The Film Review thread ***possible spoilers***

asprilla

Rick Chasey wrote:

Yeah I don't really want to watch it on some grainy stream footage.

Netflix streams fine over ADSL (no fttc here) and upscales onto a 42" plasma with no issues. Suppose it depends on your connection and upscaler.

rick_chasey

Let me put it this way. When I stream off I player on my xbox onto my tv, it's looks really bad.

I've never understood that part of netflix. If I'm gonna use the internet, I'll download the hd film, THEN watch. A normal broadband connection can't stream HD

tgotb

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've never understood that part of netflix. If I'm gonna use the internet, I'll download the hd film, THEN watch. A normal broadband connection can't stream HD

It's for those strange and feckless people who don't plan what they're going to watch on TV in advance.

Netflix HD works fine on my connection too, but I am using an internet TV rather than a games console...

timothyw

The quality of Iplayer is pretty rubbish next to Netflix, you really ought try it for yourself before writing it off.

If you are using a device that can receive their 'super hd' streams (Eg PS4 or Windows 8 PC with the app) then the quality is excellent, admittedly not at blu ray levels of detail but honestly not far off (certainly comparable to the average MKV you might find in a torrent), and far far better than DVD quality.

Unfortunately the Xbox 360 is limited to 720p on netflix (which is still better than most but not the best that Netflix can do).

rick_chasey

Hmm. Interesting.

How much is it a year?

asprilla

I think it's £5.99 a month. The catalogue of the UK is poor compared to the US but that's a simple issue to solve with chrome browser extensions.

rick_chasey

£72 a year is quite steep.

asprilla

There is no contract. You can cancel and restart whenever you want.

Blinkbox is a good option for PAYG.

It's no expensive when you consider what Sky or an iTunes purchase / rental costs.

rick_chasey

Asprilla wrote:

There is no contract. You can cancel and restart whenever you want.

Blinkbox is a good option for PAYG.

It's no expensive when you consider what Sky or an iTunes purchase / rental costs.

Ah but I already pay for sky tv.

asprilla

Rick Chasey wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

There is no contract. You can cancel and restart whenever you want.

Blinkbox is a good option for PAYG.

It's no expensive when you consider what Sky or an iTunes purchase / rental costs.

Ah but I already pay for sky tv.

That's your problem then.

timothyw

If you combine it with the $5 for unblock-us (as I do), the amount of advert-free HD viewing available is pretty awesome and well worth it IMO, but then my flat doesn't have an aerial so I have been living without regular TV for years.

You can find out if particular films are available on other Netflix regions by going onto moreflicks.com - change your region on unblock-us and away you go.

notsoblue

Its funny how many people pay for a subscription model when no-strings-attached HD quality TV & Movie downloads are so quick and easy to get.

I guess its just the convenience of being able to do it all on one remote?

notsoblue

Saw The Master last night, what a brilliant movie. 10/10.

tgotb

notsoblue wrote:

Its funny how many people pay for a subscription model when no-strings-attached HD quality TV & Movie downloads are so quick and easy to get.

Legally? If so, how?

EKE_38BPM

I've just watched The Hurricane on Netflix. I really liked it and would recommend it.
I haven't really been following this thread but I see The Short One slated Netflix even though he's never watched it. Prejudice isn't a good look, RC.
The quality was fine.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I've noticed that my reaction to a first viewing depends largely on my mood. Sometimes it's the second viewing that tells me whether a film is really any good. As it is, I've had a bad few weeks at work and just about anything is likely to lift my spirits. Even so, I am pretty certain that TWS will fare well on a swoons viewing.

Cap is a difficult character to portray sympathetically: too much Mr Do The Right Thing makes him potentially bland. And the first film suffered from having to tell the origin story, which wasn't that engaging. But TWS works much, much better. First, it has a political thriller story line - it's not just a superhero vehicle. Second, we get to see Cap in a better light, more clearly defined as an unswaying moral focus in a sea of movement. Third, it has a lot of very well done action. And finally there are some treats hidden away for the uber nerds.

This film could be subtitled "And the Black Widow", so prominant is Scarlett Johannson, but her flawed-yet-redeemed character is a nice counterpoint to Cap's undiluted moralism. Cap's long time comic book buddy, The Falcon, plays the supporting role in the final third of the film, (I think) exemplifying the inspiration that CA is intended to provide, but also helping to spread the load away from Cap's slightly too uniform message.

Overall, very enjoyable, and up there in the top 2 or 3 of the current Marvel suite. 9/10.

greg66_tri_v2.0

And while I'm on it...

RUSH

Wow, this is a great film. You don't need to be an F1 fan, or even particularly interested in driving to like it: 66 Minor who is a 12 yo girl, thought it was great, not not just because of Chris Hemsworth.

It manages to place the vulnerability of the drivers in those days square in the middle of your field of vision, and the won't let you look away. The actor who plays Lauda is amazing - he has Lauda's look, delivery and attitude down to a tee. The oddity and dynamic of the the relationship between Lauda and Hunt is perfectly drawn out.

One of those films that you finish, and say "Wow. Just wow".

An easy 9/10.

veronese68

Completely agree about Rush. Interesting to hear it from that view point. I've always been a huge Hunt fan. I remember watching him pull Ronnie Petersen out of a burning car. Interesting last line from Lauda.
Great film, really well done.

Kieran_Burns

Let's drag this back to the top..

Watching Guardians of the Galaxy last night - 3D IMAX. Genuine laugh out loud moments and some very, very silly ones. Dialogue is great throughout with lots of tongue in cheek moments and I got a groan from the audience when Groot was laying in to the bad guys: "He's barking mad!" I said right into the silence

3D got in the way sometimes and the motion blur across the whole image when panning left sometimes was painful, also some of the perspective shifts had me feeling slightly disoriented. It's much more of an into the screen, rather than in your face 3D but there the obligatory "ooh look I'm poking this into your face" moments.

One thing: stay right until the very end. Not just the initial easter egg, but right until the credits finish rolling. It's worth it.

goonz

Kieran_Burns wrote:

One thing: stay right until the very end. Not just the initial easter egg, but right until the credits finish rolling. It's worth it.

As with every Marvel movie....

Also watched Cap 2 last night. Miles better than the first but to be honest I'm beginning to get a little bored with these super hero movies.

Watched Mesrine both parts on the weekend. Vincent Cassel can do no wrong in my opinion.

koontz

goonz wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

One thing: stay right until the very end. Not just the initial easter egg, but right until the credits finish rolling. It's worth it.

As with every Marvel movie....

Also watched Cap 2 last night. Miles better than the first but to be honest I'm beginning to get a little bored with these super hero movies.

Watched Mesrine both parts on the weekend. Vincent Cassel can do no wrong in my opinion.

I dont know irreversible scared me for life :shock:

goonz

Yep that was an epic movie. Scarred me for a long while!

greg66_tri_v2.0

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

I remember watching the trailers for this before it was out and thinking it looked sh!t. Ben Stiller is someone I often find hard to like, and his presence was icing on the cake of what looked like a nonsense story.

How wrong I was.

It is a beautifully constructed film, with exquisite photography properly worthy of Life magazine, and a near perfect musical score.

9.5/10 from me.

Kieran_Burns

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

I remember watching the trailers for this before it was out and thinking it looked sh!t. Ben Stiller is someone I often find hard to like, and his presence was icing on the cake of what looked like a nonsense story.

How wrong I was.

It is a beautifully constructed film, with exquisite photography properly worthy of Life magazine, and a near perfect musical score.

9.5/10 from me.

You blubbed when you saw the photo at the end didn't you? Admit it, you had a blub moment.

asprilla

The LEGO Movie

I have no idea how this is aimed at kids; as far as I could work out all of the jokes were aimed at me and people my age.

It's really very good and I'll be getting the sequel on iTunes when it arrives.

Robocop (2013)

It's not as good as the original, but it was reasonably enjoyable. They added more action at the expense of story and the disposal of the bad guy wasn't as neatly managed.

When it arrives on ITV2 on a Wednesday evening and you fancy a couple of beers in front of the TV then it's worth a watch.

tailwindhome

Anchorman 2

Without any shadow of a doubt the worst film I've ever seen.

rick_chasey

TailWindHome wrote:

Anchorman 2

Without any shadow of a doubt the worst film I've ever seen.

I literally fell asleep in cinema watching that so figured I was in no position to review!

Mr Sharky

Managed to get a double bill of films in last night (love it when the film times allow this!!)

Before I Go to Bed
Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong in a rather tense and good little drama. Kidman is great as a woman who has no ability to retain anything from the last 24 hours once she goes to sleep and actually regresses to her mid 20s (although this is never really expanded on during the film) even though she is in her 40s. Consequently she wakes up each day not knowing who she is, or exactly what is going on around her. It's an interesting premise, and is neatly played out by all concerned. 7/10.

The Guest
Hmmm.... predictable, very cliche ridden and the ending is utter shite.... but the almost comedic "stranger-assists-a-family-with-all-their-problems-including-fighting-their-fights" scenes are okay. There are some amusing moments, but not enough to warrant the admission price (although I pay a monthly fee, so can't really complain about that cost). 4/10

vermin

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Relentlessly tedious. My 5 (nearly 6) year old boy (so target audience) sighed after an hour and said "I can't believe this hasn't finished yet." He's more perceptive than I had thought.

Only a Ginger

Mr Sharky wrote:

Managed to get a double bill of films in last night (love it when the film times allow this!!)

The Guest
Hmmm.... predictable, very cliche ridden and the ending is utter shite.... but the almost comedic "stranger-assists-a-family-with-all-their-problems-including-fighting-their-fights" scenes are okay. There are some amusing moments, but not enough to warrant the admission price (although I pay a monthly fee, so can't really complain about that cost). 4/10

Agreed entirely...it was a very strange film I thought...I think it would have made quite a decent two part tv show, it had two very distinct 'parts' to it.

And the ending seemed like something a kid at primary school would come up with!