List the films you've seen at the cinema: 2013

[Sue]

Frances Ha, which was a joy from beginning to end and the rare film these days that clocks in at just under 90 mins, which made it even better. I suppose the things to say are that it's a bit like a Woody Allen film when he was still good (somewhere between Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters) and that it's reminscent of Lena Dunham's Girls, in that it also deals with a 20something New Yorker who struggles to pay her rent and who hasn't found her path in life yet. It even co-stars Adam Driver from Girls. But it has its own feel and Greta Gerwig is great, reminding me a little of Buffy's Willow in her mannerisms and akwardness. She's likeable, funny, flawed and feels too real to ever get twee (which I'm sure some people will accuse the film of being)

It was directed by Noah Baumbach whose films have never quite clicked with me, but this one is very different, probably because he co-wrote it with Gerwig. It's by far the best thing he has done. It's shot in beautiful black and white, has a great soundtrack and features a really shit trip to Paris, which distinguishes it from the phoney mush Woody Allen comes up with these days. Greta Gerwig starred in Allen's To Rome With Love, but like all his European jaunts, that film appeared to be financed by the tourist board of the countries he shoots in these days.

I first noticed the film when I saw the poster while I was in New York this spring. It looks like posters for 70s independent films did, like something for a John Cassavetes film, so I was intrigued:



Footnote, probably only of interest to me: it features US indie music legend Dean Wareham (Galaxy 500, Luna) and his wife and musical partner Britta Phillips in small roles and they also did some of the music. But I nearly yelped "That's Dean Wareham !", which would have been a Frances Ha thing to do.

Just saw this. Thought it might be a bit too twee and hipster at the start but it actually made me feel really sad in a good way -- been there, felt like that. Definitely in my top five so far this year.

ETA Just read some reviews (normally read them after seeing the film as they often give far too much away) and according to Peter Bradshaw, it 'lacks insight', while Philip French says Greta Gerwig 'shines in an unsympathetic role'. I wonder if we saw the same film... (Still at least it answered my 'what have I seen her in' thing -- Damsels in Distress.)

 

[redsquirrel]

(Still at least it answered my 'what have I seen her in' thing -- Damsels in Distress.)

I absolute love her in Damsels in Distress, I'm looking forward to Frances Ha, it's currently showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival but seeing as it's coming out on general release a couple of weeks later I think I'l just wait and save my money.

Over the weekend I saw

Behind the Candelabra - a very solid film, well acted, well made but I don't think it's as interesting as some of Soderbergh's other films. Not quite sure why it's getting such good reviews.

Spirit of '45 - It has some good moments, some of the interviewees are great but can't say it enthralled me. Maybe if you didn't know much about the Attlee government it would have had more impact, and while I accept that a 90 minute film isn't going to have time to do much more than a surface look at subject it felt very simplistic in some parts, for example the 29 year jump from 1950 to 1979; the failure to mention that the initial attacks on unions came from the Labour Party etc.

Stories We Tell - Loved this, probably my favourite film of the year so far, I just found it really moving and very funny. I thought the super 8 "re-"creations of the family's home videos really worked.

 

[Orang Utan]

I think I may start Mark Cousins' The Story Of Film tonight. Anyone seen it?

 

[belboid]

I think I may start Mark Cousins' The Story Of Film tonight. Anyone seen it?

it's great, less 'personal' than the versions Scorcese or Godard produced. As in any of these things, most people (or most filmy types anyway) will find a bunch of films that 'should' be referred to but aren't, but so it goes. Very well worth watching indeed.

 

[Orang Utan]

Oops wrong thread
<mutters> this wouldn't happen if we just merged all the film threads and had done with it

 

[Sue]

Blackfish. Documentary about Sea World covering up orca whales killing and injuring their trainers. Not massively surprising that cooping whales up and forcing them to perform is cruel and makes them act in ways they wouldn't in the wild. The footage of some of the actual incidents is very disturbing and the background stuff interesting but probably one to watch on TV.

The World's End. Oh dear, wanted to like it -- good cast and soundtrack, recognised the cool goth/rock kid who wore a long coat and for whom school was the high point of their life (as I'm sure do most people ) -- but it just wasn't good. And the end is rubbish and nicked from elsewhere.

ETA And the worst of the trilogy by a long way.

 

[blossie33]

I've seen the trailer for the Blackfish film, looked really good but I'm not sure if I'd find it upsetting to watch.

 

[Sue]

I've seen the trailer for the Blackfish film, looked really good but I'm not sure if I'd find it upsetting to watch.

It's worth seeing.

 

[Sue]

Dial M for Murder in 3D. Think being in 3D doesn't really add anything and it's obviously not a patch on Bourne but...

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Went to watch Frances Ha tonight, didn't think it would be my kind of movie but I enjoyed it a great deal indeed, really warm and affectionate production that is quite optimistic in a fractured dislocated manner, isn't schmaltzy and which has a bit of a deliberate french new wave feel about it. Worth a watch definitely.

Also went to see The World's End recently, and enjoyed it, although it wasn't as good as SOTD or Hot Fuzz. There's certainly lots of laughs, but it takes a while to get going, the characters weren't the strongest, and the end is a bit duff. I gave them both 7/10 on IMDB, but I think I have liked Frances Ha more on balance.

 

[Sue]

Saw a preview of Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn's follow up to Drive, again with Ryan Gosling. I loved Drive but this was pants. While Drive was a minimalist film everything here is reduced so much further, it ends up as a 'nothing' film. There are no characters here. While Gosling was an enigma in Drive, here he is so inactive, he simply is a total blank and the same is the case for his opponent, a Thai cop. Kristen Scott Thomas as his drug lord mother is the closest to something like a character by the virtue of being totally one dimensional. She is defined by being vindictive and vulgar, but there is no depth there either. In terms of looks she is reminiscent of Anjelica Huston similar character in The Grifters, but that was a complex character out of a Greek tragedy compared to this cartoon harpy. Otherwise the revenge plot of the film is predictable and overfamiliar from so many other films.

There is something questionable about how the film exploits its Thai backdrop for its exoticism and as an excuse for lots of mega-violence. I don't mind a bit of mega violence, hut only when there is something at stake. As there are no characters to care about, there is no nothing to invest in. The film does look and sound stylish, but even there I was a little underwhelmed. There is an attempt at Kubrick style editing and composition, but despite its neon night Bangkok setting it doesn't even look as good as Drive did. Cliff Martinez brooding score is interesting, but again, not a patch on the score for Drive. Biggest disappointment of the year.

Agree with this. The whole thing felt like a pointless waste of time -- though to be fair at least it was relatively short -- and just found it pretty boring as I really didn't care about any of it. Still, can't remember the last time a hero/anti-hero was called Julian (Famous Five?) so it maybe gets one out of five for that.

 

[Sue]

The Seven Samurai.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

The Seven Samurai.

Was that at Rio? Was tempted but went cycling instead.

I saw Only God Forgives on Friday, was superb, have to say. Haven't really enjoyed director's previous two works but this hit the spot somehow. It was smart and simple, yet intriguing and incisive (in more ways than one, nice little Ichi the Killer touch I noticed). Ryan Gosling is minimal in many ways, but Kristin Scott Thomas is outstanding, and Vithaya Pansringarm is brilliant. Moods, music (v.good), atmospheric repetitive shots that don't seem to do much, Winding Refn hasn't changed his style much necessarily, but this feels to me like the first time that its come together quite so well.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3307918/?ref_=tt_cl_t3

 

[Sue]

Was that at Rio? Was tempted but went cycling instead.

I saw Only God Forgives on Friday, was superb, have to say. Haven't really enjoyed director's previous two works but this hit the spot somehow. It was smart and simple, yet intriguing and incisive (in more ways than one, nice little Ichi the Killer touch I noticed). Ryan Gosling is minimal in many ways, but Kristin Scott Thomas is outstanding, and Vithaya Pansringarm is brilliant. Moods, music (v.good), atmospheric repetitive shots that don't seem to do much, Winding Refn hasn't changed his style much necessarily, but this feels to me like the first time that its come together quite so well.

Yes, thought it might've been busier to be honest. Love their Sunday (normally) double bills and there're a few coming up I'm looking forward to.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Yes, thought it might've been busier to be honest. Love their Sunday (normally) double bills and there're a few coming up I'm looking forward to.

Yes, the Sunday double bills are generally worth looking at, good value and some very good movies as well. Did they have an intermission for Seven Samurai, we were wondering whether they'd make people go for nearly 4 hours straight....? At least you don't get adverts on most Sundays either.

 

[Sue]

Yes, the Sunday double bills are generally worth looking at, good value and some very good movies as well. Did they have an intermission for Seven Samurai, we were wondering whether they'd make people go for nearly 4 hours straight....? At least you don't get adverts on most Sundays either.

Yep, 15 minute intermission bit over half way through. Quite a lot of people nipping to the loo during the film as well.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Rush on for half time samosas?

 

[Sue]

Rush on for half time samosas?

Coffee for me but yes, there were samosas.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Went to see a 50th anniversary screening of The Great Escape yesterday with my 16yr old son.

Much fun.

We're off to see The Cornetto Trilogy at the same place next Saturday - with a free cornetto thrown in

 

[redsquirrel]

The World's End - Decent enough, I do think that having Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsden acting alongside Pegg and Frost was a mistake. They're in another class as actors and I kept on wanting Frost and Pegg's characters to piss off and for the film to really be about the other three.

Beyond The Hills - Excellent, the narrative has two young girls who were friends re-uniting after some time apart, one of them is now an Orthodox nun the other has been working in Germany, and the effect her appearance has at the monastery. Really well made in just about every way (acting, shooting, script all of it) and very very interesting. I only saw it at the weekend but I'd like to watch it again as I'm sure that it's a film that you get more out of each time you watch it. Raises loads of interesting questions.

Persons of Interest (part 1) - A documentary about the files ASIO (the Australian equivalent of MI5) keep on people, using the case files/stories of four people to illustrate the wider point. It was showing as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival but it has actually been made for TV (and should be shown on SBS later in the year if any Australian posters are interested) and it felt very much like a TV documentary. Despite the interesting subject matter it was pretty bland IMO. TBH it could have easily been a radio program the visuals were pretty uninspired ,as were some of the interviews TBH.

The Punk Singer - Documentary about Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre), one of the leading lights of the riot grrl scene. Like Persons of Interest (and a lot of film documentaries IMO) the subject matter was good, Hanna is a really interesting person and charismatic, but the film hasn't been made in a way to do it justice. The direction was very much 'music documentary by numbers' - get a bunch of talking heads and friends to say how important/great/influential Hanna was/is and show a bunch of clips. I just come out thinking that a more talented director could have made a much better film.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

The World's End - Decent enough, I do think that having Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsden acting alongside Pegg and Frost was a mistake. They're in another class as actors and I kept on wanting Frost and Pegg's characters to piss off and for the film to really be about the other three.

snip

I know what you mean.

We went to see the Cornetto Trilogy at the weekend and, to be honest, I felt World's End was the weaker of the three. Could have been movie fatigue I suppose but I reckon it wasn't as strong as the others.

Eddie and Paddy are a different class of actor and it showed I thought.

Got a free Cornetto, though

 

[Part 2]

Beyond The Hills - Excellent, the narrative has two young girls who were friends re-uniting after some time apart, one of them is now an Orthodox nun the other has been working in Germany, and the effect her appearance has at the monastery. Really well made in just about every way (acting, shooting, script all of it) and very very interesting. I only saw it at the weekend but I'd like to watch it again as I'm sure that it's a film that you get more out of each time you watch it. Raises loads of interesting questions.

Brilliant film but fuck it's grim. I watched it on a train journey. My earphones weren't very good and I had them turned up. There were points where people were looking across as if to say 'what the fuck are you watching?'

 

[redsquirrel]

Brilliant film but fuck it's grim.

I didn't find it so, I mean it's hardly a barrel of laughs but IMO it's not in the same league as Sweet Sixteen, Tyrannosaur or The Pledge.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Werner Herzog double bill at the Rio on Sunday, with The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, which was as fractured and disjointed a film as the main character was throughout, a very odd movie but quite captivating in a pleasing kind of way. It's a good idea to read the real-life back story I think, as that fills in some of the blanks that Herzog either omits or muddles with, but the main character is riveting, a street musician that Herzog had seen previously and wanted to give an opportunity to. Aguirre: Wrath of God was the other, Klaus Kinski going crazy up the river in a German speaking exposition of Spanish conquistadors conquering South America natives with English subtitles, and despite the heady mix of cultures, it's quite a solemn and silent affair, with occasional outbreaks of mayhem and violence under a bright blue sky. Reminded me of Apocalypse Now (of course) and Valhalla Rising (which I didn't really enjoy).

 

[Dr. Furface]

Call Girl. Excellent Swedish film about teenage girls who get caught up a high-class prostitution ring in 1970's Stockholm. If you're a fan of the tv series like The Killing then you'll love this as it uses the central storyline in the broader context of political and government corruption and cover-ups, and is also a comment on the social and political liberalisation of that era. Apparently it's based on real-life events, and although it's no doubt dramatised for effect here and there it certainly has a very authentic feel to it, both as a story and in terms of the period - the clothes, hair, music etc are spot on, and everyone smokes like a chimney too! Highly recommended.

Also this was the first time I'd been to the new Barbican 2+3 cinema and I was well impressed by that.

 

[Sue]

The Night of the Hunter. Looked great on the big screen. I'd also forgotten just how scary Robert Mitchum is in this.

 

[youngian]

As Nicolas Winding Refn is becoming one of my favourite directors around at the moment, I saw Only God Forgives.

Not without merit on many levels but a cold empty film for all its overblown cinematic flare and mood with nods to David Lynch and Powell/Cardiff cinematography. Kristen Scott Thomas was terrific but Ryan Gosling seem to be doing a send up of his unsaid broody menace in Drive. Not much storytelling pace or substance but still the work of an interesting director.

 

[wiskey]

We took Werv (4) to the cinema for the first time today to see Dispicable Me 2... He was bowled over and really enjoyed both the film and the experience

 

[redsquirrel]

Frances Ha - I won't bother repeating what others have already said, but like Reno, Sue etc I really enjoyed it.

Upstream Color - Fantastic, looks beautiful and very emotional despite the fact that the plot is so ambiguous. THe lead female actor is excellent, her performance really allows you to connect with the film despite the fact that you aren't entirely sure of what's going on. It could have been a very cold film but it actually isn't and I found it really moving. Certainly in my top five films of the year.

What Maise Knew - A not bad adaptation of the Henry James book (which I've never read) updated to the modern day. I felt that the parents were so unsympathetic and the step-partents so nice that any sort of ambiguity was missed. Steve Coogan wasn't bad as the father, it's a decent enough two hours but is nothing compared to the other two films

 

[DJWrongspeed]

Went to watch Frances Ha tonight, didn't think it would be my kind of movie but I enjoyed it a great deal indeed, really warm and affectionate production that is quite optimistic in a fractured dislocated manner, isn't schmaltzy and which has a bit of a deliberate french new wave feel about it. Worth a watch definitely.

Agree here, it's quite refreshing, feels very contemporary, struggling to afford to live anywhere in NYC ! Not as Woody Allen as reviews have suggested.