What have you watched recently?

grohlisagod

Bronson.

Odd doesn't even begin to cover the film or the man. No idea what to make of it really.

Hardy is captivating though and Nicolas Winding Refn once again shows he flair for soundtracks.

Rothko

grohlisagod wrote: »

Bronson.

Odd doesn't even begin to cover the film or the man. No idea what to make of it really.

Hardy is captivating though and Nicolas Winding Refn once again shows he flair for soundtracks.

I just watched that on Film Four too. It is an odd film in parts but Tom Hardy has a great performance in it.

Tony EH

Judgement Day wrote: »

"The Thin Red Line" (1998) I somehow managed to avoid it previously but bought it secondhand today... ...I guess Terrence Mallick should be congratulated for his modern-day version of "The Emperor's New Clothes".

The Film has its moments though. The attack on the Japanese held bunker was very well handled and the tension building up to it was very good too. I liked Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Elias Koteas in it.

But, you're entirely correct about the incredibly misfired monologues. For me they are the worst thing about the film. They're unbelievably ridiculous, especially when one considers that men in combat wouldn't have been waxing lyrical to themselves.

If you think it was long, imagine how much longer it would have been if Malick had has his way. Entire performances were cut from the film. George Clooneys role was whittled down to a 5 minute cameo at the end. Gary Olman, Mickey Rourke, Martin Sheen and loads of others simply ended up on the cutting room floor after Malick's 5 1/2 cut was deemed excessive.

Malick has one good flim in him and that was 'Badlands'. 'Days of Heaven' was a borefest too, which somehow has managed to garner a lot of praise.

e_e

Judgement Day wrote: »

And as for the critical praise of the film, I am baffled; I guess Terrence Mallick should be congratulated for his modern-day version of "The Emperor's New Clothes".

While I understand that Malick's films aren't for everyone I actually despise when people use such statements as "Emperor's New Clothes". Implying that people are pretending to like it due to some ulterior motive or pretensions, it's very condescending to people who genuinely love the director's films. Hell I wouldn't have seen it 3 times on DVD and once in the cinema if I didn't have some honest and emotional reaction to it. It's an incredibly moving film.

Raoul

Just watched Fanboys.

It is about 4 mates who are big Star Wars fans, one of them has a terminal illness so they decide to take a cross country trip to try and break in and see Episode 1.

An enjoyable watch. Hungover today so it was exactly what I needed. Lots of good cameos aswell. Just good fun really.

Judgement Day

Nope, sorry but The Thin Red Line is massively over-rated rubbish and the is one of the worst war films I've ever seen. Francis Ford Coppola used many of the same filming techniques in "Apocalypse Now" but he wasn't hung up on them and used them sparingly. The latter movie will be remembered long after the The Thin Red Line is forgotten about. Incidentally, what's with the title? The 'thin red line' is a reference to the British army of Kipling's era holding down the Empire with minimal resources.



The true "thin red line" from the movie Zulu.

Tipsy McSwagger

I thought the thin red line was a good movie and worth watching for Nick Nolte's performance alone.

johnny_ultimate

1/10 for the Thin Red Line? Really? Fair enough if you didn't like it, but surely you could appreciate its aesthetic values, performances and soundtrack? I was lucky enough to get to see it for the first time in the IFI last year and thought it was hypnotic - probably tied with Days of Heaven for my favourite Malick film. The atmosphere and tone of it just wooed me completely, and it's a thoughtful, beautiful take on a 'genre' I tend to have very little time for. I wouldn't even lump it in with other war films, as I consider it to be on a higher spiritual, thematic and artistic plain completely. I also think the opening segment of the film on the island is one of the greatest opening gambits cinema history. That choir soundtrack: electrifying. It's a film where beautiful is the only appropriate word, and I really think it's just a captivating experience.

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

Tony EH

Judgement Day wrote: »

Nope, sorry but The Thin Red Line is massively over-rated rubbish and the is one of the worst war films I've ever seen. Francis Ford Coppola used many of the same filming techniques in "Apocalypse Now" but he wasn't hung up on them and used them sparingly. The latter movie will be remembered long after the The Thin Red Line is forgotten about. Incidentally, what's with the title? The 'thin red line' is a reference to the British army of Kipling's era holding down the Empire with minimal resources.



The true "thin red line" from the movie Zulu.

Actually, that's 'Zulu Dawn'. But, yeh, The Thin Red Line is simply an old 19th Century British Army reference, first used in the Crimea to remark about a lesser group standing against a larger group. Why James Jones used it as a title for his novel, is beyond me.

In the film, I think the title possibly refers to the Japanese defenders on the island and not the overwhelming American forces. That's the way I see it anyhow.

McChubbin

The Dark Knight Rises. Without a doubt the best Batman movie I've ever seen.

grohlisagod

Jindabyne on BBC2. Thought provoking, "Deliverance" style film with excellent performances from Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney in the leads. Well worth a watch.

e_e

Judgement Day wrote: »

The latter movie will be remembered long after the The Thin Red Line is forgotten about.

Seeing as we're still talking about The Thin Red Line 14 years after its release, I don't think this statement holds any weight at all. In fact more people are copping on to the film's greatness than when it was released.

e_e

...and I don't think Apocalypse Now is similar in style at all.

old hippy

I haven't seen a bad Malick flick yet. Mind you, I haven't seen his most recent.

Watched The Incredible Hulk; mindless fun and the CGI trickery more convincing than Ang Lee's effort.

Also saw Children of Men - very convinincing dystopian future with Clive Owen, Julianne Moore. Not what I expected.

thelegendary

1.Snow white and the huntsman
2.Men in black 3
3.Another earth
4.A Thousand words

Hootanany

Muck very very bad could have been good. It was really really muck

quickbeam

Hot Tub Time Machine - didn't laugh once. Totally overhyped.

briany

Source Code (2011) : A military captain is sent to investigate the bombing of a Chicago passenger train through a breakthrough regressive/out of body technology called 'Source Code'.

Enjoyable science fiction thriller. Definitely one that doesn't bear too much scrutiny, though. It's one of those films that leaves you with as many questions as answers. If you're one of those people who gets easily enraged by the plot holes you see, stay away. 7/10

KenSwee

Real Steel;
Sentimental kiddie Rocky stuff from Spielberg

KenSwee

Love.
Sci-Fi minimalist with heavy involvement from Angels and Airwaves.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this movie. Brilliant score and production given it was done on shoe string.
One of the few movies that I really enjoyed watching and not really minding how it ended.
8/10

KenSwee

e_e wrote: »

While I understand that Malick's films aren't for everyone I actually despise when people use such statements as "Emperor's New Clothes". Implying that people are pretending to like it due to some ulterior motive or pretensions, it's very condescending to people who genuinely love the director's films. Hell I wouldn't have seen it 3 times on DVD and once in the cinema if I didn't have some honest and emotional reaction to it. It's an incredibly moving film.

While you are quite entitled to love his films, I genuinely believe there are a lot of people who follow the crowd when it comes to Mallick and don't really like them when it comes to the crunch.
A lot of my friends say they love them but when we have that 'best films ever' conversation, I always pull them up on why none of his films get a mention from them.
Personally, if I want great scenery, I'll go to Norway.
His films are too long and too tedious for me. But they are not awful films; that's too harsh.

spud_gunner

quickbeam wrote: »

Hot Tub Time Machine - didn't laugh once. Totally overhyped.

i found it hugely enjoyable

saw it on sky movies the same week as i saw the hangover the first time , much perfered time machine , silly fun

OldeCinemaSoz

Had to investigate RTE 2's HD screening of DAF of course.

Speckly, not much to improve on the bog standard SE disc.

Still, the Blu Box in Sep may just rectify things?!?!

Mike Litoris

Just watched Wild Bill. I'll just say it was outstanding and leave the link below for details.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_bill_2011/

stiffler123

Mike Litoris wrote: »

Just watched Wild Bill. I'll just say it was outstanding and leave the link below for details.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_bill_2011/

I watched it yesterday too. I wasn't expecting much but I thought it was fantastic.

Fishooks12

King of Kong

I'm a stickler for a really good documentary and I loved this

Very similar style to Exit Through the Gift Shop

Fishooks12

King of Kong

I'm a stickler for a really good documentary and I loved this

Very similar style to Exit Through the Gift Shop

McGrath5

The Dark Knight Rises A fantastic ending to what has been one of the finest triolgys of our generation.
It did IMO live up to the hype, I wonder what Nolan will do next.

The Hangover 2 Poor, basically a carbon copy of the first film, but set in Bangkok. Not nearly as many laughs as the first one. I wont be watching the again.

mikemac1

Zulu Dawn

Gets compared a lot to Zulu which Michael Caine was in, I liked this more
I wouldn't call it a prequel but it covers the same war

Peter O'Toole played the aristocratic British general

Lions led by donkeys is right!
The private soliders and the colour sergeant and Burt Lancaster who was a colonel were very brave
Most of the other senior officers were absolute fools

One soldier rushing back to give a report, men getting massacred and he is told off for being too passionate and not acting like a gentleman :rolleyes:


Perfect Sunday matinee film, I've no doubt RTÉ has shown this a few times but I didn't catch it

Great film for a lazy afternoon

FishBowel

Page 8- stylish political TV drama from David Hare about a senior MI5 guy who's suspicious of a file and the new century.