What DVD have you just watched?

10 Cloverfield Lane. Streamed via Netflix.

I missed this movie at the cinema but wanted to see it after reading good reviews. An interesting, tense claustrophobic successful overlap of film genres. Recommended.

El Cid

Watched this with my daughter and her husband, who happens to be Muslim.

I have always enjoyed this film as it avoids simplicity, although I believe that actual history is more complex. El Cid fought for both Christian AND Moorish rulers. Ben Yussef did not die at at the battle of Valencia (one of a number) but eventually took it. El Cid did not die at Valencia. So in this way the complexity was simplified, but the message that the (now) Spanish people were not split along simple religious lines apparently is true.

Good film, and an even better discussion with Imran afterwards.

M

The Fugitive

A film I haven't watched for a while, and one that holds up well. Looking at the plot it is interesting to think how it would work with modern CCTV and DNA evidence. Holds together MUCH better than Die Hard 2 of course (even ignoring the ridiculous action sequences).

M

MDS posted:

Time Bandits

Prompted by Kevin-W's post on the cinema thread about seeing Brazil, I thought I'd watch another Gilliam film.   

Watched this with my son-in-law as well, This is my favorite TG film.

The theme of allowing ourselves to become distracted by trinkets and rubbish, to the detriment of relationships, is profound; and being thoroughly entertaining always assists. Superb cast.

M

The Cloverfield Paradox: Streamed via Netflix.

After enjoying 10 Cloverfield Lane I thought I would follow on with the latest Cloverfield instalment. A hyped straight to streaming release does not bode well! There are some interesting ideas being explored and the cast try their hardest, but it just doesn’t quite mesh together. But, I enjoyed it for what it was, I suppose. Recommended for Sci-Fi completists only.

Operation Crossbow.  

I had a conversation a few years ago with a friend about good war films and remembered this one, but for some reason it has been quite hard to find in the UK.  Anyway, for my 50th he found me a copy, so watched it a few days ago.  I think I first saw this many years ago, so didn't know what to expect.  What I found was actually quite a strong and enjoyable film. While definitely not reaching the heights of something like Where Eagles Dare or The Train, or even Von Ryan's Express, it's still good watch. Sophia Loren is as easy on the eye as ever and it's nice to see the actors speaking German too. The transfer to DVD is a much better than I expected from a PAL All Regions release - shown in Anamorphic 2.35:1 ratio, it looked pretty good.

Trevor Howard was a great actor, and to such an extent that apparently many 'stars' refused to work with him as he stole scenes that he shared with them.

Not seen this, that I remember, I'll see if I can track it down.

M

Yetizone posted:

The Cloverfield Paradox: Streamed via Netflix.

Recommended for Sci-Fi completists only.

Damning with very faint praise

Mr Underhill posted:

Yetizone posted:

The Cloverfield Paradox: Streamed via Netflix.

Recommended for Sci-Fi completists only.

Damning with very faint praise

Yes - its wasn't great at all!

Les Affamés (Ravenous): Streamed via Netflix. 

An interesting take on the ubiquitous Zombie movie. Genuinely unsettling as the world portrayed is believable. Gallows humour occasionally lightens the tone, but its hard going in places. Reinforced by the eery still landscape shots - one person standing still in a field has never looked so menacing. The calm balanced with intense scenes which are not for the squeamish. In overall tone its much more in keeping with the original Night of the Living Dead than the comedic Evil Dead2 etc - or even recent Zombie movies themes. Plus a few jump scares that caught me (and a glass of red wine) out! Recommended only for nihilistic genre fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKEOgOpxI1c

Browsing my DVDs last night, fancying watching a movie, I selected this. I don't think I've watched again since I first bought it years ago and my memory was it was just 'okay'.  So I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it this time round.  Some violent and depressing scenes, depicting the chaos of Sierra Leone, but the story moves along at a brisk pace and the characters are interesting.    

MDS posted:

Browsing my DVDs last night, fancying watching a movie, I selected this. I don't think I've watched again since I first bought it years ago and my memory was it was just 'okay'.  So I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it this time round.  Some violent and depressing scenes, depicting the chaos of Sierra Leone, but the story moves along at a brisk pace and the characters are interesting.    

The 15 seconds when they showed the regal Rodegian Ridgeback dog made it worth watching for me. We miss our departed one dearly.

  Martin Scorsese Presents : The Blues.

  A boxset of seven films, from various directors, examining the history of the blues ........... highly recommended for all blues fans.

dave marshall posted:

  Martin Scorsese Presents : The Blues.

  A boxset of seven films, from various directors, examining the history of the blues ........... highly recommended for all blues fans.

I have watched it SO many times. An amazing box set. Highly recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqqZ99u4xGk

Haim Ronen posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqqZ99u4xGk

One of my favourite war movies. Olivier and Robert Shaw are particularly enjoyable. 

I think Kevin-W posted about this recently having seen at the cinema.  A while since I've watched and I'm now reminded how stylish it is.  The attention to detail is very impressive and I'm sure more reveals itself on further viewings. Gilliam is a talent, for sure.  

Three Billboards ....

A very 'Coen Brothers-esque' movie (in a positive sense), though not a Coen Brothers movie. Quality acting throughout, albeit a rather derivative role for Francis McDormand. Strikes at all the "redneckiness" the rural American south has to offer, but in the end manages to portray some humanity in those characters. I was left wanting by what I found to be an abrupt ending, but it had me thinking - something a provoking movie ought to do.

Director Martin McDonagh also did the film In Bruges  which I found to be equally good. A worthy watch.

A brilliant, stylish noir mystery from a time when Hollywood still made pictures for adults (1944).

The script is crackling with great lines, it's shot in luminous black and white by Joseph LaShelle, Otto Preminger directs with admirable economy (the movie is just 84 minutes long, and not a second is wasted), and it's perfectly cast: Gene Tierney, one of the great beauties of the age, takes the title role; a young Vincent Price is the parasitic, shifty fiancée; Dana Andrews is the harboiled detective with an unnatural interest in the case; and Clifton Webb is just magnificent as the waspish, effete newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker.

Like so many of Preminger's films, it's a cynical satire - in this case, on notions of power, class, betterment and the pursuit of money and social status. Well worth your time.

I watched it on BBC2 last Sunday, Kev. Great cinematography and it was refreshing to see Vincent Price on a different  role from the ones associated with E. A. Poe adaptations. 

I saw that it was on TV Tony, and being disappointed to have missed it, I decided to get the DVD (hadn't seen the movie since the mid 1980s, when I was a student).

Fantastic picture, they don't make 'em like that any more, sadly. And Gene Tierney was a real stunner, wasn't she?

Yes, and she reminds me of Hedy Lamarr who has been in the news recently.

TRailer for those interested:

Annihilation: Streamed via Netflix: 

Outside of the US a straight to streaming release, but don’t let that be an influence. Paramount got cold feet, interpreting it as being “too intellectual” for general movie audiences. Good grief.

From the (stunning) panoramic shots, it is clearly evident the movie was design for the big screen. If you saw it at the cinema - I’m envious! Anyway, seeing it on the small-ish plasma TV & surround sound - in a blacked out room was as good as could be hoped for, and certainly hasn’t diminished my enthusiasm.

I thought it ambitious, intelligent and thought provoking Sci-Fi filmmaking by Alex Garland (although a little raw in places). First Ex Machina and now Annihilation, not to mention screenwriting Dredd, 28 Weeks Later and writing Sunshine. I’m certainly really looking forward to what he does next. Highly recommended.