VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[Loki]

Gerard Butler falls into the Clive Owen category for me, where if I see his name I generally avoid it, even though they were good once in a film when they were younger I'm usually disappointed.

At one point I thought Clive Owen would end up being James Bond!

Also, less of the Russell Crowe badmouthing  ? - he was playing Zeus in a Marvel movie in one of his last outings, his career seems fine plus he's rather wonderfully embraced getting old and fat rather than tried the usual Tom Cruise route of eternal youth.  It wasn't a good film but he was good in The Mummy, and good as Zeus.

 

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

13 hours ago, Loki said:

Gerard Butler falls into the Clive Owen category for me, where if I see his name I generally avoid it, even though they were good once in a film when they were younger I'm usually disappointed.

At one point I thought Clive Owen would end up being James Bond!

Also, less of the Russell Crowe badmouthing  ? - he was playing Zeus in a Marvel movie in one of his last outings, his career seems fine plus he's rather wonderfully embraced getting old and fat rather than tried the usual Tom Cruise route of eternal youth.  It wasn't a good film but he was good in The Mummy, and good as Zeus.

 

 

Yes and as by his performance as Zeus in the bloody awful Thor Love & Thunder you can absolutely compare him to Marlon Brando, the latter years. He was woeful in The Mummy as well unless that whole last paragraph was sarcasm because it’s the only way it would make sense.

[tiger_rick]

Saw "I love Movies" over the weekend. I think I liked it, despite the main kid being a bit of a dick. Not sure if anyone else has seen it? It's set in 2002, mainly based around a video store and the lead, a dorky Jewish kid who loves films (definitely a Jewish SuperBacon or D-Mal) and is a wannabe filmmaker ends up working there to try and save cash to go to film school at NYU. He has serious issues from his home-life and has fucked up with his friends. The older store-manager (utterly stunning Romina D'Ugo) strikes up a bit of a friendship and they learn a lot about each other, until she gets fucking sick of him too. It's a pretty good film once you get your head around what the point is and what is going on - which maybe only I struggled with - and the only real knock on it is that after being quite heavy for a comedy, it's all a bit too cute at the end.

Watched loads of films recently. That's loads for a normal person anyway, probably as many as @SuperBacon watches in a day (sorry!) Can't remember them all now. Watched "What We Did On Our Holiday" which is a bit old now but I really liked it. Billy Connelly is tremendous in it and the kids are brilliant little actors who get some great lines. I didn't know or had long forgotten that it's by the people who did Outnumbered so I spent the whole thing mentioning how much it feels like Outnumbered on holiday. I think it's better than that though and Billy Connelly is the reason.

If you want something light and a bit ridiculous, Murder Mystery on Netflix is pretty good. It's not a complicated whodunnit, it just looks good and moves quickly. I like Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston together, they have good chemistry for this sort of film and there's not much to dislike in this one. We watched something else involving Celia Imrie and a barge but fucks if I can remember that one.

[SuperBacon]

10 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

a Jewish SuperBacon

COYSCOYSCOYS.

Thanks?

[Mr_Danger]

“Oy vey! When I saw that attractive girl in that film I was watching I had to go outside and adjust my yamaka! And on a sabbath, Bonk!”

Edited October 2, 2023 by Mr_Danger

[Factotum]

Gerard Butler made DEN OF THIEVES he has a pass.

Big Crowe is great. He's having a fecking blast in THE POPE'S EXORCIST

I watched EL CONDE on Netflix. It's about Pinochet being a vampire. It doesn't quite work, but the last act genuinely is one of the most batshit things. I had absolutely no idea where it was going (though perhaps obvious now) Would give it a go if you can. Looks very good.

[SuperBacon]

On 9/28/2023 at 5:44 PM, Bellenda Carlisle said:

PS what happened to this thread? It's so dead these days. Talk about films people.

You asked for it. Here's what I've watched since the last update. Slowed down a lot due to watching TV, trying to read more, playing football in the evening with kids.

Some of the best first time watches for me have been Bombshell, as all the leads were superb; Baby Boom which once again shows just how watchable Diane Keaton is in anything; How To Blow Up A Pipeline was suitably tense; You Hurt My Feelings was a really interesting look at vanity, aging and especially from a male perspective (I really enjoyed this); Drive was as good as I'd always suspected (the soundtrack is just incredible); Edge Of Tomorrow and War Of The Worlds confirm Tom is the man and will always be (the former features Emily Blunt looking incredible-BONK!); Everybody Loves Jeanne was a lovely watch as well, as was I Have Electric Dreams (both on Mubi)

Princess Cyd is a hidden little LGBTQ gem, Dungeons and Dragons was loads of fun (Hugh Grant was honey roast ham-wonderful); You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah is a sweet, welcoming film and goes to show Adam Sandler is the best (him asking his teen daughter what pads he should buy her made me and my 13yo both cringe into ourselves and laugh hysterically)

Watched a couple of good action films for the first time in Broken Arrow, Chain Reaction and Behind Enemy Lines (the latter has possibly the most jarring use of music ever. The Rescue Blues by Ryan Adams plays over the end, a film about Balkan atrocities soundtracked by some whimsical romantic early 00s Americana-ok then)

Another watch of Are You There God? It's me, Margaret with my eldest confirmed its definitely my film of the year and another watch of Psycho confirmed I think it might just be the best film of all time.

Shit? Plenty. Happiness For Beginners made me hate Ellie Schmidt, that's how shit it is. The Bling Ring is...a film. Highlander I've had to put down as a first time watch because I saw it when I was maybe 5 with my old man. Its crap. And not "so crap its funny/good" Its just crap. Obviously I'll probably watch the sequels. 
Vacation Friends 2 is so disappointing, as the first one was good fun. Big Film John is excellent of course (man hes a great deadpan actor) but the fact that he is now 90% Diedrich Bader is really weird (that reminds me, rewatched Office Space, one of the 90s best)

30 Minutes Or Less lasted 60 Minutes Too Much (waaaaheeeeeeeey), Superintelligence started off alright (and that's despite Cordens voice throughout) but ultimately was shite

From Dusk Till Dawn was a brutal watch. The worst excesses of the 90s indie boom AND I had to watch QT act. I love him but I'm glad he no longer acts.

October will have to feature some horror I guess, a genre I don't particularly enjoy much, but will see what I can watch.

Full list for those weirdos who care.

Spoiler

301.) Scream 2 (7)
302.) The Squid and the Whale* (7)
303.) Happiness For Beginners* (4)
304.) My Neighbour Totoro (10)
305.) Office Space (10)
306.) Bombshell* (8)
307.) Baby Boom* (7)
308.) Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (6)
309.) Groundhog Day (9)
310.) Sideways (10)
311.) The Art Of Getting By* (6)
312.) Annie Hall (10)
313.) How To Blow Up A Pipeline* (8)
314.) You Hurt My Feelings* (8)
315.) Margin Call (8)
316.) Drive* (10)
317.) Edge Of Tomorrow* (9)
318.) Sleeping With Other People* (6)
319.) Palm Springs (10)
320.) Coco (9)
321.) Ghostbusters (9)
322.) Ghostbusters II (8)
323.) Ghostbusters: Answer The Call (7)
324.) Ghostbusters: Afterlife (7)
325.) War Of The Worlds* (8)
326.) Airplane! (7)
327.) Everybody Loves Jeanne* (9)
328.) Never Goin' Back (9)
329.) The Bling Ring* (5)
330.) A League Of Their Own (9)
331.) Highlander* (4)
332.) Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (10)
333.) Vacation Friends 2* (4)
334.) You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah* (8)
335.) Greatest Days* (7)
336.) Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* (8)
337.) Princess Cyd* (9)
338.) Wildlife* (7)
339.) The Neverending Story (8)
340.) The Perks Of Being A Wallflower* (8)
341.) The Mask (8)
342.) 30 Minutes Or Less* (5)
343.) The Beach (8)
344 ) The Rock (9)
345.) I Have Electric Dreams* (9)
346.) Deep Impact (8)
347.) Hunt For The Wilderpeople* (8)
348.) Love At First Sight* (6)
349.) Superintelligence* (4)
350.) Point Break (9)
351.) Wayne's World (9)
352.) Wayne's World 2 (8)
353.) Broken Arrow* (7)
354.) From Dusk Till Dawn* (2)
355.) Working Girl* (8)
356.) Chain Reaction* (7)
357.) Sorry To Bother You* (8)
358.) Behind Enemy Lines* (7)
359.) Psycho (10)

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by SuperBacon
Spelling

[Weezenal]

Think I'll have to give 'Are You There God? It's me, Margaret' another watch towards the end of the year. Agreed it's one of the best this year. 

[tiger_rick]

Finally saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Been on my to watch list for about 5 years. It's good. A beautiful film. Phenomenal cast and performances. I enjoyed a lot of the attitude from Mildred and the dialogue and that it wasn't afraid to show the bigotry in a small town. Mildred is a great character. Wouldn't we all love to go around booting teenage pricks in the balls (or fanny)? She's brilliantly vulnerable too.

It's not great. Firstly, because I watch all films like a 5 year old and I want to see what happens! I'm deeply unsatisfied by any sort of "non-finish". A lot of the plot is a bit shallow too. Some of it feels incredibly well written but there's a lot of stuff happens with no repercussions. I didn't get when it was supposed to be set either. Early on, Willoughby mentions DNA. Later, Mildred answers a mobile phone. Given everything else felt like it was about 1976, they were pretty stark moments.

I was really captivated by it, it had some highlights and I'm glad I watched it so I'd go around 6* on Big Dave's 9* system. It was just missing something. Like a fucking ending.

[John Matrix]

Enough of this 'beautiful / film of the year' nonsense.  Let's get this thread back on track.  Went and saw EXPEND4BLES last night.   Jesus.

From the snippets I caught while it was in production etc, my expectations were rock bottom going in so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that even those weren't met.

Honestly, the first 45 minutes of this sounds like someone fed the last few scripts into Chat GPT and asked it to spit out another.  Gone are the exciting teases moments before a returning legend appears on screen, instead, shit-arses like 50 Cent simply wander on to a 'Hey Barney' followed by the obligatory 'He's a good kid, ex special forces'.  No one watches these expecting Shakespeare, but christ.  I had to IMDB who played the 'Old CIA buddy' in this one.  Andy Garcia if you're interested.  Not my bag, but such was the laziness of his introduction and general performance it never occurred to me for a second the character was played by anyone remotely prominent.

Whilst the franchise has never been great for it, the CGI in this is fucking ATROCIOUS.  In one of the earlier scenes, Stallone pays a visit to Christmas at home - who's suddenly married to someone other than Charisma Carpenter that we've never met, and just happens to be a fellow high ranking expendable (but don't worry about that, because they don't).  As they stand in the doorway, there's a green screen background of the street behind them which is less convincing than when the put up a roller banner of some bushes outside the front door of people's houses in Neighbours.  I'm no snob when it comes to stuff like this, having watched and enjoyed the shittest of the shit in my time, but when it becomes a distraction, you've got it all wrong.

It absolutely is what it is.  It's like a greatest hits of the first three films, if the greatest hits was performed by the same group 50 years after their prime with none of the dexterity, only this one doesn't have the goodwill of a cast of legends to prop it up.  I love Randy Couture, but suspect he'll work for peanuts.  Gone are the Schwarzenegger cameos, the personality and presence of Terry Crews or the recognisable faces from your straight to video hey-days - sure, Dolph Lundgren is still there, but given his widely publicised battle with Cancer, he cuts a rather sad figure (by his usual incredible standards I mean), facially, he looks more like Frank Langella's Skeletor than the He-Man we know and love.  Sure, Megan Fox is alright to look at, and it's clear they thought that was sufficient given the total lack of effort to explain anything about her...but that's never been why I chose to watch action movies.  

Even the usually bankable chemistry between Statham and Stallone is cringeworthy at best, the two of them reading lines as if they were stuck to the others head on a post it note and revealed to them seconds earlier.

In short, its really bad gang. 

However...

The final third essentially becomes the Jason Statham show, and it's wonderful.  Well worth the wait.  Nothing particularly groundbreaking and given he gets on screen fights with and alongside Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais, I could add further criticism that you just let those guys GO, instead, it's all a little over edited and never entirely gratifying, especially when you compare it to the likes of Stath vs Adkins in the second film.

Jase though.  Fucking hell.  He's brilliant.  I wont win any opinion of the year awards for that, I know, but If charisma was a drug, he'd fail every test.  He carries this thing on his back, which storyline wise was obviously the intention...but it's a fucking good job he's capable of it, because the rest is diabolical.  That said, it's absolutely worth the price of admission to hear him call a confused mercenary a bell-end, so that's something at least.


 

[SuperBacon]

56 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

It's good.

 

56 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

It's not great.

[CavemanLynn]

The Expendables franchise lost me early doors when they booked Stallone (ie Rocky, renowned for boxing) and Jean Claude Van Damme (ie all the kickboxing, all the time) in a knife fight. At that point, I knew the whole thing was the mates wanking over their own self images instead of having fun with their combined on-screen personas and satisfying all those "who'd win in a fight between" playground debates. I don't care who'd win in a fight between Oscar-baiting muscleman Stallone vs smug cigar-chomping politico Schwarzenegger; show me unhinged black ops huntsman Rambo vs an unstoppable shotgun toting killing machine. Not once did Lundgren wield a medieval war sword. Not once did the Stath end up shirtless and covered in oil. Just a bunch of blokes in identical Boss Man fatigues standing there shooting stuff. Zero stars.

[tiger_rick]

4 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

 

I meant it's good but just not great. Like Triple H.

[gmoney]

I'll never watch any of his shit looking films, but I must note somewhere that I cannot read director David Gordon Green's name without singing in my head "Dave Gordon Green, Dave Gooordan Greeeeeeeen" to the Red Gold and Green bit of Karma Chameleon. 

EDIT: Turns out he directed Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals, so maybe he's not the complete hack I assumed. I am a man without conviction. 

Edited October 9, 2023 by gmoney

[Hannibal Scorch]

50 minutes ago, gmoney said:

I'll never watch any of his shit looking films, but I must note somewhere that I cannot read director David Gordon Green's name without singing in my head "Dave Gordon Green, Dave Gooordan Greeeeeeeen" to the Red Gold and Green bit of Karma Chameleon. 

EDIT: Turns out he directed Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals, so maybe he's not the complete hack I assumed. I am a man without conviction. 

His first Halloween was good, but the 2 sequels are awful.