What have you watched recently? 3D!

shrapnel222

saw

surprised at how well this holds up. hadn't seen it since it came out, and it's very well put together.

Swallow

Beautifully shot film about a young woman who's life spirals out of control when she develops a penchant to swallow objects. Genuinely impressed with this one. slow burner very well developed

The assistant

Was expecting more from this one although still plenty of positives. Follow a day in the life of the assistant of a big seedy movie producer. Dreary and no glamour for her, only thing to hold on to is for a brighter future.

skate kitchen

skateboarding movie based in new york following a group of girl skaters. Enjoyable down to earth local movie. Not as raw and grim as "kids" but definitely felt similar and shot in the same vein

Fysh

I caught Pablo Larraín's Ema on Mubi last night. It was very good, a strong character-focused script told with visuals that combine a squalid grunginess on the streets with vibrant, hypnotic and euphoric moments, mostly focused around the protagonist's passion for dance. The throughline of the story is Ema's desire to get her adopted son back from Social Services, and the effect his loss has on her and her husband. The character is a mess in the kind of way which would be stressful and unbearable to deal with if they were part of your life, but which is fascinating to watch and follow on-screen.

Edit: It's just been added now so available for the next 30 days, if you're interested in seeing it.

johnny_ultimate

Ema - perhaps lacks the central hook of some of Larrain’s previous films such as No, Tony Manero, Jackie and Neruda. It doesn’t all work, and it took me a while to fully tune into what the director was trying to do. But when it pops, you better believe it pops: a vivid meeting of dance, sex and flame-throwing, with a central character learning to navigate and control her emotional and physical states-of-being.

Fair play to Mubi for offering it free to all. Less fair play for making me go out of my way to watch it before it expired… only for it to pop up as the daily movie at midnight anyway

Cape Fear - a film that has been to some degree eternally undermined by The Simpsons, but don’t let that put you off. Sure, it’s hard to completely tune into the film when that Bernard Hermann score inevitably reminds you of Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes. But thankfully there are many other pleasures here, as Scorsese goes full pulp. Top-tier Marty? Nope, but it has the artful extra care you don’t get in most genre fiction. Schoonmaker’s editing hits like a brick as always, and Scorsese himself gleefully ramps up the stakes until we get to a memorably lurid final sequence that boasts some of cinema’s most impressively exaggerated storm effects.

A young Juliette Lewis and a ‘full ham’ Robert De Niro particularly impress out of the main cast. But kudos to a game Gregory Peck for showing up for a super-fun cameo that plays out like an amusingly grotesque parody of his own work in To Kill A Mockingbird.

(Rewatched Cape Feare afterwards, incidentally, and the entire episode still absolutely slays)

Selah and the Spades - Tayarisha Poe’s film has style to spare: the film is absolutely loaded with smart and imaginative visual ideas, while the soundtrack exudes effortless cool. Other parts left me cold, though: its determinedly dispassionate high school / drug thriller tone exists in the same general ballpark as Rian Johnson’s Brick, but feels even chillier and never quite settles in the same way. It’s an undeniably impressive statement-of-intent from Poe, but it’s a film I found easy to admire and difficult to love.

The Servant - Joseph Losey’s 1963 feature recounts the misadventures of a newly-hired manservant (an astoundingly good Dirk Bogarde, oozing charisma and understated menace) engaged in the months-long trolling of his arrogant, lazy new employer (James Fox). A supremely playful take on traditional class and power structures being gradually dismantled, until they’re straight-up tossed in the meat grinder for a deliciously scuzzy feast of sex, shouting and psychological collapse.

branie2

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Ema - perhaps lacks the central hook of some of Larrain’s previous films such as No, Tony Manero, Jackie and Neruda. It doesn’t all work, and it took me a while to fully tune into what the director was trying to do. But when it pop, you better believe it pops: a vivid meeting of dance, sex and flame-throwing, with a central character learning to navigate and control her emotional and physical states-of-being.

Fair play to Mubi for offering it free to all. Less fair play for making me go out of my way to watch it before it expired… only for it to pop up as the daily movie at midnight anyway

Cape Fear - a film that has been to some degree eternally undermined by The Simpsons, but don’t let that put you off. Sure, it’s hard to completely tune into the film when that Bernard Hermann score inevitably reminds you of Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes. But thankfully there are many other pleasures here, as Scorsese goes full pulp. Top-tier Marty? Nope, but it has the artful extra care you don’t get in most genre fiction. Schoonmaker’s editing hits like a brick as always, and Scorsese himself gleefully ramps up the stakes until we get to a memorably lurid final sequence that boasts some of cinema’s most impressively exaggerated storm effects.

A young Juliette Lewis and a ‘full ham’ Robert De Niro particularly impress out of the main cast. But kudos to a game Gregory Peck for showing up for a super-fun cameo that plays out like an amusingly grotesque parody of his own work in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Selah and the Spades - Tayarisha Poe’s film has style to spare: the film is absolutely loaded with smart and imaginative visual ideas, while the soundtrack exudes effortless cool. Other parts left me cold, though: its determinedly dispassionate high school / drug thriller tone exists in the same general ballpark as Rian Johnson’s Brick, but feels even chillier and never quite settles in the same way. It’s an undeniably impressive statement-of-intent from Poe, but it’s a film I found easy to admire and difficult to love.

The Servant - Joseph Losey’s 1963 feature recounts the misadventures of a newly-hired manservant (an astoundingly good Dirk Bogarde, oozing charisma and understated menace) engaged in the months-long trolling of his arrogant, lazy new employer (James Fox). A supremely playful take on traditional class and power structures being gradually dismantled, until they’re straight-up tossed in the meat grinder for a deliciously scuzzy feast of sex, shouting and psychological collapse.

Have you seen the 1962 version of Cape Fear?

johnny_ultimate

branie2 wrote: »

Have you seen the 1962 version of Cape Fear?

Nope, but tis on the list (the ever long list)

otnomart

United (2011) with David Tennant.
Really good performance, I thought

Zeek12

branie2 wrote: »

Have you seen the 1962 version of Cape Fear?

The original is better imo.
There is a real menace about Mitchum as Max Cady.

De Niro went somewhat OTT in his portrayal, in what was nonetheless a pretty good remake.

bigron2109

Watched Calm with Horses over the weekend. Really enjoyed it. As mentioned here it’s a dark story with a dark storyline and one which you could see taking place in rural Ireland. It’s sad too . But I would recommend it.

Harry Palmr

The Terrornauts 1967.

As seen on Talking Pictures

Amicus didn't often get it wrong as the pound shop Hammer Studios but they sure did here. Just 75 minutes duration but very nearly too long to stick with, but I did so as it just has enough WTF/OMG about it as aliens cunningly enable humans from the "home counties" to defeat their historical enemies with repurposed washing up bottles and toilet rolls painted grey. This must have been shot over a long weekend with parking meter change so bad and basic are the sets and other visuals. Oh yeah Charles Hawtrey is in it!

Del.Monte

^^ Looks like a must see for me - I love zero budget productions.

El Gato De Negocios

Summer of 84 (2018)

I'd heard this described as a horror movie version of Stranger Things. Being a huge fan of ST I was cautiously optimistic / hopeful about So84 but was left ultimately disappointed. Set in the summer of 84, it follows 4 high school friends that begin to suspect the local deputy is a serial killer and set about trying to prove it. Not much more to say beyond that plot wise tbh. A cast of complete unknowns (to me anyway) and an obvious love of the 80s horror genre, one of the most enjoyable things is spotting the horror movie Easter eggs, the big ones like Elm St and Halloween are obvious but there are a few other cool nods too. The acting is ok, the scenes with the 4 central characters together giving each other guff as most men can attest to is bang on. I did enjoy the ending and how it all played out and as with virtually every 80s horror movie, the door is nailed open for a sequel.

6/10

branie2

The Nun's Story on DVD last night, as it was Audrey Hepburn's birthday yesterday.

branie2

Zeek12 wrote: »

The original is better imo.
There is a real menace about Mitchum as Max Cady.

De Niro went somewhat OTT in his portrayal, in what was nonetheless a pretty good remake.

I thought Robert Mitchum was very good as Max Cady

Harry Palmr

The Fan 1981

Famous actress on broadway becomes target of obsessive superfan (Michael Biehn in first prominent role). Basically this is a stalk and slash which was mounted on the budget of a major studio with mainstream stars in Lauren Bacall and James Garner. It's a clash of sensibilities that predictably refuses to mesh, one minute it's all portrait style diffuser lense close ups of Bacall and then it's the fan slashing the throat of someone with a razor a la Dressed to Kill (I actually checked to see if there was any chance director Edward Bianchi (Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire etc) had seen Brian De Palma's much better thriller and the answer is no unless he saw the early rushes but they do share Pino Donaggio as composer). Hard to recommend on any level as it never generates enough of anything to properly engage. 3/10

shrapnel222

Les miserables

Watched this last night. it's still with me today. French film which follows a small police team in a French Cité. These neighborhoods are always on the cusp of blowing up. Anything can light the powder keg, and there are always forces working to keep the fragile equilibrium, to avoid more riots. thought it was brilliant.

8.5 maybe even a 9 /10.

pixelburp

Prisoners (2013)

The first team-up of Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins, making for a beautiful, if utterly bleak & occasionally depressing suburban crime drama. Strong performances sold the anguish, adding layers to sometimes thin characterisation (such as Gyllenhaal's generally dogged detective, boiling over with obviously repressed anger).

Extraction (2020)

What possible value has the "one shot" sequence these days, when CGI makes them so "easy" to build? An otherwise boilerplate action film of the "anti hero protects an innocent" mould; it had good fight choreography mind - though you'd have hoped so, being directed by a stuntman. 

shrapnel222

branie2 wrote: »

I thought Robert Mitchum was very good as Max Cady

he's amazing also in "the night of the hunter". I always think of this film ahead of cape fear to be honest. One of the greatest films ever imo

budgemook

pixelburp wrote: »

Prisoners (2013)
Extraction (2020)
 

Oh God is it another pretend one-shot film?

pixelburp

budgemook wrote: »

Oh God is it another pretend one-shot film?

Not entirely: there's one 20 minute action set-piece that's "one shot", the rest of the film is standard. The set-piece is definitely meant to be the highlight though.

budgemook

pixelburp wrote: »

Not entirely: there's one 20 minute action set-piece that's "one shot", the rest of the film is standard. The set-piece is definitely meant to be the highlight though.

Ah okay, so a bit like Children of Men and that episode of Daredevil in season 3 then.

I won't strike it off my list just yet. Not expecting much from it but another "one shot" film would have been a deal breaker for me

JimmyVik

freak scence wrote: »

pretty crap , could have been very good .

The last 10 minutes really, really let this movie down.

El Duda

The Road – 9/10

Not to get all ‘Kermode’ on your arses but this got me thinking about the Exorcist. If you take a genre, in this case the Armageddon/end of days genre and play it out as a drama, it makes for a much better film. We are used to films like this being action/horror with cliché stock characters and predictable structure. It is so refreshing to see it tackled in such a tender and sombre manner.

I have not read the much-revered novel that this is based on, but I can tell that it must be one hell of a piece of work. The attention to detail and the thought that has gone into it is phenomenal. It throws scenarios in your face that you would never contemplate. The bleakness of the situation is laid bare and it never tries to dress it up in sentimentality. There is no attempt to make the relationship between Father and Son heart-warming, so everything remains extremely raw. Viggo Mortensen and Kody Smit-Mcphee both put in award worthy performances. I am shocked that they were snubbed for Oscar nominations.

An incredibly touching and emotional movie that seems perfect for these times. After the film, my other half and I felt extremely grateful for our lives and it made lockdown feel like luxury. Those lingering shots of desolate landscape will stay with me for a while. This is the exact reason why I love cinema. Why does it only have a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes?

mikhail

El Duda wrote: »

Why does it only have a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes?

Because it's not fun. Audiences don't rate based on quality.

Tony EH

'Soylent Green'

A sci-fi yarn who's reveal is probably known by all and sundry at this stage, but still retains that special something that keeps me coming back to it since I first saw it on BBC2 as a boy. It's dated now, for sure, but that feeling doesn't really last beyond it's opening shots. The story draws you in and keeps you there til Sol's (Edward G. Robinson in his final role) fateful decision.

'Soylent Green' is a film that has much to say about the trajectory of our planet and how we run it and it that respect it was quite prescient, especially so, since it was made in 1973. Regarding global environmental weather conditions, overcrowding, income inequality and corporate interference into the running of society, it's warnings are very clear and may well be accurate, according to some people.

It's very good sci-fi, while not being a terribly fascinating gumshoe story. But, it's the state of the society that's Soylent Green's biggest attraction.

Remember Tuesday is Soylent Green day.

8/10



'Calvary'

A priest (Brendan Gleeson) is threatened with death by one of his parishioners and we follow his actions in the week leading up to his meeting with his would be killer. 'Calvary' is a decent little Irish flick that isn't spectacular in any way, but it's relatively entertaining and littered with a who's who of current Irish faces, including Gleeson's son. A good character focused drama, that throws up some questions about the financial crisis and clerical abuse, without being overwrought about such issues.

9/10



'Sea Fever'

A low budget affair with a mish-mash of "Irish" accents on a trawler off the coast that doesn't really amount to a truly satisfying whole. A decent, in parts, story about a group of people dealing with a virus brought on by contact with an unknown sea species and their attempts to deal with the problem. But it's just not that good in the end (with a couple of questionable character decisions) and it's hampered by its lack of budget, although not as severely as in a lot of other cases.

5/10

freak scence

JimmyVik wrote: »

The last 10 minutes really, really let this movie down.

yes very poor , it could have being excellent . Way too dark

Tony EH

Tony EH wrote: »

'Soylent Green'

A sci-fi yarn who's reveal is probably known by all and sundry at this stage, but still retains that special something that keeps me coming back to it since I first saw it on BBC2 as a boy. It's dated now, for sure, but that feeling doesn't really last beyond it's opening shots. The story draws you in and keeps you there til Sol's (Edward G. Robinson in his final role) fateful decision.

'Soylent Green' is a film that has much to say about the trajectory of our planet and how we run it and it that respect it was quite prescient, especially so, since it was made in 1973. Regarding global environmental weather conditions, overcrowding, income inequality and corporate interference into the running of society, it's warnings are very clear and may well be accurate, according to some people.

It's very good sci-fi, while not being a terribly fascinating gumshoe story. But, it's the state of the society that's Soylent Green's biggest attraction.

Remember Tuesday is Soylent Green day.

8/10

Watched it again recently myself. Brilliant film. I have no doubt the planet faces this same problem one day!!!
Think The Omega man will have to be watched again soon too...

Decuc500

Trespass

Walter Hill film from the early 90’s. I think when I watched this originally back in the day I was disappointed. It wasn’t as good as Southern Comfort, 48 Hours, The Long Riders, The Warriors etc. so I didn’t really rate it. But it’s actually a really lean action movie that has fun with not taking itself too seriously.

Two firemen discover a map to hidden treasure in a derelict area of East St Louis but when they arrive to search for it witness a murder involving a local gang. They get trapped in an abandoned warehouse surrounded by the gang and the film turns into a Howard Hawks/John Carpenter type siege movie.

The firemen are white and the gang are all black and the cynical part of me thinks that this would be a very different film if it was made in 2020. It would probably be an uncomfortable study on race and ‘toxic masculinity’ (and would be unbearable and preachy) but back in the 90’s it was possible to make films where the ‘baddies’ are a black street gang and the ‘goodies’ white firemen. Of course there are different shades of grey and the prospect of hidden treasure brings out the worst in people and blurs the line between good and bad.

Ice T and Ice Cube bring their pop culture charisma as the leaders of the gang. The much missed “Wild Bill” Paxton is the decent fireman who only wants to do the right thing.

bnt

Finally got to watch Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker last night. Of the last three SW films, I definitely enjoyed this the most, and think the writers and director did a great job with the material. It's not perfect, and I'm aware of criticisms such as pandering to the audience a bit, but I don't think it was too much.

I thought the ending was handled very well (mild spoiler): no big parties or parades as in previous films, but more relief and sombre reflection on the people that had been lost in the wars.

Rey needing to use both Luke's and Leia's lightsabers to defeat Palpatine, burying the lightsabers together back on Tatooine, and adopting the Skywalker name herself.

Fuascailteoir

El Duda wrote: »

The Road – 9/10

Not to get all ‘Kermode’ on your arses but this got me thinking about the Exorcist. If you take a genre, in this case the Armageddon/end of days genre and play it out as a drama, it makes for a much better film. We are used to films like this being action/horror with cliché stock characters and predictable structure. It is so refreshing to see it tackled in such a tender and sombre manner.

I have not read the much-revered novel that this is based on, but I can tell that it must be one hell of a piece of work. The attention to detail and the thought that has gone into it is phenomenal. It throws scenarios in your face that you would never contemplate. The bleakness of the situation is laid bare and it never tries to dress it up in sentimentality. There is no attempt to make the relationship between Father and Son heart-warming, so everything remains extremely raw. Viggo Mortensen and Kody Smit-Mcphee both put in award worthy performances. I am shocked that they were snubbed for Oscar nominations.

An incredibly touching and emotional movie that seems perfect for these times. After the film, my other half and I felt extremely grateful for our lives and it made lockdown feel like luxury. Those lingering shots of desolate landscape will stay with me for a while. This is the exact reason why I love cinema. Why does it only have a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes?

The book is terrific and is not as onerous a task as some of his others. Would easily read it in a day

Tilikum17

freak scence wrote: »

pretty crap , could have been very good .

Watched it last night. I thought it was pure ****e tbh. Don’t know what was worse, the storyline or the horrendous galway accents.

No, it was defiantly the accents. Sounded nothing like someone from Galway.