Movie review thread...
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Plot Summaries for those who can't be bothered<br />
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300, World Trade Centre & Serenity are particularly good<br />
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25TH HOUR: White New Yorkers commit crimes against both law and ethics; feel bad for being caught, rather than for doing it at all. <br />
300: Gays kill blacks. <br />
8 MILE: White man successfully coopts black culture to impress other whites. <br />
A CIVIL ACTION: Underqualified lawyer doesn’t listen to clients, royally botches case. <br />
A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES: Social deviants make life difficult for genius. <br />
A CRY IN THE DARK: Dogs eat baby, confusion follows. <br />
ALIEN: Ship fails to deliver cargo, crew don’t get bonus. <br />
ALIENS: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications. <br />
AMADEUS: Man with health problems receives help from rival. <br />
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: Tourist causes riot. <br />
ATLAS SHRUGGED: Selfish industrialist destroys economy. <br />
AUNTIE MAME: Spinster exposes child to sexual fetishists, socialists; thwarts marriage to good Republican girl. <br />
BATMAN: Wealthy man assaults the mentally ill. <br />
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Peasant girl develops Stockholm Syndrome. <br />
BENJI: Family abandons beloved pet, forcing it to engage in a dangerous cross-country journey. <br />
BEOWULF: Colonists hire assassin to drive natives from land. <br />
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA: Redneck trucker kills Chinese immigrants. <br />
BILLY ELLIOT: Union worker turns back on strikers for personal gain. <br />
BLADE: Obsessed loner stalks minority group. <br />
BLADE RUNNER: Man with no apparent skill stumbles into escaped robots, fails to kill most, fucks one. <br />
BLAKE’S 7: Terrorists fight government, die. <br />
BOOGIE NIGHTS: Deformed boy goaded into life of crime. <br />
BOTTLE ROCKET: Mentally unstable man fosters friend’s descent into mental instability, finds love. <br />
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S: Pretty redneck girl fools socialites, flirts with gay gigolo. <br />
BREWSTER’S MILLIONS: Black man abuses line of credit. <br />
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Teenage serial killer destroys town in fit of semi-religious fervor. <br />
CHANGE OF HABIT: Rock star regrets not looking closer at contract with movie studio. <br />
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: Deranged pedophile big-business industrialist tortures and mutilates young children. <br />
CHASING AMY: Homosexuality proved to be passing fancy and sign of sexual deviance. <br />
CHEERS: Alcoholic cuts lime in bar as penance for his womanizing ways. <br />
CHINATOWN: Father desires closer relationship with his children. <br />
CHRISTMAS VACATION: Incestuous relatives teach family the meaning of Christmas. <br />
CLERKS: Aimless loser remains in dead-end job, abusive “friendship.†<br />
CLOAK AND DAGGER: Spoiled teens discover drugs make them special. <br />
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: Petty thief murders religious leader. <br />
CORALINE: Misfit discovers she is special person in a secret world just beside our own. <br />
CRANK: Drug addict spends last day in orgy of rape and violence. <br />
CUJO: Family neglects to give family pet rabies shots, pays price. <br />
DAREDEVIL: Blind man pisses off crime boss, gets all his girl-friends killed. <br />
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: Aging sadist corrupts, endangers minor, facilitates murder, destroys superhero comic books for 30 years. <br />
DEADWOOD: Pimp and rapist charms frontier town into eventual fire-based disaster. <br />
DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: Cheerleaders develop valuable entrepreneurial skills. <br />
DEEP THROAT: Medical anomaly earns woman new friends. <br />
DELIVERANCE: Tourists experience local hospitality. <br />
DEMOLITION MAN: In a future where crime is completely eradicated, a black man steals and murders. <br />
DIE HARD: Dysfunctional cop saves marriage by murdering foreign national. <br />
DIRTY HARRY: Police incompetence allows murderer to go free. <br />
DOCTOR FAUSTUS: Scholar leans nuances of contract law. <br />
DOCTOR WHO: Elderly man serially abducts young women. <br />
DONNIE DARKO: Hallucinating teen crushed by airplane engine. <br />
DRACULA: Immigrant clashes with locals. <br />
E.T.: Out-of-control pet causes mayhem, sadness. <br />
EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE: Part-time mechanic involves girlfriend in illegal fight club, risks life of best friend and endangered primate. <br />
FALLING DOWN: Life is difficult for white men. <br />
FANTASTIC FOUR: Scientist exposes friends, family to dangerous radiation to assuage ego, becomes embroiled in rivalry with former room-mate. <br />
FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF: Amoral narcissist makes world dance for his amusement. <br />
FIELD OF DREAMS: Schizophrenic builds ball park, almost kills girl. <br />
FIGHT CLUB: Deranged sociopath guides yuppies to their deaths. <br />
FIREFLY: In an analogue of the post-Civil War west, a white man on the losing side bosses around a black woman. <br />
FRANKENSTEIN: Scientific advancement proves unpopular with general public. <br />
FREAKS: Acrobat learns value of community. <br />
SERENITY: Men fight for possession of scantily clad mentally ill teenage girl. <br />
GHOSTBUSTERS: Unemployed college professors destroy hotel with nuclear weapons. <br />
GLADIATOR: Convict murders head of state. <br />
GLENGARRY, GLENN ROSS: Sales job proves difficult for some. <br />
GONE WITH THE WIND: Rich, white slave owner enjoys getting raped, miscarries. <br />
GOOD WILL HUNTING: Underemployed genius squanders prestigious job opportunity to chase trim. <br />
GREEN ARROW: Rich white man with Robin Hood fetish goes vigilante. <br />
GREEN LANTERN: Policeman beats up his girlfriend. <br />
GREMLINS: Distant father ruins son’s life, puts entire town at risk. <br />
GROUNDHOG DAY: Misanthropic creep exploits space/time anomaly to stalk coworker. <br />
HACKERS: Cybercriminals on revenge kick destroy innumerable jobs. <br />
HAIR: Hippie dodges draft, dies ironically. <br />
HALLOWEEN: Babysitter’s relationship with murderer places children in danger. <br />
HARRY POTTER: Celebrity Jock thinks rules don’t apply to him, is right. <br />
HE GOT GAME: Escaped convict attempts to embezzle only son. <br />
HIGHLANDER: Elderly immigrant destroys property. <br />
IRON MAN: Alcoholic rich white man with technology fetish goes vigilante. <br />
WAR MACHINE: Alcoholic rich white man gives weapons to black man. <br />
IT: Children use horrific murders as excuse to run train on young girl. <br />
JFK: Family man wastes life for nothing in crusade against homosexuals. <br />
JUDGE DREDD: Fascist thug in bleak dystopia is cheered. <br />
JUNO: Teen fails to get abortion, ruins lives. <br />
JURASSIC PARK: Theme park’s grand opening pushed back. <br />
KARATE KID: Boy gains acceptance through violence. <br />
KILL BILL: Irresponsible mother wants custody of her child. <br />
KINDERGARTEN COP: Incompetent left in charge of children, who are eventually fired at by convicted felon. <br />
KING KONG: Endangered animal stolen, shot. <br />
KING OF KONG: Dick battles loser over trivia. <br />
LA CONFIDENTIAL: Rapist joins thug in foiling police corruption scheme. <br />
LABYRINTH: Girl is negligent baby-sitter. <br />
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL: Retarded man doesn’t know what sex toy is for. <br />
LASSIE COME HOME: Family abandons beloved pet, forcing it to engage in a dangerous cross-country journey. <br />
LOLITA: Man encourages step-daughter to take chances. <br />
LONE WOLF MCQUADE: Alcoholic assaults local businessman, ruins marriage. <br />
LORD OF THE RINGS: Midget destroys stolen property. <br />
LOVE ACTUALLY: Prime Minister risks war with United States over a sexy secretary. <br />
MARLEY AND ME: Out-of-control pet causes mayhem, sadness. <br />
METROPOLIS: Efficient society undone by unions. <br />
MICHAEL CLAYTON: Attorney works against client’s interests. <br />
MILK: Uppity queer dies. <br />
MIRRORMASK: Misfit discovers she is special person in secret world just beside our own. <br />
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL: British comedy troupe inadvertently creates language lab for nerds. <br />
MULHOLLAND DRIVE: Lesbian relationship is harmful. <br />
MY GIRL: Boy killed by female friend’s irresponsibility. <br />
NEVERWHERE: Misfit discovers he is special person in secret world just beside our own. <br />
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU: Southern musicians encounter massive flooding and government incompetence. <br />
OBSERVE AND REPORT: Emotionally disturbed man gets woman drunk, rapes her. <br />
OCEAN’S ELEVEN: Gang of career criminals commit act of terror to facilitate robbery and romance. <br />
OF MICE AND MEN: Migrant farmer murders mentally handicapped friend. <br />
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST: Disruptive mental patients treated. <br />
PILLOW TALK: Gay man tricks woman into sex. <br />
POLTERGEIST: Pot-head parents lose child, ruin property values. <br />
PREDATOR: American military-industrial complex ruins first contact with alien life. <br />
PRETTY BABY: Young woman’s modeling career encouraged. <br />
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Woman with gold-digging mother nags wealthy man into marriage. <br />
PYGMALION: Urchin cured by social betters. <br />
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: American yahoo murders soldiers and desecrates religious artifacts for money. <br />
RAISING ARIZONA: Convicted felon seduces police officer in kidnapping plot. <br />
RAMBO III: The United States provides arms, equipment and training to the terrorists behind 9/11. <br />
RATATOUILLE: Vermin infest restaurant until it is forced to close doors. <br />
RAVENOUS: Coward is seduced by cannibal, destroys army outpost. <br />
RED DAWN: Despite shock-and-awe tactics, a superior occupying force is no match for a tenacious sect of terrorist insurgents. <br />
RISKY BUSINESS: Privileged rich kid gets everything he wants with no consequences. <br />
ROAD HOUSE: Bouncer becomes vigilante, murders local businessman with karate. <br />
ROBIN HOOD: Disgruntled veteran protests taxes. <br />
ROBOCOP: Female officer’s incompetence leads partner to be murdered and enslaved by corporation. <br />
ROCKY: White man beats black man. <br />
ROSEMARY’S BABY: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications. <br />
RUDY: Diminutive athlete patronized. <br />
RUSHMORE: Teen molests teacher, is expelled. Finds love. <br />
SCARFACE: Immigrant finds running his own business stressful, dangerous. <br />
SCHINDLER’S LIST: Wealthy industrialist expands not-for-profit ventures. <br />
SCOTT PILGRIM: Emotionally immature musician sleeps with high-school girl. <br />
SE7EN: Homicide detectives unable to prevent even a single murder by admitted serial killer, killer gives cop head. <br />
SHORT CIRCUIT: Rogue scientist steals top-secret government weapon. <br />
SIGNS: Jesus trumps science. <br />
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: Incompetent manipulated by several murderers, stumbles upon suspect completely by accident. Creates situation that allows serial killer to escape. <br />
SLEEPY HOLLOW: Veteran harassed. <br />
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT: Redneck bootlegger makes mockery of law, sanctity of marriage. <br />
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS: Layabout stepdaughter shacks up with seven miners. <br />
SOPHIE’S CHOICE: Mom loves one of her kids way more than the other one. <br />
SOUTHLAND TALES: Traumitized vet destroys universe. <br />
SPIDER-MAN: Nerd gets bitten by spider, complains about how this ruins his life for years to come. <br />
STARDUST: Misfit discovers he is special person in secret world just beside our own. <br />
STAR TREK: Over-sexed officer routinely places crew in danger. <br />
STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE: Meglomaniac can’t let go of past glory, drives successor to suicide. <br />
STAR TREK III: Military officers steal vessel and destroy it to eliminate a handful of enemies while engaged on an extremely vague rescue mission. <br />
STAR TREK IV: Interplanetary fugitives poach wildlife from a past age to cover up an act of genocide. <br />
STAR TREK VI: Racist military commander past his prime nearly ruins galactic peace. <br />
STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE: Religious extremist terrorists destroy government installation, killing thousands. <br />
STAR WARS: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Boy is abused by midget, kisses sister, attempts patricide. <br />
STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI: Handicapped mass murderer kills septugenarian, is lauded. <br />
STRAW DOGS: Immigrant clashes with locals. <br />
SUPERBAD: Boys plan date-rape, sleep together. <br />
SUPERMAN RETURNS: Illegal immigrant is deadbeat dad. <br />
SWEENEY TODD: Businesses flourish when freed from stringent regulation. <br />
TAXI DRIVER: Modern dating proves challenging for working class man. <br />
TERMINATOR: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications. <br />
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: Tourists have difficulty with regional cuisine. <br />
THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE: College professors help illegal alien evade authorities. <br />
THE CONVERSATION: Paranoid schizophrenic follows worst possible career path. <br />
THE CRYING GAME: Hairdresser bonds with client. <br />
THE EDGE: Men bond in Alaskan wilderness. <br />
THE EXORCIST: Jesus trumps science. <br />
THE FIRM: White lawyer learns hard work is irrelevant. <br />
THE GOLDEN COMPASS: Critique of Catholicism upstaged by polar bear fight. <br />
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY: Nameless drifter kills American soldier over stolen money, hangs friend. <br />
THE GOONIES: Physically abused, retarded man finds love with overweight preteen. <br />
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: Family abandons beloved pets, forcing them to engage in a dangerous cross-country journey. <br />
THE MATRIX: Hacker is given perfect justification for mass slaughter. <br />
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Dangerous insurgent invades neighboring country. <br />
THE OFFICE: Incompetent boss routinely endangers employees, passes fire-worthy blame, sexually harasses subordinates; is seen as “hero†compared to people who just actually work. <br />
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: Mel Gibson fulfills fantasy of showing a Jew beaten to a bloody pulp and killed on-screen. <br />
THE PROFESSIONAL: Hired murderer sleeps with little girl. <br />
THE STEPFORD WIVES: Woman has difficulty adjusting to suburban life. <br />
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3: Civil servant insults and shoots foreigners. <br />
THE THING: Unexpected visitor imposes on workers, their dogs. <br />
THE UNTOUCHABLES: Murderer indicted on technicality. <br />
THE WICKER MAN: Isolated religious community revitalized by newcomer. <br />
THE X-MEN: Minority group seeks overthrow of social order. <br />
THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Kidnapper commits murder several times. <br />
TITANIC: Crazy old widow disregards lifelong memories of husband, children, and grandchildren in favor of that one time she fucked a bum. <br />
TOP GUN: Pilot routinely endangers Air Traffic Controllers. <br />
TORCHWOOD: Bisexual is inefficient manager. <br />
TRAINSPOTTING: Statutory rapist and junkie sifts through human waste, gets enormous sum of money. <br />
TRANSPORTER: Repressed homosexual kills employers. <br />
TWILIGHT: Girl gives up college for stalker. <br />
BREAKING DAWN: Native American guy is romantically obsessed with ex-girlfriend’s baby. <br />
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME: Father becomes more involved in teenage daughter’s life. <br />
V FOR VENDETTA: Dystopian government overthrown by faceless conformity. <br />
VERTIGO: Stalker drives woman to suicide. <br />
W.: Unspeakable disaster afflicts America. Then terrorists attack. <br />
WALL-E: Obsolete robot disrupts big business, disrupts lives of millions of innocent civilians. <br />
WAR OF THE WORLDS: Immigrants face difficulty acclimating. <br />
WATCHMEN: Homosexual destroys New York, blames God. <br />
WEEKEND AT BERNIES: Two employees take advantage of their boss’ hospitality. <br />
WONDER WOMAN: Princess from isolationist culture lectures Americans on equality. <br />
WORLD TRADE CENTER: Rag-tag group of underdogs succeed at a massive undertaking despite overwhelming odds, credit success with faith in God. -
Curious Case of Benjamin Button; >2.5 hours - 7.0/10<br />
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Not a bad movie, well acted. LIttle bit of an odd ending (in terms of how, rather than why) -
X-Men; Wolverine Origins.<br />
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Liked it, 7/10, only thing I will say, is that the version I watched, is unlikely to be the one in the cinema...a few scenes still CGI, you could see the wires Mr. Wolverine had to do some stunts.<br />
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Rendition; Gyllenhal & Witherspoon ; 6.4/10<br />
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Thriller, Gyllenhall is CIA in the Middle East (Tunisia I think) and Withersppons Egyptian Husband gets carted off from Washington to Tunisia for 'questioning' -
[i]Bad Blood[/i] - Jack Thompson pretty good in this.<br />
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[i]Dead Kids[/i] - seriously WTF!!!!!! -
[quote name='Scorz']In Bruge, 3/10.<br />
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Utter, utter crap with no hook in the entire film. As soon as Farrell went kissing guys in Alexander he hasn't had a decent film since. He is now an indicator not to bother watching.[/quote]<br />
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Disagree... I loved it, found it very funny... Dark but a funny Dark.<br />
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Everything has repercussions, fat people going up bell towers, calling Canadians Americans etc....<br />
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See three of the Harry potter actors.... Fluer (Farrell's girlfriend), Alastor 'MadÂEye' Moody (Ken) and Lord Voldemort (Harry)<br />
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Saw the "Watchermen" liked it, they kept to the comic reasonably (I actually own the original comic from when the series was first released. not a reprint.) Will buy the DVD just because I have to.<br />
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Also saw the Changeling recently. Was also impressed with that, Eastwood stuck very closely to the original "True story" as disturbing as that story is and didn't cave to the desire to give it a happy ending while still leaving that possibility as the "True story" potentially has.<br />
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Did the "Boat that rocks" last weekend and loved it, bloody hilarious and a real nostalgic trip. (Remember listening to radio Hauraki as a kid)<br />
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Will be seeing Wolverine this weekend. -
[quote name='Scorz']In Bruge, 3/10.<br />
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Utter, utter crap with no hook in the entire film. As soon as Farrell went kissing guys in Alexander he hasn't had a decent film since. He is now an indicator not to bother watching.[/quote]<br />
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Also disagree, saw it on a first date and we both loved it, very dark humour so perhaps not to everyones tastes, 8/10 -
[quote name='Mainlander']<br />
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Did the "Boat that rocks" last weekend and loved it, bloody hilarious and a real nostalgic trip. (Remember listening to radio Hauraki as a kid).[/quote]<br />
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Dunno what yr talking about here, but please elaborate! (I used to listen to Hauraki from primary school to high-school in the 1970s; listened to it a bit in the mid-80s, but it seemed to me the life got sucked out of the station. I was always fascinated reading stories about their original early pirate days in the Sixties...) -
[quote name='Rembrandt'][quote name='Scorz']In Bruge, 3/10.<br />
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Utter, utter crap with no hook in the entire film. As soon as Farrell went kissing guys in Alexander he hasn't had a decent film since. He is now an indicator not to bother watching.[/quote]<br />
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Also disagree, saw it on a first date and we both loved it, very dark humour so perhaps not to everyones tastes, 8/10[/quote]<br />
No it was gratuitously dark and predictably dark. -
In Bruges was an alright confection. I seem to recall enjoying watching it, but for the life of me can't remember much about it aside from Colin Farrell biting his fingernails a lot (or did I just imagine that??).
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The International; Clive Owen, Naomi Watts<br />
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Had not heard good things about this, but I actually thought it was not bad; 6.4/10<br />
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Owen & Watts are Interpol agents tracking an assassin supposedly working for a large bank who does the killing to help 3rd world countries into conflict -
[quote name='red terror'][quote name='Mainlander']<br />
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Did the "Boat that rocks" last weekend and loved it, bloody hilarious and a real nostalgic trip. (Remember listening to radio Hauraki as a kid).[/quote]<br />
<br />
Dunno what yr talking about here, but please elaborate! (I used to listen to Hauraki from primary school to high-school in the 1970s; listened to it a bit in the mid-80s, but it seemed to me the life got sucked out of the station. I was always fascinated reading stories about their original early pirate days in the Sixties...)[/quote]<br />
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The Boat that rocks is a movie about a Pommy Pirate radio station (Broadcasts outside the 12 mile zone in international waters) set in 1966 when they were doing that. Story is fictious but has a lot of antidotes of the three British, American and NZ (Original radio Hauraki) and others that were operating around those times. (The sinking was an exaggerated radio Hauraki incident, which sank... or at least grounded twice, once in the storm that sunk the Wahine.)<br />
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The music is 60's and early 70's and brilliant, from Seekers to Hendrix and is worth watching for that alone, but the interplay between the DJs is hilarious. Has NZer Rhys Darby (Murray in The Flight of the Conchords), Bill Nighy (Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, Viktor in Underworld, Love Actually and Hot Fuzz), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz. Kinky Boots, Shaun of the Dead). The actors based some of their roles on famous DJ in the English scene. (One is supposed to be a Kenny Everit type) <br />
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The result is a funny move that’s a lot of fun and for those of us that actually remember Pirate Radio it's a trip down memory lane.<br />
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If you like that era music and love a fun British comedy with interesting characters you'll love it.<br />
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If you like your movies to have deep meanings, plot twists and canned laughter then don't bother. -
Just saw Wolverine (the cinema version, not Taniwha's leaked one), was very good.<br />
Had good fighting scenes, nods to the previous x men movies, strong cast.<br />
If I was to compare it with the Watchmen, I'd give it a 8/10 to the Watchmen's 5/10. Far superior, it was seamless and looked like it was directed by one person not four.<br />
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Previews for Star Trek, Public Enemies and Terminator played before Wolverine. PE and Terminator both look like they're going to be great, Star Trek unfortunately looks like it's going to be shit - for one that actor doesn't look like he has the charisma of Shatner's little toe. -
Can't disagree more about Star Trek, that's looking great. Will reserve judgement about the Pine, but he's not doing a Shatner impersonation (nobody could really) and that's a good thing.<br />
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Urban is doing a DeForrest Kelly impersonation from what I've seen, and is bloody funny. The comments from the fan boys and insiders is they have nailed it, so looking forward to seeing it.