Rate the last movie you've seen

[MoonSylver]

"The Den" 7/10 (Good) -Stalk & slash meets social media. Interesting use of faux documentary footage in which a student making a sociology documentary on the phenomenon of a Chatroulette-style websites life unravels when things take a sinister turn. All of the footage is from her web cam, security cameras etc. The third act takes an unexpected turn & overall it was satisfying. "Come Back To Me" 1/10 (Awful) - Starts off decent...until the "big reveal" which is slightly skeezy & feels like someone took a pervy sexual fantasy & turned it into a horror movie premise. Totally hand waved away in terms of an explanation, & an ending with some big balls, which unfortunately pissed me off. I should have liked this movie. It was a bit risky & edgy. Unfortunately, it left me cold. "The Taking of Deborah Logan" 7/10 (Good) - Another faux documentary-style film with a possession angle. Put me in mind of "The Last Exorcism", "The Skeleton Key", or "Sinister" a bit. Good mystery element & takes a few mild twists that I didn't expect. The 3rd act get a bit overblown, but overall fairly standard & unspectacular, but sold & enjoyable.

[blind2d]

So Saturday night I saw 'Interstellar' and then immediately afterward 'Mocking Jay Part One'. Interstellar: 9/10 If you liked 2001 or Silent Running, you will probably like this film. Thought provoking, and the drama is real, if at times ever so slightly predictable. Still a fun watch, good imagination put into it. Mocking Jay: 7/10 Probably the best Hunger Games film yet, which oddly enough includes no actual games of hunger. Katniss isn't a great singer, but her song is catchy. If you're feeling rebellious, or dystopian, this is a good film for you.

[Neil]

Hobbit part 3 - A generous 8/10

[Geordie9]

5/10 - - - Updated - - - 6/10

[MinionZombie]

Her - 9/10. I really dug it. It took me a little while to get into it at the start, to get into the groove of the movie, but once I was in I was locked in tight. Even though Scarlett Johansson was a replacement voice artist on this, she fits in so well ... a beautiful voice that any sane person could fall in love with easily. I dug the style of it too, the look, the music, the subtly futuristic technology (and I was rather tickled by that foul-mouthed computer game character). I'll definitely watch it again some time, and will probably see if a few times as the years go by ... yeah, I loved it.

[MoonSylver]

Her - 9/10. I really dug it. It took me a little while to get into it at the start, to get into the groove of the movie, but once I was in I was locked in tight. Even though Scarlett Johansson was a replacement voice artist on this, she fits in so well ... a beautiful voice that any sane person could fall in love with easily. I dug the style of it too, the look, the music, the subtly futuristic technology (and I was rather tickled by that foul-mouthed computer game character). I'll definitely watch it again some time, and will probably see if a few times as the years go by ... yeah, I loved it. I was starting to think you & I weren't on the same page here after "The Dead". Looks like there's still hope for you yet. There's so many things to love about this movie, but one of the things I really liked too was not only did it work on a level of what the not-so-distant (as soon as 15 years some experts say) future holds for us, but how it also works on a subtextual level as a commentary on technology, our relationship with it & our relationship with each other as a result of it. I found it very interesting how easily the AI's were accepted, how nonchalantly people reacted to relationships with them. How much of a non issue they were & our relationship with them was. The insights into what such AI's might be like, evolve into, & all of the quirks & difficulties of the birthing of this new & different life form & of our interactions & relationships with them might bring was thought provoking. Also interesting how many "little" things there were in the movie that spoke volumes. Theodore's job for example. Just the fact that there WAS such a job, & that people reacted to his work the way they did carries the implication almost that even the ability to meaningfully express genuine heartfelt emotion anymore is now somehow a rare & precious commodity.

[PaulBrown]

The Maze Runner and what a movie. I give it a 9/10 and I can't wait for the sequel. If you like the hunger games, then go watch it

[Geordie9]

I enjoyed the film & Juno Temple's acting was brilliant but the ending was a bit of a let down. 7/10

[MinionZombie]

I was starting to think you & I weren't on the same page here after "The Dead". Looks like there's still hope for you yet. There's so many things to love about this movie, but one of the things I really liked too was not only did it work on a level of what the not-so-distant (as soon as 15 years some experts say) future holds for us, but how it also works on a subtextual level as a commentary on technology, our relationship with it & our relationship with each other as a result of it. I found it very interesting how easily the AI's were accepted, how nonchalantly people reacted to relationships with them. How much of a non issue they were & our relationship with them was. The insights into what such AI's might be like, evolve into, & all of the quirks & difficulties of the birthing of this new & different life form & of our interactions & relationships with them might bring was thought provoking. Also interesting how many "little" things there were in the movie that spoke volumes. Theodore's job for example. Just the fact that there WAS such a job, & that people reacted to his work the way they did carries the implication almost that even the ability to meaningfully express genuine heartfelt emotion anymore is now somehow a rare & precious commodity. Just thinking about it, something that really irked me with The Dead was the audio - the dialogue specifically - it all sounded like it had been overdubbed with the actors a couple of inches from a microphone. The acoustics sounded off the entire time and that bugged me ... it wasn't a bad movie, but it was a bit of a let down after the positive vibes it had been getting here ... oh well, you can't win 'em all. Back onto "Her" and I whole heartedly agree with you Moon. Also yeah, Theodore's job was a really interesting idea in and of itself and it didn't feel silly or too out there, it actually felt like reality plus one, if that makes sense? It felt like we're already so close to that as it is right now. If you like that kind of stuff, might I recommend a British TV series called "Black Mirror" - so far there's been two series (three episodes each) and a Christmas special (which aired just a couple of days ago). They're all stand alone tales, but themes of technology run through every episode - either taking existing technological (or even social) ideas and themes and applying them to a skewed version of present day life, or taking current technology and twisting it slightly for a 'near future' world. The smart thing is that they often apply this fantastical techy idea to a story that's 'simply human' ... for example there was an episode in which people could record what they see and hear, and rewind it whenever they want (kind of like an advanced DVD chapter select), but they applied it to a story about a man who was suspicious that his wife was cheating on him, and how that particular bit of technology could be useful - but also damaging - in such a situation. It's an excellent series from Channel 4, although the tone is definitely a lot darker than something like "Her" ... but just because of how you talking about "Her", I thought that maybe you'd like to check it out. I will warn that the first episode of Black Mirror (involving a Prime Minister facing extraordinary terrorist demands) becomes decidedly disturbing, and that episode two is a bit iffy, but aside from that it's a thoroughly engaging series. I highly recommend it.

[MoonSylver]

Just thinking about it, something that really irked me with The Dead was the audio - the dialogue specifically - it all sounded like it had been overdubbed with the actors a couple of inches from a microphone. The acoustics sounded off the entire time and that bugged me ... it wasn't a bad movie, but it was a bit of a let down after the positive vibes it had been getting here ... oh well, you can't win 'em all. I'll have to go back & watch again. I do remember being somewhat aware of the audio. It kinda reminded me of the Italian zed flicks of days gone by, so it felt like ambiance IIRC. Personally, I'd give them a little bit of a pass on production issues, just due to the difficulties of making the film. Two years in the making, 90% of the cast & crew came down with malaria, the lead actor almost died from it, robbed by bandits, etc. If you get a chance, watch w/ the commentary some time. A film guy like you would probably dig it. All kinds of little tidbits (like the funny leg zombie: that wan't CGI or SPFX. That was a real guy they just saw walking by in a restaurant one day who they stopped & said "wanna be in a movie?") The story of the making of the movie is almost as captivating as the movie itself IMO. Back onto "Her" and I whole heartedly agree with you Moon. Also yeah, Theodore's job was a really interesting idea in and of itself and it didn't feel silly or too out there, it actually felt like reality plus one, if that makes sense? It felt like we're already so close to that as it is right now. Yeah, totally makes sense. Agree completely. If you like that kind of stuff, might I recommend a British TV series called "Black Mirror" - so far there's been two series (three episodes each) and a Christmas special (which aired just a couple of days ago). They're all stand alone tales, but themes of technology run through every episode - either taking existing technological (or even social) ideas and themes and applying them to a skewed version of present day life, or taking current technology and twisting it slightly for a 'near future' world. The smart thing is that they often apply this fantastical techy idea to a story that's 'simply human' ... for example there was an episode in which people could record what they see and hear, and rewind it whenever they want (kind of like an advanced DVD chapter select), but they applied it to a story about a man who was suspicious that his wife was cheating on him, and how that particular bit of technology could be useful - but also damaging - in such a situation. It's an excellent series from Channel 4, although the tone is definitely a lot darker than something like "Her" ... but just because of how you talking about "Her", I thought that maybe you'd like to check it out. I will warn that the first episode of Black Mirror (involving a Prime Minister facing extraordinary terrorist demands) becomes decidedly disturbing, and that episode two is a bit iffy, but aside from that it's a thoroughly engaging series. I highly recommend it. Thanks for the tip! Sounds interesting.

[MinionZombie]

Personally, I'd give them a little bit of a pass on production issues, just due to the difficulties of making the film. Two years in the making, 90% of the cast & crew came down with malaria, the lead actor almost died from it, robbed by bandits, etc. If you get a chance, watch w/ the commentary some time. A film guy like you would probably dig it. All kinds of little tidbits (like the funny leg zombie: that wan't CGI or SPFX. That was a real guy they just saw walking by in a restaurant one day who they stopped & said "wanna be in a movie?") The story of the making of the movie is almost as captivating as the movie itself IMO. I saw it on the Horror Channel, but it does sound like it had an interesting production ... although really, my main problems with the film are down to the script rather than the production, ultimately. Indeed, many Italian flicks were dubbed, but - to me at least - there's a difference in the quality of the sound. When I'm watching one of the classic Italian horrors of the 70s or 80s it doesn't sound like they're in a booth close to a microphone, whereas in The Dead it really did sound like that, and that kinda irked me. There's definitely good things about the movie that I enjoyed, but yeah, ultimately my issues with it came down to the script more than anything else. I thought the setting was inspired, and dug the shamblers, but the story was threadbare for the most part and as a result I just couldn't engage with it. To each their own.

[MoonSylver]

I saw it on the Horror Channel, but it does sound like it had an interesting production ... although really, my main problems with the film are down to the script rather than the production, ultimately. Indeed, many Italian flicks were dubbed, but - to me at least - there's a difference in the quality of the sound. When I'm watching one of the classic Italian horrors of the 70s or 80s it doesn't sound like they're in a booth close to a microphone, whereas in The Dead it really did sound like that, and that kinda irked me. There's definitely good things about the movie that I enjoyed, but yeah, ultimately my issues with it came down to the script more than anything else. I thought the setting was inspired, and dug the shamblers, but the story was threadbare for the most part and as a result I just couldn't engage with it. To each their own. Yeah, if you're looking for a deep story, move along, you won't find it here. (Not that I think the story of "The Dead" is BAD, just simple & not very complex) It's essentially a road move during the zombpocalypse in an exotic locale. That sums up the appeal for the most part IMO. But I thought the things it did, it did INSANELY well: from showcasing the exotic locale, to the flavor of the African extras as zombies, to the way the they handled making the shamblers seem a credible threat in a movie that takes place mostly OUTDOORS, often in the open (which in & of itself was pretty novel), to the sense of dread they established with them, to the "set pieces". So yeah, on one hand it's kind of a "typical" zed flick, but a well done one, BUT with some very special & different flourishes that really set it apart from most of its contemporaries. But as you say, horses for courses or whatever.

[Geordie9]

8/10

[Neil]

8/10 Really? I got the vibe it wasn't very good?

[Geordie9]

I had read a few bad reviews too but i enjoyed it, maybe it's because Scarlett Johansson is a minx!! 6/10