To clarify it's because all the non-Americans were annoying and got in the way.

Skyfall - Got to the bit with the elevator and couldn't take any more; it had already begun with a scene right out of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. The mainstream critics must have been whisked around the world to lie about this clunker. Even the background music's overbearing!

Three films in, do we really need shots of Bond drinking heavily and being 'moody'? We've known he's a bit of a twat from Royale, never mind QoS. They haven't a bloody clue what to do with him, so lazily he's a moody drunk who's 'too old for this sh1t'

Yeah I have felt all of Craig's Bonds a bit "different" - less refined, more brusque and IMO the third film felt nowhere near the old Bond films. Agree it was very predictable.

In other words much closer to the man in the books than the usually awful outings we've had to date.

The Hobbit

Well that was a bit rubbish. It was fun, but I think I'd recommend not watching it in 3D.

The film itself was padded out and rather slow paced. They literally made a song and dance about the most unimportant parts. I wasn't expecting a panto. Then of course, just as it's getting to the good bit it suddenly ends. I'll have to watch the next two, but I feel suckered by the marketing men because they should have just made one great film instead of 3 mediocre ones.

The 3D was very over done. I believe that 3D should subtly add extra depth to create a more immersive visual experience. Instead they used every opportunity to have things flying around your head, and they chose inconsistent and visually confusing perspectives. It would have perhaps been fine for a funny cartoon, but filming serious live action in 3D needs a great deal more consideration to exactly where in the world the viewer is supposed to feel they are. I felt like I was an inch away looking up with a worm's eye view, and then in a split second hurled far away for a bird's eye view.

I find most things crap in 3D - at the best, it's distracting and at worse, it's headache- and nausea-inducing. Do you feel if they had quickened the pace by making it a two-parter, it would have come across as better or was it still too crap to be saved?

I've not seen the next 2 films in the series so it's hard to judge really, but I'm guessing Yes.

From what I have seen from interviews the book is actually quite thin so they bulked out the film with a back story from all the appendices.

3D can work as long as it's not too brisk and violent. he majority of films in 3D are convert in post and are not filmed or edited with 3D in mind. I have seen some by good 3D, and some very bad.

Not seen The Hobbit yet - but I plan to. Maybe I'll get to see it over the weekend.

It's not difficult to overstate how interesting a novel The Hobbit is, it's a linear story about dwarves on an adventure and then Bilbo finds a ring and engages in some riddles in the dark. Great for kids, not something an adult would want to read more than once, out of curiosity.

It's nowhere near as good as LOTR, years ago when they said they were making a Hobbit film next, I thought they were joking.

Contagion

Really enjoyed it

I thought it was dross - and was one of a number of recent films I've struggled to remain fully awake throughout the duration....

Which brings me nicely too....

Skyfall.

And....

Dark Knight Rises.

WOW. WOW, WOW, WOW. What an amazing exercise in hype both of they were/are. I watched both yesterday - the weather wasn't great so I had a lazy day in - and suffice to say, I was left fairly unimpressed by both. I shan't go into detail why, no point dissecting them, but they were both very weak compared to the (built up expectations).

I agree on Skyfall and TDKR - I don't remember seeing an 'honest' mainstream review for either

Define "honest". Just because you don't agree with the opinion of the reviewer doesn't allow you to conclude that the review was somehow corrupt.

It's entirely possible for two people to see the same film and get different things from it, or come away with different opinions of it. For example, I suspect my opinion of the Dark Knight Returns (in fact the entire recent trilogy) is markedly different from yours but I'm entirely certain nobody has paid me anything to influence that opinion.

(note: I have no great wish to get into a discussion about those films, so should you wish to, you'd be doing it on your own).

Jon

I've just watched TDKR about half an hour ago and thought it was really good, much better than the second one.