin-offs, but that's about it.
I slogged through Birds of Prey last night, and it was the worst movie i have seen in quite a while. The acting was awful, the action was terrible, but by far the most damning thing for me was the whole aesthetic and camera work. The constant flicking and panning about just made the already bad action scenes even worse, and the bright coloured lights everywhere were just a distraction.
A generous 3/10.
Rise of the footsoldier 2 - I loved the first film but found this one to fall flat, bad acting, almost nonsensicle plot. I'm still going to watch part 3 tonight though but for part 2...another 3/10.
A generous 3/10.
Rise of the footsoldier 2 - I loved the first film but found this one to fall flat, bad acting, almost nonsensicle plot. I'm still going to watch part 3 tonight though but for part 2...another 3/10.
What a Carve Up? (1961)
"Ernie's uncle has just died but to claim his inheritance he must spend the night in the ancestral home with the rest of his relatives. Before long, the guests begin to drop dead."
British horror-comedy starring a whole load of "Carry on.." stars.
"Ernie's uncle has just died but to claim his inheritance he must spend the night in the ancestral home with the rest of his relatives. Before long, the guests begin to drop dead."
British horror-comedy starring a whole load of "Carry on.." stars.
The Mule - 5/10
Nice little film but nothing special. Made me think of The Old Man and the Gun with Robert Redford which I think invested you a lot more emotionally and rewarded you for it. Clint Eastwood is a bit of a cartoon doddery old guy, a bit clichéd. I'm being harsh though, it's worth a watch.
Eastwood is a good filmmaker, I like his style. Going to rent Richard Jewell soon I think. Looks great.
Nice little film but nothing special. Made me think of The Old Man and the Gun with Robert Redford which I think invested you a lot more emotionally and rewarded you for it. Clint Eastwood is a bit of a cartoon doddery old guy, a bit clichéd. I'm being harsh though, it's worth a watch.
Eastwood is a good filmmaker, I like his style. Going to rent Richard Jewell soon I think. Looks great.
The Empire Strikes Back
Again, the "enhanced" edition, although here the modifications are largely ignorable and don't significantly harm the movie. I wonder whether Empire is the first incomplete movie, unlike the original movie and arguably even Return of the Jedi, Empire only makes any sense in the context of these movies. It tells the middle part of the story with no complete story of its own. It's also noticeably darker in tone than what went before. The heroes begin on the run, and end up defeated in Cloud City with Luke a hand down and Han lost to them. It's also striking how much The Last Jedi calls back to the sequences between Yoda and Luke. It's a tremendous film and time has done nothing to dull that.
10/10, even in the enhanced edition.
The Return of the Jedi
The "enhanced" edition changes are more noticeable here, especially in the awful CGI musical number in Jabba's palace, some terrible looking CGI establishing shots, and shoving Little Shop of Horrors into the Sarlacc. There's even the unnecessary and out of place "no, nooooooo!" from Vader in the climactic scene.
The first part of the film is probably the strongest, the whole sequence in Jabba's palace is fantastic and also takes the trilogy into heist territory where it hasn't been before. I can only imagine what kind of fan rage the Ewoks would have generated had it been released these days, and they're not the high point of the series. Still they lead to some fun moments and the final battle is well delivered. Vader's redemption is a fitting end both to the trilogy and the sequence of six movies including the prequels. It's also clearly higher budget than the previous two, and has a more polished feel to it. I'm not sure that is actually to the movie's benefit. Even after all these years, it's still great stuff although it feels both less notable than the other two movies and not quite on the same level.
8/10, or 9/10 for the non-"enhanced" version.
Again, the "enhanced" edition, although here the modifications are largely ignorable and don't significantly harm the movie. I wonder whether Empire is the first incomplete movie, unlike the original movie and arguably even Return of the Jedi, Empire only makes any sense in the context of these movies. It tells the middle part of the story with no complete story of its own. It's also noticeably darker in tone than what went before. The heroes begin on the run, and end up defeated in Cloud City with Luke a hand down and Han lost to them. It's also striking how much The Last Jedi calls back to the sequences between Yoda and Luke. It's a tremendous film and time has done nothing to dull that.
10/10, even in the enhanced edition.
The Return of the Jedi
The "enhanced" edition changes are more noticeable here, especially in the awful CGI musical number in Jabba's palace, some terrible looking CGI establishing shots, and shoving Little Shop of Horrors into the Sarlacc. There's even the unnecessary and out of place "no, nooooooo!" from Vader in the climactic scene.
The first part of the film is probably the strongest, the whole sequence in Jabba's palace is fantastic and also takes the trilogy into heist territory where it hasn't been before. I can only imagine what kind of fan rage the Ewoks would have generated had it been released these days, and they're not the high point of the series. Still they lead to some fun moments and the final battle is well delivered. Vader's redemption is a fitting end both to the trilogy and the sequence of six movies including the prequels. It's also clearly higher budget than the previous two, and has a more polished feel to it. I'm not sure that is actually to the movie's benefit. Even after all these years, it's still great stuff although it feels both less notable than the other two movies and not quite on the same level.
8/10, or 9/10 for the non-"enhanced" version.
I re-watched Rise of Skywalker last night for the first time and enjoyed it (as I did in the cinema). There is some dumb stuff but that’s fine with me - happy to munch my popcorn. I’m also perfectly happy with a McGuffin hunt (this leads to this which leads to this) so it doesn’t bother me at all.
The bit that struck me most was how little the end of the film make sense:
Silliness aside - fine and everything I needed it to be. Certainly lovely to look and often very fun. Deffo fair to knock it down a couple of points though if you need it to be more coherent.
7.5/10
The bit that struck me most was how little the end of the film make sense:
Palpatine: kill me and my soul shall transfer to youuuu!
Rey: nooooooo!
Palpatine: mwhanaha!
....
Rey: I shall now kill you!!
Palpatine: noooooo
*he dies and nothing happens*
Rey: nooooooo!
Palpatine: mwhanaha!
....
Rey: I shall now kill you!!
Palpatine: noooooo
*he dies and nothing happens*
Silliness aside - fine and everything I needed it to be. Certainly lovely to look and often very fun. Deffo fair to knock it down a couple of points though if you need it to be more coherent.
7.5/10
yes - thought Extraction was excellent ... seems they had a 12minute one-shot,
the action gave it a momentum, I'd say better than any of the john wick / Taken stuff, even at levels of Heat.
Soldato
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Just watched 'The Man Who Never Was' on BBC2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074sh0 Cracking tale, but in a more understated way than most WW2 dramatisations. I need to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoTXw1w7K-M&feature=emb_logo now to compare it to the real story.
9/10. I'd say 10/10 but I might be getting a bit totes emosh 'cos it's VE Day... and because I grew up at a time when WW2 wasn't so far away; a childhood full of Warlord and Victor comics may have made me a bit more susceptible to WW2 superhero tales rather than Marvel.
Edit: that YouTube'd documentary is even more fascinating than the movie.
9/10. I'd say 10/10 but I might be getting a bit totes emosh 'cos it's VE Day... and because I grew up at a time when WW2 wasn't so far away; a childhood full of Warlord and Victor comics may have made me a bit more susceptible to WW2 superhero tales rather than Marvel.
Edit: that YouTube'd documentary is even more fascinating than the movie.
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Soldato
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1BR 6/10
Very low budget cult type horror film. Pretty effective I thought. Couple of nasty moments, some decent suspense and a very pretty lead actress Worth a watch.
Very low budget cult type horror film. Pretty effective I thought. Couple of nasty moments, some decent suspense and a very pretty lead actress
Worth a watch.
Soldato
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The VVitch - decent little movie, but now I want to go and buy a Dacia for some reason.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - wow they stretched Jurassic Park out too far and this is the result, pretty poor. I read that it made lots of money and another sequel is underway. 2/5
The Force Awakens
I gave this a 10/10 when I first watched it, but as time as gone by I had come to think of it as being simply a recast of Star Wars and probably not deserving of the top mark. Rewatching it last night, I think I was wrong. Yes, a lot of it follows the plot of Star Wars, but there's actually quite a lot of new here and Kylo Ren, Finn, Rey, and Po are a cracking set of new characters. It's delivered with fantastic style and feels true to the style of the original films, updated for the '10s. I think my only real issue with it is that it renders the triumph of the original trilogy essentially null and void. The defeat of the Empire apparently stuck for what a decade or two at most (it's hard to know how long the First Order are supposed to have been active for) and then they came back in the form of the First order. I'd have liked something that made that victory feel more meaningful.
Cracking 10/10
I gave this a 10/10 when I first watched it, but as time as gone by I had come to think of it as being simply a recast of Star Wars and probably not deserving of the top mark. Rewatching it last night, I think I was wrong. Yes, a lot of it follows the plot of Star Wars, but there's actually quite a lot of new here and Kylo Ren, Finn, Rey, and Po are a cracking set of new characters. It's delivered with fantastic style and feels true to the style of the original films, updated for the '10s. I think my only real issue with it is that it renders the triumph of the original trilogy essentially null and void. The defeat of the Empire apparently stuck for what a decade or two at most (it's hard to know how long the First Order are supposed to have been active for) and then they came back in the form of the First order. I'd have liked something that made that victory feel more meaningful.
Cracking 10/10
Holly Slept Over. For some reason my bank sent me a code for a free Rakuten film viewing and after scanning through a list I wasn’t interested in I saw this. As I liked Nathalie Emmanuel in GoT’s I decided to watch this. I was pleasantly surprised.
My Spy. One could be forgiven for thinking this was a reimagining of Kindergarten Cop, and it certainly seems it is, but it was actually enjoyable. It is one of the few films with a kid in a main role where I didn’t want the kid to die horribly ASAP. The young girl was very likeable.
My Spy. One could be forgiven for thinking this was a reimagining of Kindergarten Cop, and it certainly seems it is, but it was actually enjoyable. It is one of the few films with a kid in a main role where I didn’t want the kid to die horribly ASAP. The young girl was very likeable.