What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Marty McFly

Had a bit of a movie viewing day .

Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium: It one them films id been meaning to watch for some time, and have to say I really enjoyed it was imaginative, nicely shot and did have some touching heartfelt momments, certainly worth a watch, downfalss were I found Mr Magorium himself just that little bit annyoing at times and you just felt they could have pushed on a little bit further with the goings on in the shop.


Elite Squad: The Enemy Within: Now this I liked a lot some great action sequences told with a brilliant story and very much a social commentary on what Brazil is today, some very good performances aswell.

A Bittersweet Life: Another one I enjoyed although hard to relate to the lead character I think that was also part of his charm always showing a cool collected and evil personna apart form once or twice were he showed heart. There just that edge you get from Asian cinema that you dont get from Hollywood films the visuals are always stunning and the violence always feels that bit more extreme but in a good way.


How I Spent My Summer Vacation : I know Mel Gibson has had his much publicised troubles but man has he got an on screen presence was great to see him back doing what he does best.

livinsane

Just watched Troll Hunter. Great fun. Hans character [The troll hunter] is one cool mofo and made the story believable. Definitely worth a watch.

Raoul

livinsane wrote: »

Just watched Troll Hunter. Great fun. Hans character [The troll hunter] is one cool mofo and made the story believable. Definitely worth a watch.

Really enjoyable movie with some great characters.

DazMarz

Ruthless People: 1980's comedy in the vein of a classic farce. Millionaire Sam Stone (Danny deVito) hates his wife, Barbara (Bette Midler). He wants to kill her, so he can inherit her fortune and control her company. So, when he arrives home to kill her and finds that she has been kidnapped, he is overjoyed. He can now sit back and allow the kidnappers to do his dirty work for him.

However, the kidnappers (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) are not prepared to kill her, and are total amateurs. They are simply seeking revenge as Sam stole their idea for a fashion design. Sam gets increasingly frustrated as he tries to get the kidnappers to kill his wife by refusing to follow their instructions.

The jokes come thick and fast, there are a lot of sideplots (Sam's dimwitted mistress and her even more dimwitted toyboy trying to frame Sam; Barbara's poodle being the bane of Sam's life; Barbara warming to her captors) and it has some moments of comedy gold. Well worth a look.

My Cousin Vinny: Billy and Stan are two New York college students who are driving through the deepest of the Deep South in Alabama. In a case of mistaken identity, they are accused of murdering a convenience store clerk. Unable to afford a top lawyer, they are forced to hire Billy's eponymous cousin Vincent Laguardia Gambini.

Vinny has no experience in court at all, having only been practising law for 6 weeks. And only personal injury claims. Nothing like murder. Sparks also fly as the aggressive, brash New Yorker clashes with the straight-laced, authoritarian, Good Ol' Boy Judge Haller.

Thrown into the mix are inadequate sleeping conditions, rednecks scrapping for fights, stammering district attorneys, loud-mouthed New York girlfriends and screaming owls.

Some genuinely laugh out loud moments, and Marissa Tomei won an Oscar for her portrayal of Vinny's flashy, aggressively-New-Yorker girlfriend.

Speed: Keanu Reeves tries to stop mad bomber (and former bomb-squad cop) Dennis Hopper from bombing the living shíte out of Los Angeles. Thought killed in a confrontation in an office block, Hopper returns, rigging a city bus with a bomb that is made live once the bus goes over 50mph, and it will then detonate once the bus drops below 50mph. The action is breakneck and the film whips along faster than the bus. Some of the set-pieces are incredibly impressive and the tension is palpable. One of the better action-thrillers out there; very accurately described as "Die Hard on a bus".

Bowling For Columbine/Fahrenheit 911/Sicko: Michael Moore's most famous trilogy of films taking aim at the right-wing administration in America. While many would argue he shows only one side of the coin and serves his own agenda, the facts cannot be argued with. The most moving and poignant of the three is arguably Sicko; hard-working, decent people who are forced into bankruptcy or even left to die by the American healthcare system which is so bloated and corrupt that even those who have Health insurance can't be sure that they will get treatment, or even if they do get their treatment that they won't be bankrupted as the insurance companies refuse to pay up.

The American system is compared to those of Canada, the UK, France and Cuba. Obviously Moore only shows the finest that these countries offer, but at the same time, it is obvious that these systems are infinitely better and much more geared to actually helping people. This is opposed to the American system which is all about the almighty dollar.

Horror stories of refusing cancer patients treatment, babies being sent away from hospitals as their parents insurance won't allow them to go to that particular hospital, 9/11 rescue workers being refused healthcare they need due to injuries they received during the aftermath of the attacks, elderly people being forced to work well into their late-70's because they cannot afford their medicines, etc.

It is grim viewing. And through it all, one cannot help but feel righteous anger and deep sadness. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave is not the home of the healthy, apparently. The scenes in which the 9/11 rescue workers find salvation in Cuba and meet with Cuban firefighters is deeply moving and actually had me in tears. The sheer gratitude and happiness that these heroic rescue workers experience is unbelievable.

Like him or loathe him, one thing is for sure... Moore is impossible to ignore and puts his message across very effectively.

SubBusted

Small time - the Meadows' debut feature. A group of men rob a new-age shop only for their former pal to double cross them. Shot on video it's not bad.

Sad Professor

Looper — the time travel plot is illogical and absurd, and aside from the main premise, fairly unoriginal, borrowing heavily from '80s time travel movies like Back to the Future and The Terminator. However, the film moves so fast and is so well executed that you don't have time to think about this. It may not be 12 Monkeys, but it is one of the most enjoyable, well crafted sci-fi blockbusters of recent years.

Untouchable — A somewhat unoriginal and cliched story about an unlikely friendship between a handicapped millionaire and his ex-con caretaker is brought to life by two brilliant performances and a witty and heartwarming script. Funny, uplifting and very satisfying drama. Highly recommended.

johnny_ultimate

Some Like It Hot - has lost little of its energy or playfulness five decades on. A screwball delight, massively enhanced by inspired performances by Curtis, Lemmon and Monroe. Aside from featuring the dumbest mobsters and police imaginable, the story's lighthearted tone makes it a comedy classic. The Netflix HD version is absolutely immaculate: ensures its still as fresh and vibrant visually.

Wee Willy Harris

Girl w/ the Dragon Tattoo

Junkhearts

Marty McFly

Chocolate: Really enjoyed it, a martial arts film about a girl who with autism manages to teach herself martials arts through a thai boxing school next door to her and through watching martial arts films, it has a decent storyline with the lead actress giving a great performance, and most importantly some outstandning action sequences, and make sure to watch the after-credits you cant help but respect the actors and stuntmen on this after seeing it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183252/

johnny_ultimate

Husbands - my belated first encounter with the works of John Cassavetes. I very much appreciated it, although am keen to check out the films of his that have a more generally positive reputation. The film follows three married friends experiencing a collective mid-life crisis after the death of their friend, which they resolve by going on an extended (and, ultimately, cross-continental) bender. It's a smart, uncompromising examination of the contradictions and hypocrisies of masculinity, and a scathing look at suburban existence. The characters aren't exactly likable, but the performances from Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara and Cassavetes himself are very memorable and engaging. The style is naturalistic, with several lengthy sequences expertly capturing the awkwardness and intensity of these characters' various social interactions. The film is very long at well over two hours, probably too long. Add to that a few jarring changes in tone and pace, and it's telling how the film initially split opinion. But mostly it works, and is overall an uncompromising, intelligent character study.

[editing this in rather than making a second post]

Indie Game: The Movie - very good documentary focusing on four developers making three independent games. Having played a lot of all the games it was easy to get into, although would be curious to see how non-gamers would react to it. It helps that the developers picked are really interesting. There's the Super Meat Boy duo, who are really genuine, passionate guys, about to release their game. There's the infamous Phil Fish, responsible for the long-gestating Fez: arrogant and outspoken, but also very talented and surprisingly self-conscious when stressed. Finally, Jonathan Blow, the gentle genius who made the best game of the bunch, the fantastic Braid. Only major problem I had was that the latter wasn't in it enough, since his game was completed well before the film was made and hence is restricted to interview only while we get to see the development and release of the other games.

Still, it's compulsive viewing, and parts of it are surprisingly emotional. It is at its heart an underdog story: a triumph of small independent teams against the big boys. It's an insight into the challenges, failures and triumphs of making creatively ambitious games, and gives a well-rounded view of the subject and the people involved.

Judgement Day

"Taken" (2008) last night on RTE. Liam Neeson, a retired CIA agent, pursues his daughter's kidnappers across Europe distributing retribution to everyone who crosses his path. Satisfying, late night escapist stuff but I preferred him as Michael Collins. 8/10. Roll on October 24th!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg

briany

the_monkey wrote: »

Finally saw 2001: A space Odyssey http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/

Really enjoyed it, I loved the "Realism" of the silent space motion, the long
drawn out sequences of controling the ship etc.

But I can't help feeling its a film that people say is amazing cos they feel they should - the ending ---

with the baby ?? I mean wtf ??

But this is a small gripe with me , I have read the explanations and feel they are satisfactory enough ... but still a bit too
"out there" for me ...

Probably the best film ever made set in outer space, including Aliens and Star Wars. I think it's a film that continues to fascinate people, like myself, with some of the imagery it uses, some of the ideas. Even the ones that are abstract, like the one you mention, give the film a depth that goes beyond the vast majority of sci-fi films and it makes the thing fresh to this day. It will remain fresh as well I think, for as long as Man continues to evolve, sees outer space as a void and wonders about his place in the universe.

Baked.noodle

I've heard a few interpretations over the years. One sexual reference interprets the voyage as a sperm attempting to reach the egg, creating the star child at the end. Another interpretation views the conflict created between man and his tools. The ape first uses a weapon at the beginning, opening an evolutionary event, only to see man eventually become totally dependent upon technology. Man defeats the evolutionary AI machine with a basic screwdriver only to transcend into altered dimensional existance, freeing himself from the dependence on matter and tools.

I've just watched 'V for Vendetta'.

I'm shocked it took this long.

Great movie.

Professional Griefer

Watched ''Los Cronocrímenes'' tonight with my friends. Normally hate foreign movies, but it was quite good..

e_e

Ix Deadmau5 wrote: »

Normally hate foreign movies

How come? It's not like they're all identical.

briany

Ix Deadmau5 wrote: »

Watched ''Los Cronocrímenes'' tonight with my friends. Normally hate foreign movies, but it was quite good..

Excellent film. Borrowed a bit from Primer I thought but it was very entertaining and made you think. The Spanish have been kicking arse in the thriller department over the last decade or so.

livinsane

Watched Matchstick Men. Loved it, great ending. Nic Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman are all fantastic.

Nemanja91

Watched God Bless America, strange film but I enjoyed it.

briany

Watched The Chernobyl Diaries, a decision that flew in the face of my better judgement somewhat. It's about a group of fresh faced young people whose adventurous trip to the zone of alienation goes somewhat awry. Anyway, the film was, surprisingly, not terrible and I thought there was more than one genuinely tense moment during the film. At other times, the film was derivative and nonsensical. For me, the film was enjoyable because of the setting; Pripyat (at night), and a couple of set piece scenes but the film failed to really follow through on the creepy premise and the third act feels stitched together from about 4 or 5 other movie franchises. Enjoyable film but ultimately pretty forgettable.

McGrath5

Brothers

I watched this last night, fairly dissappointed by it to be honest.

Toby Maguire plays the solider gone off to fight the Afghanistan war and leaves the wife (Natalie Portman) and kids at home.

This is one cliched to hell film, Toby Maguire is totally miscast in his role.

A real let down from the usually solid Jim Sheridan.

Avoid.

Mickeroo

Watched The Hunger Games lastnight. Really enjoyed it, was a lot better than I was expecting. It is pretty much Battle Royal-lite but there's enough in their to distinguish it in it's own right too. Jennifer Lawrence was very good in the lead role. The only downsides were the cop out ending(

she should have had to kill him....c'mon

) and I also felt the cinematography was pretty crumby in places. Solid entertainment though.

JohnK

Mickeroo wrote: »

The only downsides were the cop out ending(

she should have had to kill him....c'mon

) and I also felt the cinematography was pretty crumby in places. Solid entertainment though.

To be fair though, that was the ending of the book so not really like the film makers decided to wimp out.

Mickeroo

JohnK wrote: »

To be fair though, that was the ending of the book so not really like the film makers decided to wimp out.

Yeah of course, more a criticism of the story itself than the actual film I suppose and might be completely justified when put in context with the sequels.

I just never got the impression she really loved him and was just playing along, and having them change the rules THREE times was beyond silly imo. New rule: 2 people can win, actually no we've changed our mind now you have to kill eachother.......no wait don't top yourself you can live. I just thought it would have made for a much more compelling and complex heroine if she just downed him with an arrow.

One other thing i thought was strange was there wasn't really anything to force the kids to kill eachother. In BR they had those collars that would blow your head off if there was more than one person alive after a few days in this they all could have just crowded on the roof of that building and done nothing or just sat around a camp fire living off the supplies. The mines and weaponry would have dealt with the

Hulk dogs

.

I enjoyed the film enough to order the books this morning though, looking forward to seeing how the series plays out.

JohnK

Yeah a few things from the book didnt actually come across well in the movie but the books do address & give a lot more insight into the points you raise above so I suppose thats a bit of a flaw for the movie not explaining it well. I had read the books before the seeing it so I was able to draw on that to fill in a bit more while watching it but the movie itself left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. I think I actually came away from it feeling that for a movie of that length there was both a lot of unnecessary filler and a lot of better stuff from the books left out. I couldn’t really point to specific examples but it was more the detail from the book was lacking in the movie, like with the bits you highlighted, but also with character development which seemed realistic enough in the book but just wasn’t developed at all in the movie to the point where I was wondering why some of the characters in the movie would even bother talking to each other. Katniss’ relationship with Cinna is a one that specifically comes to mind.

Cantona's Collars

Eventually got round to watching 21 Jump Street,pretty decent comedy with some laugh out loud moments.It pokes fun at a lot of cop movies by playing up the stereotypes in them.

livinsane

Watched The Boondock Saints. Ahhhhh...what can I say. I loved it and I hated it. Some scenes were spectacular, particularly the ones with William Dafoe and notably

when the two brothers descend into the hotel room by rope and take out 8 Russian mafia guys

. The Irish brothers irritated me at times. That American stereotype of the Irish - religious, overtly traditional, witty and insane - just makes me cringe (makes me recall Season Three of Sons of Anarchy - set in the 21st century but houses in Belfast have wallpaper and Padre Pio in every room), but its still entertaining and even that prayer they recite has theatrical impact.

Great movie to watch with a gang of friends and few beers but don't take it too seriously.

johnny_ultimate

Bad Lieutenant (Original) - had always meant to watch this since the Herzog's (genuinely brilliant) take on the character. Really enjoyed this too: seedy, insane and ultimately a strange sort of poignant. Kietel gives the performance everything. The memorable scene where the Lieutenant pulls over a speeding car is compulsively repulsive. Pacing slackens somewhat in the second half, but Kietel's descent into despair and near-madness remains compelling throughout. Some powerful scenes as it reaches its inevitable conclusion.

Dial M For Murder - theatrical but thrilling Hitchcock film. Similar to Rope in many ways - not least the fact its almost entirely set in a small apartment. But it takes that film's imperfect murder and dials it up one notch further to create a deliriously twisty narrative full of power-plays and sudden reversals. Less iconic and subversive than some of his films, but terrifically entertaining.

Cartman78

"The Help" - was coerced into watching this with the missus. Had extremely low expectations going into it but this film somehow managed to be even worse than I had imagined.

Am tempted to write a lengthy ranty summary but want to forget this asap so will keep it brief. Dire, dire stuff which meandered all over the place to little effect - this might have been better as a 6 part mini-series but probably best to get it over with in one dose tbh.

I was sceptical about the awards that this accumulated last year and am completely bamboozled now how it was on any sort of Oscars radar. The acting is terrible imho, everyone just lapses into very lame racial stereotypes. Avoid, avoid, avoid :mad:

Myrddin

The Hunger Games - I have to say, I found this enjoyable enough for what it was.

The Dinosaur Project - I've seen much worse found footage films, this one exceeded my expectations I have to say. Enjoyed it