What have you watched recently?

run_Forrest_run

just finished Melancholia, I'm sick of Von Trier now...absolute ****e. The main idea could have worked if his cast and background story wasn't so utterly nonsensical.

Judgement Day

Last night I watched "Tombstone" 1993 (50 cents on VHS from a local charity shop) - a cheap night's entertainment indeed. I love Westerns and although I had seen a bit of this on TV some time ago it surpassed my expectations. One of the best takes I've seen on the 'shoot-out at the OK Corral' and both Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday) and Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp) turn in superb performances. While the action flags a little towards the very end, it's a real classic and would come close to "Unforgiven" as my favourite Western of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTWYKf5hXIg

rednik

Tower heist, good fun and not too demanding. Very good cast work well together. I had taken a strong dislike to Ben Stiller recently but he is very good in this. Some good laughs and well worth a watch.

bnt

Watched Thank You For Smoking this evening. Aaron Eckhardt was excellent, but I thought it kind-of bottled out at the end.

PS: The senator played by William H Macy is named Ortolan Finistirre - such a weird name that I thought it might be an anagram. It might be - would you call him a Senior Infiltrator? (IMDB has an alternative explanation, involving a restaurant and the end of the Earth.)

SnakePlissken

Gee Bag wrote: »

Have been doing a bit of a John Carpenter retorspective, watched They Live last night. Feckin' great show. Now I have to face up to the grim, grim neccessity of having to watch Vampires & Ghosts of Mars.

Unfortunately after those you'll have to contend with his most recent, The Ward. A more generic, insipid piece of film-making you'll have difficulty finding, a poor bookend to an oeuvre which, though replete with many missteps and ill-judgements, was never bland.

krudler

SnakePlissken wrote: »

Unfortunately after those you'll have to contend with his most recent, The Ward. A more generic, insipid piece of film-making you'll have difficulty finding, a poor bookend to an oeuvre which, though replete with many misssteps and ill-judgements, was never bland.

Its hard to believe the same person who made The Ward and Ghosts of Mars made The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Halloween,Escape From New York and They Live, once the 80's ended so did Carpenters creativity apparently.

Tindie

I am watching whole corn series this week

So far I have seen
Children of the Corn (1984) for second time, not seen it for years
I like it bit better this time round, i did not find Isaac annoying as I did last time,
This movie is really entertaining from start to end, it not that boring but there are some quite moments in the movie, it was not that gory, there are some good jumpy moment, (I did Jump once in this movie lol , getting old).
Acting is really good from everyone, even two nice kids!
I give this movie 7 out of 10

Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)
This was not bad at all, its not great but it was decent movie, as some nice death scenes were real well made, there were some boring moment in the movie and I was little disappointing how the movie ended and acting is not great but watchable
5 out of 10 Good movie

Children of the Corn 3
This was really good, this better then second in series, the whole movie was really entertainer, there was neat death scenes, so odd special effects as well, Decent acting from some part of the cast.
I enjoyed this movie I going to give this movie 7 out of 10

Children of the Corn 4
it was lot better then i thought it would be, it some really good moment, decent acting from the whole cast, some good deaths scene as well, with a tad gory at times.
I enjoyed this movie good movies
5 out of 10 (I am enjoying Corn series so far!)

SnakePlissken

krudler wrote: »

Its hard to believe the same person who made The Ward and Ghosts of Mars made The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Halloween,Escape From New York and They Live, once the 80's ended so did Carpenters creativity apparently.

I do have an aching soft spot for Escape from L.A however

Mickeroo

SnakePlissken wrote: »

I do have an aching soft spot for Escape from L.A however

Well of course you do. :pac:

Captain Darling

I just watched Escape from New York there. Thought it was ok. I loved the music in it. Must watch more Carpenters earlier stuff.

<insert hipster photo here>

Voodu Child

In the Name of the King 2
Terrible crap from Uwe Boll.

There's one scene early on where it is supposed to be cold and the actors spend about five minutes blowing smoke or dry ice at each other. Actually pursing their lips and making blowing faces while talking, and trying to 'out blow' each other. Its like something out of Friends where Joey is spitting at Gary Oldman :pac:

AstridBean

'Being John Malkovich'

Meh, it was OK, didn't like it as much as I anticipated I would. Disliked all the characters, just found it unpleasant. Doubt I'll watch it again. Most definitely overrated.

D'Agger

50/50

Best movie I've seen all year tbqh - loved every second of it.

The way it jumped from sad, depressing moments to those of sheer hilarity was excellent.

That_Guy

Senna: What an incredible documentary about Ayrton Senna, the Formula 1 driver. Very moving and very enjoyable.

I think I heard Mark Kermode saying that it's not even nominated for an Oscar this year which if true, is a terrible shame.

I strongly recommend this film for those who haven't seen it.

Tony EH

Warning: Spoilers

'The Thing'

While not a patch on Carpenter's 1982 version, the 2011 prequel is far from being the inept "premake" that a lot of fans worried it would be. The most unfortunate...er...things about 'The Thing' is it's unimaginative title, which may well cause problems for both movies in years to come. Universal may, ironically, end up calling the earlier film 'The Thing 2'...ugh.

The other worry was brought about in the Hollywood-ism of having a 20 something hottie at the centre of the story. This time in the shape of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays a somewhat unbelievable 27 year old Paleontologist (Kate Lloyd), who is asked by Dr. Sander Halvorson (Eric Christian Olsen) to accompany him and his assistant (whom Kate knows) to the South Pole to investigate a "structure" and a "specimen" that has been buried in the ice for over 100,000 years and has been recently discovered by a Norwegian Antarctic research team. Obviously, the creature gets loose and causes havoc among the human members of the research team.

Winstead, though not bad in her role, grates a little, as she's a little too young to buy into and the fact that there are young female characters (there's a 20 something Norwegian sweetie too) at all swanning around Antarctica in the early 1980's needs a little suspension of disbelief. Carpenter's all male cast in the 1982 version better reflected the true nature of staff in those ice-bound research facilities. Though today, it's a very different story, of course. On the plus side, Winstead carries herself well and there's no annoying romantic sub-plot, thank Christ.

The other characters are fine in their roles too and tend to speak Norwegian to each other, but there are too many that can conveniently speak English to the "must have" Americans who are drafted into the story.

The story itself suffers somewhat from a retreading of Carpenter's version, inevitably I suppose and a lot of shots are quite similar too. The research station is very like the US station in the 1982 'The Thing' which may have been the case in real life, who knows. But it does go someway to making the prequel seem too familiar at times. But, on the plus side, it's never boring and the characters react to their situation in a relatively logical manner.

The effects are quite well done too and the CGI, though evident, doesn't overwhelm the project too much. Though it's obvious where the rubber ends and the pixels begin. The Thing itself appears in a number of crazy forms and there are a couple of gruesome deaths, but overall, Rob Bottin's physical creations are far superior than the computer generated effects here. There are a few too many "boo" scenes though and the alien isn't so much bothered with hiding from the humans as trying to kill them in spectacular ways. Carpenter's alien makes efforts to conceal itself until the game is up and it has no choice but to reveal itself.

One thing I've never understood about the "Thing" is why it never makes any effort to communicate with the human characters of either film. It's clearly an intelligent being and can absorb everything from the creatures it takes over, including language. But, suppose that wouldn't make for a very interesting film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2kASeEXUo

Ridley

Mickeroo wrote: »

Well of course you do. :pac:

Good to see you got thanks from Otacon aswell.

Revolver Ocelot's supposed to be Lee Van Cleef but his head is so John Carpenter.

Captain Darling wrote: »

I just watched Escape from New York there. Thought it was ok. I loved the music in it. Must watch more Carpenters earlier stuff.

I love the Escape theme. You're watching LA aswell, right?

johnny_ultimate

A rare three film day!

Charlie Casanova: A rant in search of a film. It gets by on sure manic enthusiasm and brute force, but as a film it is a structureless, paceless mess that's repetitive, loud and exhausting. We're forced to listen to every mad ideology the film puts forward and critiques, but there wafer-thin story never reacts to it. It's totally different to anything Ireland has ever produced, and Terry McMahon wins points for making a film that tries to say something. Unfortunately, it says way too much.

Lotus Eaters: sticking with Irish productions, this is a mumblecore-esque film about a group of affluent twenty/thirty-something Londoners and their relationships. Initially, these spoiled people are unappealing to the extreme, but the director's keen observational eye leads to some unusually compelling characters and situations (some surprisingly poignant). There's a contrived dramatic indulgence or two, but overall I liked it, especially the soothing black & white photography. Bonus points for having an emotional peak set around the Magnetic Field's classic Papa Was a Rodeo. Minus points for it being a cover.

Devil: nonsense.

Bassboxxx

Confessions (Kokuhaku)
Just watched this tonight. It was a bit hard to watch at times due to being slow in spots, but some great scenes made up for it. I was a bit lost at times as to where it was going, but this added to my enjoyment if anything. Defo worth a watch I'd say..

Tindie

Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)

I have been really looking forward to this movie

I Really enjoyed this movie, there are a lot of funny moments and most funniest part are with the cops, they cracked me up in every scene they were in. there are some good ones lines from everyone.

There is also family drama at the same times, and the deaths scene in this movie are gory and funny ( all of the deaths are in the trailer, if you not seen the trailer yet, DON'T , it will ruin most of the movie. and There is also little curve in story
.
I was little disappointing that it was not as funny as i hope it to be, however I still found it really funny and really enjoyable
8 out of 10

PandyAndy

The Guard

I don't think Gleeson could have done a better job. His character was brilliant. All the actors were superb, Cheadle, the drug runners, Boyle's mum. Loved the ending too.

9/10.

Contagion

Another very good movie.

A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

8/10.

krudler

Cowboys & AliensL Or Daniel Craig Looks Bored In a Bat Hat While Harrison Ford Forgets How To Act.

yaaawwwwwwn, dull dull dull movie, it could, and should, have been fun, but its a snorefest, didnt care why anything was happening to anyone. least Olivia Wilde is pretty in it.

iLikeWaffles

Just watched: I Saw The Devil what a film the best I've seen in a long while. Gorey as f*** not for the faint hearted! 10 stars.....

delbertgrady

The Artist.
A masterpiece. Believe the hype.

Cantona's Collars

The Dreamers

Caught this on Film 4 last night.

Bernardo Bertolucci's drama set during the 1968 student riots in Paris.

A strange movie that normally I wouldn't like but ended up watching.The brother & sister's relationship is a bit disturbing especially the sex scenes with their new friend and lodger who's an American student they took under their wing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309987/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1brBVMBkM

Fishooks12

Doubt

Overall I found it very enjoyable mainly down to some fantastic performances from Streep, Adams and PSH

Could have been so much more in the hands of a more capable director. Pacing was all over the place and some of the characters underused in terms of their development.

Well worth a watch though just for the confrontation scene between Streep and PSH.

johnny_ultimate

Las Acacias - a truck driver with a load full o'lumber picks up a woman and her baby in Paraguay as a favour to his boss. They drive to Buenos Aires. And yeah, that's pretty much it! The kind of slow paced, almost insomniac film that critics' wet dreams are made of. Nothing about it is particularly original, and the long takes and minimal dialogue won't be for everyone. But you warm to the characters as they warm to each other, and there are numerous moments of affecting and understated emotion as the road trip continues. It's foreign independent cinema by the numbers in some regards, yet still an admirably relaxed and focused films. Won't change your perspective on cinema or anything, but certainly passable if you have a high tolerance for nothing happening.

kraggy

The Two Escobars

Watched it as I saw it recommended on here a few times. Wow. Very good documentary. Don't worry if you're not into soccer. I'm not so into soccer that I'd enjoy loads of soccer docs or dramas. This is just as much about the effect of Pablo Escobar, the drugs lord and his effect on Colombia than the tragedy of Andreas Escobar, the Colombian soccer player who was murdered on his return from the World Cup USA 1994 for scoring an own goal.

Very tightly made with great editing, great music and amazing footage of both Pablo and Andreas rises to fame.

Highly recommend it.

johnny_ultimate

Tabloid - brilliantly entertaining documentary from Errol Morris. Sort of like Rashomon as truth and fiction become inseparably intertwined. It focuses on the story of Joyce McKinney, who got involved in a bizarre situation affectionately dubbed the 'mormon sex in chains case'. Goes onto examine how tabloid newspapers in the UK became obsessed with her and the story. McKinney is an insanely motivated, kooky and ultimately sad & lonely subject, and the story is just full of unusual twist and turns as it probes the very nature of celebrity and tabloid journalism.

A few overly-cynical critics seem to bemoan the fact that it doesn't focus on as grand themes as some of Morris' other stuff. Who the hell cares when the result is a documentary as engaging, funny, surprising and thoughtful as this?

rednik

Fright Night 3D on blu ray. Excellent 3D, one of the darkest movies I have seen in a long time. No comparison to the original. Cast is very good especially David Tennant. Not many light humour moments but still worth a watch.

Mickeroo

Mike Leigh's Another Year

Really very good film. A little bit depressing (more biterseet really) in some ways, thin on plot but very deep in character. Great performances all round.