Ork1927

Very much enjoyed this today as did my kids.

I'd say its a high 3/5 on its own as it really, really raced along, had good action, looked great and has some none Mario related gags that landed, but its not Spiderverse or Mitchells or a really good Pixar or anything.

But, but, but its as Mario as a first Mario film could be without going completely insane with putting EVERY character ever into it and its clearly made with a lot of love for the games and the characters and it pretty much had my grinning throughout as the easter eggs and the music and the background details and the power ups and everything else is great and there are some great Mario specific jokes

So 4/5 and it actually felt it finished too quickly despite it being the correct runtime with a potential for a really great sequel if they carry on with the love and attention to detail for the games, but also work on doing a decent story (which is not a criticism of this one as it does what it needs to do) as they inevitable introduce more characters/locations. 

My only slight disappointment was

Stuff I really enjoyed

My kids have decided they want to go to 4DX for the first time for this so it’s not going to be a cheap trip, but I’ll allow it.
 

Going this morning.

If Rowling wasn’t Rowling, then this still seems like a bad/strange idea given the films aren’t that old, fans will struggle to accept new actors portraying certain characters given how fresh in the memory they are (and who wants to try and replace Rickman/Fienes/Coltrane, etc) and the earlier books especially would have to be stretched well beyond breaking point to be turned into a ten episode season.

But then, with Rowling being Rowling you get the actors all being asked on their views on Trans issues every time they do an interview about anything, if Rowling is producer then this isn’t Hogwarts Legacy where people might argue she’s not involved and/or she isn’t promoting or mentioning it and every single plot point change, casting decision, etc, etc is going to be put under a microscope.

And she is going by to be tweeting and retweeting her awful anti trans message through production and while it’s airing.

But it’ll be fine as they’ll probably cast a trans actor in a minor role that appears in episode 3.

Quick post on today before I never ever speak of it again.

First half hour was the worst I’ve ever seen is play against anyone ever - previous worst was first half hour at home against Middlesbrough in 2011 when we decided to set light to our slim automatic promotion hopes - but at least in that game numerous players had apparently been out on the piss the night before.

Then they scored again, but we immediately equalised and that allowed a bit of hope to creep in.

Second half was more even, but we didn’t really looking like equalising until we did - cue mayhem as it looked like we were getting a point and maybe we’d go on and win it.

But we let Swansea tip tap it around again and they looked content for the point until they won a free kick right outside the penalty box.....:

It would have been better if they’d just win 4-0 again.

Im not proclaiming we are going down after that as we ‘might’ be able to scrape ourselves above someone, but it looks like QPR are going to be the best hope now and we have to win at Blackpool Friday and get something against Sunderland Monday. Lose Friday and don’t beat Sunderland and we might be doomed.

My mate has just leads d me to say half the audience in the showing she has gone into are dressed up.

Given the good word of mouth I reckon this is going to do very well at box office and with Mario out as well and JW4 could be a bumper month.

Reading expecting a six point deduction any day now.

As it stands would put them below us on GD and the closest to the drop zone (at least if it happened today

Just watched this - aim not sure what to make of it.
 

First half - overly dramatised, but enjoyable with lots of nice pixel graphic transitions and Egerton is a likeable front man and there are some nice, if sometimes, clunky game references, but it’s a 2 hour film and to fill the second hour it goes way, way, way over the top (unless I’m misrembering Game Over).

it’s worth a watch and I enjoyed it, but could have done with 30 minutes cut out and the second half massively toned down.

I watched Sharper (it’s on Apple Fv) this week.

I like a good grifter/con-man film and this has a good cast - Julianne Moore, John Lithgow and Sebastian Stan.

Unfortunately, it is not a good grifter/con-man film. Starts slightly intriguing, but none of the characters are likeable or interesting, which might be fine if it was full of clever cons and twists, but it isn’t.

If you have never seen a film before then it might briefly catch you out I guess.

2/5

Derby day on Saturday and for us the most important for many, many years as we desperately need all 3 points regardless of the opponent.

But, given the Jacks are looking for the double double and them whacking us 4-0 at home last year and the fact that if we don’t score then it’s potentially going to be that we’ve scored just 1 goal against them in ten years (and that was away during Covid so nobody saw it), we really really really need to win.

Obviously I’ll take a God awful 1-0 with a first minute tap in and us riding our luck for 89 minutes, but an actual proper semi enjoyable crucial win would be quite nice.

Win and then beat Blackpool away on Friday and we set ourselves on course for survival. Lose and I think we are back in deep deep shit after some promising results recently.

Wales looked like they were going to get annihilated by Croatia who should have been out of sight at half time.

But second half they improved a bit and hung on in there and just managed to equalise in stoppage time!

5 minutes ago, ZOK said:

Yes, I think there are probably plenty of reasons why someone wouldn’t give if full marks, but afterward I sat there thinking ‘what else could I ask for from a film?’ 

It was very close to 5 for me and a film I'll show the family at some point so it could go up.

I saw it yesterday and loved it.

It stretches suspension of disbelief well past breaking point a lot of the time, it is quite silly in places and the CGI is occasionally a little ropey, but I just really enjoyed the never ending orgy of over the top Gun-Fu.  I didn't find it too samey, but I appreciate it could be seen as a bit repetitive, but I was never remotely bored.

First 20/25 minutes is mainly plot and then its three massive over-the top, super loud, lengthy action strings of scenes with little breaks for a bit of plot.  Plenty of great kills and 'ouch/oof' moments.

I went in thinking why is this nearly 3 hours and came out thinking why wouldn't it be nearly three hours.

I think I'd happily sit through it again at the cinema next week if a mate wanted to go.

On 12/03/2023 at 09:53, ZOK said:

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom - 5/5 (Bristol Watershed)

 

Fancy city boy Ugyen is a teacher and lazy little shit, living it up in Bhutan’s capital city (pop.100,000). The government send him to Lunana (pop.46) as part of their programme to achieve Gross National Happiness by educating every child. The school in Lunana is the most remote in Bhutan, and probably the world.

 

I can’t give this anything other than five stars, even though it’s a retread of a threadbare story (fish out of comfortable water finds his truth in harsh simplicity) with a five minute ending sequence that is almost a clunker. It’s just so spectacularly beautiful and lovely that it’s a perfect film. Every single scene is a delight, save for the very end. And even that had me welling up.

 

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

I watched this yesterday as part of a 4 film cinema day out.

I don't think I'll go 5/5, but it was 4.5/5 and I'll strongly agree with Zok's review.  Would have happily spent a lot longer in Lunana or treking to it.  On the ending

Rye Lane

A very funny and charming rom-com which mainly takes place across one afternoon/evening in South London between a couple who meet in the toilets of a gallery opening.

The two leads were very likeable, the dialogue was funny and sharp and it was visually imaginative and quite trippy at times.  Only 82 minutes long. Great stuff.

4/5

Allelujah 

I almost want to start a whole thread for this, but only because of the WTF third act plot point.

So this is the story of a elder care hospital under threat of closure with Judi Dench and David Bradley as patients and Jennifer Saunders as a long serving sister who is getting a medal and Russel Tovey as a Management consultant working for the government.

Its not very good, but its very pro NHS and anti government so while its not a great film, its got a good message to the extent that one of the leads is an Asian doctor who is doing a voice over saying how important the NHS is and how we don't treat the elderly well and at one point Russel Tovey kicks off at the wanker Tory Health minister and does a whole speech about how they are destroying the NHS.

So 2/5, but up to 2.5 stars for the message except (spoiler for third act plot point) that drops this to 1/5

Finally

I'll post in the main thread, but 

John Wick 4.

Stupid, over the top, never ending violence - loved it.

4/5

Bet it has NFTs or at least ALL the micro transactions.

Saw this yesterday - I like the first one quite  lot, and along with Suicide Squad 2, its the only two DCU films I've been happy to rewatch (I liked Wonder Woman, but that terrible CGI ending and the terrible sequel have put me off).

Enjoyed this one - its a bit over long/clunky, but retains the charm of the original, has got some good humour throughout and the inevitable CGI fest at the end was actually really good - the CGI varied in quality throughout the film, but the monsters all looked cool and the end battle was surprisingly decent compared to most CGI heavy end battles.

Glad I hadn't watched the final trailer and the 2 end credits were quite amusing.

So - certainly worth a watch if you liked the first one and a lot better than the Rock being miserable in Black Adam.

19 hours ago, Timmo said:

Why did they remove it from their service? I fucking hate modern streaming and feel no guilt at all pirating. 

Yep - I keep meaning to get a sub of Parnount+ for a bit and binge the stuff I want to see - which 30 seconds ago when I read the original post, would have included this.

But if I can only watch this by pirating - might as well not bother subscribing and pirate anything on there.

8 hours ago, Mike1812 said:

Ridiculous how close it is, 19th to 14th with one win, one point off 12th. No one's cut adrift yet. It's going to be a tight relegation battle.

I’m still convinced it will be Southampton and Bournemouth, but the other spot I’m not sure - Forest maybe?

But, with so many teams in the mix then there are going to be a lot of 6 pointers coming up as teams play each other.

Those 2nd and 3rd goals (and the 4th sort of as they didn’t play to the whistle) Leeds scored made it look like Wolves wanted to keep things interesting by not trying to win and pull away a bit.

Nightmare for us today. 
 

Apparently well on top against Rotherham and at half time results going our way where we’d have been well clear of the bottom 3 and moved above Rotherham and QPR.

Now we have to fit in a rearranged away game and are currently only 3 points from safety.

Half time rain at Rotherham vs Cardiff so bad that the game suspended and potential abandoned.

And we were winning and on top 😞 

Didn't think we'd get it - but a very valuable point at home last night against West Brom with some key players missing for us.

That was only our second point all season when we've gone 1-0 down!  All the bottom 4 picked up at least a point (with Blackpool getting 3 in their surprising massacre of QPR).  Combined points of the teams 13th to 20th above the bottom 4 this mid week was 1.

Our next three games are nuts

Rotherham (a)

Swansea (h)

Blackpool (a)

Two mega six pointers on the road and the derby in the middle.

Can't lose any of them and need to probably win at least two of them.  Big ask and I'd really like to win Saturday and other results go our way to take a little bit of pressure off before the derby.

I found this pretty Meh. Premise is good and there are some nice visuals and the dinosaurs look good, but far too much tropey flashback/backstory for a 90 minutes escape form the planet of the dinosaurs movie and the shooting dinosaurs with laser stuff was mainly unsatisfying as the laser hitting the dinosaurs didn't really show anything for the most part - it was a bit like Duck Hunt.

It just about dragged itself to a 3/5 as it ended pretty well and there were some nice ideas and a few half decent set pieces, but its very cliched.

On 01/03/2023 at 01:15, Majora said:

Close (2022) - 4.5/5

 

So this is one of the Oscar noms for best foreign language movie this year. I knew very little about it apart from it being about a close friendship between two young teen boys. It was free with my Picturehouse membership so I thought why not give it a shot on a boring Tuesday evening. I went in expecting something breezy, maybe poignant/life-affirming.

 

The cinema was packed, which wasn't a problem in itself as the audience were all silent, but in total I had to spend about an hour tonight sat on my own in a rammed cinema trying my absolute best not to burst out crying and failing miserably on two occasions. 

 

I found it desperately heavy and uncomfortable viewing and it's sat with me all night since seeing it. I'm glad I saw it but also kind of wish I had never seen it and could just forget about it forever. I don't think I've truly felt like that about a movie since I saw Amour a decade ago.

I watched this at lunchtime.

As above, I knew little about it, bar it was about the relationship between two boys except I also knew it wasn’t a happy movie (but no detail).

It’s an extremely well constructed and well acted film and while  I wasn’t reduced to tears, it did shock and upset me despite being prepared for it not being a heart warming tale and with a son of a similar age to the kids in the film I’m giving him a big cuddle when I get in.

4/5

Specific very spoilers thought below

1 hour ago, Fry Crayola said:

Another change is that instead of separate international windows in September and October, there'll be a single 16-day window featuring four games in late September.

 

That's really going to upset some club fans.

All club fans I’d imagine - so in a tournament year, 2 months after the World Cup/Euros have finished and just a few weeks after the season has started there are two weeks of what will be increasingly meaningless international games that will play some part in qualifying for the next tournament.

Everyone will zone out of the group stages and then be expected to jump back in for a monster first knock out round which will also likely consist of mainly mis-matches and deliver little in the way of shocks given the bigger teams will have probably have gotten to rotate and rest players in the groups and shaken off any sort of rust that may previously made them vulnerable to going out in the group stage where there were stronger groups.

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

Remember the World Cup expansion from 64 to 80 games in 2026? They changed their minds. It'll be 104 instead. And instead of 16 groups of 3, it'll be 12 groups of 4. Top 2 from each, plus 8 best third places go through.

That is pretty much the end of a one country world cup as well isn't it?  How many stadiums is that going to take?  And I assume they can't increase the window (weeks) that it takes place by too much so just a ridiculous amount of games every day with the added timezone issues.

Also pretty much removes all jeopardy for the 'big teams' going out in the groups as the increase in teams means there will likely be more 'cannon fodder' and 1 decent win will almost guarantee you to qualify.