Well, I'm probably going to be charged with treason for saying this... but I suspect Peter Jackson's director gong (and the whole Return of the King juggernaut) was rewarding a spectacularly successful trilogy, as…

Yes, that IS how its supposed to work... but frequently doesnt.

Often, "The Academy" takes on a Borg-like collective intelligence and votes for a winner that doesnt actually deserve it on this years…

Dreamgirls... I didnt dislike it as much as others have mentioned, but I agree it aint Oscar material. I didnt think my time had been wasted.

The Queen. Wasnt expecting much, but it was pretty good. Probably still not Oscar material, but a…

I concur with rodgerd above, Labyrinth has come through the years more kindly than The Dark Crystal which seemed much much longer than I remembered.

I CONCUR. My sister got me the DVD for Christmas, and it's still a great watch. Also, I never really noticed before how Hoggle's shortness…

Watching Labyrinth again as an adult was disconcerting. I didn't remember the Connelly character (Sarah?) being so young, and I also didn't recall the (now)…

C'mon it's kiddie crap and it's aged really badly

Funny, last time I watched it I was surprised how well it had aged – way better than the Dark Crystal.

I think you and Muriel have got your wires crossed

Craig, say it ain't so! I was just delivering a completely self indulgent and probably redundant whoosh!

I realised Muriel was referring to Pan's...

Which I haven't seen but it sounds like I would enjoy. Doesn't sound like I'll find…

I think you and Muriel have got your wires crossed: I warmly recommend catching Pan's Labryinth, but it's not a DVD to show the kiddies unless you want 'em running around with knives, playing Fascist Torturer while chanting in Spanish "you're not the first pig I've gutted, motherfucker." (I…

You are joking?

Moi?

Del Toro's Labyrinth is a masterpiece. A wonderfully dark adult fairytale

Heh, brutal. C'mon it's kiddie crap and it's aged really badly. Even Jennifer Connelly is too young to be hot.

Ahh, too young to be hot, now there's a subject...

you remind me of the babe........

Labyrinth was horrible. It had Muppets in FFS.

You are joking? Del Toro's Labyrinth is a masterpiece. A wonderfully dark adult fairytale, that is layered in metaphor and message. It is such an intelligent piece of cinema beautifully directed. Incredibly imaginative, bleak and brutal but ultimately filled with warmth and…

Some good kiwi scoping coming up soon – old fashioned splatter in "Black Sheep" (it will be awesome), & "Eagle vs. Shark".
Exciting times & no wetas in sight!

I was interested in the buzz for 'The Devil Dared Me To' from non-target audiences after both Great Blends. I think it helped…

There definitely is a correlation between women of a certain age and David Bowie's role as Goblin King. I recall my first real girlfriend telling me of, um, first discovering a certain pleasurable pasttime while watching that film.

Muppets don't ruin a film per se. Although I'd…

Oh, God yes. Don't ask why,…

Heh, Bowie was ok, but the Kermit factor was way…

Andrew "Yes, the redemptive power of baking... set to music. Don't do it, you'll get diabetes."

Bro –

Careful dissing that High School Musical thing, if they could navigate their way through…

Exciting times & no wetas in sight!

Weta Workshop did practical effects on Black Sheep I think.

As for films looking ok today... even the first LOTR looks dated now! watch it again & you'll see what i…

I'd pick up Farscape or the aforementioned Mirrormask, and tell me the Henson Company's only contribution to Western Civ. is Big Bird...

Fair enough but my comment was aimed at Labyrinth, not the Henson Company per se.

Sesame Street was cool, but only the early series when Mr Hooper was…

Heh, Bowie was ok, but the Kermit factor was way too high.

Well, it is a kids movie... still not a patch on The Princess Bride though. Gotta give them credit, taking centuries of european storytelling, blending it up with some MC Escher, 80s synth pop, lashings of ham and…

Whereas, it's our patriotic duty to drool over anything with Wetas in it. :) I'd pick up Farscape or the aforementioned Mirrormask, and tell me the Henson Company's only contribution to Western Civ. is Big Bird and the inter-species freak-a-palooza that his…

United 93: Seriously, how the f*** do you CHAT LOUDLY through the final climatic seconds of this movie?! Some people need a tasering.

U93's fictional German-as-a-coward sequence was appalling, especially when one considers that this poor man a) died in the crash, and b) has living relatives.

Why the filmmakers…

Meh... I think Scorsese is finally going to get his best director nod, out of sheer collective embarrassment on the part of the Academy. It's just a shame he's going to get it for a messy, self-indulgent remake of a superior Hong…

would pay money to see the skexies "dance majic dance" though.....

....anyone else seen Mirrormask? hensoncorps official third part to the "dark muppet" trilogy!

the skexies were like muppets, yes, but with leprosy. i can still remember 25 years later the collective "ohm" hummed by the mystics to alter the planet's vibration. awesome!

I think it's a cardinal sin to mix up The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, only one of those had Jennifer Connelly…

Be prepared to be torn to pieces by the many many girls who grew up with David Bowie's bulge.

Heh, Bowie was ok, but the Kermit factor was way too high.

it wasn't david bowie's bulge that made me adore labyrinth, it was more to do with *shock, horror* a girl in the leading role.

the skexies were like muppets, yes, but with leprosy. i can still remember 25 years later the collective "ohm" hummed by the…

Labyrinth was horrible. It had Muppets in FFS.

Oh Peter, you're stepping into dangerous territory there. Be prepared to be torn to pieces by the many many girls who grew up with David Bowie's bulge.

I've enjoyed – and memorised all the lyrics to – a few musicals in my time. Grease. The Sound of Music. Labyrinth. All good films.

Labyrinth was horrible. It had Muppets in FFS.

Children Of Men: very cool, wide-ranging setting and the long shot, saving-private-ryan scenes are impressive but couldn't escape the feeling that they were trying to cram too much story into the time allowed. Was not surprised to find out afterwards that it was based on a pulp sci-fi…

and for, just me although i want all the world to agree weith me unless I'm enjoying some huuge big home theatre set up nothing beats actually going to The Movies.

How about A Cock and Bull Story?

thanks for the tip; i'll check it out. i like winterbottom (except "9 songs"). & i like steve coogan, despite him being the dog who was married to my cousin (poor lass!).

a great comment on what those pagents are actually all about.

hmmm...…

For the record, I share similar 'emperor's new clothes' concerns about Thank You For Smoking – did anyone else really not notice it was feelgood,…

what's so great about "little miss sunshine"? from the promo stuff it appears to be about a precocious brat...

nah, the premise is "dysfunctional family are forced into a small space and learn to get along".

it's heartwarming if not ever-so-slightly cheesy.

the heroin-sniffing grandfather teaching the wee girl her…

It made me hard pushed to think of any outstanding Brit films in the last few years.

How about A Cock and Bull Story?

All class and perfect casting.

watching them all @ the local moviehouse would cost @ least $500. & the schedules might not work around yours. & you can't press the stop button to go to the lav. plus you have to deal with queues of punters.

so, others, what's so…

I think I might have to watch that High School Musical thing to get my musical fix.

Yes, the redemptive power of baking... set to music. Don't do it, you'll get diabetes.

There was only one good song ("And I am teeeeeling yew"). Everything else was just…

Children of men. bleak? i guess....but smooth eh?

and those long shots, through the building at the end? fark!!!!

and the most exciting yet slow chase scene ever! (down the hill).

BTW the way I have to plug for my…

It made me hard pushed to think of any outstanding Brit films in the last few years.

Anyone?

This ballot form has all the categories, & all the nominees in each category, so yes I did believe the…

That's not how it works & you all know it.

BTW – in Simon Morris's absence on Natrad last night, they had the BBC…

Without wanting to pre-empt my next post, and thus make me even more redundant than normal, I have to disagree about the Queen. It was watchable yes, but Oscar material?…

whaddaya recommend we check the boxes for then??

Lest my comment about bleakness put you off, I recommend both Children of Men and Babel.

I'd also tick The Departed and The Good Shepherd

it's a copy from a winner, who is sharing them around (with most of the southern burbs, no doubt) for collective results.

i…

The actual 'musical' scenes were few and far between.. but wow they were lonnnnnnggggggggggggg and really bad.

The film was definitely 30 minutes too long.

The US entertainment press stories that mention racism in regards…