I can't remember the last time skipping a few years in a show worked well... I mean, Weeds did it a few times and it made the show a joke. This... well, they skipped forward three years between season 4 and 5 and you can tell by other shouts that that's when the show got worse. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it, but it is slipping. I guess that's what happens when a show runs for long enough (not that I want it to be cancelled, quite the contrary).
I used to like it, but Season 7 seems really quite bad... there are still a few jokes that I find funny, but a lot of them seem strained and as if they're trying too hard.
Yes, the show rather lost its edge after a few seasons in and rather deviated from the original plot. For a show to run for seven and now currently eight seasons with the same plot and setting would be dull (unless its a sitcom). I enjoyed the jaw-hitting-the-floor moments in season 6 and 7, despite it being FAR from the original plot. Personally I prefer Californication over Weeds, but I think Weeds has held up better in the long run, especially having run for two seasons longer.
Absolutely fantastic, certainly my favorite currently airing TV show - great acting, plots, drama, and wit. I'd say it gets better as it goes on, but that's not to say it goes from bland to great, it goes from great to amazing.
I really enjoyed this show so I, like MellowB, am gutted that it got cancelled. This had style, drama, laughs, certainly moreso than some shows that CBS renew can claim.
USA cancelled it :'( I hope this becomes the next 'The Good Guys' ie a cult classic (such as Firefly) that had a lot of promise but got cancelled before it got wide enough recognition.
I really hope it gets renewed as it's a really enjoyable show. I watch lots of USA's shows, and sure, this isn't on-par with Psych or Suits, but I think it beats Burn Notice and Fairly Legal. Please USA, don't cancel this because there are "too many buddy cop shows" because there aren't and Common Law is really something different.
It's a shame it got cancelled, as I felt the plot was actually really going somewhere, and most of the jokes weren't that bad.
If you want to really enjoy Drive, I'd suggest you do the following. Get a big screen (like, 32"+). Get a 5.1 surround system and something that has a real bass kick for the engines. Turn all the lights off; turn the volume way up. Watch the blu ray.
If you watch it like that and get completely absorbed in it, I'm pretty sure you'll appreciate this film for the gripping cinematic experience it is.
After watching Half Nelson and Blue Valentine, I approached Fracture with some trepidation. I shouldn't have. This too was... just, wow. It made me feel connected to it, it made me tense when it was tense. Definitely worth watching, I'd say it beats The Ides of March on intellectual thriller basis (if the two can be compared)
It felt like a mixture of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Smokin' Aces. If you like those films, you'll probably like this.
As opposed to many, I wasn't alive at the time and I hadn't studied the 'Canadian Caper' before watching it - therefore to the unaware viewer such as I it was a harrowing, dramatic, and solid film from start to finish. If you don't fancy some inaccuracies being stuck in your head, read about the real event afterwards, but don't ruin the movie. Sadly as with all films based on true and widely known events, those who knew the real event can't enjoy the movie quite as much as they already know how the plot pans out.
Unlike afly, I was fortunate enough to be in a quiet cinema (release of the movie in England was ridiculously underplayed - I saw more promotion in France than there was in England) - there were three other people in the audience. In a proper cinema screen. Ironic that the movie was preceded, as is customary nowadays, by the anti-piracy-love-cinema advert where the cinemas are dusty and deserted... it was like a ghost town in there. I can only hope that that was because Salisbury isn't quite the sort of place to have audiences widely interested in an "intelligent film" and not an omen for the cinema industry - seeing a film in the cinema is an unbeatable experience unless you build your own full-size cinema screen, as a large TV and a surround system don't quite match up. Films like this deserve to be seen on the big screen.
This was,... well, the plot was definitely interesting, but it seemed to be mostly violence-driven and rather random and over the top. I didn't hate it,but I definitely didn't love it.
Loved it. Just the right pace and an amazingly well told story. This film really should get more praise than it does.
aww, boo, casual transphobia :( sign of the times I guess, but seriously....
It's a good film. But it's not The A-Team. I've been an avid fan of the TV show since I was a kid, so was naturally excited when I heard the rumors about a movie being made. Neeson plays Neeson, Cooper plays Cooper etc... In the TV show Hannibal was a bit more playful (just a bit) and Face was suave, not arrogant. BA wasn't quite so thug-like, and Murdoch wasn't, well, so modern. The van doesn't exactly make much of an appearance, and from what I could see, the top half wasn't gun-metal grey, the wheel spokes weren't red, and the rear had slats instead of windows. Oh, and they 'forgot' to blackout the GMC badges, despite the one in the film allegedly not even being a GMC van...
As I said above, it's good film. The plot is ok, the action is believable, but The real A-Team didn't kill people or meet each other in Mexico. Perhaps Hollywood didn't want some cheesy but lovable 80's icons to be on the big screen but stereotypical action heroes. And for what was probably the last thing Cannell had an impact on before he died makes it even more upsetting that it's so unfaithful despite having his input :'(
After all the jokes about it being great for 2005 and my severe dislike for Google, I wasn't expecting much from what has been called on numerous occasions "a two hour commercial for Google".
However, I enjoyed it. It's not the best movie ever, but there are far worse films, even from this year. It had a plot, Wilson/Vaughn were compatible as ever, and if you hate Google as much as me, you can easily look on Google with a disdainful attitude for most of the movie, which alone provides some sort of entertainment.
I watched Casino Royale for the first time around when it came out. A short while later, I read Fleming's book. Then, during last week I re-read the book, then watched this directly after finishing reading. From the typical stance, I think this must be the most loyal Bond movie to the books, although I'll have to finish re-reading the rest and re-watching the rest to honestly hold that opinion. The Spy Who Loved Me, was, in the novel, a girl at a motel who met Bond. Nothing to do with some entrepreneurial havoc maker stealing submarines. From what I can remember, the older Bond movies were mostly all about humor, girls, and gadgets. Daniel Craig's interpretation of Bond is a lot closer to Fleming's vision. As Judi Dench's M says, "arrogance and self-awareness seldom go had in hand" - this Bond manages it.
Which sadly isn't to say that this is a truly loyal movie. Is it about gambling? Yes. So it's already more loyal than most other Bond films. However, here's a brief list of the differences between novel and movie:
There were more than a few similarities though. The basics of the plot, ignoring the first 40 or so minutes of the film after the reasonably similar prologue exhibiting the earning of his 00 status (no marksmanship across skyscrapers in New York to be seen here), are similar. If the spoiler warning over this wasn't enough warning, don't read on if you don't want the movie properly spoiled. Vesper is a double agent as in the novel, though her motives aren't quite as clear and personal (simply blackmail, as explained by M), and her suicide is one containing hope for survival (wow, Bond certainly can hold his breath...) rather than the discovery of death that has already happened. In the novel, the discovery of death also left a suicide note addressed to Bond, explaining her motives. I did smile at Craig just about quoting "the bitch is dead", although the smile dropped when the Mr. White storyline interrupted.
I do wonder if a true-to-the-novel Casino Royale movie would be profitable, if even 'Hollywood worthy', but I wish I could make one. Oddly enough, I'd cast Craig and Green, as they can play their roles as Fleming wrote, they just need to be given the script to match their talent. Overall, this is certainly worthy of being labelled a Bond movie and the deviations from the novel aren't as far-fetched or unrelated as in other Bond movies. The characters were spot on, the plot was just a little off.
So, I've been anticipating this film since I first heard about it's existence mid last year. Safe to say that I hurriedly went to my local cinema on the 10th to see their second screening of it. Fortunately the rest of the audience were fairly quiet so that didn't mar the experience.
Anyway, the film. My anticipation may bias my opinion; it certainly did during the film. My biggest gripe during watching was Gosling's voice, it took me half the film to bear it. Now, I'm a HUGE Ryan Gosling fan, so I'm very used to what his normal voice sounds like; this was not it. Was he trying to put on some period accent? His character was a young war veteran, you'd think the role would demand a deeper voice such as his natural one, not the squeaky one we ended up with. I think the BBFC are getting far too lax with their judgments nowadays, there is no way this film should be rated 15, even just five years ago something like this would be emblazoned 18 in a split-second. Sure, there's no actual nudity, but the gore is... well, I was surprised it managed to pass for a 15. Just look at Wanted, there wasn't much more obscenity in that and that was an 18.
This isn't Mad Men, don't expect to see all the elegance a decade earlier. There is some glamour, but it's gritty on the whole, yet still somehow a bit tame... I haven't watched The Untouchables for ages, but this feels to be directed in a fashion similar to other recent action films rather than maintain some link with the era it represents. You didn't get slow-mo close-up cutscenes in LA Noire.
In hindsight, I didn't feel the characters were developed enough to gain any emotional rapport with them. The character I felt we had the greatest insight into was Mickey Cohen - was that intended?? I thought we were meant to feel empathy for the Gangster Squad, the good guys trying to right wrongs in unconventional ways. Yes, there were two or three moments were I felt a bit sorry for them, but really, Toy Story 3 had a greater connection. I got some feel for what the Gangster Squad were trying to stop, and they really didn't waste screen time assembling the squad, but then they were slow making themselves a visible threat to Cohen's empire, and of course there was a montage... I'm not trying to complain about this film, I do try to like it, and yes, I'd buy the DVD to watch it again, but it isn't the sort of film that MUST be seen at the cinema, it's not that engaging. If I was some harsh stuffy critic I'd say "Gangster Squad limply leads you by the hand with a long-distance view of organised crime in LA and how the city tried to stop it", but I'm not, so I'll just say if you want to see a gangster movie with lots of action and at least some element of a plot, watch this film. If you're looking for an engaging neo-noir film, re-watch LA Confidential.
Oh, and if you've seen the trailer and have therefore basically seen the movie - you haven't. If this sort of film isn't your style, sure, don't spend the money on a ticket, but if you thought you wanted to see it and are now dubious, don't worry, the trailer doesn't wreck the movie.
So, spoilers ahead. I don't want to be the guy who ruins the film for you, so please, unless you've seen the film, do not read on, fair warning given.
There were two key paths I feel weren't explored far enough, despite the film being pretty lengthy (without a dull moment, may I add).
Point 1) Sort of two parts, but still one point. I don't think they pursued the thought-provoking aspect of the victims lives as much as they could've done. That scene with Pike in the house of the father of one of the victims was so very touching and emotional - yet that was the last we saw of the aspect. The character of Reacher demanded that if he was to view Barr objectively, she, as Barr's defence, should get to know the lives of the victims. Which brings me onto the second part of this point - the victim on the bench and the victim with the watch, purportedly having an affair. Was this just a way into the characters thinking the victims weren't random and thus reaching the realization of Oline's position? I know the affair was irrelevant, but we have a glimpse into their lives, a glimpse into the nanny's life,... for what, the emotional path that wasn't gone down? I don't think that aspect was developed enough.
Point number 2) Much briefer this one, but what was the motive of the Detective Emerson character to be under the control of The Zec? It seemed that he was working for him because he hadn't got a choice - what was The Zec holding over him, controlling him with?? Did they avoid that expansion so that we wouldn't feel sorry for Emerson when Reacher shoots him? If so, why present us with the limp plot point of Emerson being forced to obey as his reason for betraying the badge? Yes, give us a motive so it's believable, but to actually try to develop it.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
Good film. Kinda depressing though to think that there is no way to change the stupidity on the planet :/
Another very decent episode, I like how they're shaking things up more than usual and straying from their basic formula.
Totally ninja plot, weak sauce directing.
It wasn't bad. They did seem to spend a very long time developing the background of the character and when we were 1h20m in I was wondering how much longer the film would drag on for, but it got a bit better and wasn't quite a cliché. However, during the fight montage scene, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Team America 'you need a montage' song.
Never in a million years did I ever think I would be here defending any of Brandi's behaviour, but she was absolutely right to call out Adrienne. Until this point, Adrienne was the housewife I probably had the least issue with in terms of coming across as manipulative, shady, or stirring the pot, but what she said at the dinner table?? Crowing "Somebody's crying! Uh oh! Somebody's crying!". Wtf. Who does that?!? Completely out of order, and if I'd been at the table I'd have said shut the f*ck up just like Brandi said.
It was okay I suppose. It didn't grab me from the start so it took quite a while to reach a point where I felt some investment in the characters and plot, and from that point onwards it had some funny moments and some decent action, it certainly wasn't a bad film, but the CGI stunts and CGI cat looked unconvincing and the balance of screentime for some characters just felt rather odd, so many stars with just a few minutes of screentime yet the film was still so long, I feel some of the lesser characters could have been given more time to breathe.
If you've watched Kinky Boots or Calendar Girls, you needn't waste your time with this sickeningly formulaic and twee movie which just doesn't feel genuine to me. I used to live in Cornwall, which doesn't often star in films (sadly, it's a beautiful and varied location with a fantastic potential for film) so one would think I might have liked it, but alas.
I had no expectations whatsoever going in, didn't even see the poster artwork as my bf put the film on. The cast listed in the titles set some expectations, it's a very solid cast.
I was intrigued early on, wondering where the story might be going, how far it might unfold. Not far enough, as it turns out. I equally don't know why we never saw Kat again, felt rather unresolved, and the misunderstanding behind the drama in the plot was anticlimactic, for comedic effect, but still, I wouldn't have minded an extra half hour of runtime to give the film a stronger third act. . I enjoyed the film though, not the sort I'd give a raving recommendation to everyone I know, but there's a few people I know who I'd recommend checking it out. The characters were great, the film felt like a real slice of life.
Ultimately, a fundamentally transphobic and therefore reprehensible movie. Until that point, it was a melodramatic yet bland and almost entirely unmemorable film.