What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Tony EH

ButtersSuki wrote: »

True Detective Season 2 I know a lot of people didn't enjoy this but I did an 8 episode binge watch over the weekend and of course it's not better than Season 1 (how could it be?), but I found it very good and interesting nonetheless. I think comparisons to S1 are unfair and even with that I left S2 with newfound respect for Vince Vaughan and Colin Farrell. I'd wrote a longer review but I'm too tired....... I'd give it an 8/10.

Yeh, that's about right.

I read a couple of reviews online and found them to be somewhat childish. This year's series has been very good, but it seems that some people needed a guidebook to understand the plot.

It'll be a shame to dumb down the nest series, or even cancel it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I've been wondering if it would make any difference if you watched the second season of True Detective first? I haven't seen either so I may do it that way.

Tony EH

Wouldn't make a difference. They're totally unconnected stories.

Looper007

Adamocovic wrote: »

Absolute brilliant film!! After watching that I am fully convinced Casey Affleck is a better actor than his brother, I know many would disagree. I hope he gets better roles, he's in an police film coming out next year with Harrellson and Aaron Paul so I'm crossing my fingers he puts in another great performance.

he had another great performance in his brother's brilliant directing debut Gone Baby Gone, then added that in with a amazing performance in The Assassination of Jesse James. Both films would be very high in my list for the best films of the last few years.

Andrew Dominik is a great director. He's done 3 great films already, yeah I include Killing Them Softly in that list (a undervalued film for me). But going from a film like his debut Chopper (still the best thing Eric Bana has done) to something like The Assassination of Jesse James is mind blowing, a major step up In filmmaking. Fair play to Brad Pitt in using his star power in getting that film made cause no way would have got half the budget if he wasn't in it.

Mike Litoris

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've been wondering if it would make any difference if you watched the second season of True Detective first? I haven't seen either so I may do it that way.

Do. There is little to connect the two other than name, writer and producers so its like a totally different show. This, imo, is where a lot of the cutting critisism comes from given how good the 1st season was.

I'd give the 2nd a 7/10. Farrell was outstanding in the early episodes and Vaughan in the latter ones. I do think if Carey Fukunaga was still on board it would have turned out better.

ButtersSuki

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've been wondering if it would make any difference if you watched the second season of True Detective first? I haven't seen either so I may do it that way.

Yeah. Do it. Would be very interesting to hear what you think.

don ramo

Tony EH wrote: »

Yeh, that's about right.

I read a couple of reviews online and found them to be somewhat childish. This year's series has been very good, but it seems that some people needed a guidebook to understand the plot.

It'll be a shame to dumb down the nest series, or even cancel it.

trust me they couldn't dumb it down much more, and it was by no means a hard to follow,

D'Agger

The Men Who Stare at Goats:

1.5 hours of fun. This movie is a quirky watch that will make you laugh, isn't taxing to follow, just a sit down and enjoy the strange strand of humour offered. Clooney plays a role similar to that in O Brother where art thou with is dry humour, well offset by Jeff Bridges & McGregor

The story peters out somewhat for a finish but if you have a spare hour and a half and fancy a bit of a laugh, I'd recommend

7/10

Chain Smoker

Chain Smoker wrote: »

So, overall, I'm [not] on a great run with films lately!

The Counselor
Definitely seemed like McCarthy was trying to crowbar a novel into a film without even considering the change in medium. Also, no clue how he expected anyone to come out of it with anything on their mind other than "what on earth was that catfish on the windshield bit all about?!"

Strange Days
Really high concept with f*ck all point behind it all

Poto and Cabengo
Okay, this was actually good! About two twin girls who were found to have been misdiagnosed as severely disabled when they had actually just learned a means of communication between the two of them exclusively. The documentarian rushed to their area to capture this before they began to learn proper English. He arrived a bit late for that, but it's pretty interesting how good of a job it does at showing you just how two kids may have wound up developing such a weird approach to language in their environment. Some weird editing choices which mostly work quite well.

Mix Up ou Meli Melo
Really liked this one too! Documentary about two people who were mixed up at birth, with one of the mothers realising at the time and having her concerns dismissed. The film has a highly staged approach to the way in which the families divulge information but they're remarkably candid and it all comes across as significantly more sincere than a false naturalism or push for dramatic beats. It's quite remarkable how understanding everyone is about the situation and how it has impacted their lives.
Bonus points for featuring a type of eccentric old British dude that doesn't exist anymore who's clearly having a bit of a ball playing up to the more artsier aspects of the documentary.

Brief_Lives

Watched Snowpiercer the other night... its bad, really bad. Korean waffle. I think it is getting some sort of a cult following, although I do not know why.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowpiercer

Decuc500

A Horrible Way To Die

Great title. Early Adam Wingard film about an escaped serial killer tracking down his former girlfriend. It was kind of going for a mix between a mumblecore relationship drama and horror film. Lots of close ups and out of focus shots and it didn’t try to hurry the pace.

I was getting a bit impatient but towards the end it moved up a gear with a nice twist and good ending.

The Great Beauty

Paolo Sorrentino’s film about an aging Italian author looking back over his life while partying with Rome’s cultural set. I thought it was a beautiful and mesmeric film. The camera was constantly moving and the cinematography was stunning. It was also very funny in places and poked fun at self important artists and the church.

Adamocovic

Another film I watched recently:

The Voices

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick. I can't say anything about this film without really spoiling it. Do not watch the trailer, I repeat DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER (Unless you want a lot of the film spoiled for you). I went in not knowing what to expect, and I think I enjoyed it more because so. It is a drama/thriller/comedy I suppose I would call it. Ryan Reynolds is very good in this. Obviously it will not be everyones cup of tea and some will hate it but I really liked it. Also an Irish actor is in it, I can't say his role without some spoilers though.

Don't expect a too serious film but I would recommend it.

ButtersSuki

Chain Smoker wrote: »

Strange Days
Really high concept with f*ck all point behind it all

One of the 2 films that had the biggest impact on me on a first viewing in the cinema, the other being Pulp Fiction. It genuinely blew me away. I've not watched it since but I hsve recently purchased it on US Blu ray. I fear it will have dated badly but will get around to it shortly.

johnny_ultimate

Hard to be a God - I was going to say 'holy s**t', but on further consideration the correct phrase would be 'holy s**t, piss, blood, muck, rot, snot, filth, assorted and sometimes unidentifiable viscera, and all manner of other unpleasant solids and fluids'.

Yes, Hard to be a God is probably the dirtiest film ever made, and I don't mean that in the sexual way. It is a film where every set and character has been bathed in grime and filth. It is ostensibly a sci-fi film, but really it's an alternate history tale, one where the middle ages reached their feudal extremes, thanks partially to the arrival of some modern scientists who have their wicked way with society.

Aleksei German's long in the making and posthumously released opus is - at three hours long and with an aggressive disregard for conventional narrative - a challenge. It is unwieldy, repetitive and at times incomprehensible (I got the 'general gist' of what was happening even if specifics were confounding). Yet when it sinks its filthy, filthy claws in it casts a very particular spell. It is a triumph of stream-of-consciousness filmmaking, the gloriously dynamic camera probing every nook, cranny and crevice (human or otherwise) with both disgust and fascination. The camera serves as a guide, character and omnipotent being (both active and passive) all at once - characters often stare into it directly, and given the amount of things aggressively thrust in the lenses' general direction it's one of the best 3D films ever made despite the slight inconvenience that it isn't actually in 3D.

Stylistically this is some sort of demented hybrid of Andrei Rublev, Seventh Seal, Satantango, I Am Cuba and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, to name just a few of the disparate touchstones. The foley artist deserves some sort of once-of-award for the amount of disgusting noises artfully layered into every single scene. The actors grunt, squeal, snort and excrete with admirable conviction. Buried underneath the dirt are some intriguing deconstructions of power, religion and so on. But really you're best off just soaking in the filth.

Hard to be a God is the kind of film that leaves you exhausted, repulsed and impressed. It is one of the most visceral displays of squalor and decay ever put on a cinema screen, and rarely have I left a cinema and been more appreciative of fresh air.

crybaby

ButtersSuki wrote: »

True Detective Season 2 I know a lot of people didn't enjoy this but I did an 8 episode binge watch over the weekend and of course it's not better than Season 1 (how could it be?), but I found it very good and interesting nonetheless. I think comparisons to S1 are unfair and even with that I left S2 with newfound respect for Vince Vaughan and Colin Farrell. I'd wrote a longer review but I'm too tired....... I'd give it an 8/10.

Yeah I have to agree that even with its mixed reviews, I am only on episode 5 but finding it very enjoyable. Colin Farrell is excellent in it.

Chain Smoker

Lorenzo's Oil
Okay, I didn't like this much for a good few reasons (some of which perhaps don't exactly shine a very positive light on me as a person), but one remarkably unfortunate one is the voice actor they chose to do Lorenzo's screams and groans (which are featured HEAVILY throughout the film) was none other than EG Dailey, best known as the voice of Tommy Pickles and her voice sounds very Rugratsy here in scenes that are meant to be quite hard hitting.

fin12

don ramo wrote: »

trust me they couldn't dumb it down much more, and it was by no means a hard to follow,

I dont know, I still dont really know what happened.:):)Loved Colin Farell and Vince Vaughan, Vince Vaughan is actually really handsome. :) He made a good gangster.

I know I seem to be the only one saying this but I actually preferred the second season to the first.

fin12

Guys does anybody know when the second season of the affair is started? I think there was a press release for it this week, really enjoyed the first season.

The Black Oil

October 4th for the Affair. https://twitter.com/sho_theaffair

A Walk Among the Tombstones

I thought this was going to be another Taken with its editing and so on. There is a thing about kidnapping. Save for the opening - wherein Liam sports a wig that belongs on The Americans - it was alright, actually. The opening credits are weird and the treatment of women, well, yeah. There's a few character details sprinkled throughout. Strangely watchable, but could have ended sooner.

ButtersSuki

Paris is Burning Late 80s documentary showcasing NY's underclass of drag artists and the gay community and how they presented themselves to their peers through fashion and dance. If you were a teen in the late 80s, like black music (I to my surprise found I had most of the tracks used as background music in the dock in my record collection) and/or black culture, are a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race (:pac:) or simply want to know where the inspiration for Madonna's Vogue comes from (this was made long before Vogue was released) you'll likely find this a different but nonetheless interesting watch. Funny and sad in places, for me it's a 7.5/10

Mad Men Season 7, Part II
Forgot that I recently also finished this. After effectively 8 seasons (with season 7 being a two parter) I am mad. I'm fed up reading about how clever and witty and prophetic etc. it was and am just plain old angry at having been taken in and invested so much in the series for an ending like that. It was awful, and just plain lazy. I feel so cheated to have hung around for….that. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but the last season is even slower than Mad Men's usual lethargic stroll through the 60s, and completely unrewarding for those who endured it. Overall I'd give Mad Men a 7/10, but the last series of nothingness get a 3/10 from me. Still flipping' annoyed at it!

johnny_ultimate

Just a friendly PSA since there's been quite a few TV related posts sneaking in recently. Most of y'all probably know, but Boards.ie does have a very active television section - not only will they have dedicated threads for most shows, but you're much more likely to get a response to any comments, observation or questions there

ButtersSuki

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Just a friendly PSA since there's been quite a few TV related posts sneaking in recently. Most of y'all probably know, but Boards.ie does have a very active television section - not only will they have dedicated threads for most shows, but you're much more likely to get a response to any comments, observation or questions there

Sorry.....:o:o:o

fin12

The man from U.N.C.L.E.. Nice film, I enjoyed it anyway, the music is really cool in it and Henry Cavill is gorgeous and he's clothes are so nice in it as well.

e_e

Dracula Untold

Honestly this film is a better than the response would have you think. Nicely shot, very well paced and dramatically engaging. A little annoyed that the woeful trailer and negative response led me to skip it at the cinema as it could have really benefited from a huge screen and great sound. A solid 7/10 movie.

Harry Palmr

Lobos de Arga (Attack of the Werewolves (UK)/Game of Werewolves (USA)) 2011 Dir Juan Martínez Moreno

Lively black comedy horror about a one book writer who returns to the back of beyond yokel packed village of his youth to find himself and be presented with a prize for his "success". Turns out the place holds a dark furry secret or two. Made for half nothing everyone is game for a laugh and the action is pretty well staged with a few old school
transformation scenes but some dodgy watery CGI shots rather than wire work alas.

Twins of Evil (1971) Dir John Hough Hoary hammer Horror. Busty twins, a demonic count in the castle, God fearing Puritans purging and so on. All good fun.

Chain Smoker

Garlic is as Good as Twelve Mothers
Charmingly dated quirky little documentary, it's gotta be the best documentary I've seen about garlic too. Most of the appeal stems from seeing these unusual obsessives from a pre-internet era, I imagine pretty much every Les Blank documentary is like this? This one has the added bonus of seeing a somewhat baffling world where garlic is viewed as something almost exotic or novel.
Two particular highlights for me (and seemingly everyone else who saw it too, so I'll spoiler them) were a

brief interview with Werner Herzog on the omission of garlic in Nosferatu and the way one dude, while waxing lyrical about the therapeutic qualities of peeling garlic suddenly catches how much of a "hippie dip****" he sounds like

.


The Last Letter
Directed by Frederick Wiseman, but not a documentary, I was completely unaware of this heading in so I was caught off guard entirely. Surprising amount of... eh... staging(?) from Wiseman though, the stripped down portions where he channels the Passion of Joan of Arc with super close ups from varying angles are pretty great but he's also doing some weird shadow play stuff throughout that didn't work for me at all, some of it felt like it was from an arty 80s music video. Fortunately yer one is absolutely fantastic in the film and carries it quite well.

Liam McPoyle

Watched the B & W version of The Mist again last night.

Still a cracking movie, even after multiple viewings. The sense of foreboding and dread that builds from the moment the siren sounds is palpable, the cast were excellent particularly Marcia Gay Harden as the terrifyingly convincing Bible thumper Mrs Carmody.

In the color version the budgetary constraints are evident with some of the CGI but the black and white version pretty much completely allieviates nearly all of the shortcomings.

Brilliant modern day creature feature.

9/10

pixelburp

e_e wrote: »

Dracula Untold

Honestly this film is a better than the response would have you think. Nicely shot, very well paced and dramatically engaging. A little annoyed that the woeful trailer and negative response led me to skip it at the cinema as it could have really benefited from a huge screen and great sound. A solid 7/10 movie.

Really? That's the first genuinely positive response I've seen about this film, the consensus previously suggesting Untold was an unqualified train wreck. Certainly what little I saw of it myself did little to make me think otherwise

e_e

The audience consensus seems to be a lot higher than the critical one.

What actually prompted me to watch it though was somebody who I disagree and argue with a lot on another film website. He hosts a podcast and his defense of the film intrigued me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCBoRQC7UL0

Looper007

Out Of The Furnace (2013)

A film that seemed to go under the radar when it was released sadly. I think its film that deserves rewatching. Steelworker Russell Baze (Christian Bale) works a dead-end job and holds tight to his sense of family, duty and loyalty. Rodney Baze (Casey Affleck), Russell's brother, returns home after serving in Iraq and, with his debts piling up, becomes entangled with a vicious crime lord (Woody Harrelson). So… Moreon afterward, Rodney disappears mysteriously. The police fail to solve the case, so Russell -- feeling he has little left to lose -- puts his life on the line to bring his brother home. Affleck and Bale are excellent as the brothers, Harrelson steals the show as the Hillbilly psycho. great support from William Dafoe and Forest Whitaker. It's maybe a bit too slow moving for some but its a film I love. 8/10

Young Guns (1988)

Thanks to recently getting Netflix, I manage to catch up with a few childhood favourites I haven't seen since I was a kid. One of them been this enjoyable Brat Pack western, with Emilio Estevez putting in a enjoyable OTT performance as Billy the Kid. John Tunstall (Terence Stamp), a distinguished British gentleman, employs downtrodden youths to tend his herd on the New Mexican frontier. When Tunstall is gunned down by the crooked Lawrence G. Murphy (Jack Palance), a ragtag group of cow hands -- including Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Richard… More Brewer (Charlie Sheen) and young William "Billy the Kid" Bonney (Emilio Estevez) -- ride forth in search of bloody vengeance for the death of their beloved mentor. It's a enjoyable movie, a little silly in places and legends like Jack Palance hamming it up no end. Well worth a watch 6/10