There have been so many great films out in the last few months. I finally got round to wathcing Nightcrawler last night and loved it. The story's about a sleazy, amoral (possibly psychopathic) loner who drives around LA filming the aftermath of violent crimes and accidents to sell the footage to local TV news stations (so the more violent and graphic the better), which is bad enough on its own but when he stops being an observer and starts manipulating events to create more dramatic (and valuable) footage it becomes increasingly dark and and twisted. 

 

Jake Gyllenhaal is brilliant in the starring role and reminded me somewhat of a cross between Patrick Bateman and Rupert Pupkin. The film is a clever mix of satire and tense thriller, beautifully shot, and also contains a message regarding the gradual evolution of modern news reporting towards dumb, hysterical disaster-porn, which is especially relevant in the current climate.

Whiplash.  One of the best films I've ever seen.

There have been so many great films out in the last few months. I finally got round to wathcing Nightcrawler last night and loved it. The story's about a sleazy, amoral (possibly psychopathic) loner who drives around LA filming the aftermath of violent crimes and accidents to sell the footage to local TV news stations (so the more violent and graphic the better), which is bad enough on its own but when he stops being an observer and starts manipulating events to create more dramatic (and valuable) footage it becomes increasingly dark and and twisted.

Jake Gyllenhaal is brilliant in the starring role and reminded me somewhat of a cross between Patrick Bateman and Rupert Pupkin. The film is a clever mix of satire and tense thriller, beautifully shot, and also contains a message regarding the gradual evolution of modern news reporting towards dumb, hysterical disaster-porn, which is especially relevant in the current climate.

Loved the movie too

Watched "Frank" last night. 

 

Fairly easy viewing, slightly surreal seeing Michael Face-Bender bopping around with a Frank Sidebottom mask. 

 

Not something that you're likely to want to watch more than once but worth a view if you want to watch something a bit different for 90 minutes. 

 

Currently on Netflix. 

 

6/10

Still alice with julianne moore who plays a woman who slowly falls into the symptons of altziemers.

Well acted and real sad...my dad had that before passing....gut wrentching to watch your parent slowly loose their memory of who you are.

 

Unbroken....the japs really were C**NTS

Edited February 10, 201511 yr by Devil Dog

I've had a (very) quick look and can't see this but I'm assuming it's been posted already.

 

Watching "The Theory of Everything" and there's a scene in a French hospital. The doctor is played by a bald former centre half who spent a lot of time on his arse. I nearly got ejected from the cinema as I ejaculated "What the f**k! Franck LeBoeuf"

I got ejected from the front room for singing "He's here, he's there, he's every f**king where........" in front of the kids.

I thought the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo film was much better than the book. The book is such a drag in the middle whereas the film is better paced.

i never watched the film. cos i thought the book was slow and ponderous in the middle and eventually gave up on it, while everyone else was banging on about how good it was!

watched interstellar last night great film with another great soundtrack by hans zimmer. 9/10

i never watched the film. cos i thought the book was slow and ponderous in the middle and eventually gave up on it, while everyone else was banging on about how good it was!

 

I read all three books, one right after the other.  It did take a while for the pace of the story to pick up, but once it did, I was hooked.  I couldn't put those things down.  I watched the film, too, and it was just as good.

 

a seperation 9.2/10

 

wow i don't expect this film to be this good, really a thought provoking movie about human morale and plays our pov of empathy to the characters brilliantly

Edited February 11, 201511 yr by havelschayes

It's X-Men: First Class for me.  It's about the first class of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, later changed to the Xavier Institute.  In other words, the X-Men before they were X-Men.  The ones in the story are Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Havok, Banshee, Beast, Darwin, Angel, Riptide, and Emma Frost.  Professor X and Magneto do attempt to recruit Wolverine, but he declines. A central part of the story is how they learn how to use their powers, or gifts. I've watched Origins: Wolverine as well, and I have Last Stand on DVD, I just haven't gotten around to watching it.

Watched Inception for the second time last night, I'm just as confused as the first time!

Good film I'd give it 8-10, but very confusing, still not sure I got the ending.

Watched Inception for the second time last night, I'm just as confused as the first time!

Good film I'd give it 8-10, but very confusing, still not sure I got the ending.

 

Which part of the ending specifically are you referring to, literally right at the end when Cobb is reunited with his children and leaves the totem spinning?

 

I think it's deliberately open ending and you make your own interpretation, does Cobb get the happily ever after ending and get to be finally reunited with his children or has he constructed a dream for himself in which he no longer cares if he is dreaming (by not checking if his totem falls over). 

Which part of the ending specifically are you referring to, literally right at the end when Cobb is reunited with his children and leaves the totem spinning?

 

I think it's deliberately open ending and you make your own interpretation, does Cobb get the happily ever after ending and get to be finally reunited with his children or has he constructed a dream for himself in which he no longer cares if he is dreaming (by not checking if his totem falls over). 

 

I remember seeing Inception in the cinema. That very last scene with the spinning totem, as it wobbles, the whole audience gasped and then of course it cuts to credits...just brilliant! Some people were even clapping, I can't remember being so immersed in a film since, apart from perhaps Interstellar.

 

I'm a big Inception fan, and I think I agree with you FCF, its up to you to decide how it ended.

Which part of the ending specifically are you referring to, literally right at the end when Cobb is reunited with his children and leaves the totem spinning?

 

I think it's deliberately open ending and you make your own interpretation, does Cobb get the happily ever after ending and get to be finally reunited with his children or has he constructed a dream for himself in which he no longer cares if he is dreaming (by not checking if his totem falls over).

Exactly that.

The only thing I remember about Inception was that watching it in the cinema whoever did the sound on the film should be sacked, as the background music was f**king loud and I couldn't hear a word anyone said.

The Maze Runner.

 

Meh. 6/10

So looks like Andrew Garfield won't be returning as Spiderman.

Fifty Shades of Grey. 1.5/10

Fifty Shades of Grey. 1.5/10

Don't get me started on that! I'm so shocked that women are raving about it.

Don't get me started on that! I'm so shocked that women are raving about it.

 

Everything was dreadful. Acting was shocking, there was no believability - as soon as the male spoke I could instantly tell he wasn't American and googled it when I got home - he's Northern Irish. The plot was absolutely non existent.

 

Please no sequels.

Girls moaning about how it was so tame if they want filth watch a porno

 

In other news I watched The Equalizer earlier good film plot could have done with a bit of work but great action movie.

Girls moaning about how it was so tame if they want filth watch a porno

 

In other news I watched The Equalizer earlier good film plot could have done with a bit of work but great action movie.

The Equalizer is Edward Woodward - Full Stop!

Well it will be soon. Betty Blue about to show on Film4, marvellous film.

I watched American Sniper on Friday. 

The movie was enjoyable to watch if you didn't over think the themes of the Iraq War and you don't have a big opinion on what transpired in Iraq or whether it was a just or unjust war to begin with. I found the idea of the American sniper (Chris Kyle) killing people albeit bad people unsettling but I understood the premise of the movie and how it didn't glorify war in any way. 

The movie didn't glorify war and actually demonstrated the full brutality that war consists of on the front lines so I'm glad that was clearly visible to viewers of the movie. I thought Bradley Cooper did a good job in his portrayal as Chris Kyle and the physical and mental transformation he underwent throughout the movie. 

However the movie wasn't an outstanding 5 out of 5 for various reasons. I don't think enough emphasis was placed on the historical context of the Iraq War. It seemed simplistic enough that Chris would join the US Army following the 1998 US Embassy Bombings in Africa and then later 9/11 was the catalyst for the deployment of forces into Iraq even though what occurred on 9/11 wasn't connected to political issues that were transpiring in Iraq. I also felt the movie was repetitive as we saw Chris go on his tours and then return home withdrawn and not being able to express his emotions and this cycle was repeated throughout the movie three times. Lastly I felt there was not enough exploration of Chris' rehabilitation after he was discharged from the military in 2009 but again that would have meant the movie had to go for another 30 or so minutes for that aspect to be included. 

Overall though putting those issues aside it was a solid movie. Yes it had a pro-American slant as I expected but it by no means glorified war and it was a good depiction of how things transpired from the perspective of one man and how his life changed whether it was for the better (supposedly protecting and standing up for his country) or worse (the psychological damages that he suffered as a result of the war). I think that was the ultimate aim of the movie and Eastwood did a solid job in demonstrating that. 

The silence of the end credits was very effective and worked brilliantly. 

Is he a hero or a "legend" as they call him? That's up to viewers to decide in the end.