What have you watched recently? 3D!

bnt

I'm gradually catching up with films that apparently everyone but me has seen, and with the Olympics coming up, I thought it was time for Chariots Of Fire. This year is also its 40th anniversary.

What an odd film, somehow managing to be both more and less than the sum of its parts at the same time. It's about two athletes of very different backgrounds who were being set up for an Olympic clash that never happened in the end, so for most of the movie the two stories are separate and run parallel to each other.

I did some reading about the events of the 1924 Olympics, and saw that the script did take some major dramatic liberties. (Spoiler ahead). One of the central plot points was Eric Liddell's refusal to race in the 100m heats on a Sunday, and this was portrayed as catching him by surprise and leading to a clash with the British Olympic Committee (including the Prince of Wales). In fact, the schedule had been published months in advance, and he had plenty of time to train for the 400m and make his preferences known.

High points: the Vangelis score is justifiably legendary, the composer somehow managing to make his synthesisers fit in to a movie set in the UK and France in the 1920s. All the main cast are very good: Ben Cross subtly portraying Harold Abrahams as a complex person struggling to fit in, Ian Holm going all East End as his trainer, and Alice Krige luminous in her major movie debut as his opera singer girlfriend.

The real star for me was Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell, in a performance that portrayed a quiet faithful confidence at most times, except when he's running like a loon. Liddell gives a short speech to a group early on, which Charleson totally rewrote from the one in the script to better reflect his character, and it's one of the most powerful moments in the film. I found myself wondering what had happened to Charleson: why didn't he become a major star? I think it would have happened had he not died in 1990.

briany

Isolation (2005)

On an isolated Irish farm, some bovine research yields unexpected results.

This was a film I had heard about back when it was originally released, but the critical panning it received put me off ever watching it. I put it on, nearly by accident, last night and the atmosphere of the opening credits drew me in. Irish horror films are usually pretty lacklustre. This film... is no exception. Ah no, it does have its moments but the plot is just too wonky to take it entirely seriously and that's a shame, because I thought with a few tweaks it could have been a much better film. As it is, the central premise of the film is left unclear, but left unclear in a way that comes off less as having to use your imagination to fill in the blanks and more as if the writers didn't really think the plot through. I don't know how to do spoiler tags on this new version of the site so read not beyond this point if you don't want things spoiled...

So, it was an experiment to increase cow fertility (ostensibly), with strange, sinister creatures developing inside the foetal calves the cows were pregnant with, but it's not made clear if these were perhaps some type of alien creature or something or if they were just a byproduct of genetic research gone bad. But if they were the latter, I don't understand why they'd necessarily be so aggressive and snappish. You get the feeling the researcher had ulterior motives he wasn't disclosing, but again it's never really spoken about. It just seemed very confused and didn't know what it was trying to be.

Snake Plisken

Just watched a fantastic movie called Pig starring Nicolas Cage proving he can still act! And you might think it's going to be another John Wick but never goes there. A very well made movie from first time director Michael Saranoski and also excellent supporting role by Alex Wolff

Might not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it.

Yeah, I agree about Pig. A really unexpected storyline. Though I kept thinking "Jesus, wash your face."

Tony EH

'Predator'

A band of muscle bound, testosterone fuelled, cliches led by Arnold Schwarzenegger are charged by a dodgy C.I.A. stooge to infiltrate some vague Latin American guerilla compound on what is ostensibly a "rescue" mission and find out that they are the ones that are in need of rescue as an otherworldly force has selected that particular jungle environment for its own hunting purposes.

John McTiernan's 1987 movie is full of nonsensical dialogue, macho stupidity, militaristic fetishising, ridiculous scenarios and poor acting. In fact, it's entire birth was based on a joke that was circulating Hollywood in the wake of the equally absurd 'Rocky IV'. But, unlike Stalone's movie, 'Predator' nevertheless provides so much goofy entertainment that's it's impossible not to admire. It somehow manages to overcome its various limitations to achieve 107 minutes of pure silly fun that any real critique of it is immediately redundant. And even though it's practically scriptless you still want to go where it takes you, right up to it's farcical conclusion where Arnie survives what appears to be a tactical nuclear explosion! Enough to destroy 300 city blocks, according to the sequel, but leave him unscathed.

However it's the pace at which 'Predator' gets the audience to that ludicrous destination that allows it to be taken in with a modicum of seriousness because things go by at breakneck speed and all the characters take their situation soberly which, for me, is always a win for movies of this kind. It's got a few nice grisly effects into the bargain, while never going into full grindhouse territory, and at it's heart there's a spectacular monster courtesy of the late Stan Winston who's team crafted an ugly, yet fascinating, creature that has stood the test of time.

These days, with 'Predator' being a household name, it's funny to think that at the time of its release it was met with a pretty lukewarm response even though made decent BO. But this has changed over the years and it's now considered a classic of the Sci-Fi/horror genre and quite rightly too. Today it shares a place beside the likes of 'Aliens', released the year before, and together with John Carpenter's 'The Thing' they are probably the epitome of 80's monster from space movies.

8/10

'Predator 2'

Unfortunately, and with complete predictability, this 1990 sequel just couldn't live up to the original despite having the chutzpah to set itself in a jungle of a different sort and not merely be a complete retread of Arnie's movie. This time the setting is urban as opposed to the tropical climes that Schwarzenegger and co. had to deal with.

In 'Predator 2' the Yautja (yes that's what the aliens are called despite the name never appearing in either story) has set out its hunting grounds in L.A. or rather the "future" L.A. of 1997 that immediately looks horribly dated and is even more so when viewed today. South Central has become a battleground of rival ethnic gangs who carry out open war on the city streets and are clearly immune to anything that the struggling L.A.P.D. try to do. Into this mix this particular predator has chosen to set its own tasks and is engaged in hunting down members of these gangs when he gains the attention of supercop Danny Glover, who's clearly not too old for this shit.

'Predator 2', while having good moments, fails to repeat the simple (and simplistic formula) for success that its predecessor employed and is often a laboured viewing in a number of ways. Whereas the previous film flies by, the sequel frequently feels like it's lumbering from set piece to the next and it never exhibits that pace which was so important an ingredient in the 1987 movie. Plus the film's original (and most interesting) concept of elaborating on who or what the Yautja are is utterly squandered leaving the audience just as bewildered at the end of the second story as they were at the beginning of the first.

In a way I suppose that doesn't really matter as there's not much to explain about the monster in these movies. So perhaps the lack of explanation, or even expansion, is to its ultimate benefit and in the end the movie practically requires the audience to ask no questions lest the whole charade comes crashing down.

'Predator 2' ends up just being ok in parts, while simultaneously being disappointing as a whole, and it's easy to see why it killed the series stone dead. However, flatlined franchises were never a thing to stop Hollywood and on the back of a series of relatively successful comicbook stories the Yautja would make a return in the mid 2000's fighting the Xenomorph in 'Aliens vs Predator' in an 80's monster mashup that was almost destined to happen and, in fact, was hinted at in Predator 2's conclusion.

4/10

bnt

I decided to watch the three Thor (MCU) movies, and finished the third last night. Quick impressions:

* Thor: A lot of fun and well-made, I thought. There are only two locations: Asgard and New Mexico, so not too hard to follow.

* Thor: The Dark World. It all got a bit Star Wars in places, with the starship chase scenes and a rather generic villain.

* Thor: Ragnarok. Some Mad Max vibes, and the most MCU of the bunch. More characters, callbacks to e.g. Hulk vs Loki in Avengers Assemble, and much chewing of scenery by the likes of Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett. Oh, and Korg: WTF?

There's a new movie Thor: Love and Thunder on the way, and just looking at the cast list gives me a headache.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117674950#Comment_117674950

Harsh on Predator 2! A 4 out of 10 would kind of indicate something is totally shite, Predator 2 is not in the shite arena if you ask me. Sure its not on the level of the first one, but its entertaining and having caught it on tv a few weeks ago, a lot of the action scenes hold up pretty well and theres a bunch of great set pieces. The finale is also pretty cool. Its not like it was a churned out predictable sequel. While I agree it moves a bit from set piece to set piece, the set pieces are done very well.

Im upgrading your score from a 4 to a 6.5 😁

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117681668#Comment_117681668

Well, maybe.

But to me a 4 is a just below average score. 5 being a really middle the roads picture. So, it's certainly not shite. But it's not that good either. The finale is ok, but it's the journey there that kills it. Although, mind you, I did watch it back to back with the original will still holds up very well. So 'Predator 2' after the original comes across as weak.

I remember liking 'Predator 2' more when I saw it years ago, while still thinking it wasn't a terribly good movie. But now, it didn't really do an awful lot for me. It's not awful and it's the best of the sequels/reboots that have been made, for sure, but that's not really saying that much.

santana75

Stillwater

Now this is a proper film. I'd read some reviews complaining about the pace or lack there of, but I thought it was perfectly pitched. I wasn't bored or felt my attention wander not even once, I was completely absorbed by it from start to finish. Matt Damon will surely get at least an Oscar nomination, he's not been this good in a while. But the acting from everyone, especially the little French girl is top notch. Well worth checking out.

gmisk

Truffle Hunters

I watched this slight but hugely enjoyable doc at the weekend.

Definitely one for the dog lovers. It was incredibly sweet and showed the amazing bond between the men and their truffle hunting companions.

conorhal

I checked out 'Blood Red Sky' over the weekend, a pretty nifty German horror/thriller about a vampire and her son taking an overnight flight to New York that gets hijacked. When the plane turns around the vamire is left in a bit of a quandry as to what she has to do now that the plane is headed towards the dawn..... hijinks ensue. Think Train to Busan, but on a plane with vampires.

7/10

No Sudden Move is worth a watch - a really fun shaggy dog story. Don Cheadle and Brendan Fraser are great in it.

The Suicide Squad - it's a lot of fun - I know nothing about the comic book characters in it, but it's good, dumb, violent fun. Sylvester Stallone plays a shark for gods sake.

Dead man down - 2013

Somehow came across this crime revenge thriller. from 2013. I found it different enough to be watchable. Although I thought the ending a bit rushed and even a bit poor. Colin Farrell and Nooimi Rapace do a decent job as the leads. Bit of a twist in that it's quickly revealed that they are on separate revenge paths. The Farreller does his obligatory lapse into a Dublin accent at one point in the movie, even though he plays a Hungarian arrived to the US a few years before. Still, not awful at all overall.

6.2 / 10

santana75

The Last letter from your lover

Dont ask me why I ended up at this but saw it this evening and I didnt hate it. Thought at the very least I'd get 2 hours of kip in, but I was surprised to see that I was engaged throughout its entire run time. What was more interesting was the response of the group of teenage girls I shared the theatre with......at first they were loud and boisterous, cracking wise and in general being teenagers and I was thinking my chances of that kip had gone out the window. But then something really interesting happened, after the first few minutes where they were joking around loudly, they quietened down and not a peep was heard from them for the rest of the film. And it was the same for the other women in the theatre(I was in fact the only bloke there). They were all completely and utterly captivated by this movie. Its not a bad film, but definitely nothing amazing, so I was wondering what had hooked them in so much? And then it dawned on me: It was the romantic storyline. They had invested in it hook line and sinker. Its like crack cocaine to them, this was their equivalent of how I would look at the champions league final or the olympic 100m final(or my new favorite sport: the 109+kg mens olympic powerlifting). The movie is alright, but watch it in the theatre and I promise you'll be amazed(if youre a man)at how the female of the species lap this up like it was strawberries & Ice-cream.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Watched Gimme the Loot on Mubi tonight. Adam Leon's debut film from 2012. It follows two friends, Malcom and Sofia, as they try to get $500 together in a day so they can pay off a security guard at Citi Field and graffiti the Mets giant apple. As ridiculous as that premise sounds the film is really just about Malcom and Sophia hanging out. The stakes are all pretty low, but it's a very charming and fun time.

Leon's second film, Tramps, is on Netflix and also a very enjoyable little film. Similar set up, two kids hanging out, low stakes, lots of charm. Both are worth checking out.

Tony EH

'The Warriors'

...or 'West Side Story' without the music.

Walter Hill's 1979 drama about New York gangs focuses on one in particular, the Warriors, who attend a large gathering where Cyrus, gang leader of the Riffs, is trying to bring other New York groups together to collectively control its streets. Unfortunately Cyrus is shot and the Warriors are blamed prompting them to make their way home to Coney Island and avoid entanglements with other gangs who are out to get revenge on them.

Lambasted at the time for its violence, and it's apparent affect of real life violence, the actual acts committed in the movie come off as incredibly tame to modern eyes and coupled with some truly awful (yet at times quotable) dialogue, it's impossible to see this movie in the terms that were expressed at its time of release. But 'The Warriors' had a significant impact on the discussion around such things and how movies in general were an "influencing" factor. A line that has always been highly disputable, but which raises its head on an all too regular basis.

In reality 'The Warriors', while in some ways mirroring real NYC gangs of the time, is a woefully unrealistic view and at times borders on the camp. But it's still a very entertaining and, relatively, harmless picture. Packed with absurdity and familiar non-star faces, everyone grabs what they have and runs with it making for an amusing 90 odd minutes.

7/10

'Censor'

Enid works as a BBFC censor during the notorious video nasties era that swept Britain into moral panic during the mid 80's. Haunted by he sisters disappearance years before, she begins to lose track of reality, when a movie she reviews prompts her to investigate further into a possible connection.

'Censor' works at times and at others doesn't, resulting in a very mixed bag. It's setting, while being interesting to me personally, is never one that's really built on and the story could possibly come off as a little confusing, especially toward the end. But it's held together well by a great central performance by Niamh Algar and has an undeniable amount of mood, tension and atmosphere.

6/10

'Frightmare'

Pete Walker's ludicrous shocker from 1974 is a decent example of British horror from the period. Offbeat and curious, but played completely without any tongues in cheeks, Walker's movie about OAP cannibalism has for some reason managed to pass me by with great stealth over the years. A film that I always meant to sit down to but for some reason never did, it's rewarding in a minor way but it never reaches any full potential as it's just too reticent for its own good and really could have done with going down its gruesome route with more gusto.

Another problem lies with its cast, most of which are completely outshined by the odd couple of Rupert Davies and Sheila Keith, who when they are not on screen causes the film to dip quite considerably. The story also waddles along in too many places and at just 88 minutes long it still manages to feel a bit draggy. But it entertaining just enough to warrant a watch for genre fans.

6/10

johnny_ultimate

CODA - There's a certain class of 'crowdpleasing Sundance hit sold for a kajillion dollars to a streamer' that set off the loudest of alarm bells. CODA (standing for 'Child of Deaf Adults') should fall into that category. But goddammit Sian Heder's film is too warm and charming to let that sensible cynicism kick in. You've seen this basic character arc a few dozen times before (young woman pursues her dream - in this case singing - but faces pressure from her family to follow another path) but some strong writing, all-round excellent performances and some absolutely killer scenes make this the good kind of 'crowdpleasing Sundance hit sold for a kajillion dollars to a streamer'. Only the 'inspirational teacher' side of things ends up on the wrong side of overfamiliar - mostly this a warm, gentle film that earns its big sentimental climaxes. Two late scenes in particular are about as good as you get from this very distinct, overpopulated class of American indie filmmaking.

Naked - David Thewlis offers up one of the truly great performances of the 90s here. He plays a wrecking ball of a character, destroying his life and others' with scant regard for any collateral damage. And he's not even the biggest piece of **** in this thing. Mike Leigh's film might be relentlessly bleak and intense, but it's difficult to look away as this strange emotional and physical rampage unfolds.

A Special Day - the great thing about Mubi compared to other movie platforms is there's a much better chance you'll stumble across some neglected or under-heralded masterpiece. A Special Day is one of those films - Ettore Scola's 1977 study of life under fascism is an electrifying slice of 1970s cinema. Two characters (played by Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni) have a brief, intense day together as the sound of Mussolini and Nazi propaganda blares out from loudspeakers all around them. The camera emphasises the moments of impassioned intimacy, but never neglects the loneliness, danger and horror of life in fascist Italy.

Zola - in some ways this is exactly as lightweight as you'd expect from a film based on a viral Twitter thread. But Janicza Bravo's peculiar but effective visual choices and Mica Levi's characteristically odd score give everything this fever dream vibe that seems quite fitting for the bizarre story that unfolds over a 72-hour road trip to Florida gone very wrong. Not quite at Spring Breakers level though as far as these lurid modern crime thrillers go, though.

Linda Linda Linda - three Japanese schoolgirls and a Korean exchange student start a band, mainly to play the Bluehearts' classic Linda Linda at a school concert. That's about it, but it's an unexpectedly chill, endearing watch that elevates a simple premise to a damn good film.

Mad_maxx

Green Book, perfectly nice movie with very good performances by the two leads but definitely didn't deserve best picture

"The Swarm" new French movie about a single mother who has a locust farm, and lets just say takes a questionable turn in her desire to make it a success. Didn't get a good rating on IMDB but this is well worth a watch. A very unique story, not quite a horror movie, but a horror movie. Engaging, realistic and very well directed and acted for a low budget effort.

Beckett

John David Washington in this throwback 70's paranoia thriller style flick (think Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor) set in Greece. The throwback style is the most commendable thing about it. JDW I found again bland like he was in Tenet. Watchable mainly for its randomness of trajectory.

5.7 / 10

silverharp

This is on at the Stella at the moment, went to see it last night, its well done and a nice musical trip down memory lane

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

Mad_maxx

Shazam, very enjoyable super hero movie, it's effectively a kids movie if you take out the seven deadly sins ghouls

Child 44

A grim and slow-starting investigative thriller set in a dour and antagonistic Soviet backdrop. It's more the oppressive system you have to worry here than the eventual villain. You need to commit to watching this one but it's fairly rewarding by the end of its 2h17 runtime. A very good cast with Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace leading with Gary Oldman and Joel Kinnaman in support.

6.5 / 10

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Why Don't You Just Die!

Russian film that's impossible to describe. A young man shows up at the house of a police detective claiming to be his daughter's boyfriend, but he's got a hammer behind his back and an ulterior motive for being there. It's very much a black comedy, packed with violence and blood, but it's all done in such a way that it's a lot of fun to watch. I've never seen anything like it, although it did make me think of Edgar Wright in some of it's editing, but like I think this is what Wright thinks he's doing, but this film does it so much better.

It's streaming on All4 at the moment, but only for another few days, if anyone wants to see it.

EDIT: I've just seen a review on Letterboxd that describes it as a Tarantino film directed by Wes Anderson, which is probably gives a pretty accurate idea of what it is.

pixelburp

Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

A B-Movie to its very core, complete with a whiplash of tone that crashed from near exploitation to deadpan earnestness. The latter carried with a brazen, confrontational swagger underpinned by the very last shot. Layered over all that was a distinct & often 1980s stylishness intentionally clashing with the WW2 setting; while the low budget never hampered the film, the confined set feeling authentic and the use CGI convincing. All of which meant that if nothing else, it left a distinct impression - even if I'm not sure what that impression was beyond slick superficiality. One thing I could be certain about: the film was brief. With credits, the runtime barely crept over the 80-minute mark, so this wasn't a film that overstayed its welcome. That's not to say my overall response was negative; because with that swagger, I'd be keen to see what director Roseanne Liang does next.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117789775#Comment_117789775

Thanks for this recommendation. Watched it last night, and found it intriguing, it has a very stylish production, and kept me entertained throughout. Very gory, it didn't turn me off watching it, which in itself was surprising, but I'd say a lot of people would not sit through it all.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117797749#Comment_117797749

I'm not a big fan of violence in films, but it's almost cartoonish in this one, so it didn't have the same visceral impact on me that other films might have. I'm not at all squeamish, but again there's so much blood that it doesn't feel like you're watching something even remotely real.

Jump_In_Jack

Anyone seen CODA?

I'm not sure if it has already been discussed as I don't know how to search the forum since it changed.

It really hit an emotional nerve, engaging and warm comedy drama. I liked it anyway.

Jump_In_Jack

Anyone seen Nowhere Special?

Set in Belfast, a terminally ill single-parent, as his health declines, tries to provide for his 3 year old son's future by meeting lots of potential adoptive parents, while he agonises over what to tell him.

Personally found it very hard to watch, emotionally shattered afterwards. But glad I watched it at the same time.

santana75

The Night House

This was genuinely creepy and disturbing put the hook in me big time. And it held the tension all the way to the end. A lot better than what I thought it would be. Rebecca Hall is very good, she has to carry the entire film and she does that really well. The story is strong and it looks great. Very solid horror movie.