Last movie watched...

[Mabs]

Did anyone catch The Last Temptation of Christ which was on Film4 last night? It's undoubtedly one of my favourite Scorsese films. Not only does it have an amazing cast, from Willem Defoe, Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie, but Peter Gabriel's Morrocan influenced music is a masterpiece, right from the opening moment it grabs you in. The film caused controversy ofcourse because of its depiction of Jesus kissing/ making out with Mary Magdeline and marrying, having children etc. But this segment of the film was supposed to be a dream or visions of temptation which Defoe's Christ was having as he lay impaled on the cross. The last 30 minutes, or the dream section is one of my favourite moments in the film. Not only is it photographed beautifully but the direction by Scorsese itself is masterful to say the least. And you don't have to be a Christian (which I'm not) or religious to enjoy this film.

[Link Prime]

Did anyone catch The Last Temptation of Christ which was on Film4 last night?

Wanted to watch it, but was knackered.
One for the collection this year.

[Spikes]

Only seen the film once before, and if I recall its pretty good. A lot of fuss was raised when it was first released, and no doubt it still has its most vocal detractor's now.

Film4 usually repeat stuff fairly regularly, after the initial broadcast, so may try to catch this again. 

[Ghost MacRoth]

Pain & Gain

A genuine surprise.  Expected a bubble gum for the brain comedy, got a dark, funny, well acted piece, and more amazing still, it was directed by Michael Bay!!  Good film, worth a watch.

[Frank]

Fruitvale Station, which I watched without realising it was based on a true story. I say based on a true story because it's an obvious liberal fantasy - the victim's done time, but the worst thing he's shown doing is dealing a little weed and not being cowed when a thug challenges him to a fight. That said, it has a pretty shocking and powerful finale, preceded by an engaging portrait of the kind of people not normally depicted in American cinema (not normally depicted sympathetically, with depth, or with nuance, at any rate).

[Goaty]

The Truman Show

I do still like this film and it still enjoyable to watch and Jim Carrey was so good in it even Ed Harris, perfect ending!

Funny as when I first watch it 15 years ago, I do feelings that I am in his world with everythings false and set up just for me... and I google and find there is really happens;

Joel Gold, a psychiatrist at the Bellevue Hospital Center, revealed that by 2008, he had met five patients with schizophrenia (and heard of another twelve) who believed their lives were reality television shows. Gold named the syndrome "The Truman Show Delusion" after the film and attributed the delusion to a world that had become hungry for publicity. The syndrome predominantly affects young white men

[JamesC]

I've watched a few films over the last couple of days due to some early finishes at work.

Cypher.

I was reminded about this film via this thread. It's a pretty good low budget Sci Fi thriller - worth checking out.

Elysium

This began really well but started to-ing and fro-ing a bit much in the middle. They could have cut out the stuff about the sick child altogether. I'd have preferred 'Commando in Space' with lots of those imaginative weapons. Some nice design though - and it was very pretty to look at.

Insidious 2

This is not a good film by any stretch of the imagination. It was fairly entertaining though. It uses pretty much every horror cliche you can think of and has a very different feel to the first film. Worth a watch if you a fan of horror and don't mind something that's pretty undemanding.

The Conjouring

I really enjoyed this. It was genuinely scary and the 70s setting set it apart from the other haunted house films I've seen recently. There were some really good performances and though it may not have been particularly original I suspended my disbelief throughout. Well worth a watch if you're a horror fan. They're currently making a sequel I believe.

[Link Prime]

The Conjouring

I really enjoyed this. It was genuinely scary and the 70s setting set it apart from the other haunted house films I've seen recently. There were some really good performances and though it may not have been particularly original I suspended my disbelief throughout. Well worth a watch if you're a horror fan. They're currently making a sequel I believe.

I concur James, think I'll pick it up for the collection.
Sequel will be based on Annabelle the doll...the 'real' version of it is far scarier than what Hollywood cooked up.

[CrazyFoxMachine]

Star Trek VI: So Very Tired The Undiscovered Country

Slightly heavy-handed but a pleasingly solid send-off for the original crew.

ALSO DAVID WARNER.

[Daveycandlish]

Oh the best Trek film! Keep yer lens flare yoof cast revamps, you cannot best the originals

[Mabs]

Klingons sprouting Shakespeare? David Bowie's missus as a shape changing alien? Just some of the things which make this my favourite Trek film. Khan comes a close second.

[Mabs]

Only seen the film once before, and if I recall its pretty good. A lot of fuss was raised when it was first released, and no doubt it still has its most vocal detractor's now.

Film4 usually repeat stuff fairly regularly, after the initial broadcast, so may try to catch this again.

Yeah they do, they repeated The Truman Show the other day which I had the pleasure of watching again. My daughter found some of Carrey's hilarious facial expressions very amusing! He's an exceptional talent, that Jim Carrey is.

Also just coming back to The Last Temptation of Christ, just realised that Defoe has potrayed Jesus twice already, first  in this film and the other time was in Platoon. Okay, maybe not a literal Christ but an allegorical one! He even gets crucified hands outstretched under a hail of bullets by Tom Berenger - who is the personification of evil, or Lucifer.

[Fungus]

Klingons sprouting Shakespeare?

A nice image...

[Frank]

Upstream Color (2013) finally made it to the top of my rental list. I don't eat bacon anyway, but if I did I wouldn't anymore. I was reading it as straightforwardly metaphysical for most of the running time, but the end suggests a political allegory too. The conflation of romantic attraction and parasitic infection struck a chord, and I'm going to give the director's time travel debut, Primer (2004), a go on the strength of this film's ideas and incredible imagery.

[I, Cosh]

Upstream Color (2013) finally made it to the top of my rental list.

Blimey. How have I never heard of this? Looks quite something.

For my part, I very much enjoyed The Wolf of Wall Street and was particularly taken with the bravura central performance from Mr Leonardo di Caprio. A great exercise in making a loathsome protagaonist fascinating to watch.

After reasonably entertaining fluff like Shutter Island, it was good to feel like I was being comprehensively filmed at for two and a half hours with the big show offy set pieces, knowing narration and carefully orchestrated monologues. Laugh out loud funny in places (the Swiss German audience I saw it with seemed particularly keen on the bits sticking the boot into the Swiss French bankers) and not exactly subtle (although I'm dumbfounded at the notion that some people are saying it glamourises the characters.)