Good films I watched this weekend (Vol 2)
Discussion
RobinBanks said:
I will get a copy of Tracks if it's that good. I didn't bother before because it sounded incredibly boring, but I've now read your recommendations.
It is a slow plodding film....the fact that neither or more specifically my wife did not fall asleep is testament to it's engagement... hard to pinpoint..That Babadouk review above is very good and acurate too, what seems at first to be a childish re-hash of tried and tested horror film ideas, turns out to be a fair bit deeper, bleaker and more adult. Gets under your skin.
It was on TV a while back, but I just got around to seeing the action comedy Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz over the weekend. I wasn't expecting much, just an excuse to turn my brain off and watch some exploding helicopters really, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It didn't take itself too seriously, the leads played their roles well, some good one liners and a few laugh out loud moments.
I've certainly spend 2 hours seeing much worse films, 8/10 from me as it doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, and for what it is it's very good.
It didn't take itself too seriously, the leads played their roles well, some good one liners and a few laugh out loud moments.
I've certainly spend 2 hours seeing much worse films, 8/10 from me as it doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, and for what it is it's very good.
Nom de ploom said:
Cuban Fury - an enjoyable way to kill 90 minutes, couple of lol moments (i'm getting a manicure) and a good ensemble.
6.5/10
Watched this over the weekend too. A pleasant film with a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. Much better than I expected. 6.5/10
However, it was let down by Nick Frost's dancing, which was good, but not convincing enough for the story. They should have used a bit of camera trickery to make him even better.
qube_TA said:
Tracks - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167266
'A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.' Based on the adventure of Robyn Davidson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson).
It sounds a bit dull conceptually but I thought it was really compelling, looked great, nicely captured the vastness and loneliness of the terrain.
It also has this wonderful score by Garth Stevenson, hadn't heard of him before but it totally created the mood, really quite special.
Ace film, worth a watch if you're interested in something different.
8/10
Have downloaded this , but not watched it yet.'A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.' Based on the adventure of Robyn Davidson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson).
It sounds a bit dull conceptually but I thought it was really compelling, looked great, nicely captured the vastness and loneliness of the terrain.
It also has this wonderful score by Garth Stevenson, hadn't heard of him before but it totally created the mood, really quite special.
Ace film, worth a watch if you're interested in something different.
8/10
thismonkeyhere said:
Asterix said:
garyhun said:
qube_TA said:
Tracks - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167266
'A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.' Based on the adventure of Robyn Davidson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson).
It sounds a bit dull conceptually but I thought it was really compelling, looked great, nicely captured the vastness and loneliness of the terrain.
It also has this wonderful score by Garth Stevenson, hadn't heard of him before but it totally created the mood, really quite special.
Ace film, worth a watch if you're interested in something different.
8/10
Thanks for reminding me - I've wanted to watch this for a while now but had forgotten about it (if that makes sense).'A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.' Based on the adventure of Robyn Davidson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson).
It sounds a bit dull conceptually but I thought it was really compelling, looked great, nicely captured the vastness and loneliness of the terrain.
It also has this wonderful score by Garth Stevenson, hadn't heard of him before but it totally created the mood, really quite special.
Ace film, worth a watch if you're interested in something different.
8/10
Maybe not then
JustinP1 said:
The Babadouk 9/10
I took a punt on this as I did think that this wouldn't be my bag at all.
This is not a 'horror' film in the ilk of the last 20 years of teenagers get picked off by an apparition that makes you jump, thus it pains me to put it in that genre. I'm not a fan of that genre at all.
This film has characters that are believable, and you care about. It follows a woman and her 6 year old son. His father died in a car crash on the way to hospital for the son's delivery. That scenario is played out in a sensitive and believable way, as it has left both the mother and son with obvious emotional issues, as clearly, she has not moved on, but he has obvious questions on who his father was. You do really feel for both of the characters.
The portrayal of emotional and psychological issues are spot on, and not only create empathy for the protagonists, but the 'dark thoughts' which worsen throughout the film seem very believable for people experiencing such emotional guilt, grief and psychological disturbance.
And that's the crux - like 'The Shining' which I think is it's closest film, for me, we don't know whether the son is disturbed, or the mother, or both, and that dynamic changes throughout the film. I'm not scared by 'horror films', but this was genuinely disturbing - the scariest film I've seen since The Shining. Not by gore or shocks, but through believable storytelling and chilling cinematography.
Highly recommended.
+1I took a punt on this as I did think that this wouldn't be my bag at all.
This is not a 'horror' film in the ilk of the last 20 years of teenagers get picked off by an apparition that makes you jump, thus it pains me to put it in that genre. I'm not a fan of that genre at all.
This film has characters that are believable, and you care about. It follows a woman and her 6 year old son. His father died in a car crash on the way to hospital for the son's delivery. That scenario is played out in a sensitive and believable way, as it has left both the mother and son with obvious emotional issues, as clearly, she has not moved on, but he has obvious questions on who his father was. You do really feel for both of the characters.
The portrayal of emotional and psychological issues are spot on, and not only create empathy for the protagonists, but the 'dark thoughts' which worsen throughout the film seem very believable for people experiencing such emotional guilt, grief and psychological disturbance.
And that's the crux - like 'The Shining' which I think is it's closest film, for me, we don't know whether the son is disturbed, or the mother, or both, and that dynamic changes throughout the film. I'm not scared by 'horror films', but this was genuinely disturbing - the scariest film I've seen since The Shining. Not by gore or shocks, but through believable storytelling and chilling cinematography.
Highly recommended.
Saw this about 6 weeks ago. Highly original ending and an excellent all round film well acted.
toasty said:
Whiplash - To add to the above. Quite possibly one of the most engrossing films I've ever seen. The ever increasing drive for excellence was captivating and both lead actors deserve the acclaim they'll get for this. Approaching a 10/10.
I havnt done this in years but went back to the cinema to see it a second then a third time! Engrossing film. Went with a mate for the third show, and he hated it, as 'people shouldn't behave like that'. Maybe not, but for me that was part of the roller coaster. The last 10 minutes, and the last 5 seconds in particular challenge that conception. Simmons deserved his Oscar.
9/10
CountZero23 said:
'71 - Fantastic film about a soldier left behind during the troubles in Northern Ireland.
9/10
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/71_2015/
+1 gripping stuff, and makes you wonder just how much under hand double crossing takes place in these kind of conflicts where the line between right and wrong is often blurred no doubt. 9/10
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/71_2015/
White god
Hungarian film with sub titles so needs a degree of concentration but rewards you in the end.
A young girl - Lili - is separated from her mongrel dog - Hargen - and sets out to be re United with him.
If that sounds like a recipe for a Disney film, nothing could be further from the truth! Lots of scenes of violence. Think a canine version of hitchcocks 'the birds'
Well acted by the young girl and her father in the film, and Hargen puts in an Oscar winning performance for best animal actor!
8/10
Hungarian film with sub titles so needs a degree of concentration but rewards you in the end.
A young girl - Lili - is separated from her mongrel dog - Hargen - and sets out to be re United with him.
If that sounds like a recipe for a Disney film, nothing could be further from the truth! Lots of scenes of violence. Think a canine version of hitchcocks 'the birds'
Well acted by the young girl and her father in the film, and Hargen puts in an Oscar winning performance for best animal actor!
8/10
Edited by R666 on Tuesday 3rd March 09:11
Edited by R666 on Tuesday 3rd March 09:13
The Duke of Burgundy
Fantastic cinematography, an excellent score, and two lead actresses who play their parts with great depth of feeling.
This is a love story, it studies the interaction of two lovers in a submission/dominant relationship, and how the nature of the relationship tests the bonds of love, beneath the acts of domination and submission. BDSM relationship are controlled by the submissive, and clearly this is the case in the film, and I trust is something that come through clearly. Whether spotted by the audience is another matter, but it is beautifully portrayed here.
From the demands of how to be treated, to the repetition of the BDSM scenes, it is clear the submissive is driving the agenda. The way in which this begins to test the bonds the dominant feels is brilliantly portrayed.
It is difficult to define love, and the film explores how the human bond that is love is something much deeper than the acts of love, and certainly the acts of sex, be they "vanilla' or otherwise. A future classic, and something that puts 50 shades of Grey into 50 shades pale...
9/10
Fantastic cinematography, an excellent score, and two lead actresses who play their parts with great depth of feeling.
This is a love story, it studies the interaction of two lovers in a submission/dominant relationship, and how the nature of the relationship tests the bonds of love, beneath the acts of domination and submission. BDSM relationship are controlled by the submissive, and clearly this is the case in the film, and I trust is something that come through clearly. Whether spotted by the audience is another matter, but it is beautifully portrayed here.
From the demands of how to be treated, to the repetition of the BDSM scenes, it is clear the submissive is driving the agenda. The way in which this begins to test the bonds the dominant feels is brilliantly portrayed.
It is difficult to define love, and the film explores how the human bond that is love is something much deeper than the acts of love, and certainly the acts of sex, be they "vanilla' or otherwise. A future classic, and something that puts 50 shades of Grey into 50 shades pale...
9/10
Edited by R666 on Tuesday 3rd March 09:10
R666 said:
JustinP1 said:
The Babadouk 9/10
I took a punt on this as I did think that this wouldn't be my bag at all.
This is not a 'horror' film in the ilk of the last 20 years of teenagers get picked off by an apparition that makes you jump, thus it pains me to put it in that genre. I'm not a fan of that genre at all.
This film has characters that are believable, and you care about. It follows a woman and her 6 year old son. His father died in a car crash on the way to hospital for the son's delivery. That scenario is played out in a sensitive and believable way, as it has left both the mother and son with obvious emotional issues, as clearly, she has not moved on, but he has obvious questions on who his father was. You do really feel for both of the characters.
The portrayal of emotional and psychological issues are spot on, and not only create empathy for the protagonists, but the 'dark thoughts' which worsen throughout the film seem very believable for people experiencing such emotional guilt, grief and psychological disturbance.
And that's the crux - like 'The Shining' which I think is it's closest film, for me, we don't know whether the son is disturbed, or the mother, or both, and that dynamic changes throughout the film. I'm not scared by 'horror films', but this was genuinely disturbing - the scariest film I've seen since The Shining. Not by gore or shocks, but through believable storytelling and chilling cinematography.
Highly recommended.
+1I took a punt on this as I did think that this wouldn't be my bag at all.
This is not a 'horror' film in the ilk of the last 20 years of teenagers get picked off by an apparition that makes you jump, thus it pains me to put it in that genre. I'm not a fan of that genre at all.
This film has characters that are believable, and you care about. It follows a woman and her 6 year old son. His father died in a car crash on the way to hospital for the son's delivery. That scenario is played out in a sensitive and believable way, as it has left both the mother and son with obvious emotional issues, as clearly, she has not moved on, but he has obvious questions on who his father was. You do really feel for both of the characters.
The portrayal of emotional and psychological issues are spot on, and not only create empathy for the protagonists, but the 'dark thoughts' which worsen throughout the film seem very believable for people experiencing such emotional guilt, grief and psychological disturbance.
And that's the crux - like 'The Shining' which I think is it's closest film, for me, we don't know whether the son is disturbed, or the mother, or both, and that dynamic changes throughout the film. I'm not scared by 'horror films', but this was genuinely disturbing - the scariest film I've seen since The Shining. Not by gore or shocks, but through believable storytelling and chilling cinematography.
Highly recommended.
Saw this about 6 weeks ago. Highly original ending and an excellent all round film well acted.
It was a superb end, as it gave an obvious context to the rest of the film in that:
It is now obvious that the Babadouk is the objectification of the grief for the father. In the final scene they talk about the father openly and without pain, and whilst the Babadouk is still there, he is kept under control, does not leave the basement, and the mother and son occasionally pay service to it.
It gave the film a whole lot more meaning.
it follows
I feel for horror film makers. It must be really difficult to make something different and original, though ultimately that is down to the amount of material being produced by horror writers. It Follows follows a pretty typical formula of a curse that needs to be passed on for the cursed to free themselves from the consequences. Having sex with the next victim is a twist but doesn't really add enough to make the film original or thrilling enough to warrant more than an average film. That said, some of the delivery is good. Even if the material is familiar we all like to be scared and the score and the tension does build effectively in some key scenes. So whilst no horror classic, It Follows does tick some boxes and is worth a viewing by any horror aficionado. Though I expect infrequent horror goers may come away a bit more satisfied.
I feel for horror film makers. It must be really difficult to make something different and original, though ultimately that is down to the amount of material being produced by horror writers. It Follows follows a pretty typical formula of a curse that needs to be passed on for the cursed to free themselves from the consequences. Having sex with the next victim is a twist but doesn't really add enough to make the film original or thrilling enough to warrant more than an average film. That said, some of the delivery is good. Even if the material is familiar we all like to be scared and the score and the tension does build effectively in some key scenes. So whilst no horror classic, It Follows does tick some boxes and is worth a viewing by any horror aficionado. Though I expect infrequent horror goers may come away a bit more satisfied.
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