What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

ChoiChoi

Buried with Ryan Reynolds, absolutely class, whole thing set in a coffin Reynolds is superb highly recommend.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Hugo

Hugo lives in a train station where he looks after the clocks while trying to fix a mechanical wind-up man that his now dead father brought home. He gets caught trying to steal some parts from a toy shop at the station which sets him and new pal Isabelle off on a quest to discover the connection between Hugo's mechanical man and Isabelle's Papa George.

Basically a love letter to cinema dressed up as a kids adventure film. Pretty enjoyable I must say. It's rare these days to see a kids film that reminds me of the films I used to see as a kid. Maybe there's rose tinted glasses at play there but it's always nice to watch something and feel a little bit of that wonder that you felt as a kid. I imagine this would have looked stunning if I'd seen it in the cinema in 3D.

Side note - Asa Butterfield has the bluest eyes.

briany

Blue Ruin (2013)

A man comes back to his home town in order to exact revenge.

A slice of life take on the badass returns to town cliché. The protagonist isn't quite cut out for the task he's set himself. The nearest thing I could compare it to would be Shotgun Stories, although this has more action and a more compelling story. A very solid hour and a half, featuring a pleasantly surprising appearance from Devin Retray, who played Buzz in the first two Home Alone movies.

nicklauski

The Purge

Watched this on Sunday when I had a bit of time to kill
Set in 2022 in America where for one day only, all crime is legal.
I was expecting a Running Man type film where you see people be hunted etc, but it's actually a pretty good film.
Centers around Ethan Hawke and Lena Hadleys family from the time of the Purge starting to finishing the next morning.
I enjoyed it, it's predictable, but very watchable and with a run time of 1hr19mins, it flies by.

6/10

The Other Woman

Oh my sweet jesus! Watched this with herself after getting to watch The Purge. This film is terrible. Alarm bells started to ring when I seen Leslie Manns name come up on the screen. How she keeps getting work is a joke in itself. The husband must still have some huge pulling power in Hollywood.
Cheating husband yada yada yada, her and the Mistress (Diaz) become bessie mates, then they both in turn become bessies with the other Mistress (Kate Upton HELLO!!!) on a revenge plot.
It is woeful.

2/10
And that's a generous 2 for the Kate Upton 2.
Avoid.

marko93

Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie


*sigh*

the_monkey

briany wrote: »

Blue Ruin (2013)

A man comes back to his home town in order to exact revenge.

A slice of life take on the badass returns to town cliché. The protagonist isn't quite cut out for the task he's set himself. The nearest thing I could compare it to would be Shotgun Stories, although this has more action and a more compelling story. A very solid hour and a half, featuring a pleasantly surprising appearance from Devin Retray, who played Buzz in the first two Home Alone movies.

Very good movie - f*ck I knew I recognized him !!!

and MacCauley Culkin looks exactly the same ..

D'Agger

Watched Need for Speed the other night & really enjoyed it

The characters were clichéd but in a way I half expected from an adaption of an EA game so it didn't bother me all too much. Thought it was well shot and while Micheal Keatons character would normally annoy the life out of me - he reminded me of the radio DJ from The Warriors & tied in with the 'game' like feel to the movie - I felt that it was a good movie that didn't stray too far from its roots

7/10

briany

the_monkey wrote: »

Very good movie - f*ck I knew I recognized him !!!

and MacCauley Culkin looks exactly the same ..

Culkin has apparently failed to move on because he's back to his old love - pizza :pac:. One of his current projects playing in 'The Pizza Underground', a comically pizza themed Velvet Underground cover band. That's 5 people, so hipstery it has to be a joke, an out of tune guitar and a pizza box for percussion. And songs like 'I'm waiting for the Pizza Delivery Man', and 'All the Pizza Parties". And I'm not even joking. It's a funny joke, if you view it as a troll, but not exactly much dimension to it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmgq81Ww7K4

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Hugo

Hugo lives in a train station where he looks after the clocks while trying to fix a mechanical wind-up man that his now dead father brought home. He gets caught trying to steal some parts from a toy shop at the station which sets him and new pal Isabelle off on a quest to discover the connection between Hugo's mechanical man and Isabelle's Papa George.

Basically a love letter to cinema dressed up as a kids adventure film. Pretty enjoyable I must say. It's rare these days to see a kids film that reminds me of the films I used to see as a kid. Maybe there's rose tinted glasses at play there but it's always nice to watch something and feel a little bit of that wonder that you felt as a kid. I imagine this would have looked stunning if I'd seen it in the cinema in 3D.

Side note - Asa Butterfield has the bluest eyes.

Came into this thread to mention this film. I decided to take a chance on it when it came on the television the other day because of Scorsese and the positive reviews it picked up.

I have to say, it had me hooked from 10 minutes in. The film ended up going somewhere that I didn't expect it to go in those first few minutes, and turned out to be quite a poignant and enchanting watch as a result.

I'd highly recommend this to adults and kids alike, basically anyone with a heart!

Now for something completely different; 'KRULL'. The OH wanted to watch it as it was a favourite from her childhood and I watched it with her having heard a bit about it through her and pop culture also.

Sweet Jesus, and I don't mean to piss anyone off who is fond of this movie, but it was one of the worst film experiences I've had. Not for me at all. Maybe it was one of those things that because I didn't see it as a child and didn't have that feeling of nostalgia, it was lost on me.

That could be part of the reason I thought so much of 'Hugo', we watched 'Hugo' directly after 'Krull' and maybe I would have found 'The Room' an amazing piece of film after enduring 'Krull'.

TL:DR: 'Hugo' - amazing, 'Krull' - not so much.

briany

Scenic Route (2013)

A 'we're trapped' thriller.

Two buddies have their car break down on them, at the worst possible time, in the middle of the desert, out of mobile reception and with hardly a passer-by to help them.

This was a great little two hander film, with the contrasting lifestyles and mindsets of the leads providing ammunition for arguments peppered with stinging home truths that gradually become more intense as the film progresses and their decision-making becomes more erratic and desperate. At only an hour and a half, though, I actually felt it was a bit short. They could have expanded on the whole premise a little bit more. However, leaving your audience wanting more is no bad thing, and it's a film I'd certainly recommend.

Harry Palmr

Grand Prix (1966) Dir John Frankenheimer.

MGMs splashy wide-screen racing car epic mixes soap suds and screaming engines in what is a very traditional Hollywood film as Michelangelo Antonioni was shooting Blow Up on the same continent. There is some fun to to had with the F1 driver spotting and the race sequences (only the very logistically tricky Nurburgring and the two tracks outside Europe are not covered). The Monaco section that opens the film is very well handled (also sadly prophetic for one of the advisers - a driver who was killed in the same spot that is depicted in the film two (?) years later) and looks fabulous in Super-Panavision. The actors do their best with a script that is free of any surprises, Yves Montand coming off best as the ageing defending champion who is ready to quit if he only knew how.

To its credit Grand Prix doesn't flinch from the dangers and the drivers concerns about real life tracks (esp the deadly combined Monza circuit) with three dead (only one of them a driver) by the end, its maybe unexpected that the studio got co-operation from the main players including Ferrari, so that filming was done on practice and race days in and around the tracks and garages.

Worth seeing if you are a petrol head though like Winning and Le Mans its another racing film that doesn't quite work when not on the track.

briany

Heavy (1995)

Drama about an introverted cook working at his mother's roadside café, and the interactions he has with the other staff and patrons of the establishment, focusing particularly on the college aged waitress who comes to work there.

A really sad film in some ways but one with a lot of warmth and relatability as well. It's never sad in a pity party way that would make you think about switching off. It's more sad in a Mike Leigh sort of way, as in it can be sad but that's life.

Harry Palmr

The Ladykillers (1955) Dir Alexander Mackendrick.

Pleasingly vicious.

e_e

Close-Up

Easily one of the greatest films I've ever seen, unlike anything out there.

briany

Cheap Thrills (2013)

Two down-on-their-luck friends meet a crazy couple at a bar one night and find themselves co-opted as the center of said couple's game; to perform increasingly audacious dares for increasingly large sums of money.

I've seen this film described as a comedy, and it does have quite a bit of comedic energy, but dark points as well. I'd just call it a 'one crazy night' type of film. Really well acted and quite smart at times, but certainly not for the squeamish. Very entertaining throughout.

Bipolar Joe

I knew I recognised the guy with the beard the whole way through Cheap Thrills, then right at the end realised he was the dude from Empire Records that talked to GWAR through the television. Dude grew up, man.

Joya

The Unfinished Life..
Robert Redford , Jenifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman..
Loved the movie, gave it 4./5 stars.
Emotional drama, but of a good kind...

johnny_ultimate

Norte, The End of History - At 250 minutes long, Norte is something of a commitment. But despite it certainly seeming like four hours, I would have happily stayed watching (albeit with the possible assistance of an interval) given how engrossing this strange and beautiful film is.

Taking inspiration from Crime and Punishment (I haven't read it, so I'm not sure how much!) Lav Diaz's film concerns the build-up to and aftermath of a murder. There are effectively three protagonists - Fabian (a frustrated and pretentious academic dropout), Joquain (a poor father / husband suffering from an injury and unable to make ends meet) and Eliza (Joquain's wife, herself desperately trying to support her husband and family). The film follows them over the course of many years, and how their lives are affected by one violent deed.

Taking a simple plot, Diaz draws us in by expanding on the rhythms of these people's lives in intense detail. An opening scene consisting of an abstract, theoretical discussion on 'the end of history' might be cause to think you're in for something very difficult, but actually this is a very emotionally engaging piece of work. It is slow and ponderous, but in a wonderful way, allowing a real truth and insight to emerge from individual scenes (it helps that it's gorgeously shot throughout). There's a lot left up to the audience to work out - not least an ambiguous ending - but there are no shortages of immediately affecting moments over the course of this epic tale.

While the film explores everything from class structure to political systems, perhaps the most intriguing theme is also the most primal - an exploration of the conflict between good and evil. As the film goes on, one character becomes consumed by bloodlust while another achieves enlightenment through empathy and goodness. It's one of art's oldest ideas, but here it's explored in a fresh, intelligent and even surprising manner (particularly given some of the surreal, disturbing and poignant avenues we're led down in the film's closing sections).

If you let Norte sink its claws in you'll be gifted to a truly unique and powerful experience. It won't be sticking around cinemas (and by cinemas I mean the IFI, and that's about it) long at all, and films of this length and scope demand the immersion and isolation of a proper big screen. Just make sure to piss first, as there's no interval

e_e

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Just make sure to piss first, as there's no interval

Damnit, that interval during Love Exposure was very welcome (if abrupt) a few years back. I think I just won't drink at all before seeing and will be slowly sipping a bottle of water throughout. Looking forward to it anyway!

ButtersSuki

Top of the Lake on blu ray. kiwi/Aussie mini series about a pregnant 12 year old who goes missing and the drama that unfolds around it as the investigation progresses. Penned by Jane Campion and features excellent performances from Mad Men's Elizabeth Moss, Peter Mullan (in particular) and David Wenham. Watched in 2 sittings, couldn't recommend enough if you're a fan of The Killing (Danish version) or similarly slow paced thrillers/dramas. It has received some criticism for the portrayal of the male characters but for me that's a little harsh and a minor flaw given the storyline. I'd give it an 8/10.

briany

Heavyweights (1995)

Comedy. An idyllic summer camp for fat kids has it's good time atmos ruined when it's taken over by a particularly earnest fitness 'guru' named Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller).

Very funny from start to finish, pretty much. One of those films I would have first seen on video in the 90s and enjoyed, but not thought too much more about since. Stiller's character is great and gives enough of an adult edge to what would otherwise be a fine family comedy. Great film, good cast, good fun for whatever age. Recommended.

Judgement Day

Just shutting down to watch "Once Upon a Time in the West" on DVD - heard the theme tune on RTE's "Sunday Miscellany" today and it reminded that it's time for another viewing. 10/10 in advance. If you haven't seen it, you haven't lived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNGQ1hUyx-k

Liam McPoyle

80's monster movie classic.

Some cool transformation effects, some ropy monster effects, decent enough story centering on dodgy experiments and whacky doctors.

Enjoyable for what it is.

6/10

Harry Palmr

Black Sheep 2006

Shaun of the Dead meets 28 Days later with nods to Alien, Assault on Precinct 13, The Fly, American Werewolf in London and few more besides, as tweaked sheep go on the rampage in New Zealand. Good fun in that way that Kiwi cinema does really well.

ButtersSuki

Life of Pi on 3D Blu Ray. Was given this book many years ago but never got around to reading it. Similarly missed it in the cinema on release so splashed out on the 3D+2D Blu Ray Combi pack. Very pleasantly surprised to see the wonderfully crafted story and visual treat that unfurled before my eyes. I also can't recall seeing better use of 3D in a movie. Sometimes it's just nice to kick back and watch something like this. I'd imagine it has its critics but for me it was an 8/10.

The Armstrong Lie, taped from Channel 4 a few weeks ago. Alex Gibney's (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the room, ESPN's 30 for 30: Catching Hell) documentary which started off documenting Lance's 2009 comeback Tour De France, but eventually became a chronicling of his career and the deconstruction of same. For most sports fans familiar with the story there's no new factual material in here per se, but what you do get is a different level of access and insight into the remarkably complex Jeckyl and Hyde character that is Armstrong. The ego and the bully are in full view and feature prominently, but you also get to see a little of the charm and charisma on occasion. The latter part of the documentary asks some interesting questions about the money made/generated by the Armstrong machine for the sport and sponsors etc. that perhaps could have been fleshed out a little further but otherwise it's a well made piece. Sports/cycling fans will I suspect like this a lot, but even the missus (who has zero interest in either) liked it. 7/10.

Tony EH

Business Cat wrote: »

80's monster movie classic.

Some cool transformation effects, some ropy monster effects, decent enough story centering on dodgy experiments and whacky doctors.

Enjoyable for what it is.

6/10

Is this available to buy now?

I've had a crappy avi of it for years.

McGrath5

There Will Be Blood

I probably cannot count the amount of times I have watched this film, but it just simply gets that little bit better than the previous time.
From the opening scene to the very end, Day Lewis puts in an astonishing performance, it is simply of my favourite films from the past decade.

briany

Nebraska (2013)

Road(ish) movie set in the American Mid-west about a crotchety, confused old man who gets it into his head that the bogus 1,000,000 dollar sweepstakes letter he receives is his ticket to a new truck and a better life. Reluctantly, his son agrees to take him to Nebraska so he can collect his winnings.

A gentle, poignant, often very funny, and often bleak, look at small town life. A bunch of people that no one will remember, living their lives in places they'd rather forget. It's not as depressing as it sounds, though, as it's treated with a wry sort of Coen-esque humour. Bruce Dern plays the old man, Will Forte plays his son, and Forte, who I'm used to seeing in movies like MacGruber, puts in a performance which stands to him very well as a serious actor.

firestarter51

Expendibles 3
Wasn't great tbh, the last two were action packed with a few funny lines but this one is way ott
Two funny lines and the rest is just stupid

charlie_says

Two great movies today, The Double and Boyhood.

The Double was a very quirky and gorgeous looking (in a very dark and dingy dystopian city kind of way) story about a guy who is essentially pretty spineless discovering that his exact double shows up to work one day and is essentially the opposite personality but with identical looks. Oddly enough no one seems to notice the physical similarities, but this just adds to the overall weirdness of the piece. Shenanigans enuse. Good fun and a very pleasing style.

Boyhood is a drama about a little boy growing up in Texas, not much really happens to him but it is an enthralling drama all the same. Filmed over 12 years the actor grows up in the film as in real life. Top drawer drama.