Daddy's Home 2

Ticket machines still out..


Sent from my iPhone

Jumanji : Welcome To The Jungle

Sent from my iPhone

Star Wars :The Last Jedi (2nd viewing)

2nd Viewing and an improvement over the midnight showing (probably down to me be slightly more alert). Also I think I've established what my problem is with the film. It's too much CGi.. The Force Awakens was also CGi heavy but they blended it in better the model work and animatronics.. This film seems more like Star Wars episodes 1-3 than 4-6.

That's a minor gripe, its still good.

****

Sent from my iPhone

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Round Two of tonight's outing..

It's 3 o'clock in the morning and I figured I might as well post a short review while I'm sat in the traffic trying to get out of Waitrose car park..
This film carries on pretty well straight after The Force Awakens. Ray's at Lukes place, Finns having his previous wounds attended to and Poe is still fighting the 1st Order..

When it comes to set pieces this film is full of 'em. At 2 hours 22 minutes I'd expect it.. There's humour and drama and the acting is perfectly fine. The special effects are outstanding (duh!?), but I think that may also be its problem.. This has all the ingredients that made The Force Awakens so watchable but for some reason it seems to lack something.. 

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it.. Just, not as much..

Still a cracking film though, and a well deserved ****. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (9th viewing)

First of tonight's double bill..
I could watch this 1000 times..

Sent from my iPhone

Blade Runner 2049 (6th viewing)

Is this the last time?
It may well be at Cineworld...

****1/2

Sent from my iPhone

Update 22/10/18
Going through my ticket stubbs (as you do) I've just noticed it's dated 12th July 2017..
3 Months before the film was released..

Bloody Cineworld..

Murder On The Orient Express

Finally got to see this one..
Yeah, it was alright..

Sent from my iPhone

Brigsby Bear

Here's another Screen Unseen (seriously, that was the ticket they gave me - Limitless playing up.. apparently)

Once again twitter had an inkling. I've given up trying to decipher the clues these days..

This one was Brigsby Bear. 

As iMDB once put it.. "Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself..."

This one was different.  Try to imagine if Jacob Tremblay's Jack hadn't escaped the Room and, instead been cared for by Mark Hamill and his wife.. and then escaped..

I enjoyed it.. There were moments I laughed out loud (sometimes on my own). And it was another packed screening..

***1/2

Sent from my iPhone

Justice League

Ok, the balls back in DC's court after Marvels excellent Thor:Ragnarok.... And to be fair there's no way they were going to come close to that one..

Which is a shame really. Nobody but hardened, sad Marvel fan boys want's to see DC fail. I don't want to waste two and a half hours of my life watching another Batman Vs Superman or Suicide Squad 

Luckily this was better.. Not sure wether it was down to Joss Whedon's influence, but the added humour definitely helped (it's a comic book movie after all)

Unfortunately, in the end all the best bits were in the trailer (aren't they always?)

Still, I've seen worse...

***1/2

Sent from my iPhone

Blade Runner (5th viewing)

Sent from my iPhone

Thor:Ragnarok (2nd viewing)

A Second viewing was inevitable..

****

Yep, it's still good.. And still funny.

Thor: Ragnarok

The latest in Marvel's Phase 4 (?) and the third in the Thor trilogy (try saying that without your teeth in!)
Ok, lets take a second and let uncle iMDB explain what the hell's going on..
"Imprisoned, the almighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization"

Don't you just love a Marvel movie? A Marvel movie directed by Taika Waititi is a sure fire hit.
This was hilarious from the start. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) made an excellent comedy duo. Plus there were fine performances from the supporting cast. Particularly the director himself, as the voice of Korg, a CGi rock person..

Yeah, I loved it.. **** without question..

Let's see it again..

Sent from my iPhone

The Florida Project

The thing is with Screen Unseen is that you've got to take the rough with the smooth..

This one was a particularly rough one.. File it along with Moonlight, Manchester By The Sea and Everybody Want's Some ..

Sure, critics love this sort of thing..  But if I want to see obnoxious brats being, well obnoxious I can hang around outside McDonalds on a Saturday afternoon..

Not for me this one.. **

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Death Day

Sent from my iPhone

Blade Runner 2049 3D (4th viewing)

It was either
A) 3D at 10.30am Cineworld or
B) IMAX again at 10.00am Odeon.
As I haven't seen it in 3D yet (plus an extra 1/2 hr in bed!) I went for option A..

To be honest the 3D wasn't a vast improvement and they still haven't fixed the light leak in screen 1..

Still a beautiful film.. ****1/2

The main question though is, Is this the last film with my Cineworld card?
Tickets are only £2.90 now and I'd need to see at least 7 a month if I'm going to make it worthwhile..

Sent from my iPhone

Geostorm 3D

Wow...

That was dreadful..

Almost Transformers dreadful..





*1/2

Sent from my iPhone

Bladerunner 2049 (3rd viewing)

Sent from my iPhone

The Death Of Stalin

Tonight's Screen Unseen was Armando Iannucci's hilliarious 'The Death Of Stalin'..
I had no idea it was going to be this..
Sent from my iPhone

Bladerunner 2049 (2nd viewing) IMAX

Like all good wines, they improve by drinking more..
And this one was definitely better second time..

Sent from my iPhone

Bladerunner 2049

OK, let's get the synopsis out of the way first.. Imdb do your thing..
"Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years."

I've been waiting for this one for a quite some time, whilst simultaneously trying (and failing) to avoid the hype.. And 2 3/4 hours later what did I think..?
The problem is, it was never going to meet my expectations. I'd set the bar waaaaaay too high. I didn't come out and immediately want to go back in and watch it again like I did with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" or "Gravity"...
That being said, the visual spectacle was outstanding. Plus the soundtrack and sound design really complemented the film well.. Infact the more I stew it over the more I enjoyed it..
I'm definitely going to catch it again this weekend in IMAX.
At the moment I'd rate it **** but give it a while and it might improve...
Sent from my iPhone

Kingsman:The Golden Circle

Ummm... It was ok. I know I've said this before, but it's not as good as the first one..

***

It

This was better than I anticipated..



****


Sent from my iPhone

Logan Lucky

That was funny.. and clever..
Which is what I've come to expect from Steven Soderbergh these days..

****

Sent from my iPhone

Detroit

That was a slow burner..


Sent from my iPhone

Wind River

Sent from my iPhone

The Hitmans Bodyguard

Tonight's filler..

Sent from my iPhone

The Dark Tower

Ummm..

Sent from my iPhone

Atomic Blonde

Not only was this film set in the eighties it could well have been made in the eighties too..

***1/2

Sent from my iPhone

Valerian and the city of a thousand planets

Luc Besson's latest attempt at Star Wars comes in the form of Valerian and the.... blah blah blah.. I've got to be honest, I wasn't 'The Fifth Element's biggest fan, and this one kind of had a similar effect.. 

I'll let IMDb fill you in.. "A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe."

Actually, to be fair, I don't think the future of the universe was really in jeopardy but you know how they like to make it sound worse than it is..

I'm a massive Sci-fi fan so this films got a head start before the logo's pop up.. But once again it's let down by a plot-by-numbers and a lame script. Plus the 'chemistry' between Dane Dahaan and Cara Delevigne was severely lacking, uncomfortable at times. They seemed to be trying too hard and it wasn't natural..(Oooo listen to Barry Norman!)

In Luc Besson's defence this film looks gorgeous. I think seeing it in 3D might have added an extra star. As it stands I can only really give it **1/2..

Sent from my iPhone

Dunkirk (Super Screen. Second viewing)

Another viewing with Graham and this was a disappointment..
Not the movie.. No, it was still excellent. But this presentation left a lot to be desired..

Firstly, it was too loud. I can tolerate excessive volume. If anything I enjoy it. Graham on the other hand...
Secondly, subtitles.. There was no mention of subtitles. I mentioned to a member of staff and she managed to turn them off.
Unfortunately though she couldn't fix the third problem, aspect ratio.. This is what pissed me off the most.  I paid extra for the Super Screen and it was about as super as a noodle.. Didn't even fit the whole screen.. Very disappointing..

We should have gone down the Bay and seen it in IMAX..

This is a major nail in the coffin of my Unlimited Card..


The film though is still a solid ****

Sent from my iPhone

Dunkirk

Phew! I've ran out of nails..

Here's Chris Nolans latest blockbuster and it's basically the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, seen from three different view points, a soldier on the beach, a pilot and an old man and is boat..

Ok, that's probably being a bit unfair.. I loved this film. If it has any flaws its the three stories are three different time zones and time periods which can be bit confusing initially.



Sent from my iPhone

The Big Sick

Sent from my iPhone

Despicable Me 3

Here's tonight's filler before the Screen Unseen..
Sent from my iPhone

Wonder Woman (2nd viewing)

Yay! Made it.

Second showing of Wonder Woman.. I've been trying to get this in since the first time.. Still a cracking film..

Sent from my iPhone

War For The Planet Of The Apes

Sent from my iPhone

Spider-man:Homecoming (2nd viewing)

Yep, I like this one..

Sent from my iPhone

Spider-man: Homecoming

Sent from my iPhone

Baby Driver (2nd viewing)

After a hearty Fry-up at Frankie and Benny's earlier I missed the 10.40 showing of Wonder Woman.
So instead, I opted for a second showing of Edgar Wrights current offering..

Still good.. though not as good as Scott Pilgrim.. And I don't know why..!?

Sent from my iPhone

Transformers 5.

....
Ok, let's take a few lines and try and get the plot out of the way first (said Michael Bay.. probably).
We start off in old England with the Knights of the round table (who dance where ever they're able) getting help from Merlin (Stanley Tucci) and some older Transformers. Cut to present day and Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) is floating though space and bumps into his home planet (or what's left of it). Meanwhile back on Earth Transformers are declared illegal and... I can't be arsed anymore (said Michael Bay.. probably).

Let's be honest I wasn't expecting a masterpiece.. I've seen all the previous incarnations and, with the exception of the first one they've all been dreadful .. This one though, was insulting.  The dialogue was as if someone had lobbed a 'cliche' hand grenade in to a room where 7000 screen writers were blindly stumbling through a mountain of dictionaries..
Granted, I appreciate this film is aimed at the Radio 1 crowd (0 to 8 year olds) and with this in mind you have to cater for their limited vocabulary. So why not make it a U certificate and be done with it.. Take out the 'oo er' mrs jokes and tone down the mild violence..

*

Sent from my iPhone

Baby Driver

This, along with Mindhorn is another Screen Unseen that I was actually looking forward too.

And it didn't disappoint.

Here's my mate iMDB to give you a brief synopsis.. "After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail."

Ansel Elgort plays 'Baby', the young getaway driver in question and also there's an outstanding supporting cast, consisting of Jon Bernthal, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Lily James to name but a few..

The film is everything I’ve come to expect from Edgar Wright. The pace and editing are outstanding, and the soundtrack that is just… well, awesome.. (I’ve already purchased Hocus-Pocus by Focus).

Although despite all my praise for this film when it ended my initial feelings were that I was underwhelmed.. I think it was down to 'over hype' which always has a negative affect on a movie (see Dark Knight Rises)


That being said, the film stayed with me long after I'd left the screen and I found myself going over it and re-analyzing (plus buying the soundtrack - see above)

Sent from my iPhone

The Mummy

That was everything I expected it to be.. My problem is I watch too many trailers..

Sent from my iPhone

Baywatch (2nd viewing)

I know what you're thinking.. Why have you seen it again when you only rated it 3 stars..?

Well, I had a day off and Liz was keen.. And when Liz shows interest in a movie I HAVE to go.. It's the law..

Sent from my iPhone

Wonder Woman

As DC movies go that was pretty good..

Sent from my iPhone

Baywatch

Well this evenings 'filler' and the last movie of May turned out to be mildly entertaining..
As IMDb would say... "
Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan butts heads with a brash new recruit. Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay."

This film didn't quite make the '6 laugh' test. So you could argue that it's not a comedy.. That being said, they clearly didn't take themselves seriously. I think It was aiming for a similar tone to 21 & 22 Jump Street but, unfortunately fell way short of those ffilms . This was mainly down to the script.. Some of the 'jokes' were way off and reminded me of early American Pie..
That being said I've seen worse films claiming to be 'comedies'.
It kept me amused while I waited for Wonder Woman...
***
Sent from my iPhone

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge

Ah yes, another Pirates movie (and I don't mean an Aardman production.. unfortunately)
It's a follow up to 2011's Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which was an equally forgettable film..
These films seem to suffer the same problem as the Transformers movies. They're just boring. The same idea re-packaged again and again..

**1/2
Sent from my iPhone

Colossal

That did not go as I expected... In a good way..

I remember seeing the trailer for this ages ago, and thinking "that looks interesting". As it turns out, it was. Ok iMDB, do y'thing..
"Gloria(Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl forced to leave her life in New York City, and move back home. When reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, she gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this phenomenon."

This was an odd film. On the one hand it was (almost) a romantic comedy, and on the other it was Pacific Rim.. Jason Sudeikis performance as Oscar really caught me off guard too.
These 'quirks' are what make this movie memorable and stand out from the likes of King Arthur..

I enjoyed it.. **** movie..
Sent from my iPhone

King Arthur

Ummm... yeah...

Sent from my iPhone

Alien:Covenant

The third and final film of tonight's Movie Marathon...




Sent from my iPhone

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 3D (2nd viewing)

Sent from my iPhone

Sleepless

There are several ways I could some up this movie..

Review-less.. Definitely
Pointless.. Yep, pretty well.

**..

Sent from my iPhone