overthere Posted November 3, 2015 Report Posted November 3, 2015 Bridge of Spies was watchable, an interesting vignette of the early Cold War years. Tom Hanks is predictably solid, if not stolid as a civilian thrust into an unusual (and mostly fact based) role in East Berlin. The actor that rocked my socks in this movie- again- is Mark Rylance as a Soviet spy. I had never seen Rylance before his wonderful turn in a HBO mini series this year called Wolf Hall which is based on the terrific book by Hilary Mantel. Rylance is apparently a renowned live theater actor, and both these roles are gripping. Now for a connnection to The Wire... Amy Ryan was great in Season 2 of The Wire and plays Tom Hanks buttoned down suburban missus in Bridge of Spies. Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
kimmy Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 I've never heard of an action movie getting such enthusiastic reviews. I think it's almost unprecedented for an action film to get such an overwhelmingly positive response. And further to that, the National Board of Review has named Mad Max: Fury Road "Best Film" of 2015. "The Martian" and "The Hateful Eight" also figure prominently on their list. -k Quote (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Friendly forum facilitator! ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)
TimG Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) And further to that, the National Board of Review has named Mad Max: Fury Road "Best Film" of 2015.Bizarre. I though it was tedious. I can think of numerous action movies that were much more enjoyable including the strangely unloved 'Man from UNCLE'. Edited December 2, 2015 by TimG Quote
kimmy Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) including the strangely unloved 'Man from UNCLE'. Oh! You're the guy who went to see that! edited to add: I have to wonder, what exactly made them decide that "The Man From UNCLE" was a franchise that needed a reboot? I mean, I gather that it was a popular program in its day, but it's day was 50 freaking years ago. I understand the idea of cashing in on nostalgia... recent remakes of A-Team and MacGyver and Dukes Of Hazzard make the point... but those programs were on TV 20 years before their movies, not 50. At 20 years, people who remembered watching those shows as kids or adolescents were probably in their prime movie-going years when the movies came out, and might have had kids to take to the movie as well. With "The Man From UNCLE", the people with nostalgia for the original program are of an age where they seldom go out to the movies anyway. The Charlie Brown movie might also play on nostalgia, but Charlie Brown never went away. Whether your 5 or 65 or anywhere in between, Charlie Brown was part of your childhood. It's timeless. The only idea that I can think of that might have inspired a Man From UNCLE reboot is that with the success of the Mad Men TV series and the recent '60s-set X-Men movies, some studio exec decided that retro chic is happening and went looking for anything 1960s related that they could make a buck from. -k Edited December 2, 2015 by kimmy Quote (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Friendly forum facilitator! ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)
cybercoma Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 I saw Creed over the weekend. It was surprisingly good. I expected it to be hot garbage and left surprised to see an excellent addition that fits right alongside the better films in the franchise. It's certainly leaps and bounds better than V. Quote
TimG Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 I have to wonder, what exactly made them decide that "The Man From UNCLE" was a franchise that needed a reboot?It is old enough that a lot of movie going people had never heard of the show so had nothing to compare it do. I thought it was enjoyable for the reasons that any action movie is enjoyable - nostalgia is not required. Personally, I think it was an attempt to cash in on the James Bond phenomena rather than the superhero trends. Quote
kimmy Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 It is old enough that a lot of movie going people had never heard of the show so had nothing to compare it do. I thought it was enjoyable for the reasons that any action movie is enjoyable - nostalgia is not required. Personally, I think it was an attempt to cash in on the James Bond phenomena rather than the superhero trends. That being the case, why bother with the "Man From UNCLE" nameplate at all, then? -k Quote (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Friendly forum facilitator! ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)
TimG Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) That being the case, why bother with the "Man From UNCLE" nameplate at all, then?There are two reasons for reboots: nostalgia/existing audience and a proven story arc with the latter being relevant even to audiences that never saw the original. BTW: I had never heard the name until I saw the trailer and even then I did not realize it was reboot until after I looked it up on Wikipedia. I also am not saying it was the 'best picture' - just more enjoyable than Mad Max. Edited December 2, 2015 by TimG Quote
The_Squid Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 Mad Max was good... Best of the year though? Hmmm... Not so much. Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 There are two reasons for reboots: nostalgia/existing audience and a proven story arc with the latter being relevant even to audiences that never saw the original. Agreed.....The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television program has significant relevance for people of a certain age....it was a very popular 1960's secret agent show among many at the time. There was even a Girl from U.N.C.L.E. spin off (Stephanie Powers). Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
overthere Posted December 2, 2015 Report Posted December 2, 2015 I've seen Spotlight, Spectre and The Night Before in the last 10 days or so. Spotlight is an account of the exposure of widespread sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Bsoton in the 80s, which more or less led to the outing of many clergy in many places. They are listed at the end of the movie, it is a very brief and grim moment in a well written and acted movie. Spectre is the latest Bond and is about average, though IMO Craig is still the best of the Bonds and in general Bond movies are a must -see, this one included if you enjoy the franchise.. The night before is dumb fluff from Seth Rogen, crude and funny in some places, tedious in others. Average and sometimes funny. Wait for it on cable. Two out of the three are escapist meat, and both are preferable to Mad Max IMO, which tended to lull me to sleep. When the volume is always at 11 I get battered into inattention. The cream of this crop is Spotlight. I look forward to The Revenant, filmed in BC and out soon. Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
Moonlight Graham Posted December 3, 2015 Author Report Posted December 3, 2015 Saw this on Netflix last night and agree. A modern Bluebeard's Castle. I agree, Ex Machina was simply awesome. That and Whiplash are the 2 best movies I've seen in years. Last movie I saw was Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Kind of predictable in the grand scheme but still a fun distopian/sci-fi tale to a series I liked. 7.5/10. Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
Hal 9000 Posted December 3, 2015 Report Posted December 3, 2015 Mad Max was painful to watch. I tried to watch it, my friends raved about it and were watching it for their second time. I don't know how long it was, but it seemed like several hours. I walked away and made dinner and when I got back, it didn't seem like I missed a thing. As for Bond, I think Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery, but the movie - C'mon, they made Bond look like he couldn't do a think without the woman, then the whole group (M, Q, Moneypenny) all got together to fight the bad guy? It felt like one of those kids movies where they get together and co-operate to thwart the bad guys. And, to top it off, Bond chooses love (of a near stranger) over killing the bad guy. WTF? What a waste of a Bond movie. My fear is that political correctness ruins the Star Wars series as well. Quote The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so. - Ronald Reagan I have said that the Western world is just as violent as the Islamic world - Dialamah Europe seems to excel at fooling people to immigrate there from the ME only to chew them up and spit them back. - Eyeball Unfortunately our policies have contributed to retarding and limiting their (Muslim's) society's natural progression towards the same enlightened state we take for granted. - Eyeball
overthere Posted December 3, 2015 Report Posted December 3, 2015 I agree, Ex Machina was simply awesome. That and Whiplash are the 2 best movies I've seen in years. Last movie I saw was Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Kind of predictable in the grand scheme but still a fun distopian/sci-fi tale to a series I liked. 7.5/10. Ex Machina features Oscar Isaac, who is on a serious roll the last couple of years. He has been around for a while, but has been really good lately in leading roles in Inside Llewyn Davis, was great in the understated underrated A Most Violent Year, good if Ex Machina, and and very good in the HBO series Show Me A Hero. He has become one of those young actors that I'll go watch their movies because they are in it. I hope this is not a bad idea on my part, since his next two roles are in the new Star Wars and the upcoming XMen Part 17. I hope he can make these potential turds better, Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
Guest Posted December 4, 2015 Report Posted December 4, 2015 Mad Max was painful to watch. I tried to watch it, my friends raved about it and were watching it for their second time. I don't know how long it was, but it seemed like several hours. I walked away and made dinner and when I got back, it didn't seem like I missed a thing. As for Bond, I think Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery, but the movie - C'mon, they made Bond look like he couldn't do a think without the woman, then the whole group (M, Q, Moneypenny) all got together to fight the bad guy? It felt like one of those kids movies where they get together and co-operate to thwart the bad guys. And, to top it off, Bond chooses love (of a near stranger) over killing the bad guy. WTF? What a waste of a Bond movie. My fear is that political correctness ruins the Star Wars series as well. I haven't seen Mad Max, but I agree with you regarding "action" films. Action sequences just tend to be boring. Even films such as the Bourne trilogy, which I thoroughly enjoyed, had me fidgetting during the car chases and such. Time to make a cup of tea. Strangely enough, if the action has a historical context, I don't get bored. Quote
Guest Posted December 4, 2015 Report Posted December 4, 2015 I just watched Seven Psychopaths. Not bad. Could probably have been great, with a little work. Quote
cybercoma Posted December 4, 2015 Report Posted December 4, 2015 Mad Max was good... Best of the year though? Hmmm... Not so much.It absolutely was. It's a master class in visual story telling, eschewing the typical drawn-out exposition that we usually get in action films (all films really) these days. Fury Road deserves the accolades. Quote
Moonlight Graham Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Posted December 4, 2015 It absolutely was. It's a master class in visual story telling, eschewing the typical drawn-out exposition that we usually get in action films (all films really) these days. Fury Road deserves the accolades. Did you watch the previous Mad Max flicks before watching it? I haven't seen the old ones. Before i watch fury i wonder if I should...but most look pretty dated. Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
The_Squid Posted December 4, 2015 Report Posted December 4, 2015 Did you watch the previous Mad Max flicks before watching it? I haven't seen the old ones. Before i watch fury i wonder if I should...but most look pretty dated. There is no need to watch the previous movies. And I would recommend avoiding the 3rd film. The original was good though, and holds up fairly well, in my opinion. It didn't have a bunch of cheesy effects that make it look dated or anything... Dialogue was kept to a minimum... Musical score wasn't disco, so it still works. If you like dystopian style movies, I liked the Book of Eli. Although, not everyone did. It has a Mad Max meets the Blind Swordsman feel to it. http://www.vulture.com/2010/01/book_of_eli_hughes_brothers_in.html Quote
Michael Hardner Posted December 4, 2015 Report Posted December 4, 2015 Doomsdays on Netflix. Dark dramady that explores the restlessness of today's youth. Very indy feel, nice acting from the leads and nice locations. Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
cybercoma Posted December 5, 2015 Report Posted December 5, 2015 Did you watch the previous Mad Max flicks before watching it? I haven't seen the old ones. Before i watch fury i wonder if I should...but most look pretty dated.i have and you don't need to see them. Fury Road stands on its own. They each do really. Quote
cybercoma Posted December 5, 2015 Report Posted December 5, 2015 Squid's right though. The first movie is pretty good, though The Road Warrior was really the one that established the aesthetic. Quote
Guest Posted December 5, 2015 Report Posted December 5, 2015 The Revenant looks good. Of course, if I see it, I'll never go walking in Jasper again. Quote
WestCoastRunner Posted December 6, 2015 Report Posted December 6, 2015 Doomsdays on Netflix. Dark dramady that explores the restlessness of today's youth. Very indy feel, nice acting from the leads and nice locations. I watched this one last night. It wasn't bad. I was surprised at Dirty Fred's little secret. I wasn't expecting that. They were a comical pair and played very well off each other. Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
Michael Hardner Posted December 6, 2015 Report Posted December 6, 2015 Dirty Fred's little secret. The film was different enough and done very realistically with believable humour and drama. Dirty Fred needs to bring his theories on here. I was coveting having him as a poster here Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
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