[Locke]

Watched Gravity today.

It's difficult to separate out the merits of the narrative film Gravity and the experience of watching Gravity. Because know this, seeing this on the biggest screen you can find and in 3D, is a treat. It is so well realised, and CGI has come such a long way, it's very easy to forget you're in a movie theatre and be utterly convinced you're right there in the middle of the chaos, it's an incredible experience.

Death is a constant in the film. Literally in the surprisingly dark and brutal results of an initial debris storm, but then continuously through the eyes of Ryan Stone as we literally wear her shoes through first person shots, as she avoids death at every single turn. When we aren't facing the terror head on through her HUD and helmet, the camera sweeps outwards to capture either the carnage or the utter nothingness that surrounds her, each are as terrifying as the other in their own way. This kind of intensity, and surprising bleakness, make this feel as much a horror as it does a space adventure.

But the film itself...eh, there isn't really a lot to it. Everything about the film serves the visuals, it's basically a themepark ride. It may not play out in real time, but minus a single dream sequence, the film constantly powers forwards and never takes a breath. This makes the film all that more thrilling, sure, but that also means Bullock has so much more of the movie to carry alone with dialogue being the only brush to paint anything in this world that isn't currently exploding. And when an actress with a face so plastic it barely emotes, is your human core, you have problems.

[ComicGuy89]

Watched Thor. Surprisingly enjoyable movie. My favourite bit is how it is set mostly outside Earth, really gives a lot of visuals to work with.

[ryan]

Started rewatching Skyfall, and dang, this is an excellent movie!

I am a James Bond fan, I enjoy all of the movies, there isn't one I hate (though there are lots of things I hate IN some of them, there's not one that I hate everything), I like all the Bonds, but Skyfall is a step above the rest.

[ZeoRangerV]

Went to see Thor: The Dark World and really enjoyed it despite not being the biggest Thor fan. There's nothing wrong with the two character, I've just never been a big fantasy fan and that franchise in particular draws heavily on fantasy.

Still, I thought the movie was great...especially after being so disappointed with Iron Man 3. Despite again not being the biggest Loki fan he absolutely stole the show and I'm so glad they did decide to bring him back. Lovely to see Eccleston again too, he seems to always do a great job if villain roles.

Also - best cameo ever.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan

Started rewatching Skyfall, and dang, this is an excellent movie!

I am a James Bond fan, I enjoy all of the movies, there isn't one I hate (though there are lots of things I hate IN some of them, there's not one that I hate everything), I like all the Bonds, but Skyfall is a step above the rest.

Skyfall is my fourth or fifth favorite Bond movie.

[Paladin]

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides.

in a word- AWFUL.

Plot manages to be both confusing AND boring. Lame action, meaningless characters and some really ugly, murky imagework. Jack Sparrow cannot carry the film on his own.

and it pains me to know there's at least two more on the way.

[Dr Kain]

THor 2 - This movie was pretty good. It is no where near as good as the first one, as it feels like a sequel, but it is by far the best Marvel sequel since X-Men 2. It puts to shame the god awful Iron Man sequels and shows that sometimes Marvel can do a follow up right. Unfortunately, the movie does sacrifice character development for countless action, which is cool, but the movie needed to be at least 20 minutes longer so there could actually be some breathing room in between the action. Loki is by far the star of the movie as every scene with him is nothing short of brilliant. He is pretty much The Dark Knight's version of the Joker in this movie. I did like the Cybermen... I mean Dark Elves a lot better than the Frost Giants. Lastly, there are scenes during the credits and after, so make sure you stay throughout the entire thing to get both scenes. One leads into Guardians of the Galaxy while the other is pretty much the end of Thor 2. Overall, I give this movie a 7 or 8/10, haven't decided yet. Need a few days to think about it.

[ryan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Skyfall is my fourth or fifth favorite Bond movie.

I'm curious, which films do you rank higher than Skyfall?

Although, after what you just said about Thor 2, I feel that perhaps we don't have similar taste in films. I didn't think Thor (the first) was all that special, and most people I'm hearing from are saying Thor 2 is far better than the first.

Also, I liked all of the Iron Man sequels, in fact, I enjoyed Iron Man 3 nearly as much as Iron Man 1, and consider it one of the three best Marvel films (IM1, IM3 and Avengers).

Back to Bond, if forced to come up with my top 5 films, they would be along the lines of Skyfall, Casino Royale, and then it gets hazy and I have trouble choosing the same films I choose the last time I thought about it. From Russia with Love, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, License To Kill, Tomorrow Never Dies are the usual contenders. I really enjoyed Quantum of Solace a lot (except for that godawful opening car chase and foot chase - once they fired the ridillin addict camerman and editor the film got very good, I felt) and even Die Another Day I liked lots as well, except for any scene with Jinx. Wow, Haley Berry was absolutely abysmal in that film, and I often felt like she was dragging others down with her.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan

I'm curious, which films do you rank higher than Skyfall?

1. Casino Royale
1. From Russia with Love (tied)
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Skyfall
4. Thunderball (tied)

Quote:

Although, after what you just said about Thor 2, I feel that perhaps we don't have similar taste in films. I didn't think Thor (the first) was all that special, and most people I'm hearing from are saying Thor 2 is far better than the first.

I still think the first Thor is the best Marvel movie, but I'm also big into mythology. Yes, it is based off a comic book, but it is still a movie based in Norse mythology.

Quote:

Also, I liked all of the Iron Man sequels, in fact, I enjoyed Iron Man 3 nearly as much as Iron Man 1, and consider it one of the three best Marvel films (IM1, IM3 and Avengers).

I give the first movie a 9/10, the second a 5, and the third a 6. The third movie had a great build up and then it just fell apart into predictability and boredom for its final third.

[ryan]

I approve of your James Bond list.