yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I wonder if they chose to release it this time of year because it ends at Christmas, or because it's awards season. Either way, it a very safe, inoffensive and unchallenging movie. Very good, but also a bit meh.

Viggo has a great back catalogue of lesser known movies under his belt. Captain Fantastic was great, and The Road is simply incredible. Both are essential viewing.

Ralph Breaks The Internet - Started well but soon turns into a vomit inducing Disney princess fest. Some gorgeous animation at times though. 6/10
[Off-topic] husam666:
Split is another kind of sequel. From what I heard, the characters from both films will be in Glass. If you haven't, you should watch it before, it's a great film.

Happy new year
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
yes Bruce willis is good in that series of movies... Glass is on my list also.. I do like Bruce Willis since the old Die Hard days.. and " recently" in looper movie..

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Aquaman :

(possible spoilers) The CGI in beginning was really bad. I kind of lost interest when I saw the big octopus playing drums scene... but the ending the CGI got better and seemed to improve. Some funny moments. Whole movie for me. was a bit corny though and silly it was too close to the King Arthur story. (Aquaman called Arthur too.. mmm.. silly?) But overall it was entertaining and the ending seemed not bad.

TL DR :

Entertaining and corny silly same time. CGI is good and bad same time. Ending ok.

6/10.

The House with a clock in its walls :

Jack Black in a silly bad cgi (another) wizard and warlocks movie. Too cartoonish for me. Too predictable story.

But kiddies might like it.

5/10

Event Horizon (1997) :

Got around to finishing this movie.. Very well made especially considering when it was made. Good plot twists. Reminds me a bit about Alien movie sometimes but different. Some good tense moments.

8.5/10 very enjoyable to watch.

Fahrenheit 11-9

Interesting. Maybe 20-30 was good but rest was long winded and bit laborious.. not as good as his previous ones..

6/10
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I've seen it. Love M. Night Shyamalan movies. Anya Taylor-Joy is awesome in it but James McAvoy is on another level. Filth and Trance are two of his darker, more interesting movies too that i'd highly recommend.

Happy New Year all!
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
The sisters brothers : Suprisingly good movie. Many tense moments. John Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed are great. Slow at start but draws u into it...

8/10
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I enjoyed it too. Completely not what i expected, but in a good way! Speaking of Jake G.... he's always a firm favourite around here. His latest, Wildlife is out. Directorial debut from Actor Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Prisoners). Much better than you might expect for a first effort and well worth a watch. Jake G plays a Father trying to find work and support his family in 1960's Montana. Told mostly from the viewpoint of the Son, played by Ed Oxenbould, it's a well acted Drama. Jake G. is as ever, fantastic to watch. 8/10

The Favourite - Latest film from Director Yorgos Lanthimos. (The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer). I'd say his best work to date too. Great cast, wonderful score and interesting story in this period Dramady set in early 18th century England. Emma Stone is enchanting as usual, but the whole cast are great.

The film is stunning to look at too. The costumes and settings are beautiful, and the period lends itself nicely to scenes lit only with natural light, at times just candles and fireplaces. The cinematography is great. My feeling after watching it is that i must watch it again, immediately! 9/10

Thoroughbreds - Loved it the first time around. Loved it the second time around. On the third watch, still love it. An underrated, modern Thriller that Hitchcock himself would have been proud of. 9/10
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
agree Jake G is great.. I loved him in those psycho type movies as the photographer and he was also good in the Zodiac.

I will check out Favourite.. tks.. sounds interesting and Thoroughbreds.

btw I just watched :

Bad Times at The El Royale - Brilliant thriller. Jeff Bridges is brilliant with Chris Hemsworth in this twister psycho thriller almost like a Quinton Tarantino type movie.. a must watch. Many nice surprises.

9/10.

I am also about > 3 hours into watching :

Black Mirror Bandersnatch : WOW. amazingly well made psycho mind bending Netflix thriller. If you loved Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow you will like this. Very cleverly made.

so far its a 9.5/10 for me. I can't get enough of it. Keeos you guessing.

I will try give an update when I can finish it. (I think its about 5 hours long...)
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Extraterrestrial : by Pink Buffalo Films. Great movie. Watched it twice already. Great story, effects are good considering it's not a mega star huge budget movie.

Many tense moments and some funny scenes.

scifi horror thriller

8/10
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Zodiac is amazing. The murder scenes are so visceral and horrifying. One of Finchers best movies. Hard to choose between that, Se7en, The Game or Fight Club. Which Fincher film is your favourite?
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
wow that is a hard question.. i didn't even realize was same director... amazing... funny cos I liked all those movies alot... hard choice.. i would say Se7en was best and Zodiac. but The game and Fight club were excellent also. do u know new movies planned by him?
[Off-topic] Dirk:
At one time he was linked to a US remake of the great UK TV show, Utopia. That fell through but he was involved in the making of Mindhunter, which is an excellent show. It's a good companion piece to Zodiac actually as it's about the FBI trying to catch Serial Killers. The only movie on the horizon is World War Z 2 which he's Directing.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
Definitely had a Tarantino vibe going on. Good movie.

"The Mule" starring Clint Eastwood and "The Mule," a British production from 4 years ago, both good movies.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
"White Boy Rick" Loved it. 4/5.

I'm not a big fan of Matthew McConaughey, but his acting in this movie was really quite superb. Same for the actor that portrayed white boy Rick.
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Ok just finished watching 5 hours and 12 mins of

"Black Mirror:Bandersnatch"..

Its a mind boggling mind warping ride for sure. Its good if you liked groundhog day or Edge of Tomorrow...The

1st hour good

2nd hour good

3rd hour bit repetitive

4th hour ok there has to be a hidden message

5th hour.....Ok this is affecting my brain..

....at ending.. wtf just happened.

I rate it a 7.5/10 highly watchable. But its a marathon to watch.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Agreed :good:

Vice - If you saw The Big Short by Adam McKay then you know what to expect. Instead of Finance, this time its Government, with the focus on former VP **** Cheney. Christian Bale is superb as the lead and disappears into the role. It took a moment before i even realised who i was watching. I liked this more than most going by it's ratings. McKay is a master at these sardonic Docudrama's and does some interesting things along the way. 8/10

Submergence - Wim Wenders movies starring Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy. Had this on my list for ages but missed it's release. When i realised it was out i checked it's IMDb score and was crestfallen to see it so low. I had high expectations with it's two leads. Watched it anyway and was immediately drawn into a beautifully told, compelling, story that i couldn't look away from. Vikander and McAvoy are at their very best and the chemistry between them feels authentic and visceral.

"In a room with no windows on the eastern coast of Africa, a Scotsman, James More, is held captive by jihadist fighters. Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. In their confines they are drawn back to the Christmas of the previous year, where a chance encounter on a beach in France led to an intense and enduring romance."

It's as interesting a story as the synopsis makes it sound and the cast bring's it to life. Happy to completely ignore the IMDb rating this time. This is a solid 9/10.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
2019 BAFTA Nominations.

"The Favourite leads the way with 12 nominations, including acting nods for its stars Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. Alfonso Cuarón's Roma follows with seven nominations, while A Star Is Born also has seven nominations, including acting nominations for both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Vice follows with six, while BlacKkKlansman has five nominations."

https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a25799651/bafta-nominations-2019/

Nice to see The Favourite getting so much recognition.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
"Skyfall' 2/5

I finally got around to watching Skyfall. The first third of the movie was actually pretty interesting and pulled me in, but completely fell apart/became ridiculous after that. About the only thing that Daniel Craig succeeds in doing is making you believe that he is indeed running with a great sense of urgency when he's in an all-out stride to catch the bad guy, That's about it. Not one of the better Bond movies. It did get good reviews, but I guess I just didn't see it that way.
[Off-topic] kalinowska:
I have not seen an interesting movie for a long time, I like it in fantasy, but a good film in this category happens rarely, maybe someone tells me something?
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Pans Labyrinth - The best movie Guillermo del Toro ever made.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Skyfall is considered the best of the Craig Bond films. Beautifully shot by Mr Roger Deakins. I'm not a huge fan of any Bond film but thought Skyfall was better than most.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
(Warning: Spoiler Alert)

That scene at the end where they were held up in that house being attacked by a helicopter was just plain ridiculous (especially the two propane canisters obliterating the entire house and causing the helicopter to crash). The first part of the movie was pretty good though.

Daniel Craig is very convincing in scenes where he is running.

Run Daniel, run run !!

(All kidding aside, I do wish I could run like him)
[Off-topic] Dirk:
If we're going to list absurdity in Bond films it's going to take the rest of our lives.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
This is true. :D
[Off-topic] Dirk:
The Captain - 8/10

"In the last moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain's uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from."

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - Latest release from Terry Gilliam. Blurring the line between Fantasy and Reality in true Gilliam fashion.

"Toby, a disillusioned advertising executive, becomes pulled into a world of time jumping fantasy when a Spanish cobbler believes him to be Sancho Panza. He gradually becomes unable to tell dreams from reality."

Both Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce are excellent. It's a very entertaining flick and well worth watching. 9/10
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
I watched "The Favourite". Tks for the tip. Great movie. I loved the Kubrickesque cinematography.. and great acting and script.. I concur.. a must watch.

9/10.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Glad you liked it. I'll be giving it another watch for sure.

True Detective Season 3 has begun. First two episodes are out and it's looking good!
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Brooklyn Banker - Great actors mixed with bad actors. Could have been a great movie. But nice twist in the end.

watchable.

6.8/10.

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I will try check out True Detective.. hard to find good series nowadays with proliferation of tv series...
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
watched "Loophole (2019) -

just don't bother. extremely bad acting with nonsensical script, bad directing and zero cinematography. Gave up half way fell asleep it was so bad. Waste of time.

2/10.
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
"Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood" Okay, this movie is so bad that on a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a -3 (and that's being generous). However, there are some scenes that are so stupid that they are actually entertaining. Leprechaun in the Hood with Ice-T was even better in this respect. I'm on the Leprechaun binge watch and am currently watching "Leprechaun in Space." This one is so bad that it's beyond description.................
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Why do you hate yourself? :eek:
[Off-topic] TravisBean:
It's my peoples' curse/heredity. We're all gluttons for punishment and extremely self-loathing !! :D

(Just ask Woody Allen)
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Have you seen The Room? It's so famously bad that people flock to screenings to see it!
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Watched Vice: agree it's alot like The Big Short, and add it has a tinge of Luc Beson and Oliver Stone style.. Christian Bale and Amy Adams are great... They were both also great as a couple in The American Hustle.

It wasn't mesmerizing like Oliver Stone movies but it was very well made and great acting and some laugh out loud moments... A must see.

8/10 for me also.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I forgot they were in that together. Another body transformation job for Bale. He must love to Binge and Purge! Great movie. I love David O'Russell films, although i hear he's hard to work for. He gets the best out of his actors though. Everyone was so good in Silver Linings Playbook. Joy wasn't his best movie but everything else is amazing.
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
U r right about Bale binge and purging himself.. remember that movie where is lost an extreme amount of weight? he was a walking skeleton.. I remember he said he didn't feel the heat while making that movie because he had no fat.. interesting.

Btw I watched

Glass - Great movie. Not as kiddie as the recent spate of disappointing superhero movies. Some good plot twists.. Interesting ending. no special scene at end of credits though. Bruce willis was much better in this movie. Samuel J Lawrence was excellent as usual.

but James McAvoy was spectacular. He deserves a best actor or supporting actor or something award.

(Seems in Glass were alot actors wearing these contact lenses that make your pupils bigger in the movie? or is that the trend now in American cinema? . I know in Asia all the movie stars were big eye contacts.)

TL DR Great movie. A must watch.

8.8/10 for me.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I agree. He's an amazing actor. Have you seen Filth or Trance?
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
I don't recall Filth or Trance.. not sure if I seen them. Will check it out when I can..

I watched "Papillion (2017)" - Enthralling movie. Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek are very good.Great moving story. Some good action and many tense moments.

8/10.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Now you have to watch the original! ;)

Trance is the Danny Boyle movie and very entertaining, but Filth is on another level. Once you've seen McAvoy in it you'll wonder how he can play a role like that one moment and Professor X the next. It would be like Julie Andrews playing Mary Poppins one moment and Harley Quinn the next!
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Oscar Nominations are out, and honestly i don't GAF! :)
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
agree... the oscar nominations are becoming a joke.. alot of great movies not win and good but not great movies being nominated.

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you mean the Papillion with steve McQueen? I saw that when it came out long long ago.. epic...like the original laurence of arabia. both epics. some of the old movies are so much better than movies nowadays aren't they?

"The Old Man and the Gun" - slow beginning but great acting by Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek. The characters grow on you. Great dialogue. Well filmed. Great timing. Great ending. true extraordinary story about a gentleman bank robber. 8/10

"Submergence" - got around to watching it. good tip [MENTION=1327637]drik[/MENTION]. seems Almost like two stories intertwined. James Mcavoy is great. Alicia Vikander is always " nice" to watch . she was good in ExMachina and Tulip Fever. but movie ending abit abrupt though. still good & highly watchable movie. 7.5/10
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Yeah, it was sudden. Cant work out if they were trying to be deliberately ambiguous or if we were supposed to assume they lived happily ever after! In my mind they both survived near death experiences in pursuit of their ambitions, met back up and had lots of jiggy jiggy. :)

Laurence of Arabia. Man what a classic. The Bluray restoration and transfer were amazing. You're right. They don't make them like that any more! The T.E Lawrence book, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom', is a great read too if you enjoy the movie.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Aquaman - Dafuq did i just watch for two hours and twenty minutes? I feel like Guillermo Del Toro might have made a good movie out of this, but instead i'm left with a strong urge to blind myself.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Polar - Torture porn followed by revenge porn. Mads Mikelson is great in everything he does though and there is some depth to his acting despite the cartoon violence. I'm more hopeful for the coming film Arctic, in which he also stars. 7/10

Makes me miss the Brian Fuller series, Hannibal. That was three Seasons of pure eye candy and the second best depiction of the Thomas Harris character, Hannibal Lector. Hopkins made that his own in the movies but Mads added new layers to it.
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
exactly. same here.

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Hannibal was so great with Mads Mickelson.

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just watched "Widows". Great actors in a bad script bad nonsensical story about a planned robbery by wives. Even the actors playing couples didn't seem like genuine couples. So bad.. Silly ending too.

5/10
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Encounter - Luke Hemsworth in a pointless predictable bad CGI bad acting bad script flat jokes nonsensical movie. Waste of time.

2/10.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
You did well to make it to the end. I turned it off after ten minutes!

As far as award season movies goes, this year is as bad as i can remember. Usually there's a flood of top quality flicks at years end, but besides The Favourite, theres been nothing of any real interest. The strange thing is the past year was actually really good. There were so many great movies but they all flew under the radar. You Were never Really Here for example. Galveston, Leave No Trace, First Man, BlacKkKlansman, Isle of Dogs, Hold the Dark, Thoroughbreds, Sicario 2, Searching, Bad Times at the El Royale, First Reformed... Nobody i know irl actually watched any of them!
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
yeah..eg everyone seems to be talking about Black Panther saying how great ot was but I thought it was mediocre at best compared to the great superhero movies like Dark Knight or others... I thought as a movie BlackKlansmen was much better than the wakanda movie.

I agree seems now to be trend of great actors in movies with either bad cgi, bad script or bad directing... so many movies I seen lately with great actors not being properly directed.. almost as if the actor just picking up the pay check and giving a lazy performance.. or like those mafia money laundering movies where in reality the mafia pay a great name to be in a bad movie for 20mins for the sake of selling the movie then the mafia inflate the sales and profits to wash illegal money.

so here is another movie...

"Close " - I liked Noomi Rapace in Prometheus.. and Girl with the whatever tattoo... she is great... but here she is just rubbish. The director is bad. The dialog is demented. The story is so predictable a sophomore student could have written it.. I saw on imdb after some comments like "bland and nonsensical" and "Stereotypical genderflipping... nothing original"... and I tend to agree with all the negative comments.

I give it a 1/10

simply because I am more disappointed that Noomi allowed herself to let a bad director allow her to have such a poor performance in a silly movie, and because I actually watched it to the end hoping it would improve. It didn't.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I completely agree with everything you said. It's criminal to see so much acting talent go to waste. I like Noomi too. She was great in The Drop, which itself is a great movie that nobody watched. The only ray of light is that streaming services like Netflix that pick up some of these old movies later on so at least some people will get to see them. I fear most will stick to the bad movies that had a big 'name' but nothing else going for them though.

And i think we can agree that The Dark Knight is better than every superhero movie that's been released since, whether MCU or DCU. Gonna be hard to top that one. There will never be a Joker played better than Heath Ledger's Joker. He killed it. :good:
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
[MENTION=1763460]Dirk[/MENTION] agree Heath Ledger... such a legend.

I wonder if all these poor quality new movies have to do with attention span, with studios catering to public with extremely short attention spans nowadays. Alot of people I speak to don't even realize how bad the acting or scrpt was in a movie we just saw... They seem to just look for the big cgi or flash bang action even if the story is nonsensical.

btw watched

King of Thieves : I love Michael Caine. OK this isn't Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels, it's not an Oscar winner, but it is about the true story of the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Burglary. The movie storyline is very (very) slow like the 80s 90s movies, and is made more like a tv show than for a movie. But it's worth watching if nothing else is on. I wouldn't pay to watch in cinema though.

6/10. (I have an extra point because Michael always does his job acting).
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Love Michael Caine too. His books are a great read. The Italian Job was one of my favourite childhood movies. It used to be shown here all the time. Probably still is! Zulu too. It wasn't long ago i saw Get Carter for the first time. His filmography is awesome. The Prestige, The Man Who Would Be King, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. What a star!

Watched Logan again. It's the best X-Men movie imo. I hear Dark Phoenix is having problems with test audiences so i hope they can get the problems fixed before release. What are your top three comic book movies out of interest? For me it's:

1) The Dark Knight

2) Logan

3) Iron Man 1
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
yes I watched The Man who. would be king Caine with Connery an epic, manytimes. Same with The Italian Job. A classic. Get Carter waa so good too.

for comic book movies

for me its

1) The Dark Knight - one. of best movies ever made.

2) Spiderman (2002) with Toby McGuire, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, J.K.Simmons. great combination.

3) Wonder Woman (2017) for the original laughs.

4) Logan (tied with) Ironman1
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
Bohemian Rhapsody : Rami Malek is great. Good movie. 8/10.
[Off-topic] simonbigwave:
"The Front Runner" - Hugh Jackman is excellent with Vera Farmiga and JK Simmons. Great script and directing in a simple story movie that could only be pulled off with great dramatization and great acting.

7.5/10

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"Bigger - The Joe Weider Story" - Entertaining autobiography movie about Joe Weider and how he struggled to create one of the biggest fitness magazines in the world and the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contests and how he helped make Arnold Schwarzenegger great. Overall Good movie, some funny parts. They don't even mention steroids lol. It's not Academy Award stuff, but worth watching if you ever read his magazine or watched mrOlympia before, and wondered how it all started.

7/10.