Movies Seen At Your Local Multiplex.

Great thread berry. I just saw Transformers. I thought the story was good.

And the Robot fight scenes were Great.

And the price of popcorn went down. And the people were nice. Cool movie.

I saw 'Even almighty' too, It sucked.

I like that title better "Even Almighty." Like even the almighty can make a mediocre comedy. The preachiness was naive and stifling.

The last movie I saw in the theater was Ocean's 13. You can tell it's been a while since I've been to the movies. But I did enjoy it - I wasn't expecting much which is a good attitude to have coming into this movie. I found it entertaining and a pleasant way to spend my Friday evening. However, it is quite pricey to go to the movies these days! But my list is growing of a few that I want to see in the theater so I'm thinking next weekend would be a good time to go again!

Very true,it isn't cheap,compared to renting a DVD or subscribing to a film channel,but due to the delayed DVD/broadcast release dates,some people can't wait that long to watch an eagerly awaited film.If I go to see a film at my local UCI,a multiplex with 12 screens,I pay £8 (about $16).If I really wanna treat myself,I travel by train ($9) to central London because parking in that area is a pain in the butt.London's Leicester Square is where you find premium cinemas.The Odeon or The Empire charge $35 for the best seat in the house.

P.S. Welcome to our corner of A2K :wink:

Thanks for the welcome! I love chatting about movies

I also still pay the price to see it in the theater. For most movies it's worth it! And it's always just a fun experience to go to the theater. I bet it's great to see movies in Leicester Square! I can't even imagine! I have been to London a couple times and liked that area. I was actually randomly in Leicester Square the night of the Last Samurai premiere with Tom Cruise. For a tourist this was very lucky to stumble upon.

[quote="YellowRosebud" I was actually randomly in Leicester Square the night of the Last Samurai premiere with Tom Cruise. For a tourist this was very lucky to stumble upon.[/quote]

Lucky find! Love him or hate him,you've gotta give The Cruiser lots of respect for the time he spends with the fans at premiers.He spent over 2 hours chatting to the crowd when Mission Impossible 3 opened in the square.Most other "stars" only spend around 20 minutes.

Just got back from seeing Goldfinger at my local Picturehouse.From the iconic demise of a gold-skinned Shirley Eaton to Connery's eye-watering near-emasculation at the hands of a laser beam,this is vintage 007,and Honor Blackman shines as the wonderfully named temptress Pussy Galore.It was a fully restored version and looked wonderful and sounded pretty good too.It's part of a season of great films that have been restored which include Brief Encounter,Billy Liar,Henry V,The Wicker Man,The Dam Busters and Withnail and I.
I know that the restored James Bond films are available on DVD (I own some already) but there's nothing like watching a favorite film on the big screen.

Today,Sunday,I saw The Bourne Ultimatum at The Odeon Leicester Square.The year 2007 is gonna be remembered for great trilogies e.g. Pirates 3,Spiderman 3 etc.Now add Bourne 3 to the list.Directing for the second time,Paul Greengrass is of the same opinion as me.If a thing isn't broken then don't fix it.If you liked the first 2 films then you're gonna love this one too.All questions asked in the first 2 films are answered.We still have jerky hand-held cameras.Not forgetting bone-crunching fisticuffs and a couple of brilliant car chases.
This is James Bond for the new generation.Highly recommended .

The Summer Of British Film season at my local Picturehouse is coming to an end so I caught the "restored" version of The Dam Busters and came away disappointed.
The soundtrack,thankfully,remains mono and is hiss and click free.At times there was a lip-sync problem (strange,because this was a totally digital presentation).My gripe is with the TWO huge scratch marks in two separate scenes.In a film billed as "beautifully restored"?????????? IMHO they could have done much better (compared to the great restorations of My Fair Lady and Goldfinger).
Still,it was good to see it again where it belongs.....on a big screen .

Took my place in line this morning to catch a free pre-release showing of When Did You Last See Your Father at The Greenwich Picturehouse.
It's a lucky man who can really say "I knew my Dad".Very few of us,me included,get that close.This lovely 'very British' film covers that subject.
Jim Broadbent plays the ebullient (i got that word from the dictionary) father and Colin Firth plays the questioning son,who's own life isn't perfect either.
Add to the mix Juliet Stevenson as the mother of our inquirer,and Sarah Lancashire (an actress I have only previously seen in a famous British 'soap').
Partly funded by Channel 4 (where would the independent British film industry be without their support?),this film will never break box-office records and was never intended to.If you're familiar with the films made by Mike Leigh,I'm sure this film will appeal to you.

The London Film Festival started this week and today,Thursday,I saw the first of the 5 that I booked for.
Showing at The Odeon West End in Leicester Square,I took my seat to watch the latest and very contraversial film by Brian De Palma,titled Redacted.It's a 5 million dollar advert showing why the US and it's allies should leave Iraq.The director pulls no punches which makes for some uncomfortable viewing.We see the bits that Sky/CNN/NBC cut out of their news broadcasts.The final montage of still pictures of "collateral damage" I will remember forever.
Unusually,there was no applause from the audience at the end of the film.Total silence,only broken by a female voice...."f****** hell!".

Took my place in line tonight to see another film in The London Film Festival entitled Brick Lane.Another film funded by Film 4!!!!!!!!
For those who don't know London very well,Brick Lane is an area that has,over the years,attracted a large Bangladeshi community.I used to run a betting shop there years ago and can vouch for the many fine restaurants found on "The Lane".
To my surprise,this was a Premier.Actors,actresses,producers,and of course the director/es were in attendance,with cameras flashing all over the place.
This film made me re-think about arranged marriages.A poor country girl,who is very close to her younger sister,is sent to London to marry an "educated" man,much older than her.She is a free spirit and a devout Muslim,who loves to stand out in he rain,while he is of the "old school",full of importance and book reading.She also regularly writes to her sister back home and is tormented by the replies. Her 2 daughters have integrated well into the local community,but she still lives a very guarded life,until she takes on a sewing-from-home job to finance a visit back to Bangladesh.She is attracted to the delivery man,who at first is a very street-cred guy,but,after 9/11 he changes and forms a radical group.Mean-while,her Husband is having problems holding down his job and turns to a local money lender,increasing the importance of the sewing job.Her heart is split 3 ways.Her Husband,the pompous but stalwart old git that he is;her lover,not the same guy she thought he was;her sister,who's letters were not quite what they seemed.
If I remember correctly,she said "Love comes in two forms.The first is total love,never-ending,untill,finally,it fades away.The second is like a pearl.It starts as a grain of sand and slowly,bit by bit,grows into something beautiful.

Another film that won't break box-office records,and it wasn't meant to,but highly recommended.

Way back in time The Drifters sang "Saturday Night At The Movies" and that's where I was,watching what is probably the best "date" movie for ages.I was at The Greenwich Picturehouse watching Once.Quoting from the poster "How often do you find the right one.....once."Set in Dublin (expect some cracking Irish humour,the opening scene had everybody in stitches),it's about 2 ordinary people,both with a passion for music,that meet at an important time in both their lives.
Some have described this as a musical.No way! It's a film with lots of music,all of it top notch and original.I left the cinema with a broad smile and humming one of the songs.Can't remember the last time I did that.
It's an "indi" film that I hope gets a wide release.If you get the chance to catch it,I know you won't be disappointed.

I usually go to films in bunches, once I'm in the mood.

I intend to see "Once" this week.
Also Eastern Promises and Rendition.
Sicko, too.

Good thread, Barrytm.

Saw another film shown in The London Film Festival,but this time,it was screened at The National Film Theatre on the South Bank and oh boy,does it make you think.It's title is Boy A.
Having served time for the murder of a young girl which he committed as a child,a young man takes on the name Jack Burrage and,with the help of his case worker Terry,sets about trying to leave his past behind and integrate himself into a society he has no adult experience of.He is relocated to Manchester where he gets a job,makes friends and falls in love.Yet Jack knows he's living a lie.The past haunts him and,in particular,memories of the boy he stood trial with cause him anxiety.Terry makes every effort to help Jack work out his demons,while Terry's own prodigal son makes demands of his father.Jack's past is eventually discovered and his newly formed world comes crashing down.
It's all down to "can you forgive" even in these extreme circumstances?Why should one stupid act as a child affect the rest of your life? I would like to think I would,but I wouldn't bet money on it.

It's been a while since I saw a film at the London Imax,so I booked to see Beowulf yesterday.For my thoughts on the film,see the relevant thread.
Being a member of the British Film Institute,I get advance notice,via e-mail,of all presentations at the National Film Theatre and the London Imax.When I received the Beowulf info,I phoned the booking office 5 minutes after it opened and booked the best seat in the house (H 18 ) and paid the standard charge of £12 via plastic.On previous visits,seats weren't allocated,which resulted in a scrum for the best seats when the auditaurium doors opened.Thankfully,all seats are allocated on booking now.Much more civilized.
The 3D "headsets" are still the same and fit comfortably over my spectacles.The sound and light show is the same also,and am still amazed when we can see through the screen and see the banks of speakers behind.Oh,and is that screen massive! I'm sure that,if it fell forward,every seat would be covered by it.The sound system,which consists of 12,000 Watts of pure digital sound is easily the best my old ears have ever heard.
They showed a couple of trailers for films currently showing.One was for The Polar Express.It's always fun when the cattle-grid on the front of the train stops inches from your nose.The other was for a creature film where we're under the water surrounded by little fishes (it's also fun to see "first-timers" reaching out,trying to touch them),when,out of the gloom swims a crocodile-looking thingy with huge teeth that swims right over your head.
Beowulf 3D highlights.....
Angelina Jolie,emerging from a gold pond.
Beowulf dangling underneath a flying dragon.
A cracking battle sceene.
Hundreds of arrows coming towards you.
The point of a lance,which was being held by a horseback rider,which was pointing 1 inch from my nose.
This film fits 3D very well and is highly recommended.

Taking a few days off to do a bit of Christmas shopping,but this-afternoon,I snuck off to the Greenwich Picturehouse to see The Golden Compass.If you were disappointed with that Narnia film,fear not.This is head and shoulders above it.Eva Green plays our heroine and what a cracking little actress she is.Daniel Craig makes a couple of appearances,but is probably gonna do more in the following episodes.Nicole Kidman,on the other hand,is terrific.One minute,butter wouldn't melt in her mouth,untill her evil side comes out,and when it does,duck for cover.
The animation on the small animals is very good,but the larger the animal,the less convincing it becomes.
This is a film for kids of all ages BUT cover the eyes of the little ones at the end of the bear fight.I never expected to see this in a Disney film.One of THE fights of the year in my book.
The film really flies and never drags at all.I'm really looking forward to the rest in the franchise.

Went to see I Am Legend at The Greenwich Picturehouse today and because I renewed my membership 2 weeks ago,I saw it for nothing.For my views see the relevant thread.
I have a question for our more knowledgeable members.This was not a digital presentation.Before entering the cinema,there were small posters telling us that the first 20 minutes were out of focus and was due to a bad print.What happened was that every 45 seconds or so the focus "popped" out of focus for a second.Any Ideas?

Woke up to a bright,sunny winters day so decided to take a stroll through Greenwich Park to The Picturehouse to see a couple of films.
The first was Beauty In Trouble,a Czech film I knew nothing about apart from the reports on IMDB.It killed a pleasant 110 minutes or so and included 3 songs from Glen Hansard who wrote and sang all the songs in Once (one of my fave films from 2007).
The second film was the terrific The Lives Of Others,which I had never seen on the big screen,but loadsa times on DVD.
Both films were shown in The Screening Room which has had a re-fit! Out with the 30 plush armchairs and in with 54 leather-covered,and rather hard (for my bum anyway) "posh" cimema seats,and I'm glad to say that for both films,all but 6 seats had a body sitting on them.