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Posted: |
Jan 28, 2016 - 9:36 PM
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By: |
Ado
(Member)
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Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home 4.5-5
I thought Nimoy's Search For Spock was a stale, boring, badly acted film. So I wasn't looking forward to his return as director for The Voyage Home.
But what a difference one film makes! Voyage Home may not be high drama, or serious science fiction. But it is a very charming, fun, uplifting romp.
While Star Trek wasn't necessarily meant to have an ensemble cast, the popularity of the series required the return of all the principles. (as with all the original cast films) And this film I think had the best ensemble script of the lot.
The shot at the end, of the Enterprise "A" leaving dry dock and the accompanying music is spine tingling, and a true Star Trek moment. Perhaps the film is a bit sappy at times, a bit silly, maybe a bit dated. But I don't care. It's highly entertaining from start to finish.
Agreed Solium, it is such a marvelous entertainment, so charming and well written and non bombastic. I love the little scenes, like at the pizza shop, in the streets of SF. The cinematography is first rate from Don Peterman, it would not be noticed by the casual viewer, but he used deep focus and long lens work in the streets, you can look way into the background, and some other nice touches, like slow shifts of the camera up and down with the movement of the ships. Peterman was nominated for an Oscar for this movie. And the effects are great, I think they would have won the Oscar for effects but people assumed the whales were real, whereas there were almost entirely fake. Deforest Kelley was in classic form, even as he seemed so tired and old here, remarkable that he did two more movies after this, he was an effective and personal presence.
Later Nimoy said the studio wanted them to add subtitles to the alien probe to translate into english what it wanted - pretty hilarious idea that they resisted thank goodness. These days the probe and the whales would have become some kind of miltaristic planet devouring robots.
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Posted: |
Jan 31, 2016 - 3:27 AM
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By: |
Tall Guy
(Member)
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Legend - 7/10
A great turn by Tom Hardy and Emily Browning, but glossed over a lot of the true story. Where was Charlie Kray, for instance? Chris Eccleston and Tara Fitzgerald made the most of disappointingly small parts, and really acted more as a distraction. Decided to treat it as a black comedy, on which level it worked pretty well. Sparse score by Carter Burwell, bolstered by some pop songs of the day. As ever with films set in the 60s, it was lovely to see the old cars of the time.
Bridge on the River Kwai - 6.5/10
Too much of the British stiff upper lip as compared with the roguish American for my liking. Golden Age score by a concert composer self-consciously hitting all the emotions without much inspiration, it seemed to me. Beautiful Sri Lanka settings, standing in for S E Asia. Oddly, A Bridge Too Far covered many of the same themes fewer than 20 years later and would score a couple of points higher. Good story, though, from the same pen as Planet of the Apes. David Lean would do a lot better over the next decades.
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I love the British stiff upper lip.  I love how Colonel Nicholson slowly broke down the camp leader even though he was the one with all the "power". It's a slow burner, but one with wonderful character interplay, and opposing agendas.
I'm afraid our upper lips have become increasingly wobbly over the last couple of decades. That extraordinary national outpouring of grief following Diana's death has slowly worked its way into everyday life, so that some graveyards are festooned with Christmas decorations and signs imploring Santa to stop here (really - I've seen it) and flowers appear at almost every public demise. For example, there were bouquets left at Kings Cross by the tourist trap of Platform 9 and three-quarters when Alan Rickman died.
Could be a nice touch - or a sign that British stoicism is crumbling.
Aside over. Now back to the regular programme.
Watch a bit of A Bridge Too Far. Will set you reet, cock.
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Posted: |
Feb 4, 2016 - 11:32 PM
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By: |
DeputyRiley
(Member)
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A Walk In the Woods (2015) -- 8/10
Very pleasant, often funny movie. Grumpy Old Men 3 with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte except they really aren't grumpy at all, but they do bicker. They make a terrific pair. Once I was able to adjust to Nolte having becoming so advanced in his age -- which is not a problem, it had just been so long since I'd seen him onscreen -- I was able to settle down into watching the film and I really enjoyed it. Particularly because I'm an avid hiker and I enjoyed the book this film was based on. If you enjoy just a pleasant, lighthearted film for a change with some warm laughs, give this a try.
Aloha (2015) -- 5/10
Not nearly as bad as people seemed to make it out to be (or maybe it was just the apathy I'm remembering), this was actually a pretty decent Cameron Crowe film from last year. I think that it only seems subpar because the director has been previously capable of so much more (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous). This movie has a great cast (Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin) and great location (Hawaii) with typical Crowe great soundtrack and well-observed human interaction. Emma Stone is effer-f***ing-vescent in this movie, I swear to you, how can you not fall in love with this woman? Her eyes are so beautiful, her personality engaging and appealing, her wonderful smile and her upbeat attitude, she just radiates and owns this picture. All that B.S. about her playing someone who is 1/4 Hawaiian, really...who cares? Get over it, she was great. The movie, unfortunately, gets bogged down in military/industrial-complex machinations (that aren't very interesting) and Hawaiian-island folklore that overstuffs a romantic-comedy-drama and ultimately makes the movie collapse under its own weight.
Sicario (2015) -- 7/10
This movie was powerful and harrowing but strangely not as good as it should have been given the sum of its parts. Many amazing set-pieces and excellent performances and a treat of a score with some very inventive photography and undeniably tense direction and staging. Truly unpredictable, didn't know what was going to happen with this one. Felt pretty murky a lot of the time, though, as though I was Blunt's character caught up in an enterprise where I barely knew what was going on and I was just trying to keep up. I would've liked it if things were laid out a bit more clearly in terms of the efforts of the law enforcement tactics and efforts, goals, departments, who was who in the drug trade, etc.
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Posted: |
Feb 5, 2016 - 11:51 PM
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By: |
Solium
(Member)
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Just Add Magic 4.5-5
This is an exclusive Amazon digital series for family viewing. The series is about three BFF’s that inherit a magical cookbook. The lead characters grandmother had fallen ill, and the girls use the cookbook in an attempt to undercover her illness, and find a cure. While the plot sounds simple enough, a huge mystery unravels.
Unlike most kids show, this series is told rather realistically. The kids and adults act like “normal” human beings. Instead of obnoxious characters and raunchy humor we have realistic characters and a lot of subtle humor. (The young brother starts out as your typical little piece of terror, but they tone him down rather quickly)
The friends work together well as a team, but are also independent of one another. One of the great aspects of the series is that the three main characters are given different things to do, and have solid independent subplots.
Unlike most kids shows where adult characters are written as clowns, here their believable and sensible adults. (The father is a bit aloof at times, but he’s at least thoughtful and caring) As such, they even wrote in mother/daughter time, and father/daughter time in the series.
The story is a continuing mystery that plays out over 13 episodes. The magic is handle in a creative way. There’s some “magical logic” behind it all. Consequences both good and bad happen when a spell is created.
There’s some really nice plot twists and the story is rather involving and complex for the presumed demographics. But it’s nice to see a challenging series for children. (and adults) A limited score was written for the series. While nothing particularly unique, the main theme is mysterious sounding, thematic, and adds to the over all atmosphere.
This is solid intelligent family entertainment. I can’t recommend this series enough for children, or family viewing.
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Posted: |
Feb 8, 2016 - 8:43 AM
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By: |
Rameau
(Member)
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A popular double bill of Blu-rays: San Andreas & Jurassic World, both 7/10
The dialogue & characterisations could have been written by a ten year old, & the people could be wearing labels, hero, coward, good guy, victim, but all that is not the point, once the effects kick in, they become a lot of fun, & San Andreas makes the seventies Earthquake look like a bad home movie.
Oh, & I finished Fargo season 2, 10/10 stunning, & I saw three episodes of the Scandinavian TV series The Bridge season 3 last night. TV is just so much better than movies these days (mostly American TV).
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Cool Hand Luke: 10 out of 10
Made in 1967, this movie still hold up in relevancy and performances. It is beautifully directed with great cinematophay, symbols and a wonderful Schifrin score. All of the actors are great, and I’ve always thought this was Paul Newman’s finest acting role. It is much more than a movie about southern chain gangs. Newman’s Christ-like character shows the indomitability of the human spirit in the face relentless oppression. He has to carry the unfathomable weight of other prisoners’ hero worship and beliefs that he will never give up or in to the rules which gives their own spirits hope. It should be seen by everyone.
amen to that joanie. A true classic. With proper dialogue.
You could fill a quotes thread with Luke dialogue on its own.
Very original movie. Works on many levels too.
Lalo score just right in all the different places, from the jazz, to the tension themes, etc.
"You got your mind right, boy?"
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Rameau, yeah Fargo 2 and the Bridge are superb. Saga rules!
If all tv shows were as well-crafted as them, id be a happy man.
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