[slackline]

I know it's been mentioned several times before but I saw In Bruges the other night. I expected it to be good, but not that good.  Almost the perfect black comedy.. brilliant!

I almost bought that yesterday but didn't* and I'm pretty sure I saw that In Bruges is on TV over xmas at some point so I shall be endeavoring to watch In Bruges next week (sorry futile searches revealed nothing as to when it was on, but will check the crappy tv mag my wife was reading last night when she told me this)

* got Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg instead after failing to stay awake enough to follow the subtitles when it was on TV earlier in the year, but what I managed to stay awake for was very good, worth checking out if you've not seen it.

[Jaspersharpe]

I know it's been mentioned several times before but I saw In Bruges the other night. I expected it to be good, but not that good.  Almost the perfect black comedy.. brilliant!

 

Talking about black comedy, glad to see Bad Santa got a showing last week, may have to dig out the DVD. surprised it got a terrible write up in the paper, its a modern day xmas classic!

 

Watched Happy Go Lucky the other night. Very good. It's the usual Mike Leigh style but a bit more light hearted than the likes of Secrets & Lies.

Had some proper LOL moments and great acting particularly from Eddie Marsan as the mentalist driving instructor. Not a great deal happens but that's not really the point.

I liked it.

[Dr T]

just rewatched Dead Presidents for the first time in over ten years
awesome movie - not always pleasent watching but awesome never the less
highly recommended for those who've never seen it

[Dr T]

been a good day for films - watched Beat Takeshi's Brother as well
highly recommended, well paced, cold blooded gangster tale with just enough humour/soul

[chappers]

Saw Avatar last night, here goes...

BRILLIANT! Best film I've seen this year and I don't care what you all say!

Obvious? Yes very, but oh so involving and pretty.

It was the first film in ages that came out of feeling sad because I'll never get to see it for the first time again.

Bring the hate...

+1. loved it.

[moose]

been a good day for films - watched Beat Takeshi's Brother as well
highly recommended, well paced, cold blooded gangster tale with just enough humour/soul

Sonatine and Hana Bi are two of my favourite films ever (and Violent Cop and Boiling Point are pretty good too). Surreal interludes, droll humour, explosive violence and Beat's twitchily, unpredictable performances.  Fantastic imagery too, especially his incredibly affecting use of static shots: he creates more impact with a still composition than most directors do with any amount of nausea inducing un-Steadicam bollocks.  Mind you, when that fails, he's not adverse to a chopstick through the eye or two.

By the way, anyone else seen the publicity for Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes film?  It fills me with the sinking sense that humankind probably deserves all the global warming eco-geddon it gets!

[galpinos]

Does this mean your back reviewing films Moose? I hope so.

I was cringing at the TV ads fpr Sherlock Holmes but Kermode said it's the only Guy Ritchie film he's ever enjoyed so there's hope yet!

[tomtom]

Does this mean your back reviewing films Moose? I hope so.

I was cringing at the TV ads fpr Sherlock Holmes but Kermode said it's the only Guy Ritchie film he's ever enjoyed so there's hope yet!

Indeed, Comodes review was almost gushing... Though I may have to wear glasses that black out when Jude Law appears on screen..

[Falling Down]

Good to have you back Moose...

I thought Sherlock Holmes looked good for a romp and didn't know it was 'turn gold into sh*t' Guy Ritchie in the the Directors chair.

Anyone in Manc up for Avatar 3D at the iMax in town over the next ten days?

[Monolith]

Finally just got to watch Berlin Calling. More than anything I'm amazed at how good an actor Paul Kalkbrenner was. Well worth a watch and for the record the OST he did for the film has some awesome tunes on it.

http://www.berlin-calling.de/en

[Bobling]

Saw Avatar last night, here goes...

BRILLIANT! Best film I've seen this year and I don't care what you all say!

Obvious? Yes very, but oh so involving and pretty.

It was the first film in ages that came out of feeling sad because I'll never get to see it for the first time again.

Bring the hate...

Just saw this the 3D Version.  Oh. My. God.  Go and see the 3D version as soon as you can.
 

[Mike Tyson]

Wowsers. Just stumbled on this film, not sure if it's been recommended yet

http://www.theexpendablesmovie.net/

Stallone, Stratham, Li, Lungren. Wow!

[slackline]

Wowsers. Just stumbled on this film, not sure if it's been recommended yet

http://www.theexpendablesmovie.net/

Stallone, Stratham, Li, Lungren. Wow!

Nice to see Arnie can still fit in some acting in between governating Cali.

[galpinos]

Wowsers. Just stumbled on this film, not sure if it's been recommended yet

http://www.theexpendablesmovie.net/

Stallone, Stratham, Li, Lungren. Wow!

Nice to see Arnie can still fit in some acting in between governating Cali. 

Arnie isn't in it is he?

Stallone seems to have broken his neck during filming.

[Jaspersharpe]

Wowsers. Just stumbled on this film, not sure if it's been recommended yet

http://www.theexpendablesmovie.net/

Stallone, Stratham, Li, Lungren. Wow!

Nice to see Arnie can still fit in some acting in between governating Cali.

It's going so well he deserves some time off.

[Clart]

Watched '44 inch chest' the other day, fucking brilliant! Great cast of British actors, John Hurt and Ian Mcshane were particularly excellent. I thought it was going to be a bit like Sexy Beast and in some ways it was, as in 'Get this, he's in a phone box only it's not a phone box it's her cunt...with teeth...no, no, pardon me, let's get this right, not teeth, dentures'. Unlike SB there isn't the gangster 'action' but this in no way detracts. Well worth seeking out and a good antidote to mindless CGI shit.

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0914837/

[cofe]

Got a lovefilm gift thing for crimbo and so have ordered a few films i might not ordinarily have gone to see. first up was the new star trek on saturday which i thought was pretty good. no remains of shatner thank god. even my julie enjoyed it. her plan A was to not enjoy it, plan B was to fall asleep, so she was pretty embarrassed when plan C occurred; staying awake and enjoying it.

hurt locker is next up.

[Falling Down]

Watched Gone Baby Gone on Friday evening.  If I remember rightly this got pulled from general release as it's about child abduction and happened to coincide with the disappearance of Madeleine Mcann and the girl in the film looks uncannily like here.  Anyway it's really good. Casey Affleck puts in a great performance and his elder brother has done a fine job for his first time in the Directors chair.

[BenF]

Saw The Road last friday night.  Tremendous film if rather harrowing.  Spoilt slightly by the couple of knobheads laughing at some upsetting moments, did they think they were watching an "ironic" Tarantino film or what?  Not much cheer throughout, but who'd expect anything different from it?  Really strong performances, good filming and a well put together "feel" from start to finish.  And plenty of food for thought too. 

Oh yeah, its a comment upon the clientelle rather than the film but one of the laughing idiots down the row from us also answered his phone midway through the film.  I despair.

[Rocksteady]

Saw Sherlock Holmes t'other day.

Actually remarkably good - I don't generally like Guy Ritchie films, especially for their propensity to encourage chavs from East London to think they are 'well 'ard gangstas' - but this was a good romp with quite a lot of faithfulness to the Sherlock Holmes opus (and I don't see any Victorians going around reckoning they are hard and starting fights).

They have really emphasised a couple of elements of Sherlock Holmes: (1) martial arts - Holmes was in the stories a keen amateur boxer and practitioner of 'baritsu' (early form of mixed martial art based on jujitsu). In the film he is pretty much a grade A bad-ass. As a martial arts fan the fight scenes are very good. (2) Holmes' eccentrity - interestingly he is portrayed at times almost as an autistic savant, although with a remarkable ability to make wisecracks.

Robert Downey Jnr is brilliant. I like him in every film now. Jude Law was almost bluff and bantersome, which makes a big change from twattish, effeminate and annoying which is my general perception of him. The relationship between them almost reminded me of Riggs and Murtagh (sp?) in the Lethal Weapon films.

The setting was atmospherically gothic; the story was the worst thing - went a bit Da Vinci Code with a secret society and black magic etc. Though this is not outside the Sherlock Holmes theme, it was quite badly done, and left us on a set-up for a sequel, which I hate.

However, on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would broadly recommend it if you tend to like action flicks.   

[Doylo]

I thought Sherlock Holmes was pretty decent too.

[Jaspersharpe]

(and I don't see any Victorians going around reckoning they are hard and starting fights).

With one notable exception:



http://www.vizartwork.co.uk/raffles-at-the-fair-285-p.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffles,_Gentleman_Thug

[Houdini]

I'm ignoring Avatar.  No interest.




Let The Right One In,  a Swedish vampire film.  Exceptional, one of the very best in the genre.

[Jaspersharpe]

That looks amazing.

I'm with you on Avatar.

[Fiend]

Saw LTROI earlier this year, was cool, go watch it while there's still loads of snow around.