Paid Members Surf Digby Posted November 17, 2021 Paid Members Posted November 17, 2021 On 11/16/2021 at 3:53 PM, Devon Malcolm said: Raging Fire (cinema) Can't remember who's the big Donnie Yen fan round here (is it you, @Nostalgia Nonce?) but I'm sure they'll be as pleased as I was with how brisk and crunching an actioner this is. No idea why it's showing at so many cinemas but it's a contender for best action film of the year. Not as big as I ought to be. I was super impressed the first time I saw him (in Drunken Tai Chi), and I think he's one of the most physically gifted guys in the industry, but that introduction to him was followed by too many films where there's endless wires and superhuman editing and I just never got invested in him. The same with Jet Lee. I've got his mum's book though. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 21, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 21, 2021 7 Prisoners (Netflix) Great Brazilian drama about modern slavery and trafficking. Tells a simple story with no fuss, and wrapped up in about 90 minutes. I love Brazilian cinema and recommend this highly. Jumbo One of the nice lesbians from Portrait of a Lady on Fire is in love again - this time with a fairground ride! I have absolutely no idea how this managed to be as wholesome and emotional as it was, but it's quite something. Spoiler That sex scene though.... Limbo Really good Scotch comedy-drama about asylum seekers waiting for the outcome of their requests on a remote island. One of the best opening scenes of the year as well as being really funny and smart about multiculturalism. Xtreme (Netflix) Spanish action film that's way too long, over-plotted and badly shot. Some decent fight scenes and Teo Garcia's great in the lead but mostly a waste of everyone's time. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 25, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 25, 2021 Petite Maman (cinema) Céline Sciamma's follow-up to Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an even better film, the best film of the year so far and the only masterpiece of 2021 to date. A really beautiful film about grief, mental health and childhood friendships - and it's only 70 minutes! Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 28, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 28, 2021 Subtitled films are great, eh? Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (YouTube rental) This is being heavily pushed by the same people who released One Cut of the Dead. It's similarly quirky in terms of how its made but very different in terms of its concept. Really clever but very funny with it and if you like time travel stuff you'll enjoy it - especially as it's only 70 minutes. I'm Your Man (YouTube rental) German sci-fi romcom - where Dan Stevens plays a robot designed specifically to the needs of a woman trialling him for 3 weeks. What a great actor Stevens is, doing this all in German and not looking slightly uncomfortable doing so. This sort of concept has been done before but the script and characters were really smart and it goes some interesting places. A real gem. Quote
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted November 29, 2021 Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 I really should try and hunt down those Oizo movies. If his films are anything like his music they'll be very unusual, and very good. The soundtrack to Rubber that he did with Gaspard Auge from off of out off Justice is class. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 29, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 1 hour ago, jazzygeofferz said: I really should try and hunt down those Oizo movies. If his films are anything like his music they'll be very unusual, and very good. Oh yeah, they're both those. Deerskin is probably his best so far. Quote
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted November 29, 2021 Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 Are they on any streaming platforms at the moment? Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 29, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 44 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said: Are they on any streaming platforms at the moment? I saw Deerskin at the cinema but I think it and Mandibles are only available for YouTube rental. Unless you want to brave a popup or two and watch Deerskin here - https://9pm.to/movies/deerskin-2019 Quote
Paid Members Chris B Posted November 29, 2021 Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 On 11/28/2021 at 3:24 PM, Devon Malcolm said: Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (YouTube rental) This is being heavily pushed by the same people who released One Cut of the Dead. It's similarly quirky in terms of how its made but very different in terms of its concept. Really clever but very funny with it and if you like time travel stuff you'll enjoy it - especially as it's only 70 minutes. I enjoyed this, but didn't love it in the way I loved One Cut of the Dead. It's really likable, to be fair - everyone's fun in it and it never lets you get bored. Partly, I struggled with a basic issue on it: Spoiler Why don't their past selves turn up? I get that there's a version of it (branching timelines, whatever), but it never tried to address it. I totally get why not (although I can imagine a version with the backs of people dressed the same), but none of the characters ask either. It was a fairly small thing, but it bugged me enough to take me out of it a bit. And, to be fair, One Cut Of The Dead, is astonishingly good, so being 'not as good as One Cut Of The Dead' is a hell of a bar. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 29, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted November 29, 2021 I'm enjoying this recent run of non-English language films clocking in well under 90 minutes too. Used to be the other way round, but now Hollywood is one doing the 165 minute running times. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 21, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted December 21, 2021 The Trip (Netflix) More great news for myself, @Scott Malbranque and any other Noomi Rapace devotees. Superb comedy-thriller from the guy who made Dead Snow, regularly hilarious and extremely violent. Outstanding. What a year the girl's had. The Stronghold (Netflix) Pretty good French crime drama although if you've seen Les Miserables you've already seen the better version of this sort of story. Gilles Lellouche is always great though plus Adele Exarchopoulos is in it. Quote
Paid Members Scott Malbranque Posted December 23, 2021 Paid Members Posted December 23, 2021 On 12/21/2021 at 8:11 PM, Devon Malcolm said: The Trip (Netflix) More great news for myself, @Scott Malbranque and any other Noomi Rapace devotees. Superb comedy-thriller from the guy who made Dead Snow, regularly hilarious and extremely violent. Outstanding. What a year the girl's had. Have this ready to go for tonight, D-Mal. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it and I have the gaff to myself tonight, so this will be on with a packidge of Keoghs Butter and Sea Salt Popcorn...and some white kidney bean extract. I woke up the other morning and thought, Imagine myself and D-Mal's joy if Noomi and our Ben made a movie together? My brain would have a pedal. I...we...can only dream. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 23, 2021 Author Paid Members Posted December 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Scott Malbranque said: Have this ready to go for tonight, D-Mal. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it and I have the gaff to myself tonight, so this will be on with a packidge of Keoghs Butter and Sea Salt Popcorn...and some white kidney bean extract. I woke up the other morning and thought, Imagine myself and D-Mal's joy if Noomi and our Ben made a movie together? My brain would have a pedal.I...we...can only dream. You never know, Branquey, they operate in those sorts of wonky indie circles so their paths may well cross one day! Hope you enjoy it anyway. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted January 4, 2022 Author Paid Members Posted January 4, 2022 Drive My Car The hype is unjustified mainly because it sabotages itself with a ridiculous running time that it simply does not need. There's a simultaneously tender and devastating two hour drama here, but I really don't understand why this is three hours long. Good and worthy but also a perfect example of a director who thinks he's making something more profound than he actually is by having it strung out to such lengths. Funeral Parade of Roses (archive.org) Beautiful late 60s Japanese film about a pocket of the country's transgender population that influenced A Clockwork Orange. Absolutely to nobody's tastes but arthouse ponces like me but great and depressing. Quote
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted January 11, 2022 Author Paid Members Posted January 11, 2022 Titane (cinema) Well, quite. Would make a great double bill with the afioremention Jumbo, and it's just as good if far weirder. Staggering that this was Agathe Rousselle's debut performance as well. Quite something and reminded me a bit of Gozu, which was fucking bonkers as well. The Tribe (BFI channel on Prime) Here was an interesting idea. It's a Ukrainian film shot completely without dialogue and set in a school for deaf kids where the only communication is done in Ukrainian sign language. With no subtitles. And it's fucking shit. Not because of the concept, which I think is a fantastic idea, but because it's played out in the blandest and most unnecesarily unpleasant and depressing narrative imaginable. Pretty horrible in several ways, what a waste of a great concept. Quote
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