What DVD / Video did you watch last night? (pt3)

[Part 2]

Festen...Thomas Vinterberg's film about an upperclass Danish family coming together to celebrate the father's 60th birthday. It's apparent early on that they're a bit disfunctional and quite how fucked up they are soon unfolds. It's a hell of a ride. Super fast paced, intense and wobbly camera work combined with the subject matter made me feel pretty disorientated at times. Some amazing performances. Well recommended.

The Hunt...Another Vinterberg. A schoolgirl says 'something foolish' that leads to a teacher being suspended and the village turning against him. I'd seen this when it came out but again this is intense stuff. Once the professionals decide he's guilty he's fucked. More great performances , particularly from Thomas Bo Larsen and Mad Mikkelsen.

 

[Knotted]

I watched The Hunt as well a few weeks ago. It's definitely an object lesson in how not to handle such cases, to the extent that I thought it was getting really quite contrived. But a powerful drama nevertheless.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Three series of Man Down on All4 (OK, it was over two nights). I was laughing my lungs up, but I gather it was panned at the time.

 

[Part 2]

Submarino...more Vinterberg. 2 brothers living with an alcoholic mother are spearated following a traumatic event and meet again in adulthood, both with fucked up lives. At times I wasn't sure it was coming together as well as the Hunt or Festen but there were moments where it felt like a more hopeful story. The characters are more identifiable than the upper/middle classes in the other 2 films and it felt more like a Dardennes film or bits of The Pusher trilogy. Dark as fuck and a few very difficult to watch scenes. Full recommend it anyway.

I've got Another Round to watch tomorrow. Anyone know if his other films are worth watching? I got the idea his stuff in English isn't so good.

 

[Elpenor]

The Light Between Oceans on iPlayer

Gloomy lighthouse life for a shellshocked Great War veteran
in Australia. First half hour looks amazing. The plot which kicks in after that is a little by numbers. I thought the sensibilities would have been a bit more repressed than the film made us believe.

 

[Part 2]

Another Round...Vinterberg's multi award winning comedy drama from last year. 4 Teachers test the theory that their lives will improve by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood. So different from his other films and a much easier watch, but equally brilliant. Really funny, some very touching moments and the usual excellent performances. Most adults I know would probably argue that alcohol has improved their lives in some way so it would seem like a film a lot of people will enjoy. I loved it.

 

[belboid]

Howard the Duck

Having just got a Freak Bros collection I decided to continue indulging my eighties pleasures. Not that HtD the film was one of those, but the comics were great and it can't really be as bad as legend has it, can it?

Well, no, not quite. I mean, it's pretty terrible, bears hardly any relation to the fowl-mouthed one we know and love, but it isn't abysmal. Tim Robbins has fun and some bits are even vaguely amusing. Plus it's got a theme written by Thomas Dolby and George Clinton! Shame its rubbish, but you can't have everything.

 

[Orang Utan]

Howard the Duck

Having just got a Freak Bros collection I decided to continue indulging my eighties pleasures. Not that HtD the film was one of those, but the comics were great and it can't really be as bad as legend has it, can it?

Well, no, not quite. I mean, it's pretty terrible, bears hardly any relation to the fowl-mouthed one we know and love, but it isn't abysmal. Tim Robbins has fun and some bits are even vaguely amusing. Plus it's got a theme written by Thomas Dolby and George Clinton! Shame its rubbish, but you can't have everything.

the nude female duck in the bath scarred me for life

 

[Part 2]

The Idiots...Lars Von Trier's Dogma 95 #2. I remember seeing this in The Cornerhouse brochure when it came out. The idea of adults pretending to be disabled was more amusing to my younger self but I never got to see it and only recently found a torrent. It's offensive but not so difficult to watch as I'd expected and I thought the twist at the end was worth waiting for.

 

[Chz]

High Life

Just no. Maybe you lot who liked Under The Skin will like it, but it's a load of tosh so far as I'm concerned. The idea for the story is good, pity they didn't actually make a film about it. And I've liked some of Claire Denis' other work!

 

[DaveCinzano]

High Life

Just no. Maybe you lot who liked Under The Skin will like it, but it's a load of tosh so far as I'm concerned. The idea for the story is good, pity they didn't actually make a film about it. And I've liked some of Claire Denis' other work!

FFS I was literally just getting that after a mention on a list

 

[Chz]

I like my artsy wanky stuff up to a point. This is well past it. But then the forum tells me I'm wrong about Under the Skin, so what do I know?

 

[belboid]

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

A very stagey adaptation of the play that doesn't quite bring it alive the way it should. The big speeches are too telegraphed as Big Speeches and there's just not enough movement, but it is a damned fine play very well performed that is well worth a watch.


Uncle Frank

Wherein Beth leaves her 1970's rural home to go to NY, where her favourite uncle lives (and teaches). Just as she discovers he's gay, his vile old father dies and they have to make a road trip and confront ghosts of his past. There is a central 'ghost' that is almost a cliche but that aside it is a wonderfully funny and tender film. Paul Bettany is, frankly, astounding, I would never have thought he had it in him. Sophia Lillis is very good indeed as Beth, too.

 

[platinumsage]

The Murders at White House Farm

Great casting including both Theon and Yara Greyjoy, and Freddie Fox does what I imagine is a pretty good Jeremy Bamber:

 

[Scaggs]

We watched 'The King of Staten Island' last night. Thought it was great. Liked all the characters and there some nice comedy bits. Loved the firestation scenes.

 

[smokedout]

Want to try remember to post on here because I've had a lot of good recommendations that I've really appreciated.

Anyway probably most people have seen it but Lincoln - the Abraham Lincoln biopic.

It was watchable, Tommy Lee Jones is great and it's obviously an important and interesting period which I thought it covered quite well. It's not really a biopic actually, more a political drama about the struggle to pass the 13th Amendment which banned slavery in the closing period of the civil war. It looks great and is well paced but what I mostly learnt is that Abraham Lincoln was really fucking annoying. He's like some posh dickhead regaling his sychophants with his stories and grand proclaimations because he's oh so wise and superior, kind of like some horrible cross between Clinton and Blair except a hipster as well. It's good that he helped end slavery and stuff but I'm not surprised someone shot him.

 

[T & P]

Started watching Resident Alien, a new offbeat sci-fi comedy starring Alan Tudyk as an alien sent on a certain mission to Earth who crash lands and has to improvise.

On Sky/ NowTV. Quite decent so far and clearly building up to a good plot as the series progresses.

 

[Part 2]

The Velocipastor. When his parents are killed and his boss sends him off into the world a pastor finds himself in China where he gains the ability to turn himself into a dinosaur. He returns home to use his new powers to fight bad guys. The film had a $35k budget and for that it's surprisingly watchable but tries too hard. There's a few fun scenes though and it's only 70 minutes.

 

[belboid]

Brightburn.

A superhero/horror cross that has lots of potential, several good ideas and nice moments (okay, 'nice' isnt really the right word) but that never fulfills its potential. A sequel will be all but inevitable.

 

[not-bono-ever]

siege of jabotville. interesting little war pic about irish UN soldiers in the fucking awful merc riddled mess of post colonial africa. i knew about the background of the tale but wasnt aware there was a filum about it. not bad

 

[T & P]

Chasing Amy. Very good indeed. I like Kevin Smith’s films and humour and I know he’s a very talented filmmaker, but this has a depth I wouldn’t have normally expected to find in a film written by him. Fantastic script, and superlative performance from the main female lead.

 

[Orang Utan]

Quite dodgy sexual politics IIRC though

 

[krtek a houby]

Howard the Duck

Having just got a Freak Bros collection I decided to continue indulging my eighties pleasures. Not that HtD the film was one of those, but the comics were great and it can't really be as bad as legend has it, can it?

Well, no, not quite. I mean, it's pretty terrible, bears hardly any relation to the fowl-mouthed one we know and love, but it isn't abysmal. Tim Robbins has fun and some bits are even vaguely amusing. Plus it's got a theme written by Thomas Dolby and George Clinton! Shame its rubbish, but you can't have everything.

Have you seen the Super Mario Bros film? If you "enjoyed" HtD, this is a fascinating mess

 

[belboid]

Have you seen the Super Mario Bros film? If you "enjoyed" HtD, this is a fascinating mess

naah, I only watched Howard cos I loved the comics, but never cared about the plumber, so never bothered. The biggest failure with HtD is in its presentation of him - not the lously costume, just the fact that he wasn't the deeply misanthropic, foul-mouthed, creature he was in them. It made him quite boring.

 

[Part 2]

Started watching Perpetual Grace Ltd as recommended by The39thStep. 3 episodes in and it's really good, very Coen brothers like and really funny. Way better than what I've seen of Fargo series 4.

 

[belboid]

Possession (1981)

A definite wtf? of a movie. Sam Neill & Isabelle Adjani act distractedly in a rather peculiar, mmm, I'm not entirely sure what genre it fits in - although whatever it is it will undoubtedly include the word 'psychological.' Wife Isabelle asks for a divorce, hubby Sam (who is probably a spy) isn't keen. Everyone acts strangely, there's a fight or two and then what the actual fuck? Weird shit, that's what. Something something doppelgangers, something something, collapse of state and marriage, something something life is shit.

A hellish shoot, apparently, Neill said there is no way he'd do anything like it again, and it drove Adjani to the brink of suicide.

 

[redsquirrel]

Possession (1981)

A definite wtf? of a movie. Sam Neill & Isabelle Adjani act distractedly in a rather peculiar, mmm, I'm not entirely sure what genre it fits in - although whatever it is it will undoubtedly include the word 'psychological.' Wife Isabelle asks for a divorce, hubby Sam (who is probably a spy) isn't keen. Everyone acts strangely, there's a fight or two and then what the actual fuck? Weird shit, that's what. Something something doppelgangers, something something, collapse of state and marriage, something something life is shit.

It really is one of those movies that has to be been seen to be believed. Can't say that I loved it but it has something.

Whereas Ham on Rye is something of the opposite, very, very well made, really gorgeous and lots of care taken to create mood but it just does not go anywhere (and as a metaphor it is pretty banal). It's a film that would have been really great as a 30 minute short (or even an hour) but at 85 minutes it is too long.

In contrast Ratcatcher is an example of how a film can be a mood piece and still have engaging characters and pull you in.

The Thin Man - Perfect Sunday afternoon viewing, silly but fun and madcap and knows to keep things to a brief but frenetic 90 mins. The sequel After the Thin Man extends the joke and loses something, but still has it's moments, also has an appearance by a very young James Stewart.

 

[krtek a houby]

naah, I only watched Howard cos I loved the comics, but never cared about the plumber, so never bothered. The biggest failure with HtD is in its presentation of him - not the lously costume, just the fact that he wasn't the deeply misanthropic, foul-mouthed, creature he was in them. It made him quite boring.

Yep. Loved the comics and Dolby but the film gets him so wrong. Never even played Mario (or most of the iconic computer games) but was a big fan of Max Headroom, so was interested to see what the creators could do with a big Hollywood budget.

Believe that they never worked there again!

 

[pesh]

Uncle Peckerhead - Hapless punk band embarking on their first tour inadvertently hire a flesh eating demon as their roadie. occasional gore and a cool soundtrack

 

[redsquirrel]

Under the Tree - rather good Icelandic black comedy (there have been a number of rather good Icelandic films in recent years), with two interlinking plots, the separation of two parents and the antagonism between two sets of neighbours (the separating father being the son of the one of the sets of neighbours). Tight, focused and making good use of sound, not sure that the ending quite works but overall well worth watching.