What movies have you seen recently?

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I want to see 12 Years A Slave as well, but unfortunately it won't play here in the Netherlands until February next year. I'm definitely going to catch it when it hits theatres.



General consensus is that Iron Man 3 is not a very strong sequel, or a particularly good superhero movie, for that matter. I personally loved it, but I should add that I enjoyed Iron Man 2 as well. However, one thing that did bother me about IM2 was its pacing. There's a fairly long stretch in the second half that favours talking heads to action scenes, and I feel that it hurts the narrative to an extent. I don't know if you agree with that? I felt Mickey Rourke was great as the Blacklash/Crimson Dynamo hybrid.

Trying to look at it from an objective standpoint, I would say that Iron Man 3 has a very strong set-up, but perhaps fails to deliver on the outcome of several of the threads that it's spinning. I believe that the amount of enjoyment you'll get out the movie depends on your willingness to forgive a couple of beauty flaws. Just remember that it's another director taking over the reins from Favreau (who does return as Happy Hogan), so there's a slightly different flavour to it- but Shane Black tries to stay as true to the style of the previous two movies as he can, and does not do a bad job at that.

I have to repeat, I LOVED the movie, it continued to give me the Tony Stark I know and love (props to Downey Jr.), it had great special effects and action scenes, and I felt emotionally invested in the characters.

The Wolverine

Following the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. Wolverine is called to Japan by an old acquaintance. His healing powers are crippled as he faces his inner demons.

Thanks for your thoughts. I saw Iron Man 2 in the cinema and came away disappointed. I agree with you, the pacing was really uneven and I felt the film was horribly unfocused - like the main objective was really only to foreshadow the Avengers (Black Widow, Agent Coulson, Nick Fury...) but they needed something longer than a trailer to do so. So despite the elements of a big film being there, to me, there wasn't much cohesion to suspend my disbelief (so many plotholes...)

I had no issue with Mickey Rourke's acting because I felt Vanko was one-dimensional anyway. Don Cheadle as the new Rhodey though... he felt... miscast. But that's probably me being picky because I loved Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda and United States of Leland, so I'm more used to his serious roles than being a Lethal Weapon-style sidekick.

Anyway, when I saw the Iron Man 3 trailer over the Superbowl, I felt none of the excitement I had before. Maybe when IM3 is on TV in a few years time I'll watch it ... it clearly worked as a movie because it was an extremely profitable one, both within and beyond its native USA. So it can't be all bad, right?

netflix dvd...
Silverhawks vol 1
After Earth
Apartment 1303 (the original)

The Bourne Ultimatum

Third Bourne movie. Jason Bourne evades a ruthless CIA official seeking to create a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life in the program.

Kill Your Darlings.

Real life account of young Alan Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) entering as a freshman into Columbia, where he meets iconoclast Lucien Carr, as well as future Beat authors William Burroughs and jack Kerouac. Experimenting with drugs, exploring his own homosexuality, and daring to challenge the pretense of conservative literature, Ginsberg also finds himself entangled in Lucien Carr's emotional web with an older former professor named David Kammerer, who has thrown his life away to pursue a relationship with Carr. Ginsberg learns almost too late that the obsessive Kammerer has been led along by Carr, only to be tossed aside when he finds himself also used and thrown aside by Carr. And then the unthinkable happens when Carr, trying to escape Kammerer and Ginsberg by going overseas, murders Kammerer. Because of the homophobia of the time, Carr only got 18 months in a reformatory after claiming the defense of an "honor killing" - that is, being a heterosexual man having killed a homosexual "sexual predator."
It's a funny, sad, strange story that perhaps wouldn't have been believable if it weren't true.
An amazing movie, especially for anyone interested in the Beat literary movement, and the larger than life personalities who gave birth to it. Highly recommended - especially enjoyable for my wife and I that we saw it at the local Magic Lantern art house theater.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Sequel to The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen {Jennifer Lawrence} is forced back into the "arena" by the cunning President Snow {Donald Sutherland} who wants Katniss dead because many are looking up to her as a symbol of hope.

However, Katniss and Peeta Mellark {Josh Hutcherson} face off against victors of previous Hunger Games, including Joanna, a District 7 tribute who seemingly grows fond of Katniss, and Beetee, a District 3 tech-savvy tribute.

The Last of the Mohicans

Set during the French and Indian War. Three trappers protect a British Colonel's daughters from a vengeful Huron warrior.

The Painted Veil (2006)

Based on the novel of the same name by turn-of-the-last-century novelist W. Somerset Maugham starring, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. Quite the emotional story as 1920s débutante Kitty Garstin (Watts), fearful of being financially ostracised by her family, marries emotionally-distant suitor Walter Fane (Norton) and is immediately whisked to China. However, Kitty has an affair and a complicated relationship develops between her and Walter with an ongoing chlorea epidemic at a remote Chinese village on the edge of British colonial rule. Very enjoyable drama with excellent performances and beautiful on-location photography.

The Bourne Legacy

A CIA agent fights for his life when Jason Bourne's actions from the events of the trilogy expose Operations Treadstone and Blackbriar and threaten to expose Outcome, officials decide to kill the agents.

Nebraska

New black-and-white film from director Alexander Payne. A elderly father is taken to Nebraska by his estranged son in order to claim one million dollars, or so he thinks. They try to reconcile as they make their way to Nebraska while dealing with jealous family members and his dementia.

Great acting from all cast members in a funny movie that just earned itself 5 Golden Globe nominations as of today.

I wanted to see that only it's not showing around here so I saw A Medea Christmas instead.

Day of disaster
Ring of fire

Lifeboat

Hitchcock film taking place entirely on a lifeboat after a ship and a U-boat sink each other during World War II. The survivors on the lifeboat include a man from the U-boat.

Total Recall.
Well, the Colin Farrell remake. The story was weak, lacking the trip to Mars with it's mutants. Still, Farrell is a better actor than Schwarzenegger, and the sets were much grittier and more realistic.

Animal Farm (1954)

Adapted from George Orwell's infamous novel and one very few animated movies to be animated entirely in the UK. "Disney if serious," as it's been put once. Good stuff.