[Falling Down]

I suspect it got a harsh edit in the last 1/4 of the film for the theatrical release so loses some continuity and feels a bit rushed compared to the first half.

Oppenheimer though - wow. Saw the 70mm print at the IMAX last week and loved it.

[Bradders]

The Covenant.

It may surprise some, but I don’t really go in for “War movies”.
The blurb caught my eye, as the Afghan translator is the “hero” throughout the first half. Then I saw it was a Guy Ritchie flick, so I put it on.
Closest thing to “Apocalypse now” for the 21st century, I think.
On Prime.

Interesting, I started watching it after a recommendation on here and gave up about 45 minutes in. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, but there were far too many "unerringly accurate heroes gun down uselessly wild-firing nameless minion" type moments. It just felt completely farcical / unrealistic in a way that say Lone Survivor, which is a very similar premise, somehow managed to avoid.

[Oldmanmatt]

The Covenant.

It may surprise some, but I don’t really go in for “War movies”.
The blurb caught my eye, as the Afghan translator is the “hero” throughout the first half. Then I saw it was a Guy Ritchie flick, so I put it on.
Closest thing to “Apocalypse now” for the 21st century, I think.
On Prime.

Interesting, I started watching it after a recommendation on here and gave up about 45 minutes in. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, but there were far too many "unerringly accurate heroes gun down uselessly wild-firing nameless minion" type moments. It just felt completely farcical / unrealistic in a way that say Lone Survivor, which is a very similar premise, somehow managed to avoid.

You are correct. It’s one of the things that really puts me off “War movies”. On the other hand, the reality of combat would make for a very short movie…

[crzylgs]

Oppenheimer though - wow. Saw the 70mm print at the IMAX last week and loved it.

Supremely jealous. What a treat!

[Yossarian]

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Memory jogged by bin fantasist Sunak and Chris Packham's excellent thing on Channel 4 last night. Low budget (though like the best ones you kind of wouldn't know it) eco thriller based on Andreas Malm's book of the same name (who appeared on the CP thing incidentally), with a largely unknown cast (apart from Sasha Lane who is always brilliant) playing a disparate group of activists drawn together for various reasons who then attempt to, yes, blow up a pipeline. Lots of things are good - the friction between factions in the group, the dusty, burning sun, tumbleweed locations, etc - but the best thing is the insane amount of tension and impossible-to-see twists. It's very good...

[Falling Down]

Oppenheimer though - wow. Saw the 70mm print at the IMAX last week and loved it.

Supremely jealous. What a treat!

It was quite something. In a packed cinema only one person got up to go to the loo throughout the whole thing.

[steveri]

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is worth a look if you like Wes Anderson, works well as a 40 minute short and doesn't outstay its welcome. Breaks the 4th wall in a very knowing way and very theatrical in the scene changes. First of a set of 4 shorts dribbling out with a mostly interchangeable cast. Plus bonus Jarvis.

[Oldmanmatt]

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is worth a look if you like Wes Anderson, works well as a 40 minute short and doesn't outstay its welcome. Breaks the 4th wall in a very knowing way and very theatrical in the scene changes. First of a set of 4 shorts dribbling out with a mostly interchangeable cast. Plus bonus Jarvis.

That was really, really, good.
It’s a story that has stuck with me, since I read it (probably still in Primary, I would guess and not long after publishing. The book of short stories possibly being the first “adult” book I’d read, having selected it from the travelling library, based on author (and, mistakenly); one Wednesday morning of a long summer holiday).

I don’t think I’ve been without a book or two in progress ever since.

Glad you wrote that. I generally find film adaptations desperately disappointing.
That was just a wonderful bit of theatre.

[TobyD]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.
Slight possible spoiler but not really:

Essentially, invincible aliens can control time and want to eliminate humanity, for some reason. Tom Cruise can perhaps save humanity by dubious time tricks. Think Groundhog Day, crossed with district 9.

It is derivative etc but I think it's unfair to criticise it for this as it doesn't pretend to be anything more than the fun action movie that it is.

It's on netflix now.

[Stabbsy]

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is worth a look if you like Wes Anderson, works well as a 40 minute short and doesn't outstay its welcome. Breaks the 4th wall in a very knowing way and very theatrical in the scene changes. First of a set of 4 shorts dribbling out with a mostly interchangeable cast. Plus bonus Jarvis.

That was really, really, good.
It’s a story that has stuck with me, since I read it (probably still in Primary, I would guess and not long after publishing. The book of short stories possibly being the first “adult” book I’d read, having selected it from the travelling library, based on author (and, mistakenly); one Wednesday morning of a long summer holiday).

I don’t think I’ve been without a book or two in progress ever since.

Glad you wrote that. I generally find film adaptations desperately disappointing.
That was just a wonderful bit of theatre.

Have to disagree on this one. Wes Anderson can be a bit hit and miss for me and this was definitely in the miss column. I vaguely remembered the story from reading the book so had reasonably high expectations. Similar to Fantastic Mr Fox, it didn’t live up to them. Maybe the Dahl/Anderson combination doesn’t work for me and I won’t be rushing to watch the others that have landed.

[SA Chris]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

It is derivative etc but I think it's unfair to criticise it for this as it doesn't pretend to be anything more than the fun action movie that it is.

Agree with this - enjoyed it more than I expected when I watched it.

Tomorrow War is similar, with Chris Pratt who is good value.

I guess the idea is loosely based on the excellent Forever War novel by Joe Haldeman, and I hoped it would match the bleakness and idea of the novel, but doesn't really and there is some inevitable cheesiness. Still good fun though. On Prime (or was).

[Fiend]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

loved this, one of the best "fun romp" sci-fi action films in the past decades (obviously quite different to stuff like Interstellar / Arrival / Annihilation etc). When I saw the trailer I thought "This looks like a really cool sci-fi action film, surely there must be some catch that makes it toss", and then there wasn't and it was really cool, and I actually ended up seeing it twice at the cinema (2nd time in 3D I think?).

[TobyD]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

loved this, one of the best "fun romp" sci-fi action films in the past decades (obviously quite different to stuff like Interstellar / Arrival / Annihilation etc). When I saw the trailer I thought "This looks like a really cool sci-fi action film, surely there must be some catch that makes it toss", and then there wasn't and it was really cool, and I actually ended up seeing it twice at the cinema (2nd time in 3D I think?).

I thought the battle suits, weaponry, design of the aliens and battle scenes all seemed to bear a fairly close relationship with Warhammer 40k; so perhaps you were predisposed to like it? ;-)

[Fiend]

I deny everything!! And IMO, they don't, apart from the battle scenes...







(Apologies to everyone else  )

[moose]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

loved this, one of the best "fun romp" sci-fi action films in the past decades (obviously quite different to stuff like Interstellar / Arrival / Annihilation etc). When I saw the trailer I thought "This looks like a really cool sci-fi action film, surely there must be some catch that makes it toss", and then there wasn't and it was really cool, and I actually ended up seeing it twice at the cinema (2nd time in 3D I think?).

+1 for Edge of Tomorrow - lots of plot holes I'm sure - but acknowledging them would be a killjoyish missing the point - like pointing out impossibilities in Godzilla's ecological niche, or pointing out that a Wiley Coyote stunt would need planning permission (which a friend of mine once did and was deeply offended by!).  Emily Blunt is great - Sigourney / Ripley levels of badassery. 

Currently watching Nobody on Netflix.  Promising so far, if like me, you are in the mood for Saturday night violence.  It's one of those middle-aged-man-goes-amok films - in the vein of Taken or John Wick (the scriptwriter did JW).  But it's showing an edge unlike those films.  Slight spoiler - although it's soon apparent - the protagonist (Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul etc.) is not a man unwillingly pulled back into chaos and violence... so far, he seems a nasty piece of work who's been longing for it.

[SA Chris]

good fun, wait for the cameos.

[TobyD]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

loved this, one of the best "fun romp" sci-fi action films in the past decades (obviously quite different to stuff like Interstellar / Arrival / Annihilation etc). When I saw the trailer I thought "This looks like a really cool sci-fi action film, surely there must be some catch that makes it toss", and then there wasn't and it was really cool, and I actually ended up seeing it twice at the cinema (2nd time in 3D I think?).

+1 for Edge of Tomorrow - lots of plot holes I'm sure - but acknowledging them would be a killjoyish missing the point - like pointing out impossibilities in Godzilla's ecological niche, or pointing out that a Wiley Coyote stunt would need planning permission (which a friend of mine once did and was deeply offended by!).  Emily Blunt is great - Sigourney / Ripley levels of badassery. 

Currently watching Nobody on Netflix.  Promising so far, if like me, you are in the mood for Saturday night violence.  It's one of those middle-aged-man-goes-amok films - in the vein of Taken or John Wick (the scriptwriter did JW).  But it's showing an edge unlike those films.  Slight spoiler - although it's soon apparent - the protagonist (Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul etc.) is not a man unwillingly pulled back into chaos and violence... so far, he seems a nasty piece of work who's been longing for it.

I really liked Nobody.  Odenkirk is great in anything I've ever seen him in to be honest. 

[Steve R]

Enjoyed Submarine on netflix.  Written and directed by Richard Ayoade.  Very Wes Anderson in stlye.

Also in the Wes Anderson style, been really enjoying a series of short film things by, er, Wes Anderson over the last couple of nights.  Adapted from Roald Dahl stories: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan and The Rat Catcher  have all been great.  Still have poison    to watch.  Ralph Fiennes is just so good. 

[cowboyhat]

Yes whatever else you think about those Anderson/Dahl films; Fiennes is brilliant.

Funny career really, he's always brilliant and has some real big markers on his CV but I feel like he sort of gets overlooked/ isn't considered to be a star .

I guess I feel like he's as good as Day Lewis or J Phoenix, but isn't getting those big parts. In practice he's probably just doing exactly what he wants, and nothing more.

[TobyD]

Mortal Engines is on Netflix at the moment. I was watching it for the second time as it's about 5 years since I saw it at the cinema. It's really enjoyable, although slightly cheesy and with a couple of amusingly clumsy political (and star wars) references. The CGI mobile cities are pretty impressive; you can see that Peter Jackson had a hand in making it. Recommended as a couple of hours of unserious fun.

[SA Chris]

It's good fun, shame they never made any more. I wondered if the rest of the story would get serialised like Snowpiercer, but doesn't look like it.

[TobyD]

It (mortal engines) certainly seems as though it's being set up for a sequel at the end. I'd imagine perhaps that was planned but possibly scuppered by the pandemic?

[Falling Down]

The Edge of Tomorrow

I thought this was hugely enjoyable, it's sufficiently good humoured with plenty of action to make the fairly silly plot and dubious science-y bits work okay.

Watched this last night. Very enjoyable.  Thanks for the recc.

[Paul B]

Yes whatever else you think about those Anderson/Dahl films; Fiennes is brilliant.

The Menu is possibly the worse film I've watched.

[SA Chris]

It (mortal engines) certainly seems as though it's being set up for a sequel at the end. I'd imagine perhaps that was planned but possibly scuppered by the pandemic?

There are 7 books, so more were no doubt planned, but seems to be it wasn't that popular / successful so was never continued, a bit like the original Golden Compass movie.