Films you have seen at the cinema: 2021

[Orang Utan]

A Quiet Place Part 2

not quite as tense as the first part but it’s still an amazing experience to see/hear in the cinema. Can’t imagine watching it at home. The standout acting in this is from deaf actor Millicent Simmonds, but the acting in this makes it stand out more than the also amazing sfx. The tension is ratcheted up to a nail biting degree and the quietness is part of it all. Well worth a watch but don’t watch it on your iPad

 

[Orang Utan]

In The Earth
Really enjoyed this as it’s well up my street - folklore, drones, excruciating but funny ‘injury detail’, mad trippy visuals (provided by Cyriak, who some nerds might be familiar with from B3TA) and a spooky score from Clint Mansell. Worth it just for the sight of bizarre Audrey Hepburn accented Hayley Squires playing modular synths in a forest.
Like all Wheatley films, it doesn’t know when to stop and how to finish but this is not a problem (as it was with Free Fire and Kill List) as it’s such a joy to watch.

 

[8ball]

No films. Not one.

edit: I tell a massive lie. I saw Somers Town at the opening of a new cinema up the road (Shane Meadows was opening the place and he's a local lad).
But no 'regular' fillums.

 

[Orang Utan]

No films. Not one.

They are open now and all of the films I’ve been to have only had a handful of people scattered about so nowhere near as ‘risky’ as going to the supermarket

 

[8ball]

They are open now and all of the films I’ve been to have only had a handful of people scattered about so nowhere near as ‘risky’ as going to the supermarket

Can't say I worry about the supermarket. Or the cinema. More that no one I know has been going, and there haven't been many films that have grabbed my interest.
Plus there has been one as per edit above.

 

[Sue]

Can't say I worry about the supermarket. Or the cinema. More that no one I know has been going, and there haven't been many films that have grabbed my interest.
Plus there has been one as per edit above.

In terms of that, go on your own! It's great.

 

[8ball]

In terms of that, go on your own! It's great.

Yeah, I started doing that occasionally a while back.
Everyone is double-jabbed now but I think people aren't really looking out for films out of lockdown habit.

Will be taking some tips from this thread.

 

[Orang Utan]

I never go to the cinema with other people - I don't want the distraction and I don't want other people to see my visceral reactions to either emotional or terrifying or disgusting moments. I saw two films today and I couldn't help saying stuff like 'eurgh' and 'fucking hell' and other such crap

 

[8ball]

I never go to the cinema with other people - I don't want the distraction and I don't want other people to see my visceral reactions to either emotional or terrifying or disgusting moments. I saw two films today and I couldn't help saying stuff like 'eurgh' and 'fucking hell' and other such crap

Mark Kermode would love you.

 

[Orang Utan]

Mark Kermode would love you.

I doubt it. He blocked me on Twitter even though I didn’t @ him

 

[8ball]

I doubt it. He blocked me on Twitter even though I didn’t @ him

I was being sarcastic - he goes on about how everyone should be dignified and silent in the auditorium - no popcorn, no drinks, no uncontrolled emoting. <I may have inferred the last one>

 

[Sue]

I was being sarcastic - he goes on about how everyone should be dignified and silent in the auditorium - no popcorn, no drinks, no uncontrolled emoting. <I may have inferred the last one>

I'm with him on the silence and no fucking phones or popcorn or slurping. Seriously, shooting is too good...

 

[8ball]

I'm with him on the silence and no fucking phones or popcorn or slurping. Seriously, shooting is too good...

I'm ok with popcorn and drinks. Phones and jabbering can gtfo though.
You should go see a film in the States in a less than gentrified area. It's an experience.

 

[Orang Utan]

I was being sarcastic - he goes on about how everyone should be dignified and silent in the auditorium - no popcorn, no drinks, no uncontrolled emoting. <I may have inferred the last one>

I agree. but also part of the experience of watching films at the cinema is the fact that you're watching it with strangers who can react in all manner of unexpeted ways and this is part of what makes cinema going such a unique and valuable experience

 

[BillRiver]

I'm ok with popcorn and drinks. Phones and jabbering can gtfo though.
You should go see a film in the States in a less than gentrified area. It's an experience.

I watched Get Out when it first came out at The Empire in Walthamstow on a Tuesday (when entry was £3.95).

90% of the audience were Black and I'd guess a similar proportion were working class too.

It was loud, and fun, and added to my enjoyment enormously.

I also watched The Wiz a couple of years ago at a late night (11pm ish) screening at The Rio in Dalston, with a mostly Black LGBTQ+ audience and that was fucking hilarious.

But some of my favourite cinema experiences have been mid-morning on a Monday at The Castle in Homerton when I'm the only person in the room.

 

[Sue]

In The Earth
Really enjoyed this as it’s well up my street - folklore, drones, excruciating but funny ‘injury detail’, mad trippy visuals (provided by Cyriak, who some nerds might be familiar with from B3TA) and a spooky score from Clint Mansell. Worth it just for the sight of bizarre Audrey Hepburn accented Hayley Squires playing modular synths in a forest.
Like all Wheatley films, it doesn’t know when to stop and how to finish but this is not a problem (as it was with Free Fire and Kill List) as it’s such a joy to watch.

I just saw this. Didn't make a whole load of sense but it was fun. I laughed like a drain (while peeking through my fingers) at the 'we've got two options...' scene.

 

[Reno]

In The Earth
Really enjoyed this as it’s well up my street - folklore, drones, excruciating but funny ‘injury detail’, mad trippy visuals (provided by Cyriak, who some nerds might be familiar with from B3TA) and a spooky score from Clint Mansell. Worth it just for the sight of bizarre Audrey Hepburn accented Hayley Squires playing modular synths in a forest.
Like all Wheatley films, it doesn’t know when to stop and how to finish but this is not a problem (as it was with Free Fire and Kill List) as it’s such a joy to watch.

Kill List was the only film of his I've seen which had an ending that made sense to me. I get frustrated by his default resolution of having everything simply head into chaos and incoherence by the last act.

 

[spanglechick]

Lin Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway show, In The Heights is tremendously good value as a film. Huge energy, enormous cast of supporting performers and some barnstorming set pieces.

Once again, at 142 mins I think it’s too long - one of the difficult things about sung-through musicals is that the plot doesn’t move as fast without the economy of communication dialogue provides - but it’s never less than charm turned up to 11. I laughed a lot (including at a couple of Hamilton in-jokes) and cried twice (one sad, one happy).

This is a much more ensemble narrative than Hamilton, and that’s very much form following function, but with our attentions so divided, the overall pace stumbles and falters at the end of the first act and the start of the third. There’s an overarching political context to the film; gentrification, racial stereotyping and undocumented “dreamers” are all addressed, but the film doesn’t look for solutions beyond how individuals deal with that stuff. This will doubtless annoy those who feel it should be more political (and those who would prefer less politics) but it feels fair and to its credit, never promises to solve these problems.

Anyway, it’s full-on, and long, but infectiously upbeat and fun. Definitely worth a go.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Finally saw Sound of Metal. It’s very good. Top ‘show don’t tell’ performances all round, especially Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci. It was rightfully acknowledged for its brilliant sound design but I also appreciated how the film presented multi-perspectives and avoided crude didacticism. All cinema movies should be captioned to make the experience more inclusive.

 

[redsquirrel]

But I'm a Cheerleader. Director's cut -- the original had some scenes cut due to age ratings -- and a Q&A with the director.

So although this came out originally in 1999 (2001 in the UK), I'd never seen it. It's basically a satirical teen comedy following 17-year old Megan who's sent to a gay conversion camp by her parents. It's quite fun though the depiction of the male gay characters felt a bit problematic -- lots of camp stereotypes. The leads are good though and it was also nice seeing it with a slightly raucous (and mainly female) audience. (And there were free badges made by the local young LGBTQ group. )

Wonder how much the new scenes add.

Have you seen Itty Bitty Bitty Committee? Same director and style of humour, very much a companion piece.

 

[cybershot]

A quiet place part 2.

fastly becoming my new favourite alien/zombie apocalypse type franchise. Despite knowing what’s out there still as suspenseful at the first at times.

 

[Orang Utan]

A have a few spoilerific questions/issues about the aliens’ origin, arrival and intent in both A Quiet Place movies, but perhaps it’s best not to think about it too much

 

[cybershot]

A have a few spoilerific questions/issues about the aliens’ origin, arrival and intent in both A Quiet Place movies, but perhaps it’s best not to think about it too much

Surprised there wasn’t a dedicated thread, but maybe not worth it.

I’m sure they will milk the franchise for all it’s worth so it will no doubt get explored. At which point it will probably be when it will jump the shark.

 

[Sue]

Wonder how much the new scenes add.

Have you seen Itty Bitty Bitty Committee? Same director and style of humour, very much a companion piece.

I got the impression (I haven't seen the non-director's cut) it was just putting back in some of the more sexually explicit scenes. Not that it seemed very sexually explicit at all. I haven't see that ^, will keep an eye out though.

Another Round. So I enjoyed this but thought it was a bit of a strange one -- on the one hand, seemed to be saying 'drinking too much is bad' while on the other celebrating it. I do wonder if they were all pissed while making it as they did drunk very well -- generally actors seem pretty unconvincing playing drunk I also though the end was a bit :hmm. Worth seeing though.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Another Round. So I enjoyed this but thought it was a bit of a strange one -- on the one hand, seemed to be saying 'drinking too much is bad' while on the other celebrating it. I do wonder if they were all pissed while making it as they did drunk very well -- generally actors seem pretty unconvincing playing drunk I also though the end was a bit :hmm. Worth seeing though.

I saw this last night and really enjoyed it too. It’s very interesting how different people interpret the film. My partner thought it was a essentially a light comedy romp, I thought it was a dark comedy and my friend found it utterly harrowing. Reviewers varied in interpreting the film as a celebration of excessive drinking to a cautionary tail against it. I saw that the director said somewhere that he didn’t want the film to either be anti-alcohol moralising or an advert for getting drunk either. Other reviewers suggest that the movie is essentially cowardly in refusing to commit to a narrative.

I think Another Round essentially acts as a Rorschach test that people project their pre-existing attitudes to alcohol on to.

 

[chilango]

I've just seen Another Round and thought it was fantastic.

For me, it was as much a film about existentialism as it was about alcohol with some interesting bits of Kierkegaard (of whom I know nothing about) explicitly chucked in.

At the same time, bit of the film were like looking in a mirror. There's definitely scenes that were quite close to home, for good and for bad.

The ending, which could very, very easily have ruined the film was vital imo.

So, yeah, superb.

 

[Orang Utan]

aye, i really want to watch it again, which is rare praise from me

 

[krtek a houby]

Hoping to see the big monster film this week, we haven't been to the pictures in a year, which is a long time for us. Toho are taking away the reduction for over 50s couples, but it's still not mega expensive. And love getting hold of the fliers for forthcoming attractions.

 

[BillRiver]

I saw Tove at the Castle Cinema this afternoon, and I loved it.

Visually beautiful, with charming characters and a great soundtrack.

Not a major work of art but a pleasing film, starring beautiful and talented women, placing the women's work and relationships with each other centre stage.

A fantastic soundtrack too.

 

[BillRiver]

Summer Of Soul.

A must see, perfect gem of a film.

Made me want to dance, cry, and overthrow the state, in equal measure.