h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just watched "Inception" again as my new year movie. Blimey it is good, ridiculously good. Dammit, my "top five films of the year" blog is turned upside down again.

I actually think it is better the second time.

Hmmm....

FB

I've been watching intermittently Troy on Dave. When it first came out I remember quite liking it, despite the critical mauling it received.

It seems I've developed taste since my university days as now I agree with the original critics, it's execrable. Even half-naked Eric Bana isn't enough to make it watchable.

I watched The Wrestler last night. Very good, thoroughly deserved its Oscar nominations. And the ending wasn't a cop-out, which was also good.

RF

When we watched Troy, DH said it was a chick-flick, because of all the well-oiled young men, and I said it was a man-film, because of all the fighting and killing. But we both agreed it wasn't one we particularly wanted to see again.

I caught the Mark Kermode review earlier. It seems he and I share the same view on 3D.

Mol

I don't think I could survive a week without a dose of Kermode. I find his reviews are quite addictive, even if I don't get to see most of the films I hear about on the programme.

Am looking for a film to see this weekend, as we are in Mannheim at the museum to see an exhibition on the Stauffers. It has to be one I can watch with my husband (plenty of action) and one where it doesn't matter quite so much if the sound track is not in the original English. Having just checked the programme though, it seems there isn't much choice. I can't even list a few here for recommendations, as none fit the category, or they're not showing tomorrow, or they're obscure French or German films that are probably not ever going to be released in the UK or the US. I'll keep you posted as to what we do. (Probably we'll come home and watch a DVD)

Is there such a dearth of entertainment out there in the English-speaking world too this Christmas?

This I like about Dr K is even if I disagree with him about films his reviews have an internal logic. So I can usually work out iif I am going to like a film or not based on the way he reviews it even though my views on films are sometimes different from his.

On the downside I tend to listen to Wittertainment on my personal stereo which occasionally results in me laughing out loud in the supermarket

Oh and whilst we are on this topic i'd just like to say:-

"Hello to Jason Isaacs!"



FB

Megamind.

Absolutely loved it! Great lines (Revenge is a dish best eaten cold. But it can be reheated in the microwave of evil), nice plot and a stonking sound-track

Going to go see The King's Speech next week. Looking forward to it. Will report back..

I hope The King Speech would be as good as it should be---

There is a lack of good films on TV --and in general --It seems that the creative possibilities have dissapeared.--

A good film I can reccommend I saw recently on TV :
THE STATION --(1990) Dir. Sergio Rubini Cast: Sergio Rubini, Margherita Buy--[92 min]
Adaptation of a popular Italian stage play (written by Umberto Marino) that takes place during one evening at small raillway station. As the manager meets a nice heiress on the run from her fiancé--Fresh well acted Comic Romance.
In italian with english subtitles .--
A Railway station in nowhere near the Italian--German border and the situations among persons who try to live and a violent reaction from another one --It is the Human Tragedy somehow.--

I am very fond of Cinema I think is an Art very complete--

Orson Welles has been a Master of The Multimedia with the managing of
Script--Time--Special Effects and everything considering The beginning on The Radio with The war of The Worlds of H.G.Wells
that create that caotic situation with very little things--Really The radio WAS magic --no more today--

Also in the Cinema with Citizen Kane--Directed and acted (1941)
As an actor in The Third Man (1949)

And the other day I saw Lady From Shanghai (1948)--87 min--
Dir:Orson Welles Cast: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles,Everett Sloane, Glen Anders, Erskine Sanford, Ted de Corsia--

Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth were husband and wife when they made this taut,surprising thriller --About a beautifull ,amoral woman,her crippled, distatefull lawyer husband, his partner, and somewhat näive sailor made cat´s paw in a destructive scheme. Under Welle´s inventive direction, Everett Sloane and the camera take more of the stage with a climatic scene in the hall of mirrors at San Francisco´s old oceanfront Playland.--

In all the radio and these films the effects are more realistic than in the lack of reality and plastic computer cinema we live today...
We have a lot to learn..

Also there is the film Spellbound on 1945 that Make Hitchkock with
Dali and the cast is Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman
And Walt Disney who did also with Dali some extraordinary works
and afterwards Dali influenced Disney works.--

Before the computers...

Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I liked what they did with it (I recently re-read the book and a straight translation to screen wouldn't have worked) and I liked how they did it, and the good bits were very good. But I did get a tad bored in the middle, and I was glad we'd paid for it with nectar points rather than actual cash.

Mol

Oh, and it may be a sad reflection on my family, but we were all quite taken with the trailer for Gnomeo and Juliet.

Mind you, the rest of my family is currently glued to Music and Lyrics.

Mol

TC a film I want to see at the cinema is Drei, is that showing near you? I think it's a rom-com and I'm not sure if MrTC will like it.

HI - I can't agree with you. Half-Naked Eric Bana is always worth watching however, drippy Diane Kruger ruins Troy so completely and utterly I'm glad I can just ffwd the DVD... and rewind... and ffwd... and rewind. Until I've seen enough half-naked Eric Bana.

I just watched Bridge to Terabithia.
Not the badly animated vacuous fluff it was marketed as on release. But a smart and heart-wrenchingly beautiful tale...

Just got back from an advance screening of The King's Speech and it was really rather brilliant. Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham-Carter were both magnificent and, unlike most Oscar bait, it's really funny in parts.

A mate said the dialogue reminded him of the West Wing but without the smugness and, although I didn't spot it at first, I can see what he means.

Burlesque

oh, truly badly deeply eye-wrenchingly awful!

We were so tempted to walk out, but it's our local independent art deco cinema* that we so desperately want to support, and we walked out of the last movie we saw here (Despicable Me)...

Who on earth put $55m into this rubbish? I wasn't expecting a subtle plot, but at least give me some decent lighting, a few production numbers, and camera shots that last longer than 5 milliseconds! Ugh, most pop vids are better produced.

Nominate for raspberry of the year. Cher, you're better than this honey.

* there were 7 people in the theatre. They need local support.

I've been told it's got good reviews HI.
Looking forward to it even more now. It's going to be a date-movie, so

Bea,

Does it make want to try Burlesque though, even if to just show them how it should be done?

It's the next dance style I'm considering trying. Even though I'm a middle aged man, with iffy knees.




Hopefully my previous experience of dancing ballet will help!

We went to see Tron yesterday.

Meh. So-so special effects, fairly pointless plot, not really up to much of anything, really. Shoulda listened to the reviews!

RF

Actually, there's a burlesque masterclass at the theatre downtown in a couple of months that I'm tempted to sign up for! But it wouldn't be as a result of seeing this movie - there was scarcely anything in it that I'd descrie as "Burlesque".