Movies you've just watched

[EmperorIng]

The Hobbit was bombastic crap, yeah. I went expecting it to be LOTR-level mediocrity and was still surprised. Its too bad that all the visual/prop/costume artists' collective talent is wasted by a script totally insensitive to Tolkein's writing, Jackson's stark ineptitude, and the demands of an expensive hollywood blockbuster generally.

I remember being somewhat interested in the turn toward realism in sci-fi/fantasy that started in earnest around 2000. Much like with TV, it seemed film artists were awakening from a slumber of cheese and sitcom-irreality... but its pretty obvious that grit/edge/realism are now just excuses to indulge in crass violence and crude sentiment. Its very sad to me (and very apparent when I talk with strangers in any depth about movies) that an uncritical conflation between realism and "darkness" is seeping into the public mind--to say nothing of the next generation of artists.

We live in an age of skepticism and cynicism, my friend! No doubt there exists the connection between darkness and un-savoriness and realism!

For optimism's sake, though I'm going to invite my friends over tonight to drink and watch The Running Man.

[Raytrace]

Yeah I'm excited to watch Precinct 13 - I'm a big Carpenter fan and it's one of his movies I've never seen.

Man you are going to love it, so many wrecked nights I spent watching that :p -

'Hey, you got a smoke?'

and there's one particularly funny one involving coffee later on in the film - I shall not spoilzor but seriously - 100% classic

on top of that ridiculously shocking violence that comes out of nowhere at one stage, a bad guy who looks like Ché Guevara and another one who looks like Chuck Biscuits in Danzig era, and THAT synth bassline (well it's kinda a lead, but it is bass notes), just brilliant.

[Raytrace]

For optimism's sake, though I'm going to invite my friends over tonight to drink and watch The Running Man.

Watch Precinct 13 - you will not regret - guarantee

[system11]

Lawless - 7/10

Enjoyable prohibition era gangster film, focusing on the moonshine runners for a change and apparently based on true events. Story was a bit spotty in places, but it was strangely compelling and Tom Hardy was excellent as usual with good performances from the rest of the cast (even Shia LeBeouf). Good atmosphere and soundtrack too.

I have fair hopes for the new Mad Max film. Having seen Hardy's work in a number of films now, if anyone can play a Max that doesn't offend everyone's memories of the original trilogy, he can.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The Hobbit was bombastic crap, yeah. I went expecting it to be LOTR-level mediocrity and was still surprised. Its too bad that all the visual/prop/costume artists' collective talent is wasted by a script totally insensitive to Tolkein's writing, Jackson's stark ineptitude, and the demands of an expensive hollywood blockbuster generally.

I actually kinda liked the LOTR movies even though I wasn't too fond of the books, although that's more because I'm not so fond of Tolkien's really slow pacing when it comes to his story progression compared to other fantasy authors I prefer. I was seriously surprised at how much The Hobbit seems to be such an obvious attempt at milking a cash cow rather than actually making a genuinely thoughtful movie out of the book.

On the plus side it's getting pretty poor reviews on RottenTomatoes compared to LOTR, so it's getting the reception it deserves.

[EmperorIng]

Lawless - 7/10

Enjoyable prohibition era gangster film, focusing on the moonshine runners for a change and apparently based on true events. Story was a bit spotty in places, but it was strangely compelling and Tom Hardy was excellent as usual with good performances from the rest of the cast (even Shia LeBeouf). Good atmosphere and soundtrack too.

I have fair hopes for the new Mad Max film. Having seen Hardy's work in a number of films now, if anyone can play a Max that doesn't offend everyone's memories of the original trilogy, he can.

The only way I can be disappointed is if they are worse than Thunderdome. Which is an impressive feat.

Ok, the first half of Thunderdome was pretty fun. But you can never go beyond Thunderdome. You just can't.

Road Warrior was a great bonding movie for me and my sister.

[GaijinPunch]

I have fair hopes for the new Mad Max film. Having seen Hardy's work in a number of films now, if anyone can play a Max that doesn't offend everyone's memories of the original trilogy, he can.

Damn...didn't even know they were making one. Interested to see where it goes. Looking back, while the original is the original, it *could* be a bit grittier.

[system11]

I have fair hopes for the new Mad Max film. Having seen Hardy's work in a number of films now, if anyone can play a Max that doesn't offend everyone's memories of the original trilogy, he can.

Damn...didn't even know they were making one. Interested to see where it goes. Looking back, while the original is the original, it *could* be a bit grittier.

[DEL]

I bought The Dark Knight RISES. A pretty entertaining film. Tom Hardy was good as usual. His character Bane was Apollyon from the bottomless pit (he even climbs out of a pit, so that's confirmed). 'Sandy Hook' is indeed on the map next to Gary Oldman. I can now confirm this with my own eyes. Its the only name on that map. The odds against that happening are over 10,000 to 1, as there are over 10,000 towns and cities in North America.
Gotham is clearly the island of Manhattan and the Gotham Points of Interest board has the Fraunces Tavern Museum on it, which is a real place in New York. A place described by wikipedia as: "Fraunces Tavern is a tavern, restaurant and museum housed in a conjectural reconstruction of a building that played a prominent role in pre-Revolution and American Revolution history."
I'm not entirely sure what the banner in the stadium's crowd "Destroy the Monuments" is actually referring to...? But I did like the number 322 on the spectator's box above, which is the Bush family's Skull and Bones club.

Speaking of Revolution, the US President during the US Civil War/Revolution was Abraham Lincolm and by coincidence there are two Lincoln films released right now - Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

The World War Z teaser trailer looks MAD I'll be looking forward to that one.

[MX7]

While it's lamentable that there's a Mad Max remake on the way, take solace in David Michôd's The Rover, which is already sounding very promising.

These past three evenings I have watched 8 1/2, A Town Called Panic and The Raid. All three of which were strangely similar in their sustained intensity and immediacy. Also, all three were absolutely perfect in their own way.

Ridiculous amount of possible classics coming out this year, with everything from Wong Kar-wai's latest to the (very) long awaited Alan Partridge 'movie'. Absolutely no need to watch any cynical remakes or woeful superhero films

[BIL]

Tom Hardy was good as usual. His character Bane was Apollyon from the bottomless pit (he even climbs out of a pit, so that's confirmed).

No he doesn't. >_> SPOILERS AHOY:

Bane: "Bumboclaat... huff... huff... me bruk yuh. How yuh come back?"

Wayne: "YOU THINK YOUR THE ONLY ONE, WHO CAN LEARN, THE STRENGTH TO ESCAPE"

Bane: "Fuck yuh chat 'bout white bwoy! I never escaped. btw knife."

Wayne: "AHH MIRANDA YA STABBED MEH"

[GaijinPunch]

PCEFX -- stop hacking Del's account.

system11 - cheers. Actually saw that after searching around after your post. I assume a summer Cockbuster. Actually one of the remakes that might actually not suck. Totally cheesy of me to say that based off of one photo, but Tom Hardy indeed isn't your normal Hollywood jackass. And let's face it, we all cringe a little when we show our affection to old Mel Gibson movies. The dude just has baggage now.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Alrighty then, I'll leave DEL's account alone. No harm done, eh? Ha-ha...wink-wink

I recall back in the 1990s, Mel expressed interest in doing a proper fourth Mad Max sequel but it never materialized. Could it have topped the 2nd sequel of The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2 in other countries) in terms of all-out vehicle carnage, high-speed chases and what-not?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[system11]

Mad Max 4 is NOT a remake, it's a prequel co-written and directed by the original writer and director which has been delayed for a very long time. When the original film was made, Max was still in a place where some form of civilisation was soldiering on, so I expect it'll be more like the first than the second or third films. They intend to release it next holiday season.

[MX7]

Saddened by the news of Nagisa Oshima's death. His films were the perfect antithesis of the often tepid crowd-pleasers of directors like Akira Kurosawa. With Koji Wakamatsu's death late last year, it's been a big hit for Japanese cinema. I strongly recommend watching In The Realm of the Senses, which has echoes of Bataille and Ballard, and is a stunning critique of censorship and excess.

[Skykid]

Saddened by the news of Nagisa Oshima's death.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence? He must have been pretty old. I'll try to catch that recommendation.

'Sandy Hook' is indeed on the map next to Gary Oldman. I can now confirm this with my own eyes. Its the only name on that map. The odds against that happening are over 10,000 to 1, as there are over 10,000 towns and cities in North America...
I'm not entirely sure what the banner in the stadium's crowd "Destroy the Monuments" is actually referring to...?

Okay DEL, I'll give you those. They're kind of weird and a bit interesting.

[CHI]

Dark Shadows 2012
Resident Evil Retribution 2012
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008

[jambitboom]

I've been to and seen a lot of movies lately. In the last 2 months I've seen Django, Lincoln, The Hobbit, Skyfall, and The Guardians. In a bizarre trend, the movies that I thought I would like ended up as busts in my book, and the ones I saw because my girlfriend wanted to see them ended up being pretty good. I'll rank them here for pure enjoyment value:

1. Lincoln - A historic movie during one of the most tumultuous wars in the history of America...that wasn't about the war? Waay better than I expected. I should have had faith in D.D. Lewis, and Tommy Lee Jones put in his best ever acting performance.

2. The Guardians - Okay, so my girlfriend wanted so see this movie, and I reluctantly agreed to see it. I was very surprised at how entertained I was throughout. Admittedly, it was cheesy and had all of those convenient plot twists that make "it all work out", but I'm ranking these films on enjoyment factor and I enjoyed this one.

3. Django - Good film, but it went a little long. QT still has it, but sometimes, just sometimes, I think he might go "too far" for style. Props to Sam Jackson for his role here.

4. Skyfall - Okay, this was a different twist on James Bond and I actually like the movie, but I felt like it built a lot of stuff up to when they went to Skyfall, and then rushed into the ending. It left a bitter taste in my mouth afterwards.

5. The Hobbit - Picture train wrecks, war zones, and nuclear meltdowns. I couldn't have been more disappointed by the movie in this group that I wanted to see the most. This reminds me bitterly of the issues I had with new star wars. CGI is a tool, a powerful and good tool when used as that, a tool. But when used as a crutch, or in this case, as prosthetic arms, legs, and heart, it becomes a burden that you drag around for the rest of the film. This could have been a good hour and a half long movie. But the Hollywood Heads had to cash in and makes their money. I will not be seeing the next 2 installments! of this in theatres.

Well, thats my 2 cents.

[drauch]

3. Django Unchained- Good film, but it went a little long. QT still has it, but sometimes, just sometimes, I think he might go "too far" for style. Props to Sam Jackson for his role here.

[EmperorIng]

Mad Max 4 is a prequel? I thought it was a sequel where Max was going to contend with some of the rejects from Fallout: New Vegas' Legion (Rictus Erectus?).

[CDexWard]

3. Django Unchained- Good film, but it went a little long. QT still has it, but sometimes, just sometimes, I think he might go "too far" for style. Props to Sam Jackson for his role here.

Somebody apparently doesn't know about a certain movie from 1966.
Just today I read a rant about people just calling the new film Django because they don't know Corbucci's classic even existed!

[drauch]

As a fan of film from all ages and regions, it's quite obnoxious, especially nowadays with the torrent remakes of and revisions. Oh, Flight of the Phoenix with Dennis Quaid? Django with that guy from In Living Color? Dawn of the Dead with Ving Rhames? Etc.

Granted, a lot of things are usually adaptions from novelization, but one must still have knowledge--and respect--for release dates, original versions, etc. to communicate and understand efficiently.

Like today, I watched the 1965 Hammer production of "She," which is like the seventh damn adaptation of the H. Rider Haggard novel. Saying just, "I watched She today," provides insufficient information for talking about the desired film. Sure, saying, "--with Ursula Andress," is going to indicate which version and narrow it down to the obvious, but goddammit, it's just respectful and appropriate if you care about the things you like. PISH.

Not necessarily saying one is ignorant if you don't know there is a '66 Django that Tarantino got "inspiration" from, or that you aren't aware there are 2495 versions of She, buttttttt...

Shitty nerd rant over.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I get your drift, drauch. It's all cool when discussing a recently released film (remake) or talking about an older version of the same title.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[KAI]

Karate Kid 1 & 2

"Mercy is for the weak"

Lots of awesome moments, I never get sick of these movies.

[GaijinPunch]

And Elizabeth Shue is such a filthy woman. Love her. I miss that ripped back from Leaving Las Vegas.

[null1024]

As a fan of film from all ages and regions, it's quite obnoxious, especially nowadays with the torrent remakes of and revisions. Oh, Flight of the Phoenix with Dennis Quaid? Django with that guy from In Living Color? Dawn of the Dead with Ving Rhames? Etc.

Granted, a lot of things are usually adaptions from novelization, but one must still have knowledge--and respect--for release dates, original versions, etc. to communicate and understand efficiently.

Like today, I watched the 1965 Hammer production of "She," which is like the seventh damn adaptation of the H. Rider Haggard novel. Saying just, "I watched She today," provides insufficient information for talking about the desired film. Sure, saying, "--with Ursula Andress," is going to indicate which version and narrow it down to the obvious, but goddammit, it's just respectful and appropriate if you care about the things you like. PISH.

Not necessarily saying one is ignorant if you don't know there is a '66 Django that Tarantino got "inspiration" from, or that you aren't aware there are 2495 versions of She, buttttttt...

Shitty nerd rant over.

Easy way to solve most issues like this - put release year next to title, so Django (2012) would be obviously not Django (1966).
Although if you're shortening it to just Django instead of typing out Django Unchained, you probably aren't going to do that...

[xbl0x180]

I have the Anchor Bay VHS of Django... and that's pretty much the only Django that counts

[CMoon]

For anyone who cares, Cocteau's Orpheus is in HD on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWqXjlr0 ... e=youtu.be

Seems to be a direct rip of the criterion disc. Wonder how much of that is going on.

[blackoak]

Saw Excalibur last night for the first time (that I can remember, though many scenes were familiar to me from childhood viewings, no doubt). FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. So good, and great feeling to discover an older gem like this. I knew it was Boorman, but for some reason my mind never connected that he also directed another of my favorite films, Deliverance.

Its so funny, I kept thinking as I watched it that LOTR needed someone with this kind of directorial insight and personality... then I read Boorman was actually trying to make LOTR before this! And that Excalibur uses several sets and ideas from his LOTR scripts. Whether Boorman personally would have made a better film than Jackson, I can't say; I suspect he might have gone too far and produced something too mythological/reductionist/"psychological", so I'm kind of glad the more suitable Arthur legends were chosen instead. In the use of myth as an expressionist canvas, I was reminded of Henson's The Storyteller, too.

I also find it interesting that someone would love this film but hate Legend. They play in different emotional fields, and I won't deny that Excalibur is the far superior film, but a key aspect of their presentation is so similar, with everything reduced to high emotion, symbol, allegory, "man" and "nature" etc etc. Going to rewatch Legend soon so I can respond to the stuff a few pages back, should be fun.

[drauch]

Cmoon and I were talking about Boorman awhile back. I've actually got a copy of Excalibur on the way. I've only seen bits and pieces of it, so I'll give my full opinion once it arrives. Quite excited!