What films have you watched recently?

earwighoney

ICBM said:

Forbidden Planet

1956 Sci-fi classic. Given that this was made a year before Sputnik was even launched, it's astonishing - both the concepts and the visuals are far ahead of their time, and it's clearly been hugely influential on everything from Star Trek to Total Recall and even Star Wars, probably. The plot is very tenuously based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, but you'd probably have to know that to make the connection. Some of the special effects are remarkable, and it also features the first completely electronic score in any film.

If there's a criticism it's that some of the characters and the acting are rather more of their time... it's also slightly disconcerting to see Leslie Nielsen as the hero, before he discovered his talent for comedy, and Robby The Robot is still rather too obviously human-operated despite being pretty advanced by the standards of the day. But still, at least

9/10

Been a few years since I last saw it and like yourself I really enjoyed the film.  

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

Forbidden Planet

1956 Sci-fi classic. Given that this was made a year before Sputnik was even launched, it's astonishing - both the concepts and the visuals are far ahead of their time, and it's clearly been hugely influential on everything from Star Trek to Total Recall and even Star Wars, probably. The plot is very tenuously based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, but you'd probably have to know that to make the connection. Some of the special effects are remarkable, and it also features the first completely electronic score in any film.

If there's a criticism it's that some of the characters and the acting are rather more of their time... it's also slightly disconcerting to see Leslie Nielsen as the hero, before he discovered his talent for comedy, and Robby The Robot is still rather too obviously human-operated despite being pretty advanced by the standards of the day. But still, at least

9/10

IIRC believed to be the first recorded use of the electric bass guitar on it's soundtrack. 

Truly amazing film for 1956.     

not_the_dj

That monster attack bit at the end where it triggers the security devices and you get glimpses of it really scared me as a kid. 

Haven’t seen it for years, must rectify that. 

SNAKEBITE

not_the_dj said:

hollywoodrox said:

not_the_dj said:

"Threads" the BBC nuclear drama from 1984. 

Never seen it before, but I've heard a few things about it and I saw it was the anniversary of the original broadcast the other day. Tracked the full version down online and watched it in two sittings late at night.

Pretty powerful stuff even now, and really makes you think that it could well turn out like that.

I might give that a watch . I remember the day after but never saw threads, was that one set in Sheffield ?

Yes, it’s the Sheffield one. 

https://archive.org/details/threads_201712

Remember seeing that back in the 80's whilst on holiday in Poole.

Freaked me out no end and certainly brought home how bad it could be.

Watched it again a few years ago and whilst it has aged it still has more impact than any Hollywood film.

brooom

El Camino... a quite enjoyed it.

boogieman

ICBM said:

Forbidden Planet

1956 Sci-fi classic. Given that this was made a year before Sputnik was even launched, it's astonishing - both the concepts and the visuals are far ahead of their time, and it's clearly been hugely influential on everything from Star Trek to Total Recall and even Star Wars, probably. The plot is very tenuously based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, but you'd probably have to know that to make the connection. Some of the special effects are remarkable, and it also features the first completely electronic score in any film.

If there's a criticism it's that some of the characters and the acting are rather more of their time... it's also slightly disconcerting to see Leslie Nielsen as the hero, before he discovered his talent for comedy, and Robby The Robot is still rather too obviously human-operated despite being pretty advanced by the standards of the day. But still, at least

9/10

I’ve tried to watch it three or four times but have never managed to see the end so far, I’ve always fallen asleep. It’s not that I’m not interested in the film, I’m convinced it’s something in the soundtrack that acts as a narcotic. 

hollywoodrox

hollywoodrox said:

not_the_dj said:

"Threads" the BBC nuclear drama from 1984. 

Never seen it before, but I've heard a few things about it and I saw it was the anniversary of the original broadcast the other day. Tracked the full version down online and watched it in two sittings late at night.

Pretty powerful stuff even now, and really makes you think that it could well turn out like that.

I might give that a watch . I remember the day after but never saw threads, was that one set in Sheffield ?

I watched it tonight , very harrowing as I’m already on really strong anti depressants. It’s the most harrowing film I’ve seen since the one about bobby sands . Why can’t everybody get along so much hate and stupidity in the world

notanon

hollywoodrox said:

hollywoodrox said:

not_the_dj said:

"Threads" the BBC nuclear drama from 1984. 

Never seen it before, but I've heard a few things about it and I saw it was the anniversary of the original broadcast the other day. Tracked the full version down online and watched it in two sittings late at night.

Pretty powerful stuff even now, and really makes you think that it could well turn out like that.

I might give that a watch . I remember the day after but never saw threads, was that one set in Sheffield ?

I watched it tonight , very harrowing as I’m already on really strong anti depressants. It’s the most harrowing film I’ve seen since the one about bobby sands . Why can’t everybody get along so much hate and stupidity in the world

I watched it tonight too. I was brought up during the cold war and remember the original screening. A blast from the past!

JezWynd

Rocketman, the Elton John biopic. Quite different to what I was expecting. Dexter Fletcher has done a great directing job on this, some of the sequences are quite breathtaking (notably the literal rocketman sequence). Apart from his early LP's, Elton's output leaves me cold and fortunately they focussed mainly on the early (ie. interesting) years. Taron Egerton makes a very sympathetic Elton, worthy of an Oscar nomination at the very least. Very entertaining movie.

munckee

Watched 'About Life' last night, didn't intend to just got caught up in it.  A Richard Curtis film, still has the socially awkward british element to it and would have starred Hugh Grant if made 20 years earlier - but was a step up from his other films I've seen.

Domhall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams made in 2013, I'd never heard of it.  Worth watching with the missus as an interesting concept - plus a sort of romcom (doesn't stay like that).

hollywoodrox

notanon said:

hollywoodrox said:

hollywoodrox said:

not_the_dj said:

"Threads" the BBC nuclear drama from 1984. 

Never seen it before, but I've heard a few things about it and I saw it was the anniversary of the original broadcast the other day. Tracked the full version down online and watched it in two sittings late at night.

Pretty powerful stuff even now, and really makes you think that it could well turn out like that.

I might give that a watch . I remember the day after but never saw threads, was that one set in Sheffield ?

I watched it tonight , very harrowing as I’m already on really strong anti depressants. It’s the most harrowing film I’ve seen since the one about bobby sands . Why can’t everybody get along so much hate and stupidity in the world

I watched it tonight too. I was brought up during the cold war and remember the original screening. A blast from the past!

Literally . It was way more harrowing than “the day after “ I’ve watched various horror films but find this sort of thing more disturbing as it has a ring of truth to it

goldtop

Sophie's Choice - 1980s Merryl Streep as a Polish Holocaust survivor now safe, but broken, in Brooklyn. Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol are the love interests. Brilliantly acted, and Streep's Sophie character is totally compelling (she got an Oscar). Kline is also phenomenal. 9/10

RandallFlagg

Clint Eastwood's The Mule. I thought it was excellent.

HAL9000

Joker. Very dark and very powerful. Shades of American Psycho and Nightcrawler. I suspect a film that will be respected rather than loved. It will be a travesty if Joaquin Phoenix doesn't get an Oscar for his superb performance here. A very solid 9/10.

not_the_dj

SNAKEBITE said:

"The man who killed Hitler then Bigfoot"

I watched it on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised.

Just did the same. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the title, but enjoyed it in a quirky way. 

tony99

Shot Caller - Game of Thrones very own Nicolai Cluster Wang stars in this hilarious romcom as an accountant who is sent to the big-house for a crime he didn't commit. Well he did, but he didn't mean to. He realises pretty early on that prison life is about one thing and one thing only, don't get bummed.

Anyhoo, he leaves his former boring white collar life way behind him as he hurtles meteorically to his new found fame as head of the Aryan Brotherhood. He takes on a stunning physical transformation and the actor who plays his moustache is surely destined for great things.

It's fairly watchable but at some points the pacing is way off and there's a rather cloudy sub plot about gun running which doesn't quite land. Shawshank Redemption this is not. See Animal Factory for a more meaty account of life in a state pen.

5 orange canvas jumpsuits out of 10.

BigBearKris

Went to see Joker last night.

I have enjoyed it very much. Joaquin was spectacular, but not over the top - which is easily done on big performances like this one... At times he really looked like Jack, then again - like Ledger - amazing.
Interesting movie overall - asking many questions and showing the craziness of today's world. You can almost root for him - still being a killer. A guy who was given no chance... none at all...

Strong 8/10

EricTheWeary

Split.

Rhymes

With 

Shit.

Philly_Q

D-Tox
Sylvester Stallone plays a traumatised FBI agent who develops a drink problem and goes into rehab in an ex-military facility miles away from anywhere in the frozen wastes.  And it seems one of his fellow patients is a killer...

This starts out looking like it wants to be Se7en and then turns into Ten Little Indians (with a touch of The Thing and even The Shining due to the icy setting).  But it never really gets going.  The characters are underdeveloped, despite a pretty good cast.  Most of the violence, squeamishly, takes place off-screen, the revelation of the killer's identity is underwhelming.... meh.  It was shot in 1999 then spent 2 or 3 years sitting on a shelf before a low-key release, and I can understand why. 

It is odd to see a younger Sly vaguely resembling an actual human being - it's post Cop Land but before he decided to go back to being a superannuated action hero, and he's not bad in it.

EricTheWeary

Deadpool 2.

The plot meanders all over the place but there is humour and it’s not such a CGI yawn fest as many superhero films.