What DVD have you just watched?

Another very good Iranian flick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlKN5PBVLN8

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-salesman-2017

Baby Driver: Rented & streamed via Apple TV.

Very good overall. I’d say deserved of its 5 star rating by Empire. The choice and synchronisation of music to action simply exceptional. The car chases visceral and convincing. Plot wise, it is  little predicable in some ways but still hugely enjoyable.  Cast are superb throughout, esp Ansel Elgort. Also, the surround sound mix is just superb. Wish I'd seen it at the cinema!

Given the recent press coverage, it was quite disconcerting to see Kevin Spacey (forgotten he was in the film) in role completed long before all of the recent news allegations came to light.

PS. Love the retro movie poster illustration too.

Just watched Eye in the Sky via Amazon Prime, Alan Rickman's last movie.

First time I've seen this and very much enjoyed it. The tension builds nicely.  The issues and moral arguments surrounding drone attacks are expressed vividly.  I particularly liked the portrayal of buck-passing and vacillating politicians. Recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnwgMYeaqr4

The Great Wall.

On Sky movies.

Was a huge fan of those Doug McClure monster mash movies as a kid. Matt Damon passes admirably as a modern day Doug in this silly film that requires you to turn off the reality button and turn up the mash.

recommended for any other Doug fans.

The latest 4k remastered version. I'm not entirely sure why they don't actually market this as a 4k disc, but no matter, the picture quality on BluRay's a considerable improvement on the old BluRay version, with a choice of either stereo, 4.1 or 5.1 sound mixes, the latter sounding excellent. the non-CGI special effects stand up very well to the extra definition available, and remain deeply unsettling and unpleasant. One of my all-time favourite sci-fi movies.

I remember watching The Thing on a Betamax video player in the early 80s.

Yetizone posted:

Baby Driver: Rented & streamed via Apple TV.

Very good overall. I’d say deserved of its 5 star rating by Empire. The choice and synchronisation of music to action simply exceptional. The car chases visceral and convincing. Plot wise, it is  little predicable in some ways but still hugely enjoyable.  Cast are superb throughout, esp Ansel Elgort. Also, the surround sound mix is just superb. Wish I'd seen it at the cinema!

Given the recent press coverage, it was quite disconcerting to see Kevin Spacey (forgotten he was in the film) in role completed long before all of the recent news allegations came to light.

PS. Love the retro movie poster illustration too.

We watched the 4K version of this last night. As you say Mr Yetizone, insanely enjoyable, a real hoot. Great soundtrack and exceptional surround sound. Funny how now, Kevin Spacey looks really seedy.

Stranger Things 2: Streamed via Netflix.

For any 1980’s kids out there who loved their Horror & Sci-Fi films as young teens, then this is the nostalgia blast for you! Convincingly awash in (celebratory) period detail. Spielberg influences abound. Fantastic cast (the younger cast are outstanding) with interesting new additions. A genuine feeling of creeping unease builds as the series unfolds. Better than the first series (which was good in its own tight) as its clearly evident the Duffer Brothers had a bigger budget to play with. Highly recommended.

I look forward to series 3 with anticipation. Highly recommended for genre fans!

I've finally got around to watching this. Ok, it's a bit long. The violence is exaggerated, in true Tarantino fashion. The story-telling and rich dialogue for every character is also classic Tarantino.  I liked the richness of the costumes, sets and scenery, which all add to the atmosphere.  The actors looked like they were enjoying themselves, especially Jackson.  I very much enjoyed it and will watch it again.  

Abel Gance's most celebrated picture, Napoleon of 1927, isn't actually his best (that distinction belongs to La Roue, which I must find on DVD). Although it's hard going sometimes - the movie itself is a jaw-dropping 5 hours 32 minutes long - and the primitive widescreen and use of triptych sometimes feels a bit dated and gimmicky, it's still an astonishing achievement by any measure.

Interesting that three of the  last silent films (this, Sunrise and The Passion of Joan of Arc, all made iin 1927) are among the very best films ever made. Sound set back moviemaking by about a decade.

This triple Blu-ray set from the BFI and Kevin Brownlow is amazing too - a lovely transfer an informative booklet and top-notch extras.

What is it about Mr Tarantino, his wonderful ability to capture the nuances of dialogue interplay that's so captivating? Yes, loved The Hateful Eight. All the usual Quentin suspects doing a great job on the acting front. A long film right enough, but I never felt it dragged.

I agree, Tony. The complexity of the dialogue and attention to small details rewards watching his movies several times. There's always something new to spot. You're also right about the length -  at no point was I getting bored. I was more that I had underestimated the length as I started to watch it at nearly 10pm so got to bed much later than planned!  

Funnily enough, (and I speak as an admirer) I think QT's best days may now be behind him. He's a bit like Welles in that nothing he will do will ever have the impact of his first two movies (especially the second).

Interestingly enough, when the time comes to evaluate his career, the picture that will come out best won't be Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but his third film, Jackie Brown. In some ways it is the least 'Tarantino-esque' of his pictures but it has the benefit of being based on an Elmore Leonard story, containing some cracking dialogue and, unlike any of his other films, actually has a heart.

Interesting that  you say that, Kevin, as Jackie Brown is the one movie of his that I haven't seen all the way through. Must correct that soon. 

BTW, something I didn't mention in my earlier post on Hateful Eight was the prominence in the credits at the start of the movie to Weinstein. In the light of recent news-coverage they caught my eye.  

Kevin-W posted:

Funnily enough, (and I speak as an admirer) I think QT's best days may now be behind him. He's a bit like Welles in that nothing he will do will ever have the impact of his first two movies (especially the second).

Interestingly enough, when the time comes to evaluate his career, the picture that will come out best won't be Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but his third film, Jackie Brown. In some ways it is the least 'Tarantino-esque' of his pictures but it has the benefit of being based on an Elmore Leonard story, containing some cracking dialogue and, unlike any of his other films, actually has a heart.

I agree.  Under all the 'Tarantinoesque' dialogue and violence Jackie Brown is a really heart warming love story, and one that will doubtless eventually emerge as QT's hidden masterpiece.

4K BluRay. What can I say? It certainly has a promising opening few minutes. And the picture and surround sound quality are excellent. There are some great effects...

Methinks dear old Luc's got a bit carried away with this. The story was probably scribbled out of a fag packet after a few too many drinks, and I couldn't make up my mind about the dialogue, I mean no one could write this stuff and expect it to be taken seriously? More cliches than you can shake a stick at - corny doesn't cover it. Bits nicked from every sci-fi flick you can think of - Star Wars (obv.), Alien, Aliens, Avatar, Fifth Element, you name it, it's in there somewhere.

Did I enjoy it? You bet! It's a huge hoot, just Mr Besson's little joke I suspect.

A very enjoyable rental, great scenery, acting and plot.

WIND RIVER is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, WIND RIVER also stars Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Asbille, and James Jordan.

I was  fortunate to see Wind River at the cinema and alerted folks to how good it is on the 'what's the last film you've seen thread'.

Easily my favourite movie of the year.

seakayaker posted:

A very enjoyable rental, great scenery, acting and plot.

WIND RIVER is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, WIND RIVER also stars Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Asbille, and James Jordan.

Why did so many people had to get shot? Does it make the film better or less realistic? What was the purpose of the killing when they were searching the house of the young punks?

Our daughter took me to see this feature in Toronto and then apologized for her bad choice. I told her that no harm was done and that I learned how far snowmobiles could drive up a steep mountain. Acting was decent and the scenery fascinating.

True romance.

more entry level lite than full fat Tarantino. But still my fav.

DVD

Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music plus The Albert Hall Encores (The Christopher Nupen Films)

An amazing musician and a joy to watch and listen to but I would have liked to have seen a more in-depth focus on his life especially of his early years growing up in Russia.  Also, it is clear that this DVD is around 20 years old now yet the back cover only refers to a production year of 2014.  Also, now it would be nice to see an in-depth followup covering the last 20 years which include the events of his becoming a British citizen in 2002 and an Israeli citizen since 2013.

https://www.medici.tv/en/conce...he-bbc-proms-london/

I just watched this on Netflix and ordered the DVD.  Truly outstanding.

It is the DVD companion to this CD, which I also recommend highly.    This is a soundtrack to a movie done about the same time.   The movie is plenty good.  The CD is better.    It is a cherry picked history of James Brown's big hits from the early days through Get Up Offa That Thing. 

All three produced by Mick Jagger.