Sam's Thread of Chattin' w/ Jake & Other Robust Subjects

[Y 2 Jake]

1. Oculus ★★★★★
2. Noah ★★★★★
3. Starred Up ★★★★★
4. The Wolf Of Wall Street ★★★★
5. X-Men: Days Of Future Past ★★★★
6. The Inbetweeners 2 ★★★★
7. Delivery Man ★★★★
8. Pompeii ★★★★
9. Non-Stop ★★★★
10. Labor Day ★★★★
11. The Fault In Our Stars ★★★★
12. Under The Skin ★★★★
13. Guardians Of The Galaxy ★★★★ x2
14. How To Train Your Dragon 2 ★★★★
15. Bad Neighbours ★★★
16. The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★
17. Nymph()maniac: Part 1 ★★★
18. Her ★★★
19. The Raid 2 ★★★
20. Stranger By The Lake ★★★
21. Boyhood ★★★
22. Last Vegas ★★★
23. The Book Thief ★★★
24. 22 Jump Street ★★★
25. The Lego Movie ★★★
26. Need For Speed ★★★
27. Grudge Match ★★★
28. Chef ★★★
29. Dallas Buyers Club ★★★
30. Nymph()maniac: Part 2 ★★★
31. The Purge: Anarchy ★★★
32. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ★★★
33. Sabotage ★★★
34. Cold In July ★★★
35. The Expendables 3 ★★★
36. Godzilla ★★★
37. The Other Woman ★★★
38. Muppets Most Wanted ★★★
39. The Two Faces Of January ★★★
40. Edge Of Tomorrow ★★★
41. 12 Years A Slave ★★★
42. Out Of The Furnace ★★★
43. The Stag ★★★
44. The Monuments Men ★★★
45. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes ★★★
46. Earth To Echo ★★★
47. That Awkward Moment ★★★
48. Cuban Fury ★★★
49. The Railway Man ★★★
50. A Long Way Down ★★★
51. A Million Ways To Die In The West ★★
52. Hercules ★★
53. Hector And The Search For Happiness ★★
54. Maleficent ★★
55. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★
56. Robocop ★★
57. American Hustle ★★
58. 3 Days To Kill ★★
59. Transformers: Age Of Extinction ★★
60. The Unbeatables ★
61. Belle ★
62. Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie ★
63. Transcendence ★

Boyhood was good until it went on forever. The Expendables is like the others. Cool action scenes everything else is a chore. Simon Pegg likes headlining films which are as long and forgettable as their titles.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

1. Oculus ★★★★★
2. Noah ★★★★★
3. Starred Up ★★★★★
4. The Wolf Of Wall Street ★★★★
5. X-Men: Days Of Future Past ★★★★
6. The Inbetweeners 2 ★★★★
7. Delivery Man ★★★★
8. Pompeii ★★★★
9. Non-Stop ★★★★
10. Labor Day ★★★★
11. The Fault In Our Stars ★★★★
12. Under The Skin ★★★★
13. Guardians Of The Galaxy ★★★★ x2
14. How To Train Your Dragon 2 ★★★★
15. What If ★★★★
16. Bad Neighbours ★★★
17. The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★
18. Nymph()maniac: Part 1 ★★★
19. Her ★★★
20. The Raid 2 ★★★
21. Stranger By The Lake ★★★
22. Into The Storm ★★★
23. Boyhood ★★★
24. Last Vegas ★★★
25. The Book Thief ★★★
26. 22 Jump Street ★★★
27. The Lego Movie ★★★
28. Need For Speed ★★★
29. Grudge Match ★★★
30. Chef ★★★
31. Dallas Buyers Club ★★★
32. Nymph()maniac: Part 2 ★★★
33. The Purge: Anarchy ★★★
34. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ★★★
35. Sabotage ★★★
36. Cold In July ★★★
37. The Expendables 3 ★★★
38. Godzilla ★★★
39. The Other Woman ★★★
40. Muppets Most Wanted ★★★
41. Lucy ★★★
42. The Two Faces Of January ★★★
43. Edge Of Tomorrow ★★★
44. Deliver Us From Evil ★★★
45. 12 Years A Slave ★★★
46. Out Of The Furnace ★★★
47. The Stag ★★★
48. The Monuments Men ★★★
49. Fading Gigolo ★★★
50. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes ★★★
51. Earth To Echo ★★★
52. That Awkward Moment ★★★
53. Cuban Fury ★★★
54. The Railway Man ★★★
55. A Long Way Down ★★★
56. A Million Ways To Die In The West ★★
57. Hercules ★★
58. Hector And The Search For Happiness ★★
59. Maleficent ★★
60. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★
61. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For ★★
62. Robocop ★★
63. American Hustle ★★
64. 3 Days To Kill ★★
65. As Above/So Below ★★
66. Transformers: Age Of Extinction ★★
67. The Unbeatables ★
68. The House Of Magic ★
69. Belle ★
70. Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie ★
71. Transcendence ★

Hectic cinema week.

At best Sin City looked like it was made by a completely different director. At worst a straight to video sequel.

Fading Gigolo has its moments. All of those moments involve Woody Allen. It could also be the most self-indulgent film since the last Tarantino film.

What If throws conventions at you which should make you hate it. But it fails.

Liked Her? Check out that ending to Lucy. Hell of a swerve.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'd be much happier without a job, I think - watching films all day. I'd also eat a lot more crisps and chocolate.

Luc Besson's films have been Luc-warm for years now. In my head I'm like, "Hey, Lucy sounds batshit enough to be enjoyable" but I know I'm just kidding myself. Then again, I thought The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec was alright and that was only five years ago.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The new X Men movie is quite busy, isnt it

 

[Uncle Sam]

Happily so - I lose interest too easily these days. My attention wanders.

 

[Lee]

DO you think the next Avatar movies will bomb?

 

[Uncle Sam]

James Cameron just knows what will draw people in droves, even if it sounds mental paper, even if it looks mental on screen. If he's got the crazy idea in his head that making sequels to the biggest movie of all-time will put arses in seats, who am I to question him?

 

[Uncle Sam]

Oh! Well done on that whole Man City thing, Jakey. I'm assuming you were involved in some capacity.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Yeah, watched it on my computer. I wasn't there for that monumental victory. But if anybody ever asks, I'll say I was.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Should probably use this thread for more than movie stuff. That in mind:

My left ear has gone almost totally deaf. Just tinnitus all day long. I genuinely think it may have driven me slightly mad, so I'm off to the GP in a few minutes. Probably just ear wax but who knows, could be a brain tumour, and think of all the emotional blackmailing I could do in my final days.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Now we're revealing stuff. Last night I kissed my girlfriends sister and I think I'm feeling that thing you humans call regret.

 

[Uncle Sam]

You think you've got it bad, I've got to put up with "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" for the next six days.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I suppose I did win this round.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'm thinking I might just cut the ear off. What's your ingenious solution to your problem?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Ditch the girlfriend for the sister. Or have both.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Typical. Bloody typical.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I finally saw Raid 2 last week and despite the far too long plot, the action scenes were excellent. I've never really noticed it in any other fight scenes before but the climactic fight with knife boy where Rama is trying to make multiple grabs for the knives had me on the edge of my mates couch. Usually its a case of smacking each other around until a triumphant neck-snap or some such finishing move but the choreography in both films has been superb so far.

Oh, and also this

 

[Uncle Sam]

On the contrary, I felt the additional time lent to the plot (and who doesn't love a good twisty-turny crime syndicate plot?) gave the action that much more-- I need a better word that "weight." The first film, for instance, didn't really communicate much about why you should care about all the punching and kicking, entertaining and intricate as it was. It was definitely leaner. The Raid 2 set up the stakes before every fight and was arguably better for it.

Ah, yes, and kudos for the first scene wiping its arse with audience expectations. "Remember how we left these threads dangling at the end of the first film? Well, fuck that!"

 

[Rusty]

Is Uncle Sam really an uncle?

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

On the contrary, I felt the additional time lent to the plot (and who doesn't love a good twisty-turny crime syndicate plot?) gave the action that much more-- I need a better word that "weight." The first film, for instance, didn't really communicate much about why you should care about all the punching and kicking, entertaining and intricate as it was. It was definitely leaner. The Raid 2 set up the stakes before every fight and was arguably better for it.

Ah, yes, and kudos for the first scene wiping its arse with audience expectations. "Remember how we left these threads dangling at the end of the first film? Well, fuck that!"

I agree about the plot giving the fights more substance and meaning but I think that the main body of the plot could have lost half an hour and not given the fights less impact. Hah, puns.

It's scary to think that the initial cut was 3 and a half hours long but with the 3rd film starting 3 hours before the end of the second film, I expect that they could include a bunch of cut footage in the 3rd. Oh and Tony Jaa is in the next film too so that could be amazing.

Gonna be intriguing to see what Gareth Evans does next as from what I've read he's very hands on with how the film is stylised and does rushes on the same day as filming. I read the same thing about Gareth Edwards when he was doing Monsters and now he's done a huge feature in Godzilla and is doing one of the Star Wars spin-offs so I doubt he will have been as hands on with Godzilla and tbc Star Wars.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I fucking hated Godzilla. Monsters was impressive because it was mainly just the one bloke making it and it had really nice VFX, otherwise it was, well, about as dour as Godzilla. As far as my favourite Gareths go, it's Wright first, then Evans, then Gareth from The Office, then Edwards miles behind.

Is Uncle Sam really an uncle?

Despite my brothers both being far more virile than me, no.

 

[.]

So I finally watched Calvary, you're review intrigued me and i put it off for quite a while. Of the films made by the McDonaghs I've seen this, In Bruges, 7 Psychopaths & The Guard.

John Michael McDonagh is now my favourite of the two. The Guard was a great film and it was probably funnier if you're from the region of Ireland the film was shot in(I am) but Calvary was some kind of special.

Would love to see Gleeson get some praise and some attention for this but it's sorta typical at this stage to overlook the guy.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I like my top ten but not the order it's in - and I think that's largely thanks to Calvary. I'm normally entirely happy to put jovial, carefree films above the more introverted stuff, but this is a bit of an exception. It just feels odd, it sitting below the latest X-Men, don't you think?

Then again, I'm also mulling over sliding Guardians of the Galaxy up a few places.

I've not seen a new film in nearly three weeks, though I do have plans to see both The Guest (from the bloke what did You're Next, which was great) and Two Days, One Night ("Despite being in French, pretty good," says Empire) this week. I've also seen none of Jake's five star films, though I'm not sure I can really be arsed with either Starred Up or Noah.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I fucking hated Godzilla. Monsters was impressive because it was mainly just the one bloke making it and it had really nice VFX, otherwise it was, well, about as dour as Godzilla. As far as my favourite Gareths go, it's Wright first, then Evans, then Gareth from The Office, then Edwards miles behind.

Yeh this is what makes me worry about Evans' future if he suddenly jumps from productions that he has more control over to ones that are far more studio controlled.

Godzilla was a bit of a let-down admittedly as probably a good 80% of the cool visuals were in the trailer and the acting was spectacularly wooden. The sequel and Star Wars spin-off will likely have the same formula too which doesn't give me much hope for how the rest of his career will go; the Zach Snyder route of nice looking set-pieces but not a whole lot of meat.

Evans can do action no problem and he dabbled with a more dramatic plot in Raid 2 so it would be nice to see him be able to branch out into more varied fare. I'd just hope that he can continue to maintain control over any future projects rather than go the Edwards route.

 

[Uncle Sam]

As you said, doubtlessly talented at directing martial arts set-pieces (and car chases), and the added undercover cop intrigue showed a lot of promise when it came to directing stuff not involving punching and kicking and getting thrown through walls.

I'm beggining to regret not picking the film up when I was in town just now.