What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Tony EH

david75 wrote: »

I listen to a brilliant podcast called the Cinefiles where they break down a classic pre 2000 film. They really are great and they’ve done a show on Big trouble in Little China, and I’ve never seen it, somehow.

They mention that they were worried it wouldn’t stand up, being one of those films you have to see at a certain time in your life. And it’s absurd and silly.

Is it worth a watch?

It wasn't like any other John Carpenter film I'd seen up to that point and I hated it. I couldn't believe the man who made 'The Thing', 'Escape from New York' and 'Halloween' gave us 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

However, something kept bringing me back to it over the years and now I like it.

It's as dumb as a brick. But, it's supposed to be, and everyone is having a big laugh in it. So, you end up riding along as well.

Just be prepared for a silly (but good) story, with silly (but good) characters, where crazy shit happens and you'll be grand.

david75

Tony EH wrote: »

It wasn't like any other John Carpenter film I'd seen up to that point and I hated it. I couldn't believe the man who made 'The Thing', 'Escape from New York' and 'Halloween' gave us 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

However, something kept bringing me back to it over the years and now I like it.

It's as dumb as a brick. But, it's supposed to be, and everyone is having a big laugh in it. So, you end up riding along as well.

Just be prepared for a silly (but good) story, with silly (but good) characters, where crazy shit happens and you'll be grand.

Yeah I’ve been reading up on it and it seems to deserve its cult classic status. It’s mad loved by people of all ages.
Funny enough they did mention that Carpenter only did it for the money, and apparently the commentary on the dvd has him saying as much? Nice to see directors being honest about the reasons for seemingly odd choices

Just feel weird I’ve never seen it, as a child of the 80s it never was on my radar and should have been. But I am gonna watch it

Tony EH

Stick on that and 'They Live'. Get in a few cans.

Bob's yer uncle.

Looper007

Tony EH wrote: »

It wasn't like any other John Carpenter film I'd seen up to that point and I hated it. I couldn't believe the man who made 'The Thing', 'Escape from New York' and 'Halloween' gave us 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

However, something kept bringing me back to it over the years and now I like it.

It's as dumb as a brick. But, it's supposed to be, and everyone is having a big laugh in it. So, you end up riding along as well.

Just be prepared for a silly (but good) story, with silly (but good) characters, where crazy shit happens and you'll be grand.

It's a fun film something if made today I could see Edgar Wright making it, has one of the best comedic performances in Kurt Russell, couldn't imagine many top stars doing that role of Jack Burton, who think's he's the hero but isn't and is the butt of most of the jokes, also love Russell's John Wayne mimicry. Love Russell's and Dennis Dun's buddy back and forth, got a awesome soundtrack, some great action, great bad guy's (which influenced Mortal Kombat). Remember this been shown on UTV nearly every few weeks back in the 80's and 90's.

John Carpenter had one of the best runs from a director and Composer, between 1974 to 1988. Dark Star, Assault on Precinct 13,Halloween, The Fog, Elvis, Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, Starman, Big Trouble, Prince of Darkness and They Live. Even during his down period he still made enjoyable films imo, like Vampires, In The Mouth Of Madness and Escape from L.A. Also he's one of those real laid back guys, smokes a ton of weed and plays Videogames all week, tours his music and is one of the best Director's at doing Commentaries. Carpenter's the man.

Tony EH

It's probably Russell that kept me coming back over the years TBH. But I remember clearly watching that film in the 80's and thinking it was bloody awful and WTF was Carpenter thinking?

But, Jack Burton's great. He's such a knob. :pac:

But ya know what ol Jack Burton always says...

david75

Apparently big trouble is being remade. With the rock. Because of course he’d be in it.

Tony EH

Ugh.

branie2

Not the first remake the Rock has been in

NIMAN

branie2 wrote: »

Not the first remake the Rock has been in

President Rock to you.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Watched "A Film With Me In It", recorded off RTÉ2 last night. Dark comedy about two friends who end up with a few dead bodies in their flat, through no fault of their own, and their attempts to deal with the situation make things worse.
It takes a while to get going but it is pretty funny once it does.

expectationlost

3 Days of the Condor wtf what happened in the middle of this film, is Redford that irresistable?

Decuc500

The Handmaiden

I watched this Sunday afternoon and was happy and a bit surprised to see it win the BAFTA for ‘Best Film not in the English Language’ later that evening.

I was expecting something a bit sedate and slow paced (I don’t know why, having seen all of Park Chan-Wook’s other films) but it’s a fast enough paced thriller, with twists and double crosses, about a Korean handmaiden working for a rich Japanese woman and conspiring with a con artist friend to commit her to an asylum.

It’s Chan-wook at the top of his game, the camera moves, design and sound drawing you into the film. Like his previous film, Stoker, it’s very Hitchcockian in its suspense, deliberate misinformation and false trails. Very impressive and enjoyable.

Harry Palmr

expectationlost wrote: »

Parallax View what a slow boring silly film

expectationlost wrote: »

3 Days of the Condor wtf what happened in the middle of this film, is Redford that irresistable?

Your judgement is hardly to be trusted! :pac: Two prime slices of post Nixon paranoia, you better think better of The Conversation (which logically is the next film to watch)

expectationlost

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Your judgement is hardly to be trusted! :pac: Two prime slices of post Nixon paranoia, you better think better of The Conversation (which logically is the next film to watch)

because if

Robert Redford held you at gun point you would volunteer to have sex with him

?

Harry Palmr

expectationlost wrote: »

because if

Robert Redford held you at gun point you would volunteer to have sex with him

?

The 70s for you.

ButtersSuki

Binge-watched McMafia over the last 3 days, recorded off BBC (minus Episode 7 because you know.....Virgin Media and reliability :rolleyes:.....had to source it elsewhere which I hate doing but needs must). Despite hearing good things about it I just found it all incredibly underwhelming, verging on boring at times. It's not awful and it looks good with the multilocational settings etc.; but the acting standards vary and parts of the story are just cliche-ridden, lazy, stereotypical and predictable. It could have and should have been an awful lot better given the source material (and yes, I know it's fictionalised/based on it rather than a dramatisation). I read the book years ago and it's far better than this. James Norton looks at times like he's doing a Tom Hardy Blue Steel Tribute Act, David Strathairn's character is very annoying (why not get a local to do that rather than give DS an accent?),a nd some of the other cahracter's actors are just one dimensional. A disappointing 5/10.

P.S. Can't see Norton getting Bond on the back of this. There wasn't enough there. Maybe it was the script, but I found his transformation lacking credibility.

ButtersSuki

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Binge-watched McMafia over the last 3 days, recorded off BBC (minus Episode 7 because you know.....Virgin Media and reliability :rolleyes:.....had to source it elsewhere which I hate doing but needs must). Despite hearing good things about it I just found it all incredibly underwhelming, verging on boring at times. It's not awful and it looks good with the multilocational settings etc.; but the acting standards vary and parts of the story are just cliche-ridden, lazy, stereotypical and predictable. It could have and should have been an awful lot better given the source material (and yes, I know it's fictionalised/based on it rather than a dramatisation). I read the book years ago and it's far better than this. James Norton looks at times like he's doing a Tom Hardy Blue Steel Tribute Act, David Strathairn's character is very annoying (why not get a local to do that rather than give DS an accent?),a nd some of the other cahracter's actors are just one dimensional. A disappointing 5/10.

P.S. Can't see Norton getting Bond on the back of this. There wasn't enough there. Maybe it was the script, but I found his transformation lacking credibility.

I lasted about 1 minute into McMafia. One of the first lines was something like "If I am to run my heroin business through your distribution channel..." and I thought to myself no big time heroin kingpin would speak like that, this script has already failed.

ButtersSuki

Deleted User wrote: »

I lasted about 1 minute into McMafia. One of the first lines was something like "If I am to run my heroin business through your distribution channel..." and I thought to myself no big time heroin kingpin would speak like that, this script has already failed.

I was tempted to give up several times but unfortunately for me once I start a film, tv show or a book I can’t withdraw until I finish.

CrankyHaus

They Live (1988)
After Tony EH mentioned this on the thread I gave it a watch. A Sharp and entertaining Sci-Fi satire of Reaganomics. Totally different from Robocop, released the year before, yet both skewered the same target in similar genres. I love how concise films were in the 80’s, no fat to this at all. Viewed analytically the film has weaknesses in the acting, the shallowness of the story, the dialogue and even some of the visuals. However the B-movie approach the Director revels in makes it such a blast to watch that these matter less to the viewer than you’d expect. 9/10

El Duda

Silver Linings Playbook - 7.5/10

Really lovely, off-beat comedy themed around mental health starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. I found it to be comparable to Paul Thomas-Anderson's 'Punch Drunk Love' which is another film about mentally challenged people struggling through their love lives.

It's one of few films where every major acting part received an Oscar nomination. Every character seems to be suffering in some way shape or form. Bradley Cooper shows similar energy to Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, always boiling under the surface and ready to unleash an explosive outburst.

It has just the right amount of quirkiness and leftfield humour so that it doesn't undermine the seriousness of mental health as a topic. In fact, i think it does a good job of shedding some light onto a subject that so rarely gets represented in Hollywood. Jennifer Lawrence puts in her best performance to date and lights up every scene she's in.

A finely crafted, well written, oddball love story with genuine heart.

ButtersSuki

Strange Days (on 20th Anniversary German Release 2 Disc Blu Ray) last night for the first time since I saw it in the cinema. The 2 films of the 90s that blew me away on a 1st viewing more than any others were Pulp Fiction, and Strange Days. What made it so great on a first viewing was there'd never really been anything shot like it before*, parts of it shot as they are like a first-person shooter game (apologies if the terminology is incorrect, I'm not a gamer). Other elements that added to this were the story, the plot, the noir nods, the music, and lots more that combine with some great performances to deliver a film that's interesting now, but at the time was way ahead of its time.

I've probably watched Pulp Fiction 10 times since then in its entirety, and dipped in and out of it countless times when it's on TV etc. since. I've never watched 1 second of Strange Days since, partly because the unedited and uncensored version wasn't available until recently, partly because I had so much other stuff to watch, and partly because I had feared it would age badly (amongst other things). Stuck it on last night after it sat wrapped in celophane since the day it was bought and I wasn't disappointed.

Directed by Katherine Bigelow, written and produced by James Cameron, and with great performances from Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and a host of others if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favour and look for it. I would have some very minor quibbles but considering it was made in 1995, I can understand why it blew me away so much at the time. Lots of extras on the bonus disc, will try and watch that in the next few weeks.
8.5/10.

*the cameras used were custom built for this movie and delayed the making of the script that Cameron had written years previously until the technology was ready to shoot them as he intended.And a couple of nerdy/fun facts I double-checked on google before :

• Angela Bassett's voice is the sample used in Fatboy Slim's "Right Here! Right Now". She says it twice in the movie.
• The song that features the female chanting sample for the Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" can be heard early in the movie too, in the 1st club scene

Chef 2014 John Favreau Writes, Directs and Stars in a very cool film about a constrained chef who has a meltdown after a bad critic review and ends up restarting with a cuban food truck selling sandwiches. A lot of fun indeed

The Painted Veil 2006 This is wonderful film set in China 100 or so years ago. Ed Norton plays a scientist/Dr. who volunteers to go out to help with the cholera epidemic, insisting his unfaithful wife Naomi Watts joins him as a sort of punishment. Amazing scenery, and a simple but brilliantly told tale

david75

The Birdcage 1996 (Robin Williams, Nathan Lane)

I hadn’t seen this since it was in cinemas and a podcast I listen to covered it this week so gave it a rewatch. Such a brilliant layered and hysterical film
In a way a lot of the humour and topics in it have kinda dated but in another way they haven’t either, our view changes at this remove but somehow we’re still dealing with those Same topics (‘you’re not a woman’ ‘oh..you bastard!’ Swoon and the abortion jokes.

one of the most subtle performances from Robin Williams ever but understated suits him here trying to keep his wife/partner/fill in appropriate, in check against a really uncomfortable but weirdly timely Gene Hackman performance as the Conservative republican senator mid scandal mid election.

Hank Azaria OWNS his role as Agador and the son, Val, is just a prick. On every level. But Armand and Albert do all they can to fulfill his totally unfair expectations and demands.

Never managed to see the original French version. Eager to look it up now.

Happy I gave this a spin

ButtersSuki

david75 wrote: »

The Birdcage 1996 (Robin Williams, Nathan Lane)

I hadn’t seen this since it was in cinemas and a podcast I listen to covered it this week so gave it a rewatch. Such a brilliant layered and hysterical film
In a way a lot of the humour and topics in it have kinda dated but in another way they haven’t either, our view changes at this remove but somehow we’re still dealing with those Same topics (‘you’re not a woman’ ‘oh..you bastard!’ Swoon and the abortion jokes.

one of the most subtle performances from Robin Williams ever but understated suits him here trying to keep his wife/partner/fill in appropriate, in check against a really uncomfortable but weirdly timely Gene Hackman performance as the Conservative republican senator mid scandal mid election.

Hank Azaria OWNS his role as Agador and the son, Val, is just a prick. On every level. But Armand and Albert do all they can to fulfill his totally unfair expectations and demands.

Never managed to see the original French version. Eager to look it up now.

Happy I gave this a spin

Have seen both French and English versions but not seen either since the 90s so due a rewatch (have both of them somewhere). On a separate note, might I ask the name of the podcast?

david75

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Have seen both French and English versions but not seen either since the 90s so due a rewatch (have both of them somewhere). On a separate note, might I ask the name of the podcast?

It was brilliant to watch again
Podcast is called the cine-files. They take a classic films from all genres pre 2000 and do breakdowns on the entire films production cast themes. From Citizen Kane to willy wonka to Heat of the night. Two really engaging hosts that know their stuff and a pleasure to listen to. The odd special guest who is a specialist or super fan as with this episode.
Here is the link to the birdcage episode. Enjoy.
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-cine-files/id1124549378?mt=2

ButtersSuki

david75 wrote: »

It was brilliant to watch again
Podcast is called the cine-files. They take a classic films from all genres pre 2000 and do breakdowns on the entire films production cast themes. From Citizen Kane to willy wonka to Heat of the night. Two really engaging hosts that know their stuff and a pleasure to listen to. The odd special guest who is a specialist or super fan as with this episode.
Here is the link to the birdcage episode. Enjoy.
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-cine-files/id1124549378?mt=2

Thanks David...appreciate that.

There's a more light-hearted cine-pod I listen to called "The Rewatchables" on The Ringer Podcast Network that I quite like. It's very-American, and more mainstream than cinephile, but I've enjoyed most of them.

I'd start with their reviews of Heat and Silence Of The Lambs to see what you think and if you like the style if you're interested before going deeper:

https://www.theringer.com/the-rewatchables

david75

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Thanks David...appreciate that.

There's a more light-hearted cine-pod I listen to called "The Rewatchables" on The Ringer Podcast Network that I quite like. It's very-American, and more mainstream than cinephile, but I've enjoyed most of them.

I'd start with their reviews of Heat and Silence Of The Lambs to see what you think and if you like the style if you're interested before going deeper:

https://www.theringer.com/the-rewatchables

Brillo thank you!! Was looking for something along the same lines as these guys are only every week. Always up for a new pod nice one!

Heckler

The Man from Nowhere on netflix.

Korean flick in the same vein as Taken and Man on Fire. As good as Taken, not as good as Man on Fire. Which it could never be cos Man on Fire is ****ing kick ass.

7/10. Well worth a watch.

ButtersSuki

Heckler wrote: »

The Man from Nowhere on netflix.

Korean flick in the same vein as Taken and Man on Fire. As good as Taken, not as good as Man on Fire. Which it could never be cos Man on Fire is ****ing kick ass.

7/10. Well worth a watch.

There's a set of words I never thought I'd see on this thread alongside a score of 7/10!

GSPfan

Just watched Dredd there again for about the 5th time and I love it. It was on tv (Channel 4 in the uk) and I was going to bed before i turned it on but ended up watching the whole thing.