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

[seventh bullet]

Ah, was wondering about the lingering shots of ice flows. Was it a metaphor for life, post Stalin, etc.

Possibly. The term was colloquially used for the relative 'liberalisation' of Soviet society, including the cultural sphere, and came from the title of an Ilya Ehrenburg novel, published a year after Stalin's death. In reality, and more widely, Khrushchev's de-Stalinisation was less about freedom (internal politics was still softened) than maintaining authoritarian governance without resorting to terror.

If I remember it correctly, Sasha's determination to have her husband rehabilitated by a committee literally has a big white statue of Stalin towering over proceedings. Chukhrai wasn't one for subtlety.

 

[krtek a houby]

Possibly. The term was colloquially used for the relative 'liberalisation' of Soviet society, including the cultural sphere, and came from the title of an Ilya Ehrenburg novel, published a year after Stalin's death. In reality, and more widely, Khrushchev's de-Stalinisation was less about freedom (internal politics was still softened) than maintaining authoritarian governance without resorting to terror.

If I remember it correctly, Sasha's determination to have her husband rehabilitated by a committee literally has a big white statue of Stalin towering over proceedings. Chukhrai wasn't one for subtlety.

The scene where the train full of soldiers hurtling by the women and children was a standout.

And the journalist and photographer visiting her at the factory, getting her to pose away from her actual work station with a tool she doesn't use.

Subtle or no, looking forward to seeing more by the same director.

 

[seventh bullet]

Yes, the dizzying train scene with the women waving to their husbands, sons, brothers etc as they head to the front is brilliant. It moves too fast for individual loved ones to be recognised. The Stalinist fakery at the factory Sasha works at is good, too. His most well known film is Ballad of a Soldier. Maybe check that out next.

 

[T & P]

Confess, Fletch. A 2022 crime comedy film adaptation of the book of the same name, part of the Fletch book series that had already seen two film adaptations with Chevy Chase.

John Hamm is the new Fletch, and he’s brilliant in it. His character has a lot of sarcastic one liners, and he delivers them beautifully. The film itself is a good Sunday film and whilst not great it’s still pretty entertaining and loud funny in places.

If Hamm was English he’d be my top choice for the next Bond, certainly if they are planning to move away from the grimness of the Daniel Craig era and put on a more upbeat persona.

 

[krtek a houby]

Confess, Fletch. A 2022 crime comedy film adaptation of the book of the same name, part of the Fletch book series that had already seen two film adaptations with Chevy Chase.

John Hamm is the new Fletch, and he’s brilliant in it. His character has a lot of sarcastic one liners, and he delivers them beautifully. The film itself is a good Sunday film and whilst not great it’s still pretty entertaining and loud funny in places.

If Hamm was English he’d be my top choice for the next Bond, certainly if they are planning to move away from the grimness of the Daniel Craig era and put on a more upbeat persona.

Only recently realized that the films were adapted from books. Have not seen the second one (and not really pushed) but do like a bit of Hamm, so might give it a go.

 

[krtek a houby]

Although wouldn't have him as an upbeat Bond.

 

[krtek a houby]

Yes, the dizzying train scene with the women waving to their husbands, sons, brothers etc as they head to the front is brilliant. It moves too fast for individual loved ones to be recognised. The Stalinist fakery at the factory Sasha works at is good, too. His most well known film is Ballad of a Soldier. Maybe check that out next.

Done! Good recommendation.

Gorgeous black and white, restoration and subtitles pretty much fine.

Very moving and sentimental without being detrimental, iyswim.

Nice to see Urbansky pop up again. He does have a certain presence about him.

 

[seventh bullet]

Done! Good recommendation.

Gorgeous black and white, restoration and subtitles pretty much fine.

Very moving and sentimental without being detrimental, iyswim.

Nice to see Urbansky pop up again. He does have a certain presence about him.

Hes's the injured soldier, isn't he? I think he was the Soviet approximation of a Hollywood heartthrob in his time. And the lovely Ukrainian actress Zhanna Prokhorenko.

 

[krtek a houby]

Hes's the injured soldier, isn't he? I think he was the Soviet approximation of a Hollywood heartthrob in his time. And the lovely Ukrainian actress Zhanna Prokhorenko.

Yeah, was wondering if he was playing the same character for a moment, but different injury, different wife and the film was made a couple of years before Clear Skies.

 

[platinumsage]

Reality - about the NSA agent Reality Winner who leaked the report into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

It's based on a stage play and follows almost entirely the verbatim FBI recording of her arrest, so it's interesting how the script differs from typical crime dramas (there's lots of talk about her cat for example )

 

[krtek a houby]

Sapphire and Steel - assignment 3

The FX are sadly worse than remember. But the storyline is as far out as ever. Oddly prudish middle class time travelers from 1500 years in the future are observing present day (1980) life in the UK. From the safety of their cloaked apartment.

Nothing can get in their home. But obviously something does. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned!

Better than assignment 1 but not up to the standard of 2.

 

[platinumsage]

Blackberry - about the rise and fall of said mobile phone, quite the ride.

 

[May Kasahara]

Scream (the 1996 original), another watch with the boy. Interesting to revisit; I found the misogyny that underpins the plot line much more off-putting, and the thing as a whole quite tedious, although Neve Campbell is still great. My teen loved it as an unabashedly cheesy retro slasher flick, perfect for a Friday night.

 

[krtek a houby]

American Made

2017 Doug Liman drug would be epic that riffs on Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street but not reaching such standards.

Kind of like a side story to Narcos with Tom Cruise flying about again. Enjoyable.

 

[Idris2002]

The Way Ahead

I think this was originally a British Army training film that was developed into a wartime blockbuster. A (very) motley crew of conscripts are dragged out of civilian life and into uniform. David Niven and William Hartnell have to whip them into shape. Some of the early scenes anticipate Dad's Army and not only by having John Laurie in them. Later they see action, and things take a turn for the serious.

 

[DotCommunist]

1st part of a shane meadows historical thing, The Gallows Pole. Its 1760 and the weavers are starving in their cottages in the bleak north as the new factories take all the work. A prodigal son returns to bury his father, bleeding from a stab wound to the stomach. Enjoyable so far.

 

[Elpenor]

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Barbara Stanwyck is the title character, married to aspiring politician Kirk Douglas in a debut role. Then one day someone from their past returns and they fear a secret will be revealed. Enjoyed this.

The Long Night. Henry Fonda is under siege in an apartment having shot a man. With a series of flashbacks we find out why, a love triangle of sorts is involved but I didn’t really care by the end. Remake of a French film Le Jour Su Leve which sounds like it would have been more interesting as not subject to the Hays code.

Pickup on South Street - really enjoyed this Cold War spy noir set in New York. Richard Widmark is a pickpocket who nicks a wallet from a beautiful woman, which contains secret plans stolen by her ex-boyfriend who unknown to her is a dirty commie. Whilst she tries to get it back, she falls for him. The police and intelligence services lean on various members of the criminal underworld to get the plans back with a few “don’t give them to the reds” type speeches. Thelma Ritter puts in a decent supporting performance as a bag-lady type

Gilda - Just as the war ends Glenn Ford meets a casino owner in Buenos Aires and begins working for him. All is well until his boss marries Rita Hayworth, the eponymous Gilda, who is known to Ford from his past and he discovers what casino is a front for. Felt this one plodded along and wasn’t that interesting. I don’t think I find films involving gambling that enjoyable, also I didn’t like Notorious either so perhaps I am not a fan of films set in South America? Or maybe just not in the mood.

 

[Idris2002]

Elpenor - I've never seen Gilda, but I would give Notorious a second chance. When you're in the right mood, I mean.

 

[not-bono-ever]

KIng of thieves- the hatton garden blag film. utter shite from start to finish.Cheaply made wank. fucking terrible

 

[not-bono-ever]

The Way Ahead

I think this was originally a British Army training film that was developed into a wartime blockbuster. A (very) motley crew of conscripts are dragged out of civilian life and into uniform. David Niven and William Hartnell have to whip them into shape. Some of the early scenes anticipate Dad's Army and not only by having John Laurie in them. Later they see action, and things take a turn for the serious.

and the final scene is transplanted into the opening credits fo Dads army.

 

[DotCommunist]

KIng of thieves- the hatton garden blag film. utter shite from start to finish.Cheaply made wank. fucking terrible

the only good one of these was the ITV three parter:

https://www.itv.com/watch/hatton-garden/2a4564/2a4564a0001

 

[Elpenor]

It’s the cinematic successor to the Rettendon murders - filmed often but rarely well

 

[redsquirrel]

Varda by Agnès - This is absolutely great, showing the intelligence, creativity, sense of fun and humanism of one of the great filmmakers. Whether you're familiar with her work or not it is definitely worth watching.

 

[belboid]

I went and caught up with that good ol’ revolutionary Mick Travis over the last few days.



If… is obviously well remembered for its sharp satire and still quite shocking viciousness, as well as its legendary finale. What I had forgotten was just how poignant it is in many places, how touchingly Anderson deals with some of the loneliness and alienation felt by many of the students.

From there to the picaresque adventures in O Lucky Man! Mick works his way up from coffee salesman to torture victim, medical experiment to hanging out with musos, dating Helen Mirren and doing incredibly dodgy deals for shady colonialist businessmen. But, don't worry, it all ends happily after he is hit by a director. There are various parts which are highly redolent of A Clockwork Orange - and MM had been cast in that after Kubrick saw him in If... and knew he'd be right for it (although legend has is that MM had to go and ask Anderson about how to perform in the role as Kubrick was no help whatsoever) as well as moments of high farce and some distinctly seventies 'critiques' of racial and sexual mores. Plus Alan Price - which must have been godsend in the cinemas as it gave opportunities to go for a piss at some point in the three hours. Excellent stuff.

Britannia Hospital - the final part which get absolutely awful reviews and even worse box office. Anderson's idealism as all spent up by this point and it is a deeply cynical and depressed portrayal of the failings in the NHS by the early eighties. While most of the opprobrium is heaped upon th private wing and all who cater to it, the strikers who open the film are also incredibly uncaring, obstinate and fairly damned lazy. Mick Travis is also barely in the movie. For all that, it is not as bad as it was made out to be, some very funny parts and dark humour. Also quite prescient about the rise of AI. Worth a watch as long as you know what you're in for.

 

[DotCommunist]

I watched 'The Ten Commandments' 1956 or rather I watched the first half, had to stop at the intermission for sleep. In my memory the film showed more of the plagues but in reality the frogs and locusts were only talked about.

 

[Idris2002]

Woman At War

A middle-aged Icelandic woman is a music teacher by day, and fearless eco-saboteur by night. Those environmentally destructive polluters had better watch out.

She is also trying to adopt a Ukrainian girl (I don't know if this was made before the war took a turn for the worst).

At the beginning it's a matter of dry, deadpan, mordant wit. By the end I was thinking strongly of Children of Men, except that that film was a vision of the future, and this one is about our present condition.

 

[krtek a houby]

Haywire

Steven Soderbergh spy thriller from 2011. Cracking cast with (now disgraced) Gina Carano in her first big acting gig.

Great action scenes and a decently logical Dublin as backdrop.

 

[Idris2002]

Haywire

Steven Soderbergh spy thriller from 2011. Cracking cast with (now disgraced) Gina Carano in her first big acting gig.

Great action scenes and a decently logical Dublin as backdrop.

Big fight scene in the Shelbourne hotel, wasn't there?

 

[krtek a houby]

Big fight scene in the Shelbourne hotel, wasn't there?

Indeed.

 

[krtek a houby]

Avatar - The Way of Water
Nope

Two very different but very entertaining alien movies. Enjoyed the James Cameron effort far more than expected. Especially once the protagonists relocate.

Jordan Peele's third film is the better, imho. Lots to digest and can definitely do repeat watchings. Maybe his best yet. Maybe.