What Emmanuelle Movie Did You Just Watch?

[Matt]

I rather enjoyed THE BOURNE LEGACY, even with all of its faults.

[BillyG]

I need to see that. Might rent it over the weekend.

[Anderson]

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Hmmm, worryingly similar in places to a little script I've been working on for a couple of years... However, this is pretty much a straight up comedy for the most part, which I did not expect. The first 20 minutes are brilliant and then Knightley enters the picture. In fairness, she doesn't kill this one outright, but she is an incredibly limited actress and even when I like her in a film I find myself commending the effort more than the achievement. Again, its a lazy thing to say, but Emily Blunt would have owned in this film.

All that to one side, I found the film surprisingly affecting and it manages a nice balance between the comedic and dramatic aspects of the situation without betraying the overall believability - there are loopholes if you want to look for them and it all seems a little too easy for the main characters (Adam Brody's totally dead, right?) but largely the scenario is treated logically by the filmmakers. The main reason to see the film is for the wonderful performance from Steve Carell. A couple of lingering looks too many excepted, the man doesn't put a foot wrong. I've got a lot of time for Carell, he has a tendency to lift whatever projects he's in (I'm ignoring Evan Almighty) and he seems a bit more picky than some of his Apatow-verse buddies.

The Bourne Legacy

Expectations were very low, so I rather enjoyed it. Its too damn long and is at its weakest when trying to straight up mimic the kineticism of Ultimatum, but I appreciate the effort to create a smart, logical expansion of the Bourne universe. Renner's really good and playing a completely different kind of character to Damon. And Weisz, well, regardless of the merits of her performance, she looks better in her 40s than most women look in their 20s. Seriously, that woman is painfully beautiful.

Ultimately, yes its a let down, because it's aligning itself with a pretty classic trilogy and there is no one action set-piece in this film that can compete with the best of any of the preceding 3 films. The character that they introduce in the final act is frankly ridiculous, the bike chase is all over the place and the 'finishing move' was both completely impossible and vaguely humorous in execution. But for what could have been a cheap, cynical cash-in, a lot of thought went into this, so I can't right it off completely. They should probably leave it there now though.

Nice to see someone else supporting Seeking a Friend. I've been getting behind that film since the summer and it's taking this long for others to start championing it.

[Ben Thomas]

It's not the film I remember being sold, though I could be wrong. I expected Knightley's character to be Natalie Portman in Garden State, but she was much more interesting than that.

Seven Psychopaths

Didn't LOVE it, but it's still better than a million other things out there, even if it's no In Bruges. Sam Rockwell's scene by the fire is the hardest I've laughed in a cinema all year. He steals the film, though I have to say it was nice to see Walken giving the ultimate Walken performance, while also having some nice, quieter, subtler moments.

[Matt]

Nice assessment on SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. It doesn't quite come together into something cohesive, but individual elements are amazing.

[Ben Thomas]

Brave

I know it's not top drawer Pixar, but what can I say - it got me. All the individual elements - the culture, the characters, the fantastic, the comedic and the spiritual - all coalesce beautifully. Its funny at times, dramatic and exciting at others and genuinely moving at yet others. I've been catching up on the stuff I missed earlier in the year this week and I'd say this was the best of the bunch. I'm glad I saved it for last. Gave my TV a nice workout too. Just gorgeous.

[Abraham Smashington]

MI: Ghost Protocol. Haven't seen it in a long time. Brad Bird can direct the shit out of a movie. Still doesn't top the first one for me, but that Dubai scene is aces.

[Martin]

Brave

I know it's not top drawer Pixar, but what can I say - it got me. All the individual elements - the culture, the characters, the fantastic, the comedic and the spiritual - all coalesce beautifully. Its funny at times, dramatic and exciting at others and genuinely moving at yet others. I've been catching up on the stuff I missed earlier in the year this week and I'd say this was the best of the bunch. I'm glad I saved it for last. Gave my TV a nice workout too. Just gorgeous.

After watching it 4 times so far (kids...), it's top 5-6 Pixar for me. Easily. And for once, it got a strong woman as it's lead.

[Ben Thomas]

MI: Ghost Protocol. Haven't seen it in a long time. Brad Bird can direct the shit out of a movie. Still doesn't top the first one for me, but that Dubai scene is aces.

Best in series for me. Its just exceptionally exciting throughout.

After watching it 4 times so far (kids...), it's top 5-6 Pixar for me. Easily. And for once, it got a strong woman as it's lead.

Good to know. I'm gonna buy it for my 5-year old nephew (niece is getting Snow White) and I might pick it up for myself further down the line.

[Martin]

Both my son and daughter loves it, but my daughter (a readhead) has a new icon to follow. She's 2 and she runs around the house with her bow and arrow and tries to use my husky as a horse*...

*keep telling my wife it's a direwolf for her, hence more badass...

[Matt]

MI:GP is far and away the best in the series, but the first one is aces too.

BRAVE is a grower. It improves with each viewing, for some reason.

[Captain Russ]

In an attempt to laugh out of a funk, I watched the latest Resident Ebill movie.

It helped more than I could ever imagine. Paul Anderson is the videogame movie genre's very own Ed Wood.

[Ben Thomas]

El Hobbit: Un Viaje Inesperado

I didn't mind the 40 minute wait to get on the road. It was the section after that that was a little saggy. But the final hour makes up for it big time. That's all I'm gonna say. I really enjoyed it and anyone saying its any weaker narratively or structurally than the Ringsfilms probably hasn't watched them recently. I actually preferred Jackson's style here to the close-up/slow motion/furrowed brow style that's prevalent through LOTR. I've no familiarity with the source material, so any padding to the basic narrative was largely unnoticeable to me.

It does have problems - Radagast is pretty terrible, though the Jar Jar comparison is ludicrous hyperbole - but the action is tight, the effects are really impressive and there's even a bit of emotion thrown in. Any time Serkis is on screen with Freeman, the film sizzles.

Also, I saw it in 48FPS 3D. My 2 cents: it took me the prologue to get used to it and I can see the criticisms. At first, Ian Holm looked to be moving in double time, but that passed quickly. Certain shots (and I would say it affects the stagebound scenes more than the location scenes) do look like they were shot on video for an 80s BBC drama. But I think those problems are more to do with the format being in its infancy than anything else. Because other scenes were indescribably beautiful - you've never seen clarity like this on the big screen. And the inherent issues of 3D are resolved massively. No motion blur, no ghosting, no darkening of the image, all adding to a greater immersion into the experience. The digital effects also merge almost seamlessly with the real world elements as well. Digital characters seem to have more weight and with the exception of one or two lame composite shots (again, Radagast and the orcs on wargs), I didn't see any of the tell-tale signs of blue/green screen. I think the 80s video look is more down to lighting and grading than anything else.

I'd see more films in this format, because it makes 3D a much more viable and less distracting option. We just need to see if some of the less visually appealing aspects of the process can be overcome.

[Matt]

So when are you gonna see THE REF, God dammit???

[Ben Thomas]

Good question. Its not on Lovefilm (as The Ref or Hostile Hostages), which is my goto streaming service. I'll have a dig around whilst christmas shopping and see if I can pick up the DVD cheap. It was a DTV title over here, so its pretty obscure these days, I think.