Films Recently Watched

the dove!

Haven't seen Trance, but Danny Boyle is such an odd director. On the one hand he's likable because he's a bit fresh and raw and unpretentious, he's kinetic, he likes youth and energetic soundtracks, he's versatile....and on the other hand he seems drawn to cheese, vacuity, style over substance, catharsis-as-an-MTV-video....

I liked Trainspotting but I can't say I've liked any of his other films completely. They are usually decent, fresh, and somewhat appealing...but I just don't get what drives the guy. I think it's the general idea of catharsis and a breakthrough to find one's "true self" in the face of adversity, but the way he does it often feels almost laughable (like the end of Sunshine).

  On 7/8/2013 at 7:57 PM, lumpenprol said:

Haven't seen Trance, but Danny Boyle is such an odd director. On the one hand he's likable because he's a bit fresh and raw and unpretentious, he's kinetic, he likes youth and energetic soundtracks, he's versatile....and on the other hand he seems drawn to cheese, vacuity, style over substance, catharsis-as-an-MTV-video....

 

I liked Trainspotting but I can't say I've liked any of his other films completely. They are usually decent, fresh, and somewhat appealing...but I just don't get what drives the guy. I think it's the general idea of catharsis and a breakthrough to find one's "true self" in the face of adversity, but the way he does it often feels almost laughable (like the end of Sunshine).

Forgot Boyle did Sunshine, god that movie was shit....

  On 7/8/2013 at 8:31 PM, Danny O Flannagin said:

 

  On 7/8/2013 at 7:57 PM, lumpenprol said:

Haven't seen Trance, but Danny Boyle is such an odd director. On the one hand he's likable because he's a bit fresh and raw and unpretentious, he's kinetic, he likes youth and energetic soundtracks, he's versatile....and on the other hand he seems drawn to cheese, vacuity, style over substance, catharsis-as-an-MTV-video....

 

I liked Trainspotting but I can't say I've liked any of his other films completely. They are usually decent, fresh, and somewhat appealing...but I just don't get what drives the guy. I think it's the general idea of catharsis and a breakthrough to find one's "true self" in the face of adversity, but the way he does it often feels almost laughable (like the end of Sunshine).

Forgot Boyle did Sunshine, god that movie was shit....

 

Sunshine's an odd one...75% of it is pretty great...but he just suddenly goes and shits all over the film in the last act and turns it into one of the worst things i've ever seen

  On 7/8/2013 at 6:47 PM, Jimmy McMessageboard said:

I saw blade runner for the first time. assumed i had seen it because i knew alot about it and alot of the dialogue from music sampling it. turns out i hadn't seen it. i kinda hated it. the "final cut" version is a mess. i can't think of anything redeeming about it. go ahead tell me i'm nuts

lol

hobo with a dove

  On 7/7/2013 at 8:40 AM, Deer said:

A Field In England - This is one of those films that is either a 0/10 or a 10/10, i think it was a 10/10. I think everyone should see this film but its going to be like going to the see an abstract art exhibition.

Especially the scene (jesus, got goose-bumps just thinking about it) when Reece Shearsmith's character leaves *that* tent (edit: as tec mentioned earlier)

EDIT: YAAAAAHS, found the track that plays during that scene -

  On 7/8/2013 at 9:41 PM, TRiP said:

 

  On 7/8/2013 at 8:31 PM, Danny O Flannagin said:

 

  On 7/8/2013 at 7:57 PM, lumpenprol said:

Haven't seen Trance, but Danny Boyle is such an odd director. On the one hand he's likable because he's a bit fresh and raw and unpretentious, he's kinetic, he likes youth and energetic soundtracks, he's versatile....and on the other hand he seems drawn to cheese, vacuity, style over substance, catharsis-as-an-MTV-video....

 

I liked Trainspotting but I can't say I've liked any of his other films completely. They are usually decent, fresh, and somewhat appealing...but I just don't get what drives the guy. I think it's the general idea of catharsis and a breakthrough to find one's "true self" in the face of adversity, but the way he does it often feels almost laughable (like the end of Sunshine).

Forgot Boyle did Sunshine, god that movie was shit....

 

Sunshine's an odd one...75% of it is pretty great...but he just suddenly goes and shits all over the film in the last act and turns it into one of the worst things i've ever seen

 

I completely love Sunshine but I read an interview with Danny Boyle where he said they came very close to using Coldplay's Fix You during the climactic scene, can you imagine how bad it could have been?

World War Z

5/10

Dull. Poorly cast. Completely unbelievable.

Also, most importantly, there was nowhere near enough gore. Who makes a clean zombie film.

No thank you.

Still, I was mildly entertained.

Eh. If you have the choice between this and something else, go for something else.

I didn't read the book or comic book or whatever it was based on either.

  On 7/8/2013 at 11:27 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 7/7/2013 at 8:40 AM, Deer said:

A Field In England - This is one of those films that is either a 0/10 or a 10/10, i think it was a 10/10. I think everyone should see this film but its going to be like going to the see an abstract art exhibition.

Just come back from seeing it now. Bloody ace - and that soundtrack, shit me absolutely haunting.

 

Especially the scene (jesus, got goose-bumps just thinking about it) when Reece Shearsmith's character leaves *that* tent (edit: as tec mentioned earlier)

 

EDIT: YAAAAAHS, found the track that plays during that scene -

 

 

Wicked find, just read he is one of the blokes in Fuck Buttons too, I love it when stuff links together like this.

  On 7/1/2013 at 3:15 AM, eugene said:

yeah it sucked. was it supposed to be a big deal or something ?

I don't know. Discovering advanced multi-cellular life on another planet/moon in the same solar system would be a pretty fucking huge deal. And the crew of the mission sacrificed themselves (although some of them were stupid and would never have happened in a real mission, such as the one that went outside to collect samples and didn't come back when asked) to let the rest of the world know about it. I thought it was an alright movie and the found footage thing didn't bother me so much. It was good that it had decent science. I always thought it would be interesting to see a sci-fi movie that would be done as a straight documentary about, say a mission to Mars. This movie was close to that but had that extra drama tacked into it.

  On 7/8/2013 at 3:21 PM, MadameChaos said:

I tried to watch Trance once, didn't get more than 15 mins into it before I had to stop it. Bloody awful.

Oh crap I just realised i meant Ecstasy not Trance. I haven't seen Trance yet but I'm sure it's great. DOH!!!

  On 7/8/2013 at 6:47 PM, Jimmy McMessageboard said:

I saw blade runner for the first time. assumed i had seen it because i knew alot about it and alot of the dialogue from music sampling it. turns out i hadn't seen it. i kinda hated it. the "final cut" version is a mess. i can't think of anything redeeming about it. go ahead tell me i'm nuts

WWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT??????????????????????????????

  On 7/9/2013 at 10:49 AM, azatoth said:

 

  On 7/1/2013 at 3:15 AM, eugene said:

yeah it sucked. was it supposed to be a big deal or something ?

 

I don't know. Discovering advanced multi-cellular life on another planet/moon in the same solar system would be a pretty fucking huge deal. And the crew of the mission sacrificed themselves (although some of them were stupid and would never have happened in a real mission, such as the one that went outside to collect samples and didn't come back when asked) to let the rest of the world know about it. I thought it was an alright movie and the found footage thing didn't bother me so much. It was good that it had decent science. I always thought it would be interesting to see a sci-fi movie that would be done as a straight documentary about, say a mission to Mars. This movie was close to that but had that extra drama tacked into it.

 

i meant it as a big deal of a film.

the problem with this one was really poor characterization and very insignificant buildup, instead it wastes time on those found footage gimmicks and pretty images. there's no sense of amazement there, no zeal of discovery. compare this to "contact" for example, while a bit corny it nailed those two aspects.

  On 7/8/2013 at 6:47 PM, Jimmy McMessageboard said:

I saw blade runner for the first time. assumed i had seen it because i knew alot about it and alot of the dialogue from music sampling it. turns out i hadn't seen it. i kinda hated it. the "final cut" version is a mess. i can't think of anything redeeming about it. go ahead tell me i'm nuts

blade runner is the most boring piece of shit i've ever tried to watch. way overrated imo

blade runner is both an amazing visual feast, and boring. Interesting how it can be both, but that's the truth.

I prefer to think of it as hypnotic.

It's such a lush, deep, well-realized world...man.

Oh so that's why i couldn't finish it, excellent. I got about 1/3 of the way through the final cut bluray the other year. And then just got sidetracked, i was pretty loaded though, so i probably started watmming instead, heh, but still. My brother said to watch the cinema release as it's a lot tighter and more watchable. I agree with the visual feast and hypnotic though, it really does manifest an alternative reality well.

  On 7/9/2013 at 2:03 PM, Brian Tregaskin said:

 

  On 7/8/2013 at 6:47 PM, Jimmy McMessageboard said:

I saw blade runner for the first time. assumed i had seen it because i knew alot about it and alot of the dialogue from music sampling it. turns out i hadn't seen it. i kinda hated it. the "final cut" version is a mess. i can't think of anything redeeming about it. go ahead tell me i'm nuts

 

blade runner is the most boring piece of shit i've ever tried to watch. way overrated imo

 

Brian

I think I know the problem with watching blade runner for the first time now. The world has been copied a bunch of times. So it isn't new to me. I knew a bunch of the dialogue which sounded better in the tracks that sampled it. I knew the hidden twist which is never revealed in the film so that took away some of my enjoyment too.

i don't get why the first hour of the film needed to be that slow. it's not like the pace was decisive to tell that story. the film is mainly to be taken literally, so those very long city landscape shots are nothing but descriptive, contemplative, their only purpose is to set the mood. which is why the film is so dumb imo.

Blade Runner is a clunky masterpiece that need's to be watched a few times to appreciate the subtleties and even though the imagery has been ripped off sooo many times it still sets the standard which is quite amazing given it was made in 82. It's predominantly an expensive art film with a subtle insight into the human condition.

  On 7/10/2013 at 12:49 AM, Brian Tregaskin said:

i don't get why the first hour of the film needed to be that slow. it's not like the pace was decisive to tell that story. the film is mainly to be taken literally, so those very long city landscape shots are nothing but descriptive, contemplative, their only purpose is to set the mood. which is why the film is so dumb imo.

so I take it you didn't get the ending?

The Tall Man - quite an original spooky thriller with a twisty plot. I'm surprised this one slipped under the radar and I'm surprised that Jessica Biel can actually act! 7.7/10

The Girl from the Naked Eye - Sin City esque mid budget action thriller that whilst doesn't stand out in any particular area seems to be greater than the sum of its parts as it never pretends to be what it isn't even with obvious nods to other films. The cool stylish vibe keeps you going and the characters in it are quite amusing even if it gets a little long winded in places. 6.9/10

  On 7/10/2013 at 1:21 PM, soundwave said:

so I take it you didn't get the ending?

^^pretty much. Though you forgot about the hilarious consequences.

i can't remember the ending since i never manage to watch it until the end because the film bores me so much HAHAHAHAHA

what is there to understand? that the film tells an interesting philosophic tale with groundbreaking visual effects? i think kubrick's 2001 did a much better job in that territory, that's all. and the pace is as slow, if not slower than blade runner.