Rate the last film that you've watched

[Ali]

The Book Of Life

I love it when a movie can surprise me. I love it when I go into a movie not expecting much, and come out feeling good about what I spent my money on. When I saw the commercials for this movie, I was worried. I hadn't heard anything about this movie beforehand, and the commercial showed the actors in the studio recording their lines. That is a classic sign of a bad kid's movie! Especially when it's a Mexican-themed movie and the three actors they show are Zoe Saldana, the very white Channing Tatum, and frickin' Ice Cube! More on Ice Cube later, but let's just say, I was not expecting much for this movie.

But I hear some good things from reviewers I tend to agree with, so I decide to check it out. And let me just say, this movie is BEAUTIFUL. Everything is vibrant colors on characters that are textured to look like wooden figurines, there is always something to look at, it's just a visually impressive movie. There are a lot of pretty funny gags throughout this movie, it had me laughing quite a bit. And there is something to be said about the music, I was surprised that a lot of this was a jukebox musical, they took pop songs and put a Mexican twist on them, and it worked! It wasn't overly cringe-worthy, I was into it.

The thing about this movie that might bring it down is a kind of predictable story. It's the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, Mexican Halloween! And there are two Gods: La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), who rules the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), who rules the Land of the Forgotten. The Land of the Remembered is a never-ending fiesta, where those who are fondly missed and remembered by the living spend eternity. The Land of the Forgotten is a bleak, desolate, depressing wasteland. Naturally, Xibalba wants to trade places, so they make a bet on a Love Triangle involving the heart of Maria (Zoe Saldana). If she marries the dashing hero Joaquin (Channing Tatum), Xibalba wins. If she weds the kind-hearted musician-turned-bullfighter Manolo (Diego Luna), La Muerte wins.

Manolo is kind of an outcast because he comes from a great family of bullfighters, but he wants to be a musician, and he hates the idea of killing the bull. Joaquin could be your prototypical Jerkass Jock, and he definitely has some tendencies of those, but he never goes fully evil. He almost always remains on friendly terms with Manolo and Maria, and I appreciated that. Xibalba feels he's going to lose the bet, so he cheats by doing something to kill Manolo, so Manolo has to go through the realms of the dead in order to set things right. Also, there's a bandit who's threatening to burn the village to the ground, and there's a framing device where this is a story being told by a museum guide to a bunch of juvenile delinquents and it cuts back to them commenting on the story every so often. It's not hard to follow, and it's only 90 minutes so it doesn't overstay it's welcome, but you do get the feeling that something could've been cut here to make it a tighter film.

I like a lot of the voice acting in this movie. In addition to the people I listed, you have performances from Christina Applegate, Danny Trejo, Hector Elizondo, and more. But the one guy that feels completely out of place here is Ice Cube. Ice Cube plays another God figure called The Candle Maker, who oversees everybody in the living world, but he's Ice Cube. They even throw in a reference to "It Was a Good Day". It just seemed a bit much, it didn't add anything by it being Ice Cube in the movie, it was just odd.

Overall, the good things outweigh the bad for me. You've got pretty good acting, some funny gags, and outstanding visuals, they make up for it being a kind of predictable story. This is a GOOD movie. Not great, I wouldn't say it's one of the outstanding kids movies like Frozen or The Lego Movie, but it's a lot better than it could have been, and it's fun for Halloween time. If you have a nice HDTV, rent this on Blu-Ray when it comes out, because these are visuals that deserve to be appreciated.

Final Rating: GOOD

(My movie rating scale: AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!! / Great / Good / Enjoyable Crap / Crap / I WILL KILL EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THIS PRODUCTION)

[Hanley!]

^^ Interesting analysis. I only heard about this film yesterday, but it interests me. It seems like a different kind of animated movie and one that celebrates a culture that we're not often exposed to, so I really appreciate that.

I'm a huge animated movie fan in general, which instantly makes me curious to watch it, but I'm more confident now that I'll get at least some enjoyment out of it, even if it doesn't end up being one of my favourites of the last year (which would be tough as Frozen, How to Train Your Dragon 2 & The Lego Movie were all brilliant films).

[prophet]

Gone Girl - 9/10

Dark, stylish and gripping. I'd never read the book so I was completely captivated by the constant twists and turns in the plot. Some brilliant acting and I'm pretty certain Rosamund Pike will be nominated for an Academy Award, she was fantastic throughout.

[Hanley!]

The Wind Rises - 9/10

This is a very ambitious animated movie about making dreams a reality and the compromises that come along with it. It's a Japanese film from Studio Ghibli, who have made some of my favourite animated films. It's directed by Hayao Miyazaki (his final feature-length film).

It's a fictionalised biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed Japanese fighter planes during the second world war.

The film really isn't what a western audience would expect from an animated film. Everything from little touches like characters smoking, to larger plot points like a relationship with a pretty major age difference is embedded both in historical context and a cultural one, which separates the film from what we're used to seeing here from our animated works.

The animation is really beautiful and the story is just heartbreaking at times. I was very impressed by this overall. There's very little I could say against it. I'd recommend people to give it a try. Particularly @Ali, who I know shares my love of animated films, and film lovers like @Matteo and @vaderbomb

[Ali]

Big Hero 6

Question: What happened to Big Heroes 1-5?

Jokes aside, Disney's latest animated effort comes with a little help from Marvel. Big Hero 6 is a team in Marvel Comics featuring Sunfire and Silver Samurai, among others. Those two characters are also part of the X-Men franchise, so they're owned by Fox in the film world. But whatever, not many people know about Big Hero 6, but then, not many knew about Guardians of the Galaxy, and that movie made GotG really damn popular to the mainstream comic buyer. Will BH6 have the same impact?

No.

Here's the thing about Big Hero 6. It is NOT a Marvel movie. It is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios had nothing to do with it's production, and if you love these comics, this seems to be an almost COMPLETE departure from what they are. This is an in-name-only adaptation. It is far more lighthearted and far more aimed at kids.

That being said, I liked it a lot! It's a fun kids movie that has that Disney charm. It's no Frozen or The LEGO Movie, but I'd say it's better than Wreck-it Ralph or Brave, or the last movie I saw, The Book of Life. It's the future, the city of San Fransokyo. Hiro Hamada is a 14-year-old genius robotics prodigy, who uses his robots to hustle in underground robot fights. His older brother Tadashi inspires him to give up bot-fighting and join his friends at college, where they build all manner of cool future tech. In order to get in, he has to do something impressive at the science fair, so he invents telepathically-controlled Microbots. This impresses the professor, and he's in!

Then the science fair blows up, killing Tadashi and the professor.

Lucky for Hiro, he has Tadashi's friends, along with Tadashi's last creation, an inflatable healthcare robot called Baymax. Soon, however, he finds out that the Microbots, which he thought were destroyed in the fire, have been stolen and reproduced, and are being used by some weirdo in a kabuki mask. Hiro puts two and two together and figures out that the guy in the mask started the fire that killed Tadashi and the professor in order to steal the Microbots. So Hiro, Baymax, and friends set out to stop him from doing... something evil, I suppose.

The one problem I have with this movie is the pacing. It all seems a bit too quick. How do we know the guy's evil? Because of the mask! Do any of his friends question why they need to come up with goofy costumes? Nope! They just go along with it because friendship. It gets better in the second half, but a little more time for things to sink in early on would have been nice.

I like the characters, even if they do fulfill the standard Token Troupe. Kid hero, no-nonsense tough grrl, mad wild child hippie chick, big smart black guy, and Fred the stoner fanboy. I like Fred. Fred is fun. But the standout here is Baymax. I want one. Baymax was designed to be cute and cuddly, and he definitely is that, but he also gets some of the best moments, comedic and heartwarming. Baymax is designed to help, and he wants nothing more than to do so. Even if the rest of the characters fill out your standard team cliches, Baymax is a lot of fun to hang around with.

There aren't a whole lot of twists in the movie, but it does have some good dramatic, heartfelt moments, and it is very funny, my theater was laughing loudly. Normally, a Disney animated movie is stand-alone, aside from crappy direct-to-video sequels. This one, I feel it can have franchise potential, whether it is in more theatrical movies or a television series. I hope for the former. For this movie, though, it's not Great. It's close, but some pacing issues do hold it back. In the end, it is very Good.

Final Rating: GOOD

(My movie rating scale: AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!! / Great / Good / Enjoyable Crap / Crap / I WILL KILL EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THIS PRODUCTION)

[UTK]

Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies - 7/10

(Though I only counted three armies?)

[prophet]

Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies - 7/10

(Though I only counted three armies?)

Dwarfs, Elves, Orcs, Men and I think, Eagles?

[UTK]

Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies - 7/10

(Though I only counted three armies?)

Dwarfs, Elves, Orcs, Men and I think, Eagles?

I forgot to consider the Men as an army.

And of course. The eagles. Fuck those things.

[UTK]

The Interview - 6/10. Exactly what I expected it to be. Average and not consistently funny, but enjoyable overall.

The Gambler - 6.5/10. I was both surprised and disappointed with this film. I didn't expect it to be much, but it was much better than I anticipated. However, I feel like it could have been a lot better. I felt like the writer/director kept getting close to certain issues, and instead of exploring them, kind of let them be. Which was sort of frustrating. John Goodman was my favorite part of this movie.

[UTK]

Taken 3 - 5/10

[Romo]

Birdman 9 out of 10

Everything about this film is fantastic, the editing concept to make it seem like one singular long take is fantastic and i'm going to be majorly pissed if they give best director to the boyhood guy because Alejandro González Iñárritu deserves it, Emma Stone was okay, she looked hot throughout but there something I cant help dislike about her, Edward Norton is brilliant and Michael Keaton equally so!

[VaderBomb]

Birdman 9 out of 10

Everything about this film is fantastic, the editing concept to make it seem like one singular long take is fantastic and i'm going to be majorly pissed if they give best director to the boyhood guy because Alejandro González Iñárritu deserves it, Emma Stone was okay, she looked hot throughout but there something I cant help dislike about her, Edward Norton is brilliant and Michael Keaton equally so!

Boyhood guy is Richard Linklater. One of the finest filmmakers to ever make a film. His best works include the Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight), Slacker and Dazed and Confused. If anybody is deserving of any sort of accolade within the filmmaking world, Linklater is the tops.



Inherent Vice - 10/10

"Doc may not be a "Do-Gooder" but he's done good."

Inherent Vice is, alongside There Will Be Blood and The Master, one of Paul Thomas Anderson's ultimate works. He's really came into his own and solidified the unique and brilliant language that he had laid the foundation for in his earlier films. Those first few films are incredible works of art, but his last three are simply masterpieces.

As a crime-noir, Inherent Vice works on all levels. The lengthier running time allows for the story to progress at a natural, fluid pace. It allows time for the characters to become confused, to attempt to find the truth, to change themselves and the world around them. No aspects of this film's screenplay are convoluted, but the situation in the minds of the characters certainly is, and that should be the case in any good noir.

As a comedy, the laughs come often and they come strong due to the valued writing and excellent performances from a stacked cast of wonderfully talented people. Inherent Vice excels as a "black comedy". It's the type of film that, as good as they are respectively, deserves the accolades that are presented to films such as Pulp Fiction or The Big Lebowski. It's both a hilarious and complex crime epic done with the gentle stroke of a master's brush. Every shot is incredible and the overall style of the film never distracts. It never tries to be cool or quirky, it just is.

Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack work is still undeniably spellbinding and the popular songs used around his work are never bewildering or predictable. PT Anderson's mise en scène is still unmatched in big-budget American cinema. Robert Elswit's cinematography is still mesmerizing. Anderson and Elswitt film Joaquin Phoenix's face as if it were a rugged and jumbled landscape of hair, wrinkles, scars and experience. All the close-ups are akin to the way Ingmar Bergman and Sven Nykvist shot Liv Ullman and Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata.

Aside from his most cinematic of faces, Phoenix puts on the best performance of his career (alongside his work in The Master and I'm Still Here). Doc Sportello is easy to connect with and is a successful protagonist because of his willingness and passion to not only better the intimate situations that surround him but also the greater world around him. The bigger picture.

Inherent Vice is one of the bigger pictures that I've seen recently and infinately one of the most enjoyable and important. PT Anderson has truly solidified himself as an absolute giant in all of cinema, and I question if this supreme level of quality is possible to continue and grow with such focus, confidence and mastery of the form.

[Everlong]

Just saw Boyhood as I'm on my quest to catch up on all the movies of 2014 that I didn't have time to watch this fall It was fucking incredible. First of all, I can't even imagine the planning that goes into making a movie that spans 12 years, so that alone was outstanding. The directing was flawless, the acting was great, it all just felt so real. Seriously can't say enough good things about it, it's a true masterpiece. 10/10.

[Locke]

Michael Bay's TMNT - 6/10

It was a great popcorn flick.. good comedy, good special effects, the turtles were a bit weird at first but I warmed up to them. I didn't like how they were separated for the majority of the action in the films, and I didn't like April O'Neil or her nerdy boyfriend.

[VaderBomb]

Just saw Boyhood as I'm on my quest to catch up on all the movies of 2014 that I didn't have time to watch this fall It was fucking incredible. First of all, I can't even imagine the planning that goes into making a movie that spans 12 years, so that alone was outstanding. The directing was flawless, the acting was great, it all just felt so real. Seriously can't say enough good things about it, it's a true masterpiece. 10/10.

Take a look at Linklater's "Before Trilogy" (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight) if you haven't yet. Even better than the incredible Boyhood.

[Everlong]

Just watched Foxcatcher tonight. Some pretty excellent acting performances, but all in all I found it to be kind of dull and disappointing. Steve Carell really disappeared into that role though, incredible job by him in particular.

[Everlong]

Just watched The Imitation Game. While it was probably the weakest of the five Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, it was definitely enjoyable. Beautiful score, pretty solid acting. The writing was a little suspect... I'm surprised it got nominated for best adapted screenplay as it was pretty full of cliches and tropes, but it was overall a really enjoyable movie. Solid 7.5/10 or 8/10 from me.

[Romo]

I've watched a few films recently so I'll go through the lot

THE VOICES -
These is basically Ryan Reynolds audition for Deadpool and in a sense shows that Ryan Reynolds is actually a decent actor, he plays the role of Jerry a mentally ill man who when he stops taking his meds has his lonely world turned into a happy little place where his best friends are his cat and his dog.. it's a fucked up little film with a musical number from the cast to finish which is again fucked up but overall it's quite enjoyable 7/10

BIRDMAN-
I had been waiting and waiting for the release of Birdman in the UK for months and months, as someone who wants to to go into the world of film and primarily the world of editing films like this give me a film boner, I'm not sure how much people realize how hard this film would of been to film considering each take would have to framed perfectly within a mm to get it so it continued to look seamless and one continues long take. 8.5/10

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (re-watched) -
I'm the such a massive Wes Anderson fanboy I remember seeing this on the day it came out gutted at the fact it was an early year release thinking it would get pushed back and not given the nominations it deserves but to my surprise bar the Ralph Fiennes snub it was given its nomination, Ralph is continuing his quest of quietly becoming one of the best actors of his alive, this role is completely opposite of what many people will know of him and is plays the role perfectly, what I love about this film is that its a comedy without the comedy being forced down your throat, many comedy films will force the laughs from you, plus it has one of my favorite scenes in this film. 9/10

" Henckels:
By order of the commissioner of police, Zubrowka Province, I hereby place you under arrest for the murder of Madame Celine Villenueve Desgoffe-und-Taxis.
M. Gustave:
I knew there was something fishy. We never got the cause of death. She's been murdered, and you think I did it?"

AMERICAN SNIPERr:
I'm not really with all the hype about this film, I understand why Americans would enjoy this film considering Chris Kyle is considered a hero by some, but this film has been done before and a million times better in the shape of The Hurt Locker, Bradley Cooper is decent but the fact he's getting top nominations for this is beyond me its a good war film thats about it 6/10

BIG HERO 6 -
I cried, fuck you i'm not even ashamed to admit it, this was a really good movie and I'm not normally a huge fan of animated films but this was pretty decent, the storyline was good and it was surprisingly quite funny! 8/10

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING -
I enjoyed this movie, Im not really a fan of biopics if i'm completely honest but i was in complete awe of Eddie Redmaynes performance because tbh to date he hasn't really done much in terms of showing he is a standout actor until this film lets hope he continues along the right path (i'll ignore Jupiter Ascending which is set to be fucking awful) 7.5/10

INTO THE WOODS -
Musicals turned into films are never good ideas, Les Mis was average and so was this, I'll give Anna Kendrick a pass because I like looking at his face Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep and will always give a good performance, I just felt quite underwhelmed by this film and alittle bored if i'm honest. 5.5/10

On the to watch list
Whiplash, The Imitation Game, Ex Machina & Kingsman: The Secret Service

[Everlong]

but this film has been done before and a million times better in the shape of The Hurt Locker,

Damn bruh, that's one hell of an insult

[Everlong]

Went on a movie binge yesterday and also watched Selma. Very good movie, not as strong as a few other Best Picture nominees but definitely a worthy candidate and could probably have won in some weaker years (looking at you, Hurt Locker, Crash and Slumdog Millionaire).

The fact that David Oyelowo wasn't nominated for Best Actor is a joke. He was definitely better than Bradley Cooper, and probably better than Cumberbatch as well.