Films I watched this week (Vol 2)

[Halb]

CooperD said:

They Shall Not Grow Old was an incredibly moving and at times very graphic film but well worth seeing. It's now on the BBC iplayer if you have missed it. They were showing it in my local cinema on Remembrance Day at 11 am which was extremely apt.

ahh good, missed most of it!

[Sardonicus]

jsf said:

What struck a cord apart from the carnage, was just how oblivious the general public were and how they treated ex servicemen post the war.

I think the USA had the same issue with Vietnam. It looks like they have learned from that now and returning soldiers are treated much better by civilians.

Precisely , absolutely disgusting behavior ...... "Oh lets just forget about this little incident and carry on" or similar plus the class system remained intact and st flows downwards enjoying your brew miles away from the action Haig? "So sorry Sir you can hear faint explosions in the distance" fking scum bag along with the others

[SCEtoAUX]

Star Trek - The Motion Picture

Still epic after almost 40 years. Some hate it, I reckon its right up there with the very best of the Star Trek films.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Sardonicus said:

jsf said:

What struck a cord apart from the carnage, was just how oblivious the general public were and how they treated ex servicemen post the war.

I think the USA had the same issue with Vietnam. It looks like they have learned from that now and returning soldiers are treated much better by civilians.

Precisely , absolutely disgusting behavior ...... "Oh lets just forget about this little incident and carry on" or similar plus the class system remained intact and st flows downwards enjoying your brew miles away from the action Haig? "So sorry Sir you can hear faint explosions in the distance" fking scum bag along with the others

In fairness, it was British policy during both WW1 and WW2 to deliberately keep the general public in the dark in order to maintain morale. Bad news was actively suppressed.

[GM182]

grumbledoak said:

justin220 said:

Finally got round to watching Three Billboards.

I thought it was brilliant up until the ending. But I am assuming I have missed the point?

Anyone care to (spoiler?) tell me what I've missed. Or is that the point?

I though Three Billboards was one this years best films.

Not sure what point there is to miss about the end?

Their reconciliation is complete.

I was looking forward to this and there were some great moments but overall I was slightly disappointed. Mainly because of the Sam Rockwell character - he turns from being a complete A-hole to having a moral compass pretty quickly. But more than that, how was he not jail for his vicious assault on the local advertising man?

And how was Mildred not in jail for her arson attack?

I know everyone needs some artistic licence but it was stretched too far in my book.

Plus the random suspect turning up...

That said the acting performances were all strong with some good script moments even if the plot had holes.

[MYOB]

Sardonicus said:

jsf said:

What struck a cord apart from the carnage, was just how oblivious the general public were and how they treated ex servicemen post the war.

I think the USA had the same issue with Vietnam. It looks like they have learned from that now and returning soldiers are treated much better by civilians.

Precisely , absolutely disgusting behavior ...... "Oh lets just forget about this little incident and carry on" or similar plus the class system remained intact and st flows downwards enjoying your brew miles away from the action Haig? "So sorry Sir you can hear faint explosions in the distance" fking scum bag along with the others

My relatives in Ireland fought in WW1 in the Irish Fusiliers and when they returned, they had to keep quiet about the fact they served. Of course people knew, but it was never acknowledged. Far as most people were concerned, they were fighting "for" the British.

[Halb]

SCEtoAUX said:

Star Trek - The Motion Picture

Still epic after almost 40 years. Some hate it, I reckon its right up there with the very best of the Star Trek films.

yes, it's one of the great epic sci-fi from that period.

[Europa1]

Sardonicus said:

Precisely , absolutely disgusting behavior ...... "Oh lets just forget about this little incident and carry on" or similar plus the class system remained intact and st flows downwards enjoying your brew miles away from the action Haig? "So sorry Sir you can hear faint explosions in the distance" fking scum bag along with the others

To me, that seems to be somewhat of a simplistic view.

[LuS1fer]

CooperD said:

They Shall Not Grow Old was an incredibly moving and at times very graphic film but well worth seeing. It's now on the BBC iplayer if you have missed it. They were showing it in my local cinema on Remembrance Day at 11 am which was extremely apt.

It was an eye-opener, for sure.
It was quite strange how everyone actually wanted to go and fight the Germans and their naivety and unquestioning sense of duty was puzzling to any modern day person, I am sure. The criminal way in which they signed up naive children to be slaughtered, was disturbing, knowing the age was 19 but taking anyone from 15 if they declared themselves 19.

The other oxymoron was how not one of them went out to be a hero and doubtless, sitting in mud and sh*t up to your neck, nobody considered themselves a hero, just doing "what was expected" through fervent nationalistic tendencies and a belief that the British were unbeatable. I'm not even sure that made them heroes (contentious, I know) as opposed to gullible. Once in the Army, there was no way out, save dead or invalided so, again, absolutely no choice in the matter. It might be argued (more contentiousness) that the more heroic were those who conscientiously objected and stood up to the ridiculous farce of war.

Many of the commentaries echoed the same thing, nobody who went glorified it as a victory or considered they had done anything more than their country demanded. It left a hollow space, a sense of pointless slaughter and death.
The weekend Daily Mail article was also poignant - even when everyone knew the armistice was nigh, the killing continued unabated.

There is no doubt we owe a debt to those men and it was scandalous the way they were treated and having to endure the contempt of the people whose freedom they secured makes them heroes for a different reason.

[Sardonicus]

Europa1 said:

To me, that seems to be somewhat of a simplistic view.

And you would be correct in my comment, but I like simple look where complicated gets us which ever way you look at it the top sit pretty and the rest get shat on and in war its no different .... pecking order

[Europa1]

Sardonicus said:

Europa1 said:

To me, that seems to be somewhat of a simplistic view.

And you would be correct in my comment, but I like simple look where complicated gets us which ever way you look at it the top sit pretty and the rest get shat on and in war its no different .... pecking order

It's not whichever way you look at it, though. In sheer numbers terms, clearly more "ordinary" men died. However, which class do you think the officers at the front were from? What percentage of officers were killed compared to other ranks? Which class do you think most of the pilots (particularly poor life expectancy) came from?

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Europa1 said:

Which class do you think most of the pilots (particularly poor life expectancy) came from?

Captain Darling: Excuse me, Sir
Lord Flasheart: Yes, yes, prat at the back.
Captain Darling: I'm sure we'd all like to know... Why are you called the Twenty Minuters?
Lieutenant George: Oh, Mr Thicko, fancy not knowing that!
Lord Flasheart: It's simple! The life expectancy of a new pilot is twenty minutes!
Captain Blackadder: Life *expectancy* of twenty minutes?
Lord Flasheart: That's right! Goggles on, last one back's a homo! Hooray!

[Flash leaves with the other trainees, leaving Blackadder and George in their seats]

Captain Blackadder: So we take off in ten minutes, we're in the air for twenty minutes, so we should be dead by twenty five to ten.
Lieutenant George: Hairy blighters, sir, this is a bit of a turn-up for the plus fours.

[Pesty]

SCEtoAUX said:

Star Trek - The Motion Picture

Still epic after almost 40 years. Some hate it, I reckon its right up there with the very best of the Star Trek films.

Very best sci fi films ...

Never understood the hate.

[LuS1fer]

Pesty said:

SCEtoAUX said:

Star Trek - The Motion Picture

Still epic after almost 40 years. Some hate it, I reckon its right up there with the very best of the Star Trek films.

Very best sci fi films ...

Never understood the hate.

Well I paid to go to see it in 1979, being a fan of the TV series and thought it was very disappointing although there is now a Director's version which may make it better.

[Mothersruin]

...Office Space...

Can't believe I haven't seen this until now.

Loved it - great character examination and there's a lot to be said for just doing what the fk you want in a chilled out way.

..then burn the place down.

[Pesty]

Thor ragnarok again.

I think this is a perfect film.

Pacing, humour,structure cutting etc etc.

No it’s not the best film ever made I’d argue it’s up there somewhere though.

In the craft of film making, I don’t see how you could make a comic book movie better.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Blade Runner: The Final Cut

I know the film well, but have never got round to watching this version of it until now.

The lack of the Film Noir voiceover makes it a very different film, and alters the pacing significantly. I'm unsure if it is for better or for worse, but it is certainly different.

I'm not sure if it is age, or the fact that I watched this version on BluRay, but I noticed that it altered the feel of the SFX quite a bit, making it feel less convincing than I remember. The model shots and landscapes looked a little flat and slightly distorted - I'm not sure if there was a small aspect ratio issue perhaps which contributed to it. Something didn't feel quite right anyway, which detracted.

I only got through to 1hr20 of the runtime before I needed to stop it due to commitments, so will watch the rest of it tonight.

[gavsdavs]

Antony Moxey said:

Then that says more about you that you lack the imagination to think people can have a different opinion on something rather than about those who do hold a different opinion I think. I'd seen plenty written - mostly on here - about the film so was looking forward to its release on Sky Movies. However, having seen it, and not following the crowd, I thought it dreadful. The female lead was dreadful too and as wooden as the billboards she hired. The only decent performance was from the excellent as usual Sam Rockwell.

I can comprehend that others liked it, but it wasn't for me. And as for labelling it a dark comedy, I really don't see that at all.

Somebody unable to see this as a dark, tragic comedy has no right to tell someone else that they lack imagination.

An excerpt from the script - if you can bear to read it.

3 billboard script said:

INT. MILDRED’S HOUSE - NIGHT 24

MILDRED enters, a beer in hand, a bit drunk...

MILDRED: Hey Robbie? I think that midget wants to get in my pants...

...to find FATHER MONTGOMERY, an old priest she knows, at the kitchen table beside ROBBIE, best teacups in front of them.

MILDRED: Father Montgomery.

FATHER MONTGOMERY: Mildred. I’m sorry for calling on you so late, although I must say Robbie’s
been the consummate host. Despite his having, he was just telling me, something of a tricky day at school.

ROBBIE: Oh, no, just some of the guys on the team was giving me crap.

MILDRED: Crap about what?

FATHER MONTGOMERY: About the billboards. Which is, uh, kind of what I’ve come to have a word
with you about, Mildred.

MILDRED: Oh. Proceed.

FATHER MONTGOMERY: I know it’s been hard for you, Mildred, this past year. We all do. The whole
town does. And whatever it is you need, we’ll be there for you. Always. But the town also knows what kind of a man
William Willoughby is. And the town is dead set against these billboards of yours.

MILDRED: Took a poll, did ya, Father?

FATHER MONTGOMERY: If you hadn’t stopped coming to church, Mildred, you’d be aware of the depth of
people’s feelings. I had a dozen people come up to me on Sunday. So, yes, I took a poll. Everybody is on your side
about Angela. No-one’s on your side about this.

MILDRED: Y’know what I was thinking about, earlier today? I was thinking ‘bout those streetgangs they got in Los
Angeles, the Crips and the Bloods? I was thinking about that buncha new laws they came up with, in the 80’s I think
it was, to combat those street-gangs, those Crips and those Bloods.
And, if I remember rightly, the gist of what those new laws said was, if you join one of these gangs, and you’re
running with ‘em, and down the block from you one night, unbeknownst to you, your fellow Crips, or your fellow
Bloods, shoot up a place, or stab a guy, well, even though you didn’t know nothing about it, even though you
may’ve just been standing on a streetcorner minding your own business, those new laws said you are still
culpable. You are still culpable, by the very act of joining those Crips, or those Bloods, in the first place. Which
got me thinking, Father, that whole type of situation is kinda similar to you Church boys, ain’t it? You’ve got
your colors, you’ve got your clubhouse, you’re, for want of a better word, a gang. And if you’re upstairs smoking a
pipe and reading a bible while one of your fellow gang members is downstairs fking an altar boy then, Father, just
like the Crips, and just like the Bloods, you’re culpable. Cos you joined the gang, man. And I don’t care if you
never did st or never saw st or never heard st. You joined the gang. You’re culpable. And when a person is
culpable to altar-boy-fking, or anykinda-boy-fking,
I know you guys didn’t really narrow it down, then they kinda forfeit the right to come into my
house and say a word about me, or my life, or my daughter, or my billboards. So, why don’t you just finish your tea
there, Father, and get the fk outta my kitchen.

She goes off to another room. MONTGOMERY puts down his teacup.

ROBBIE: But thanks for coming up anyway, Father.

[gavsdavs]

DoubleSix said:

‘You Were Never Really Here’

Joaquin Phoenix in ultra gritty and violent thriller.

Similar dynamic to Leon but much darker and indeed better for the leads performance.

I was sadly underwhelmed by this, despite very much wanting to like it.

To compare this to Leon would be akin to comparing "The Meg" to "Jaws"

[Antony Moxey]

gavsdavs said:

Antony Moxey said:

Then that says more about you that you lack the imagination to think people can have a different opinion on something rather than about those who do hold a different opinion I think. I'd seen plenty written - mostly on here - about the film so was looking forward to its release on Sky Movies. However, having seen it, and not following the crowd, I thought it dreadful. The female lead was dreadful too and as wooden as the billboards she hired. The only decent performance was from the excellent as usual Sam Rockwell.

I can comprehend that others liked it, but it wasn't for me. And as for labelling it a dark comedy, I really don't see that at all.

Somebody unable to see this as a dark, tragic comedy has no right to tell someone else that they lack imagination.

An excerpt from the script - if you can bear to read it.

3 billboard script said:

INT. MILDRED’S HOUSE - NIGHT 24

MILDRED enters, a beer in hand, a bit drunk...

MILDRED: Hey Robbie? I think that midget wants to get in my pants...

...to find FATHER MONTGOMERY, an old priest she knows, at the kitchen table beside ROBBIE, best teacups in front of them.

MILDRED: Father Montgomery.

FATHER MONTGOMERY: Mildred. I’m sorry for calling on you so late, although I must say Robbie’s
been the consummate host. Despite his having, he was just telling me, something of a tricky day at school.

ROBBIE: Oh, no, just some of the guys on the team was giving me crap.

MILDRED: Crap about what?

FATHER MONTGOMERY: About the billboards. Which is, uh, kind of what I’ve come to have a word
with you about, Mildred.

MILDRED: Oh. Proceed.

FATHER MONTGOMERY: I know it’s been hard for you, Mildred, this past year. We all do. The whole
town does. And whatever it is you need, we’ll be there for you. Always. But the town also knows what kind of a man
William Willoughby is. And the town is dead set against these billboards of yours.

MILDRED: Took a poll, did ya, Father?

FATHER MONTGOMERY: If you hadn’t stopped coming to church, Mildred, you’d be aware of the depth of
people’s feelings. I had a dozen people come up to me on Sunday. So, yes, I took a poll. Everybody is on your side
about Angela. No-one’s on your side about this.

MILDRED: Y’know what I was thinking about, earlier today? I was thinking ‘bout those streetgangs they got in Los
Angeles, the Crips and the Bloods? I was thinking about that buncha new laws they came up with, in the 80’s I think
it was, to combat those street-gangs, those Crips and those Bloods.
And, if I remember rightly, the gist of what those new laws said was, if you join one of these gangs, and you’re
running with ‘em, and down the block from you one night, unbeknownst to you, your fellow Crips, or your fellow
Bloods, shoot up a place, or stab a guy, well, even though you didn’t know nothing about it, even though you
may’ve just been standing on a streetcorner minding your own business, those new laws said you are still
culpable. You are still culpable, by the very act of joining those Crips, or those Bloods, in the first place. Which
got me thinking, Father, that whole type of situation is kinda similar to you Church boys, ain’t it? You’ve got
your colors, you’ve got your clubhouse, you’re, for want of a better word, a gang. And if you’re upstairs smoking a
pipe and reading a bible while one of your fellow gang members is downstairs fking an altar boy then, Father, just
like the Crips, and just like the Bloods, you’re culpable. Cos you joined the gang, man. And I don’t care if you
never did st or never saw st or never heard st. You joined the gang. You’re culpable. And when a person is
culpable to altar-boy-fking, or anykinda-boy-fking,
I know you guys didn’t really narrow it down, then they kinda forfeit the right to come into my
house and say a word about me, or my life, or my daughter, or my billboards. So, why don’t you just finish your tea
there, Father, and get the fk outta my kitchen.

She goes off to another room. MONTGOMERY puts down his teacup.

ROBBIE: But thanks for coming up anyway, Father.

Read it, remembered the scene. Remembered also not splitting my sides laughing whilst at the same time thinking how close to the truth it was. Yep, truly darkly comic. Presumably you're the one with imagination then, as you can't see how anyone could possibly not find that riotously funny, whereas I must lack imagination because having watched the film from start to finish - a film I was looking forward to seeing too after reading numerous positive reviews - I thought it to be a load of old pony. Ah well.