Wolfie

I watched Airplane! twice over the weekend. After what must be 30odd watches, I'm still noticing new visual jokes or throwaway comments I hadn't spotted before.

Leslie Nielsen must have been the best at deadpan delivery of properly funny lines. I can only think of Will Ferrell of the modern comedy actors but he's not in the same class.

19 hours ago, EastHertsRam said:

Yeah, I got the same, I had 735 and a nice 728 sport and being a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists always considered myself a courteous but positive driver. The fact is there are some nobs drive BM's and we all get tarred with the same brush. 

The photo thread was just a bit of fun seeing who's got Rams stuck on whatever, wasn't that successful though. 

Thinking of taking my Beemer back for a refund, as the brakes and indicators both work. Something's not right.

On 18/09/2015 at 09:04, Wolfie said:

A Stock photo but mine looks just like this one. Traded in my BMW 1-Series last year for the KIA Optima. Much more practical for the family.

Practical & nice to look at but a bit dull to drive, so I've turned back to the dark side and just got my new beemer M Sport. Lovely car.

SPY

Silly spoof spy caper with Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Miranda Hart

Quite a few jokes miss the target but also a good few laugh out loud moments. Mr Statham was quite good at parodying himself from other films. Melissa McCarthy is usually funny & didn't disappoint in this one.

7/10

It's been said before but talking and excercise for me are the key tips.

About 10 years ago, I had a bout of mild to moderate depression but accompanied by quite bad anxiety and panic attacks, so that my "safe place" was curled up on the sofa. I would drink too much in the evenings to try and clear my mind but of course that didn't help & just disrupted my sleep even more. I used to think that my issues were brought on by ill health at the time, as I was suffering from chronic stomach problems but looking back, the underlying cause was that I was in denial about the demise of my first marriage - something which I only came to realise long after we'd split up and I'd met my second wife.

Of course, once I started talking to people (and found a sympathetic doctor) I was able to start to take control but excercise for me was crucial. Once I got over the anxiety of thinking I was going to die as soon as I could feel my heart racing, it really made all of the difference & I was able to reclaim my life over a period of a few months.

I still have occasional bouts of mild depression but they're thankfully brief and I have wonderful support nowadays.

In the cinema the other week, I felt the early signs of a panic attack coming on (it felt like I was sinking down into the seat). The first time I'd had that feeling in years and the weird thing was I felt strangely comforted by it - like it was a reminder to me of how bad I used to feel & how I'm in a far better place now. It quickly subsided & I've been fine since.

On 06/12/2015, 01:08:05, StringerBell said:

There wasn't lots of action in the others either was there?

I've seen the first 3 but not seen this one yet. As a franchise I can take it or leave it but I realise it's not aimed at me. 

There's limited action and lots of moping and love triangle stuff because it's a film that shifts the usual action tropes to be more accommodating for women. It's basically The Running Man for women. And that's great! There's no reason films shouldn't be targeted at women as long as they don't hijack men's fun like the new Ghostbusters film looks like it's trying to do. But it's quite funny that you and Wolfie are saying there wasn't enough action. 

I take it your lads aren't 'lads' in the 'lad culture' sort of way?

I realise I'm 25 years too old (and male) to be the target audience for these films but I did enjoy the first 2 films. For me, they shouldn't have split the last book into 2 films. They would then not have both been stretched too thin.

Into the woods - Film tying together various childhood stories such as Cinderella, Red riding hood, Jack & the beanstalk etc.

Found out to my cost after about 2 minutes that it is in fact a musical, which was bad enough but it's a musical with James Corden in it. I can't stand him anyway but singing?. Really?.

I was willing to grin & bear it because my wife likes musicals but even she gave up after about 20 minutes. I then read the awful reviews on IMDB and was re-assured that it wasn't just us that thought it was crap.

Don't bother. Really.

Hunger games: Mockingjay Part 2:

On a rare date-night we decided to watch this instead of Spectre. Bad decision.

Boring & anti-climactic. Some decent action sequences but for too long, very little happens. I haven't read the books but saw the "twist" coming a mile off.

4/10

James Bond: Quantum of Solace

I'd avoided this in the past due to poor reviews & with hopefully seeing Spectre soon, thought it was time to fill in the blanks.

For a Bond film it isn't that long and some of the action sequences are exciting. However, the film seems to be nothing but action sequences and often confusing, over-edited ones at that. I was relieved when each one finished but there was nothing in between. No story, no character development and then along came more shaky camera and cuts every half second and we were off again. At the end of it, I honestly couldn't say what the plot was.

Really, really poor. No wonder everyone thought Skyfall was so great, having followed that mess.

4/10

Exodus: Gods & Kings

Story of Moses leading the slaves out of Egypt, with plagues and parting of the Red Sea etc.

It looks great, as you would expect from a Ridley Scott film, with impressive scale to the locations, action sequences and visual effects but unfortunately they forgot to write a good script or have any interesting characters. A good cast (Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Christian Bale) was completely wasted.

5/10

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

More of the same from the first film but not quite as good. Dev Patel's character was just downright annoying in this one.

6/10

A Stock photo but mine looks just like this one. Traded in my BMW 1-Series last year for the KIA Optima. Much more practical for the family.

Insurgent

The second instalment of the franchise & not as good as the average first. Apparently it's nothing like the book - not that I'm ever going to read it but in case any of you lot have.

The factions are at war and the "divergent" ones are being hunted down as dangers to society. Just nowhere near entertaining enough and the whole implausible set up just seems totally ridiculous here. Kate Winslet hams it up quite well as the bleach blonde villain and there's a cameo by Naomi Watts but little else to recommend here. The third and last book is to be split into 2 more films (aren't they all!) and I don't think I'll bother with them.

4/10

What we did on holiday.

British comedy with David Tennant, Rosamund Pyke , Billy Connolly, Ben Miller. Written and directed by Andy Hamilton.

A family drive from daaaan saaaath for a family get-together in the highlands, where the kids start letting out their bickering parents' secrets and decide to do their own thing.

Starts off like a movie version of "Outnumbered" and then changes once they get to Scotland. Not laugh-out-loud funny very often but a good few chuckles and sometimes quite poignant.

7/10

Predestination

If you don't like Sci-fi or don't want to think after a movie then avoid this like it's got a Forest flag on it. 

Just finished it and wow. Any plot info would be a spoiler. Very clever. Very well paced, trust me. The first 30 mins seem to drag maybe a bit but it's all for good reason.

ill re-visit when the Bacardi has worn off but just now: 9/10 at least (and I don't give 10's)

Haunter

I wouldn't normally rate sort of low key films I end up watching when I'm bored on Amazon Prime but this one's an interesting ghostly thriller with a good twist on the normal fare. Not giving any spoilers but worth a look if you like that sort of thing.

7/10

Attack the Block

Low budget British comedy/horror in which a London youth gang kill a small alien which attacks one of them and then a load of bigger ones with big glowing teeth turn up.

I enjoyed it up to a point but it wasn't scary & though there were some bits to chuckle at, it wasn't really funny enough either. Worth a look. 

6.5/10

Began my wife's initiation into the world of 1980's John Hughes films the other night with:

The Breakfast Club

Just a classic. 9/10

Next up: Pretty in Pink maybe or Betsy's Wedding

Yes, I did used to have a crush on Molly Ringwald when I was about 15.

You have my sympathies. I remember a reviewer when the film came out, who said that at least if the world does end in 2012, then all of the copies of 2012 will be destroyed, so it's not all bad then.

Poltergeist (1982 Tobe Hooper / Steven Spielberg version)

With the release of the re-make it reminded me to re-watch this old favourite of mine that I've seen so many times but not for years and only on grainy VHS. Saw it on Blu-ray at the weekend and it's just as great as I remembered and all the better for being able to see a bit more detail. 

Great characters that you like and care about and some spooky bits. Some funny bits but not really scary (except maybe the "face" scene in the mirror) but still shocked it was originally released as PG in the States. It'd be a 15 now. Watching it with more mature eyes now I can see that it's just as much about Reagan era consumerism in the US, as it is about ghosts. 

Just a classic. 9/10 & only loses a point as one or two of the visual effects haven't aged that well.

I hope the re-make hasn't stamped all over it.

Interstellar.

Mixed reviews on here for this film previously but I loved it. Typical Christopher Nolan film which forces the audience to try and keep up with it and think a lot along the way, just like Inception. A film more about love and loss than about space & special effects. Very good indeed. 9/10.

​You read it right but I've read and heard a lot of people say that it was a stupid scene which partly spoiled a decent film. 

Gone Girl

Ben Affleck & Rosamund Pike in a thriller about a man caught up in a media frenzy when his wife goes missing on their 5th wedding anniversary. Story told partly in flashback.

Won't give away any twists but a cracking film & Pike in particular gives a fantastic performance. Well worth a watch.

9/10

Lucy

Scarlett Johansson accidentally takes a drug which gradually increases her cognitive abilities from the standard 10% of brain capacity for us normal folk and develops "abilities", whilst being pursued by asian drug dealers .  Morgan Freeman explains all the science stuff along the way.

An enjoyable switch-off-your-brain type romp. Don't take it seriously and you'll like it I reckon.

7/10

​I'd agree with the score. Saw it in 2D last night.

I think I prefer the first film. This one had too much robots just hitting each other and throwing each other through buildings etc & git a little bit tiring. Some good humour in there again.