What films have you watched recently?

Moominpapa

Shiri (1999) One of the earlier big-budget action movies that South Korea has come to do so well. Secret agents, special forces, gunfights, explosions, tropical fish - what more could you want for an evening's entertainment?

paulnb57

The Old Man and The Gun

Film 4

Managed 10 mins, yawn!

Nuff said

skullfunkerry

Watched a couple of films yesterday:

A Quiet Place Part 2 - really enjoyed this. Didn’t really bring anything new to the table; some of the reviews said it was exactly the same as the first film, but I thought it was really well done. There were some incredibly tense bits, and I felt like when the end credits rolled my entire body unclenched. 8/10 from me (and 10/10 for the opening scenes showing the initial attack).

Monsters: Dark Continent - Absolutely atrocious. It’s supposed to be a follow-up to Monsters, but they only appear in the background of a turgid middle east war movie full of unlikeable characters. It was so unrelentingly shit that it actually put me in a bad mood afterwards. 0.0001/10 - avoid at all costs; it’s so bad it’s not even worth watching to see how bad it is.

DrJazzTap

Pig- the new Nicholas Cage film. I found it really enjoyable, you forget that he's actually a half decent actor when he wants to be. I would describe it as a more cerebral John Wick.

Tone71

Mattharrier said:

Tone71 said:

The River Runner

Really good documentary about kayaking four great rivers that flow from Tibet.....8/10

Ooh, we were going to watch that tonight! Then my wife remembered she had a business call and I'm banished to the spare room

I love paddling, and I love watching paddling films, but these people are usually fucking nuts. Can't wait to see it though. 

100% nuts without a doubt, there's a lot more to the film than that though, it's pretty deep

Offset

Harpoon (2019).  Three 'friends' set out on a sea-bound boat trip against a background of jealousy and tension.  Slowly,  secrets are revealed, the plot twists and turns and we find unexpected dimensions to each character's personality and motivations.  Fairly violent and bloody but with a darkly humorous undercurrent.  I really enjoyed it and I remained hooked throughout.  I'm going to mark it down for one thing however, and that's the narration.  From my perspective it was irritating and unnecessary, but others may be more relaxed about it.  Nevertheless, definitely worth 90 minutes of your time.  7.5/10

VimFuego

In The Valley of Elah. Tommy Lee Jones stars as a retired military police man who goes off to investigate when he soldier son goes missing a few days after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. The son's burnt, dismembered remains are found a few days later, and the film becomes a tale of his battle to get the police and army to investigate. So basically it's a feel good rom com...

Unrelentingly bleak, it's filmed in winter to really highlight the bleakness, they seem to have even made the cast appear, I dunno, grey. Again this adds to the grimness. It's a bit heavy handed, but the central message that we can't send young men off to fight a brutal war, ask them to commit unspeakable acts of violence, then expect them to come home and somehow not be brutalised by the experience is very powerful. Lee Jones gives a powerful, yet understated performance, ably supported by a solid cast.
8/10, if you are feeling a bit good about the world and want to be brought back down with a bump, this is ideal viewing for the whole family. 

rze99

VimFuego said:

In The Valley of Elah. Tommy Lee Jones stars as a retired military police man who goes off to investigate when he soldier son goes missing a few days after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. The son's burnt, dismembered remains are found a few days later, and the film becomes a tale of his battle to get the police and army to investigate. So basically it's a feel good rom com...

Unrelentingly bleak, it's filmed in winter to really highlight the bleakness, they seem to have even made the cast appear, I dunno, grey. Again this adds to the grimness. It's a bit heavy handed, but the central message that we can't send young men off to fight a brutal war, ask them to commit unspeakable acts of violence, then expect them to come home and somehow not be brutalised by the experience is very powerful. Lee Jones gives a powerful, yet understated performance, ably supported by a solid cast.
8/10, if you are feeling a bit good about the world and want to be brought back down with a bump, this is ideal viewing for the whole family. 

Thanks for the warning. Watching the news about Afghanistan is hard enough right now for me, frankly 

ICBM

Eaten By Lions

Quirky British road-trip/culture-clash comedy. We watched this based on rave reviews and a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hmmm...

It's quite funny in parts, but trying way too hard and really grates in places, and both the characters and the set-pieces are ludicrously clichéd.

5/10

Blueingreen

Witness for the Prosecution (1957).  Seen this one at least half a dozen times and always loved it.  Billy Wilder directed courtroom drama base on an Agatha Christie play.  Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich both fabulous.  Tyrone Power arguably the weak link, a little lacking in star wattage in this company although you could argue it perhaps suits his character.  Starting to show its age a little (it looks slightly dated even for 1957) and there are some implausibilities but still a classic. 9/10

SPECTRUM001

Suspicion - 1941

Classic Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce (who virtually steals the show).

Pre Hollywood Hitch, but with a cast that (obviously) adapted quite happily to the US market. The film has an entertaining script which plays with our sympathies and twists like a mountain road.

I’m not going to say anymore, other than it is a great and fulfilling watch.

Another 8/10 !

Mattharrier

skullfunkerry said:

Monsters: Dark Continent - Absolutely atrocious. It’s supposed to be a follow-up to Monsters, but they only appear in the background of a turgid middle east war movie full of unlikeable characters. It was so unrelentingly shit that it actually put me in a bad mood afterwards. 0.0001/10 - avoid at all costs; it’s so bad it’s not even worth watching to see how bad it is.

That's disappointing - the original film is one of my all time favourites, I was blown away with how much was achieved with so little. When I heard of a sequel, I hoped for something similar. Gutted, but thanks for the warning

Mattharrier

Tone71 said:

Mattharrier said:

Tone71 said:

The River Runner

Really good documentary about kayaking four great rivers that flow from Tibet.....8/10

Ooh, we were going to watch that tonight! Then my wife remembered she had a business call and I'm banished to the spare room

I love paddling, and I love watching paddling films, but these people are usually fucking nuts. Can't wait to see it though. 

100% nuts without a doubt, there's a lot more to the film than that though, it's pretty deep

Oh, indeed - the talking heads sections didn't come across as too over the top or overly dramatised, unlike quite a few of the feature length adventure films, and Lindgren came across as a decent, if overly-focused to the point of obsession, guy. Insane how many of his friends were lost.

Mattharrier

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable - Netflix

Up and coming prodigy and professional surfer Bethany Hamilton had her left arm bitten off by a shark when she was 13. Rather than accept defeat, she decided to return to surfing, and did so 4 weeks later.

It's not the best adventure film out there, it's not even the best surfing film out there, but it's an engaging documentary about an insanely talented and determined person. If you like surfing, it's got plenty of the usual scenery porn to be expected.

Expedition Happiness - Netflix

A German couple go to the US with their dog, buy and old school bus, convert it into a motor home and travel North and Central America. It's a pleasant (for the most part) film, the couple are pleasant enough and some of the places they go are amazing. I would have liked to see a bit more of the places they went to, and it sometimes come across a little bit bland, but it's inspiring for anyone with a desire to sell everything and piss off for a long road trip.

Blueingreen

SPECTRUM001 said:

Suspicion - 1941

Classic Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce (who virtually steals the show).

Pre Hollywood Hitch, but with a cast that (obviously) adapted quite happily to the US market. The film has an entertaining script which plays with our sympathies and twists like a mountain road.

I’m not going to say anymore, other than it is a great and fulfilling watch.

Another 8/10 !

This wasn't pre Hollywood Hitch, it was for RKO.  His first Hollywood film was Rebecca (1940) (also starring Fontaine).  Suspicion may be set in England (albeit I think an England as imagined by Americans, it's all a bit weird in places) and include the none-more-English Bruce, but Grant and Fontaine are Hollywood through and through, even though Grant was a Brit.

A very good film I agree, but not quite top-notch Hitchcock.  Wouldn't argue with 8/10 though.

Moominpapa

The Chaser (2008) - excellent Korean thriller movie. Sympathetic characters, great acting & direction, edge-of-the-seat plotting. If suspense is your bag, you will love this - trust me.

Offset

Mattharrier said:

skullfunkerry said:

Monsters: Dark Continent - Absolutely atrocious. It’s supposed to be a follow-up to Monsters, but they only appear in the background of a turgid middle east war movie full of unlikeable characters. It was so unrelentingly shit that it actually put me in a bad mood afterwards. 0.0001/10 - avoid at all costs; it’s so bad it’s not even worth watching to see how bad it is.

That's disappointing - the original film is one of my all time favourites, I was blown away with how much was achieved with so little. When I heard of a sequel, I hoped for something similar. Gutted, but thanks for the warning

I watched this as I too enjoyed the original.  I can vouch for the fact it's 110% Shite, with an upper-case 'S'.  I didn't even make it to the end - it's pretty much unwatchable and tedious beyond belief.

skullfunkerry

Offset said:

Mattharrier said:

skullfunkerry said:

Monsters: Dark Continent - Absolutely atrocious. It’s supposed to be a follow-up to Monsters, but they only appear in the background of a turgid middle east war movie full of unlikeable characters. It was so unrelentingly shit that it actually put me in a bad mood afterwards. 0.0001/10 - avoid at all costs; it’s so bad it’s not even worth watching to see how bad it is.

That's disappointing - the original film is one of my all time favourites, I was blown away with how much was achieved with so little. When I heard of a sequel, I hoped for something similar. Gutted, but thanks for the warning

I watched this as I too enjoyed the original.  I can vouch for the fact it's 110% Shite, with an upper-case 'S'.  I didn't even make it to the end - it's pretty much unwatchable and tedious beyond belief.

I feel you, man. Maybe we should start a support group for people who accidentally watched some or all of it

rze99

SRich said:

"Count Me In"   2021 (on Netflix)

Just watch the damn thing...it's amazing

10/10 for fans of percussion

+ 1

excellent

some of the finest moments here. Inspiring. 

SPECTRUM001

Blueingreen said:

SPECTRUM001 said:

Suspicion - 1941

Classic Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce (who virtually steals the show).

Pre Hollywood Hitch, but with a cast that (obviously) adapted quite happily to the US market. The film has an entertaining script which plays with our sympathies and twists like a mountain road.

I’m not going to say anymore, other than it is a great and fulfilling watch.

Another 8/10 !

This wasn't pre Hollywood Hitch, it was for RKO.  His first Hollywood film was Rebecca (1940) (also starring Fontaine).  Suspicion may be set in England (albeit I think an England as imagined by Americans, it's all a bit weird in places) and include the none-more-English Bruce, but Grant and Fontaine are Hollywood through and through, even though Grant was a Brit.

A very good film I agree, but not quite top-notch Hitchcock.  Wouldn't argue with 8/10 though.

Ah, thank you - I want quite sure of the timeline, but that makes sense.

No it isn’t at NBNW level, but certainly has that Hitchcock charm.