[Bradders]

Well I am a millenial, and I watched it on a tablet, so....yes?

[TobyD]

Finally got around to seeing No Time to Die in a cinema this evening.  I thought it was absolutely brilliant,  one of the best Bond movies probably.  Everything you want from the genre, although with a little more depth than most of them.  Its largely solid entertainment though,  which would be lost on a small screen. 

[teestub]

  Its largely solid entertainment though,  which would be lost on a small screen.

I enjoyed it v much on a laptop with headphones 😄

As usual with Bond, some rather large plot holes it’s worth not considering too much and just enjoy the ride.

I also thought Don’t Look Up was worth a watch, definitely not as strong as it could have been with the cast but still some great scenes.

[Oldmanmatt]

I watched NTD on the big TV in my living room yesterday, as my birthday treat (because PJs, unlimited snacks and pausing the movie for pee breaks, beats the cinema experience: if you have the right screen and sound).
Thought it was bloody good.
I understand they’re casting the next film already and I’m quite baffled how that’s going to tie into the Bondverse given the ending of NTD.
Up until SPECTRE, I’d thought they were going for “Bond is a job, not a person” and that it was simply an identity handed over as agents retired. SPECTRE’s back story about Bond’s childhood squashed that. I wonder if Mathilde’s middle name is Jane?

[Falling Down]

We watched it on Christmas Day and loved it. Surprisingly moving at the end. Had a bit of grit in my eye.

Madeleine Swann… (might start climbing again this year..) 

[TobyD]

I watched NTD on the big TV in my living room yesterday, as my birthday treat (because PJs, unlimited snacks and pausing the movie for pee breaks, beats the cinema experience: if you have the right screen and sound).

Nah, I have to respectfully say that you're wrong on that one, even if you have a very snazzy TV; itd still be better on a cinema screen. To me saying that it's better at home is akin to saying that your favourite band sound better at home on a posh B&O stereo than they do live. Technically speaking perhaps it does,  but theres a massive difference between being at home and a collective experience where it's more difficult to interrupt it to get a cup of tea/ bottle of beer /have a piss. Films are (usually) made to be seen in a cinema. 
(All the above is somewhat tongue in cheek in case it isn't obvious,  I'm glad that most people also seem to love NTTD wherever they choose to watch it).

I wonder who the next Bond will be? I don't think that they'll go for a female Bond myself,  he is ultimately a very male character. I'd guess Idris Elba is getting a bit old now, I don't know who else has been mentioned. 

[TobyD]

Not new at all but midway through the Hobbit trilogy on Netflix which I never saw when they came out. I started off thinking that it was vastly too long, but now ⅔ of the way through the second one, I like it more.
I expected to be underwhelmed, but have been pleasantly surprised, I'd say it's worth watching overall so far. One comment specifically, Stephen Fry is awful in it, and I usually think he's quite entertaining.

[Duma]

Shadow in the Cloud

Excellent b movie fun

[Duma]

Prospect

Decent indie sci-fi, much better than most of the dross constantly pumped out by Netflix and Amazon these days

[Wellsy]

I thought it was good times yeah, very 80s and 90s scifi inspired which is cool. Would recommend.

[Duma]

Sorry more stuff from my isolation viewing, apologies if they've been mentioned.

Mother/Android (Netflix)

Rather formulaic post apocalyptic thriller, but decently done, and Chloe G-M is good, the couple seem a bit more believable than average for this sort of film.

[Duma]

Cosmos (Amazon)

Amateur astronomers think they pick up alien signal. Low budget student feel to it, some terribly clichéd dialogue, but I liked the believable geekyness of the characters, and the friendships. Manages some real tension too, despite very little really happening and no effects or budget. Too long though.

[Duma]

Shadow in the Cloud

Excellent b movie fun

Forgot to mention, features some quality jug hauling by CGM through a roof(/belly of the plane)

[Duma]

I Think We're Alone Now (amazon)

Really liked this, gorgeously shot. Dinklage is great. Doesn't do anything exciting or unexpected but worth it for the cinematography alone.

[Fiend]

Mother/Android (Netflix)

Not to be confused with I Am Mother, which features an android and is a post-apocalyptic thriller.


P.S. Go check out A Cure For Wellness if you haven't, my favourite watch recently. Worth keeping in mind any frothing conspiracy loons whilst watching too.

[SA Chris]

Also watched The Rescue, Chinny Jim and co's doc on the Thai cave rescue. The story is incredible and benefits from the deep dive into details. Just astonishing. I didn't think the doc was that well done, the start is messy, the geography of the cave is never really made clear despite fancy graphic overviews, and the recreated diving footage is downright misleading. When a British cave diver describes it as a muddly hole with zero vis, or whitewater caving, the footage bears no resemblance. But fuck me what a story. I'd thought the kids might be traumatised but I'm more worried for the rescuers now.

Agree, given the reviews I was expecting a bit more. it was a bit "lumpy" in places. Watched it with the family, so ended up having to recite the subtitles to the 9 yo, who wasn't reading them fast enough!

[mrjonathanr]

Saw Madres Paralelas last night in Spanish with subtitles. Think it’s on mainstream cinemas in English as Parallel Mothers.

Story of two women who share a room on the maternity ward and whose lives subsequently become entwined. Great performances by Milena Smit and Verónica Cruz. Cruz’s character is trying to have the unmarked grave of her great grandfather excavated and that provides the serious thrust of the film.

For those who may not know, Spain has more unmarked mass graves than any other country in the world, apart from Cambodia. The preoccupation with the civil war isn’t going away any time soon.

Powerfully done, Almodóvar tones down the camp for this one, though it’s still funny at times. Some sex scenes, not too explicit, Worth seeing, shines a light on the ongoing impact of the civil war today.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12618926/

[Paul B]

Also watched The Rescue, Chinny Jim and co's doc on the Thai cave rescue. The story is incredible and benefits from the deep dive into details. Just astonishing. I didn't think the doc was that well done, the start is messy, the geography of the cave is never really made clear despite fancy graphic overviews, and the recreated diving footage is downright misleading. When a British cave diver describes it as a muddly hole with zero vis, or whitewater caving, the footage bears no resemblance. But fuck me what a story. I'd thought the kids might be traumatised but I'm more worried for the rescuers now.

Conversely I thought it was amazing. For me, not fully understanding the geography of the cave didn't matter I was simply fascinated that a niche group of experts in cave diving were the world's best (only?) option for the rescue (including sorting the anaesthetic); it's like relying on Barrows in some bizarre scenario where selecting the best kneebar for the job was of such importance. One of my former colleagues is big into diving and I remember him telling me about cave divers making their own kit with wide eyes. It was also interesting to just see what cave diving is all about. One of the people who first taught me to climb got a bit bored above ground so started caving and then cave diving and I honestly didn't understand what it entailed (other than quite a lot of danger).

I also finally got around to watching Dune last night (now it's at a reasonable price for home rental). I was given the book (a very crumpled copy I might add) by my MiL so it was fitting she joined us (actually, we watched it at her house given my FiL's home audio setup is significantly better than ours). Again, I thought everything about it was brilliant especially the casting (Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica).

[teestub]

Just to speak up for The Rescue too, which was way better than I thought it was going to be, and pretty harrowing! It felt like they were trying to force a narrative onto the story to some extent, and the mix of actual footage and recreation is a bit confusing, but this does little to take away from the sum.

[TobyD]

The Power of the Dog, beautiful,  impressive film making and a stunning performance from Cumberbatch.  Its pretty slow and moody, but not in a bad way, I think its something you have to be in the mood for, but overall I thought it was excellent. 

[Will Hunt]

There was a point where I wondered where it was all going but I ended up really enjoying the development of all the characters. Very skillfully done.

[crzylgs]

The Power of the Dog, beautiful,  impressive film making and a stunning performance from Cumberbatch.  Its pretty slow and moody, but not in a bad way, I think its something you have to be in the mood for, but overall I thought it was excellent.

Well put. Would also add that Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons were also both superb.

[Bradders]

Freaky and The Hunt

New comedy horror things. Both really good fun!

[TobyD]

Finally got round to watching Dune last night. I thought it was visually spectacular, impressive soundtrack and effects and great battle scenes, but I thought it really lacked narrative focus and was a bit overlong. Despite the reservations, I really enjoyed it and those might have been the fault of the source material, but I can't say, not having read it. I imagine it'd have been better in the cinema.

[crzylgs]

Prompted by listening to an episode of 'The Big Picture' podcast I went on a little 'Garbage Crime' film watching spree - a genre they created, best explained as the not quite top tier or budget film, knows exactly what it is and does it well, with crime/criminal activity at the heart.

Some notable mentions:

Den of Thieves - Probably my pick of the bunch. SUPERB Gerard Butler crime scene outside a doughnut shop. Worth a watch for that alone.

Training Day - Classic of the genre. Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke on top form and Antoine Fuqua (he has various entries in this sphere but this has to be the best) directs.

Sicario: Day of the Soldato - I was actually pleasantly surprised with this film. Had put off watching because there is no Denis Villeneuve directing or Emily Blunt so I thought it might be a knock-off, money grab sequel. It isn't. The Josh Brolin+Benicio Del Toro characters are a lot of fun to watch on the screen and the action was just as tense and visceral as the first without being a re-do.

Wrath of Man - surprisingly good Jason Statham nonsense.

Triple 9 - Absolutely bonkers film. If you can go with it you'll enjoy it.

21 Bridges - Decent enough but didn't stand out to me.


Outside of this genre the two more recent releases I watched were The French Dispatch and Licorice Pizza. Huge fan of Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson so was probably always going to like these. Although they are probably both 'mid tier' entries for each director, so unless you're already a fan I'd probably start elsewhere within each of their filmographies.