What was the last Movie you saw... Part III

[Tyr66]

boring as Hell.
4/10

[Typhon]

Not as good as its counterpart, but the best sword play in any movie I've seen.  6.5/10

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Me and the girlfiend saw the thriller A Simple Favour this weekend. An ineteresting film starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. I've seen it compared to Gone Girl and Girl on a Train, and I can agree that the feel with Gone Girl is there but perhaps less so with Girl on the Train. I feel it could have done with a little more tension and threat but it was directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat) and it's his first drama in 15 years so this might not have been the best fit for him. I do like Anna Kendrick though *sigh* she has some sex scenes in this but you don't see anything... Blake Lively though is seen nude from behind... but it might be a body double! 7/10


We also saw Avengers: Infinity War on BluRay, it's the third time I've seen it and it just gets better each time. I can't wait for part 2 next April. 9.5/10

[discman69]

Sunday I watched a Netflix original called Malevolent. It was a creepy type horror film that was very slow in the beginning. Last 30 minutes or so was when it all hit. Very good film and I discovered Florence Pugh. Good actress and a cutie as well. Great premises and a good way to spend 89 minutes once you get through the first 30 or so. 7/10

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I saw Venom and Johnny English Strikes Again yesterday.

Don't listen to the rumours Venom is not 'Catwoman Bad', it might not be up there with the latest MCU films and might not be that original. But it is fun, the effects are perfectly good and Tom Hardy is very good... Michelle Williams was perhaps a little under-used. 7.5/10

Johnny English Strikes Again has some very funny moments, the set-peices are really well done. Don't be put off with Rowan Atkinson, this is NO Mr Bean, he is a little slap-stick in places but the humour is often way more clever than that. However, the set-peices aside the film itself is a little generic and predictable with off-the-shelf villains (how can Olga Kurylenko be that hot at nearly 39!!). 7.5/10

[Typhon]

Every football fan should see this (and maybe others too). 8/10

[Charger]

I saw Venom and Johnny English Strikes Again yesterday.

Don't listen to the rumours Venom is not 'Catwoman Bad', it might not be up there with the latest MCU films and might not be that original. But it is fun, the effects are perfectly good and Tom Hardy is very good... Michelle Williams was perhaps a little under-used. 7.5/10

I just got tickets to see Venom on Saturday...I was bit on the fence about it but I had a free ticket so thought why not...glad to hear it wasn't total crap.

[Zzzptm]

Need to catch up with stuff from my travels, before I head out again on Monday...

Steel Rain - South Korean movie on Netflix. Deals with an attempted coup in North Korea and how South Korea feels like it's on its own in the Trump era of politics. The basic message was, "Damn, we don't want to get wiped out because the USA gets into a pissing contest!" Once the plucky South Koreans use their negotiation skillz, technology, and superior health care to save the life of a nameless, but slightly portly Dear Leader and foil the leaders of the coup, they strike a deal to take on half of North Korea's nukes, so that they don't need anyone to secure their borders.

As someone opposed to nuclear proliferation, I felt uncomfortable at the end of the movie with that conclusion. As a movie lover, I felt like it went on too long with episodic subplots and would have been better off as a 3 or 4 part series. If you love Samsung and hate Apple, this is your movie: all the tech product placement is Sam-frickin'-sung, dude!

Bottle Rocket and The Grand Budapest Hotel - Saw these on the flight back from England because AA had a ton of Wes Anderson movies that month. Both are definitely Anderson auteur works. Of the two, I preferred Bottle Rocket the best, although both were enjoyable, twisted stories. Bottle Rocket uses James Caan in a supporting role and that works out great. Grand Budapest has some strong supporting actors, but also seems to suffer from too many cameo appearances. I hate when that happens, like it does in Saving Private Ryan.

Then I switched over to the movies I had on my tablet, from Netflix and Amazon Prime...

Ostrov (The Island) - One of two psychological Russian films I watched. First, let me say that I love Russian movies that have the action content of a game of chess. It's all in the head, with these films. In this one, the hero is a villain in his own mind, as he knows about a murder he committed during the war. But, to the people around him, he is seen as a holy man. Zero special effects, but a great supernatural movie. And a word on special effects - the Russians are masters of being able to convey scientific and science fiction concepts without relying upon any CGI or even constructed props. Often, they can bring sci-fi to life simply by choosing the right Soviet-era location and going with that.

How I Ended Summer - I liked this one better of the psychological dramas. It relied not on the supernatural, but meteorology and psychology to convey its plot. Set at a weather tracking station in the Arctic - with one of the two main actors a guy that actually spent 9 years of his life as a remote weather tracker - the plot deals with the consequences of a betrayal of trust between the two guys at the station and the lies that follow out of it. Intense film, kind of like Das Boot, but above ground.

Satta - Bollywood film about a politically-convenient wife that is thrust into politics. Although the main actress delivers a strong performance, it's no Rajneeti. But, it's a great popcorn-chewing movie that moves along with decent acting and a better than average plot.

[Tyr66]

A classic 60's french war/action movie. In memory of the great Charles Aznavour.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

We saw First Man this afternoon, the story of Neil Armstrong and the first moon landing. The film is long and -- although probably necessary -- there is a lot of "family" in the film which slowed it down somewhat. The scenes that impressed most were those in the launch sequences and whilst in space. It's almost all shown from within the cramped capsules which makes for quite an exciting watch. So, long, slow and with some great technical scenes. 7/10

[Tyr66]

My God, this is amazing !!!

[Typhon]

Story of the relationship between the poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. 7/10

[Tyr66]

7/10

[Vyn]

I actually watched a show last night, and it sucked. Karma, on the SciFy channel. What a hamfisted attempt across the board - from the acting, to the scripting, to the editing, framing, lighting, and effects. Holy smokes it was bad. Interesting plot, but could not effectively make use of it.

[Zzzptm]

For family movie night, we picked "The Propaganda Game", which dealt with the propaganda war swirling in and around North Korea. Not everything the North Koreans say is true... but neither is everything false. Just as not everything said *about* them is true, either... very complicated situation, but also very enjoyable and thought-provoking film.