Movies you've just watched

[GaijinPunch]

Fallen Angels http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112913/

Never seen anything quite like it. I’m not entirely sure what I think.
Maybe Skykid can tell me if I should like it, or if it’s any good.

Takeshi Kaneshiro... that's a name I don't remember, but a face I saw all the time when I first moved to Japan, before gay was the new straight.

[Skykid]

Fallen Angels http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112913/

Never seen anything quite like it. I’m not entirely sure what I think.
Maybe Skykid can tell me if I should like it, or if it’s any good.

It's great, you should like it.

Seconding Emph's Chungking Express recommendation. Both are from Wong Kar-Wai's post Mood For Love/Days of Being Wild era where the themes are lighter and more of a social analyses or 'slice of life' in nature. Easy to watch and a lot of fun.

[Skykid]

AMY

That Amy Winehouse documentary from the guys who did Senna.

Great. Very fresh in its editing and direction, and compiled with so much footage it's amazingly insightful. Sad story, the girl was one of very few in the commercial spectrum who actually had talent.

[BIL]

Harbinger Down (2015) Forgettable creature horror with sub-porno acting and remarkably nonexistent tension. Lance Henriksen great as always, and there is at least one creepy monster design, swiftly undermined by cheeseball direction.

If nothing else, it's an interesting study of just what separates horror classics from their imitators. Direction, writing and acting are underrated disciplines. Confirms The Thing (2011) would've fared just as poorly with its practical effects left unmolested.

[Ixmucane2]

Bloodline

A low-budget slasher with a standard premise: porn troupe plus "making of" troupe begin a few days of shooting in a very isolated semi-haunted mansion with a large maze. 11 in, 1 out, film seriously unfinished but excellent "found footage" left to posterity.
There are some interesting ideas about combining psychic twins and a serial killer (of the very serious and effective type) with ghosts and walking corpses in a surprisingly reasonable kitchen sink plot.

There's a fair amount of homage to Dario Argento and other Italian horror authors (for example, an excellent abuse of agricultural machinery to kill someone and the deliberate involvement of Sergio Stivaletti and Claudio Simonetti), but also many funny moments (for example, the interview with the amateur actor while his girlfriend is busy with a scene: "We are an open couple..." "I like it when she has sex..." "Wait a minute..." "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!") and a conscious effort to hit as many clichés as possible.

Particularly low-budget actors, but bad acting is expected and funny in the "right" way (a serious dramatic tone would be inappropriate).

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Harbinger Down (2015) Forgettable creature horror with sub-porno acting and remarkably nonexistent tension. Lance Henriksen great as always, and there is at least one creepy monster design, swiftly undermined by cheeseball direction.

If nothing else, it's an interesting study of just what separates horror classics from their imitators. Direction, writing and acting are underrated disciplines. Confirms The Thing (2011) would've fared just as poorly with its practical effects left unmolested.

bil i am dissapoint. skipping.

[Ed Oscuro]

FINALLY watched the last hour of Gordon's War (1973, Paul Winfield & Harlem).

Damn, they packed a lot into the ending. Around the halfway mark I started to get a bit uneasy. Some good stuff here, but the violence is all firmly tongue-in-cheek and you can tell they were also wondering what to do for some of the runtime. That first scene of the drug overlords, though, hinted at what could've been.

Loved the core cast though. Well, mainly the supporting members of Gordon's Army (I really liked Carl Lee, who ironically died of a heroin overdose). Interestingly, Across 110th Street shares actor Gilbert Lewis with this film.

Ran across a blog about pulpy things:
http://craneshot.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html

[xxx1993]

Saw The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I enjoyed it because I'm a huge fan of Guy Ritchie, not to mention I heard so much about the show.

[Skykid]

Maggie

Watched with my Brother and Girlfriend. We couldn't take it, switched it off just after the halfway mark.

Morose, terribly directed and paced. Shittier than shit dialogue, appalling cinematography: just some handheld hack with a nice mobile phone lens staggering around.

Plotless, pointless, sterile, heartless and completely devoid of genuine emotion. Not gripping or engaging in the slightest.
I suppose you shouldn't expect anything special from a guy who makes intro sequences for video games, but it's just bad. You'll have rigor mortis setting in after 30 minutes.

Oh and Schwarzenegger was absolutely awful, completely opposite to the inept critical reception. Stick to guns bro.

[Ixmucane2]

Ant-Man

A significantly less epic story than the Avengers, as appropriate for a bunch of not very cool tier 2 superheroes without significant personality disorders beyond heroic or stupid-villain tendencies.
Fairly good acting (even Evangeline Lilly is decent), but the rather mediocre direction (for example, the awkward scenes between Hank Pym and his daughter) fails to realize the potential of the plot.
Watchable for scattered good moments and good ideas: several funny situations (watch out for Thomas the Tank Engine), some of the ant scenes and miniaturization scenes (a mere shadow of what could have been done).

[Satan]

Trainwreck - a vehicle for butterface Amy Schumer that's like having a fart and following through. Avoid.
Maybe if they made a live-action Miss Piggy movie...

[DEL]

Saw MI Rogue Nation on an IMAX screen.
Pretty good. Kept my interest for 2hrs and 20, so that's gotta be a minor achievement .

[Obiwanshinobi]

Blanche (1971) by Walerian Borowczyk on Blu-ray, with my mom and cousin (they both liked it, mission accomplished). The Arrow Academy release is superb, if only English-subbed. The additional content kept me glued to the screen 'till dawn.
Had a blast watching an interview with the director, produced for (I think) French TV in 1985. Quite a part of it is the interviewer's searching for any trait leading from Borowczyk to any other artists of Polish origins, in pursuit for some "national school". Borowczyk isn't biting, but I might point at one unmistakably national feature of his art - crawling resentment towards Roman Catholic Church. (Most anti-clerical Poles tend to be the most devout Catholics à rebours, bound for life as if the fundamentalist catechism did its job most thoroughly on them.)

It's not true that surrealism has never been popular with Polish artists, though. If not any "circle" of painters, then there was a certain "school" of theatrical & movie posters, stage design, book illustration etc. which had inflicted a great impact on two post-WWII generations.

Spoiler

[BIL]

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Gorgeously produced action movie with heart, brains and bravura chase direction. Vehicular carnage of this lunatic virtuosity could shoulder an entire movie - refreshingly it doesn't have to, strongly grounded in a savage world and driven by vital, endearing protagonists. Great stuff all around.

The Other (1972) Ambiguously occult horror whose idyllic setting conceals an uncompromising story of filial malice. Reaches a foul depth by its merciless end. Ultimately a little tepid as a horror film, but as a horror story filtered through summer sun it's memorably evil stuff.

[the_last_shmupper]

Wormwood on Netflix made in Australia!

This starts out as a boring, dull almost pointless zombie movie, but then I ended up getting into it. Buckets of blood, no plot, serendipitous ending, super powers and its own mythology that changes zombie stereotypes and mixes it with either fun insanity or something that will make you turn off your television. That's if you make it that far in. It was a challenge for the first 30 minutes.

[Some-Mist]

rewatched adaptation over the weekend with the chicky and still love it. she was completely surprised when it was over (as most people are) since the movie does a complete 180 about midway through. still has one of my favorite movie quotes about sarah marsh and one of very few nic cage movies that I like

Saw The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I enjoyed it because I'm a huge fan of Guy Ritchie, not to mention I heard so much about the show.

excited to hear that! I'm a huge guy ritchie fan too and I've been waiting for this one for well over a year. going to try and see it this weekend.

[CHI]

AMY

That Amy Winehouse documentary from the guys who did Senna.

Great. Very fresh in its editing and direction, and compiled with so much footage it's amazingly insightful. Sad story, the girl was one of very few in the commercial spectrum who actually had talent.

I was with you... interesting documentary/film indeed...

They Live 1988... the world that we live in

[xxx1993]

rewatched adaptation over the weekend with the chicky and still love it. she was completely surprised when it was over (as most people are) since the movie does a complete 180 about midway through. still has one of my favorite movie quotes about sarah marsh and one of very few nic cage movies that I like

Saw The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I enjoyed it because I'm a huge fan of Guy Ritchie, not to mention I heard so much about the show.

excited to hear that! I'm a huge guy ritchie fan too and I've been waiting for this one for well over a year. going to try and see it this weekend.

Ah, good! It's good, but Mad Max and Mission: Impossible are still my personal favorite movies this year.

[Ixmucane2]

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

A retro spy story (in the 60's, USA and USSR join forces against rogue Nazi leftovers ho are trying to build a nuclear weapon) of the cool and relatively lighthearted kind.

Guy Ritchie finds a very good balance and synergy between

• action (with less violence, and even less focus on violence, than could be expected)
• brilliant dialogue and funny situations (including all instances of someone having sex)
• eye candy (apart from the loving reconstruction of the 60s and the spot-on exaggerated environments of East Berlin and Rome, the cars alone are more impressive than in the whole Fast and Furious series so far)
• traditional espionage themes (treated with as much realism as the adherence to 007-like patterns allows)
• characters to care about, far exceeding the model of James Bond because they are even more implausibly glamorous, far more good, and most importantly a team rather than a lone wolf
• over the top weirdness and black humour, a very modern and personal style which (along with the just noticeable benefit of hindsight about the cold war era) is the only substantial difference between this film and what could have been done in 1965 with magical special effects.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Chanbara Beauty (Onee Chanbara UK DVD print) with my mom. Met my expectations.

[system11]

Martial Arts Of Shaolin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091607/

Mid-80s Jet Li flick, good fun - does not take itself seriously but the choreography is top notch.

[lilmanjs]

Martial Arts Of Shaolin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091607/

Mid-80s Jet Li flick, good fun - does not take itself seriously but the choreography is top notch.

The last official Shaw Brothers movie made until 2002. They went out with a bang. I'd also like to know how they found only sunny days to film on. A lot of Shaw stuff is really jarring weather wise, but for their final one, bam, all sunshine all the time. Good movie though. I take it was a Netflix watching? Seen a few Shaw movies pop up there recently.

[kaicooper]

just watched MAD MAX FURY ROAD blu ray

Best Action movie after THE MATRIX

[Obiwanshinobi]

La Marge by Walerian Borowczyk. "Spiral staircase"? More like "helical". Something of an "escape into vagina" story, I guess. Detail, detail, detail:







More music than in your usual (?) Borowczyk movie and it sounds like persiflage... until you get to hear Hafanana wane into Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Then it stays with you for a night.

[Ixmucane2]

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

A good representative of the traditional macho variety of spy stories, where people get killed for no particular reason, friendships and rivalries are more important than the mission, and the aggressive optimism of the good guys reliably beats the clever planning of the bad guys. Moderate amounts of irony, and the usual spectacular action scenes.

Compared to The man from U.N.C.L.E., with which it shares important elements (a true team of good guys, an amazingly beautiful Swedish actress in a central role, a traditional plot and setting, an unusually comfortable length of over two hours), it's clear that this fifth Mission Impossible aims lower: they are content with excellent violent action scenes, which although sufficient, in this case, to carry the weight of the whole movie should be a means rather than an end.

[kaicooper]

just Done watching

Kill List 2011

this movie guys..will be CLASSIC in future..really one of the best ever

[DEL]

Nearly finished reading The Martian book. Very pedantic survival story, but that's to be expected, and it has surprised me as a real page-turner
As long as I suspend disbelief with the radiation problems, its pretty good. Looking forward to the movie.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E starring Superman and The Lone Ranger. Not as good as MI Rogue Nation, but fun nonetheless. Superman's deadpan delivery really made the movie. The Lone Ranger also did a pretty good Russian accent.
Guy Ritchie shows that his talents lie in comedy.

[GaijinPunch]

Nearly finished reading The Martian book. Very pedantic survival story, but that's to be expected, and it has surprised me as a real page-turner
As long as I suspend disbelief with the radiation problems, its pretty good. Looking forward to the movie.

One of the few books I read. Yes, very pedantic, but an entertaining read. I never once thought "this would be a cool movie" and I still don't think it will be.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Although at my third attempt to watch Heat (1995) I still didn't make it to the end (something gets in the way every time), I found it little short of astounding. Not that I care so much for the characters or the story (live by the sword - die by the sword, what else is new?), nor do I think any more of Al Pacino's acting than I did previous time I'd watched his movie (at least De Niro doesn't take any job lightly, even in less than great films), no sir. It's just that:
a) the photography/colour/lighting are sublime*) (I'm considering getting it on Blu-ray) and
b) it simply tells things that ususally take more "serial" media to unfold, such as TV series. It's like a kiddy genre film for grown-ups. At least I suspect I would've struggled to watch all of it 10+ years ago. Oh I think I know which closet harbours a skeleton there, but it doesn't make the film any worse kind of ambitious, does it?

*) So many crime fiction flicks shot in LA, but never before have I seen desert area exposed with such compassion.

[GaijinPunch]

It's awesome, and always has been. I won't spoil it for you as you might not have made it, but there's an action sequence in there that is class A shit by today's standards, 20 years later. And while Mann misses the mark in some of his films, the cinemetography is almost always spot on.