What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

McGrath5

I had a bit of a gorge yesterday

Looper Well that was not what I expected, a well written, well acted film. I watched it on recommendation from this forum, 2 hours well spent.

The Imposter A very interesting story of stolen identity and a family suspecting of hiding a horrible secret.
It is very well put together, with interviews from all sides of the story.

Take Shelter A very tense drama starring Michael Shannon, who puts in a sterling performance who plays a working class family man with a sense that some terrible event is about to occur.
This was my favourite watch of the day, do watch this film if you haven't already seen it!

Judgement Day

Judgement Day wrote: »

Maybe you should invest in a better VHS player? Mine does the business for me and, as I said, there are many movies that never made it on to DVD so how do you suggest that I view these?

You can have the best VHS player in the world but its still not going to be a patch on Blu-Ray. Why don't you grab Lawrence of Arabia on VHS and Blu and after watching both try and tell me it's the same experience. As for the whole not bring released on DVD or Blu, well that's a rapidly shrinking market and at this stage bar a few such as The Farmer a lot of those films will never get released. There are hundreds of cheapie 70s and 80s films that noone knows who the rights belong to and never will.

As for how you can view they well you can always keep your VHS player alongside your DVD and Blu or you can use the Internet and get them. I know it's not the most legal thing in the world but I'm part if a few sites who specialise in tracking down rare films and ensuring they don't disappear. I've recently spent 3 months cleaning up Three Guns for Ceaser, a film that a year ago was thought lost forever.

Technocentral

Judgement Day wrote: »

Maybe you should invest in a better VHS player? Mine does the business for me and, as I said, there are many movies that never made it on to DVD so how do you suggest that I view these?

But the low quality is inherent in the format not just the playback equipment, the best, most expensive VHS player ever made cannot even approach the quality of the cheapest Tesco DVD player, also I doubt anything worth watching isnt on DVD yet, all the greats are plus the vast majority of the mediocre and the awful.

Technocentral

Judgement Day wrote: »

Maybe you should invest in a better VHS player? Mine does the business for me and, as I said, there are many movies that never made it on to DVD so how do you suggest that I view these?

You probably will never be convinced but one other thing (apart from the dropout and lines) that I used to hate was the pulsing in colours especially red, to compensate you had to turn the chroma down, really poor. I'll leave you with this article:


http://www.hifi-writer.com/he/vhstobd/index.htm

typeunegative

Technocentral wrote: »

Its not snobbery its just that the low resolution of VHS can't possibly do justice to the cinematography of the likes of Casablanca (probably my favourite film ever), as cinema is primarily a visual medium it matters how you view it and its not as if I'm advocating hugely expensive new technology, every home in Ireland has a dvd player now!

DVDs freeze the background and have the actors moving in the front. It's looks terrible with the older movies.

typeunegative

typeunegative wrote: »

DVDs freeze the background and have the actors moving in the front. It's looks terrible with the older movies.

Never encountered that problem with a DVD and have wathced a hell of a lot of films on the format. Watched The General, Birth of a Nation and a few other silent films last week and they all looked great on DVD, far superior to any VHS copy.

typeunegative

Those would be motion-type films. If you check out ones from the 1950s where there's a lot of dialogue and actors standing in a room it's noticeable that the background setting is frozen by the DVD. Probably looks worse on BluRay?

Technocentral

typeunegative wrote: »

Those would be motion-type films. If you check out ones from the 1950s where there's a lot of dialogue and actors standing in a room it's noticeable that the background setting is frozen by the DVD. Probably looks worse on BluRay?

Or films as we call them! I think you're getting photographs mixed up with films mate , btw I love older 40s and 50s dialogue heavy films as you would say and they look fantastic, never seen that phenomenon that you're talking about in them or any other type of film on DVD or blu ray, maybe your tv is shiit?

Sad Professor

Ignore him. He's just another Nolanger re-reg.

Technocentral

Sad Professor wrote: »

Ignore him. He's just another Nolanger re-reg.

To be fair to Nolanger he was more of a Betamax dude

DaEvilTwin

I watched Incendies the other night. A French Canadian film that sees twins travel to middle east to discover the history of their mothers past. Probably the best film that I have seen this year. It has an ending that your sure to remember for a long time.

1+1=1

Judgement Day

krudler wrote: »

does anywhere even sell them anymore? Its technology over a decade out of date now,afaik I the last major release on VHS was Attack Of The Clones, and it had died long before that as a format. hell dvd is out of date tech now.

You should get out online more.

Here's a selection from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_3?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=vhs%20player

I'd say that VHS players will be around for a while yet. My only concern is to ensure that I have a supply of head cleaning tapes stored up - they still make these too. My bottom line is that I don't like being forced to buy the latest upgrade solely to make some multi-national's shareholders wealthier. DVD is my preferred format but if the movie isn't available in that format, or isn't one that I intend to keep long term, then VHS is often a very cheap option.

krudler

Judgement Day wrote: »

You should get out online more.

Here's a selection from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_3?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=vhs%20player

I'd say that VHS players will be around for a while yet. My only concern is to ensure that I have a supply of head cleaning tapes stored up - they still make these too. My bottom line is that I don't like being forced to buy the latest upgrade solely to make some multi-national's shareholders wealthier. DVD is my preferred format but if the movie isn't available in that format, or isn't one that I intend to keep long term, then VHS is often a very cheap option.

95 quid sterling for a VHS player? Thats nuts for crap quality

Technocentral

Judgement Day wrote: »

You should get out online more.

Here's a selection from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_3?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=vhs%20player

I'd say that VHS players will be around for a while yet. My only concern is to ensure that I have a supply of head cleaning tapes stored up - they still make these too. My bottom line is that I don't like being forced to buy the latest upgrade solely to make some multi-national's shareholders wealthier. DVD is my preferred format but if the movie isn't available in that format, or isn't one that I intend to keep long term, then VHS is often a very cheap option.

If you're concerned with value boss you should try Netflix, thousands of films and tv series for 6.99 a month, must be tempting for, shall we say, a frugal gent like your self? Possibly 10 cents a film if you watch 70 in a month and much better quality than VHS.

Technocentral

krudler wrote: »

95 quid sterling for a VHS player? Thats nuts for crap quality

Come on thats only a tenner more than a blu ray player with Netflix access and why deny yourself the pleasure of fixing the poxy VHS tapes with a screwdriver, scissors and cellotape?:D

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Anyway......

Watched Notorious on BBC2 earlier.

The CIA (or something like it)send Cary Grant to recruit the daughter of a German traitor (Ingrid Bergman) to help them spy on some Nazi's in Brazil. They fall in love, obviously, but then discover the job she's supposed to do involves her getting "close" with one of the Nazis.

I got bored about half way through, it's one of those old films that just doesn't hold up to the modern age. They meet, he recruits her, they're in love all in about 10 minutes after about 2 conversations. It wasn't even that clear what was going on despite the heavy dialogue. I'm a big fan of Bergman and she's probably the best thing about this film, but not one of my favourites.

noodler

1) Skyline

Not as bad as people said.

2) Perfect Host

Miles Crane (Fraiser's brother) stars in this offbeat film about a fugitive who seeks refuge at a stranger's house. A little twisted. Good watch.

3) Retreat

Cillian Murphy once again starring in a film about the UK being infected by a plague. Himself and the wife are on a tiny island off the coast of the UK (Scotland maybe) when an injured solider bundles in claiming there has been a worldwide pandemic.

All on Netflix (or Netflix US)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Saw Pitch Perfect tonight.

Very very funny. The songs in it are fun too. It's a good movie to just have a laugh and you'll probably be fighting the urge to dance in your seat, or not fighting it as the couple sitting in front of me were.

I'd probably go see it again.

siblers

Dredd- Really enjoyed it, reminded me a lot of The Raid but far superior, really stylish and doesnt take itself too serious.

Wicklowandy

Gonzo the dr hunter s thompson story, absolutely brilliant documentary:)

ButtersSuki

Finally watched "Death to Smoochy" last night. Considering Edward Norton starred in this shortly after "Fight Club" I was expecting a lot from him, and it. Also stars Danny Devito, Robin Williams, Jon Stewart (of the Daily Show) and Catherine Keener amongst others.

What were they thinking? I'm still not sure if it's meant to be a joke or not, or a double or even triple-bluff deliberately designed to annoy some studio exec somewhere. Or a bet between stars to see if they could actually make it.

It's actually puzzzling as it's not horrendously awful, just weird. It does have some funny moments ("Stepdad" song was amusing, the Nazi scene is funny....and there are a few more like this). I've avoided reading reviews on it to date, but perhaps I will later. I expect the producer to say "of course we were taking the p*ss", but maybe he won't.......

Anyone here have any thoughts?

Mickeroo

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Finally watched "Death to Smoochy" last night. Considering Edward Norton starred in this shortly after "Fight Club" I was expecting a lot from him, and it. Also stars Danny Devito, Robin Williams, Jon Stewart (of the Daily Show) and Catherine Keener amongst others.

What were they thinking? I'm still not sure if it's meant to be a joke or not, or a double or even triple-bluff deliberately designed to annoy some studio exec somewhere. Or a bet between stars to see if they could actually make it.

It's actually puzzzling as it's not horrendously awful, just weird. It does have some funny moments ("Stepdad" song was amusing, the Nazi scene is funny....and there are a few more like this). I've avoided reading reviews on it to date, but perhaps I will later. I expect the producer to say "of course we were taking the p*ss", but maybe he won't.......

Anyone here have any thoughts?

I remember at the time it got panned by critics, haven't watched it since it first came out but I thought it was very underrated at the time. Found it hilarious. Thought Williams was particularly funny in it.

Must rewatch it and see if my opinion has changed!

ButtersSuki

Mickeroo wrote: »

I remember at the time it got panned by critics, haven't watched it since it first came out but I thought it was very underrated at the time. Found it hilarious. Thought Williams was particularly funny in it.

Must rewatch it and see if my opinion has changed!

Robin Williams is maniacal in this - one of those performances where you wonder is he actually ok in parts of it. I heard someone once say Robin Williams should not play these types of roles - I think around the time he was being touted as the lead for the Joker role that Heath Ledger eventually got in Batman, and when you see him in this you can understand why. He comes across as genuinely unhinged at times, but very good nonetheless.

You see that adds to the mystery of it for me - it's hard to pick holes in any of the acting performances save for the accents of the Irish-American Gangsters. It's wonderfully funny and dark in places and parts of me feel I should LOVE this film for a lot of reasons but it's not just not adding up for me. That said, it's been on my mind all day - weird!

I may revisit it in a few weeks for a second opinion.

ButtersSuki

ronoc 1 wrote: »

watched infernal affairs on netflix,had seen departed so i wanted to see how it compared and i have to say its just slightly better than the departed.the departed had better cinematography and shootouts but the story in infernal affairs was a lot more leaner and made more sense.espeically the ending

where in the departed it just became laughable with all the deaths whereas in infernal affairs the mole in the police was so ambigious that i was uncertain as whether to be glad he survived to the end.

btw are the sequels worth watching,what ive heard about them, they seem to be solid follow ups.

For me, no. The sequels are a let down. I saw "Infernal Affairs" on DVD before I saw "The Departed" and loved it. The Departed is fine, but not as good as Infernal Affairs for me. I watcvhed IA II and III on Film Four one after the other and they just seem a little forced compared to the first one.

Tindie

Puppet Master (1989)

I have seen half of it this before, Cause I found at little slow back then and turned it off half way in as I got bored a few years ago , this movie dose have some very some slow parts.

Which can be a bit boring, it did take me while before the movie really get me in, I wasn't really into the movie until after the half away mark of the movie.

I did like Puppets were really good and creepy, really well made, Creepy Puppets and like how they moved,

There were some decent plot however this movie dose seem a little out dated, the acting was little cheesy then I thought it be,

I found some parts a bit too silly even for this kinda of movie, Yes, I know it's was meant to be Silly but i expected something else silly, like Dolls or Child Play, which I really liked.

5 out of 10

Puppet Master 2 (1991)

I didn't think the first was that good however I thought it was decent

This sequel was start of really good, As the Puppets brought back the Master of the Dead.

I liked this movie just a bit a better then first movie, I liked the fact that show a lot more of the Puppets.

The movie didn't take to long to get started, i found most of really entertaining but however after second half, some parts did drag on a little and found those part a little boring,

The ending was just really odd and a bit Creepy,

I give this movie 6 out of 10

MaxSteele

Anyone seen Killing them softly with Brad Pitt yet ?

MaxSteele

Watched Heat by Michael Mann for about the 5th time in the last month just there.

Best Heist movie by a mile. Robert De Niro just oozes slick and bad ass. Soundtrack and supporting cast are quality too. The shootout in downtown LA will never be topped on the big screen.

The Town is a must too, if you love the heist genre.

mike65

Airplane (I wonder how many of the jokes go over the heads of contemporary young audiences?)

Duggy747

mike65 wrote: »

Airplane (I wonder how many of the jokes go over the heads of contemporary young audiences?)

I once sat in a room full of people who barely laughed at anything in this movie, turned it off mid-way and stuck on Sex Drive for the 48th time.

My head was full of fùck.....

cherryghost

Kept putting it off and off but finally watched Intouchables last night. What a great great film. One of my favourite films of all time now. A film that sticks with you, I spent all day today mulling over how great the film was and the impact it left on me.

Essential watching imo