[SA Chris]

Still up on vimeo and looks incredible

D'oh!

[JamieG]

Guardians of the Galaxy was really quite good. Funny, good action, decent story, excellent soundtrack. If you liked Avengers or the new Star Trek movies then this will be right up your street.

[Mike Tyson]

Took the offspring to watch How To Train Your Dragon 2 last night, it was brilliant! Highly recommended for kids and adults.

[Ti_pin_man]

I'd agree Guardians of the Galaxy was entertaining with quite a few funny moments.  The back story was explained and then it was suspend disbelief and go!

I'd also say how to train your dragon was much better than is expected.  The story was quite deep, well, for a kids cartoon movie. 

[Muenchener]

Took the offspring to watch How To Train Your Dragon 2 last night, it was brilliant! Highly recommended for kids and adults.

How old are the offspring? M jnr (11) and I saw the trailer and decided unanimously not to bother. Should we reconsider?

[Mike Tyson]

Mine are both seven, they didn't bat an eyelid and thoroughly enjoyed it. They've seen the first one and were very keen to see the second one also.

I came downstairs one morning to find they had both got up early and were watching Ghostbusters together, and they loved it! Spent the rest of the day running around arguing who was going to be the key master and who was the gate keeper!

[moose]

spent the rest of the day running around arguing who was going to be the key master and who was the gate keeper!

I bet you breathed a sigh of relief they weren't arguing over being the best Slimer!

Heads up for fans of old-skool kung fu, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is on Film4 tonight at 23:25 hrs.  Not seen it yet myself, but by reputation, it's a rarely screened "Drunken Master" era genre classic.

Just realised looking at this thread that I have not watched a film on anything other than free TV for years.  I used to have a Blockbuster DVD by post account that was good for around a dozen new releases a month for £12.  Since Blockbuster went bankrupt I've been loath to pay the £5 per film of Virgin On-demand.  Frankly I prefer to buy TV season sets of the likes of Men Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad these days.  Generally better quality (I like long-form story telling... 13 hrs to unwind a novelistic narrative arc), a better fit with my schedule and mood (1 hr or a massive binge... whatever suits), and better value.  Currently toasting a successful day at Kilnsey with a cask strength Glengoyne and a binge of the three episodes of House of Cards - Kevin Spacey in top reptilian form at £12 for the entire series 1. 

Still, despite my self-justification, I feel I'm missing out.  Just £4-5 a film for something that generally disappoints is a bit of a hurdle to enjoyment or taking a punt.  Are there any alternatives that don't involve piracy or watching via your computer (mine is a work one - and our IT policy is getting ever more stringent)?

[ducko]

Guardians of the galaxy was mega, we'll worth a watch. As is how to train your dragon 2 get on it

[mini]

Still, despite my self-justification, I feel I'm missing out.  Just £4-5 a film for something that generally disappoints is a bit of a hurdle to enjoyment or taking a punt.  Are there any alternatives that don't involve piracy or watching via your computer (mine is a work one - and our IT policy is getting ever more stringent)?

Might be worth a look at Amazon / Lovefilm? Not sure what packages they offer for new members, but I pay a smidge under £8 for both online (which I know doesn't suit you) and dvd rental a month. The rental is limited only by how quickly I can watch a film and return it. A combination of rental and online viewing and its approx a quid a film. May be worth a butchers, and seem to offer more than Netflix.

Back on topic, watched A Perfect Getaway last night - pile of tosh!!

[Ti_pin_man]

finally FINALLY got round to watching Dallas Buyers Club last night, great film.     Sean Penn used to be my anti Hollywood hero, Mathew McConaughey is stepping up to the challenge nicely, good in Mud and good in this.

[SA Chris]

Still, despite my self-justification, I feel I'm missing out.  Just £4-5 a film for something that generally disappoints is a bit of a hurdle to enjoyment or taking a punt.  Are there any alternatives that don't involve piracy or watching via your computer (mine is a work one - and our IT policy is getting ever more stringent)?

Might be worth a look at Amazon / Lovefilm? Not sure what packages they offer for new members, but I pay a smidge under £8 for both online (which I know doesn't suit you) and dvd rental a month. The rental is limited only by how quickly I can watch a film and return it. A combination of rental and online viewing and its approx a quid a film. May be worth a butchers, and seem to offer more than Netflix.

Watching a series on Lovefilm needs patience, the disks you are after are rarely available. We used it for films a lot, and got a lot of newish stuff through pretty quickly. Do a month free trial (once the weather gets worse / clocks change?) and see how it goes?

[Evil]

Argh, I watched Divergent at the weekend. From the way it was marketed, I was not expecting it to be quite so clearly not for adults. It was like a super cheesy teen thing, where I kept wanting to insert sarcastic dialogue between the mega cheesy lines they were delivering in dead serious style. I really don't like this recent thing of marketing teen movies to adults via sneaky trailers. 

[r-man]

finally FINALLY got round to watching Dallas Buyers Club last night, great film.     Sean Penn used to be my anti Hollywood hero, Mathew McConaughey is stepping up to the challenge nicely, good in Mud and good in this.

Yeah, great film. Check out the true Detective Series if you haven't seen it. Mathew McConaughey + Woody Harrelson + top cinematography + great soundtrack. Really good.

[Grubes]

I watched Divergent at the weekend .. It was like a super cheesy teen thing

Was the film any good the TV adverts made the film look extremely crap but the trailers at the cinema made it look quite interesting.
The premise seemed similar to equilibrium.
Was film/story any good if you can get past the teen cheesy part?

[Evil]

Mmm I must have seen the cinematic trailers then, as I was lured in. I think it would be quite hard to ignore/look past the teen angstyness of it . It's not dark and brutal and rooted in classic sci-fi concepts like Equilibrium (which wasn't the best film in the world, but was way better than this), even though the premise seemed like it would be. There's quite a big focus on the relationship between our heroine and the 'main bloke', and nowhere near enough on the ideas behind the society or what's actually happening, nor enough action to distract from it. I guess I would watch it eventually anyway, but I certainly wouldn't make an effort to see it. Maybe if I'd been pre-warned that it was going to be a tweeny film, it wouldn't have seemed so bad.

[Grubes]

okay will put it on the if in supermaket £3 bin and nothing else on maybe pile.

Like you say its an interesting concept the government mind control issue. I enjoyed the story of equilibrium but even though the film was not great. I also like the V for vendetta back story which was more covered in the book than film. But if it was not even seen as the main point on this film I probably won't bother with divergent.

Thanks saved me buying it.

[Evil]

Thanks saved me buying it.

OK, don't hold it against me when you eventually see it, and love it though haha.

[Falling Down]

Calvary starring Brendan Gleeson.  I think this was produced and directed by the same team as The Guard.  This is just as good but darker.  Gleeson is superb as a priest carrying the world and the church on his shoulders.  I was quite moved...

[magpie]

Argh, I watched Divergent at the weekend. From the way it was marketed, I was not expecting it to be quite so clearly not for adults.

The clue is that it's the film version of the first book in a YA series.   I really enjoyed it, but probably more due to loving the book and because the film stuck pretty closely to them, a lot of it was just how I pictures in my head when I was reading (with the exception of the bad casting of the leading 'man') so I think it was that I enjoyed more than the film as a stand alone.

Also watched Locke last night which I thought was great, I thought I'd hate it based on how it was described to me - Tom Hardy in a car, on the phone as his life falls apart - but I found it really interesting and a bit different and it really held my attention, I was a bit gutted when it finished.  It's hard to say much more without giving stuff away but it's well worth a watch, I think.

[galpinos]

Calvary starring Brendan Gleeson.  I think this was produced and directed by the same team as The Guard.  This is just as good but darker.  Gleeson is superb as a priest carrying the world and the church on his shoulders.  I was quite moved...

It's the second in John Michael McDonagh's glorified suicide trilogy, The Guard being the first. I believe Brenden Gleeson plays an unlikeable paraplegic in the final installment.

Really enjoyed it but Laurs found it a bit too dark.

[Falling Down]

Good knowledge Nick... I was held by it throughout and really quite shaken/moved/down afterwards.  Great filmmaking.

[Evil]

The clue is that it's the film version of the first book in a YA series.  

Ah, well I was unaware of the book until afterwards, but children's' books are off my radar. 

[Jaspersharpe]

We watched American Movie the other night as I randomly had it on the Sky planner for some reason. It's excellent. Very funny and quite moving.

[Moo]

I went to see night moves one evening last week.

 I was all ready for a tense indie thriller but recieved the one of the worst films I have ever seen, it wasn't even so bad that it was good. It was just bad on many many different levels.

[ferret]

Might be a bit behind the times with the Brit flicks now I live across the pond, but if it hasn't already been mentioned "Starred Up" is a must watch.
British cinema at is best, I can't remember the last time I saw a film this powerful. Hats off to all involved.