- Oct 17, 2008
- 11,131
About to watch Super Mario Movie (got some free tickets to use up). Is the Odeon on West Street still an absolute dump?
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[Film] Film 2023
- Thread starter Acker79
- Start date
There's a plot!?
I thought JW was decent enough, but JW2 was a farce. Yes the fighting/shooting was slick, but that's all there was. Punch, kick, bullet to the head * 128.
The minimal effort of a plot seemed to be some extras filling in as actors with the direction to try and do Ray Winston but with a gangstery Italian accent.
Last edited:
- Oct 17, 2008
- 11,131
Guessing you didn’t enjoy the film? Would it help if I said I’m a kid at heart and a huge Mario nostalgia fan…
Are you replying to my pre-edit post? I heard a couple of poor reviews of Mario, but since I haven't seen it I decided not to post about it.
- Oct 17, 2008
- 11,131
Fair do’s!
I feel that we could with a thread for top film recommendations (say from the last 10/20 years), as well as this 2023 thread
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,690
Ashamed to say I haven't even looked at the Duke Of Yorks listings since the pandemic. My bad. My very very bad. Used to love nothing more than a DOY matinee, then emerging blinking into the light at 2pm 
pearl
Well-known member
You haven't missed much tbh ... they gave me a free birthday ticket and I couldn't find a film worth watching ... bit sad as I'd hate to see it goAshamed to say I haven't even looked at the Duke Of Yorks listings since the pandemic. My bad. My very very bad. Used to love nothing more than a DOY matinee, then emerging blinking into the light at 2pm
Gabbafella
Well-known member
- Aug 22, 2012
- 4,749
I've watched a few films over the long weekend.
First up, the new Avatar.
Very long, not much happens, flimsy characters. It was alright but not a patch on the original.
The Whale.
Amazing performance from every single actor/actress. I've never been a fan of Brendan Fraser but he was quality. A rollercoaster of emotions. Very good.
A man called Otto.
I'd imagine not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought Hanks was excellent. The kind of character you love and hate in equal measure. Funny in places, sad in others, well worth a watch especially if you're a fan of Hanks.
Hidden Women.
Been meaning to watch this for a while now and I'm glad I did. Shocking to think that people were, and probably still are, treated the way these women were purely for being black.
Very good film.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
First one was brilliant, Black Adam was really good, this isn't as good as either. Not as funny, not as much action, still not a bad film though.
First up, the new Avatar.
Very long, not much happens, flimsy characters. It was alright but not a patch on the original.
The Whale.
Amazing performance from every single actor/actress. I've never been a fan of Brendan Fraser but he was quality. A rollercoaster of emotions. Very good.
A man called Otto.
I'd imagine not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought Hanks was excellent. The kind of character you love and hate in equal measure. Funny in places, sad in others, well worth a watch especially if you're a fan of Hanks.
Hidden Women.
Been meaning to watch this for a while now and I'm glad I did. Shocking to think that people were, and probably still are, treated the way these women were purely for being black.
Very good film.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
First one was brilliant, Black Adam was really good, this isn't as good as either. Not as funny, not as much action, still not a bad film though.
- Thread starter
- #194
I didn't realise that one hadn't already been posted.
Spielberg is not directing IJ5 so that puts me off but the new Director has a good cv so I may give it a whirl
I am hugely sceptical about Indy 5.
They made such a hash of the last one. As well as its manifold faults, they changed the cinematographer. That combined with pathetic cgi made the film look completely different in appearance to the excellent trilogy.
This looks fun but I can’t see it being a patch on the 1980’s films.
And yes, Harrison Ford is far too old to be convincingly galloping on horses and jumping out of planes.
They made such a hash of the last one. As well as its manifold faults, they changed the cinematographer. That combined with pathetic cgi made the film look completely different in appearance to the excellent trilogy.
This looks fun but I can’t see it being a patch on the 1980’s films.
And yes, Harrison Ford is far too old to be convincingly galloping on horses and jumping out of planes.
- Oct 17, 2008
- 11,131
Also skeptical to say the least. Big bonus, no Shia.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The film pays a decent homage to the late Chadwick Boseman who played Black Panther in the first film before meeting his tragically untimely demise from colon cancer. However, this film suffers severely from not having anything like a decent actor / lead character to take on the leading role. Princess Shuri becomes BP (eventually), but she is thoroughly uninteresting and unable to carry the film. Almost the entire movie and most of the action sequences take place in near darkess - which is ALWAYS a big cop-out IMO - and with a 161 minutes run-time its easily about 45-60 minutes too long. I'm frankly astonished it rates at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dull, over-long, forgettable and formulaic. 31%.
The film pays a decent homage to the late Chadwick Boseman who played Black Panther in the first film before meeting his tragically untimely demise from colon cancer. However, this film suffers severely from not having anything like a decent actor / lead character to take on the leading role. Princess Shuri becomes BP (eventually), but she is thoroughly uninteresting and unable to carry the film. Almost the entire movie and most of the action sequences take place in near darkess - which is ALWAYS a big cop-out IMO - and with a 161 minutes run-time its easily about 45-60 minutes too long. I'm frankly astonished it rates at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dull, over-long, forgettable and formulaic. 31%.
- Oct 17, 2008
- 11,131
Super Mario Bros movie…
Well, it’s a lot better than the critical consensus, but I still rate it comfortably below the user ratings. It’s fine. I actually agree with lots of the critical points made in reviews, but they weren’t a deal breaker.
Points such as the rampant Disney-esque franchising and merchandising throughout the film. Remember those old Transformers cartoons? This film really wants you, achingly, to buy into Nintendo as a brand, and Mario specifically. I am positive that sequels, Zelda films - maybe even Metroid and Donkey Kong franchises will be launched too. They are angling strongly towards a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, and I can’t say I’m fussed either way to be honest.
I am a big gamer and very nostalgic about Nintendo games. I’ve owned all their major consoles, in various iterations, but being in my mid thirties and childless I am certainly not the target demographic! That said, like all good animated child-friendly film franchises (Toy Story, Shrek, et al) they do offer some genuinely amusing moments for the adults to enjoy.
The acting is fine, in my opinion. Lots of familiar voices (particularly “familiar” because they are well-known actors just sounding like their normal selves). The stand out is Jack Black, who is rather wonderful as Bowser and seems to be the only actor really “doing something else”.
The plot is a bit all over the place, without being Lego Ninjago levels of bombastic. They shoehorn in loads you’d expect; a pointless Mario Kart Rainbow Road segment is particularly egregious, but entirely expected. Arguably necessary given what the movie is.
And yet at 1hr 30 minutes, it never dragged. It was like a series of music videos; TikTok film for a TikTok generation. It is faithful to a fault with the source material unlike the live action 1993 movie, yet huge swathes of material are untouched. I would imagine they’ll be adding Yoshi movies to the inevitable spin-offs and sequels pipeline in due course.
Lots of nostalgia, lots of pandering, lots of commercialism. The kids in the audience LOVED it and were immaculately behaved (a good sign it held their attention).
I think the predictable immediate pre-film/post trailer adverts for the Nintendo Switch, the new Zelda game and Super Mario Odyssey back to back says a lot about the placement of this movie.
It was fine, but I much preferred Sonic the Hedgehog which felt like it had a lot more heart. This one felt designed by committee somewhat, a checklist of references and scenes moulded into a decent but unspectacular kids movie.
3*
Well, it’s a lot better than the critical consensus, but I still rate it comfortably below the user ratings. It’s fine. I actually agree with lots of the critical points made in reviews, but they weren’t a deal breaker.
Points such as the rampant Disney-esque franchising and merchandising throughout the film. Remember those old Transformers cartoons? This film really wants you, achingly, to buy into Nintendo as a brand, and Mario specifically. I am positive that sequels, Zelda films - maybe even Metroid and Donkey Kong franchises will be launched too. They are angling strongly towards a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, and I can’t say I’m fussed either way to be honest.
I am a big gamer and very nostalgic about Nintendo games. I’ve owned all their major consoles, in various iterations, but being in my mid thirties and childless I am certainly not the target demographic! That said, like all good animated child-friendly film franchises (Toy Story, Shrek, et al) they do offer some genuinely amusing moments for the adults to enjoy.
The acting is fine, in my opinion. Lots of familiar voices (particularly “familiar” because they are well-known actors just sounding like their normal selves). The stand out is Jack Black, who is rather wonderful as Bowser and seems to be the only actor really “doing something else”.
The plot is a bit all over the place, without being Lego Ninjago levels of bombastic. They shoehorn in loads you’d expect; a pointless Mario Kart Rainbow Road segment is particularly egregious, but entirely expected. Arguably necessary given what the movie is.
And yet at 1hr 30 minutes, it never dragged. It was like a series of music videos; TikTok film for a TikTok generation. It is faithful to a fault with the source material unlike the live action 1993 movie, yet huge swathes of material are untouched. I would imagine they’ll be adding Yoshi movies to the inevitable spin-offs and sequels pipeline in due course.
Lots of nostalgia, lots of pandering, lots of commercialism. The kids in the audience LOVED it and were immaculately behaved (a good sign it held their attention).
I think the predictable immediate pre-film/post trailer adverts for the Nintendo Switch, the new Zelda game and Super Mario Odyssey back to back says a lot about the placement of this movie.
It was fine, but I much preferred Sonic the Hedgehog which felt like it had a lot more heart. This one felt designed by committee somewhat, a checklist of references and scenes moulded into a decent but unspectacular kids movie.
3*
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Avatar: The Way of Water
Took a big old gulp before embarking on this 3 and a quarter hour CGI-fest. Its not as good as the original, but for the most part I was generally entertained throughout, although the hippy new-age 'save the planet' crap with all of its relentless parallels to the 'real world' does get wearily oppressive after a while. The visuals ARE consistently spectacular though, with the vast majority of it taking place in glorious daylight (Wakanda - take note). The battle sequences in the 3rd act are inventive and exciting, and despite the collossel run-time I didn't find myself checking my watch. Stephen Lang as Quaritch makes for an excellent baddy again.
Pretty decent. 77%
Took a big old gulp before embarking on this 3 and a quarter hour CGI-fest. Its not as good as the original, but for the most part I was generally entertained throughout, although the hippy new-age 'save the planet' crap with all of its relentless parallels to the 'real world' does get wearily oppressive after a while. The visuals ARE consistently spectacular though, with the vast majority of it taking place in glorious daylight (Wakanda - take note). The battle sequences in the 3rd act are inventive and exciting, and despite the collossel run-time I didn't find myself checking my watch. Stephen Lang as Quaritch makes for an excellent baddy again.
Pretty decent. 77%