What have you watched recently? 3D!

j.s. pill II

Mizu_Ger wrote: »

Piercing
Adapted from a book by the guy who wrote Audition and you get what you'd expect. It's only 80 minutes long and entertaining, but I was left wondering what the point of it was at the end. I feel like giving it another watch in a few months time. The design of the exteriors (stylised models of apartments blocks, streets etc) was well done.

Tried watching this a few weeks back. Lasted 15 mins. Bit snuffy for my liking.

j.s. pill II

joombo wrote: »

A Prayer Before Dawn (2017)

Good prison flick - based on a true story. 7/10.

Superb - I'd give it a 9.5/10

hgfj

Barry Lydon (1975)

I've seen this movie 5 or 6 times over the last 40 years or so. Each time I watched it was like watching it for the first time. This is a quote by Scorsese about this movie -


"“I’m not sure if I can say that I have a favorite Kubrick picture, but somehow I keep coming back to Barry Lyndon. I think that’s because it’s such a profoundly emotional experience. The emotion is conveyed through the movement of the camera, the slowness of the pace, the way the characters move in relation to their surroundings. People didn’t get it when it came out. Many still don’t. Basically, in one exquisitely beautiful image after another, you’re watching the progress of a man as he moves from the purest innocence to the coldest sophistication, ending in absolute bitterness — and it’s all a matter of simple, elemental survival.”

Tony EH

'A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors'

The third in the Elm Street series, 1987's instalment starts off relatively well, with some decent special effects and a good setting, which sees the remnants of the Elm Street kids all locked up in a mental home, for various reasons, where they try to avoid sleeping for more than a few hours at a time.

Heather Langenkamp makes a return as Nancy, the teenage heroine from the first film, and who was strangely absent from the second. But, she's really only there to form some sort of connection, as is her father, played by cult favourite, John Saxon. Everyone else is new, besides Robert Englund's Freddie Kruger, of course.

Surprisingly, after the poor second effort 'A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddie's Revenge', the third film has some entertaining parts. Its first half is quite well done and sets things up fairly promisingly. Well, fairly promisingly for a second sequel in a silly slasher franchise that is. In its latter half though, things go to hell, when the "Dream Warriors" do their best to make events turn into farce. The worst of whom is a speccy-four-eyed nerd, who fancies himself as a Dungeons and Dragons type "Wizard Master" and a teen junkie who, in her dreams, dresses up as the worst type of 80's punk cliche.

Everyone else is pretty bland 80's teen fodder, including a fat, funny (but not really), black character trope and the famous faces among the cast include Patricia Arquette in her first major role and a young Lawrence (Larry) Fishbourne as a hospital orderly, who basically disappears half way through the movie.

'A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors' is a goofy film, that has one or two funny moments, like when Freddie asks Zsa Zsa Gabor "who gives a fuck what you think" and it remains a favourite among fans of the franchise, even if it cannot hope to match up to the excellent original. But, for folk for whom Freddie means nothing, there's not too much to get excited about.

Del.Monte

"Doomsday Gun" (1994) on YouTube

Based on the true story of Saddam Hussein's quest for a super gun capable of hitting Tehran and Israel from Iraq. Lots of shady activity in the world of international finance, arms dealing and politics. Gerald Bull, a Canadian big gun engineer is at the centre of the plot and his ego brings him to the heart of the affair.

A strong cast including Frank Langella (as Bull); Kevin Spacey and Michael Kitchen. Worth a watch. 7/10

NIMAN

Del.Monte wrote: »

"Doomsday Gun" (1994) on YouTube

Based on the true story of Saddam Hussein's quest for a super gun capable of hitting Tehran and Israel from Iraq. Lots of shady activity in the world of international finance, arms dealing and politics. Gerald Bull, a Canadian big gun engineer is at the centre of the plot and his ego brings him to the heart of the affair.

A strong cast including Frank Langella (as Bull); Kevin Spacey and Michael Kitchen. Worth a watch. 7/10

Are we allowed to watch and enjoy anything with Spacey in it any more?

Dades

NIMAN wrote: »

Are we allowed to watch and enjoy anything with Spacey in it any more?

Yes, especially Outbreak.

Just don't tell Twitter or you'll also be labelled a monster and send to wander the desert with Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. (Liam Neeson was sent there, but he has a special set of skills that helped him get back).

Tony EH

I think Kevin Spacey is a great actor.

Fuck Twitter!

There, I said it. :pac:

Seriously though, fuck Twitter. It's the worst thing on the web.

It's even worse that Kevin Spacey.

TerrorFirmer

Just watched that Mark Wahlberg film Instant Family. Not at all the film I expected. I expected a goofy comedy, what I got was a comedy-drama with serious feeling and unexpected depth. Really superb stuff.

Sugarlumps

Tony EH wrote: »

Seriously though, fuck Twitter. It's the worst thing on the web.

It's even worse that Kevin Spacey.

I've copyrighted that.

Tony EH

Sugarlumps wrote: »

I've copyrighted that.

Even the typo? :pac:

al87987

Watched the Hustler (1961) last night, Paul Newman as a pool hustler doing the rounds around NYC.

Good film and holds up pretty well. 8/10

4Ad

Incendies.
A Middle Eastern family, now living in Montreal, traces their roots after their Mothers death..
Harrowing at times but absolutely brilliant IMO.
9/10

branie2

Fisherman's Friend's at the cinema this evening. It was very good

joombo

The Dark Tower
Aquaman

Aquaman was surprisigly good, really enjoyed it. Dark Tower is just an easy to watch action film.

Mad_maxx

Highway men with Kevin Costner and woody harelson, about the rangers who got Bonnie and Clyde, really enjoyed it, Costner gave outstanding performance

bnt

Watched Kevin Smith's Red State, which I quite enjoyed. It helps to just go with it, and not worry too much about how it basically ignores Hollywood conventions of pacing and narrative for action films.

El Duda

Paddleton – 8/10

A recent Netflix film that instantly got buried under the vast array of Netflix original shows that bombard your screen every time you log in. This is a heartfelt cancer comedy starring Ray Romano and the brilliant Mark Duplass. The film is mainly the two misfit main characters having inane conversations bought to life by some gorgeous cinematography and melancholy music. Given the subject at hand it obviously takes a very dark turn towards the end, but it doesn’t push the sentimentality too far. It’s a stripped back, naturalistic film and I found it incredibly touching.
It’s worth watching for the half time team talk scene alone.


Gangs Of New York – 5/10

One of few Scorsese films I hadn’t got around to seeing and I was shocked at how awful this was. It has the big production values, but it just doesn’t feel like a Scorsese flick. It plays out in such an unbelievable and stagey way that none of it ever rings true. I thought Di Caprio seemed like bad casting but that was before Cameron Diaz shows up. She is woefully miscast. Someone with her physical appearance does not belong anywhere near the streets of 1800’s New York, she looks so out of place.

Daniel Day-Lewis is good but not great. Jim Broadbent is incredible, possibly the most convincing thing in the entire film although criminally underused. He is the only person who seems authentic in the way you’d expect from a Scorsese film.

Shoddy editing, some strange effects, terrible writing full of plot contrivances and the most anti-climactic of endings. This is as close to a Turkey as I’ve ever seen from Marty.

fin12

Watched Dumbo in cinema tonight, enjoyed it, sweet film. I could remember a good bit of it from when I was a child but I think Tim Burton changed parts of the story. Colin Farell is good in it.

Elephants such sweet animals.

The Princess Bride

Out Of Africa and The Color Purple, 1985- both on Now TV.
Whoopi Goldberg brilliant in the latter.
Out Of Africa, I could take or leave it, a tad longwinded really.

joombo

Love, Death & Robots on Netflix.

Definitely a good 8/10 from me and something worth checking out as most of the stories are only 10 - 15 minutes and quite amazing!

Fysh

One Cut Of The Dead - I saw this recommended somewhere here (after an IFI Horrorthon screening?) and picked it up on DVD. What a blast that was! I deliberately didn't read about it and the experience was all the better for it - I only wish I'd been able to see it with a crowd as I expect it's even better as a group viewing. One of the barmiest, most entertainingly off-kilter films I've seen in ages.

D'Agger

joombo wrote: »

A Prayer Before Dawn (2017)

Good prison flick - based on a true story. 7/10.

j.s. pill II wrote: »

Superb - I'd give it a 9.5/10

Watched this and have to say I really loved it. Great shots in it and really well scored too. Joe Cole is brilliant in it, had seen him in the 'Hang the DJ' episode of Black Mirror and thought he was quite good in that but he exceeded all expectations in this

Watched Black 47 on Netflix also, enjoyable movie that wasn't overdone or overcooked like so many historical portrayals of Ireland.

I can't seem to summon the numbers for scores for either but really enjoyed them, hadn't sat down and watched a good movie in a while, good for the soul

barrymanilow

Solaris (1972 original)
Stalker


These are two 70s Russian sci-fi films by director Andrei Tarkovsky. I'd be meaning to sit down and watch them for years.

Man they really challenge a 2019 attention span. They move at a glacial pace and do not deliver the crowd pleasing tropes of modern hollywood stuff.There is a drawn out motorway driving scene in Solaris that goes on and on for ages . I read this was intentionally put in there by Tarkovsky to clear the cinema early of people who wouldn't be able to appreciate the film.

Both are dense with philosophical themes and long dialogues around the big questions . Some of the cinematography in Stalker is stand out and some of the scenes in both are memorably intense and very Soviet.

I must say that they are powerful films and I'm glad I watched them , not light entertainment by any means. Amazing how Tarkovsky pulled off both so well with what looked like a budget of under a few hundred euro I'd say.

next on the list , Jim Carreys Mask

Dark Blue 2002

Can’t believe I hadn’t seen this before. Quality cop drama up there with the best of them. Probably Kurt Russell’s best performance.

It’s not that it’s anything particularly original but it’s damn gritty and finely directed by Ron Shelton. It captures towards the end the LA riots after Rodney King in such realism I’ve never seen in anything else. Ving Rhames and Brendan Gleeson play their parts but Russell steals the show

branie2

Pet Sematary at the cinema this evening. It was very good

tombliboo83

branie2 wrote: »

Pet Sematary at the cinema this evening. It was very good

Heading to see it on Monday, the original scared the crap out of me as a 9 year old.

Dades

The Highwaymen.

Really enjoyed it. No capes or arty pretentions. Great character piece.

Mizu_Ger

Timecrimes

Spanish Sci-fi suspense/thriller. Not sure what i can say about this without spoiling anything, but I loved it. A real low budget sci-fi concept film that plays on the conventions usually found here. Maybe a little like Primer, but less disorienting!

Free Solo

Janey Mac!!! I have no head for heights, so rock climbing in general is not my thing. What Alex Honnold attempts is crazy. Even after watching this it's hard to understand what was driving him. The photography is great and the relationship he has with his girlfriend is interesting. On the face of it there's no room for that kind of distraction in what he does, but they, somehow, have stayed together. I thought her attempts to get him to express his feelings would have driven him away (especially at key points in his exploits).

NIMAN

Stan & Ollie

Really enjoyed it
Two great performances from Coogan and Reilly.

Showed the human side of the men perfectly.

8/10