Rate the last film you watched (4)..

[Mo34]

Originally Posted by Boy

Although the first post is saying that anyone can join anytime

I can't say I went all they way back to the first post.
I didn't feel the thread was stopping anyone from posting/joining in, it was more to do with my own anxieties I suppose.

I often can't stay signed in on this site, it loves to sign me out, although other times like today it's fine. When signed out the study doesn't show up when I view the main forum page. Hence why I forget it exists a lot.

[Mo34]

Born Innocent 6/10

Couldn't sleep so watched this last night. Not bad for a 1970's TV movie.

[Generation Erm]

Tusk
you tread a fine line when you mix disturbing with funny cos it was disturbing but it was also kinda funny. On balance i'd say it was more disturbing than funny. I didn't recognise johnny depp playing the quebec detective until the end credits but to fair he was wearing a disguise 5/10
The Equalizer
This was just like the orginal with edward woodward except he's black in this and its a lot more slick 6/10

[Carmine]

Spirited Away (animation by Ghibli Studio) 9/10

[Azi]

^ Beautiful film, that.

World War Z 7/10

Pretty good; better than I expected, tbh.

[Carmine]

That was cool

[Indigo_]

^^ I was pretty impressed with World War Z too

[Z.]

[Indigo_]

^ I love the honest trailers

Can't have a zombie movie without accidental noises

[Azi]

Her 4/10

Gawd, it really wasn't my kind of film. I want a plot, a proper plot, not just an arty 'study' of human connection. Meh.

"This is the art of the hipster, which is to say that there is a lot of style, but the substance is missing."

This, so much this. It's why it kept reminding me of American Hustle! It's just so ... flimsy.

[Indigo_]

Originally Posted by Azi

Her 4/10

Gawd, it really wasn't my kind of film. I want a plot, a proper plot, not just an arty 'study' of human connection. Meh.

"This is the art of the hipster, which is to say that there is a lot of style, but the substance is missing."

This, so much this. It's why it kept reminding me of American Hustle! It's just so ... flimsy.

I watched this earlier this week and quite enjoyed it. Parts of it were bizarre but I liked the whole concept of the film

[Tembo]

Dead Poet's Society 7/10.

A good film I thought. I didn't think I'd enjoy it, as I'm not exactly a big fan of poetry, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Robin Williams' performance was great, and of course many of the younger actors.

Although there was one aspect I found laughable - that the teachers and parents were incredibly angry that the students were taking part in a secret poetry society, and acting in plays (yeah, it certainly wasn't like my secondary school ). These days parents worry that their children are taking drugs, getting drunk, having underage sex, or attending illegal raves. I'm sure parents today would be thrilled if their children were taking part in such highbrow activities! How times have changed haha. Then again, this film is set at a posh school in 1950s repressed conservative America.....

[Azi]

Originally Posted by DefyingGravity

I watched this earlier this week and quite enjoyed it. Parts of it were bizarre but I liked the whole concept of the film

Horses for courses, innit? I did find a few bits funny, but for the most part I was waiting for the story to happen.

[Indigo_]

^ I'll agree that it did kind of plod along at a pretty slow-ish pace. I just found it really relevant with regards to how we use technology. You've only got to sit on a crowded train during rush-hour to see that we spend more time staring at screens than we do interacting face-to-face. Not that I'm suggesting we just start chatting to strangers on trains

[Azi]

Are you sure? Chatting to randomers on the train sounds fun! Nah, I think that's why I disliked the film - it had so much potential to tell a really engaging story, and in some ways it did beautifully capture post-modern alienation and connection. I just think you best get to explore ideas and get inside characters through a strong narrative. It's like, po-mo, arty-farty 'soundscapes' can be okay in the right context, but generally speaking people choose to listen to something with more structure, more drive. It's more satisfying, I think, to have moments of suspense and release.

[Indigo_]

^It did stay at pretty much one level throughout the entirety of the film I guess.

It wouldn't be something that I would usually watch but I saw the trailer a few weeks back and thought I'd give it a go. I'm much more of a thriller/sci-fi girl myself

[Azi]

Hehe, me too, tbh.

[timmyb]

Frozen 9/10

Just watched this for the first time (I'm always the last). Loved it, beautiful animation and great story. I'll knock off one point for the predictably happy ending.
I found myself identifying strongly with Elsa especially when she sings 'let it go'. Her predicament has some correlation with SA I think.

[Mortigantoj]

^ Do you wanna build a snowman...?

[[Martin]]

A Cookie Cutter Christmas - Um, it's a Hallmark Channel film Probably complete rubbish, but I always watch these things after a few drinks so they seem great at the time

[TTSP]

Originally Posted by Azi

Her 4/10

Gawd, it really wasn't my kind of film. I want a plot, a proper plot, not just an arty 'study' of human connection. Meh.

"This is the art of the hipster, which is to say that there is a lot of style, but the substance is missing."

This, so much this. It's why it kept reminding me of American Hustle! It's just so ... flimsy.

Completely disagree. Her has a plot, a very simple one, of a lonely introvert yearning for a connection and who finds one in a sentient operating system. But the OS eventually breaks the confines of its design and reaches a level of supreme consciousness that transcends love, or atleast what we understand to be love.

I'd probably say it was more a character study more than anything else, and I find it quite absurd that you imply that makes it less of a film, or less enjoyable. Some of the best films ever made were essentially 'character study' films. Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane to name a few.

I tend to avoid film critics as they're nothing more than jumped up film buffs only with a platform to be heard by many, and it's hard to find one who has the same taste in film, or one who isn't concerned more with the 'clickability' of his article titles than the merit of his opinion, whether it actually is his honest opinion. After reading a few paragraphs of that article you linked my assertion regarding most film critics has been reaffirmed as I found that to be such a pretentious film 'review' with a poorly constructed argument desperately attempting to support the provocative article title.

However, I do think you're close to the money with your "artsy" comment. It is not your conventional film and some might even try and label it 'arthouse'. I do think that the film was wholy misrepresented in its threatrical trailers. Another example of the production companies warping the essence of a film in the threatrical trailer to attract as much of the mainstream cinema-going crowd as possible.

Anyway, opinions - who'd 'av 'em?!

[Azi]

It was less enjoyable to me because of its lack of (substantial) plot. Character studies can be done well though again, I think you best get to understand characters not by watching them gazing moodily into the middle distance like in a Brian Cox documentary but by putting them through experiences which demonstrate who they are. I guess existential wangst just for the sake of it is all just a bit emo dressed up as intellect for my liking.

But again, horses for courses. Ymmv etc.

[TTSP]

Originally Posted by Azi

It was less enjoyable to me because of its lack of (substantial) plot. Character studies can be done well though again, I think you best get to understand characters not by watching them gazing moodily into the middle distance like in a Brian Cox documentary but by putting them through experiences which demonstrate who they are. I guess existential wangst just for the sake of it is all just a bit emo dressed up as intellect for my liking.

But again, horses for courses. Ymmv etc.

But the plots of character study films are almost always overshadowed by the focus on the protagonist so to say a character study film lacked a plot is abit odd. What you may call 'characters just staring into the distance' others may think of as subtext, as not every character study film has to be so blatant as to show endless scenes of the protagonist reacting to action to get its point across. Your last sentence really is quite telling. God forbid - a film that wanted to engage with societal issues, existentialism and the concept of love?! How whiny, pointless and pretentious!

Like you said though, each to their own.

[Z.]

I thought Her was fantastic. Like TTSP said, it was a character study, and so it wasn't necessarily meant to follow the typical movie structure. It was a profound experience, in my opinion. I got lost in it completely.

^ I think a lot of people are put off by movie critics, precisely because they say things like what the critic said who Azi quoted. But despite the pretentiousness (and the prejudice and bigotry towards hipsters), of many critics, a lot of critics don't have those qualities, and can offer a unique and interesting take on a film. Roger Ebert comes to mind. I really like Mark Kermode as well (and not just because of his incredible quiff).

But that quiff is incredible. You can't deny it.

The only bad thing about Her is the notable absence of a quiff.

[Indigo_]

^and the absence of chest hair?

[TTSP]

Originally Posted by Kley

I thought Her was fantastic. Like TTSP said, it was a character study, and so it wasn't necessarily meant to follow the typical movie structure. It was a profound experience, in my opinion. I got lost in it completely.

^ I think a lot of people are put off by movie critics, precisely because they say things like what the critic said who Azi quoted. But despite the pretentiousness (and the prejudice and bigotry towards hipsters), of many critics, a lot of critics don't have those qualities, and can offer a unique and interesting take on a film. Roger Ebert comes to mind. I really like Mark Kermode as well (and not just because of his incredible quiff).

But that quiff is incredible. You can't deny it.

The only bad thing about Her is the notable absence of a quiff.

Oh Ebert! There have been times when I've been so worked up over a film that I want to talk to someone about it but because of SA and having no one at hand, I resorted to reading what other people have thought, and in the moment of need Ebert was there for me. He had such insight into film, not only through his long-standing career as a film critic but through his experience as a screenwriter too. I may be romanticising a little, but his work read sincere, it didn't feel like his reviews were pandering to a certain crowd but instead were his own considered opinions.

Mark Kermode is worthy for his quiff alone but also for his brutal and funny put-downs of quite poor films.

[Z.]

Originally Posted by DefyingGravity

^and the absence of chest hair?

Nev should be in every film showing off his chest hair, just to improve the film significantly.

[Indigo_]

^I'm sure we could find a scene in most films where it would be appropriate

[Z.]

Originally Posted by DefyingGravity

^I'm sure we could find a scene in most films where it would be appropriate

Even when it isn't appropriate, he should still make an appearance. On Lord of the Rings, during the Helms Deep battle, he should have rode down with Gandalf, completely topless on horseback to confront the Uruk Hais.

[Indigo_]

^I was just thinking that he may have been able to save Jack who was clinging to life at the end of Titanic. He could have kept him warm (since Rose obviously didn't bother).