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

[seventh bullet]

Valhalla Rising. Mads Mikkleson is this mute one eyed (eh?) norse warrior who falls in with a band of christian norsemen on their way to the holy land. Its wierd but good.

I rewatched this not so long ago. Some lovely shots, particularly when the leader of the group, who set out to conquer a heathen land and establish a Kingdom of God, slumps down atop a fell, mortally wounded and looks out, presumably still tripping.

Just finished watching Palm Trees and Power Lines. A feature length version of an earlier short made by the same director. Teenage naivety, vulnerability and older adult (male) danger. That's an insult to how well this was done, but I'm still processing it. It's grim viewing.

 

[petee]

Street of Shame, byMizoguchi. better this time even than any other time i've watched it.
went on from there to Sisters Of The Gion, which was ham-handed by comparison and i didn't finish it.

this didn't stop me from scoring a boxed set of Mizoguchi in yesterday's 50%-off Criterion sale.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Loved up - mid 90s bbc drama about a young woman (Lena Headey) exchanging a chaotic home life for the pills and thrills of the London club scene. Very much in the mood of human traffic with some social commentary on the side. Great soundtrack (leftfield etc) and some nice shots of London as it was before it became like any other global city. Some early appearances of various well known British actors

I vaguely recall this originally being a bbc schools programme (minus the shagging scenes)

I remember it for Ian Hart's excellent sweaty munter face

 

[Elpenor]

Stripes, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis join the army. Let down by a dull supporting cast, except for John Candy who was decent. Poor man’s Animal House I thought.

 

[Elpenor]

Been holed up in my holiday cottage today watching films as it’s been both wet and grey and I feel tired after a few days out and about

So far

The Maltese Falcon

From Here to Eternity

Strangers On a Train

All films new to me and enjoyed very much

 

[krtek a houby]

Stripes, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis join the army. Let down by a dull supporting cast, except for John Candy who was decent. Poor man’s Animal House I thought.

Both films very much of their time. The only SNL related film of that era that can watch without cringing, would be The Blues Brothers...

 

[krtek a houby]

Black Widow

Marvel film that's more super spy than superhero. A bit more restrained than usual, which was welcome and good cast. Along with Shang Chi, and No Way Home - the best of phase 4.

Florence Pugh is great.

 

[rubbershoes]

Four Lions.

It's on All4 for a couple more weeks

 

[not-bono-ever]

I went back north to see my mum and played the dvd of Pride this week. She had never seen it it’s blown her away. Tears and rage at the same time. She was lead social worker for tge Durham coalfields at the time.she told me that she was issued a directive to recheck striking miners food cupboards to see if they really deserved assistance. She loudly fucked it off and ordered her team to not comply and refuse to do this. Kinda screwed her career but she doesn’t regret anything

/ old news but yeh

 

[not-bono-ever]

Fucking bastards

 

[Elpenor]

Before Sunset and The African Queen the most recent ones I’ve watched

 

[poppy60]

watched Blade trinity

 

[krtek a houby]

The Lighthouse

Old school buddy film with seagulls and lots of booze. Shenanigans occur.

 

[Elpenor]

Night Mail and Night Mail II (about the postal rail service) the more renowned former is on the BFI player for free, the latter I recorded off TPTV but I actually enjoyed the 80s one more, not sure why, I guess because I was alive in the 80s. Both quite interesting to me perhaps because post and trains are quite relatable things.

Kiss of Death - an enjoyable film noir with Victor Mature about a criminal who turns stool pigeon. Richard Widmark plays a jokeresque bad guy.

 

[krtek a houby]

Finished the last season (eleven) of X Files. Enjoyed it, not as bad as some made out but admittedly the last ep (although exciting) felt rushed.

Can't believe was in my twenties when the show began and what a different world it was. Or felt like.

Still haven't seen the second film, though. Have heard it's a real letdown.

 

[redsquirrel]

Still keeping in touch with friends in Australia via Melbourne Cinematheque, this time via their Joan Micklin Silver in the 70s double bill

Hester Street - Plenty of immigrant stories done on film but this is a very good one, both in terms of competent film making (strong story, script, acting) but also via the focus on the relationship between husband and wife and their different experiences, the use of yiddish. I was reminded of Brooklyn in the change of a young, shy woman finding a new confidence through immigration - I'd be interested to know if the author and/or director was familiar with this film.

Between the Lines - I liked Hester Street, but really enjoyed this. I saw one review which said that it was kind of a Broadcast News for indie print journalism, I guess that is kind of correct. But it establishes a sort of chaotic, high energy, disappointment that makes it far more visceral than Broadcast News, loads of characters actor who's faces you'll recognise do a good job (as well as a young Jeff Goldblum). Funny, charming and with the right amount of cynicism and disappointed dreams.

Both films well worth your time (I think you'd like these Sue)

MUBI showing these two Joan Michelin Silver films in the coming days - well worth watching

 

[Elpenor]

Knock On Any Door

A noirish drama with Bogart defending a young petty criminal known as “pretty boy” from the Chicago ghetto in the dock for murdering a cop, is he a monster or is society to blame?

A mix of flashbacks and courtroom scenes and source of the line “live fast die young, leave a good-looking corpse”. Rather liked it, I wondered how much the ideas Bogart expressed in his final speech might have influenced things like LBJ’s vision of the great society a few decades later.

 

[Sue]

Knock On Any Door

A noirish drama with Bogart defending a young petty criminal known as “pretty boy” from the Chicago ghetto in the dock for murdering a cop, is he a monster or is society to blame?

A mix of flashbacks and courtroom scenes and source of the line “live fast die young, leave a good-looking corpse”. Rather liked it, I wondered how much the ideas Bogart expressed in his final speech might have influenced things like LBJ’s vision of the great society a few decades later.

littlebabyjesus...?

 

[Elpenor]

Lyndon Baines Johnson

 

[starfish]

Brian and Charles. Wasnt too keen at first as thought it would be typical shitty unfunny British comedy but it was one of the nicest, loveliest films ive seen in a while. Funny, warm, tense but overall charming.

Honalooploop.

 

[Elpenor]

Hollow Triumph. A fairly depressing 40s B movie noir about a petty criminal on the lam who impersonates a psychiatrist. Not very captivating plot wise unfortunately.

Cat Ballou. Laughed my head off watching this comedy western, intertwined with scene-setting musical interludes rather like a Greek chorus. A lot of fun, I reckon I’ll return to this one.

 

[D'wards]

Rye Lane- delightful South London set Rom com.

And its nice to have a black London film where they are not Roadmen, but normal people

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

I watched the Love thy Neighbour film this evening. Don't think I've ever seen it before. I enjoyed it. I even laughed about 4 times.

 

[Sue]

Rye Lane- delightful South London set Rom com.

And its nice to have a black London film where they are not Roadmen, but normal people

I was saying exactly that to a friend and that it was very refreshing.

Spoiler

I completely missed that that was Colin Firth doing a cameo.

 

[D'wards]

I was saying exactly that to a friend and that it was very refreshing.

Spoiler

I completely missed that that was Colin Firth doing a cameo.

I missed that too. Where was that?

 

[Sue]

I missed that too. Where was that?

Spoiler

He's the guy serving the food in the place in Brixton. Apparently the name of it (can't remember what is exactly) is a pun on Love Actually or whatever. (The director allegedly asked him if he was up for a cameo and he apparently said 'why not?'

 

[Ranbay]

Tetris

 

[D'wards]

Spoiler

He's the guy serving the food in the place in Brixton. Apparently the name of it (can't remember what is exactly) is a pun on Love Actually or whatever. (The director allegedly asked him if he was up for a cameo and he apparently said 'why not?'

Did not recognise at all!

This is quite a good review of it by Americans, who do understand the cultural difference between South London and North London

Rye Lane - Pop Culture Happy Hour

The snappy new romantic comedy Rye Lane follows Dom and Yas, two South Londoners who meet in the restroom of an art show and wind up spending the day together. It's a day of adventures, long conversations and terrible exes. But it might just offer them a little bit of hope for the future...

pca.st

 

[T & P]

Tetris

Is it good, then? I‘ve been contemplating giving it a go.

 

[Orang Utan]

Is it good, then? I‘ve been contemplating giving it a go.

You may like it but you also may be troubled by something about it - something you can’t quite place. And it will perpetually rotate every time you close your eyes, plague your dreams and drive you mad, but you’ll love it all the same