This Is England

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Brilliant. Enjoyed it even more this time round. Guessing most of you would've seen it already but if you haven't definitely get onto checking it out.

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I just can't be fucked sometimes :D ...but I don't actively avoid films with subtitles like a lot of people seem too. I don't tend to put on a foreign these days if I just want to vege out and relax.

I got a lot more into the remake than the original for some reason. Don't think I was really in the mood when I watched it always meant to give it another spin. I just got more lost in the story watching the remake. Like you I preferred the remake's portrayal of Owen.

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Run Bitch Run

Another rape revenge movie. This one is pretty twisted ill give it that. The music really made the movie even better for me.

3/5

Totally forgot about this. Will have to check it out.

Its really not bad, if ya like that kind of exploitation movies you'll dig it

That twist was terrible and really predictable as were the others.

You're welcome. Glad you liked it.

Last one I watched was Arena, it was ok.

Predictable???

You must've read something about this movie before seeing it.

I knew nothing about it other than it had a pretty cool cover and you thought it sucked.

I agree 100%. Excellent film.

Actually no i didn't read anything about it before i saw it. They just made it really really obvious. I don't see how anyone wouldn't be able to figure it out.

The Debt
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I thought this would be more epic and dramatic but it just ended up as a typical espionage thriller/action movie. It's still a good movie, just not a great one. I had hopes for this and ultimately was disappointed.

I wasn't so disappointed but I just didn't get how some field agents could kept a lie...a big failure of a major assignment as a secret from an organization like Mossad for all those years...that's really silly and hard to believe.

His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009)

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>>: A-

"Chillerama" 5-6/10

I was certain this was directed by the same guy who was behind "Poultrygeist". Turns out it wasn't even a Troma. All the signs were there..

Didn't really find it funny untill the ending. THAT had me laughing. The busy dude looking at the camera saying, "... what?!!" :D

Yeah that definitely was stupid

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Excellent entertainer. Recommended.

* * * ½

This is not our typical mambo-jumbo heavy action packed spy thriller like 007, Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt stories. Directed by John Irvin, the 1979 BBC TV-miniseries is a highly gripping, sharp & dialog driven British espionage tale set on the backdrop of 50s & 60s cold war. The thing is a TV series allows much more time for the story & character development for such a sensitive story like this with a great amount of diversified characters & events. And BBC superbly utilized its running time through the creative hands of John Irvin where it seems they followed the original novel of John Le Carre almost word by word every detail; resulting a perfect adaptation, too good for TV. The cast assembles a bunch of such brilliant actors like Alec Guinness (as George Smiley), Ian Bannen, Joss Ackland, Patrick Stewart (cameo as Karla) & many more of that golden era all together into the fascinating 'A mole in the Circus' mystery.

After watching the 7 part miniseries I instantly downloaded & saw the very recent Film version of TTSS last night. Like following the rewarding footsteps of John Irvin's miniseries, Tomas Alfredson's 2011 film adaptation also comes with a great cast of respected contemporary actors like John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy & many more. Along with this great cast the 2nd grand thing about the movie is Tomas Alfredson's neat & stylish camera works & cinematography. But sadly I have to say that's the only few good things about the movie.

I'm not sure but perhaps it's because I saw the BBC's miniseries first where the story & the characters were very detailed & clear but I think for most of the viewers who haven't read the novel or seen the miniseries it'd be kind of hard to follow or enjoy the whole gem of the story. There was a clear rush to tell the story in the film where it was like either they cut or compressed the story, some of the characters have never got the space that they need, to build up the tension that was required for the mystery to unfold nicely. IMO: it'd be better if they made the film adaptation into 2 parts keeping the same cast except for the actor who played Tobe Esterhase (that was a miscast for the role).

And the thing that I missed most was the highly symbolic opening title credits of the miniseries that features Russian nesting dolls gradually revealing a doll more irate than the previous, with the final doll being faceless!

My suggestion: Watch the BBC miniseries or read the novel first before going to see the film. That will help you a lot to enjoy this fascinating espionage tale of tracking down a double agent in the top of British Secret service.

Soon I'll definitely download & check out Smiley's People, the 1982 BBC's sequel of TTSS!

>>: BBC Miniseries: A+

>>: The 2011 movie: B

Trollhunter on blu ray - loved it! Funny and scary with awesome monsters!

four stars ****

I'm Still Here (2010): The Joaquin Phoenix mockumentary... Don't really get why he got so much flack for this movie. It's a really solid comedy with a great concept and some really quality acting. Somewhere between a Christopher Guest mockumentary and something like Ali G or Borat, slow paced but plenty of laughs. Well worth a watch, really enjoyed it.

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Good stuff but a bit predicable.

The Runaways (2010)

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Second time watching it and it's still fantastic. Incredibly well-directed and acted biopic. Stewart and Fanning truly do a great job at being Jett and Currie respectively. Still shocking and disturbing how these young women were exploited and taken advantage of, but I think that this movie truly captures the mood and the blur of their experiences at the time.

Highly recommended if you haven't seen it yet. I really need to own this.

4.5/5.

Carnage (2011)

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>>: B

Real Steel (2011)

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>>: B+

Dogtooth (2009)

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>>: A-

the dorm that dripped blood (pranks)
humongous
nightmare (nightmares in a damaged brain)
the incredible melting man
zombie
mystery on monster island
panic button
maniac cop
frankenhooker
oasis of fear
pirates of the caribbean: on stranger tides
elvis
captain america
up from the depths
demon of paradise
the girl with the dragon tattoo
the girl who played with fire
the girl who kicked the hornets' nest
final destination 5
rare exports

The Fountain

Friday the 13th

Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy
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I had a little trouble following what was going on at first but as the movie went, i caught on and i loved it. I was transfixed to the screen anxiously awaiting to see who the mole was and loving the investigation. The performances in this movie are amazing and i definitely think the movie and Gary Oldman deserve an Academy Award Nomination.

Texas Killing Fields
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Some of the scenes fell flat and it was kind of a mess. One storyline goes completely uncompleted and the story as a whole wasnt very fluid. It was good seeing Sam Worthington play against type though. Ultimately it wasn't a bad movie but it could've been better.

I really need to see this-did you enjoy it? Amazingly I have the soundtrack (as Mogwai did it)but have never actually seen it.

I do enjoy it. Let me just say though, don't watch it if you're fucked up. It could mess with your head.

Yeah from what I've heard of it-it is pretty messed up-will wait till I'm in the right mood but added to "To watch" list.

The Innkeepers (2011)

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Good, solid, old-fashioned horror. Director Ti West, just as in 2009's House of the Devil takes his time to build his characters as well as the history of the haunted inn. What's interesting about this movie is that it definitely captures the feel of 70s/80s ghost movies (think Legend of Hell House); it's all about atmosphere and characters - You even have your iconic Seer Trope, played by the artful Kelly McGillis (Stakeland). Just as House of the Devil felt like a modern take of the 70s occult films, Innkeepers feels like a modern take on classic ghost stories. This is definitely a slow-burner, and not something for those with a short attention span.

It didn't have as much of an impact on me as House of the Devil did (which I think is one of the best horror movies of the 00's), but it's definitely a solid little film. The biggest thing it has going against it is that I had elevated expectations based on how much I adored House of the Devil. Regardless, like I said, it's solid. Didn't really blow my mind, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Tight direction. Fantastic acting. Some good scares (both real and false). And I actually cared about the characters. Check, check check, and check.

3.75/5.

Been looking forward to seeing The Innkeepers for awhile now. Will be giving it a watch tonight. Love the poster artwork and I'm keen to see how Ti West has progressed.

"Drive" 8/10

Can't say it's the best flick of 2011 i've sen coz... Insidious, of course.

But damn, what an odd movie. Not the story. The story was good. The acting was terrefic.

It was the feel. The pacing, Goslings character, the soundtrack. I guess the best word i can find for it would be... sedated.

If Scorsese had made "Drive" i'm sure it would have become an action flick. But with Refn i got a weird mix of drama, thriller with a bit of action here and there. But most of all it was a drama, to me. And to me the highlights of this movie was the driver together with the family next door. They were all just adorable and the chemistry between Gosling and Mulligan was wonderful. And the driver.. now there's a character you'll remember.



And the ending... PUSHER!!!! :D

I can :D

It blew me through the back wall of the theatre!

Dang, I already wanted to see this bigtime, but with your and Roshiq's great reviews, now I can't wait. Keen to see what you think of it, Elvis.

50/50 (2011)

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One of the Best (more of a drama than comedy) of 2011, IMO. A quite emotionally moving story. Recommended.

>>: A

MOH: Pick Me Up (2005)

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>>: B-

"The presence" 2/10

Ugh.. that's bad horror.

Must be the dullest character Shane West will ever get to play.

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"The Task" 7/10

Pretty good watch. Entertaining.

Immortals 4/10

Not much substance really, bad acting... other the other hand it did have some good death scenes.

'The Countess' It had a few creepy moments but not enough scares on the whole. Better as a historical drama than a horror movie but worth a watch. They did a good job with the dialouge, it's not too stilted or old sounding but it's not so modern as to be overly anachronistic.

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I haven't seen the original TV film of the 70s, so I sat down to watch this with a pretty open mind and no expectations. I am sure Del Toro's film is superior than the original technically and in production values, but something was missing. Like two stones striking each other with repeated sparks but failing to ignite a fire.

The premise was great, and perfect fodder for a remake (I can imagine how the original must be like). And the creature design was old school Del Toro as well (can see the Fairy impression carried over from Hellboy II).

But atmospheric horror films depend heavily on one important characteristic - the performance of it's lead actors. The girl was wooden and plain - even when she was scared and crying in Katie Holmes' arms it was a very unconvincing act, and somehow I didn't feel she was afraid enough. Guy Pearce literally sleepwalked through the entire film carrying just one expression - what the hell am I doing here?

The only performances of some semblance came from Katie Holmes (who outdid herself, IMO) and the guy who played the lead restorer (and falls victim). The rest of the cast was competent. Maybe that was why, even when the setting was so gothic, gloomy and dark, it just didn't have enough atmosphere. Even the background score failed to add anything to the proceedings.

A good potential wasted by nonchalant performances, IMO. Otherwise it could have been a nice little scarefest to watch after midnight.


Rated - * *