A few films recently watched.

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:22 AM, Hasselbalch said:

'A Short Film About Killing' by Krysztof Kieslowski.

 

I just had to check out more by Kieslowski after watching the Three Colours triology, which I absolutely adored, and this didn't disappoint.

What it may lack in character identification and empathy, it makes up for with the last 10-20 minutes. Just wow.

If you haven't seek The Dekalog (The Ten Commandments), I can't recommend it highly enough. A Short Film About Killing was based on Dekalog V.

I really need to see that Ten Commandments series.

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:20 AM, Candiru said:

I watched JFK a few days ago, and even though you have to take most of it with a grain of salt, it still thrilled the living jizz out of me. And on that basis alone I give it a 10/10.

I agree. Awesome movie.

I watched Human Traffic a few nights ago. I really loved it. It's kind of like a cross between Trainspotting and Metropolitan/Barcelona, or a Woody Allen film. I watched it to get a feel for what life might have been like during the rave period, I think it was sufficient and probably the best film available.

Also watched a documentary called Limelight which was quite good, similar subject matter.

  On 4/2/2012 at 2:15 AM, vamos scorcho said:

I really need to see that Ten Commandments series.

 

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:20 AM, Candiru said:

I watched JFK a few days ago, and even though you have to take most of it with a grain of salt, it still thrilled the living jizz out of me. And on that basis alone I give it a 10/10.

 

I agree. Awesome movie.

I tried watching this again recently due to watmm praise and I just couldn't get through it. It's so obviously preposterous...I find it really interesting that people can separate the art of the film from how truthful it may or may not be...too hard for me to do. Because if it were true, you should feel outraged, right?

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:55 AM, The Overlook said:

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:22 AM, Hasselbalch said:

'A Short Film About Killing' by Krysztof Kieslowski.

 

I just had to check out more by Kieslowski after watching the Three Colours triology, which I absolutely adored, and this didn't disappoint.

What it may lack in character identification and empathy, it makes up for with the last 10-20 minutes. Just wow.

 

If you haven't seek The Dekalog (The Ten Commandments), I can't recommend it highly enough. A Short Film About Killing was based on Dekalog V.

Yup, I know. I've been trying to dig up the complete series for an affordable price. Not the easiest thing.

red state - semi entertaining shit. god knows why tarrantino put his name on this? 5/10

  On 3/31/2012 at 2:59 AM, vamos scorcho said:

 

I put on Punch Drunk Love .... For one, if you didn't know, the movie is about an Autistic dude who is visited by a space alien. Basically.

 

wat

  On 4/2/2012 at 2:34 AM, lumpenprol said:

  On 4/2/2012 at 2:15 AM, vamos scorcho said:

I really need to see that Ten Commandments series.

 

  On 4/2/2012 at 1:20 AM, Candiru said:

I watched JFK a few days ago, and even though you have to take most of it with a grain of salt, it still thrilled the living jizz out of me. And on that basis alone I give it a 10/10.

 

I agree. Awesome movie.

I tried watching this again recently due to watmm praise and I just couldn't get through it. It's so obviously preposterous...I find it really interesting that people can separate the art of the film from how truthful it may or may not be...too hard for me to do. Because if it were true, you should feel outraged, right?

People are really outraged anyway, since there are waaaaay too many problems with the "official" version that the Warren Commission has force fed the American public. The fact is that we know we were all lied to, and the movie illustrates the paranoia and anger people feel as well as some things we have a right to suspect. The part with Mr. X, while being mostly fabricated to create a compelling story, probably gets very close to what was going on in the CIA and the Military Industrial complex before the assassination. Why he was killed. And it feels very creepy when you think about 9/11 and how or why it wasn't prevented when it really should have been.

  On 4/2/2012 at 2:17 AM, vamos scorcho said:

I watched Human Traffic a few nights ago. I really loved it. It's kind of like a cross between Trainspotting and Metropolitan/Barcelona, or a Woody Allen film. I watched it to get a feel for what life might have been like during the rave period, I think it was sufficient and probably the best film available.

Watched this on release, as I remember it's a brilliant film. The scene when Orbitals Belfast kicks in I remember particulary well, must see again some time soon.

  On 4/2/2012 at 6:36 PM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

  On 3/31/2012 at 2:59 AM, vamos scorcho said:

I put on Punch Drunk Love .... For one, if you didn't know, the movie is about an Autistic dude who is visited by a space alien. Basically.

 

 

wat

Punch-Drunk V.A.L.I.S.

i really love JFK, id say it's about 80% verifiable facts, some of the stuff like Oswald's picture of him holding the rifle being doctored has since been discredited.

Surprisingly the Australian newspaper story is also true, which to me is one of the more ridiculous and shocking aspects of the JFK movie, that they actually had Oswalds entire back story in a news paper 1 hour after he was arrested.

Watched MI4:Ghost Recon last night. Was totally everything I expected - two plums up.

  On 4/2/2012 at 10:37 PM, Awepittance said:

i really love JFK, id say it's about 80% verifiable facts, some of the stuff like Oswald's picture of him holding the rifle being doctored has since been discredited.

Surprisingly the Australian newspaper story is also true, which to me is one of the more ridiculous and shocking aspects of the JFK movie, that they actually had Oswalds entire back story in a news paper 1 hour after he was arrested.

Have you read Libra, Awepittance?

  On 4/2/2012 at 4:22 PM, keltoi said:

red state - semi entertaining shit. god knows why tarrantino put his name on this? 5/10

i thought second part was hilarious. maybe he did too. first 30 minutes or so drag like a MF, though.

Bad Guy: 8/10

Really good movie, it's about a lot of things I don't like via story and settings but boy is it well made and deep.

'Idiocracy'

Highly amusing. Not much more to say.

  On 4/2/2012 at 11:10 PM, Hasselbalch said:

'Idiocracy'

 

Highly amusing. Not much more to say.

And sometimes it feels disturbingly prescient.

Chinatown – 8.5/10 – This was amazing… this film works for the reasons that I felt The Artist did not: it didn’t treat itself like a genre film or depend on the genre’s novelties.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 6/10 – Very shallow film… it looked pretty and I enjoyed the score, but overall Fincher’s most forgettable film, I reckon. I spent most of my Sunday finishing the book which I was also very disappointed in. I praise Fincher for doing what he did with the source material, but I want my 2 ½ hours back.

Just watched Hugo with a friend of mine. Enjoyable really, definitely a 7/10. Very easy although the fact that war destroys the love for things always smashes me in the face...

  On 4/3/2012 at 12:28 AM, ex-voto said:

Just watched Hugo with a friend of mine. Enjoyable really, definitely a 7/10. Very easy although the fact that war destroys the love for things always smashes me in the face...

I think I really liked it, but it was the first movie I ever saw in 3D and I hated the effect. It made it feel like a viewfinder, as though everything was made out of cheap plastic, including the actors. Apparently, Hugo's 3D was really good? I hope to never watch another film in 3D then.

Senna - excellent documentary if a little rosy tinted including the cine film filters on video footage that gave it a nice vintage feel. I would have liked to have seen more on the Mansell rivalry but the inevitable ending was very emotional. 9/10

American Psycho - haven't seen this since it came out and surprised to find it as sharp as it was back then. Still Bales best role to date and it had me looking at Phil Collins albums the day after. You can really see where Dexter spawned from. 8.5/10

Lars and the Real Girl - Ryan Gosling on a platter if a little overcooked towards the end. Original idea and the dead pan comedy worked. hipster/10

Immortals - just skip to the end ten minutes for some very good fight sequences, the rest of the film is almost a joke that isn't very funny. 4/10

The Bridesmaid - a chick flick that's actually funny and watchable without the need for some token male pin up lead role! Quite witty in the first half but then folds into the usual sloppy romance drama chicks dig. As good as a chick flick gets/10

  On 4/3/2012 at 12:32 AM, The Overlook said:

  On 4/3/2012 at 12:28 AM, ex-voto said:

Just watched Hugo with a friend of mine. Enjoyable really, definitely a 7/10. Very easy although the fact that war destroys the love for things always smashes me in the face...

 

I think I really liked it, but it was the first movie I ever saw in 3D and I hated the effect. It made it feel like a viewfinder, as though everything was made out of cheap plastic, including the actors. Apparently, Hugo's 3D was really good? I hope to never watch another film in 3D then.

I just watched Hugo too, no 3D. I didn't like it, though I'd give it a 6/10 since the content succeeds despite the direction. Can I just say I dislike (even loathe) Scorcese? There, I said it. That felt good. I hate everything about the way he directs, from his cheesy lighting, to inappropriate camera movement and close-ups, to aimless pacing and editing, to obsession with DiCaprio...he's the most-hack-seeming of the most famous "auteurs" imo. Though I do like Goodfellas (but not, necessarily, due to the direction). I also don't like Ben Kingsley. Sure, he's been good in some films (like that mob film where he barks insults like a rabid dog), but he just can't communicate warmth, ever. He's got these twinkly little ferret eyes that just telegraph "humorless twat." I think that's why he doesn't get cast more often, despite his reputation as a great actor.

Saw "The Guard" too. I really, really like Brendan Gleeson and this is basically him reprising his role from In Bruges. In fact, the whole movie felt like a paler imitation of In Bruges combined with a Guy Ritchie film (or even combined with Hot Fuzz). That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just tries too hard in the "English/Irish dry mob humor" dept. You can feel it straining hard to be cool. That said, it does have one unique thing going for it, which is that it is understated to the point of being catatonic. If you can't understand the thick accents you won't laugh at all, as there is nothing in the body language or expressions that clues you in that it's a comedy. Sort of interesting in that regard. I didn't laugh once as I think I was trying too hard to hear what they were saying, which meant there was a delay as recognition dawned "ah, I get it...haaa." Pretty ok. 6/10.

Rewatched "The Edge" with the girlfriend. Man, Bart the Bear is such a good actor, he really makes the movie. Alec Baldwin isn't bad either. In fact re-watching this, I realized Baldwin is quite a good actor. 7/10, but enjoyable.

Half Nelson - 9/10

  On 4/3/2012 at 8:34 AM, zaphod said:

Half Nelson - 9/10

Yep, that was before I hated Gosling. You should check out Sugar. It is also excellent.

I don't hate the guy yet. He's made some shit decisions but he still has potential.