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

[saltysam]

Let Me In 3/5 Bleak but solid remake of the acclaimed swedish original (i haven't seen it) well acted & directed.

[luckystars]

Let Me In 3/5 Bleak but solid remake of the acclaimed swedish original (i haven't seen it) well acted & directed.

Original is great. Really touching and personal film.
Not sure I'd ever bother checking the remake.

[saltysam]

Not sure I'd ever bother checking the remake.

Don't then.who cares?

[Markgway]

It's a Boy/Girl Thing **½

Another variation on the bodyswap comedy formula: This time two teens - a boorish jock and a snobbish girl - who can't stand each other make the life-changing switch. Hijinks and romance follows... Nothing new really, but watchable all the same. Gets an extra half star for the very appealing Samaire Armstrong...

[luckystars]

Not sure I'd ever bother checking the remake.

Don't then.who cares?

woa whats with the stroppy reaction? You do know this is a forum?

[gasteropod]

Morgiana: 3.5/5

[Markgway]

Eden Lake **½

Uniquely British horror film in terms of setup and character; although we've seen the central conceit (innocents hunted in rural area by a pack of bloodthirsty psychos) many times before. A frightening indictment of Britain's feral children (and equally rabid parents) is a good deal more realistic than anyone in authority would care to admit. Obviously the direction takes the ideas to an extreme conclusion, but the truth is certainly there. One or two minor incidents escalate and wind up in death/multiple murders - read the papers for daily reminders. As a stark warning on the downfall of society the film is grimly effective. So why didn't I rate it higher? The plotting. Why do supposedly intelligent characters keep on doing stupid things? I lost count of the times I slapped my head in disbelief. If either of the protagonists had take a sensible decision along the way the outcome could have been very different. I suppose they're intended to represent naive liberalism, but it's very frustrating to watch, and pulled the film down a couple of notches for me. A shame.

[HungFist]

I had the same problem. It would be quite a good film if it wasn't for the characters. It's like everytime you think "for God's sake don't do that!" they do the exact thing. Gets very frustrating.

The British movies I've seen in the recent years... Eden Lake, Harry Brown... I think that's all. What a nice country you have

[Markgway]

The British movies I've seen in the recent years... Eden Lake, Harry Brown... I think that's all. What a nice country you have

Obviously it's not ALL like that... but these movies do represent an ugly truth.

I think Harry Brown is the better movie.

[Markgway]

The Breakfast Club ***½

The ultimate 80s teen movie. John Hughes pretty much nailed the genre with this.

Blu Ray only contains English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 but purists will be relieved to know that it's 99.8% original mono. The whole movie (dialogue, music, songs) comes thru the centre with no additions. The only noticeable bit of tamp-- er, seperation was at the beginning when a car drives off screen. That's it. Seriously why did they bother? Answer: Just so they could claim English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 on the packaging. Sad.

[saltysam]

The Stunt Man 3.5/5 Bravura piece of late 70's moviemaking crosses a few genres,black comedy,drama,action but at it's centre is a wonderful performance from Peter O'Toole as megolamaniac director Eli Cross.the rest of the cast are uniformly excellent,Steve Railsback,Barbra Hershey are the two leads.Director Richard Rush never really kicked on from this more's the pity.

[Markgway]

Zodiac ***½

Serial killer thriller-drama, based on the true story that inspired 'Dirty Harry', grips you from the opening scene (how creepy does 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' sound?) and never lets go throughout its 157m run time. David Fincher has crafted an intelligent, superior piece of cinema that almost rivals Se7en as genre king.

[luckystars]

Zodiac ***½

Serial killer thriller-drama, based on the true story that inspired 'Dirty Harry', grips you from the opening scene (how creepy does 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' sound?) and never lets go throughout its 157m run time. David Fincher has crafted an intelligent, superior piece of cinema that almost rivals Se7en as genre king.

Yep I agree, absolutely loved Zodiac! It's one I'm more likely to rewatch more than Se7en (though I really the Se7en Blu too)


P.S. Like a dick I ordered 2 copies of Zodiac on Blu (I think Asda were messing around with out of stock ordering).

Anyone interested PM me, it's mint in cellophane still and has the card slipcase.

[Markgway]

Black Swan **½

Intriguing, but never truly satisfying psychological thriller is a bit like Dario Argento without the set-pieces. The acting is very good, but I'm not convinced about the direction. Aronofsky captures the intensity and passion of the material, but there's little sense of the stylishness and panache that Argento (in his hey dey) would have brought.

L'Immortel **½

Well-crafted, but leaden, reptitive gangster pic. Very violent, but not really an action movie. Great to see the iconic Jean Reno back on form though. AKA: 22 Bullets.

[saltysam]

The Shadow 2/5 Rather flat mid-90's period superhero adventure,a bit silly though the Shadow character himself is quite good,he's not on screen enough though,too much Alec Baldwin in his Lamont Cranston guise.

The Fog 3.5/5 Middle tier Carpenter flick benefits from an eerie atmosphere and a great cast of Carpenter regulars (Jamie Lee,Nancy Loomis,Charles Cyphers,Darwin Joston alongside Hal Holbrook,Janet Leigh,Adrienne Barbeau & Tom Atkins)..the blu-ray looks better than the dvd but could be better. i found it amusing that Jamie Lee Curtis having been a staunch virgin in Halloween here hops into bed with Tom Atkins within minutes of meeting him!

[gasteropod]

Don't Look Up: 0.5/5

Fruit Chan's remake is dreadful, Hideo Nakata's original is 7x better.

[gasteropod]

The Holy Mountain: 5/5

Absolutely stunning

[Markgway]

Babylon A.D. **

Not as dreadful as I expected... but the story is bollocks.

[grim_tales]

Batman (1966): 3/5

Good fun film, which is camp and colourful rather than dark It's at least 20 minutes too long though and has a plot far too simple to justify its runtime.
Adam West is funny, and Lee Meriwether is sexy as Catwoman/Kitka

[Markgway]

I love that Grim used a spoiler for Catwoman's alterego as though we're not supposed to guess.

[grim_tales]

OK you got me, I knew right from the start anyway Thought there'd be a comeback from Catwoman right at the end though when Batman finds out who Kitka really is, she doesnt even say anything

[luckystars]

I've seen that film 10's of times now and I never guess!

[Markgway]

Tombstone ***

Damn good western with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer excellent as Wyatt and Doc.

[saltysam]

Misery 3.5/5 One of the best Stephen King adaptions,enhanced by excellent performances from James Caan & Kathy Bates.

Once Upon A Time In The West 5/5 Magnificent western from Sergio Leone is superb on every level..cast,score,direction.if there's a criticism maybe it's a little too long but to be honest by the end i wanted more. Great achievement and the the blu-ray disc is fantastic to boot.

[HungFist]

Le cercle rouge (France, 1970) – 4/5
Melville’s genre pic is a terrific slow burner heist film that takes it time with the characters. It’s silent coolness, although playing a bit too much with genre conventions. Le samourai Alain Delon stars.

Anda Muchacho, Spara (Italy, 1971) – 2.5/5
Semi interesting spaghetti western that only sheds light to the protagonist’s motives little by little. The final truth is saved till the very end. It’s a bit risky way to go, but keeps the film interesting. Decently good soundtrack and super-cool Fabio Testi add to the entertainment, although the film doesn’t really have any true stand out moments. Spaghetti fans will still probably find much to enjoy.