Movies you've just watched

[GaijinPunch]

Not your harshest review, but I rate it higher. I also am a bit more in awe on the technical side than most viewers. They shot in natural light only for the entire film. That is a fucker in that environment. I think a good director takes you to another place... another time in this case... one that I felt I had a better understanding of after the film. That means something.

[BIL]

I've had the biggest nerdsmug all year at articles explaining what a "revenant" is to the plebs. DOOM II YOU UNWASHED CRETINS

[Skykid]

Not your harshest review, but I rate it higher. I also am a bit more in awe on the technical side than most viewers. They shot in natural light only for the entire film. That is a fucker in that environment. I think a good director takes you to another place... another time in this case... one that I felt I had a better understanding of after the film. That means something.

I'd agree, but a director has more requirements to fulfil than just creating a believable world. He needs to have a grip on narrative, pacing, plot development and actors. I don't actually think minimal dialogue and a simple hunter theme is at all a bad idea - in fact it's the sort of thing I like - but in this case it was unnecessarily overstretched. Well overstretched, from a technical perspective, but overstretched nonetheless.

The dialogue when it did occur was perfunctory and tame, no grit or depth, occasionally hackneyed (thinking of Hardy's "Hey Glass, is it true you shot an officer" rile-up).

Technical craft is really what the film showboated, while other aspects weren't quite as rounded, and that left me cold. I appreciated the things you can do with rolling shots and subtle CGI, but I wanted more grip from the narrative itself.

An example of a similar period epic would be Apocalypto. It's more commercial and less artistic or technically virtuoso, but it has a better pace and drive, and the intrigue is stronger despite amounting to a similar revenge themed escapade, and its various episodes amount to a more memorable - and rewatchable - journey.

I don't think I'd bother with The Revenant again tbh.

[Squire Grooktook]

and that left me cold.

Pun intended?

[GaijinPunch]

Apocalypto was pretty amazing, but I think it's paced better b/c it's a 2 hour chase scene. Fury Road is basically Apocalypto in the future w/ huge vehicles.

Not sure if I'd own the BluRay, but I would recommend it to anyone.

[neorichieb1971]

Apocalypto was pretty amazing, but I think it's paced better b/c it's a 2 hour chase scene. Fury Road is basically Apocalypto in the future w/ huge vehicles.

Not sure if I'd own the BluRay, but I would recommend it to anyone.

I wouldn't call it amazing when it relied on a well timed solar eclipse and a "cartoon spear throw" to drive the story.

It was entertaining though.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Guy on the left seems like Mel Gibson's alter ego nowadays. I did enjoy re-watching Air America recently, but Jesus wept (or so I heard).

[Skykid]

and that left me cold.

Pun intended?

Yep!

Apocalypto was pretty amazing, but I think it's paced better b/c it's a 2 hour chase scene. Fury Road is basically Apocalypto in the future w/ huge vehicles.

Not sure if I'd own the BluRay, but I would recommend it to anyone.

I wouldn't call it amazing when it relied on a well timed solar eclipse and a "cartoon spear throw" to drive the story.

It was entertaining though.

Apocalypto does a fine job of having not too much Hollywood to ruin the spectacle of an ancient civilisation and just enough Hollywood to include an easily digestible entertainment factor. God's will solar eclipses and spearing people in a game of reach the treeline before being impaled are part of what made it fun.

One could argue the subject matter would benefit from more seriousness, but as The Revenant demonstrates, there are possible cons to the prospective pros depending on the man at the helm.

As an overall piece of entertainment, and from a purely superficial perspective, Apocalypto may well be the superior movie.

[MintyTheCat]

Carpenter's The Thing is one of those rare cases where the remake is as good if not better than the original. Howard Hawks was all about the characters and the dialog, and not so much about whatever the film was actually supposed to be (in this case, horror). So if you want a "comedy conversation piece", with witty dialogue and whimsical characters, you watch the original. If you want an actual horror film, you watch the remake.

I have to say that Carpenter's The Thing is one of my favourite horror films. I usually watch it every year. I could not find it last time I looked for it to watch so I shall have to get a good region 1 DVD with all the extras. I also have it on japanese Laserdisc which has really good artwork.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Burn After Reading - many actors I'd seen before seemed to have a good time (usually beneficial to a film), but I'm feeling short-changed. Like the novel Katar by Lem, comes as a vanity project of sorts. Kind of "see what I did there?" when I'm not really seeing much. Well, it was a cheap DVD and I watched it smoothly alright. Thanks, I guess.

[GaijinPunch]

Burn After Reading - many actors I'd seen before seemed to have a good time (usually beneficial to a film), but I'm feeling short-changed. Like the novel Katar by Lem, comes as a vanity project of sorts. Kind of "see what I did there?" when I'm not really seeing much. Well, it was a cheap DVD and I watched it smoothly alright. Thanks, I guess.

Coen Brothers' most underrated. It's hilarious and awesome. You not thinking so highly of it solidifies these statements.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Off-screen narration's absence in Burn After Reading elevates it above Raising Arizona, at least.

Dark Horse (2005, Denmark-Iceland) - one actor kept reminding me of John Lurie somehow, perhaps due to the lot being rather like Jim Jarmush movies (Stranger Than Paradise and such).

[GaijinPunch]

Off-screen narration's absence in Burn After Reading elevates it above Raising Arizona, at least.

Fail. That's their best comedy, a staple of the 80's, and perhaps the one reason why nobody should ever fully hate Nicolas Cage... just mainly hate him. I could see it being pretty meaningless if you're not American though.

[Skykid]

Off-screen narration's absence in Burn After Reading elevates it above Raising Arizona, at least.

Fail. That's their best comedy, a staple of the 80's, and perhaps the one reason why nobody should ever fully hate Nicolas Cage... just mainly hate him. I could see it being pretty meaningless if you're not American though.

Perfect statement.

Raising Arizona is fucking wonderful. The only movie where Cage was manipulated by superior filmmakers into being well cast and giving an able performance. That film is a riot.

Burn After Reading is also very funny and I really enjoyed it in the theatre. It's no Arizona but I'd agree it's usually critically misjudged.

. You not thinking so highly of it solidifies these statements.

Also a perfect statement.

@obishinobiz

What is all this crap about "off-screen narration" being responsible for the downfall of an entire movie? Is this the same as a game being worthless if it's not 60fps?

[GaijinPunch]

What can I say, I'm on a roll.

Small parts, but I thought Malkovich and (really small role) JK Simmons were excellent.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Thing related

[GaijinPunch]

^^^ Amazing

[BIL]

sub-fucken-scribed

edit: ahaha, went to get the PINGU VER and it's by the same guy, figures. It's rad too.

Let's chuck in The Thing: The Musical for the poor souls who've not heard it yet. Beware, spoils entire movie and is as insidiously catchy as the alien horror itself. Tied to this fuck-ing couuuuch!

[Pedro Lambrini]

I finally got around to watching the new Star Wars. It wasn't as bad as I feared. Kinda felt like JJ watched the Mr Plinkett videos and paid attention... All in all, not too bad a remake (it's essentially the same as the first film). I quite liked that. It's the way great stories should be passed on to the next generation. The evolution of the great old myths as it were.

I'm now going to watch Robotech: The Masters. I'm not holding out much hope for that one! Wish me luck.

PS: Raising Arizona is a bona fide classic. Timeless and silly with a lot of heart.

[GaijinPunch]

PS: Raising Arizona is a bona fide classic. Timeless and silly with a lot of heart.

Okay then...

[Pedro Lambrini]

PS: Raising Arizona is a bona fide classic. Timeless and silly with a lot of heart.

Okay then...

?

[GaijinPunch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wahLIbwZTLQ

[Pedro Lambrini]

Ah... Yeah, the reference went right over my head. I'm not the brightest in the morning.

[Some-Mist]

Raising Arizona is fucking wonderful. The only movie where Cage was manipulated by superior filmmakers into being well cast and giving an able performance. That film is a riot.

adaptation by charlie kaufman?

cage was passable if not decent in ridley scott's matchstick men too..

[Opus131]

I object to that statement. This is quite clearly the pinnacle of Cage's career as an actor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lct6x-XqWrw

[Tarma]

John Carpenter double bill:

Escape From New York

The Thing

[soprano1]

John Carpenter double bill:

Escape From New York

The Thing

Fuck yeah, great combo.

[Skykid]

Raising Arizona is fucking wonderful. The only movie where Cage was manipulated by superior filmmakers into being well cast and giving an able performance. That film is a riot.

adaptation by charlie kaufman?

cage was passable if not decent in ridley scott's matchstick men too..

Passable arguably, decent no.

[Harpuia]

I just finished watching V/H/S 2 and will probably check out the first one sometime later.

Overall, I enjoyed it. The first short delivered the best scares and Safe Haven was the best overall, but I think A Ride in The Park is my favorite.

[Skykid]

Watched and re-watched tons of stuff recently.

Lake Placid 1, 2 & 3 (Don't ask)

Some of the most useless shit ever committed to film or TV. I want those minutes of my life back.



Europa Report

Fucking dire - I switched it off. Awful found footage idea executed badly; utterly unconvincing that the actors were in space and not in a really small studio, god awful dialogue and offensive docu-structure. Just shit, and shit that's another example of how film critics don't have a clue about the medium they're paid to grade.



Fright Night (1985)

Aged like fine 80s wine. Campy, fun, well cast and performed, holds up far better than I expected it to. The tribute to horror genre classics of the past through a boy-in-his-bedroom and his late night CRT viewing is beautifully nostalgic. Entertainingly written and with some surprisingly good special effects in places considering the low budget. This one stakes the remake through the heart and melts its face off in sunlight.

Best line: "Welcome to Fright Night. For real."




The Monster Squad

Hasn't aged as well as Fright Night, but still pretty good fun. I love the fact it's full of ten-year olds saying "shit" and "fuck" throughout the movie - that's what the 80s were all about - and there are a lot of genre tributes in there thanks to director Dekker's passion for the classics. Unfortunately the kiddy lean is a pinch too strong in this one. If it were only slightly more adult oriented with some genuine splatter it could have been something really special.

Best line: "I'm in the god damn club aren't I?" (Right before shooting a stake through a vampirette's heart)



Night of the Creeps

Start watching this one and there's no clue as to why it's a cult classic. Its takes forever to get warmed up, feels clunky and off the beat - and then, just before it loses your attention, it suddenly clicks and it's plain awesome. Tom Atkins is the best in this: full alpha macho police cop spitting out the most absurd one liners before taking something out with a shotgun. The entire switch up - that being the point when hell breaks loose - is sublimely entertaining; all zombie frat boys with slugs in their brains storming the coed campus. The endless tributes to genre classics feels even more relevant now than it would have then (it was perhaps too early - the movie was made at the time the references were still fresh and contemporary). With characters named Romero, Raimi, Landis and Cronenberg, it's obvious Dekker had a keen eye for the horror kings. Unfortunately he's not as good as those he pays tribute to, but it's still plenty of fun... at the climax. The film's biggest fault is it's too slow burning for too long, and then when it finally kicks into riot mode, it's all over far too quickly. It's fair to say it suffers a pacing problem.

Best line: "The good news is, your dates are here... the bad news is, they're dead."



There's Something About Mary / Meet the Parents

Still pretty funny 90s comedies with the Stiller B. In the better end of light entertainment.


Starship Troopers

Verhoeven pure awesome. Wonderfully satirical send up of American teen culture and patriotic warmongering, tied in a bow of jarring Robocop-esque violence and absolutely sublime special effects; some of the best practical/CG combo examples I've ever seen. Much better than I remembered it being, has aged beautifully.




Braindead / Dead Alive

Peter Jackson's opus: fuck Lord of the Rings. How this passed me by so long, I don't know, but I'm glad I finally got around to it. A splatterfest absolutely unmatched on planet earth, it's hilariously funny, absolutely insane, and filmed with startling virtuosity from the young director. The use of budget defies belief - there's nothing wasted, but everything capitalised on. 100% practical effects, it's a sea of dismemberment, with Kung Fu priests to boot. Wonderful.

Best line: "We need to get out of here quickly" / "Why?" / "I haven't seen mother yet"



The World's End

Absolutely brilliant Edgar Wright-ness written to the highest possible standard of comedy scriptwriting. A superb pub crawl adventure that only arguably goes awry in the slightly overlong finale and epilogue. Otherwise the subtext - a stab at slavery under capitalism compounded by darker themes of alcoholism and loss of free will - is put together in a movie so well executed you actually feel nostalgia for the fucking 90s. Great fun, but (warning) extremely English to the point where it's unlikely to click completely with foreign viewers.

Best line: Too many to mention



What About Bob

Not as funny as it was when I was a kid, but still a fine torture movie with Bill Murray on his usual pitch perfect form. Watching Dreyfuss lose his mind is still wonderfully compelling viewing.

Best line: "Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a schizophrenic, and so am I."


Tucker and Dale versus Evil

Yeah, actually not a bad little idea. I can see the budget was fairly small, but I appreciated the fresh and funny take on the teen slasher movie and I think they did fairly well with what they had. A few good laughs in there and pretty good mindless fun on the whole. It's no Shaun of the Dead mind you.



Tusk

Oh this is just great. Watched it almost randomly with no idea what to expect. Basically, Kevin Smith smokes a bong and hits the typewriter, filming a hypothetical story concocted during one of his podcasts, and ends up with a really horribly disturbing slice of insanity. Unfortunately the premise is so simplistic it doesn't quite stretch to the total run time very convincingly. Some of the dialogue is overwritten and although Johnny Depp is wonderful as a Canadian caricature of himself, his scenes begin to feel like filler when the rambling goes a little beyond digestible means. Despite this, for the pure gut-churning sickness of it, it's well worth a watch. I don't care if people slag KS off, I like the way he thinks.




The Towering Inferno

Dated perhaps, but the pure macho of Paul Newman X Steve McQueen is great, and this is a very interesting example of an early big-budget, star-studded disaster movie in the mould they still use to this very day. Only this is better, generally speaking. Oh, and it's got a pre murder-charge OJ in it with a knockout afro.



The People Under the Stairs

Probably Wes Craven's best movie. Some general weaknesses, but it's a good idea well-done, a horror house that's a maze of tunnels, vents, sliding doors and death traps, occupied by incestual lunatics in gimp masks blowing holes in walls with laser mounted Desert Eagles. And Ving Rhames.




Mission Impossible 1996

Aged very well indeed! Rather surprised me: this is probably the best of Cruise's series, much better written than I remembered it being. Interesting how this series of movies kind of charts the failure of Hollywood from '96 to present. It starts with Brian de Palma directing, a good espionage script, plenty of spectacular set-pieces that actually feel as though they're part of the movie rather than crowd-pleasing accessories, and a good solid cast. And Ving Rhames.

Best line: "You've never seen me very upset."



Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Schoolboy humour, generally crude, a girl with big tits, zombie strippers, lots of stupidity, and really quite entertaining! This was one of the better throwbacks to 80s style horror adventure movies I've seen in a long while, or expected to see at all. Watched it completely on a whim, and while it's not fine art, you could do a lot worse if you want to see cliches done well. Good fun with some pretty funny dialogue.