seen any good flicks lately?

I saw Inception.  Thought it was quite good and didn't really find it confusing.  The fight scene in the snow went on far too long - just about ruined all the other good content.

However, for me this pales into insignificance when compared to V for Vendetta which I saw on TV on Sunday.  What a film!  Completely blew me away.  Do you ever go to see a film and think it hits all your buttons and provides a totally satisfying cinematic experience?  V for Vendetta did that for me.  Also in that category - Constant Gardener; Ne Le Dis a Personne.  In The Loop came close too.

I really liked Inception but I wasn't confused when I saw it first time.  Second viewing however bought up a few more questions and left me think more about it.  May need a thid viewing.

Not seen V4V Parky.  Had mixed reviews at the time.  I'll put it on the list.

If you enjoyed the film, then look out the graphic novel it was based on (also called the same).  I am a huge Alan Moore fan, unfortunately some of the film adaptations of his work have been stinkers. 

Hello Ferrett - I'm hoping someone at work's going to lend it to me.  The only graphic novel I've read is Persepolis although I did follow Sandman and some other stories when someone I used to share a house with bought comics and passed them round.  What did you think of the film Ferret?  I'm going to need to see it again soon.

4 of us are having a chiller evening at a friend's house on Friday.  Think we might watch The Orphanage (second time for me and one of the other people). 

V for Vendetta is one of my all time favourite films despite its various flaws.  As you say, it just pushes buttons for me.  Inception was very ggod too although I do agree the who snow scene did drag on some, especially given how clever the rest of the film had been.  I was however puzzled that my OH could 'get' Inception but not the Matrix!

Another favourite of mine is Pan's Labrynth, which is very dark but beatifully filmed and very fantasy.  Angel A is another.  A gorgeous film from Luc Beson in Frech (with subtitles if required) filmed beautifully  and with charisma.  Love them both in different ways every time I watch them.

BDB, for starters:

El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
In The Loop
Ne le Dis A Personne

Latest film reviews (not as cultered as Parklife's though!)

Scre4m (aka Scream 4) - See if you liked the others, definitely one of the better out of the quadrilogy. Scream was the original horror spoof film & this film went back to it's roots, taking the piss out of itself & being able to pull it off. Storyline was ok & a handful of the cast were good. A couple of good laugh out loud moments too. #clear!

Red Riding Hood -  Was expecting better. It's made out to be a darker take on the fairy tale but it just kind of fell a bit flat. Never felt that it really took off.

Your Highness - Wanted to see something light-hearted but towards the end I was starting to get bored. Funny in parts but as usual you can catch all the good bits in the trailer. 

Had a Scandinavian weekend recently and caught up with:

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)- I'm still musing about this one.  On the back sleeve of the box it tells you about the nature of Eli (the female lead), which I think would have been better left unsaid.  The film centres around her and Oscar an impossibly blond child who seems to have a perpetually snotty nose and is being bullied at school.  Its beautiful to look at, but quite slow paced, the peripheral characters are only sketched in and the end of the film left me wanting to know more. 

The girl with... (dragon tattoo, hornets nest, played with fire).
slightly more mainstream fare here.  I'd read and enjoyed the books, so was looking forward to the films.  Slightly disappointed is a short summary.  The books are packed with information and character interaction some of which has been sacrificed in order to keep the films to a manageable length.  Noomi Rapace went the extra mile and got the piercings to play the part and is very good at acting what she was given, but what appears on screen jars slightly with the mental image I built up when reading.  Enjoyable but not fantastic.

Agree with you completely on Let The Right One In, Ferret.

Haven't seen tattoo.

I liked District 9
Red Riding - really, really good
The Prestige - I liked that too and also The Illusionist which was out at the same time and on a similar theme

I saw Limitless a few weeks ago. The premise of the plot was promising, but I was diasppointed with what was made of the special powers that the protagonist gained through taking the tablets. In addition, I had no real sympathy for the main character when he got himself into trouble. I'm trying to remember another movie, maybe with John Travolta, which also deals with special powers being attained, but due to a brain tumour.

I haven't decided yet which movie to watch next, there's always Film 4. I recently watching Kung Fu Hustle (for the zillionth time), this one really makes me laugh, and for those of you who are familiar with the film, I'm the landlady!

Howdy Flicksters.

Got to the flicks last night to see Senna.  I like a good documentary me and this is a particularly good one.  

It tells the story of the great Ayrton Senna from his arrival in Europe as a go kart racer, to his progression into F1, his rivalry with Prost, his 3 world championships right up to (spoiler alert) his eventual demise at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. 

The best documentaries take you on a journey where you know some of the stops and even the final destination, yet involve you enough to make you forget where you are going and allows you experience that journey again as if it's brand new.  The film is made entirely from archive footage, giving it a fresh feel.  There are a few voice overs but not a single talking head.  I don't think I've ever seen profile peice made like this and it is refreshing and engaging.

There is genuine tension in the racing and politics that dominate F1.  We get plenty of behind the scenes footage making this a fascinating film not only about one of the sports greatest protagonist but of the workings of F1 itself.

Tensions really rack up as we approach the San Marion GP of 94.  The whole weekend is handled extremely well and there is a genuine sense of peril.  It would be easy to make the events of that weekend ghoulish, a horror side show.  The fatal crashes are shown, but they aren't subject to constant slo-mo and analysis like we are used to seeing on a Sunday afternoon.  The less is more approach really works, having a big impact on the completely silent cinema audience.

The film is a great piece of work.  Lots in it for motor racing fans but it's more than that.  The film will satisfy anyone interested in what makes driven (excused the pun) people tick, and how an individual can inspire so many others.  A big thumbs up from me.

Oooh goodie, I've got a ticket for this Friday.

A question for you film enthusiasts.  Local library was selling its DVDs off so I picked up a copy of Cloverfield.  Completely underwhelmed and perplexed.  Maybe it's because of too many hours playing first person shooter computer games (where I'm in control of 'camera angles') or just the fact that I didn't really care for the lead characters so didn't care what happened to them.  Is there any point in going back to watch Blair Witch project (as this seems to have been the start of this 'reportage' type of technique)?