Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted July 18, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 18, 2012 The Night Of The Hunter is absolutely incredible. I haven't got time to write about it any more fully than that this morning, but it's astonishing. There aren't enough superlatives to cover how good Robert Mitchum is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) When I insisted Mrs Houchen watched it, I said it was like Rosemary's Baby in the sense that the cover had a spoiler on it. Amazing to think Charles Laughton didn't direct again after the mauling he got from the critics. Maybe his thin skin was essential to the make up he wore in his acting roles. Edited July 18, 2012 by Keith Houchen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted July 18, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 18, 2012 When I insisted Mrs Houchen watched it, I said it was like Rosemary's Baby in the sense that the cover had a spoiler on it. Amazing to think Charles Laughton didn't direct again after the mauling he got from the critics. Maybe his thin skin was essential to the make up he wore in his acting roles. Â I've no idea what the critics were thinking of back in 1955. I can only presume they were expecting a pretty run-of-the-mill film noir and were disarmed when they got this? Â It's so, so good. What's almost as sad is that Laughton didn't act nearly as much after it flopped, and he was a truly great actor, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 When I insisted Mrs Houchen watched it, I said it was like Rosemary's Baby in the sense that the cover had a spoiler on it. Amazing to think Charles Laughton didn't direct again after the mauling he got from the critics. Maybe his thin skin was essential to the make up he wore in his acting roles. Â I've no idea what the critics were thinking of back in 1955. I can only presume they were expecting a pretty run-of-the-mill film noir and were disarmed when they got this? Â It's so, so good. What's almost as sad is that Laughton didn't act nearly as much after it flopped, and he was a truly great actor, too. If only the Internet was around then, we could have got a proper review from a gifted writer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Robert Mitchum is one of the all-time great screen actors. I've never seen a performance from him that wasn't compelling and heavyweight. Â I've banged on endlessly about The Yakuza, so if any of you haven't seen it, shame on you. But he also had some other later-career classics, including his turn as Phillip Marlowe in Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Â I know it's a clich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted July 18, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 18, 2012 He's amazing in Crossfire and Out Of The Past, both of which I've watched recently. Â The closest performance I can compare Mitchum's in The Night Of The Hunter to is Dennis Hopper's in Blue Velvet. Both of them are utter psychopaths that could blow up at any moment and both of them somehow manage not to just turn into pantomime villains. In any other hands, they would have done. Â In fact, Hopper doesn't get nearly enough credit for just how gifted an actor he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members chokeout Posted July 18, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 18, 2012 Great comparison with Hopper. Mitchum plays it as though hes on a hair trigger ready to snap at any time. The original Cape Fear is another note perfect performance from him. Its a cliche to say it but if The Night Of The Hunter had been released 20 years later it would have been lauded as a modern classic with films like Badlands. It was far too dark for its time and I honestly think critics (and the studio) didnt know what to make of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members niff Posted July 18, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 18, 2012 Just watched Ted which wasn't quite what I expected as it had a lot more heart and was more of a story about growing up than a constant stream of gags that you'd expect from Family Guy. Fantastic opening narration so don't miss the start and it'd probably be better if I'd seen Flash Gordon. Didn't know Mark Wahlberg could be funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted July 20, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 20, 2012 Anyone seen I Saw The Devil? One of the most ridiculous fucking films I've ever seen in my entire life. Just totally, totally stupid. Â Quite enjoyed it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiffingtonClyro Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Shittest film ever? A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas IN 3D! I had the misfortune of watching this last night. The first one was an enjoyable stoner comedy, the second was not very good. This was fucking gash. It was like shit sketch after shit sketch stitched together with some more shit. More stereotypes than a taxi driver. Avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIDDUM_N_STYLE Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Shittest film ever? A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas IN 3D! I had the misfortune of watching this last night. The first one was an enjoyable stoner comedy, the second was not very good. This was fucking gash. It was like shit sketch after shit sketch stitched together with some more shit. More stereotypes than a taxi driver. Avoid. Â Has that had a DVD/Blu Ray release yet Biff? I've heard its not good but I'm kind of a sucker for shit films, plus I need it to complete the series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpiritOfTheForest Posted July 23, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 23, 2012 WHAT!? That's one of my favourite films I've seen recently. I loved the first 2 Harold and Kumar movies and felt this one was a brilliant edition. Of course, it's a christmas movie and watching it outside that time period might take away from it a little but it's a truly hilarious film with some brilliant lines. As someone that loved the first 2, I'd say if you enjoyed the previous films you can't go wrong with this one. I've watched it 3 or 4 times now with different groups of friends and nobody had anything other than praise for it afterwards. So yes steve, if you like the other Harold and Kumar films, definitely check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 23, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 23, 2012 In fact, Hopper doesn't get nearly enough credit for just how gifted an actor he was. any Hopper recommenation's outside of the obvious ones? Â I love the guy but he has such a massive resume it's hard to get through it all, and he's clearly made some shite. Â Any gem's hiding in there i need to see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 23, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just saw Savages and had one of the worst cinema experiences I've had in some time, if not ever. I went to one with the lady in a remote part of Brooklyn, tempted by $7 tickets. Everybody in the theatre talked through the trailers, which is acceptable at a reasonable level, but they were practically shouting over the sound. There were people up and walking around all the time, some of which were kids running in and out. From the minute the film started until the minute it finished there was an autistic kid sat at the front rocking back and forth in his seat constantly going "MMM.....MMM.....MMM" which, although there wasn't much that could've been done about it, was annoying in itself. However, it wasn't half as annoying as the constant laughter at trivial shit like whenever the words "motherfucker" and "bitch" were used, along with shouts of "OH SHIT!" "DAAAMNN" and "FUCKING CRAZY BITCH, OH!" It seemed like 95% of the audience thought they were at an audience-participation themed performance art, and were only there to laugh and/or drool over the drug theme of the film. Truly one of the most irritating and, quite frankly, shocking cinema experiences I've had. As for the film itself, it's a bit shit. Promising trailer, interesting beginning, then a rubbish build-up to a lazy ending. The three main characters are so unlikable that it's hard to give a fuck if they prevail. There are plenty of seemingly important parts of the story that either don't make sense or are just touched upon and never mentioned again. For something that seemed to have a lot of potential, it was remarkably disappointing.  I had exactly the same experience in a cinema in Brooklyn years ago, when I was travelling round the US. I think it was Rush Hour which had just come out. In that instance, it was a rather entertaining experience, but it certainly was weird. I wonder if it's just that cinema, if it's a "thing"? the US cinema experience is clearly a very different to the UK one. I've had two friends tell me of experiences where people would stand up whilst the film was on and shout stuff at the screen. I'd fucking hate that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobystag Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Yeah I've never had that happen to me. At all. Â At Shutter there were a group of young people throwing popcorn before the start of the film, but none of that "OH MA GAWD, DON'T GO IN THERE!". Â Inception had some jerk wads come into the film 20 minutes late and then complain at the end that they didn't understand it. Â But all the other films I've seen in the states have just been your usual cinema experience of some idiots before the film, but general quietness during. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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