VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[SuperBacon]

No time for any of this modern film bollocks, watched two Doris Day/Rock Hudson films today on BBC 2, Lover Come Back and Pillow Talk. Absolutely magnificent stuff. Sharp, zippy, funny comedies that just whizz along. Rock was a handsome lad wasn't he?

[davertfnewman]

And a good friend of Jim Barnett and Kentucky football players if you asked Bill Watts or Kevin Sullivan.

[HarmonicGenerator]

Echo the two previous posts about Project Hail Mary. I loved it, it’s everything I hoped it would be after reading and loving the book last year. In the words of one character in it, amaze amaze amaze, happy happy happy.

[Hannibal Scorch]

3 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

 I'd go see it again right now if I could. And I'd probably still cry at the emotional bits. Absolutely no shame.

I forgot about that. I ugly cried a few times as did my daughter. I heard my wife cry at least once.

Already making plans for next weekend 

[SaitoRyo]

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

I know there's a documentary thread with a whole discourse about this one in it, but this is feature-length and was one of the things I watched over the past several days so I'm gonna stick it here, okay?

It was alright. You start off shaking your head and laughing at these ludicrous, so-called men, but you end up just feeling despair by the end. My wife said the whole thing just made her depressed, especially since she's a schoolteacher and teaches some 13-year-old boys. I thought it was a good introduction to the topic for people and Louis seemed to be pushing back and questioning the subjects a lot more than I thought he would. Nothing really revelatory here, but a good, timely doc.

Double Jeopardy

Friday night, post-football training 'I can't be arsed' film with the wife. I'd seen it a few times before, including when my folks rented the VHS from Blockbuster back in 2000 or whatever, so bits of it were quite vivid in my memory even if it's not a film I've thought about in the past two decades. It's slick, rather silly fun. A well-made late-90s thriller with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones in good form.

Accepted

Post-playing friendly match 'I can't be arsed' film with the wife. I thought it was a bit shit, but it wasn't like I was expecting anything else. There's a recurring 'joke' about the Justin Long character falling over/bashing his head into stuff. It's that kind of film. One or two laughs, but this was mostly just something that was on while my leg muscles screamed at me. 

The New Kids

Mid-80s teen revenge thriller from the director of the original Friday the 13th. A brother and sister are orphaned and move to a small Florida town to live with their uncle, where they run into the local gang of local psychopaths, including a completely unhinged James Spader. I liked this, as it had elements of a typical eighties high school romcom and a slasher film and was done and dusted in about 85 minutes. Something of a hidden gem.

[BarryOVega]

The Ballad of Wallis Island

had it on my watch list for a while, watched it last night, I like Tim Key in roughly 50% of stuff I’ve seen him in so was surprised I welled up during a couple of his scenes, told my missus during watching it that it’d be 4 stars on my Letterboxd, ended up giving it the full 5, loved it stepped back from every cliche that sort of film does, absolutely superb 

[SuperBacon]

11 minutes ago, BarryOVega said:

The Ballad of Wallis Island

had it on my watch list for a while, watched it last night, I like Tim Key in roughly 50% of stuff I’ve seen him in so was surprised I welled up during a couple of his scenes, told my missus during watching it that it’d be 4 stars on my Letterboxd, ended up giving it the full 5, loved it stepped back from every cliche that sort of film does, absolutely superb 

Yeah, I really enjoyed this. I'll watch anything with Carey Mulligan, and this was incredibly touching and I found myself getting really emotional at points. 

[SaitoRyo]

Blue Thunder

LA cop Roy Schneider commandeers an experimental police helicopter after he realises it is going to be used for sinister means and then has to evade the authorities in the sky until someone else finds out about their evil plan.

I was in danger of becoming bored with this at around the halfway mark. There was nothing really wrong with it and it wasn't necessarily a slog, but it just wasn't grabbing me (apart from the scene where a yoga instructor does a workout completely in the nip). Then, at some point, it just changed and became an incredibly exciting action movie with some incredible stunts and set pieces. Schneider is great in it and there's good support from Warren Oates, Daniel Stern and Malcom McDowell. 

Sweet Sixteen (1983)

A fifteen-year-old girl shows up in a small Texas town and tries some fornicating. Unfortunately, all the lads she wants to shag end up dying, making her a prime suspect. 

This was a weird little slasher that felt exploitative at times (like when the supposed fifteen-year-old is shown taking a shower for no reason), but tried to be oddly progressive at other times (it has a whole thing about how it's actually wrong to be racist to Native Americans, you know). 

It's not awful. It's not great. It's alright. Bo Hopkins, as the local sheriff who has never seen anything like this in his sleepy little town, is a highlight.

[BomberPat]

Dark Star

Been a long, long time since I watched this. One of those weird quirks of culture that this odd little zero budget stoner sci-fi comedy where nothing happens ends up being absolutely pivotal to the development of science fiction for the next two decades or more - it launches John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon and all that follows from that, it creates the blueprint for what would become Alien, and it's a massive influence on Red Dwarf. 

I like it, but I have to admit that I struggle with it every time. It's so slow-paced and nothing happening, by design, that most times I've tried to watch it I've fallen asleep. When it's good, it's very good, but it's very easy to just get distracted and lose focus on it. I can't imagine seeing it in the cinema. I think it falls short of Silent Running in terms of early '70s sci-fi about gradually losing your mind in space.

[Devon Malcolm]

Hoppers (cinema)

It's not top-tier Pixar by any means but it's definitely the stupidest and funniest thing they've done for some time. I double-billed this with the Italian-German war drama The Tasters (not very good) for the weirdest double-bill I've ever done.

Crime 101 (cinema)

I'm not surprised this has flopped at the cinema because nobody goes to see these kinds of sturdy, meaty, big crime films anymore. And as much as this is exactly my kind of thing I thought this was excellent with Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry especially good. Bart Layton is a huge talent.

Cold Storage

Yeah, it's alright. Harmless enough with some pretty funny moments. Not a patch on Return of the Living Dead though, obviously.

Sundays

Spanish drama about a high school girl who's determined to become a nun. Possibly the best film I've seen so far this year, manages to be critical of religion and the exploitation of kids without ignoring this girl's troubled family background. Just blown away by this.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

I can't stand Sam Rockwell or Gore Verbinski so it's a miracle I didn't hate this. It's still not very good, though, and far too long. Always nice to see Haley Lu Richardson in something though, she's ace.

War Machine (2026)

Some pretty good action in its second half but it takes too long getting there. Mediocre.

Bodycam

The usual Shudder shite. A pretty good scene near the beginning but really fucking stupid and badly acted thereafter. I need to stop watching every found footage film I happen across.

Still Life with Ghosts

Lovely little Spanish comedy anthology about a small town where ghosts and humans interact freely. Really funny and sweet and a rare anthology where all the parts are of a high quality.

Hopscotch (1980)

Superb spy comedy with Walter Matthau running rings around the CIA as they try and prevent him from publishing an all-revealing autobiography. Been meaning to watch this for years and it didn't disappoint.

Battle of Britain 

Cracking old dad film. Massive cast, lots of action, Michael Caine trying to do a posh accent - you can't beat this.

Shortbus

Briefly notorious comedy-drama about a New York sex club. Basically a high art porn film with slightly better acting. Not as good as has been claimed but quite sweet in its own way.

Special Bulletin

One of a batch of depressing nuclear fear dramas made in the mid-80s, this one played out through the gimmick of a series of news reports. Really well acted and genuinely gripping.

Plus One

Nice enough romcom that delivers exactly you'd expect. Always enjoy Jack Quaid but Maya Erskine should have become a big star after this, she's hilarious.

The Moment

The Charli xcx film has had a mixed reaction but I enjoyed it a lot and I think she might have something as an actor. Surprised by how funny it was at times.

Whistle

Absolutely appalling horror film that's based entirely around people making the stupidest decisions possible. Nick Frost's career took quite the dive, didn't it.

Dial Code Santa Claus

Bizarre French horror film about a young lad being stalked around his house by a lunatic in a Santa outfit. Was released as a kids' film in France because they're mental. Would have given me Christmas-related PTSD for life if I'd seen it as a kid. It's great, obviously.

Righting Wrongs

Probably Cynthia Rothrock's best film. I'd forgotten how mean-spirited it is and what a downbeat ending it has but there are so many amazing fights and shootouts in it.

The Nice Guys

No-one wants to see your dick, dude.

Edited March 21 by Devon Malcolm

[DavidB6937]

I watched Sinners again today and I think I actually love it more every time I see it. The cinematography. The editing. The music. The casting and performances. 

It's so powerful but in an incredibly understated way that never feels like it's in your face. Just a wonderful piece of cinema.

[cobra_gordo]

Project Hail Mary. Only took a punt on seeing this based on the positive reviews on here as I thought it would be shit going off the trailer. Holy shit, loved every second of it. Laughed, cried, went on the full emotional rollercoaster. Ryan Gosling is incredible. Can't wait to see it again already.

[gmoney]

Just back from it. It was really good, too fucking long though. If Enemy Mine can get it done in an hour and fifty, so can you. 

[WyattSheepMask]

The Good Boy

Stephen Graham kidnaps a cretin of a lad to teach/rehab him to learn social norms, moral reasoning and empathy.

Aims for Clockwork Orange via the beginning of Oldboy, never really gets there but does OK up until the middle of the film, then completely falls off the rails in the second half. Had it come around 6 or 7 years ago it would’ve definitely been an ITV miniseries with Reece Sheersmith in the role played by Graham

Edited March 22 by WyattSheepMask

[SaitoRyo]

Best in Show

Just a lot of good, silly fun, isn't it? Had only seen it once, ages ago, so didn't really remember any of the 'bits', just the general tone. Everyone is really good in it and I was pissing myself laughing at Fred Willard at the end.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Low-budget 80s actioner with Rutger Hauer as a bounty hunter who is recruited to stop Middle Eastern terrorist Gene Simmons (yes really) from blowing shit up in LA. I like this sort of thing and would put it in the 'better than you'd probably expect' category.

King of the Mountain

I tried watching Motel Hell, but couldn't get into it at all and after about forty minutes had a look at my Tubi watchlist and came across this.

It's an early 80s action drama (I guess?) about three friends living in LA. They're all lads in their early 20s who were once really into street racing, but two of them want to get into music while the other is happy to continue working at an auto repair shop and then race up an own Mulholland Drive at night. There's really not much of a plot or point to any of it. More of a 'vibe' film where Dennis Hopper plays a supporting role as a burnout who is off his nut. Overall, it was fairly decent.