What have you watched recently: Electric Boogaloo

Judgement Day

Crackle wrote: »

Watched Apocalypse Now in its entirety today for the first time. Absolutely loved it.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning"

I brought a girl on a first date to see it in the cinema - very romantic movie.

My favourite scene is the "Ride of the Valkyries" beach attack - has to be seen on the big screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3Cc7wlfkI

cursai

Only God Forgives.
Could have cut forty minutes out of this movie. Too many atmospheric buildups leading to a simple conversation or action. Story wasn't great either.
Nice soundtrack in parts although it didn't gel with the film properly. Nice visuals but as previously said, they dragged and lost their effect.

5/10

ButtersSuki

Watched Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs over the weekend again on newly purchased BRs.

Manhunter was one of the first movies that made me go "wow" as a teen as it was so different to anything I'd seen up to that point. Michael Mann's style is all over this, from the clothes, to the music to the colourscapes - at times it feels like a long episode of Miami Vice focusing on Edward James Olmos' Castillo (not Crockett & Tubbs!). The music is very industrial synth but still works for me, even now, in creating a very atmospheric soundtrack to the movie. Yes, it seems dated in places and there are some really bad continuity errors (i.e. when Graham and his son are in the supermarket) but overall it's still very creepy, very dark and very impactful. Throw in a strong cast (I'm sure most of you on here know Manhunter so I won't bore you) and you have, for me at least, a classic piece of cinema.

Edit: just heard Dennis Farina died.

7.5-8/10.

Hadn't watched The Silence of The Lambs in years. Saw it twice in the cinema the year I did my Leaving Cert (now I feel old!). The first time I went was pre-Oscars/pre-awards and the 2nd time was the post-oscar re-release to check to see had I really thought it as above-average-but-not-the-best-thing-ever as I first did. I'm still kinda there. It's not bad - no way would I ever say it is, it's just I still kinda wonder at the love for the film and the hype. Maybe I'm prejudiced as I had seen Manhunter prior to this and had Brian Cox as my Lector/Lecktor, or maybe I just didn't warm to Foster...I don't know. To me, Hopkins is over-acting, but maybe that's just me? It's very stylish and the end-scene(s) are incredibly tense and suspenseful, but I came away from it then and even now to a degree thinking Scott Glenn was the best thing about it (I'll admit to being a big Scott Glenn fan) in a largely under-appreciated role as Jack Crawford. I posted previously on Donald Sutherland's snub for his part in JFK, Glenn's snubbing is right up there (actually, they might even have been in the same year!).

7/10.

D'Agger

Finally got to see the end of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Was a nice story and thought Blanchett and Pitt were quite good in it, with that said, I wouldn't be in a rush to re-watch it.

tunguska

Just like Heaven

After the orgy of sport during the week(Tour de france, The open from muirfield and diamond league from monaco) mrs Tunguska decided it was time she comandeered the remote for a while. I thought fair enough, sure whats the worst she could come up with...........Romcoms are like kryptonite to the male species and this was like having a kryptonite medallion slung around my neck for 90mins(seemed a lot longer). I can watch Mark ruffalo in pretty much anything, hes always great and I like his laid back style. But not even Mark ruffalo could save this piece of crap. Reese witherspoons character is very unlikable and one minute ruffalo hates her then next hes in love with her??? Even for a romcom that was a stretch. I really wanted her character to die but alas it wasnt to be.......

Jack Reacher

I was surprised by this, thought it was pretty good. Very old school kind of thriller but really well executed. Fight scenes very well done, solid acting, the odd dodgy bit of dialogue but all in all solid and Robert Duvall steals the film from under cruise's nose. I'd Definitely would wanna see another one made.

A V A

broken city with Russell Crowe and mark wahlberg , thought it was good

johnny_ultimate

Seven Chances: such a contrived setup - to inherit 7 million dollars, a man has to be married by seven PM on his 27th birthday. He finds this out at noon on his 27th birthday. In the hands of the genius that was Buster Keaton, it ultimately escalates into one of cinema's most breathtakingly rich, energetic and hilarious chase setpieces as he's eventually pursued by hundreds of desperate brides-in-waiting. Ever the master of form, Keaton chooses to have this all culminate in a battle against rolling boulders that needs to be seen to be believed.

And this is a strange compliment to pay, but the film has probably the most cinematically brilliant way of shortcutting driving sequences, with Keaton matchcutting himself starting up a car with an identical shot of his arrival at his destination. It's a simple but wholly filmic gag that is just one of many examples that proves Keaton deserves a place alongside the great cinematic pioneers of the era. The man was not just a great entertainer whose films are still absolutely vital viewing, but a technical master the likes of which we're unlikely to see again.

Judgement Day

"Intermission" (2003) on DVD. Somehow, possibly on television, I had seen the ending of this film previously and thought that I might understand it better if I watched it from the beginning - I was wrong. Despite having a cast with some of my favourite Irish actors including Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney and Cillian Murphy, there's little to recommend it. A humourless, violent waste of 105 minutes of my life. The plot (?) looked like it had been made up after reading a particularly crime ridden edition of the "Sunday World" and didn't work at all for me. Apart from anything else, I don't enjoy watching any movie that shows women being punched in the face - on two occasions - it may be realistic but it's not entertainment. Avoid! 2/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3m6wVmOZxc

Baked.noodle

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Ingenuous plot with only slight plot holes. Solid acting and Richard Burton and co. Haven't read the novel, but I will as soon as I can put my hands on it. Must see.

DazMarz

The Fugitive

A cracking chase film. One of the best thrillers out there. Tommy Lee Jones won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his turn as the driven, ruthless and sardonic US Federal Marshal Samuel Gerard in this.

The basic premise is that Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is accused, tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. He is innocent of the crime, it having been perpetrated by the now infamous "one-armed-man" (Andreas Katsulas).

En route to the state prison, other prisoners attempt to escape. This results in the prison bus crashing and becoming involved in a collision with a freight train. Kimble, one other prisoner and two guards survive. Kimble and the other prisoner make their escape.

Enter the Federal Marshals under the command of Samuel Gerard (Jones). They are there to recapture the fleeing men. Kimble does not merely want to escape. He wants to exonerate himself and prove his innocence. Instead of fleeing, he returns to Chicago, playing a deadly dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Marshals and the Chicago Police Department.

This is a tautly wound, expertly executed and frenetic film. Once the initial escape happens, it never slows down. The chasing cops and feds are always just that one baby-step behind the desperate but tenacious Kimble. Jones is superb in his role. The action sequences are superb and the revelations that follow as to what exactly happened that led to all this are also handled very well. Jeroen Krabbe is superb as the initially sympathetic but then devious and cold Charles Nichols, a friend and colleague of Kimble.

The film also contains the brilliant exchange between Kimble and Gerard as the latter chases Kimble through a dam's tunnel system:

Kimble: I didn't kill my wife!

Gerard: I don't care!

The above scene has been parodied and satirised countless times (most notably on The Simpsons).

Well worth a look for a good, adrenaline-filled thriller. Once the pace gets going, it never lets up.

Judgement Day

Baked.noodle wrote: »

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Ingenuous plot with only slight plot holes. Solid acting and Richard Burton and co. Haven't read the novel, but I will as soon as I can put my hands on it. Must see.

And a lot of it shot in Dublin - "Checkpoint Charlie" was in Smithfield.

ThirdMan

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've been trying to watch Greenberg for the past two days. It's so boring though I had to give up eventually.

I was about an hour in when I realised I'd already seen it. That's never a good sign.

johnny_ultimate

I Was Born But... One of Ozu's silent efforts, and a still impressive one at that. An admirably realistic portrait of childhood, with its pair of young protagonists not only charmingly cheeky but also forced to confront many of the confusions and disappointments of early life. The film also examines their father - a company man who has chosen to move to the suburbs to get closer to his boss, and often required to perform acts of minor servitude. It's a film where future dreams and actual reality are in constant conflict in bland, almost sinister suburbs, but as ever with Ozu the film remains sympathetic towards it characters, enhanced through his trademark low, intimate camera angles.

The director revisited many of the themes and setups in his later film Good Morning - less a straight up remake and more an intriguing expansion and riff on the earlier film's preoccupations and contexts. They compare and contrast in rich and provocative ways, and happily the films are both offered in the DVD / BluRay pack (although alas only the later film enjoys a full HD restoration).

One minor concern is not with the film itself, but with the contemporary score included with the BFI DVD. Despite an explanatory essay by the composer explaining how he attempted to capture the rythym of the film, the results IMO felt ill suited to the content, lending the film a more sober tone than necessary. The film is playful and energetic even during its slightly darker moments, the score not so much

briany

Sightseers (2012)

English black comedy about a slightly odd couple and their slightly odd caravan holiday.

Pretty downbeat at times (frustrated 30 somethings on a rainy getaway) but there's enough humour in there to keep you entertained.

The serial killing angle was a bit out of left field. It was predictable enough but given little context or background which made it less interesting for me.

Side Effects (2013)

Thriller about a depressed woman who agrees to take a new experimental medication which has unexpected results.

Although this starts out slow and seems like it's just going to putter along, the intrigue deepens as events unfold. I stopped checking the clock after a while.

Tipsy McSwagger

Taken

Watched it for the second time and it's a very poor film. Maggie Grace was 25 at the time, playing a 17 year old who acted like an 8 year old. The first 20 minutes are excruciatingly awful. Neeson is just going through the paces which is the norm for him now. It's basically a modern day Steven Seagal film with Neeson taking the lead role instead.

Miguel_Sanchez

Shotgun Stories.

Jeff Nichols first feature. Starring Michael Shannon and Douglas Ligon (who looks like Danny McBride in this)

Two feuding families begin a cycle of violence after the death of their father (the same man fathered both families).

Decent but nowhere close to Take Shelter.

johnny_ultimate

La Grande Illusion - ah, the intoxicating first viewing of a genuine masterpiece One of those perennial 'greatest films ever' candidates, Jean Renoir's WW1 set film (and the setting and themes couldn't have been more apt as Europe was on the brink of war during its production) deserves its esteemed reputation. It's an anti-war film, but one that doesn't resort to aggressive cynicism or extravagant battle scenes to make its point - indeed, we don't see the frontline at all, the film instead focused on officer prison camps and (later) the German countryside. Instead, it's perhaps the best film about the people involved in warfare. Backed by several of cinema's most remarkable performances, Renoir develops his characters and relationships with surprising affection. In the process, he illuminates the futility of the national, racial and language barriers that divide and provoke violence: a film where the characters are full of regret, sadness and confusion at the changing world around them. It's an immensely moving film, supported by the lively, accomplished style and technical wizardry that are typical of a Renoir film.

krudler

Judgement Day wrote: »

Apart from anything else, I don't enjoy watching any movie that shows women being punched in the face - on two occasions - it may be realistic but it's not entertainment. Avoid! 2/10

Don't ever watch Million Dollar Baby then.

Tony EH

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

La Grande Illusion - ah, the intoxicating first viewing of a genuine masterpiece One of those perennial 'greatest films ever' candidates, Jean Renoir's WW1 set film (and the setting and themes couldn't have been more apt as Europe was on the brink of war during its production) deserves its esteemed reputation. It's an anti-war film, but one that doesn't resort to aggressive cynicism or extravagant battle scenes to make its point - indeed, we don't see the frontline at all, the film instead focused on officer prison camps and (later) the German countryside. Instead, it's perhaps the best film about the people involved in warfare. Backed by several of cinema's most remarkable performances, Renoir develops his characters and relationships with surprising affection. In the process, he illuminates the futility of the national, racial and language barriers that divide and provoke violence: a film where the characters are full of regret, sadness and confusion at the changing world around them. It's an immensely moving film, supported by the lively, accomplished style and technical wizardry that are typical of a Renoir film.

You know, it's strange, given my interests, that I've never seen this.

Amirani

I went along to see We Steal Secrets (The Wikileaks movie) in the IFI last night. I'm a big fan of Alex Gibney, and though I don't think this is one of his greatest efforts, it's well worth a watch.

There's quite a neutral viewpoint painted on Assange, some favourable and some not favourable. Quite sympathetic to Wikileaks as a whole I felt. Some great interviews with people who have worked very closely with Assange and how they feel that he both created and destroyed what Wikileaks is all about.

Quite a good look at Bradley Manning also that I haven't quite seen before. It's a pretty terrible situtation he's in.

Judgement Day

krudler wrote: »

Don't ever watch Million Dollar Baby then.

Thanks - I just had a look at on Wiki and it's too depressing anyway but there is an Irish angle.

briany

The Call

Thriller centering around a 911 operator (Halle Berry) who has to save the life of a kidnapped teenage girl.

Kind of classic popcorn thriller really. Nothing massively earth shattering but what it does, it does well, for the most part and if you can ignore certain moments of incredible character stupidity.

Third act was laboured. Didn't need it explained to us why the killer was doing what he did. Would have been a much more contemptible villain had he simply been a middle class white guy who got his kicks from killing blonde girls.

PandyAndy

Happened to watch Seven Days to Noon earlier today as it was on C4. Not really one to watch old B&W films but quite enjoyed this.

Made and set in the early 50's, a head scientist who works at a military nuclear facility becomes disillusioned with his work and sets an ultimatum with the British PM to remove all their stockpiles or he would detonate a warhead in the centre of London.

One aspect that I liked in this was that the film never portrayed either the government or the scientist as 'the bad guy'. For instance, the scene with the vicar and the Scotland Yard chief does a great job explaining the moral reasoning behind the scientist.

Zeek12

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've been trying to watch Greenberg for the past two days. It's so boring though I had to give up eventually.

I know how you felt!
I just about made it to the end myself but it was a real slog.
Ben Stiller was one of the most un-likeable and irritating characters I can remember seeing in a movie.
I know that was kind of the point....but there wasn't enough of anything else going on in the movie to redeem it in any way or keep it interesting.

The Black Oil

The Conversation

Featuring Gene Hackman as a lonely, guarded and detailed orientated surveillance specialist, this was a suitably taut and intriguing thriller. Great to step back in time and see the mechanics and intricacies of analogue surveillance. The soundtrack wasn't half bad, either.

Fysh

Blackfish

A documentary about the treatment of orcas/killer whales in Seaworld franchise premises, and the repeated instances of trainers being attacked or killed. There are a variety of perspectives presented, of which I found by far the most interesting was the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Agency) rep, and it's fascinating to see the amount of naiveté and ignorance on display amongst trainers working there.

It's not easy watching, but it is worth your time.

krudler

Fysh wrote: »

Blackfish

A documentary about the treatment of orcas/killer whales in Seaworld franchise premises, and the repeated instances of trainers being attacked or killed. There are a variety of perspectives presented, of which I found by far the most interesting was the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Agency) rep, and it's fascinating to see the amount of naiveté and ignorance on display amongst trainers working there.

It's not easy watching, but it is worth your time.

This available online? (legally)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Fysh wrote: »

Blackfish

A documentary about the treatment of orcas/killer whales in Seaworld franchise premises, and the repeated instances of trainers being attacked or killed. There are a variety of perspectives presented, of which I found by far the most interesting was the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Agency) rep, and it's fascinating to see the amount of naiveté and ignorance on display amongst trainers working there.

It's not easy watching, but it is worth your time.

Hoping to catch this during the week. It's in the Light House until Thursday (at least), should manage to get one of the days.

deise48

where is this available to watch?

bnt

The Black Oil wrote: »

The Conversation

A bit of trivia: this film was the "price" that Francis Ford Coppola extracted from Paramount for agreeing to make The Godfather, Part II. :cool:

Today I finally got to see Trading Places (1983), with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. I've been keeping an eye out for it since I listened to a NPR Planet Money podcast about it, which explained just what was going on in those final scenes. The movie itself doesn't do a good job of explaining that (spoiler alert) Winthorpe & Valentine "shorted" the market for frozen orange juice, knowing in advance that the price rise was unjustified. (Instead of "buy low, sell high", they did it the "wrong" way round: they sold OJ they didn't have when the price was high, then bought after the price crashed to "cover" the short.) The co-writer of the screenplay also explained a bit more after the podcast.

What they did was actually legal then, but legislators brought in the Eddie Murphy Rule in 2010 - inspired by the movie. And yes, frozen orange juice really is a commodity actively traded on the futures market: the symbol is OJ, natch.