MEGA RATING FEST 2!
Raiders of the Lost ArkArchaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. Whip, hat, fist fights with Nazi types. Won 5 Oscars. Superb. All together now: Bum bum bum bum.... bum bum bum
Interview with a vampire: A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger
Interesting, if less than perfect, dark gothic horror which seems to try to show what being a vampire would actually be like: Sad, lonely, endless, dark, violent. The cinematography is good however I am not sure the casting of Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt is right and the relationship between them and 12 year old Kristin Dunst is weird.
Boogie Nights The story of a young man's adventures in the Californian pornography industry of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
NOTE: Many correspondents here wont like the subject matter and may no be able to deal with it.
The main themes in Boogie Nights obvious: pornography, drugs, sex, betrayal, violence and music. While pornography is the central pillar of the film it is dealt with subtly and nor does the drug use get glorified. Clearly & graphically shown are the effects of drug abuse. The cast are superb ( Burt Reynolds! Mark Walhberg giving a performance of a career?) Characterisation is very good and deep, the shooting very well delivered and the sound track excellent. It really is a superb film. Brilliant. Shamefully won no Oscars as Titanic cleaned up!
Apocalypse Now During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.
What can be said other than one of the greatest films ever made. Psychedelic, surreal, insane. Interestingly it isn't, really, a film about war but a film exploring the effects of war and the dehumanising nature that has on people. To call it a masterpiece sells it short. This really IS an 11 out of 10.
In the Loop A political satire about a group of American and British operatives attempting to prevent/start a war between two countries.
An outstanding political satire. It has Malcolm Tucker as a character so the sweary one liners alone make compelling viewing but it is sharp, cutting, abrasive, sarcastic witty and cynical. Wonderful
The Whole Nine YardsNick is a struggling dentist in Canada. A new neighbor moves in, and he discovers that it is hitman Jimmy "The Tulip" Teduski. His wife convinces him to go to Chicago and inform the mob boss who wants Jimmy dead.
A decent enough black comedy but Perry is weak, Willis wasted & Rosanna Arquette's accent is terrible. It has some funny moments but just not enough. Average
Ex MachinaA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking humanoid A.I
A dialogue-driven psychological thriller with the best movie use of AI since Blade Runner and despite some weakness including an obvious double cross it is a very good film as it is both thought-provoking, disturbing and terrifying by turns - a modern science-fiction masterpiece
The TownBen Afleck directs and starts in this Boston-based crime drama where a hardcore bank robber starts a relationship with the manager of a previously robbed bank with the FBI on his tail, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.
it is well written, directed and acted with some Heat like action sequences and some tension. It is a decent crime procedural type film
Three KingsA satirical black comedy/war film where, in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, 4 soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait. however but they discover people who desperately need their help.
It is a very good film but difficult to place. Edgy yet darkly funny. Political yet USA! saves the day. Bullets are shown to have consequences yet bullets are fired for fun. Is this a celebration of US force saving the day or an attack on US force for leaving people to their fate? It is funny, shocking, thought provoking and honest yet hard to categorise.
Paul Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.
It isn't the bets film by Pegg and Frost but it is quite good and a decent road trip comedy packed full of nods to other sci fi films and characters. It is cheerfully dumb if based a little to much on cock & ball jokes.
Attack the block A teen gang in South London defend their block flats from an alien invasion.
Said to be an instant cult hit and despite some subtle ( yet harsh) social commentary, expert dialogue and a great performance from John Boyega the film simply inst funny enough or scary enough. The aliens are simply silly and the death scenes not good enough. Good but not great.
