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Thanks for the info! Can't see why it should be necessary with another reboot, though. Let's just hope Eon doesn't go the same way with Bond. "Reboot" is about the worst word I hear with films.
James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger take on James Bond! 007 had been away for 5 long years up to that point. The last entry had been a failure at the US box office, and there were questions about the series viability in a post-Cold War world. This provided an opening for Cameron to show what he was made of, and boy did he deliver. Featuring class leading thrills, action and suspense for its time, this film still holds up very well today. In fact, I'd even call it a film ahead, as it has proved to be an inspiration for other Hollywood fare (Mr. & Mrs. Smith & Keeping Up With The Joneses come to mind). It's a darn shame we don't have a blu ray release yet, but I assume political sensitivities have something to do with the neverending delay.
Arnie plays Harry Tasker, a secret agent by day, devoted husband to his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) and father to daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku) by night. Helen is oblivious to his alter ego and longs for a little excitement in her boring suburban life. Tasker is aided in his spying duties by Albert (Tom Arnold providing comic relief). The film features some topical baddies, namely a bunch of lunatic Islamist fundamentalist terrorists led by Bin Laden wannabee Salim Abu Aziz (played by the always excellent Art Malik). As if Tasker's (forgive the pun) 'task' wasn't difficult enough already, he also has to deal with possible adultery by Helen with a loser (played convincingly by the late Bill Paxton), and fend off the advances of devious art dealer Juno Skinner (Tia Carrere).
This is an excellent film. Cameron juggles the plot, action, suspense and domestic frivolities very well. I found the subplot about Helen a bit tiresome, but it provided for some levity and a change of pace for a bit. Arnie is very smooth and convincing as a Bond type. Jamie Lee Curtis is the real standout though. Not only does she look absolutely fantastic (especially in the exotic dance scene), but she's also very believable as a plain Jane spouse who's suddenly thrown into Tasker's crazy world. All the other actors are excellent as well, including Art Malik who channels a bit of his TLD role here (ironic given the Mujahideen were goodies in 1987 but morphed into Osama sympathizers after this movie was released). The film has some standout scenes, including one of the best toilet fights ever (sorry CR), an inventive chase between a bike & a horse, a superb sequence at the Florida Keys’ Old Seven Mile Bridge (sorry LTK) & the best use of the Harrier Jump Jet I've seen (Sorry TLD).
Same here (and I actually don't even want to see Eraserhead after what I've heard...maybe some day). But the other three—Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive—all fantastic.
@bondjames this is one of the best reviews I've read of this film. Well done sir.
We were supposed to get The Abyss blu ray release some time this year, and hopefully it actually happens, perhaps coinciding with T2's remastered 4K 3D cinema release in August.
Yeah, I've been waiting forever for that Abyss Blu-ray. I thought it was supposed to be released early this year, but now there's no word on it. :(
In theatre:
Frantz
Song To Song
The Promise
Alien: Covenant
---
At home:
VIGGO MORTENSEN
A History Of Violence (2005)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Good (2008)
The Road (2009)
Captain Fantastic (2016)
- I like him, so... but I can't say I was particularly impressed with these movies, except Eastern Promises was actually very good.
***
INGRID BERGMAN
Munkbrogreven (1935)
Swedenhielms (1935)
Valborgsmässoafton (1935)
Intermezzo (1936)
Dollar (1938)
En Kvinnas Ansikte (1938)
En Enda Natt (1939)
- I decided to watch her early Swedish movies, just because. Some were okay, some were bloody awful.
***
MARTIN SCORSESE
- I continued watching some more of his movies.
Mean Streets (1973)
Disliked.
The King Of Comedy (1983)
I only remembered the basic story, that I had seen this a long time ago, and didn't like it then. Well, I didn't like it now, either.
Gangs Of New York (2002)
Still okay on second watch.
Shutter Island (2010)
I liked this more the first time around. But it did remind me I should read more Lehane's books. And that I should probably get some Max Richter's music.
Hugo (2011)
Actually better than I remembered. A fairy-tale type approach to some actually interesting history. I wouldn't have expected Scorsese to approach it that way, but there it is.
***
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
in addition to Gangs Of New York
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
I'm not a fan, I know many are.
A Room With A View (1985)
A rare (and kinda fun) supporting role from DDL in an enjoyable Merchant/Ivory movie.
The Ballad Of Jack and Rose (2005)
I found this boring. I saw somebody comment that some other actors might have done something more interesting with DDL's role here, and I agree. But well, his wife directed it, so I guess he wasn't expensive.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Good.
***
STEVEN SPIELBERG
- I finished my Spielberg project. (I'm still planning to re-watch two of his other movies later this year, though.) I've now seen 28 of the 31 theatrically released feature films he has directed. of the 3 I haven't seen The Sugarland Express I'm interested in seeing some day, and mildly interested in The BFG, so I'll probably see those eventually when an opportunity arises. The Lost World: Jurassic Park I'm not even interested in, the first one was enough of that.
Jaws (1975)
Yeah well. I never found this exciting or interesting, I know many of you guys do. I've tried, I'll just give up now. But there was one fun scene (proudly comparing scars on the boat, they were like little kids), and I quite liked the Dreyfuss character.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Still fun and feels fresh (unlike the next one).
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) [segment: Kick The Can]
I hadn't seen this mess before. Unfortunately now I have. The people involved in this project must have thought it was worth doing when they started it. I guess nobody could have thought so afterwards, even if the material had been good, which it isn't. Those poor kids and their families. I also hadn't even known that Jennifer Jason Leigh lost her father like that, decapitated on an movie set. Just horrible, all of it. Not that Spielberg himself had anything to do with that particular segment.
The whole "movie" is just so bad. All of it. His segment and everybody else's.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
I remembered I always disliked this, but I had forgotten details as to why. A long list of reasons apparently. Awful.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
A fun Indy movie. 2 out of 4 is... not too bad I suppose. Connery was surprisingly lovely in this.
Hook (1991)
I remembered this was terrible, but I didn't remember it was this terrible. Geez. A pain to sit through.
Schindler's List (1993)
Obviously very good, well acted, and looks beautiful (cinematography-wise and all). I always disliked the ending though (both Schindler's OTT final scene and what comes after that), and still do. Spielberg felt it was needed by the audience, as an audience member I happen to disagree. A great film, anyway.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Better than I remembered.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
For some reason I hadn't seen this before. I thought I would like it, but I didn't. At all. Seemed bloody endless as well, and I was grateful when it finally actually ended (it had seemed to promised to do that earlier, but then it just went on and on).
Minority Report (2002)
Still quite fascinating. I guess I can keep re-watching this every few years or so.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Not bad, but... eeh. (It's interesting that DiCaprio played the lead both in this and The Wolf Of Wall Street, and that both Spielberg and later Scorsese took a similar approach to two different lying, cheating real life characters from recent past.)
Munich (2005)
An interesting attempt at looking at the futility of violent revenge, how nobody truly achieves anything by it, and how it just escalates and continues.
Not surprisingly this was quite a controversial subject matter, which is an interesting topic in itself. I thought everyone else was more interesting than Eric Bana as the lead, but maybe that's just me.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)
Nothing fresh or interesting here, seemed sorta tired attempt, relying on overly familiar tropes repeated yet again. Also, once again several scenes went on far too long when they and the movie as a whole would have benefited from tighter, less indulgent approach. On second watch I'd say this was less irritating and less awful than the 2nd one, but just so darned dull and over long.
***
COLIN FARRELL
- I also continued my Farrell project, and I've seen most of his movies now as well. He's a better and more versatile actor than most of the stuff he has been in.
in addition to the above mentioned Minority Report:
Falling For A Dancer (1998)
Early mediocre tv work.
Tigerland (2002)
I didn't expect much from this, but it was actually pretty good.
Hart's War (2002)
Luckily (for me, anyway), despite what the posters and dvd covers might suggest, Farrell was the lead here, not Bruce Willis.
Phone Booth (2002)
I liked this more the first time. Oh well. The idea is better than its execution.
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Meh.
The Recruit (2003)
With Al Pacino. Kinda meh though.
A Home At The End Of The World (2004)
An unconventional story, an excellent performance.
The New World (2005)
Beautiful. One of my favorite Malick movies. (Most of you would not enjoy this, and probably hate Malick in general, so no further comments for now.)
Miami Vice (2006)
Not bad, but personally I'm not a fan, either.
Ask The Dust (2006)
Somewhat interesting in parts, but fairly forgettable on the whole.
Cassandra's Dream (2007)
A grim, not particularly good thriller directed by Woody Allen. Farrell and Ewan McGregor play brothers, and Tom Wilkinson their uncle who asks them a horrible favor in exchange for money. (People don't really do anything for money, do they? Really? Ordinary people, non-psychos, that is?)
Pride And Glory (2008)
Nothing interesting here.
In Bruges (2008)
Both Farrell and Gleeson were wonderful in this. Fiennes, not really. This began as a hugely enjoyable and fun movie, then turned into something else entirely, and the enjoyment suffered.
(Also, I think I need to visit Bruges.)
Ondine (2009)
Charming and unusual.
The Way Back (2010)
A pretty good Peter Weir movie.
London Boulevard (2010)
Forgettable.
Horrible Bosses (2011)
This was a horrible movie and all the leads were horrible as well. Farrell's small role (as a disgusting asshole) was one of the better things here. And about a blink of Donald Sutherland. Otherwise... bleugh.
Fright Night (2011)
A meh horror movie, but an interesting role.
Total Recall (2012)
I didn't like the original at the time of seeing it ages ago, but don't remember anything about it, so can't compare. Also didn't like this, though.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Nowhere near as good as In Bruges (at its best), but had its moments. (And I'm still looking forward to Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.)
Dead Man Down (2013)
A good cast, a forgettable violent mess of a movie.
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
About the development of the film Mary Poppins. Emma Thompson as author P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Sort of mildly good, yet kinda meh.
Miss Julie (2014)
I haven't seen the other filmed versions of this August Strindberg play. This has excellent performances by the cast (Jessica Chastain and Samantha Morton also star), the story is bleak and brutal and sorta depressing. I both liked this and didn't.
***
So, since I watched Saving Mr. Banks I then needed to watch
Mary Poppins (1964)
Julie Andrews was charming. Some of the rest of this was not, though was meant to be. It's (potentially) interesting to see how they'll continue this story in the new movie... (It may work or it may suck big time.)
True Grit (1969)
True Grit (2010)
One of those cases where a remake was worth doing and is much better than an earlier version in pretty much every way. I actually like the Coens movie, and like Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld, and surprisingly Matt Damon was kinda fun, and obviously the cinematography is great (duh, Roger Deakins, of course it's great) and it's generally entertaining. The 1969 movie though... geez... that girl was just plain irritating, and how John Wayne got his Oscar for that performance is a travesty. The movie isn't that good otherwise, either.
Pride And Prejudice (2005 film)
Pride And Prejudice (1995 series)
Both were pretty good, for most part. Poor Matthew Macfadyen is such a lame Darcy, though, Colin Firth was so much better.
I'm not exactly a fan of Austen's, and I assume some OTT characters and OTT acting choices aren't necessarily the actors' faults, but when some characters are down to earth and sort of normal, and some others (in supporting roles) really, really OTT irritating, the discord is troublesome. Like, Mrs Bennett - horrible in the series, but so gawdawful in the movie, I just wanted to skip the scenes she was in. I was basically thinking "just STFU and go away already, will ya"). I suppose Austen wrote her like that, then, but some toning down might do on screen interpretations some good. And one is supposed to believe that the sensible, quiet Mr Bennett as portrayed by the wonderful Donald Sutherland could actually live with her? As if. There's only so far suspension of belief can take you.
Emma (1996 film)
Emma (2009 series)
The movie was quite good, the series was not - especially due to the leads; the former (Gwyneth Paltrow - whatever happened to her?) was good, the latter seemed unsuitable for the character.
miniseries
Olive Kitteridge (2014)
Frances McDormand as the title character. Good - both her and the series.
I see. The Spidey-reboots still got me confused, so for audiences who don't spend much time on superhero movies, the sudden shift from Garfield to the new guy can seem strange. If the new guy does well, I do hope they stick with the same actor for at least a few more movies. From a character point of view, I find Spider-Man to be one of the better.
Lost Love
Legend of the Holy Rose
Good Knight MacGyver
Lost Treasure of Atlantis
Trail to Doomsday
discussing them as I gear up to MacGyver season 2 premier Friday September 29th (of course after MacGyver I really have no clue what is coming up on the fence between Bourne Taken or maybe die hard in reverse as we get into Christmas time? I don't have all the Halloween movies but maybe just a retrospective of what I have 1,2,4, 6, and 7 honestly any help or guidance will be appreaciated but I have a few months before I have to worry about that on to
Jaws 2
What can I say except finally we are in the good ones Roy Scheider is here as is a bunch of people from the original film so lets talk postives and negatives
negatives
1. the shark is way too blood thirsty
2. the teens being mostly the only victims makes this feel like a slasher flick
3. ahhh the 70's when a 45 year old man can wolf whistle a I guess 16 or 17 year old girl and everyone chuckles now there would be an investigation and law suit
4. There is a MISS AMITY I know this is a minor thing to nitpick but uhm WHAT
5. Ellen's creepy boss who wants her does not get eaten sorry he is a jerk and I wanted to see him Swallowed whole but nope
6. half the teens I guess are trying to have personality but are so annoying and veer close to Friday the 13th charactures
7. the woman pouring gasoline on herself to stop a shark uhm
Positives
1. Love the kills around the orca
2. the atmosphere shot of the shark fin coming out the submerging was great
3. "check out this 908" "What is a 908" "A 908 means get me out of there"
4. there is some great tension building moments
5. Roy is perfect
6. the kills are not too gory
7. the film overall is great
Ranking of non Bond films 2017
1. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
2. Beverly Hills Cop 2
3. Snake Eyes
4. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
5. Jaws 2
6. Beverly Hills Cop
7. Mission Impossible 3
8. The Firm
9. My week with Marilyn
10. Wonder Woman
11. Kong Skull Island
12. Mission Impossible
13. Beverly Hills Cop 3
14. Ghostbusters
15. When Harry meet Sally
16. Batman Mystery of Batwoman
17. Limitless
18. Jaws 3-D
19. Batman Year one
20. Fifty shades darker
21. Mission Impossible 2
22. Jaws the Revenge
23. National Lampoon's Vacation
Jaws Franchise
1. Jaws 2
2. Jaws 3-D
3. Jaws the Revenge
Brian de Palma films
1. Snake Eyes
2. Mission impossible
Beverly Hills Cop Franchise
1. Beverly Hills Cop 2
2. Beverly Hill Cop
3. Beverly Hills Cop 3
Ranking of films that came out in 2017
1. Wonder Woman
2. Kong Skull Island
3. Fifty Shades Darker
DC Films
1. Wonder Woman (I feel I may need to see Batman Begins soon so a batman film can top this list again)
2. Batman Mystery of the Batwoman
3. Batman Year one
Mission Impossible franchise
1. Mission impossible Rogue Nation
2. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
3. Mission Impossible 3
4. Mission Impossible
5. Mission Impossible 2
Ranking of all films
1. Casino Royale
2. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
3. Beverly Hills Cop 2
4. Quantum of Solace
5. Snake Eyes
6. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
7. Jaws 2
8. For Your Eyes Only
9. Beverly Hills Cop
10. Mission Impossible 3
11. The Firm
12. My week with Marilyn
13. Wonder Woman
14. Kong Skull Island
15. Mission Impossible
16. Beverly Hills Cop 3
17. Ghostbusters
18. When Harry meet Sally
19. Batman Mystery of Batwoman
20. Limitless
21. Jaws 3-D
22. Batman Year one
23. Fifty shades darker
24. Mission Impossible 2
25. Jaws the Revenge
26. National Lampoon's Vacation
I watched Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy yesterday (I gave a brief review a page or two back) and last night I did a double feature of Marc Webb's vision of Spider-Man. I may, in a day or two, watch Captain America: Civil War just to watch all of Spidey's screen appearances in preparation of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
This one is easily my favorite of the original five movies. I remember leaving the theater and thinking, "Finally a great Spider-Man!" Not that I hate the Raimi movies by any means. I was just happy Spider-Man felt like Spider-Man. Sally Field as Aunt May was near perfect and I'm actually sad we won't see her in the role anymore. Emma Stone was great as Gwen Stacey and she and Garfield had great chemistry (it might help that they actually started dating in real life). The action was exciting and as a long time Spidey fan it was great to see Lizard on screen, even though they made him a giant. I was really happy they gave him his classic web-shooters instead of the organic ones he had in the Raimi movies (I always thought that was kind of gross). Another exciting thing was when he's was swinging around the city. It's so fasting and exhilarating that it feels like you're actually doing it yourself. My one and only complaint is his suit. I didn't hate it but I would've had less blue in the gloves, gotten rid of the silver on his feet, and had the red wrap all the way around his waist. Otherwise I like his suit.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
I don't hate this one like so many others do but I will admit I was a little disappointed. First I'll talk about the things I liked. Again, the web-swing was awesome. The movie opens up to him chasing robbers around the city and it was one of the best parts of the movie, although his interaction with Rhino was a little too goofy. Peter and Gwen's relationship feels right and not forced and you feel like they have a real history. Jamie Foxx's Electro was good but I wish they wouldn't have made him such a helpless nerd. I liked Green Goblin's look and the action was great all around. Spider-Man's new suit in this was my favorite at the time (Tom Holland's suit is now my favorite). I grew up reading Ultimate Spider-Man so I really like the big eyes on the mask.
The things I didn't like came in the last 15 minutes of the film. There were way too many villains. Rhino had no business being in this movie. He was only there because FOX was in a hurry to start their own Spideyverse, starting with a Sinister Six movie (which was a bad idea for a movie anyway). I'm okay if they wanted to set up Goblin for the next film but he shouldn't have fought or even been in a scene with Peter/Spidey. Which leads me to my next issue, Gwen shouldn't have died in this one but rather in The Amazing Spider-Man 3. It still was a sad moment when she died but it would've been even more heartbreaking had it happened towards the end of the third movie and Green/Hob Goblin should've been the only villain in that one. While I did like the look of the Green Goblin, they still should've kept it Norman Osborn or made it the Hob Goblin with Harry Osborn. I just don't like Harry being the Green Goblin. Had they fixed those problems, and not been so focused on a Sinister Six movie, we probably would've gotten The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which I'm torn on now. Had ASM2 been successful we probably wouldn't have Spidey in the MCU but at the same time I really liked the cast of ASM.
Overall, I don't blame Marc Webb for the downfall of the ASM but I do blame FOX. They shouldn't have pushed for a Sinister Six movie so much and so quick, that's what destroyed ASM.
Spider-Man movie ranking:
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 3
It took me three viewings to wrap my mind around this, and I'm still not entirely sure how to process DC's fourth "JLA" film. I can tell you one thing; I've been waiting a very long time for this film, expecting a lot, and of course we all know expectation is a disappointment waiting to happen. But am I disappointed? Probably not. It's just that I'm not sure! Confusion is seeping in. I love DC, I love the JLA, SS, WW. I've read over a hundred JLA, SS, WW comics and watched all the animated JLA, SS and WW films. And I'm into this stuff like a pig is into mud! So what's happening?
WONDER WOMAN is great. Gal Gadot is great. Chris Pine is great. The action rocks. Themyscira is very well done. I'm down with the female-centric superhero stuff. Did I mention Gal Gadot is great? But I'm still not sure.
DC wants to have a cake and eat it too. It wants to take colourful material like the JLA and drop it in a sombre universe where I'm not sure it belongs. It tries to stay as naturalistic as possible, like Nolan's Dark Knight universe, but with Christlike aliens, mythological gods and demigods, futuristic science and incredulous nutters. It tries to compensate by tackling philosophical and moral issues, discussing "what if" scenarios from a reality based perspective, dissecting the consequences of having superbeings fly around in the America of Obama and Trump. Yet in keeping with the lighter tone of the source material, it also has Diana Prince cry about Ares, the God of War, all movie long, like a child who blames the disappearing milk bottle on the Boogeyman.
But here's the problem. This is indeed how the comics and the animated films have been doing it for a long time. See JLA: THE FINAL FRONTIER or the 2009 WONDER WOMAN film for instance. They find the right tone and the right balance between "having" and "eating" the proverbial cake. Take the Ares thing for example. In the 2009 animated film, Ares is shown in the opening 10 minutes, along with the origin of Themyscira and, yes, of Diana too. It works, it's the best introduction for any WW film ever. However, in the 2017 film, Ares is presented as a fairy tale figure, told about but not shown as a 'real' character. This has a tremendous impact on how much the climax of the film is or isn't earned. What Bruce Timm and co achieve effortlessly, Warner's live action output has to struggle hard to get us convinced of.
And this is not a first. MAN OF STEEL gives us the son of the godlike Kryptonians, put here to protect us as it were, but also tells him not to use those powers. BATMAN V SUPERMAN pushes that issue even further, dragging in all sorts of convoluted additional complications, while Frank Miller needed but a simple story arc to put Batman and Superman on opposite ends of the Kryptonite. SUICIDE SQUAD had it easy; bring the world's most colourful psychos together and send them off with an explosive collar to handle an impossible task. ASSAULT ON ARKHAM effectively demonstrated how to do it. The live action film, by contrast, puts the team together in a more or less enjoyable fashion and then gives them nothing to do but talk, boomerang through a witch infested city with zero tension and face off against a big boss no more sophisticated than what we got in Duke Nukem 3D back in the 90s on our Windows '95 PCs.
And now WONDER WOMAN is sent off to the WWI front in Belgium, a symbol of the first industrialized genocide and in many ways much less fit for Sci-Fi-ish superweapons than Hitler's fictionalised supernatural divisions (e.g. the Wolfenstein games and CAPTAIN AMERICA). Against a bleak and dour setting, WB throws in a colourful beauty with a magical lasso, a shield and a sword, fighting a villain who fails to be the enigmatic, menacing Red Skull type of bad guy Warner so badly wants him to be. Danny Huston was an empty shell in X-MEN ORIGINS and continues to be here. The film switches between Chris Pine's delicious comedy and the hard drama of war like it's nothing. The result is an uneven tone and mood, which fails to achieve either good drama, good comedy or both. The animated WW film made a choice and stuck with it. The live action film throws it all in the mix.
I love the parts of the whole, as I have since MAN OF STEEL, but as the sums of their parts, these films just don't seem to get me excited. Marvel understands the craft so much better it seems. It stays light, in IRON MAN and AVENGERS for example, or it stays dark, like in WINTER SOLDIER. And even in CIVIL WAR, alternations between light and dark are done expertly. When the Marvel films want to address socio-political issues or satire, they know how far they can go and what needs to be spelled out and what can be implied. But DC lectures us all the way through the films as if we're little kids, meanwhile trying so hard to look tough and mean and grown-up. It's okay to introduce contradictions, dilemmas and conflicts, but not at the expense of fun. Marvel maintains the fun, DC seems to be throwing it out with its recent live action output. Shame, given how well the comics handle things.
Overall, WONDER WOMAN is a fine film and arguably the best of the four so far. But it's still an uneven, incomplete and to some extent dissatisfying film. Maybe I'm too demanding. Maybe I'm projecting my love for the comics and animated features on these films while I really shouldn't. But, and I say this with sincerity, I really recommend you watch WONDER WOMAN. Perhaps I was merely expecting too much, and whatever resentment I may experience is completely my own fault.
Finally got to see this old classic, and my expectations were left far behind. Masterful! Maybe Kubrick s best work.
Great one.
All I'm gonna say is it's just a blast, utterly refreshing, Edgar Wright is a genius.
5/5
Adam Sandler's best film, killer soundtrack.
I agree! This was a fun movie and a nice break from sequels and franchises.
Finally got to see 'Alien: Covenant,' also very unimpressive. Just a much lesser retread of the first movie, with more idiotic characters and one instance of practical effects that I could see. Not a single one of those Aliens emitted a bit of terror, dread, or fear, given how tiny and fake they all looked. Shame. Hopefully more course correction is on the way for the next one, but I'm not too hopeful.
There's some good vids on YouTube, which attempt to explain the film. I found they were helpful, with escaping the Twilight Zone' which is this film :)
Re Baby Driver. Good feedback. It's next on my list.
Re Spiderman. I like all 5 films, but I much preferred Garfield's Spidey to Maguire's.
Re Alien Covenant . I could hardly make sense of it. It may be salvagable later on 2nd viewing.
Re Wonder woman. It was double-plus excellent.
May Gal Gadot have a long run!
Humanity is well served by her selfless heroism!!
I have huge nostalgia for that film personally. Love it.
The Godfather part II
Batman Returns
That's a great lineup.
I had a great time watching Arnie take out some fundamentalist Islamist radicals in True Lies last night. I needed to see more of this sort of badassery, and this film did the trick. It’s big budget, boasts an all star cast and is ably directed by Stuart Baird (editor on numerous films including Die Hard 2) in his debut directorial outing. The plot here is quite simple. A bunch of terrorists, led by Nagi Hassan (David Suchet) hijacks a commercial jetliner and intends to detonate a bomb (loaded with a stolen nerve agent) on board over the eastern United State in a suicide mission. Tasked with stopping him are a crack team led by US Lt. Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal). Along for the ride are US Army Intelligence Consultant Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell), Commando Rat (John Leguizamo), Commando Cappy (Joe Morton), Engineer Cahill (Oliver Platt) & a few more of Travis’s team. Their plan is to intercept the plane & use a revolutionary mid air docking mechanism to secretly board it from below and then take out the perpetrators. Unfortunately the docking does not go as planned and the team incurs casualties & injuries. With limited equipment and lack of communications, the team has to find the bomb and disarm it without being detected. They engage the support of an intrepid flight attendant Jean (Halle Berry), who agrees to assist them in locating the bomb and a possible trigger man on board. Eventually they infiltrate the cabin and must use all their skills to stop the ensuing mayhem.
David Suchet is outstanding here as Hassan, a man willing to die for his cause. He’s smart, logical and yet truly mad. Kurt Russell is excellent as always, in this instance playing a hot shot Jack Ryan type. The standout though is Halle Berry as a gallant flight attendant. She is very credible and it’s a great performance by her. There is also a small part by POTUS’s then wife Marla Maples as a flight attendant. I had forgotten she was in this. Len Cariou plays the Secretary of Defense, and he's the spitting image of Donald Rumsfeld.
This is a great action thriller, and the sort of movie that Hollywood used to make so well in the 1990’s & which they sadly stopped doing after 911 for obvious reasons. It’s tense, intelligent, imaginative and unfortunately very prescient, given when it was made. There is some wonderful aerial photography at certain points, and limited CGI. The cast is charismatic & the performances are stellar across the board. It’s not all about the action here either – far from it actually. There are a lot of quiet moments in the middle of the film where the team has to think on its feet and improvise before the big finale. The memorable Jerry Goldsmith score is the icing on the cake.
I am a fan of Jason Bateman and usually love what he does. I really enjoyed this film. I didn't know much about Charlie Day but he was a good sidekick and Jason Sudekis was good as the horny friend. The bosses were truly horrible. Especially Spacey! Overall an enjoyable comedy. Worth a watch!
Really enjoyed this. Shyamalan's best film since Unbreakable
James McAvoy is slowly becoming one of my favourite actors. He's just brilliant in this and with the multiple personalities character it's a showcase for any good actor.
But it's also a smart, humorous thriller that doesn't resort to shock tactics.
Will definitely be watching this again very soon.