The last film you watched....

[Kegluneq]

We also saw the Hobbit. Some things were good, but the plot was confusing, since they added so much at the beginning about the dwarves, etc., that didn't seem familiar. I admit it has been quite some time since the book, but I don't remember Radagast the Brown being such a clownish wizard. Lots and lots of a line of dwarves + Bilbo + Gandalf running from one set of bad guys or another. It was good to see the LOTR guys again. It will be interesting to see what they do with the Part Two.

Well, they did have to squeeze a mighty 100 pages into a mere 165 minutes of film... I thought it was good fun, maintaining the feel of the LOTR films whilst introducing more of the innocent fun of the original children's story. It probably didn't need to be so long - or split into multiple films - but I didn't actually get bored of it at least.

After watching the trailer for "Iron sky" i'm really looking forward to seeing it.

It's not quite as good-bad as the trailer would have you hope, but it is quite fun in parts. At the very least it is a tremendously corny B-movie.

[Narukami]

403-Forbidden!

Sorry, but access to this area has been denied based on your computer's IP address

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I saw the hobbit, I liked the beginning because it seemed to explain the background to it better than it did in the actual book itself IMO.

[M. Demetrius]

If only they'd just taken the ring to Mount Doom while they were on those giant eagles, tossed it down into the fire, and flown home, many lives and much trouble would have been saved. If only.

[Narukami]

Iron Sky on Blu-ray: This film is impressive for the production value the crew was able to wring out of their micro-budget. There are also some amusing bits and characters but throughout one has the feeling that there is more potential here than is actually realized on screen. The produces are now set to release a "Director's Cut" with an additional 20 minutes of material, however I doubt this will make a critical difference to the film over all.

Argo at the cinema: This is certainly one of the better films I've seen this year. A lean script tightly directed with excellent performances from the entire cast. Not only does the film keep tension as a fever pitch throughout (even though we know how the story ends) it also evokes quite well the late 70's early 80's era and perfectly skewers Hollywood (as only Hollywood can). In this last regard both Alan Arkin and John Goodman give standout performances that are by turns funny and droll. Director Ben Affleck had done a good job here and more than makes up for Gigli, Well, mostly.

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey at the cinema: 3D -- Bah! We saw this in old fashioned 2D and liked it. I did not find it difficult to follow, and it was fun to see familiar characters from the LOTR films, including the Witch King. I enjoyed once again Andy Serkis as Gollum. For us, the film did not drag, and indeed as we departed the theatre my grandson asked if that was really 3 hours because it felt like only and hour and a half. However ... I do have to wonder what the next 6 hours of film will cover.

Skyfall at the cinema: Although I do think Daniel Craig does an excellent job as James Bond, the plot here does not work quite as well as the previous two films which are actually one story in two parts. Here we have past history and past sins, both Bond's and M's returning to haunt them. That's all fine and good, and while Bond films have always been way over the top, the Craig films have, generally speaking, had a harder edge and a relatively more realistic story line. That edge is still here, but this film ups the 'over the top' quotient by quite a bit. Still, it's James Bond and Craig & Cast make it an entertaining ride.

Cloud Atlas at the cinema: A lot of people have complained about this film -- too many plot lines, too many characters, too much bad make-up, too few actors playing too many characters, too many directors, too much confusion and not enough resolution. I disagree. There are six stories here all inter-related but the transitions from one to the other are distinct and I found it easy to follow. That is not to say that I caught every point or nuance. There are layers here that argue for a second viewing. For me the story is about the progression of a soul through time. It is very much a tale of karma & samsara, and for that reason it is important that the same actors play multiple parts in multiple stores. All in all I enjoyed Cloud Atlas.

:wink:

Narukami

[M. Demetrius]

I do have to wonder what the next 6 hours of film will cover.

Smaug! :-o

[Narukami]

I do have to wonder what the next 6 hours of film will cover.

Smaug! :-o

Six hours for one dragon -- that's a mighty BIG dragon.

:dizzy:

Narukami

[Kegluneq]

Smaug! :-o

A name I've been mispronouncing for 20 years, apparently. I like how coy they were with actually showing Smaug in the film - it's not as if we haven't seen CG dragons before... I just hope his lips don't move when he talks.

[Robert Vermaat]

I saw the hobbit, I liked the beginning because it seemed to explain the background to it better than it did in the actual book itself IMO.

That would be logical, because Tolkien actually wrote that background only after he finished The Hobbit.
I enjoyed this movie (being warned beforehand about all the changes), but I think the dwarves are far too 'human' in apearancce. Gimli was a good one in LOTR, I fear most dwarves in TH are made too 'beautiful' to appeal to the movie-going masses. :-(

[Kegluneq]

I enjoyed this movie (being warned beforehand about all the changes), but I think the dwarves are far too 'human' in apearancce. Gimli was a good one in LOTR, I fear most dwarves in TH are made too 'beautiful' to appeal to the movie-going masses. :-(

Being faithful to the descriptions in the book would mean the dwarfs would look like garden gnomes! The beard sizes were generally consistent - Thorin's should really be larger/the largest but that would not exude authority to a modern audience.

[M. Demetrius]

Watched V for Vendetta last night. Another graphic novel (aka comic book) film. I don't know how I missed this one...it's like six years old or something. Oh, well, no review necessary, as you've probably all seen it. Many of the things in the movie are too true for comfort, but some are beyond silly. It would be easy to draw parallels to modern society, but I won't. If you've never seen it, then by all means see this Orwellian film.

[Jona Lendering]

It would be easy to draw parallels to modern society, but I won't.

I liked the comics better, because it caught the spirit of the Thatcher age so well.

My last movie was, how original, Skyfall. I've seen better Bond movies.

[M. Demetrius]

For Bond movies, I have to say From Russia With Love still rates as my personal favorite. The scene with Bond assembling the rifle while the helicopter attacks with grenades is a classic nail-biter. The fight scene on the train is also very believable and not kung-fooied to silliness. (To be sure, I don't hang out with people who get in physical fights, but flying, spinning roundhouse kicks don't seem to be as common in the real world as in films.)

[Jona Lendering]

This one. It has recently been removed. The colors are so beautifully bright that it was as if I saw the movie for the first time again.

[Tarbicus]

If you're looking for some fun and liked Tremors, then Grabbers is a must-see. Really well directed, acted and shot, had me laughing out loud. Trust Ireland to come up with that monster deterrent.