Films that were unexpected pleasures

SwingsitlikeHogan

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
34,007
Visit site
Mrs suggested we could go to see Carol (Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) last weekend. I'm not giving anything away in saying that it's a film about the love between the two female leads - and I was more than a bit unsure whether it would be for me. But I really enjoyed it. Slow, intense and ultimately engaging. Plus beautifully shot - lots of slow lingering tightly cropped shots.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402927/

Worth your £8.50 or whatever in multiplex if you fancy something different from your usual fare and think 'I'd never bother going to see that'.

On the wider point I'm sure we've all gone (or been taken) to see a film that was absolutely not of our choice and wouldn't normally choose to see - but found ourselves really enjoying it.
 
Cabaret... Mum persuaded me to take her to see it... Pretty embarrassing, I suspect, at the time as I would of only been about 20... Remember enjoying it none the less though...


Oh... I wonder which bit of Carol you enjoyed most...

Yes, I've seen it....
 
Last edited:
Myself and Mrs Shark have a film night each week where we pick one of the new showings on Sky Movies. Some of the best ones we have seen have been one we had no knowledge of before-hand. Time Lapse was one (three flat-sharers find the house across the way has a camera that takes pictures of their window 24 hours in the future) and About Time (the one with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Siegried with time clocks on each persons' wrist) were superb. I thought the thriller with Chris Hemsworth set in the Far East was a bit silly but entertaining all the same.
 
MegaSteve said:
Cabaret... Mum persuaded me to take her to see it... Pretty embarrassing, I suspect, at the time as I would of only been about 20... Remember enjoying it none the less though...


Oh... I wonder which bit of Carol you enjoyed most...

Yes, I've seen it....
Click to expand...

Odd Thomas is worth a watch. Never heard of it before but stumbled across it and gave it a try. Unexpectedly good.
 
We were asked to babysit our 10 year old nephew and offerd to take him to the cinema and he wanted to see Godzilla. He had seen it before and it was 'awesome!'.

We were prepared to be bored for a couple of hours but it was beeter than we had hoped. But still not worth the money,especially for 3D as I think this is a waste of money - wouldn't bother again. Cost over £30 for 2 adults and a child and then had to take him for pizza afterwards.:mad:
 
We watched Sunset Song last week.
Somehow the book had escaped me, strange as it is regarded as a Scottish classic.
Probably not being shown in England/Wales but when it comes on tap it is well worth watching.
You can see why it took so long to become a film......Tough watch in places but very moving WW1 story of NE Scottish farming community.
 
Pathetic Shark said:
Myself and Mrs Shark have a film night each week where we pick one of the new showings on Sky Movies. Some of the best ones we have seen have been one we had no knowledge of before-hand. Time Lapse was one (three flat-sharers find the house across the way has a camera that takes pictures of their window 24 hours in the future) and About Time (the one with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Siegried with time clocks on each persons' wrist) were superb. I thought the thriller with Chris Hemsworth set in the Far East was a bit silly but entertaining all the same.
Click to expand...

Think that's "In Time".

"About Time" has Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams & Bill Nighy. But it is also one of the films I've seen that is better than expected.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Mrs suggested we could go to see Carol (Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) last weekend. I'm not giving anything away in saying that it's a film about the love between the two female leads - and I was more than a bit unsure whether it would be for me. But I really enjoyed it. Slow, intense and ultimately engaging. Plus beautifully shot - lots of slow lingering tightly cropped shots.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402927/

Worth your £8.50 or whatever in multiplex if you fancy something different from your usual fare and think 'I'd never bother going to see that'.

On the wider point I'm sure we've all gone (or been taken) to see a film that was absolutely not of our choice and wouldn't normally choose to see - but found ourselves really enjoying it.
Click to expand...

We went to see Carol at the weekend and I enjoyed it despite [SPOILERS] a complete lack of aliens, superheroes or explosions.

I had my doubts as I've read the book but the firm was marginally less depressing. I agree that it was beautifully filmed.


I also really enjoyed "The Martian" recently but was (not unexpectedly) underwhelmed with "Spectre".
 
Inside Out - far, far better than I thought.

Bourne Identity when it first came out. I was in Dublin at a lose end and took a punt on a film I'd never heard of.
 
MegaSteve said:
Cabaret... Mum persuaded me to take her to see it... Pretty embarrassing, I suspect, at the time as I would of only been about 20... Remember enjoying it none the less though...


Oh... I wonder which bit of Carol you enjoyed most...

Yes, I've seen it....
Click to expand...

20secs of bare backs and a wee titillating bit of Rooney Mara - not a film to go to see if you want much of that sort of viewing experience.
 
The Brass Teapot. Didn't have a clue what it was about and the Sky summary didn't sound appealing. Thought it was an intriguing look at the human psyche and how far one might go for money!

Also really enjoyed Les Miserables. Almost turned it off after 10 minutes when I realised all the dialogue was sung but stuck with it and was pleased I did.

Finally - Saving Mr Banks - plot sounded very weak but thought it was a great film.
 
Doon frae Troon said:
We watched Sunset Song last week.
Somehow the book had escaped me, strange as it is regarded as a Scottish classic.
Probably not being shown in England/Wales but when it comes on tap it is well worth watching.
You can see why it took so long to become a film......Tough watch in places but very moving WW1 story of NE Scottish farming community.
Click to expand...

Going to see this soon with my wife and daughter. I've read the book (first part of the A Scots Quair trilogy) a few times - one of the very few books I've read more than once.

Director Terence Davies says that reading the last page of Sunset Song makes him cry every time - me too. I have never before or since read anything that makes me cry. One plus for me is that as I have relatives from Buchan I can hear them speak the dialect in the book - others could well find it difficult. It is a fairly harrowing story - and believe the film follows the book pretty faithfully. Looking forward to it. But guess my wife and daughter wouldn't normally choose to go see it without my encouragement so I'm interested to see what they think.
 
FairwayDodger said:
And yet it garnered a "15" rating with a warning about sex scenes. I'm a bit perturbed by the implication of that.
Click to expand...

Which is a bit weird as there is one sex scene between two women that lasts maybe 20 seconds; it is very sensitively done (you see Ms Rooney's breasts - the rest is implied) - and portrays intimate love. Ah - maybe it's that the scene is between two women :confused:
 
Last edited:
Any sight of a semi naked lady will give the film a 15 rating



Films that's surprised me

American Beauty
Shawshank Redemption
Jerry Maguire
 
I thought that Mamma Mia was going to be a contrived mash up , I was very pleasantly surprised and was humming all the way home, great feel good film despite Pearce Brosnan 's singing :)
 
I haven't seen Carol yet but it's high on my list of films to see as it's supposed to be excellent.
Watched a rom-com called Trainwreck at the weekend, it was actually my choice after reading various reviews, splendid film which was funny as buggery.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top