What have you watched recently? 3D!

Tony EH · 23-11-2022 11:47am

'SAS Rogue Heroes'

WWII history by way of Guy Ritchie (no, he had nothing to do with it), 'SAS Rogue Heroes' is a BBC production outlining the creation of the famous British Army regiment during the North African campaign in the Second World War, all set to a rock'n'roll/punk soundtrack and modern sensibilities, like awkwardly inserted fictional female characters, just so nobody will get offended or anything.

'SAS Rogue Heroes' (or SASRH) suffers dreadfully from trying too hard to be "kewl", that it throws any authenticity the film makers may have tried to achieve out the window. Somebody, somewhere (aside from Steven Knight), must have thought that a show about the formation of the Special Air Service would make for a great series and, clearly, the Beeb threw quite a few bob at it. But, along the way, interference by forces unknown has rendered this almost unwatchable. Any sense of the times in which this is set is completely missing because of modern phraseology, despite attempts to get the visuals correct, and coupled with the aforementioned musical selections (seriously, Motorhead is in there), the viewer is continually ripped out of what they are watching at a truly uncomfortable rate.

Admittedly, I have not read the book by Ben Macintyre, upon which this series is based, but I have read numerous other tomes on the SAS during WWII and with the exception of Paddy Mayne (who really was something of a "mad Irish bastard"), the rest of the cast ring hollow as efforts to put these interesting men on the screen. The acting is fine for the most part with Jack O'Connell, as Mayne, standing out in particular...even if Paddy is more than a little overbaked. But as representations of the historical counterparts, it's mostly a failure. Which is curious to me, because the true life figures are incredibly interesting in the first place. The exploits of these men, those in the field in particular, also effortlessly hold a certain fascination, so it remains a wonder as to why the producers felt the need to bung in ridiculous 'Inglorious Basterds' type action scenes, when a realistic rendering of historical missions would have sufficed. In one ludicrous scene, four SAS men mow down an entire canteen of German and Italian soldiers who sit like gormless fools while bullets fly into them.

If SASRH does deserve any merit, it's in sporadic scenes of ad hoc training that the fledgling SAS engaged in. Jumping out of moving trucks, legs together knees slightly bent, to simulate a parachute landing really did happen and the commanding officers of the newly formed regiment genuinely had no clue what was involved in a parachute assault. Commendable efforts to get period equipment on the screen deserve a mention also. For instance the SAS men blow up BF109's - albeit in the shape of Buchons - at German airfields. There are numerous Afrika Korps Opel Blitz trucks rushing hither and dither. Willy's Jeeps, Ford F30's and Chevrolet WB trucks are the main mode of transport for the "heroes". The latter vehicle being a particularly nice touch. But it remains a pity that the efforts at vehicular authenticity weren't matched by nearly every other aspect in the show.

Another irritating touch is the continual referral to the Germans as "Nazis" and Italians as "fascists". I can tell you from familial experience that such terms were rarely, if ever, used at the time by ordinary soldiers. The Germans were always just "Germans" or "Gerries" and Italians were invariably referred to as "Ities". It's a small quibble for sure, but just another layer of annoyance at a show that could have been very good.

So, for me, it's very difficult to recommend SASRH. But that's with a certain caveat, of course, because the show is obviously not aimed at people like myself in the first place. So it may hold something for other people who watch it. One thing is for sure, however, the opening disclaimer of "Based on a true story, the events depicted which seem most unbelievable...are mostly true" is almost pure fiction in itself.

3/10

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 25-11-2022 1:26am

Spirited

New take on A Christmas Carol on Apple, with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. Its actually a decent "twist" on the old story, but its also a musical. Now I love a good musical, and the songs here are pretty good, but I think the version of the story they're telling would have been enough on its own to have a decent new addition to the yearly rotation of Christmas films. With the songs added its overly long and it definitely outstays its welcome. It's still better than I expected it to be, and for something starring two of the most annoying, one note, comedic actors, they're surprisingly not annoying.

flasher0030 · 25-11-2022 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119903078#Comment_119903078

Ya. I saw argin Call. Very good. I like those American movies re financial services, Wall Street, stockbrokers etc. Boiler Room is another good one. The 2 Wall Street films are good.

monkeyactive · 28-11-2022 2:12pm

The Duellists (1977)

One of Ridley Scott's earliest films. Set during the Napoleonic wars. Utterly convincing. The attention to design , sets and costume is spot on. I watched a Blu ray version and it looked beautiful on the screen , has not aged at all. Once it kicks off there is no doubt in my mind that we are in Napoleons France watching this story unfold. The dialogue in this film is like honey poured into the ears. Such elegant turns of phrase which further the immersion. Not a bum note in there.

The story isn't much to write home about. It's like a short story drawn out into a slow moving film. Its not so plot driven but that's not the type of film this is anyway.

Excellent , favorite of mine.

8.5/10

pixelburp · 28-11-2022 2:57pm

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Undoubtedly a very handsome film, and in many instances quite modern-looking with how it used its canvas to convey the creeping tension of its magnetic killer. It was a truly beautiful example of what a black and white image offers that's unique to cinema - with even a touch of German expressionism here and there embellishing the visuals; it's remarkable to think this was Charles Laughton's one and only film. Between being a flop at the time, and Laughton himself dying only 7 years later, Hollywood perhaps lost a potentially transformative directorial talent. The film also made a good fist of skirting around the infamous Hay's Code - though the utterly saccharine ending reminded how much of Hollywood was then in its grip. Despite those constraints the script and Laughton's direction threaded a distinctly dark, corrupting vein across the feature. Bar a few moments, Robert Mitchum's killer never hurried, never rushed; one could easily imagine a version of this where with a few tweaks and unshackled from the moral hysteria of the time, that was full-blown horror as we now know the genre. I'd go so far as to suggest this might be a distant ancestor to something like Halloween: the relentless killer, stalking its prey with almost supernatural talent and unflappable calm.

All that said, total enjoyment was constantly arrested by the performances orbiting its central one: no question, Robert Mitchum was fantastic with his smiling, sometimes lyrical menace; it was a role of performative charisma and light-switch mood swings. There were a few moments where scenery got a nibble here and there, but rarely all the same - and perhaps more a limitation of Mitchum's range. I was left baffled by the rest of the cast however. I'll be polite and call the bulk of the remaining actors' performances ... "theatrical". I've seen some reviews that speculated this was an intentional, satirical approach by Laughton, getting his cast to affect these big, almost farcical portrayals - but a satire of what specifically I couldn't say. Some actors were guiltier than others, but the more egregious cases often sank the mood of the film's tone.

Tony EH · 28-11-2022 4:09pm

Personally, I think it's one of the most overrated movies that I can think of. The praise that it gets is astounding. As you say Mitchum's role is pretty good, but even then there are moments of WTF in there too.

I've seen reviews suggesting that the performances are...um...elevated, because it's all supposed to be taken from the kid's POV. But, frankly, it all just doesn't work and comes off as cringe worthy. That monologue at the end by Lillian Gish is especially terrible IIRC.

It's definitely a case whereby if the movie was just shot straight, it would have been much better.

pixelburp · 28-11-2022 4:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119931539#Comment_119931539

As I said myself, the ending gets a big caveat for being what I bet was enforced by the Hay's Code; IIRC it explicitly required scripts have Happy Endings, good triumphing over evil, and the sugary sweetness was utterly at odds with everything before that. I'd not be surprised if the original script had something a little darker and more nuanced.

I think what it was was an incredibly striking movie from the point of view of its cinematography, and a bit ahead of its time; plus a bit of a progenitor for the Serial Killer genre. The story of it flopping & the director's one & only feature would only have added to the mystique of the thing. Certainly anyone watching it cold and without a bunch of those caveats in their head would find it utterly laughable.

Tony EH · 29-11-2022 7:10pm

'Pearl'

A follow up prequel to Ti West's 'X' that easily tops that effort by a country mile. 'Pearl' is the origin story of the psycho bitch that we meet in that movie who meets out a grizzly end to the pornographers that are using her farm as a location to shoot their movie. This time we are transported back to 1918, 61 years before the events in 'X' and on the cusp of the end of the Great War. Pearl lives on the same farm we saw previously with her joyless German immigrant mother, Ruth, and crippled father who appears to be suffering from locked in syndrome or something to that effect. Her life is spent between doing laborious farm chores and hopeless dreams of being a chorus girl in some low rent Siegfried Follies troupe. But from the beginning, however, we see that Pearl isn't quite the full shilling and she demonstrates a disturbing tendency toward casual killing, which spirals further out of control as the story progresses.

'Pearl' is a brilliant film and is fully confident in what it is. Wrapped up in a lovely package that is a superb nod towards Hollywood movies of yesteryear, its over all presentation is uniformly excellent. A stylised opening credits sequence evokes a 'Wizard of Oz' or 'Gone With the Wind' feeling and Pearl is an intriguing mixture of Dorothy Gale and Norman Bates. Not an easy combination, by any stretch of thought, but in the hands of a ridiculously good Mia Goth, we buy into her immediately. It's difficult to praise Goth's performance to the level it deserves because she really is fantastic here. She manages to make the viewer feel both sorry for and appalled by Pearl in equal measure. You would like to see her succeed in her naive wish of being "a star" and getting away from the miserable trappings of her farm life, but you also want her to get a permanent residency in the local nuthouse. The entire film is firmly anchored by Goth and, while there isn't a duff performance on show, she stands out with great ease. She's able to go from endearing innocent to chilling harpy in the blink of an eye which is really quite impressive and that closing shot of her over the end credits leaves an unforgettable impression of a fragile mind that has fully snapped.

'Pearl' is a much more satisfying movie than its predecessor, 'X', in every way and I actually think that it stands as a better experience viewed on its own. 'X', while entertaining in parts itself (especially in its nods to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'), tended to get cliched, muddled and repetitive, and had a penchant toward the prurient for the sake of it. 'Pearl' has no such issues and flows through its story in a much more comfortable manner. There's a third movie in the making called 'MaXXXine' which will chronicle what happened to the only survivor of 'X'. But, to be honest, I can't say that that will be a necessary addition to what's on display in 'Pearl'.

In any case, 'Pearl' is one of the most satisfying genre pictures I've seen in a long time so it comes highly recommended and I find myself unable to find fault with it.

10/10

flasher0030 · 29-11-2022 10:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119936357#Comment_119936357

I saw X and thought it was ridiculous. I had written Pearl of my watch list. But after reading your review Tony EH, I think I'll stick it back on.

Tony EH · 29-11-2022 11:00pm

Check it out. I was very pleasantly surprised after being underwhelmed by 'X'.

pixelburp · 30-11-2022 7:33am

Yeah I hated X, in point of fact. Just trash but not in a fun way, with some really weird subtext i couldn't ignore. It'd almost make me take a look at Pearl cos have heard others wax lyrical.

flasher0030 · 30-11-2022 2:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119938151#Comment_119938151

X was a strange watch. The old lady craving sexual attention made for uncomfortable viewing. Nothing humourous about.

petrderbikov · 01-12-2022 10:25am

I haven't watched anything in 3D since I rarely go to theaters. As for my favorite movies, I love all the old Jackie Chan movies, I've seen them many times. Very exciting for me these movies, Jackie Chan is a great talent because he is not only an actor, he is a good martial artist, director and even a singer. He's my idol.

loyatemu · 01-12-2022 10:49am

Watched Beverley Hills Cop as it was on Sky the other night. Probably hadn't seen any of those movies since the 80s. It actually stood up pretty well, I was watching it with one of the kids and he enjoyed it too. It's not as funny as I remembered and the plot is very standard but Murphy is at his peak and the supporting cast of "who's that actor?" 80s regulars (Stephen Berkoff! Mike from Breaking Bad! Judge Reinholdt!) are all good value. Top quality soundtrack as well. 7/10

Fysh · 01-12-2022 11:11am

I'm most of the way through The English (it's on iPlayer if you have BBC access) and agree with Tony upthread - this is a phenomenally cinematic and eye-pleasing series. The last tv series I saw that had an equivalent cinematographic quality was probably Twin Peaks: The Return (and that's more about how much I liked The Return, there's no shortage of good atuff recently). I'm curious to see how the last episode plays out - in many ways it has reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, but the beauty of the landscapes somehow manages to be just enough of an offset to the grimness and violence throughout the story that it doesn't feel as bleakly miserable as that book.

01-12-2022 4:00pm

The Menu 2022

As someone in the world of high end food I was very much looking forward to this, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Ralph Fiennes is an acclaimed Chef who hosts a special $1250 per head dinner on a special island for the elite, and a group of various diners arrive on said island to experience this culinary adventure. Thats all I'll give away on the plot as its best to go into this one blind. If you are into food you will love it, go see it in the cinema.

It is fantastically originally, extremely funny, shocking and just a brilliant piece of film. It's one of those rare pieces of work that holds you for every second of the plot, without any desire to be distracted, such is its unique story.

Fiennes was born for the role, and the satire of the film is so subtle and genius, incredibly serious yet also mocking itself and the pretentiousness of this level of food which in the real world very much coexists in equal measure alongside the brilliant artistry of it. 10/10, and I can't remember the last time I gave a perfect score to a film.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 03-12-2022 1:11am

Your Christmas, Or Mine?

Prime getting in on the Christmas films this year, and it's surprisingly not terrible. This feels like a genuine attempt at a Christmas film rather than one of those Netflix bad Christmas films. It's a ridiculous set up, and the main girl is kind of annoying, but this one is certainly better than anything Netflix have produced over the past few years.

As always, I think you can only compare these types of films to each other, and in that respect this one is one of the better ones.

Kind of funny how the rest of the Sex Education cast are seeing their careers really take off, and Asa Butterfield is doing this.

Mr.Nice Guy · 04-12-2022 7:25pm

I watched The Conversation (1974) last night for the first time. Brilliant film. Great performance by Gene Hackman, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I like how Enemy of the State (1998) feels like an unofficial sequel, similar to how Sean Connery in The Rock was to the Bond movies.

04-12-2022 9:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119956444#Comment_119956444

Wonderful score for that movie. And Mean Gene at his best

Decuc500 · 04-12-2022 10:02pm

Thought X was a near perfect slasher movie and Ti West can do no wrong so I can't wait to watch Pearl, but I hate origin story movies as a rule.

ILikeBoats · 05-12-2022 11:55am

Which streaming service has X and Pearl?

Fysh · 05-12-2022 12:44pm

Amazon Prime has X on streaming according to JustWatch. Pearl doesn't seem to be available streaming but looks to be up as a rental in the US. (Also in Canada for that matter).

Fysh · 05-12-2022 12:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119956444#Comment_119956444

I remain flabbergasted by how good this film is - an absolutely phenomenal performance from Hackman, coupled with tremendous sound design and a clever plot that is woven perfectly into the film without crowding out any of the character focus.

The Black Oil · 05-12-2022 8:44pm

She Said

Saw this on Saturday night, maybe 15 or so people which I put as a decent turnout given what it's about. Overall, it's solid and worth seeing. There are some striking aspects right out of the gate such as how sexual harassment is commonplace and normalised. That, plus the poisonous effects it has on those who experience it and how unjust things often are - silence, fear, NDAs, insane amounts of power in one person's hand and how this is kept in place. It had some tonal wobbles, I felt and I wasn't terribly convinced by Zoe Kazan. I listened to Kermode's review on Sunday and he said it has flopped, which I wasn't aware of. It's a pity given it's such an important subject. He said Spotlight opened very small, just 5 screens or so and built from there. This apparently opened on 2,000 and has fallen well-short. I also agree that this isn't as good as Spotlight. Whilst I enjoyed another look at how news story is put together, this lacks Spotlight's rhythm, sense of drive and how it all combines to leave you riveted by the scandal of the Catholic church, what this means to Boston and the inner mechanics of the Boston Globe. There is plenty to be angry about with Harvey Weinstein's behaviour and this is generally well-handled. This just isn't in the strongest examples of journalism on screen, imo.

06-12-2022 2:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119963154#Comment_119963154

Easily Nolan's best film for me personally and the best war film too.

Fantastic direction, cinematography and use of sound and music.

People thought that him focusing on just one event of the war was completely mad but it turned out to be total genius in the end as it allowed for a really well-contained piece in a taut and transfixing 106 minutes.

All without some obvious trite moralisation or good-guy hero stuff that makes many war movies age like milk.

A great ensemble cast movie where the events unfolding are the main character as something thought impossible (a mass evacuation from a beach as opposed to a port) was pulled off in a pivotal circumstance of the war.

splashthecash · 09-12-2022 10:47am

Watched Extraction on Netflix over the last few days, was a lot better than I expected. Very similar to John Wick in terms of death count and double tap being the preferred method of shooting the baddies and Chris Hemsworth plays the role very well. Standard run of the mill action flick with him needing to rescue a kidnapped boy and get him out of the city (set in India), where everything has been locked down and an army of goons are searching for them.

Also watched Danish film Another Round on Netflix which stars Mads Mikkelsen as one of four friends who are teachers, who start an experiment of drinking during the day so see if a limited amount of alcohol can actually improve your ability to get through your day. Interesting concept but obviously comes it's own problems. Could be hard viewing for anyone with a drinking problem, or has experience with someone who has.

monkeyactive · 09-12-2022 3:36pm

Bodies , Bodies , Bodies

An A24 Horror/Comedy/Thriller doing the cinema rounds.

Stars Pete Davidson.

I was entertained and enjoyed it for what it was.

Nicely paced , knows what it is , a horror comedy but not pure farce. Genuinely thrilling when its doing that and funny when its doing funny.

Really rips tongue and cheek into into Millennial / Snowflake Generation Culture

Good. 7.8 /10

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 10-12-2022 12:23pm

This Is Christmas (Sky Cinema/NOWTV)

Yes, I'm watching all the made for streaming films so you don't have to!

Except this one is actually kind of nice? It's still a little cheesy but probably leans more sweet, and definitely shouldn't be thought about too hard, but all in all I enjoyed it.

It's about a guy who commutes from this small village into London every day on the train. The same handful of people are always sitting in the same carriage with him, and he gets this idea in his head that they should all know more about each other. This leads to him planning to throw a little Christmas party for the carriage, and slowly but surely they all start to become if not actual friends, at least friendlier with eachother. And obviously there's a romance.

It's still definitely a made for streaming kind of film, but the story is sweet, the cast are all good, the romance is believable, everyone's got nice jumpers. It's an all round nice time. Definitely the best of what's on offer this year.

10-12-2022 4:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119978899#Comment_119978899

You’ve taken Del Monte’s mantle of watching the seemingly unwatchable! Gods work 😂

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 10-12-2022 4:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119979674#Comment_119979674

I keep trying to watch some "better" stuff but my brain seems to be on strike and this is all we're able for at the moment 😁

What have you watched recently? 3D!

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This Is Christmas (Sky Cinema/NOWTV)