What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Gamb!t

Just watched Chef.
Very enjoyable and a must for food fans.

kryogen

Gamb!t wrote: »

Just watched Chef.
Very enjoyable and a must for food fans.

I have seen it
I am a chef
I did enjoy it (3rd act overkill on cheese not withstanding!)

Why is it a must for food fans though?

Sam Mac

Just finished watching Hunger.

Fassbender's portrayal of Bobby Sands was incredible. Steve McQueen is an excellent director too.

ButtersSuki

Catch up weekend for me. Started with The Lookout, French film starring Daniel Auteuil and Matthieu Kassovitz and a strong supporting cast you'll recognise a lot of if you watch French cinema regularly. It starts promisingly with echoes of the excellent "36", but the 2nd half is a bit all over the place and the ending comes very quickly. It's the kind of movie you wish they had tried harder on, and had given the story arc more depth. A disappointing 5/10. It's on Film 4 rotation at the moment if anyone is interested.

Then 2 movies I missed/avoided in the cinema and watched alone for the first time on Blu Ray. First up was The Master, with essentially just Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joacquin Phoenix having meaty roles. Whilst the two main protagonists deliver fine performances the story was for me anyway just "meh". And yes, I got all the sub plots and the not so subtle references to L Ron Hubbard/Scientology etc. but overall it has a vary strong "Emperor's New Clothes" feel about it. I'd give it 5/10 for the performances of PSH and Phoenix, but that's really all I can say positively about this film after a first viewing.

Finally I watched "12 Years A Slave" on Blu Ray. I've often stated on here that I try and avoid reviews etc. before watching a film so I experience it as cleanly as possibly - obviously that was impossible with a film like this as you couldn't avoid hearing the gushing praise lavished on this on release. So perhaps my expectations were then a little too high? It was all very colour by numbers for me and ultimately very disappointing. Whilst most of the praise was lavished on Ejiofor and Nyong'o for me anyway Michael Fassbender steals this movie with his bordering-on-crazy portrayal of the plantation owner. Adding to my aforementioned disappointment was Brad Pitt

channeling his inner Aldo Raine and riding in on his horse to save the day at the end

. I just didn't find it as emotional, upsetting, moving etc. as I'd heard countless people say upon watching it. Despite all the praise and awards bestowed upon it, I prefer some of McQueen's other work to this. Part of me feels that they deliberately and manipulatively shoehorned as many emotional touch points and triggers into it to secure a best picture oscar and ultimately the story suffers as a result. A poor 5/10.

Looper007

krudler wrote: »

Raiders Of The Lost Ark - one of my favourite movies of all time in a cinema here doing a classic summer blockbuster season (previously saw Jaws and Back To The Future, Goonies next weekend). I'm pretty sure it was a bluray but I'm not certain, some of the pic quality was a bit blurry but not dvd level it looked HD but not in all scenes, I dunno what source it was. Anyhoo, it was great, cinema was sold out, which for a 33 year old movie is damn impressive of a friday night, people clapped and cheered and laughed at all the right times and were quiet the rest, perfect cinema crowd. The sound was immense on it though, that shootout in Marian's bar was deafening and so was the truck chase.

I love Raiders to Death but I still take Last Crusade over it, only by an inch but both are outright classic films. Just love the Ford/Connery chemistry and the bit when Connery get's shot still chokes me up a little, some of Ford's best acting ever in that scene too. Love the opening with River Phoenix as the young Indy, the action set piece is one of the best in the series. Also love that Brody and Sallah get bigger parts in it too. Plus it's outright the funniest one. Alison Doody is sexy as hell which helps. The bad guys are very good (love the scene when Michael Byrne's Vogel slaps Connery over and over with his glove and then Connery grabs him by the arm, just something real cool in that).

Also Temple of Doom is awesome, I hate it when Spielberg was trying to soften it cause he taught it was too dark. I love that it's downbeat and darker too. Also the Tv series is great, some hit and miss episodes but the war years are awesome. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is still a heartbreaker though.

Looper007

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Then 2 movies I missed/avoided in the cinema and watched alone for the first time on Blu Ray. First up was The Master, with essentially just Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joacquin Phoenix having meaty roles. Whilst the two main protagonists deliver fine performances the story was for me anyway just "meh". And yes, I got all the sub plots and the not so subtle references to L Ron Hubbard/Scientology etc. but overall it has a vary strong "Emperor's New Clothes" feel about it. I'd give it 5/10 for the performances of PSH and Phoenix, but that's really all I can say positively about this film after a first viewing.

Finally I watched "12 Years A Slave" on Blu Ray. I've often stated on here that I try and avoid reviews etc. before watching a film so I experience it as cleanly as possibly - obviously that was impossible with a film like this as you couldn't avoid hearing the gushing praise lavished on this on release. So perhaps my expectations were then a little too high? It was all very colour by numbers for me and ultimately very disappointing. Whilst most of the praise was lavished on Ejiofor and Nyong'o for me anyway Michael Fassbender steals this movie with his bordering-on-crazy portrayal of the plantation owner. Adding to my aforementioned disappointment was Brad Pitt

channeling his inner Aldo Raine and riding in on his horse to save the day at the end

. I just didn't find it as emotional, upsetting, moving etc. as I'd heard countless people say upon watching it. Despite all the praise and awards bestowed upon it, I prefer some of McQueen's other work to this. Part of me feels that they deliberately and manipulatively shoehorned as many emotional touch points and triggers into it to secure a best picture oscar and ultimately the story suffers as a result. A poor 5/10.

Sorry hand in your cinema card now :eek: especially for the Master.

gucci

With the recent death of Robin Williams, I decided to go through a few movies I had on my Sky+ box that I never quite got around to watching….

Good Will Hunting (1997)
I remember watching this and being impressed, but being far too young to really appreciate it. A great performance by Robin Williams and a young Matt Damon. You would have to be living under a rock for the last week to not have heard some of the excellent dialogue in this movie, especially in the interactions between Williams & Damon. The two really stand out amongst the rest in this movie. Minnie Driver gets handed the English stereotype role once again and delivers a text book performance! You got to say that girl is consistent 
The star of the show, regardless or recent emotions is Williams though, for a supporting role (I possibly would not refer to it as that only for the pigeon holing of the Oscar award) the movie is as much about his character Sean, as it is about Will. A subtle and calm performance, I guess suitable for a character with such a profession in psychology and a life lived that we learn about in the movie.
Also, credit where credit is due, an excellent movie for Affleck and Damon to have written at such a young age.
A must see for anyone who hasn’t seen it, and a worthy re-watch for anyone who is even contemplating it.

One Hour Photo (2002)
This movie has been on my list of movies to watch for easily 10 years, but I never sat down to watch it, as I wanted to ensure I gave it the attention it deserved.

I can say I have mostly enjoyed Wililams movies over the years, even now fresh in my childhood memory are the trips to the cinema to see Aladdin, Mrs Doubtfire and Toys. (Although I was admittedly a little freaked out by Toys when I seen it on the big screen)

This movie is a slow burning, creep fest. The movie starts off in a police interview room, which immediately has the viewer thinking of the worst. From there an excellent understated, subtle and creepy performance by Williams really carries the entire story. Watching this is real edge of the seat stuff, but a tension brought by brilliant body language and tone of voice. Make no doubt about it, Williams is the star of the show, the other characters acting is pretty iffy at times, but that takes nothing away from the movie.

Good morning Vietnam / Mrs Doubtfire / Mork and Mindy showed us the hilarious zany and high energy sides to Williams abilities, but this one proves, beyond any doubt that he was a brilliant actor, and did not need to rely on powers of hyperactivity and distraction to captivate an audience.

*edit* the stalker element movie takes on a whole new uncomforatable relevence that didnt really exist when it was made, with the advent of facebook/internet privacy issues.

A must see 8.5/10 movie, 10/10 performance. RIP Robin

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Finally I watched "12 Years A Slave" on Blu Ray. I've often stated on here that I try and avoid reviews etc. before watching a film so I experience it as cleanly as possibly - obviously that was impossible with a film like this as you couldn't avoid hearing the gushing praise lavished on this on release. So perhaps my expectations were then a little too high? It was all very colour by numbers for me and ultimately very disappointing. Whilst most of the praise was lavished on Ejiofor and Nyong'o for me anyway Michael Fassbender steals this movie with his bordering-on-crazy portrayal of the plantation owner. Adding to my aforementioned disappointment was Brad Pitt

channeling his inner Aldo Raine and riding in on his horse to save the day at the end

. I just didn't find it as emotional, upsetting, moving etc. as I'd heard countless people say upon watching it. Despite all the praise and awards bestowed upon it, I prefer some of McQueen's other work to this. Part of me feels that they deliberately and manipulatively shoehorned as many emotional touch points and triggers into it to secure a best picture oscar and ultimately the story suffers as a result. A poor 5/10.

While I disagree with most of that I agree about Brad Pitt. I know it's based on the real life memoirs of Solomon and so this guy did kind of ride in one day and save the day but having Brad Pitt play the part just took me so far out of the film at that point. I know a lot of the other actors are well enough known too but they all embodied their characters so well that it didn't feel like watching Fassy or Ejiofor but then all of a sudden there's Brad Pitt, who increasingly I've come to think isn't actually that great an actor, and it just killed the momentum and the mood and everything else. It didn't quite ruin the entire film for me but I do think someone else should have played the part. That's not even getting into the publicity poster scandal with his giant face all over the place.
Also, while Ejiofor was perfectly fine in the role I think the entire supporting cast were what made the film. Paul Dano and Sarah Paulson in particular deserved more praise, I thought.

ButtersSuki

Looper007 wrote: »

Sorry hand in your cinema card now :eek: especially for the Master.

No!

I normally like PTA stuff but this for me was just an exercise in showing off. It's a pretentious vanity project - and God knows I've watched enough of those over the years to know one when I see it! And apparently I'm not the only one who thought so - google "The Mater' and "over-rated" and prepare to break the internet!

I also think there's a bit of a difference in viewing a movie at home alone than in a crowded cinema so maybe that has something to do with it? I will likely give both another try at some stage but first viewings were very disappointing for me.

On 12 Years, I also cannot for the life of me understand how Lupita Nyong'o got a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for a very small part in the movie - again, seems a bit like a make up award for not giving the male Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards to the movie. Jennifer Lawrence's part in American Hustle is a much more commanding and impactful performance IMO.

ButtersSuki

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

While I disagree with most of that I agree about Brad Pitt. I know it's based on the real life memoirs of Solomon and so this guy did kind of ride in one day and save the day but having Brad Pitt play the part just took me so far out of the film at that point. I know a lot of the other actors are well enough known too but they all embodied their characters so well that it didn't feel like watching Fassy or Ejiofor but then all of a sudden there's Brad Pitt, who increasingly I've come to think isn't actually that great an actor, and it just killed the momentum and the mood and everything else. It didn't quite ruin the entire film for me but I do think someone else should have played the part. That's not even getting into the publicity poster scandal with his giant face all over the place.
Also, while Ejiofor was perfectly fine in the role I think the entire supporting cast were what made the film. Paul Dano and Sarah Paulson in particular deserved more praise, I thought.

I see your points but just don't agree with (most of) them. Dano admittedly was good, but criminally underutilised (again - really wish someone would give him something meaty to get his chops into). Had a look on the auld imdb this morning for cast info. and saw that LOVE/HATE's Ruth Negga has a small and uncredited part in it, which I missed. Anyone here spot that?

To be clear, I'm not saying it's awful, it just felt very underwhelming considering everything I'd heard. I also thought this should have been a 3-4hour opus and not a just over 2hour running time to fully develop the "12 Years" element. I felt very manipulated watching it and I honestly think "Hunger" is a much better film than this - certainly on a first viewing.

Mickeroo

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I see your points but just don't agree with (most of) them. Dano admittedly was good, but criminally underutilised (again - really wish someone would give him something meaty to get his chops into). Had a look on the auld imdb this morning for cast info. and saw that LOVE/HATE's Ruth Negga has a small and uncredited part in it, which I missed. Anyone here spot that?

She was the one he had the sexual encounter with early on, all her other scenes were cut.

Regards the plaudits for Nyong'o vs Jennifer Lawrence, I would be the polar opposite. Thought Lawrence had a nothing roll in American Hustle and basically just phoned it in, felt she got the nomination just because she was Jennifer Lawrence rather than because she actually deserved it, much like when Judy Dench got one for Shakespeare In Love (though at least Lawrence got reasonable screentime).

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

^ I think all of Lawrence's Oscar noms have been an attempt to make up for not giving her the Oscar for Winter's Bone, the only time she's been nominated where she actually deserved it.

ButtersSuki

Mickeroo wrote: »

She was the one he had the sexual encounter with early on, all her other scenes were cut.

Thanks for that, was annoying me!

On everything else, we're all entitled to our opinions (agree on Dench though, that was a "WTF?" moment).

FloatingVoter

I've been watching a lot of Robin Williams stand-up work for the last few days. That led me to Richard Pryor who had a hand in creating "Robin Williams". A pair of men who can easily be boxed off with the genius word. Given that watching standup on TV is about 10% the experience of being there live I can only imagine.

Weapons of Self Destruction (2009)
Live on Broadway (2002)

Richard Pryor: Omit The Logic

ButtersSuki

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

^ I think all of Lawrence's Oscar noms have been an attempt to make up for not giving her the Oscar for Winter's Bone, the only time she's been nominated where she actually deserved it.

She was definitely robbed there alright Elmo, I'll give you that! Did you get around to "The Hunt" yet? At this stage you're probably expecting more from it than I was from "12 years…." Lol!

Mickeroo

I watched Premium Rush last night with JGL and Michael Shannon. They probably did it for the pay cheque more than anything but it was a very watchable light hearted action film all the same even if it was very very silly.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ButtersSuki wrote: »

She was definitely robbed there alright Elmo, I'll give you that! Did you get around to "The Hunt" yet? At this stage you're probably expecting more from it than I was from "12 years…." Lol!

Ooops, nope. Not yet.

johnny_ultimate

Moebius - with films like this, it's hard to figure out where Kim Ki-duk the Auteur ends and where Kim Ki-duk the Troll begins :pac:

This utterly ridiculous but wildly entertaining slice of gruesomely philosophical farce follows the antics that ensue when a nameless mother cuts off her nameless son's penis. Yes, that is very much the backbone for the plot here, with Ki-duk taking the Oedipus complexities of Pieta and stretching them to almost cartoonish further extremes.

The film's unique selling point is that there is not a word of dialogue uttered, so the strange themes and character developments are told through visuals and actions alone. It's a surprisingly wise decision - despite the fact the film regularly embraces the blackly comic side of the setup and spares little time with provoking the audience with grim and gruesome imagery, at its heart there's actually some genuine emotion. It's a family melodrama, a commentary on masculinity and sexual identity (although sadly shortchanges the women a bit), and even at times strangely romantic. Yes, that romance might come while one character 'pleasures' another by violently twisting a knife stuck into their shoulder (don't ask), but hey, we'll take what we can get. We might be miles away from Spring, Summer..., but there's a satisfying and poetic spiritual undertone here that's not all that removed from the director's best known film. Buddhist philosophy and primal brutality make surprisingly resonant bedfellows.

Honestly, for a film that's likely to repulse as many as it entertains - I restress, much of it is absolutely ridiculous - I personally only had one major problem with the film, and that was the digital cinematography that looked cheap and a little nasty. Serviceable stuff, but certainly doesn't leap off the screen. Nonetheless, this is Ki-duk at his most playful and provocative - a director bringing their demented ideas to life in a vivid and surprisingly evocative way, while also finding time for some slapstick post-castration chase sequences. Good times.

RayCon

I watched Mom's Night Out ... it was billed as a Brides Maids / The Hangover type funny chaotic night out movie .... instead it was like an overlong episode of a bad sit-com ... but with no com ... it was a sit.

Sleepy

Mickeroo wrote: »

Should give Big Wednesday a look too, the all time classic surf buddy movie

Got a copy of this and watched it over the weekend. Enjoyed it a lot and surprised I hadn't seen it before!

Harry Palmr

Essien wrote: »

Blade Runner. Never seen it before. Can't say I was particularly drawn in by it but I was interrupted a couple of times so that didn't help, I'll give it another look under better circumstances. I will say thought that it's pretty awesome visually, so I can't imagine how good it looked 30 odd years ago.

I love the "I've seen things" bit at the end, seeing that clip on YouTube made me want to see it.

That made me laugh, plenty of films used to look very good indeed. Often better than they do now thanks to the degraded standards of the Comic Book/CGi saturated mainstream. There's hardly a film been made since Blade Runner that looked better in purely aesthetic terms. In the olden days before digital so much more work had to be done to create visuals, it meant that when the best talents had the time and money they could create art.

Now some 12 year old makes shoddy replicas of Blade Runners signature visuals on an Apple Mac and its considered "visually stunning in 3D"

smellmepower

Watched Coffee Town today and really enjoyed it.Friend recommended it and I didn't have high hopes after reading the synopsis,but it surprised me that it wasn't the usual modern day American fart joke type comedy.Has a nice dry type of humor for the most part,and a good heart.

Main cast is Dennis from It's Always Sunny,Stevie from Eastbound and Down and John Ralphio from Parks and Recreation.Josh Groban has a decent sized role as the antagonist and was surprisingly good.

bnt

The Descendants, last night. I've been meaning to see this for a while, since Alexander Payne has become probably my favourite writer/director, at least among those currently active. (This is the guy who made Citizen Ruth, Election, and Sideways among others.

It's a very understated film, almost Zen-like in its handling of the story. Apart from a few pointed exceptions, people are not saying what they really mean, not saying what they should say, but displacing their emotions and energy in to other activities. It takes a major event - the coming death of Matt's wife in hospital - to cut through the layers of denial smothering him and his family.

One remarkable thing about George Clooney's performance is that I never thought "that's George Clooney" after the opening credits. His was the most understated role in the film, compared to his daughters and their friend Sid. I like Judy Greer a lot too, and wasn't quite sure what she was doing there until the final scenes in the hospital. I thought the real star was Shailene Woodley as the eldest daughter - this is the film that really got her noticed in Hollywood.

I'm not sure I entirely got the film on first watch, but it's not an "instant results" kind of film.

northgirl

Gamb!t wrote: »

Just watched Chef.
Very enjoyable and a must for food fans.

Saw this today, enjoyed it & has a great soundtrack.

johnny_ultimate

Bastards - Missed this in the cinema for some reason (think it might have clashed with JDIFF) and after watching it disappointed I did. Claire Denis does a revenge thriller, but in her own very particular way. The viewer's hand isn't held, so we're forced to pay close attention to pick up on how everything connects. Put the pieces together and you're treated to a very dark tale where all the characters have their own intriguing motivations and connections. Denis is a wonderful director, and her films always have a strange dreamlike tone. Here, more than any of her other films I've seen, that's directed towards creating a nightmare - a visual palette that favours muted yet sinister colours, and a soundtrack that creeps in occasionally to add to the unease. The way she frames the actors is powerful - there's so much drama, turmoil and menace in those expressions. There are no easy or pleasant answers in Bastards, and there are many grim notes as things start truly spiraling out of control. But I found it pretty mesmerising to watch. A case where its worth embracing the darkness to find the nasty secrets hidden within.

krudler

This isn't really on topic but it doesn't belong anwhere else, there's an awesome cinema in Toronto called the Lightbox showing a season of films with great sequels, their lineup has already started so I missed a few but it goes:

Godfather/Godfather 2
Frankenstein/Bride of Frankensten (which is on tonight)
Batman/Batman Returns
Yojimbo/Sanjuro
Before Sunrise/Before Sunset
A Fistful of Dollars/For A Few Dollars More
Evil Dead 1&2

Definitely going to try get to a few of those, classic movies are shown a lot here which is great.

smellmepower

Saw Two Days,One Night in the IFI this afternoon and it was really,really good.Such a simple story but it's fantastically acted throughout.Marion Cotillard is phenomenal.

MJ23

Went to see the new Planet of the Apes last night. Very disappointing. I knew from the second I saw him that yer man from Oz, who talks while chewing his cheeks was going to be a hothead. The Ape Koba reminded me of Bane from the Matrix. Some of the CGI was terrible, and you could see what was coming next throughout the whole movie. I thought Comissioner Gordon would have been in it more, he added nothing to the story really.

For anyone thinking of going to see this, dont bother, hang onto your tenner. Wait til it's on the telly next year, and watch it on a boring midweek night.

e_e

MJ23 wrote: »

For anyone thinking of going to see this, dont bother, hang onto your tenner. Wait til it's on the telly next year, and watch it on a boring midweek night.

I wasn't a huge fan of the film either but why suggest people don't go when most seem to be enjoying it?

Harry Palmr

Omen and Damien: Omen 2

Yay! old school satanic nonsense, its been yonks since I watched them, 33 years in the case of Damien (its uk TV premier on ITV in 1981). The sequel has probably aged the better as it unexpectedly touches on a few things about commerce and industry that are now very pertinent and the death scenes are quite varied and better staged with the best of the whole trilogy featuring a lift and length of steel cable.