What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

crazygeryy

the deliberate stranger(1986)

it's a tv movie from way back with mark Harmon playing ted bundy.its very entertaining for a 3 hr tv movie.onething that struck me was the amount of drop dead(excuae pun) gorgeous women in it.
anyway mark Harmon is good it's well worth a watch.

Judgement Day

"The 39 Steps" (1959) from my own DVD collection. I've a serious weakness for John Buchan and especially this story. I've all four movies plus various audio versions, and return to them quite often. Kenneth More and Taina Elg star in this version which sticks fairly closely to Hitchcock's 1935 movie - the main difference, apart from the actors, is that it's in colour. Strangely, it seems more dated than the earlier movie and I think it's because the colour gives a 1950's feel to it. I prefer the atmosphere created by b/w and the next time I watch I'll be turning down the colour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpPwD-uH9Wo

Technocentral

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Yeah I think a lot of people will like it. But to me the story was more interesting than the film, if that makes sense - there were times when it certainly captured the spirit of the era and the character, but as a piece of cinema I just didn't think it came together as well as it could have (overwrought voiceover, inconsistent visuals etc...).

Philip French and Peter Bradshaw gave it great reviews so really looking forward to it, I suspect though part of its appeal will be to an older age group (40s+), it maybe wouldn't mean as much to younger people who didn't live through those times like I did.

johnny_ultimate

The Comedy - a film of apathy and ironies, this is the story of one 35 year old hipster (Tim Heidecker) stuck in arrested development alongside his small group of friends (including James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem). The title, of course, ironically misleading - while there are some moments of hilarity, for the most part this is a film of cruelty and inappropriate jokes.

We needed this film - in a world of celebratory 'man-child' films - Step Brothers, Our Idiot Brother etc... - here's a film where our adolescent adult is purposefully unsympathetic, at times unable to function in the real world. He's reached a point where he and his friends have missed the opportunity to grow up, instead stuck in a self-destructive, hollow world of emotional detachment and ill-received dick jokes. Idiotic humour will only get you so far: The Comedy is acutely aware of this. Heidecker's character seeks solace in being an asshole: abusing taxi drivers, his father's nurse or even a 'romantic' conquest. But these are empty thrills, and after the brief bursts of hollow satisfaction he's left alone, drifting aimlessly in his boat with his can of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The film's purposefully drifting, meandering structure and lack of traditional drama is vital to the film's goal of critiquing Generation Irony, and makes for a film devoid of instant gratification. Indeed, some scenes are so cringeworthy they bypass comedy entirely and will just have you squirming in intense discomfort. So it's understandable how the film has divided critics right down the middle. Not insignificantly, the old school of critics have been left somewhat baffled (some even wondering 'where are the laughs?') while the younger, more pop-culture savvy - AV Club, Slant etc... - have praised it. Perhaps being familiar with Pitchfork criticism and Williamsburg hipster culture is a prerequisite to engaging with this. But sometimes a film needs to be brave enough to alienate and confuse, to aim directly at an audience who will find resonances in its deconstructions and commentary. Indeed we don't get enough of that these days. The Comedy will inevitably polarize, but in a way that's part of its razor-sharp effectiveness.

jebus84

seen sightseers last night wouldnt be for every one a english black comedy based around a couple going on a caravan holiday that takes a turn for the worst it was made by the same people that made Kill List,a film that would make you gasp in shock but also laugh at the same time

Herb Powell

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Yeah I think a lot of people will like it. But to me the story was more interesting than the film, if that makes sense - there were times when it certainly captured the spirit of the era and the character, but as a piece of cinema I just didn't think it came together as well as it could have (overwrought voiceover, inconsistent visuals etc...).

Yeah, that makes sense alright. I don't know a whole lot about it so I don't know what was added for dramatic effect, only that there definitely WAS plenty added!

I understand what you mean about the voiceover as well, I kind of thought to myself "Oh, it's one of THOSE kind of films....." when it started, but I thought it actually worked well overall. For me, anyway.

I am far too young to have experienced the events in the film (at least 20 years too young) so maybe if I had, I might be able to look at it more critically. My mom was a student in Belfast at the time though, and into the punk scene. She said The Harp was dodgy as fucck I have her records from that time though, (Stiff Little Fingers, etc. ) so it was nice to see a little bit more of what the scene was like. Again, I obviously don't know the exact details of what was going on, so I took the story with a grain of salt (becuase there's definitely some artistic licence being used) but I found it overall enjoyable.

IDK, I'm a sucker for music.

Bozo Skeleton

Just about to get cracking on Season 2 of (the Danish) The Killing. Yes, I'm a bit behind the times with this, I've only just watched Season 1.
I am so looking forward to this.
I only wish Season 2 was on Netflix, it seems strange that it's not. How and ever, I think greatness awaits.

Technocentral

Bozo Skeleton wrote: »

Just about to get cracking on Season 2 of (the Danish) The Killing. Yes, I'm a bit behind the times with this, I've only just watched Season 1.
I am so looking forward to this.
I only wish Season 2 was on Netflix, it seems strange that it's not. How and ever, I think greatness awaits.

Me too, I presume it's not on it because they have done a deal for the US (inferior) version and are promoting that instead.

MiloYossarian

The Natural

Good if a bit schmaltzy.

Judgement Day

"The Bomb Maker" (2001) on YouTube via my Wii. Not released on VHS or DVD and if it ever is will need a lot of cutting. At 180 mins it drags on. A former IRA bomber/Special Branch informant (Dervla Kerwan) is forced to build a massive bomb in London - supposedly for 'the cause'. The story is a little far fetched and some of the acting a bit OTT, especially Angeline Ball as one of the ring leaders of the bomb plot. That said, it's worth making the effort to watch but be warned the uploading to YouTube is not in sequence, and the sound is out of sync in a number of places. 6/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdJU0k_LvI

krudler

MiloYossarian wrote: »

The Natural

Good if a bit schmaltzy.

ha only watched that recently myself, I'd never seen it, knew the references from The Simpsons though :pac:

ButtersSuki

Watched Winter's Bone last night after finally finding a copy for less than £20 STG on BR. Really strong performances from Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Dale Dickey in particular. It's grim and brutal in places, but compelling nonetheless. My only criticisms would be that it's a little short and seems like they left certain parts out (not going to spoilt for anyone who hasn't seen it yet); and, and is will be a strange one - even when Lawrence has the crap beaten out of her and is meant to look dishevelled, she's almost too naturally pretty to carry this off! An 8/10.

I watched the following in the last 2 days.

The Intouchables 2011
After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caretaker.

A highly touching and enjoyable story. 8/10

Django Unchained 2012
With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Entertaining, though did feel a tad bit long. 7/10

Cloud Atlas 2012
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

This movie is remarkable, I will certainly watch again, and again. 9/10

Four Lions 2010
Four incompetent British jihadists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.

Who would think that terrorism would be humorous? 7/10

Wreck-It Ralph 2012
A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

I really enjoyed this, the story, the characters, everything, highly entertaining. 8/10

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Watched Winter's Bone last night after finally finding a copy for less than £20 STG on BR. Really strong performances from Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Dale Dickey in particular. It's grim and brutal in places, but compelling nonetheless. My only criticisms would be that it's a little short and seems like they left certain parts out (not going to spoilt for anyone who hasn't seen it yet); and, and is will be a strange one - even when Lawrence has the crap beaten out of her and is meant to look dishevelled, she's almost too naturally pretty to carry this off! An 8/10.

It was on BBC on Friday night. Could have saved yourself all the monies.

Barna77

Valhalla Rising

I'm still trying to figure out what it was about....

ButtersSuki

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

It was on BBC on Friday night. Could have saved yourself all the monies.

Typical! It arrived on Thursday, but I am nerdy enough to actually find the extras on DVDs and BRs interesting so not such a waste in this case. That said, if it was crap I'd have been properly annoyed! This version has a commentary and deleted scenes so I'll have a look at them and report back at some stage....might tie up some of the loose ends maybe? Here's hoping....

johnny_ultimate

Ace Attorney - The frighteningly prolific Takashi Miike - who has previously also directed a screen adaptation of the popular Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku) series - has chosen to craft what is almost without argument the most literal gaming adaptation of all time. The production designers must have sworn an oath of fealty to the developers. The characters, for example, carry over the ludicrous hairstyles and costumes.

The story, meanwhile, adapts the first game in the series, although focusing on three out of five of the stories it offered (elements of the other two are integrated as required). It's a convoluted plot, so I'm reluctant to even attempt a synopsis.

The film, like the game, is more or less a 50:50 split between investigative scenes and dramatic courtroom action. The film is completely in-tune with its own lunacy, too: Akira Emoto's deadpan performance as the judge is note perfect, for example, while the film's - hilarious - climax of ridiculousness comes when

a cockatoo

is called as a key witness. Miike's visual delivery of this sequence is, frankly, inspired. The out of court stuff is perfectly serviceable, but cannot compete with the main event.

The film is very often a success, then, and certainly in fawning debt to the game it is based on - this makes it perhaps the most successful gaming adaptation yet produced, and one of the first to have a talented director behind it. There are imperfections, though. Some will predominately irk fans, like the underutilisation of many sub-characters (especially good old Gumshoe). Perhaps most disappointingly is the film's music. While the composer Kōji Endō heavily utilises the game's soundtrack from Masakazu Sugimori, the recordings and remixes feel limp in comparison to the game and especially the orchestral albums they've released.

Yet mostly Ace Attorney is only rarely less than a good time: indeed, it's often wildly entertaining. It may not be Miike's masterpiece - although, given the inconsistencies of his vast filmography, it's far from the worst (this is the man who made the absolutely pointless Hara-Kiri remake). It is a trivial, silly piece of work - that it has no pretenses of being anything else is what allows it to work, and its commitment to the madcap melodrama is perhaps the film's greatest asset. More than anything, it's the rare case of a video game being treated with such care by cinematic adapters.

And yes, they do shout 'OBJECTION!' while pointing dramatically with welcome frequency.

MiloYossarian

krudler wrote: »

ha only watched that recently myself, I'd never seen it, knew the references from The Simpsons though :pac:

Ya I was thinking that myself. One thing that I will give The Simpsons credit for is, if not introducing, certainly making me aware of a lot of great movies as a child. I'd like to give them a pat on the back for that publicly.

Psychedelic

krudler wrote: »

ha only watched that recently myself, I'd never seen it, knew the references from The Simpsons though :pac:

I got that feeling when I watched Citizen Kane for the first time a few months ago, felt like I had already seen most of the film from the amount of scenes the Simpsons used from it.

krudler

Psychedelic wrote: »

I got that feeling when I watched Citizen Kane for the first time a few months ago, felt like I had already seen most of the film from the amount of scenes the Simpsons used from it.

Bobo...Bobo...

ThirdMan

I watched Citizen Kane at the weekend. I've heard and read so much about it over the years, so it was interesting as a piece of film history. But honestly, I can't see what all the fuss is about. It just wasn't for me. So much of it seemed horribly dated, particularly the scene where the newspaper editor confuses Leland for Kane, and gets himself in a twist over it. Also, the scene where Kane smashes up Susan's room. It was a powerful scene in the overall narrative, with Kane finally losing control of his life and self-destructing. But on an aesthetic level it just didn't look right. Much has been made of Welles ability to morph into an older man, but in that scene he looks exactly like what he was, a young lad done up to the nines in make-up, and falling around like a buffoon. But it was great to see Welles on screen again. The only other time I'd seen him was in The Third Man, one my favourite movies.

charlie_says

Compliance and The Comedy

An evening spent watching obnoxious and stupid people doing obnoxious and stupid things very well. Both worth a look, but don't expect a high afterwards.

Both movies made me rage slightly at points, so they are both well executed. I described Compliance to my girlfriend and she said "that sounds deviant enough for you to like" to which I replied yes. Compliance is not a first date movie.

The Comedy bounced furiously back and forth between mediocre and clever. I'm uncertain if the entire style of the film is ironic hipster as a joke or genuinely like that. The main character is full spectrum unlikeable. Entitled 35 year olds acting the maggot from start to finish. I rented an apartment for a week in Williamsburg in NYC last year and saw and overheard some fairly high levels of arseholeness when there, but hopefully there aren't really people on par with characters in The Comedy? I hope not.

Technocentral

charlie_says wrote: »

Compliance and The Comedy

An evening spent watching obnoxious and stupid people doing obnoxious and stupid things very well. Both worth a look, but don't expect a high afterwards.

Both movies made me rage slightly at points, so they are both well executed. I described Compliance to my girlfriend and she said "that sounds deviant enough for you to like" to which I replied yes. Compliance is not a first date movie.

The Comedy bounced furiously back and forth between mediocre and clever. I'm uncertain if the entire style of the film is ironic hipster as a joke or genuinely like that. The main character is full spectrum unlikeable. Entitled 35 year olds acting the maggot from start to finish. I rented an apartment for a week in Williamsburg in NYC last year and saw and overheard some fairly high levels of arseholeness when there, but hopefully there aren't really people on par with characters in The Comedy? I hope not.

Thankfully one would never come across people like that while renting an apartment in Ireland.

ButtersSuki

On stay at home holidays this week so catching up on a lot of movies I've been promising myself to watch.

Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon (who a lot people seem to only know from Boardwalk Empire) amongst others. The acting is good, but I felt it was tediously slow and it felt like a long episode of Pete Campbell's character's life in Mad Men. It tackles some taboo-ish (at the time) subjects (abortion, smoking and drinking during pregnancy), but overall, it just left me feeling "meh". Another film that makes me wonder what all of the fuss about Sam Mendes is reallly about. 5/10.

Re-watched, in one sitting, all 229minutes (apparently there's an extra 40minutes being re-instated to take it up to 269mins by Leone's children) of Once Upon A Time in America for the first time in years. It holds up incredibly well, though one thing that slightly jarred with me is how different the prohibition-era costumes and set differs from Boardwalk Empire. Excellent performances from DeNiro and James Woods in particular, though I am amazed looking at it now as to how few of the cast went on to have stellar careers after it (allowing for the fact that Joe Pesci and Danny Aiello as well as a very young Jennifer Connelly have small roles). Ennio Morricone's score is enchanting in places, though "the magical sound of the panpipes" is a little annoying at times - possibly because of the those ads that used to be on telly years ago offering 6 CDs for £9.99 or whatever! For a film made in 1984, the ageing that DeNiro and Woods undergo through hair and makeup alone is amazing. Well worth the effort, as is the accompanying documentary on BR and the 2 disc DVD release. 9/10.

Duggy747

As Good As It Gets

Was bored so we threw this on, I hadn't seen a Jack film in yonks and while he was enjoyable as always (He has some cracking one-liners) the film was fairly hit and miss. Helen Hunt came off as an irritating and commanding pleb, didn't see it as the oscar-worthy performance she was awarded with.

Paranorman

I always enjoy stop-motion movies as I appreciate the massive amount of work that goes into them. I enjoyed this visually and was probably pretty good to watch in 3D in the cinema but I only found the story itself to be middling, along with a lot of the jokes. The final 20 minutes was pretty good, though, and I couldn't fault the score.

Cocoon

GF had never seen this Saturday afternoon, TV matinee staple. Very easygoing to watch and I found it be funnier than I thought it would be since I hadn't properly seen it in years. James Horner's score is brilliant and really flings you back into those magical, family sci-fi movies of the 70's & 80's.

She was happy out with Steve Guttenberg being topless for a good chunk of the movie :pac:

Never realised that the theme was used in the Super 8 trailer until I heard it.

Premium Rush

We both fell asleep to this but I found it by-the-numbers and entertaining to a point, don't think I'll be in a rush (Hurr Hurr) to rewatch it properly. I love Michael Shannon and he was on cartoon villain mode times ten here. Found a lot of the CGI bits to be really ropey and jarring, though.

Found the sequence where Gordon-Levitt is trying to suss out which path to take and multiple scenarios play out in his head pretty funny because of all of the really common stock screams that were used in the space of about 20 seconds :pac:

marwelie

Loved every second of it. Highly recommended

Gamayun

The Mist (2007) Frank Darabont directed film of a Stephen King story. One of those films that you should avoid all plot synopses before viewing. Well done albeit with some stock characters, warrants its (145min) running time, unlike a lot of similar films.

Looper007

****ing Amal and Tillersmann- Both Early Lukas Moodysson films which are still his best to date (although Lilya 4 ever is great) both have a fun nature with dark undertones running underneath them. Amal is still the best film and most realistic film i've seen on been a teenager .Its hard to pick a favourite out of either one but both are probably the best Swedish films you could get your hands on. 10/10 for each

Mickeroo

marwelie wrote: »

Loved every second of it. Highly recommended

Is this in cinemas at the moment or is it on dvd already? Hadn't heard of it at all until it was mentioned on here in the past week. Really want to see it.

Bozo Skeleton

Mickeroo wrote: »

Is this in cinemas at the moment or is it on dvd already? Hadn't heard of it at all until it was mentioned on here in the past week. Really want to see it.

In the cinemas now. In the Lighthouse, IFI, and the multiplexes. (If you're in Dublin.)