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Northern Neil

What movies have you seen recently?

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As companion to the thread about what books we have all read recently, I thought I would open one up on Films, or Movies as they are called over the Pond. Having got rid of my TV some time ago in disgust at the continual dumbing down of popular media - and not wanting to continue to fund it, my only screen entertainment now is to watch a movie in bed, with laptop on my knee, instead of reading a book. One Movie a night I will watch - it is also a good way of sending me to sleep.

 

Anyway, the movie that unfolded last night was 'Flyboys'. Good points: The aircraft - wether computer modelled or otherwise, were excellent. Use of classic vehicles shown close - up in the movie, excellent. Dogfights - WOW!!! Cinematography - excellent. However, as the movie progressed, I began to feel the same disquiet as that which prompted me to get rid of the TV.

 

World War I aerial combat has really recieved the '300' treatment here. Just about every cliche in the book was in this film - Almost all the German aircraft were red - painted Fokker DR 1's in Richtofen style, with the exception of a bomber, and a black - painted DR1 flown by the baddie. No Albatrosses, Halberstadts or Pfalzes from other squadrons to be seen! Not a single Spad VII, SE 5 or Sopwith Camel. The 'French Boudoir with kindly Madame' bit was in there - although the Hero's girlfriend turned out to be the one girl who wasn't actually a prostitute. Phew. The chivalrous, good German who lets people off for bravery, the wicked, nasty one in a black plane who kills people on the ground. The kindly but firm senior French officer who treats his pilots like children, the senior pilot drinking and risking himself going up alone - and all the pilots having the attitude 'Lets get those beastly Huns / Frogs / Tommies' (by this stage the US had not entered the war - although the miraculous use of 1918 Fokker DR 1's in 1917 deserves comment). Yep, they were ALL in there!

 

After I viewed this movie I didn't know what to think - like many I have seen recently, there was gross standardisation, implausible heroic acts, and the unrealistic presence of a black guy to make the movie appeal to a bigger audience. As a film adaptation of a boy's comic book version of WWI aerial combat, it was good, and I enjoyed it. For a more realistic view, perhaps Blue Max and Aces High should be kept in reserve...

 

Tonight I will be watching 'I am Legend'. Right! NEXT!

Edited by Northern Neil

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"Alvin and the Chipmunks"

 

Three lovable, musical rodents invade the world of an aspiring song writer and mayhem ensues.

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Flyboys is a good movie, I enjoyed it too back when I saw it.

 

Alvin and the Chipmunks... Not my style, I watched it 2 days ago as my girlfriend wanted to see it.

 

I have also seen Beowulf and Alien vs Predator 2 lately, and I truly want my time back.

 

Beowulf: For those who have played the old Microsoft game ago of mythology, this movie suffer the same flaw, 3D. AS AoM should have been made two years later to have a decent reason to go full 3D, so should Beowulf. However this might be the start the industry need to make real life realistic all 3D movies. Someone have to be the first.

 

Beside the 3D I can't say that it was anything special. It would have made a decent tv movie filmed normally.

 

Alien vs Predator 2... There is not much to say. The aliens have now disintegrated into a sub predator species and they fight like men. I am finding myself having trouble with seeing who's hunting who, even when the original figures are nothing like each other. Well that's rather much it. Hunting, blood, blood, death and some more blood.

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<SNIP>the unrealistic presence of a black guy to make the movie appeal to a bigger audience. <SNIP>

 

I cannot really comment on this or any other recent film except those shown on TV - most I've seen ads for I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, however one point of information:

 

If the 'black guy' is based on Eugene Ballard then he does hold the unique position of being the first (and only?) Black guy to fly in the First World War, having first served in the French Foreign Legion before transferring to the Lafayette Flying Corps after being wounded at Verdun.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Bullard

 

BTW I watched Das Boot when it first came out as a six part TV series (subtitled) and as such it is brilliant. While Young Frankenstein, with the great and sadly missed Marty Feldman, responding to the cry of "Werewolves!" as "There wolves...There Castle" must in my view go down as one of the greatest lines in cinema.

Edited by Melvadius

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Last night I watched, The Good Shepard, starring Matt Damon and directed by Robert DeNiro. It's the story of a CIA agent from the time he's initiated in to the "Company" during the outbreak of the first world war throughout his career up to the Sixties and the US' troubles with Castro and Cuba.

 

It was OK, nothing special. It's very dark, very serious and it on for about two and half hours. So if you are feeling particularly tired this could well be the movie to help you along to the land of nod!

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If the 'black guy' is based on Eugene Ballard then he does hold the unique position of being the first (and only?) Black guy to fly in the First World War, having first served in the French Foreign Legion before transferring to the Lafayette Flying Corps after being wounded at Verdun.

On checking this out, it happens that the black guy indeed WAS based on Eugene Bullard, who I previously knew nothing about. During his career as a pilot for the French air service, he shot down two enemy aircraft. This link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Bullard gives more info. In future, I will research more thoroughly before I comment... :whistling:

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Last movie I saw (in the theaters) was Cloverfield, which was a thrill ride. It had some fantastic special effects.

 

click for movie trailer

 

A great little bit of irony in this movie -- before the city-stomping monster hits New York, one of the main characters is celebrating his impending move to Japan.

 

-- Nephele

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I've been doing a ton of Netflix rentals lately...catching up on old favorites...adding to the list of movies which I can address to my students. I just rented the follow-up to The Office (British) show...I'm glad that the loose ends were tied up.

 

As for stuff in theaters, I'm hopelessly behind. I have many that I want to list, but either I'm busy at night, or I just don't have the gumption!

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THE ASSASSINATION OF THE OUTLAW JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.

 

Fantastic!

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Sorry I can't be more brief, but here goes:

After walking out on

Edited by Faustus

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salve,

 

I just watched "The Kingdom". An excellent movie. I've seen many others but it's the only one that would post about.

 

*****

 

Titus

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Finally got around to watching the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. While entertaining, I can really only add that I'm glad it was the last one. Everything felt much too forced to me.

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I've watched "Silk", a film based on a novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, starring Keira Knightley and Michael Pitt. I wasn't particularly impressed with the book, whose style seemed a parody of that of Gustave Flaubert, and the film seems to be a loyal adaptation...

 

 

Oh, and apparently there will be a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, I wish they had continued to follow the Monkey Island videogames storyline...has anyone played the games?

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Saw 'I am legend' Last night. Same plot as Omega Man. Not as long. Watched 'Flyboys' again. I have warmed to it.

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