What have you watched recently?

sillo · 20-05-2012 08:41PM

Get the Gringo (AKA How I Spent my Summer Vacation): Lots of good ideas but they felt wasted on this mediocre effort. Gibson was his usual stalwart self but the script was a mess of poorly-thought out, confusing ideas and one-dimensional characters.

The problem with making a gritty action movie is that if you forget to make it gritty tand dont have much action, it's just plain bad.

Man on a Ledge: Slick, stylish, and very enjoyable. Completely implausible of course, and seeing Elizabeth Banks in a serious role was a little off-putting - but all told, a very enjoyable movie that didn't take itself too seriously at all.

A lot of critics have written about how they really 'got' the 'claustrophobia' of being out on that ledge but I can't say I got that myself. Bar one or two remarkable shots at the start of the movie, I felt a little more creativity was called for on that front. But having said that, the movie is more than strong enough to get by without having to rely on the gimmick.

Sad Professor · 20-05-2012 10:18PM

A Life Less Ordinary

Holly Hunter is brilliant in this. But the ending - WTF?

Sappa · 20-05-2012 10:19PM

21 Jump Street
I actually wanted to turn it off,thought it was not funny and just a bad movie.

grohlisagod · 20-05-2012 11:45PM

Just watched Man on Wire on BBC2. Stunning documentary about a stunning feat. You just cannot help being drawn in by the man's enthusiasm for life.

Highly recommend it.

GAAman · 21-05-2012 12:04AM

Last Action Hero Has been and will always be one of my favourite movies. I saw this in the cinema when it was out, me being 10 at the time and still love it 19 years later :eek: .Every second line is quote gold and it is packed with little jokes at the action movie industry and great cameo's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTVmYyk5ro

Will always be in my top 5!

don ramo · 21-05-2012 01:04AM

watched Act of Valor and John Carter of Mars, both decent films,

im kinda surprised john carter done so bad at the BO, its seemed like a proper summer popcorn film, it was a great story and was well told, and it looked fantastic,

act of valor i must say i was well impressed with, from what i made of it it went into great detail of how tactical some of the stuff these people do, still doubt im gonna join the army though:D

krudler · 21-05-2012 08:49AM

GAAman wrote: »

Last Action Hero Has been and will always be one of my favourite movies. I saw this in the cinema when it was out, me being 10 at the time and still love it 19 years later :eek: .Every second line is quote gold and it is packed with little jokes at the action movie industry and great cameo's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTVmYyk5ro

Will always be in my top 5!

Really fun movie, completely rips the piss out of action movies, I much prefer the later act where its in the real world, Arnie getting pissed that he cant smash a car window without hurting his hand and that cars dont explode when you shoout the petrol cap :pac: Charles Dance is fantastic in it as well (as he is in everything) "I've shot someone and I did it on purpose!"

its a pity it was such a flop on release, releasing it the week after some movie about dinosaurs didnt do it any favours, maybe audiences didnt get what it was trying to do, was doing the postmodern genre pisstake years before Scream made it cool .

That_Guy · 21-05-2012 09:53AM

The Dictator:

A lot better than I expected. It's not the funniest thing Sacha Baron Cohen has done but it's still very entertaining. Laughed a lot more than I thought I would though if you're easily offended you should probably give it a miss.

GAAman · 21-05-2012 12:52PM

krudler wrote: »

Really fun movie, completely rips the piss out of action movies, I much prefer the later act where its in the real world, Arnie getting pissed that he cant smash a car window without hurting his hand and that cars dont explode when you shoout the petrol cap :pac: Charles Dance is fantastic in it as well (as he is in everything) "I've shot someone and I did it on purpose!"

its a pity it was such a flop on release, releasing it the week after some movie about dinosaurs didnt do it any favours, maybe audiences didnt get what it was trying to do, was doing the postmodern genre pisstake years before Scream made it cool .

I think I prefer the film world, where every woman is a total knockout, everyone's phone number is 555-xxxx (As in every other film!) the female cops are hot latex clad shotgun wielders and a cartoon cat cop voiced by Danny DeVito doesn't raise any eyebrows at all!

Agreed in Charles Dance's excellence, his evil villain is almost Shakespearean in eloquence and deviousness, it is probably his soliloquy that makes me think that. I meant to say this in the other post must have slipped my mind!

I did not know about it being released around the same time as Jurassic Park, though having said that I saw both in the cinema. In fairness it was always going to be a loser in that race "oh my God DINOSAURS!!!!!!". A couple of friends had never seen it so a few years ago I introduced them to it, I was surprised as one of them loved Commando so much he created a drinking game to it! :pac:

That_Guy wrote: »

The Dictator:

A lot better than I expected. It's not the funniest thing Sacha Baron Cohen has done but it's still very entertaining. Laughed a lot more than I thought I would though if you're easily offended you should probably give it a miss.

To be fair, if someone is easily offended and goes to a Sasha Baron Cohen film, they automatically lose the right to bítch and moan in my eyes.

Tony EH · 21-05-2012 02:17PM

Some people spend their lives trying to be offended.

Notorious · 21-05-2012 09:21PM

That_Guy wrote: »

The Dictator:

A lot better than I expected. It's not the funniest thing Sacha Baron Cohen has done but it's still very entertaining. Laughed a lot more than I thought I would though if you're easily offended you should probably give it a miss.

Just as a contrast, I saw the Dictator last Thursday (I posted in the Dictator thread too). I thought it was a lot worse than I expected it to be, though I may have set my hopes too high. There were a few hilarious parts, but I found it to be weak overall. I thought the best comedy came when the dictator was in power, which isn't for a lot of the film. I thought the film being about a dictator would leave room for a lot of satire and I just didn't think they took advantage of that.

I wouldn't have found it as offensive as Borat or Bruno, but it has its moments. I think a second watch might make me change my opinion for the better.

e_e · 21-05-2012 09:25PM

The only thing offensive about The Dictator was how bloody boring and unfunny most of it was. :pac:

grohlisagod · 22-05-2012 03:58AM

Moneyball. 8/10

Interesting story dealing with one of the most influential movements in baseball. Pitt is superb and Hill and Hoffman play their roles well. An interesting portrayal of John Henry too for any Liverpool fans out there! I thoroughly enjoyed it despite having no interest in the sport.

Bipolar Joe · 22-05-2012 04:02AM

Just finished Chronicle. Three teenagers wind up with telekinetic powers. Good premise in that

the main character ends up being the bad guy

, but why the fuck did it have to be a found footage film? I thought that really let it down and made some bits really awkward. Films like [REC], Blair Witch and The Last Broadcast, it makes sense for them to be found footage because it adds to the suspense, but this just annoyed me for some reason. Still, pretty decent movie.

johnny_ultimate · 22-05-2012 12:00PM

Watched Peeping Tom last night - obviously isn't as shocking or provocative as it once was, but remains an engaging, offbeat and intelligent thriller. I liked unusual combination of weird, voyeuristic sexuality and prissy British-ness. Not afraid of the indulging in the occasional cheeky gag too ('Well he won't be doing the crossword tonight!'). Rather remarkable in the context of when and where it was made, and the story behind its initial critical rejection is a fascinating one.

Strangely enough, it reminded me of the recent Cabin in the Woods in a roundabout sort of way. They're both willing to critique the audience's involvement and pleasure out of violent genre pictures, and attempt to negotiate the role of filmmakers in the process.

FishBowel · 22-05-2012 05:05PM

Enter the ninja - a Western trains as a ninja but another guy objects and comes after him. Half the cast play it for laughs so it's enjoyable but silly.

Judgement Day · 22-05-2012 05:14PM

"The Manchurian Candidate" (2004) on TG4 last night - very satisfying movie for all of us who like conspiracy theories, cover-ups and political intrigue. Denzel Washington's portrayal of a Gulf War veteran suffering from nightmares is superb and Meryl Streep as the scheming mammy prepared to stop at nothing to achieve her political goals...epic stuff. Flags occasionally but I would rate it as an 8/10 - plenty of unexpected twists in the plot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR8WYO9Lj9g

GAAman · 22-05-2012 06:39PM

I ended up watching Full Metal Jacket last night, as a result of watching R Lee Ermey's new tv show called "Locked and Loaded" which is actually very good.

Pretty much every one of Ermey's lines in this movie are quote gold, and in the tv show he uses bullets as ear buds to dampen out the noise of the weapons

Paddy Samurai · 22-05-2012 07:44PM

I watched the full version on YouTube last night.
Although I'm a big fan of Japanese films I was not mad about this one.I know its considered a classic,but its not for me.Worth a watch,but would'nt need to see it again.
Not a patch on The Seven Samurai IMO.

johnny_ultimate · 22-05-2012 08:25PM

I love Rashomon, possibly my favourite Kurosawa pic. It just astounds me that a film of such structural ingenuity was made in 1950. I love the atmosphere, the performances, the cinematography, the story, the themes.

It's one of those mid-century films (along with something like Sunset Boulevard) that, IMO, has lost absolutely none of its ability to amaze. I've loved most Kurosawa I've seen (except, perhaps, I Live in Fear) but Rashomon is the one I'd recommend over the others.

krudler · 22-05-2012 11:20PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I love Rashomon, possibly my favourite Kurosawa pic. It just astounds me that a film of such structural ingenuity was made in 1950. I love the atmosphere, the performances, the cinematography, the story, the themes.

It's one of those mid-century films (along with something like Sunset Boulevard) that, IMO, has lost absolutely none of its ability to amaze. I've loved most Kurosawa I've seen (except, perhaps, I Live in Fear) but Rashomon is the one I'd recommend over the others.

"you said you loved Rashomon!"
"thats not how I remember it!"

GAAman · 22-05-2012 11:27PM

The Mask was the subject tonight. One of my guilty pleasures that I have not dusted off in some time. Jim Carrey is fantastic as both the socially inept bank clerk and the mystically powered green faced extrovert.

Cameron Diaz was recently quoted as saying she thinks her body is better looking now than ever before. Sorry to disagree Ms Diaz but the video below disagrees with you and I agree with it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWiKIw7Dsp4

Hubba hubba!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 23-05-2012 12:10AM

saw the raid and the life and death of colonel blimp in the IFi today

i was literally younger than everybody else in the screen for colonel blimp by a good 30 years.. probably 40. young people just dont know a good movie when it's screening at 1pm on a tuesday afternoon, clearly.

Rothko · 23-05-2012 12:15AM

I watched Cop Land a few days ago. I thought it was very good. Sylvester Stallone gives a good performance in it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cop_Land

grohlisagod · 23-05-2012 02:05AM

Edward Scissorhands.

I'd forgotten Burton used to make good movies. Just a good quirky, funny film. I've always had a soft spot for Winona Ryder also. Nice soundtrack from Danny Elfman.

That_Guy · 23-05-2012 03:13PM

How I Spent My Summer Vacation:

Utter crap. It started very promisingly and thought it was going to be great fun... Instead, it veered off into an awful path. Story was awful and annoyingly, the action sequences were far from gripping. A dull and lifeless film. Personally I'd avoid.

Ben Moore · 23-05-2012 03:32PM

The Ghost

As a director Roman Polanski has an atmosphere all to himself. Robert Harris writes a brilliant story. Ewan McGregor is as solid as ever. Pierce Brosnan is perfect as the ex British Prime Minister NOT Tony Blair.

A bit of background, Robert Harris did ghost write Tony Blair's autobiography. Even though he claims the story of this book and movie are completely separate to any real events.

Though one critic (I have to paraphrase here as i cannot find the link) said that Harris' stiry and reality have nothing to do with each other but if it was true it would certainly explain a lot about the choices Tony Blair made while he was in office :-)

Worth a look

Lionel Messy · 23-05-2012 06:34PM

Whatever Works, starring Larry David and directed by Woody Allen. Fantastic, and very different. A truly marvellous performance by all actors and actresses. Larry David is exceptional.

jimmymal · 23-05-2012 07:23PM

watched God Bless America the other night,
probably the best film i've seen in a couple of years. truly laugh out loud for me but thats what floats my boat.

briany · 24-05-2012 04:32PM

Recently, I've seen :

Caché : A French film about a middle class couple who become ever more paranoid as surveillance tapes shot from the alley opposite their house begin being left on their doorstep with crude drawings attached occasionally. 7/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS4VVUYsK44

Take Shelter: A family man begins having haunting visions of a possible impending apocalypse which make him question his own sanity. Nevertheless, he takes steps to prepare himself and his family for it. 7.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5U4TtYpKIc

Shotgun Stories : About 3 adult brothers bitter about their father who left them at a young age and started another family. When the father dies, they gatecrash his funeral and say some unkind things about him. This kicks off a hateful but low level feud with members of the second family. Very stark, slice of life, anytown USA type of film if you like that kind of thing. 6.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZh6PrFW2lM

Winnebago Man : A film maker goes in search of the famous 'Winnebago Man' who was the subject of a viral video of the same name. The video consists of profanity laced outtakes from a 1980's Winnebago infomercial starring the man, Jack Rebney, and has had millions of views on Youtube. 8.5/10

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

Leningrad Cowboys Go America : A Finnish film about a semi fictional Russian polka band who go to America to make it big. Upon getting to America they realise there's not much market for that music and reinvent themselves as a rock and roll group. Think Blues Brothers if it were directed by Jim Jarmusch who, in fact, has a cameo in this film. 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcovyF8j50g

What have you watched recently?

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