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

[grim_tales]

I didnt understand that either, I mentioned it seemed like Toy Story with swearing (almost) in my post for parts of the film.
Why does John's girlfriend wish for Ted to be real again at the end when she spends the whole film moaning he should grow up?

[saltysam]

Grim, you are analysing a comedy about a talking teddy bear way too deeply

[Markgway]

Why does John's girlfriend wish for Ted to be real again at the end when she spends the whole film moaning he should grow up?

Because she sees how miserable Wahlberg is without his best friend, and if you love someone you don't want them to be sad.

[saltysam]

The Sessions 2.5/5 Ok drama about a polio sufferer and journalist who decides with time running out he doesn't want to be a virgin anymore. So he hires a sex surrogate for a series of "sessions"... well acted especially by John Hawkes but it does have a touch of an R Rated tv movie of the week feel. Helen Hunt has certainly lost her inhibitions

[Markgway]

Taken 2 (2012-France) **½

By-the-numbers sequel. More enjoyable than I expected (thanks to harsh reviews) but not a patch on the original. The combat sequences are of the rapid-edit-shakycam variety which is an obvious letdown.

[grim_tales]

Why does John's girlfriend wish for Ted to be real again at the end when she spends the whole film moaning he should grow up?

Because she sees how miserable Wahlberg is without his best friend, and if you love someone you don't want them to be sad.

OK, fair point I got the feeling the ending was more suited to a kids' film though - it was almost the opposite of the superb conclusion that Toy Story 3 had
If anything really enforces the opening feel/style of a childrens' film, it's Patrick Stewart's reasurring and warm sounding voiceover, who I at first thought sounded like David Ogden Stiers from Beauty and the Beast

[gasteropod]

Gangster Squad (2013) - 2.5/5

It could have been better, but it wasn't bad, my dad enjoyed it anyway. There's a bit where a woman is singing a song just like the one The Mask does with the maracas haha!

[saltysam]

Batman Begins 3/5 Solid first entry in the Dark Knight trilogy, often feels to me it's been almost forgotten due to the hype revolving rond the second and third movies. For me this one easily holds it's own against the bloated other two. Will be watching them again this week,maybe my opinion wil change.

Django Unchained 3.5/5 Latest Tarantino effort is way overlong but still very entertaining.Slave Django (Jamie Foxx) is bought by a bounty hunter (the excellent Christophe Waltz) and after helping Waltz in his hunt for some bandits they go looking for Django's wife who's a slave at a Mississipi plantation.Very violent the shootouts are clearly a Wild Bunch homagebut funny at times the kkk posse arguing over their masks and one stomping off in a huff when his wife gets the blame for their shoddiness as usual an excellent soundtrack as well.

[degeneration]

Ted 3/5

Funny in places, but not great. All my comments have already been mentioned in the previous page of posts.

[saltysam]

The Dark Knight 2.5/5 Yes Heath Ledger makes an excellent Joker but for me this is still a bloated,overlong affair with some poorly shot action sequences. The final showdown with Batman/Joker is a damp squib and i'm in the minority preferring Katie Holmes to Maggie Gynthwell as Rachel.

Hitchcock 2/5 Passable biopic revolving around the making of Psycho. Not sure Anthony Hopkins was the right choice for the title role but cast is excellent-Scarlet Johansson as Janet Leigh,Helen Mirren as Hitch's wife,Jessica Biel as Vera Miles....and Karate Kid himself in a small role as Joseph Stefano.

[Markgway]

When a Stranger Calls (2006-USA) *½

Another dumb remake of a 70s horror "classic".

Camilla Belle is yummy as the babysitter-in-peril.

[saltysam]

The Dark Knight Rises 2.5/5 Overwrought conclusion to the trilogy, entertaining but far from great. , the film takes too long to get going and when it does it all just seems rushed.There's lapses in logic and some characters seem shoehorned in while others are wasted (Michael Caine). the combat is an improvement on previous installments though.

The Terminator 5/5 Hard to believe this classic is almost 30 years old,it's as good today as it was back then. utterly perfect and Cameron's best movie to this day.The new blu-ray looks fantastic and i didn't notice the teal issue some have mentioned. i'm not a monophobic by any means but for this film the remix with it's re-recorded effects and tweaks is not the way it should be viewed.watching it in mono is the way to go for this one. it's hard to believe Fox didn't include it,if someone with limited tech skills like me can add it so easily it would have been nothing to them. can only assume Cameron didn't want it there.

Escape From Alcatraz 3/5 Slow moving but well made and interesting Eastwood vehicle. i don't get these film companies sometimes, instead of using the memorable poster art the german BD has a boring generic shot of Clint from the movie.

Maximum Conviction 2/5 Seagal teams up with Steve Austin for a DTV actioner that is at least better than most of the fodder he's been churning out the last ten years.predictable,by the numbers but as these type of movies go not too bad.

[saltysam]

The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 4/5 Superbly made animated feature covering the 2nd half of Frank Miller's graphic novel. Certainly not a Batman for kids,it's pretty violent,my only complaint is Warner releasing this in 2 parts instead of one epic 150 minute feature.

Paranormal Activity 4 1.5/5 this series has shot it's bolt with this tired and lame 4th entry.they are cheap to make and are money spinners though so no doubt part 5 is on the way.

[gasteropod]

Life of Pi (2012) - 4.5/5

I got teary-eyed at the end

[Markgway]

The Dark Knight Rises (2012-USA-UK) **½

An improvement over TDK, though suffering many of the same flaws (its still overblown and pretentious). BEGINS is the only one that works as a stand alone movie; if you haven't seen TDK much of this won't make sense and the film is so ambitious (usually a good thing) that the filmmakers cram in loads and miss too many targets. There is a lot to like, but TDKR brings the series to an uneven conclusion.

[Markgway]

Robin Hood (2010-USA-UK) **½

A decent 90m adventure bloated to well over two hours.
Technically a better film than Prince of Thieves (which probably isn't saying much...), but less fun and more pompus (as if this telling is any more credible than the others).
Crowe is fine, but his accent, and that of many co-stars, wanders.
The 'Merry Men' are terrible, and even though they don't have a great deal to do, I'd have cut their scenes further (I spent most of the time trying to guess where they were supposed to be from?!)
The big climax is sort of spectacular (like Robin Hood in Saving Private Ryan) but the duel between Crowe and Mark Strong isn't (would Errol Flynn have shot his nemesis in the back?).
A mixed bag...

[grim_tales]

I thought the end was a bit like SPR as well.

[gasteropod]

Django Unchained (2012) - 4/5

[saltysam]

The Last Stand 2.5/5 Arnie's comeback vehicle is an ok actioner,nothing fantastic.Good last half hour or so but have to say Jonny Knoxville as the comedy relief didn't help the movie.annoying!

[gasteropod]

The Last Stand 2.5/5 Arnie's comeback vehicle is an ok actioner,nothing fantastic.Good last half hour or so but have to say Jonny Knoxville as the comedy relief didn't help the movie.annoying!

I'm off to see it tomorrow, hopefully I'll enjoy it more!

[saltysam]

The Last Stand 2.5/5 Arnie's comeback vehicle is an ok actioner,nothing fantastic.Good last half hour or so but have to say Jonny Knoxville as the comedy relief didn't help the movie.annoying!

I'm off to see it tomorrow, hopefully I'll enjoy it more!

it's solid enough just not great (imo)

[grim_tales]

I'm seeing it tonight as well

[grim_tales]

The Last Stand: 3/5

I certainly enjoyed it, the last 30 minutes or so was definitely the best part of the film

[Markgway]

It's Complicated (2009-USA) **

Blah romcom wastes three good stars.

Yet another Hollywood comedy that glamourises drug use (and it's a PG-13).

[gasteropod]

The Last Stand (2013) - 3.5/5

I wasn't disappointed, it was entertaining and funny, I only wish Johnny Knoxville were in it a bit more!