- Awards
- 7
We have just watched Greenland on Amazon Prime. Was ok- disaster/Armageddon movie with Gerard Butler- nothing special though 
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What was the last film you watched?
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
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- Awards
- 44
Well... I watched it last night...
Rogue (2007)
In which A Place To Call Home's Prudence Swanson is married to the bloke that lived next door to Elena, Duchess Of Branagh in Bed Of Roses.
As I said, I did wade into this one with low expectations. And it turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. Far more than it has a right to be. I'm so glad I watched this after the dire Freshwater.
Despite the poster and the action-heavy trailer, I was pleasantly surprised that the film really took its time and racked up the tension and the stakes. The first act in particular was great with the stunning Northern Territory scenery beautifully shot. The flare as the first real sign of danger seemed to break all the rules. Not only was it barely discernible in the bright daylight, it's very unusual in film to see the flare this way. Normally in film we see them being fired in the height of drama, so it was unsettling to see it through the prism of calm, luring the unsuspecting characters in.
Some characters may serve traditional roles of the genre, but most of them are played by really good actors and feel very grounded and real, which serves the film well as the more OTT moments come from a place of reality. Timid Allen's moment of Hulking-out could have been ridiculous if not performed by seasoned actor Geoff Morrell. Likewise, his wife Elizabeth's frailty due to being newly recovered from a life-threatening illness (cancer, it's heavily implied) could have been viewed as unnecessary and even tasteless if she wasn't played by an actress of Heather Mitchell's ilk. Having only been aware of Heather as glamorous snobs in period dramas (APTCH and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), she was a revelation here, in a contemporary setting, sans makeup and with cropped hair. Dare I say it's up there with the best of her scenes on APTCH?
While Jaws is the benchmark for such creature features, I couldn't expect any such film to live up to that and I've long since stopped actively looking for similarities. All the same, it was impossible not to notice that the creators of Rogue know their source material. A lot of what worked about Jaws is present here: the focus is on suspense over graphic horror (any SFX are used to work with the realism and deepen the atmosphere, rather than showboating to show what they can do); the creature in question stays mostly concealed until the final reel (in the first eighty minutes, the croc has around thirty seconds of screen-time, the first of which are just glimpses of scales disappearing underwater) its threat being represented at times by floating devices; characters become more isolated as the film progresses until it comes down to one man trapped in the creature's habitat and forced to go mano a mano with it under impossible conditions (where Jaws had under five minutes of Brody alone, Rogue has closer to twenty minutes. The intensity and claustrophobic entrapment are a delight).
Where Rogue perhaps fell down was in making its "final man" too obvious from the beginning. Much of Jaws was seen through the eyes of Brody, but Spielberg and Scheider were careful to make him as ineffectual as possible to surprise the audience. Rogue had a token scene in which its man of the hour and a half wore spectacles and someone called him "four eyes". But he had alpha male written all over him. While the hand to teeth combat in the face of the creature's big reveal were terrific, the outcome of the battle felt predictable to anyone with even a passing acquaintance with the genre. The inevitability made it feel equal parts satisfying and disappointing.
It's also a cliché that the hero in question was American, and conjures up images of ego massaging contract negotiations in which the Hollywood actor agrees to do the film as long as he gets to save the Aussies. Nonetheless, it worked well and the culture clash was referenced several times with Americans referred to with some disdain. That theme is established in McKell's introductory scene in which he is in a rugged outback bar loudly complaining to someone at the end of a phone about the terrible service. He's actually referring to the mobile phone reception, but the barman doesn't stop to ask questions. He simply plucks a fat dead fly from the bar and pops it into a cappuccino, which he then serves along with a warm avuncular smile to the unsuspecting McKell.
As for the creature itself, I was very impressed indeed. I imagine it's a combination of animatronic and CG, but I couldn't tell you where one ended and the other began (even though I've just watched a featurette on the creation of the animatronic croc).
It's a great film and will definitely stand up to repeated views. I can see myself watching this one every few years from now on. For me, I think Black Water probably remains the best of the crocodilia attack films, but with Rogue - even though it's a little more glossy and sanitised - comes another film that has an atmosphere of tension and an eye for detail that most films of this genre lack. Perhaps in the longer term it will even end up my favourite.
In which A Place To Call Home's Prudence Swanson is married to the bloke that lived next door to Elena, Duchess Of Branagh in Bed Of Roses.
As I said, I did wade into this one with low expectations. And it turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. Far more than it has a right to be. I'm so glad I watched this after the dire Freshwater.
Despite the poster and the action-heavy trailer, I was pleasantly surprised that the film really took its time and racked up the tension and the stakes. The first act in particular was great with the stunning Northern Territory scenery beautifully shot. The flare as the first real sign of danger seemed to break all the rules. Not only was it barely discernible in the bright daylight, it's very unusual in film to see the flare this way. Normally in film we see them being fired in the height of drama, so it was unsettling to see it through the prism of calm, luring the unsuspecting characters in.
Some characters may serve traditional roles of the genre, but most of them are played by really good actors and feel very grounded and real, which serves the film well as the more OTT moments come from a place of reality. Timid Allen's moment of Hulking-out could have been ridiculous if not performed by seasoned actor Geoff Morrell. Likewise, his wife Elizabeth's frailty due to being newly recovered from a life-threatening illness (cancer, it's heavily implied) could have been viewed as unnecessary and even tasteless if she wasn't played by an actress of Heather Mitchell's ilk. Having only been aware of Heather as glamorous snobs in period dramas (APTCH and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), she was a revelation here, in a contemporary setting, sans makeup and with cropped hair. Dare I say it's up there with the best of her scenes on APTCH?
While Jaws is the benchmark for such creature features, I couldn't expect any such film to live up to that and I've long since stopped actively looking for similarities. All the same, it was impossible not to notice that the creators of Rogue know their source material. A lot of what worked about Jaws is present here: the focus is on suspense over graphic horror (any SFX are used to work with the realism and deepen the atmosphere, rather than showboating to show what they can do); the creature in question stays mostly concealed until the final reel (in the first eighty minutes, the croc has around thirty seconds of screen-time, the first of which are just glimpses of scales disappearing underwater) its threat being represented at times by floating devices; characters become more isolated as the film progresses until it comes down to one man trapped in the creature's habitat and forced to go mano a mano with it under impossible conditions (where Jaws had under five minutes of Brody alone, Rogue has closer to twenty minutes. The intensity and claustrophobic entrapment are a delight).
Where Rogue perhaps fell down was in making its "final man" too obvious from the beginning. Much of Jaws was seen through the eyes of Brody, but Spielberg and Scheider were careful to make him as ineffectual as possible to surprise the audience. Rogue had a token scene in which its man of the hour and a half wore spectacles and someone called him "four eyes". But he had alpha male written all over him. While the hand to teeth combat in the face of the creature's big reveal were terrific, the outcome of the battle felt predictable to anyone with even a passing acquaintance with the genre. The inevitability made it feel equal parts satisfying and disappointing.
It's also a cliché that the hero in question was American, and conjures up images of ego massaging contract negotiations in which the Hollywood actor agrees to do the film as long as he gets to save the Aussies. Nonetheless, it worked well and the culture clash was referenced several times with Americans referred to with some disdain. That theme is established in McKell's introductory scene in which he is in a rugged outback bar loudly complaining to someone at the end of a phone about the terrible service. He's actually referring to the mobile phone reception, but the barman doesn't stop to ask questions. He simply plucks a fat dead fly from the bar and pops it into a cappuccino, which he then serves along with a warm avuncular smile to the unsuspecting McKell.
As for the creature itself, I was very impressed indeed. I imagine it's a combination of animatronic and CG, but I couldn't tell you where one ended and the other began (even though I've just watched a featurette on the creation of the animatronic croc).
It's a great film and will definitely stand up to repeated views. I can see myself watching this one every few years from now on. For me, I think Black Water probably remains the best of the crocodilia attack films, but with Rogue - even though it's a little more glossy and sanitised - comes another film that has an atmosphere of tension and an eye for detail that most films of this genre lack. Perhaps in the longer term it will even end up my favourite.
- Awards
- 27
I still need to see this.
- Awards
- 27
Rogue and Black Water have been added to the to-watch-list. But I also like Very Bad Movies so maybe I should watch Freshwater too.
- Awards
- 44
Yay.
(But now I'm a bit worried I've oversold them)
Ha ha. It might be worth a look. I don't know if it's quite terrible enough to be enjoyably bad. But on the other hand I had to suffer through it, so the more the merrier.
- Awards
- 20
Justice League (2017)
The inevitable continuation of Batman v Superman, and the conclusion of the trilogy that began with Man of Steel.
My objection to the shared universe stands. As primarily a Superman fan, I was sorry to seem him used basically as a plot device while screen time was given to potted origin stories of characters I don't care about, and the heroes seemingly more concerned with exchanging quips than fighting the supposed threat to civilisation as we know it.
The inevitable continuation of Batman v Superman, and the conclusion of the trilogy that began with Man of Steel.
My objection to the shared universe stands. As primarily a Superman fan, I was sorry to seem him used basically as a plot device while screen time was given to potted origin stories of characters I don't care about, and the heroes seemingly more concerned with exchanging quips than fighting the supposed threat to civilisation as we know it.
- Awards
- 14
Warbirds.
WWII airmen get magically transported to a land that time forgot where flying dinosaurs live. The hero thwarts his Imperial Japanese Airforce airman foe and flying dinosaurs, while winning the affections of the lady and completes his mission. Although top secret tell the everyone about the A=bomb.
Ghastly nonsense. Flying dinosaurs delivered a better performance than the whole cast.
WWII airmen get magically transported to a land that time forgot where flying dinosaurs live. The hero thwarts his Imperial Japanese Airforce airman foe and flying dinosaurs, while winning the affections of the lady and completes his mission. Although top secret tell the everyone about the A=bomb.
Ghastly nonsense. Flying dinosaurs delivered a better performance than the whole cast.
- Awards
- 6
I recently watched "The Dig" with Ralph Fiennes and Lily James.
I thought that with the story behind and the actors oi would be entertaining, I was a complete fool.
It's sloooow, cliché and really boring, I felt like loosing my time. I'm a huge fan of unsaid emotions, silent deep moments, but here, even if they tried, the pauses, the looks, the silences didn't bring those waited shivering.
I thought that with the story behind and the actors oi would be entertaining, I was a complete fool.
It's sloooow, cliché and really boring, I felt like loosing my time. I'm a huge fan of unsaid emotions, silent deep moments, but here, even if they tried, the pauses, the looks, the silences didn't bring those waited shivering.
- Awards
- 44
Wonder Woman (2017)
Its flaws were the ones I expected - mostly down to speech patterns that were far too contemporary for World War II (Chris Pine being the biggest offender). But these were easily overlooked with a decent-ish take on the classic story; lush photography and some nice period clothes and dressings. A very enjoyable film.
Its flaws were the ones I expected - mostly down to speech patterns that were far too contemporary for World War II (Chris Pine being the biggest offender). But these were easily overlooked with a decent-ish take on the classic story; lush photography and some nice period clothes and dressings. A very enjoyable film.
- Awards
- 52
I agree, I thought is was great. I didn't have high hopes for it after the mess that was Batman vs Superman in which we go a first glimpse of Wonder Woman but this film was one of the best of the recent DC comic film adaptations.Wonder Woman (2017)
Its flaws were the ones I expected - mostly down to speech patterns that were far too contemporary for World War II (Chris Pine being the biggest offender). But these were easily overlooked with a decent-ish take on the classic story; lush photography and some nice period clothes and dressings. A very enjoyable film.
- Awards
- 44
Yes. My expectations weren't too high considering how panned the sequel has been, but I really liked the tone and the message. It felt far shorter than it's two hour, twenty minutes running time (albeit ten minutes of that were the closing credits).
- Awards
- 52
Judas and The Black Messiah (2021)
The story of the Illinois Black Panther Movement, focussing on its chairman Fred Hampton. Its a story of courage and betrayal. First rate performances and a well constructed film. I was totally engaged throughout.
The story of the Illinois Black Panther Movement, focussing on its chairman Fred Hampton. Its a story of courage and betrayal. First rate performances and a well constructed film. I was totally engaged throughout.
- Awards
- 44
Room For Rent (2019)
Imagine Lilimae and Chip featuring in their own spin-off film with the story taken to extremes in the style of Fatal Attraction and Single White Female but playing on The Hallmark Channel and you're halfway there.
I was expecting something almost comically naff, and it certainly had its moments. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't recognise any of the actors, which helped. The performances are generally solid, with Lin Shaye as Joyce particularly good and poignantly moving at times, especially early on in the film. Which helped sell the extremes as the film progressed.
The themes felt enjoyably taboo, particularly because of the lead character being an older woman played by a 75 year old actress who has aged naturally. There are a couple of delightfully seedy scenes, my favourite being the small moment with the coffee spoon (a similar scene with a toothbrush was perhaps more memorable, but the subtle mundanity of the coffee refill made it more viably creepy to me).
While it has elements of thriller, horror, drama, comedy and - of a fashion - romance, I'm still not sure how to categorise this film. Which I really like. Human interest perhaps sums it up.
The Arizona backdrop was a visual treat as well.
Imagine Lilimae and Chip featuring in their own spin-off film with the story taken to extremes in the style of Fatal Attraction and Single White Female but playing on The Hallmark Channel and you're halfway there.
I was expecting something almost comically naff, and it certainly had its moments. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't recognise any of the actors, which helped. The performances are generally solid, with Lin Shaye as Joyce particularly good and poignantly moving at times, especially early on in the film. Which helped sell the extremes as the film progressed.
The themes felt enjoyably taboo, particularly because of the lead character being an older woman played by a 75 year old actress who has aged naturally. There are a couple of delightfully seedy scenes, my favourite being the small moment with the coffee spoon (a similar scene with a toothbrush was perhaps more memorable, but the subtle mundanity of the coffee refill made it more viably creepy to me).
While it has elements of thriller, horror, drama, comedy and - of a fashion - romance, I'm still not sure how to categorise this film. Which I really like. Human interest perhaps sums it up.
The Arizona backdrop was a visual treat as well.
- Awards
- 44
Sorority Row (2009)
I expected it to be rather terrible. And terrible it was.
I expected it to be rather terrible. And terrible it was.
- Awards
- 17
I actually didn’t think Sorority Row was that bad. I did like Carrie Fisher’s character as they made her pretty cool at the end. I wish she had had a bigger role in it.
- Awards
- 44
I didn't actively hate it, but I found all the characters unlikeable and could see the endless "twists" coming from a mile away. I also had trouble telling most of the actresses apart. With one or two exceptions it was just a sea of smart-talking bitchy brunette clones. And ditto the swathe of generic brunette men. At some point I just glazed over and didn't really care (which is perhaps a bigger sin than being bad enough to hate).
It's possibly a victim of the era in which it's made. Slashers were expected to be cleverer and with post-modern twists, which not many writers can pull off. And by this point it had all been done.
I suppose it's no worse than many other films of its genre and time. It has all the usual ingredients: the cheap jumps; the gory deaths, etc. If I was part of the demographic it's aimed at when I'd first watched it (I'm guessing 16-25 year olds) I may well view it fondly.
I've never seen the original, but I have it saved in Prime to watch at some point, along with a Rifftrax audio commentary version (if it warrants a commentary that pokes fun at it, I'm assuming it's probably pretty bad).
- Awards
- 15
I love Lin Shaye @Mel O'Drama - she has a way of making everything very frightening....
I watched St Maud. If anyone can explain to me WTF the fuss was about this movie, I'd appreciate it.
I watched St Maud. If anyone can explain to me WTF the fuss was about this movie, I'd appreciate it.
- Awards
- 44
Secret Window (2004)
I confess to shallowly being drawn in by the image of Johnny Depp's gorgeous Lemtosh frames, which he wears obscenely well. And because it was free on Prime.
Other than the gorgeous specs and a few words glimpsed on the Prime description I knew nothing about the film going in, which is a plus. Until the opening titles, I didn't even know that it was based on a Steven King novella. And there are definite shades of Misery with the protagonist being a writer being put under pressure by a stranger with an obsession.
By all accounts (well, Wikipedia) it seems it received mixed reviews. Not that reviews necessarily count for much when it comes to personal enjoyment. But for what it's worth, count me in as someone who gives it a thumbs up. It made me edgy and tense. I could feel Mort's sense of isolation as he's not taken seriously. I shared his sense of unease when night falls and he's alone in his cabin in the middle of nowhere, being threatened. I actually noted my sense of relief when daylight arrived, and a discomfort during nighttime scenes. It perfectly captured that feeling of what happens when being away from it all goes wrong.
I even loved the revelation at the end, which has made the film resonate in a far different way to anything I'd have expected up to that point. And it was all perfectly in-keeping with the film's strengths of capturing a psychology.
I confess to shallowly being drawn in by the image of Johnny Depp's gorgeous Lemtosh frames, which he wears obscenely well. And because it was free on Prime.
Other than the gorgeous specs and a few words glimpsed on the Prime description I knew nothing about the film going in, which is a plus. Until the opening titles, I didn't even know that it was based on a Steven King novella. And there are definite shades of Misery with the protagonist being a writer being put under pressure by a stranger with an obsession.
By all accounts (well, Wikipedia) it seems it received mixed reviews. Not that reviews necessarily count for much when it comes to personal enjoyment. But for what it's worth, count me in as someone who gives it a thumbs up. It made me edgy and tense. I could feel Mort's sense of isolation as he's not taken seriously. I shared his sense of unease when night falls and he's alone in his cabin in the middle of nowhere, being threatened. I actually noted my sense of relief when daylight arrived, and a discomfort during nighttime scenes. It perfectly captured that feeling of what happens when being away from it all goes wrong.
I even loved the revelation at the end, which has made the film resonate in a far different way to anything I'd have expected up to that point. And it was all perfectly in-keeping with the film's strengths of capturing a psychology.
- Awards
- 7
Captain America: Civil Wars (2016) i've been watching all the MCU films in order lately & now i'm up to Doctor Strange (2016) which is prolly going to be my next film to watch