Last movie watched...

[Tiplodocus]

"You sad sorry little man"

(I hope I quoted that right).

[dweezil2]

"You sad sorry little man"

(I hope I quoted that right).

You certainly did Tips! 

I really love Bannen's performance, it's of the charts!

Fantastic script too, if slightly restrained in its' use of expletives by today's standards.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3pRkGQpY8V8

[radiator]

It doesn't happen often, but once in a while my girlfriend will get her heart set on seeing a film that I have zero interest in, and won't stop nagging me about until I give in.

Such was the case with Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

I like to think I'm fairly broad-minded when it comes to comedy, but I never liked the TV series - its popularity was always a mystery to me. Perhaps I'm not the target audience, but I never understood what was supposed to be funny, or what the show was even trying to parody. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume there must be a reason that it was so well-loved, and I'm sure it had its moments.

The film, however, is unmitigated fucking shite - so desperately unfunny and cobbled-together that you just feel embarrassed for everyone onscreen (Jon Hamm, Mark Gatiss... oh the humanity).

For a purported comedy, there really aren't many of what I'd describe as 'jokes' in the film - its mostly just tired old schtick and barrel-scraping Z-list 'celebrity' cameos served up in place of genuine humour, and the feeble attempts at gags there are are at best painfully unfunny and at worst terribly ill-judged and retrograde. For example the scene where Joanna Lumley's character has an altercation with a flight attendant, who afterwards bemoans the fact that 'we have to be nice to transgender people these days'.

For a start, that doesn't even work as a joke, and it comes across as weirdly derogatory - the 'joke' - such as it is - being that Joanna Lumley looks rough, and so much be transgender?

It's 2016. Fuck you.

If an unknown comedy writer turned in a script this hackneyed and lazy, they'd be laughed out of every production company in the country. The only upside is that it was mercifully short (and god does it feel stretched wafer thin even at 85mins). Even my girlfriend - a huge fan of the TV show - conceded that it was a very strange film that was at best 'mildly amusing for fans'.

The only thing in the film that made me laugh was when I made the connection between the awkward and pointless extended Jerry Hall cameo and the Fox Searchlight logo at the beginning of the film.

0/5

[JamesC]

I saw a featurette about the Ab Fab movie on breakfast TV and to me it looked quite a bit like Spice World.

[radiator]

I saw a featurette about the Ab Fab movie on breakfast TV and to me it looked quite a bit like Spice World.

There's a throughline there - Emma Bunton gets a starring role in the film* and didn't Saunders write that flop Spice Girls musical?

*For some reason. Even though she does literally nothing of importance in the 'plot'. And the main recurring 'joke' about her is that Saunders' character keeps mangling her name and calling her 'Baby Bunton' or 'Emma Spice'. Yeah, that's the level of humour we're dealing with here.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Evil Dead (2013 Remake)

A great, tense horror. Also: Film 4 shows the (as yet) unreleased extended edition, with extra gore, extra dialogue, missing scenes (including two pivotal scenes: [spoiler]disposal of two bodies, explaining why they don't come back[/spoiler] and [spoiler]the main character's brother being possessed[/spoiler], plus the [spoiler]"We're going to get you" being sung through the cellar door[/spoiler] from the first film.

[dweezil2]

Nope, never got the joke with Ab Fab either.

Middle class socialites and their inane foibles?

Ha, ha, ha, ha! Not!

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Had a Man With No Name marathon this weekend.

Or a Dollars Trilogy weekend if you prefer.

Classic films. I think that A Fistful Of Dollars has the best story. For a Few Dollars More has the best soundtrack. And The Good, The Bad And The Ugly has the best acting.

Next weekend - The Magnificent Seven marathon!

Did you watch the director's cut of TGTBTU? Worth a watch, even if there are some ponderous shots. Mind you they're ponderous shots of gorgeous scenery, every frame a painting blah blah. What it boils down to is the movie Tarantino wishes he made and rips off the most.


Must have a rewatch of the trilogy myself. The Ennio Morricone soundtrack alone is worth it.

[PsychoGoatee]

Agreed on the Morricone love!

My most recent watch was River's Edge, really good movie! Dennis Hopper, Crispin Glover ruling us all, a soundtrack featuring lots of Slayer, an offbeat masterpiece.

[futureimperfect]

Did you watch the director's cut of TGTBTU? Worth a watch, even if there are some ponderous shots. Mind you they're ponderous shots of gorgeous scenery, every frame a painting blah blah. What it boils down to is the movie Tarantino wishes he made and rips off the most.


Must have a rewatch of the trilogy myself. The Ennio Morricone soundtrack alone is worth it.

Yep it was the 2014(?) extended version - apparently mastered from 4k according to forum nerds.  You are right with your Tarantino comment. I think his problem is he tries too hard to make a movie as good as this. Nothing against the guy, he makes good movies. But the dollars trilogy is my favorite film trilogy of all time (followed by the Vengeance trilogy and the the Star Wars trilogy)

You are right about the soundtrack too. Me and my flatmate actually had a discussion about the soundtracks. I actually rated a few dollars more higher than the other two, the only exception being ecstasy of gold which HAD BETTER be played at my funeral. (along with escape from New York 

As a kid I never noticed just how many actors were in more than one of the films. I think more parents should be watching these with the kids.

[Rately]

Morricone, Howarth and Carpenter! Could listen to their music on repeat all day long.

Recently had a rewatch of Escape From New York, and i think the very last scene, as Snake walks out of frame as he mangles the cassette tape, is my favourite movie scene ever. Just perfectly timed and executed, so powerful.

[Dandontdare]

Super 8 - recorded off telly at the weekend while I was away and watched last night. I can't do better than reference Tordelback's review - good first half, cliched second half, too much lens flare.

[Apestrife]

Nicolas Winding Refn:s Pusher trilogy.

Great movies. Really unflattering looks into three different lives of crime.

Pusher 1. Few movies like it. Get's me every time how much the main character fucks up instead of doing what he needs to do. Almost inspirational (in a don't fuck up-sort of way).

Pusher 2. Main guy is told throughout the whole film how much of a fuck up he is, and buys into that. Has a strong sad core.

Pusher 3.  Another interesting tragedy. Old fat mob guy can't cope with ordinary life stuff and stress (without smoking heroin), but has no problem dismember and grinding down intestines in a garbage disposer.

Not for everyone (danish can sound like pure gibberish), but I totally recommend them. Different as much as interesting gangster stories. Far cry from Scarface.

[Im_not_Frank]

Last movie watched...

...John Wick

It was a first time watch for me. And I was in the perfect mood for it. You know when you have had a really bad day and just want to punch everyone in the face? Well this is a movie for that day! It's not a classic film by any means. But it gets the job done. Quick Summary. Bad guys piss off a retired assassin. Big mistake. Goes on a killing spree. [spoiler]Everyone dies. [/spoiler]

Worth a rent when you are in the right mood.

[I, Cosh]

John Wick
...
It's not a classic film by any means. But it gets the job done.

John Wick is a fantastically well made film and the complete antithesis of the insidious notion that you "should just turn your brain off and not expect Shakespeare" when sitting down to watch an action or genre movie.