"Yeah, not a writer. I know nothing of writing."
These are impressions, not reviews.
Titles completed during this period
2019-10-01 to 2019-12-31
007, James Bond. Sean Connery era
Dr. No (1962) - From Russia with Love (1963) - Goldfinger (1964) - Thunderball (1965) -
You Only Live Twice (1967) - Diamonds are Forever (1971)
Back in 2012 I got the 50th anniversary edition. I watched all of them back to back, back then.
Now I'm doing it again.
The audio and visual effects are of course quite dated at this point. And to be quite frank I have little idea if they're any good for their time. Generally not familiar enough with cinema tech circa 1980.
However since they still get quite good ratings, It's safe bet at least some things were done right.
And I did enjoy myself watching them again.
Those gun and punch sounds though, oof, those have not held up at all.
Blue is the Warmest Color
[La Vie d'Adèle] (2013)
Okay, so the film is French. It's a romantic drama, not my thing but a old friend of mine reckons this is one of the best in the last decade. And they gave me the file so I was like, hey why not, experience news things and all that.
They neglected to tell me about the level and amount of nudity/sex though.
To be honest I'm not sure why they wanted me to watch it so badly but I as per usual digress.
Visually it's unremarkable. One could call it cosy in a way with plenty close up shots.
At 3 hours it's long and slow with some really drawn out scenes. However that does add a bit of gravity to the more important moments I guess. If I was directing it, I'd have cut it down to about 2 hours.
Maybe this was lost in translation but progression of time could have been better explained.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
3rd time watching it. It's fun, for the whole family.
Not much to say really, it's decent enough.
Frequencies (2013)
What an interesting little film.
It's a tad slow though that's quite usual for the more cerebral movies.
Ghostbusters (1984)
I've got a VHS, 2x DVD, Blu-Ray and, a digital copy of this movie I love it so much.
Who knows how many times I've watched it.
It'd be in the top 3 if not the top of my list.
The CGI is garbage by today's standards but for 1984, it was pretty darn good.
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
Personally I'm a big fan even though it doesn't quite live up to the first.
Can't put my finger what it is that makes it fall short. It's like there wasn't much if any passion put behind it.
VFX does get a massive step up though, more so considering it was 84 to 89.
With that said, it's still a good film and if you like the first, you'll almost certainly enjoy the second.
Ghostbusters (2016)
What an absolute disgrace.
I was somewhat following the rumours of this reboot for a number of years before it's release. So to say I was excited for it, was the understatement of the year.
When I heard it was going to be a all female cast, I was disappointed but not because they were women (which is what I'm told). I was disappointed because my favourite 4 characters weren't in the main cast at all. But, I said to myself, this is meant to be a reboot not a remake, it could still be good.
If and only if they can find 4 actors (or actresses in this case) who really mesh well just like the originals.
I watched it in theatre the day after release. I was the only one there. Which is probably the most damning thing I could say about this movie.
This film is what made me aware of the current political climate and the whole 3rd/4th wave Feminism thing.
Onto the movie itself.
Straight off the bat, I've gotta ask. Why is Kevin such a bloody idiot? I can only guess he meant to be some sort of comedic relief but he's just annoying.
Apart from that, the most offensive thing about this movie is the siren for Ecto-01. It sounds like it belongs to some dollar store toy.
The cameos just feel like pathetic pandering. And many of the 'jokes' just aren't very good.
Though the ghosts do look pretty cool.
However like Terminator: Genisys, when in a vacuum it's not too bad, pretty average really but when in context of the other movies. It's just really not good and just shits on established lore. Can't even come up with a witty insult or get upset, it's simply, disappointing.
Gotta throw a bone to Jillian Holtzmann though, she is a fun character to watch even if a little nonsensical at times,
The other 3... Why? What are you even doing?
I really wish they did what 'Extreme Ghostbusters' did back in the 90's.
When I stumped upon it in the late noughties, I binged the shit out of it along with 'The Real Ghostbusters'. It was great. I'd recommend everyone go watch those instead.
Home Alone (1990)
Used to watch it all the time as a kid.
Doesn't quite hold up these days but it's still plenty of fun to watch.
Kingsman; The Golden Circle (2017)
Finally watched it.
More of the same though different enough as to not be boring.
Fight scenes are about as good as in the first movie.
Some of the writing seems a little, off I guess.
Other than that if you enjoyed the first, you'll likely enjoy this as well.
Man on Fire (2004)
Second time watching this one.
I think it's pretty good. The visual design is interesting. And I'm told that it's a excellent adaptation of the original novel of the same name.
The music is done by Harry Gregson-Williams.
Huge fan of Denzel Washington so that added to overall enjoyment.
School of Rock (2003)
Look, if you're a fan of Jack Black, you'll almost certainly like this movie. I sure did.
I last watched it when I was a kid. Still pretty fun to watch.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Decent enough movie with plenty of comedy.
Like 'Hot Fuzz', it's a must watch if you're a fan of Simon Pegg or Nick Frost.
The Book of Eli (2010)
It's not for everyone. I find it slow to get going but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The music and visual design really adds to the feeling of loss of hope.
Definitely would have benefited from HDR though.
It does have a Christian leaning but I wouldn't say it's in your face.
In my opinion, if the religious bits annoy you or otherwise make you upset, maybe you are taking religion a bit too seriously.
The Commuter (2018)
I was quite intrigued by the premise and was presently surprised.
Big fan of Liam Neeson.
The visual style with the editing in particular is enjoyable.
If the premise interests you at all, I'd recommend giving it a go.
The Dictator (2012)
Really over the top with a few funny bits every now and then.
Though there is an abundance of crude humour.
Definitely not family friendly.
The Last Samurai (2003)
Why have I never heard of this movie before? Like seriously, It's at the very least in my top 10, if not top 5. I bloody love it.
While the CGI is pretty typical of the early 2000's, it still holds up well enough.
The acting and sound design is superb. I particularly like the mixing of traditional Japanese and Western music in a few of the scenes. Music was composed by Hans Zimmer, so it's to be expected.
Other then that, choreography and writing are great.
However there are things that could be said about historical accuracy [guns the most hilarious thing], over-romanticisation of old culture, etc. Personally, I can see that these arguments may have merit but until it starts causing damage, I'm fine with the film as is. And will let others who care more about such things do what they will. For example here is a good History Buffs video, youtu.be/-buQSp6wOMc
So If you're into Japan (especially Japanese Empire. Meiji - Shōwa) and enjoy movies about samurai, then I'm fairly confident you'd appreciate this one.
Titles dropped during this period
じゃあね Ciao
.AJ-R. -アパゾ
These are impressions, not reviews.
Titles completed during this period
2019-10-01 to 2019-12-31
007, James Bond. Sean Connery era
Dr. No (1962) - From Russia with Love (1963) - Goldfinger (1964) - Thunderball (1965) -
You Only Live Twice (1967) - Diamonds are Forever (1971)
Back in 2012 I got the 50th anniversary edition. I watched all of them back to back, back then.
Now I'm doing it again.
The audio and visual effects are of course quite dated at this point. And to be quite frank I have little idea if they're any good for their time. Generally not familiar enough with cinema tech circa 1980.
However since they still get quite good ratings, It's safe bet at least some things were done right.
And I did enjoy myself watching them again.
Those gun and punch sounds though, oof, those have not held up at all.
Blue is the Warmest Color
[La Vie d'Adèle] (2013)
Okay, so the film is French. It's a romantic drama, not my thing but a old friend of mine reckons this is one of the best in the last decade. And they gave me the file so I was like, hey why not, experience news things and all that.
They neglected to tell me about the level and amount of nudity/sex though.
To be honest I'm not sure why they wanted me to watch it so badly but I as per usual digress.
Visually it's unremarkable. One could call it cosy in a way with plenty close up shots.
At 3 hours it's long and slow with some really drawn out scenes. However that does add a bit of gravity to the more important moments I guess. If I was directing it, I'd have cut it down to about 2 hours.
Maybe this was lost in translation but progression of time could have been better explained.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
3rd time watching it. It's fun, for the whole family.
Not much to say really, it's decent enough.
Frequencies (2013)
What an interesting little film.
It's a tad slow though that's quite usual for the more cerebral movies.
Ghostbusters (1984)
I've got a VHS, 2x DVD, Blu-Ray and, a digital copy of this movie I love it so much.
Who knows how many times I've watched it.
It'd be in the top 3 if not the top of my list.
The CGI is garbage by today's standards but for 1984, it was pretty darn good.
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
Personally I'm a big fan even though it doesn't quite live up to the first.
Can't put my finger what it is that makes it fall short. It's like there wasn't much if any passion put behind it.
VFX does get a massive step up though, more so considering it was 84 to 89.
With that said, it's still a good film and if you like the first, you'll almost certainly enjoy the second.
Ghostbusters (2016)
What an absolute disgrace.
I was somewhat following the rumours of this reboot for a number of years before it's release. So to say I was excited for it, was the understatement of the year.
When I heard it was going to be a all female cast, I was disappointed but not because they were women (which is what I'm told). I was disappointed because my favourite 4 characters weren't in the main cast at all. But, I said to myself, this is meant to be a reboot not a remake, it could still be good.
If and only if they can find 4 actors (or actresses in this case) who really mesh well just like the originals.
I watched it in theatre the day after release. I was the only one there. Which is probably the most damning thing I could say about this movie.
This film is what made me aware of the current political climate and the whole 3rd/4th wave Feminism thing.
Onto the movie itself.
Straight off the bat, I've gotta ask. Why is Kevin such a bloody idiot? I can only guess he meant to be some sort of comedic relief but he's just annoying.
Apart from that, the most offensive thing about this movie is the siren for Ecto-01. It sounds like it belongs to some dollar store toy.
The cameos just feel like pathetic pandering. And many of the 'jokes' just aren't very good.
Though the ghosts do look pretty cool.
However like Terminator: Genisys, when in a vacuum it's not too bad, pretty average really but when in context of the other movies. It's just really not good and just shits on established lore. Can't even come up with a witty insult or get upset, it's simply, disappointing.
Gotta throw a bone to Jillian Holtzmann though, she is a fun character to watch even if a little nonsensical at times,
The other 3... Why? What are you even doing?
I really wish they did what 'Extreme Ghostbusters' did back in the 90's.
When I stumped upon it in the late noughties, I binged the shit out of it along with 'The Real Ghostbusters'. It was great. I'd recommend everyone go watch those instead.
Home Alone (1990)
Used to watch it all the time as a kid.
Doesn't quite hold up these days but it's still plenty of fun to watch.
Kingsman; The Golden Circle (2017)
Finally watched it.
More of the same though different enough as to not be boring.
Fight scenes are about as good as in the first movie.
Some of the writing seems a little, off I guess.
Other than that if you enjoyed the first, you'll likely enjoy this as well.
Man on Fire (2004)
Second time watching this one.
I think it's pretty good. The visual design is interesting. And I'm told that it's a excellent adaptation of the original novel of the same name.
The music is done by Harry Gregson-Williams.
Huge fan of Denzel Washington so that added to overall enjoyment.
School of Rock (2003)
Look, if you're a fan of Jack Black, you'll almost certainly like this movie. I sure did.
I last watched it when I was a kid. Still pretty fun to watch.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Decent enough movie with plenty of comedy.
Like 'Hot Fuzz', it's a must watch if you're a fan of Simon Pegg or Nick Frost.
The Book of Eli (2010)
It's not for everyone. I find it slow to get going but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The music and visual design really adds to the feeling of loss of hope.
Definitely would have benefited from HDR though.
It does have a Christian leaning but I wouldn't say it's in your face.
In my opinion, if the religious bits annoy you or otherwise make you upset, maybe you are taking religion a bit too seriously.
The Commuter (2018)
I was quite intrigued by the premise and was presently surprised.
Big fan of Liam Neeson.
The visual style with the editing in particular is enjoyable.
If the premise interests you at all, I'd recommend giving it a go.
The Dictator (2012)
Really over the top with a few funny bits every now and then.
Though there is an abundance of crude humour.
Definitely not family friendly.
The Last Samurai (2003)
Why have I never heard of this movie before? Like seriously, It's at the very least in my top 10, if not top 5. I bloody love it.
While the CGI is pretty typical of the early 2000's, it still holds up well enough.
The acting and sound design is superb. I particularly like the mixing of traditional Japanese and Western music in a few of the scenes. Music was composed by Hans Zimmer, so it's to be expected.
Other then that, choreography and writing are great.
However there are things that could be said about historical accuracy [guns the most hilarious thing], over-romanticisation of old culture, etc. Personally, I can see that these arguments may have merit but until it starts causing damage, I'm fine with the film as is. And will let others who care more about such things do what they will. For example here is a good History Buffs video, youtu.be/-buQSp6wOMc
So If you're into Japan (especially Japanese Empire. Meiji - Shōwa) and enjoy movies about samurai, then I'm fairly confident you'd appreciate this one.
Titles dropped during this period
じゃあね Ciao
.AJ-R. -アパゾ
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