Paulscoconutass
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Posts posted by Paulscoconutass
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Weird Science was great, haven't seen it in years.
Watched District 9 the other night. I really hope it does well at the Oscars on Sunday as it really deserves the plaudits it's received. Superb sci fi which did a great job of mixing up genres and styles without feeling like they were just lobbing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. Great acting, great concept and great story.
Would love to see a sequel or prequel turn up at some point.
Absolutely great film, was totally gutted that it pretty much got shunned at the BAFTAs though. Definitely one of the better, more accessible Sci Fi films of late. The end's a bit generic but other than that it's hard to fault.
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Cracking spoof, and Jonas is one of the funniest characters I've seen in any show for a long time. His 'Dick-tation' / 'B4IiRootURUover16' tags crack me up every time. Decent enough comedy but relies too much on shock, it's also about 2-3 episodes too long. The finale's amazing!
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Red Road
A woman called Jackie works in a Glasgow CCTV centre, one evening she follows a couple on camera into a patch of wasteground as it looks as though something dodgy is about to occur. It doesn't, the couple have a knee trembler but she keeps watching. Once it's over the guy turns round and Jackie recognises him although it's not clear why. She starts to look for him on CCTV all the time, ends up following him and eventually speaking to him. Things progress with her becoming more and more involved with him and his mates - you don't find out exactly what has happened until near the end and it keeps you watching. It's pretty good and certainly worth the 3 it cost in HMV...9/10
Top film! Doesn't do us Scot's much favours in the 'National Image' department but the acting's great and the way it all unfolds is mesmerising. Didn't realise that Lars Von Trier was involved and it's going to be part of a Dogma '95 trilogy - "Rounding up Donkeys" is the next installment.
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I don't know how you feel about the magazine, but Total Film have started showing their opinion on whether they consider Blu-ray versions of movies to be better than the standard DVD. Obviously there are only limited numbers of movies covered at a time but it may be of use...
Good shout, I did see that in the last issue I bought. I remember it as being a simple Y/N for worth the upgrade and couple of sentences about bonus features though?
True Romance: decent enough picture and sound, no scenes really jump out. M
The Hurt Locker: picture was pretty good (bleak sand & dirt, but detailed enough). The sound's phenomenal. The Sniperfight/Gunfights are particularly great; the digetic/background jets, talking, traffic and ambiance throughout the entire film is fantastic. Y
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What sort of gear do you have, what spec etc, because that plays a part in the process obviously.
The Hangover isn't 2.1.
Obviously the quality of film stock greatly affects the mastering process of a disc and because there is more information on a blu disc it can expose pretty poor film stock. It's also worth remembering that some films have soft or gritty pictures to add to the feel of the film.
I'd wager that your TV is probably some sort of LG or Samsung and you have an all in one Home Theatre system...
Chill out min! Was only looking for good Blu-Ray suggestions, not a Blu-Ray / HDTV 101.
Not really up for listing the contents of my living room on the internet but the set-up was well-researched and would probably slot in at the top of middle-range. Don't see the point in paying outrageously more for the relatively small increase in picture/sound quality of the 'top-end' units for anything - particularly in Home Theater equipment, that advances as fast as it does.
For the Hangover; sure it's not labelled as a 2.1, but it's the flattest mix I've heard on a blu ray yet.
Back to my point though, there's no doubt that some BDs have better transfer / picture / sound quality than others, and that's all I was looking to find out.
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Since getting a BD player I've been pretty disappointed by the picture / sound of about 1/2 the titles I've seen, and it's fair to say that some aren't really worth the upgrade from DVD, especially if your telly/player is good at upscaling (not to mention the inflated prices).
Would be good to know what others think of titles they watch - I usually use this site but it doesn't have every release.
Watchmen has been my favourite so far: both the picture and 5.1 sound mix are spectacular. Y
Kill Bill Vol 1, but more impressively Vol 2 for picture detail, both are decent for sound. Y
Reservoir Dogs: disappointing picture with a pretty flat sound mix. N
Machine Girl: Terrible sound and flaky picture, avoid! N
2001 - Space Odyssey: picture was pretty good, sound was fantastic, especially the orchestrated bits. Y
The Hangover: amazing picture, boring and 2.1 sound mix. M
Seven Pounds: Sharp picture, but nothing really worth seeing. Sounds athospheric, but doesn't jump out. M
Wall-E: Scenes on earth are OK, space ones are sweet. The sound was also alright. Y
Stranger than Fiction: amazing picture but again, not much worth seeing in HD. Disappointing sound mix, although it is well produced. M
Batman Begins Picture's alright, very dark, but the sound is bombastic and fairly rocks the room. Y
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Tell no one (saw it when it came out, but enjoyed it again on TV recently).
Good shout, didn't look like it would be up to much, but I really, really enjoyed this!
Recent winners for me have been:
Benjamin Button: quite long, but great story, told with conviction.
Survive Style 5+: Just amazing, nothing else to say really.
The Hangover: Great laughs, much better than expected.
Up In The Air: Pretty cool story with a decent twist at the end.
Kill Bill I & II: Still love the first one more but such an ace double-bill.
Taken: Never gets old or boring, top drawer action-fest.
Drunken Master 2: poorly dubbed import but the athletic prowess of old-school Jackie Chan is awe-inspiring!
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JCVD - A weirdly post-modern Belgian film where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in a fictional story where he gets caught up in a bank robbery. Van Damme's performance in this film is stunning, and he gives a warts-and-all account of how his career has hit rock bottom, he's doing straight to DVD movies for little money, he's out of shape and he's ruined his life doing drugs. His 6 minute monologue to the camera near the end is astonishing. And here's a sentence no-one ever thought they would ever say, and I can't believe I'm about to type it, but Van Damme really could have had an Oscar for this film.
I truly couldn't comprehend how good an actor he was after seeing this, seems like such a waste of a career looking back. I know it's supposed to be ironic but thought it was pretty shit how the box makes it look like an action-fest / generic Van Damme film when it's anything but that. Would totally recommend it. My review
Saw The Wolfman at the weekend. So phenomenally bad that I should have walked out. Honestly couldn't believe that some respected actors got duped in to this. 2/10
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It is only partially a joke. I thought it was just incredible how bad this film was. This of course led to many belly laughs. Some films are not quite bad enough to watchable but this is probably the worst film ever. I find the original to be one of the scariest films I've ever seen though, especially the last half an hour or so.
"The bees! No, not the bees! The bees are in my mooooouuuth!"
Totally missed the start of that yesterday but it looked like the biggest pile of crap ever. I love Nicholas Cage but really, really wish he'd stay away from shite roles. Check out the Weatherman & Matchstick Men for his better performances.
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Face Off: yes it's cheesy, but still fantastic entertainment. 7/10
Benjamin Button: Epic, a-la Forrest Gump. Great execution. 7.5/10
Slither: boring CGI-fest - avoid at all costs. 3/10
Survive Style 5+: Insane Japanese mish mash, awesome fun. 8.5/10
The Hangover: Wasn't expecting it to be that good! 7/10
2001: A Space Odyssey: Is this the most over-rated film of all time? 4/10
The Lookout: It was all a bit 'meh'. Not the best film ever. 5/10
Machine Girl: Gore gore gore gore, story and more gore: 3/10
Up in The Air: great critique on modern life, compelling story. 7.5/10
Vicky Christina Barcelona: Bardem and Cruz are brilliant. 6.5/10
Hell Ride: Please stop presenting us with crap films Mr Tarrantino. 2.5/10
One Day Removals: Good story / production for a local film. 6/10
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I totally agree about that love scene!! This book also inspired the name of Propellerhead's Reason music software. It's a classic.
I also enjoyed The Diamond Age and Zodiac by the same author.
I'd previously read 'The Big U' and really enjoyed it. His newer stuff seems quite deep but I'm determined to make my way through his back catalogue.
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Every comedian gets all the topics the afternoon before they film the show. Frankie used to have a podcast where he tested his material for the upcoming show.
Kinda glad Frankie's gone as he dominated every single round, barged in on the 'Scenes we'd like to see' all the feckin' time and pretty much tried to make it "The Frankie Boyle Show". I wish they'd pick comedians that aren't in the tried and tested roster though, most of the ones kicking about the telly are dire.
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Finished a book called "Snow Crash" a while back. Classic sci-fi / cyberpunk book by Neal Stephenson. Fantastically written with the exception of a shitty love scene, and it's a great story that keeps you reading. Apparently the first book to use the term 'avatar', went on to inspire stuff from the game second life to the matrix. Couldn't recommend this enough to sci-fi readers.
Also read Jeff Noon's "Needle in the Groove" a month or so ago. Pretty good, all about story about a band that form in Manchester and discover a new method of recording and mixing. Lots of local music history, pretty original story too. Zipped through it. A decent read.
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Amazon marketplace and sites like play.com / hmv.com are what I use at the moment. By looking around I haven't paid more than a fiver for any DVD online for years now, no matter how obscure. Just have to make sure it's been out for a couple of months. You're even getting Blu-Rays from about 4 used or 6 new. Downside, you don't get unlimited films for the 13 mark.
Making an amazon wishlist and checking it a couple of times a week is another ace way to catch what you want when it's cheap.
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Japanese with subs. Vinnie Jones speaks / shouts in English then is interpreted by his Japanese sidekick.
Wouldn't worry about it as it's not exactly intense dialogue.
You wanting a shotty Tam?
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Picked up the one disc from Amazon the other week for 4 and it's worth absolutely every penny.
Storywise it's probably the weirdest film I've seen since Happiness of the Katakuris, more WTF moments than anything I can remember (Vinnie Jones starts shouting at a piece of brocoli?!) but it's so entertaining. Wish it was out on Blu-Ray because the music and picture are fantastic. It's just like an ace, long music video!
Highly recommended for foreign film fans.
Survive Style 5+ [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Vinnie Jones
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The Savages - a drama about a brother and sister who don't talk and are pulled back together when their elderly father takes ill with Alzhemers and they are forced to take care of him. Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb in it, but unfortunately both the lead characters are unlikeable tossers, and it makes it difficult to feel any sympathy for them, even at the end when they are supposed to have become better people. Worth a watch, but not brilliant.
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I felt totally cheated by this one. The trailer made it look like a hilarious black comedy but it was just plan old grim - and not really funny. Laura Linney was looking pretty yummy though.
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Gameswipe was a bit gash.
Newswipe is supposed to be starting in January sometime.
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Watched Whatever Works with Larry David last night. Typical Woody Allen fare. Neurotic New Yorker, relationship problems, implausible plot, odd talking-to-the-audience bits. Not his best, LD is not the greatest actor. The dialogue sounds even more contrived than usual, to the point where it almost comes across as a parody of a Woody Allen film. But, a good way to spend an hour and a half.
Good find! It was a script that was shelved in the 1970s that he found again, changed a few references to make it relevant and then went straight to filming it. As a big WA/LD fan it was like a wet dream for me. Best chess teacher ever. Pissed me off that it never got a UK cinema release.
Recent highlights or me have been: A Bittersweet Life (Korea, 2005), Inglorious Basterds, Watchmen, Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.
Eastbound & Down & Arrested Development TV shows have also given me a load to laugh about.
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Just a shame our last gig was January 2009 I guess!!!! ROFL!
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Just saw Avatar in 3D. Holy shit, if you want a ridiculous visual feast, see this movie. The plot is absolute nonsense and the dialogue is abysmal, but if you just want to sit down for 3 hours and lose yourself in a crazy alien world, this is for you.
Also caught it last night and totally agree. 100% pretty and almost nothing original or impressive. Didn't think the '3D' was all that amazing either; It seemed like the main thing in each frame was quite deep but the rest of the picture seemed either flat or blurry?!? And what the fuck was with the volume?!?!? Was still a great experience though.
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In line with the end of the decade / naughties / 00's / whatever - what have been everybody's favourite films sine the start of 2000? Loads to choose from but after a fair bit of thinking I've whittled my list down to ten:
1) Oldboy: 2003 - South Korea
2) Amores Perros: 2000 - Mexico
3) Mystic River: 2003 - America
4) A Bittersweet Life: 2005 - South Korea
5) Children of Men: 2006 - UK
6) Kill Bill Vol 1: 2004 - America
7) Together 2000 - Sweden
8) No Country For Old Men 2007 - America
9) 3:10 to Yuma 2007 - America
10) Battle Royale 2000 - Japan
These films didn't quite make the list, but are still worth a shout: Memento, The Fall, Intacto, Infernal Affairs, The Woodsman, Bourne Ultimatum, District 9, Memento, 3-Iron, Brick, Eternal Sunshine, Primer, Lilya-4-Ever, In Bruges, City of God, Love Me If You Dare
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Recent wonders have been:
JCVD: biggest shock of the year, unexpectedly great.
District 9: great, and believable, sci-fi until the last 20 mins.
Whatever Works: Larry David AND Woody Allen, still not been mentioned in the UK though?!?!?!
Scream: in anticipation of No. 4
Hard Candy: oooocha!!!
Run Lola Run: still one of the best foreign films out there.
Pictures that make you actually laugh out loud
in Humour
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amazing!