What have you watched recently? 3D!

pixelburp

Werewolves Within (2021)

A teensy bit too cutesy and knowing in its dialogue, yet a much better Edgar Wright film than Edgar Wright's actual, most recent release. A horror-comedy that somewhat lacked much of the former - with few definitive moments of terror, though lots of fakeout jumps - the comedy held up mind you; the humour mostly landing through its asides and energetic, enthusiastic cast, lead by the usually excellent Sam Richardson. The small budget was compensated by lots of clever and pleasing uses of the camera: whether it was working around the lack of any FX money; or just various funny visual punchlines - all following that crash-cut spirit of those early Edgar Wright flicks (or his TV sitcom, Spaced). The paranoia of the cast was often worked well through smart blocking of its characters, or constant bickering and crowded dialogue just the right side of chaotic.

All told, impressive enough that I'll be keeping an eye on Josh Ruben's next gig for sure; while even if it's faint praise to say it, this is far and away the best video-game adaptation seen in cinema. I doubt it'll make many people's best-of lists but the journey was funny, tense and it all looked great.

NIMAN

A Lost Daughter.

Don't waste your time.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118444190#Comment_118444190

Ya, I know what you mean. I was in a very easy going mood last night. Kinda enjoying this, but then it just got a bit too outrageous - the fighting scene between the 2 main characters, and then in bed together. No recovery from that for me.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118444154#Comment_118444154

Of the time? It’s only 20 years ago.

johnny_ultimate

Chungking Express - 15-odd years after I first watched it, I'm definitely increasingly of the view that Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece is maybe the defining film of the 1990s. A film whose remarkable style grabs me from the first frame and then goes some incredible places over 100 minutes. It's all so loose and freewheeling in the best possible way, as gritty and mundane as it is swooningly romantic. Wong drops 'California Dreamin'' like seven or eight times and every single one feels like the needle drop cinema was made for.

What's Up Doc / Targets - Hadn't seen these two before, so Bogdanovich's passing proved the catalyst needed to watch them. Two remarkable films in very different ways. What's Up Doc is my favourite type of cinematic comedy - the jokes are woven into the very visual design and editing of the film. The whole thing is basically an elaborate gag setup and release: every piece being put into place steadily until everything spirals into complete chaos across several anarchic setpieces. A delight to watch.

Targets, in contrast, slow burns in a much more ominous way: two separate narratives building to the most surprising of releases, where the magic of one cinematic era clashes with the brutal, casual, wanton violence of 1960s reality. Bogdanovich was quite the filmmaker in those remarkable early years of his career.

Maeve - a landmark in Irish and British and feminist film, and one that has deservedly been properly restored. Few films engage with the politics of the Troubles so deeply and provocatively.

Mr.Nice Guy

The Mauritanian (2021) - Important film elevated by a standout performance from Tahar Rahim in the lead role. It shows what Mohamedou Slahi was subjected to at Guantanamo Bay after being held there without charge. Uncomfortable viewing at times due to the subject matter. 8/10.

Edge of Darkness (2010)

2000's type thriller movie with nothing exceptional in it but it's not bad either. Mel Gibson is the protagonist up against bad corporate and bad politics. Ray Winstone supports as a sort ambivalent spook fixer. Worth a watch I think if you are in the mood for this type of thing and if like me this one went under the radar at the time.

6.1/10 (working off an IMDB type film scale here as usual)

crushproof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316472#Comment_118316472

Cheers for the tip! That was a great movie, just watched this evening and had never heard of it. Crazy how it had fallen completely under the the radar.

Thought Angela was great, funny how some young actors show so much promise and then fade away.

monkeyactive

RED ROCKET

A washed-up porn star clashes with his estranged wife after returning to his hometown in Texas.

From Sean Baker who brought us the Florida Project.

Similar Backdrop , dysfunctional Americana , Pink shopping Malls amongst suburban wasteland , lowlife neon strip bars and opioids.

This one however is a dark comedy rather than a socially commenting Drama.

I laughed a lot. Its a bit shocking. great character study.

8/10

Ray Donovan The Movie

Ray Ray is back for the finale of this epic epic series that for me stands up against almost anything ever produced for TV. The arc of this show from its inception was just a beautiful curve, with the brilliance captured in that there are so many characters that go through so many changes of life, ultimately all dictated by their childhood, with all the trauma's of old Ireland in their upbringing in Boston. If you never watched Ray Donovan, you have many hours of entertainment ahead of you.

Jon Voight now 84 running around like a spring chicken is something else, but Shreiber steals it with another fantastic performance that brings the show to a fitting climax. And it really is a climax, the pieces just fall into place and it all makes sense, it is a really brilliant culmination of every season gluing it all together. Shreiber who was nominated for Golden Globes for this portrayal of Ray for something like 6 years in a row without a win has been a character only second to maybe Tony Soprano in the annals of TV. Just under appreciated.

Mr.Nice Guy

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - Comic crime caper starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. Downey Jr. reckons it's one of his best films. I'm not a big fan of him but I did enjoy him in this and Kilmer is fun playing a gay private investigator. I was entertained by it and there were several moments that made me laugh out loud. I'd give this an 8/10.

Jungle Cruise (2021) - I thought for sure I would enjoy this as I'm a fan of The Rock and I like Emily Blunt, although I hadn't realised Jack Whitehall was in it (ugh), but it's just not very good. I didn't find it funny, the villains are poor fare, and the plot, even for a film like this, is nonsense. It's a jungle snooze sadly. 5/10.

pixelburp

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

Enjoyable and light-hearted, the titular robot creating the most laughs with the "fish out of water" inspired, innocent chaos. The light sprinkling of social commentary - specific to our increasingly social-media obsessed children - was welcome but given it was a children's movie, maybe it should have leaned further into the message that Social Media is Evil. Instead, the film tried to have it both ways. Literally: with 2 tech CEOs, one comically evil, the other more conscientious, only trying to make the world better with his invention. Felt like a fluffier version of The Mitchells vs. The Machines, to its detriment - but still created enough chuckles and entertainment to get it over the line.

monkeyactive

Encanto

Disney Musical Animation. One of the best looking animations I have seen. Very colorful and easy on the eye.

However whole thing is let down by lack of standout songs and comic relief characters, The plot is also very confusing and muddled. Hard even for an adult to follow.

6/10

Mr.Nice Guy

Snowpiercer (2013) - Never seen this film before and it was better than I thought it would be. The concept of it taking place on a train hadn't appealed to me but it turned out to be intriguing. 8/10.

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118532273#Comment_118532273

This is the complete opposite of the feeling for Encanto in my house. Since Christmas, my kids have watched it 20+ times and the soundtrack is on a permanent rotation. The best Disney movie in years imo.

homerun_homer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118532273#Comment_118532273

I'd be in agreement on this. At Christmas we stuck it on (three adults, and three kids) and none of us were wowed by it bar the gorgeous animation. I struggled to stay awake during it if I'm honest. I went to wiki after to make sure I didn't miss something vital to the plot cause it was seemed like nonsense, but no, it is just nonsense. I know some of the songs have gained popularity this month, I am sorta dumbfounded by it. I said at the time "would it hurt to have a catchy song like Under the Sea?"

Mad_maxx

Nobody with BoB odenkirk , awful rubbish , John Wick works ,this doesn't

RocketRaccoon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118556244#Comment_118556244

Ah now, I can't have this. Absolutely loved Nobody.

Clean (2021)

Adrian Brody self-funded thriller. Must be chancing his arm in dreams of putting himself forward to become the next Liam Neeson so as to rake in a couple of hundred million like he did but don't see it happening. Pretty short and inconsequential thing really. Just about worth the watch.

5.9 / 10

Sugarlumps

Monster Hunter - Rubbish, turned it off halfway through. Quiff on Perlman.

Small Soldiers - Excellent movie, still holds up incredibly well. Would love a sequel.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567170#Comment_118567170

Nothing to be guilty about; its a great film. Might have aged in some places I can think of, but its world was vibrant and unlike so many other films of its type.

monkeyactive

House of Gucci

The accents in this are a little awful. Maybe now Italians will know what its like when Irish people have to deal with Tom Cruise style Irish Hollywood Brogues as in Far and Away. It's easy enough to get over this though. The Plot loses Momentum a lot and it feels like it meanders but the Star power carries it through(Lady GaGA, Al Pacino, Adam Driver , Jared Leto. Not bad auld fare , little pedestrian in parts , gammy accents but worth a watch.

7/10

Mad_maxx

Another round with Mags mikkelson

It was good but not as great as I was led to believe

BruteStock

A Hidden Life. Malik teases the viewer with glimmers traditional film structure throughout a 3 hour run time but never delivers. Frustrating because this could have been a great movie with trimming and proper dialog exchanges.

The Salton Sea as mentioned above is an excellent show.

Meet The Parents still as entertaining as ever . Great comedy

I just watched the first episode of The Tourist. It's good so far, very Memento-ish.

And I just started ep2 to find Dewey Crowe is in the cast. Sold!

homerun_homer

The Worst Person in the World.

This was a great film, with some brilliant moments throughout. Funny, sad, and relatable.

johnny_ultimate

Renate Reinsve's performance alone would make The Worst Person... a must-watch. Thankfully, the rest of the film ain't too shabby either.

p to the e

I am planning to watch Titane soon so I decided to watch it's film spirit guide "Crash" (Cronenberg one, not racism one). Before going in I was expecting bumper to bumper (pun intended) scenes of car crashes and a few eyebrow raising sex scenes. I got the complete opposite. A lot of naughty bits and a few fender benders (ooh arr missus). The highlight for me was the Howard Shore score. Just paints a picture of twisted metal. A film I'd recommend if you're in the mood for watching an auteur perfect his craft but expect every character to have sex with every other character at some point.

Confessions (2010)

Odd film. Quite convoluted and ultimately not convincing (for me) Japanese revenge saga film. Dark. Still quite interesting but let down by over-elaborate and strange plot elements imo.

6.1 / 10

Fysh

V/H/S 94 (Shudder) - recovering somewhat from the nosedive that was Viral, this is still an uneven anthology film. I found it a bit frustrating that, having opted for a specific period setting, some shorts decided to pursue the relevant video presentation and aesthetic properly, while others just slapped a default filter on and called it a day. Which, well, why bother? The Jakarta-set short was probably the best of the bunch, though the framing-device story felt like it could have been better if it was given more space to breathe.

Guns Akimbo (Amazon Prime) - I stuck this on with a "let's give it 15 minutes" attitude, but it was better than expected and kept my attention throughout. Narratively it's like Free Guy crossed with Crank, telling the story of Miles, a shluh who accidentally gets himself roped into a duel run by a streaming snuff platform. There's not a lot of flab on it, the humour is dark enough to match the premise (and most of the jokes land, which helps) and the visual style has a fair bit of flair (it does a much better job of the style Suicide Squad 2016 had, but still falls a bit short of Edgar Wright, the current maestro of such presentation). The main downsides are the use of several bloody awful nu-metal covers of good songs during action scenes, and the use of post-production visual effects for things like blood spatter (the effects aren't awful, but they're not quite seamlessly done either). Samara Weaving does a good job of a more plausible version of Harley Quinn, and Radcliffe acquits himself well as a too-inoffensive-for-his-own-good guy caught up in increasingly deranged circumstances.