What films have you watched recently?

tone1

I’d never actually seen the Film Grease (or Saturday night fever for that matter)…..I’m 51, and I remember dropping my older Sister of to watch Grease at the flicks is in ‘78 when I was about 7……Anyway, what with Olivia Newton John’s recent passing we decided to watch it via the TV catch-up facility last night……Well, it turns out I hadn’t been depriving myself of anything life changing (as I had been incorrectly led to believe)……I’m being kind, it was probably the worst thing I’d ever seen. It’s not that it was a musical (as I absolutely adore Mary Poppins)…..Gobsmacked from South Devon 

Philly_Q

tone1 said:

I’d never actually seen the Film Grease (or Saturday night fever for that matter)…..I’m 51, and I remember dropping my older Sister of to watch Grease at the flicks is in ‘78 when I was about 7……Anyway, what with Olivia Newton John’s recent passing we decided to watch it via the TV catch-up facility last night……Well, it turns out I hadn’t been depriving myself of anything life changing (as I had been incorrectly led to believe)……I’m being kind, it was probably the worst thing I’d ever seen. It’s not that it was a musical (as I absolutely adore Mary Poppins)…..Gobsmacked from South Devon 

Conversely, I saw Grease in 1978 but I'd never seen Mary Poppins until a couple of years ago.

Shrews

Flame In The Streets (Talking Pictures)

John Mills stars in a film tackling racism in London back in the late '50's/early '60's.  He is a factory union guy sticking up for the equality of the black workers employed there when one of the black workers gets the chance of promotion. But he has to tackle his own prejudices and especially those of his wife when they find out their daughter wants to marry a black man.

I'm not sure I've seen a film like this from that time. To Sir With Love is the only other I can remember that dealt with the prejudice from that era and this tackles it much more 'head-on' IMO

8/10 - there's some weak bits. The gang fight scenes especially. But interesting, thought provoking and well acted. 

UnclePsychosis

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:

bertie said:

@icbm @Snap ;; ;    -   only just seen your comments,  -  Id agree,  it would have been much better having "some grasp" of what the fook was going on, prior to watching it - where we had to go back/forward about 10 times just to "re cap" and get the framework of it down.  

having said that - not sure Id watch it again 

If you're a 'book person', definitely read the book, especially before trying again. It won't spoil the book having seen the film now, because there's much more detail and nuance in the book. The film only covers the first half of the first book too. 

I really must re-read the whole lot, actually - I haven't since I was a teenager, and only got as far as the end of the fourth book. (There are six, or were last time I checked!)

Me too, I read them in my teens but only got as far as the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune.  As I recall, each book was less good than the last and I didn't want to read the other two.  Frank Herbert's son Brian wrote some additional prequels/sequels but I haven't read any of them either.

A few years back I bought the first four books again in paperback - in the 1970s New English Library editions, which was crucial because that's how I remember them.  I'll read them again sometime.

That's the same edition as my well thumbed copy. :-)

The original is arguably my favourite book, but I'd go as far as to say that the sequels are almost entirely unreadable. Zero desire to revisit any. 

ICBM

tone1 said:

I’d never actually seen the Film Grease (or Saturday night fever for that matter)…..I’m 51, and I remember dropping my older Sister of to watch Grease at the flicks is in ‘78 when I was about 7……Anyway, what with Olivia Newton John’s recent passing we decided to watch it via the TV catch-up facility last night……Well, it turns out I hadn’t been depriving myself of anything life changing (as I had been incorrectly led to believe)……I’m being kind, it was probably the worst thing I’d ever seen. It’s not that it was a musical (as I absolutely adore Mary Poppins)…..Gobsmacked from South Devon 

Yes, I saw it for the first time not long ago and I was shocked by how terrible it is. The soundtrack album is still good, but the film really isn’t.

Saturday Night Fever is genuinely good though, a much darker film than you may expect.

roundthebend

Midsommar

I don't watch films often but overheard a couple of mates bigging this up as a standards-breaking thriller. Then my wife tells me that another friend has recommended it and that she'd watched most of it already and it was great.

Well, I didn't like it. I didn't feel there was any closure to the story. So it becomes just a load of weird stuff that happens. The end.

I'll go back to not watching films.

Snap

I thought Midsommar had pretty conclusive ending? That's one disturbing film though. The bear suit scene is chuffing grim!!

Bungle1

For most of my life, horror was my favourite genre, but in the last few years I find some horror movies to have a very unsettling tone to them. I hardly watch any horror movies now for this reason.

Maybe its just age and changing taste and I know an 'unsettling tone' is sort of the point of a horror movie, but I mean at a deeper level, even outside of specific scenes, some of these horror movies nowadays just have a bad vibe to them. 

Anyone else found this?

paulnb57

Memory, Netflix

Utter, utter shite…managed 20 minutes..

VimFuego

Moonfall. It's difficult to put into words just how bad this film is. You quickly realise as you watch it that's it's gonna suck bad, you keep watching not because you think it's gonna get better, but to see just how bad it can get, and in this is does not disappoint.
I firmly believe that future generations will expend significant resources into researching the crapness of this film, future religions will be based around it's utter direness, schisms will be made and holy wars will be fought over the minutiae of it's ineffable shiteness. 

10/10, you really have to watch this film. If only to say "I was there, the day it was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world". 

Philly_Q

Bungle1 said:

For most of my life, horror was my favourite genre, but in the last few years I find some horror movies to have a very unsettling tone to them. I hardly watch any horror movies now for this reason.

Maybe its just age and changing taste and I know an 'unsettling tone' is sort of the point of a horror movie, but I mean at a deeper level, even outside of specific scenes, some of these horror movies nowadays just have a bad vibe to them. 

Anyone else found this?

I would say that an unsettling tone is a good thing in a horror movie.  In fact one of the biggest problems with modern horror movies is that they're sorely lacking in creepy, disturbing - unsettling - atmosphere.  Most are just made to a standard formula so you sit there just ticking off the cliches.  If they're scary at all, it's usually just a cheap jump scare that you can't help reacting to.

I love the horror genre and I'll watch any old rubbish - they're usually not boring, even when they're bad - but it's been a very long time since I've seen a really good new horror movie.

But I may be missing your point, I'd be interested if you could give any examples.  There can be things in films which strike a nerve for one viewer but leave another completely unmoved.

mikeyrob73

Maverick 

cliched pish 

tone1

ICBM said:

tone1 said:

I’d never actually seen the Film Grease (or Saturday night fever for that matter)…..I’m 51, and I remember dropping my older Sister of to watch Grease at the flicks is in ‘78 when I was about 7……Anyway, what with Olivia Newton John’s recent passing we decided to watch it via the TV catch-up facility last night……Well, it turns out I hadn’t been depriving myself of anything life changing (as I had been incorrectly led to believe)……I’m being kind, it was probably the worst thing I’d ever seen. It’s not that it was a musical (as I absolutely adore Mary Poppins)…..Gobsmacked from South Devon 

Yes, I saw it for the first time not long ago and I was shocked by how terrible it is. The soundtrack album is still good, but the film really isn’t.

Saturday Night Fever is genuinely good though, a much darker film than you may expect.

I like dark films…..so I’ll get my white suit back from the dry cleaners and give it a whirl…

SPECTRUM001

This Beautiful Fantastic - 2016

Jessica Brown Findlay
Tom Wilkinson
Andrew Scott

A charming though twee tale about an OCD librarian who is tasked with renovating a garden in order to secure her flat tenancy.

Actually it is all about the relationships with her neighbours and a separate love interest. Filmed in leafy North London and Stoke Newington Library (my old local), there is a rather honourable moral present in the conclusion that meant a few tears shed by Mrs001 (again).

Very watchable if you need to kill 80 minutes with your twelve year old nephews and nieces.

6/10 for the film and 9/10 for featuring Stokey.

Kalimna

Watched Pixar's Coco again last night. Im sure no-one needs the story retelling, but it never fails to impress me how wonderful it is. How beautiful the detail in the animation is, and how touching it can be.

Pixar's best so far.

Deadman

Prey.

Managed 35 minutes of 1hr 35. 

0/10. 

Grangousier

Ha! I watched Prey, too and I rather enjoyed it. I'm not that obsessed with Predator movies, but I would have been just as interested in a movie that was just about the Comanche tribe fighting the French trappers. 

fretmeister

Moon.

Finally got round to watching it.

Very good. Rockwell’s performance was superb.

9/10 

LastMantra

The Iron Mask 

Kind of unusual movie. Sounded like it had been dubbed several times. Some big names in it arnie was quite good Jackie chan played a strange character. Lots of funny moments and amazing visuals.

I quite enjoyed it actually.

Lodious

Marriage Story

Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver Laura Dern and Ray Liotta star in a divorce drama. Some really strong performances, some of the scenes felt more like watching theatre than a movie. A fairly understated movie, but enjoyed it,. 

7/10