What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[Shingster]

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets 2.5/5

Not bad but i preferred the first one.Alan Rickman is criminally underused again,hopefully he'll come to the fore in the later films.

Nope, even the most recent film - which is based on the one book in the series centred around Snape - has very little screentime for him!

[saltysam]

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets 2.5/5

Not bad but i preferred the first one.Alan Rickman is criminally underused again,hopefully he'll come to the fore in the later films.

Nope, even the most recent film - which is based on the one book in the series centred around Snape - has very little screentime for him!

That's a shame & a waste

Up BD 3.5/5
Another solid effort from disney/pixar,a charming tale of a narky widower who flys off in his house in search of the wilds of South America.the BD looks stunning,a 4-disc package containing 2 BD.'s, a dvd & the ever popular digital copy

[grim_tales]

War: 2.5/5

Fairly average, Stratham's accent is stupid and the action is mainly mediocre apart from when Jet fights for a brief period.
However I liked the twist at the end. Wasn't expecting that!

[bradavon]

That's a "spoiler"? .

[thelostdragon]

It is, because you wouldn't expect a twist in this film.

[Markgway]

This isn't a spoiler but you can never be too careful when Grim's around.

[thelostdragon]

Having watched the film I now know that I would have hated it if I knew I was to expect a twist. I'm happy I wasn't expecting a twist, because I was caught off-guard. Even though the film isn't very good at all, the twist at the end was one of the few I didn't see coming.

[Markgway]

I might watch this if it turns up on TV... just to see "the twist"

[thelostdragon]

It's ruined for you anyway now, as you will constantly be wondering what the twist is going to be. It's a film, though, that would have worked without the twist, just as well. So that's what makes the twist so unpredictable, because you don't even expect there one to be. But now you know that there is. It's not the twist itself that is so good. It's the fact that they included one where you didn't expect it.

[bradavon]

Well I wasn't until you made such a big thing of it . I expect twists to popup in many films, they're common practise.

[thelostdragon]

But not in the kind of film that is "War", trust me.

[grim_tales]

Sorry I pointed it out now LD is right, I didn't see the twist coming and wasn't expecting it.

[Markgway]

Just admit it Grim: You ruined the movie for everyone who hasn't seen it.

[grim_tales]

Lethal Weapon - Director's Cut: 5/5

An 80's classic, very enjoyable

[bradavon]

Sorry I pointed it out now

You didn't. You used spoiler tags.

[thelostdragon]

Avatar - 5/5
Wow! The story has been told so many times before (Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, The New World), but damn, James Cameron is a genius.
Haven't bothered with the 3D-version as it usually gives me headaches.

[gasteropod]

Argh you totally should have watched it in 3D, that's the whole point!

[thelostdragon]

Probably, but thank God the film's story and visuals work just as well in a normal theater. I am one of the few people who gets like really dizzy with all the 3D-stuff.

[HungFist]

Up (USA, 2009) – 3/5
Pixar does not interest me, but this film was unexpectedly enjoyable. There are moments of brilliancy, like the opening, where the young boy’s character is basically established by showing another character’s (the old man) past. Ingenious.

The Sentinel (USA, 2006) – 2/5
Very routine thriller with two charismatic stars (Douglas and Sutherland). Good enough for killing two hours, but instantly forgettable.

Hardware (UK, 1990) – 3/5
Richard Stanley’s debut is a decently exciting low budget sci-fi horror stealing elements from The Terminator and Alien. Some scenes do, however, show the director’s lack of experience, as sometimes continuity between shots is not technically fluent. The soundtrack varies between good and bad, but the visual output is often impressive.

[HungFist]

Cannibal Holocaust (Italy, 1980) – 3,5/5
Ruggero Deodato’s infamous cannibal movie has been called "the most controversial movie ever made", although "most challenging" might be a better description. It's a savage and intense exploitation movie with unjustifiable animal cruelty that make it a difficult movie to assimilate. Difficult, because only a fool would bash it as cheap trash. Deodato's film is actually well made – the atmospheric soundtrack really standing out – and very socially critical. It's shot largely in documentary style – convincingly enough to get the film crew charged for murder until they could prove the Italian court all actors were indeed still alive. A large portion of the film consists of "documentary footage" shot by a filming crew that went to search for the real cannibals and never returned. Who are the real cannibals, the film asks. The primitive natives who eat human flesh, or the modern man who's ready to kill, rape and destroy only to capture shock footage of film. And for what reason? To show his power, and to provide entertainment for "civilized audiences". In this aspect, the film is contradictory and critical towards its own existence.

'Crucified Woman' from the Cannibal Holocaust soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQamlINx3Yc

Edit: R1 Grindhouse release warmly recommended. Good transfer, great audio, very interesting extras (in an interview one of the actors nearly nearly attacks the dvd producer when he refuses to cut the film), and best of all, optional animal cruelty free version (there's a slight pause whenever it skips a scene, but it only happens maybe 4 times during the film, and half of them are during "documentary scenes" which are intentionally roughly edited, so it's not overly distracting).

[Markgway]

in an interview one of the actors nearly nearly attacks the dvd producer when he refuses to cut the film

Refuses to cut? That's a first.

and best of all, optional animal cruelty free version (there's a slight pause whenever it skips a scene, but it only happens maybe 4 times during the film

That's the only way I would even consider watching this. A sensible decision by Grindhouse.

[saltysam]

Eden Lake 4/5

Harsh and unrelenting british thriller about a young couple's ordeal at the hands of a bunch of young chavs. extremely well made and photographed,this is recommended viewing though surely chav Britain isn't this bad!

[Markgway]

Two words: Garry Newlove.

[saltysam]

Wrong Turn 2 3/5 This DTV sequel is actually better than the original,nothing great but given the limitations of the hillbilly cannibal genre pretty entertaining.

[HungFist]

Avatar (USA, 2009) – 3/5
Cameron has done excellent job marrying live action and cgi. Avatar is solid visual entertainment – sometimes breathtaking even, but embarrassing moments with storytelling (Smurf kiss? Oh, come on!) prevent it from being excellent. Constantly reminded me of Abe’s Odyssey. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Big Gundown (Italy, 1966) – 3/5
Sollima’s spaghetti western is not among his best work, but has many redeeming elements. The hard boiled storyline – lawman Lee Van Cleef after child killer Thomas Milian – hampers at every other turn, but Van Cleef is cool, and Morricone’s score is staggeringly great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6IJKSsJVds