farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
Cocaine Bear - gloriously silly.
What DVD / Video did you watch last night? (pt3)
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Nine Bob Note
Self-Isolating before it was fashionable
On to series three of the original Gladiators now. Looking forward to the new series, but I secretly know it's gonna be shit.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
I love the fact they have I just can't get enough by Depeche Mode as a song at a critical moment 
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Frank Herbert's Dune.
Missed it at the time because had seen the Lynch film and that was enough.
Slightly obsessed with the Dune world now, do thought would give it a go.
So far, it feels really dated and the casting is odd. Nice to see Razors (PH Moriarty) in it, but he's miscast.
Missed it at the time because had seen the Lynch film and that was enough.
Slightly obsessed with the Dune world now, do thought would give it a go.
So far, it feels really dated and the casting is odd. Nice to see Razors (PH Moriarty) in it, but he's miscast.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
Cube, this evening's watch with the boy. Still a punchy little film, in its own way.
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
Re-watched Slap Shot - imitated many times but never bettered.
Interesting to see Lindsay Crouse who I also saw recently in Joan Michelin Silver's Between the Lines. And despite the very genre of the films, there's connections in tone (no coincidence both made in 1977), with both films having the background of loss and endings (the mill and jobs that go with, and the team in Slap Shot; the paper, and the community built around in in BtL). And with the bittersweet ending in both.
Would make for an interesting double bill.
Interesting to see Lindsay Crouse who I also saw recently in Joan Michelin Silver's Between the Lines. And despite the very genre of the films, there's connections in tone (no coincidence both made in 1977), with both films having the background of loss and endings (the mill and jobs that go with, and the team in Slap Shot; the paper, and the community built around in in BtL). And with the bittersweet ending in both.
Would make for an interesting double bill.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
Fantastic Mr Fox. Gorgeous to look at, i really enjoyed the animation/art direction, and great to find a film that all four members of our family can watch together. But I found the characterisation deeply irritating (a large cast of self-involved, self-congratulatory egotistical males, with female characters no more than a couple of flimsy 2D helpmeets drifting round the edges) and the script annoyingly whimsical.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
It's always a gamble, whether he'll fall off the whimsy tightrope. I love The Grand Budapest Hotel, for example. But yeah, this definitely did not hit the spot for me.
Daughter loved it though, each to their own.
Daughter loved it though, each to their own.
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
I’ll be interested to know your opinion of Asteroid City once you’ve watched it. I rather liked it myself if not his best one for me. But it is very Wes Andersonish
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
I probably won't bother tbh
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Not if you have to pay for it, for sureI probably won't bother tbh
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Blues America
2 part documentary originally on BBC4. May have to change mind about John Lee Hooker after seeing this. Excellent.
2 part documentary originally on BBC4. May have to change mind about John Lee Hooker after seeing this. Excellent.
petee
no gods, no malarkey
it's been a busy summer for movies, mostly from the criterion channel, the best $100 i spend in a year.
the french connection: watched just before friedkin passed. quite good, and not just for the car chase. i actually have a plausible "connection" to the events in the film.
M, rewatch: it's fascinating, though i think lorre's performance is oversold. when i first saw it the current ending wasn't there (i'm "of a certain age") and the old, truncated ending was more effective imho.
the river: liked it less than when i first saw it. the knock on it that you can tell the non-actors is unfortunately accurate, though Patricia Walters is still excellent.
pool of london: top stuff, dramatically and historically.
the great ecstasy of the woodcarver steiner: fascinating start to finish. i want to have the movie poster to put up.
currently watching anatomy of a murder.
the french connection: watched just before friedkin passed. quite good, and not just for the car chase. i actually have a plausible "connection" to the events in the film.
M, rewatch: it's fascinating, though i think lorre's performance is oversold. when i first saw it the current ending wasn't there (i'm "of a certain age") and the old, truncated ending was more effective imho.
the river: liked it less than when i first saw it. the knock on it that you can tell the non-actors is unfortunately accurate, though Patricia Walters is still excellent.
pool of london: top stuff, dramatically and historically.
the great ecstasy of the woodcarver steiner: fascinating start to finish. i want to have the movie poster to put up.
currently watching anatomy of a murder.
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
A Star Is Born
2018 remake with Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Andrew! Dice!Clay!
Not bad. As fictional music pics go, very actorly and the leads were excellent.
2018 remake with Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Andrew! Dice!Clay!
Not bad. As fictional music pics go, very actorly and the leads were excellent.
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Alien Covenant
2017 sequel/prequel that's not as bad as was initially led to believe. Fassbender is still channeling Peter O'Toole to great effect, but the others are woeful. These crew members are super to be the best of the best? Come on!!!
Gorgeous looking but quite irked by some of the antics in this.
2017 sequel/prequel that's not as bad as was initially led to believe. Fassbender is still channeling Peter O'Toole to great effect, but the others are woeful. These crew members are super to be the best of the best? Come on!!!
Gorgeous looking but quite irked by some of the antics in this.
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
Just finishes the season of five John Cassavetes films on MUBI, despite being a 'name' this was the first time seeing any his work.
Something of a mixed reaction, even the films that did not really work for me very obviously had something.
I enjoyed Shadows and Killing on a Chinese Bookie both excellent pieces that allowed the actors to create their parts, but with a plot strong enough to drive the film.
In contrast I found Faces and Woman under the Influence too indulgent of actors performances at the expense of the overall film. The performances were usually excellent, but the films too often became an actors playground. I don't think it is a coincidence that these two films were longer (both over 2 hrs). Some firm editing would have helped.
The last film, Opening Night, almost went the same way (again at over 2 hours I think it could have been trimmed) but the tighter plot and structure of the film meant that it never got too indulgent and it looked and sounded very good.
Something of a mixed reaction, even the films that did not really work for me very obviously had something.
I enjoyed Shadows and Killing on a Chinese Bookie both excellent pieces that allowed the actors to create their parts, but with a plot strong enough to drive the film.
In contrast I found Faces and Woman under the Influence too indulgent of actors performances at the expense of the overall film. The performances were usually excellent, but the films too often became an actors playground. I don't think it is a coincidence that these two films were longer (both over 2 hrs). Some firm editing would have helped.
The last film, Opening Night, almost went the same way (again at over 2 hours I think it could have been trimmed) but the tighter plot and structure of the film meant that it never got too indulgent and it looked and sounded very good.
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
MUBI removing their film of the day list - not a good change IMO. Having that introduced me to new films and meant there was something you you try without searching through the whole database.
Haven’t updated this thread in a while but just watched Bringing Up Baby on a long train journey and laughed my head off. Some of the rapid fire delivery and the comic timing by Hepburn and Grant, almost Shakespearean.
Other films I’ve enjoyed lately - Woman In The Window - Edward G Robinson noir, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1940s version), Stranger on the Third Floor, No Way Out (1950) with Richard Widmark as a racist hoodlum antagonising Sidney Poitier’s doctor, Ace In The Hole - Kirk Douglas as an obsessive exploitative journalist, They Made me a fugitive - gritty noir with Trevor Howard as an ex RAF Pilot now criminal trying to clear his name, and two ripping gangster films with Cagney and Bogart - The Roaring Twenties (wonderful ending scene) and Angels with Dirty Faces.
My short term memory is terrible so I find it hard to give more detailed thoughts on the films if I’ve watched them a while ago.
Other films I’ve enjoyed lately - Woman In The Window - Edward G Robinson noir, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1940s version), Stranger on the Third Floor, No Way Out (1950) with Richard Widmark as a racist hoodlum antagonising Sidney Poitier’s doctor, Ace In The Hole - Kirk Douglas as an obsessive exploitative journalist, They Made me a fugitive - gritty noir with Trevor Howard as an ex RAF Pilot now criminal trying to clear his name, and two ripping gangster films with Cagney and Bogart - The Roaring Twenties (wonderful ending scene) and Angels with Dirty Faces.
My short term memory is terrible so I find it hard to give more detailed thoughts on the films if I’ve watched them a while ago.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Spotlight. Oldish (2015) but I hadn't heard of it before. About the investigation and reporting of the cover up of pedophile priests in Boston.
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
The Score - Musical, crime and romance combined starring Johnny Flynn (who also does the music) and Will Poulter. Trying to shoehorn a British gangster flick into a musical could be awful and while a little too knowing at time this just about gets away with it. It's a little too long, and loses steam and its way a little after the halfway mark but decent props for effort. Johnny Flynn gives a good supporting performance. It's available on BFI player and worth checking out for interests sack. It's certainly worlds above the last British musical I watched - the hideous God Help the Girl.
In the Fade - This has an absurdly high rating of 8.2 on MUBI which I can't for the life of me see how it has got unless money has changed hands. Diane Kruger is Katje, wife to a reformed drug dealer and mother to their son, loses both in a bomb attack by Neo-nazis. The film is in thirds, the first dealing with the aftermath of the attack and Katje's trauma, the second the trial of the accused, the third Katje' attempts to get justice. Kruge won a best actress award at Cannes and TBH she turns in a powerful performance, far better than the film deserves. It's clunky, stupid, overblown and doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word subtle. There's a very interesting film to be made of the rise of the far right in Germany (with the connivance, or at least beneficial eye-turning of the law) but this is not it, in addition to its other flaws it has the worst sort of liberal analysis of the hard right.
On Tour - Mathieu Amalric is a washed up producer who is taking a group of burlesque dancers on a tour of France, he's burnt so many bridges that he's only really able to get them into smaller towns, staying in second class hotels. While dealing with a tour that is falling apart he also has to manage his kids and former colleagues. It's an old story but Amalric directs it well, the stuff about his characters personal life is a bit overblown, the most interesting and strongest parts are the focus on the performers. Amalric uses real burlesque performers in these roles and they are excellent, poignant, intelligent and funny.
In the Fade - This has an absurdly high rating of 8.2 on MUBI which I can't for the life of me see how it has got unless money has changed hands. Diane Kruger is Katje, wife to a reformed drug dealer and mother to their son, loses both in a bomb attack by Neo-nazis. The film is in thirds, the first dealing with the aftermath of the attack and Katje's trauma, the second the trial of the accused, the third Katje' attempts to get justice. Kruge won a best actress award at Cannes and TBH she turns in a powerful performance, far better than the film deserves. It's clunky, stupid, overblown and doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word subtle. There's a very interesting film to be made of the rise of the far right in Germany (with the connivance, or at least beneficial eye-turning of the law) but this is not it, in addition to its other flaws it has the worst sort of liberal analysis of the hard right.
On Tour - Mathieu Amalric is a washed up producer who is taking a group of burlesque dancers on a tour of France, he's burnt so many bridges that he's only really able to get them into smaller towns, staying in second class hotels. While dealing with a tour that is falling apart he also has to manage his kids and former colleagues. It's an old story but Amalric directs it well, the stuff about his characters personal life is a bit overblown, the most interesting and strongest parts are the focus on the performers. Amalric uses real burlesque performers in these roles and they are excellent, poignant, intelligent and funny.
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Bringing Up Baby
Classic "screwball" comedy from 1938. Grant and Hepburn cause mayhem with leopards, Barry Fitzgerald does his Oirish shtick and the dog gets a bone.
The better half wasn't convinced but it was a pleasant 100 minutes.
Classic "screwball" comedy from 1938. Grant and Hepburn cause mayhem with leopards, Barry Fitzgerald does his Oirish shtick and the dog gets a bone.
The better half wasn't convinced but it was a pleasant 100 minutes.
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
I think I must have entered some parallel world for films today - we have shite that is Vanilla Sky being declared great, while one the greatest comedies of all time is a 'pleasant 100 minutes'
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like your opinion, man
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
I've kind of given up on posting film stuff tbh.
Cheer up Sue I've just watched a film that I think (from having had a search for the title) is one of your faves: Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing.
A near perfect heist film, with a wonderful last five minutes. Watching Sterling Hayden’s (who I also enjoyed in The Asphalt Jungle) carefully made plans slowly unwind until the final sucker punch of resignation.
I also watched a film that I think the much missed Reno rates - Cat People - while on the train this weekend but I think that one needs another viewing as I was a bit distracted at the time. I am not particularly a fan of the horror genre and much prefer where suspense is favoured over shock and gore.
A near perfect heist film, with a wonderful last five minutes. Watching Sterling Hayden’s (who I also enjoyed in The Asphalt Jungle) carefully made plans slowly unwind until the final sucker punch of resignation.
I also watched a film that I think the much missed Reno rates - Cat People - while on the train this weekend but I think that one needs another viewing as I was a bit distracted at the time. I am not particularly a fan of the horror genre and much prefer where suspense is favoured over shock and gore.
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
Yes, we do.
RedRedRose
Well-Known Member
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Weird alt-universe story with mid nineteen-nineties production values with some well-known acting talent. Enjoyed it a lot.
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