The Spiritualized Film Club

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 12:26 pm

Watched Big Bad Wolves last night really enjoyed it. Story about a cop going after a child killer who got off on a technicality, I know it sounds lame but it's far from that

Some very dark and funny humour to go along with a cracking story and some nice twists.

Stuart X.Hunter · Post by **Stuart X.Hunter** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 9:53 pm

In the process of absorbing krzysztof kieslowski dekalog

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 10:20 am

Enemy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuaAWrgoUY

it would be good to hear peoples thoughts on this one.

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 8:40 am

Jim Jarmusch
Only Lovers left Alive
http://vimeo.com/78832089

cool and deadly and surely destined for cult status

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 12:17 pm

The Borderlands - clever spin on the found footage genre. A local church has a visit from vatican investigators after unusual goings on! Won't say anymore but well worth a look unless of course you are claustrophobic

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:00 pm

Three documentaries recently:

TT3D: Closer To The Edge. Covers the Isle Of Man TT in 2010 and illustrates perfectly just what lunatics these guys are. Focuses on a number of riders but primarily Guy Martin

. I could listen to him all day, bonkers! Great footage, and even though i'm no petrolhead there's something about motorbike road racing that puts every other motorsport to shame. Probably driving around ordinary roads at 200 mph has something to do with it

Two Lance Armstrong docs. One on BBC (Storyville: The Lance Armstrong Story, Stop At Nothing), the other on Channel 4 (The Armstong Lie). The BBC one probably edges it but they're both worth watching. He really has a brass neck, such an odious individual. There also appears to be a bit of revisionism towards Lance rearing its ugly head at the moment; "sure everyone else was at it so why should Lance be singled out?", kinda attitude.

Anyways, I recommend all three whether you have an interest in the subjects or not.

Luminescence · Post by **Luminescence** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:57 pm

Wake In Fright
I watched this film last week after only hearing about it a few months ago. I really enjoyed it, too. Different to what I was expecting. Great acting from Gary Bond as the pennyless English teacher looking to get to Sydney to realise his dreams. I didn't like the kangaroo hunting scenes though, very hard to watch. But on the whole a great watch.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:23 am

sunray wrote:Three documentaries recently:

TT3D: Closer To The Edge. Covers the Isle Of Man TT in 2010 and illustrates perfectly just what lunatics these guys are. Focuses on a number of riders but primarily Guy Martin . I could listen to him all day, bonkers! Great footage, and even though i'm no petrolhead there's something about motorbike road racing that puts every other motorsport to shame. Probably driving around ordinary roads at 200 mph has something to do with it

Two Lance Armstrong docs. One on BBC (Storyville: The Lance Armstrong Story, Stop At Nothing), the other on Channel 4 (The Armstong Lie). The BBC one probably edges it but they're both worth watching. He really has a brass neck, such an odious individual. There also appears to be a bit of revisionism towards Lance rearing its ugly head at the moment; "sure everyone else was at it so why should Lance be singled out?", kinda attitude.

Anyways, I recommend all three whether you have an interest in the subjects or not.

re the lance armstrong one's & the revisionism - totally agree. in fact i think emma o'reilly has a book out now which furthers the defence for armstrong & goes someways to forgiving him. armstrong even does the foreword for the book.
i think there probably is something to that, but i felt the alex gibney film went too far in trying to absolve him of a lot of the responsibility.
i thought the bbc one was closer to a character assassination but in doing so actually got closer to the substance of his personality (or the lack thereof), even without his input. or maybe because of it - he is a manipulator probably bordering on the psychopathic which clearly affected gibney's film, gibney even says at one stage how friendly he's getting with him & how he wants him to succeed in the comeback.
there's calls now for him to get his 7 tour victories reinstated.

i also felt both films did a disservice to the paul kimmage & david walsh, neither got credit enough in either film. i missed the paul kimmage doc on rte earlier this week.

& yea those motorbike guys are lunatics. will have to see that film. a few of my friends are into the bikes & go to the isle of man each year.

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:19 pm

Luminescence wrote:Wake In Fright
I watched this film last week after only hearing about it a few months ago. I really enjoyed it, too. Different to what I was expecting. Great acting from Gary Bond as the pennyless English teacher looking to get to Sydney to realise his dreams. I didn't like the kangaroo hunting scenes though, very hard to watch. But on the whole a great watch.

Watched this last night, excellent! Have to agree Gary Bond was very good as was Donald Pleasence who I have always thought was very underrated as an actor. Agree the kangaroo hunting scene is a tough watch all the more so when you watch the final credits and it explains that a lot of the sequence was actual footage of a real hunt! Apparently it was left in the final cut to highlight the plight of the kangaroo, not quite sure how that works

Anyway definetly worth a look.

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:31 pm

Dead Snow 2

Incredible. In every possible way. Not for the feint of heart. Zombie Nazis return for more OTT gore and violence!

Luminescence · Post by **Luminescence** » Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:40 pm

Delicatessen
Whilst browsing the foreign film section of York HMV I eventually picked three films, the final choice (with a little caution) was Delicatessen. Anyway, I ended up watching it first and what a film. It was one of those films that you immediately know is going to be special. The plot is a little wierd, focussing on a post apocalyptic French Delicatessen and the flats above it which are occupied by equally different and wierd characters. The currency of these hard times is grain, as meat is virtually unable to obtain. However, the burly, rough looking shop owner manages to get his hands on some now and then. Coincidentally, the odd job man always seem to end up disappearing from the flats. Anyway he hires an ex circus clown as the new odd job man who smells a rat and tries to avoid being next on the slab. And so ensues a great dark film with gallows humour and shocking (in a good way) storylines. The photography and filming is simply stunning and well detailed. This film has marched straight in to my top ten films, possibly top five. Genius.

Stuart X.Hunter · Post by **Stuart X.Hunter** » Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:40 pm

Locke

Dunno if I'm enjoying it...

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:34 am

superb aussie horror

the babadook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVxOrUjX-bc

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 11:35 am

Just watched Only Lovers Left Alive, interesting take on the vampire theme about a troubled reclusive musician who happens to be a vampire and his lover. A good story a lot of which is based in his studio which is full of old equipment and guitars etc. Certainly worth a look if only for that

One other member of the board may like to know that some of it is set in Detroit

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 6:01 pm

I finally saw the great Nick Cave film 20,000 Days on Earth. Loved it. Was meant to see a showing with the Q&A and performance to follow recently but couldn't make it in the end.

On a rare afternoon out we saw instead A Most Wanted Man. Highly recommended. Philip Seymour Hoffman steals the film, tragic that's his last appearance, great movie though...

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:55 am

tried a most wanted man one evening, quickly fell asleep. useful. would do again.

did Boyhood last night. despite a 2hr 45min run time i managed to do it all in one sitting w/o dozing off.. that's prob a recommendation.
it is a brilliant project in many regards, in a lot of things it does it triumphs - from a technical standpoint it's pretty close to amazing actually.
but i still felt it left itself wide open to criticism - e.g. accusations of the 12 yr plan as gimmicky, couldn't they have just made the same story except filmed it over the course of a year w/different actors playing the kid? a lot of times it actually did feel like vignettes stapled together than any real coherency (there were even a few asides that had no relation to the boy whatsoever & just seemed to clash & halt the momentum). & i think as a result of the process some of the performances in some of the scenes were jarringly poor
& i mean, while you gotta admire the scope & scale of the project the actual substance seems much narrower weighed down by circumspection in the actual plot: it's just a very typical journey.

'having said all that' a lot of it was terrific. it obv resonated, it's not that long ago since i was a kid (still am @ heart!). a lot of it was shared experiences (again a very typical journey of a relatively normal white suburban kid).
patricia arquette as mom & the depiction of mom i thought was one of the standout characters of the film. if there was anything shocking or revelatory it was found in how mom was presented. normally in these coming of age type films you get your 1 note parents but i thought here they carried it off really brilliant. she's obv deeply flawed but gets some kinda of redemption along the way, i was looking at her & saw my sister(!) (but i wouldn't tell her that

)..

i dunno. it's a good film, worth seeing. but i don't necessarily think it's worth all the brouhaha. it doesn't really tell us anything we don't or shouldn't already know. some of the execution is a bit hit & miss & there's no real surprises. but in terms of reflecting an era it does it's job really well i guess. that's prob the most you can hope for.. dunno..

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 10:55 am

Winter Sleep

a 3 hour + meditation thats well worth the sitting.

Post by **spzretent** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 3:21 pm

I bought a bunch of review copies before Christmas and got back to the stack last night. Put Grand Theft Parsons on and for some reason never payed attention to the last name in the title. I had no idea of the subject matter until the movie started.
I have to say I enjoyed this immensely.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:57 am

hard to believe that Grand Theft Parsons is 12 years old. amazed at how young michael shannon looked, had to do a double & triple take to convince myself it was him, then had to go to imdb to make sure!
i had ignored it all these years out of fear. it being one of those mythical rock n roll stories that tie in so well w/the freedom & lunacy of the music, & johnny knoxville fronting the cast, i just thought it was a recipe for a disaster.
but i finally bit the bullet on spzretent's recommendation. & i'm glad i did.
while it's near irreverent & altogether a flimsy, whimsical film it is an entertaining & fun way to kill an hour and a half. it's brevity is one of it's major selling points. knoxville fares a whole lot better than i thought he would, only really found wanting in that first scene w/his implausibly pretty girlfriend. other than that he doesn't have to do too much but does it ok. michael shannon was brilliant.

there is a great film waiting to be made about grams. this quite clearly isn't it, nor ever had any intention of being. but it's still a fun comedy, one of the more likeable comedies of recent times.

being awards season i've gotten caught up in film watching lately.
here's a brief recap off the top of my head:

big hero 6 - brilliant.
birdman - loved it.
american sniper - absolutely terrible on just about any level.
inherent vice - didn't do it for me at all. meandering & dull.
whiplash - really good but not something i'd go back to.
nightcrawler - thought it was excellent. gyllenhaal was brilliant as the repellant lead.
the grand hotel - not really my cup of tea. never been able to click w/any wes anderson film ever.

Did lars von triers Melancholia - loved it
Nymphomaniac I - thought this was really good
Nymphomaniac II - not as good as I. Few issues w/the plotting of this one. Was still good.
also did the german mini-series Generation War (original German title - Our Fathers, Our Mothers) last night.
i thought it was disgraceful. a dangerous & sinister film. worrisome in it's presentation of german attitudes to WWII.
soaked in a julian fellowes-esque melodrama/soap rewriting of fact, it took enormous liberties & often was just plain nasty in diverting blame & attention. just wrong on many levels. really worrying, saddening. especially seeing the reaction it has received in certain places, people actively praising it for it's twisted presentation. i dunno.. i don't think i'll be able to shake it off for a day or two. & not in a good way.

Post by **spzretent** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 1:54 pm

I think what surprised me about Grand Theft Parsons was I had no idea of the subject matter until I put the DVD in and hit play. From that point on I was totally into it.
Jack, you are correct, it was entertaining. Nothing more. It was a good story, acted well, and rather sweet.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:51 am

Tonight I enjoyed a 1933 John Barrymore film called "Topaze". It struck home with me since the lead character was a Teacher and did Research in Chemistry; the fellow is not worldly; he is terribly ignorant of the real world; but refusing to be made the fool, he learns how to deal with corruption. It may be a very simplistic film by modern standards, but honor, right and wrong, good and evil are topics that are both very ancient and very topical still today.

Luminescence · Post by **Luminescence** » Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:04 pm

I watched Annabelle the other night and found it a fairly good film with more than the odd scare. The acting was good and the story held up well given the film was a prequel.

The best moment for me was the basement scene in the lift. Drawn out suspene at it's best proving it's what you don't see that really scares you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xabuZwG3XyM

niamhm · Post by **niamhm** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:03 pm

Good Vibrations , film based on the story of the Belfast punk label of the same name, very good , recommended.

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 10:01 am

A Most Violent Year

Story about an immigrant in the US trying to make his company work without relying on crime (mob connections via his wife) to ward off those trying to take the company down
Very little happens in this film but what does happen is in between what your seeing on screen.

brilliant

Luminescence · Post by **Luminescence** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:27 pm

I watched Italian film, 'Angels of evil' and thorouhly enjoyed it. A true story, It centres on renowned, but not very great bank robber -he keeps getting caught- Renato Vallanzasca. Brilliantly played by, Kim Rossi Stuart. He kept his competitors at bay with violence from him and his gang, but avoided killing civilians. The film follows his life of crime, in and out of prison and on the run and holds your attention throughout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fHwv1cKktI

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 12:14 pm

nightcrawler - thought it was excellent. gyllenhaal was brilliant as the repellant lead.

Just seen this couldn't agree more one of his best performances a truly creepy character and the climax to the film is real edge of the seat stuff, see it

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Thu May 21, 2015 3:00 pm

Berberian sound studio

a british sound technician is flown over to italy to work on the sound effects of an italian horror movie (the hat tips heavily toward to the italian Giallo horror movies of the same decade). the events from that point drive the mans descent into madness

this was a joy and half

soundtrack by broadcast and an indepth review here if thats your sort of thing before viewing
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/au ... dio-review

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Thu May 21, 2015 3:47 pm

Chappie

Brilliant.

Love the contrast between those two trailers

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:11 pm

The Weather Underground. Documentary about the eponymous group who made the move from student radicals to armed struggle.

I find this period of cultural, social and political history fascinating, just so much going on, both good and bad. Decent film, well worth a watch. Nice use of EAR's 'Mood For A Summer Sundown' too.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 1:41 am

I wanted a good laugh, So I watched "The Ruling Class" from c. 1972; a British Comedy and a fun poke at Peerage and Madness.
The cast is made up of some of the Great UK Actors/ Actresses, some are most certainly acting against type, all were great.

Not ALL IS WELL OR HAPPY; but for the most part, there are enough laughs to override the less than Happy Sequences.
A Ying and Yang of Comedy and Tragedy.

davedecay · Post by **davedecay** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:11 pm

THALE
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2112287/

a bit creepy

UNDER THE SKIN
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/

also a bit creepy, leaves a lot of the figuring out to the viewer

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:07 am

davedecay wrote:THALE
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2112287/

a bit creepy

UNDER THE SKIN
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/

also a bit creepy, leaves a lot of the figuring out to the viewer

^ Under the Skin...Kubrick on a tight budget. Superb!

sticking with the creepy theme

It Follows
very nicely shot against a decaying Detroit backdrop.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
Iranian take on vampire westerns.

rameses · Post by **rameses** » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:47 pm

Laz69 wrote:Chappie

Brilliant.

Love the contrast between those two trailers

Couldn't agree more. This is one of the best films I've watched in ages.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:43 am

Love & Mercy
Anyone?
Really enjoyed it. Big Paul dano fan & he didn't disappoint - despite having comparatively little to actually say compared to Cusack (who was also good). Elizabeth Banks prob stole the show.

They told the tale p much in keeping w/what I had always heard, & they pay attention to details - e.g. Dennis seems more supportive, stuff like that.
Was actually surprised how humourous it was - poor old van dyke parks gets a good lampooning, he has one of the best & funniest lines of the film.

Aside from the wistful sadness there is a charm to it. Which I guess is a reflection of the subject matter. So fair dues to them, they've done justice to the man & his story.

The highlight of course is the recordings of Pet Sounds & Smile. I think that era alone, Dano could've carried off an immensely powerful film. But the way they've done it works well too.

My only problem was it wasn't loud enough in the cinema!

niamhm · Post by **niamhm** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:46 pm

The son and I have been to see most recent Marvel superhero movies, Antman last one, If you enjoy this kinda thing it was superb mind chewing gum, plenty thrills, easily passed the 6 laughs test and a total visual treat.

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 3:47 pm

Slow West - A western starring Michael Fassbender and written and directed by John Mclean of The Beta Band / The Aliens. It also features the guy who played 'The Hound' in Game of Thrones.

Well worth checking out, some nice humour and a well told story. Plus it clocks in at 84 minutes so doesn't outstay its welcome.

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:20 pm

Had a family outing to see the new Star Wars last night.

Verdict from all three of us? Surprisingly good

Feels more like the original films and is a big improvement on the prequels.

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 9:29 am

Revenant - Absolutely fabulous film.
Hateful Eight - Looooong but thoroughly enjoyable. Tarantino never fails to develop some amazing characters.
Sicario - Suprisingly good thriller which i stumbled on. Really good story too.

Have also started on Game Of Thrones from the start as i never watched it previously. Fuckin Lannisters better get their comeupance!!!

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:43 pm

Laz69 wrote:Revenant - Absolutely fabulous film.
Hateful Eight - Looooong but thoroughly enjoyable. Tarantino never fails to develop some amazing characters.
Sicario - Suprisingly good thriller which i stumbled on. Really good story too.

Have also started on Game Of Thrones from the start as i never watched it previously. Fuckin Lannisters better get their comeupance!!!

Really enjoyed both Sicario & The Hateful 8 but I thought the revenant was awful! Just typical po-faced vehicle for a Hollywood star. So much cheese & terrible acting, it was a struggle to get thru it. It just did not work for me at all.

Sicario might've been my favourite film from last year. Thought Del Toro was particularly fantastic, a career high for him.
The Hateful 8 was very talky but it was a riot. Didn't hit every mark, a bit cartoony rather than operatic at times, but still great fun & funny.

Finally going to watch Ex Machina tonight.

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:25 am

the big short- brilliant dramatisation of michael lewis' book about the 2008 bnking collapse

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Mon Feb 01, 2016 8:40 pm

I watched Ex-Machina last night and highly recommend it. Intriguing throughout and the ending was wonderful.

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:50 pm

Agreed - I liked it too and Alex Garland is a great writer.

My only complaint was that the male protagonists were impossible to give a fuck about.

Also hard to believe that the Bill Gates/Dr Frankenstein character is played by Poe Dameron!!

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:53 pm

sunray wrote:Had a family outing to see the new Star Wars last night.

Verdict from all three of us? Surprisingly good

Feels more like the original films and is a big improvement on the prequels.

Yeah!!

I loved it. Wanted to take my son to see it in glorious cinematic panorama but he's just a bit too young, settled at the moment with a surprisingly good camera rip (I know) but what a beautiful and uplifting film that never takes itself too seriously, and no dull trade negotiations is a massive bonus!

The flat is full of Light-Sabres and Star Wars toys now, but I'm well cool with that. My daughter loves this stuff too.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:18 am

BzaInSpace wrote:Agreed - I liked it too and Alex Garland is a great writer.

My only complaint was that the male protagonists were impossible to give a fuck about.

Also hard to believe that the Bill Gates/Dr Frankenstein character is played by Poe Dameron!!

Oscar Isaac was, typically, terrific I felt. That dance routine an all time classic. Dunno about giving a fuck about anyone, just thought it was good sci-fi nothing major characterwise to invest in.. Well that's not true either thought 3 leads did really good work.
I'm usually unconvinced by domhall gleeson but really thought he had a good performance too, very well cast.
I had a few minor complaints *Spoilers* (like how or even if, she was going to charge her battery, or how isolated isaacs character would be that gleeson wouldn't be found). - is there no spoiler tags in this forum?

Really like garland too.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:23 am

BzaInSpace wrote:My daughter loves this stuff too.

Best thing to come out of these films. My cousins daughter had always been into Star Wars but it was a bit odd cause there were no real female role models & she was more into the universe than the characters. But now girls can see they can be just as badass as they want to be when watching Star Wars.
Still, her sudden adoption of the force & skills, & mark hamills constipated expression upon her reveal kinda shit the bed for me. If he's so tuned in why didn't he know she was right behind him? & how can she master the force so quickly, unless it's explained next film of course..

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:00 pm

jack white wrote:[

Best thing to come out of these films. My cousins daughter had always been into Star Wars but it was a bit odd cause there were no real female role models & she was more into the universe than the characters. But now girls can see they can be just as badass as they want to be when watching Star Wars.
Still, her sudden adoption of the force & skills, & mark hamills constipated expression upon her reveal kinda shit the bed for me. If he's so tuned in why didn't he know she was right behind him? & how can she master the force so quickly, unless it's explained next film of course..

i reckon he knew but was just surprised to see it was his niece behind him

anoyed me it took 2 hours to see him

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:20 am

His niece????

Where's that spoiler tag...

I dunno, I loved that last few minutes. Spine-tingling!

I choose to ignore the plot holes and stuff, and just take it for the awesome and epic space-adventures this film does well...

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:57 am

I didn't think it was awesome or epic tbh. I thought it fulfilled my expectations when I heard Abrams was directing. It was a action film reboot that kinda took the rules of the universe & set them to one side to make a fun film. It's his bread & butter stuff, if a little too long.
It was ok, but nowhere near as awesome or epic as the original 2, but prob more enjoyable than the rest.
Decent enough film with a lot of good things to come out of it as well as the dodgier moments.
Edit: ok, there were some epic, awesome & iconic moments yea. But they were balanced by a load of retreads & guff so.. So it goes. Was better than his Star Trek reboot at least. Was never as egregious as that one.

The Dr wrote:the big short- brilliant dramatisation of michael lewis' book about the 2008 bnking collapse

Watched The Big Short last night.
Depressed the hell out of me. Fantastic film, crammed a lot of stuff into its running time. But yea, makes you despair. Maybe I missed the point tho.. I went to bed with a heavy heart & head. As fun as it was it also totally bummed me out! Good soundtrack too.
In fact I think I'm going to get really drunk today because everything is so fucked!

That speech about fraud that Steve carrell gives was just brilliant.

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:02 pm

BzaInSpace wrote:His niece????

Where's that spoiler tag...

I dunno, I loved that last few minutes. Spine-tingling!

I choose to ignore the plot holes and stuff, and just take it for the awesome and epic space-adventures this film does well...

just my theory

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:04 pm

jack white wrote:

Watched The Big Short last night.
Depressed the hell out of me. Fantastic film, crammed a lot of stuff into its running time. But yea, makes you despair. Maybe I missed the point tho.. I went to bed with a heavy heart & head. As fun as it was it also totally bummed me out! Good soundtrack too.
In fact I think I'm going to get really drunk today because everything is so fucked!
That speech about fraud that Steve carrell gives was just brilliant.

why are they confessing?

they're not, they're bragging...

the end disturbed me

SPOILER

to hear that the same kinds of loans have started trading again

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:21 pm

Spotlight

Michael Keaton's Boston accent is really distracting.

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 12:56 pm

King Of New York,not seen in ages forgotten how good this is. Abel Ferrara brilliantly directs and Walken is at the top of his game, he owns the screen. If you have not seen it I urge you to check it out and if you have I urge you to revisit

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:34 pm

Spotlight is really impressive. It let the gravity of the situation and subject matter speak for itself, rather than constantly bombarding the viewer with how awful it all was. Another great performance from Mark Ruffalo, as in Foxcatcher playing a much younger character very well.

Paolo Sorrentino's Youth is a beautiful film, with great performances from Michael Caine and Paul Dano in particular. However the real stars are the mostly silent and anonymous cast of hotel staff and guests. Absolutely stunning cinematography with Sorrentino's typical Fellini type aesthetic. Much better than his first English language film.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:56 pm

Am currently watching Noah on netflix. It's really fucking stupid. Worst film I've seen since.. Whatever the last Darren aaronofsky film I saw! Even by his standards this is a load of shit. & Ray winstone.. Fuck me. Why would anyone inflict him on the world?
This is just awful.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 3:11 am

"The Testament of Dr. Musabe", Germany, 1933 is a very good film; so good the NAZI's didn't like it, and told Fritz Lang that it just wouldn't do; but the Party wanted him to direct THEIR films! He said he'd think about it, then immediately took a train to Paris and came to the USA. I missed several minutes, for I didn't realize it was showing on "The Classic Movie" channel here.

If you get a chance, watch this film; it is of course somewhat dated, but it seems Evil never dies.

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Thu May 05, 2016 10:46 am

i rewatched star wars the other day (void of the opening night excitement). in hindisght it is a gresatest hits package- remember that good bit from that film or that twist, well let's stick them in. all action no heart.

don't think i'll be watching it again soon

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Fri May 06, 2016 10:25 am

Miles Ahead

this was perplexing. there were some genuine tender & compelling moments. unfortunately it was all wrapped up in an ill conceived caper film that badly resembled a cheece & chong film. using the fabricated plot to frame the piece ruined the experience for me. i don't know what they/cheadle were thinking - certainly it's an insight into his personality that he thought this was a good idea, he's a great actor but he as a writer..??

also, as sincere & fun as don cheadles performance is, he's really let down by mcgregor & michael struhlberg totally hamming it up. it just descends into a cheesefest/goofball farce at times. it's like there's two different films going on here & the good one is relegated to the sidelines..

a bum note.
heh.

Hedspace · Post by **Hedspace** » Sat May 07, 2016 3:33 pm

The Dr · Post by **The Dr** » Sat May 14, 2016 8:59 am

captain america: civil war

lacking in: depth, excitement, character devlopment (there is this one character who can make himself really small and have the strength greater than a man- i know right...)

the first cap film was enjoyable, the first avengers, the iron man films but now...ugh. enough is enough marvel! i think the cow has stopped giving milk!

and the one reason why many people watch the film

------------

SPOILER ALERT

is for the death of the cap and guess what, he does not die! can't be economic reasons right?

ugh

----

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Sat May 14, 2016 11:21 am

jack white wrote:Miles Ahead

this was perplexing. there were some genuine tender & compelling moments. unfortunately it was all wrapped up in an ill conceived caper film that badly resembled a cheece & chong film. using the fabricated plot to frame the piece ruined the experience for me. i don't know what they/cheadle were thinking - certainly it's an insight into his personality that he thought this was a good idea, he's a great actor but he as a writer..??

also, as sincere & fun as don cheadles performance is, he's really let down by mcgregor & michael struhlberg totally hamming it up. it just descends into a cheesefest/goofball farce at times. it's like there's two different films going on here & the good one is relegated to the sidelines..

a bum note.
heh.

That's a shame - would have thought that era of Miles would made for a great movie. The OST is decent at least. Not sure if I want to see the film now!

I finally got around to seeing Kill List recently. Was it mentioned on here? Really enjoyed it - not at all where I expected that to go at all!

Also My Neighbour Totoro.

Post by **MODLAB** » Thu May 19, 2016 9:04 pm

Ha! New York Ripper — seen that a long long time ago. Thanks for reminding me FM.

M

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Mon May 30, 2016 1:51 pm

Ty FM Spaceman. I watched An Open Secret last night.
Tbh tho I found it a mixed bag - as a documentary. In terms of subject it's an astounding n important film. But as a doc I thought it was a little muddled & even spoiled somewhat by the soundtrack & music.
The kid, Evan I think, who taped Marty Ellis (I think I got those names correct), was an absolute hero & a beautiful soul.
Hopefully it has some impact & gets the ball rolling & these criminals will be unveiled & brought to justice. Small steps.

2 weeks ago I went to see Son of Saul & it was without doubt the most harrowing experience I've had at the pictures. I thought it was an incredible portrayal, one of the most stunning recreations of the death camps I've seen on film.
I had read Shlomo Venzia's book a few years ago & going in thought the film would be kinda based on that. But the way it was framed, with the mental breakdown of Saul I thought was a great way to get into the subject matter. It did help tho knowing exactly what I was looking at. A lot of the stuff is blurred around the edges & the people I was with didn't quite grasp some of what was happening. I thought it was terrifying & sorrowful. One of the most powerful trips I've had to the cinema.

Last week I went to see Everybody Wants Some!! & honestly laughed so hard my friend was embarrassed to be seen with me!
It was just so on point, that I'd lived thru so many of the conversations & scenarios that I was ahead of the story/could see the jokes/punchline comin a mile off, but that didn't stop me from laughing all the same. I really enjoyed it. Could do without his cod-philosophy & corny romance but I know by now with linklater what I'm getting in that regard so, & there were enough laughs that the boring stuff didn't get in the way.

nghst · Post by **nghst** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 1:46 am

Mad Max: Fury Road Though I couldn't figure out what was happening for the first 30 minutes, it really packed a wallop the rest of the film.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 6:58 am

It was very late, and my eyes were tired from reading; but I wasn't tired; and I saw "Harvey" was on a channel without commercials; a brilliantly written play put on the Silver Screen with Jimmy (James) Stewart in the lead role of Elwood P. Dowd, the only "person" I have ever been "jealous" of - (and he is a fictional character). It is not Shakespeare, but it is very well written and filmed. So I sat back, and watched "Harvey". There are a number of excellent lines in the play and Film; if you have never seen a giant White Rabbit, a pooka from Celtic mythology, here it is. Dr. Chumley, a prominent character, is an absolute doppelgänger of a Physician I had for over 20 years - this Dr. was an M.D. for 52 years. It is funny and lighthearted, perhaps a bit dated, but that may be part of its charm. The film plays with "reality", and that can't be harmful at all as it is presented here. Seeing the film would be on in just a few minutes saved me the trouble of opening the DVD Cabinet. I love old films; and this one is a film I recommend.

Post by **runcible** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:02 am

Took my kids to Suicide Squad which they were all desperate to see. My God - that must rate as potentially the worst movie I have ever seen. Utter shite from start to finish, not even vaguely saved by a half decent soundtrack. To think the same team that produced the excellent Guardians of the Galaxy were responsible is somewhat puzzling.

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:18 am

Hahaha... my youngest went to see it last week and loved it... didn't stop talking about it for days and demanded that we return to the cinema to see it with her. I politely declined!