FILM
For Your Eyes Only - An ok Bond, hilarious but somewhat odd pre-title sequence,
one of the better Bond themes and a decent final half hour. Though not the most memorable film.
Rudo y Cursi - A sweet little film which works fairly well but isn't quite as funny as it may think.
The Hangover - A good few laughs and a great fairly unknown cast who shine, though no-one brighter than Zack Galifianakis who steals each frame as Alan. The baby scene next to the pool (I'll not mention what the baby is forced to do) still has me in stitches at the thought. Oh, and a Heather Graham booby.
M.A.S.H. - I love Donald Sutherland and I really enjoyed this too. Hearing afterwards about Robert Altman's way of shooting from Andy was fascinating.
L.A. Confidential - An exceptional film, I loved every minute of it. It's been a while since I had watched a good Russell Crowe film and as usual Kevin Spacey is great. Though I shouldn't forget about Guy Pearce...what's happened to him?
Transformers 2 - The first was a guilty pleasure but this has a whole host of problems: Gangsta robots (who can't read), the characters magically appearing in Egypt, a nonsensical story (even for Michael Bay) and it's also at least an hour too long!
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - One of those films I SHOULD have seen but I'm now glad I have. A strong performances from Jack Nicholson as well as the entire supporting cast make this film truly great and utterly unmissable.
Dog Day Afternoon - A great heist movie that has had many of it's elements "borrowed" since it's release. Al Pacino gives one of those career making performances, shame about his last 10-15 years.
The Naked Gun - It's been a while since I've watched this and it is still downright hilarious. While Austin Powers may follow a similar constant stream of jokes, Mike Myers film looks like a drama in comparison.
Bruno - It's immature, infantile and dumb, but I loved it! In my mind I decided that it was all faked and still found it hilarious. Sa
cha Baron Cohen may be trying to say it's trying to highlight flaws in society but really, it's just some great, dumb humour. The focus group scene was my particular favourite.
Moon - This was quite a contrast to Bruno and it is one of my favourite films of the year. It takes everything from classic sci-fi and lovingly homages it. In my opinion, a much better (and easier) watch than 2001. Let's hope Duncan Jones (Zowie Bowie) can tell some more classic Sci-Fi stories. An "epilogue" of the film is planned and the film will also be expanded to a trilogy, interesting.
Nico - Steven Seagal gives another Oscar winning performance in one of the most horribly plotted films I've watched in a while. There were however little dashes of entertainment, coming from the fact that Seagal can't act.
Octopussy - Much better than I remember, the baddie's are great but the plot as usual is a farce (the agent who gets killed at the beginning this time, is killed by circus folk). An epic climax and some great stunt work in the train sequence just about save the film from it's biggest flaw, the tired Roger Moore wit and character.
Naked Lunch - David Cronenberg can do bonkers and this film is possibly his maddest film ever! The film has some great visuals and feels like a modern day-noir, but I found myself feeling physically lost in what was happening in the story. Not one for the squeamish either.
Bullit - A classic, at least supposedly. The car chase is the most remarkable part of the film, while the actual story and mystery are duller than a sub-par episode of CSI (which I don't enjoy). Still, you've got to love Steve McQueen.
The Getaway - Steve McQueen again, this time in a much better film. Very entertaining, though I am somewhat creeped out by the sub-plot of the partner and the vet with his wife and moggy. It didn't sit quite right in the film.
Dirty Harry - A true classic, and like Don Siegel's other masterpiece Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, it's relative simplicity wins out in the genre. We don't need any complicated "Who
is the killer?" storylines to make it work, we just need a great lead, a good baddie and a well thought-out chase storyline. The film is shown and referenced in David Fincher's Zodiac and while there are one or two similarities to the true Zodiac killings, the Scorpio killer comes off feeling a bit less lifelike, though perfectly fitting in a cop/action/thriller film. The film also contains some pretty graphic violence for the period, though it was perfectly fitting. The most memorable part has to be the sequence in the stadium, that massive pull-back from the stadium had my jaw on the floor.
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra - Or C.G.I. Joe as it should be known. Some sometimes ropey effects but a good example of a standard blockbuster. Loud, explosive and over-the-top. Some neat little touches too. It's good enough to see once but I doubt it warrants a repeat viewing. Christopher Eccleston pulls off one of the dodgiest Scottish accents in a long time but the film is also somewhat educational; You'll have learned a little more Gaelic by the end of it. Better than Transformers 2.
Jacob's Ladder - This, which I first watched over a year ago, was a great re-visit, especially picking up on all of the film's subtleties. Of particular note, the U.S. DVD has a few additional scenes, each of which are excellent. They may well have hampered the pace a little but "The Antidote" and "Jezzie's transformation" scenes are great sequences that are creepy even when not in context.
Dr. No - A lovely digital presentation at Cineworld and for a film which is 47 years old, it doesn't really get any better. Very crisp, very sharp and still very entertaining.
Commando, Director's Cut - I don't care what anyone says, this to me, is the best Schwarzenegger film, seriously. A hilarious opening montages, some of the greatest one-liners ever and just...everything! It's not a perfect film but as popcorn (or once you hit puberty, beer) entertainment, there is no better. The Director's cut adds violence that was too tough for UK censors (which for Commando fans, is REALLY worth watching), as well as a few alternate lines. Always worth a watch and this time it was in an action double-bill with Taken. If only there was time for Crank or Shoot 'Em Up.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 - Tony Scott and select members of the village people take over a train in the New York underground and hold the passengers to ransom. That's it, no cunning twist, quite a classic sort of premise, or at least it was when the original film came out. The problem with this one is that Tony Scott feels he needs to overload the film with lots of flash-cuts and that horrible slow-motion thing they do to emphasise the character or movement, when really it looks like your broadband connection is chugging. Denzel does a decent job of playing a man behind a desk and he slowly builds a type of bond with John Travolta as the lead baddie but really, does anyone care? Something of particular note that grabbed me, was the use of language in the film, the number of times Travolta uses mother****er and the word **** is in excess of even the local riff-raff. Seriously guys, we all know that bad words are only said by bad people but bad guys can still be bad guys without bad words.
Avatar - The revolution is here! Or at least that's what James Cameron would tell you, when really, it seems to be not much more than a waste of 15 years. The 15 minute preview footage looked very sweet, lots of colour, breathtaking worlds and fairly realistic CGI characters. While James Cameron may believe he is the first to create computer generated characters you can feel for, he is doing nothing that Pixar hasn't done in the past while. The film shows promise, with some nice depth to the images and a real feeling of being there but I still think that 3D isn't there yet. I don't know if it's just me, but in action sequences, I can never tell what's going on, it all just seems quite blurry. Thankfully, the 3D revolution isn't coming this Christmas, no further hike in ticket prices just yet.
one of the better Bond themes and a decent final half hour. Though not the most memorable film.Rudo y Cursi - A sweet little film which works fairly well but isn't quite as funny as it may think.
The Hangover - A good few laughs and a great fairly unknown cast who shine, though no-one brighter than Zack Galifianakis who steals each frame as Alan. The baby scene next to the pool (I'll not mention what the baby is forced to do) still has me in stitches at the thought. Oh, and a Heather Graham booby.
M.A.S.H. - I love Donald Sutherland and I really enjoyed this too. Hearing afterwards about Robert Altman's way of shooting from Andy was fascinating.
L.A. Confidential - An exceptional film, I loved every minute of it. It's been a while since I had watched a good Russell Crowe film and as usual Kevin Spacey is great. Though I shouldn't forget about Guy Pearce...what's happened to him?
Transformers 2 - The first was a guilty pleasure but this has a whole host of problems: Gangsta robots (who can't read), the characters magically appearing in Egypt, a nonsensical story (even for Michael Bay) and it's also at least an hour too long!
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - One of those films I SHOULD have seen but I'm now glad I have. A strong performances from Jack Nicholson as well as the entire supporting cast make this film truly great and utterly unmissable.
Dog Day Afternoon - A great heist movie that has had many of it's elements "borrowed" since it's release. Al Pacino gives one of those career making performances, shame about his last 10-15 years.
The Naked Gun - It's been a while since I've watched this and it is still downright hilarious. While Austin Powers may follow a similar constant stream of jokes, Mike Myers film looks like a drama in comparison.
Bruno - It's immature, infantile and dumb, but I loved it! In my mind I decided that it was all faked and still found it hilarious. Sa
cha Baron Cohen may be trying to say it's trying to highlight flaws in society but really, it's just some great, dumb humour. The focus group scene was my particular favourite.Moon - This was quite a contrast to Bruno and it is one of my favourite films of the year. It takes everything from classic sci-fi and lovingly homages it. In my opinion, a much better (and easier) watch than 2001. Let's hope Duncan Jones (Zowie Bowie) can tell some more classic Sci-Fi stories. An "epilogue" of the film is planned and the film will also be expanded to a trilogy, interesting.
Nico - Steven Seagal gives another Oscar winning performance in one of the most horribly plotted films I've watched in a while. There were however little dashes of entertainment, coming from the fact that Seagal can't act.
Octopussy - Much better than I remember, the baddie's are great but the plot as usual is a farce (the agent who gets killed at the beginning this time, is killed by circus folk). An epic climax and some great stunt work in the train sequence just about save the film from it's biggest flaw, the tired Roger Moore wit and character.
Naked Lunch - David Cronenberg can do bonkers and this film is possibly his maddest film ever! The film has some great visuals and feels like a modern day-noir, but I found myself feeling physically lost in what was happening in the story. Not one for the squeamish either.
Bullit - A classic, at least supposedly. The car chase is the most remarkable part of the film, while the actual story and mystery are duller than a sub-par episode of CSI (which I don't enjoy). Still, you've got to love Steve McQueen.
The Getaway - Steve McQueen again, this time in a much better film. Very entertaining, though I am somewhat creeped out by the sub-plot of the partner and the vet with his wife and moggy. It didn't sit quite right in the film.
Dirty Harry - A true classic, and like Don Siegel's other masterpiece Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, it's relative simplicity wins out in the genre. We don't need any complicated "Who
is the killer?" storylines to make it work, we just need a great lead, a good baddie and a well thought-out chase storyline. The film is shown and referenced in David Fincher's Zodiac and while there are one or two similarities to the true Zodiac killings, the Scorpio killer comes off feeling a bit less lifelike, though perfectly fitting in a cop/action/thriller film. The film also contains some pretty graphic violence for the period, though it was perfectly fitting. The most memorable part has to be the sequence in the stadium, that massive pull-back from the stadium had my jaw on the floor.G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra - Or C.G.I. Joe as it should be known. Some sometimes ropey effects but a good example of a standard blockbuster. Loud, explosive and over-the-top. Some neat little touches too. It's good enough to see once but I doubt it warrants a repeat viewing. Christopher Eccleston pulls off one of the dodgiest Scottish accents in a long time but the film is also somewhat educational; You'll have learned a little more Gaelic by the end of it. Better than Transformers 2.
Jacob's Ladder - This, which I first watched over a year ago, was a great re-visit, especially picking up on all of the film's subtleties. Of particular note, the U.S. DVD has a few additional scenes, each of which are excellent. They may well have hampered the pace a little but "The Antidote" and "Jezzie's transformation" scenes are great sequences that are creepy even when not in context.
Dr. No - A lovely digital presentation at Cineworld and for a film which is 47 years old, it doesn't really get any better. Very crisp, very sharp and still very entertaining.
Commando, Director's Cut - I don't care what anyone says, this to me, is the best Schwarzenegger film, seriously. A hilarious opening montages, some of the greatest one-liners ever and just...everything! It's not a perfect film but as popcorn (or once you hit puberty, beer) entertainment, there is no better. The Director's cut adds violence that was too tough for UK censors (which for Commando fans, is REALLY worth watching), as well as a few alternate lines. Always worth a watch and this time it was in an action double-bill with Taken. If only there was time for Crank or Shoot 'Em Up.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 - Tony Scott and select members of the village people take over a train in the New York underground and hold the passengers to ransom. That's it, no cunning twist, quite a classic sort of premise, or at least it was when the original film came out. The problem with this one is that Tony Scott feels he needs to overload the film with lots of flash-cuts and that horrible slow-motion thing they do to emphasise the character or movement, when really it looks like your broadband connection is chugging. Denzel does a decent job of playing a man behind a desk and he slowly builds a type of bond with John Travolta as the lead baddie but really, does anyone care? Something of particular note that grabbed me, was the use of language in the film, the number of times Travolta uses mother****er and the word **** is in excess of even the local riff-raff. Seriously guys, we all know that bad words are only said by bad people but bad guys can still be bad guys without bad words.
Avatar - The revolution is here! Or at least that's what James Cameron would tell you, when really, it seems to be not much more than a waste of 15 years. The 15 minute preview footage looked very sweet, lots of colour, breathtaking worlds and fairly realistic CGI characters. While James Cameron may believe he is the first to create computer generated characters you can feel for, he is doing nothing that Pixar hasn't done in the past while. The film shows promise, with some nice depth to the images and a real feeling of being there but I still think that 3D isn't there yet. I don't know if it's just me, but in action sequences, I can never tell what's going on, it all just seems quite blurry. Thankfully, the 3D revolution isn't coming this Christmas, no further hike in ticket prices just yet.
TV
Supernatural - This show just keeps getting better and better with each season and the finale of 
season 2 was quite gripping but not as good as the season 3 opener. Now, (in season 3, i'm a little behind) Dean only has a year to live which gives a nice goal for the end of the season and while I know he'll live, I'm dying to find out how they get around this one.
The IT Crowd, Series 1 - Another classic Graham Linehan (Father Ted, Black Books) show with 3 central actors that are truly a joy to watch. The character of Moss is consistently hilarious and stands out along with Chris Morris who steals every scene he is in. I'll be picking it up on DVD to watch it again.
Band Of Brothers - A great mini-series from the kings of the modern mini-series, HBO. I initially had trouble relating to some of the characters since sometimes, characters would be away for an episode or two at a time. Still, it's a great series for spotting young stars (would they kill off James McAvoy now?) and certainly worth putting the time in. The final episode is without a doubt the best of the series, with some beautiful locations and a quite touching finale.
Extras, Christmas Special - It's been a year or so since I finished watching the actual series and was looking forward to this but I was a little disappointed. None of the celeb cameo's beside Clive Owen were up to scratch though Ricky Gervais' rant in the Big Brother house made me interested in the closing half.
Everybody Loves Raymond - Good, safe, relaxing television, often with a good few laughs as well! Brad Garrett and the late Peter Boyle are always great to watch and in a recent Season 8 episode, there was perhaps the funniest and realistic line I've ever heard in a sitcom: "We (men) don't listen to nagging, because if we did, it would prove that nagging works."
The Big Bang Theory - The fairly recent "hit" geek-sitcom which after an episode or two (of the six I watched), I never actually wanted to watch again, but for some reason I thought it would get much better. The premise of the show is fairly dire, a "hot" girl moves next door to geeks, their geekiness and intelligence is constrasted with her social skills. Personally, I have problems with the writing, it almost feels like just a regular sitcom with geeky jokes, most of which I found boldly generic.
More to come...unless I loose my eyes in the next few weeks!
season 2 was quite gripping but not as good as the season 3 opener. Now, (in season 3, i'm a little behind) Dean only has a year to live which gives a nice goal for the end of the season and while I know he'll live, I'm dying to find out how they get around this one.The IT Crowd, Series 1 - Another classic Graham Linehan (Father Ted, Black Books) show with 3 central actors that are truly a joy to watch. The character of Moss is consistently hilarious and stands out along with Chris Morris who steals every scene he is in. I'll be picking it up on DVD to watch it again.
Band Of Brothers - A great mini-series from the kings of the modern mini-series, HBO. I initially had trouble relating to some of the characters since sometimes, characters would be away for an episode or two at a time. Still, it's a great series for spotting young stars (would they kill off James McAvoy now?) and certainly worth putting the time in. The final episode is without a doubt the best of the series, with some beautiful locations and a quite touching finale.
Extras, Christmas Special - It's been a year or so since I finished watching the actual series and was looking forward to this but I was a little disappointed. None of the celeb cameo's beside Clive Owen were up to scratch though Ricky Gervais' rant in the Big Brother house made me interested in the closing half.
Everybody Loves Raymond - Good, safe, relaxing television, often with a good few laughs as well! Brad Garrett and the late Peter Boyle are always great to watch and in a recent Season 8 episode, there was perhaps the funniest and realistic line I've ever heard in a sitcom: "We (men) don't listen to nagging, because if we did, it would prove that nagging works."
The Big Bang Theory - The fairly recent "hit" geek-sitcom which after an episode or two (of the six I watched), I never actually wanted to watch again, but for some reason I thought it would get much better. The premise of the show is fairly dire, a "hot" girl moves next door to geeks, their geekiness and intelligence is constrasted with her social skills. Personally, I have problems with the writing, it almost feels like just a regular sitcom with geeky jokes, most of which I found boldly generic.
More to come...unless I loose my eyes in the next few weeks!
