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Films worth a watch.
#1
Decided to give 'A million ways to die in the West' a go ....

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2557490/

Quote:As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.

It's written, directed and starts Seth Macfarlane (Family Guy / Peter Griffin) so if you don't like that kind of humour you probably won't like the film. I do and was in the mood for something a bit daft when I watched it. I found it hilarious in parts and generally enjoyed the ride (with tongue firmly in cheek). It's like an updated blazing saddles. Sometimes you could probably close your eyes and imagine it was Family Guy with some of the scenes and dialogue.
Generally its a good cast, well acted with plenty of famous cameos to watch out for.

Just unplug your brain, watch and laugh. I enjoyed it and think its well worth a watch. 7/10.
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#2
A few who's reviews were not that good, so I watched them not expecting anything and was pleasantly surprised. I think both are worth watching ...

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Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205537/


Quote:A new version of the saga of CIA analyst, Jack Ryan. It begins when Ryan was attending the London School of Economics; and 9/11 happened. He would then enlist in the Marines and would go to Afghanistan. The chopper he was on would get shot down and he would suffer severe injuries that would require intense rehab. While there, he grabs the attention of a man named Harper, who works for the CIA and would like him to finish his studies and get a job on Wall Street so he can find out of any terrorist plot through their finances. A few years later, Ryan finds anomalies in the accounts of a Russian named Cherevin. Jack thinks he should go to Russia to find out what's going on. Jack was told not to tell anyone who he is and that includes his girl friend Cathy. But she catches Jack in some lies which makes her doubt him. Jack goes to Russia and Cherevin assigns him someone to take care of him. But when they're alone the man tries to kill Jack. So Jack kills him. Obvious Cherevin is hiding ...

Chris Pine plays a steady enough lead role and Branagh suits his role as villain. You don't get too drawn into the other characters as it's all about hero/villain with the sub plot of how Ryan met his wife Cathy and her involvement. (If you have watched the Harrison Ford films the family element is a theme).
It's action pretty much from the start and it maintains a fast pace throughout the film. As the cast is good it's easy to watch and the story line is ok (very modern) too. I enjoyed it, but its my 'type' of film. 7/10.


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Non Stop

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/

Quote:Bill Marks, a former cop dealing with his daughter's death by drinking, is now a federal air marshal. While on a flight from New York to London, Marks gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is transferred to an offshore account, someone will die every 20 minutes. Can he find the terrorist in time and save everyone?

I was expecting this to be a stinker. I also had 'The Grey' in the back of my mind which was the last Neeson film I watched and I thought it was one of the worst films I've ever seen. But, I also remembered 'Taken' (the first, better one) and felt it was worth a watch. I'm glad I did, because despite the odd crap review I thought this was a good film. Given it all takes place on a plane it relies on some nifty writing to keep you guessing as to who the villain could be with quite a few twists along the way. Neeson is well cast in the lead as his demeanour suits his character. He is a 'nice fit' and that helps a lot as a film where it's intentionally quite claustrophobic being filmed on a plane needs the right cast or it just won't work. Again, well worth a watch. 7.5/10.


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Robocop (2014)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/

Quote:In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years - and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) - a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit - is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

If you are not a fan of science fiction movies/ the first Robocop or CGI then you may want to swerve this film. I did enjoy the first Robocop film. I'm also a fan of Joel Kinnaman who plays the lead from his time playing Detective Stephen Holder in 'The Killing'. So, I wanted to enjoy this film. I did, but only for the reasons I state. It's not a remake of the original - its a reboot. It plays homage to the first film, but is a new, adapted script that feels like it's purposely watered down to lead into a second film. Worth a watch if you are a fan of the genre. 6/10 and thats being generous.
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#3
Watched a few films. Neither my usual fare, but I went over on my ankle on a final descent of a fell run and had to plant my arse with my leg elevated to keep the swelling down so Chromecast got another outing! Smile

Watched this with Samee. He thought it was superfantasticamazingbestracefilmever!

Need For Speed.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2369135/

Quote:Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.

It's Aaron Pauls first major project since Breaking Bad and I kept waiting for him to break into Jesse Pinkman and say "Yoh ... Bitch". Smile
I watched it with the boy as we've played the video game 'Need For Speed' so he was keen to watch the film. I was expecting it to be utter rubbish. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. You need to either be a total petrol head who can watch it just for the cars (Shelby Mustang ... Drooooolllllllllll), into the genre of video/game film platform or be 11 years old.
In general the acting was ok apart from Imogen Poots who played the female 'English' lead. She is English, but came across as an American trying to be English (no mean feat) and the chemistry between her and Aaron Paul / Tobey Marshall didn't work for me.
Fortunately there wasn't CGI everywhere - the makers preferred to make shells of the cars and really crash them which worked well.
Bottom line is - You unplug your brain, accept its a thin plot and just enjoy the noise and the visuals. I'm surprised because I did. Samee thought it was awesome.
Kingys mark: 5.5 /10
Samees mark: 9.5 /10
Smile


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The Warriors Way

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032751/

[quoteQuote
Quote:Yang, the world's finest swordsman, packs it in and leaves Japan to find an old friend in the Wild West rather than kill the infant queen of a rival clan. He carries the baby to his friend's desolate, broken-down town; the friend has died, so Yang reopens a laundry and settles down, hanging wet clothes, growing flowers, raising the infant, and finding himself attracted to Lynne, a red-haired woman with a tragic past. As long as Yang keeps his sword sheathed, his rivals won't find him, but a band of reprobate gunmen terrorize the town and threaten Lynne. Showdowns are inevitable, but once the sword is drawn, can Yang find rest, a home, and a family?

Not my kind of film genre at all.
Watched it as the first 15 mins reminded me of Kill Bill - which I did enjoy so I stuck with it.
I ended up enjoying the ride. Another film that you can just sit back, not think too much and let it happen.
5/10


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Expendables 3.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2333784/

Quote:Barney and his team, known as "The Expendables", come into conflict with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables' co-founder, who is determined to destroy the team.

Shite.

1/10.
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#4
Lone Survivor.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091191/?ref_=nm_knf_i3

Quote:Marcus Luttrell, a Navy Seal, and his team set out on a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah, in late June 2005. After running into mountain herders and capturing them, they were left with no choice but to follow their rules of engagement or be imprisoned. Now Marcus and his team are left to fight for their lives in one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare.

I wasn't sure what kind of film this was. I hadn't seen a review and just started watching it. Initially I had it penned as a typical war/buddy film (think Top Gun) but that was far from the mark thankfully. The film fairly quickly changed to 'Saving Private Ryan' format. which I found a little dark. Whilst thats not a bad thing, it was very 'stark reality'. Quite hard to watch as it seemed there could only be one outcome given the film was certainly not a 'USA, USA buddy film'. Move forwards to the films last quarter and finale and it changed again. I won't spoil it, but it was a very good ending as it made you re-assess your thoughts on the main premise of the film in a very positive way.
If you watch it - you MUST watch right through the credits to the very end. Some very poignant pictures and messages that finish the film off perfectly.

I'm surprised I'm scoring it this high, but the last quarter of the film (and credits) really made me think and I like that. 7.5/10.
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#5
The Amazing Spiderman 2

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/

Quote:We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. It's great to be Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

This is the re-boot with Andrew Garfield playing Spiderman. I quite like his geeky, awkward character compared with Toby Maguires wooden portrayal of Spiderman, but essentially the reason for watching this was that the kids fancied it. Smile
Sadly the storyline is no better than the first. It really feels like its a plot building exercise for the third film. The villain (played by Jamie Foxx) is not nearly convincing or evil enough and Dane DeHaan playing Harry and his alter ego is, well, crap. I was also much more aware of the CGI in this film for some reason too. I started to mess with my phone several times whilst watching it but the kids enjoyed it.

For me its a 4/10 but the kids would disagree and give it a good 7/10. Given they are the target audience it just shows I'm quickly morphing into an old fart! Wink
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#6
Sin City 2. A Dame to Kill For.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458481/

Quote:Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants.
Like the first Sin City film, this one is made up of sub-stories that, in some way or another, tie in to the main plot.

I really enjoyed Sin City. Thought it was dark, moody, erotic and brilliant. The casting was perfect, the nudity was not gratuitous and the acting was damn near perfect with no one character looking poor or out of place. The black and white with splashes of intense colour, whilst not a new concept really worked and made the film stand out.

I watched Sin City 2 with high hopes. Unfortunately they were not matched by the film. I felt let down. Whilst it is still good it just doesnt reach the same heights that the first film did and has probably suffered as the first film feelt so original. Plus, I didn't really buy into a few of the new characters.
Eva Green just seemed to be naked ... to be naked. Nice, but of little value and Josh Brolin was too stupid for words despite being a lead character. That said, I still enjoyed Marv (Mickey Rourke). His character is so good to watch.

As ever, the plots wind together nicely, but they didn't have the same impact as the first film. It's good, but even now, as I'm thinking back I remember more that I didn't like (from actors I've enjoyed in other films) than I did like. 6/10
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#7
Guardians of the Galaxy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/

Quote:After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill from Earth, is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" to save the world.

The kids mithered me to watch this. I though ... "OK, go on then. I can always nod off!" Tongue As it happens I bloody loved it! Really good fun, laughing out loud at times and a great '80s soundtrack. Mint film. 9/10

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The Interview.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788710/

Quote:In the action-comedy The Interview, Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show "Skylark Tonight." When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

I was surprised by the first three quarters of this film. I expected it to be crap. It wasn't. It was a bit daft, funny, and at times clever. I quickly warmed to it. This is even more of a surprise as other than when he was in Superbad I think Seth Rogen is one of the unfunniest blokes on the planet. An overweight, sweaty excuse of a comedian who does a natural impression of a thick gorilla in all of his roles. Anyway, onto the film. I was really enjoying it, then the last third went typical Rogen. It turned to shite and became a parody of stupid comics/mags and typical gung ho USA USA USA. Shame as it ruined an otherwise good film. 3/10. Don't bother.

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The Departed

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/
Quote:In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello. While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover?

An oldie this from 2006 but one I'd not seen. Great script, some excellent acting (mind you - what a cast!) and a good, complicated thriller. Felt let down by the ending as it was too simple and tidy given the complexity of the characters (particularly Billy/DiCaprio). Still very good though. 8.5/10
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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#8
Might have to put these on my list of films to watch then.

I've just loaded the showbox app to my tablet and phone which I can then use to watch all films, and whilst it's playing on these I can stream them straight to my smart tv and watch them on that Smile
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg]
Cadwell 2011/ Angelsey2011/ Cadwell 2013 (this one hurt) and retired me Sad
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#9
American sniper

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179136/

Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.

Really good movie this its a long one and is a little slow in a couple of places but I really enjoyed it, based on a true story.

Fury

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2713180/

April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and his five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

This is pretty graphic and dark in places, but I suppose depicts as near as possibe what it was like during that war. A really good watch but again quite a long one.
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#10
Cheers Martin. Haven't seen American Sniper but will do.

I forgot I'd watched fury! As you say it's grim in places (think Saving Private Ryan) but its a very strong cast so you invest in it. Thought Pitt and Bernthal were fantastic. I enjoyed it a lot. Smile


(01-08-2015, 07:09 PM)Jollyjoiner Wrote: I've just loaded the showbox app to my tablet and phone which I can then use to watch all films, and whilst it's playing on these I can stream them straight to my smart tv and watch them on that Smile

Showbox was my find of the year last year. I watch everything through it. Best app ever. Cool
[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg] Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
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