Shambles
Bluelight Crew
Recent viewings have included...
Shot Caller - Outstanding prison drama starring that bloke who plays Jaime Lannister (sp?) in GoT. Don't let that latter put you off though if you're not a fan of said series cos his performance here is stellar as is the film itself. The plot is fairly standard prison drama stuff (Wall Street hotshot becomes "white-collar criminal" after being involved in a DUI incident and is faced with a stretch in chokey). What sets this film apart - aside from the excellent acting, cinematography and direction - is the execution. The structure of the film is initially confusing but that only gives it better re-viewing prospects and as that is as close to a possible downside as I saw after a single viewing I'd have no hesitation in recommending this one highly.
Ghost in the Shell - As an avid fan of the original I was looking forward to the live action remake before the decidedly mixed reviews added a little more doubt. After watching it t'other night I must admit I came out rather liking it... albeit with a couple reservations. The visuals are delicious (aside from the weird skintone leotard they went with rather than sticking to the original nekkidness or just going all out for a proper costume) and, for the most part, I honestly thought it worked. The main thing that didn't carry over was the very hard to quantify "feel" of the original. Despite the instantly recognisable - more or less shot-for-shot - set-pieces there is something oddly "lacking" all the same. Still, not bad and a worthy intro to the still-superior animated original.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I really enjoyed the first one so had high hopes for the sequel. My how said hopes were to be cruelly dashed. Maybe I'm missing summat cos it definitely looked the part (the visuals are some of the prettiest I have ever seen) but I would struggle to find another good word to say about it. Some decent characters (although half of the returning ones are somehow shitter than they were in the original and the new ones are instantly forgettable) and a few halfway decent gags (and I really do mean halfway decent) but as far as plot goes I'm not entirely sure there was one. There probably was but whatever it was was clearly inconsequential enough to have been completely buried in glitzy CGI-drenched set-pieces that - as noted - were stunning to look at but utterly vacuous in every other way. Dreck.
Shot Caller - Outstanding prison drama starring that bloke who plays Jaime Lannister (sp?) in GoT. Don't let that latter put you off though if you're not a fan of said series cos his performance here is stellar as is the film itself. The plot is fairly standard prison drama stuff (Wall Street hotshot becomes "white-collar criminal" after being involved in a DUI incident and is faced with a stretch in chokey). What sets this film apart - aside from the excellent acting, cinematography and direction - is the execution. The structure of the film is initially confusing but that only gives it better re-viewing prospects and as that is as close to a possible downside as I saw after a single viewing I'd have no hesitation in recommending this one highly.
Ghost in the Shell - As an avid fan of the original I was looking forward to the live action remake before the decidedly mixed reviews added a little more doubt. After watching it t'other night I must admit I came out rather liking it... albeit with a couple reservations. The visuals are delicious (aside from the weird skintone leotard they went with rather than sticking to the original nekkidness or just going all out for a proper costume) and, for the most part, I honestly thought it worked. The main thing that didn't carry over was the very hard to quantify "feel" of the original. Despite the instantly recognisable - more or less shot-for-shot - set-pieces there is something oddly "lacking" all the same. Still, not bad and a worthy intro to the still-superior animated original.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I really enjoyed the first one so had high hopes for the sequel. My how said hopes were to be cruelly dashed. Maybe I'm missing summat cos it definitely looked the part (the visuals are some of the prettiest I have ever seen) but I would struggle to find another good word to say about it. Some decent characters (although half of the returning ones are somehow shitter than they were in the original and the new ones are instantly forgettable) and a few halfway decent gags (and I really do mean halfway decent) but as far as plot goes I'm not entirely sure there was one. There probably was but whatever it was was clearly inconsequential enough to have been completely buried in glitzy CGI-drenched set-pieces that - as noted - were stunning to look at but utterly vacuous in every other way. Dreck.
ness - but I needn't have worried. Film was a belter imo. Easily a match for the original and can quite understand how some are calling it as superior to Ridley Scott's original (in any of it's various versions).
