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

"2 Days in Paris" "a 2007 Franco-German romantic comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Julie Delpy, who also edited the film, composed the soundtrack and played the leading female role" [from wiki].

The first few minutes was worrying as I thought it was going to be a soul less derivative type of film, but it soon picked up when the boyfriend - girlfriend couple met up with the girlfriends parents on their way to spending two days in Paris chilling out (before heading back to New York). Very funny quirky yet believable characterisations (quite a bit over the top in some aspects but amusing). Lightweight but enjoyable, good to watch with friends & partners, but not parents & certainly not for children. I thought the ending could have been done a little differently. Various taxi-riding cameos added to the amusement. Now showing on the BBC iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t18c6/2_Days_in_Paris/

Watched "jaws" again last night - fantastic. Peerless entertainment, and at verging on 40 years old, the special effects may have dated but have IMO lost none of the power to terrify.

Went to see Alpha Papa last Friday and oh my word it's hilarious! I've never cried with laughter at the cinema until now

It's not hilarious, it's got Alan Partridge in.

On Saturday I saw "We're the Millers." Not a serious movie. I enjoyed some very funny lines. There was a very funny sight gag at the end. It had me chuckling as I left the theater. The jockeying for Oscar nominations is going to start in a few weeks, so I'm enjoying the last of the movies that only aim to entertain.

In the same vein, I saw "Planes" last night. If you've seen "Cars" or "Cars 2," you will likely have an idea of what this movie offers, except that here there's a doozy of a race for airplanes: across the globe in seven stages, starting and ending at JFK Airport in New York City. The hero is a crop-duster who aspires to be a racer. It was fun.

Wasn't it one of those rusty agricultural machines that saved the day in Independence Day?

Our boys would like to see Planes, I think. They absolutely love both the Cars films. Personally, I'll be disappointed if, given the prominence of the crop-duster, there isn't a North by Northwest reference in it somewhere.


Geggs

I think I saw "North by Northwest" a long time ago, and I didn't remember much about it. In that film, a crop duster dives toward the hero, but hits a tank truck instead. In "Planes," the crop duster [which has a fear of heights] is reluctant to fly over the Himalayas, so it flies through a railroad tunnel instead. that's as close as the later movie comes to referencing the earlier one.

That's possibly a reference as the last shot of NxNW is a train going into a tunnel. It would be better if the plane was "...dustin' crops where there ain't no crops." though.


Geggs

I saw "The Butler" Wednesday night. It's about an African-American who rose to become a butler at the White House under seven different presidents -- from Eisenhower to Reagan. It was quite moving, especially at the end when the title character was brought in to meet with Obama, who had just been elected. The earlier scenes had some graphic violence, including actual television footage of the freedom riders of the early 1960s. The butler's elder son joined the freedom riders and was imprisoned 19 times, not to mention getting beat up frequently. The butler cut off relations with the son, but eventually came to see the son as a hero, not a criminal. They reconciled after Reagan refused to boycott South Africa.

About Time. Love Actually meets Groundhog Day. Enjoyable for both of us, even though I'm the only time-travel fan. I admit I teared-up a couple of times. I have questions, but nothing I can post here without spoilers.

It's "Diana" next week. I've heard of dire reviews and one 5-star review. Has anyone here seen it?

GB

Not seen it but I'm going to take a wild guess and say the 5 star review came from the Daily Diana... I mean Express

Last night I saw "The Spectacular Now," the story of a heavy-drinking high school senior who is on the rebound from being dumped by his girlfriend. her beef with him is his lack of ambition -- he figures it's a waste to plan for the future when now is so spectacular. Then he hooks up with a shy, bookish girl who starts shaking up his life a bit. It gradually dawns on him that "now" is not so spectacular. She dares him to contact his father, who left when he was six in an ugly divorce. Turns out the father is no prize. The film gradually becomes darker. He begins to wonder who he is...

I just watched both Wolverine movies. People might have been rather critical of the first one, but at least it had something I find rather important in superhero movies; superpowers. The second movie on the other hand, had Wolverine travel to Japan, lose his powers and then having to deal with a woman getting kidnapped by the Yakuza. Quite generic gangster stuff for most of the film, I'm glad I did not pay to watch it.

I saw Gravity last night { Sandra Bullock and George Clooney } it came over very well in 3D

Not sure how probable and authentic the storyline was but who cares, the film is worth seeing ...

"After Earth" wasn't as bad as I was expecting having read the reviews.

I was poorly last week so didn't go see "Diana". This week we have other choices so I think we're going for "The Call".

GB

We watched The Great Gatsby for Nod's A level homework.

It was the recent version, with Leonardo di Caprio - who has aged pretty well. But then he did start out with a baby face. Anyway, he was pretty good, Carey Mulligan was very good, and Tobey McGuire was basically Peter Parker again without the Spidey suit option. Some of the scenes looked spectacular and we liked the use of modern music. But ...

... when we got to the end, we did all think, well, that was a waste of three hours. I'm not sure whether this is a problem with the story or the film (somehow I've managed to get to middle age without ever reading the book). But it was a bit 'is that IT?', at the same time as being 'why is nothing really happening?'.

Nod's more informed view was that the film should have been an hour shorter.

Mol

Last Monday I saw "Enough Said," with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jim Gandolfini.

The next day I saw "Don Jon," with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlet Johanson.

It occurred to me to wonder what Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Joseph Gordon-Levitt would call their children if they had any together.

I saw "Gravity" last night. It certainly was gripping, but on reflection it seemed just a showpiece for 3D with quite a lot of suspense. A cross between "Speed" and "Contact".

Sandra Bullock was convincing, but there wasn't enough for her - or indeed George Clooney - to get their teeth into acting-wise.

I certainly felt very dizzy afterwards. The whole thing takes place in space and there's no up or down.

That sounds like my kind of film (Contact being one of my favourite films of all time) thanks TC, I'll look out for that

"It occurred to me to wonder what Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Joseph Gordon-Levitt would call their children if they had any together." Hopefully something short for a Christian name if their surname was going to be Louis-Dreyfus-Gordon-Levitt

GB