DVD's and Films You Have Watched Recently

[Twatters]

That 70's Show Series 1My brothers got Seasons 1-4, so i usaully watch them when he puts them on. Very good, easy watching comedy series. Always makes me laugh. Does anyone know how seasons/series there were?League of Gentleman Series 2I love every series of LOG. But while watching this back yesterday, although there were many LOL momments i think this is probably the weakest series comedy wise. Great nonetheless.

[ukedge87]

I think series 2 of LOG is probably the best. The introduction of Papa Lazarou, Pauline's hold up of the job centre, the introduction of the German exchange teacher, the horrible nose bleed occurances are all classic moments. Plus I think the series holds together cohesively the best of all three series - series 3 was too disjointed with each episode focusing too much on a small selection of characters, whereas series 1 was sketch show like in its editing.

[Van_Dammer]

Since a few people have asked for one in this thread before, PM me if you want a source to download movies from.

[Van_Dammer]

Silent Movie

This film is essentially a double-parody. It takes aim at silent movies of years gone by and parodies itself, too, as Mel Funn (Mel Brooks) and his comrades try to recruit Hollywood stars - who play themselves - to act in their silent movie.

 

There's an abundance of slapstick and wit, as you'd expect from Mel Brooks. Being 'silent,' the film relies heavily on exaggerated visuals and physical comedy. Marty Feldman, who's probably most famous for his role as Igor from Young Frankenstein, is very particularly well-suited to this and I reckon his performance is certainly a highlight.

 

Overall, I think Silent Movie is relatively good, but lacks the true hilarity of some of Brooks' other work. It had the potential to be better.

 

Gregory's Girl

A film with a lot of charm that sees Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) fall for Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the one and only girl on the football team.

 

The main reason as to why this film is effective is because of how genuinely awkward Gregory seems; he is extremly gawky. He's alright around his friends and elders, but very nervous around girls his age. The other main characters are more or less conventional. As such, two gormless guys provide the comedy and there's a stereotypical hottie, Dorothy, alongside a brunette who's less popular with the lads, Susan (Clare Grogan). I always find the latter more attractive than the girl that the audience is supposed to perceive as the better looking one, though. To me, Boof was more appealing than Pamela in Teen Wolf. Likewise, I liked Allison more than Claire in The Breakfast Club.

 

Anyway, Gregory's Girl is a good film. It has several quirky and strange qualities to it that make it somewhat unique in some respects.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Captain Freedom]

Requiem For A Dream

This is a film I've wanted to watch for quite some time and I had the chance to view it quite recently. WOW! What an amazing movie. The film focuses on the lives of four characters: Harry (Jared Leto), his mother (Ellen Burstyn), Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and their downward spiral all due to their drug addictions. The film is truly disturbing, probably more so than any film I've seen (and I've seen my fair share of films), yet is totally addictive as well. Grim and not one for light Sunday afternoon viewing, but completely riveting. Great.

[HBAndy]

I might give Requim a re-watch tonight to fall asleep to. I loved it when I first saw it and your mini review has inspired me to finally give it another watch.

[Van_Dammer]

Open Hearts

I love the story to this film. A young couple, C

Edited September 13, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Van_Dammer]

Chris Rock - Never Scared

If I'm not mistaken, Chris Rock hadn't done taken to the stage for four years prior to this. However, it doesn't show. Never Scared is arguably on par with Bring The Pain, which I consider to be his best stand-up.

 

Chris Rock's first major topic in Never Scared is that of the entertainment industry. He talks about how he's sick of defending Hip-Hop and that many people seem to hate it. As several rappers' murders haven't been investigated to much of a degree, he deduces that even the government hates Hip-Hop. "If you wanna get away with killing somebody, just put a bullet in his head and stick a demo tape in his pocket."

 

Chris Rock's trademark style is most evident towards the middle. He scrutinizes political and social issues and presents his own views, but keeps his material very funny by highlighting irony and generally taking the piss. Like Bring The Pain especially, whenever he delves into controversial or questionable themes, he always shows the other side of it right before he goes too far.

 

The end is mainly about relationships, but not entirely sex. Chris Rock jokes about the situations that relationships bring on, which is quite refreshing. The part about his wife trying to get him to talk to people at social events, in particular, is hilarious.

 

All-in-all, I'd say that Never Scared is an outstanding stand-up.

 

Princess Mononoke

I had very high expectations for this film and it actually lived up to them. It's a fantasy anime in which the main character, Ashitaka, is cursed with a severe ailment by a demon boar god after defending his village from it. He has to travel to Western Japan in order to find a cure.

 

Everything about this Princess Mononoke is done well. First and foremost, it has a great story. The characters within it are interesting and the important ones all add a significant amount of drama and emotion in their own way. Amidst the storytelling, the action is terrific and the film features some of the most unforgettable imagery ever. It's simply an epic fantasy as it should be.

 

Princess Mononoke is certainly worthy of the praise and the many awards. I've seen four Studio Ghibli film now and I'd rate Princess Mononoke as the second-best.

Edited September 14, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Mr. Seven]

 

La Haine

 

'Injured by a police inspector during an interrogation, Abdel is at a hospital, almost dead. In the suburbs where he lives, some riots happened during the night, and one policeman lost his gun. One of Abdel's friends, Vinz, finds it. Vinz and his two pals, Said and Hubert, have nothing to do so they try to kill time. Vinz swears that if Abdel dies, he will shoot a policeman...'

 

Empire magazine recently wrote that "10 years on, La Haine has lost none of it's punch.". They're correct. As relevant as important as it was when released in 1995, La Haine is truly essential viewing. Shot entirely in black and white with English subtitles, it screams arthouse film, but look closer and you'll find themes that most everybody can identify with. The acting is superb; a young Vincent Cassel in paticular portraying an explosive thug with such resonance it's hard to believe the guy wound up marrying Monica Bellucci.

 

The look of the film is superb. Stagnant and derelict suburban areas of Paris are brought to life through static black and white shots giving the film a much-needed sense of gritty realism.

 

To say anymore would be to spoil the film, but trust me, it's essential viewing.

 

 

 

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

 

Sam Dunn is an anthropologist major and die-hard metalhead. In his documentary he travels the globe interviewing both fans and musicians alike, sitting down with the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Dee Sneider, Corey Taylor, Ronnie James Dio, Kerry King, Tony Iommi, Rob Zombie, Lemmy, Alice Cooper and many more. Dunn sets out to answer the question of why metal is so condemned and persecuted by non-metal fans, and to see how it's connected to religion, violence, death, classical music and much more.

 

You don't have to be a fan of metal to enjoy this. It helps certainly, but it's not essential. I found Dunn to be fairly affable if a little goofy at times, but his passion for the subject is highly evident. Most of the musicians interviewed come across as rational, down to earth guys, with the exception of some of the Norwegian black metallers, who come across as complete idiots. One scene finds Dunn interviewing a member of Gorgoroth, sat at a table with candles and other gothic paraphenalia present in the background. Dunn asks him what inspires him in his music. The guy pauses for about 30 seconds before looking Dunn dead in the eyes and replying with:

 

"Satan".

 

And he's not kidding. The interviews are easily the most fun part of the film and thankfully, they're ever-present.

 

Overall it's a fun documentary that could have been a little more in-depth. Reccommended.

[gary v1]

That 70's Show Series 1My brothers got Seasons 1-4, so i usaully watch them when he puts them on. Very good, easy watching comedy series. Always makes me laugh. Does anyone know how seasons/series there were?

There are 7 series in total I think thought you're probably just best sticking with the 1st 4 as it really goes down hill towards the end. Foreman and Kelso aren't even in the last series. But yeah, easy watching indeed, especially love the circles and the BURNs. And Gregory's girl is really good, not to mention filmed just up the road from me.

[Murtz]

Lock Stock n Two Smoking BarrelsWatched this for the first time today. I thought it was great!.. Great lil mini storylines rammed into one big storyline. Vinny Jones was pretty good for his first film (as far as i know it was his first).

[hitman89762000]

Clerks 2....6 different types of awesomeness

[ukedge87]

The Ringer

 

This is a film producded by the Farllely brothers and directed by Barry Blaustein (Beyond the Mat). It follows Steven (Johnny Knoxville) enter the special olympics to raise medical funds for an injured employee who needs an operation. He pretends to have mental disabilites, to try and win the event, thus rigging it for his uncle who is betting on it. In the process, things don't go to plan, as he makes friends with his oppenants and falls in love with a helper.

 

I know what your thinking, Farllely and Special Olympics go together like racial equality and the BNP. But, and its a big BUT, the disability issue is not handled in poor taste. But at the same time it does not use kid gloves to handle the issue, instead it treats them equally, and the film is not too scared to pull a few jokes that could be seen as inoffensive. But the special olympics backed this film which just proves your not gonna go to hell for laughing at it.

 

It carries all the traits of Farllely film, whacky physical gags, stupid lines and a touching subplot. Its going to entertain you for 70 minutes, but little else.

 

Knoxville surprised, for the first 10 minutes I could only picture Jackass Knoxville, but he handles the role of Steven very well and really shines in the acting role. He has proven with this (and Dukes) that he can handle the soft-entertainment acting side of Hollywood, and does not shun his roots either.

 

The film is rapid, which is good, its been edited well and it doesn't drag at all. However, there are certain parts which I found almost to embarassing to watch, mainly parts with Steven acting retarded to impress the helper, I didn't think this was particularly funny or heart warming and was the only part of the film that let it down. The love interest could have been portrayed much less cringe-worthingly.

 

This film will be perfect to stick in and watch with anyone 12 - 15, and entertain them and have a chuckle yourself. Its mostly funny, and heartwarming, and despite its dodgy apperance, handles a subject which is well deserved a film.

[Murtz]

Anyone seen Unbreakable?.. Whats it like?

[HBAndy]

Anyone seen Unbreakable?.. Whats it like?

I very much like it. I prefer it to Sixth Sense and all the other Shymalanshit, but Samuel L. Jackson's character is extremely intriguing and the story was something which I became involved in and a nice chemistry between the two leads whilst the film meanders along with variously interesting setpieces and a very heart-beating twist.