The All New Book & DVD Review Thread (And Gift Hints)

[Nick]

Lefty 

[Barman]

Started watching Bullet Head but utter, utter shite so changed to Lucky which is awesome! 

[Barman]

Lefty 

[Barman]

Watching Goodbye Christopher Robin... 

REVIEW - GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Honestly didn't know what to expect when I went to see this film. As its based (loosely) around the creation of the Winnie The Poo stories I thought it was going to be a children's film but.......

The film itself is actually and surprising very good, touching on the family dynamic of the upper classes during the 1930s to 1940s.

Very stand offish parents who seem to care about their social standing rather than their son (Christopher Robin) and how this impacts on all of their lives.

Looking at how one person can force the hand of another, in this case forcing father and son to actually spend time together and bond.

Lessons can be learnt from this film, no matter how much you work, your children want you.

Thoroughly enjoyable film on many levels.

Rating 10 out of 10

^^^ What he said ^^^

[Steve]

On the list then

[Barman]

Just watched Loving Vincent again... it is sooo good I could watch it again straight away - a visual masterpiece... 

[Barman]

Watched Kenny last night...

I enjoyed it - even as a non-footy fan... 

However, it didn't need that Socialist bell-end Ricky Tomlinson popping up in the middle of it and blaming everything on Fatcher... 

[Steve]

Watched Kenny last night...

I enjoyed it - even as a non-footy fan... 

However, it didn't need that Socialist bell-end Ricky Tomlinson popping up in the middle of it and blaming everything on Fatcher... 

Adds to the list

Strange guy Dalglish.  A true great on the pitch, a big man when Hillsborough happened and probably one of the most honest in football.  Shame he played for Growler's bunch and would be in the record books for being dour

As for Tomlinson one of those interesting for 5 seconds but stays on screen for five minutes people

[Nick]

I ran into him (Tomlinson) in Scallypool. Professional scouser of the worst kind 

[Barman]

I ran into him (Tomlinson) in Scallypool. Professional scouser of the worst kind 

Sadly, you weren't in the Owld Sierra at the time I suspect...? 

[Barman]

Just watched Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.... Most excellent! 

Steve >>> List

It is a bit  too....

[apc2010]

Watched Kenny last night...

I enjoyed it - even as a non-footy fan... 

However, it didn't need that Socialist bell-end Ricky Tomlinson popping up in the middle of it and blaming everything on Fatcher... 

 

[Steve]

Just watched Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.... Most excellent! 

Steve >>> List

It is a bit  too....

  think for me that's a 'if it happens to be on when nothing else is' fillum.  Good reviews though it might have.

[Barman]

Just watched Coco...   

Super sensational! The detail in the animation is quite remarkable! 

Yes, Pixar Animation Studios has done it again -- their latest release, Coco (2017), is not only a return to form, but also manages to be their best feature yet. From 1995 all the way up until 2010, Pixar knocked it out of the park with every release, save for Cars (2006) and maybe A Bug's Life (1998). However, after Cars 2 (2011), it seems every release of theirs has been bad or mediocre, except of course for 2015's extraordinary Inside Out (2015). Luckily, Coco (2017) manages to be the second great Pixar movie since Toy Story 3 (2010), and hopefully a return to form for good this time. All I will divulge about the plot is that it follows a boy named Miguel and his dog traveling into the Land of the Dead. From there, the story takes you to startling visual, entertainment, and emotional heights that no Pixar movie, no kids' movie, and very few "adult" movies have ever taken you. Yes, this is even more emotional than Up (2009) and Inside Out (2015) -- both of those films moved me to tears, but never hit me as hard as this one did. It touched something deep within my soul, and unlike most emotional films where my eyes will water a bit, in this one I began to openly weep. It was an emotional catharsis like I've never experienced before. Aside from the poignant elements, the film also manages to be enormously entertaining, with exhilarating sequences that reaches levels of fun Pixar hasn't reached since Monsters, Inc (2001) and The Incredibles (2004). They use the visually gorgeous Land of the Dead they have created to their full advantage, to provide a rollicking adventure that combines imagination and entertainment brilliantly. The other thing I should mention is the score, which is, by far, the best Pixar score I have ever had the pleasure of listening to -- yes, even better than Finding Nemo's (2003), Up's (2009), and Inside Out's (2015). I suppose that shouldn't come as a surprise, considering this is the most musical movie Pixar has ever created, but nevertheless was one of the many, many memorable aspects. In Conclusion, my favorite Pixar movies up until this point have been Toy Story (1995), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), WALL-E (2008), and Up (2009), with Monsters, Inc. (2001), Ratatouille (2007), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Inside Out (2015) not far behind. I have been disappointed by their seemingly endless sequels this decade, and by the fact that even their originals (Brave (2012) and The Good Dinosaur (2015)) have been okay at best. Even Inside Out (2015), though I love it, is still better at delivering an important message to children than it is being its own story. But with Coco (2017), Pixar has nailed it. It brought me back to childhood nostalgia of watching Pixar classics like Finding Nemo (2003) and Toy Story (1995); the fun, the adventure, the laughs, and the tears. This is what a Pixar movie should be, this is what a kids' movie should me, this is what any movie should be, and it is truly one of my favorite movies of all time.

[Grumpmeister]

Just finished watching Annihilation and my initial impressions are visually stunning but WTF???

The basic plot is Lena is currently dealing with her husband going missing on a covert mission and she is struggling to focus on what remains of her life. But when he suddenly returns, her brief hope that normality will ensue is shattered when his odd as he behaves oddly before clearly showing signs of serious illness. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital they are taken by black armoured soldiers. He is hospitalized and she is interrogated by a psychologist who informs her that his mission took him inside “the shimmer”, a rapidly expanding area that’s taken the lives of everyone who has entered, bar him. She soon joins a new mission to find out what’s inside and discover whether she can save her husband’s life.

Visually the film is stunning, and the shimmer area has a very creepy stalkerish feel to it which I suspect was a large part of the inspiration for the source novel.

I'm probably going to end up watching it again before my free Netflix trial ends as I'm still trying to decide whether to keep that or Amazon Prime Video so maybe a second run through may make more sense but overall it's worth a look for a different take on the standard science fiction/survival horror genre.