What is The Last Movie You Watched?

[Stavros]

taken together, because it is just regular and had no moment of tremendous interest for me, I had to take issue with the science because the rest of the movie did not distract me. take for example, inception. as a neurologist, i shudder to think about how much someone was paid to write the "science" of inception but the actual story was compelling enough that i never even thought of the inaccuracies while watching it the first time...i found inception thoroughly entertaining. the martian on the other hand, didn't do that for me. movies are cheap fun...a few bucks for ~2 hrs of entertainment...so where someone can suspend disbelief, the movie is worth seeing, but all i am saying is do not expect the story to be extraordinary because it isn't.

I was not impressed with Inception, I lost interest in the film about half-way through and for all its remarkable visuals there wasn't much at its centre; and The Martian was not 'a few bucks' as it cost extra to see a film in 3D and so it cost me £11 or about $17.

[Stavros]

Macbeth (Justin Kurzel, 2015)
There cannot be a more beautifully photographed version of this play, from the blasted heath filmed in winter on the bleak north of the Isle of Skye, to the golden sands of Bamburgh Castle in Nothumberland, and the production exudes a rugged, primitive Scotland of candlelight and mist. It is hard to pin down quite what the director's focus is on this play. It twice hints at a childless couple seeking compensation for their lack of issue by taking the issues of others, with the as expected over-confident reliance on the predictions of the witches; but the struggle for the crown of Scotland also takes its place in the play while the more intriguing idea that Macbeth is about sexuality and the masculinity (challenged) of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is not explored. In spite of its sumptuous photography, the main problem is that the tone and pace of the film are the same from start to finish, and the actors do not speak so much as drone, to match the droning score composed by the director. This also makes many lines hard to understand, an aggravation in Shakespeare where the unfamiliar to common speech makes this an experience really for those who already know the play, though those who don't may be inspired to find out more. Michael Fassbender drones well, Marion Cotillard, though stunning to look at, never really gets inside this complex woman and is not given much chance to develop as a character. The film is a treasure to look at and should do wonders for the Isle of Skye's tourist industry (although I doubt that it needs it as one of the more famous islands with some outstanding Malt whisky to boot), but if you want a version of Macbeth that encapsulates the play and pivots with intense drama around Macbeth and wife, I recommend Akira Kurosawa's Japanese version usually translated into English as Throne of Blood (1957) although the literal translation is The Castle of the Spider's Web.
The fight scenes are outstanding compared to the fight scenes in other films.

[maxpower]

I was not impressed with Inception, I lost interest in the film about half-way through and for all its remarkable visuals there wasn't much at its centre; and The Martian was not 'a few bucks' as it cost extra to see a film in 3D and so it cost me £11 or about $17.

I have to say that I'm surprised that you seem to have hopped onto the 3-D bandwagon. I would have guessed that you would consider it to be unnecessary gimmickry.

[Stavros]

I have to say that I'm surprised that you seem to have hopped onto the 3-D bandwagon. I would have guessed that you would consider it to be unnecessary gimmickry.

Having seen those terrible 3D flicks in the past with the plastic glasses yes, I was a sceptic, but modern technology has taken film to new and exciting levels, so I am more or less a convert, as some films only seem to really use 3D for 30% of the film. I love films and have done all my life, and I can be a terrible snob about it as a genre, but I do like to be entertained so I now welcome 3D as long as it does really enhance the experience of watching a film. The Martian is not a great film, but it is great entertainment. If I want depth, I always have Ozu, Bergman and Tarkovski to watch.

[Stavros]

The Walk opens in the UK this weekend. I saw the trailers in the cinema and I can see that it looks well filmed, though I am not sure about the French accent of the lead actor, and there was a documentary Man on Wire about Petit's 1974 stunt. My problem is that I can't not see the Twin Towers without thinking about 9/11 and their fate and a film about a man who if he failed would have fallen evokes images we have seen but would rather forget, if that were possible. Maybe I am making too much of it but I feel morally uneasy about this now and won't be going to see it.

[Laphroaig]

Rock of Ages



Ok, this isn’t a new, nor by any stretch of the imagination a good film. However, no film that opens to the tune of “Paradise City” can be all bad… Having just watched it on DVD, I have a confession to make. I saw it at the cinema when it was released (and whisper it, I did sing along).

Tom Cruise makes a decent fist of playing Stacee Jaxx (an Axl Rose clone).



Russell Brand is his usual annoying self but the scene where he and Alec Baldwin realise they are both gay is hilarious.



The two lead actors, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta are unknowns and likely to remain that way. To be honest, unless you were brought up on 80’s music like me there’s little to recommend this musical. However, if you want to relive your youth with a soundtrack from the likes of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Guns n’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Warrant, Foreigner, etc…then rock on…



…and then there was this scene which was inexplicably cut from the cinema version.

[bluesoul]

was part of a test audience for this film @ universal studios. quite possibly the dumbest mockumentary i've ever watched (too self reflective and aware of itself and relies heavily on how much you follow and like pop culture). there are a couple of good jokes (and music) but the story moved too fast and at one point kinda loses the whole "mockumentary" thing. comes out june 2016. btw: have you heard of the lonely island? i hadn't until i watched this. i guess they're popular (or semi popular).

after the film i met this absolutely gorgeous brunette who also works in the industry. about 5"4, petite with strawberry red lips and a classic figure (think anna karina or leslie caron or michelle hicks in the late 90s). i got her number and seeing her tonight for dinner; no movie. i'm very nervous. souhaitez-moi bonne chance

[Jimmy W]

THE MARTIAN. Stavros, I have only seen the trailers for this and it seems to me like a film that is way too heavy on 'tag lines' "Im gonna have to science the shit out this...in your face Neil Armstrong.....Im the best botanist on this planet....Im still alive...obviously..and the crew coming up with all kinds of cool ways to say...we screw up - we die" Seems to me like a movie Will Smith said NO to. I'll see it next week in non -3D but is my initial impression correct?

[Stavros]

THE MARTIAN. Stavros, I have only seen the trailers for this and it seems to me like a film that is way too heavy on 'tag lines' "Im gonna have to science the shit out this...in your face Neil Armstrong.....Im the best botanist on this planet....Im still alive...obviously..and the crew coming up with all kinds of cool ways to say...we screw up - we die" Seems to me like a movie Will Smith said NO to. I'll see it next week in non -3D but is my initial impression correct?

If you know enough about science to know that a certain gadget hasn't been invented, or that the physics of space travel in the film are impossible, you may be disappointed, even dismissive. This is not one of Scott's 'complex' or 'profound' films, it is just a feel-good entertainment based on a novel in which I believe there is more successful humour than is found in the book. It is well made, but don't complain to me if you hate/hated it.

[Jimmy W]

Thanks for the reply and the review.