Film 2008

[Uncle Spielberg]

My other half has just brought me the 30th anniversary cd of Close Encounters of the Third Kind with all 3 versions of the film and a commentary from the bearded God himself with a book and a poster.

This is the film that converted me to the wonders of the Cinema. As a callow 15 year old boy the film transported me to places and worlds I could hardly imagine. from the brilliant opneing with the blinding flash of light and crescendo of noise to the Mother Ship sailing off into space this film truely is a work of genious. Over 3 months I saw this film 7 times at the Cinema. I would imagine I have watched it in excess of 25 times now.

The effects were watershed, they knocked Star Wars that was released at the same time into a cocked Hat and it is a far more accomplished film than Star Wars imo.

The film has aged well and will be regarded in future as one of the true classics of Cinema. Most reviewers now realise the genious of this film and give 5 stars as standard.

9.4

 

[Les Biehn]

GENIOUS indeed.

Well overrated in my view.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

It is a superlative piece of film making Les. Hell even Man Of Harvey one of my main haters thinks it is superb.

 

[Les Biehn]

It's alright. Jaws is better.

 

[Meade's Ball]

And Duel is better than Jaws. Although both are very good.

 

[Les Biehn]

Duel is alright. Much better if you're French.

 

[Beach Hut]

Watched If.... the other night and I'd say 8.2

And tonight "Another Country" has arrived via the USA from Amazon so I can finally watch a favourite film of mine again and a 10

 

[Easy 10]

No Country for Old men

A simple tale set in 1980 of a man who by chance stumbles across a drug deal gone badly wrong, and makes off with two million dollars stashed in a suitcase, but is tracked by an unbalanced, psychotic hitman who kills without remorse and will stop at nothing to get the money back.

Its the Coen brothers, so you know its gonna be damn good. This doesn't quite hit the heights of my favourite of theirs (Fargo, which is just so good I literally WEEP uncontrollably at the very mention of it), but this is another doozie. Utterly compelling from start to finish, some wonderfully quirky characters (particularly the remorseless hitman who offers some of his victims a chance of keeping their lives on the toss of a coin), and a star turn from Woody Harrelson. Tommy Lee Jones is perfectly cast as the world-weary, grizzled old sheriff just trying to make sense of it all.

Its beautifully shot against a harsh desert backdrop, is convincingly retro, and above all carries the Coen hallmark of just having the most splendidly written and memorable characters, along with actors cast into the roles who just fit it perfectly. masterful stuff.

9.0

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

PS I love you - 8.5. Brilliant movie, made everyone round me cry! The cinematography is basic but effective, the romance is beautiful, and the acting is top quality. This had every potential to get overly mushy, but it never did.

Only rated less because of its chick flick potential, but if it is defined as a chick flick, then it is one of the best.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I am only gonna post films that I have seen at the cinema in 2008 none of this dvd stuff.

I am legend, for a zombie flick and adaptation of the novel and what third(?) remake i thought was brilliant. Will Smith really can carry a movie virtually on his own. Thoroughly enjoyable and an 8.0 out of 10.

Charlie Wilsons War, believe it about Julia Roberts and Philip Seymor Hoffman they should be up for best supporting, also what impressed me was Mr Hanks in a role he is not normally known for tho why they say "bad guy" I dunno. Anyhow these type of films can overrun by about an hr but it cuts all the crap out (no doubt extended dvd in the offing) and rattles along at a good pace with some thought provoking moments eg at the end when after spending about a BILLION on helping the muhajadin (sorry for spelling) kicking the Russians out of Afghanistan he is asking for ONE MILLION to build a hospital and schools to rebuild the country and is essentially told to f*** off. 7.5

Enchanted. Go see. Go see a brilliant piss take on the whole disney princess "genre" how can you fall in love after one day 9.0

Walk Hard Dewey Cox Story sunday looking forward to that.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Enchanted was a work of genious, not sure I would describe it as a piss take I think it should be regarded as a warm hearted Homage to a by gone age and the cartoon at the start was meticulous in its old style , whatever it is for sure a true delight and a beautiful film in many ways.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

It's alright. Jaws is better.

I prefer his lesser known work, Jews

 

[Nibble]

Saw a couple of good DVDs over past few weeks. Both of which I was not expecting much from as they are no-brainers really but the first:

Knocked Up- Really enjoyable from beginning to end, very funny in parts and some great one liners.Also surprisingly touching and poignent in places. A solid 7.5

Blades of Glory- I can take or leave Will Ferrel most of the time and again, was not expecting much but after being told a few times that it is a lot funnier than you think I gave it a go.
Pretty much hilarious the entire way through. Ferrels character was played to a tee as the self absorbed, self styled love machine of the figure skating world! The other actor (can't recall actors name) played off Ferrels character perfectly and with the two of them taking up all the screen time it was genuinley one of the funniest films I have seen for a long time.
A very basic storyline which works well to hang gags off worked very well. An enjoyable 8.

Neither of these films are going to challenge you in any way but for a rainy Sunday afternoons entertainment I would heartily recommend both.

 

[Trufflehound]

La Vie en Rose

Tremendous and very moving biopic of Edith Piaf containing something for everyone: sex, drugs, wife-beating, murder, teenage pregnacy, plane crashes, terminal diseases... oh, and a few songs too. You name it...

And it's all true.

Marian Cotillaud is a tour de force and very very much deserves her BAFTA acting nomination. Whether you like Piaf's music or her (and by all acocunts she was a nasty piece of work) or not, anyone who claims they weren't blubbing into their man-size Kleenex by the time "Non, Je Ne Regret Rien" strikes up is either lying or not human.

8.9

I am also much looking forward to No Country For Old Men and There Will be Blood, but neither of them come out here until February.

 

[Les Biehn]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days - Cheery abortion rom com.

Set over 24 hours as two students go through the process of getting one a back street abortion during Ceaucescu's (I know I have spelt that wrong) regime. It won the Palme d'or but I didn't think it was that great. I didn't quite get the point of some of it, scenes that just seem to hold the narrative up and there was only one scene of genuine tension. Also you could see some of the gimmicks behind the narrative, contrivances to add drama. That said the performances were great. 5 of us saw it and it divided opinion, 2 loved it, 2 hated it and I thought it was alright.

5.2

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Disturbia

A teen update of Rear Window. Not a bad little thriller, not life changing but a decent enough 145 minutes with a good turn from rising start Shia Labeouff and an absolute honey whose name I can't remember ( Lebeouff is a lucky man after starring with Megan Fox in Transformers he appears to be a bit of a babe magnet, maybe he will get off with Karen Allen for the older woman experience in Indiana Jones 4 ) anyway I digress.

It was an acceptable slice of entertainment.

7.0

 

[Eggmundo]

I am legend- Good Film apart from one bit that still bugs me. 7.5

knocked Up- Some funny bits but on the whole a let down. 5

Rise of the Footsoldier- Gruesome- left me feeling dirty- Enjoyed it though. 7

 

[Goodfella]

'No Country For Old Men'

Probably going to get slated for this, but was very dissapointed overall, although superb acting, and stunning cinematography, i thought the film was very badly edited indeed, and the ending was one of the most anti climatic i think i've ever seen.

' Blood Simple' and 'Fargo' it aint, but ok.

7

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story. Brilliant comedy entertainment. A real piss take of the rock biopic that you see nowadays from rags to riches, from the 50s to the present day .
Jon C Reilly is very talented 8.5

 

[keaton]

So I Married An Axe Murderer, brilliant "it's like an orange on a toothpick" 8.9
Empire Strikes Back, ooh dark, 8.9
Lethal Weapon, turned off after ten minutes to watch Die Hard 4, 8.9
Die HArd 4, he beats a helicopter and then a plane, 8.9