Iron Man 3

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Michael

Write Up.

A quieter late afternoon session than the midnight premiere screening. (Except for the baby in the audience that kept crying. They have babes-in-arms session for a reason guys...) A lot less laughter from the subdued crowd but mercifully I was not the only person that embarrassingly let out a burst of laughter at the "Westworld" quip this time...

Sw it in 2D this time, not really worth the price jack up for the job they did with the post conversion.

Peter Pan

IMDB
First time viewed: Really not sure...
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

I know I'd seen bits and pieces of this before but I wasn't sure if I had seen the whole thing through. Watching it now though there wasn't really anything that didn't seem vaguely familiar, so I really don't recall if I have seen it before or not. Well I certainly have now. I can see why I wouldn't remember it if I had though, it's so simple and quick that it's just pretty forgettable. Don't hate me, just not my cup of tea.

Stitches

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Horror comedies are tricky things. Whilst I can appreciate the gags done here and delight in the excessive cartoonish gore, this one never quite gets the balance right. It's too silly to be scary or horrific but the humor isn't that great either.

But the film is technically well put together and they have assembled a pretty great cast of kids to be fodder for Ross Noble's manic undead clown.

Tomie

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

Sadako left a sour taste in my mouth. I thought I'd finally get around to watching this film. After all if it was any good, there are another 8 to go through.

It's less of a J-horror and more of a thriller with a tiny bit of supernatural stuff thrown in. Nothing amazing but I enjoyed being reminded of this period and discovering a whole new

Two Little Boys

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A very darkly comic film with a few nice surprises, Hamish Blake exerts himself well on screen. Delightful little number.

Straight A's

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was a bit of a nothing film. A plot that is worn and predictable and heartwarming moments that feel unearned and manipulative. A very meh film.

Sadako 3D

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I've written before about my love of J-Horror, especially The Ring. That film did strange things to me. The sequels, both Japanese and American had varying degrees of success. Here though, we get what is pretty much a reboot, that keeps the mythology of the original but takes it into the digital age. And into 3D, although I didn't have the opportunity to watch it as such.

This is one of those sequels that seems to completely miss the point of what made the original work. It almost feels like a joke. They've diminished Sadako to a hand that reaches out of a computer monitor, or an iPhone for jump scares that, whilst they obviously are intended for 3D, aren't scary in any way.

Worse still, they brilliant idea they came up with for the protagonist is a girl that shatters glass when she screams. Of course, that's the natural enemy to a ghost whose now sole gimmick is to push people over from the other side of their laptop screen.

The original incarnation is something I am very passionate about and to see it reduced to this is saddening and frustrating. And as bias as I am, even through the language barrier I can see that this is a pretty terribly scripted and acted film.

Don't even get me started on the grasshopper legged ghosts from the finale.

Unfortunately, the incompetent dudes who put this travesty together are already finishing up a sequel. I don't hold much hope for the future of the franchise. Stick with the original.

Casa de mi Padre

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Adam McKay and Will Ferrell set their sights on low budget Mexican melodrama that apparently they grew up watching on television. I've never seen one, I just know what I've read about them, so I'm sure a lot of the references were lost on me. But there is plenty that translates, mainly to do with  them making the most of their low budget. 

Making an intentionally bad film is always a risky proposition. The results here are slight but overall enjoyable enough. Always nice to see Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal reunited. And there are some great music numbers. Must admit the title song has been stuck in my head for a while now.

Iron Man 3

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Belinda, Paul, Aaron

So surprised at how much this is really a Shane Black film. It's a christmas period action film with a wise cracking protagonist who gets the shit kicked out of him and has to fight inner demons to save the day. He storms a compound, shares hilarious wisecracks with incompetent henchmen, let's them know in advance how he will kill them and also gets help from a plucky young kid. As we saw in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Black and Robert Downey Jr. are a great match of sensibilities and that shines here too.

This film also has very similar voice over narration to that film and It really annoyed me, but there was a post-credits scene that helped alleviate some of that and also provided a nice cameo. Don't expect any Avengers 2 set up though, it's just a fun gag.

The evil guys in this film are typically comic-booky, movie-scienced up to provide more of a threat. It's kinda hoaky but I guess it does the job. The Mandarin is a little more illusive however. Ben Kingsley is surprisingly funny. I guess the bad guy just didn't make much of an impact for me.

I don't know enough about the comic storylines to be fussed about changes they've made. I thought the finished film had a lot of great moments of action and humor, they did a lot to showcase Pepper Potts this time around and even Rhodes and Hogan get more to do. The film opens to a very unexpected song and there's a funky retro end title sequence that made me smile. No doubt I'll be seeing it again soon.

Olympus Has Fallen

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Belinda

This is more of a Die Hard film than the latest Die Hard. As you could expect, it's pompous and very patriotic, gratingly so. It's also pretty outrageous in its implausibility but the cast are all so deadly serious that I found myself laughing all the way through, which was actually kinda fun. Even the captions were so serious the made me laugh.

Gerard Butler is good fun, I still never believe his American accent. From Dylan McDermott's first innocuous words at the beginning of the film I distrusted him immediately. I don't know if it's because he's obviously telegraphed or because his recent role in American Horror Story just makes me presume he's evil. Radha Mitchell showing up was a pleasant surprise but she has nothing to do. Sadly Ashley Judd has even less. There was something strangely satisfying about seeing Melissa Leo get beaten to a pulp. Morgan Freeman was the President again (pretty much).

It's a bit of an old fashioned stand off, with a lot of gun fighting and lose quarters combat. More than I thought there would be. Some of the visual fx aren't so great. Even some basic screen and monitor replacement looked poorly composited. 

It's a very silly film. And there's another with seemingly the exact same premise coming out in a few months. We'll see if that fares any better. But this might scratch a purely mindless action itch for some.

Les Misérables

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes

Write Up.

Listened to director commentary on bluray. Some interesting things about the sound recording. And Tom Hooper explains all his choices very well, it makes it seem obvious actually. But without that knowledge it really isn't...

But it's a good listen.

Pitch Perfect

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes

Write Up.

A delightful film. Such fun. Listened to the commentary on bluray, more of the usual stuff.

The Fog

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

Write Up.

I have always wanted to watch this at the designated time mentioned in the film. 11:55pm on the 20th of April. I remembered this year and made sure to be ready. Apart from that novelty it's always nice to watch this again. I keep forgetting the two generations of Leighs'. And how vicious some of it feels. Nice.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Michael

Never saw this one on release. It just didn't look very interesting and I've avoided it for many years not ever really knowing what it was about other than some horses. Due to a series of fun dares and egging on I ended up watching it for the first time tonight. Probably could have done without that, but now I know.

There were some pretty visuals. A lot of 3D rendered as 2D. Some great 2D animation on the horses. Although they don't speak they are pretty anthropomorphic. And Matt Damon's internal narration of the title character often leave you at a loss as to how much the horse actually understands as to what is going on with the humans.

For a while there I wasn't sure if there were ever going to be humans. Or even conflict of any kind. The opening is just a bunch of horses having a good time in a long since destroyed wilderness.

That's part of the problem here. Even more so than the Ice Age films no matter what happy resolution the film came to we all know what happened to the west, to the indians, to the country. It leaves a sour note hanging over the whole proceedings, no matter how hard they try to keep everything happy, uplifting and inspirational.

There's no singing from the characters, just some... questionable... Brian Adams songs plastered throughout. Oh man they made me cringe.

All in all, I didn't like it and I can see why it didn't do well. Technically it's top of the line. But creatively it's just flaccid and rather ill-advised.

Frankenweenie

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Write Up.

Such a fun little film.