Be Excellent To Each Other

I've seen about half the best picture films and only enjoyed one of them.

It is pretty good.
I got a bit teary at the end.

Turn on your v-sync.

The film was ok (well that is debatable), but they really did a nice blurring of the darker side of Chris Kyle, this is a guy who has over 200 confirmed kills and was of the solid belief that all the people he killed deserved it, he even went as far as to say killing them was fun and he loved doing it. He also boasted about looting properties in Fallujah.


When out of the forces he bragged to a reporter about shooting looters after hurricane Katrina (the investigation into this went very quiet after his death).




He treated his family and friends outside of the forces terribly and after his book was released it just got worse, unlike it is portrayed in the film. Also in the film it is implied that he was just helping poor war vets get back on their feet by taking them shooting, this is totally wrong, he set up a company called Craft International which charged for training, he also plagiarizes the skull from The Punisher for his logo and includes the slogan, "Despite what your momma told you violence does solve problems."



From what I have read about the guy he is either a bad man put in a horrible situation that flourished, a psychopathic killer who found his niche in a war or a good guy who was twisted by the conflict into a very hard unyielding man.

The way some of the sections of American society are now lording him as the ultimate American Patriot and hero leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, they are frothing at the mouth. Some of them coming out with lovely counter arguments to any negative talk about Chris Kyle like -



and



Obviously I cherrie picked those two but there is tons more out there.

The flip side is a part of American society which are trying to voice public disgust with Kyle's unrepentant racism and serial killer-like enthusiasm for gunning down nonwhite people.

So yeh, kinda hoping it bombs out and misses on the Oscar regardless of what a good cinematographic job Clint did.

Night at the Museum 3 - Amiable fun that's about as safe as safe can be. Not entirely keen on the urinating monkey jokes but still overall a pleasant enough distraction for 90 minutes. If you've seen either of the first two you basically know what you're getting.

Foxcatcher - Good performances can't save the mind numbing tedium of the pacing. Easily 45 minutes too long due to trying to instill a sense of foreboding. Steve Carrell's performance seems to concentrate on making John Du Pont a touch more creepy than the real thing. Mark Ruffalo is praised by many critics but barely has any significant screen time and just acts the same as he does in everything. Channing Tatum gives the role his all despite the character being written as more a brainless jock than the real thing. It was incredibly hard to sit through the 2h10m of barely anything happening. A disappointment.

Milton Keynes is getting an IMAX in a few weeks, that's pretty snazzy.

I've watched some films.

I watched American Sniper. I don't know what I was expecting but I was expecting some kind of oscar winning performance but instead I was watching some heavy handed Hoo-Rah film about hoo-rah. I love Clint Eastwood but I don't rate his direction in the few films he's done. Old Brad Coop did play the role of muted sniper well enough although I don't like how he "cracked" on the rooftop. I don't know, I was expecting more and it never arrived. It felt like it should have been a longer film directed by someone ace like that Hurt Locker bod. Ah well.

But then I switched off brain.

And got down to some JOHN WICK! John Wick in your face, bitches! It's got Keanue Reeves being thoroughly robotic (as usual) and doing some mildly unconvincing martial arts.

BUT

It has so many head shots that you'll be convinced that ol' Reeves is trying to level up to prestige. BLAM. Head shot. BLAM. Head shot. BLAM BLAM body BLAM. Head shot. There's an ace home invasion, there's an ace nightclub and an ace other bit later on. k, forget all that, it's all about the nightclub. He's gone full EQUILIBRIUM on yo' ass. It's all GUN-FU. Why didn't that film get a sequel? Someone do that. Now. But in the meantime, this'll do. It's ace. Did I mention it's ace. It is. I watched the nightclub sequence twice. It's that good. And the home invasion bit twice. Disengage brain: watch filum, cause I sez.

Yeah, John Wick was pretty good fun. Shame there are quite a few instances of terrible CGI blood mist, and it's all incredibly predictable, but I liked it.

Contender for Worst Filum I've Seen, Maybe Ever goes to...

Left Behind.

Nick Cage is CAPTAIN STEEL! Captain of the God Squad. It has some of the worse cheesy lines in any film ever, some of the worse performances from a cast of terrible actors and actresses, and a bunch of garbage that passes as "drama". It's so terrible I'm shaking after watching it. Honestly, I feel so angry, that I want to murder anyone who was involved in this nonsense. Never watch it. Ever. I'm fucking warning you, if you watch it - even if you're as bored as I was when I turned it on - I swear I'll find you, drive to your house, kick down your door and do a big poo on your seatee.

I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel.

I didn't really like it. Except Bill fucking Murray!

I agree. Apart from the Bill Fucking Murray part.

My condolences to your souls.

Taken 3.

Not as bad as Taken 2. Not as good as Taken 1.

Couple of nice references back to the first film that I found amusing.

Relatively believable plot. Terrible acting from Dougray Scott.

3/5.

Fortunately, having read quite a bit into Hurricane Katrina I feel confident in saying that the above story is almost certainly bullshit. Why would the government care enough about looting in post hurricane New Orleans to deploy snipers? Wouldn't the constant news choppers have picked up on snipers on the roof of the dome? Why would they have been positioned there when the area surrounding the dome was unflooded, and the looting taking place further away towards the parishes? Wouldn't there have been at least some eyewitness reports of mysterious head explosions? How would they have been able to sneak the two in? And why would the government risk it for virtually no upside and infinite possibility of downside if anyone found out?

Nothing has ever created more urban legends than Katrina.

Anyway. I despise the glorification of snipers and find the American right wing deeply worrying. It's like they're on a constant two-minute hate.

And people here don't like Grand Budapest? Whu-wha? How? It's clearly wonderful!

Late to the party as usual, I've just finished watching "Gone Girl"...excellent as advertised.

I remember looking at my watch at about the 50 minute mark and thinking "This film is nearly three hours long, is it really going to be this for the whole movie?", then it becomes all sorts of nasty awesome.

The Broken Circle Breakdown - Excellent Belgian film, but way too depressing.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - I have to stop watching american blockbusters. I'm sure i would have more fun watching someone else play Metal Gear Rising for 2 hours. Lately, this kind of movies just seem to be made by committee, full of cgi, without any interesting dialogue, and lacking any kind of soul or artistic vision. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Off to see Whiplash tonight, and The Theory of Everything on Wednesday, that means I've covered all the best film nominations except Selma and American Sniper - woo! Can't wait

I think all those I've seen deserve it, thought that GBH was brilliant (if utterly bonkers), and Birdman is the best thing I've seen in years. Imitation Game = TEARS.

Really please about Rosamund Pike's nom for Gone Girl, that was epic and she played a total psycho flawlessly

Watched 'Joe' with Nicolas 'Paycheque' Cage last night. I appreciate Cage is in all sorts of fucking dross these days just so he can pay his tax bills, but I still really rate him as an actor as when he's good, he's still very good.

Anyway, this is most definitely a good Cage film, albeit not exactly a laugh a minute and contains a scene of brutal violence that I'm amazed got through with a 15 certificate. (Think 'fire extinguisher scene' in Irrerversible although not quite that bad.)

One extra point of interest is that the violent alcoholic father in the film is played by a real life homeless man and alcoholic who was going to play a bit part but the director thought he was so good that they'd take the risk on giving him a major role if he said he could keep himself straight for it. He was found dead two months after filming wrapped (alcohol related death) and never got to see the completed film. He is a compelling presence in the film.

Available on Netflix UK.

8.5/10, extremely good, but quite upsetting. The best Cage has been for years.

Hearthly, you are borderline obsessed with ratings. You're over 21, why does it matter?

Feex.

Everyone loves a sailor

Every write-up needs a score, as taught by the likes of Sinclair User and Crash and suchlike when my lifelong opinion of these matters was formed in the 80s.

Age ratings, I assume he means.

I certainly did.

Oh right sorry, yes I am a bit, it just took me by surprise though in a 15 rated film, although it wasn't gratuitous or anything and was 'contextually justified'.

I started taking a really keen interest in censorship around the start of the DVD era when the BBFC were notoriously scissor-happy, and indeed imported a bucketload of DVDs from the States because even mainstream films like The Matrix and Die Hard 3 were being censored by the BBFC, and even an 18 certificate didn't guarantee uncut (Fight Club).

I think it's partly because I worked as a VT Editor for a few years at the end of the 90s, and snipping for censorship reasons really stands out a mile to me, plus I just don't like the basic idea of watching a censored film.

As did I.

And Xscape is getting 4DX: http://www.cineworld.co.uk/4dx

Looks like something I'd try once, at least.

"4DX is widely considered to be the biggest innovation in cinematic technology to date"
Yeah, fuck all that sound and colour nonsense!

I'll try it, I predict it to be thoroughly meh though.

The IMAX is at the MK Dons stadium, btw. There is a new Odeon there.

I remember not being allowed to buy the original GTA in Smiths as it was an 18 and I was 14. I hadn't noticed the symbol on the box. So I went to the book section, gave it to my Dad, and he bought it.

Into The Woods

At least 30 minutes too long, and some of the songs were a bit rubbish, but some of them are fantastic. Great cast, with Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and whoever played Little Red Riding Hood particularly good.

Best song was definitely Chris Pine's one about agony.

Very entertaining (but way too long).

Saw Whiplash last night - IMMENSE. I have never been so on the edge of my seat in a film ever - I was so tensed up! The acting is brilliant, the energy high but without feeling like 'what the hell just happened I can't keep up', the music is /awesome/, and when it ended I thought WOA that was a really short film, max 90 mins - nope, was 110.

Re: The Hobbit. Someone has re-cut the three films into a single 4 hour film. Available from below...for the moment.

https://tolkieneditor.wordpress.com/201 ... hour-film/

500 days of Summer is tolerable.

I enjoyed it.

"Star Wars: George Lucas admits his ideas for new films abandoned by Disney"

Hurrah!

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/ja ... lms-disney

(I know I've not seen them, shh).

Good PR from Lucas there.

Not really. Wait until the films come out. If they're bad, then you say that. Now all that's going to happen is that if they're good, it'll confirm everyone's opinion that Lucas lost the plot twenty five years ago.

Good PR for the films, I mean.

19 years ago he did Howard the Duck so maybe you're right!

He does have a strange filmography from the early days. I don't think I've seen many of the other works he was involved in apart from the obvious ones.

FACTIOD: Howard the Duck was the first Marvel film.

Also, it wasn't as bad as everyone says.

Also also, it had Lea Thomas in, and she's beauuuuutiful (watch Some Kind of Wonderful if you want to see her look even more beauuuuuuutiful).

Ah, right. Absolutely.

Thompson

Summer was a bitch.

that was the whole point of the movie.

EVERLY, starring Selma Hayek, is a dumb, violent, & fairly stylish action B-movie. Very silly & I rather enjoyed it ! 7/10

WHIPLASH - Probably my fave film of the past year. Brilliant acting (especially by J.K Simmons), extremely well made/edited and very intense. 9/10

CITIZENFOUR : Very good documentary about Edward Snowden and the NSA revelations. 8/10

BIG EYES : A surprisingly subtle, true-story film from Tim Burton about a female artist & her dodgy husband who took credit for her works. Best thing about it is the typically excellent acting from Christoph Waltz & Amy Adams. The story is reasonably interesting but not exactly gripping. 6.5/10

TAKEN 3 - Fucking shite just like the last one. 2/10

Theory of Everything is excellent.

Less chat, more Craster scale.

/waves at Myp

Watched 'Mr Brooks' on Netflix (UK) last night.

It stars Kevin Costner as a serial killer who hates killing and wants to stop but is addicted to it. His public persona is a highly respected businessman, philanthropist, and wonderful husband and father - who has just won 'man of the year'. Unfortunately, on his most recent killing, he has allowed someone to witness the crime.....

William Hurt plays the evil killer side of his psyche who wants him to kill more, and the two of them openly chat to each other all the way through the film, no one else but Costner's character can see Hurt's character.

Demi Moore plays a millionaire cop trying to track him down whilst going through a painful divorce.

Sounds awful and stupid, but it's actually really good - seriously, give it two hours of your time. Costner's on great form, Hurt is excellent and Moore isn't bad either. Rest of the cast are good too.

Cert 18 but a very 'soft' 18 IMO, it's only a couple of scenes toward the end that would have tipped it over to that IMO, so if you don't like gore and stuff don't worry, it's no Saw or Hostel.

I chose it as a deliberately leftfield choice as I was in the mood for something a bit off the beaten track, and it really delivered.

8/10 - A very pleasant surprise.

Yeah, I liked Mr Brooks too. Great seeing awful comedian and hack actor Dane Cook getting a negative outcome.

/waves back