Last movie watched...

[paddykafka]

Watched "Noah" last night. Was in floods of tears afterwards.

[NapalmKev]

Watched "Noah" last night. Was in floods of tears afterwards.

From laughing too hard?

Cheers

[JamesC]

Machete 2 (or whatever it's called). I didn't think the first Machete came close to capturing the fun of Grindhouse, and this one even less so unfortunately. I think the biggest problem is the effects - cheap-looking physical effects are charming and nostalgic, cheap-looking CG is the opposite so the film's schtick just doesn't work at all. Shame.

Couple of good laughs mind you.

These grindhouse style things just don't work in general imho. I think the only one I really enjoyed was Death Proof. It actually felt the most like something my dad would have got from the video shop in the mid eighties. Some people complained that there was too much talking and not enough action but that just made it more authentic - loads of old films like this only have one or two action scenes because it's all they could afford.

[Tiplodocus]

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

I think I mentioned previously that I quite liked this and still did. Looked good in 3D at home. Could do with one or two more laughs but other than that, solid enjoyable stuff with very likeable lead performances (including the bad guys).. The giants look great and Singer know how to build up tension (and not drag it out too long) as show in the first appearance of a giant.

Apparently it didn't do too well at the box office though.

[Richmond Clements]

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

I think I mentioned previously that I quite liked this and still did. Looked good in 3D at home. Could do with one or two more laughs but other than that, solid enjoyable stuff with very likeable lead performances (including the bad guys).. The giants look great and Singer know how to build up tension (and not drag it out too long) as show in the first appearance of a giant.

Apparently it didn't do too well at the box office though.

I really liked the final scene in that.

[Tiplodocus]

Yeah - it's a theme that runs through it; how truth fades into legend until it becomes completely forgotten about.

[I, Cosh]

Machete 2 (or whatever it's called). I didn't think the first Machete came close to capturing the fun of Grindhouse, and this one even less so unfortunately. I think the biggest problem is the effects - cheap-looking physical effects are charming and nostalgic, cheap-looking CG is the opposite so the film's schtick just doesn't work at all.

Very much this. Fetishising the constraints and limitations of trashy movies, while presumably fun for those involved, seems a rather poor way of celebrating their vim and brio. The only film of this ilk which I'd wholeheartedly recommend is Black Dynamite.

Only six years late, I finally got round to watching Red Cliff, John Woo's take on a historical epic. I'd been put off watching it for a while by the four hour plus running time but, while the first half is certainly more fun, it really doesn't sag much during that. Loyalty, betrayal, manly bonding, a horse and sword wielding variant of the hospital scene from Hard Boiled, mighty warriors with signature fighting styles and crazy eyebrows, a cast of thousands, pitched battles that piss all over Lord of the Rings and a ludicrously overblown scene that pokes a finger right in the beady eye of anyone who fancies taking the piss out of the director's penchant for pigeons.

What else could a film need, other than a wonderfully smartarsed lead, battlefield romance and Tony Leung? It's got all those too.

[radiator]

Finally got around to seeing Harold and Maude. I knew literally nothing about it other than it being referenced as a big influence on certain modern filmmakers I like, and presumed it was a British film.

Really, really loved it - it's influence on Wes Anderson, Richard Ayoade and basically every self-consciously quirky indie movie of the last decade or so is pretty clear. Though it's a 1970s film it has a really 60s feel (I imagine it was written and filmed in the 60s) but has a peculiar, perverse sensibility to it that means it still feels really fresh and offbeat. I can only imagine what mainstream audiences made of it back then. Lots of really beautiful little touches - when [spoiler]Harold glimpses Maude's (apparent) concentration camp tattoo[/spoiler] I must admit I welled up a bit.

Ace Cat Stevens soundtrack, too.

5/5

[I, Cosh]

Finally got around to seeing Harold and Maude. ..Though it's a 1970s film it has a really 60s feel (I imagine it was written and filmed in the 60s) but has a peculiar, perverse sensibility to it that means it still feels really fresh and offbeat..

Can't remember if I mentioned it here, but I saw this for the first time about six months ago and pretty much agree with everything you've said. Great film.

[shaolin_monkey]

Finally got around to seeing Harold and Maude. ..Though it's a 1970s film it has a really 60s feel (I imagine it was written and filmed in the 60s) but has a peculiar, perverse sensibility to it that means it still feels really fresh and offbeat..

Can't remember if I mentioned it here, but I saw this for the first time about six months ago and pretty much agree with everything you've said. Great film.

Yep, a friend sat me down in front of it last year, and I loved it. I Rewatched it a fortnight ago, and it was even better. [spoiler]I loved all his 'deaths'. The garden fire was probably my favourite.[/spoiler]


I watched Ender's Game tonight. Jeez, what a load of bloody rubbish. Wooden performances all round, totally unlikeable characters, a turgid script, and completely in memorable anticlimax of an ending.

[JamesC]

Daybreakers

I really enjoyed this film. It's a sort of high concept sci fi/horror thing in which all human society has become a vampire society but they're running out of blood.
It starts off in a sci-fi noir vain, becomes a sort of paranoia thriller in the middle and ends up as in a B-movie blood bath.
It has a decent cast featuring Ethan Hawke and Willem Defoe who all seem to be having plenty of fun.

I thought it was a pretty unique take on the genre and was far better than I had expected. It has the feeling of a film that, had it been made on a third of the budget with unknown actors or if it were French it would be lauded but as a mid budget Hollywood flick it's been pretty much overlooked.

[Recrewt]

I was quite impressed with Daybreakers also but it did seem to be realeased with very little fanfair.  There were some good ideas in that movie and they tried to do something a bit different.

I agree about the budget though, it was not quite up there enough to achieve fully what they wanted but too much for a cult movie.   

[Keef Monkey]

Aye, Daybreakers was much enjoyed round our bit too.

[Albion]

Pride.
We were at the cinema to see Nick Cave's 20000 Days on Earth and a live streamed performance and Q&A but it was cancelled due to technical issues. 

Anyway, to salvage something form the evening we watched Pride.
It's about a gay and lesbian group who help the striking miners in 1984. Very good film and very funny. I even spotted a 2000AD annual and an Eagle annual on a shelf in one characters room.

[strangelysaucy]

Not strictly a 'movie' movie but as long as one (2+ hours) "The Beast Within" - The making of Alien (2003)

I know the film and the making of inside out (I thought) but it had some real gems in there as far as cast and crew stories went as well as some lovely out-takes and behind the scenes footage.

I didn't know for example that Ridley's two kids were used in full atmosphere suits to make the sets look bigger for some shots!!