Movies you've just watched

[drauch]

Charlie Chong!

Parents rules. Creepiest performance by Randy Quaid ever!

[Acid King]

I watched I Sell the Dead yesterday. Solid black comedy about a pair of 19th century Irish grave robbers.

Finally I got something in the mail from netflix that I still wanted to watch the day it arrived and actually turned out to be a real good movie. The movie is Shadow of the Vampire. Dafoe's transformation into vampire-posing-as-actor-playing-a-vampire was one of the best performances I've ever seen. I stopped about 15 minutes into Shadow... and decided to re-watch the original Nosferatu, although it probably wasn't necessary. The best thing about the movie, and what I really didn't expect was how funny it was. I wonder how they sold this movie in advertisements, cause its kindof part horror, part comedic spoof, part drama.

Anyone else seen this movie? Care to discuss it / debate it merits / analyze it?

That's a good one. They didn't really sell it much at all. In the trailers they push the comedic elements, but marketing it as a comedy sells it a bit short, I think.

[neorichieb1971]

Zeitgeist moving forward -

I love these documentary style "The world is doomed" series. Some great insights on the mechanics of the monetary and market systems. Are we doomed? I think so.. Warning, its quite depressing in places.

I don't think its commercially available, but I believe you can stream it or download it without cause for concern since no copyright enforcement.

[Skykid]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.

[Shocky]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.

Yeah, it is greatish, not awesome though. Probably the best subway ticket inspecting movie ever, and third best Hungarian movie I've seen (after 'Rinaldo' and 'Taxidermia'). Rinaldo is about these mostly elderly people who fight against younger hooligans and criminals who try to take over their apartment block... Death Wish III of Hungary! Taxidermia.. well.. you just gotta see it, it's so grotesque it out-grotesques Grotesque

[Skykid]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.

Yeah, it is greatish, not awesome though. Probably the best subway ticket inspecting movie ever

Ha ha, definitely! Glad someone has seen it actually.

I really thought it was terrific (or awesome ). It seemed very sci-fi ish to me, like an underground world, but apparently that's how the subway system actually is there (I didn't travel it when I visited Budapest.) I really liked the characterisation and the cinematography was top notch. It felt like a lost 80's movie, especially with the main character having a specific coolness that reminded me of Judd Nelson (except this guy was a better actor). Even though it was made in 2003, it definitely felt like an older movie.

Would watch again.

[EinhanderZwei]

Watched Tobe Hooper's Spontaneous Combustion a day ago... Nice movie, very similar to Scanners, but this time it's all about pyrokinesis. The special effects are pretty cheap, but Brad Dourif is awesome (gotta love the 'BURN, GOD DAMN YOU!!!' line). Decent 80s sci-fi flick, but I still prefer Scanners

[Obiwanshinobi]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.

If I remember correctly, I even voted for Kontroll in the "best movies of decade" thread (not that I've seen many films made in the last decade). Reminds me of Alphaville in that it was also shot in a real city, but it obviously wasn't about any real city at any particular point in time. Depicted world is all made up, like in a fairy tale of sorts.
Subways of Prague and Kharkiv (Ukraine) I visited in the mid-to-late nineties had a similar vibe to them, although Kharkiv's overworld at the time was very unlike any former Austro-Hungarian city I've seen (more "Soviet" according to my imagination).

[Skykid]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.

If I remember correctly, I even voted for Kontroll in the "best movies of decade" thread (not that I've seen many films made in the last decade). Reminds me of Alphaville in that it was also shot in a real city, but it obviously wasn't about any real city at any particular point in time. Depicted world is all made up, like in a fairy tale of sorts.

Ah, so it is meant to be a fantasy/semi futuristic thing then? Either way it was very cool, I'm not surprised it got your vote.
Shame so few people seem to have seen it.

[CMoon]

Added Kontroll to my cue. Any sci fi movies out there similar to Tarkovsky's Stalker. I really should just watch it again, because I know there isn't. Something similar to Alphaville sounds good though. Kind of figures that any sci fi really worth much isn't being made in the US these days.

Nope, we get Mel Gibson's Beaver picture. I'm sure I'll be fighting with you guys for the best seat with this one.

Just want to say that Gibson is doing a fantastic job looking washed up in that trailer.

[Shocky]

Has anyone here seen a Hungarian movie called Control? If you haven't, watch it asap, it's awesome.
...
I really thought it was terrific (or awesome ) (...)
Would watch again.

Actually, now I dug up my old short review of it from 2004 ("...actors' every word and expression are spot-on...") and I had given it 4,5 out of 5. So it probably *is* awesome afterall, I just need to see it again.


Just saw Aronofsky's Black Swan. Goddamn what a stylish mindfuck! The best horror film since von Trier's Antichrist. And may have a shocking effect on people: The movie had to be stopped during the end credits because some woman had a seizure or something in the audience. She was yelling animal-like for many minutes, lying on the seat. People went to help her but it just went on. I guess this was a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stendhal_syndrome

[Skykid]

The movie had to be stopped during the end credits because some woman had a seizure or something in the audience. She was yelling animal-like for many minutes, lying on the seat. People went to help her but it just went on. I guess this was a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stendhal_syndrome

Just ordered my ticket.

Added Kontroll to my cue.

I think you'll like it. It's better than The Boondick Saints.

Kind of figures that any sci fi really worth much isn't being made in the US these days.

That's been a no-brainer for about fifteen years.

[spadgy]

I took in the documentary 'American Movie'. Greatest doc I've seen since the awesome 'Valley of the Goats'.

[CMoon]

Finished watching Tarkovsky's Solaris streaming off netflix. Holy shit! I've read Lem's book before and wasn't that taken by it, but here Tarkovsky captures all wounds and suffering. I think maybe I need to go back and read Lem. Certainly there aren't enough good sci fi authors. Maybe I just needed a really gifted director like Tarkovsky to show me how to approach Solaris, and how it could be both beautiful and terrible.

[drauch]

I attempted to watch STALKER about a year ago, but I just couldn't get into it at all. Regardless, I still really want to see Solaris...

[CMoon]

Solaris and Stalker are cut from the same cloth; I can hardly imagine liking one and not the other. That said, don't be discouraged. Tarkovsky (at least these two films) takes a lot of patience. If you aren't feeling it, come back later. Don't feel compelled to watch it all in one setting if it is too much. I personally think both these films are amazing, but they aren't films I can watch easily. Just take your time and come to them when you are ready.

I noticed Solaris is coming out on Criterion blu-ray in a couple months. I'm really tempted.

Feeling completely eastern-block, I watched two of my favorite animated works: Yuri Norstein's Tale of Tales and Hedgehog in the Fog. Of course, the two of them together aren't more than 40 minutes, but they are also a cut above pretty much everything. Where's my Norstein blu ray?

[Skykid]

Was real tired last night but somehow ended up watching the Death Note movie at 1am. Just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

It was 2hrs of complete trash.

[neorichieb1971]

Skykid,

Where is the middle ground? Its either trash or fantastic

[Skykid]

Skykid,

Where is the middle ground? Its either trash or fantastic

Dunno, I'll tell you when I find it.

That's not really true though, I watch lots of films I'd put in middle ground. Nothing incredible, but worth a watch. Like the Kite Runner I mentioned a little while ago, that would be middle ground.

Death Note was watchable in a switch off, veg out, totally dumb way (I sat through it) but that doesn't stop the fact it was glossy garbage through and through.

[DocHauser]

Any sci fi movies out there similar to Tarkovsky's Stalker.

Check out the post-apocalyptic films of Konstantin Lopushansky, who was a former protege of Tarkovsky. His best known movies are probably Dead Man's Letters, A Visitor To A Museum and The Ugly Swans.

Dead Man's Letters was co-written by Boris Strugatsky, and The Ugly Swans is based on a Strugatsky brothers novel (Stalker was based on their novel Roadside Picnic).

Brief clip from The Ugly Swans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGoIn_-kCTg

[CMoon]

Thanks for the recommendation. Doesn't seem like there's any legit way for me to see his films though. Still, that isn't really a problem in this day and age.

[Obiwanshinobi]

One film by Tarkovsky everybody should watch is Andrei Rublev. As close to "pure cinema" as they get, and I don't mean it in "video art" way. It just does something that wouldn't work with any other medium. Don't worry, it doesn't fuck with people the way Stalker does.
I hope nobody's gonna recommend anything by Piotr Szulkin. Utter me-too garbage in my opinion. Just everything that was wrong with this kind of SF in a nutshell.
Polish SF flicks worth seeing: Sexmission (Seksmisja) and Kingsajz by Juliusz Machulski. Jeunet & Caro must have watched these quite a few times. PAL DVDs can be had for peanuts if you dig around, but I have no idea if the English subs they come with are any good (there's that "language of the future" thing going and it takes witty translation to do it justice). Also, they should be watched with the original monophonic sound (some DVD prints contain it). The multichannel mix I heard was bad.

[Skykid]

Being in the mood for pain, I'm going to watch Death Note 2 on TV tonight. Wish me luck.

I found a review on the first film today on RT, an excerpt of which I found so funny it's gotta be shared:

"In thinking about what I'd do with a Death Note... I'd probably write my own name in the notebook while watching this movie."

[Obiwanshinobi]

Japanese live action films have been getting heat recently, but I watched a few episodes of Gokusen live action show (first season) and found it being quite good, if girlish and didactic (interestingly enough, the original manga isn't drawn like typical shoujo whatsoever). In places it's fucking awesome. The music!

[Skykid]

Japanese live action films have been getting heat recently

Well deserving I'm sure, but I have seen a couple of late that were pretty good (Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko.)

On the subject of Death Note 2, it was just as rubbish as the first, no more no less.
I liked the Gods of Death, they were the best thing in it.

[louisg]

Brian DePalma's Obsession!!

[EinhanderZwei]

Tried watching Flashdance... This is not the worst movie I've ever saw (the cake is still in Batman And Robin, Superman IV and Saw 4's possession), but I did not get why it was so fuckin' popular and launched the careers of Bruckheimer/Simpson and Adrian Lyne rather than ruining them. The story is ridiculous (never heard of strippers who want to go in for professional ballet), but it's not even the issue... it's all about crappy, crappy, CRAPPY directing and a hell load of pointless moments. I don't believe that there was such a serious lack of good movies back in 1983, so that Flashdance became such a box office hit. Well, it is okay for a collection of 80s music videos (gotta admit, Jennifer Beals IS hot), but for a real summer blockbuster... nah

[DocHauser]

I thought Death Note 1 and 2 were watchable enough. The spin-off film 'L: Change The World' - directed by Hideo Nakata - is really bad, though.

[neorichieb1971]

I liked both Death notes enough to buy on Blu ray. The tactics used are a bit OTT and it beggars belief that kids can run the whole good vs evil which comes across as pretty gray as the cops are stopping the bad guys killing bad guys. It does have similarities to Boondock saints in that sense which is why Skykid doesn't like it lol.

Part 2 just adds a few more jigsaw pieces into the mix. I did watch all 20+ eps of the anime which considering how much story was in there its quite an achievement to fit all that in 2 movies. The live action movies do copy the animes pretty much tit for tat though. Maybe it suits anime a bit more since its not live action.

I'd give DN1 an 8.5. I'd give DN2 a 7. I loved REM as a Death god though and I wish he was in it a bit more.

[Skykid]

I liked both Death notes enough to buy on Blu ray. The tactics used are a bit OTT and it beggars belief that kids can run the whole good vs evil which comes across as pretty gray as the cops are stopping the bad guys killing bad guys. It does have similarities to Boondock saints in that sense which is why Skykid doesn't like it lol.

Part 2 just adds a few more jigsaw pieces into the mix. I did watch all 20+ eps of the anime which considering how much story was in there its quite an achievement to fit all that in 2 movies. The live action movies do copy the animes pretty much tit for tat though. Maybe it suits anime a bit more since its not live action.

I'd give DN1 an 8.5. I'd give DN2 a 7. I loved REM as a Death god though and I wish he was in it a bit more.

To be fair, Death Note/s are probably better than the Boondock Saints - although it's a real marginal thing.

It's just trash movie making. I can appreciate it came from what is probably a thoroughly good read in the Manga, but it doesn't translate well into a believable live action feature - at least not with half-assed directing and zero acting ability from any of its cast. It was the Japanese equivalent of dumb Hollywood, in some cases even worse.
It wasn't unwatchable at all, just plainly ridiculous, over-explained, poorly scripted and convoluted to the point where any attachment you have to the characters goes completely out of the window because they have no credibility as real people.