Film 2008

[Uncle Spielberg]

1408

I was not bothered about watching this but I am very glad I did. It is a very very good horror about a cynical man who has lost his daughter and lost his belief who investigates Haunted places. He admits he has never experienced anything supernatural. He hears about a room in a New York hotel where no one has come out alive. 22 people have commited suicide whilst in the room which rises to 56 when natural deaths are taken into account.

He books the room and insists on staying the night despite the hotel manager pleading him to reconsider. He enters dismissive and cynical.

At first things are fine but within 20 minutes he is banging on the door in terror to let him out. He is trapped and the next hour undergoes horror after horror of the mind as the room tries to break his spirit and get him to kill himself. You see the demons in the room cannot actually kill him they have to drive him to suicide. As the hour ends and you think he has got through it the clock starts the run down from an hour again. It would presumably do this time and time again until the occupant had killed itself.

It is a different, unique and quite superb film with Cussack and Samuel.L.Jackon on good form.

Highly recommended 8.1

 

[Easy 10]

1408 nowhere near my "superb" bracket I'm afraid, Uncle S. John Cusack was typically excellent, but Samuel L Jackson was criminally underused, and I thought they could have comfortably shaved 20 mins off the running time without losing anything. Fairly entertaining though.

6.5

Clerks II

Anyone who saw the original Clerks will know exactly what to expect, and anyone whol liked the original will not be disappointed. A couple of complete losers in menial jobs who get through their day exchanging pointless, foul-mouthed but razor-sharp banter as they navigate their way through one minor personal crisis after another. Jay and Silent Bob provide some fantastic comic diversions, but its the obnoxious Randall who once again steals the show by somehow managing to be both potty-mouthed and highly articulate at the same time. His prolongued rant against of Lord of the Rings is worth the entrance fee alone.
Lovely stuff.

8.2

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Music & Lyrics

Hugh Grant is not exactly a man who takes challening roles and I doubt I will ever hear the phrase " the oscar nominations for best actor are Hugh Grant ....." but he is good at what he does and this was a passable 100 minutes of light, rom com fun which the girlies will like and I enjoyed it but then I am easily pleased

6.8

Mr Bean's Holiday

Not quite as hilarious as I remember from the cinema visit but still a fun, warm hearted family film and the consuming of the fruits of the Sea at the restaurant was worth the entrance/hire fee alone. The sub plot with Willem Dafoe was well done. If you like Bean you will like this if you don't you won't. I like Bean so there

8.1 originally , now 7.8

 

[Meade's Ball]

I went to my new local cinema this afternoon. An artsy one that has doublebills for £8 on a Sunday. I'd seen and walked out from Silent Light already, so just watched El Violin. What a beauty. It won something at Cannes a couple of years ago, and it is quite brilliant. I had utter shivers at the end. It's just the story of an old man with his violin, his stumped hand, his son (a member of the guerilla movement the brutish army consistently look to torture), his grandson who he sings songs to of the theft of land and the strengths of the men in his family whose intent shall live beyond their fleshy means, and hiring a mule on which he rides to the military camp a few miles away to play his violin one-handedly to the melted, bitter heart of the colonel there, and find any secrets and munitions he can scramble away for his son.
In amongst the moving, familial drama and bleak social poetry was humour too, all of it moving and delightful and slightly chilling as the tension shakingly cements itself. If you get the chance to see it, then do. It's lovely.

 

[Easy 10]

There Will Be Blood

Sadly as I feared, overhyped and totally overrated. DDL turns in a charismatic performance that at least makes it watchable, but if you've seen his Butcher Bill in the (more satisfying) Gangs of New York then there's not a lot else here to hold the attention. Slow and meandering, it doesn't really seem to have a POINT. Yes we can sit back and admire some of the striking cinematography, but it also carries one of the most AGGRAVATING scores I have ever had the misfortune to listen to in any film, and the story just don't amount to a hill of beans. Disappointing

4.5

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Kermode was so excited about this film he must have had an erection. Apparently it is " an astonishing piece of work " and he was " totally mesmarised ". He is in the Les, Nibble and Meade school of hi brow psuedo intellectural arthouse lets have a wank thought of cinema.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

For me Mr Bran's Holiday 7.8 is a better cinematic experience than the much salivated over Atonement 6.9 for example but Kermode and the superior higher intellectural plane critic would probably publically flog me for something like this.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Bank Job.

Excellent "east end villans" romp, based on a true story, Statham back to his Lock Stock best and a great supporting cast.

8.0

 

[Easy 10]

John Rambo

Stallone dons the headband again and spends a day or two slaughtering hundreds of Burmese soldiers. The whole film runs like the Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, on acid. Severed limbs flying everywhere, skulls coming apart, kids getting shot in the chest, arrows through the face, bodies getting torn apart, guts spilling out, ragged torsos flying around, multiple rapes. I quite enjoyed it.

6.8

 

[Les Biehn]

Kermode was so excited about this film he must have had an erection. Apparently it is " an astonishing piece of work " and he was " totally mesmarised ". He is in the Les, Nibble and Meade school of hi brow psuedo intellectural arthouse lets have a wank thought of cinema.

You are right, thinking is stupid.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

You are right, thinking is stupid.

Wanking isnt tho...!

 

[DJ Leon]

Kermode was so excited about this film he must have had an erection. Apparently it is " an astonishing piece of work " and he was " totally mesmarised ". He is in the Les, Nibble and Meade school of hi brow psuedo intellectural arthouse lets have a wank thought of cinema.

:thud:

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

Kermode was so excited about this film he must have had an erection. Apparently it is " an astonishing piece of work " and he was " totally mesmarised ". He is in the Les, Nibble and Meade school of hi brow psuedo intellectural arthouse lets have a wank thought of cinema.

No offence Spielberg, but you're coming across as a right dick on this thread

 

[MattBackHome]

CRANK - the funniest film I've seen in AGES. I never realised Jason Statham (who I HATE) could be so brilliant.

Eight Point Nine

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

No offence Spielberg, but you're coming across as a right dick on this thread

Why change the habit of a lifetime.

 

[Pevenseagull]

"There Will Be Blood" is the best new film I have seen for a very, very long time

it is f***ing magnificent

 

[Oscar]

Vantage Point

Good old fashioned thriler with a twist. Dernnis Quaid is great in it and Matthew Fox does a sound job even though his character lacks any depth. Just lacks that penny drop moment to tie it all together. Great car chase though and lots of shooty bits.

7.1/10

 

[Trufflehound]

The Darjeeling Express

Enjoyable tale of three estranged brothers finding themselves on a trip through India. Probably conveys the spirit of what India is really like better than any other western-made movie I've ever seen (you can keep your Gandhis and Passages to India).

It's filmed with typical Wes Anderson quirky humour, which people either seem to love or find intensely irritating, so be warned. Personally I love it - not quite the classic that the Royal Tenenbaums was, but a big improvement on the Life Aquatic.

7.5

Disclaimer: Probably only for Wes Anderson fans though - if you want exploding CGI robots, as many on NSC seem to, then perhaps it's better to look elsewhere.



I enjoyed There Will Be Blood as well - 7.8 - but since everyone and his wife has already banged on about that on this thread, I can't be arsed to add anything.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Italian For Beginners - I totally love Danish Dogme films and it was quite nice to see one without any women dying protractedly at the end for a change. Very, very funny and the customary brilliant, flawless acting and script. Recommended. 8.1

 

[Trufflehound]

The Darjeeling Express

Not that anyone else cares, but I suppose i could have used the movie's actual title:

The Darjeeling Limited