What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Alexander - The Ultimate Cut 2014

Oliver Stone being my favourite director, when the original Alexander came out in 2004 I was expecting a lot, but what was delivered was a mess of a film, a stain on his outstanding body of work. Badly paced, boring, muddled with a diabolical score.
In 2014 Stone went back to it and sorted it out properly. He changed the order of the scenes, and cut a lot out of the film with many new scenes put in that had been previously left on the cutting floor. While some of the bad score remains, much of it was taken out. Scenes unnecessary were cut out to give the film a proper pace and a chronology that made sense and put a proper character on alexander and what he did, with a much better understanding at least according to the books I've read of the story of Alexander the Great.

This first version I did not enjoy, and went back to it 5 years ago and had to turn it off such was my disgust. This version however I enjoyed a lot and would recommend if you have 3 hours to spare.

Riverireland

The Big Short. I really enjoyed it. Sees to be trying to explain the cause of the current financial crisis in simple entertaining terms to people who wouldn't otherwise take an interest.

Looper007

In Bruges

Still a great film, although when I first saw it I didn't know what to think. The whole dark turn in the third act left me a little cold. But after years of rewatching it my love for the film has grown. Colin Farrell without doubt gives his best performance to date although Brendan Gleeson runs him close. Ralph Fiennes does his best Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast turn. Clemence Posey was at her hottest too in this. I'm a big fan of Martin McDonagh's follow up Seven Psychopaths which sadly got lost in the shuffle.

Looper007

youreadthat wrote: »

Caught American Hustle on channel 4 tonight. Glad I didn't go out of my way to see it. Really boring and very style over substance.

O Russell's last two films (Hustle and Joy) have been guilty for me for been very Oscar baity and Scorsese lite. No risk taken, just throw a all star cast at it and the Oscar voters will love it.

I loved the Fighter and even Silver Lining Playbook (although J.Law wasn't Oscar worthy for me). His best film is still Three Kings, a excellent film.

chainsmoker556

Who have tried watching Hostel? and Hostel 2? Great revenge!

Chain Smoker

chainsmoker556 wrote: »

...

Tony EH

Looper007 wrote: »

In Bruges

Still a great film, although when I first saw it I didn't know what to think. The whole dark turn in the third act left me a little cold. But after years of rewatching it my love for the film has grown. Colin Farrell without doubt gives his best performance to date although Brendan Gleeson runs him close. Ralph Fiennes does his best Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast turn. Clemence Posey was at her hottest too in this. I'm a big fan of Martin McDonagh's follow up Seven Psychopaths which sadly got lost in the shuffle.

Wasn't too mad on 'Seven Psychopaths', but 'In Bruges' is a great little film, full of brilliant dialogue. But yeh, the tonal shift can be a little jarring. But no jarring that it destroys the film, like it does in 'Super'.

Some excellent "freak outs" from Fiennes as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRzOK0YUVfs

cowboyBuilder

Deleted User wrote: »

Alexander - The Ultimate Cut 2014

Oliver Stone being my favourite director, when the original Alexander came out in 2004 I was expecting a lot, but what was delivered was a mess of a film, a stain on his outstanding body of work. Badly paced, boring, muddled with a diabolical score.
In 2014 Stone went back to it and sorted it out properly. He changed the order of the scenes, and cut a lot out of the film with many new scenes put in that had been previously left on the cutting floor. While some of the bad score remains, much of it was taken out. Scenes unnecessary were cut out to give the film a proper pace and a chronology that made sense and put a proper character on alexander and what he did, with a much better understanding at least according to the books I've read of the story of Alexander the Great.

This first version I did not enjoy, and went back to it 5 years ago and had to turn it off such was my disgust. This version however I enjoyed a lot and would recommend if you have 3 hours to spare.

Is Miley still selling a horse ?

cowboyBuilder

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Is Miley still selling a horse ?

Nope it was Dinny this time!

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.

Tickle, did you ever get around to doing this? I'd be curious as to your thoughts if you watched them fresh and started with season 2. My S2 came on BR the other day but I'm knee deep in work at the moment so won't be able to (re)watch for a while.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Tickle, did you ever get around to doing this? I'd be curious as to your thoughts if you watched them fresh and started with season 2. My S2 came on BR the other day but I'm knee deep in work at the moment so won't be able to (re)watch for a while.

No actually, I haven't. I completely forgot about them. Does HBO stuff ever pop up on Netflix? Not sure I want to buy them. Might have a look in the library.

Chain Smoker

aShowgirls
Wow wow wow, this was everything I've been told it was. While Robocop is a legit great film and Starship Troopers is pretty damn good too, with this one it feels like Verhoeven got his kicks from the making of this film as opposed to wanting it to be a great satire, outright humiliating everyone involved. Maybe I'm giving Verhoeven too much credit but everything about this film seemed intentionally bad in the most impressive way possible. Have to say, as much as Saved by the Bell gets slated, she fit into the overall thing really well, whether that's because it's built around her ineptitude or she achieved exactly what was asked of her, I dunno.
I don't think it's good as a satire at all, but as some kind of weird huge budget exploitation trash, it's... something or another?
Wait, did I actually really like this film?



I'll See You in my Dreams
So right before watching this I discovered Blythe Danner is Gwynyth Paltrow's mam. Wound up spending the whole film going "yeah, I can see how that woman would produce an awful nut like Paltrow..."
Okay old people indie thing, highly forgettable.

charlie_says

Beyond the Black Rainbow

So crazy and awesome I made a thread about it.

Marmite stuff though, a lot of people won't like it at all.

The Black Oil

Saving Mr Banks

Emma Thompson is Mrs Travers. She's direct, a little cutting, school teacher ish and insistent - Mary Poppins does not sing and at one point, throws the script out the window. Literally. It's Disney, so there's sweetness and light, and you know there'll be a turning point, that's clear from the start, but I quite enjoyed its rhythms and humour. Nor does it ignore the fear of abandonment.

Tea fans take note: drinking from a paper cup is blasphemy. :pac:

Now, if you excuse me, if I've to go up where the air is clear.

R P McMurphy

The standout feature of this is that it runs at over two hours and was filmed in one single take. Quite a remarkable feat given that it is spread out over numerous locations and has a couple of action sequences. This must have added a lot of stress on the actors in the latter stages as was little room for error.

This film itself is quite strong, save for one or two aspects of the plot that jarred a little. The single take adds as air of authenticity and does not come across as gimmicky. Acting was terrific under the added pressure

Inside the Third Reich 1982 A 3 hour epic about Albert Speer, Hitlers architect played by Rutger Hauer.
Quite intriguing look at a young architect who would do anything to get a major commission, that found himself replacing Hitlers chief architect and given the grand plans of the Nazi empire to design and construct, buildings that Hitler wanted to last for 1000 years. Along the way however he goes from an artist, to a senior ranking officer in the Nazi's, to a Reichs Marshall in charge of armaments. Probably the only member of Hitlers inner circle who was not psychotic or evil. Interestingly spent his last 15 years living freely after a 20 year jail sentence after the war.
Its a bit of a slog but a good look at the history of a quite important man in that era.

Kolido

R P McMurphy wrote: »

The standout feature of this is that it runs at over two hours and was filmed in one single take. Quite a remarkable feat given that it is spread out over numerous locations and has a couple of action sequences. This must have added a lot of stress on the actors in the latter stages as was little room for error.

This film itself is quite strong, save for one or two aspects of the plot that jarred a little. The single take adds as air of authenticity and does not come across as gimmicky. Acting was terrific under the added pressure

Which movie are you refering to?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Kolido wrote: »

Which movie are you refering to?

Victoria. It's in the heading bit. Don't think that bit shows up on mobile?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Hide Your Smiling Faces

Two young brothers living in some rural part of America try to come to terms with the death of a young friend.
This is a bit of a strange one. I'm pretty sure I liked it but it's probably not for everyone. It's a bit like Stand By Me meets Kings of Summer meets Terrence Malick. There's very little dialogue and most of what the boys are working through isn't really verbalised, you just kind of see it and I suppose interpret it in your own way.
Everything is seen through the eyes of the two brothers, Eric and Tommy, so you don't really get to see how the rest of the town or any of the adults are coping or what's going on outside the minds of these two kids. Eric, the older brother, has a bit more of a grasp on what has actually happened and is confronted with the idea of mortality while younger brother Tommy, while dealing with the same event, isn't quite dealing with it on the same level.

There isn't any real narrative structure here and there's only some resolution so, as I said, it's probably not for everyone. There's an eerie feeling hanging over the whole film and the rural woodland settings add to that but as the boys spend more and more time in the woods there's also some real beauty. Apparently it was shot in New Jersey, which surprised me, I thought it was all steel mills and tanning salons.

WHIP IT!

Not exactly on topic, but not exactly worth a topic of its own either!

There's a very good interview with French director Jacques Audiard in today's (English) Times. Pages 44/45.

EDIT: Or I could just provide the link!
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/article4721635.ece

Kolido

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Victoria. It's in the heading bit. Don't think that bit shows up on mobile?

Ah yeah I see it now, it didnt show on my phone. Thanks.

j.s. pill II

Just thought I'd give a quick summary of some films I watched recently - in no particular order:

Listen up Philip (2014) - In a nutshell, the life & times, trials & tribulations of a New York a**hole writer. It reminded me a lot of Greenberg - where we watch Ben Stiller's eponymous character burn bridges and be a general a**hole to all who care about him. The a**hole in this film however is very sardonic and sharp tounged which makes it far more enjoyable to watch. There's a lot of Woody Allen-esque New York vistas and yazz music but I think the director splattered the canvas with just the right amount of said Woody-isms without turning the whole thing in to one giant pastiche. Recommended

Proof (1991) - In a nutshell: a young Russell crow befriends a Blind man with hilarious consequences. Well, not quite. Rather difficult to summarise - there's not a Gladiator in sight in this film - it's quite odd to see a young, fresh faced Russell Crowe fitting so well in to this low budget black comedy/melodrama. Recommended

Blow (2001) - In a nutshell: It blew

The world made straight (2015) - In a nutshell: yer man what was in E.R. plays a fired history teacher who takes a young local pecker-wood under his wing to teach him about history and ultimately about life it's very self. While it doesn't quite descend in to the Dead Poets crapulance that the above summary might suggest, it does come damn close. Worth watching though, as Steve Earl plays the baddie. Yes, Steve freakin' Earl! He's fantastic in it. Also worth watching as the girl who lives with the teacher is daycent lookin'....

Falling down (1993) - Decided to put this on for my friend who was still in nappies when this film was made (as a result, he's got some serious gaps in his knowledge about all the awesome movies that were made in the early 90s). Although the tone is a bit uneven I would still rate this film very highly indeed. Maybe it's because the main character's struggle resonates so much with me.....but seriously, full of snappy lines and as an added bonus, you can teach your younger friends all about early 90s phenomena like pay-phones and drive-bys.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

We Could Be King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wuPc0rWHNA

Documentary on Netflix about a high school football team. The Philadelphia School Board was faced with a huge deficit a few years ago and had to introduce a "Doomsday Budget" which resulted in 4000 staff being laid off and 24 schools being shut and merged with other schools, usually in low income areas. One such school, Germantown, was merged with Martin Luther King, their bitter rivals. And when I say rivals I mean like deadly violent kind of rivals. A young 27 year old coach, who was let go as a maths teacher when Germantown shut, takes on the role of voluntary coach of the new merged football team and along with his coaching staff set out to get this group of young men to put aside the baggage of their difficult home lives and 40 years of bitter rivalry and become a new team.

Pretty interesting documentary, it doesn't delve too deeply into any of the personal stories, just enough to get you invested but it really drives home the importance of the athletic programs in schools like this. It can quite literally save lives.

Duggy747

Mad Max: Fury Road

GF and I were drinking and needed a film without much of a taxing plot that we could easily watch while talking. Haven't seen it since the cinema but it still gave that rush with it's fantastic action pieces and soundtrack.

As time goes on and as much as I like Hardy, I just wish Gibson was in this. I know all the trouble the film went through for years beforehand and his personal incidents but it would've been a complete film for me then as he'll always be "Max" to me.

Speaking of ol' Gibson, we watched Apocalypto since she hadn't seen it. A quality film from him with some great set pieces to it, though the jaguar scene is pretty laughable at how blatantly obvious it was they were using a puppet.

I forgot just how good that soundtrack was too, James Horner had knocked it out of the park with this film.

Fysh

I caught Sicario today, having missed it at the cinema. I can't put my finger on why, but it feels less substantial than I'd hoped for. The cast is good, the setting offers lots of promise, but the story just feels kind of small, somehow - like vague allusions to a wider context are enough, rather than trying to show it in any meaningful sense.

There were aome nice moments, including the tension and buildup around the border crossing, but there wasn't really enough character development to make the third act truly impactful. I suspect the script needed more refining to make that work, tbh. Glad I didn't go out of my way to see it at the cinema, though.

edbrez

Bela Lugosi meets a Brooklyn gorilla - he's a mad scientist on an island and a singer gets turned into a monkey only there's another one and then a mix up. Then it all turns out to be a dream by a comic. They don't make them like this anymore.

Snake Plisken

[quote="j
Blow (2001) - In a nutshell: It blew
What do you man it blew??? It's a fantastic movie with a fine performance from both Depp and Liotta, brilliantly directed by the late Ted Demme!. What exactly did you not like about it?

j.s. pill II

j.s. pill II wrote: »

Just thought I'd give a quick summary of some films I watched recently - in no particular order:

Listen up Philip (2014) - In a nutshell, the life & times, trials & tribulations of a New York a**hole writer. It reminded me a lot of Greenberg - where we watch Ben Stiller's eponymous character burn bridges and be a general a**hole to all who care about him. The a**hole in this film however is very sardonic and sharp tounged which makes it far more enjoyable to watch. There's a lot of Woody Allen-esque New York vistas and yazz music but I think the director splattered the canvas with just the right amount of said Woody-isms without turning the whole thing in to one giant pastiche. Recommended

Proof (1991) - In a nutshell: a young Russell crow befriends a Blind man with hilarious consequences. Well, not quite. Rather difficult to summarise - there's not a Gladiator in sight in this film - it's quite odd to see a young, fresh faced Russell Crowe fitting so well in to this low budget black comedy/melodrama. Recommended

Blow (2001) - In a nutshell: It blew

The world made straight (2015) - In a nutshell: yer man what was in E.R. plays a fired history teacher who takes a young local pecker-wood under his wing to teach him about history and ultimately about life it's very self. While it doesn't quite descend in to the Dead Poets crapulance that the above summary might suggest, it does come damn close. Worth watching though, as Steve Earl plays the baddie. Yes, Steve freakin' Earl! He's fantastic in it. Also worth watching as the girl who lives with the teacher is daycent lookin'....

Falling down (1993) - Decided to put this on for my friend who was still in nappies when this film was made (as a result, he's got some serious gaps in his knowledge about all the awesome movies that were made in the early 90s). Although the tone is a bit uneven I would still rate this film very highly indeed. Maybe it's because the main character's struggle resonates so much with me.....but seriously, full of snappy lines and as an added bonus, you can teach your younger friends all about early 90s phenomena like pay-phones and drive-bys.

Why no nutshell review of Falling Down?

j.s. pill II

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Blow (2001) - In a nutshell: It blew
What do you man it blew??? It's a fantastic movie with a fine performance from both Depp and Liotta, brilliantly directed by the late Ted Demme!. What exactly did you not like about it?

I seemingly thought so too, first time around anyway. In my memory it was a good film. Not so good second time around though (it had been about 10 years since I saw it last). It's just a hammy re-cycling of the goodfellas/casino/boogie nights formula. Depp is quite good in it insofar as he makes the best he can of some truly awful dialogue. Cruz is pretty excellent as the cracy Colombian cholita though! I'd suggest maybe giving this one another viewing (if you've got 2 hours to throw down the toilet of course...)

Deleted User wrote:

Why no nutshell review of Falling Down?

OK so, in a nutshell: a scarily accurate portrayal of my life and daily struggles !!

MadDog76

j.s. pill II wrote: »

I seemingly thought so too, first time around anyway. In my memory it was a good film. Not so good second time around though (it had been about 10 years since I saw it last). It's just a hammy re-cycling of the goodfellas/casino/boogie nights formula. Depp is quite good in it insofar as he makes the best he can of some truly awful dialogue. Cruz is pretty excellent as the cracy Colombian cholita though! I'd suggest maybe giving this one another viewing (if you've got 2 hours to throw down the toilet of course...)

Just watched Blow there .............. it was as good, if not better, than I remembered it being ......... really enjoyed it I have to say.

A solid 8.5/10.