What's new

"Now Showing"

peep

CF Legend
^ I'm hearing a lot of buzz for The Green Knight but for some reason the UK release got pulled so no idea if it'll get a proper release now.


Friday night I saw a couple of films, started with The Courier which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a British businessman who gets convinced into helping smuggle out top secret plans out of Russia during the cold war. It's a great spy thriller with some really touching moments. Highly recommend if you enjoy this type of film.

Free Guy was super fun, really felt like the team that made it actually enjoy and understand the modern gaming world so there's plenty of little details that reference games. The story is pretty fun too, even if the start feels like a rip of The Lego Movie. The cast are fantastic and there's a really fun cameo that steals the scene. Overall it's just a great fun popcorn movie.
 

James F

Hyper Poster
I wasn't a fan of Free Guy it had some promise in the first half, Ryan was doing his act well, but the by the numbers plot and structure didn't aid the weak characters nor did the cringe inducing IP flexing, the pacing was good and it had some good moments such as Channing Tatum's scenes, however it would often be followed by a painfully unfunny scene with Taika Waititi (I like the guy, but he is terrible in this)
 

peep

CF Legend
Saw some films on Saturday, I started with Snake Eyes: A G.I. Joe origin. I'm not overly familiar with the G.I. Joe franchise and I think I saw the first film so to me this was like a standalone action film. It was ok, there were some nice action sequences (although the first scene had me worried because the camera work and edit of that was horrendous). It's all a bit stupid so I guess if you're bored and want a mediocre action film then you could probably do worse.

Our Ladies - I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood but I could tell that parts of this were funny but it just wasn't doing anything for me. On top of that it felt weird watching a film about underage girls trying to have sex with older men. Overall I'd say it was ok but I clearly wasn't in the right mood when I saw it.

The Nest - I could tell pretty quickly I wasn't going to like this film, it's slow and one of those films where shots just linger on really stale subjects. I think the cast did well but I just don't get on with the direction etc, I found it to be tedious.

Reminiscence - This felt like a really big blockbuster Sci-fi but I felt like this had zero hype leading up to it's release, the first time I saw a trailer for it in the cinema was the week before it's release which feels mad compared to like a year of trailers for Black Widow and Free Guy. The vfx team did a fantastic job with the higher sea level effects, was a little mesmerised by them. The film is ok, it has an interesting plot that unravels well and has a satisfying ending.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

I've skipped the last few Marvel movies because I was sick of the formula (30 minutes of plot followed by 90+ minutes of smashing s**t up via CGI).

I quite liked this one though. It obviously ends with the big, predictable, find-its-weak-spot fight, but it didn't seem to go on as long as usual and the stuff preceding it made it all a bit more tolerable.

Awkwafina does an amazing job of playing Awkwafina. Can we stop trying to make Awkwafina happen?

It has Michelle Yeoh, though, who always manages to be fabulous despite her rather questionable acting talents.
 

peep

CF Legend
Shang-Chi - I really enjoyed this, the fight sequences were superb, the choreography of them was really fun and interesting and it was shot clearly which felt refreshing. There were maybe too many flashbacks but they did help flesh out the characters so I guess they were a necessary evil. The designs in the final third of the film were really cool. I thought the humour was also fantastic and most of the time it fit the moment well.
Tony Slattery's return was absolutely perfect, his lines were hilarious

So yeah, loved it and the mid and post credit sequences are really interesting so stick around for those!
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
OMG - I wrote a huge, long post the other day with lots of reviews, and it's gone. Not sure what I spooned up.

I'll have to just do a quick summary.

Shang-Chi @gavin is right - just read what he wrote. 3/5

The Courier Bumbledom Camelback almost plays Alan Turin in almost Bridge of Spies. 4/5

Suicide Squad James Gunn shows DC how to do it, but is also allowed to be too James Gunn. 3/5

Free Guy The bastard love child of Wreck-it Ralph and The Lego Movie. Mindless drivel. 3/5 (one point more because it never pretended to be anything else.)

Candyman I expected more of the same. It didn't disappoint... Sadly. 2/5

Reminissence It wanted to be The Maltese Falcon. It wasn't. It wanted to be Blade Runner. It wasn't. It wanted to be clever. It wasn't. It wanted to be a cure for insomnia. It wasn't. 2/5
 

peep

CF Legend
Cop Shop - This was a surprisingly good time, it went all in on it's B movie vibe. There's less action than I was expecting but it never gets dull, glad I saw it, was a fun movie.

Respect - I was only aware of Aretha Franklin's many hits and her appearance in the Blues Brothers films so I was shocked to discover the awful men she had to deal with in her life and how long her career was before she started making those hits everyone loves. It's a very turbulent journey and Jennifer Hudson does a decent job at portraying the Queen of Soul. It does feel a bit long and it certainly hits a lot of very similar notes to other music biopics. Overall I thought it was good, especially the studio session scenes.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Dune

It's a bit of a slog. Despite meaning to read at least the first book for years now, I've never got around to it and have never seen any previous iterations of film/TV versions.

It's a bit of a weird one in that it really dragged on and seemed full of empty space in parts, but at the same time could've done with a bit more exposition. I think it's because they threw in a lot of names, places, history etc. within the first ten minutes, which you're supposed to remember, and then spent ludicrous amounts of time with very long shots of Timothy Chalamet and/or Zendaya staring broodingly just off camera.

It all looked very good, but the dialogue was pretty poor.

I don't know, I kind of enjoyed it I think. Not sure if I've got the patience to sit through the next installment though.
 

solarfall

Mega Poster
Oh spit, I've actually watched quite a few movies recently that I haven't posted about yet. Here's some thoughts:

The Suicide Squad - I'm pretty burned out on superhero movies, and this was one of those movies where it was getting really good reviews, and I wasn't sure if it was getting good reviews because it's ACTUALLY good, or just because the thing it's a direct sequel/follow-up/remake to really sucked and this just seems good by comparison (i.e. Wonder Woman). I'm happy to say it was DEFINITELY the former. It is funny, there is some really satisfying gore, and most importantly (as other people have pointed out) it actually felt like a movie that James Gunn wanted to make, not just an easy paycheck. Definite recommend, it's one of the few superhero movies I'm legitimately interested in re-watching. Fun & endearing performances from all around, even (surprisingly enough) John Cena, who I usually hate in movies.

Trick 'R Treat - This was streaming on HBO max (may or may not still be) and I'd heard pretty good things about it, so when my partner and I were looking for a random horror movie to watch, I suggested this one. It was... okay. For those unfamiliar, it's a horror anthology (like Creepshow or something) but all of the individual stories take place on the same night and sometimes overlap, though it's told in non-sequential order. The overlap gimmick almost takes away some of the charm of an anthology like Creepshow or Ghost Stories or V/H/S (not that the last one is particularly a masterpiece), but it's kind of inventive at times. It has some kind of cool ideas, but also feels a little too silly for its own good at times, especially some of the music cues. Still might be a good movie to throw on at a Halloween party, and genre enthusiasts might get a kick out of it. I honestly might have just been been spoiled by the overhype.

Memento - Somehow I got this far without watching this one, and I thought it was good. REALLY good. Normally it seems like the Christopher Nolan movies I like are the exact opposite of what other people like - The Following and Insomnia are some of my favorites while most people seem to be "meh" on those two. Conversely I'm lukewarm on TDK and dislike Inception/Prestige. I definitely agree with the majority on this one though - Memento kicks ass. It must have taken a colossal amount of effort from the writer, director, and every actor involved (especially Guy Pearce) to take an idea such as this and deliver it with the competence managed. Everything from the sequence of events to the visual storytelling makes the viewer feel just as confused and vulnerable as the protagonist. I'm legitimately astonished that the same person who made this masterpiece went on to direct something as stupid that airplane scene in The Dark Knight Rises. Not much else to say here that hasn't been said, but if you haven't seen this one yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a watch. Preferably with as little prior knowledge as possible.

What We Do In The Shadows - This is an extremely funny movie. Go watch it. If Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement aren't considered national treasures in New Zealand, then they damn well ought to be.

Also some rewatches on my flight to/from NYC last weekend. Not going to say as much about these:

Knives Out - I found this just as enjoyable even when I knew what was going to happen. The ensemble cast has great comedic delivery, and everyone making this clearly was having a ball. Good stuff.

Full Metal Jacket - I think this officially edged out Dr. Strangelove as my favorite Kubrick. Joker is such an interesting and watchable protagonist in this setting. Just tons of stuff to enjoy upon rewatch. For anyone unfamiliar, CW on this one for some (period-accurate) racial slurs, legitimately disturbing depictions of suicide, and other things that come along with being a messed up Vietnam War story.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Dune

It's a bit of a slog. Despite meaning to read at least the first book for years now, I've never got around to it and have never seen any previous iterations of film/TV versions.

It's a bit of a weird one in that it really dragged on and seemed full of empty space in parts, but at the same time could've done with a bit more exposition. I think it's because they threw in a lot of names, places, history etc. within the first ten minutes, which you're supposed to remember, and then spent ludicrous amounts of time with very long shots of Timothy Chalamet and/or Zendaya staring broodingly just off camera.

It all looked very good, but the dialogue was pretty poor.

I don't know, I kind of enjoyed it I think. Not sure if I've got the patience to sit through the next installment though.
I'm looking forward to this. I was always confused by, but kind of liked the David Lynch film.

I eventually got around to reading the book a couple of years ago. If I remember correctly, it sounds like what you're describing. The front end of the book is really heavy trying to world-build. Then nothing kind of happens, then the stuff that does happen you don't feel as though the open chapters prepared you for it.

One of the things that put me off reading the book was always the way is was talked about: "Frank Herbert's heavy tome" or whatever. I dislike really heavy sci-fi, so put it off. It's actually really easy to ready, just a bit tedious because it's that particular era of early sci-fi epic novel.

I liked the slow pacing and gorgeous "presentation" of Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner. This looks like more of the same. So, I'm still looking forward to it, but more as an audio/visual treat :)
Memento - Somehow I got this far without watching this one, and I thought it was good. REALLY good. Normally it seems like the Christopher Nolan movies I like are the exact opposite of what other people like - The Following and Insomnia are some of my favorites while most people seem to be "meh" on those two. Conversely I'm lukewarm on TDK and dislike Inception/Prestige. I definitely agree with the majority on this one though - Memento kicks ass. It must have taken a colossal amount of effort from the writer, director, and every actor involved (especially Guy Pearce) to take an idea such as this and deliver it with the competence managed. Everything from the sequence of events to the visual storytelling makes the viewer feel just as confused and vulnerable as the protagonist. I'm legitimately astonished that the same person who made this masterpiece went on to direct something as stupid that airplane scene in The Dark Knight Rises. Not much else to say here that hasn't been said, but if you haven't seen this one yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a watch. Preferably with as little prior knowledge as possible.
I almost feel the same. I think Momento is probably Nolan's best film (though I like Batman Begins). TDK is overlong and over-complex and TDKR is just a bit dull.

My problem with Inception (which I actually like in terms of production and film-making), The Prestige and Interstellar are that they're not as clever as they make you think they are. You're meant to leave the cinema going "wow, that was so cleverly done, I'm so clever for working it all out and understanding that there's a twist I may or may not be meant to understand - ooooooooh".

Memento does this the best, as it's genuinely a cleverly put together film (and I loved it when I first saw it). However, it doesn't stand rewatching. It's still the best, but it's not as good as it fooled you into thinking it was ;)

Anyway, I watched Cop Shop last night. I'm thoroughly disappointed it was as dreadful as the trailers made it look. It was still bad, don't get me wrong, but it was nowhere near as bad as it should have been. It clearly wanted to be some cross between Die Hard, Reservoir Dogs and No Country For Old Men - which it was obviously never going to be without some real talent writing and directing it. However, it tried. Not bad enough to be funny, sadly, but too good to be awful.
 

peep

CF Legend
What We Do In The Shadows - This is an extremely funny movie. Go watch it. If Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement aren't considered national treasures in New Zealand, then they damn well ought to be.

Highly recommend the TV show, it's produced by Waititi and Clement so still has the right vibe and humour despite it taking place in the States (and with quite a British-heavy cast).
 

James F

Hyper Poster
A Clockwork Orange

I just got back from a re-screening of the Kubrick classic 'A Clockwork Orange'. For the 50th anniversary Warner Bros has given it a 4k remaster. This film has been a favourite of mine since I first saw it at the age of 16. It goes without saying that this was and still is a landmark film, not only for Stanley Kubrick but for cinema itself.

Warner Bros and co did a great job with the remaster, the image is as crisp as ever; there are little details that I noticed more watching it on the big screen, for the film grain purists out there, don't worry the presentation doesn't lose the effect of watching celluloid. My only minor critic is that the sound felt too low, it almost felt as if the music was turned down in the mix, but this might just be me or the cinema I went to. I could hear everything fine, I just expected it to be louder.

It was an "extreme pleasure" to see one of my all time favourite films on the big screen and after all these years - Kubrick is still king.

Reminiscence

I saw this rubbish as well. Imagine watching Inception, then having Nolan beat the back of your head with a hammer. 3/10
 
Last edited:

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
A Clockwork Orange

I just got back from a re-screening of the Kubrick classic 'A Clockwork Orange'. For the 50th anniversary Warner Bros has given it a 4k remaster. This film has been a favourite of mine since I first saw it at the age of 16. It goes without saying that this was and still is a landmark film, not only for Stanley Kubrick but for cinema itself.

Warner Bros and co did a great job with the remaster, the image is as crisp as ever; there are little details that I noticed more watching it on the big screen, for the film grain purists out there, don't worry the presentation doesn't lose the effect of watching celluloid. My only minor critic is that the sound felt too low, it almost felt as if the music was turned down in the mix, but this might just be me or the cinema I went to. I could hear everything fine, I just expected it to be louder.

It was an "extreme pleasure" to see of of my all time favourite films on the big screen and after all these years - Kubrick is still king.
Just booked to see it tonight. I've only seen it once and need to see it again after having read the book recently. Looking forward to it.

Last night I went to see a re-screening of Clive Barker's Hellraiser. It's a film I've seen a dozen times, but never on the big screen. For a late 80's, low budget horror, it's surprisingly good. Not great though. The big screen exposed all of its flaws in greater detail than the original VHS copy I first watched. However, it was still excellent to see the iconic Pinhead ten feet tall in front of you.

They're showing the original Carrie next week - also very tempting :)
 

peep

CF Legend
Saw 3 films at one of my favourite cinemas yesterday, The Prince Charles Cinema. Their Covid protocol is actually impressive, by far the most thorough I've seen. I started the day with Gunpowder Milkshake which is stupidly only getting a tiny cinema release here because Sky Cinema have it. It's a really fun action film with a great cast and very interesting action sequences (I loved the creativeness of the car park scene). It's also super stylish, check it out if you can.

Then I saw a double bill of new Nic Cage films, first was Pig which is a very slow paced film about an ex-chef who is dealing with grief by looking after a truffle pig that is then stolen. I thought this was going to go down a similar path to Taken but the film keeps its slow pacing and unweaves the backstory of the chef while he searches for his pig. Really beautiful film, I can see why I saw so much chatter before its release.

Then Prisoners of the Ghostland happened. This film was torture to get through, it's weird and arty but in such a tedious way there's no fun to be had. Sure there are a couple of classic Nic Cage being absolutely ridiculous and some of it is nicely shot (I saw praise for a sword fight sequence that I found to be really poor). I've read since that apparently it's a huge metaphor about Hollywood trying to cater to Chinese audiences to make money and how they try to pander to their culture without understanding it. I don't think that excuses such a poorly made film like this, it overstays it's welcome at every turn, really don't bother with this film.


Then last night I saw a film I worked on (saw my name on the credits, yay!), Everyone's talking about Jamie. Based on the stage musical which is based off a real documentary, this film is probably the best stage to screen adaptation I've seen. I love it and the soundtrack sounds soooo good in a cinema. It's on Amazon Prime (like gunpowder it got a tiny cinema release here), highly recommend if you like musicals and/or drag.
 

davidm

Strata Poster
I also saw that Gunpowder Milkshake over the weekend too (just on SkyTV) - I thought it was a bit rubbish tho'. Some of the set pieces were well done (especially the one towards the end
in the diner
), I saw it described as like a comic-book adaption that didn't actually have a comic-book to adapt, and I agree. ;)
 
Last edited:

toofpikk

Mega Poster
saw The Suicide Squad in the BFI with a couple mates. As has been said, it was quite a fun movie, definitely one of DCs lighter ones in terms of how dark and dingy the universe can be, but also I did feel like it was a bit disjointed. Lots of fun tho.

Jungle Cruise - kinda similar tbh, it was good fun but took way too long to get going and was very disjointed. Also, questionable soundtrack, breaking out into noughties glam rock at periods? Felt like it was trying to fill the shoes of Pirates a little tooooo much, but still quite fun nonetheless.
 

James F

Hyper Poster
No Time to Die:
It's finally here! it feels like a dream that I have actually seen it! When it was announced in 2016 I had my reservations - in fact I didn't want to see another Daniel Craig Bond film after the extremely disappointing 'Spectre', after seeing 'No Time to Die' I am so glad that they made another. I think they realised the shortcomings and missteps of Spectre, but also made that film better by deepening the arching storyline. This film is the perfect bookend to the modern bond franchise, just like when we first met him in Casino Royale; Bond is a more human and relatable character, in almost every bond film it's "more than the job", but this feels as if he is past trying to prove his legacy, it's merely about survival. Without spoiling anything there is one small moment in this film where Daniel Craig has an "Oscar Moment", not in a obvious way, it's quite subtle, but you just see the heartbreak in his eyes. I have some minor quibbles such as some plot holes and over-expositional dialogue, but in the grand view of things this film a great finale to Craig era Bond. 8/10


The Many Saints of Newark:

It's hard to imagine what the television landscape would of been without the legacy of "The Sopranos", not only did it put HBO on the map, but it raised the quality of television in general, with such a legacy it's easy to understand why series creator David Chase was very sceptical about making a Sopranos movie. Firsts things first - I never finished sopranos, I saw the first 3 seasons and seemed to lose track, I will say that if you have seen it all you would probably appreciate the film more than I. If you are looking for a crime mafia film that this will satisfy that basic need. I think what the film does really well is create a introspective character in "Dickie" Moltisanti, a man who on the surface seems like your typical gangster, but beneath it all there is a morality that is slowly eating him up inside. The film is good, but is just frustratingly short of being great. 7/10

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

I feel like I am the odd one out here, I just didn't think it's was good movie. While the fight scenes were better than 80 percent of the MCU films, I just didn't think there was a lot to it. The thing that really made me dislike it was the Awkwafina being completely obnoxious during the whole runtime, I didn't think the characters were that interesting, despite the sappy backstory. It's a shame because I was interested to see what they would do with it, but I can't help but feel disappointed at the end result. 5/10
 
Last edited:
Top