Rate The Last Film You Watched (Whether You Liked It Or Not)

Whether on DVD, TV or the cinema, give your opinion of the last flick you set eyes upon. (no cheating please, it genuinely MUST be the last one). Naturally the possibilities are endless - from the first talkie to the latest testosteroned blockbuster or chick flick...

Network (1976) - watched it on DVD last night and haven't seen it in 25 years. A seering indictment of Television and its power to both control the public's thoughts as well as encouraging that same public to change economic policy, even if such changes are detrimental to the network's own existence. Peter Finch (who deservedly won a posthumous Oscar) plays a news anchorman Howard Beale who, upon learning of his oncoming dismissal, suddenly loses it big time, declaring on air that he will blow his brains out on live TV due to the hopeless state of human nature and the world in general. Newsdesk boss and friend William Holden (terrific performance in his twilight years) takes flak for the expletive-ridden broadcast but, sensing his department is about to be overthrown, allows the sacked Beale one final show to say his goodbyes.

The ranting Beale unexpectedly becomes a ratings hit and is kept on air, but when he is encouraged by voices in his head to become a world-healing TV prophet and tells viewers to go to their windows and scream their displeasure with the world ("I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"), ratings go stratospheric as Beale becomes a flagship personality and moneyspinner for the network despite his clear breakdown. Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall are also stunning as TV programming executives who live in a moral vacuum, the former a particularly nasty but ultimately tragic woman who lives her own real life by TV's standards. She is inspired by Beale's popularity to dumb down her channel and appeal to lowest common denominators (eg allowing terrorists to film their own deeds in return for a hour-long weekly reality show). However, when Beale starts telling viewers to switch off their TVs and criticises shadowy but crucial network funding deals with the Middle East, the bosses realise they have created a monster who threatens to bring down the entire empire.

Company chairman Ned Beatty meets Beale and brainwashes his fragile mind into turning his TV speeches into pessimistic diatribes that preach about the loss of individuality in a world driven by economic giants - the switch from praising the power of the individual to bemoaning the individual's impotence causes ratings to slump rapidly. When told that the chairman wants Beale kept on air despite the ratings, extreme measures are considered by Duvall and Dunaway...

What was originally a tongue-in-cheek satire in 1976 suddenly becomes a frighteningly prescient commentary on current television policy. But also the film deals with a public outraged by recent political scandal (Watergate), the loss of a war nobody wanted (Vietnam), outrageously high oil prices, and an oncoming recession threatening everybody's pockets...Need I go on?

10/10 easily.









€

Quantum of Solace

Wow. 10/10

Well, I had reasonably high hopes for this....Being an admirer of Smiths films and the fact that this one is closest to a proper movie.
At the very least I expected to enjoy it.
Oh God where did it go so very, very wrong.
Now, Im not a highbrow critic, I enjoy the odd Adam Sandler movie, Loved Zohan, Got a fit of silly giggles at Duece Bigalow etc...so I did expect a decent amusing flick.
First off the good...Elizabeth Banks shines in it...shes just a ray of light in this....the sort of cool girl or girlfriend youd LOVE to have.
Jason Mewes and Jeff anderson are Jay and Randall in all but name and no less amusing for it.
The script is like it was written by a fifth grader. The dialogue once fresh and sparky is now tired and just vulgar and simply not funny. The plot jumps from one tired cliche to another, theres no sense of reality in it...theres no sub plot at all....Its all one level and as such, rather tedious.
Its shown that Smith is a great script doctor and good at punching up others dialogue....but as a script writer , this as an example is dreadful.
Seth Rogan is over rated too....I wanted to like This and Pineapple express but I just found both tired and unfunny.
For a comedy, this is not good.
As a general cinema goer I d give it a 3/10
as a Smith fan I give it another sympathy star and a d-...must try harder

The last film I watched was Indiana Jones iV, yesterday on DVD. I'd already seen it in the cinema the week it came out - although I was accompanying 10 ten year olds plus one 8 year old and a 4 year old so not the most relaxing of occasions. anyway - I'd give it 8 or 9 out of 10.

I'm watching Spanglish at the mo. Loved it the first time and still enjoy it. Proof that when he puts his mind to it, Adam Sandler can actually act.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Weird, fun and very cool. Enjoyed it even more than the original.

From Russia With Love.

Still a Rolls/Royce example of the 60's spy thrillers. Lean, mean and near pitch-perfect in execution. Connery's Bond is a sleek predatory panther stalking amongst his adversaries, and Robert Shaw is the personification of cool efficiency as Bond's ruthless nemesis, Red Grant.

10/10 for it's sheer rewatchability factor alone.

No Country for Old Men - standard Coen brothers fare - great movie, shame about the ending.7/10.

Well, another Coen Bros fare in as many years ...we are doing well...
Firstly No County.....I liked...however a grandstanding central performance by Bardem and Brolin do not a 5 star movie make.IMO..... It is however a rather good film with great performances.
The ending is perfunctory and rather disappointing.....nothing was tied up, perhaps like life itself......but I , as the audience was left....wanting.
Burn is almost Lebowski brilliant.
The script is peppered with great lines , amazingly cast actors playing against type....except maybe for Malkovich who only seems at home playing a wacked out arrogant tw*t....well, if the cap fits , I suppose..
Pitt was just wonderfull, really playing up and within the characters total dumbass qualities......He shines when given something to play with and against type....
Clooney oozes charm and slipperyness and you almost lik ehim...but is actually a rather pathetic character.
Swinton is again playing a cold, manipulitive ice queen.....
Best character.....The agency head played by Spider mans J Jonah Jameson himself, JK Simmons....he owns the movie in the few lines and scenes he has.
"Well, come back to me when it starts to make sense.."
Once again the Coens seem to create characters first and weave a story around them....sometimes to great effect. They are clever chaps and you sense that while its nice to see this sort of stuff and taking into accont when they try regular plots like Lady killers and Intolerable Cruelty( which I love), the dedicated Coen fans seem left wanting......
So in short, Burn is a breath of fresh air, perhaps not to everyones tastes, and thats ok......I enjoyed it more the second time...the layers and depths missed the first time come to the fore in a second viewing.
Do see it, its well worth a watch.
7.5/10 IMO

Well, I went to see Body Of Lies today which was rather average and a solid 3/5. Nothing bad there, but nothing really shining out as brilliant. DiCaprio was OK, Russell Crowe was as annoying as ever, but Mark Strong was good even though he was playing a Jordanian with a strange resemblance to a young Christopher Lee.

Well, it was woth youthful optimism that I got a babysitter and went to catch the first night of this.
Fox are very cautious about this film and there line that the movie wasnt ready for press screenings of any kind reminded me of the Avengers a few years ago...(I kinda enjoyed it, I have to admit ...in a masocistic way)
The first inkling that this may not live up to potential , was a few weeks ago when I had noticed in front of QOS, Fox had some ad space and now started 3 movie trailers , cut together, Earth, Australia and something else I cant remember, but I DO remember thinking, boy they must be very poor movies to do a triple bill trailer type thing....

So....

Along I went and where can I start..? The good, I think.
Jennifer Connoly is ALWAYS good, the role is underwritten and a lot of stuff is not explained, but I do think in the hands of a lesser talented actress, it would have been flat as a piece of Balsa wood.
Keanu, is ok......no really....he is not asked to do much and if less is truely more then he is a master. Agan the issue here is the script which is truely awful.
Klaatu, Barada Nikto...
Yep, its in it...listen carefully...its digitised and heavily masked but is in it twice. First at the start when he stops Gort, and later at the end althiough this was veeeery heavily disguised.....
I guess, mainly because the plot would fall apart if the audience figuered out all he ever had to do was say thiose words...we wouldnt have had a movie so at the end it IS there, you just have to listen ...hard.
the Gort design is nice.....not too far removed from the 1953 original, but workable...
In all, I would advise having a look at it and making your owbn mind up but....being as nice as I can its a 2 star movie...maybe a 2.5 star....

Doc Filth wrote:No Country for Old Men - standard Coen brothers fare - great movie, shame about the ending.7/10.

I found this. I couldn't get my head round the idea that a series of murderers going across America and the only person investigating the problem was one downbeat policeman.

The Orphanage

Just seen this on Blu Ray DVD. Stunning, moving, creepy, frightening ghost story in the vein of Don't Look Now, The Innocents and The Shining. Review on the blog. Highly recommended. I blubbed at the ending.

Sleeping Beauty - the last Disney-made fairy tale. Looks stunning in HD and is a technical triumph. The fight with the dragon is most definitely a 'classic' scene. Full review on the blog, as ever!

Went to see Slumdog Millionaire last weekend. It really is a great film, with some stunning visuals. I'd definitely reccomend it.

Defiance. A superb film boasting wonderful performance all round. Especially from Craig and the ever improving as a performer as he matures, Jamie Bell.

9/10

Anchorman - I was nearly sick from laughing. 5/5, awesome.

In Bruges - McGann out of ten.

Both great films. In fact, "In Bruges" did what I almost believed impossible. It made me enjoy a Colin Farrell performance.

Sid Seadevil wrote:"In Bruges" did what I almost believed impossible. It made me enjoy a Colin Farrell performance.

What about Intermission?

Graymalkin wrote:What about Intermission?

Actually, I do have it - but for some reason I just haven't managed to get around to watching it yet.

An imbalance I fully intend to redress now you've reminded me of it.

Watched 'Les Yeux Sans Visage' last night. One of the most bizarre films I think I've seen. I remember it vaguely from many years ago on the telly and picked it up on DVD this week. It's black and white, in French, and is basically the story of a surgeon who cuts the faces off young girls....

It's odd, unsettling and kind of just happens in front of you for about 85 mins in the most surreal way.

Frank wrote:Watched 'Les Yeux Sans Visage' last night. One of the most bizarre films I think I've seen. I remember it vaguely from many years ago on the telly and picked it up on DVD this week. It's black and white, in French, and is basically the story of a surgeon who cuts the faces off young girls....

It's odd, unsettling and kind of just happens in front of you for about 85 mins in the most surreal way.

Oh, that's one of those films I've been intending to hunt down for years.

You make it sound almost like the viewer is witnessing somebody else dreamscape. How intriguing.

Sid Seadevil wrote:

You make it sound almost like the viewer is witnessing somebody else dreamscape. How intriguing.

Precisely. That's exactly how it felt as if I'd been allowed to witness the director's personal nightmare or dream. And it's actually very full on for a film made in 1960. I tell you, I could write a whole book about it!

Frank wrote:Precisely. That's exactly how it felt as if I'd been allowed to witness the director's personal nightmare or dream. And it's actually very full on for a film made in 1960. I tell you, I could write a whole book about it!

It actually sounds as if there is, indeed, a potential book to be mined from it.