The Last Film You Saw - 2017

[Nollaig]

Watched Project Almanac yesterday on Netflix. It kind of got slated when it came out, but I enjoyed it. There were one or two elements I didn't really like, but overall it was like a cross between Chronicle and Primer geared towards teenagers.

[frankie]

I watched This Is 40 last night. I liked it a lot

[More reading time required]

Finally watched (and stayed awake for) Star Wars Rogue One the other day (and liked it). Although Ellie did try and ruin it by vomiting in her bed just after we started it, and then had to come downstairs with me as she wouldn't go back to bed. In fact she ended up watching pretty much all of it herself.

 

Also I was off ill myself earlier this week. In between sleeping on the sofa, I managed to watch a few films:

 

A Streetcat named Bob - cute, though the main actor was a bit naff
Nocturnal Animals - I liked half of the story (well, liked is a strong word - it was disturbing, but interesting) but the other half was odd
Florence Foster Jenkins - what I saw seemed quite good, but I kept dozing off
Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children - not bad

[Little Pixie]

Hope you're all better now, Michelle.

[chesilbeach]

Watched Strictly Ballroom again last night.  LOVE this film.  "A bit of musicality, please"

[willoyd]

Went to see Dunkirk this weekend.  Agree with most reviewers here in giving it the thumbs up.  Any historical nitpicks completely subsumed into the overall impression which was, to use Claire's succinct comment, 'Magnificent'.  Loved the non-linear interwoven narratives, loved the minimal dialogue, loved the tight focus on almost completely unidentified individuals to represent the totality, loved the music.  Particularly struck by the incorporation of original little ships. Both Rylance and Branagh shone simply by not trying to be stars, and well balanced by the younger actors. 

 

Either I'm getting less discriminating, or we've just been blessed with some excellent films recently, but I seem to have been to see a string of them this year: Hidden Figures, Jackie, Manchester By The Sea, Elle, Certain Women, Letters from Baghdad, The Handmaiden, and now Dunkirk (I'm sure I've missed at least a couple of others too!). Other good ones too, these are just the best.

Edited August 20, 2017 by willoyd

[Athena]

We've watched Beauty & the Beast (live-action version). I liked it a lot .

[TintagliaIceFyre]

Watched Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 for the first time last night - Brilliant, and so funny! Loved Vol 1 and love 2 as well now 

Great fun film!!!

[poppy]

Watched Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day the other night. A fairly lightweight story, I'm part-way through the book, but Frances MacDormand makes it worthwhile watching.

[willoyd]

Another cracking film - they keep on coming!  This time it was The Limehouse Golem.  I realised part of the way through, confirmed by the screen credits at the end but never mentioned before anywhere I've found, that this is based on Peter Ackroyd's book Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, which is on my favourites list.  For me, the film fully lived up to the book's standards, enhanced by the cinematography, with the music hall scenes particularly lush and atmospheric.  I thought the characters of Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy), Lizzie Cree (Olivia Cooke) and Dan Leno (Douglas Booth) were particularly strong.  I was initially worried that this was going to be a bit of a horror fest, but apart from a couple of gory but not gratuitous scenes, the focus was on telling a richly detailed mystery story. 

Edited September 22, 2017 by willoyd

[Virginia]

The last movie I paid to see was Beauty and the Beast with my little girls (grands). I think we'll start doing our movies from home. The cost is ridiculous and with so many children having to go potty at different times...not for me!

 

 

[Nollaig]

Watched IT in the cinema. Enjoyed it - knew the basic story but never read the book or seen any other version. Felt very Stephen Spielberg-y in its execution. Wasn't scary at all, though it managed to make me jump once, and the use of the more horror-y elements was really great. The kids were good too - still not as good as the Stranger Things kids, but but good kids with a good script. Looking forward to part 2.

 

 

[Athena]

On 9/25/2017 at 10:10 PM, Nollaig said:

Looking forward to part 2.

 

Wait - there will be a part 2? I hadn't heard of that. Thanks for telling me .

[Nollaig]

2 hours ago, Athena said:

 

Wait - there will be a part 2? I hadn't heard of that. Thanks for telling me .

 

Yup. Part one is the kids section of the book, part two will be the adults section. Apparently a lot darker too.

[Athena]

17 hours ago, Nollaig said:

Yup. Part one is the kids section of the book, part two will be the adults section. Apparently a lot darker too.

 

That's good to know, thanks .

[More reading time required]

Spotlight - not bad

[vodkafan]

Alien Covenant.  Disappointed. I seem to be saying that about every film I have seen lately. I wanted to watch a sequel to Prometheus  with it's interesting questions but we got none of that. Instead we got yet another Alien film with more creatures bursting out of chests and another naughty robot. Nothing new at all. Glad I didn't see it at the cinema, at least.

[vodkafan]

My friend is trying to get me to go to see Blade Runner 2049. However the last 3 big SF films I had been looking forward to  (Ghost In The Shell, Alien Covenant, Valerian) all fell short  of  expectations. I really don't know if I can stand them ruining the memory of the first  Blade Runner film for me if this one turns out to be pants.

 

[Brian.]

I saw Blade Runner 2049 last night and I really really liked it and I am a big fan of the first movie. My girlfriend wasn't as impressed and found it slow going but she hasn't seen Blade Runner and generally goes for simpler movies. Visually its stunning and the score points a nod towards the original Vangelis score but is different enough to stand on its own. It deals with the same themes as the original movie and doesn't mess with things that shouldn't be messed with.

 

On 9/30/2017 at 1:59 PM, vodkafan said:

My friend is trying to get me to go to see Blade Runner 2049. However the last 3 big SF films I had been looking forward to  (Ghost In The Shell, Alien Covenant, Valerian) all fell short  of  expectations. I really don't know if I can stand them ruining the memory of the first  Blade Runner film for me if this one turns out to be pants.

 

 

Have you seen Arrival? I ask because BR2049 is directed by the same guy so if you liked Arrival I imagine you will like BR2049. I haven't seen Valerian, thought GITS was passable but I hated Alien Covenant.

[Lau_Lou]

Goodbye Christopher Robin 

[willoyd]

The Leeds International Film Festival programme has come out in the past week, and it looks excellent, so much so that I've bought a full pass that allows access to pretty much every film.  The Festival runs from November 1st to 16th.  There are four main threads, of which the most interesting to me looks to be what they call Cinema Versa, basically documentaries, or at least the equivalent of the non-fiction section.  There's quite a few others though that also appeal.  It could be a hectic fortnight!!

 

[vodkafan]

2 hours ago, willoyd said:

The Leeds International Film Festival programme has come out in the past week, and it looks excellent, so much so that I've bought a full pass that allows access to pretty much every film.  The Festival runs from November 1st to 16th.  There are four main threads, of which the most interesting to me looks to be what they call Cinema Versa, basically documentaries, or at least the equivalent of the non-fiction section.  There's quite a few others though that also appeal.  It could be a hectic fortnight!!

 

 Sounds good!

[More reading time required]

Have been going through some Amazon Prime films:

 

The Girl on the Train - a reasonable adaptation of the book, from what I can remember of it

David Brent: Life on the Road - as amusing and cringe-worthy as The Office

[Brian.]

Despite the poor reviews I went to watch The Snowman. The reviews are correct, its absolutely awful and does a huge dis-service to the book. I've read that it was edited twice and one particular scene at the end Fassbender has different hair and a moustace which he doesn't have during the rest of the movie.

[vodkafan]

4 hours ago, Brian. said:

Despite the poor reviews I went to watch The Snowman. The reviews are correct, its absolutely awful and does a huge dis-service to the book. I've read that it was edited twice and one particular scene at the end Fassbender has different hair and a moustace which he doesn't have during the rest of the movie.

 

 

 "We're something in the air......" 

Edited October 21, 2017 by vodkafan