Old Age

It's getting to me as my memory is starting to go, as I forgot to list some things I watched recently. After a 6 week absence I'll be going back to the cinema tonight, I usually go about once a week (I get in free so I will go see most things within reason) but everything recently hasn't interested me enough and the stuff I really want to see hasn't been on. So Munich is finally showing this week so I'm going to see that

Batman

Tim Burton version, some of this hasn't dated particularly well, the prince songs for one but I remember thinking they were shit at the time. Wonderfully dark for what at the time was supposed to be a big summer kids film. In fact its the last film I ever remember queuing for, when I got there the queue was around the block but someone we knew was third in line so we cut in which was lucky as we would have had to continue queuing for the next showing if we hadn't. Thumbs Up

Mr And Mrs Smith

Guilty pleasure from last year, the plot is completely nonsensical but nobody takes it seriously so it ends up being a lot of fun. Thumbs Up

War Of The Worlds

Spielberg version, the sound design and production design on this is fantastic. Watching this on an ordinary TV won't do it justice, the rumble of the machines coming out of the ground alone would convince people to get surround. The Tim Robbins section which some say drags the pace down in the third act flew past a lot quicker this time and there really isn't any other place for it to go. Thumbs Up

here is a pic of it on the big screen










Domino

Not for epileptics, Tony Scotts been using a new editing style for his last couple of films and its either a like it or hate it kind of thing. I think it works, it defianlty makes his films stand out from the pack. This is the supposed true story of Domino Harvey, Actor's daughter turned model turned bounty hunter. The bounty hunter part is the only true bit of this story, unless parts of Las vegas got blown up by gangsters while I wasn't paying attention. Really enjoyed this. Thumbs Up

Shrek

My one year old nephew loves this and as a result I have watched 5 to 10 minutes of this about 100 times over the last 6 months. However yesterday was the first time he was around since I got the screen set-up so we watched the whole thing. Surround sound confused him a bit, he didn't know why the dragon was roaring at him from behind. I had recently thought this might not age well over time but each time I watch it I catch we bits of hilarious dialog I'd never noticed before, mostly from Donkey who speaks ridiculously fast. Thumbs Up

Primer

Low budget time travel film in the same style and vain of Pi, I think I understand what happened, but I'll probably read something that will completely flip this on its head. I don't think I'd watch it again but its worth a watch. Thumbs Up

Alfie

Jude Law version this time, has much of the same problems as the Caine version but this has the added bonus of Sienna Miller getting her baps out. Thumbs in the Middle

New DVD's

Wallace And Gromit in The Curse of the Were Rabbit - more brilliance from Aardman animation

More Lessons learned

1. A Horse can run faster than a biplane, its true I saw it with my own eyes there were no special effects or nothing, and if your male it is physically possible to jump from said plane and land on the horse without screwing up your nuts

2. Don't fuck with the Koreans they are vindictive bastards, its a slightly racist generalization but from the Korean films I have seen it appears to be true.

3. From TV, don't fuck with Jacks, they will fuck you up. Unless you have someone they care for kidnapped then they turn into pussies. But in the end they will probably sneak up to you when your sleeping and stick needles in your eye balls

In Good Company

Big global companies are evil, yeah I knew that, you didn't need to waste an hour and a half telling me. Waste of a bunch of good actors. Thumbs in the Middle

The Phantom

This is like a cheese sandwich on cheese bread, eat off a cheese plate with a cheese knife and fork and I love it, I'm just a sucker for cheap Indiana Jones rip off action adventures. Plus who doesn't love a man in purple spandex. Thumbs up

Sympathy for Lady vengeance

Final part of Chan Wook Park's trilogy of films about revenge and its just as brilliant as the others. Korea is making the type of adult films that Hollywood used to churn out with ease in the 70's 80's and early 90's but no longer does. Stylish, funny, violent and slightly disturbing. Two thumbs up

New DVD's
SPL - Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung, fuck yeah
A bittersweet life- good looking Korean gangster flick

New CD's
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers - taken a few listens but is really growing on me
The Datsuns - Outta Sight / Outta Mind - really good rock record and at £3 absolute bargain

Full Steam Ahead

The room is now complete, pictures will follow when I finally tidy it up. I cheated a little and watched a film while I was waiting, but as it was crap I don't feel too bad in not waiting. All films will now be viewed with 5.1 sound in either the dolby digital or DTS format on a screen that's just a few inches over 7 foot diagonally. On with the reviews

Dead Man Walking

I am getting fed up with people relating good acting to good films, while the acting here is great the story bored me to the point where I can not even remember the details of it. Acting saved this, Thumbs in the middle

Batman Begins

Loved this at the pictures and loved it even more here, at the cinema I thought the pacing was slightly slow at the start, the films biggest criticism among those who don't like it, but it seemed perfect this time. Wonderfully dark and I like how it doesn't pander to the teen market like most comic book adaptations do in an attempt to make more money. Two Thumbs up

Unleashed aka Danny the Dog

Jet Li flick set in a Glasgow that does not have one Glaswegian accent. Action is disappointing but the story is slightly interesting, one that you enjoy while watching but wouldn't rush to watch again, Thumbs Up

The Island

Really enjoyed this and I don't know why, dialogue and story was poor, good actors were wasted and some of the action scenes were incoherent. Will probably pick up a copy when it goes cheap in the sales. Thumbs Up

Also watching - Series 1 of Arrested Development, finally thought it was time to make a dent in my TV on DVD backlog, this is the best comedy that almost nobody watches, just recently cancelled in the states cause the daft Americans don't get humour unless its spelt out. Boxsets are really cheap at the minute so I recommend picking them up.

New DVD's

24 Season 4 - a return to form after what I thought was a slightly disappointing season 3

Repo Man - Emilo Estevez, Harry dean Stanton and an alien in a car boot, great