Last movie watched...

[Theblazeuk]

Must have slipped under my radar when first released - last night I saw the 2013 movie Coherence. Can't say too much about it as it feels like a bit of an extended Twighlight Zone episode and any spoliers will ruin it but wow, great film.

The obligatory character introductions at the start along with some silly framing shots are worth wading through for a complete gem of a sci-fi movie that's full of tension, paranoia and WTF aplenty. A really clever and creepy movie.

I believe it's only just come out really beyond its festival screenings in 2013

[I, Cosh]

John Wick. After seeing The Raid redefine action cinema, I was curious to see what the next big thing after it would be. And here it is. With it's long tracking shots of the action and the music building as a fight scene progresses, the influence of The Raid is clear.
However this is its own beast. Brilliant and exhilarating.

This reminded that I still hadn't got off my arse to see John Wick, so I sorted that out last night and it was a real joy. You mentioned the tension building lead ins to the action scenes. I particularly liked the way that that we spend long enough tracking round each location (particularly the first two: the house and the nightclub) that, when the hammer drops we already have a real sense of the environment and everything that follows makes perfect sense.

I'd mistakenly thought Reeves directed this. Not that important but putting this alongside Man of Tai Chi, it's clear that he has a penchant for asskicking Asian cinema and an understanding of what makes it work.

Here's to much more of this sort of thing. A few weeks ago, Keanu turned in a different sort of performance at the opening of a new Gauguin exhibition just down the road. Sadly it was sold out, but you can see him reading from Gauguin's malarial fever diaries on youTube. Needs more headshots and neckbreaks in my view.

[Famous Mortimer]

Surf Nazis Must Die

I remember watching this in my early 20s and being hugely disappointed in it. My friends and I were all "why is a film with this title so dull?" But I decided to have another bash at it 15 or so years later, and it turns out me in my early 20s was a smart guy. What a boring film.

[Hawkmumbler]

Not Troma's best out put by a long shot. 

[Tiplodocus]

John Wick. After seeing The Raid redefine action cinema, I was curious to see what the next big thing after it would be. And here it is. With it's long tracking shots of the action and the music building as a fight scene progresses, the influence of The Raid is clear.
However this is its own beast. Brilliant and exhilarating.

This reminded that I still hadn't got off my arse to see John Wick, so I sorted that out last night and it was a real joy.

How come I have only just heard about this. Saw the trailer and the nightclub section last night and it looked absolutely spot on. Now off to try and track it down somewhere.

[Ghastly McNasty]

I believe it's only just come out really beyond its festival screenings in 2013

Have you seen it? Have you seen it? Need someone else to confirm its complete awesomeness.

Also watched John Wick last night. Thumbs up on that too. Very cool movie.

[Satanist]

Must have slipped under my radar when first released - last night I saw the 2013 movie Coherence. Can't say too much about it as it feels like a bit of an extended Twighlight Zone episode and any spoliers will ruin it but wow, great film.

The obligatory character introductions at the start along with some silly framing shots are worth wading through for a complete gem of a sci-fi movie that's full of tension, paranoia and WTF aplenty. A really clever and creepy movie.

I believe it's only just come out really beyond its festival screenings in 2013

Watched this last night due to this thread and really enjoyed it. Cheers Ghastly!

[Ghastly McNasty]

*High Fives*

[ThryllSeekyr]

Gees...I was logged out and the lost humongus Seventh Son review I had spent the last tow hours one.

Ouch!

This makes me very sad

Perhaps tomorrow or later on today! (It's 1:45 AM right now!)

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Ain't that a crying shame

[Professor Bear]

"why is a film with this title so dull?"

While the shameless Lloyd Kaufman is to be commended for following through to completion on the daffy ideas for films he comes up with down the pub with his mates, that sadly doesn't change that Troma produce great concepts but dull movies.  I've rarely managed to watch one all the way though.

The Giver - more like the Shitter.  Some old-hat tropes for the year 2015 make it eminently passable to begin with, but being directed in a very straightforward manner robs it of the allegorical appeal that might have lent it some weight.  As it is, it's about a bloke who discovers his perfect community doesn't like feels, so he leaves it and this brings back the feels.  That synopsis actually makes it sound better than it is, so fair warning this is pretty rubbish.

[Mabs]

Werner Herzog's Stroszek: Absolutely mad but I loved every second of it!

The story is set in Berlin as we follow the life of Bruno Stroszek who has just been released from prison, and a down on her luck working girl, Eva. Both along with an older gentleman decide to leave Germany for a better life in America, namely Wisconsin  (the place where Ed Gein once resided). Of course, once they get there, things don't go according to plan.

The real star of the show is of course the late Bruno S, his presence is so powerful. From his mannerisms and hypnotic stare. He was a non actor and Herzog's choice was spot on. Apparently prior to every shoot, he would spend more than an hour convincing Bruno that he would be okay in front of the camera (Bruno had a tough upbringing and suffered with mental issues). Even Herzog's direction is unconventional, but it makes the experience all the more intriguing. There were moments in America he would have to dodge the police because he didn't have the permit to shoot in certain places. It was almost like guerilla film making. That's why Herzog is such a distinct and powerful voice in world cinema, for his subject matter, and his mad cap, almost extreme film making techniques.


The last lines just perfectly sums up the film: "We have a 10-80 out here, a truck on fire, we have a man on the lift. We are unable to find the switch to turn the lift off, can't stop the dancing chickens. Send an electrician"

Ah, the dancing chicken..

Next up: The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (again starring Bruno S in the main role).

[ThryllSeekyr]

Scapping huge ass review of Seventh Son I had been writing  out yesterday!

Just a few thoughts about this one.

Is a sign the fantasy film genre really dying.

To convince myself other is, it may need a second viewing, but right now I'm sure it's the other use of special effects and John Gregory's (Jeff Bridges (Plenty of great films under his belt and plenty of styff he was much better in!)  silly voice that escaped my notice of in the trailers for this film.

Respectably, He sounded like he was chewing on something.

Prince Caspian is the younger hero!

All the villians are witches that can transform into mini-dragons. (I was thinking of the Prestige Class War-Witchs from the Official Mongoose Published Slaine RPG. *They change in El type creature by virtue of always dealing with them, you know!)  So this film is a childish fantasy with a touch of World of Darkness's - Mokole seen from the perspective of Munckin

I just thought that when John mutters -words to the effect- That was a sixth level Spook/Ghast/Boggart momentarily breaking the fourth wall for all Dungeons & Dragons fans.

At least, the special effects and faux-realism of this tale is improvement of the original D&D film.

The orc!

Best character ever and straight out of imagination of most geeks like me who played that game I mentioned above.

Jason Scott Lee (Island of Dr Moreu, Mortal Combat)  as the Were-Bear

Julianne More (Both her and Jeff were in Big Lebowski together! Coincidence....is this like the warp variant of the sequel!) 

Really wanted to like this film, but not sure if it's worth the trilogy or quartet that was written for it.

Maybe, it's a warning to other film makers who repeatably always fall on this genre without wings or parachute.

The very last thing that happens in the film, flick the hood of his robes back over his head before the ending credits roll was very cringe worthy.

Kids might enjoy this film more and especially if read the novel series . Even if this film appears to largely differ from them.

BTW A large family of male and female Harry Potter look alikes sat to my left while Thor himself sat to my right. 

[Famous Mortimer]

While the shameless Lloyd Kaufman is to be commended for following through to completion on the daffy ideas for films he comes up with down the pub with his mates, that sadly doesn't change that Troma produce great concepts but dull movies.  I've rarely managed to watch one all the way though.

At least in this case the title was accurate - it did contain surf nazis, and I did want them to die. "Rabid Grannies", on the other hand, where the titular characters are neither rabid nor grannies, is a bit more disappointing.

Rock and Roll Space Patrol
Filmed near where Mrs Mortimer lived for many years, basically a clever home movie. Screw you Troma!

[I, Cosh]

Pretty sure I still have an old VHS copy of Surf Nazis Must Die somewhere. It was pretty disappointing, but I did like the Samurai Surfers.