What films have you watched recently?

LastMantra

Haych said:

Donnie Darko

It was a couple of quid on iTunes; I remember watching it many years ago and not really "getting" it but being fascinated and intrigued by the film's concepts.

This time round I think it's fair to say it made a lot more sense but also that there's a lot in it and I'll need to digest it a little before all the subtle nuances come to the surface.

I like the film because it's very different and asks questions which I cannot answer, and which I don't think anyone can, but it does it very well and is quite artfully done.

Jake Gyllenhaal is perfectly cast as the disturbed Donnie Darko, I honestly couldn't imagine anyone else in the role.  Everyone else seems perfectly comfortable and adept in their own respective roles, too.

It's one I'll definitely watch again.  I'll be wide awake tonight thinking about the possibilities beyond the realms of the physical universe and what lies outside of what we know and how frustrating it is that I'll never ever know what's there, why or how.

And was that actually seth rogen as the school bully. 

Haych

LastMantra said:

Haych said:

Donnie Darko

It was a couple of quid on iTunes; I remember watching it many years ago and not really "getting" it but being fascinated and intrigued by the film's concepts.

This time round I think it's fair to say it made a lot more sense but also that there's a lot in it and I'll need to digest it a little before all the subtle nuances come to the surface.

I like the film because it's very different and asks questions which I cannot answer, and which I don't think anyone can, but it does it very well and is quite artfully done.

Jake Gyllenhaal is perfectly cast as the disturbed Donnie Darko, I honestly couldn't imagine anyone else in the role.  Everyone else seems perfectly comfortable and adept in their own respective roles, too.

It's one I'll definitely watch again.  I'll be wide awake tonight thinking about the possibilities beyond the realms of the physical universe and what lies outside of what we know and how frustrating it is that I'll never ever know what's there, why or how.

And was that actually seth rogen as the school bully. 

Funny you should mention that, his face looked awfully familiar but I didn't recognise him in the cast listing on IMDB.  Was that character/actor uncredited?

Couldn't say whether it was Seth Rogen or not though, doesn't look like him although I might be thinking of a different character in the film.

SPECTRUM001

YellowLedBetterMan said:

Philly_Q said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

Casino Royale yesterday. Quantum of Solace today. May even have time to squeeze Skyfall in before I have to go off and be productive.

Had you been watching all the Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan ones prior to these?

Nah, although I may go back to them once I've finished the Craig ones.

Fwiw, I think the Craig ones are the best ones.

I can watch any of them up until (and including) Live and Let Die. Then I have to fast-forward to Casino Royale onwards. That and Spectre are particularly good.

However Casino Royale is just amazingly good. Faithful to the concept and vibe of the book, plot driven and not an overblown action film.

Mrs 001 cried at the end...

boogieman

SPECTRUM001 said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

Philly_Q said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

Casino Royale yesterday. Quantum of Solace today. May even have time to squeeze Skyfall in before I have to go off and be productive.

Had you been watching all the Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan ones prior to these?

Nah, although I may go back to them once I've finished the Craig ones.

Fwiw, I think the Craig ones are the best ones.

I can watch any of them up until (and including) Live and Let Die. Then I have to fast-forward to Casino Royale onwards. That and Spectre are particularly good.

However Casino Royale is just amazingly good. Faithful to the concept and vibe of the book, plot driven and not an overblown action film.

Mrs 001 cried at the end...

Casino Royale is the best of the Craig ones I think. QoS is a load of arse. 

equalsql

1966 - Netflix

The story of Jewish boy whose bamitzva is planned for the same day as the 1966 World Cup.
The quite briliant Eddie Marsan as his quirky father and Helena Bonham-Carter in fine form as his mum.
A great witty little film with wonderful sets that really capture the period, interspersed witn some cracking footage of the now legendary 66 team working they're way to the final.
Entertaining and fascinating at the same time.

7/10  ..only cos the ending was a bit twee.

Mattharrier

ICBM said:

boogieman said:

A very good film if you want some feelgood factor but it’s a very sanitised vision of life in India. 

Indeed. If you follow that with The White Tiger you might get rather a shock...

Oh, I don't doubt it - I'd love to think that India is a serene yet madcap, sweet smelling place that has all mod cons with an appearance that harks back to a previous, better era, but my wife has been there, and my dad has been there, and both of their experiences were that it's utter, utter chaos that stinks and poverty and injustice are everywhere. Or the kind of place that is almost custom-designed to trigger all of my anxieties at once!

Offset

Mattharrier said:

ICBM said:

boogieman said:

A very good film if you want some feelgood factor but it’s a very sanitised vision of life in India. 

Indeed. If you follow that with The White Tiger you might get rather a shock...

Oh, I don't doubt it - I'd love to think that India is a serene yet madcap, sweet smelling place that has all mod cons with an appearance that harks back to a previous, better era, but my wife has been there, and my dad has been there, and both of their experiences were that it's utter, utter chaos that stinks and poverty and injustice are everywhere. Or the kind of place that is almost custom-designed to trigger all of my anxieties at once!

You're right on all counts.  Having briefly worked in Delhi, it's all of those things but it's also a fabulous place.  Culture shock first trip.

boogieman

Offset said:

Mattharrier said:

ICBM said:

boogieman said:

A very good film if you want some feelgood factor but it’s a very sanitised vision of life in India. 

Indeed. If you follow that with The White Tiger you might get rather a shock...

Oh, I don't doubt it - I'd love to think that India is a serene yet madcap, sweet smelling place that has all mod cons with an appearance that harks back to a previous, better era, but my wife has been there, and my dad has been there, and both of their experiences were that it's utter, utter chaos that stinks and poverty and injustice are everywhere. Or the kind of place that is almost custom-designed to trigger all of my anxieties at once!

You're right on all counts.  Having briefly worked in Delhi, it's all of those things but it's also a fabulous place.  Culture shock first trip.

Yup, definitely a country of complete contrasts. Serene and manic. Rich and poor. Beautiful smells and complete stenches. Utterly beautiful at times, but then you’ll also see the most appalling sights around the next bend. I’m glad I saw the country but I’d never want to go back. 

Back on topic, The Mauritanian on Prime. True story of a Guantanamo Bay captive and his legal fight against the US government. Not an easy watch due to the mental torture he goes through but still an interesting watch. Jodie Foster is very good as his lawyer. 

rze99

Red 

Preposterous comedy nonsense about a retiree hitman getting the old gang of assassins together to defeat the entire CIA. 

Superb cast of seasoned veterans. Utter bollocks. 

I enjoyed it. 

7/10 for fun factor 

VimFuego

rze99 said:

Red 

Preposterous comedy nonsense about a retiree hitman getting the old gang of assassins together to defeat the entire CIA. 

Superb cast of seasoned veterans. Utter bollocks. 

I enjoyed it. 

7/10 for fun factor 

yeah, I quite liked it, it was so silly, and the cast did a fantastic job of playing it soooo straight yet at the same time completely taking the piss out of it, that you can't help but enjoy it. Red 2 was too much though, the joke had been done by then.

Haych

Yeah, Red is quite good, brilliant cast and very well done.

My only criticism is it's a bit glib over dark subjects at times.  The scene where the CIA dude is talking to his young daughter on the phone while staging a suicide by hanging is a bit too grim for the type of film it is, IMHO anyway.

Red 2 is pretty good too.

Mattharrier

rze99 said:

Red 

Preposterous comedy nonsense about a retiree hitman getting the old gang of assassins together to defeat the entire CIA. 

Superb cast of seasoned veterans. Utter bollocks. 

I enjoyed it. 

7/10 for fun factor 

Great film - great cast doing a great job of the action comedy, a genre I am generally a fan of. It's based on a comic, but it's very, very different in tone. I enjoyed the comic, but I prefer the film. RED2 was fine, but was an unnecessary sequel (as so many are nowadays).

rze99

VimFuego said:

rze99 said:

Red 

Preposterous comedy nonsense about a retiree hitman getting the old gang of assassins together to defeat the entire CIA. 

Superb cast of seasoned veterans. Utter bollocks. 

I enjoyed it. 

7/10 for fun factor 

yeah, I quite liked it, it was so silly, and the cast did a fantastic job of playing it soooo straight yet at the same time completely taking the piss out of it, that you can't help but enjoy it. Red 2 was too much though, the joke had been done by then.

Exactly. 

Helen Mirren in ball gown with combat boots and an automatic weapon demolishing SWAT squads….

I won’t be trying the sequel that’s for sure. I only pressed play because of the cast. 

boogieman

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Based on a true story of a young lad in Malawi who builds a wind turbine to help save his family from starvation when their crops fail. Beautifully filmed, very well acted and altogether rather moving. 10/10. 

LPManic

Quite enjoyed the latest Tom Hanks movie Greyhound. Nice to see my wee town get a mention at the end of the movie.

SPECTRUM001

equalsql said:

1966 - Netflix

The story of Jewish boy whose bamitzva is planned for the same day as the 1966 World Cup.
The quite briliant Eddie Marsan as his quirky father and Helena Bonham-Carter in fine form as his mum.
A great witty little film with wonderful sets that really capture the period, interspersed witn some cracking footage of the now legendary 66 team working they're way to the final.
Entertaining and fascinating at the same time.

7/10  ..only cos the ending was a bit twee.

Thanks for the recommendation - really enjoyed this !!

Danny1969

Another Round

Danish black comedy film about 4 teachers at a school who decide to conduct a study based on the human alcohol limit being too low by default. So they start day drinking to see if it improves their teaching skills

Loved it, 8 out of 10 

Philly_Q

Fear Street Part 1: 1994
Fear Street Part 2: 1978
Fear Street Part 3: 1666

For over three centuries the small town of Shadyside has been the scene of many terrible murders, due - so legend has it - to the curse of a girl called Sarah Fier who was hanged for witchcraft in 1666.  In 1994, following the latest series of killings, a group of friends try to save their own lives and end the curse forever.

This new trilogy, based on a series of books by the author of Goosebumps, has been released on Netflix over the last couple of weeks.  A lot of it is familiar horror-movie stuff - part 1 has a Scream/Urban Legend kind of feel, part 2 is a sort of Friday the 13th pastiche, part 3 has Americans in period costume doing weird Irish accents - but it works thanks to strong characters, and by going places you don't quite expect.  I liked it a lot.

boogieman

Conan the Barbarian. The remake with Jason Mamoa. None of the charm of the original, shonky CGI, terrible acting, badly edited so it suddenly jumps from scene to scene with no continuity. Presumably it was made just a vehicle for JM as I can’t see any other purpose. Arnie wasn’t ever exactly Laurence Olivier but he made a much better job of the story. Save your time and don’t bother with this pile of poo, just watch the originals. 

EricTheWeary

The family have been watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Third Reich. 

Huge school so where are the kids with physical and learning disabilities? A wizard in a wheelchair, a sorcerer with Down's Syndrome? Perhaps they've been magicked out of existence in this world that has a dedicated slave race? Harry frees Dobbie but no one seems to care that wizards have slaves.