What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Rik]

Saw the Led Zeppelin film? Celebration Day at the cinema last night. Really enjoyed it, I'd already seen some of the footage on youtube so it wasn't entirely new to me. They played really well, especially Jason Bonham who although never going to fill the space left by his late father, really fit in well with Page, Plant and the always excellent Jones and didn't seem like a session drummer at all, even taking backing vocals duties on some songs, Misty Mountain Hop being the best example. I originally thought that Plant would seem like he was just going through the motions, but this wasn't the case at all, he really got into it and looked as though he enjoyed himself (as did the rest of them).
Unfortunately for the first 2 or 3 songs it wasn't loud enough, due to the cinema itself and not the film I expect, but this was soon rectified and the rest of the show was as it should be. The only thing that annoyed me was how loud Page's guitar was during No Quarter because it really did drown out Jonesy's excellent keyboard workout, and his solo in Stairway was far too short!
Overall, a great gig and I'm looking forward to the Blu Ray/CD release in a months time

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by PaulD

Paranormal Activity 4 - AKA The Film That Made Me Give Up On The Multiplex. Admittedly a film like this attracts a certain audience but never have I been in the company of such low attention span, popcorn-rustling, talking-and-texting simpletons in my life. During the first minute's obligatory introductory backstory featuting Katie from the original film one person actually said, with no trace of irony, "huh...isn't this just the first one?". Sigh.

Anyway, the film itself. If you've seen the others you'll know what to expect. Long lingering shots of people sleeping, people recording things for no apparent reason whatsoever in the first act, the typical jump scares (this time round the family have a cat so, y'know) and a (sort of) twist which renders the previous 80 minutes fairly nonsensical and raises more questions than it answers, all captured through modern technology like iPhones, webcams and the XBox's Kinect (no, really). The film does nothing at all to further the story of the previous films and once the credits roll you'll feel nothing but a huge sense of disappointment. Avoid at all costs.

Paul, a question if I may? I was thinking of seeing this today. I've seen the others and yes, I'm a glutton for punishment, but despite their derivative nature I do find they have their moments.

How does it compare to the others? As I loved the first, hated the second, but - surprisingly - really enjoyed the third (and many reviews echo that, saying this one is about on par with the third). What did you think of the previous films in the series and would you agree?

[PaulD]

Originally Posted by Delirium

Paul, a question if I may? I was thinking of seeing this today. I've seen the others and yes, I'm a glutton for punishment, but despite their derivative nature I do find they have their moments.

How does it compare to the others? As I loved the first, hated the second, but - surprisingly - really enjoyed the third (and many reviews echo that, saying this one is about on par with the third). What did you think of the previous films in the series and would you agree?

I really liked the first 2, thought the third was ok but was annoyed it didn't delve into things we'd heard about (the house burning down etc). I thought the 4th didn't add anything at all to the story and only complicated it further and didn't find it as tense or scary as the others. My girlfriend who enjoyed the previous 3 also found it incredibly lacking and disappointing.

You probably just need to see it to decide for yourself though

[Rik]

Just finished watching The Blair Witch Project UK, er I mean A Night in the Woods Nothing really new, as "found footage" films are all over the place at the minute, but I did enjoy it and certain parts did actually make me jump, a rare occurrence these days it seems. Basically it's a film about 3 20 something's camping out in the woods on Dartmoor, two of which are in a relationship and the other is a "friend" of the girl, Kerry. Cue lots of shouting and paranoid jealousy, some Blair Witch style tent shaking, running through the woods screaming and a WTF ending, spoilt somewhat by the use of music over the end credits, silence would have worked better here IMO.
It also contains a scene that will make you think the film makers forgot about the style of film they were shooting, I won't give it away just in case you want to check this out for yourselves.
I recommend seeing this, however I wouldn't say it is worth a blind buy (my copy was a comp prize)

[Daemonia]

Originally Posted by Demdike

Agree with you about Day of the Outlaw, very good.

As for another western set in snow - Jeremiah Johnson is outstanding. I'd never seen it until around four years ago, but now its one of my favourite westerns.

Keoma is another good one set in the snowy wastelands of the wild west and one of the greatest Spaghetti Westerns IMO.

[Beyond72]

For a few dollars more

King of Comedy - Never gets any easier to watch, so cringeworthy at times, brings back painful memories of some of my job interviews

[Rik]

Universal Monsters Blu Ray set disc #4-The Invisible Man(1933). Once again another stunning looking transfer for a film of it's age, really enjoying revisiting these classics in HD, 4 more films to go before I go back and dive into the special features.

[James Morton]

Originally Posted by Beyond72

For a few dollars more

King of Comedy - Never gets any easier to watch, so cringeworthy at times, brings back painful memories of some of my job interviews

i have never likd Scorcese's film
unfunny and overrated

[Beyond72]

Originally Posted by James Morton

i have never likd Scorcese's film
unfunny and overrated

Never really struck me as a popular enough film to be classed overrated, at least on forums when Scorcese's work comes up, in my experience. I wouldn't say it's that funny either for the most part, as I find it a difficult watch, even more so than Taxi Driver!
Also, it's kind of ironic that I'm not a fan of De Niro's later comedy roles.

[PaulD]

Watched James Whale's Frankenstein. Absolutely fantastic stuff. Would have loved to have been around when it first came out to see the reactions and impact it had. Stunning transfer too; amazing that a film 80 years old can look so good. Can't wait to get further into the boxset.