The Last Film watched (CONTAINS STAR WARS SPOILERS!!)

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Quite enjoyed rec 3 although it's not really much to do with the first 2 films.

If it had been a standalone film, I think the critical response would have been better. For me it was really entertaining.

Unforgiven stands head and shoulders above all Westerns for me; Eastwood, Freeman and Hackman, what more do you need or want from a film.

Shutter Island- Seemed like a good film but the missus asked me after 5 minutes if I could figure out the twist and the rest of it was ruined by her rather obvious silence once i'd guessed correctly.

Unforgiven was damn good. Don't forget Richard Harris who was brilliant as English Bob.

Unforgiven, that's another one I feel was a tad overrated. Maybe it's just me! I'm yet to find a western that beats the first two movies from the 'dollars' trilogy.

I've just come across two others that have my interest on IMDB; Joe Kidd, and Two Mules for Sister Sara - anyone seen them?

mikey_dragon wrote:Unforgiven, that's another one I feel was a tad overrated. Maybe it's just me! I'm yet to find a western that beats the first two movies from the 'dollars' trilogy.

I've just come across two others that have my interest on IMDB; Joe Kidd, and Two Mules for Sister Sara - anyone seen them?

Yes, I've seen this. It's a film that carries so much promise, but falls way short in my expert opinion. Eastwood could've been worse as drifter Hogan, but I did not enjoy MacLaine's presence onscreen. It's a lackluster film in terms of entertainment and dialogue, but the first scene and climax are big thrills. Worth a watch.

I'm getting on it!

mikey_dragon wrote:Unforgiven, that's another one I feel was a tad overrated. Maybe it's just me! I'm yet to find a western that beats the first two movies from the 'dollars' trilogy.

I've just come across two others that have my interest on IMDB; Joe Kidd, and Two Mules for Sister Sara - anyone seen them?

I must confess to preferring the standard third of the trilogy, the interchange between the three leads is more interesting than the revenge angle of the other two, when it boils down to it I much prefer Eastwood to Wayne.

I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood, though I shouldn't compare as I've never watched a John Wayne western - and I'm told that he was the bees knees.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is the worst of the three for me, but still a good movie. I appreciate it was Leone's own idea and that the first two instalments of the dollars trilogy were re-runs of older films, but I found them more entertaining. They actually looked and felt as if they were taking place at the time and location it was set, that's what westerns can't do these days - it all looks too clean. Plus I always liked Eastwood playing a mysterious character and find him less mysterious in the final movie. I sincerely hope somebody can one day create another western as good as these vintage movies.

I enjoyed "Open Range" with Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall

There's also one called The Salvation with Mads Mikkelsen although it's not strictly a Western

Of the John Wayne westerns I'd go for The Searchers and Rio Bravo.

Rio Bravo is my favourite western of all time and The Searchers would certainly be somewhere in the top 10. Two completely different performances from Wayne and proved that he had a decent acting range. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is also very good, but I think it's Jimmy Stewart who carries that film (although the bit in the canteen where Wayne squares up to Lee Marvin's Liberty Valance is fantastic).

As a kid I loved Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman. I haven't seen it for years, but this film is up there with my favourite westerns.

Tombstone is a lot of fun if you havent seen it.

A few Dollars more is the best of the spaghetti westerns for my money.

I agree that although Unforgiven was good, it was overrated. (like Dark Knight RIses and Wolf of Wallstreet)

DAVE667 wrote:There's also one called The Salvation with Mads Mikkelsen although it's not strictly a Western

It pretty much was a typical western. I thought it was decent.

mikey_dragon wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:There's also one called The Salvation with Mads Mikkelsen although it's not strictly a Western

It pretty much was a typical western. I thought it was decent.

It's a revenge film...set in the wild west. Forgot about Tombstone...classic!

Westerns?

Shane.

A ghostly movie.  In my opinion the best Western ever made.  Made by George Stevens, a man who knew the dirt and instant bite of real violence (like Ford too).  Made by a man who gave to the Western a taste of it's reality rather than simply settling for 'myth' - and yet, the movie itself in theme and image never tried to dispel the power of the myth, just placed it instead in a more real environment.

The West was vast, often violent and the people were well spread out.  Shane is full of wonderful silences and awkwardness between peoples who have to confront strangers.  Shy people, mumbling people, suspicious people.  Just how it would be in remote areas where people lived in their own family groups and only ventured out to get supplies.

Alan Ladd fills the screen (for a small man) with a towering display of tenderness and raw power.  His calm voice becomes one of central 'sounds' of this quiet film.  Jack Palance plays his gunslinger with a snake-like darkness that has rarely been matched.  He didn't say much but you're always aware of him, brooding in the background... ready to strike in an instant.

Stock full of wonderful cinematography.  The fistfight in Van Heflin's yard, where cattle go absolutely and genuinely wild to escape the melee.  The burning of the homestead.  The meeting of the ranchers at Van Heflin's homestead, where the camera is much more interested in the knowing silence of Ladd and Palance than in the mumbled conversation going on in the background.  Stonewall Torry being goaded into drawing on Palance. And of course the ending confrontation between Ladd and Palance.

There are few genuinely perfect movies.  This is one of them.  It's no surprise that there are hints of Shane in many of Eastwood's Westerns.  The movie had a powerful influence on the mood and visual quality Eastwood has wanted to display in his own productions.

superflyweight wrote:Of the John Wayne westerns I'd go for The Searchers and Rio Bravo.  

Rio Bravo is my favourite western of all time and The Searchers would certainly be somewhere in the top 10.  Two completely different performances from Wayne and proved that he had a decent acting range.  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is also very good, but I think it's Jimmy Stewart who carries that film (although the bit in the canteen where Wayne squares up to Lee Marvin's Liberty Valance is fantastic).

I keep meaning to watch True Grit which seems to held up as his best film, seen the Coen Brothers remake which was brilliant (made a change to see Matt Damon looking less Matt Damon like).

Against my better judgement i watched The Visit

Terrible, just absolutely awful, not his worst movie (the happening still holds that title) but still a movie i would urge people not to waste their time on, its 90 minutes you'll never get back

The Pyramid (watched about 22 minutes)

Truly shocking & as soon as I saw James Buckley, it was removed. You know it's a **** film, when nudity of Ashley Hinshaw is shown so early just to keep you interested. Got to the part where 'Spotty' or whatever the NASA rover was called malfunctioned inside the Pyramid. The rest might of been good, so if someone has seen it, you can fill me in. 1/10 for the first 20 minutes.

Child 44 - Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Paddy Considine, Vincent Cassell, Joel Kinneman... what could be wrong? Quite a bit really. Plenty of actors having a stab at Russian accents with mixed results. Think William Hurt in Gorky Park. Fairly predictable whodunit which became a hedunit after they revealed the murderer far, far, FAAAAAR too early. 5/10

Manglehorn - not a film about Sean's badly battered Hampton but actually stars Al Pacino as a grizzled old git with limited social skills due to an obsession with a lost love that destroyed his ability to connect with people including his own son. Quite funny and touching in places and seems to be the sort of thing Pacino is doing more of these days albeit still very well. 7/10

Mr Holmes - Ian McKellen plays an aging Sherlock Holmes who has retired to the coast 30odd years after his final case. Absolutely brilliant film. Top notch performances all round and well worth watching.
9/10

watched warm bodies yesterday..not sure how old it is, but pretty good watch..

If the bodies were still warm, then it's quite a recent film.

Jurassic World.

Actually thought it was pretty decent.

Thought Chris Pratt was good in it.

Went to see Spectre last night. Thoroughly enjoyable film, with some jaw-dropping action scenes throughout, including a brilliant helicopter chase scene. Would have to put it behind Casino Royale, but in front of the quite average Skyfall, for me. Thought Waltz's character was far more impressive than Bardem's too. Only downside, would be that it went on for over two & a half hours & some scenes were quite slow & just felt like they were filling time.

If it is Craig's last Bond, he'd definitely gone out on a high. 8/10

SOUTHPAW....absolute balls.

The idea that Gyllenhall's character could be the undisputed LH Champion with such a limited skillset is ludicrous. Roy Jones Jr has a commentating cameo and having to praise a character who he'd have toyed with in his heyday must have been sickening for him.

The fight scenes are no better or worse than anything else that's been shown but the storyline itself is dull beyond belief. Cripplingly clichéd and predictable, by the end, I really couldn't care less.

The Man from UNCLE.

When you find yourself looking forward to Hugh Grant appearing in a film that is not the most ringing endorsement there is.

Rowley wrote:The Man from UNCLE.

When you find yourself looking forward to Hugh Grant appearing in a film that is not the most ringing endorsement there is.

Just downloaded it, not expecting great things (it's Guy Ritchie and the last good thing he used a pen for was to sign his divorce papers)

Spectre

Not as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall but better than Quantum. Craig is fine as Bond as usual, Waltz is fantastic but is under utilized and never feels like a threat at all. Sure the whole Spectre angle is great but they don't feel like a threat at all and the movie is pretty predictable in the twists it takes and don't get me started on that cliche ending.

Overall it is what you expect, nothing better.. nothing worse. Personally it was disappointing and I didn't leave the cinema that impressed.

7/10

Went to see Sicario last weekend. Really rather excellent.

DAVE667 wrote:

Rowley wrote:The Man from UNCLE.

When you find yourself looking forward to Hugh Grant appearing in a film that is not the most ringing endorsement there is.

Just downloaded it, not expecting great things (it's Guy Ritchie and the last good thing he used a pen for was to sign his divorce papers)

I thought it was alright. Loved Arnie Hammer's character.

Watched Hannibal Rising last night. I haven't seen the other Lecter films before and this was a meh prequel.

I thought Sicario was brilliant too

Bull wrote:Spectre

Not as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall but better than Quantum.

I have it as Casino Royale > Spectre > Skyfall > QofS

I don't get people's fascination with Skyfall, it was boring. Spectre was a big improvement, action wise, to Skyfall. Skyfall was centred around the demise of M, who I cared little for, in all honesty.

Skyfall was the most disappointing film I have seen. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad film at all, but the hype around it was mental. The home alone/a-team ending and bardem's ridiculous plan to kill M ruined it.

LiamB wrote:

Bull wrote:Spectre

Not as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall but better than Quantum.

I have it as Casino Royale > Spectre > Skyfall > QofS

I don't get people's fascination with Skyfall, it was boring. Spectre was a big improvement, action wise, to Skyfall. Skyfall was centred around the demise of M, who I cared little for, in all honesty.

I sort liked the story of M's demise and it actually felt like Bond might fail this time rather than in Spectre where Waltz is so under utilized and isn't written to feel like a threat to Bond.

I personally see it as Casino Royale > Skyfall > Spectre > QofS

Hitman - Agent 47....I don't know why I do it t myself really... I never played the PlayStation game, didn't really pay much attention to the film version that came out a few years ago so it's no surprise that I have little or no interest in this.

Redeeming features? It's not very long.

The games are awesome though. There's no better feeling than nonchalantly pushing your target off of a bridge or stalking him into the bathroom where you can use the Fiber Wire to quickly and efficiently dispose of him.

nadeem2099 wrote:The games are awesome though. There's no better feeling than nonchalantly pushing your target off of a bridge or stalking him into the bathroom where you can use the Fiber Wire to quickly and efficiently dispose of him.

Doesn't stop the film being b*llocks though

Stella wrote:Skyfall was the most disappointing film I have seen. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad film at all, but the hype around it was mental. The home alone/a-team ending and bardem's ridiculous plan to kill M ruined it.

All craig bonds have been rubbish, just hyped up massively.

General concencus for spectre is "meh".

Turned them into average modern action films, complete with Bourne esque shakey camera and close up action scenes. Not what bond was ever about imo.

I enjoy Bond movies, i even watched 'On Her Majesty's Secret Serivce' recently and enjoyed it. I don't think Craig is the best Bond though, it's Connery and Moore for me. I find Craig a bit soulless - he's definitely someone you wouldn't want to go for a pint with.

mikey_dragon wrote:I enjoy Bond movies, i even watched 'On Her Majesty's Secret Serivce' recently and enjoyed it. I don't think Craig is the best Bond though, it's Connery and Moore for me. I find Craig a bit soulless - he's definitely someone you wouldn't want to go for a pint with.

He is if it's in the kind of pub where fights break out at the drop of a hat...mind you, Craig's version of Bond looks like the bloke who'd be starting the fights anyway.

You wouldn't want to go for a pint with Moore in case it kicks off as no-one wants to see an old bloke karate chopping some chav on the back/neck/shoulder in order to render him unconscious. Connery would be off trying to get in every woman's knickers thus causing their boyfriends to kick off. Dalton would get his head kicked in for "talking funny" as would Connery (as well as for "chatting up my bird"). Brosnan would probably take you to a fancy wine bar where you couldn't get in or they didn't serve pints and be quite happy to have you thrown out by the door staff as you'd be cramping his style.

Jesus, going for a pint with Bond? What a waste of an opportunity.

I'd much prefer race him down a night time ski-slope whilst being pursued by female commandos, or go for a spin in his Austin Martin and get ejected over an Italian cliff into the arms of one of his babes below us in a 3billion dollar yacht, or have him give me a tour Spectre's lastest under-sea submarine base.

Come on! "Hello Mr Bond, let's go for a pint?" Expand your horizons boys......

I'd rather a pint than a tour around his family home!

Well that's a fact.  What a run down joint that was.  Never spent a penny of his income on it obviously

SecretFly wrote:Jesus, going for a pint with Bond?  What a waste of an opportunity.

I'd much prefer race him down a night time ski-slope whilst being pursued by female commandos, or go for a spin in his Austin Martin and get ejected over an Italian cliff into the arms of one of his babes below us in a 3billion dollar yacht, or have him give me a tour Spectre's lastest under-sea submarine base.

Come on!  "Hello Mr Bond, let's go for a pint?"  Expand your horizons boys......

Kebab afterwards?

DAVE667 wrote:

nadeem2099 wrote:The games are awesome though. There's no better feeling than nonchalantly pushing your target off of a bridge or stalking him into the bathroom where you can use the Fiber Wire to quickly and efficiently dispose of him.

Doesn't stop the film being b*llocks though

To be honest I think the best reputation of a say a ''Video Game'' movie about a hitman would be John Wick. Yes its not based on a game or anything but its really what Hitman should be like in terms of the world it creates/sequences/cinematography etc.

The movies seldom do get the 'mood' of the games.  And let's face it, it's the mood of the games that gamers remember most..... and to be honest, a lot of it is sound (background incidental music) and lots of silence (not great for script writers trying to earn a buck and a reputation!)
In Hitman the games, it was always for me anyway about trying to do everything quietly and not rushing. Enjoying the solitary nature and walking down corridors with a calm stride  So I'd love that serenity to come across in a movie version.  Unfortunately though, modern commercial movies always go for the noise, the wordiness and the big explosive climaxes.

Another game I'm waiting for some film maker to absolutely destroy the entire concept of is my personal favourite Splinter Cell, and old growling Sam Fisher doing his shadowy stuff thing to an atmospheric weird and wonderful soundtrack. I know they'll destroy it all.

SecretFly wrote:The movies seldom do get the 'mood' of the games.  And let's face it, it's the mood of the games that gamers remember most..... and to be honest, a lot of it is sound (background incidental music) and lots of silence (not great for script writers trying to earn a buck and a reputation!)
In Hitman the games, it was always for me anyway about trying to do everything quietly and not rushing.  Enjoying the solitary nature and walking down corridors with a calm stride  So I'd love that serenity to come across in a movie version.  Unfortunately though, modern commercial movies always go for the noise, the wordiness and the big explosive climaxes.

Another game I'm waiting for some film maker to absolutely destroy the entire concept of is my personal favourite Splinter Cell, and old growling Sam Fisher doing his shadowy stuff thing to an atmospheric weird and wonderful soundtrack.  I know they'll destroy it all.

There was a rumor going round that Tom Hardy was in line to play Sam Fisher right?

In terms of the ''mood of video games'' I agree with that statement, people who aren't interested in the games want to see a movie for the sake of it being a movie but those who are fans of the games want them to capture the same sort of feel or even the same storyline which is understandable although at first I hated what Ubisoft are doing with the AC movie now I see it as actually being quite clever.

The movie isn't based around any of the storylines in the games in terms of the assassins involved and instead follows the story of a different/new character to the series under the same sort of thing which works quite well in terms of expanding the lore/universe in the games. So in other words if they keep the two separate but link them in the style of say the MCU, then it really does have potential to be first ''good'' video game movie. Oh and well if Macbeth is anything to go by then in all honesty the movie really does have great potential, especially with the certain camera angles used in Macbeth which would work fantastically well for AC. Oh and if the cinematography is anything to go by then it will be gorgeous to look at.

They're making a game on Assassins Creed with Michael Fassbender as the lead role. That should be good, hopefully not a prince of Persia...

mikey_dragon wrote:They're making a game on Assassins Creed with Michael Fassbender as the lead role. That should be good, hopefully not a prince of Persia...

So they are making a game on the movies? All I've heard is that they planned on making them separate from the games, but all taking place in same universe?

I'm quite positive that the movie will be far better than Prince Of Persia (Gyllenhall's only bad mistake, other than that he generally makes really good choices.), but the movie will be directed by Justin Kruzel with Fassbender and Cotillard on board, so basically watching Macbeth was like a promo for what he can do for AC.