What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Mr E

Sharknado 3. How can a movie be so bad and so entertaining at the same time?

Chain Smoker

Meet Marlon Brando
Early Maysyles brothers (Gimme Shelter, the best documentary about the end of the 60s; Salesman, the best documentary about travelling bible salesmen) documentary covering a rare day of Brando doing interviews with the press tour for Moritur. Effectively being coerced into doing publicity to compensate for his rapidly falling star status but not quite at the point where people are writing him off yet, it's really interesting to watch just how little of himself he gives away. For someone who so clearly has absolutely no interest being there, he's incredibly charming and does a great job of acting engaged. I say acting engaged as over the duration of the documentary, you gradually get to see how clearly he's playing them all, flirting with the females and being dismissive of the males question, he manages to turn every interviewer into the interviewee without most of them even realising.
There was only one significant moment in the whole documentary where his mask slipped, his whole demeanour changed when the subject of native Americans came up, as if his conscience wouldn't allow him to treat the matter in the same flippant manner as he was treating everything up to that point.

As a companion piece to this, Karina Longworth's excellent You Must Remember This podcast done an episode on the enigma of Marlon Brando and his brief career resurgence in the 70s. http://www.infiniteguest.org/remember-this/2014/09/marlon-brando-1971-1973/ Cannot remember if Meet Marlon Brando is mentioned in it but it's one hell of a good example of what that episode is all about.

Mila Clumsy Termite wrote: »

Actually, speaking of, saw Side by Side recently! Documentary examining the film/digital debate, goes into the CGI stuff a bit, has interviews with Lucas and Cameron and

they're fully in favour of it

I enjoyed it, if you were well into your techie bizniss though it might be a bit boring/outdated maybe.

It doesn't really cover anything I didn't already know, but it's always nice to see Keanu being such a nice guy, all the more so when it's about a cool topic and the intentions were so nice and, damn, what a nice guy!

In regards to accessible documentaries about film, Visions of Light is a really easy-to-watch way to get an idea of just how important cinematography can be to film. Seeing as it's over twenty years old, Side By Side should (can't remember it that well) be a good companion piece to get a bit more up to date info on all that stuff.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Late to the party but I watched Drive last night.

I loved everything about it. It's just a joy to look at. I had seen that Every Frame A Painting video about it before so I was aware there was a lot to look at in every frame but there really was so much to appreciate. I did lose track of the plot a little bit in the middle but I think I figured it out by the end. I wasn't happy with how it ended but that's just me being soppy. I've never really gotten the Gosling hype but he's very good here especially in his scenes with Mulligan. They're both excellent at staring

ButtersSuki

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Late to the party but I watched Drive last night.

I loved everything about it. It's just a joy to look at. I had seen that Every Frame A Painting video about it before so I was aware there was a lot to look at in every frame but there really was so much to appreciate. I did lose track of the plot a little bit in the middle but I think I figured it out by the end. I wasn't happy with how it ended but that's just me being soppy. I've never really gotten the Gosling hype but he's very good here especially in his scenes with Mulligan. They're both excellent at staring

Review of the year highlighted in bold above for me!

On the Gosling thing, he's even better at staring and has even less dialogue in "Only God Forgives"...if you can believe that!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Review of the year highlighted in bold above for me!

On the Gosling thing, he's even better at staring and has even less dialogue in "Only God Forgives"...if you can believe that!

I was going to credit the screen writer for realising you don't need loads of wordy dialogue to tell a story but then I read on imdb that Mulligan and Gosling just refused to say most of their lines. It works well in their scenes but in other scenes where he says very little it doesn't work quite as well. Who knew not speaking was a talent?

e_e

Yeah the economy of story and character in Drive is pretty amazing. Love how a simple shot like this says so much:

NachoBusiness

Legend of Barney Thomson

It's good. I liked it. Wouldn't be everyone's cup of cha now.

Dips in a few places too but overall it's decent enough.

Could have done without the mexican standoff. Been done to death now at this stage.

Love Carlyle.

Tony EH

e_e wrote: »

Yeah the economy of story and character in Drive is pretty amazing. Love how a simple shot like this says so much:

I don't see anything in shot except Carey Mulligan.

e_e

Look at the space given to each of the characters. You see Oscar Isaac on the picture in the mirror frame with his son but the driver is trying to claim that space. Notice how her eyes are looking at the driver and not her husband, who is not even in the picture (so to speak) at that point in the film. It emphasizes the way Gosling is now becoming the father/husband figure.

A similar thing happens with the scene at 1:53 too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsI8UES59TM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

e_e wrote: »

Look at the space given to each of the characters. You see Oscar Isaac on the picture in the mirror frame with his son but the driver is trying to claim that space. Notice how her eyes are looking at the driver and not her husband, who is not even in the picture (so to speak) at that point in the film. It emphasizes the way Gosling is now becoming the father/husband figure.

A similar thing happens with the scene at 1:53 too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsI8UES59TM

I thought he was joking. As in when Carey Mulligan is on screen he doesn't notice anything else?

e_e

Ah.

Robsweezie

fifty shades of grey on DVD. it was....meh.

Tony EH

e_e wrote: »

Ah.

Bit of a woosh moment there e.

Yeh, she's a cutie.

But, yes, it's very well framed.

youreadthat

Django Unchained - Loved it a lot. It is a bit too long but I love the way Tarantino tells a story and structures dialogue.

Birdman - I thought it was fantastic. When great cinematic qualities come together with great performances you're on to a winner.

fin12

youreadthat wrote: »

Django Unchained - Loved it a lot. It is a bit too long but I love the way Tarantino tells a story and structures dialogue.

Birdman - I thought it was fantastic. When great cinematic qualities come together with great performances you're on to a winner.

I absolutely hated Django Unchained, it was one of the worst films Iv'e ever seen in my life and I just couldn't believe how long it was. I think it's like nearly 2 and half hours long. ::) but I dont like Tarantino films either.:)

youreadthat

fin12 wrote: »

I absolutely hated Django Unchained, it was one of the worst films Iv'e ever seen in my life and I just couldn't believe how long it was. I think it's like nearly 2 and half hours long. ::) but I dont like Tarantino films either.:)

Well there is a point when it feels like it's ending and then doesn't for another 30 minutes. I liked what happened in those minutes but wish it was done in 10. Well it's difficult to discuss with someone who thinks it's one of the worst films ever, all I can say critically is that I preferred Inglourious Basterds as it was a lot more fun.

fin12

youreadthat wrote: »

Well there is a point when it feels like it's ending and then doesn't for another 30 minutes. I liked what happened in those minutes but wish it was done in 10. Well it's difficult to discuss with someone who thinks it's one of the worst films ever, all I can say critically is that I preferred Inglourious Basterds as it was a lot more fun.

No its grand but I dont like that director anyway no see i went to see it in the cinema so I was just sitting after an hour going when will this ever end.:):D

I think I went because Leonardo Di Caprio was in it, think he's a really good actor and it didn't look too bad in the trailer ahwell.

fanta c

Saw Ted 2 the other day, I thought it was better than the first one.

fin12

Just saw Southpaw, What a film, absolutely brilliant.

fanta c

fin12 wrote: »

Just saw Southpaw, What a film, absolutely brilliant.

Didn't know that was out yet?

fin12

fanta c wrote: »

Didn't know that was out yet?

Ya it came out on Friday, Id recommend it, thought it was very good.

fin12

fanta c wrote: »

Didn't know that was out yet?

Oh ya you saw Ted 2 didn't you? Ya I went to see the first one didn't really like it, found the bear's voice really annoying so I'm not going to bother watching the second one, did you find the bears voice annoying?

fanta c

That's what i thought, not so much the bears voice but i just didn't think Ted (1) was funny, Ted 2 was actually funnier imo but the voice will be the same, dont let it put you off. Its never going to be a cinema classic but you will get a few laughs out of it.

MagicMarker

Ted 2 was atrocious.

fin12

fanta c wrote: »

That's what i thought, not so much the bears voice but i just didn't think Ted (1) was funny, Ted 2 was actually funnier imo but the voice will be the same, dont let it put you off. Its never going to be a cinema classic but you will get a few laughs out of it.

Well if its better than the first one I suppose that's something, Il prob just watch if its ever on tv or something. :)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I watched Fargo this afternoon. I did not like it.

*runs away*

fanta c

MagicMarker wrote: »

Ted 2 was atrocious.

Some people will say this, some people will disagree. When i saw it the whole cinema was laughing, i enjoyed it so did the person i was with but it's still not going to make it on to my top ten cinema classics list.

Fysh

I've had an animation-heavy weekend.

A Cat In Paris - I liked this a lot, it's one of those films that's accessible for kids without being infantilised. The plot concerns a young girl and her cat, who becomes embroiled in the life of a cat burglar and a gangster's scheme to steal a priceless historical artifact. But this is one of those films where the story isn't as important as how its told. The animation here is great, with a distinctive "colouring pencils" style and lots of little details in how the characters move and interact, particularly the titular cat whose mannerisms are spot-on.

Tales Of The Night - I'm a bit torn on this one. There were some great short stories in here, and some very nice sequences, but the choice of style in the animation has all the protagonists and many of the props drawn in the foreground as silhouettes, which takes a little while to get used to and at times feels like it could've been done to save on the animation. As with all anthologies, some of the shorts are better than others - my favourite was the Caribbean story, but they all have their charm. I did find that by the end I was starting to feel a bit frustrated with the silhouette style, though. Worth a watch if you like animation, but don't set your expectations too high.

Chico & Rita - I really liked the bittersweet tone and gentle nostaglia in this, along with some great music. The general story is familiar enough - two lovers meet and fall in love at first sight, but repeated trials and tribulations conspire to keep them apart. But the way it's told here is great; the segments in Cuba in particular are great, conveying the atmosphere perfectly. I'm not always a fan of cel-shaded animation, and there were a couple of moments in this that threw me slightly (where Rita is singing and we're seeing a close shot of her face, and as she moves her head around the outline of her nose appears and disappears a couple of times quite suddenly), but mostly this is great, and there are some absolutely fantastic moving-camera shots that look just great. Well worth a watch.

Del.Monte

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I watched Fargo this afternoon. I did not like it.

*runs away*

Fargo the movie right ....what's not to like? A classic of the genre and don't get snippy with me mister!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2tY82z3xXU

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Del.Monte wrote: »

Fargo the movie right ....what's not to like? A classic of the genre and don't get snippy with me mister!

Yeah, the film.

I dunno, it just seemed to drag. I quite like Margie and I didn't find it as annoying as the other Coen brothers films I've seen but it just didn't grab me. I found myself looking at my watch a fair bit.