Saw 2

Mean Time 8/10
Director Mike Leigh presents another slice-of-life drama--this time focusing on a family of acerbic, terminally unemployed working-class Britons languishing in their East End council house. Frank and Mavis are the endlessly bickering parents of Mark and Colin. Colin is a slow-witted teenager who strikes up a disturbing friendship with Coxy, a local neo-Nazi. His aunt Barbara tries to lure him out of his shell by hiring him to help her wallpaper her new house. Unfortunately, Mark becomes jealous over this attention shown to his younger brother, triggering a series of taunts that convince Colin into rejecting his aunt’s friendly offer. Not content in her own marriage to John, Barbara turns to the bottle to help dilute her inner pain. As the days wear on, the hopelessness of each individual’s lives begins to catch up with them.............. This was a very good film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0082727/



The Statement 6/10
A man who has been able to avoid the consequences of his actions for nearly 50 years suddenly finds he must answer pursuers on both sides of the law in this drama, based on the novel by Brian Moore and inspired by a true story. After France fell to German occupation during World War II, the Nazi-controlled Vichy government established a law-enforcement group known as the Milice, who were under the direct control of Nazi authorities. In 1944, Pierre Brossard is one of a handful of Milice officers who round up and execute seven Jewish resistance members in the village of Dombey. After the liberation of France, Brossard is tried and convicted for his crimes, but he manages to escape capture, and years later is pardoned. In 1992, Brossard is an elderly man living a quiet life in Provence and modestly supported by fellow veterans of the Vichy regime when he's ambushed and nearly killed by a man whom he learns was a hired killer. Brossard discovers this is hardly his only problem; new legislation will allow Vichy-era war criminals who escaped punishment to be charged and tried again, and Anne Marie Livi, a bright and aggressive French prosecutor, has joined forces with Col. Roux to bring Brossard, among others, to justice. While Brossard is still being clandestinely assisted by church officials and Vichy sympathizers, he must go on the run to avoid capture, and finds himself hiding from the French police as well as a cadre of underground assassins, whose alliances and purposes are frustratingly unclear............ This film was quite good but it could have been better, still its worth watching

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340376/

The Shining: Saw this ages ago and then again last night. Still good fun. Jack Nicholson has to be one of the best over-acting actors ever!

Places In The Heart 9/10
Set during the Great Depression in Waxachie, Texas, director Robert Benton's hometown, PLACES IN THE HEART stars Sally Field as Edna Spalding. After her husband is accidentally shot and killed by a drunk, Edna, the mother of two, has no means of support, and the $240 mortgage on her 40 acres of property is in danger of imminent foreclosure. Frightened at first, she vows never to sell the farm and contemplates the possibility of planting a cotton crop to raise the money, the only drawback being she has never planted cotton in her life. But fortune appears in the person of Moze, an African American migrant laborer who knows all there is to know about growing cotton. In order to make ends meet, Edna also decides to take in the blind Mr. Will as a boarder. As she takes over financial affairs previously handled by her husband, the proud woman must weather the amused contempt of the town's businessmen, who fully expect to see her fail. Slowly, the oddly-assorted members of Edna's new ménage begin to form ties, which become a necessity when the local Klan chapter pays Moze a visit................ This was an excellent film with a very good performance from Sally Field, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087921/



Heartbreakers 8/10
Max and Page Conners, a mother and daughter who share everything with each other: relationship advice, hair and makeup hints, and the money they win in costly divorce settlements with rich men. When the film opens, the Conners are putting the finishing touches on conning Dean, an auto-body shop owner. When the dust from that scam clears, Page announces she's ready to move away from her mother and set up shop on her own -- but in order to clear an outstanding debt, Max insists they bankrupt one more bachelor together. They settle upon phlegmatic Palm Springs widower William B. Tensy, a chain smoker with a heart of gold and a similarly bountiful bank account. Only two things stand in their way: Tensy's Teutonic caretaker Miss Madress (Nora Dunn) and beachfront bartender Jack, a wry stargazer with whom Page becomes unexpectedly smitten............ This was a surprisingly very good and funny film with good performances, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125022/



Stage Beauty 7/10
Set in the 1660's at a time when in live theatre women's roles were played by men, Edward 'Ned' Kynaston is England's most celebrated leading lady, using his beauty and skill to make the great female roles his own. But when Charles II is tired of seeing the same old performers, the ruler allows real women to tread the boards and men may no longer play women's parts. Ned becomes a virtual nobody, virtually overnight and seems headed for suicide till his ex-dresser turned actress Maria takes it upon herself to make a man of him again.......... This was a good film, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368658/

Chasing Liberty - Not brilliant by any means but a good way to spend two hours with good use of Jeremy Piven.

The Slipper and The Rose
Ahh let's take a walk down memory lane shall we? This is a sure indication that Christmas is on it's way. A very lavish and theatrical take to the Cinderella tale. Gemma Craven plays the very graceful Cinders, scorned by her Stepmother she finds solace in a song - in fact EVERYONE does - Supreme cheese-fest classics like; A Bride-finding ball, when she danced with me, Protocol With the once ridiculously handsome Richard Chamberlain as the Prince. It's a little cringe-worthy but that just adds to the film's charm 7/10

Green Street 9/10
Unjustly expelled from Harvard when a stash of cocaine is found in his possession, Matt moves to London to live with his sister and her husband Steve He is quickly introduced to Steve's chirpy, cock-sure younger brother Pete Initially, Pete is reluctant to get acquainted with Matt and allow him to tread around the capital city with him because he may be seen by others as an 'outsider', but after a heavy drinking session with him and his mates he quickly changes his opinion of him. On the way back from a football match, Matt is viciously accosted by a gang of Birmingham City thugs, until Pete and his friends step in and save him. It is from here that Matt learns the truth about Pete and his friends- they are football hooligans, operating the GSE (Green Street Elite) 'firm.' Initially afraid of the violence, Matt soon ends up becoming as desensitized to it as his new found friends- but as events roll on, suspicion, shocking revelations and unsettled scores combine to a devastating climax where London's most fierce football rivals- Millwall and West Ham United- are set to go head to head.............. This was an excellent film, I wasnt expecting Elijah Wood to be any good in this type of film but his performance was surprisingly good, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0385002/



Flightplan 8/10
Flying at 40,000 feet in a cavernous, state-of-the-art 474 aircraft, Kyle Pratt faces every mother's worst nightmare when her six year-old daughter, Julia, vanishes without a trace mid-flight from Berlin to New York. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. While neither Captain Rich, nor Air Marshal Gene Carson want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane. Finding herself desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter............ This was a very good film with a good performance from Jodie Foster, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408790/

Land of the Dead [2005] Directors Cut [Unrated version]. 3.5 stars. Pretty Entertaining film.

It took me some time to get around to it, but I thought A Beautiful MInd was amazing.

Around The Bend 8/10
This film tells the story of four generations of men who are suddenly brought together by the chance to uncover the truth about their family's past. The journey will take them out on the road to a world full of surprises-some comic, some dramatic, and all of them personal.
Jason Lair is a simple man with a simple wish: a normal life. This isn't an easy goal for the mild-mannered bank employee: Jason is newly separated from his wife, who has left him to care for their six-year-old son Zach while she paints in Nepal, and his ailing grandfather Henry , a former archaeologist close to death, is investigating alternative rituals for his impending funeral So when Jason's estranged father and Henry's son Turner , whose checkered past includes exploits from the musical to the criminal, pays the family an unexpected visit, nothing is 'simple' or 'normal' in Jason's life anymore. In the coming days, the somewhat reluctant Lair men will embark on a trip not only through the mythic beauty of the Desert Southwest, but across the family's own rocky emotional landscape. Forced together by a deep loss, these very different people find a great deal along the way-devastating secrets, amazing discoveries and, just as Henry wanted… each other. ............. This was a very good film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0384810/



Serenity 4/10
The crew of the Serenity is getting desperate. They have laid lower and lower to protect their doctor, Simon Tam, and his telepathic traumatized little sister, River, from the alliance, whom he rescued her from a year earlier. This has made getting jobs harder and now they are desperate. When they take River on a robbery during which Reavers (humans who have gone crazy and turned into cannibals) attack, Simon decides that its time to leave the crew of the Serenity for his and River's safety. She then mutters "Miranda" and goes berserk and nearly shoots Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, until her brother says the safety word to put her to sleep. Reynolds decides to take them back on board for safety, only now an alliance operative is on their tracks and making Reynolds determined to find out what "Miranda" is and what the Alliance is hiding.............. I only decided to watch this because the reviews have been very good, but i didnt liked it at all i found it boring plus i am not a big fan of this type of film anyway

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379786/

Batman Begins.

9/10 and better than all the others, a different league.

Little Voice 9/10
After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise............ This was an excellent and funny film and the performances from Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks and Micheal Caine were excellent, Highly recommended

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0147004/



Airplane 7/10
Ted Striker just got dumped by his long-time girlfriend Elaine Dickinson, who works as a stewardess at Trans American Airlines. In his wish to get her back, he follows her aboard the plane, although he has had a deep aversion against anything winged since he lost several men in the war. During flight, he tries to contact her again and again, but as the crew and many passengers get seriously ill due to a bad fish meal, he has no chance to get to her. In fact, Ted Striker seems to be the only healthy person aboard that has piloting experience. Now, it is up to him to get the bird down in Chicago safely, before the poisoning starts causing casualties. But Ted Striker's aversion really is a serious psychosis, which breaks open and needs to be cured - right now........... This was a good film but it is a bit overrated in my opinon and its not as funny as its been made out to be

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/

Titan AE 1080i HD Version - 4 stars. Love the film. Seen it loads. First time seeing it in HD.

Simone - I found it strange to begin with but imagine if the world gets as bad as that? I thought they could have shut it down but instead they carry on with it, I found the idea of Simone too close for comfort. Especially with that radio report; a threat of all out war and immenient destruction but first hear are the oscar nominations' Is the world really going to go that bonkers? Quite a mad vision of the future...prefer Blade Runner of The fifth element

quote:

Originally posted by archangel01:
....Especially with that radio report; a threat of all out war and immenient destruction but first hear are the oscar nominations' Is the world really going to go that bonkers? Quite a mad vision of the future...prefer Blade Runner of The fifth element

That was a great line in the film, and so bloody true!

Also, just wondering how many people we have in here from the US (or other non-UK places!) I keep coming across titles and DVD versions that aren't available over here in the UK, so I figure there must be a few Americans kicking about here. Either that or a few Brits with a, shall we say, good broadband connection?!

quote:

Originally posted by sir juke:

quote:

Originally posted by archangel01:
....Especially with that radio report; a threat of all out war and immenient destruction but first hear are the oscar nominations' Is the world really going to go that bonkers? Quite a mad vision of the future...prefer Blade Runner of The fifth element

That was a great line in the film, and so bloody true!

Also, just wondering how many people we have in here from the US (or other non-UK places!) I keep coming across titles and DVD versions that aren't available over here in the UK, so I figure there must be a few Americans kicking about here. Either that or a few Brits with a, shall we say, good broadband connection?!

Actually brother it more like Brits with...er...excellent broadband connection. Use your imagination for that......since US films are generally crap...well the new ones at least.

Eurotrip - This surprised me, I expected it to be a low rent Road Trip, but it wasn't bad. Not great, but not as bad as I thought.

On Golden Pond 10/10
Ethel and Norman Thayer are an elderly couple who are spending their 48th summer at their New England country home and celebrating Norman's 80th birthday. When their independent, insecure daughter, Chelsea), and her new boyfriend, Bill Ray , come for Norman's birthday, they also end up asking the couple to look after Billy Ray, Bill's teenage son, while they travel to Europe. Over the summer, Norman becomes closer to Billy Ray than he has ever been to his daughter, sparking Chelsea's long-repressed resentment when she returns

I watched this about 3 months ago when it was on TV and it was brilliant but the adverts during the film spoilt it a little for me, so i watched it again tonight on DVD and i enjoyed it a whole lot more, the film was fantastic and i highly recommend this fil to anyone, Both Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda give fantastic performances and deserved the oscars that they both won for their performances, But i didnt think much of Jane Fonda though i thought her performance was wooden, and was surprised to hear she got an underserved oscar nomination for Best supporting actress for this film

http://imdb.com/title/tt0082846/



Mighty Aphrodite 8/10
A dissatisfied Manhattan sportswriter finds more than he expected when he searches for the biological mother of his adopted child.
Lenny, a slightly more relaxed incarnation of his usual neurotic screen persona. Lenny is trapped in a bad marriage to high-strung art dealer Amanda, but he finds solace in his relationship with his adopted young son. Indeed, he grows so fond of the boy that he decides to track down the boy's real mother, expecting to discover a brilliant professional. Instead, he finds Linda, a ditzy prostitute and porno star who mingles casual vulgarity with disarming innocence. Despite his initial disillusionment, Lenny soon develops a fondness for Linda and decides to play matchmaker, setting her up with a young boxer who is equally good-hearted and scatterbrained. While the contrast between the free-spirited Linda and the uptight Lenny provides the bulk of the laughs, hints of Allen's more literary humor are also present, particularly in the scenes involving a roaming Greek chorus commenting upon Lenny's fate................ This was a very good and funny film, Mira Sorvino steals the films with a very good performance

http://imdb.com/title/tt0113819/

Elizabethtown - I tought this was a great black comedy, a well spent couple of hours

Final Fantasy Advent Children. One word, Amazing.

Shadow Of A Doubt 9/10
The Newton family lead a quiet life in the North California town of Santa Rosa. The Newton's eldest daughter, 'young Charlie', decides that things need brightening up and resolves to contact her Uncle Charlie (after whom she is named) and invite him to stay. On arrival at the telegraph office she discovers he is already on his way. However, Uncle Charlie is being pursued by a couple of detectives who suspect him of being "The Merry Widow Murderer", an evil strangler wanted in connection with the deaths of several rich East coast widows................ This was an excelllent film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0036342/



Sweet And Lowdown 8/10
Woody Allen immerses himself in the world of vintage jazz in this period mock-biography of a musician gifted in his art but a sad student in life. Emmet Ray is a 1930s jazz guitarist considered one of the finest musicians ever to touch a fretboard, second only to the legendary Django Reinhardt. For all the passion and sensitivity of his music, Emmet is a louse off-stage; he earned his living as a pimp before gaining fame, and he throws his money away on flashy clothes and big cars, going through women like guitar picks. He also has another charming hobby: shooting rats at the city dump. But when Emmet meets Hattie, a shy, mute woman who earns her living doing laundry, he discovers that she loves his music, and he promptly falls for her. However, his inability to be faithful, his arrogant conviction that a musician should never marry, and his belief that he can do better than Hattie eventually doom their relationship. Emmet later marries Blanche a refined woman with a career as an author, but she is no more interested in fidelity than he is, and in time he realizes how foolish he was to give up Hattie.............. This was a great film, with a very good performance from Sean Penn

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158371/