Alfred and Commissioner Gordon really stole the show for me though; in fact, I think if Michael Caine doesn't get an award for this movie, I'll be genuinely surprised.
I've stated the same to my friends, but I'll say the same thing here as I say to them; only thing stopping that from happening is the fact he's put on a bus for more than half the movie. Had he been in it longer I think he'd be a shoe-in to win it. In saying that, I'll definitely be looking at the odds of him winning it once they're available.
Alfred and Commissioner Gordon really stole the show for me though; in fact, I think if Michael Caine doesn't get an award for this movie, I'll be genuinely surprised.
I've stated the same to my friends, but I'll say the same thing here as I say to them; only thing stopping that from happening is the fact he's put on a bus for more than half the movie. Had he been in it longer I think he'd be a shoe-in to win it. In saying that, I'll definitely be looking at the odds of him winning it once they're available.
I've always been a huge fan of Michael Caine (Educating Rita is one of my favourite films) but I found his performance in The Dark Knight Rises to be phenomenal.
He has to at least get a Best Supporting Actor nomination somewhere.
A brief round up of what I've seen whilst the forums were down.
Lawless
7/10
Hotly anticipated, slightly disappointed. It's not bad or anything, I just expected os much more. An absolutely stacked cast...which isn't used to its full potential. Oldman has 2 scenes (what you see in the trailer is literally it), Hardy and Guy Pearce have a fantastic tension filled first encounter and then don't share the screen again for the rest of the movie . As much as I hate Shia LaBeouf I'll give credit where it's due, he does very well in this. Guy Pearce is the ebst thing about this film though.
Dredd
7/10
Karl Urban is authorative as the titular Judge, he comes in kicks ass and that's it. You don't need a backstory or character at this point, that'll come later. The action was good, the slow-mo shootings in particular as well as the shot of Maw-Maw splatting to the ground on top of us/camera. Another case of 3D being utterly meaningless though, I avoid it where I can but there was only one showing in 2D.
Anna Karenina
5/10
Wants to be more like a whimsical french musical than a Russian epic, there were some points I seriously expected them to burst into song, they clearly wanted to make a Russian Moulin Rouge. Some of the visuals were interesting and novel, but not suited for this type of film, again would've been more at home in a musical. Best part was when I first saw a glimpse of Kizhi and immediately shouted out (in my head) 'I was there', there was another (better/longer) shot of it later that confirmed it was indeed Kizhi.
Finally received the BD. This movie is really good, bordering on great on various occasions. It "just" gives a view on who Jiro Ono is: the best sushi chef on Earth, most probably even the best cook and chef overall. Killer stuff if you are interested in food (in this case the extras are even better than the movie).
Oh, I thought I was the only one in here interested in fine cuisine, as I've seen people here recommending others to go to Tesco get some sushi to know what it's like....
I like it when they say that it takes 3 months before they will even let you touch the food and start to make the omelette. It's a great reminder that while one can make cook well, it might take a lifetime to get it perfect.
Woody Allen continues his fine form coming off Midnight In Paris with this funny and charming romanticism fantasy. And I don't mean romance in the traditional relationship sense, it's about the romanticism of everything; of people, places and ideas. In actuality it's practically a continuation of Midnight In Paris which was very much about the same ideas, with more focus on time than the other elements. There wasn't anything I didn't like about it, Allen always gets a great cast and this is no different, big names putting in good shifts. Think the Alec Baldwin/Jesse Eisenberg stuff might've been my favourite, almost feel like an entire film could've been done with that alone. Penelope Cruth (I love doing the accent on her name, makes her even sexier somehow) was absolutely gorgeous, but Ellen Page kinda stole my heart, her "lesbian" story had me all hot and bothered , and when she was cooking with her shirt half tucked in she just looked so super cu-dorable (cute/adorable portmanteau).
Oh, I thought I was the only one in here interested in fine cuisine, as I've seen people here recommending others to go to Tesco get some sushi to know what it's like...
I thought the same, lol. Nice to know you are interested in it too!
I'm a pastry chef, so it's both my passion and my profession.
chaos said:
I like it when they say that it takes 3 months before they will even let you touch the food and start to make the omelette. It's a great reminder that while one can make cook well, it might take a lifetime to get it perfect.
Exactly. I liked all those parts where they explain how long it takes to learn that craft and that young people nowadays lack of dedication. Just looking on how they handle rice got my jaw dropped: the close captures of the finished sushi are really impressive, can't see a grain of rice that is less than perfect in everything. It takes years only to reach the manual skills to form the sushi and you need to have talented hands, otherwise it's just impossible.
So roughly 22 hours ago, I finished reading the book, so I thought "Why not see what the film is like?". Personally, I rate "The Hunger Games" as a fantastic book - definitely one of the best of the last 10 years. The film though? As far as adaptations go, it was a pretty bad one in my opinion.
First off, there's the pace. In the book, around half of the book is focused on District 12 and Katniss' life there, as well as the preparation for the Games. In the film, we're sped through that - so much so that by the time Katniss volunteers herself as tribute, Gale's only said 1-2 lines and had about a minute of screen time, as has Prim (which really took the emotion away from the scene). Honestly, so much was cut out of the film that it could be called an unintelligible mess (in fact, my brother, who was watching the film with me, kept on asking me to fill in the gaps). The main cuts that annoyed me were:
- District 12 prior to the games, such as Gale and Prim.
- The majority of Rue and Katniss' interaction.
- The District 11 bread after Rue's death.
- Foxface laughing at the Careers' destroyed food (Foxface is my favourite character. Sue me).
- Cato being in the Feast scene (Seriously?!). Also, the food at the feast?
- The muttations resembling the fallen tributes.
- The fact that Katniss and Peeta were putting on a lot of their reactions and such.
- A lot Katniss' bonding with Cinna (in fact, this film pretty much lacked a lot of the bonding).
This all added up to the actual games having no real drama at all; despite being so addictive in the book that I continued reading until 2am on an uncomfortable chair due to the kitchen being the only room with light after dark.
There were also other small details, like the Cornucopia being black instead of gold like the book, Rue not being in the net when she was stabbed like in the book (also, I swear the spear went through her? In the film it looked more like a flesh wound). I can understand some of the other changes, like the whole Pin thing (as frankly, the mayor's daughter wasn't that big of a character at all).
Now, for a pluses - the casting was fantastic. Haymitch, Effie and Rue stand out in particular (and even Foxface was fantastic!) - the only ones I didn't like were Cato, who I felt should have looked bulkier and more intimidating, as well as Thresh, who in the book came across more as a pissed off nice guy, not a stereotypical angry guy. I'm indifferent to Cinna - he was good, but I imagined him as being more flamboyant in the book. I loved the costume and set designs too; they were superb and I love how the Capital and the control room scenes are given such bright, colourful colours despite being so dark.
However, the sound quality wasn't great (and I was watching this on blu-ray). Some of the lines (particularly Katniss') were hard to understand at times.
Overall, the book is fantastic and I would not be surprised if in years to come, it is regarded as a literary classic. The film though? Forgettable, to be honest. I'm kind of glad that the director isn't returning for the next book, although I'm surprised to hear that Suzanne Collins herself actually worked on the screenplay for this adaptation.
Haven't read the books but my opinion of The Hunger Games upon seeing it was pretty much 'it's an average film with potential to be much better in someone elses hands'. Of course the director has changed and I think that'll make a marked improvement, or at least difference with the next one. Have to really question though, are the books that good that you seriously think they'll be "literary classics"? I was under the assumption that they were decent, enjoyable YA novels, somewhat of a step up from the likes of Twilight. To me a literary classic is something like 1984.
The Sweeney
4/10
Are we seriously supposed to like these people? They are absolutely detestable characters, downright deplorable in their behaviour, both legally and morally (stealing from crime scenes, assualting fellow officers, having an affair with a colleague, etc.) Wouldn't be so bad if they weren't supposed to be POLICE OFFICERS. Plan B has one 'acting face' which he proceeds to mug the entire film, Winstone snarls and grumbles his way through it not trying in any way whatsoever to make himself the slightest bit endearing to the audience.
Are we seriously supposed to like these people? They are absolutely detestable characters, downright deplorable in their behaviour, both legally and morally (stealing from crime scenes, assualting fellow officers, having an affair with a colleague, etc.) Wouldn't be so bad if they weren't supposed to be POLICE OFFICERS.
Haven't read the books but my opinion of The Hunger Games upon seeing it was pretty much 'it's an average film with potential to be much better in someone elses hands'. Of course the director has changed and I think that'll make a marked improvement, or at least difference with the next one. Have to really question though, are the books that good that you seriously think they'll be "literary classics"? I was under the assumption that they were decent, enjoyable YA novels, somewhat of a step up from the likes of Twilight. To me a literary classic is something like 1984.
Comparing The Hunger Games to Twilight is a bit like comparing a nice apple, with just the right amount of juice and crunch, to a dog turd xD.
The main thing that the film lost which the book had was Katniss' first person narrative. This not only helped a lot with the exposition, but her thoughts and conflictions that result in her opinion on The Games, her being a tribute, her relationship with Peeta etc. The book had a hell of a lot of building of relationships which the film really rushed (like Katniss and Rue - and the whole dynamic of Katniss and Peeta's relationship, which was forced for the Capitol viewers in exchange for supplies from Haymitch, was lost).
Also, I felt the film kind of became what the book was poking at - rushing to the games made me realise that perhaps we're just like the Capitol residents (the books did this better though. It took almost half the book to get the the Games, by that time I'm thinking "When will the killing start?" and BAM - the thought that I'm just like the Capitol occurs).
It's great in that appeals to both adults and children (my aunt and uncle read the series and now their 10 year old daughter is); not because the book gives us escapism, but it actually makes us realise that Panem is actually just an exaggerated version of the world we already live in. That helps add to the morbid nature of the book, as opposed to just the general "Kids killing kids? That's wrong!".
I think the problem with the term "literary classic" though, is that there will be some literary snobs who will refuse to say that anything published recently could be a classic. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I imagine people will still be talking about "The Hunger Games" in a few decades to come, while the likes of Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey will (hopefully and rightfully) be forgotten. Hell, I wouldn't call Harry Potter a literary classic - sure it helped get children into reading, but it didn't really make me think once I'd put the book down. With me, where I draw the line between "Entertainment" and "Art" is whether or not it affects me and makes me think even after I've put the book down. "The Hunger Games" did that. It's that same distinction which makes me consider Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Sound of the Sky as art, but Strike Witches and To Love Ru as entertainment.
ayase said:
20thCenturyBoy said:
Are we seriously supposed to like these people? They are absolutely detestable characters, downright deplorable in their behaviour, both legally and morally (stealing from crime scenes, assualting fellow officers, having an affair with a colleague, etc.) Wouldn't be so bad if they weren't supposed to be POLICE OFFICERS.
Are we seriously supposed to like these people? They are absolutely detestable characters, downright deplorable in their behaviour, both legally and morally (stealing from crime scenes, assualting fellow officers, having an affair with a colleague, etc.) Wouldn't be so bad if they weren't supposed to be POLICE OFFICERS.
Yes I have seen bits of the original Sweeney, and it's very common for police to be portrayed this way in tv/film, but usually they have some redeeming feature. Point I was making was that the characters in this don't. Fine being that way for their job, but even outside their jobs they're portrayed as complete ********s you wouldn't want to associate with, how are you meant to relate to them as protaganists?
Oh I haven't even seen the new film, just thought I'd casually inject a bit of social commentary.
I don't really have anything against the police force as a whole, though I do think it's important not to imagine people in authority are any less prone to corruption than anybody else.
Of course, people with power (no matter how little) often abuse it. It's part of the primal nature of man wanting to be better than his fellow man and always wanting more, as a race we have a terrible lack of self restraint.
Savages
4/10
On the other end of the spectrum from The Sweeney here we have the nicest villains ever: They make deals, pay people money owed and generally want to play nice. They take hostages but then proceed to give their hostages steaks and laptops with free wi-fi because the hostage complained. You're not running a hotel, lady!
The film started slowly, but I was happy enough as I expected this to build to something...I thought wrong. It's all build up and no pay off, I'm not actually sure you could even call it build up, there's absolutely zero tension in this film. Oliver Stone shows ever so slight glimpses of what he's capable of, but never gets going. I'd say he continues to fail to live up to expectations, but I honestly expected this film to be dull, average at best, I certainly hoped for more though. I'm still not sure how exactly (*cough*COCAINE*cough*) Stone was the man who wrote one of my all time favourite films.
Taylor Kitsch has been doing the acting thing for a while now, it's about time he learned how to actually do it. There's only two people who bring the goods to the screen with this one. Benicio del Toro does bring some genuine tension whenever he's on the screen, but the man unfortunately can't make a scene on his own, try as he might. John Travolta is the other, he doesn't even seem like he's trying that hard but he's still miles beyond everyone else in the cast. Thankfully these two get a scene together and it honestly feels like the only scene done by two real actors in the whole god damn thing. Thankfully in the end del Toro and Travolta win. Hooray!
While I was hyped about seeing this film (read: little sleep last night), I was admittedly apprehensive, due to it essentially being a recap and all. I was also fearful at how my older brother and his fiancé would take the film; having never seen Tiger & Bunny or hell, any anime after the first 3 episodes of Soul Eater.To be honest, I loved the film. My older brother loved the film (especially Fire Emblem and Doc Saito) and his fiancé, while admitting that the film wasn't her thing, said it was good (fair enough).
Being a recap, it was obvious that the film was going to repeat itself to begin with. However, I really loved the way this was done. Even the smaller things like seeing Wild Tiger changing into his Topmag costume in the car while going out to try and stop the monorail hijacking and the random split-second appearances of Barnaby before his introduction really helped keep it fresh. Some of the earlier scenes (like Kaede and the ballet-thing) seemed a fair bit rushed (as is expected of a recap), but they were still there long enough to serve their narrative purpose. For those of you who are interested, the movie only recaps the first two episodes before going into its own original story, however, they did add in some things from later in the series.
I was especially surprised to see the film cover Wild Tigers past so early on. I felt this was a great touch for the film, as it gave the audience something to help sympathise with him (other than the whole replacing by a rookie thing, which I think only the older viewers would understand).
I also loved how the film really played on the more comedic feel the main series often had. Examples of this are when Origami Cyclone asks Sky High why he's running to a scene instead of flying. Sky High's first response is that running is faster than walking, then when Origami Cyclone mentions his powers, Sky High activates them and says that without his jetpacks, all he would do is float. The entire cinema was in hysterics numerous times, which is an experience I absolutely love (and has only happened once before, with The Avengers). Another favourite scene of mine was when Wild Tiger tried to set up Barnaby and the heroes so they could get to know each other more and Sky High stated that he didn't understand what was going on, only for a pissed off Rock Bison to say "I'll tell you later" xD. It was also nice to see Rock Bison's powers finally explained (although I have to question why he was showing off to Dragon Kid? 0.o). I felt like every hero had their moment which no matter how brief, really shown off the character, which was really good. I especially liked the scene when everyone is rushing to a criminal and Blue Rose stops to create an ice mirror to check her hair and Dragon Kid ending up looking into it and wondering if ear rings would make her ears stretch, which tied into the hairpin thing from later in the series really well. This film was directed very well.
My only criticism would be the new movie-only character Robin (I think his name was?). He didn't really feel like a threat at all (who could take him seriously with roller blades anyway?) and he didn't really speak much, except to mock the heroes' attempts to stop him.
Also, the moment Barnaby mentioned his powers, I instantly clocked that the only way to defeat him would be to get him in a place where he was alone and beat him 1-on-1...but how long did it take until the characters realised that?
Overall, it was a very good film that did a fantastic job with fleshing out the series and all of its characters, but it could have done with a much stronger final antagonist.
When leaving the cinema, my brother said he wanted Domino's Pizza and Pepsi. Shame I couldn't force him to actually do that, as we had pizza for lunch.
Added a spoiler tag in it, I know it's not much a spoiler, but it's a courtesy to others.
I had a feeling that was going to be as they beat the bad guy, but then I changed my mind when they said he was heading to the mirror room. And then, I changed my mind again when Barnaby asked them to let him go on his own.
I rated it slightly lower than you, but it was indeed quite nice. not having a more epic villain is also my biggest problem with this film. Having the Nex kid as a "villain" or maybe having him as a distressed Nex whose powers run amok would have been a much more suitable ending, IMHO.
Edit - Oh, and I also want domino's pizza with pepsi for some unknown reason.....
Added a spoiler tag in it, I know it's not much a spoiler, but it's a courtesy to others.
I had a feeling that was going to be as they beat the bad guy, but then I changed my mind when they said he was heading to the mirror room. And then, I changed my mind again when Barnaby asked them to let him go on his own.
I rated it slightly lower than you, but it was indeed quite nice. not having a more epic villain is also my biggest problem with this film. Having the Nex kid as a "villain" or maybe having him as a distressed Nex whose powers run amok would have been a much more suitable ending, IMHO.
Edit - Oh, and I also want domino's pizza with pepsi for some unknown reason.....
I wonder why we all wanted pizza and pepsi? Who knows? xD
Yeah, the final villain of the film was a let down. Hell, Tony (the NEXT kid) actually posed a bigger threat to Stern Build 9.9. When I first saw the new character's design, I assumed he was going to be a hero, but I guess that would have affected the continuity of the main anime.
I agree with your thoughts on T&B. I did really enjoy watching it, but as you guys did, I thought Tony was much more of a threat to Stern Bild than Robin. It was cute though how Tiger persuaded him to stop and that his powers could be good. Robin was there more to test the heroes than actually pose a threat to Stern Bild. Of course it's a superhero movie, so it was obvious the heroes were going to win in the end. But it was still awesome!
With T&B, I thought the main focus of the movie's climax was the relationship between the two partners, and a more complex villain would have detracted from that. It's ok for those of us who have seen the series but as the movies are supposed to be able to stand alone, Kotetsu slowly and awkwardly chipping away at Barnaby's tough shell was the most important thing. A more dangerous villain or one with a greyer morality would have been more interesting if it were a one shot movie, but in terms of storytelling it wouldn't have been able to cover the same development we got from the TV show during the bomb episode etc without taking some major shortcuts in Bunny's characterisation.
Accordingly I had no problem with Robin at all, though if I was to criticise anything about that section of the film it would be the crime itself; while I understand that it was supposed to reflect Legend's success, I thought the claim that letting a petty thief get away with a little statue would destroy the public's faith in heroes was a touch silly. Especially given the magnitude of their earlier rescues.
I'd been under the impression that the film was mostly a recut with a few extra nods to how the heroes met and a small role for a movie-exclusive character, so to find there was actually quite a lot of new material was a very pleasant surprise indeed. I can't wait to buy it on BD. It's possible that Robin will get some more expansion in the supplementary materials too, not that I think he really needs any.
Unless it turns out that he's some low level member of Ouroboros and it's all part of some grand plan to make NEXT supervillains or something in the sequel. He might suddenly become interesting after all >_>
I did wonder how he made his suit on his own. It looked like something which needed a lot of engineering.
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. As much as I hate Shia LaBeouf I'll give credit where it's due, he does very well in this. Guy Pearce is the ebst thing about this film though.
