What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Thanks for the review on Indy, J, but i'm not reading it. I intend to go into it cold, same with the new MI film when i watch them at Christmas.

I don't even know who is in Dial of Destiny, nor do i know what a dial of destiny is.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Thanks for the review on Indy, J, but i'm not reading it. I intend to go into it cold, same with the new MI film when i watch them at Christmas.



I don't even know who is in Dial of Destiny, nor do i know what a dial of destiny is.

I've endeavoured to avoid spoilers Dem but totally get you not wanting to read it. I've avoided reading much myself so as to go in cold. Sadly I came out cold too.

[davcol]

This Indiana Jones film is going to lose a lot of money. I have a lot of time for the first three films. Raiders was the first video tape our house rented, Temple was my first visit to a cinema when i was 6.
The point is im now 45 and have no wish to see an oap version of Indy alone and miserable. I have heard others of my generation saying the same thing. Who was this film made for? Young people are more interested in social media, Middle aged people will just rewatch the original trilogy. It is a film without an audience.

[J Harker]

I have no problem seeing Indy at the twilight of his career. I actually respect that aspect. Sadly it didn't work out for me.
That said I do get your point though. My son is 12 and the original films might as well be black and white as far as he's concerned as they're so old.

[gag]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. James Mangold. 2023.

So then...how do I do this...
It's been 12 years since Indy's last adventure. He's now old and alone and miserable, an ageing professor on the verge of retirement in a world that has moved on and no longer cares. Man has just landed on the moon, Hitler is a fading memory for many and dusty old museums hold little interest for the world. Into his life wanders Helena Shaw, affectionately known to Jones as Wombat. Daughter of old colleague Basil Shaw, a deceased friend who was driven mad trying to solve the mystery of Archimedes Dial, also known as the Antikythera. An ancient mechanical device millenia ahead of its time.
It doesn't take long for bad guys also on the trail of the ancient divice and its mysteries to catch up to Indy and Helena and so the globe trotting adventure begins.

Now, like most fans I'm sure, I approached this film with trepidation. I was given hope the other day when I read on here that it was better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I adore Crystal Skull, I actually consider it superior to Indy's second outing The Temple of Doom. However I have to sadly disagree when it comes to Dial of Destiny, it simply isn't in the same league as Crystal Skull or any of Spielbergs classics.
It's a frustrating film as there is a lot done right. I actually came from the cinema having enjoyed it, and yet I find myself thinking of what was wrong instead of what was right.
Firstly, Indiana Jones is old. Proper old, he is portrayed as an elderly version of the character with no pretence otherwise. I admire this brave decision a lot. Granted I hope to goodness I'm that fit when I'm 80 odd. Despite inevitable criticism the de-aging effects are very well done, sadly the rest of the copious CGI isn't so great and it shamefully descends into video game effects at a few points.
Helena played by Phoebe Waller Bridge is frankly an annoyance. An unsympathetic cold cynical character with no real charm at all. The plot, I won't go into deeply but it just goes too far for my liking. Spielberg films always kept it on the grounded side of fantasy, just just out there in the realm of 'what if?' Dial of Destiny leaves no mystery, its just too in your face, too brazen, too...well too heartless. It breaks my heart but while not an awful film, it's a big shameless cash cow that Disney have made just because they can. It's as fake as some of its ropey effects. Mads Mikelson should have made a perfect villain, but he's just not used. He has a henchman, a huge lumping 7 foot beast of a man, now I know we can't have a proper punch up Raiders style with Ford playing his age, so at least we could come up with a brains over brawn way of dealing with this baddy....yeah? Surely?
I came out of the cinema thinking I'd enjoyed it to a reasonable degree. Yet i can't find much but fault at this stage.


Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

That's the problem with a lot of films today there just more of a cash in and milking a franchise, year's ago 70/80s they barely went past a trilogy now they just keep churning them out, so many films have 5 6 or more to their name, problem is once you've gone so far the charm and excitement have slowly disapeared and they might be enjoyable films but they lack passion and sometimes souless compared to the original films, and in some cases have nothing to say or add to the franchise and they just end up existing for existence sake.

[MrBarlow]

Beckett. 2023.

John David Washington plays a American tourist in Greece with his girlfriend, when they get into a accident Beckett becomes a target of assassination by government officials.

This was a blind watch and had no idea what I was getting into, the use of the Greek area is brilliantly done by using main cities and country areas. What starts off as a normal holiday turns into a nightmare when things slowly unravel as a man was meant to have seen nothing but uncovers a political conspiracy and kidnapping. The film does take some time to getting into the main focus of the plot and at times does have some good tense moments but for me the ending could have been a bit better rather relying on the motion of survival guilt may be.

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[nicholasrope]

No Mercy

Detective Richard Gere's partner is murdered by a Crime Lord, so he goes to New Orleans to get revenge and whilst doing that, he ends up having an affair with Kim Bassinger and is hunted in the swamp by the crime lord and henchmen. Having a look at the cover, I thought it would be a Action Packed Movie but it's more slower than that and can't help that it didn't suit Gere. Maybe if Schwarzenegger didn't do Raw Deal.

Robotrix

Hong Kong CAT III Movie which sees a mad Robotics Engineer put his mind into a Android and start attacking women therefore a dead Cop is turned into a Android to combat him. It's ok, some decent Action scenes and a bit of humor where a woman Android goes undercover as a Hooker and has a huge queue.

Bedroom Window

Steve Guttenberg is having an affair with Isabelle Hubert but she witnesses an Assault through a Bedroom Window but in order to cover, he takes her place as the Witness but things don't go as planned and he ends up as the Main Suspect. Helping him is the woman who was being Assaulted who wants revenge.

This was shown on Talking Pictures and I quite enjoyed it. I think it helps that Guttenberg is usually not in these roles and his goofiness adds to his character.

Crocodile Dundee

Paul Hogan is the titular Character as the Outback Crocodile Hunter who is the basis of a story from a New York Reporter. After showing her around, she brings him back to new York where he's certainly a Fish Out Of Water.

This was enjoyable with Hogan oozing charm and Linda Kozlowski holds her own (And looks pretty hot) I also didn't realize until recently what a phenomenon this Film was and that it got 20 million viewers when it had it's Network TV Premier on BBC 1 at 18:10 on Christmas Day in 1989. (I looked it up) sure it got an edited version though.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Child's Play (1988)

The first film of the long running series sees Good Guy doll Chucky, possessed by the spirit of serial killer Brad Dourif, terrorise a mother and her son in their apartment.

For an introduction it's a fun film. Entertaining but i guess formulaic but it's a formula created by this series so it's difficult to be critical. It's not particularly scary nor suspenseful but it is enjoyably entertaining.

Amusingly Fright Night's Chris Sarandon has gone in two years from chasing kids round a mansion as a vampire to being chased round an apartment as a cop by a doll.

[MrBarlow]

Extraction. 2020.

After watching some disappointing B grade action flicks this one was a nice surprise to watch. Chris Hemsworth plays a gun for hire Merc who is to seek a kidnapped son of a drug lord in Mumbai. What makes the film stand out that its directed by a stuntman/stunt co-ordinator Sam Hargrave who in corporates some of his style of work in the film especially with a decent car chase, great choreographed fight scene in a packed out street while everyone watches and a brilliant action/shoot out scenes especially towards the end on a bridge.

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[MrBarlow]

Extraction 2. 2023.

Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake who is barely surviving after Bangladesh is approached by Idris Elba to rescue a woman and her two children from a prison who were put there by her druglord kingpin husband, only downside she is Tyler's sister in law. Sam Hargrave returns as the director for this and has added in more action sequences, decent fights and creative ways of killings. The cinematography is done decently and Hargrave did add in a continuous fight scene within the prison that just as a viewer gets your adrenaline up and pumping. A sequel that's on par with the previous film or better.

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