DVD's and Films You Have Watched Recently

[Carbomb]

I watched A Time to kill yesterday. It's been a while. I like it a lot.

 

Stupendous cast too: Samuel L Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Keifer Sutherland, Chris "he's in everything but I always forget his name" Cooper.

 

It took me great restraint to avoid listing Sandra Bullock there. She's in it too. I love her.

 

In a statement that's unlikely to be as controversial as Seven's in another thread, I'd say this is Matthew McConaughey's only good performance.

 

According to wiki, one critic remarked that

 

"A Time to Kill argues for vigilantism but disguises its message by making the vigilante black, allowing viewers to think their blood lust and thirst for revenge is actually empathy for the oppressed."

 

I'd actually agree with that to some extent, because I'm not in favour of mob/vigilante justice or revenge killings. That said, I still enjoyed it and I felt a great deal of empathy for Jackson's character. It's one of those things where if I read about a case like it I'd have to say that he was in the wrong (like that Spanish lady who set the rapist on fire) but that I'd undeniably sympathise. However, seeing it played out makes you relate, and similarly, if I actually knew any of the people involved in the latter case it'd probably shape my viewpoint significantly. I am soft like a marshmallow.

 

Sandra Bullock in '96 though. I don't think she's ever looked hotter.

 

Fucking awesome movie. That critic is completely missing the point, as is usual for an American establishment apologist. It's not arguing for vigilantism at all, it's a stark warning against the continuance of the status quo in the Deep South, i.e. the nigh-institutionalised racism and inequity that has been part and parcel of life in that region for centuries; if the situation continues unabated, it will inevitably create people like Carl Lee, victims who are sick and tired of being victims, and who will pursue vigilantism whenever they see that they are not being given justice in the way that a white man would get it in equal or comparable scenarios. If they want to avoid mob justice or revenge killings, conditions are going to have to change, or they'll end up on the very dangerous slope where, not only will vigilantism occur, but it will also incur sympathy from others who see quite clearly the failings and corruption in the justice system, and that is one of the last things any government or judiciary should ever want to happen, because it creates an alternative to them and their authority, leading to what? You guessed it: chaos. A Time To Kill explains starkly what happens: resentment brews and festers, leading to violence, which begets more resentment, and the whole thing escalates.

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

It starts off with a couple of rednecks raping a child, the knowledge that the justice system will do nothing about it sets off the father of the victim to pursue his own justice, the rednecks' families feel aggrieved and decide to retaliate, this time by resurrecting the Klan, this brings out the anti-Klan and pro-rights activists, violence ensues, and eventually, vigilantism is justified because the lawyer is able to appeal to everyone's basic human sentiments as they would be in the situation.

 

[close spoiler]

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As a piece of film-making in itself, though, I think it's still wonderfully intense and poignant.

Edited June 17, 2009 by JLM

[Astro Hollywood]

A Time to Kill is awesome. I avoided it for years simply because of the title, which sounds like those made-up movies people go to see in sitcoms, or some shoddy TV movie you might see on Fiver in the afternoons.

[Au]

I'm not the anti-Chucklez anyway. We share a love of Streetfighter The Movie and Mean Girls. Case closed.

 

He's not a Bullock fan though, so he's a bit of a wrong'un there.

My point was that, whilst you're both very passionate about stuff, sometimes even when it comes to slating things, your passion comes out in a very positive manner whereas his passion causes him to hate everything that doesn't satisfy him.

 

Oh, and the closing statement of McConaughey's defence was the most obvious thing in the world. Aside from that, I really liked the film too. However, how can you have Donald and Kiefer Sutherland in the same thing and not have them play father and son? They basically look like the same person!

Edited June 17, 2009 by elegia

[JLM]

Yeah, his closing statement was very corny indeed, but he delivered it very well and it hit the right notes. I didn't get the impression that it'd work on that baddie juror. Samuel's "So that's a jury of my peers" line resonated with me particularly because I basically said that word for word when I was on jury duty. Out of my group of jurors, I was the only one under thirty. About 80% of them were middle aged and old white women and I was the only non-white person there. Of course, I'm absolutely not implying that white people can't give a non-white person a fair trial, but it's clear that a typical jury is likely to be quite lacking in diversity, as much from an age/sex/economic class point of view as a racial one. I guess one solution would be to better compensate people who have to take time off work to do their service. It's no wonder that there were hardly any twenty-thirty something professionals there when you're allowed to refuse once and the compensation (particularly if you get stuck on a long case) is ludicrous. I got stung because it was during my summer holidays from uni and it was an interesting experience, but I'd be massively reluctant to take the time off work to go and do it now, particularly when employers aren't obliged to cover you.

 

Similarly, things like fraud cases where the trial can stretch over months and even years. Finding people do to sit on that is a crazy process, and you're surely going to be left with a jury largely made up of pensioners and wasters because who the hell else can take the time?

 

Elegia, I see what you mean about the anti-chucklez thing now. To further your comparison, I'm a pitcher and he's a catcher. It's not that I'm averse to catching, it's that he can't be trusted to pitch. Carbomb knows.

[KFR42]

Big Fish.

 

Seen this several times now and its one of my favourite films. Amazing, and the end gets me every time.

 

Completely agree, I adore that film. Its really not my usual type of film, but its right up there as one of my favourite films.

 

In other news, I went to see John Woo's latest, Red Cliff last night. Truly an epic movie. Was a little too long and dragged in places, but it was wonderfully filmed and the story kept my interest. Its just a shame I was so tired while I was watching it.

[Dynamite Duane]

Only In America - Don King movie. Taped it off ITV4 to watch later, anyone seen it?

[ultimo the great]

I think he's incredibly lazy, because yeah, he just plays Matthew McConaughey roles in every god damn movie now. As I've said before, I don't like to reference TV shows as part of an argument, but the Stewie/McConaughey scene from Family Guy is absolutely perfect.

So true.

 

He's good in Frailty (hugely underated film) and pretty decent in Tropic Thunder too but any time i see his name next to a film i just move on to the next film.

 

You can be guaranteed it's Sun + McConaughey with his top off + Some dump bitch= Standard Hollywood romcom

Edited June 20, 2009 by ultimo the great

[spotlightmagnet1]

I've been watching Buster Keaton: Collection of Shorts. They are brilliant (if you like silent comedy) the stunts, the timing and the jokes. Some i'd imagine caused a bit of upset.

 

In 'The Frozen North' Keaton goes into his house and sees a man and woman by the fire kissing. He's obviously upset by this and pulls out hios gun and shoots them both. He then looks around and a caption comes up saying "I've made a mistake. This isn't my house. And that's not my wife' I laughed.

[Gladstones Bitch]

I think he's incredibly lazy, because yeah, he just plays Matthew McConaughey roles in every god damn movie now. As I've said before, I don't like to reference TV shows as part of an argument, but the Stewie/McConaughey scene from Family Guy is absolutely perfect.

So true.

 

He's good in Frailty (hugely underated film) and pretty decent in Tropic Thunder too but any time i see his name next to a film i just move on to the next film.

 

You can be guaranteed it's Sun + McConaughey with his top off + Some dump bitch= Standard Hollywood romcom

 

Is that the film with Bill Paxton in it? where he murders people because he thinks god is telling him to or something like that anyway. I remember checking that out when it 1st came to DVD and I thought it was tremendous I didnt expect it to be good at all.

[BrainBuster69]

frost v nixon

[The Four Horsemen]

Im going to watch the DVD of Frost vs Nixon I picked up in Tesco today after Top Gear finishes tonight. Went and saw Transformers 2 last night, not going to spoil it for anyone but wouldn't mind there being a third installment.

[Steveo2007]

Watched Night at the Museum 2 before and must say it's nowhere near as good as the first. Clearly trying to fit too much into one film and outdo the first in terms of effects, but I thought Hank Azaria was good.

[BrainBuster69]

Im going to watch the DVD of Frost vs Nixon I picked up in Tesco today after Top Gear finishes tonight. Went and saw Transformers 2 last night, not going to spoil it for anyone but wouldn't mind there being a third installment.

 

 

let me know what you think of it.

[Au]

Er... You've already seen it. Perhaps you'd like to let us know what you thought of it?

[DJ Stevie C]

Terminator

 

Saturday I saw 'the Arnie collection' on sale in HMV for