What films have you watched lately?

[Gavin Chipper]

12 Angry Men. Forget Oppenheimer. This is a film. Very much recommended.

[Marc Meakin]

12 Angry Men. Forget Oppenheimer. This is a film. Very much recommended.

Its probably in my top ten of best American movies of all time.
IMDB has it as no 5 in the all time ratings. (Oppenheimer is 88)
So for context Oppenheimer not bad but 12 Angry Men is exceptional
Am I right in saying there were no women in this film?

[Gavin Chipper]

12 Angry Men. Forget Oppenheimer. This is a film. Very much recommended.

Its probably in my top ten of best American movies of all time.
IMDB has it as no 5 in the all time ratings. (Oppenheimer is 88)
So for context Oppenheimer not bad but 12 Angry Men is exceptional
Am I right in saying there were no women in this film?

No women main characters. Maybe milling about in the court lobby at the start of the film.

[Marc Meakin]

12 Angry Men. Forget Oppenheimer. This is a film. Very much recommended.

Its probably in my top ten of best American movies of all time.
IMDB has it as no 5 in the all time ratings. (Oppenheimer is 88)
So for context Oppenheimer not bad but 12 Angry Men is exceptional
Am I right in saying there were no women in this film?

No women main characters. Maybe milling about in the court lobby at the start of the film.

I know women were not allowed on juries at the time of th he film.
I think there were no credited women in the film

[Paul Worsley]

Its probably in my top ten of best American movies of all time.
IMDB has it as no 5 in the all time ratings. (Oppenheimer is 88)
So for context Oppenheimer not bad but 12 Angry Men is exceptional
Am I right in saying there were no women in this film?

No women main characters. Maybe milling about in the court lobby at the start of the film.

I know women were not allowed on juries at the time of th he film.
I think there were no credited women in the film

At the time of the making of the film only 3 US states excluded women from serving as jurors (Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi). Women had been allowed on juries in New York state from 1927, but were regularly screened out, as were other minorities, as they were deemed emotionally unsuitable(!), especially for capital cases. Also, in many states, women had to opt in to jury service, and most didn't.

Women have been allowed to serve on juries in the UK since the 1920s, but seldom did, as all jurors at that time had to be property owners.

12 Angry Men was originally written as a radio play. The film is outstanding, and Lee J Cobb's emotional speech at the end is one of my favourite pieces of screen acting.

[Mark James]

Finally watched Sexy Beast and Layer Cake. Enjoyed both but Sexy Beast was my favourite. Layer Cake was good but there was something about it. People rate it higher than the likes of Lock Stock but I don't know. I prefer Guy Ritchie to Vaughan.

I have Sisu ready to watch and I'm going to see my favourite movie of all time, Midnight Run, in the cinema tonight.

Also watched Being John Malkovich again the other night. How does one come up with a movie like that? It's amazing.

[Ian Volante]

I saw the Last Stand the other day. Sort of good fun, but struggled to tread the right line between enjoyable action and taking the piss out of itself, not necessarily getting it right.

[Marc Meakin]

Finally watched Sexy Beast and Layer Cake. Enjoyed both but Sexy Beast was my favourite. Layer Cake was good but there was something about it. People rate it higher than the likes of Lock Stock but I don't know. I prefer Guy Ritchie to Vaughan.

I have Sisu ready to watch and I'm going to see my favourite movie of all time, Midnight Run, in the cinema tonight.

Also watched Being John Malkovich again the other night. How does one come up with a movie like that? It's amazing.

Midnight Run is an excellent road movie.
DeNiro and Grodin are superb.
Sisu is a great action film with very little dialogue.

Sexy Beast is better than Layer Cake but I liked both.
DO NOT watch the Sexy Beast TV series its awful.

[Marc Meakin]

Watched Immaculate
A nunexploitation film that has a lot of gore.
Having watched Polite Society recently I realised Immaculste basically copies the same subplot.
Still a good horror film

[Marc Meakin]

Late Night With The Devil.
Alan Partridge meets The Exorcist.
Great slow burn horror that starts out as a comedy but gets darker.
Im not a fan of horror films but this was highly original.
Good to watch in the cinema with a crowd of jumpy students

[Mark James]

Sisu: over-the-top, Finnish, revenge flick featuring lots of nazi killing. Good fun.

Pearl: Classed as a horror, I suppose. Not really frightening but enjoyably creepy. Mia Goth is excellent. Apparently it's a prequel to another movie I haven't seen but I want to now.

[Marc Meakin]

Unfrosted.
On Netflix.
If you fancy of Seinfeld then this is hilarious.
It's a spoof product biopic that's wacky and hit all my funny buttons.
Worth watching unless you really don't like Jerry Seinfeld

[Gavin Chipper]

I just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was having a bit of a debate with some people about which is better out of Raiders and Temple of Doom. Everyone seems to think Raiders is better, but I don't really see it. They're both good films, but I'm not seeing anything about Raiders that makes it obviously the better film. I actually think the latter stages of Raiders (from where Indy and Marion escape out of the pit onwards) is actually a little bit nothingy and just a case of the rest of the film just playing out. The rather long scene with the truck on the road isn't as good as the equivalent scene in Temple of Doom with the carriage on the rails either. Nor do I think the face-melting scene at the end makes up for it!

[Marc Meakin]

I just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was having a bit of a debate with some people about which is better out of Raiders and Temple of Doom. Everyone seems to think Raiders is better, but I don't really see it. They're both good films, but I'm not seeing anything about Raiders that makes it obviously the better film. I actually think the latter stages of Raiders (from where Indy and Marion escape out of the pit onwards) is actually a little bit nothingy and just a case of the rest of the film just playing out. The rather long scene with the truck on the road isn't as good as the equivalent scene in Temple of Doom with the carriage on the rails either. Nor do I think the face-melting scene at the end makes up for it!

Why isn't Last Crusade in the reckoning , I would rank it higher than Temple in fact ,controversially here are my rankings Indy movies I will just use numbers
1st =1
2nd=3
3rd = 5
4th =2
Way down in 5th is Crystal Skull

[Gavin Chipper]

Well we were just discussing those two. I haven't seen Last Crusade for a while. Will report back.

[Andy McGurn]

Re: Temple of Doom

My wife (who is Indian) was eleven when this movie came out, she ended up being insulted at school by other kids who assumed she ate things like snake surprise, chilled monkey brains and eyeball soup.

Also, apparently a lot of Indian people feel the film insults their culture

[Martin Long]

The Last Crusade is my favourite Indiana Jones film. Thinking about it, this probably belongs in the controversial opinions thread.

[Gavin Chipper]

I watched Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny today. Didn't think it was that great.

[Marc Meakin]

I watched Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny today. Didn't think it was that great.

Considering how old Ford is I didn't think it was that bad.
When Toby Jones was in it it was great , less so with Phoebe Waller Bridge but it did kinda jump the shark at the end but it was a lot better than Crystal Skull

[Mark James]

Don't know why but I felt like sharing my top 5 Steven Spielberg movies.

1. Jaws
2. Minority Report
3. Jurassic Park
5. Schindler's List
4. Catch Me If You Can

[Marc Meakin]

Don't know why but I felt like sharing my top 5 Steven Spielberg movies.

1. Jaws
2. Minority Report
3. Jurassic Park
5. Schindler's List
4. Catch Me If You Can

I love film Lists.
I would put AI , Artificial Intelligence ahead of Minority Report and ET ahead of Jurrassic Park .
The visual effects in Jurrassic Park still look good even now

But it's a solid list

[Ian Volante]

Don't know why but I felt like sharing my top 5 Steven Spielberg movies.

1. Jaws
2. Minority Report
3. Jurassic Park
5. Schindler's List
4. Catch Me If You Can

Brave choice to put 5 above 4.

[Mark James]

Don't know why but I felt like sharing my top 5 Steven Spielberg movies.

1. Jaws
2. Minority Report
3. Jurassic Park
5. Schindler's List
4. Catch Me If You Can

Brave choice to put 5 above 4.

Woops. I cut and pasted and forgot to change the numbers

[Marc Meakin]

The Bikeriders.
Uninspiring title but a rather good film though.
Tom Hardy and Austin Butler tapping into Brando and Jimmy Dean respectively , Jodie Comer is the real stand out , probably pound for pound the best British actress of her generation.
Rather like 2022s Top Gun Maverick this is a throwback to days gone by and is great film to watch at the cinema with an excellent soundtrack

[Paul Worsley]

Longlegs

Pants

[Marc Meakin]

Longlegs

Pants

I don't generally watch horror unless it's got exceptional reviews so I will swerve this one

[Gavin Chipper]

I rewatched The Blair Witch Project (on the iPlayer). It was as I remembered it. A promising idea let down by the implementation. Basically the characters were awful, and not the sort of people you want want to go into the woods with to do some exploring. There was no build up of tension throughout the film, as they had all completely lost the plot within about 30 minutes of the start. The two guys were the worst. The girl wasn't as bad, but they all seemed too easily freaked out. It would have been better if they'd come across as more mentally robust to start with but the events cause them to lose it, rather than just having that character type to begin with. Also they came across more as the pothead waster types rather than the geeky explorer types. It would have worked better with the latter I think, or at least more of a balance.

[Marc Meakin]

Alien Romulus.
Not a sequel but an interquel set between Alien and Aliens it's well made and lots of good practical effects and some iffy AI special effects.
The first act is a slow build and only gets good in space and it has all the Alien greatest hits and some clever innovation two.
The last 10 minutes is bonkers but still a very fine film

[Ian Volante]

Alien Romulus.
Not a sequel but an interquel set between Alien and Aliens it's well made and lots of good practical effects and some iffy AI special effects.
The first act is a slow build and only gets good in space and it has all the Alien greatest hits and some clever innovation two.
The last 10 minutes is bonkers but still a very fine film

I've lost track of the sequence of Alien sequels. Apart from a bit of world-building, they basically appear to be the same now.

[Marc Meakin]

Alien Romulus.
Not a sequel but an interquel set between Alien and Aliens it's well made and lots of good practical effects and some iffy AI special effects.
The first act is a slow build and only gets good in space and it has all the Alien greatest hits and some clever innovation two.
The last 10 minutes is bonkers but still a very fine film

I've lost track of the sequence of Alien sequels. Apart from a bit of world-building, they basically appear to be the same now.

I don't count the AvP movies as cannon but you you had those 2 prequels Prometheus (good) and Covenant (not so good ).
I tend to forget about Alien 3 (original title implied cubed) and I don't think I even bothered with 4

[Marc Meakin]

Watched Joker Part 2 .
Hated by thousands but I rather liked it
Pennies from Heaven meets American History X.
The songs are from Americas Songbook (apart from one Bee Gees song.
It does piss all over the first Joker but I never saw Arthur Fleck as a hero.

[Mark James]

Finally got to watch Threads, the pretty harrowing TV movie about a nuclear attack on the UK. Definitely deserves its reputation. Would recommend.

[Marc Meakin]

Finally got to watch Threads, the pretty harrowing TV movie about a nuclear attack on the UK. Definitely deserves its reputation. Would recommend.

I watched this when it came out in the 80s and I have to say I found this scarier than any horror film I have seen up until then.
I think it has only been shown on the BBC 2 or times since

[Gavin Chipper]

On the iPlayer. Available for 11 months. I'll give it a go and get back to you.

I recently watched The Breakfast Club and Cast Away. I thought The Breakfast Club didn't feel very believable, the relationships between the students changing from being at each other's throats to getting on and back etc. Seemed disjointed.

Cast Away was decent enough but there was stuff that happened that I wasn't paying close enough attention to, or the film didn't make enough of it.

That whole bit at the end - I had to go back and check what that was about. I'd totally forgotten about the package at the beginning. In any case I don't think any real significance was made of Tom Hanks not opening it or having any attachment to it, and it was not on his raft as far as I could tell and it wouldn't have survived anyway. Wilson didn't and it was wedged on.

[Marc Meakin]

On the iPlayer. Available for 11 months. I'll give it a go and get back to you.

I recently watched The Breakfast Club and Cast Away. I thought The Breakfast Club didn't feel very believable, the relationships between the students changing from being at each other's throats to getting on and back etc. Seemed disjointed.

Cast Away was decent enough but there was stuff that happened that I wasn't paying close enough attention to, or the film didn't make enough of it.

That whole bit at the end - I had to go back and check what that was about. I'd totally forgotten about the package at the beginning. In any case I don't think any real significance was made of Tom Hanks not opening it or having any attachment to it, and it was not on his raft as far as I could tell and it wouldn't have survived anyway. Wilson didn't and it was wedged on.

I think after nearly 25 years the statute of limitations on spoilers has long passed

[Gavin Chipper]

Well people watch films at any time so you don't want to spoil it too much!

[Marc Meakin]

Well people watch films at any time so you don't want to spoil it too much!

I always assumed it was what motivated him to survive

[Gavin Chipper]

Well people watch films at any time so you don't want to spoil it too much!

I always assumed it was what motivated him to survive

He says that at the end of the film, but I don't think it comes across at all while he's on the island.

[Marc Meakin]

Well people watch films at any time so you don't want to spoil it too much!

I always assumed it was what motivated him to survive

He says that at the end of the film, but I don't think it comes across at all while he's on the island.

The bigger question should be that the Angel Wings parcel was addressed to Texas when the plane was going in a different direction

[David Harrison]

Only got round to watching Oppenheimer last week, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed given the hype about it.

[Marc Meakin]

Only got round to watching Oppenheimer last week, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed given the hype about it.

Meh

[Marc Meakin]

Heretic .
Un unusual film , a wordy horror film about religion.
Imagine Richard Dawkins and Jigsaw had a lovechild.
Mr Read (Hugh Grant) is that lovechild.
It cranks up the tension very slowly
The two actresses that play the Mormon 'sisters' were brought up Mormon so it's quite fitting
The analogies come thick and fast between board games , popular music and art are clever.
Lots of laughs to be had before the dark third act and a somewhat ambiguous ending.

This has been a golden age of quality horror in 2024.
Half of my top 20 films this year have been in the horror genre.

[Marc Meakin]

Conclave.
Film of the year for me.
Brilliant thriller .
Proving you don't need action to create tension.
Very twisty plot and a denouement I didn't see coming.
Even if you are not religious it's worth watching

[Gavin Chipper]

Finally got to watch Threads, the pretty harrowing TV movie about a nuclear attack on the UK. Definitely deserves its reputation. Would recommend.

I watched this when it came out in the 80s and I have to say I found this scarier than any horror film I have seen up until then.
I think it has only been shown on the BBC 2 or times since

I've just finished watching this. It's one of the grimmest things I've seen! But worst of all is that even E.T. doesn't make it. This is no joke. Go to 50:16 on the iPlayer, and you will see that E.T. dies in the nuclear explosion.

[Marc Meakin]

Anora.
Think Pretty Woman the unsanitised version.
Last year Emma Stone F**red her way to an Oscar in Poor Things.
Well Mikey Madison is going down the same path.
This has a lot of F bombs as well as a lot of sex but the story is great and at times very funny.
Chefs Kiss for the most non Hollywood ending of the year

[Marc Meakin]

Better Man , the Robbie Williams as a Chimp biopic.
Surprisingly good , well choreographed similar to Rocketman in style

[Gavin Chipper]

I just watched the original Beetlejuice on the iPlayer. I thought it was pretty poor. Essentially nothing really happened. I mean, stuff did happen but it then just ended. It didn't really build to any conclusion. There seemed to be no point to it.

[Marc Meakin]

I just watched the original Beetlejuice on the iPlayer. I thought it was pretty poor. Essentially nothing really happened. I mean, stuff did happen but it then just ended. It didn't really build to any conclusion. There seemed to be no point to it.

In my top ten of popular films I hate
Top 3 are
1.Mary Poppins
2.The Breakfast Club
3. Lost in Translation

[Marc Meakin]

A Complete Unknown.
I've never been a fan of Bob Dyan the singer but the poet , yes.
This film perfectly captures the 60s vibe and Timothee Chalomet really captures Dylans essence and even sings like him.
Great acting from the rest of the cast too.

[Callum Todd]

I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown and agree that Chalamet was superb as Dylan.

Also saw We Live In Time recently which I feel was carried by the superb performances of its two lead stars.

[Marc Meakin]

I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown and agree that Chalamet was superb as Dylan.

Also saw We Live In Time recently which I feel was carried by the superb performances of its two lead stars.

I did like We Live in Time , though why it was like one day on shuffle I don't know
It was confusing at first , but it was good to have a rom com with good chemistry.
Florence is a game girl
In her career she has played a wrestler a chef and an Ice skater

[Marc Meakin]

Companion.
Very fun horror/thriller/comedy
The trailer kinda gives the plot away so don't watch it if you intend to see the film.
I thought it was funny and clever and original and on 90 odd minutes which is good as films are far too long these days

[Gavin Chipper]

I saw Blade Runner (the final cut) at the cinema the other day. I'd only ever watched Blade Runner once before (maybe the director's cut), but I was tired and fell asleep for a bit that time. Anyway, while I think it's a good idea for a film (I also read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ages ago by the way), I found it to be a bit incoherent and disjointed. I thought the Tears in the rain monologue towards the end was effective, but it kind of stands alone and isn't supported by the rest of the film.

[Marc Meakin]

I saw Blade Runner (the final cut) at the cinema the other day. I'd only ever watched Blade Runner once before (maybe the director's cut), but I was tired and fell asleep for a bit that time. Anyway, while I think it's a good idea for a film (I also read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ages ago by the way), I found it to be a bit incoherent and disjointed. I thought the Tears in the rain monologue towards the end was effective, but it kind of stands alone and isn't supported by the rest of the film.

I'm one of the few people who prefer the original theatrical cut. Always a fan of an exposition monologue.
It still amazes me how well this film holds up.
In days before CGI and SFX the practical effects are amazing for a film made in 1982

[Gavin Chipper]

I watched A Complete Unknown the the Bob Dylan biopic. I thought it was OK, but for its length there was very little in the way of actual story. You could sum it up in a few seconds. In fact I will.

New musician Bob Dylan visits Woody Guthrie in hospital and plays him some music. Guthrie is impressed. He meets a girl and they get together. He meets Joan Baez when his girlfriend is away and they fuck. They also tour together. They have a bit of a rocky relationship. Dylan comes across as a bit of a dick at times. He does this folk festival and they try to make him play his old stuff but he plays his new stuff and people get annoyed and he gets boos. Then he does an encore and people cheer. Also his old girlfriend who he'd split up with comes to the festival but leaves during it. Oh and he meets Johnny Cash after they write letters to each other.

Edit - also it's interesting seeing Dylan as a "heart throb". I've always seen him and his music as timelessly "old man".

[Marc Meakin]

I watched A Complete Unknown the the Bob Dylan biopic. I thought it was OK, but for its length there was very little in the way of actual story. You could sum it up in a few seconds. In fact I will.

New musician Bob Dylan visits Woody Guthrie in hospital and plays him some music. Guthrie is impressed. He meets a girl and they get together. He meets Joan Baez when his girlfriend is away and they fuck. They also tour together. They have a bit of a rocky relationship. Dylan comes across as a bit of a dick at times. He does this folk festival and they try to make him play his old stuff but he plays his new stuff and people get annoyed and he gets boos. Then he does an encore and people cheer. Also his old girlfriend who he'd split up with comes to the festival but leaves during it. Oh and he meets Johnny Cash after they write letters to each other.

Edit - also it's interesting seeing Dylan as a "heart throb". I've always seen him and his music as timelessly "old man".

I thought Johnny Cash was the best thing in it.
They yook some liberties as with a lot of biopics.
The Judas comments were made in Leeds.
Also the taking an axe to the amp nit was actually a retrospective comment and did not literally happen

[Ian Volante]

I watched A Complete Unknown the the Bob Dylan biopic. I thought it was OK, but for its length there was very little in the way of actual story. You could sum it up in a few seconds. In fact I will.

New musician Bob Dylan visits Woody Guthrie in hospital and plays him some music. Guthrie is impressed. He meets a girl and they get together. He meets Joan Baez when his girlfriend is away and they fuck. They also tour together. They have a bit of a rocky relationship. Dylan comes across as a bit of a dick at times. He does this folk festival and they try to make him play his old stuff but he plays his new stuff and people get annoyed and he gets boos. Then he does an encore and people cheer. Also his old girlfriend who he'd split up with comes to the festival but leaves during it. Oh and he meets Johnny Cash after they write letters to each other.

Edit - also it's interesting seeing Dylan as a "heart throb". I've always seen him and his music as timelessly "old man".

The Judas comments were made in Leeds.

Must have been very loud to have echoed around the Manchester Free Trade Hall!

[Marc Meakin]

I watched A Complete Unknown the the Bob Dylan biopic. I thought it was OK, but for its length there was very little in the way of actual story. You could sum it up in a few seconds. In fact I will.

New musician Bob Dylan visits Woody Guthrie in hospital and plays him some music. Guthrie is impressed. He meets a girl and they get together. He meets Joan Baez when his girlfriend is away and they fuck. They also tour together. They have a bit of a rocky relationship. Dylan comes across as a bit of a dick at times. He does this folk festival and they try to make him play his old stuff but he plays his new stuff and people get annoyed and he gets boos. Then he does an encore and people cheer. Also his old girlfriend who he'd split up with comes to the festival but leaves during it. Oh and he meets Johnny Cash after they write letters to each other.

Edit - also it's interesting seeing Dylan as a "heart throb". I've always seen him and his music as timelessly "old man".

The Judas comments were made in Leeds.

Must have been very loud to have echoed around the Manchester Free Trade Hall!

Leeds is slightly closer than the Newport Festival

[Ian Volante]

Citizen Kane. Then I had to go read about why it's good.

[Gavin Chipper]

Citizen Kane. Then I had to go read about why it's good.

In other words it isn't. I watched it a couple of years or so ago and wasn't massively impressed.