Last movie watched...

[pictsy]

Re Casablanca

I may be biased on this one, as it is a film that means a lot to me patly due to the circumstances and timing of when I have seen it - never seen it outside of a cinema, which I thnk helps - first in 1992 for the 50th anniversary, last a few years back at the same cinema

You can definitely critique the dated casual attitudes, but you can do that to stuff as recent as "Friends" and newer.

Sam, I think is for the time a pretty "decent" if obviously flawed to modern eyes attempt to not be racist - Bogart was very much a Left Wing Liberal and there is some effort to show that Ric and Sam are friends - yes it isnt enough today for Rick to state that Sam makes his own decisions, but for the time, that's a pretty progressive statement.

Worse I agree is Captain Renault - I'd argue, that Rick and the Captain aren;t "friends" - Rick doesnt do friends.  Consider the characters in this film are stand ins for the Nations they represent - Rick represents "America First" - "I stick my neck out for nobody".  On the last watch, Rick actuaally came out worse with his self pity and moping, but again, that is a comment on selfish self isolation.  The core drive of the story is "will this man do the right thing for himself, or the Right thing for the World?"  Renault represents French collaboration and capitulation.  Ilsa and Victor are subjugated Europe fighting back. 

Viewed on both levels, the flaws of the characters are not so much mistakes that make you dislike them, but crucial to the parallel the film is drawing.

I really appreciate this point and fully agree with your analysis.

Also, I do that stuff to Friends   Friends is considerably worse and more problematic than Casablanca, easily.

Actually, after watching Ferris Bueller I feel more inclined towards Casablanca.  Out of the two, I prefer Casablanca easily.  So there's that.

[radiator]

I think you're all misunderstanding Ferris Bueller.

Fact is, he's a righteous dude.

The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him.

[pictsy]

Psycho Goreman

Well.  This film is certainly a thing.

Where to start?

The costumes are fantastic.  I love this films style.  I most certainly do dig it.

It made me laugh.  More than once.  And out loud.  It made me smile.

It's messed up.  Very messed up.  Ultra violence and a pastiche of... probably more than one type of movie that has morals and stuff, I don't know.  It knows when to dead pan and it does it a lot when horrible things are happening.

Great child actor performances.  I always think it's a plus when kids act well because I've seen too much stuff ruined by crappy kid actors.

I'd be surprised if this film doesn't leave an impression on me and I don't think about it in the days to come.  It was definitely something.

It's a very absurd film and I find myself judging it with a different standard than I would many other films.  I was unsure about a couple of elements, but reconciled to them at the end of film.  I think it neatly ties itself together with a consistent tone and knows precisely what it is doing.

So, no criticisms this time.  I enjoyed it, I think it worked, but I am somewhat still reeling from the experience.  You like stuff like Troma?  Horror comedies?  OK with cartoonish but extremely gory violence?  This might be a film for you.

[Funt Solo]

I was pondering Ferris Bueller and his infamous day off - given some of the comments on here (none of which I can strongly contend, given that they're personal perspectives), and I was brought to wondering why I think of it fondly - with the caveat that I watched it on release, when I was close to being of-age with Ferris and his friends.

So, one of the appeals is on the surface level and it's pure escapism: the system (adults, school and a hopeless lack of fun) are all set against you - so you break free of them - you beat the system.

It's clear that the life lesson that Ferris presents (that the only thing holding you back is your attitude) is that of a privileged person and doesn't take into account the pressures inflicted by society that really can hold you back and are utterly regardless of your attitude. But then: what kind of advice are we expecting of an eighteen year old hedonista? Surely not wisdom, and perhaps that's part of the point.

Ferris is not in a position to assist Cameron with his depression, because Ferris is Ferris. He tries to (in the only way he knows how) because he cares for Cameron (in the only way he knows how), and Cameron appreciates Ferris because he looks up to him. That doesn't mean Ferris is wise or that his advice is good or that Cameron is mended or even that Cameron's feelings about his parents are valid. Perhaps he's delusional? The movie doesn't really answer any of that.

Or - is this all a fantasy world? Surely the part with Ferris on the float is just part of a mad daydream - that didn't really happen, did it? And the furious, red-faced teacher that attempts to break into the house - that's not realistic, either. Are there really two people, or is this all happening in Cameron's mind? Is Ferris real, or is this the model for Fight Club?

Well, that's probably going a bit far.

Summary: why would anyone expect wisdom from Ferris? His experience of life is naturally very limited.

[Rara Avis]

r - is this all a fantasy world? Surely the part with Ferris on the float is just part of a mad daydream - that didn't really happen, did it? And the furious, red-faced teacher that attempts to break into the house - that's not realistic, either. Are there really two people, or is this all happening in Cameron's mind? Is Ferris real, or is this the model for Fight Club?

The actor that played the red faced teacher was charged with taking explicit photo's of a 14 year old boy some years later.

I love teh Ferris / Fight Club theory btw ..

[pictsy]

Nova Seed

This is an hour long animated feature made by a handful of people with only one animator.  It is awesome.

It's hard to describe, but I got vibes of Adventure Time, Heavy Metal and Liquid TV about this film.  It looks considerably better than it has any right to.  The sound is ropey with some funny foley done with voices throughout.  It just adds to its charm.  It oozes charm.  Good music.

What's it about?  Saving the world, love, adventure...?  Sod it, with this one it is the journey that matters.

My criticisms?  There's a noticeably bad run animation (that does sort itself out) and a questionable character design.  Overall, I don't have much to criticise about this film.  I need more of this sort of thing in my life.  It might be the best thing I've watched so far this year.

[milstar]

r - is this all a fantasy world? Surely the part with Ferris on the float is just part of a mad daydream - that didn't really happen, did it? And the furious, red-faced teacher that attempts to break into the house - that's not realistic, either. Are there really two people, or is this all happening in Cameron's mind? Is Ferris real, or is this the model for Fight Club?

The actor that played the red faced teacher was charged with taking explicit photo's of a 14 year old boy some years later.

Oh, Jeffrey Jones! I love that actor, but alas... Nobody's perfect, apparently.

[Hawkmumbler]

Very mild way of putting noncery that.

Watched the WSA MONSTER HUNTER over the weekend. It's obviously absolute bollacks but at a crisp 90 mins is exactly the kind of slick, short action nonsense I needed this week.
I'll stand us for the Resi movies any day of the week too.

[pictsy]

Very mild way of putting noncery that.

Disturbingly so.

Watched the WSA MONSTER HUNTER over the weekend. It's obviously absolute bollacks but at a crisp 90 mins is exactly the kind of slick, short action nonsense I needed this week.
I'll stand us for the Resi movies any day of the week too.

I would have considered watching this, but evoking the Resident Evil movies makes me want to avoid it.

[milstar]

Dead and Buried (1981)

This isn't the film I exactly asked for, but likely is the film I needed to see, even at the age of 31. This small budget horror flick is one of the scariest films I ever have seen. Disturbing, bleak, eerie, extremely violent, savage and scary all along. In a small city Potters Bluff, visitors get viciously murdered, making this ostensibly a slasher flick. The opening creeped me out immensely. A photographer gets attacked by townspeople (we regularly see them later in the film, so whodunit mystery isn't exactly on the mark here, although we find the true culprit at the very end). They beat him up, tied him to a lamp post and set him ablaze. However, the worst is yet to come for the poor photographer. Local sheriff is onto the case (adding detective angle), while at the same time we became aware that the dead are somehow brought to life, so this makes D&B essentially a zombie film, where zombies are 180 degrees than zombies we are all familiar with. Btw, special effects are done by legendary Stan Winston, his basically film debut. And special effects are pretty worthwhile and it's obvious that Stan did not just go after blood and gore, but to create the work that'd be respected from artistic point of view. Nerve-racking music score fits the ominous atmosphere of the film. My only complaint is that the plot is basically senseless and the film throws more questions than bothers answering them all, even after unhappy ending and credits start rolling. What is interesting about the movie is that is originally written and shot as a black comedy with horror elements; only it suffered in post production when financiers demanded recuts and insisted on emphasizing the violence and horror, while denouncing the comedy. As result, every scene is somewhat unsettling to watch, while the plot will definitely make you scratch your head.

Watch this with the lights out and if you have the strong heart.

[pictsy]

Happy Gilmore

I'm not going to justify why I like this film or why I keep rewatching it.  He's an angry hockey wannabe that ends up playing golf.  I don't like angry, I don't like hockey, I don't like golf.  I still like this film.  It's got jokes that I like on every rewatch and that's a rarity for me.  It's got Adam Sandler in it.  The leading role, no less.  He has a well deserved reputation for producing utter shite.  This is probably my favourite Adam Sandler film.  It's either this or The Wedding Singer.  I'm not sure.  I watch Happy Gilmore more often but Drew Barrymore sends my heart aflutter in The Wedding Singer, so it's a hard call.

Now you have all glimpsed the dark places my cinephiliac tastes can reside!

[radiator]

r - is this all a fantasy world? Surely the part with Ferris on the float is just part of a mad daydream - that didn't really happen, did it? And the furious, red-faced teacher that attempts to break into the house - that's not realistic, either. Are there really two people, or is this all happening in Cameron's mind? Is Ferris real, or is this the model for Fight Club?

The actor that played the red faced teacher was charged with taking explicit photo's of a 14 year old boy some years later.

Oh, Jeffrey Jones! I love that actor, but alas... Nobody's perfect, apparently.

The guy reading out the register at the start (the famous "Bueller, Bueller...." line reading) turned out to be a bit of a shit irl as well.

[Funt Solo]

It turns out that everyone involved in the entire production of FBDO was subsequently found guilty of hideous crimes. If not actual crimes, then certainly crimes against fashion, taste and manners.

[pictsy]

Be Kind Rewind

What an odd film.  I guess it's about building a community.  It is largely divorced from reality which helps with the humour that leans more on the surreal side.  Some nice dead pan performances.  Jack Black not quite at his most irritating.  It's kind of a jumble, though.  Thankfully we don't get the "it'll be alright in the end" conclusion this type of film is prone to.  Nevertheless, the film lacks any substance, isn't quite funny enough or fun enough.  Just falls short.  Oh, and DVDs are the future is kinda laughable in hindsight.  I guess they didn't see the digital age looming.

[von Boom]

Red Sonja (1985). Brigitte Nielsen portrays the comic book version of Robert E. Howard's Red Sonya character. Objectively it's a terrible film, but there's a lot to like. Most especially Ernie Reyes, Jr. and Paul Smith (the Beast Rabban). As S&S films go there are many worse ones.

Conan the Barbarian (1982). My favourite S&S film by miles. Perfect? No. Fun. Yes!