What have you watched recently?

Tony EH

'Inglorious Basterds'

I have to say, I'm done with Quentin. I've been giving him numerous chances since the brilliant 'Reservoir Dogs', but besides the decent 'Pulp Fiction' (VASTLY over rated though), he hasn't delivered...not once and this is the latest in a long series of disappointments.

Everything about this film is just irritating. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a parody of WWII (I get that). However, even as a parody, it stinks. It can't seem to get its own head around what it's supposed to be. So, subsequently, the viewer is left with the same fogginess.

In its defence, the first chapter is actually quite entertaining, even if the chapter idea is utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, the opening sequence with the SS officer Landa and the French farmer is misleading in the extreme. It signals a vastly different film than the one we end up with. It is, for the most part, played entirely straight and with great suspense and it had me hooked for its duration. But, when you couple that scene, with end of the picture, you could be forgiven for thinking that you stepped out of a quality WWII movie and mistakenly stepped into a Mel Brooks comedy. The opening is incredibly deceitful.

The film rapidly descends into farce though, in the second chapter, when we are introduced to the "basterds". The entire scene and rest of the movie marred by Brad Pitt's terrible effort at a Tennessee drawl. "Wun Hunerd natzee skalps!". No sooner are we introduced to the avenging Jewish angels, then we're fast forwarded off to France in 1944, where the Basterds have been "killin' natzees" and their rep has been solidified!

The finale descends into it's obvious absurd conclusion

complete with a Hitler death at the hands of the Jewish soldiers

and the abandonment of everything sensible.

Even the chilling SS officer Landa is reduced to farce, completely stripped of the menace he oozed in the first chapter.

In short, the film is a series of set pieces, very loosely connected. The better ones being the beginning and the scene in the tavern. But, overall, the film is an absolute mess, pulling in far too many different directions. It's understandable that Tarantino had such a difficult time with the script and it seems that he never got round to ever pulling a truly finished draft. Quentin and his sycophants may think it's "kewl", but I want more than he has to offer.

In the end, like the producers of 'Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus', Quentin Tarantino is desperately hoping to capture the "so bad its good" boat and is failing to understand that accident has a major part to play in that atmosphere. Like Tarantino, I have a fondness for 70's Spaghetti WWII rip-off's like the original 'Inglorious Bastards' or 'Five for Hell', but these films are entertaining, not because they set out to be deliberately bad, but because the filmakers just got it so wrong, due to various reasons including budget, schedule, lack of talent etc.

Tarantino has access to incredible amounts of money, schedule and talent...so stop deliberately trying to get things wrong. That doesn't mean, conversely, Tarantino is getting things "right". It just means that he's getting "wrong" wrong.

L'prof

mishimab wrote: »

just watched The Lovely Bones (2009) .. can't stop thinking about this movie after watched.. gave me weird feeling.. i recommend you this movie.. my every cell of skin has risen up.. )

Please don't recommend people to see this movie!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=63839001&postcount=1520

gandalf

Watched Outlander last night and enjoyed it immensely. Should have been a bigger hit.

Kipperhell

Armoured. :Just all right
City Island :Really good
Pandorum : Decent even though not incredibly original but better story than Avatar
Big Fan: Really decent and keeps you guessing, sports fans may understand the guy more than me but I got his anxiety.
That is all

ScumLord

The men who stare at Goats.

I had read the book a good while ago, I'm not sure how true it is to the book but the storey holds together very well on film. Very funny at times and the ending is just spectacular.

jasonorr

jasonorr wrote: »

Please don't recommend people to see this movie!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=63839001&postcount=1520

Whys shouldn't he recommend that people see it? Just because you dislike it does not mean that everyone will dislike it nor does it make it a bad film.

L'prof

Deleted User wrote: »

Whys shouldn't he recommend that people see it? Just because you dislike it does not mean that everyone will dislike it nor does it make it a bad film.

I personally thought it was truly awful, so awful I think the majority of people will agree!

As for it being a bad film? I really think it is but, that's just my opinion. I wasn't expecting much and it didn't even deliver on that!

Have you seen it? Opinions?

irish_bob

slumdog millionaire last night , overall , i was disapointed considering all the praise the film has recieved , found it gimicky and nothing special really

watched iron man this evening on sky movies ( special 3 months half price offer ) and while i enjoyed it , it was nothing special either but then again i find downey junior very annoying in nearly everything

bnt

Finally got to see Tokyo Story - last showing at the IFI for now.

It's the kind of film you find in film school text books. Takes over 2 hours to tell a simple story: elderly couple from rural post-WW2 Japan travel to Tokyo to visit their adult children, who are too busy and self-occupied for them, so they go home. It's so slow and "deliberate" that anyone under 40, who is not studying film, might be chewing the armrest after the first hour. Yet, it is a Great Movie, and a major pleasure for anyone with a little patience. The director uses small details to portray life in a country undergoing rapid changes and absorbing Western influences.

One example that caught my eye throughout: it's Japan in the summer, which gets pretty hot and sticky, and you see how different generations deal with the heat. The elderly couple have beautiful paper fans, while the Tokyo houses have electric fans, or the people use cheaper fans with advertisements on them. I think I'll get it on DVD, just to study it.

judas1369

Just finished watching Tromeo and Juliet, the Tromaville take on the Shakespeare play.
Remarkably true to the original screen play with the usual Tromaville over the top gore and humour. All this and narrated by Lemmy out of Motorhead! A true classic in a bizarre sense of the word.

pablomakaveli

I saw District 9 last week and thought it was a great film. I was a pretty interesting take on what would happen if aliens come to earth given that most of these type of films are usually about an all out war between humans and aliens.

L31mr0d

The Unborn: Megan Fox has been cloned and put in this horribly tired and predictable horror. Maybe it was made worse by the fact that the kid from the comedy "The middle" is in it. I couldn't take him seriously at all. Carla Gugino and Gary Oldman are also shamefully underused.

Tchaikovsky

L31mr0d wrote: »

The Unborn: Megan Fox has been cloned and put in this horribly tired and predictable horror. Maybe it was made worse by the fact that the kid from the comedy "The middle" is in it. I couldn't take him seriously at all. Carla Gugino and Gary Oldman are also shamefully underused.

Yeah, but was there titty?

Hardrain

Punisher:War Zone

Over the top gory fun!!

Ouijaboard

Revolutionary Road - 8/10
Depressing movie but riveting performances by the two leads, Leo and Kate have to be two of the best actors of their generation (25-35), very realistic breakdown of a relationship.

Men Who Stare At Goats - 7/10

Enjoyed it, Some very funny parts, excellent cast but Clooney steals the show. Clooney has fantastic comic timing, Excellent beginning and middle, disappointing that the film has no real end, not because it is cryptic, ala coen style, but because it just falls completely flat.

Pineapple Express - 6/10

Weak overall, plenty of cringworthy stoner moments but also a few redeeming parts, seth rogen who can be hit and miss at times is quite good in this. Went on a little too long tho

constitutionus

gandalf wrote: »

Watched Outlander last night and enjoyed it immensely. Should have been a bigger hit.

me too.

watched it last night with the brother. regret not going to see it in the cinema now. it really is a cracking little take on the beowulf poem, and who'd though ron perlman could do such a decent irish accent (ok, its meant to be norse but everyone else was doing irish accents so it'd be weird if he did it "properly" )

i thought the whole way the two tribes thought it was each other at fault in the beginning was very well done.

monster didnt look as naff as everyone was maintaining either, in fact considering kanens back story it was genuinely sympathetic as a character.

suprisingly good film.

mackthefinger

Mesrine - Part one Killer Instinct
Part two public enemy number one

Watched both these last night as a double bill.
Vincent Cassel is brilliant as Jacques Mesrine,
the french gangster known as the man of a thousand
faces. Part one is his earlier career, part two maybe
tries to get behind the myth a bit.

The action never flags in this, sometimes a bit too much.
But there's some excellent set pieces. I would have preferred
for the movie(s) to explore his past a bit more - Algeria
is briefly referred to. And you never really get to know
the motivations of the character. Still, a enjoyable gangster
film, always watchable because of Cassel, who can go from
threatening to charming in the blink of an eye. Though he
looked ridiculous in the opening scene!

Kormeera X

has anyone seen Notourious??

very good film.

Kormeera X

Hardrain wrote: »

Punisher:War Zone

Over the top gory fun!!

i want to see that! heard its very good!

krudler

Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace back to back, I didnt like QOS much when i first saw it but I hadnt watched CR for months before i went to it, viewing them together makes it a much better movie

OutlawPete

Daybreakers, excellent.

liah

Watched The Lovely Bones and Up in the Air last night.

I read the book for The Lovely Bones years ago, but didn't remember enough of it for it to tarnish my view of the movie. It was a very beautifully made film (visually I mean), just absolutely stunning to look at in some bits. Mark Wahlberg's and Rachel Weisz's acting (and whoever played Ray, but he's only in about 5 percent of the film) leaves something to be desired, unfortunately.. I just don't think the role was right for Wahlberg and I'm not sure what was wrong with Weisz because I normally like her well enough. The lead actress who plays Susie is brilliant, though, and I reckon she'll have a promising career ahead of her with a bit of work.

It's a film that leaves you a bit unsure as to how to feel; in some ways it's really uplifting and lovely, and in others it's incredibly tragic and depressing, but I suppose the title alone shows that.

As for Up in the Air, I enjoyed it. I knew nothing of it going in, and I guess it was a little predictable in storyline, but it had that right little bit of heart that made me warm to it. Didn't like the young actress (can't even remember her name), but Clooney and Farmiga worked really well together. Only thing I didn't like was it kind of changed in filming style halfway through, and I guess it was to illustrate a point, but it seemed like they'd made such a show of filming a certain way in the beginning they'd make it more consistent.

Anyway, both films are just out and worth a watch.

Duggy747

Watched Sherlock Holmes last night, very..................meh!

It wasn't bad but it definately wasn't great. REALLY dragged at some parts and I found Rachel McAdams character to be pretty useless and by-the-numbers.

Some of the humour was quite good and Downey Jr. was as watchable as usual. Guy Ritche's trademark detailed slo-mo was enjoyable and didn't feel overused.

The best thing I enjoyed from the film was the 2 sequences when Sherlock would plan out what to do next in the opening and bare-knuckle fighting scene. Pity, though, it just vanished after that.

At least we know Ritche can do something other than London gangsters and that woeful film with the then 138 year old Madonna.

liah

L31mr0d wrote: »

The Unborn: Megan Fox has been cloned and put in this horribly tired and predictable horror. Maybe it was made worse by the fact that the kid from the comedy "The middle" is in it. I couldn't take him seriously at all. Carla Gugino and Gary Oldman are also shamefully underused.

The only part that gave me the creeps was the dog with the mask on when he's in the road, and I don't even know why. The rest of it was just a mix of the weirdest things they could think to throw in alongside the most overused plotline ever.

That_Guy

Jurassic Park:

Still incredible and still as brilliant since the first time I ever watched it. An absolute masterpiece in my eyes.

Jurassic Park - The Lost World:

Easily my favourite of the trilogy. It's just over two hours but it's one of the very few films that actually leaves me begging for more.

Jurassic Park 3:

My least favourite of the trilogy. I think it just stumbled and fell through the last hurdle. It wasn't extremely terrible to watch but having sat down to watch the first two it just feels like it's lacking something. Yeah, there's dinosaurs in it and plenty of action going on but I think it's probably the lack of

T-Rex

that made it somewhat unfamiliar.

liah

24 Hour Party People - Steve Coogan. Need I say more? This film is brilliant, and the amount of cameos is astonishing, I couldn't keep up with it. It's completely worth a watch if you get a chance.

Control - Joy Division documentary. Well, Ian Curtis moreso than Joy Division. It was decent enough, I guess, but it got quite slow in bits and I was too busy being angry at Ian being such a damn spa to absorb it properly. Could take it or leave it, at the end of the day.

A Boy and his Dog - Random film from the 70's I came across. If you completely take out one section that completely changes the film for awhile (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about), it's actually a really surprising little sci-fi post-apocalyptic comedy. I enjoyed the majority of it, but unfortunately the one section kind of ruined it for me. So if you pretend that didn't happen and can keep up with 70s cinema, it's perfect.

Ink - Mental film altogether. Really, really creative filmmaking. The plot wasn't spectacular but I gained a lot of respect for the filmmakers considering how low the budget was for it. Very arthouse though, don't watch it if you're easily confused, but if you like that sort of thing it's worth a go.

The Limits of Control - Speaking of "don't watch it if you're easily confused." This film does not give you any explanation for anything, at all, ever. It is definitely not the kind of film that's going to hold your hand, or give you any real climax. I don't think many people will "get" this film on the first watch, but once you actually sit and think about it it's kind of straightforward, even if you don't have every single detail. Really, really bizarre though and not at all what I was expecting from a film involving Bill Murray. I wouldn't pay money for it though. Too pretentious.

Paper Heart - Crap. Absolute crap. Michael Cera plays his normal awkward self. Pair him with a really emotionally stunted asian girl and it's just painful to watch. I did like the actual documentary interview bits, but any second with Charlene and Michael in it I nearly wanted to punch a hole through my monitor. Avoid at all costs, and watch the interview bits on youtube, because there are some really beautiful things said about love and relationships, but they're drowned out by the all-encompassing crap of the acting part of the film.

Taking Woodstock - Aw, I loved this film. It isn't exactly the most well done thing ever, but it's just a really sweet film that left me with a really pleasant aftertaste. Sure, the plot had a few holes, and maybe the acting wasn't always the best, but it's a feel-good film and it really, really makes you wish you'd been able to witness Woodstock.

Where the Wild Things Are - I watched this twice within 24 hours. Whoever they got to play the main character, Max, is a better actor than most A-list adults currently in Hollywood. He played the part so, so convincingly, I was totally engrossed in it. Now, it is a kid's film, and I tend to avoid kid's films at all costs, but this one was beautifully made and the soundtrack is class. It's got a great sense of humour and a surprising amount of maturity for a children's film. There are bits and pieces that I was kind of "meh" about (the howling, mostly, seemed a bit corny), but overall it's one of the films I've been most pleased to see recently. Definitely worth a watch. Or ten.

Big River Man - Story of Slovenian swimmer Martin Strel, the only man to swim the entire lengths of the Amazon, the Mississippi, and the Yangtze (among others.) Very well-made documentary that goes a bit batty around the end (and rightly so.) I don't want to say too much about this one other than definitely see it whenever you get a chance. The man's an absolute legend and I can't believe I'd never heard of him before.

Wreck

Watched four very different films over the last few days, all were enjoyable.

The Fantastic Mr Fox - it's a long time since I read the book, but I don't think the film quite does it justice. Nevertheless, it's funny and definitely watchable, although Clooney's voice acting seemed really bland and one-dimensional.

Sherlock Holmes - ok, it's an entertaining film in it's own right, and Robert Downey Jr is great as always. I just found the unusual portrayal of such an iconic character a little bit jarring.

The Road - Good film, engrossing, thought-provoking, beautifully shot and very well-acted.

A Serious Man - awesome film, really good. Definitely the best thing I've seen for a while.

dario28

Wreck wrote: »

A Serious Man - awesome film, really good. Definitely the best thing I've seen for a while.

WTF am i missing here - I know people have different tastes so thats fair enough , I didnt like Lost in Traslation either maybe its just that type of film

Its only one of the Coen Bro's that I didnt like

L31mr0d

liah wrote: »

The only part that gave me the creeps was the dog with the mask on when he's in the road, and I don't even know why.

Reminded me of this music video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4hFwJm41h4#t=3m44s

BroomBurner

Just watched Hamlet 2 and haven't laughed that hard at a film for a long time Classic song titles for their musical.