currently on at the 'pictures':

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I go to the cinema at least three times a week [sometimes FIVE!] so here's a good oportunity for me to pass on my thoughts on current film releases.

I won't spoil your viewing pleasure by giving away plot details, twists, etc, but this week so far I've seen:



THE FROG PRINCESS: Disney's first new hand-drawn animated feature in a few years; stylish, funny, impressively-rendered and well-defined characters [even if the second act DOES adopt the cost-cutting WARNERS approach of featuring only two main characters for much of the running time]. Chock-a-block with good visual characterization and ace gags. [5/5].


ASTROBOY: This appears to be a Japanese-made CGI feature aimed at kids, and it's pretty good: brilliant design of giant robots [which the Japanese are reknowned for] and good visual setpieces; if I was 5-years old again, this would have been the best movie ever made.
[4/5: 1 point deducted due to the overuse of CGI in film-making today].


THE WOLFMAN: If you have a taste for vintage Universal Horror of the 30s/40s, you will love this update [also put out by Universal, who wisely held onto the copyright]. If you were put off by the visual excess of VAN HELSING, then this more back-to-basics offering may be more up your street. Despite an off-putting leading man, once this kicks in, there are great variations on the old transformation scenes, and a fine sense of gritty ambience in the hyper-real Victorian setting, which is very skilfully handled. The time is right to remake this, and if it is a bit gory and bloody at times, it's not disgusting.
Fantastic scene as the wolfman breaks free in front of a gathering of cynical scientists.


[4/5 due to the slightly slow start].


I go to the cinema at least 150 times a year, so this will likely be another long thread............[famous last words.]

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Digifiend
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Digifiend »

Astro Boy is a big name in Japanese culture. He simply never took off here, but has a following in America. In fact, a 60s cartoon adaptation of the manga can be considered the first ever anime series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Boy

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I certainly recognized the look of Astroboy, Digi; perhaps from import comic-book variations.

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Peter Gray
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Peter Gray »

I saw my first 3D movie.seen shorter 5 minutes long before that at theme parks.
It did give me a headache long after..But loved Avatar it was nice to just to be in that world..it really does fill the senses..go and see it.Carol and I loved it and talk about it long after the film..

Spy how much do you pay for a year subscription...and now we see what you do when you have no telly..


tiny bit spoilerish.not too much..


higlight to read..
I liked it when the humans and the blue aliens are together it really shows the height scale in a fun way..

Loved the floating objects of flowers..dust..in front of your eyes.and love the glow in the dark flowers and creatures like the fish in the deep sea..

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I pay £13.50 a month [that's about 150 quid a year or thereabouts] to Cineworld, Peter, and I've been a regular cinemagoer for over 8 years..... I pay around one pound per film, which is a lot better than the seven-quid=or=so standard one-off charge.I honestly don't watch telly [if there's something I really want to see, highlights are available online, which I pay for].

I get letters every few weeks from the TV license people, but these go straight in the recycling bin,---without even opening them----- I expect them at my door at some stage, but there is no areil socket connected to my telly, so I am no criminal!

I agree that AVATAR was brilliantly-done; the best cinematic depiction of what life on an alien planet might really look like: glad you and Carol liked it. a great achievement from James Cameron;his films are infrequent, but always worth waiting on.

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Digifiend
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Digifiend »

Wait a sec, you don't have a TV licence? You still need it if you receive broadcasts by any means - so I hope your computer doesn't have a TV tuner.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

As I understand it Digi, you need a licence for live TV, whether this is literally live, or pre-recorded CORONATION STREET which I think goes out at 7'30 PM.


You must have heard of BBC or ITV player; well these services put out the shows after initial transmissions, and keeps them online for a week or so, before deleting them, and you don't need a built-in TV tuner or license to see these.........but, no, my computer doesn't have a 'live' tuner for TV that is screened as we speak, nor do I fancy shelling out extra for this option which I do not need.......I only ever used i-player twice, for the controversial BNP leader appearing on Question Time, also------and it pains me to admit this........an episode of 'BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT!!''






THE SHAME...THE SHAME!!!!

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Digifiend
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Digifiend »

Of course I know about iPlayer - but that's a stream, not a broadcast, and so as you say, isn't covered by the licence. Shame there are some shows they can't put on there (most but not all imports, films, sport).

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Steve Henderson
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Steve Henderson »

I would have given The Princess and the Frog 6/5 They decided not to call it 'The Frog Princess' as it may have seemed demeaning to african americans.

I thought it was an absolute triumph, loved every second of it!

I'm looking forward to seeing The Wolfman although yours must be the nicest review I have seen, seen a load of 2/5 and 3/5 and its got 30% on rotten tomatoes. I will have to see for myself!

Good stand on the TV Licence. I used to hate having letters from the b*****ds everyday.

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Peter Gray
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Peter Gray »

Spy do you meet the same kind of like minded people at the cinema..have you made friends being part of the cinema club..its amazing to me to go three times a week..its like the time before tv..you might have loved that era..also do you listen to the radio a lot?

I listen to sound of the 60's..70's..and pick of the pop Radio 2 at the weekend..
also I record sound of the 60's and 70's on to dvd..so can listen again on the tv..it saves me buying lots of cds and they play unusual songs..

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I am one of the more frequent cinema-goers at my local, Peter, and I know a lot of the cinema staff. I loved TV as a kid, but when I saw it at a relative's house recently, I thought there was too many ad breaks on ITV; it's going like America, who have 20 minutes of advert breaks every hour.......I just can't be bothered with it, though the content is not quite as bad as I imagined, but even the latest widescreen HD TV is nowhere near as impressive as the 'pictures'.

My radio is on the entire day, and only switched off during early pencilling of cartooning, which needs a bit of peace: inking in is fine with a bit of music, however.

As I've said before on here, I also have a home projector which is pretty close to the real Mc Coy, but sadly my house is less than perfect for ideal screening.

Steve: I noticed that WOLFMAN got slated over Friday, but it's pretty effective: some teenagers in my local actually had their 'hoodies' pulled over their heads during some of the gorier scenes. It's your own opinion that counts, and I feel that a movie is a real stinker, I will say so. Princess and the Frog was the best of the batch this week, though, like you seem to agree with.

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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Raven »

I'll often have three films I want to see and end up seeing them all in one day (and I quite like seeing each one at a different cinema). I'll probably end up doing this over the next week or so with Percy Jackson, The Wolfman and A Single Man. May possibly end up doing the same with The Crazies, Shutter Island and The Lovely Bones.

Best films I've seen so far this year are Up in the Air and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (the Ian Dury biopic, which deserved to do better). I quite enjoyed The Road, too.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

The Road was totally bleak I thought, Raven; bleakly effective, however. 'BOOK of ELI' was an especially memorable post-apocalyptic recent offering [about the quest to find the last remaining Bible in the future], and SEX, DRUGS and ROCK-n-ROLL was a great British outing...... I loved the stylized beginning; old IAN DURY seems to have been quite an abrasive character!

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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Steve Henderson »

They have changed the name of the next Disney film from 'Rapunzel Unbraided' to 'Tangled' whilst we were on about the name of the Frog Princess/Princess and the frog. And its going to be in 3D like Bolt.

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Digifiend
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Re: currently on at the 'pictures':

Post by Digifiend »

Not quite like Bolt. It's apparently designed to look like a painting. And it changed it's name from Rapunzel Unbraided, to just Rapunzel, to Tangled. The Unbraided name has long since been ditched.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangled_(f ... al_details

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