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

Watched tonight the first episode of the brand new Steven Moffat’s HBO series adaptation of The Tine Traveler’s Wife. It was okay I guess and of course it’s only the first episode, but as someone who’s never read the book or watched the 2009 film, I’m a bit lost.

Book is entertaining enough, iirc.
 
The Andromeda Strain
1971 disaster film directed by Robert Wise, a crashed satellite leads to an outbreak of an alien disease or something and a team of scientists do the painstaking work of trying to understand and stop it. Very well put together and keeps things nicely low key while still being a compelling watch, enjoyed this a lot.
 
The Andromeda Strain
1971 disaster film directed by Robert Wise, a crashed satellite leads to an outbreak of an alien disease or something and a team of scientists do the painstaking work of trying to understand and stop it. Very well put together and keeps things nicely low key while still being a compelling watch, enjoyed this a lot.

Robert Wise was such a diverse director.

Andromeda Strain is one of those 70s classic, up there with Silent Running, Soylent Green, Dark Star etc.
 
Piranhas (2019)- very junior ( early adolescent) band of Naples likely lads get inducted, seduced & trained into being local mob underlings. Not very original, and definitely not uplifting (these aren't the 'men of honour' in suits of yore but scuzzy little teenagers with scary firearms, it's all grimier and more modern, lots of pills, coke, raving, scooters and hookers). Basically "baby gangsters about these days, sad innit." Doesn't delve that deep or say much original, but there's some decent local Neapolitan flavour and the dialogue's great if you want to try and tune your ear to the slang/dialect (incomprehensible to standard Italian speakers.)
 
Last Night in Soho

A little bit of a mess, but it's clear that Wright is enjoying himself and it's hard not to be taken along for the ride even where it doesn't quite add up. It's always fun to see an area you've worked in for so long be a character. Never seen The Toucan quite that devoid of clientele, mind. Had a good laugh at the couple of North vs. South London gags, as well. (even if we both called out the punchline each time ahead of it) I like to think Diana Rigg enjoyed slashing a knife about for her last role. Wright did go out of his way to say how much he enjoyed having her on set.
 
Last Night in Soho

A little bit of a mess, but it's clear that Wright is enjoying himself and it's hard not to be taken along for the ride even where it doesn't quite add up. It's always fun to see an area you've worked in for so long be a character. Never seen The Toucan quite that devoid of clientele, mind. Had a good laugh at the couple of North vs. South London gags, as well. (even if we both called out the punchline each time ahead of it) I like to think Diana Rigg enjoyed slashing a knife about for her last role. Wright did go out of his way to say how much he enjoyed having her on set.
Agreed. I really enjoyed it -- seeing Soho and the 60's music and costumes -- despite its shortcomings.
 
Sundown

Stars Tim Roth. Nice punchy short film seemingly about a guy who does the opposite of what is expected when a family member dies. I would recommend.

New Order

Same director as Sundown and set in Mexico. An aristocratic wedding is disrupted by protests that are taking place in the city. Not sure I enjoyed this one - I think it is a comment on anarchy and class systems.
 
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Swiss Army Man.

This movie is more than just fart and dick jokes.
Was surprised and it's probably the most touching film I've seen since Her.

Paul Dano is always great.
Harry Potter's best performance since Horns.

Recommend this one.
Just watched this. On the surface it seems one of the most batshit crazy films of all time. But of course it is far more than that, and I loved it. Even more so the ending: anyone watching would have concluded not even a third into the film that this was nothing more than the ranting of a delirious mind. And of course, it really can’t be anything but. And yet, everyone sees Manny ‘jet farting’ away from the beach. Which can’t possibly be, and therefore works wonderfully.

An amazing film. Won’t blame anyone who thinks it’s a load of weird bollocks, but as you say this is anything but a fart joke comedy. Remarkably original story, and a film I reckon is loaded with Easter eggs one will pick up on a second viewing.
 
The Turin Horse. Bela Tarr's final film. It begins with a passage relating to Nietsche and how after seeing a man thrashing his horse, he threw his arms around it to pretect it and subsequently went mad.

A man and his daughter live in a farmhouse with their horse. The story follows them for 6 days. Every day their routine is the same but things are getting worse, beginning withan almighty wind. The following day the horse refuses to pull the cart and they resign themselves to staying home.

Most people will hate this. It's incredibly slow, only about 30 shots in 154 minutes. It begins almost like a meditation and there's hardly any dialogue for the first hour. Nothing much seems to be happening and the tension builds so gradually. Once you realise what's going it feels utterly claustrophobic and helpless. A masterpiece.
 
Rome, Open City
Excellent 1945 WW2 resistance film directed by Roberto Rossellini and set during the German occupation of Italy after the armistice between Italy and the allies. Easy to see why it had a big impact, it still has a real urgent, visceral feel. Looking forward to seeing the other two in the trilogy.
 
Watched the second episode tonight and really enjoyed it. Probably because it’s all starting to make sense now.

Am slightly hesitant because of the Moffat involvement. Sherlock, Jekyll, Dracula all had oodles of potential but disappeared up themselves, imho.
 
Rome, Open City
Excellent 1945 WW2 resistance film directed by Roberto Rossellini and set during the German occupation of Italy after the armistice between Italy and the allies. Easy to see why it had a big impact, it still has a real urgent, visceral feel. Looking forward to seeing the other two in the trilogy.

I downloaded all three a few weeks ago but haven't got around to watching yet. I'm looking forward to them even more now.
 
On the telly.

Up in the Air.

In the wake of the 2008 crisis, George Clooney travels from town to town, firing people. Mrs. Idris is a major George fan: I didn't tell her that the female characters in the Clooneyverse are there so the George fans can put themselves in the movie.

You could imagine some of the dialogue in this being written for Cary Grant - and old George, in fairness to him, doesn't come off worse in the comparison. Like Vince Vaughan and Matthew McConaughey, he was born too late. The old Hollywood would have been a much better fit for him.
 
Sedmikrásky (Daisies) - Věra Chytilová - Brilliant and completely mental. I recommend it highly.

I watched that myself yesterday. Very bizarre.

Also watched Benedetta. Recent film about a nun in Italy in the 17th century. It's by Paul Verhoeven who did Starship Troopers. It's excellent, very offensive, I loved it.

And Lilya 4 Ever, the tale of a girl in the former Soviet Union whose mother goes of to the US leaving her to fend for herself. She falls into prostitution and gets trafficked to Sweden. Grim, very grim.
 
The Turin Horse. Bela Tarr's final film. It begins with a passage relating to Nietsche and how after seeing a man thrashing his horse, he threw his arms around it to pretect it and subsequently went mad.

A man and his daughter live in a farmhouse with their horse. The story follows them for 6 days. Every day their routine is the same but things are getting worse, beginning withan almighty wind. The following day the horse refuses to pull the cart and they resign themselves to staying home.

Most people will hate this. It's incredibly slow, only about 30 shots in 154 minutes. It begins almost like a meditation and there's hardly any dialogue for the first hour. Nothing much seems to be happening and the tension builds so gradually. Once you realise what's going it feels utterly claustrophobic and helpless. A masterpiece.

I saw this when it came out in the cinema. I do feel with Bela Tarr films there is a lot of black humour. In this one particularly. Which is missed.

I'm guessing you saw it on Mubi. They are showing his films at the mom moment

The epitome of the Euro Misery genre is Satantango. Which to my surprise closely follows the original novel it's based on. I'd say that is his masterpiece. At seven hours watched this one day at Christmas.

When I watched Gus Van Sant "Gerry" the influence of Bela Tarr is obvious. Gerry is a good film if you like Tarr.
 
Not everyone's cup of tea, it's a really a hard hitting shocking film, about the porn industry, but a really good movie 9/10 from me.
 
I saw this when it came out in the cinema. I do feel with Bela Tarr films there is a lot of black humour. In this one particularly. Which is missed.

I'm guessing you saw it on Mubi. They are showing his films at the mom moment

The epitome of the Euro Misery genre is Satantango. Which to my surprise closely follows the original novel it's based on. I'd say that is his masterpiece. At seven hours watched this one day at Christmas.

When I watched Gus Van Sant "Gerry" the influence of Bela Tarr is obvious. Gerry is a good film if you like Tarr.
I watched Satantango earlier this year. An achievement in itself. I loved that too, and the Werkmeister harmonies, although first time I saw that I hadn't much clue what was going on. think my son and I were due to watch Gerry when he thought it might be useful for his dissertation but he swapped it for something else so I'll give it a go.

Watched Pleasure last night, new film about a Swedish girl going to LA to become the next big porn model. It's predictably grim.
 
A few I’d recorded off Talking Pictures Tv

It Always Rains on Sunday


The Blue Lamp


Enjoyed both :)
 
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