Raiders of the Lost Ark

Time-served retro adventure lark. Seems almost quiant by today's overblown, fast-edit ways, but the wit and verve remain intact, and the picture-book clarity with which it unfolds is still a marvel. 8.5/10

The Third Man

Harry Lime...Vienna...that damn music etc etc. A hugely well-known film for sure, but what a shame Carol Reed's direction never quite has the lyricism to spin it all into something truly special. It's still very good of course, just not quite the sum of its very famous parts. 7.5/10

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

See thread.

Runner Runnner [2013]. Director: Brad Furman

5/10

Justin Timberlake as a college wizzkid who becomes a protégé of online gambling tycoon (and psycopath) Ben Affleck.

*******
Napoleon Dynamite - Special Edition [2004]. Director: Jared Hess

2/10

Yet another nerd comedy, the MTV character too unlikeable to sympathise with.

*******
Dangerous Mind of a Hooligan [2014]. Director: Greg Hall

3/10

And yet another British gangster movie, with next-to-nothing to do with football hooligans.

*******
The Canyons [2013], Director: Paul Schrader

6/10

Bret Easton Ellis scripts a tale of another American psycho, a rich kid would-be film producer who likes watching his girlfriend getting off with strangers, turns violent when he finds out she's screwing an old flame. Lindsay Lohan is really good in this, though acting opposite wooden porn star James Deen helps by comparison (Deen is currently facing multiple rape & assault accusations so he should maybe have given a better performance).

Have seen

Help for the Holidays (2012) 4
Call Me Claus (2001) 4

Were on Five

I watched The Revenant. Brilliant. 9/10 I bet this wins a lot of Oscars.

The Polar Express (2004) - 8/10

Just watched 'Finding Nemo' which I'd never seen before. Brilliant. 9.5/10.

BILL AND TEDS EXCELLENT ADVENTURE - 9/10
"69"


also good grief their voices are sooooooooooooo high and squeaky

The Man from Uncle (2015) 7/10

Good fun. Alicia Vikander was, as she always is, the best thing in it.

Neon Flesh [2010]. Director: Paco Cabezas

5/10

Unlikeable Spanish tale of 3 guys starting up a brothel

*******
Getaway [2013]. Director: Courtney Solomon

5/10

Daft thriller with Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez in a seemingly neverending car chase.

*******
Jungle 2 Jungle [1997]. Director: John Pasquin

4/10

Kid raised in jungle joins his dad in NYC. Shots of the World Trade Centre keep popping up which dates the film even more.

*******
Contest [2013]. Director: Anthony Joseph Giunta

4/10

Bullied schoolkid gets back at his tormentors by entering a TV cooking contest.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Who's the Daddy, eh? 10/10

Dial M for Murder

Its stage origins are obvious, but that doesn't stop it from being one of Hitchcock's most strangely fascinating pieces. Great performances, in particular a modulated Ray Milland, and much swirling undercurrents. A key film, in many ways. 8/10

The Martian (2015) 8/10

Circle (on Netflix) 50 people wake up on a circle and can't step off it and every 2 minutes have to vote for someone to die. Was an enjoyable watch. 7/10.

The Wedding Date - 5/10
The Big Lebowski - 6/10
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 6/10

Easy Rider [1969]. Director: Dennis Hopper

7/10

Alas, the hippies and free love are gone but the rednecks who shoot at strangers are still with us.

*******
Barry Lyndon [1975]. Director: Stanley Kubrick

9/10

Glorious 3 hour adaptation of Thackery's novel. 4th successive film for which Kubrick was nominated for an Oscar (he never won).

The Impossible - 8/10
Very good. Particularly good acting from the young Tom Holland as well.

We Are Still Here - 4/10
First half was ok, if standard horror movie fare. Last half hour was utter tripe, the acting hilariously bad at times.

This Paul Potts movie on Channel 5 One Chance is weird. James Corden clearly miming very badly.

It's a wonderful film, one of my animated favourites.


Pride and Prejudice (2005) 9/10

Beautiful production, earthily visualised, a more vulnerable Darcy, a beautiful film, and it made me bloody cry. Well worth a watch even if you've read the book and seen loads of the adaptations.

The Croods 8 /10

I thought this was going to be terrible, but it was visually lush and inventive, a simple message rather gorgeously put across, and a rollicking animated romp. Also touching.

Just seen both on the telly. I've escaped family today (daughter's with father, Mother with Sister, I've got a bloody cold and am seriously grateful) and have had a very enjoyable afternoon.

'The Croods' is a very underrated movie, imo.

I think that it is simply delightful.

today watched

Naughty & Nice (2014) (TV) 4
A Snow Globe Christmas (2013) 4

both from Five.

Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger. This is my 8 year olds (new) most favourite film. I can only assume that David Tennant got a shed load of money to appear in this. It has one of the most annoying characters ever to grace the screen ( a simpleton classroom assistant by the name of Mr Poppy - which I keep getting confused with Mr Ploppy from Blackadder 2). Quite like the songs though 3/10

GAMBIT - 7half/10
nice little comedic piece and light froth from colin firth as the straight englishman and and cameron diaz as the loud american ..... the first fifteen minutes are pretty unusual

EX MACHINA - 4/10
ironic for a movie about how to get coding right, since they didn't get the SCRIPT RIGHT!
it's more like a tech demo with those lushious effects

He's hardly going to sing it for real.

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

Superb, I even enjoyed Billy Connolly's scenes and I can't abide him normally.

9/10

Everest

Meh. Aesthetically pleasing but none of the characters apart from Rob were likeable and I couldn't relate to any of it.

5/10

Ant-Man

Had high expectations for this movie, and it exceeded all of them. Excellent movie! 10/10 for sure.

Spotlight (2015) 8.5/10

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery - all part of a terrific ensemble cast with no star.

The film tells the true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Have to say, it was great to watch (if that's the correct phrase when it comes to a story about such a horrific topic) what I would call a grown-up film with no action, no explosions, just great acting and good story-telling. We get to know the characters, but the story is not about them, it remains focused on the subject - child abuse.

It was a compelling watch and took me back to a time when film could be thought-provoking, compelling and meaningful, something we don't see all that often these days.