What was the last film you saw?

On The Waterfront

Hard to believe, but I'd never seen this film before. Watched last night for the first time and found it fantastic.

Whatever you might think of the later, fatter Brando, in this role he was superb. The supporting cast were also just right, the filming, the scenes - all great.

Shot in 1954, black & white giving it that romantic feel that I think you loose with colour, no special effects, very simply framed, really enjoyable.

If you've never seen this, I highly recommend it.

Looking forward to renting "The Wild Ones" and "Last Streetcar Named Desire" if they are still on our rental list.

Good thread, Bruce.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian OReilly:
Whatever you might think of the later, fatter Brando, in this role he was superb.

No question. He could have been a contender.

7^

The Aviator.
To be honest not a true representation of Hughes life and times.
However Blanchard did do a great job as Kate Hepburn and the aerial sequences were superb.
We could have seen more of Miss Jane Russell and the sequence where the committee reviewed the cleavage of other rather busty film stars brought memories of a previous golden age.
He was a rogue but as shown in the film a likeable one.

The Village

Nice idea and could have been a great film, but didn't really work for me. Will go see The Motorcycle Diaries tonight.

Cheers,

Edo

I agree mostly with Bruce about Million Dollar baby. The acting is clearly excellent, but it's pretty slow, Hilary Duff's family are very one dimensional, and it's just a pretty miserable experiance all round. (for film buffs only).

Motorcycle Diaries, I found OK, but again not a great deal really happens and there could do with some plot line to hold it together.

Man On Fire - Saw this on DVD last week and it is excellent. An Ex (pycholigically scared)CIA assassin becomes bodyguard for a rich Mexican Family. Inevitably a kidnap occurrs and Cue the Choas. Very similar to the 'Unforgiven'.

Saw Sahara last Thursday. A bit too jokey but they did cover most of the book. Still not sure if Matthew Mac is "Dirk Pitt". It did pass the watch test though (1 hr 55 min).
Enjoyable in a James Bond meets Indian Jones sort of way.

Howard

Kung Fu (pilot film). The story of a half-American Shaolin priest, Caine, who leaves China to escape execution for the murder of the Emperor's nephew and becomes a wanderer in the Old West, with a price on his head.

In the early 1970s, the idea of a Western whose hero was a half Chinese priest with neither a gun nor a horse (but whose feet and fists deserved to be registered as deadly weapons) was extraordinary. Few had heard of Kung Fu or Shaolin until this was broadcast.

Even more extraordinary was the fact that Caine's ethnicity and priesthood were not superficial Unique Selling Points but were central to the film and to the series that followed.

Like the regular episodes that followed it, the pilot film's story has a linear plot broken only by flashbacks to Caine's training in Kung Fu and Taoism, and is very much a character-driven morality tale.

Kung Fu is also unusual in that TV compnay interference seems to have been responsible for turning it into something better than it might otherwise have been - for two reasons, one good and one very bad.

The good reason was that worries about excessive violence led to strict limitations in the amount of violence allowed. [Also, apparently, it was responsible for the show's unique slow motion style]. This meant it had to have good stories to sustain interest.

The bad reason was that Bruce Lee was (apparently) denied the role of Caine because he looked too Chinese! However, I cannot imagine Bruce Lee doing anything like as good a job as David Carradine, who did play Caine, unless he was a far better actor than I have seen evidence of...

quote:

Motorcycle Diaries, I found OK, but again not a great deal really happens and there could do with some plot line to hold it together.

You do not actually see a lot of what really happens in the film. I thought it was great, really. I'm not sure whether the novels it was based on were actually written before the overthrow of the Batista regime, but I do think it's genuine as an autoreflective document without descending to the level of a revolutionary "quo non ascendam?" of Guevara.

And it has nice views, too.

Cheers,

Edo

Layer Cake. Missed it at the cinema so watched it on DVD this week. In the Lock Stock mould, but better, I thought.

I saw In America last night. I wouldn't have watched it but my wife wanted to and I was in the mood to watch a movie.
Very moving and a brilliant film. I cried.

Dogma

I watched "Dogma" last week. WTF was THAT about ? It's obviously a metaphor for something, but it's gone right over my head.

Anyone ?

BOR

A few of rentals of late. As per Rockingdoc, we watched 'Layer Cake' which I thought was superb. Also watched 'The Village' which had a good twist. Saw 'Saw' as well. Splice'n'dice fest with a good measure of 'who done it?'. Stars a loo as disgusting as the one in 'Trainspotting'!

Steve

Dogma,just poking a bit of fun at religion I think. No need to go any deeper. Quite ammusing I thought. A variation of the old "Gabriel for an angel you are a bit of a bastard" joke.

Howard

I saw Sin City the other night. An ok film shot mostly in black and white and with no/very few real locations, but featured actors against green/blue screen with CGI locations.

It follows three stories that sort of combine, I may have to watch it again to catch all the places they interweave. Overall I was a bit dissapointed since I didn't thik it all tied up that well, but on the whole an enjoyable film.

HI,
A few DVD's have passed thru the player recently:

Man on Fire - Brill, good story and good action too

The Villiage - I liked this but Shelley didn't. Good twist as usual near the end...

Bride and Predjudice - I wanted to hate this, but it was a good laugh in places.

Shall we Dance - saw this at the flicks, and we both found this a thouroughly enjoyable 'chick' flick - the Gotan project track for the main dance scene with Jlo and gere was good, too (sad I know)

andy c!

My friggin video's busted !

Fritz Von I think it's my trackin innit ?

Not been to the cinema much lately so the most recent films I've seen have been rentals. Recently I rented "Spiderman 2", "I, Robot" and (don't laugh) "Lara Croft, Tombraider: Cradle of Life".

I thought the first two films were excellent but fully expected to be disappointed with the Lara Croft film, but even then I found I quite enjoyed it!

Then a couple of weeks ago I hired "The Chronicles of Riddick". Now I'm a sci-fi fan so should love a film like this but in all honesty I thought it was rubbish.

After I watched the apalling "Constantine", someone chucked me a dodgy DVD containing, amongst others, "Hellboy". Brilliant! Covers the same ground as Keanu's fillum, but with its tongue very firmly in its cheek. Great escapist fun.

"SAW" was one of the few films that has had me simultaneously wide-eyed, gaping and squirming (difficult) by the end (in spite of some cracks in Cary Elwes' performance).

p.s. can anyone tell me what happens in the end of Hellboy? The dodgy DVD wouldn't get through the last 15 mins.

T'was the butler Son

Wings Of Desire / Der Himmel Über Berlin

This is a new DVD release of Wim Wenders’ 20-year-old classic set in West Berlin. It’s the every day story of a guardian angel who falls in love with a French trapeze artist, takes on human form and pursues the girl of his dreams.

The first half of the film is shot in black & white, (because angels can’t see in colour) and follows the angels as they interact both with humans and with each other. The film reverts to colour after Gamiel relinquishes his angel status and takes on human form.

There is quite a good cameo from Peter Falk, playing the American actor and star of Columbo, Peter Falk, making a film in Berlin, and also a live performance from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, with additional backing music from Laurie Anderson, Tuxedomoon and others, to give you another clue about the artistic direction this film takes.

Recommended?

No. This is an extremely slow paced film, which definitely falls into the category, art house. Unless you are heavily into cinematography, the film will not hold your attention for its 2hr duration. If however, you are interested in film as art, then you will love it. The black and white scenes, shot in decaying Berlin and in the Berlin Central Library, are really atmospheric, really beautiful, the b&w images of the older actors really haunting. This is a film where the composition and lighting of the scenes is more important than the action that takes place within them.

The original UK cinema release of this film was sub-titled in English. The DVD version that I’ve just watched was without sub-titles, but I’d suggest that they are not essential to enjoying this film, the meaning being conveyed visually.

I was really looking forward to seeing this film again and I wasn’t disappointed. Great performance from the actors and fantastic technical achievement from the camera/lighting teams.

A superb piece of cinema.

I saw Downfall, the German movie about the last days of the Third Reich at the flicks the other day. A astonishing performance by Bruno Ganz as Hitler (he even gets the Furher's grating Austrian accent right, as well as his capacity to veer 'twixt terrifying irrational rage and winning charm), but credit must also go to the actors playing Josef and Magda Goebbels (she really is a woman who could poison her own children in the belief that life without Hitler was not worth living); and also the art direction and sound editing, which is sensatonal.

Over two hours long and subtitled, but well worth going to see - especially at the pictures.

Kevin

Irecently re-watched Mike Leighs brilliant little Cheerer Upperer "All or Nothing" with Timothy Spall etc, I recommend it to anyone for a touch of real life Britain for many. The Downfall strangely enough didn't get particularly good reviews here from the cretins that be, but IO reckon they're ALL a load of buillshittin tossers anyway, and folk should be imaginative enough to choose their own movies without 'media' advice, innit.


Cheers Von Barry Normal who's he ?

Vera Drake by Mike Leigh.

Seen a few films in the last few weeks but this was the best by a million miles. This is a very, very good film. No digital animation, no sub-sonic explosions, no multiple car crashes, just a real believable human story. Slow-paced and all the better for it. This film thoroughly deserves all the awards it's won.

Go and see it.

Andy

Yeah, tis good innit, nominated for an Oscar as I mentioned previously long afore, I liked that bit where Michael Caine came in doing a quick cameo role as What's it all abaat !!!


Fritz Von Leigh's Highly unrecognised in UK, just like Charlie Chaplin & Eric Burden, innit Long live all the other talentless 5 second wonder wankers though, eh Boyo, Cheers.

Saw Hitch last Sunday. Pretty predictable comedy love film. Was working in Jersey and was bored and didn't want to spend another evening in the hotel. It had some quite funny moments. Best thing was the Orange advert at the beginning with Darth Vader putting a script forward - was worth it just for that!

Will be seeing Hitchhikers next followed by Star Wars.

Steve.