Be Excellent To Each Other

I'd say that it's a genre just because it tells you a bit about what to expect. e.g. nearly all scifi films have to spend a bit of time setting the scene, explaining the world. And you can expect that there's probably going to be quite a lot of special effects sequences. Some people love all that sort of thing and others hate it.

Does it even matter any more anyway? It's not like you're trying to find something in a video shop in 1995. Thanks to the modern miracle of computer databases where films usually sit in multiple genres you can search for a comedy and find comedies that are set in space as well.

Forgot to meet him or forgot to ask?

I hope it's the second.

Is The Awakenings sci fi?

I went to see the "Into The Unknown" sci-fi exhibition at the Barbican last week. That didn't clarify the question either. In other news, it was OK if a little scattergun in it's approach. But then it wasn't very large, so couldn't fail to be a missed opportunity.

The latter stages of the exhibition are seriously worth skipping, one being a 30min short film, the other being an installation. Neither of which would look out of place at an A' level end of year show in a provincial school.

I found the new King Kong prequel/reboot to be quite enjoyable.

Does anyone here possibly have a copy of The Nines? It's proving difficult to "purchase legally" - Ed.

I can't check it at work, but is this any use:

http://www.solarmovie.ws/watch-the-nine ... nline.html

Doesn't seem to work, but thanks, bud.

I've watched Alien: Covenant.

So I guess we're never getting a good Alien movie ever again then.

I'm 99% sure I've got a copy at home. If you PM me an email I'll send a link or something later.

Thankyou lurker type!

Deathgasm is a really good comedy horror in a cheap and cheerful Evil Dead/Brain Dead sort of way.

Nope, The Santa Clause was it.

I watched this last night and agree with the above, and felt that the film worked incredibly well as a result, in that it wasn't just trying to do a re-tread of the original, despite all the nods, winks, and indeed shot-for-shot recreations in many cases - this is a very different film although it is made of the same DNA.

It's got the lot really, everything you'd expect from a Trainspotting sequel but absolutely stands on its own merits. Funny, moving, profane, powerful, beautifully shot and masterfully directed with excellent use of music, and top-notch performances from the entire cast.

There are a couple of really tender scenes in there too, and a melancholy sense of lives wasted and gone wrong runs all the way through it, to great dramatic effect.

I very much enjoyed this and would say don't be put off by the somewhat mixed reviews, this is a splendid film.

914/1000

We watched ARQ last night because it's by the guy that has written some Orphan Black and it sounded intriguing.

It does OK with a small budget but if you've seen Edge of Tomorrow then that's a much better movie covering the same kind of theme.

It suffers from that thing a fair few films do where they hold back significant elements of the plot for suspense reasons and then rush most of it out at the end while there's shouting going on and gunfire and I fucking hate that because I am old and can't make out half of what's going on and my attention is focused on the action more than the exposition dump. Tits.

My kind of movie.

Title

Thanks, top lurker dude! All sorted.

I pretty much agree with everything you've said apart from the bold text.

I loved T2.

I really, really enjoyed it.

Yet I couldn't help shaking this feeling that it's not actually a good film in its own right, because it simply cannot exist without the first film.

Of course, by their very nature, sequels need the first film in order to exist. But T2 relies much more heavily on the first for everything. It's allowed to not really tell much of a story or do much with the characters, because it's still ploughing the rich emotional furrows of the first film.

Don't get me wrong, I loved it. But it felt like an amazing piece of DLC rather than a sequel in its own right.

Except Indiana Jones, where the 2nd film is a prequel (still amazed at this)..

And Fast and Furious 3. Or 4,5,6,7 or 8.!

I quite liked ARQ, but then I went in with low expectations as I'd never heard of any of the cast, so I wasn't sure how low budget a film it would be. It was better than Project Almanac anyway which I watched not long after it.. can't even remember how that ended.

On the subject of low-budget sci-fi stuff, I rewatched Circle at the weekend.

Very basic premise, but I always enjoy re-watching it.

https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/event/rita-sue-bob/

Yay! Sat morning, £6

I was halfway through this post before realising it wasn't about Terminator 2. I should probably watch Trainspotting one of these days.

You may well be right Mr Fop, I've seen the original Trainspotting many times over the years, so it's hard for me to disassociate myself from it completely (or maybe even at all!) and be objective about the sequel - I guess the only way to test it would be to show the sequel to a load of people who'd never seen the original.

It's like Schrödinger's Trainspotting or the observer effect, or something. Or maybe neither of those things, but they'll have to do as I'm off out for lunch now.

Either way Trainspotting 2 is mega-fab, one of those films that as the credits roll you're like, 'Fuck me, that was good'.

Watch Terminator again instead

Jumanji trailer

Whaaaaaaaat. Ok its got the rock in it but whaaaaaaaaaaaat

Also Amy Pond.

Fucking hell what.

Oh, I think I read about that ages ago. Also that they are remaking The Mummy. Again.

The mummy came out (again) last month.

At first I thought it would be horrible because the entire thing had been changed to a generic action movie in the jungle. Then I watched the trailer. It looks amazing. Definitely up my street, even though the original is frankly super, I can imagine that they exist in different universes and won't in any way be disrespectful to the amazing Robin Williams .

Yeah, that one is old now. We need a newer one.

That's good to hear. I guess I just adore Robin Williams too much to have looked forwards to this at all, but if it's suitably different in tone that I can enjoy both in their own little sphere of entertainment then good on them.

Despicable Me 3 is... okay.

Wouldn't recommend it wholeheartedly unless you're taking a child.

It had some good moments, and some good gags (and feels) aimed at parents, but felt a little forced at times.

Or I might just be moody because my entire body hurts from doing sports the other day.

Imagine for a moment that I thought Despicable me 2 was boring shit. Should I sleep through this one?

Yes

Saw Baby Driver last night. It's very good

I did. Three times.

Kubo and the two stings is the best animated movie in ages, and makes everything Pixar have done in the last decade look primitive and amateurish.

I fucking loved it. I'm pounding the soundtrack into my ears right now. (Disclaimer: I am an enormous fan of everything Edgar Wright has ever made. Adjust for bias accordingly.)

It's interestingly not quite like his other work, perhaps because it's not an outright comedy. Still has lots of Wrightisms though, like tack-sharp editing, spectacular match cuts and smash cuts, clever juxtaposition and superb foley (eg. exaggerated swooping sound as Baby grabs his jacket and marches out of the house, which dates back to Spaced). Golly, what a bravura piece of film making. Kermode's review was spot on. Just the opening two scenes alone (first heist, then getting coffee) are some of the most electrifying cinema I've seen in a long while. And obviously the soundtrack is fried gold.

I wanted to watch it again almost as soon as I left.

But is it a musical?

Yup, I agree with all of that. It also has a lot of heart. I think it will be much copied, it's a rare example of style and substance that works.

This feels like Wright's breakthrough-to-superstar-status moment, I think he's going to be novahot after this.

Agree with that as well. Let's hope it sets the box office on fire just for good measure.

Wonder Woman is similar to Captain America's origin story but much crapper. Damn she fine though. But it's still crap. 2 hours and 20 minutes, though; Jesus Christ, that's far too long. It could easily be 40 minutes shorter if they cut out all the pregnant pauses. Still, dat ass. But crap.

Film: Crap out of 10.
Ass: Dayyum out of 10.

After reading this article, I watched War Machine on Netflix. Not bad, but although I like Brad Pitt, he didn't really seem the right person for the role. Not really sure it needed to be over two hours long either. Quite liked the cameos from Ben Kingsley and Tilda Swinton though.

Wonder Woman was better than the first Cap film, but Cap 2 was amazing and Cap 3 was really good too.