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Last movie watched...

Started by SmallBlueThing, 04 February, 2011, 12:40:44 PM

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The Enigmatic Dr X

Splice: Predictable as a bad futureshock. But with an oddly sexy human hybrid thing.

The Losers: Sorry. Wanted to like it, what with Andy Diggle and Jock and all that, but it felt like a bad pilot for an A Team reboot. Dunno how faithful it is to the comic and put off enough not to find out.
Lock up your spoons!

radiator

QuoteSUPER

Not exactly what i was expecting - the trailer made it look quite funny & light hearted in places and blurbs on the box proclaim it to be better than Kick Ass. Neither of these things are true.

Other than a few scenes which could be considered moderatley funny its is unrelentingly bleak and more than a little tedious.
After it was over i actually watched a documentary about the Rev Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre which seem like light relief in comparrison.

Paid £8 for Super and it was seven quid too much.

Ireally liked it. If it's the Blu Ray you have I'll buy it off you if you want?

Emp

Sadly its only dvd and as such will join that part of my collection in the bottom right hand corner known as "lets never speak of it again"!

Dandontdare

Dark Star - haven't seen this for about 20 years - rather dated and a bit slow in retrospect, but still has some brilliantly funny moments.

I, Cosh

Finally got around to watching Black Swan. Holy shit! Aronofsky has an extraordinary ability to create such a fevered intensity in his films that the ludicrously OTT excesses of the plots are rendered completely inconsequential. My heart was in my mouth for the last twenty-five minutes. I recommend it.

Which reminds that I watched Book of Eli the other night. I really only watched it because of Chris Weston. It had the potential to be a good looking and interesting sci-fi action film, but it was simply dull. A couple of stylish touches around one or two of the action scenes didn't make up for an overall lack of excitement or sensible plot. What went wrong for Denzel and the Hughes brothers? From Malcolm X and Menace II Society to this rubbish. I wouldn't recommend it.
We never really die.

I, Cosh

Mila Kunis double bill though. Mmmm.
We never really die.

Mardroid

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Just a couple of days back.

I've seen it before, but I'm not sure I've ever watched it all the way through. A very good film.

It was interesting recognising certain actors among the inmates, which passed me by the first time I saw it.

Dandontdare

Quote from: Mardroid on 13 August, 2011, 05:31:02 PM
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Just a couple of days back.

I've seen it before, but I'm not sure I've ever watched it all the way through. A very good film.

It was interesting recognising certain actors among the inmates, which passed me by the first time I saw it.

One of my favourite films of all time. Worth reading the book too - the film is rather ambiguous about whether the Chief is really mentally ill, but as the narrator of the book you're left in no doubt he's absolutely batshit crazy.

I watched Clockwork Orange and Lethal Weapon 1 last night, a very satisfying double bill.

Zarjazzer

Under the Red Hood DVD- A Batman animated film. I always liked the dark deco animation and whilst this isn't quite up to that it's still a very good watch and in a similar vein. A fight sequence between the Reddie Hood, Bats  and mercs is a particularly fun one.

Quite dark with torture, "real" death (well real as in various types get offed not just hurt or injured) and as I had no idea as to the content a neat-ish twist.
The Justice department has a good re-education programme-it's called five to ten in the cubes.

SmallBlueThing

Paranormal Activity 2.

I admit, i'm a sucker for this kind of thing, this 'found footage' mockumentary nonsense. Ghost Watch, Blair Witch, Diary of the Dead, Zombie Diaries, Last Broadcast, etc, and the Paranormal Activity films are up there with the best of them.
Now, i have no belief in the supernatural whatsoever, and they always spark the same arguments with my more credulous wife, but i'm happy to admit for the course of the running time i'm completely enthralled and as scared as the most fervent paraninny.

This one doesnt have a single scene to equal the woman being dragged out of bed in the first one- though it tries hard at one point by ramping the same idea up a couple of notches. But equally nothing this time is as stupid or drags you out of the narrative as much as the spontaneously combusting ouija board last time, so it all evens out.

Again, we have a family attacked by an evil presence in their house. This time they have a baby, to increase the tension and have a slightly more convincing reason to have cameras all over the house after a suspicious 'burglary'.  Nothing particularly frightening happens for an age (and nothing particularly clever happens for its entire length) but when it kicks off- and listen for the low barely-audible rumble on the soundtrack to cue you in- it's briefly terrifying.

They're making a third; which will be much the same or will flop. These things can't go too far past their initial limited premise or they lose their impact. They are all about isolating the audience from logic and sense and beating them with the scary stick before they have time to think. I love that, you may not. I'll be buying 3 when it comes out and no doubt cacking it and then arguing with my wife all over again.

Now you'll have to excuse me, i just heard a noise in the kitchen and i've got to and investigaaaAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH! FUCK! RUUUUUN!!!!

SBT
.

Mardroid

Quote from: Dandontdare on 13 August, 2011, 09:10:56 PM
One of my favourite films of all time. Worth reading the book too - the film is rather ambiguous about whether the Chief is really mentally ill, but as the narrator of the book you're left in no doubt he's absolutely batshit crazy.

That's interesting, because by the end of the film, [spoiler]I came to the conclusion The Chief probably wasn't crazy (although as you say it's ambiguous).  I figured he was a guy who perhaps had been through some terrible things early in his life then got himself committed to escape the world. Although arguably, that's a bit insane too.

One curious bit in the film is that bit when we find out that most of the main character, many who do seem rather nutty, are at the asylum voluntarily. Although they have a genuine reason for being there, there's the suggestion by Jack's character that the real reason they're there is because they think outside is worse. That maybe they're hiding away from the real world too.  At that spectacular ending I got the impression the chief was the one who finally did something about it.[/spoiler]

I think I'll have a look for the book. It would be interesting seeing things from The Chief's POV.

Misanthrope

Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 13 August, 2011, 11:32:03 PM
Paranormal Activity 2.

I admit, i'm a sucker for this kind of thing, this 'found footage' mockumentary nonsense. Ghost Watch, Blair Witch, Diary of the Dead, Zombie Diaries, Last Broadcast, etc, and the Paranormal Activity films are up there with the best of them.
Now, i have no belief in the supernatural whatsoever, and they always spark the same arguments with my more credulous wife, but i'm happy to admit for the course of the running time i'm completely enthralled and as scared as the most fervent paraninny.

This one doesnt have a single scene to equal the woman being dragged out of bed in the first one- though it tries hard at one point by ramping the same idea up a couple of notches. But equally nothing this time is as stupid or drags you out of the narrative as much as the spontaneously combusting ouija board last time, so it all evens out.

Again, we have a family attacked by an evil presence in their house. This time they have a baby, to increase the tension and have a slightly more convincing reason to have cameras all over the house after a suspicious 'burglary'.  Nothing particularly frightening happens for an age (and nothing particularly clever happens for its entire length) but when it kicks off- and listen for the low barely-audible rumble on the soundtrack to cue you in- it's briefly terrifying.

They're making a third; which will be much the same or will flop. These things can't go too far past their initial limited premise or they lose their impact. They are all about isolating the audience from logic and sense and beating them with the scary stick before they have time to think. I love that, you may not. I'll be buying 3 when it comes out and no doubt cacking it and then arguing with my wife all over again.

Now you'll have to excuse me, i just heard a noise in the kitchen and i've got to and investigaaaAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH! FUCK! RUUUUUN!!!!

SBT

You hated Batman, but you love Paranormal Activity?

I would have been more scared watching an episode of the Royale Family that was interrupted now and then by some one shouting boo.
Did you know Christ was a werewolf?

SmallBlueThing

Well, no you wouldn't- because glib generalisations aside, The Royle Family doesn't go out of its way to show absolutely nothing happening without even the distraction of amusing dialogue, simply to set you up for some creepy moments. And it's not a horror film.

Being scared by a horror film is not a sign of decreased masculinity- it's the appropriate response, if it's been done well. PA is very effective in what it does- as is PA2. The telling point to make is it's business- both were extraordinarily popular, and both received incredibly good word of mouth. That doesn't happen, usually, with horror films unless they are genuinely effective.

As for Batman: It's shit. End of.

SBT
.

Albion

Limitless.
Which had a rather limitless ability to make a good story rather boring. I didn't mind it but thought that with a different director and some changes to the script it could have been a much better film.

I also watched Gnomeo and Juliet. We get lent these kids films by by my partner's grandsons and we always make the effort to watch them. Some are great, some not so great. But....I have to say I was expecting nothing from this and rather enjoyed it.

Next up is Yogi Bear, not expecting much from that either but I'll give it a go. It can't be as bad as the second Chipmunks movie........can it?
Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side.

Tiplodocus

QuoteAs for Batman: It's shit. End of.
No, it's not. End of.  (THis might go on for some time).


Anyway, EXCALIBUR - John Boorman's well mounted (fnar, fnar) Arthurian fantasy wasn't as awesome, rude or gory as I remembered it but still pretty damned good. Helen Mirren is weapons grade sexy.

ERAGON: I know that, given Lucas' and Star Wars proclivity to nick things from other sources it would be churlish to point out that this is just Star Wars done with dragons but, really. Fuck me, it's Star Wars done with dragons.  It matches up almost exactly in terms of characters, back story, themes, plot points.  Except it's really pretty poor with a charisma less lead, no ambition and anachronistic dialogue all over the shop. I reckon John Malkovich shot his scenes in one afternoon he puts so little effort into it.

Even Tiny Tips started nitpicking. "Hang on, half an hour the dragon couldn't carry three people and now it's wearing and flying in a full suit of armour." "Hang on, they said dragon riders couldn't do magic if their dragon was dead but he just lit the fire with magic.  Can I be a film critic like you, Dad?"

Amusing that they set themselves up for a sequel that never appeared.

(Only if he starts all critiques with "20 minutes too long.")
Be excellent to each other. And party on!