VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[BarryOVega]

Orphans The Peter Mullan film, watched it 25 years ago after my brother watched it halfway through on Sky, watched it about 5 years ago after buying it on Amazon and losing it on the bus to my ex’s and immediately buying it again from cex

incredible film, everyone in it is superb, considering the subject matter it’s hilarious and Stephen McCole did Rushmore the year after presumably off this, can’t recommend enough, me and my brother still quote half a dozen lines to this day

[davertfnewman]

Prompted by a reference to it on a podcast, I watched The Lair of the White Worm. Horror comedy from Ken Russell. It's a bad script and badly directed for the most part performed by a great cast (Peter Capaldi, Amanda Donohoe and Hugh Grant as the strongest). I'm sure if they weren't managing a low budget they would've tried to make it more horror but the corner cutting led them to going more comedic. Donohoe's really sexy, Capaldi leans closer to Grant than his later style, the rest all feel like they're playing in different movies but it's incredibly charming despite it.

[poetofthedeed]

So, how do we get a space rock shaped like a turkey nominated for best supporting actor? Project hail mary is why I hope cinema's never die, beautiful, tender, gorgeous and sad, what a movie.

Ready or not here I come doesn't quite hit the heights of the first one, and suffers a bit from the shitty video game trope of going from a to b, then having to go back to a to get a key before going from b to c, but it's a lot of fun, and Elijah Wood is fantastic as Satan's solicitor.

They will kill you is half Kill Bill, half Ready or Not but not as good as either, Heather Graham is still ridiculously gorgeous.

40th anniversary showings of Ferris Bueller and little shop of horrors up next.

[air_raid]

Anyone else watch The Life Of Chuck? Biased as I am as a huge fan of (most of) Kings work I thought it was fantastic. All the usual tropes - things not quite being what they seem and questioning yourself what’s going on which may or may not be explained, curious dialogue coincidences, musical cues, overall eeriness. Great stuff without overt “horror.”

Only minor quibble, whatsit from Dr Strange, Hiddlestone and Karen Gillan having to do ropey Yank accents in a film where there are British characters. Always jarring. But not as bad as that pod film where whatsit was allowed to keep his real accent but Danaerys wasn’t.

[poetofthedeed]

55 minutes ago, air_raid said:

Anyone else watch The Life Of Chuck? Biased as I am as a huge fan of (most of) Kings work I thought it was fantastic. All the usual tropes - things not quite being what they seem and questioning yourself what’s going on which may or may not be explained, curious dialogue coincidences, musical cues, overall eeriness. Great stuff without overt “horror.”

Only minor quibble, whatsit from Dr Strange, Hiddlestone and Karen Gillan having to do ropey Yank accents in a film where there are British characters. Always jarring. But not as bad as that pod film where whatsit was allowed to keep his real accent but Danaerys wasn’t.

Yes, it made my top 5 of last year, absolute gem of a movie.

[Hannibal Scorch]

They Will Kill You - Two people left halfway through. Had no idea what this was about I just wanted to see Zazie Beetz. Had a fun time though it’s not amazing, but it looks gorgeous for the most part, is only 94 minutes and laughed a fair few times.

[johnnyboy]

Bugonia.  Loved the Easter Egg on letterboxd when I logged it, I can't remember getting one of those before.

Friday Night Lights alumni remain the best things in current cinema.  Alicia Silverstone dropping the C-bomb was an unexpected bonus.  Excellent stuff.

[Jazzy G]

I stuck The Ipcress File on the iPlayer and loved it. Bit of a slow start, but from the bit where they're watching the band in the park I was gripped. Lots of twists and turns, the cinematography was great. 

[Merzbow]

Watched both Hard Boiled and The Killer in the cinema, I feel like a robbed the place only being charged £4 a go. May just be the best thing Arrow have ever done, restoring these perfect films and they've got Bullet in the Head coming in the next few months too.

I may be in the minority but I think the melodrama and overall dreamy-ness of The Killer actually adds to the film and I might just prefer over any other Woo film. Hard Boiled is no doubt the most important of the bunch though, I don't think pure action has ever been done so well or so coolly.

[poetofthedeed]

Couple of 40th anniversaries over the weekend.

Ferris Buellers Day Off

It's incredible to me how this manages to be both the most 1980's movie of all time but still feels completely modern, an enjoyable romp about a life we all wish we had, Cinema was absolutely wedged as well, with a tonne of teenagers, which made me somewhat hopeful of the future.

 

Little Shop Of Horrors

This and Rocky Horror are a large part of the reason I love musicals, and it was a treat to finally experience it on the big screen. this was the directors cut with the original ending, and a few people sitting near me who've clearly never seen the stage show were caught a little by suprise, which was fun.

 

 

[SuperBacon]

5 minutes ago, poetofthedeed said:

Cinema was absolutely wedged as well, with a tonne of teenagers, which made me somewhat hopeful of the future.

I can only give my anecdotal evidence but as someone with a 13yo and 16yo this is because they are now getting to the age where they're watching the teen films we did at their age.

My eldest loves watching films with me, and the most joy we get is when we watch something like The Breakfast Club. Teen films don't really age that badly as the themes will always be universal to that age group.

[poetofthedeed]

2 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I can only give my anecdotal evidence but as someone with a 13yo and 16yo this is because they are now getting to the age where they're watching the teen films we did at their age.

My eldest loves watching films with me, and the most joy we get is when we watch something like The Breakfast Club. Teen films don't really age that badly as the themes will always be universal to that age group.

Of course, Love, heartbreak and social anxiety will resonate with every teenager, if you tell the story well it's timeless.

[poetofthedeed]

The Drama

Holy shit this is some dark dark humour, like you feel you shouldn't laugh but your body takes away the decision from you, and for a dramedy it has one of the best jump scares in a movie ever. I absolutely adored this.

[BrodyGraham]

Managed to actually get to the cinema to see Project Hail Mary. Hadn't thought much of the trailer but Ryan Gosling is about as close to a guarantee of quality as you get these days and I managed to convince my wife that the Mario Galaxy film looked shit.

So good. Had the wife and child in tears throughout. Obviously the real star is Rocky but Gosling does a brilliant job of holding the film together. A rare crowd pleaser for the heart and the eyes.

[LaGoosh]

Wake In Fright

A teacher in the Australian outback is on his way to Sydney but gets stuck in a dead end mining town on the way and things get intense. A really weird, unique and incredibly nihilistic film. One of those films which makes you hot, sticky and exhausted just watching it. You won't see anything else like it.

Disclaimer: There's a scene using footage from a real kangaroo cull so the film contains real violence against animals which understandably will put a lot of people off.

Edited April 3 by LaGoosh