Total awesome. My heart was in my throat continuously watching this. Great visual style, Awesome soundtrack, and one of the best movie openings I've seen in a while. The chemistry between Gosling and Mulligan is palpable. One suggestion when you watch it - turn the lights down and the sound up - it is a movie that requires your undivided attention...
Trivia: The girl kissed by Elliott in the classroom scene is none other than former playmate and baywatch star Erika Eleniak!
The name "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is a literal translation of the Chinese idiom "卧虎藏龙" (Wuo hu zhan long) which describes a place that is full of talented or extraordinary people who remain hidden and undiscovered, or simply means "talented or extraordinary people hidden from view". It is from a poem of the ancient Chinese poet Yu Xin (513-581) that reads "暗石疑藏虎，盘根似卧龙", meaning "behind the rock in the dark likely hides a tiger, and the coiling giant root resembles a crouching dragon."
The famous ancient strategist Zhuge Liang (181–234) had a nickname called 诸葛卧龙 (Zhu Ge Wo Long). Zhu Ge is the family name. Wo Long is Crouching Dragon. The story is that before he was invited to be the chancellor of Liu Bei, the Shu's king, Zhuge Liang was a hermit living in Longzhong as a regular farmer. But Liu heard his name and knew he got great talent and capability, so Liu visited him for three times hoping that he could be Liu's strategist. After refusing Liu twice, Liang came to be touched by Liu's caring for the people and his sincerity and accepted his invitation at the third time. Now you know why he was called 诸葛卧龙.
In the movie, the female protagonist Jen's nickname, Jiaolong, is "delicate dragon" in Chinese. And Lo's name, Xiaohu, means "little tiger". So the title means all the main characters (the talented and extraordinary) generally as well as Jen and Lo specifically.
My absolutely favourite of the Walt Disney-era Disney films. Amazing songs and great characters. It also stands up well to the test of time. Trivia - This was the last film to have Walt Disney's personal touch before his death in 1966.
That's two hours of my life I'm never getting back...
Gareth Edward's first movie. Very impressive considering the shoestring budget. Not at all what you expect - much more character-driven than action packed. More romantic drama, than horror, though there are definitely scares to be had here. Very well shot, and keeps the suspense up by not showing the monsters until necessary. Recommended.
"Your Mom's Martha?
Dude! MY Mom's Martha too!
We should be friends now!"
Are you fucking kidding me?
My head is still exploding having just watched The Force Awakens in 3D IMAX. Absolutely awesome - one of the best cinema-going experiences I've ever had. Definitely the best Star Wars film in three decades, and maybe the best one ever. You'll laugh, cry and want to leap in the air. The new cast are all great, but when Han Solo and Chewie arrive it's like your childhood comes crashing into the present. Harrison Ford is one of the best things in this film.
Critics have complained that this film borrows too much from episode IV. I think it is more homage for the fans and doesn't bother me one iota. It may not be perfect but man is it FUN. It's a wonderful throwback to the original trilogy that recaptures the humour and fun so lacking from the prequels. Star Wars is back!
Disney have clearly learned from Marvel's successes and are doing some major world building here leaving many questions unanswered. Comic book movies are often rebooted and no-one complains but many other movies are considered sacrosanct. What JJ Abrams has done here is to produce BOTH a sequel and a reboot. It's inspired, and helpfully sets up a world of stories to explore in future movies.
This is just the beginning. Welcome to the Star Wars Cinematic Universe....
An Aussie classic - "The Castle" is laugh-out-loud hilarious! It's one of those movies that just gets better and better with repeated viewings, and has so many quotable lines!
Trivia - Look out for Eric Bana is his first ever film role.
Trivia: Stoker was written by Wentworth Miller, the actor who played Michael Scofield in Fox's 2005 TV drama "Prison Break". Hard to believe, I know!
Will: "Fuck you!"
Sean: "You're the shepherd....!"
Not sure how this one passed me by. Brilliant and terrifying.
I not surprised she hated it - Dick van Dyke's "cockernee" accent was horrendous!
How have I only just watched this film? Absolutely breathtaking. The corridor fight scene, all shot in one take, is masterfully choreographed. I haven't seen the remake yet, but something tells me, it won't be a patch on this. Just watch it.
Forget "A Good Day to Die Hard", THIS should have been the new Die Hard movie. With only a few changes this could easily have replaced Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis as John McClaine. Other that a few minor flaws, it surprisingly delivered all the thrills of a classic 80s action movie. Sure the plot was preposterous - but that's kind of what makes it fun. For pure DieHardian action this movie leaves you smiling.
Zombies on a plane! Love it!
This will be released in the UK as "The Rise" on September 20th 2013
Great movie. This was the breakout role for Jennifer Aniston where, for the first time, she got to show her acting chops and prove that she could be more than just 'Rachel' from Friends. From her opening monologue, you realise that she is doing something special, and she puts in a wonderfully controlled performance.
Other standouts are early roles from Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled young man who thinks he's Holden Caulfield and Zooey Deschanel as a retail store employee with an acerbic wit.
It is hard to believe that this was the highest grossing movie of 1987. Having just watched it again, I can tell you that the years have not been kind!
I remember watching this movie as a kid and liking it, but as an adult I just find it annoying. Firstly, there is almost no plot, and what little there is, is silly and contrived. Second, it just isn't that funny. The cast try hard but the script doesn't give them much to work with.
I wonder how the original French movie bears up to similar scrutiny....
The clever thing about this movie is that there is not one single piece of new footage used, other than the interviews. With F1 being such a media driven sport they were able to create a coherent narrative by simple using the sports and news footage from the time. At almost two hours in length it just flies by, and the ending packs an emotional punch.
Even if you are not a fan of F1 - I'm not - watch this film! It is a breathtaking testament to Senna the celebrity, and Senna the man...
All you need to know about this movie:
And yes that IS Natalie Portman....
Fun but instantly forgettable. If you don't like Melissa McCarthy, this isn't going to change your mind. Standouts are Jason Statham, playing against type as a bumbling idiot, Rose Byrne, as the villain and Miranda Hart, in (AFAIK) her first Hollywood role.
RIP Robin Williams & Elliott Smith. Two amazingly talented individuals who sadly took their own life.
Scientists have zeroed in on the cause of the massive bee die offs - pesticides called neonicotinoids from phamaceutical giant Bayer are responsible. Please go here to sign the petition to get them banned from retail stores: http://action.sumofus.org/a/home-depot-lowes-bees-neonicotinoids/9/2/?sub=fb
Every few years Woody Allen's newest film is trumpeted by the press as his "best film in years" - Wimbledon, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris - and while these films are good, when you finally get to watch them, they can't quite live up to the hype. Blue Jasmine more than lives up to it.
Cate Blanchett's Jasmine is one of the finest pieces of acting I have ever seen - a powerhouse performance. A touching portrayal of a woman holding on to life by her fingernails. The supporting roles are also first rate.
Blue Jasmine IS Woody Allen's best film in years, hell I'd even go as far to say that it could be one of his best films ever. At 77 years old he can still surprise us.
Nothing about this movie should work, and without Vaughn and Wilson it wouldn't. It is a credit to their chemistry as a double act, that they are able to elevate something which should be mediocre and make it thoroughly entertaining.
Hilarious. While on the first viewing not everyone will get its charms, it is a film that only improves with repeated viewings. The performances are top notch, and it is chock full of memorable lines. I particularly love John C Reilly in a role that we would probably have seen Bill Murray in 10 years ago.
Kimble: "I didn't kill my wife!"
Gerard: "I don't care."
When Kimble (Ford) gets the jump on Gerard (Lee Jones) in the sewers, instead of shooting the marshal and making things worse, Kimble pleads his case to him. Gerard, responds with a simple, but brilliant and ad-libbed, "I don't care."
The line wasn't part of the script but those three words reinforced to Kimble, and audiences, that it didn't matter to Gerard whether the doctor was guilty or innocent of the crimes for which he was accused. He was going to get his man - no matter what.
If ever there was a film that needed Frank Darabont and Thomas Newman involved, it was this one. It could have been Shawshank in the right hands but instead what we got was… fine. It needed a Newman score.
Former LA police office, author and peak-oil activist, Michael Ruppert, shares his bleak vision for the future of humanity. You start out thinking these are the typical ramblings of a conspiracy-theorist, but his arguments are compellingly persuasive. By the end you are desperately hoping he’s a lunatic, because the terrifying alternative is that he is right.
