Last Film Watched

pblakeney

Kodachrome on Netflix. An easy watching film that goes exactly where you think it will but the cast are so good that you don't care. Nice, I guess sums it up.

seanoconn

The King of Staten Island. Semi autobiographical film co written and starring comedian Pete Davidson. A 24 year old slacker, still dealing with the loss of his firefighter dad aged 7 (Davison lost his firefighter dad aged 7 in 9,11) needs to turn his life around. Strong cast, Marisa Tomei, comedian bill Burr and ex real firefighter Steve Buscemi.

Poignant, funny. Worth a watch.

pblakeney

seanoconn said:

The King of Staten Island. Semi autobiographical film co written and starring comedian Pete Davidson. A 24 year old slacker, still dealing with the loss of his firefighter dad aged 7 (Davison lost his firefighter dad aged 7 in 9,11) needs to turn his life around. Strong cast, Marisa Tomei, comedian bill Burr and ex real firefighter Steve Buscemi.

Poignant, funny. Worth a watch.

Good to know as I was curious but it didn't appeal for some reason.
Will give it a go.

shirley_basso

Tashman said:

Ready Player One. An enjoyable nostalgia trip wrapped around a fairly standard kid saved the world story. I liked that I got very different reactions to my 14 year old but both were able to enjoy

The book is quite easy reading as well.

shirley_basso

seanoconn said:

The King of Staten Island. Semi autobiographical film co written and starring comedian Pete Davidson. A 24 year old slacker, still dealing with the loss of his firefighter dad aged 7 (Davison lost his firefighter dad aged 7 in 9,11) needs to turn his life around. Strong cast, Marisa Tomei, comedian bill Burr and ex real firefighter Steve Buscemi.

Poignant, funny. Worth a watch.

I think I saw a trailer for this but thought it was a spoof film.

Tashman

Peanut Butter Falcon - felt like an old fashioned film with it's pacing. I liked that about it. Some great performances too and has stuck with me through the past few weeks since I watched.

davidof

Monday night watched "The Witch" - quite atmospheric Salem "Hammer style" witch hokum. Just knew the goat was The Devil the second I saw him. Never trust goats

https://youtu.be/iQXmlf3Sefg

Sunday was another Anya Taylor Joy film: Marrowbone, more supernatural hokum in the style of The Others but there, I've already told you too much. Anya is better a brunette than blonde tbh.

https://youtu.be/Y62uB4Wvpjg

Last night: Manchester by the Sea - award winning movie of depressing intensity. Casey Affleck is superb but I've not seen him in anything else so can't judge whether it is acting or if he is always like this.

https://youtu.be/5OwaFumyOOw

Woila, as they say

rick_chasey

Not strictly a proper review as I gave up but I watched the first 40 minutes of the Joker film.

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.


By contrast I am half-way through Boiling Point, the one-shot film set in a stressful night in a restaurant and so far that is really excellent.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

pblakeney

pblakeney said:

seanoconn said:

The King of Staten Island. Semi autobiographical film co written and starring comedian Pete Davidson. A 24 year old slacker, still dealing with the loss of his firefighter dad aged 7 (Davison lost his firefighter dad aged 7 in 9,11) needs to turn his life around. Strong cast, Marisa Tomei, comedian bill Burr and ex real firefighter Steve Buscemi.

Poignant, funny. Worth a watch.

Good to know as I was curious but it didn't appeal for some reason.
Will give it a go.

Watched.
Pretty much as expected but funnier.

seanoconn

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

rick_chasey

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

davidof

317th Platoon.

The proto-Vietnam war film. Very similar to Platoon by James Cameron and with good reason as the director and writer Schoendoerffer had fought in the French indochina war. Jacque Perrin has just died so it was shown on TV tonight. Apocalypse Now references the film with the metaphore of the broken egg: the white disappears, all that rests is the yellow, in other words the western powers are unreliable partners or will be driven out (France had just lost at Biên Phủ and the villagers in the scene had heard this)

https://youtu.be/guv-aL2YK9U

Anthony Beevor says it is the best war film ever made.

ddraver

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

pblakeney

ddraver said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

I think it is a matter of what film you were expecting to see.
This is a perfect example of judging anything on preconceived expectations.

blazing_saddles

pblakeney said:

ddraver said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

I think it is a matter of what film you were expecting to see.
This is a perfect example of judging anything on preconceived expectations.

I felt that I had to watch it, rather than wanted to, knowing what the film portrayed. No surprise that I found it extremely hard going.
I generally watch films for escapism, not for social messaging: a trend that modern Hollywood bosses appear to favour.

pblakeney

blazing_saddles said:

pblakeney said:

ddraver said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

I think it is a matter of what film you were expecting to see.
This is a perfect example of judging anything on preconceived expectations.

I felt that I had to watch it, rather than wanted to, knowing what the film portrayed. No surprise that I found it extremely hard going.
I generally watch films for escapism, not for social messaging: a trend that modern Hollywood bosses appear to favour.

It is most certainly the wrong choice of film with that in mind.

blazing_saddles

pblakeney said:

blazing_saddles said:

pblakeney said:

ddraver said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

I think it is a matter of what film you were expecting to see.
This is a perfect example of judging anything on preconceived expectations.

I felt that I had to watch it, rather than wanted to, knowing what the film portrayed. No surprise that I found it extremely hard going.
I generally watch films for escapism, not for social messaging: a trend that modern Hollywood bosses appear to favour.

It is most certainly the wrong choice of film with that in mind.

Yes, absolutely.
I favour pure indulgence over merit badges.

davidof

blazing_saddles said:

I felt that I had to watch it, rather than wanted to, knowing what the film portrayed. No surprise that I found it extremely hard going.

oh I don't know, shooting Robert de Niro certainly wiped the smug smile of his face. That said, didn't Network do that back in the mid 70s with the Peter Finch character ?

rick_chasey

pblakeney said:

ddraver said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

seanoconn said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

Honestly don't get the fuss. Quite the opposite. Maybe it gets a lot better later on, but the first 40 was boring, predictable, and felt like it was written by a teenager who's been bullied a lot. Sh!t film. Unless anyone can give me a good reason to explain why the second half gets better I'll give up on that one.

Long time since I watched it but the first half (if not longer) is pure set up for the ending. IMO the film as about the downward spiral of mental issues so not pleasant watching.
Definitely over rated though.

Definitely a hard watch. Right up there with Million dollar baby.

It's not a hard watch, it's so obvious it's boring.

I get it, he's a freak, he gets bullied a lot. Eventually, no doubt, he's *had enough* and he'll go on some killing streak or something, smashing the bullies, enacting revenge, the usual "i'm a freak and bullied" fantasy.

Um, you only watched 40 minutes of it so how do you know it isn't a hard watch? FWIW, I'm not a fan of the superhero stuff and found Joker to be better than I'd expected. Certainly well acted.

I slightly get Rick's point here. I'm sure a film student could write a great essay about the cinematography of capturing mental illness or how Joachim Phoenix brilliantly inhabits the character of a psycho, but as an enjoyable 90 minutes...meh

I think it is a matter of what film you were expecting to see.
This is a perfect example of judging anything on preconceived expectations.

I didn’t go in with many tbh. It was just the next in a list of things I figured I should watch.


Anyway Boiling Point is great - probably works just as well as a play, which is no bad thing.

ddraver

I don't know enough about films to prejudge anything

(Apart from the cartoon ones, they can fuck themselves from the get go)

Mad_Malx

ddraver said:

Think some of you have mentioned Boiling Point before but here's another vote. I'm not enough of a cinema junkie to notice the one shot take aspect but having spent a good time in a kitchen and restaurant it captures the reality of that environment so well it's cringeworthy to watch. Sadly the ending is only too true for many chefs.

Chef/owner of my local gastropub, who has done top-level venues, said he recognised every scenario.

micaab

Jurassic Park

Inspired by the fact it's almost 30 years old and i've not watched it for many years

And think i enjoyed it and appreciated more than i ever did before.

ddraver

Something about pre-CGI films is just better...

See also Terminator 2

blazing_saddles

ddraver said:

Something about pre-CGI films is just better...

See also Terminator 2

Everything?

CGI is just animation of the millennium. It's a relatively cheap way to defying the laws of physics and just about everything else.
It's created a perfect environment for lazy script writing.

morstar

I tend to agree that CGI ruins a lot of the art of cinema. Something that looks impossible no longer has any wonder as it’s just CGI.

And yet if you look at what actually what goes into CGI and making it look real, it’s an art form in its own right and often just an enhancement to real action.

In many ways it’s the worst of both worlds. Takes all the effort of old fashioned cinematography and yet has the outcome of looking like a computer game.

rick_chasey

Think CGI can make more for lazy directing than it does scriptwriting, but agree with the broader sentiment.

There's something to be said in all art that arbitrary restrictions aren't necessarily a bad thing and can force more creative solutions (think how much mileage pop musicians got out of the time restrictions on vinyl).

I guess it's as much correlation as causation. Films that are heavy on CGI are often much more action focused rather than character/drama etc. I guess it works best when you're not noticing it because you're drawn to the people on your screen

davidof

...

davidof

ddraver said:

Something about pre-CGI films is just better...

See also Terminator 2

Didn't Terminator 2 use CGI for the silver T1000 terminator effect?

I think Jurrassic Park also used a lot of CGI.