Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted September 15, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 15, 2021 On 9/13/2021 at 9:26 PM, waters44 said: Don’t sleep on Copshop which is the new film at cinemas with Gerard Butler in it. I almost didn’t go as I wasn’t expecting much, but glad I did as I thought it was pretty fucking good! Absolutely agreed. About time Joe Carnahan made another decent film. Really enjoyed this, and the fact that it was shot during Covid gives it a bit of a weird, isolated feel. Loads of fun, and Alexis Louder's going to be a huge star, if there's any justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnum Milano Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Million Dollar Weekend (1948) (YouTube) Fed up his current life, a Los Angeles stockbroker plans to start a new life in Shanghai, stealing cash and valuables from his employer to fund it. Those plans are sidetracked when a woman on the same flight asks for his help. Didn’t really keep my attention, and my least favourite noir so far. Flight to Nowhere (1946) (YouTube) A pilot is asked by his former army superior, now working as an FBI agent, to keep an eye on a group of high society types who have chartered him as the group are suspected of stealing maps detailing valuable uranium deposits. Incredibly contrived, every bit confusing and not particularly good either. Porridge (1979) (BBC iPlayer) Feature length spin-off, set a year before the final episode of the TV series. Fletcher and Godber accidentally find themselves caught up in a prison escape attempt. Whilst many 1970s comedies struggled on being transferred to the big screen, this isn’t one of them. Jigsaw (1949) (YouTube) An Assistant D.A. is convinced that the apparent suicide of a print shop owner is in fact murder and linked to a local hate group. A muddled, confusing plot (I’m starting to spot a theme) and while a slight step up from recent noirs I’ve watched, not by much. The Last House on the Beach (1972) A trio of bank robbers looking for somewhere to hide descend on a beach house and terrorize the Nun and Catholic girls who are residing there. Decent ending with Sister Christine and the girls getting revenge on the gang, but fairly boring up to that point despite the controversial content. Blackmail (1929) After killing a man in self-defence, a young woman and her policeman boyfriend who is trying to cover for her are blackmailed by a witness. A slow starter, a common Hitchcock trait, but despite the simple plot another really good movie from him. Part silent movie. The Stylist (2020) A lonely hairdresser becomes obsessed with one of her clients. Najarra Townsend’s performance is the only things this has got going for it. Ponderous psychological thriller which could’ve done with some trimming. Even worked out how this was going to end. The scalping scene is disgusting! Playing Away (1986) (All 4) A rural village invites a Cricket team from Brixton for a friendly game to celebrate its Third World Week. More about race relations and the clashing of cultures with a Cricket match thrown in. Could almost be a pilot for Desmond’s. Despite the great Norman Beaton, didn’t think much of this. Must also feature one of Ross Kemp's earliest TV appearances. Wild Rose (2018) (All 4) Fresh out of a Glasgow prison, Rose-Lynn Harlan has dreams of becoming a Nashville Country singer, turning her life around and making something for herself and her two young children. Jessie Buckley is such a talent, phenomenal! What a sleeper of a film and the music throughout is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 1 hour ago, Magnum Milano said:  Porridge (1979) (BBC iPlayer) Feature length spin-off, set a year before the final episode of the TV series. Fletcher and Godber accidentally find themselves caught up in a prison escape attempt. Whilst many 1970s comedies struggled on being transferred to the big screen, this isn’t one of them.  The Porridge film is cracking, I think I watch it everytime it's shown. Now the Rising Damp film was fucking dire. It was basically the script of 3 episodes thrown together with the awful Christopher Strauli taking the place of Beckinsale's character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted September 19, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 19, 2021 (edited) 16 hours ago, Magnum Milano said: Playing Away (1986) (All 4) A rural village invites a Cricket team from Brixton for a friendly game to celebrate its Third World Week. More about race relations and the clashing of cultures with a Cricket match thrown in. Could almost be a pilot for Desmond’s. Despite the great Norman Beaton, didn’t think much of this. Must also feature one of Ross Kemp's earliest TV appearances. I hope this is still on All4. Meaning to watch it. Ross Kemp was in a lot of stuff before "Eastenders". He was in "Emmerdale" too and even "Birds of a Feather". First thing I think of when I heard the name Ross Kemp is when he was in Glasgow and interviewing some guy who kept his dismembered toe on the TV. Feck Eastenders. Edited September 19, 2021 by bAzTNM#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 Candyman A really neat retelling/rebooting of the Candyman story that was a little lacking in the execution for me. Gentrification and police brutality are the big themes but instead of taking a show don’t tell approach it pretty much does both. It’s looks and sounds fantastic though, really surprised it wasn’t Phillip Glass because it captures his sound perfectly. I just wish it had a bit more story and horror. Points deducted because Yahya Abdul Mateen II doesn’t hang dong in it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021 for reasons I can't begin to fathom, Netflix have recently added Bloodbath At The House Of Death, a 1984 horror spoof starring Kenny Everett and Vincent Price, written by Barry Cryer and Everett collaborator (and Michael McIntyre's dad) Ray Cameron. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from that description. Sort of a Hammer Horror spoof, but with gags that must have felt dated even in '84, and by this point just feel like a sort of cosy nostalgia blanket. Ominous cello music plays as someone creeps up to open a door, to reveal Kenny Everett behind the door playing said cello. It's a joke I saw coming a mile away and still laughed at it. There's some sub-Carry On double entendre stuff that, again, feels incredibly staid by 1984 standards. A lot of the references to other movies - there's a Shining bit, an Alien joke, and an awful and inexplicable E.T. riff (with the voice of the unseen E.T. apparently being provided by an infant Michael McIntyre), that all just seem tacked on with no rhyme or reason. All that aside, it's sort of charming. There's a couple of lines that got a genuinely unexpected chuckle out of me. Most of all, Vincent Price just seems to be having a great time camping it up during his all too brief part. I'm not sure Price and the main cast ever even share a scene, so I suspect they never had him and Everett et al on set at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patiirc Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 Been on a Netflix binge of sorts recently too. Robot Overlords. Mix Dr Who, The Matrix and Elysium and you get this twee low budget Robots have enslaved us movie. Sir Ben Kingsley hamming it up as the bad guy is superb. Aimed at teens, but fun for what it is. Elysium Great idea, executed poorly. A rip off of Battle Angel Alita (Anime) and it runs out of ideas pretty quickly. Looks good, shame about the content. Sharito Copley nearly steals it channeling Dolph Lundgren from Johnny Mnemonic. The Accountant. Yet another that falls apart halfway through. Trying to be Bourne Identity with Autism used as the catch all was in bad taste too. Schumacher Interesting but more of a light documentary than anything. completely glosses over lots of Schumachers career, the stuff with Mika Hakkinen and what looked like a large boat in his living room was just odd. The stuff around Senna and his death was probably the most engaging bit.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members waters44 Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021 I watched Akira yesterday and I kind of feel like I was transported to another dimension - I can’t describe it, I just got lost in it. I couldn’t really tell you much about the plot as I was just in awe of every frame. You could pause it at any point and spend an age admiring all the detail.  There was one very short sequence, a few seconds, where a helicopter was landing on a helipad. Any other animation would just have a helicopter landing on a helipad and move to the next scene. But this film shows the helicopter landing, with something going on in the background, and a chap with bright lights in his hands directing the helicopter during its landing. So much detail for a few second shot that’s not important to the plot or anything. So yeah I’m a bit in shock to be honest and I need to watch it again ASAP. It’s my first foray into anime, is there anything else I should try? I see the same Director made something called Memories is that any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 Saint Maud Happy I’ve seen it, never watch it again. Morfydd Clark is great in it, really channels her inner Sissy Spacek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jesse Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021 54 minutes ago, waters44 said: I watched Akira yesterday and I kind of feel like I was transported to another dimension - I can’t describe it, I just got lost in it. I couldn’t really tell you much about the plot as I was just in awe of every frame. You could pause it at any point and spend an age admiring all the detail.  There was one very short sequence, a few seconds, where a helicopter was landing on a helipad. Any other animation would just have a helicopter landing on a helipad and move to the next scene. But this film shows the helicopter landing, with something going on in the background, and a chap with bright lights in his hands directing the helicopter during its landing. So much detail for a few second shot that’s not important to the plot or anything. So yeah I’m a bit in shock to be honest and I need to watch it again ASAP. It’s my first foray into anime, is there anything else I should try? I see the same Director made something called Memories is that any good? In terms of classic anime that hold up visually and plot-wise for me, check out the original Ghost in the Shell and Paprika. Both visually stunning and end up being the inspiration for a lot of western cinema afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patiirc Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 1 hour ago, waters44 said: I watched Akira yesterday and I kind of feel like I was transported to another dimension - I can’t describe it, I just got lost in it. I couldn’t really tell you much about the plot as I was just in awe of every frame. You could pause it at any point and spend an age admiring all the detail.  There was one very short sequence, a few seconds, where a helicopter was landing on a helipad. Any other animation would just have a helicopter landing on a helipad and move to the next scene. But this film shows the helicopter landing, with something going on in the background, and a chap with bright lights in his hands directing the helicopter during its landing. So much detail for a few second shot that’s not important to the plot or anything. So yeah I’m a bit in shock to be honest and I need to watch it again ASAP. It’s my first foray into anime, is there anything else I should try? I see the same Director made something called Memories is that any good? Depends what you are after:- Wings of the Hominnaise (spelling?) Roujin Z, also by Otomo Patlabor 1 and 2 (gorgeous animation, deathly dull) Studio Ghibli films Venus Wars Ghost in The Shell (as already recommended) Are all lushly animated. Cant go too wrong as an intro to. Anime by following the old Manga Entertainment Ident  (Project AKO, Dominon Tank Police, Venus Wars, Fist of The Northstar, Akira) and watching those, ditto Kiseki releases such as Black Magic Marionette m66, Plastic Little, SDF Macross. No idea about more modern stuff as well out of the loop Gainax, Toei, Madhouse and Kodansha are some to look out for anime/manga studios.    Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021 1 hour ago, waters44 said: I see the same Director made something called Memories is that any good? It's an anthology, he only made one part of it (Cannon Fodder) and it's the best part. 2 hours ago, patiirc said: The Accountant. Yet another that falls apart halfway through. Trying to be Bourne Identity with Autism used as the catch all was in bad taste too. Nah, actually they handled the autism side of things surprisingly well for a Hollywood action film. Ideally you would want autistic people involved in its production, but it gets a lot more right than wrong. 3 hours ago, BomberPat said: for reasons I can't begin to fathom, Netflix have recently added Bloodbath At The House Of Death, a 1984 horror spoof starring Kenny Everett and Vincent Price, written by Barry Cryer and Everett collaborator (and Michael McIntyre's dad) Ray Cameron. Netflix are so weird with the stuff they add sometime. A few months ago, for some reason, they added about 30 Swedish films from the 1930s to 50s. A week later they added a load of 1960s Egyptian films. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patiirc Posted September 20, 2021 Share Posted September 20, 2021 1 minute ago, Devon Malcolm said: Nah, actually they handled the autism side of things surprisingly well for a Hollywood action film. Ideally you would want autistic people involved in its production, but it gets a lot more right than wrong. . It was more for me, having Autism being used as a 'get out' plot device rather than the depiction that irked and was in bad taste. Ben Affleck was still portayed as an evil doer, thus fulfilling Autism is evil trope . Perhaps that's just me though. Everything that failed in the plot was explained away 'because Autism' or with a 'ta-da' twist and I felt that was in particularly bad taste, given it was a good, if somewhat Hollywood on screen depecting of tics, stimming, repetition, obsessions, non verbal etc. Agreed about having more autistic people involved on screen in production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, patiirc said: It was more for me, having Autism being used as a 'get out' plot device rather than the depiction that irked and was in bad taste. Ben Affleck was still portayed as an evil doer, thus fulfilling Autism is evil trope . Perhaps that's just me though. He was an assassin who cooked books for criminals! How else are they supposed to depict such a character? His autism was a sidenote to these plot points, which is actually a really good thing. It gets small moments right, such as when Anna Kendrick just leaves the room when she can see he's getting overwhelmed to give him some space, which I've rarely seen in any other film or TV show. This is a really good review of it on Letterboxd from an autistic friend of mine - they didn't like the film very much but felt it was strongest with its portrayal of autism:- https://letterboxd.com/jaimerebanal/film/the-accountant-2016/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members waters44 Posted September 20, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2021  I really love the Masters of Cinema series and this has just arrived, anyone seen it? There’s a quote from Martin Scorsese on the box - “There is really no other film quite like it” so I’m really looking forward to checking out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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