Be Excellent To Each Other

Ryan Gosling is also excellent. Citations: Drive, The Place Beyond The Pines, Bladerunner 2049, The Nice Guys, The Big Short.

Drive is shit.

He's no Ryan Reynolds though. Citations: Deadpool, Life, RIPD, XMen Origins Wolverine, Definitely Maybe and, best of all, The Proposal.

As if you forgot Van Wilder: Party Liaison.

I was keeping my powder dry and saving that as an AHAH for when Gaywood suggested he wasn't all that.

An oh my god The Change Up. Classic.

Watched Paddington 2.

That film is a emotional roller coaster. Extremely funny, and I had tears. Really worth a watch.

Had an urge to watch a Die Hard film last night, but as the first isn't on Netflix anymore, I nosed around to see if I could buy a set digitally, but it only seems to be available individually. Amazon's pricing goes -

Die Hard 1 - £2.99
Die Hard 2 - £2.99
Die Hard 3 - £9.99
Die Hard 4 - £1.99
Die Hard 5 - £1.99

For those £1.99 options, you can also rent it for, um, £1.99

Might just buy the blu-ray set instead.

Digital pricing can be fucking stupid. I wanted Tim Roth's film 'THE WAR ZONE' which Amazon had available to purchase or rent digitally, both of these options were more expensive than having them send a physical DVD to my house.

It always feels like a raw deal. You'd think old films particularly would benefit from a standard low price point to get people building up digital libraries of stuff, and then if people want the extras like deleted scenes, documentaries etc., they can buy the DVD/blu-ray instead.

On the subject of something more recent, I bought 'Split' on offer the other day on Google Play and that doesn't even have any subtitles available.

The Hitman's Bodyguard was really enjoyable. Reynolds and Jackson make for a great double act.

The Dark Tower was way better than I expected.

Mrs. W and I took our granddaughter to see it on Saturday. Tbh, if she hadn’t wanted to go, the missus and I would have gone anyway. Loved every minute, just as we did with the first one.

I thought Kingsmen 2 was a pretty bad sequel. Obviously had a lot more money than the first one, but far less heart, wit and charm. The Elton John stuff was obnoxious, there was no action scene even close to as good as the Church scene from the first movie, and bringing back Firth just felt pointless.

Edit: Not as bad of a sequel as Kick-Ass 2 at least.

I quite enjoyed Justice League, but by far the best bit was, post Kermode review, all the times when I got to think "how did he/she get up there?"

Murder on the Orient Express I loved, and for some reason it made me weepy; maybe because I am just so happy at the mo and was a bit 'ah, beautiful world, look at the art' but I think it also was well put together, well acted and it's a great story.

For whatever is making you feel so happy, long may it continue

Thanks, Mimi! It's just that life seems a great thing (and my life is spectacularly easy, I am very lucky) - if I could spread some of the feeling your way, I definitely would, even if it took me from 'annoyingly joyful' down to 'pretty happy, thanks'.

I also loved it, although it didn't make me weepy. I very much loved his straighforward arrogance - "Because I am 'Urcule Poirot, and I am the finest deceive in the world."

And fucking hell Branagh can act.

Yeah, Murder on the Orient Express is very good.

Battle of the Sexes is good as well. It felt a little like two different movies though, as the first half shows Billie Jean falling in love and the acting, script and cinematography are all first rate, likewise the second half of the film as it builds to the match with Bobby Riggs, it’s just tonally dissimilar. Not jarringly so, but still noticeable.

I’m not the biggest fan of Batman. Apart from the OG Michael keaton film I think they’re a bunch of overblown waffle.

But, by god, I will watch the shit out of this!



Might be an anime series rather than a film. I dunno.

We watched Hidden Figures last night.

It's very well put together and all of the characters were engaging it just felt a little contrived in certain parts and sure enough when you look at the reality of what happened the film does take a fair bit of artistic licence in order to tell a decent story in 2 hours.

There's not much they can do I realise but a few of the briefings were clearly aimed entirely at the audience rather than the assembled personnel that would clearly not need the exposition dump that was coming their way.

Wanky nitpicks aside it's an excellent feel good movie and sobering to think how recently in our history such discrimination was legal and encouraged. The respect I have for those three black women who would have had to fight 100 times harder than anyone else just to move forward an inch thanks their gender and ethnicity in such unenlightened times is off the charts.

If anyone tells me Political Correctness has "gone mad" in future I think I will force them to watch this.

If anyone ever unironically uses the phrase 'political correctness' I just instantly write them off as a fucking moron anyway, it saves a lot of time.

You just did

My rule still holds.

Has anyone tried some of the Amazon Prime Channels that you can add to your Prime subscription at an additional cost? Seems like a good idea as it gives a little more choice over just Amazon's content. Each one has a 7-day trial, so last week I gave the Full Moon channel a go, which seems to mainly consist of cheesy horror films and soft porn. After watching 'Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle Of Death', the novelty of such a channel wore off, so now I'm giving 'Next Up' a go instead, as that's all stand-up comedy.

Think I might try the ITV Hub one too, just to watch Inspector Morse as I've never seen a full episode.

Breath-taking.

Lot of things to spend £3.99 a month on there!

NAS was down last week so watched Amazon Prime TV on the Xbox, it's really bad. Part of the problem is I download everything so even the decent stuff they have is out of date, that aside there is so much crap on there.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle was entertaining to a point but it was mainly disappointing. It held none of the interest that I had in the OG (characters and some great action scenes) and basically went for BIGGER AND BADDER, MOAR, TURNT UP, like every sequel ever made but ends up, well, going on for too long and having some really boring stretches. What a shame.

And whatshisface coming back was stupid as shit and kinda pointless. Just like another death in this movie but he’ll probably be back because, I don’t know, nano machines?

Psycho mantis?!

Also: NEW PORTAL GAME!!!



Oh. *clears throat*

Watched 'HACKSAW RIDGE' last night which has turned up on Netflix.

Crazy old Mel may not be the nicest chap in the world but by crikey he makes a good film.

It's the (mostly) true(ish) story of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who signed up for the US Army in WWII but refused to bear arms or kill an enemy, and then ended up getting loads of medals for being super-brave and saving plenty of soldiers. Inbetween these two things he is mocked by his fellow soldiers and superiors and they try to bounce him out for being a crazy and stuff like that, but by the end they all respect him for being courageous and saving all their asses.

I like Mel's directing style (Passion Of The Christ, Apocalypto), and it's very much in evidence here, a strong story, well told with interesting and relateable characters.

I groaned a bit when I saw it was 2h19m long but it whipped by and there's not an ounce of fat on it.

Do be warned the 'horrors of war' are fully in evidence here, so if you're not big on watching human bodies get blown up in all sorts of horrific ways and the aftermath of this carnage, rats eating eyeballs, guts spilling out, heads getting taken apart by heavy fire, soldiers being graphically burned to death with flamethrowers and so on - this may not be for you.

Cert 15 but it gets a 'war film pass' from the BBFC 'cause it's like history and shit, in any other context it'd be an 18.

Great film and I recommend it.

885/1000 - The Germans were definitely responsible for this war.

Atomic Blonde: it's alright but it doesn't live up to the trailers. It very much wants to spend a lot of its (too long) runtime being a who-can-you-trust psychological thriller, but all those bits are just a bit ponderous and too convoluted for their own good. When it shifts gear into being an action film, it's eye-popping; Theron is absolutely amazing in some savage close-up fight scenes strongly reminiscent of the best of the Bourne films. But as good as they are, they don't make up that much of the film, and you've already seen most of the best bits in the trailers.

3/5.

I finally saw ‘In Bruges’ the other night.

Really, really enjoyed it. Still thinking about it and smirking a couple of days later. Loved how there was care taken with all of the characters, even the minor ones, and nobody was purely good or bad. Lots of callbacks and themes going through it, and genuinely funny moments balanced with a lot of pathos.

9/10, will seek out the director’s new movie, which just garnered a load of Golden Globe award nominations.

Bruges? Fahking Bruges?!?!

I love it so much. Also Bruges.

If you haven't seen The Guard, you should do. By the director's brother, and just as good IMO.

Saw In Brugges when it was released and never understood what's so funny about the "fuckin Brugges" thing. Can anyone please explain to me?

Because jokes get better when you explain them, right?

It can only get better when it starts at "not funny". So yes, you can explain it. It's now like i will laugh, but at least i can understand the point of it.

It's a really pretty medieval city, so most people wouldn't be complaining about it.

He just really doesn't want to be there.

This short film he did is great too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9w9BJXeL4E


Ok I watched mother! And I don't really know how I feel about it. There's some interesting elements in the interplay between the metaphor and the literal, but feels like it's not got much to really say about anything.

I'm not at all surprised mainstream audiences rejected it wholesale. I wonder who's idea it was to give it a wide release and market it like a spooky house horror movie (which it is not at all).

Also Jennifer Lawrence is a pretty bad actor, I have no idea why she's been so successful. Rest of the cast is fantastic though.

I can't decide if it would be a better experience going in blind, or going in aware of the central hook. If you know what the movie is supposed to be, I think you can stop trying to figure it out and just enjoy it more on it's own merits. Figuring it out yourself doesn't actually make it any more meaningful, in my opinion.

Darren Arrenofsky is probably my favourite director, but it's definitely one of his lesser movies.

I love In Bruges.

The way every single element encountered in the first two acts shows up in the the third act is amazing.

Darren Arronosky is definitely my favourite director, i even loved Noah (Jennifer Connelly ), which most people didn't, but i hadn't got the time to watch mother! yet.

J.Lawrence is a great actress, she proved many times over (ever watched Winter Bone?). Maybe stardom has spoiled her and she isn't fit to be a A-list actress.

EDIT: In Bruges joke...still not find it funny. It just isn't for me.

If making something that isn't funny into something that is vaguely funny via repeated, inexhaustible, unbelievable, mind-numbing repetition isn't funny here then what on earth are you doing here man that's like literally our whole schtick, title, your mum, Ron Howard, flatramp.

WWWEEELLLAAARRRGHHHIIINNNGAAAAAAAARRRRRSSSSS

Yeah you could be right about just not being right for big blockbusters. Certainly she was better in Winter's Bone than anything else I've seen her in, but she was rubbish in Passengers, and I honestly thought the only reason she continued to be in the Xmen movies was because she signed up to a three movie deal for First Class, but she has reupped to do a fourth movie. I don't even begrudge actors taking work they consider beneath them just for the paycheck, but she is just broadcasting that she doesn't give a shit throughout all the movies. At least be a professional and try to do your best.

Which is your favourite Arronofsky movie? It's The Fountain for me by a healthy margin. Proper masterpiece.

Requiem for a Dream. Definitely. Its score has been overused since then, but the impact the movie had on me back then was unequalled. And Jennifer Connelly obviously. Pi and The Wrestler are 2nd and 3rd receptively. Also loved Black Swan but felt the movie could use a bit more grittiness. It felt to clean and blockbuster-y for his standards.

The fountain might be my least favourite, but it's still great, although suffers from lack of Jennifer Connelly.

Jennifer Connelly is in Labyrinth. Robin Wright is in Princess Bride.

There’s no need for other movies.

Jennifer Connelly could be in a tyre commercial and she'd have my attention.

Did she do an awful movie once about a water tower on top of a block of flats? I remember watching it at 4am during a bout of awful insomnia.

That's probably the remake of japanese classic Dark Water. Only seen the original though, although logically the remake should be better because she's in.

Dark Water? Horror movie? Not great, but had Jennifer Connelly.