Movie club

[Max Headroom]

An indie film to enjoy

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704/

 

and I enjoyed "12 monkeys"

[Harry Sachs]

A cracking film that could easily be overlooked is City of God

[Tannhauser]

 

Pi

 

I don’t remember much about this except that I liked it

 

 

An indie film to enjoy

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704/

 

 

That's the fella. I still don't remember anything, except it floated my boat.

[Matt H]

Interesting. I find the opposite. I find subtitles force me to concentrate much more, and I get drawn in as a result. I wish my language skills were good enough to watch them without, but that's never going to happen.

 

I find the best films absorb me into the screen. I know I've watched a good one when all of a sudden, when the pace of a film drops or it ends, I realise that I'm actually sat in a theatre or at home. And while it seems only a few minutes have passed, it’s actually been 92 of them. This has never happened with a subbed film, but then again it may be that the subbed films I’ve watched have never been as good as the ones that I have become lost in.

 

Generally though, I feel that certain aspects are lost. Localisms, accent driven words and the feel of an exchange; would ‘say hello to my little friend’ mean what it did if it was just a written with a load of nonsensical noise being made at the same time? Then you’ve always go the problem of missing something. I found myself rewinding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at times.

 

Elements are certainly lost from a film that has been produced in a language you don’t understand. Written language is totally different to spoken and while it may not always be an issue, it can be, but then perhaps you would never know.

 

 

 

I actually prefer watching subtitled films. I'd rather eat my own hand than watch a badly-dubbed one though.

 

Defo.

 

Seriously Tom,.. you're never making me watch 'BareBack Mountain' again. That film was just wrong

 

What about watching the Bare B!tch Project again?

[Matt H]

That reminds me of another brilliant film. It could be seen as a bit girly, but there are those films (such as The Time Travellers Wife) that you can make a male exception for:

 

City of Angels.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120632/

 

A cracking film that could easily be overlooked is City of God

[Matt H]

Tomorrow night's film is going to be 'Buried'. Looks good and reminds me of 'Phone Booth' from the trailer. Ooh that's another exceptional film that I highly, highly recommend (one of my all time favs!)

 

Phone Booth:

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183649/

 

Tomorrow night's film - Buried (review to follow! )

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462758/

[Matt H]

Well Buried was 'better than average' to 'good'.

 

I can't help but think I would have enjoyed it more if the atmosphere in the cinema didn't ruin a lot of it. The way the film starts and progresses leaves for a lot of darkness and quiet and there were various groups of tw&ts in the packed cinema either laughing at inappropriate parts or talking loudly. I can't help but think this impeded my overall view of the film.

 

The film started off in blackness, like the projector had failed or something. It was obvious to me that it was because the film was starting off with a guy waking up in a pitch black coffin. This resulted in various 'funny guys' saying 'ooh, this is a good film' etc instead of just giving it a chance and seeing how it moves on. Then you heard the panting of breath and panic of the trapped character. This, I can only imagine, would have been much more thrilling if the various groups of tw&ts weren't laughing at it like it's cool to do so.

 

Looking back, it's a genius concept; the entire film was shot with Ryan Reynolds in his box; no scenes were shot out of it this simple set. However, while the concept was clever and the overall idea very intriguing, there were various scenes (if you can call them that) which really made me shake my head. The idea of corporate ruthlessness was taken to a whole new and frankly ridiculous level in parts. Having said that, the ending was pretty damn good, if not a little conceivable – it wasn’t the huge unbelievable twist that you might expect from a film like this mind.

 

Overall, I’d have to give it 7 out of 10 and that’s only because I feel I should give it slightly more due to the negative impact from the tw&t brigades.

 

If you go to watch this film, let it be because you’ve already seen something else like ‘The Town’ and ensure that you go to either a quite cinema or out of peak when you’ll be less likely to be joined by idiots.

[Digsy]

Brazil

 

Terry Gilliam’s bleakly dystopian satire

 

I watched this just the other night. Absolutely bonkers I'll never look at ducting in the same way again.

 

 

I have a soft spot for old war films - the old non politically correct, one sided, jingoistic classics like Reach for the Sky, The Battle of Britain, A Bridge Too Far and so on. I would thoroughly recommend watching Tora! Tora! Tora! over the modern Pearl Harbour any day of the week. Its virtually a documentary by comparison. The Dambusters is my favourite film of all time and I half hope for / half dread it getting the Hollywood remake that has been rumoured recently.

 

Although not really a film in the truest sense, the long format version of Das Boot is a must-see (actually the mini series in one long session rather than the edited down film version). Best watched in German with English subtitles IMHO.

 

I also like the nuclear paranoia cold war classics: Fail Safe, By Dawn's Early Light, and Dr. Strangelove are three films essentially about exactly the same thing - accidental nuclear war. The first one bleak and depressing, the second a sugar coated version with unnecessary love interest and the third a dark comedy with Peter Sellers brilliant playing two of the lead roles. In the same genre, if you want a film that will leave you thoroughly depressed then try On the Beach

 

Staying with the nuclear theme, Trinity and Beyond. The Atomic Bomb Story is an excellent feature length documentary of the entire US nuclear arms programme right from the 1000tonne TNT test through to the beginning of the arms reduction treaties. Using original film records of nuclear tests set to a film score by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and narrated by....William Shatner! Documentaries don't get any better than this.

 

Finally, how about some classic Sci-Fi like The Andromeda Strain, Dark Star, the originals of The Thing and The Day The Earth Stood Still

 

Comedies: Ferris Bueller's Day Off is probably in my top three films of all time, and Team America had me in stitches for weeks.

 

My guilty pleasures: Star Wars EPIV No one will ever make a better space-opera, plus the attack on the Death Star is itself a homage to The Dambusters and even uses some of the same dialogue. Titanic mainly for the no-compromise effects and Top Gun even though I can't watch it now without thinking how gay it is

[Matt H]

I watched 'Let the Right One In' this weekend. It's subtitled, but it's a brilliant film. I love the acting from the child leads in it.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/

 

It's the foriegn original of the soon to be released English version 'Let Me In'.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228987/

 

It's that entertaining, I will defo be watching the English version in the cinema to see how the story is told by Hollywood.

 

8.5/10

 

I hope there's a sequel, as this story could be expanded on so easily (ended wise).

[Tannhauser]

I have a soft spot for old war films - the old non politically correct, one sided, jingoistic classics like Reach for the Sky, The Battle of Britain, A Bridge Too Far and so on.

 

It's westerns for me. I watched Warlock last night and really enjoyed it. One of my all time favourites is The Big Country. Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck. Magic!

 

I also like biblical epics: Charlton is electrifying in Ben Hur, also like The Ten Commandments because Yul Bryneer's in it and The Robe.

 

The Dambusters is my favourite film of all time and I half hope for / half dread it getting the Hollywood remake that has been rumoured recently.

 

Sounds unnecessary and horrifying. I hate stuff that is transparently reworked to fit the modern idiom. For example: you can bet your boots that there will now be a strong female character in it. Not that I mind that per se, it's just that every modern production absolutely has to include one,regardless of whether it fits the story.

 

Although not really a film in the truest sense, the long format version of Das Boot is a must-see (actually the mini series in one long session rather than the edited down film version). Best watched in German with English subtitles IMHO.

 

Never seen it, and I must give it a go.

 

Dr. Strangelove

 

I just can't get on with it. I have tried.

 

Staying with the nuclear theme, Trinity and Beyond. The Atomic Bomb Story is an excellent feature length documentary of the entire US nuclear arms programme right from the 1000tonne TNT test through to the beginning of the arms reduction treaties. Using original film records of nuclear tests set to a film score by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and narrated by....William Shatner! Documentaries don't get any better than this.

 

Sounds cool. I would watch a tractor being assembled if it was narrated by William 'dramatic pause' Shatner.

 

Finally, how about some classic Sci-Fi like The Andromeda Strain, Dark Star, the originals of The Thing and The Day The Earth Stood Still

 

I had fond memories of Dark Star, so I hired it a few years back. That was a mistake. Maybe I've just got used to high production values. I really like the premise of these guys consumed with ennui on their interminable journey.

 

Love the original The Day the Earth Stood Still, but I think the original Thing looks a bit lame besides the 1982 (?) John Carpenter version. I watch the Rod Taylor version of The Time Machine every time that's on. The recent remake of that is painfully dumb. As mentioned above in the thread, I think Forbidden Planet is great.

 

 

plus the attack on the Death Star is itself a homage to The Dambusters and even uses some of the same dialogue.

 

Wow, that's cool, didn't realise that.

[RedM]

Anyone mentioned Silent Running yet?

[Tannhauser]

I watched 'Let the Right One In' this weekend. It's subtitled, but it's a brilliant film. I love the acting from the child leads in it.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/

 

It's the foriegn original of the soon to be released English version 'Let Me In'.

 

I'll look out for that. I watched a Swiss film at the weekend called Home, which was weird, bleak and pretty good, and the teenage daughter unexpectedly got her tits out; an added bonus.

[Tannhauser]

Anyone mentioned Silent Running yet?

 

Don't think so.I haven't seen that for years.

[Charlotte]

and the teenage daughter unexpectedly got her tits out; an added bonus.

 

Teenage in a 'above 16' kind of way I hope.

[Tannhauser]

Teenage in a 'above 16' kind of way I hope.

 

Let me rephrase that. 'The older teenage daughter, who was 19 if she was a day, revealed her ankles.'

[Matt H]

and the teenage daughter unexpectedly got her tits out; an added bonus.

 

I'm in

 

Let me rephrase that. 'The older teenage daughter, who was 19 if she was a day, revealed her ankles.'

 

Now I'm out

[Digsy]

Anyone mentioned Silent Running yet?

 

I maintain that Silent Running is the saddest movie ever made. IanC bought me a copy about four years ago and I havn't watched it yet.

 

 

In fact we used to have an in joke that if one of us was having a really shit time of it, the other would say "Well, mate. At least you're not watching Silent Running".

[Snooze]

That's the fella. I still don't remember anything, except it floated my boat.

 

Pi is a cracking film.

 

Aronofsky's other work is all very worthy of a watch:

- The Fountain (beautiful, but a bit OTT on the symbology)

- Requiem for a Dream (special award for grimmest ending to a film!)

- The Wrestler

 

Doesn't hurt that all his soundtrack music is penned by ex-PWEI lead Clint Mansell!

[Tannhauser]

Pi is a cracking film.

 

Aronofsky's other work is all very worthy of a watch:

- The Fountain (beautiful, but a bit OTT on the symbology)

- Requiem for a Dream (special award for grimmest ending to a film!)

- The Wrestler

 

Doesn't hurt that all his soundtrack music is penned by ex-PWEI lead Clint Mansell!

 

Ah, I've seen all of those. All good stuff. I thought Jackman was excellent in The Fountain.

[RedM]

I maintain that Silent Running is the saddest movie ever made. IanC bought me a copy about four years ago and I havn't watched it yet.

 

 

In fact we used to have an in joke that if one of us was having a really $#@! time of it, the other would say "Well, mate. At least you're not watching Silent Running".

 

I heartily agree. What do you find so sad about it?

[Matt H]

Off to watch Saw 3D tonight. Anyone seen it yet? Is it utterly poo and nothing as good as the first one, but you go anyway because you've seen all the others? No spoilers please!

[SteamAhead]

Off to watch Saw 3D tonight. Anyone seen it yet? Is it utterly poo and nothing as good as the first one, but you go anyway because you've seen all the others? No spoilers please!

 

 

Matt I do think you'll be very disappointed with Saw 3D.

Friend of mine who is a big fan of the Saw films herd that it had bad reviews, but he still wanted to see it said;

That was a f%cking waste of £10. The reviews for a change where spot on.

He gives the 3D - 8/10

The Film - 4/10

 

I won't say anymore.....

 

Think I'll wait until its on sky

 

The film to see I have been told is Red.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/

 

 

Jim

[Charlotte]

Off to watch Saw 3D tonight. Anyone seen it yet? Is it utterly poo and nothing as good as the first one, but you go anyway because you've seen all the others? No spoilers please!

 

I want to see it but only so I can part company with the brand forever, talk about flogging a dead horse.

[Matt H]

Matt I do think you'll be very disappointed with Saw 3D.The film to see I have been told is Red.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/

Jim

 

Probably will be disappointed. That RED looks rubbish - makes me think of The Expandles but with some naff humour.

 

I want to see it but only so I can part company with the brand forever, talk about flogging a dead horse.

 

Indeed. That's my feeling. Seen the other 6, so here I am for the seventh! (watch saw 8, 9 and 10 roll out over the next 3 years!)

 

The first one is one of my all time fav films. The second was Ok, the third worse. The 4th and 5th were painfully poor. The 6th one was actually ok to be fair. I enjoyed it. Fully expect this one to be rubbish, but the first film has got me to this point.

[Charlotte]

Indeed. That's my feeling. Seen the other 6, so here I am for the seventh! (watch saw 8, 9 and 10 roll out over the next 3 years!)

 

The first one is one of my all time fav films. The second was Ok, the third worse. The 4th and 5th were painfully poor. The 6th one was actually ok to be fair. I enjoyed it. Fully expect this one to be rubbish, but the first film has got me to this point.

 

When it first came out the concept was cool - now it's just done over. My brother can do a good impression of jigsaw though.