What films have you watched recently?

LionAquaLooper

Damsel on Netflix. Don't waste your time. Even the kids hated it. 

Haych

Focus

2015 conman thriller type thing with Margo Robbie and Will Smith. 

Ticks along at a decent pace but nothing really happens. I was expecting a big twist at the end but it never came. 

A bit disappointing really. 

6/10

bluecat

Just watched Rat Race for the umpteenth time. I still find it funny.

Stratavarious

Bird (1988)

Great Charlie Parker biopic.   Liked it when I first saw it a long time ago but not that easy to find these days.

8/10 

Kurtis

Philly_Q said:

The Hateful Eight (Amazon Prime)

After the Inglourious Basterds discussion earlier, it seemed like a good day to watch the only Tarantino film I haven't seen.

This one's a Western (with a score by Ennio Morricone, no less), but it's more of the same.  A good (and familiar) cast doing a great deal of talking, interspersed with some pretty graphic violence.  Some of the dialogue is funny, there are a few WTF moments, a couple of shocks (but no surprises).  It's never boring... but after 2 hours and 48 minutes I was really just waiting for it to end.

Something that bugged me about that film was when (I might be misremembering here) after they get to the cabin there is, out of nowhere, a narrator that attempts to explain everything that's going on. Might have been intentional, but seemed a bit of weak point.
Was like the story is such a mess it needs someone to clear things up. 

Philly_Q

Kurtis said:

Philly_Q said:

The Hateful Eight (Amazon Prime)

After the Inglourious Basterds discussion earlier, it seemed like a good day to watch the only Tarantino film I haven't seen.

This one's a Western (with a score by Ennio Morricone, no less), but it's more of the same.  A good (and familiar) cast doing a great deal of talking, interspersed with some pretty graphic violence.  Some of the dialogue is funny, there are a few WTF moments, a couple of shocks (but no surprises).  It's never boring... but after 2 hours and 48 minutes I was really just waiting for it to end.

Something that bugged me about that film was when (I might be misremembering here) after they get to the cabin there is, out of nowhere, a narrator that attempts to explain everything that's going on. Might have been intentional, but seemed a bit of weak point.
Was like the story is such a mess it needs someone to clear things up. 

You're right, except the narrator (it's Tarantino himself) doesn't appear until about 95 minutes into the film, explaining [no spoilers] something which was going on in the background during another scene which has just played out.

I think it is intentional, and it's a good illustration of how QT likes to piss about and thinks he's being clever.  Narration's really only a device that's used in (a) kids' films and (b) crappy low-budget films which turn out to make no sense once they're in the editing room, and they've got no money for re-shoots. 

But he needed that little flashback scene, and I bet he thought "I could do a bit of narration", just as a joke.  At that point, most directors would think of another way of showing the flashback/different perspective, and I'm sure he did think about it, then thought "no fuck it, I'll do the narration, it'll be funny and wind people up".  He's a show-off, basically.

Kurtis

Philly_Q said:

Kurtis said:

Philly_Q said:

The Hateful Eight (Amazon Prime)

After the Inglourious Basterds discussion earlier, it seemed like a good day to watch the only Tarantino film I haven't seen.

This one's a Western (with a score by Ennio Morricone, no less), but it's more of the same.  A good (and familiar) cast doing a great deal of talking, interspersed with some pretty graphic violence.  Some of the dialogue is funny, there are a few WTF moments, a couple of shocks (but no surprises).  It's never boring... but after 2 hours and 48 minutes I was really just waiting for it to end.

Something that bugged me about that film was when (I might be misremembering here) after they get to the cabin there is, out of nowhere, a narrator that attempts to explain everything that's going on. Might have been intentional, but seemed a bit of weak point.
Was like the story is such a mess it needs someone to clear things up. 

You're right, except the narrator (it's Tarantino himself) doesn't appear until about 95 minutes into the film, explaining [no spoilers] something which was going on in the background during another scene which has just played out.

I think it is intentional, and it's a good illustration of how QT likes to piss about and thinks he's being clever.  Narration's really only a device that's used in (a) kids' films and (b) crappy low-budget films which turn out to make no sense once they're in the editing room, and they've got no money for re-shoots. 

But he needed that little flashback scene, and I bet he thought "I could do a bit of narration", just as a joke.  At that point, most directors would think of another way of showing the flashback/different perspective, and I'm sure he did think about it, then thought "no fuck it, I'll do the narration, it'll be funny and wind people up".  He's a show-off, basically.

Yeah, you could be right. Was just a bit jarring. 

I liked the snowy scenery. It got more tarantino as it went on. 
Might watch it again soon, I've only seen it once, ages ago. 

Offset

^^ Haven't seen TH8.  I'll add it to the list.

Kurtis

The end of once upon a time in Hollywood was a bit weird too. 

Offset

Kurtis said:

The end of once upon a time in Hollywood was a bit weird too. 

Another one I haven't seen - added to the list as well :-)

Philly_Q

Offset said:

Kurtis said:

The end of once upon a time in Hollywood was a bit weird too. 

Another one I haven't seen - added to the list as well :-)

I don't want to say anything spoilerific at all, but I think it's a better film than The Hateful Eight.

Kurtis

Probably his most "complete" movie imo. 

Shrews

Earth vs the Flying Saucers (Film 4)

B movie from the 1950's, which was like a B movie from the 1950's. 

In its defence, nobody was conning the public about flying saucers. They did look like actual saucers flying across the set, thrown by the director and then slowed down.

Rubbish. Not even a Z movie 1/10

Philly_Q

Infiesto (Netflix)

During the first few days of the 2020 Covid lockdown, a pair of police detectives investigate a series of kidnappings which seem to be connected with Druidic rituals and sacrifice.

Spanish thrillers and horror movies often have a certain style which I like - a cold, dark, dingy look with washed out colours, totally unlike our typical Costa del Sol image of Spain.  This is very much in that vein, but it's plodding and unexciting, with the cops seemingly stumbling over clues rather than doing any proper investigating.  And the ending is extremely underwhelming.  Avoid.

rze99

The Third Man

Movie 1948 BBC iPlayer

Set in post-war rubble, cafes,. elegant apartments and palaces on location in Austria (also shot in London) with Vienna run by then 4 different war allies. The infamous and amoral "cuckoo clock" speech scene with he great wheel scenes were actually shot with  back projection.

Holly Martins, a writer of pulp fiction arrives at the invitation of his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead in some form of street accident the details of which vary from witness to witness, so he investigates. Meanwhile Holly becomes fixated on a beautiful actress (Alida Valli) with secrets to hide from the authorities. Can he make sense of the mystery amidst the subterfuge and can he get the girl too?
 
I hadn't seen this since I was a film-mad teenager. Fantastic lighting, cinematography and tight, tense story telling (1:44 running time is a great length) excellent atmospheric sets, noir angled scenes (ably enhanced by gifted backdrop painter Ferdinand Bellan). 

I have to say the famously perfect score actually got right on my nerves this time. So repetitive!

Excellent performances and tight direction.

Highly recommended.

9/10 

 

CaseOfAce

bluecat said:

Just watched Rat Race for the umpteenth time. I still find it funny.

I've watched it twice in the past year or so - absolutely hilarious. One of those gems like Galaxy Quest that never loses its charm.
Quite how they got away with the sketch of the Jewish family driving Hitler's car in a mainstream comedy movie and the ensuing chaos..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dsgQb3jkk4

Offset

Monster Portal (2022) Prime

I was drawn in by the Lovecraftian theme and deliberately avoided reviews.  Oh dear.

The good: nicely shot during some lovely English spring weather.  A delightful setting too.

The bad: everything else.  It looks like it was badly made in 1985.  Not scary, very slow, exceptionally boring.  I endured the full 78 minutes in the hope it would improve.  It didn't.

1/10 and that's for the weather, the nice house and attractive gardens.

Cranky

rze99 said:

The Third Man

Movie 1948 BBC iPlayer

Set in post-war rubble, cafes,. elegant apartments and palaces on location in Austria (also shot in London) with Vienna run by then 4 different war allies. The infamous and amoral "cuckoo clock" speech scene with he great wheel scenes were actually shot with  back projection.

Holly Martins, a writer of pulp fiction arrives at the invitation of his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead in some form of street accident the details of which vary from witness to witness, so he investigates. Meanwhile Holly becomes fixated on a beautiful actress (Alida Valli) with secrets to hide from the authorities. Can he make sense of the mystery amidst the subterfuge and can he get the girl too?
 
I hadn't seen this since I was a film-mad teenager. Fantastic lighting, cinematography and tight, tense story telling (1:44 running time is a great length) excellent atmospheric sets, noir angled scenes (ably enhanced by gifted backdrop painter Ferdinand Bellan). 

I have to say the famously perfect score actually got right on my nerves this time. So repetitive!

Excellent performances and tight direction.

Highly recommended.

9/10 

 

I’m sold!

Philly_Q

Offset said:

Monster Portal (2022) Prime

I was drawn in by the Lovecraftian theme and deliberately avoided reviews.  Oh dear.

The good: nicely shot during some lovely English spring weather.  A delightful setting too.

The bad: everything else.  It looks like it was badly made in 1985.  Not scary, very slow, exceptionally boring.  I endured the full 78 minutes in the hope it would improve.  It didn't.

1/10 and that's for the weather, the nice house and attractive gardens.

That sounds like the sort of thing Amazon would recommend to me, although I do tend to ignore low-budget British films with suspiciously short running times.  Maybe their algorithms are cleverer than I realised.

Offset

Philly_Q said:

Offset said:

Monster Portal (2022) Prime

I was drawn in by the Lovecraftian theme and deliberately avoided reviews.  Oh dear.

The good: nicely shot during some lovely English spring weather.  A delightful setting too.

The bad: everything else.  It looks like it was badly made in 1985.  Not scary, very slow, exceptionally boring.  I endured the full 78 minutes in the hope it would improve.  It didn't.

1/10 and that's for the weather, the nice house and attractive gardens.

That sounds like the sort of thing Amazon would recommend to me, although I do tend to ignore low-budget British films with suspiciously short running times.  Maybe their algorithms are cleverer than I realised.

I can't remember watching a Brit take on the Cthulhu Mythos which is why I dipped in.  Just don't - it's truly frackin' awful.  The dead rabbits were especially unconvincing :-)