25. The Batman
A solid, overall enjoyable outing for the bat but with some sizeable flaws. It was at least 45 mins too long, it didn't really need Catwoman (and it was a pretty flat interpretation of the character) plus there were 'twists' you could see coming a mile off. The final set piece also felt massively out of place and unnecessary.
Thankfully it did a lot well, Dano and an unrecognisable Farrell were great whilst Pattinson did a good line in unsure vigilante. The gritty interpretation and aesthetic worked for the most part, and it was a superb looking film for the most part. Some really impressive looking scenes and technical work definitely helped to keep me engaged. It was more disappointing than bad as the evidence was there for a much better version. [6]

I had never watched King Kong (1933) start to finish before so took the opportunity offered by iPlayer.

It's hard to imagine the sensation this must have been at the time. One doesn't even have to allow for the technical limitations to say that in many ways this is superior to the modern remake. The number of iconic shots here (that long shot of the Empire State building is simply beautiful), the pacing, the imagination that went into the encounters all go together to make that so. 

Even with the limitations, technically this is impressive stuff and it doesn't hold back in showing deaths...the animation while jerky is superbly done at conveying movement and the action. It makes Godzilla made 20 years later look bad in some respects (although these films can't be compared in all other ways as that is a far more intelligent film - Kong is a ripping yarn).

Fay Wray   Cute as a button but she had some lungs on her. Poor old Kong must have felt like he was playing Yoshi's Island with the baby permanently off his back..  

Even the soundtrack which is at times hammy and melodramatic (this is after all a bit of a melodrama really) is at times humorous and atmospheric (thinking about how the music sounded prior to the train attack). And there are even a few places where it's silent (the t-rex fight and the initial bi-plane attack) that make those scenes more effective.

It's hackneyed in many ways too - the cornball dialogue for example. But once on the island there isn't much time for that other than a few snappy sentences to move the plot along. I can't see certain things getting past now either - the Chinese cook, the grass skirted natives etc - there's even a brief scene showing a native lady using 2 halves of a coconut shell as a bra - but of course that is very much of its time. The #MeToo movement would have something to say about he private time Kong has with the lady too..There were other tropes like the infinitely wise sea captain who could speak the native lingo.

For all that this is still rightly considered a classic. Far superior to the 70s remake and stands alongside the over cooked albeit loving Peter Jackson tribute.

28. Drive My Car
A gentle and beautiful film on love and loss and other things besides. It's long and doesn't mind taking it's time but I didn't mind. I didn't really want it to end.
[9]

Look what happened to Liam Neeson after doing Star Wars. The film equivalent of turning to the drink.

Watched The Kingsman on Disney +

No where near as bad as everyone says. Ok yes it has some pure hokum in it, and some bits just don't make sense. However i still enjoyed it. I thought there were some enjoyable performances, pretty good action scenes, one huge shock and some honestly touching moments. And a huge slice of ham from the villian which is possibly the weakest element

A solid 7.

I thought it was shit, but still a lot better than the second film. That was really shit.

KINGSMANS RANKED:
1 > 3 > 2

Aye. They’re bad.

The Third Man is another iPlayer one I hadn't seen before.  A very slick tale of black market racketeering in post war Vienna. A who's who of British actors alongside Orson Welles and the bewitching Alida Valli (what happened to her? She's a knockout).

Beautifully shot against the post war ruins and with a highly recognisable soundtrack, it's still well worth a watch.

poprock wrote:

Aye. They’re bad.

Sorry to hammer the point, it’s a bit of a bugbear for me. I’ve worked with the guy briefly, and had beers with him. He’s fucking clever, and he does a massive amount for his home community while also being a mover and shaker on the global stage. But his work always, always includes completely unnecessary parts where he descends into schoolboy sexism … and sometimes goes so deep into it that the work becomes genuinely nasty. I think he must have some deep-seated Mummy issues or something.

There’s nothing wrong with anal. There’s something wrong with a woman being presented as a prize for a man to win. And something insidious about the ‘ladsladslads’ sense of humour it was celebrated with.

davyK wrote:

The Third Man is another iPlayer one I hadn't seen before.  A very slick tale of black market racketeering in post war Vienna. A who's who of British actors alongside Orson Welles and the bewitching Alida Valli (what happened to her? She's a knockout). Beautifully shot against the post war ruins and with a highly recognisable soundtrack, it's still well worth a watch.

Third Man is one of my favourite films, and Orson Welles one of the great cinema villains.

Valli turns up quite a lot in Italian Cinema - in everything from Oedipus Rex through to Suspiria.  I think her relative obscurity owes itself to her decision to buy herself out from a pretty shitty contract with David Selznick, and return to Europe - rather than continue to be exploited as a "movie star".

That’s far from the worst example of shitty bits in Millar’s comics/films anyhow. We disagree, it’s fine.

Oh no, they're depicting a consensual sex act! This is wrong, sexist and insidious! Won't someone think of the women/children?!