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Mike Channin
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Post by Mike Channin »

UNDERWORLD (Special Edition)

Spoiler alert- not needed - don't worry, I'm not going to give the storyline away.

On the advice of our resident Ogre, I watched Underworld tonight. It was, generally, most entertaining, although it did seem to be trying to be a Blade/Matrix clone, and at times it did get a bit difficult to tell which set of darkly clad people in the darkly lit scenes were shooting which other set, and why, and whether it made any difference anyway.

Certainly had quite a soundtrack, and the bullets pinging round the lounge sounded pretty realistic, and the sub certainly gave the walls (and probably the neighbours) a good working over...

Plot was a bit flimsy in places. Ms Beckinsale did a lot of mincing around in the PVC catsuit and looking grumpy, pouty and confused. Thought Ms Myles looked quite eyecatching at times (once I'd figured out where I'd seen her recently so it had stopped bugging me - answers on a postcard...) Bill Nighy made quite a good vampire. Still not quite certain if it all made sense.

Will give that one:

Soundtrack: 8/10 - entertaining
Filming: 7/10 - bit dark generally and all very similar sets
Plot: 6/10 - difficult to follow or care at times
Acting: 6/10 - bit hammy but generally ok
Effects: 8/10 - not too intrusive, pretty competent

Overall: 7/10
(Recommended if you're a Beckinsale fan... :wink: or if you like vampire/undead type flicks)
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Post by jainser »

Sat through 'King Arthur' the other night - Very good i thought. Like the different angle on the whole King Arthur thing.

Keira Knightley - ding dong
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Post by webberg »

My film watching is limited to what the kids like but there's some good stuff out there.

Saw the 2nd Pirates of the caribbean recently. I like Depp as an actor and thought he saved it. Nighy was brilliant. Orlando Bloom is a bit too pretty and I'm always wondering where his pointy ears and bow are. Good swashbuckler though and obviously another one to come.

Over the Hedge - very good and funny.

Flushed Away - very very good. Bill Nighy again is great in the voice over and the script is excellent. Great soundtrack that includes Jet.

Night at the Museum - don't waste your time. American feel good movie that wastes what little acting talent Ricky Gervais has.
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Post by jainser »

Watched 'Click' the other night with the lovely Kate Beckinsale and some other actor called Adam Sandler!!!

It was OK.

"So Pete why'd ya buy this film"

"Oh you know bub read a couple of reviews, sounded OK, got Christopher Walken in it and that american guy Adam Sandler"

"No other reason"

"Errrrrr"


"You're very sad"
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Post by Tom Barrick »

jainser wrote:Watched 'Click' the other night with the lovely Kate Beckinsale and some other actor called Adam Sandler!!!

It was OK.

"So Pete why'd ya buy this film"

"Oh you know bub read a couple of reviews, sounded OK, got Christopher Walken in it and that american guy Adam Sandler"

"No other reason"

"Errrrrr"


"You're very sad"
The wife liked this one quite a bit. I couldn't bring myself to take a look, even if Kate was in it. :P
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Post by Tom Barrick »

webberg wrote:My film watching is limited to what the kids like but there's some good stuff out there.

Saw the 2nd Pirates of the caribbean recently. I like Depp as an actor and thought he saved it. Nighy was brilliant. Orlando Bloom is a bit too pretty and I'm always wondering where his pointy ears and bow are. Good swashbuckler though and obviously another one to come.

Over the Hedge - very good and funny.

Flushed Away - very very good. Bill Nighy again is great in the voice over and the script is excellent. Great soundtrack that includes Jet.

Night at the Museum - don't waste your time. American feel good movie that wastes what little acting talent Ricky Gervais has.
Haven't seen 2nd Pirates, but agree on Over the Hedge. Also, just watched Flushed Away(fun!) and Night at the Museum...the previews are actually better than the movie. No need to watch. Speaking of Ricky, isn't Extras throwing out another series soon? I need to get on that.
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Post by jainser »

Just (when I was rowing) watch 'Cold Comfort Farm' One of Kates earlier films. Boy was that shite.
I tell ya some of her early stuff was right dodgy.
I might have a word with Concept and see if there is a way to plug my remote in the rower.

2:00/500 - films plays at normal pace

Row slower and the films slows down (for some of the best bits when Kates running around in a black PVC outfit shooting the baddies with a big arsed gun)
Row faster and I can skip the rest of the movie.
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Post by Mike Channin »

I think it should be the other way round for the good bits. Row harder to get the slowmo. Slow down and it fast forwards. Should be great interval training.

I used to work with a guy who suddenly managed to lose a couple of stone in about a month. Turned out his secret was an exercise bike hooked up to the playstation and some racing games. Pedal hard to accelerate, etc. :roll:
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Post by Tom Barrick »

On "Cold Comfort Farm," I used to think that movie was going to be good because they showed it at the "special" theatre in Olde City, Philadelphia. Used to see quite a bit of good flicks there, like Usual Suspects and Shallow Grave(own them both now.) CCF was not that great, and I just couldn't take to Muriel's Wedding, like Jennifer.

Now, onto modern movies. Anyone have anything to say about The Departed or The DaVinci Code? Being born and raised in Catholicism, I really enjoyed DVC. Same with The Departed, although I had to watch it a few times to enjoy it even more. What do you think about one or the other, or them both? Next, we'll discuss Saw III. :twisted:
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Post by Gooner Neil »

I love Kate Beckinsale. Nothing to add just wanted to say that.

Oh personally I thouth Night at the Museum was great. Brain off eyes open. Although agree RG was wasted.
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Post by Tom Barrick »

Gooner Neil wrote:I love Kate Beckinsale. Nothing to add just wanted to say that.

Oh personally I thouth Night at the Museum was great. rain off eyes open. Although agree RG was wasted.
RG always seems to be wasted unless in a show, not a movie. Really confuses me because the guy has talent from here(......................................to there.)
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Post by jainser »

Gooner Neil wrote:I love Kate Beckinsale. Nothing to add just wanted to say that
Yeah people don't be shy, let the love flow come on shout to the world

KATE BECKINSALE IS LOVELY

:D :D :D :D
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Post by Mike Channin »

Saw King Kong (the Peter Jackson remake) the other day. Why is it that people ruin perfectly good storylines and general plots by throwing in a load of ridiculously implausible special effect sequences where the people in them would really get mashed in seconds??? The film is clearly too gory to be aimed at 5 year olds, and yet anyone older than 5 would just sit there and go "That's stupid - they'd be squashed flat in seconds"...

I'm all for suspending disbelief a bit, but there comes a point where you just stop bothering to watch the sequence with any interest as it is clearly so implausible that all suspense and drama is lost instantly...

(Mind you, a 30 foot gorilla would collapse as its bones snapped under its own weight anyway, so maybe this was already a lost cause...)
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Post by Mike Channin »

Re: RG - he does have talent undoubtedly, but having seen him on chat shows and in a few sitcoms, there is a very strong resemblance between his 'characters' and his own mannerisms and attitudes. If he was completely different 'off camera' I'd think he was a lot more talented, but I'm not certain how much he just plays himself in reality...
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Post by Jessica-Red »

Night at the Museum-fell asleep abt 20 times thats how good it was!!!!


Kate Beckinsale????????????????? never heard of HER!!!!! :lol:


Mr Depp-yum yum yum could eat him all up!

mr OOOHHHH OOOOHHHH 7 Craig- now your talking!
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Post by jainser »

Jessica-Red wrote:Kate Beckinsale????????????????? never heard of HER!!!!! :lol:
I'll just pretend I didn't read that.
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Post by Tom Barrick »

jainser wrote:
Jessica-Red wrote:Kate Beckinsale????????????????? never heard of HER!!!!! :lol:
I'll just pretend I didn't read that.

What is this world coming to?! :shock:
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Post by webberg »

JR, when the Jainser first mentioned said bimbo I had to run a google search to find her.

Suffice to say that her acting skills (sic) will never stand in the way of a career on screen. :twisted:

I would also have thought that the Jainser would have more affinity with Cameron Diaz (spell?).

Personally I don't find the current crop of anorexic, twig like, size 00, stick insects with plastic features and silicon enhancements very attractive. There was a piece in the paper this week about how men find women with slim waists alluring. This explains the Marilyn Monroe thing because I think she was a size 14.

So not only is having a slim waist attractive it's also healthy. I think I read somewhere that the ratio of waist to something is a measurement of how healthy you are?
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Post by jainser »

(fingers in ears) "....la la la la la....can't hear anything.......la la la"

"Never heard of her"
"....Bimbo..."

Gentlemen name me other English actresses that have either left our shores or are indeed still here?

Kate Winslet & Keira Knightley to get the ball rolling.....

Oh and to make it slightly harder I'm talking about good looking ones. (so you can write off Judi Dench!!!!)
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Post by webberg »

Who is the now admittedly old woman who played those cop things on TV? Does the ads for the leg room on BA planes? Helen Mirren.

I understand that she has a certain attraction.

I can't really answer this as I don't really follow film or TV. Seen some good looking stage actresses though.

I'm also told (by my wife) that the vamp character in Desperate Housewives is English although she has an American accent?

It's always been the case though that because Hollywood exists it attracts any actress/actor who wants to be "famous". Lots of non US thesbians (of varying degrees of skill) have made that journey.

What annoys me (reaches for soap box) is not that good looking people (of both sexes) who want to be "seen" go to America (or perhaps Bollywood as well these days), but that the film moguls think that the viewing public is stupid enough, gullable, whatever, to pay to watch pretty people with often no discernable talent. Unfortunately they are right and the viewing public therefore gets what it deserves!

This is creeping into UK TV as well. Long reagrded as being at the classier end of the TV spectrum our offerings are now on the same slippery slope.

Look at the schedules on a typical Saturday evening. Reality shows (cheap) presented by people who's only attribute is to be able to look good, read an autocue and stand still.

Cat Deeley - what can she actually do?
Ant and the other one - what's that all about?
Whoever presents BB - ??
Nameless bimbo on the dancing thing - just makes the other guy look old!

Sorry - have kicked soapbox to splinters now and will let you all go back to the eye candy.

Probably explains why I don't watch TV at weekends though.
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Post by Mike Channin »

Hahaha. Great soapbox moment there, Graham.

in answer to your questions:

Cat Deeley - what can she actually do?
Cat Deeley - is responsible for making CD UK (Saturday morning pop chart show) watched by a load of dads with their young kids. Had a friend who admitted this to me once. Pleasant on the eye, has a new hairstyle every single time, and rarely fluffs her autocue lines.

Ant and the other one - what's that all about?
Ant and Dec - less than one in three knows which is which. Once referred to as 'loveable Geordie glovepuppets'. Saw one of their specials where they had 'spitting image'-style (latex) puppets of them. Couldn't tell the difference. Main selling point - inoffensive. Did you know they always stand in order (Ant is always to the left of Dec - maybe they can't remember which is which)? And so that you know, Dec is the one with the oversized forehead. At least they've given up on the pop career...

Whoever presents BB - ??
Davina McCall - Seems to expand and contract like Oprah. Must be hard to find someone who can sound genuinely excited about the mindless rubbish that is BB. She does that well, without sounding too lobotomised. Leave that to Jade Goody (ex-BB and famous for being stupid. Not just a bit stupid, so amazingly stupid that you find it hard to believe she remembers to breathe. Tried to run the london marathon last year after no training and curry and chinese the night before. Ended up in an ambulance. Admitted to not knowing how far it was while being taken away... A true shining example of what is wrong with the reality TV culture that is rotting away people's brains)

Nameless bimbo on the dancing thing - just makes the other guy look old!
Vernon Kaye - tall bloke with bowl haircut who is/was apparently a model, and his wife Tess Daly (also ex-model, inoffensive on the eye, looks like all presenters of these kind of shows). (I didn't know this and had to ask someone who she was recently)

I think it all started going downhill when they started putting otherwise talentless people in front of autocues and calling it tv.

I think they should ban autocues for one day, just so we can see who actually has any talent. Probably let the newsreaders off that though - they have enough trouble pronouncing funny words and trying to look sincere.
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Post by webberg »

Mike, my soapbox is made of stern stuff and certainly today I need it because I'm doing an analysis of tax legislation - yawn. Important (for me anyway) but bl00dy dull, dull, dull.

I think what's really sad is when actors of genuine talent are sucked into the mindless blackhole of TV in order to be seen and no doubt pay the mortgage of their mansion in Chelsea.

A few years ago I saw Robert Lindsay in Henry IV at the Savoy. I'd seen him in many TV things like Citizen Smith (cue Wolfie) and intelligent plays on TV like GBH. He was fantastic on stage. Real presence and charisma.

Saw he was in some TV thing over Christmas with a title with "Family" in the name. Watched 3 minutes of truely appalling "comic" sitcom with him and Zoe Wannamaker (who I have met incidentally on the set of Harry Potter). What a piece of cr4p!

Do they really have to do this?

I like actors like Michael Gambon. He admits to doing TV because he needs the money and endlessly takes the pi$$ out of himself and the whole genre whilst also taking their dollars. Go see him on stage - he's great.

This morning I was on the (late again) train and the middle aged woman next to me was "reading" Hello. It's full of pictures of twiglets and pretty boys I've never heard of! Why do people want to see these pictures and read vacuous interviews. Wht do people think that just because they have a picture published in a magazine that they can be great philosophers. Why do rock and pop musicians think that they have solutions to burning questions on intolerance, famine, war, etc?

I suppose the answer is partly that they are generation icons and therefore have access to politicians and others of influence and as those people need to be seen to be popular then they can promote a message. I do worry though about the message.

This is especially the case when you get to the stupid(er) end of celebrity lists. What sort of message are these people giving? Starve yourself - have the surgery - get on TV - think nothing.

As you can see this is a subject that really angers me probably because whatever I might say it's only going to get worse.

This is why I like this club. No stars, no pretentions and you're listened to because you belong, not because you do 2k in sub 6 mins or 50k a day.

Another soapbox please barman - this one's broken as well.
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Post by JanetS »

Jainser wrote: Gentlemen name me other English actresses that have either left our shores or are indeed still here?
I have never been accused of being a gentleman..... :wink: but may I offer Ms Catherine Zeta Jones for consideration ( overlooking the Welshness obviously!)
Webberg wrote:So not only is having a slim waist attractive it's also healthy. I think I read somewhere that the ratio of waist to something is a measurement of how healthy you are?
She sure wins on that count!
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Post by ptruz »

I have to say.....whenever this conversation falls to these depths I always look for Janet's response.....and there always is a Janet response...and again she shows the best taste.

Katherine Zeta.....the old and heavier she gets (so far) she is the best of what has been offered here.

I think we should get up a collection and send her a model D. MAybe our official charity!
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Post by webberg »

Peter, I think she might have a couple of impediments to using a mod D properly. Namely her own "D's"

Or perhaps that should be her children and old old old old husband.

Sorry bit of alliteration there.
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