What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

don ramo

marwelie wrote: »

Paul Dano played young Brian Wilson not Ben or Casey Affleck. The film is worth seeing for his performance alone. Absolutely brilliant.

dano is one of those actors that always delivers and never seems to gte any recognition, he played Eli in there will be blood and impressed against daniel day lewis, hes not in anywhere near enough films for my likings,

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

don ramo wrote: »

dano is one of those actors that always delivers and never seems to gte any recognition, he played Eli in there will be blood and impressed against daniel day lewis, hes not in anywhere near enough films for my likings,

He was very good in 12 Years a Slave too. He's in the BBC's new adaptation of War & Peace later this winter.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

don ramo wrote: »

dano is one of those actors that always delivers and never seems to gte any recognition, he played Eli in there will be blood and impressed against daniel day lewis, hes not in anywhere near enough films for my likings,

Wha? He's had like three or four films a year out since Little Miss Sunshine and he's definitely a critical darling. He's not exactly A list or up for any of the 'mainstream' awards but he gets plenty nominations and wins in the industry, I'd imagine his relatively low profile is partly a matter of choice, he seems to stick to smaller films for the most part

Couple of recent and not so recent watches

Intimidation - Koreyoshi Kurahara's Intimidation (Aru kyôhaku) offers a masterclass in understated suspense. A taut, tight crime thriller that over it's 65 minutes features more double crosses and twists than a many a three hour epic. Widely credited as being Japan's first Noir film it tells the story of bank manager Takita who has just been promoted to a much bigger post when a local hoodlum threatens to make public Takita's numerous illegal loans. Asking for 3 million yen he suggest that Takita rob his own bank and from there things spiral out of control.

There's an incredible amount of backstory which considering that the film is barely 65 minutes in length is rather impressive. Not a moment is wasted. The film is less concerned with violence than it is in telling an intelligent social drama the likes of which one expects from the great Akira Kurosawa. Dealing with social classes and the manner in which society dictates place, Kurahara manages a biting critique of post war Japan.

The films most astonishing moment involves the actual bank robbery which takes place in complete silence. It's an incredibly gripping and fascinating scene and brings to mind the robbery scene in Rififi. From here things go all kinds of bad with all the various strands coming together in an elegant and surprising manner.

Intimidation may barely stretch past the hour mark but it's packed full of more thrills than many a film twice it's length. It's an intelligent crime thriller that tackles a number of serious issues all the while being an edge of your seat thriller.

Blade 2 - Blade remains the only Marvel franchise which genuinely stands up to repeat viewing due in no small part to the fact that it was made before Marvel started produsing their own films. Visually it's a joy to behold and is full of Del Toro's signature style, there's a clear singular vision at work here which is something that tall the current Marvel films lack. Each Blade film has been allowed to stand on it's own and it's director given free reign to bring his vision to the screen and not that of a committee of producers looking to sell more toys.

Kinetic and fun, Blade 2 is bloody good fun with the emphasis on giving the viewer a good time. Snipes demonstrates why he was once an A lister and he's ably supported by a number of great character actors and martial artists who bring a freshness to the fight scenes.

Elysium - I was positive that the Blu-Ray had an extended cut so grabbed the steel book when it was cheap. Sadly no such cut seems to be on there and the film remains a missed opportunity if ever there was one, gorgeous to look at and well acted but with a story that's not all that interesting or with anything to see the film ends up being nothing more than dumb fun.

Foster is beyond awful here and it appears that she has rerecorded all her dialogue and at points the film is seriously out of sync. Elysium could have been so much more, an intelligent and adult speculative fiction tale with something to say but alas it's just an empty and mindless 90+ minutes that dazzles thanks to it's visuals and nothing else.

Split Second - Nowhere near as good as the film I recall seeing as a teenager. A dark and drab creature feature without much of a creature and far too much time spent on our lead being rugged and mysterious. Dialogue is poor, the story feels like someone edited down a much longer film and the action is all rather cheap and uninteresting. The Creature FX is excellent, though it does feel like an Alien rip off and it's sadly not seen near as much as it should.

While not a dreadful film, Split Second is very much a missed opportunity. Overlong and not all that interesting.

Jurassic World - One of those films where once again I'm baffled by the critical response and awe in which many people hold the film. Jurassic World is blockbuster film making by the numbers and never does anything unexpected or all that interesting.

Pratt is miscast in the lead and he simply can't carry off the role. Dallas Howard is equally miscast in her role though a large part of that may be down to the woeful character she is saddled with.

Jurassic World is a film in which spectacle and awe takes center stage but in this day and age it simply isn't enough. Many of the creature fx have an obviously CGI feel to them and kids these days simply aren't impressed by it given that they're so used to it. Jurassic World should have been something a little special, instead it's just another retread of old material and worst of all, at it's best it never manages to do anything but be mediocre.

Hot Pursuit - Like Midnight Run only without any of the charm, laughs or fun. Hot Pursuit is the kind of film that you watch and then spend the run time trying to figure out who thought this script was good enough to make. There's nothing original on offer here and it has all the visual flair of a made for TV film but at least the cast are game and they give it their all. Shame that they have nothing to work with.

Spy - Far better than it has any right to be, a comedy that is genuinely funny and one that quickly tires of gross out humour. The cast are all on fine form with Statham in particular standing out thanks to his willingness to pull the piss out of himself. McCarthy is good though at times it appears as if Dawn French has been cast in the lead role.

There's something refreshing about a comedy that strives for laughs through set pieces and gags rather than rely on toilet humour and cheap gags. Spy is good harmless fun that while a little overlong never drags of needs to insult the viewer to garner a cheap laugh

Survivor - As generic an action film as you are likely to come across, the kind of old school nonsense in which the entire script relies on the fact that our protagonist can't just pick up a phone and explain the straightforward bind she finders herself. On the surface there's a lot going here but as the film progresses you realise that there's barely enough material here for a short film, never mind a feature length one. There's little suspense built and tension is non-existent as the cast go through the motions and honestly Survivor is the kind of film that you'd expect Wesley Snipes of Van Damme to have headlinedduring their direct to DVD days of the 00s.

The Gunman -

The kind of film that had it been made 10 years ago would have starred Van Damme and been released directly to DVD everywhere bar a few eastern European countries.

Penn, obviously hoping to kickstart an action franchise of his own sleepwalks his way through a film which is at least 30 minutes too long and never really gets off the ground. Supporting Penn is a wasted cast of great actors whom are given little to do beyond play clichés.

The story, much like the action scenes is generic and so familiar that you can guess the big baddies identity the second we see him on screen. There's little here to recommend to anyone as it's all so generic. With little tension, flat action sequences and a lead who spends most of the film looking like he's just returned from the shop but forgot milk and is debating whether or not he should head out again, it's hard to muster the effort to even talk about the film.

Tony EH

Deleted User wrote: »

Jurassic World - One of those films where once again I'm baffled by the critical response and awe in which many people hold the film. Jurassic World is blockbuster film making by the numbers and never does anything unexpected or all that interesting.

Pratt is miscast in the lead and he simply can't carry off the role. Dallas Howard is equally miscast in her role though a large part of that may be down to the woeful character she is saddled with.

Jurassic World is a film in which spectacle and awe takes center stage but in this day and age it simply isn't enough. Many of the creature fx have an obviously CGI feel to them and kids these days simply aren't impressed by it given that they're so used to it. Jurassic World should have been something a little special, instead it's just another retread of old material and worst of all, at it's best it never manages to do anything but be mediocre.

Watched this last night too and it has to be one of the dumbest films I've seen in a long time.

Another film in a long line of modern day disappointments with mainstream films.

Liam McPoyle

Went to see Older than Ireland last night.

Its a really really lovely documentary, some fantastic characters, some wonderful stories and terribly moving at times, couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Chain Smoker

Mila Clumsy Termite wrote: »

Wha? He's had like three or four films a year out since Little Miss Sunshine and he's definitely a critical darling. He's not exactly A list or up for any of the 'mainstream' awards but he gets plenty nominations and wins in the industry, I'd imagine his relatively low profile is partly a matter of choice, he seems to stick to smaller films for the most part

He really doesn't get that many awards, considering the type of actor he is and the roles he picks it's hardly any surprise either. 25 listed here overall (13 wins and 12 nominations), 9 of which are as part of an ensemble, and almost all are for There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine and LIE. Of the 13 wins, 5 are best cast awards, and 4 are for his role in LIE from 14 years ago.

Regarding his profile, he really hasn't been in that much, with a few exceptions it's a lot of small roles and some leads in smaller films I've never heard of (i.e. things with significantly smaller levels of commitment involved).
He's critically divisive, he's a character actor, knows it and tends to pick his roles very well, but I've seen plenty of reviews for things in him berating his performance as "Paul Dano plays Paul Dano again", which I've always found a bit harsh.


I really like him, am looking forward to decades of watching him on the silver screen getting his ass handed to him in increasingly one-sided and humiliating fights (unless Mike Love beats him up in Love & Mercy, I can't handle seeing Mike Love win at anything, the baseball cap wearing c*nt).

bnt

Saw No Way Out, a film I hadn't seen in many years and didn't fully follow the first time. It's the film that made Kevin Costner a star, and it's his show all the way, including quite a few stunts - getting hit by a car, taking a hard fall from a tree, and more.

There are some computer-related scenes which are unintentionally hilarious, and not just by modern standards. For example: even in 1987, it didn't take many hours to enhance a single still image. To confirm who received a gift from a foreign country, Costner has to (a) strong-arm a colleague in to opening a slow link from the Pentagon to the State Department (just a few miles away), and (b) wait while the list of gifts is printed out on a dot-matrix printer at about 15 lines a minute. I would imagine that, even in 1987, the freakin' Pentagon had better computer facilities than that. The Internet started out as a US military project.

I only just got the literal interpretation of the title in the latter half of the film, when they

locked down the Pentagon so no-one could get out

. I completely forgot the ending, too.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Chain Smoker wrote: »

He really doesn't get that many awards, considering the type of actor he is and the roles he picks it's hardly any surprise either. 25 listed here overall (13 wins and 12 nominations), 9 of which are as part of an ensemble, and almost all are for There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine and LIE. Of the 13 wins, 5 are best cast awards, and 4 are for his role in LIE from 14 years ago.

Regarding his profile, he really hasn't been in that much, with a few exceptions it's a lot of small roles and some leads in smaller films I've never heard of (i.e. things with significantly smaller levels of commitment involved).
He's critically divisive, he's a character actor, knows it and tends to pick his roles very well, but I've seen plenty of reviews for things in him berating his performance as "Paul Dano plays Paul Dano again", which I've always found a bit harsh.


I really like him, am looking forward to decades of watching him on the silver screen getting his ass handed to him in increasingly one-sided and humiliating fights (unless Mike Love beats him up in Love & Mercy, I can't handle seeing Mike Love win at anything, the baseball cap wearing c*nt).

Depends how you look at it I suppose. He hasn't been out of work at any point in the past ten years and anyone with more than a passing interest in contemporary film is going to know who he is. He's not a leading man, but he seems perfectly capable of landing decent parts in big films. He's usually reviewed very positively, I've seen infinitely more reviews going 'why doesn't Paul Dano get any recognition he's so great' (which get a bit self-contradicting after they pass a certain critical mass like) than I have seen negative reviews of his performances.

He's not mega famous, but he's far from underappreciated for what he is.

Hand on heart I can find him a bit OTT from time to time, he has a tendency to 'go full retard' as it were, but generally I really like him

Aidric

Saw 'Youth' last Saturday night and woke up Sunday with a smile when I thought about it. Hands down the best movie I've seen this year. The casting is spot on, the main players brilliantly interspersing with the minor characters who flow in and out at opportune times. It looks amazing at all times and the soundtrack is killer.

I haven't seen any of Sorrentino's previous movies but I'm going to seek them out on the back of this.

cowboyBuilder

The Dark Knight - Classic ... of course it is , Christopher Nolan directs...

The Dark Knight Rises (ill be shot for this) EVEN better!!!

What an ending !!!!!

goosebumps ... when Alfred gets his Fernet Branca and then ... BAM !!!!


The Prestige - the greatest film ever made. - Ever. FACT.

kearneybobs

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

The Prestige - the greatest film ever made. - Ever. FACT.

My favourite film, ever. Splendid, end to end, and then again.

cowboyBuilder

kearneybobs wrote: »

My favourite film, ever. Splendid, end to end, and then again.

You the maaaaaannnnnn...

e_e

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

The Prestige - the greatest film ever made. - Ever. FACT.

Not even a top 3 Nolan film, OPINION!

e_e

One thing I've noticed Nolan get way better at since Inception is not needing to spend the last 5 minutes of each movie having characters stand around explaining the plot and theme to each other (Dark Knight being a terrible terrible offender). Even a film like Memento which is almost perfectly written did it a tad too much at the end. He's found a way to be far more visual and cinematic with it, the last 5 minutes of Inception in particular are just magical.

kearneybobs

e_e wrote: »

One thing I've noticed Nolan get way better at since Inception is not needing to spend the last 5 minutes of each movie having characters stand around explaining the plot and theme to each other (Dark Knight being a terrible terrible offender). Even a film like Memento which is almost perfectly written did it a tad too much at the end. He's found a way to be far more visual and cinematic with it, the last 5 minutes of Inception in particular are just magical.

Dont you mean the beginning?

Chain Smoker

Mila Clumsy Termite wrote: »

Hand on heart I can find him a bit OTT from time to time, he has a tendency to 'go full retard' as it were, but generally I really like him

Pretty off topic but I feel like the Tropic Thunder's legacy (a satirical film so desperately soft and by-the-numbers that it doesn't deserve a legacy at all) is instilling a fear in all actors of overdoing it in certain roles and that's kind of a shame.

Robert Pattinson went "full retard" in the Rover and it was perfect for the character, thought he was great, but I saw endless comments slating him for it and damn near every single one referenced Tropic Thunder.
I feel like performances like DiCaprio in Gilbert Grape would get absolutely torn apart by a lot of people now where the whole "full retard" thing has just prevented people from allowing themselves to suspend disbelief when it comes to actors playing mentally handicapped characters.

Aidric wrote: »

Saw 'Youth' last Saturday night and woke up Sunday with a smile when I thought about it. Hands down the best movie I've seen this year. The casting is spot on, the main players brilliantly interspersing with the minor characters who flow in and out at opportune times. It looks amazing at all times and the soundtrack is killer.

I haven't seen any of Sorrentino's previous movies but I'm going to seek them out on the back of this.

The Great Beauty's gonna be a huge treat! He managed to find the perfect setting for his style right there and I'll be stunned if he tops it.
Make sure to check out the Consequences of Love too.
Looking forward to Youth but I'm a bit concerned about a Sorrentino film that hasn't Toni Servillo in the middle of it all.

e_e

kearneybobs wrote: »

Dont you mean the beginning?

No joke I once read a post on the Memento IMDB board that asked

Why the guy who was killed at the beginning appeared again in the rest of the film and that the director shouldn't have reused the same actors.

:pac:

The Black Oil

Business Cat wrote: »

Went to see Older than Ireland last night.

Its a really really lovely documentary, some fantastic characters, some wonderful stories and terribly moving at times, couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Yeah, it was great. Really just put the camera in front of them and let them speak. Sad at times, no doubt.

"I got the cheque from yer man, Michael D...we spent it on the party."

Psychedelic

The Fall (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791

It's a bit like the Princess Bride. Amazing cinematography and imagination. Highly recommended.

The Black Oil

Europa Report

There's a good deal of affection for space here. It's clear someone has done their homework and the production values are pretty good. It feels cinematic. Since it is space, it's not all smooth sailing. There's a few familiar faces and unlike some films, the crew manage to stay relatively level-headed despite the dramatic events. To its credit, it isn't interested in explaining everything. 2001 lingers early on in the camera's focal point and a brief music nod. Captures the isolation quite well. Respectably solid.

NachoBusiness

MIA MADRE.

Like a breath of fresh air compared to the unholy crap I've seen of late.

NachoBusiness

Business Cat wrote: »

Went to see Older than Ireland last night.

Its a really really lovely documentary, some fantastic characters, some wonderful stories and terribly moving at times, couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Yes, seen it yesterday myself - amazing. Had a great overall feel good factor also.

The chap from Roscommon reminiscing about his first kiss and yippee'ing.. was one of many highlights.

Would make a great Christmas Gift for elderly folk (and young folk too I suppose) if it comes out on DVD in time.

Mizu_Ger

Without a Clue
I have seen this a number of times already and really want to love it. Each time I watch it I hope it's better than I remember, but it's never as good as it should be. Michael Caine has great comic timing, it a good looking film and Ben Kingsley plays the straight man well. The problem is the script isn't funny enough (although there are laughs) and the plot is too formulaic

it's obvious that Holmes/Kincaid will end up saving the day

. It's all high-concept with nothing to follow through.

It's October which means that once again I do 31 Days of Fright.

Elfie Hopkins - It really is a shame that Jamie Winstone inherited some of her father's looks but none of his talent. Her lead performance in Elfie Hopkins is one which will define the term "wooden" for years to come. And she's not alone, the rest of the cast are equally inept though Rupert Evens does seem to be having fun which is more than can be said for the audience. The script is poor and feels like a whimsical British take on The Burbs but with none of the wit or charm. About the only memorable part of this truly disastrous mistake of a film is a rather strange cameo from Ray Winstone during which he adopts an accent has to be heard to be believed.

Late Phases - A genuinely great werewolf film that places the emphasis not on FX work or gore but rather on character building and atmosphere. Nick Damici is great in the lead role but even with the old man make up still looks far too young for the character. The supporting cast including Tom Noonan is game and well served by a script that is smart and fun. A real slow burner, this is one of those great horrors where it all comes together in the end for a tense and thrilling finale that plays out perfectly.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) - An interesting take on the remake formula, this meta horror uses the original as the foundation upon which to build a fun if at times a little too familiar slasher film. Performances are good though it's easy enough to guess who the killer is and the gore is nasty in that manner which so many horrors lack. It's not a great film but it's far better than it has any right to be.

Del.Monte

"The Package" (1989) on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qh6LMpVJiw

Starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones.

Excellent thriller about a plot to scupper US/USSR nuclear arms treaty. The hardliners on both sides collaborate in a plot involving the assassination of the Soviet President on US soil. If you like Gene Hackman you'll enjoy this movie. 8/10

Being There (1979)

A quite intriguing film starring Peter Sellers as a a guy who lived in the same house all his life and tended to the garden of the owner. He can't read or write and is basically a simpleton. When his employer dies he has to leave to the outside world and ends up with his simpleness being mistaken for genius. The film is a little slow, but ends up being quite rewarding

Possibly some inspiration here for Forrest Gump

fin12

The Intern, Anne Hathaway and Robert De Nero, not bad, enjoyed it.

constitutionus

same here.

had a few hours to waste so went to see the intern and was plesently surprised at how good it was.

it wont win any awards but its had some genuine laugh out loud moments, rambled along in offensively, and had a lovely "charm" to it.

it didnt even patronise the elderly like i thought it may. being more done from their perspective TBH.

As an aside i was the youngest bloke there. the audience was made up of pensioners in the main where i went. nothing wrong with that, just pointing out it seems to have caught the attention of the silver surfer set so may do better at the box office than ya'd expect.

7/10 from me.

perfectly nice little film , though a tad long and ends rather abruptly.

fin12

constitutionus wrote: »

same here.

had a few hours to waste so went to see the intern and was plesently surprised at how good it was.

it wont win any awards but its had some genuine laugh out loud moments, rambled along in offensively, and had a lovely "charm" to it.

it didnt even patronise the elderly like i thought it may. being more done from their perspective TBH.

As an aside i was the youngest bloke there. the audience was made up of pensioners in the main where i went. nothing wrong with that, just pointing out it seems to have caught the attention of the silver surfer set so may do better at the box office than ya'd expect.

7/10 from me.

perfectly nice little film , though a tad long and ends rather abruptly.

Hey that's the same as me, I had a few hours to kill so I said Id go to the cinema so it was a choice between the intern and Macbeth but I choose the intern because I know Macbeth would probably be quite dark so I needed a bit of cheering up so I picked the intern. :)