Movies Movies Movies

Last weekend was a bit of a film-fest for me. I managed the grand total of 3 films in 3 nights. Lately, I have struggled to find the time and desire to watch movies. I record them on my Sky+ box, and they sit there for 3 months until I either force myself to watch them or delete them to make more space for newer ones.

These days, I have a very small window of opportunity for entertainment/hobbies. So, its not easy to sit down for 2 1/2 hours to watch a film when you have so many other things vying for your attention (PS3, learning, working, blogs, surfing, exercise, photography, Heros, etc etc).

So on Friday night, I decided to watch Shooter (Mark Walhberg). Its a good old fashion action movie in the mould of Rambo/Jason Bourne. An ex-army sniper, recruited by a government agency to help foil a Presidential assassination, but is set up to take the fall. He goes on the run and sets about clearing his name and getting bloody revenge. If you like action films then you should definitely check it out.

On Saturday night, we picked another film that had been on the planner for a while, Lords of Dogtown (Heath Ledger). The film portrays the group of kids from Venice, CA who revolutionised Skateboarding in the 70s and went on to become superstars overnight. It is a fascinating look into the origins of extreme sport as we know it. Ledger was excellent as the hippy surf shop owner and mentor of the kids, but its the skateboarding that steals the show. I wish I had heard of these guys when I was a kid

On Sunday night, I finally got the chance to see The Dark Knight (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger). I don’t think I need to explain this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the film (though maybe not as much as Batman Begins). Ledger portrayed a darker and ultimately more sadistic and believable Joker than Jack Nickolson. I would have liked to see his character developed more though. I also think the film could have used a bit more of a storyline, especially with Bruce Wayne. The love triangle between Bruce, Harvey Dent and Rachel dawes didn’t exactly set the screen on fire. The emergence of Two-Face was a real highlight of the film but was almost a side story.

So 3 nights, 3 great films. I am in the process of changing how I get my movies. Now that I have a BluRay player, I am going to trial the LoveFilm.com rental service instead of Sky Movies/Extra Vision. They have a bigger selection of BD titles and are possibly a good trade off between the convenience of Sky and choice of a video shop. I will let you know how it goes.