[Locke.]

The Big Sick - 8/10

Not what I expected at all. Was expecting a pretty light hearted comedy but it was actually a really serious film with comedic moments. Great watch though, was totally invested in the story and had no idea it was a true story until the end credits. Hope it gets some award recognition over the next few months.

[ethanjames]

Originally Posted by Locke.

The Big Sick - 8/10

Not what I expected at all. Was expecting a pretty light hearted comedy but it was actually a really serious film with comedic moments. Great watch though, was totally invested in the story and had no idea it was a true story until the end credits. Hope it gets some award recognition over the next few months.

i watched the big sick a few weeks ago and I agree I thought it was brilliant! an incredibly fun watch

[Locke.]

Gerald's Game - 6/10 - I love films that are set in one space/room (Phone Booth, Tape, Locke, etc) which is what I thought this was after seeing the trailer, so I was a little disappointed when they started to include flashbacks (as beautifully shot as the eclipse scene was and as important as they ended up being). Carla Gugino's performance was brilliant though, and it was a solid film on the whole.

Now You See Me - 7/10 - Went into this with really low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I somehow skipped over its existence when it was released and didn't hear about it until the sequel came out, which is when it caught my attention because of how good the cast is. I don't know if it's because I was operating on no sleep or what but I was caught off guard by the twist at the end, which really helped elevate it from an enjoyable 6 to a solid 7.

Now You See Me 2 - 6/10 - Pretty good sequel but not quite up to the standards of the first. Daniel Radcliffe made for a good villain but I didn't really see the need in bringing Michael Caine back and taking the spotlight away from him. Woody getting to play an extra character was a welcome addition, the more Woody the better. The one thing I did think it beat the original on was the magic tricks included, specifically the rain one toward the end.

[Benzient-XXVII]

Oz: The Great And Powerful (2013)
7/10 > prequel that is visually amazing to look at also it was amusing in places but when the 'wizard' got to Oz it got a little boring but the last 20 minutes made up for it in the end

Urban Explorers (2011)
7/10 > felt a little rushed as the others were killed off screen leaving the guy and girl in the last 40 minutes and the flesh peeling scene was hard to watch

[Locke.]

American Made - 7/10 - So good to see Tom Cruise back in a proper dramatic role and he kills it here. The film itself was enjoyable and interesting but Cruise really sells who could have been a dislikable character and brings him to life. I'm a fan of his action films but I hope he will begin to do more roles like this as well as them.

The Dark Tower - 5.5/10 - Well.... This has to go down as one of the most disappointing films of all time really, doesn't it? Incredible cast, fantastic source material, plenty of quality directors interesting in taking the role...... How does it end up with a horrific script, unproven director, condensed into a less than 90 minute runtime, with pretty much 0 character development for either of its stars? It was enjoyable enough as a time killer and there were a few good scenes but this should have been a quality film that spawned a franchise. Some unforgivable mistakes behind the scenes.

Blade Runner 2014 - 9/10 - Delivers on all fronts. The storyline is interesting and has multiple twists and turns, the visuals are amazing and it is by far the most aesthetic film I have ever watched, all of the characters are strongly written and acted, and the final scene is beautiful in various ways. I'd seen the critical acclaim and strong IMDb audience score before going into this, but as someone who only enjoyed the original and didn't think it was a classic like most people, I wasn't overly excited - so I'm quite surprised at how much I loved it. One of the best cinema experiences I've had tbh, and I think it is a film that should be watched on the big screen, as the visuals I mentioned previously demand it.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Locke.

American Made - 7/10 - So good to see Tom Cruise back in a proper dramatic role and he kills it here. The film itself was enjoyable and interesting but Cruise really sells who could have been a dislikable character and brings him to life. I'm a fan of his action films but I hope he will begin to do more roles like this as well as them.

The Dark Tower - 5.5/10 - Well.... This has to go down as one of the most disappointing films of all time really, doesn't it? Incredible cast, fantastic source material, plenty of quality directors interesting in taking the role...... How does it end up with a horrific script, unproven director, condensed into a less than 90 minute runtime, with pretty much 0 character development for either of its stars? It was enjoyable enough as a time killer and there were a few good scenes but this should have been a quality film that spawned a franchise. Some unforgivable mistakes behind the scenes.

Blade Runner 2014 - 9/10 - Delivers on all fronts. The storyline is interesting and has multiple twists and turns, the visuals are amazing and it is by far the most aesthetic film I have ever watched, all of the characters are strongly written and acted, and the final scene is beautiful in various ways. I'd seen the critical acclaim and strong IMDb audience score before going into this, but as someone who only enjoyed the original and didn't think it was a classic like most people, I wasn't overly excited - so I'm quite surprised at how much I loved it. One of the best cinema experiences I've had tbh, and I think it is a film that should be watched on the big screen, as the visuals I mentioned previously demand it.

Totally agree with this review. I hadn't watched the original until the night before I went to see the sequel and tbh I wasn't overly impressed with it, I wonder does it make a difference if you'd watched when it actually first came out or closer to that time?

Anyway i really loved it, I'll echo your 9/10 and I would give the first one a 6.5/10

Spoiler:

I thought the twist was going to be that Deckerd was K's dad rather than Sapper and I spent alot of the movie wondering how it could even be possible for K to be that child (no matter who his dad was) when he grew up in an orphanage as a human, how could he possibly end up as a replicate Blade Runner.........but obviously he wasn't the child and he was never in that orphanage. I felt so bad for him at the end.

[Locke.]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Totally agree with this review. I hadn't watched the original until the night before I went to see the sequel and tbh I wasn't overly impressed with it, I wonder does it make a difference if you'd watched when it actually first came out or closer to that time?

Anyway i really loved it, I'll echo your 9/10 and I would give the first one a 6.5/10

Spoiler:

I thought the twist was going to be that Deckerd was K's dad rather than Sapper and I spent alot of the movie wondering how it could even be possible for K to be that child (no matter who his dad was) when he grew up in an orphanage as a human, how could he possibly end up as a replicate Blade Runner.........but obviously he wasn't the child and he was never in that orphanage. I felt so bad for him at the end.

Spoiler:

Yeah I'd picked up on a couple of little things throughout that kept the possibility open for him not to be the child ("someone had that memory" + Luv leaving him behind when she took Deckard captive) but I thought the film had been leading us in the direction of K being the child for too long for them to switch to somebody else so late on, glad I was wrong though!

There are a few different versions of the first film which supposedly vary in quality, I watched the directors cut and would have put it in the 6-6.5 range. I might watch one of the other versions at some point though just to see if my opinion differs much.

[Morgan.]

The Truman Show (at college) - 9.5/10

[James]

I saw Blade Runner 2049 last, and I liked it but not as much as the original. The main problem I had with it ultimately, I think, is I couldn't feel much emotion, or care that much, for the main character K, what with...

Spoiler:

...it being revealed early on, that he is a replicant. The idea that Deckard is a replicant in the original makes for a good final twist, but I think spoils the character a little.

I thought Harrison Ford was very good, but Jared Leto's Wallace was a rather cliched mad-genius megalomaniac and not as interesting a character as Tyrell in the original. I'd give the film a 7 or 8. I'd give the first one at least a 9/10. The first version of the original I saw was the Director's Cut. The 2007 Final Cut is mainly just fixing things. I don't actually mind the Theatrical Cut at all with the narration, but there is one line at the end that spoils it a bit I think.

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Spoiler:

I thought the twist was going to be that Deckerd was K's dad rather than Sapper and I spent alot of the movie wondering how it could even be possible for K to be that child (no matter who his dad was) when he grew up in an orphanage as a human, how could he possibly end up as a replicate Blade Runner.........but obviously he wasn't the child and he was never in that orphanage. I felt so bad for him at the end.

Spoiler:

One thing that confused me about the end was did Officer K die? I thought he just liked lying back in the snow, but some people have said he died.

I watched some of Terminator: Genisys last night - I've got about 40 mins left to watch. It's not that great so far, with a convoluted story tiring out the concept.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by James

I saw Blade Runner 2049 last, and I liked it but not as much as the original. The main problem I had with it ultimately, I think, is I couldn't feel much emotion, or care that much, for the main character K, what with...

Spoiler:

...it being revealed early on, that he is a replicant. The idea that Deckard is a replicant in the original makes for a good final twist, but I think spoils the character a little.

I thought Harrison Ford was very good, but Jared Leto's Wallace was a rather cliched mad-genius megalomaniac and not as interesting a character as Tyrell in the original. I'd give the film a 7 or 8. I'd give the first one at least a 9/10. The first version of the original I saw was the Director's Cut. The 2007 Final Cut is mainly just fixing things. I don't actually mind the Theatrical Cut at all with the narration, but there is one line at the end that spoils it a bit I think.

Spoiler:

One thing that confused me about the end was did Officer K die? I thought he just liked lying back in the snow, but some people have said he died.

I watched some of Terminator: Genisys last night - I've got about 40 mins left to watch. It's not that great so far, with a convoluted story tiring out the concept.

Spoiler:

I assumed he'd died or atleast was almost dead?

Oh also a question for you

Spoiler:

Did they imply Deckard was a replicant? I missed that

I agree about Jared leto, I find his acting of bad guys to be way over done and silly though, same as him as the Joker.

I must say though I thought the complete opposite to you about the characters in general.

Spoiler:

I though K, eventhough we knew he was a replicant early on was more sympathetic a character than Deckard was in the original

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by James

I watched some of Terminator: Genisys last night - I've got about 40 mins left to watch. It's not that great so far, with a convoluted story tiring out the concept.

Its awful. The whole thing is a travesty. They ruined the character of Sarah Connor, absolutely destroyed Kyle Rhys and I can't even talk about where they went with John Connor... Plus they rewrote the events of the first film and effectively took Terminator 2 - the best film in the series - completely out of the storyline?? Urrrgghhh shambles.

Plus they've just announced that they're fixing it, with Arnie and Linda Hamilton doing a direct sequel to T2, produced by James Cameron, and completely ignoring everything from T3 onwards. It's like the movie fairies granted everyone's prayers... And it renders Genisys a piece of fanfic junk .

Also supposed to be directed by the director of Deadpool, which to me suggests they're also abandoning the PG-13 target that was utterly daft for the Terminator franchise, and making a proper action film aimed at adults.




Tl;dr

Terminator Genisys: BOOOOOO 1/10

Newly announced Terminator 2 sequel: Yaaaayyyy 10/10 excitement.

[James]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Oh also a question for you

Spoiler:

Did they imply Deckard was a replicant? I missed that

You mean in the original film?

Spoiler:

In the 1992 Director's Cut, and 2007 Final Cut Ridley Scott added back the scene where Deckard dreams of a unicorn. So when Gaff leaves him an origami unicorn at the end it implies that Gaff knows about Deckard's dreams, so they must artificial like Rachael's childhood memories, and Deckard is a replicant.

I think it can be interpreted in different ways, and when I first saw I didn't come to that conclusion - I think I thought, at first, it meant Gaff was a replicant, lol. It was only reading stuff on the Internet later about the film that made me understand the Deckard is a replicant theory.

I don't like the idea of Deckard being a replicant. I like the character better as a human who falls for, and empathises with Rachael. Harrison Ford said the same in interviews when asked about the film - he never spoke highly of Blade Runner. Ridley Scott though says he definitely wants people to believe that Deckard is non-human.

I thought initially in BR 2049 they were proving that Deckard wasn't a replicant because wouldn't he be dead by now, with the replicants short lifespan? But now I've read theories that he can only have survived the high radiation of Las Vegas because he is one? No idea.

(I didn't actually pick up while watching the film that the desert where they meet Deckard again was Las Vegas, by the way).

[Toy Soldier]

I find the debate from the original over whether he is or isn't a replicant basically defeats the entire message of the film... Which is that it doesn't actually matter, and that itself is the point. Replicants have reached a level where they are so like humans that they are, in every meaningful way, effectively human. It's a philosophical question about what being human really means, I guess.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by James

You mean in the original film?

Spoiler:

In the 1992 Director's Cut, and 2007 Final Cut Ridley Scott added back the scene where Deckard dreams of a unicorn. So when Gaff leaves him an origami unicorn at the end it implies that Gaff knows about Deckard's dreams, so they must artificial like Rachael's childhood memories, and Deckard is a replicant.

I think it can be interpreted in different ways, and when I first saw I didn't come to that conclusion - I think I thought, at first, it meant Gaff was a replicant, lol. It was only reading stuff on the Internet later about the film that made me understand the Deckard is a replicant theory.

I don't like the idea of Deckard being a replicant. I like the character better as a human who falls for, and empathises with Rachael. Harrison Ford said the same in interviews when asked about the film - he never spoke highly of Blade Runner. Ridley Scott though says he definitely wants people to believe that Deckard is non-human.

I thought initially in BR 2049 they were proving that Deckard wasn't a replicant because wouldn't he be dead by now, with the replicants short lifespan? But now I've read theories that he can only have survived the high radiation of Las Vegas because he is one? No idea.

(I didn't actually pick up while watching the film that the desert where they meet Deckard again was Las Vegas, by the way).

I totally missed that lol, I was after a couple of glasses of wine when I watched the original though

Spoiler:

Doesn't K ask deckard if the dog was a replicant in the new movie and Deckard says he doesn't know? maybe that was a bit of a tease about himself too then? That he's unsure whether he's human or not himself? Very interesting

[Niamh.]

The Hole - total rip off of IT but not anywhere near as good, 5/10

[Benzient-XXVII]

Green Room (2015)
9/10 > tense throughout Anton Yelchin's characters arm injuries were horrific I was disturbed and it stayed in my head minutes afterwards, RIP Anton what a waste

Red Riding Hood (2011)
7/10 > says Grandma what big eyes you've got um Amanda yours are bigger LOL, better than I expected

30 Minutes Or Less (2011)
6/10 > amusing and entertaining but felt a little flat and not a lot happened really

[Livia]

What We Do In The Shadows. Mock-documentary from New Zealand about vampires living an every-day life. ****ing hilarious. 9/10

[Benzient-XXVII]

Devil's Playground (2010)
8/10 > very good British zombie film with fast zombies the best kind of zombie, very entertaining considering Danny Dyers in it

27 Dresses (2008)
7/10 > another wedding film without the usual predictable ending quite liked it, it had enough amusing moments to keep me going

Fertile Ground (2011)
2/10 > boring throughout and for a horror film that's fatal ZZZZZ

[Kazanne]

Geostorm 9/10

Wrong Turn 6/10

IT. 7/10

[Toy Soldier]

Went to see Thor: Ragnarok yesterday. Really enjoyed it, I would say easily sits in the top 5 MCU movies so far... genuinely my only minor complain was that the humourous moments were just SLIGHTLY overdone. The addition of a lighter tone was a good move, and the Thor / Hulk (Banner) scenes were all great in my opinion, however a couple of times - literally only once or twice - they needlessly threw a "funny line" into the end of a dramatic scene where it was totally out of place. On one occasion (right after the climactic battle ffs) it actually almost felt like it was put in post-production and I have no idea why; the scene would have been far better without it . Action scenes are top drawer MCU though, and like I said the Thor / Hulk team up is fun.

Also

Spoiler:

Thor having a vision mid battle, saying "boo hoo but I don't have my hammer" then Odin says "lol ur the god of Thunder, not the god of hammers??" and Thor wakes up and goes full Super Saiyan. That was a bit awesome. Surely legit "the strongest Avenger" now?

[Niamh.]

I agree with that review of it TS ^

Although

Spoiler:

Gav and Luke were still trying to argue afterwards that Hulk was the strongest Avenger still. No

I'd give it an 8.5/10

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

I agree with that review of it TS ^

Although

Spoiler:

Gav and Luke were still trying to argue afterwards that Hulk was the strongest Avenger still. No

I'd give it an 8.5/10

Hulk is stronger than thor. I was having this argument in the 70s with my brother

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Hulk is stronger than thor. I was having this argument in the 70s with my brother

Have you seen the new film though?

Spoiler:

Thor beat him

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Have you seen the new film though?

Spoiler:

Thor beat him

I am a marvel aficionado from the 70s I have no time for the children films thankyou

[Niamh.]