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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 12:43 am:   

Yes, the merry-go-round has started up again and I have just seen a film that, had I viewed it last year, would have finished in my Top 10.

Can anyone (apart from Weber, Tony or Frank) work out what it is?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.169.5.177
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 12:58 am:   

Did it star Tony Hancock?
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 11:26 am:   

Street Sluts in Cellophane?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 05:35 pm:   

Was he in Street Sluts in Cellophane? That's one he kept quiet on his CV...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 05:37 pm:   

I'd heard talk of this film for a while now and was as intrigued as I was dubious that it could work... but believe the hype:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius [expect it to keep Top Spot for quite some time]

You’ll get sick of hearing people say this but 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius (he's French) is a pure joy from beginning to end. One of those movies that brightens up the world by the mere fact of its existence and puts a great big stupid smile on the face of anyone who sees it. A SILENT black-and-white comedy/melodrama/fantasy that works to perfection and is only matched in its sheer effrontery by the near-miraculous entertainment value of every superbly crafted scene. We’re talking a cinematic labour of love that comments upon and pays homage to the golden era of Hollywood by lifting our spirits and taking them right back there… to where it all began.

The last few years have seen the development of a sincere outpouring of heady nostalgia for the early days of cinema. A hankering after the simple pleasures of more innocent times that the dawning of the Second Great Depression has intensified to a collective psychic yearning. Gloriously old-fashioned period entertainments, like last year’s magical ‘Midnight In Paris’ or ‘Hugo’, or Spielberg’s perfect distilling of the retro adventures of Tintin, are the natural result, but ‘The Artist’ is, for my money, the finest of the lot of them. Imagine if a team of arch cinephiles, in the Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese mould, had been able to sit down with the greats of yesteryear, Chaplin, Keaton, DeMille or Capra, and formulate a pitch for a new silent movie that would have all the crowd pleasing, pure storytelling strengths of any of the greats from the original era and that would stand in its own right as a great work of Art relevant to today’s audience… they couldn’t have come up with a better motion picture.

Filmed in beautifully crisp chiaroscuro b&w (by Guillaume Schiffman) with flawless period detail and no sound, other than the most gorgeously heart stirring orchestral soundtrack (by Ludovic Bource - with help from Bernard Herrmann) and cleverly integrated use of startling sound effects at crucial moments, every frame of the picture is perfectly composed, every expression, gesture, stunt and sight gag clicks into place like clockwork, while the wonderfully over-emotive acting ranges from genuinely hilarious yet oddly naturalistic mugging (that Jimmy Finlayson would heartily have approved of) to anguished brow-beating and silent floods of tears that, when the string section soared, had me shaking myself and clearing my throat to stop blubbing along too. Yes, they really go for broke in this one. It’s not only an irresistible romantic comedy of the old school – that puts the notion of the modern romcom to shame – but a combination of rags to riches and riches to rags melodrama that milks the higher emotions shamelessly and would warm the heart of a marble statue with its transcendence of dialogue to tell a story as old as time.

The finishing touch, of course, and the one element that could have made all the hard work count for nought if they’d got it wrong was in the casting of the leads. Thank God and all that is Holy they decided to cast a pair of fresh-faced unknowns as the romantic pair at the heart of the drama. Jean Dujardin, as silent movie mega-star George Valentin, has the matinee idol good looks and irrepressible charm of Clark Gable or Cary Grant as well as the comic timing and physical flexibility of a natural clown. He is matched by the effervescent energy and radiant sparkle of Bérénice Bejo, as the lovestruck Hollywood wannabe, Peppy Miller, whom he takes a shine to and gives her first big break.

The time is 1927 and Valentin is one of the towering giants of showbusiness, a rival of Douglas Fairbanks, one of the most famous faces on the planet and master of all he surveys. Peppy Miller is a dancer auditioning for any old part until fate thrusts them together. The rest is history… we watch their love grow as their careers take opposing paths with the double disaster (for Valentin) of the Wall Street Crash and the dawn of the Talkies! Valentin loses everything, including the girl to foolish pride, while Peppy, with her beautiful singing voice, rises to stardom. Until, a washed out alcoholic bum forever gazing at billboards of his lost love when not slumped on a barstool replaying old movies in his bourbon, things take a turn for the fantastical that I wouldn’t dare spoil here. But think Woody Allen and Frank Capra and you won’t be far wrong… yep, that magical. Add to that quite a few familiar faces in pitch perfect supporting roles acting like they always belonged in the 1920s (I’ll let you spot them for yourselves) and the most awww-somely funny and tearjerking animal performance you will see all year from Uggie the Jack Russell (I want one now!) and you’ll perhaps understand why, though it may be a French movie, ‘The Artist’ is pure Hollywood Gold!! DO NOT MISS IT!!!!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 06:01 pm:   

So it wasn't Street Sluts in cellophane then?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - 12:16 pm:   

No, Weber, but if you let me know where and when that one is on...
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.27.24
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 11:59 am:   

Oh dear - I thought The Artist was no more than mediocre - the kind of film that would be justly forgotten by now if it had been made in the period it apes. I quite liked the dog.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 12:31 pm:   

Awww, Ramsey. I thought it was irresistible but horses for courses. You know you're the first person I've met who didn't like it, which, in a way, is kind of a relief. No film deserves universal acclaim.

Uggie was adorable and has me looking at Jack Russell pups now - a breed I was never previously that fond of.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 03:33 pm:   

I gotta say, I've not seen the film... but all the commercials, the stills, the etc.'s, they've not moved me one step beyond Ramsey's summation—all I have, to go on its greatness, is what I'm being told of it (i.e., as opposed to witnessing glimpses of it on my own). I rather feared this might be the case....

I must be in a bad cinematic mood in general, because I looked at the snapshot glimpse of 2012's movie releases, in the latest Entertainment Weekly... I must say, absolutely nothing inspires me, nothing makes me care one whit. The closest is the new James Bond film, coming way later in November, and that's only because it's the venerable Bond franchise, and the last two Bonds were magnificent (imho). But the new BATMAN? PROMETHEUS? DARK SHADOWS? SPIDER-MAN? AVENGERS? ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER? God help us, Tom Cruise as a heavy-metal rock star in ROCK OF AGES?!? Fuck me, tell me 2012 will be better than this....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 03:53 pm:   

'The Artist' is a wonderful wallow in old-fashioned cinematic entertainment, Craig, and, like all such things, is already beginning to suffer the stigma of being over-hyped. A sin of which I musty plead as guilty as every other reviewer who came out of it with their world view enhanced and their eyes dancing at what cinema can achieve.

It is a masterpiece!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 04:22 pm:   

Are you joking? I've been on tentergooks, on my toes like a beagle waiting for the new Batman! It looks like it could be the best of the trilogy. One thing to remember when you watch it as well is that the only CGI in the film is the scene in the stadium (which from the clips is a pretty bloody effective use of CGI anyway) - even the bit in Dark knoght where they flipped the truck was done for real! In a time where directors will use CGI for normal fight sequences to avoid paying for stuntmen, we've got Nolan doing scenes like that truck flip for real...

I can't wait.

Oh and Prometheus sounds rather intriguing and the new Spiderman should be worth a watch as well (although I don't understand why they're rebooting the franchise already)
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 04:22 pm:   

*tenterhooks
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 04:41 pm:   

I can't wait to see 'The Avengers' movie after enjoying 'Captain America' so much! And Christopher Nolan is always worth watching even if I think he's frittering away his talent on the Batman franchise. I still prefer Tim Burton's films - and he had the wisdom to leave well enough alone after two.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 04:50 pm:   

I'm not saying either of you are wrong in your assessments or anticipations. I do think it's just me, in a cinematic humbuggery funk....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 05:20 pm:   

Wait till you see 'Midnight In Paris', Craig. If you don't think it's one of the man's finest achievements I'll eat my proverbial hat!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 05:22 pm:   

Tim Burton was kicked off after 2 - Chris Nolan has promised a trilogy of which this is the closing part. I've loved the first 2 - Heath Ledger as the Joker was mesmerising. I really can't understand how you say he's frittering away his talent when he's making some of the best films ever in the superhero genre.
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 05:44 pm:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irSiTkRtfbg Bruce Lee documentary coming out very soon.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 06:04 pm:   

They're great popcorn entertainment, Weber, and I will be going to see the third one with bated breath, but Nolan is capable of so much more, as films like 'Insomnia' & 'Inception' prove, imho.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 06:09 pm:   

Thye're as good as Inception and Insomnia as far as I'm concerned

I only wish he'd given the joker a film to himself and left us with the creation of Twoface as a link into the third film. Then he could have had a film to himself as well. Both actors were so good in the parts they deserved more than sharing villain status.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 07:16 pm:   

I'm with Weber. Nolan's Batman films are so much more than "popcorn entertainment". And I say that as a non-comics-fan.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.168.207.164
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 07:52 pm:   

Zed, please stop agreeing with me. It's making me nervous...
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 07:53 pm:   

I agree with Zed and Weber. I especially agree with Kevin Smith's view that the second film was to comic book adaptations that Godfather Part Two was to gangster films and the first Godfather.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 08:41 pm:   

I agree with Weber. All this agreeing with him is making me nervous.
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 09:01 pm:   

Piss off you muppets...how's that...better?
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 09:55 pm:   

I especially agree with Kevin Smith's view that the second film was to comic book adaptations [w]hat Godfather Part Two was to gangster films and the first Godfather.

Make it Godfather Part Three, Frank, and you're almost there....
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 11:24 pm:   

You once were quite knowledgeable about films, Craig. But you've had your day in the sun. Give it up, kiddo. Hey, wait a minute, Donnie Darko, The Mist, scratch that...you never knew owt about films at all.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.210.110
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 01:11 am:   

The bank heist at the start of dark knight is every bit the equal of any heist in any major crime movie. I believe nolan said it was his homage to either heat or casino, i can never remember which
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 03:24 am:   

Frank, Weber, imho, THE DARK KNIGHT isn't a bad movie... it's just not the super duper great movie I think it's touted as being....

I will say this yet again, boring everyone. Comparisons between THE DARK KNIGHT and QUANTUM OF SOLACE are apt: both are high-octane, re-invention sequels to major theme re-boots. Both came out the same year, of course; both feature a central hero somewhat on the "outs," battling forces of evil beyond their strength-levels. TDK has an in-your-face garish villain, controlling a wide terrorist underground; while the human face of QoS's central villain is more mundane, with the powers behind him running vast and frighteningly—terrifyingly—deep (i.e., both contain villainous networks that extend into the very fabrics of society).

QoS is actually Part II to CASINO ROYALE: I don't believe you can sever the two films, and be left with an actual whole. Not so, TDK (and I hope this third Bond is a Part III!). But all of this is preface to a simple statement:

QUANTUM OF SOLACE is a killer flick, criminally underrated in comparison to THE DARK KNIGHT, which was simply overrated.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 04:14 am:   

And for something completely different, here's... well, this:

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Movies-From-An-Alternate-Universe/2783319
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 10:39 am:   

Craig - I am also one of the few people who thought Quantum of Solace was a very good film indeed. But it suffered from such obvious glaring editorial problems that the continuity was jarring. And, sorry, but I can't see how you could compare it to The Dark Knight. I'm not a big comic book fan, but I do think Nolan's films are intelligent, exciting, thought provoking and treat their subject matter with respect. The only other comic book adaptations/reworkings that come close for me are Watchmen (a minor masterpiece unfairly dismissed by Alan Moore). Daniel Craig himself is on record as saying QOS could have been stronger, and that he blames himself for being persuaded to contribute to the screenplay.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 11:14 am:   

Let me just wade into the fray for a moment.

'The Dark Knight' was a brilliant, thoroughly entertaining superhero movie that was, however, just that bit disappointing in comparison to 'Batman Begins' - which has a tighter, more self-contained and satisfying narrative. TDK, despite having the definitive Joker performance, suffered from overlength, over-ambition and a decidedly creaky structure that I found frequently frustrating - not fatally so, but weakening to the overall impact of the movie. I came out of BB enervated by Nolan's reinvention of the character whereas I came out of TDK entertained but plagued by nagging doubts.

'Quantum Of Solace', on the other hand, was just abysmal! The weakest of the entire Bond series to date, making even Roger Moore's late entries look marvels of entertainment value by comparison. Compared to the instant classic that was 'Casino Royale' there has been no bigger or more shocking let-down in recent cinema history. All IMHO.
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 12:08 pm:   

Steve - fair points on Nolan's Dark Knight, but the second film evolved the film beyond its familiar superhero trappings.

But, mate, Roger Moore. Every single one of those films was dire. I hated all the Roger Moore films. Big glaring crude 80's monstrosities. Typical of the era.

The 80's, shudder.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 12:13 pm:   

Yeah, they were cheesy rubbish. But QoS was worse! The only Bond film I didn't at least get a laugh out of... and Roger Moore always makes me laugh.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 - 05:12 pm:   

There's shite all on this week and so I'm tempted to go and see something I think might be a bit heavy going but more interesting than anything else on at the minute: 'Shame' by Steve McQueen.

For the record, I had big problems with 'Hunger'. Despite the scorching quality of the acting it was not a true reflection of the reality, as I experienced it, and was too emotive a subject and still too close in time to be given the artistic fudge treatment. I feel the same about 'The Iron Lady' with the difference being that I wouldn't suffer myself to go see that one.
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Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 195.59.153.201
Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 - 05:44 pm:   

I remember that I thought Hunger was my favourite film of the year (whichever year that was!) along with the truly horrifying 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - and I'd recommend that if you've not seen it. I still remember that film like a nightmare.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.29.95
Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 - 09:10 pm:   

Saw Shame at the weekend – very fine film indeed. Subtle, complex performances are allied with consummate film-making skill – the long sequence on a morning train intercut with flashbacks of the night before is particularly memorable.

The more you understand about the characters (and little is spelt out), the more powerful the emotional impact of the scenes becomes. I was hoping it would turn out to be an adaptation of a novel so I could read it, but (unlike Leaving Las Vegas, which it resembles in some respects), it's not.

The film's title is probably as close as it gets to explaining itself. But every word and every shot has something to tell you. This is adult cinema in the best possible sense.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 12:40 am:   

Try telling that to the plebs in Belfast, Joel.

Both showings in my local "arthouse" were sold out!

I swear, as we were approaching the cinema, for the second time, a couple of guffawing drunken dickheads passing us said, "No luck, lads, it's sold out", before we were confronted by an unruly mob of leering old men in rubber macs and giggling students.

I'm sure it's a very fine, challenging work of art but where's a placard wielding DUP mob when ya need them so you can get in to see the blessed thing, I ask you!
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Barbara Roden (Nebuly)
Username: Nebuly

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 216.232.188.106
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 06:04 am:   

Stevie: coming late to this thread, but I just want to say that I second everything you said about The Artist. I loved it from beginning to end: perfectly written, cast, acted, scored, and shot. I think it deserves to be up there with Singin' in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard in the pantheon of great films about the movie business. Just thinking about that final scene, from when George and Peppy are in the producer's office, makes me grin happily all over again.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 11:35 am:   

I reckon it's about as wonderful a time as it's possible to have in the cinema, Barbara. Utterly sublime filmmaking that has come as a breath of fresh air in these jaded times.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 01:11 pm:   

Stevie, that's a pity about Shame – both that you were unable to see it and that it has acquired the reputation of being a 'sexy' film. No doubt many of the audience will have left the cinema complaining that it was boring and depressing and the 'action' wasn't any fun. Shame is not filmed in an erotic way. It's not an erotic film in any sense. Anyone who gets the horn from watching it is either seriously disturbed or, more likely, just watching the sex scenes and providing their own alternative script.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 05:24 pm:   

I agree wholeheartedly with you, Joel.

But then I remember flicking through 'Crash' for the dirty bits with my snickering mates in the library, as a callow youth, and getting the same withering look from the librarian as I gave those blokes last night. Sex is fascinating for all kinds of reasons.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 08:09 pm:   

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! AUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!

I'm referring to the second movie down, second list down, of course: http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/imdb-all-decade-lists-johnny-depp-dark-knight-lo st/

I guess I stand alone, and should just accept the fact that... the Mayans were right: 2012 is the year it's been confirmed the world is, indeed, destroyed.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.23.74.137
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 08:29 pm:   

It's hardly a vote on quality. Twilight is number 8.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 08:33 pm:   

This is some comfort. All the films, in fact, are fan-frenzy-flicks. Of the entire history of films, these are what appear. At least THE GODFATHER made the list (but at the bottom?! #10?!)
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.171.117.242
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 01:53 am:   

Actually - 1-5 on that list are all pretty consistantly in my top 10. I certainly wouldn't call Donnie Darko or Pulp Fiction Fan Frenzy Flicks.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 12:51 pm:   

I admire them all bar the 'Harry Potter' films (decent family entertainment but not my bag) and 'Twilight' (shite, from snippets I've seen) but only 'The Godfather' & 'Pulp Fiction' properly belong in any Top 10, imho.

'The Lord Of The Rings' movies are as close as anyone is going to come to the books but still pale into increasing redundancy beside the visionary majesty of Tolkien's prose. CGI is such a clumsy way of bringing to life epic fantasy and I've found myself thinking, all through the written wonders of 'Imajica', 'The Wizard Knight' and 'The Pandora Sequence', of late, what a shame it would be if anyone attempted to film them. Remember 'Dune' anyone?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 01:03 pm:   

I guess I stand alone, and should just accept the fact that... the Mayans were right: 2012 is the year it's been confirmed the world is, indeed, destroyed.

Craig, according to 'The X Files' the Truth is that the human race is going to be annihilated by full-scale alien invasion on 22nd December 2012! Yep, folks, looks like we've had our last Christmas!
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 01:11 pm:   

I remember 'Dune' - an excellent attempt at filming an unfilmable novel. I like it a lot.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 03:28 pm:   

I've never wanted to love a film more, Zed. My favourite sci-fi novel being filmed by one of my favourite directors. I've watched it three times and it still gets no better. Some brilliant moments, yes, but no cohesion of vision and far too short a running time.

Alejandro Jodorowsky famously planned to film it in the 1970s, with Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen (the greatest villain in sci-fi) and Pink Floyd doing the music, as a 14 hour multi-part epic but I doubt even that could have approached the vision of Frank Herbert's novel.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 04:06 pm:   

Film and book; different mediums. Lynch was hobbled by the studio, and did a much better job than he had any right to, IMHO. There are enough flashes of what he wanted to do to justify watching the film, for me. Flashes of genuine brilliance.

The novel's very good, but rather clunky as I recall (haven't read it for about 25 years, but that was my lasting impression).
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 04:21 pm:   

One of the great metaphysical fantasies of all time, Zed, that has haunted my mind and somewhat influenced my own personal philosophy since first reading it. The rest of the series expands on the 'Dune' universe magnificently and was really as much a biography of Herbert's own spiritual growth over the following 20 years - through the temptations of success, life-changing illness, the death of his wife and facing up to his own impending demise - as it was a great aeon-spanning sci-fi adventure. One of the Great Literary Achievements of the 20th Century, imho.

I've no time for the morass of barrel scraping spin-offs that followed, mind you!

The movie could have been amazing, and is never less than watchable, and some of the imagery sears the mind, but, you're right, was neutered by studio interference. Lynch has since stated he never should have taken on the job but the temptation of filming "that novel" was just too great.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 12:54 pm:   

Saw a cracking thriller last night:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh

Soderbergh seems to be on some kind of a creative high at the minute with two excellent genre movies in a row that make the most of the "less is more" ethos. 'Haywire' is now the most thoroughly entertaining and successful of his films I have seen, following the general excellence of last year's 'Contagion'.

What we have here is a blistering addition to the sub-genre of grittily realistic and pulverising action/espionage thrillers of recent years, that set out to be as entertaning as the Bond franchise while appearing to be set in the real world. If you enjoyed 'Ronin' or the 'Bourne' movies or even 'Munich', which this isn't a kick in the ass away from, then you'll love this. And in Gina Carano we have one of the most startlingly charismatic screen debuts of recent years.

This girl is drop dead gorgeous, hard as nails and cool as fuck while never once appearing like a well choreographed fake movie star. She has all the smouldering intensity and intimidating physical presence of a female Bruce Lee - I kid you not - and the looks of a sex goddess! To watch this girl in action is to fall a little bit in love and know you could never approach her as an equal on this planet. Her stare could shrivel the balls of any man and I just hope she goes on to more success in these kind of roles. Soderbergh has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt his ability to spot star potential.

The cast list here is of typically jaw-dropping quality, for one of his films, with Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor (in cracking form), Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas & Channing Tatum, giving their all, and every one of them being blown off the screen by Ms Carano. Without her this would be a decent action thriller but nothing to write home about, with her it's a classic of its type. The old story of a compromised agent, betrayed and left out in the cold when a routine job goes wrong, and having no other option but to fight back against former paymasters has never been so damn sexy nor as exhilaratingly authentic!

Quentin Tarantino should sit down and study every frame of this movie and learn an abject lesson in where he went so monumentally wrong. This is the film 'Kill Bill' should have been.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 01:36 pm:   

Kill Bill was great.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 02:22 pm:   

Kill Bill was more than great - it was fucking tremendous.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 02:35 pm:   

I completely agree Zed
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 03:24 pm:   

'Kill Bill' was a great big wanky load of overblown nonsense that proved Tarantino had let the fame and the hype go to his head and had completely lost the plot as a serious filmmaker - with good moments.

He's since been slowly clawing his way back to something like the artist he had been, with 'Death Proof' & 'Inglourious Basterds', without yet producing anything like the cinematic wonders that were his first three films.

That's not even "in my humble opinion", that's a fact as plain as the nose on your face.

'Haywire' is the very model of pared down economy as a no nonsense action thriller - with brains - and tells more or less the same story as 'Kill Bill' so much better. Also, if you think Rooney Mara was the real deal in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', wait till you get a load of Gina Carano. I want to have her babies!!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 05:19 pm:   

Kill Bill is a spot on homage to all the martial arts films that Tarantino loved to watch when he was growing up. It's a brilliant tour de force of over teh top action sequences and, even though it's light on dialogue, is still as snappy and crackling in the talking department as any of his other films.

That is my opinion. Your stated view is your opinion.

Methinks, like Black Swan, we shall have to agree to disagree on this one.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 06:38 pm:   

It would have been a spot on homage if he had cut at least two thirds of its length and made a single short snappy thriller, rather than the unwieldy behemoth we got, imo.

Thank God he saw sense and didn't make the same mistake with 'Inglourious Basterds' - which was a storming return to form.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 07:30 pm:   

I couldn't disagree more. Kill Bill is an amazing achievment - an ambitious popcorn melting pot of kung-fu, Spaghetti Western and US grindhouse. Inglorious Bastards was very good, but I've not been moved to watch it again. Whereas I've seen the KB films 3 or 4 times now.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 10:03 pm:   

I can't stand Tarantino. A friend of mine once described watching his films like being trapped in a room with a hyperactive teenager who insists on showing his favourite parts of his favourite films over and over again. I tend to agree with that.

I enjoyed RESERVOIR DOGS on first watch, but find it a bit of a chore now. The first half of KILL BILL was a fun romp, but apart from that most of his work sends me to sleep. Always found it quite depressing that his 'crackling' dialogue was held up as the epitome of good writing for almost an entire film-making generation. It just seemed so banal.

I'm happy to admit that, like Christopher Nolan, it's just a case of me not 'getting' Tarantino, but his status mystifies me to this day.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.157.22.253
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 10:58 am:   

Kill Bill was just great, not above or below, just exactly on the level marked 'great.' I will have no more disputing this at all.
I prefer Tarantino's films to Nolan's, mostly. I actually prefer catching bits of them on the telly to watching whole ones though, which is probably telling. Maybe he intended us to watch them that way? I quite like that idea. I've been catching the film Practical Magic in such periodic bursts over the past few years and am quite enjoying it that way.
As Michael Caine would say - 'And why not?'
(Sometimes cinema really is just about moving colours and shapes)
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.157.22.253
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 11:01 am:   

BTW After watching Come Dine With Me this week, in which there was a gorgeous, sweet and intelligent Marilyn Monroe double, I want an action film with a Marilyn Monroe double as the main character in it.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 01:02 pm:   

Wasn't "And Why not?" Barry Norman's catchphrase?
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.157.22.253
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 01:04 pm:   

Yeah, was just joking really - if it can be called a joke. Still - Caine MIGHT have said it at some point.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 02:14 pm:   

He might have done. I know he did say "I don't talk to writers." To which "And why not?" would have been a good response. So would a few other things.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 02:45 pm:   

Marilyn has always been my ideal woman too, Tony. It's the mixture of brash trampiness and genuine schoolgirl innocence, as much as her looks (particularly without make-up!) and her divine figure, that do it. 'The Seven Year Itch' is one of my all-time favourite comedies and her biography, 'Goddess', one of my favourite reads.

I'm going to lay money now that Gina Carano turns up in the next Bond movie, probably as a villainess who kicks his ass - and he loves it. I'd pay to see that!
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.59.249
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 04:01 pm:   

Kill Bill was just great, not above or below, just exactly on the level marked 'great.' I will have no more disputing this at all.

The first one was great fun - I genuinely fell in love with the villainous Japanese schoolgirl, and the fight scenes were amazing. But the second episode was sheer boredom, so bad I nearly left the cinema after the first half hour or so.

As for Nolan - I do hope the third Batman will be a better film than The Dark Knight. I just watched it again and thought the storyline unnecessarily complicated. And the climax with those two ferries - give me a break!

I do look forward to the next Bond. And Prometheus - doubtless that will be an exhilarating cinematic experience.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 04:03 pm:   

THE THING: Saw it last night. It's a fun waste of 100 minutes. It's not bad, but it's not going to storm Castle Greatness or anything. I thought there were wonderfully Lovecraftian (nay, Campbellian!) moments throughout, which was a great pleasure - in this anodyne world, you gotta take your Lovecraftian mind-bent where you can get it. I also was surprised how, relatively, it was more tame, less shocking/grotesque/terrifying, than the original... have we lost the ability to create real horror, like that one? Cosmic horror/dread/awe? Methinks maybe. Where are the 2001s/THINGs/ALIENs anymore?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 06:20 pm:   

KBII was awesome as well. When Michael Madsen apparently killed her and buried her... There could have been a bomb explosion in the cinema and I would have been asking them to put the damned film back on...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 06:21 pm:   

Re the Thing - the original was very tame indeed but John Carpenter's remake was brilliant and extremely shocking.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 08:03 pm:   

I'm not sure that was a remake, Weber - John Carpenter based it on the short story, not the previous film, right? So my term kinda-sorta stands, that this new THE THING (2011) is a remake of the original, John Carpenter's—since it's so damned similar, it's unbelievable; though technically, it falls under the category of "prequel," since it's explaining what happens just before Carpenter's begins.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 08:55 pm:   

Have you all seen this footage of the original practical effects created for The Thing prequel? I haven't seen it yet, but apparently none of this made it into the final film - it was all 'painted over' with CGI. If I was one of the technicians who worked hard on this, I'd be absolutely gutted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2bsXC-uhXQ
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.152.194.108
Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 11:15 pm:   

THE THING re-remake effects guys look like Tom Woodruff. He might be the best on the planet Earth now that Stan Winston is no more.

Tarantino, Nolan, Boyle are all directors whose continued success baffles me more than the Bermuda pyramid. (You do know it's three dimensional, don't you?)
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, February 03, 2012 - 02:59 am:   

Yeah, CGI sucks. And this just shows how much better/scarier it might have been... though, as good as all these rubber thingies are, the Carpenter version is still more nightmarish....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Friday, February 03, 2012 - 03:30 pm:   

That's two movies this week I didn't really expect much of that turned out to be cracking, lean, mean, no nonsense thrillers:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
3. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan

Now 'The Grey' is my kind of movie! A stark, gutsy, violent and intelligent tale of survival and what the fight for life brings out in the human spirit. The set-up is simplicity itself: seven hard as nails oil drillers in the depths of deepest Alaska find themselves the only survivors when their flight back home comes down in an ice storm thousands of miles from anywhere with zero chance of being rescued. As if that wasn't bad enough the corpses in the wreckage then attract a pack of starving timber wolves - great hulking beasts straight out of a horror movie - and the men realise they have to move or die.

Then it's my favourite game of who's going to be killed next as we follow these guys trekking through the harshest environment on the planet with the wolves circling them and picking off the weakest one by one. So far all so enjoyably cliched with high testosterone full throttle acting, tight efficient direction and awesome scenery. But there's more to this film than that which lifts it well above your typical genre potboiler.

Liam Neeson gives one of the bravest and most committed performances of his career as the alpha male leader of the group who hides a world of pain behind his stoic exterior. The film opens with him back at base tearfully reading through a letter he had written to his wife. He then takes himself off alone and places a rifle barrel in his mouth ready to blow his brains out. Flashbacks reveal that he has nothing to go home for and that he only took on the job to lose himself and try to forget the death of his beautiful young wife. This would be all too maudlin and melodramatic were it not for what happened the guy in real life and the agonising power of Neeson’s performance. One wonders if he was even acting in these scenes… and later when he’s guldering his rage at God in the sky in his broad Ballymena accent. It was a wise move to have him “playing” an Irishman and I just hope he found the part cathartic.

Okay the film does descend into homespun spirituality and mawkishness in some of its quieter moments, particularly when the rest of the cast are revealing their own hidden pains and secret fears. Apart from Neeson's born leader there's; the quietly brave brainy one (Dallas Roberts), the intense spiritual one (Dermot Mulroney), his badly injured secret gay lover (Nonso Anozie), the annoying arsehole who won't stop moaning (Joe Anderson), the large unfit one who keeps dozing off on watch (Ben Bray) and the cocky aggressive one who challenges for leadership (Frank Grillo). But, predictable as all this is, none of it detracts from the pure entertainment value of the action and Neeson’s riveting screen presence.

I would call this a borderline horror/fantasy. The horror elements coming from the almost supernatural nature of the wolves stalking them – seen mostly as blurs of grey in the snow, glowing eyes just beyond the campfire, or plumes of breath howling into the night sky – and when they emerge into the light they look like no earthly wolves I’ve ever seen but more akin to the demonic thing that David transforms into in ‘An American Werewolf In London’. This demonic appearance is backed up by the fantasy elements but I can’t talk much about those as they involve spoilers. Unlike most action based wilderness adventures of this kind the film can be read on a completely different level that leaves everything we see and the characters experience open to question.

Apparently there has been some controversy about the ending but I thought it was perfect – again transcending the limitations of the form and confounding viewer expectations! Go see the film and judge for yourself. It’s not a masterpiece, more of a supremely enjoyable minor genre classic, and ‘Haywire’ just edges it in terms of overall quality, but I don’t think anyone on this site would be disappointed by this great little movie.

As good as 'The Edge' (1997) - a criminally underrated, imo, and very similar thriller.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.93.67
Posted on Friday, February 03, 2012 - 09:15 pm:   

Oh, THE EDGE is absolutely fantastic! It's such a pity that Mamet has lost it artistically. He even seems to have lost it mentally, and turned into an insane Zionist recently.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Friday, February 03, 2012 - 09:38 pm:   

I loved The Edge, too, chaps - as Stevie says, it's a very underrated film.

Mamet's recent Redbelt was a very good film, too.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 04:29 pm:   

(Aside: Speaking of THE THING, above? I'm wondering if it might not be happening in real time, right now....

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/radio-silent-from-researchers-drilling-into-20-m illion-year-old-antarctic-lake/ )
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 05:14 pm:   

(Aside: BREAKING NEWS: the "thing" is already claiming victims, mutating.... http://imgur.com/gallery/Wvvx8 ) ( )
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 06:25 pm:   

The strange thing about THE GREY is that the poster, which I keep seeing on the sides of various bus shelters around town, tells you absolutely nothing about the film apart from the fact that it stars Liam Neeson's beard. I assumed that the 'grey' of the title was actually referring to the aforementioned facial fuzz. It was news to me that there were actually any wolves in it...

I didn't realise Liam Neeson had got to the point in his career where a film could be sold on his name alone. In fact, I'm not sure he has...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.148.240.90
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 06:42 pm:   

Since Taken, he's turned into a bit of an action hero.

He was the lead name of that one last year where he crashed his car and when he recovered his wife was with another man and claimed to not know him. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called though. Stevie???

He's rapidly moving into the upper echelons of hollywood...
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.25.19.91
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 06:54 pm:   

Chosen, was it?
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.177.115.204
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 07:44 pm:   

'twas UNKNOWN, I think...
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.25.19.91
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2012 - 07:53 pm:   

It certainly was to us. :-)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - 05:40 pm:   

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
2. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
3. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan

In need of some brainless cheesy entertainment, as that was the mood I was in, I ended up at 'The Muppets' over the weekend. Yes, you read that right. And you know what, I was bowled over at how bloody good it was. This is a cleverly constructed, laugh out loud funny and also surprisingly poignant satirical reinvention of the old Muppet Show for these cynical disillusioned times of plastic conveyor belt commercialism and global depression, as well as being the most entertaining musical, in the classic style, I have seen since 'Sweeney Todd' or 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' - and when I say I like a musical it means catchy tunes, flawless delivery and brilliant production values that batter a musical hating curmudgeon like me into submission (think 'Oliver!').

What really surprised me was how much thought and care was put into the storyline, instead of just giving in to another tired array of jokes and prat falls relying on all the old characters recognised strengths. None of the familiar faces appear for a good 20 minutes into the running time and instead we are introduced to a new character, called Walter, who is a muppet born out of time and living with a human family in small town America, as someone accepted by the community but feeling a nagging sense of isolation nonetheless - despite the loving efforts of his human brother, Gary, and his adoring, but secretly jealous, sweetheart, Mary.

The only times Walter feels a sense of belonging is when he watches grainy old reruns of a TV show from the 1970s, on some late night speciality channel, that featured a host of oddball characters just like him. He worships 'The Muppet Show' as a glimpse of the home he always secretly craved and looks up to Kermit the Frog as his own personal deity. But the Muppets have long since been consigned to the dustbin of showbiz history. Their careers washed up, their names forgotten by all but a few and their brand of music hall entertainment a distant memory that wouldn't stand a chance of winning an audience in these times of reality talent shows and celebrity status being "earned" by having once shagged a pop star, etc...

Then Gary & Mary decide to book a tenth anniversary trip to Los Angeles for themselves and once Walter finds out he begs them to bring him along for a visit to the venerated old Muppet Theatre. Mary isn't pleased but hides her feelings in a song, complete with dancing extras coming out of the woodwork - as do all the characters throughout the movie in an irresistibly joyous, and just the right side of knowingly silly, throwback to the big cinema musicals of yesteryear that works like a dream.

Anyway, Walter finds the Muppet Theatre a half derelict wreck and learning that it is soon to be demolished by a no-good business tycoon resolves to track down his long retired heroes in a desperate bid to avert catastrophe. You can guess the rest... but what I wasn't prepared for is how genuinely lump-in-the-throat emotional it was to be reintroduced to each of them one-by-one in various states of hopelessness, their talents forgotten and their spirits sapped. Can Walter somehow work a miracle and get the old spark ignited again? Who wants to watch a bunch of old sock puppets nowadays anyway? And whatever became of Miss Piggy?

I defy anyone of a certain age to go see this movie and not enjoy every heartfelt moment of it. Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the strange looking bloke who juggled fish, the Swedish chef, Dr Bunsen & Beaker, Animal & the band, Rowlf, Scooter, as well as all the rest of them, each given perfectly judged moments of screen time and genuine belly laughs, along with the expected host of celebrity cameo appearances, and those great, daft songs and OTT musical routines make this an unexpected classic in a genre I notoriously loathe. Sure to be one of the best feelgood movies of the year, it's a positive joy to have them back on our screens and in such inspired form. And wait till you see the last shot - an already iconic moment of pure heart-warming cheese, imo. Quite wonderful!
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.90
Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - 09:26 pm:   

The Morning Star review had the title 'Muppets in marvellous Marxist metaphor'. This is a film I badly need to see.

Favourite Muppet Show moment: Fozzie rushing up to a stressed Kermit and asking "What's on next?" and Kermit snapping "Goldilocks and the four bears," then rapidly getting on with some business while Fozzie says: That's one bear too many...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 11:36 am:   

Sneak in a high camp yet wonderfully underplayed "only gay in the village" type metaphor as well, Joel, and, yes, you really do need to see this film. The muppets done good.

But, on a more serious note, this unashamedly retro entertainment is yet another popular reflection of what I see as a tidal wave of public opinion back to the community values and common sense socialism that Reagan, Thatcher, and their ilk all but destroyed in the 1980s [listen to 'Broadway The Hard Way' (1988) by Frank Zappa or read 'Job : A Comedy Of Justice' (1984) by Mr Heinlein for works that saw the shit happening at the time and predicted all that would follow over the last 27 odd years - as I have] and as such the film belongs squarely with such recent uncynical artistic throwbacks to the communal experience of the Great Depression era as; 'The Artist', 'Midnight In Paris', 'Hugo' & Spielberg's regressing to his, and my, gloriously un-PC childhood with his criminally underrated, 'The Secret Of The Unicorn'.

More will follow and all we're lacking at the helm is a modern equivalent of Laurel & Hardy as they appeared in 'Below Zero' or 'Laughing Gravy', bearing in mind that 'The Artist' has already done the Chaplin of 'Modern Times' or 'City Lights' quite magnificently, imo.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 12:16 pm:   

Fuck!! I hope haven't just instigated a Little & Large comeback!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo..........
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 01:58 pm:   

The Muppets.

You had me at "The".
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Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 195.59.153.201
Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 11:25 pm:   

I saw it on Monday and I wept throughout the entire film.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.53.148.29
Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 11:26 pm:   

take the nipple clamps off before you leave the house next time then.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.29.252.215
Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 12:48 am:   

If you keep this up we're going to have to double your dose, Weber.

Nurse Clampit asked me to pass that on.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.53.148.29
Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 01:00 am:   

Is she the rubbber nurse? Will she see me now?

(I'm well aware that no one on this board will get the reference to Hospital by Toby Litt - an absolutely brilliant, nightmarish, funny and tragic novel that everyone should read but I'm the only person who has done)
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 07:35 pm:   

Bad news for Burroughs....

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/john-carter-early-tracking-shockingly-soft-could -be-biggest-writeoff-of-all-time/
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2012 - 12:34 am:   

I have to agree with Nikki: good teaser!

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/hot-international-trailer-prometheus/
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2012 - 12:48 pm:   

Looks bloody awesome!! But looks can be deceiving... fingers crossed.

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with the 'Alien' franchise. Part of me wishes it had remained a one-off terror masterpiece in deep space and that Cameron had made something equally as impressive but more original than the beefed up sequel, 'Aliens'. But there is no denying that film's classic status nor how impressive David Fincher's subsequent deconstruction of it was. After that I found 'Alien Resurrection' one film too far that added nothing new and kind of spoiled what would have been a neat trilogy. 'Prometheus' has a hell of a lot to live up to!!

And don't even mention those other two abominations that turned the scariest alien in cinema history into nothing more than a fucking tag team wrestler ffs. Grrrr...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 - 05:25 pm:   

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
3. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
4. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
5. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins

Caught 'The Woman In Black' on Sunday afternoon and thankfully the cinema was only about a quarter full and there were no noisy Harry Potter fans to contend with - mostly an adult audience from what I could make out. I must be one of the few people around who was completely unfamiliar with the story, having never read the novel or seen the stage-play or even the TV production, but that hardly seemed to matter as what unfolded couldn't have been more familiar.

It was nice to see the Hammer logo emblazoned over a proper old-fashioned gothic horror yarn like this one and hopefully this augurs well for their continued reemergence. The film is more of a well-crafted and solidly entertaining potboiler than any kind of modern classic, imo. It throws just about every haunted house cliché in the book at us and provides quite a few well orchestrated jump moments while the sets and period detail positively ooze spooky atmosphere. The screaming harpy of a black garbed spectre is marvellously malevolent and some of the set pieces are genuinely hair-raising with rocking chairs, clockwork toys, extinguishing candles and thumping and creaking sound effects all having the requisite effect on the spellbound audience... but, the film never rises above these hoary old tropes and, for a seasoned horror fan like myself, was just a tad too tick-the-boxes predictable to make it stand out in the memory above any number of similar traditional ghost stories.

Daniel Radcliffe was no more than adequate in the central role and I can't help feeling that if they had gone with an actor of more intensity and experience this would have ratcheted up the tension and left more of an impression on the mind. The direction also was rather too mannered at times and there was a feeling of everyone kind of going through all the expected motions with this production without trying to raise it to anything new or truly terrifying.

It's an entertaining frightener that should do good business with the general public, who like their scares as cosily familiar as this, and I did enjoy it, just not as much as I had hoped to. Decent but unremarkable.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2012 - 12:32 pm:   

I've been thinking about the ending of 'The Woman In Black' and wonder is it true to the novel and other adaptations? On one level it's incredibly tragic and leaves one thinking, "what an ungrateful bitch". But on another level it's a transcendently happy ending in which the ghost repays the favour in the only way she knows how. Any thoughts?

I still think this could have been a stone cold classic horror movie if there had a bit more ooommph in the production.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.155.221.233
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 02:16 am:   

I went into Manchester tonight for the monthly film club meet. I've not been for several months through various reasons so I was really looking forward to it.

I got to the pub where they hold the meetings, I waited 45 minutes before the landlady told me it had been postponed till next week.

So I found myself wandering down to the AMC multiplex at Great Northern on Deansgate (I get in there for a fiver because I work for the NHS) to watch something so the night wouldn't be a complete write off.

Because I'm not drinking at the moment (gave up booze for Lent) I decided I was going to watch the film that started soonest (as long as it didn't look too tacky) because I didn't want to be waiting round for too long.

The doors had just opened for Extremely loud and Incredibly Close - which i didn't know anything at all about. But any other film would have meant at least 20 minutes wait - and when you're not drinking and you're on your lonesome... So i went in to see ELAIC.

I am so glad I did. This managed to be an extaordinarily emotional film without resorting to tacky sentiment (despite having Tom Hanks - and actor i usually loathe in a suporting role) and made me wipe tears from my eyes on a fairly regular basis. The last film to do that to me was The Road. Before that I honestly can't remember.

The story concerns a boy with borderline aspergers (to quote the film - it means you're smarter than average but you can't run straight) whose father died in 9/11. While alive he used to play expedition games regularly with his father. A year after the event, he finds a key in an envelope with the word BLACK written on it. Deciding that this is another quest, he sets out to find the lock that the key opens.

The young lad who plays Oskar is immensly talented as an actor and totally convincing in the role. The fact that the film works is entirely due to his casting. Director Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot, The Reader) certainly knows how to pick his young stars and this young lad is probably a better actor than jamie Bell was in Billy Elliot.

Sandra Bullock is remarkably good in the role of his mother and Tom Hanks as his father was actually more than merely watchable for a change. Also we had Max Von Sydow as his Grandmother's lodger who starts helping him on his quest. I don't know if this film has any Oscar nominations but the boy certainly deserves to be recognised for his performance.

Even if you don't think this sounds like your cup of tea I urge you to go see it. I know when you (I)try to describe the plot it comes out sounding tritely sentmental but I assure you it isn't. Daldry is a past expert at avoiding mawkishness in potentially disasterous films ( for example Billy Elliott works when it really shouldn't) and he hasn't failed here. He's succeeded brilliantly.

Stevie, take a woman with you - ideal date movie.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.38.139
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 12:00 pm:   

Just seen Cronenberg's new film A Dangerous Method, about Jung's break with Freud and his passionate affair with a former patient. It's adapted from Christopher Hampton's play and Hampton wrote the screenplay. Kiera Knightley and Vincent Hassel are superb as a patient who has become a doctor and a doctor who has become a patient, respectively. Hampton's dialogue bristles with irony and intelligence, while Cronenberg's direction is sharp and revealing.

It's essentially an affectionate tribute to both men, though Freud is shown as stuffy and dogmatic, Jung as unstable and immature. Michael Fassbinder brings a nervous, conflicted tension to the part of Jung, while Viggo Mortenson brings a quiet dignity and subtlety to the part of Freud. But the film is more about their ideas than their personalities. Brilliant and critically underrated, this is unmissable if you have any interest in modern psychology.

My favourite moment comes when Freud tells Jung that the new psychoanalytic movement will incur still more hostility because nearly all of its practitioners are Jews. Jung says: "I don't see how that makes any difference." Freud quietly replies: "That, if I may say so, is a wonderfully Protestant remark."
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 12:38 pm:   

Synchronicity indeed! Must see this.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.142.128.232
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 02:18 pm:   

Weber - I've heard consistently terrible things about this film, but despite it have really wanted to see it. Hanks makes quite philosophical films, I think. We watched Cast Away on the projector last night (it looked fantastic) and I'm convinced it's a classic, significant film. The moment when he looks back at the anonymous little island going out of view is so moving to me. I think you'd like it Weber, really.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:03 pm:   

Tony, I really enjoyed Castaway (although I'm not a fan of Hanks). I'm never quite sure why it gets slated so much.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:07 pm:   

The best film I've seen this year - or last year and the year before that, for that matter - is Snowtown. An incredibly bleak, yet utterly compelling look at the infamous Snowtown murders in Southern Australia in the 1990s. It's a masterpiece - and that's a word I never like to use. I'm both craving and dreading watching it again...

The acting is outstanding, the script and direction staggeringly good, and it's the kind of film that doesn't ever leave you. Amazing stuff.

I also watched Melancholia this week, which was another great film. Initially I felt disappointed, but the film has stayed with me to the point that I've been forced to reassess it's worth. A fine film, aiain with some fantastic performances.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.9.232.89
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:09 pm:   

Just added both to the Lovefilm list, mate.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.9.232.89
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:11 pm:   

Watched a hopelessly watchable made for TV film called THE SECRET IN THE WALLS last night. Tick every box for a MEDIOCRE YET STRANGELY ENJOYABLE GHOST STORY. Like a McDonald's meal.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.142.128.232
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:14 pm:   

Cast Away is just stuffed with symbols. That crossroads, even the presence of Fed Ex, brought in for cash, feels meaningful. In the Matrix there was a FedEx truck and on the commentary by the two philosophers they said Fed Ex trucks were significant symbols, signs of 'delivery' (don't laugh). In the run up to watching it one passed me WHILE I was thinking about the film, and my life. Daft, but...you know, these things are magic when they happen.
I've heard about Snowtown. I'm sort of scared to watch it.
Zed - track down and read a book called The Shark Net. It's a biography, at least of a part of a man's childhood in Australia. There's a killer in it who turns out to have been the author's neighbour. It's absolutely chilling. Such an eerie, atmospheric book. A pity Roeg couldn't have filmed it, really.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.142.128.232
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:15 pm:   

Gary - was it on telly? I like daft stuff like that.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.155.221.233
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:56 pm:   

Reading up about EL&IC a lot of people are slating it either because it has a 9/11 backdrop and they're saying it's too soon or they dislike the kid's behaviour in the film - seeming to not realise that this is how people with Aspergers can and do behave on a regular basis. A lot of stuff they criticise which seems unlikely or most unfair (the boy hiding the tapes from his mother is the best example) is actually dealt with and explained in the closing minutes suggesting that they didn't bother watching the whole thing or just weren't concentrating. The explanation for the tapes had me the closest to full blown tears that I've been for a long time.

Oh and Max Von Sydow is up for an Oscar for supporting actor - despite the fact that his character never speaks a word.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.155.221.233
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 03:59 pm:   

I've loathed Tom Hanks as an actor for many years and I've refused to see many movies because he was in them.

He's the most overrated man since Judas iscariot won the AD33 best disciple competion (joke copyright Ben Elton and Richard Curtis)
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 04:06 pm:   

Judas Iscariot, Judas Iscariot... wasn't that the guy that hung out in Jerusalem?...
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 04:42 pm:   

Looks to contain all the ruth, anguish and artistry of Euripides himself.... http://youtu.be/8jEWLCZA7R8
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.9.232.89
Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 04:50 pm:   

Tony: yes, made for TV, shown on Channel 5. Reassuring hokum.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.141.107.113
Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2012 - 11:17 am:   

I like how channel five trashes the look of most films. They seem more grainy and more cropped than on any other channel.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 12:44 pm:   

Finally got round to checking the Oscar results due to boredom in work rather than any deep interest and one fact, hidden away in the Best Documentary Feature nominations, leapt out at me:

'Paradise Lost III : Purgatory' has been made!! After just checking how this brain-bogglingly incredible true story has been progressing I am sitting here overjoyed to learn that - FINALLY - justice has prevailed and those three innocent boys, the West Memphis Three, have been released after 18 years and 78 days in a hellish southern states prison for something they not only didn't do but were right royally stitched up for by the religious maniacs who happened to run their town! Branded as depraved blood-drinking satanists (they were into Iron Maiden) and paedophile child killers (while the real killer... ah, just watch it, you wouldn't believe me anyway) with their air-guitar strumming ringleader being denounced from the pulpit as the Great Beast prophesied in the Book of Revelations! Hallelujah!!!! They're out!!!!

Anyone who hasn't seen the previous two films; 'Paradise Lost : The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills' (1996) & 'Paradise Lost II : Revelations' (2000), has missed the most terrifying (in the truest sense of the word) and heartbreaking true story of injustice and bible belt stupidity that I have ever experienced or want to experience again - all filmed in real time as it happened with full access to courtrooms and all the people involved (including...) and no reconstructions by actors. Those films and the whole nightmare story have haunted me for nearly two decades now and finally we have a conclusion, of sorts.

The one question that remains is... what of him. I have got to see this film now as a matter of prime urgency! Congratulations fellas. I only pray that somehow you'll be able to get on with the rest of your lives and that the real culprit (I still shudder every time I think of...) will finally be run to ground.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.29.187
Posted on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 12:50 pm:   

If by like you mean loathe, Tony, I agree.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 03:19 pm:   

I'm actually quite upset that 'The Artist' has done as well as it has in all these poxy award ceremonies. The film can only suffer as a result. It is a wonderful piece of escapist fantasy and a genuine cinematic masterpiece, imo, but 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' is of another standard of filmmaking entirely and its relative ignoring by the so-called intelligentsia is all the proof any truly intelligent cinema fan would need of the vacuous redundancy of all such parades of bogus pomp (thanks, Frank) as the Oscars or the Baftas. They can stick their wee gold figurine where the sun don't shine, imho!
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.138.169.194
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 12:23 pm:   

I do Ramsey. We tried watching Starman but had to turn it off it was so horrible. It was like being in a virtual fleapit.
Oscars act like knighthoods; they diminish what they honour. I wanted Hugo to win, though.
I was listening to Scorsese's excitement and optimism at 3D the other day. It was so gleeful and childlike; surely two things a director should be for such a primal art form.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 01:37 pm:   

As Woody Allen said, "I can't stand award ceremonies. Adolf Hitler, Best Fascist Dictator."
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 04:08 pm:   

I was pleased to see the Muppets win an Oscar. If only for Miss Piggy. Did she collect it does anyone know?
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Skip (Wolfnoma)
Username: Wolfnoma

Registered: 07-2010
Posted From: 216.54.20.98
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 04:16 pm:   

The Muppets won an Oscar? Wow, I do not watch award shows so this is a surprise to me. I do like the muppets though.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 04:36 pm:   

Best Song. And it was very richly deserved. Their latest film is a pure joy - as you'll see if you scroll up, Skip.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2012 - 06:35 pm:   

I agree with Nikki - this "poster" is great! I sense a trend in such posters....

The film itself? Mmm. I have my reservations.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/a-moving-one-sheet-for-fright-film-silent-house/ #more-237953
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 - 07:50 am:   

Okay, it won't be a film of 2012, but it was announced in 2012... and it's wonderful news for any other rabid Ross McDonald fans!

http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/the-galton-case-peter-landesman-adapt-ross-macdo nalds-warner-bros/#more-240381
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 - 06:40 pm:   

I hear Adam Sandler got the Razzie for worst actor and for worst actress for Jack and Jill. I have to say the trailer did make it look pretty bloody awful.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2012 - 06:07 pm:   

Saw what I feel sure will be one of my films of the year this week:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
4. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
5. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
6. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins

Do yourselves a favour and go see 'Rampart' before it disappears. Woody Harrelson, always a damn fine actor, has just elevated himself into the the realm of the all-time greats with this instant classic "extreme outsider" character study/cop thriller. The best movie of its kind since we saw Harvey Keitel strut his stuff in 'The Bad Lieutenant' and I would say not a stone's throw away from De Niro in 'Taxi Driver' or Pacino in 'Serpico' either. Absolutely bloody sensational!! More to follow...
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 12:27 am:   

What about Denzel in TRAINING DAY?

I'd heard about this film, not even sure if it opened up or not in the States... did it?... gosh, if it did, it came and went so fast....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 02:45 am:   

'Training Day' was a good movie that ultimately gave in to cliches. 'Rampart' is something entirely other. Like the films I mentioned above I defy anyone to predict, while watching, where this story and this character are headed. But the journey and the ending are profound. Nuff said.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.46.240
Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 01:29 pm:   

Denzel Washington gives the same oily performance in everything he's done. It's pure smarm and fast talk. How'd he get away with that for so long?
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 03:55 pm:   

I think Denzel Washington's a very fine actor. He gives a wonderful low-key performance in the recent Unstoppable. Like Peter Cushing used to do, he dignifies any film he's in by his presence and on-screen charisma.

I thought Training Day was excellent.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.50.59
Posted on Monday, March 12, 2012 - 03:19 pm:   

I think so too, Gary.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.180.123.7
Posted on Monday, March 12, 2012 - 04:39 pm:   

I saw DRIVE last night and thought it was very good.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.132.168.29
Posted on Monday, March 12, 2012 - 06:14 pm:   

We spent a fantastic weekend in a canal boat and watched a very good film called Lourdes in it. I thought it was depressing till I realised it was about many other, deeper other things, not just being disabled.
Oh, the canal trip was phenomenal. So odd. You're not in England in a canal.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.180.123.7
Posted on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - 12:44 am:   

Watched ABSENTIA tonight and thought it was a very good film, although I think it came out a year back in the US, so it's more a film of 2011...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 03:06 pm:   

What makes 'Rampart' such a powerful movie is Woody Harrelson's shockingly honest and sympathetic portrayal of a racist, sexist, homophobic dinosaur of an LA cop who is prone to bouts of instinctive rage and extreme violence. Dave Brown is one of the great characters in modern cinema. An increasingly isolated and self-destructively pig-headed warrior against the perceived insanity of political correctness and upholding perpetrator's rights. He sees himself - and we believe him - as one of the last noble footsoldiers who see things how they really are, knows how to get the job done and will not bow to the ridiculous notions of his superiors and crooked politicians wanting to win the popular vote.

But this is no Dirty Harry, this is a cheap drunken punk whose cocky swagger hides a world of pain and self-loathing as he finds himself turned into a political football after being filmed beating a black man half to death and experiences his personal and professional life falling apart around him due to his own inability to admit he was wrong... because that's not what men do.

I don't know if Harrelson was in the running for an Oscar this year but the fact that he didn't walk away with it after this career best performance - the finest I have seen from any actor since Lord knows when - is all the proof anyone needs of such ceremonies' meaninglessness. I feel confident that 'Rampart' will remain in my Top 10 this year and that I will not see a more bravura performance or more memorable character all year.

Add to that pitch perfect direction by newcomer, Oren Moverman (he gets my tip for one to watch!), presenting the underbelly of LA in all its grimy neon-lit squalor as a hell on earth to rival Scorsese's New York in 'Taxi Driver', and a James Ellroy script that is as literate and multi-layered as any of his novels. The character of Dave Brown can be read as; the valiant hero, fighting impossible odds with his own code of honour that forever pulls him back from what we think is inevitable, as inhuman monster, who keeps getting worse when we think he can't possibly sink any lower, and as doomed romantic, desperate to keep the love of his family and incapable of changing, all at one and the same time.

'Rampart' is the second truly Great film I have seen this year so far. Don't miss it!
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 03:33 pm:   

Harrelson was quite good in the HBO flick about Sarah Palin I just watched yesterday, GAME CHANGE. His role in the overall middling film (as real-life Republican strategist Steve Schmidt) is actually the central one; Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, is playing the main-supporting, the P.O.V. we're ever just outside of—she's good, but Woody excels. Woody really revealed here what a phenomenal actor of range and depth he's become, so I can only look forward to this new one!

(Of course, regarding Woody/RAMPART, the only thing that comes to mind right now is a meme someone made during his whole reddit.com interview's meltdown a month back, and the subsequent flame-war against him it inspired [go there and do a search, you'll find it]; someone in mockery put up a photo of Woody's face with the heading "What's Woody Harrelson's favorite section of a computer?" and the caption, "The ram part.")
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 04:20 pm:   

Sounds like a crass error of judgement by the people marketing the film and something Harrelson probably wasn't even aware of.

Dramatically 'Rampart' plays like the flip-side of 'Serpico' with Harrelson every bit as intense and impressive as Pacino was in that classic cop movie. They both play outsider police officers trying to uphold the law by their own personal and pig-headed code of ethics rather than "playing the game" as their colleagues do, and finding themselves isolated and victimised as a result.

Frank Serpico represented the beginning of the crusade for political correctness, when corruption was endemic, and Dave Brown represents the last of the old-style unreconstructed bigots believing everyone else has gone soft. They are fascinating documents of how times have changed for those doing the hard work on the ground while in the world of politics the same old lies are told and dirty tricks are pulled.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.51.104
Posted on Friday, March 16, 2012 - 11:30 am:   

Saw THE IRON LADY yesterday. Apart from Streep's stunning performance I can't say I see much point in the film.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, March 16, 2012 - 04:49 pm:   

I wouldn't watch it on point of principle, Hubert. And there are very few films I can say that about.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, March 16, 2012 - 05:59 pm:   

2012 is shaping up nicely. I've just seen my third Great film of the year:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
5. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
6. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
7. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins

What can I say... last night, frustrated at the lack of anything good to watch at the flicks, I went along to my local arthouse and picked what looked to be the most interesting film I'd never heard of by reading the poster and some blurb in their monthly what's on guide. Despite an off-putting title, that smacked of dull pretentious crap, words like "creepy", "haunting" and "psychological thriller" made me shell out my dosh and give it a go without any other idea what I was about to watch.

An hour and forty minutes later I walked out of that cinema shaken to my core and dazzled by one of the most mesmerising and insidiously frightening horror films I have ever seen. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' is a fucking masterpiece of slow build psychological terror. Someone should approach the director, Sean Durkin, and thrust a Ramsey Campbell novel into his hands - I'd go for 'To Wake The Dead'/'The Parasite' - and beseech him to read it and turn it into a film just like this one. This was his debut feature and marks him out at a single stroke as potentially one of the great horror directors. Think of the beautifully subtle but cumulatively overwhelming sense of dread of 'Don't Look Now' or the more cerebral David Cronenberg, without the body horror, and that's how good this guy is.

The film opens innocuously enough with idyllic scenes of commune life with beautiful people holding hands, tilling the soil and singing songs in gorgeous countryside and bright sunshine. Then one begins to notice that they are all young and good looking and share that glazed look in the eyes that only true believers have. Cut to night time and all lie sleeping in segregated male and female dormitories until we watch one of the young pretty women sneak out of her bed and hurriedly pack some belongings in a bag before creeping out of the farmhouse and running for the surrounding woods. A voice cries out. She has been missed and soon a group of men are chasing her through the trees calling out "Marcy May, where are you going?" The girl is in a state of wide-eyed sweating terror that we have seen nothing to account for and the relief is intense when she evades them, reaches the road and manages to get a ride.

When next we see her she has been taken in by her overjoyed older sister who hasn't heard from her in two years and for the rest of the film Martha, as she is really called, is shown trying to piece her life and identity back together while professing to have no memory of what happened to her.

This is where the real genius of the film comes in and I can't say too much to avoid spoilers. The story is told in hallucinatory fragments that complement the girl's fractured mental state. We are never sure if what we are watching, and she is experiencing, is present day reality, flashback memory or paranoid delusion nor can we be sure if we can entirely trust this girl and her gradually pieced together narrative of harrowing physical and mental abuse at the hands of a terrifying Manson-like guru, played chillingly by John Hawkes, who is by turns magnetically charming, loving, wise, manipulative, perverted, sadistic and brutally violent.

But it is the central performance by Elizabeth Olsen that everyone will remember about this movie. She lives the part and makes us feel every ounce of fear and bewilderment of the character. I was reminded forcibly of Ingmar Bergman's intense psychological studies but the overriding emotion portrayed here is pure paranoid terror that slowly, insidiously communicates itself to the viewer and gets under the skin in a way I found profoundly frightening. The scenes in which she begins to imagine her tormentor and his brainwashed puppets everywhere - while unable to communicate to her sister what is scaring her - are the very essence of intelligent horror cinema at its absolute finest.

Perhaps 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' will disappear without a trace, remembered and raved about only by those few souls lucky enough to have seen it, but I sincerely hope not. It is the first unqualifed Horror Classic of 2012, imho.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Sunday, March 18, 2012 - 03:43 am:   

Whoa! There's more now!

http://youtu.be/SQgnnsqysZE

(warning though: this longer trailer gives even more away....)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Sunday, March 18, 2012 - 01:43 pm:   

Thanks, Craig. But I'm not going to watch it. I already have a worrying sense of escalating excitement about this project and don't want to build it up anymore in my mind.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2012 - 04:00 pm:   

Three weeks today since I was last at the cinema. Is it just me or has there been absolutely fuck all worth seeing on this last while?! Here's hoping something decent opens tomorrow or I'm going to be getting terminal withdrawal symptoms...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2012 - 06:13 pm:   

There's the new Aardman film - The Pirates. I've heard good things about that. It's got Brian Blessed in it for a start
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 05:13 am:   

Maybe you can hold out for this one, Stevie... or not....

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-gordon-green-directing-suspiria-crim e-scene-310119
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 01:58 pm:   

It'll be a month tomorrow since I was last at the flicks. Not because of falling out of love with cinema but because there has been nothing whatsoever of merit on. I'm even tempted to go see this Hollywood teen horror movie, 'The Cabin In The Woods', which opens here on Friday. That's how bad things have been!!!!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 02:11 pm:   

There's a new Aardman animation with Brian Blessed voicing the pirate king and you say bthere's nothing to watch????
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 01:59 am:   

I love the Aardman animations, Weber, but find they work better on TV, with the glorious exception of 'The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit". Their crowning glory!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.211.8
Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 04:56 pm:   

I'm finding it a little difficult to follow your logic here. Without seeing their new film you're declaring that it will be better suited to the small screen, despite the fact that their most recent previous film was - by your admission - well worth seeing at the cinema. If you're so desperate to go to the pictures, take the chance on it. It's got pirates, scientists and monkey butlers in it. What more do you want?
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.26.224
Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 05:37 pm:   

Lepers!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 06:38 pm:   

I'd forgotten they got in trouble for the leper joke. I just read an article from the Guardian about that and it made for bizarre reading.
Apparently the opinions of a few illiterate thugs (to go by the quotes listed in the article) from some online film forum in America are more important than the opinions of the leprosy charities who asked Aardman to adjust the scene.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.163
Posted on Friday, April 13, 2012 - 07:05 am:   

Stevie, I saw Martha Marcy May Marlene and was intensely disappointed by a gutless, tepid, derivative, voyeuristic, cowardly film, the kind of self-regarding sleaze that gives arthouse cinema a bad name. Instead of working through the issues, looking seriously at the blend of piety and exploitation that characterised the 'family', or even making sense of the protagonist's tormented mental state, it simply wallowed in tastefully framed images of rape and female victimisation. It offered no insight, no intelligence, just scene after scene of abuse by camera. Now she's being raped, now she's wetting herself, now she's having a fit, now she's being taken to a mental clinic... It's like feminism never happened. When the film ended I sat there thinking "Is that it?" The camera spent most of the film six inches away from a girl's breast or bottom. The cult leader was so obviously Charles Manson I couldn't believe they gave him another name and pretended this was a contemporary setting. Perhaps the saddest aspect of this shallow, smug, vacant film is its blatant borrowing from a film that was itself bogus, derivative and exploitative: Wes Craven's dismal Last House on the Left. I hadn't thought to call MMMM a horror film but actually it makes sense: it's of a piece with the gutless, vacant, voyeuristic slasher films that horror fans have lapped up for the last forty years while congratulating themselves on having the incredible courage to sit and watch them. The real death is the death of the witness.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, April 13, 2012 - 01:44 pm:   

You make it sound so much more interesting than I ever could, Joel!

I found the film's remoresless getting inside of the girl's psychosis (or is it) to be deeply unsettling in a way that was highly Campbellian. It disturbed me as much as 'To Wake The Dead'/'The Parasite' or 'The Darkest Part Of The Woods' in that respect. Don't forget, we are never sure if what she is "telling us" really happened or if it is all a paranoid delusion with her repeating the standard clichés of abused victimhood. I found it one of the creepiest psychological horror films I have seen that reminded me strongly of Polanski's 'Repulsion' or even Bergman's 'The Silence' (rather than 'The Virgin Spring'). A fabulous oddity of a movie!!
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.31.3
Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 12:03 pm:   

"I'd forgotten they got in trouble for the leper joke. I just read an article from the Guardian about that and it made for bizarre reading.
Apparently the opinions of a few illiterate thugs (to go by the quotes listed in the article) from some online film forum in America are more important than the opinions of the leprosy charities who asked Aardman to adjust the scene."

How's that, Marc? I thought the scene had been removed:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/25/aardman-pirates-leprosy-gag
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 01:19 pm:   

Does this mean there can be no more adaptations of Conan Doyle's "The Blanched Soldier", which I just happened to read by coincidence?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.168.85.104
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 11:42 am:   

I know the scene was amended in the film. What I was saying is that the tone of the article seems to suggest that the Leprosy charities had no right to complain. It gave more credence on the subject of leprosy to the quotes of barely literate posters on film blog sites than the charities who were trying to dispel the myth that people with leprosy have detachable limbs.

I'm not entirely sure where I stand on the issue but that article gave me far more sympathy for the charity's point of view than for the rentamob can't-they-take-a-joke brigade that they wheeled out in defence of the joke.

An interesting comment came halfway down the comments box asking who was actually being a crybaby (the most common insult thrown at the charity for having the temerity to write a polite letter to Aardman studios) - was it the charity for stating their point of view or the people who were acting as if Aardman changing one line in the film was tantamount to the leper charity breaking into their houses , raping their food and eating their wives and children?

At the end of the day, Aardman had no legal compunction to change the scene. They did it out of a sense of common decency when asked nicely. After all, this isn't an episode of family guy where it would be considered rather tame. this is a family film, is it the right place for a joke like that?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.73.37
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 11:55 am:   

the charities who were trying to dispel the myth that people with leprosy have detachable limbs

Priceless!
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.9.242.100
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 01:02 pm:   

Are we reading the same article, Marc? I don't see where you find the tone you cite. Can you say?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 03:22 pm:   

At last something to get excited about in the cinema after long weeks of tedium:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
6. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
7. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
8. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins

At any other time, if I had been faced with even a couple of half decent movies to pick from, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near something like 'The Cabin In The Woods'. Everything about the picture, from the credits to the poster to the trailer, cried out "lowest common denominator US teen horror crap" of the Wes Craven school of filmmaking. But I went along yesterday as much to remind myself of the joy of the cinemagoing experience as to hopefully be half entertained by the actual film - while fully expecting to be shooting it down in flames on here afterward.

Get this... believe the hype. TCITW is sensationally good! It boldly proclaims itself as a "game changer", in much the same way the original 'Scream' revitalised the slasher genre for an all too brief period of post-modern nous (before the franchise ate itself and shat the leftovers out), but here the ambitions of the filmmakers have, if anything, been underplayed. The tagline, "You think you know the story", turns out not to be some idle boast but a mischievously innocuous hint at how this wonderful black comic homage to the entire horror genre takes all the old familiar tropes and audience expectations, turns them upside down and rips them apart before kicking the bloodied remains into touch. The central conceit of the movie is one of the most inspired of recent years allowing madness to reign and horror references to abound with wild abandon while maintaining the internal logic of the story quite magnificently. The inane mugging of 'Scary Movie' this isn't... they bake the cake, have it, eat it and mop up the crumbs afterward.

I really can't say much more than that and would plead with anyone who professes to love Horror to go and see this film asap before even the slightest spoilers have leaked out. What we have here is an instant classic horror comedy for discerning fans of gobsmacking originality and outrageous entertainment value. It now stands alongside 'Shaun Of The Dead', 'An American Werewolf In London', 'Theatre Of Blood' & 'Carry On Screaming' as one of the funniest and cleverest and most purely enjoyable deconstructions of horror cinema ever made. They must have had an absolute ball making this one because the love and care and attention to detail and sheer fun of the project is all up there on the screen. I defy any horror fan to come out of this movie without the broadest of grins while they replay scene after scene in their mind's eye. Yep, it's one of those - and, believe me, is best enjoyed with an audience!

To round up without spoilers: think of a no-holds barred US teen horror spoof that is as winningly played as the original 'Scream' but leaves that film standing with a wondrously constructed and original script full of teasing red herrings and head swivelling twists, that is as hilariously funny as 'Shaun Of The Dead' for those who can take their comedy black with lashings of deliberately OTT gore and brilliantly old-fashioned special effects subtly integrated with just the right amount of CGI, that builds suspense with the aplomb of a young John Carpenter to one genuinely thrilling and scary set piece after another, heightened by the unusual likeability of the cast of pretty young things - "the whore, the athlete, the scholar, the joker & the virgin" - who, of course, aren't quite what they appear to be and that references just about every horror cliché in the book with levels of wit, charm and brains (lots of brains) that must have Wes Craven turning green with jealousy and what have you got - the absolute dog's bollocks of horror spoofs!! GO SEE IT PLEASE!!!! So I can rave on about all the other great stuff in there...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.211.110
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 06:47 pm:   

Not the same article ramsey. When i'm home and can search the web properly i'll link to it.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.168.85.104
Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 08:35 pm:   

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/apr/02/aardman-pirates-armless-lepe r-joke
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, April 16, 2012 - 04:20 pm:   

For anyone wondering, there is a reason I didn't mention a word about the plot of 'The Cabin In The Woods'. Right from the opening scene anyone who has watched a Hollywood horror movie of the last 30 odd years will realise straight away that we aren't in Kansas anymore...
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Seanmcd (Seanmcd)
Username: Seanmcd

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 193.113.57.161
Posted on Monday, April 16, 2012 - 05:07 pm:   

Sounds like a winner Stevie! Speaking of Horror comedies I picked up 'The Last Lovecraft' in Poundland at lunchtime. The cover blurb and smattering of film festival awards this one got convinced me to part with my last quid. Heard anything about it or seen it?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Monday, April 16, 2012 - 06:08 pm:   

There were half a dozen of my Facebook friends raving about this yesterday as well.

I think when payday drags itself around I may just have to pop down to see it.

Payday night itself, Grimm up north are doing a zombie triple bill at the Dancehouse so that should be worth a visit as well (£6.50 for a triple bill - bargain)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 - 12:54 am:   

Don't know about 'The Last Lovecraft', Sean. The online reviews I've read are a bit hit-and-miss. Let me know what you think of it.

Don't miss 'The Cabin In The Woods', Weber, and try to see it before you hear any spoilers. The central twist is an absolute corker and the structure of the film like nothing I've seen before in the horror genre. Also it's extremely laugh-out-loud funny. The more I think of it the better and cleverer it gets. A 10/10 instant cult classic horror comedy!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 05:12 pm:   

We have a contender for Turkey of the Year, folks:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
6. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
7. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
8. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins
#. 'This Must Be The Place' by Paolo Sorrentino

The above film taught me an abject lesson last night... no matter how good the signs are and how strongly the talent involved appeals to you personally or how sure your instinct is that a film sounds made for you and is bound to be just great NEVER EVER go to see it without having checked out some reviews first.

'This Must Be The Place' takes its title from one of my favourite Talking Heads songs (and you all know by now how much I worship the Heads) while the soundtrack, including original songs, is by the great David Byrne himself in collaboration with another of my musical heroes, the unfeasibly talented Will Oldham (the closest thing we have to a modern day Neil Young). Not only that but Byrne appears in the film playing himself as the old friend of Sean Penn's aging rock star, Cheyenne, in what looks, strikingly from the stills, to be one of the great powerhouse performances the actor has become famous for. Described as a quirky black comedy road movie by a critically acclaimed up-and-coming Italian director and set on location in Ireland and across the United States with Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch and Harry Dean Stanton in supporting roles... what could possibly go wrong?

The answer - just about everything! I sat down expecting to be bowled over by the intensity of Penn's acting but after about ten minutes a creeping sense of dread stole over me as I realised I wanted to punch this simpering buffoon's #&*%ing head in and was going to be stuck with the character in virtually every shot for the rest of the movie. Sean Penn is a fabulous actor and throws himself into the role with his usual committment so it is perhaps a perverse testament to his abilities that he has created the single most irritating lead character in motion picture history! Everything about Cheyenne makes you want to throw things at the screen while screaming for him to get off, from his goofball goth appearance to the strangled monotone whine of a voice that Penn delivers every single line with. Someone really should have told him his performance wasn't so much over-the-top as bloody insufferable! Imagine sitting in the company of a demented cross between Robert Smith, Ken Dodd and Pee-Wee Herman for nearly 2 hours of wince inducing aural torture and that's what suffering this character is like.

That would be bad enough but the film also proclaims itself to be a comedy and yet spectacularly fails to raise as much as a grin for its entire plodding length! Penn’s character is a manic depressive wracked with guilt for the young fans who took his music (that we are thankfully spared) a tad too seriously and bumped themselves off. As restitution he decides to track down and kill the Nazi war criminal who victimised his father in Dachau (yes, he’s Jewish). After following him trudging dolefully from one prettily filmed but deadly dull and crushingly pretentious set piece to the next with remorseless tedium for what felt like a sizeable chunk of my life I felt I was close to joining them. The makers of Prozac would be providing a much needed service if they were to hand out free samples to audiences leaving this dreadfully misjudged farrago. I, for one, will be keeping an eye on the suicide figures in Belfast this week!!

Even the much lauded cameo appearance by David Byrne – who has more charisma in one of his toe-nails than this berk could dream of - is so brief, leaving us back on our own with bloody Cheyenne again, that it only heightens the oppressive gloom, and our torture, by its inclusion. The music too provides only fitful relief and ultimately is lost behind a chorus of grinding teeth and muffled weeping… was that a body I heard falling into the aisle? The very definition of someone's idea of clever life-affirmingly quirky comedy that saps the will to live from all those who see it... for the sake of your future happiness avoid this pretentious load of bollocks at all frigging costs!!

Bring on 'Avengers Assemble'... PLEASE!!!!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 05:37 pm:   

But you said similar things about Black Swan - which was one of my favourite films of last year...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 05:39 pm:   

Anyway, I'm off to a zombie triple bill tonight courtesy of those Grimm Up North fellows. Juan of the Dead, War of the Dead (bot pre release showings) and 80's classic Return of the Living Dead.

All that zombie fun and cheap beer to boot!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.130.84.245
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 02:05 pm:   

JUan of the dead is possibly the funniest zombie comedy I've seen. Lots of absolute belly laughs and (at one point) the best way i've ever seen of killing an etire zombie horde in one go. Makes Shaun of the dead look like a humorless effort (and I like Shaun of the Dead).

War of the Dead - avoid. This sounded like the most interesting one of the night - basic story is that it's 1941 and a nazi research lab has accidentally created zombies and a special squadron of soldiers is sent in to deal with it) but unfortunately it all seemed to be shot in pitch black and the action sequences were so frenetically edited you couldn't tell what was happening in any of them. The characters were cliched beyond belief and the dialogue is even worse. It got nearly as many laughs as return of the living dead - despite trying to be a serious and scary zombie film. I didn't find it as unintentionally funny as a lot of people did. I just found it boring. (and why was it an American unit? I'm sure the yanks hadn't joined in the war yet)

Return of the living dead - the 80's classic. Forget Dawn of the dead remake and 28 days later (which isn't a zombie film anyway), this was the first zombies can run film. Also this is the one where they chant BBBBBBRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNNSSSSSSSS as they come after you. A regrettable lapse in my horror film knowledge up until last night, and a gap well filled.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.130.84.245
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 02:06 pm:   

And, drinking cider, it wasn't a cheap bar. (bastards)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 02:44 pm:   

It may not be great art but 'Avengers Assemble' was just what the doctor ordered after the ordeal of that other load of toss:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
6. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
7. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
8. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
9. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins
#. 'This Must Be The Place' by Paolo Sorrentino

It's big, dumb, brash and beautiful... and entertaining as hell. Very little thought is given to internal logic and the movie whizzes from one ridiculously OTT action set piece to the next like the brazenest of cinematic tarts but for all fans of Marvel comics coolest of cool super-groups that's exactly what will have been expected. The film doesn't disappoint. We get The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) wrestling with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Robert Downey Jnr's Iron Man taking the piss out of Captain America's (Chris Evans) gung-ho patriotism, Samuel L. Jackson & Jeremy Renner (as Nick Fury & Hawkeye) attempting to outdo each other's "mean motherfucker" routine, a memorably hissable and just the right side of camp villain in Tom Hiddleston's Loki, legions of dimension hopping monstrosities and, most magnificent of all, Scarlett Johannson's arse in that skin-tight S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

Coming across as much of a soap opera as an action movie all this is ultimately beyond criticism and the franchise is sure to clean up at the box office. I enjoyed it immensely but felt cheap and dirty afterward. It's that kind of meaningless experience... and a shoe-in for Guilty Pleasure of the Year.

Joss Whedon is no director, on this evidence, but he knows exactly how to play to the fanboys - including this one. Also, make sure and stick around for the after credits teaser and spine-shivering introduction of the next movie's arch-villain. It already has me hooked for 'Avengers 2'.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 02:55 pm:   

I watched CHRONICLE last night - it was a lot better than I expected, to be honest.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 04:36 pm:   

I'm tempted to go see 'The Pirates' tonight to get me out of the house and because it's the only thing remotely interesting on.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 10:31 pm:   

That was a delightful way to spend an evening:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
6. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
7. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
8. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
9. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
10. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins

'The Pirates' is easily Aardman's best movie since 'The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit' and has all their usual strengths - the incredible attention to detail and refreshingly old-fashioned charm - coupled with new levels of irresistibly silly slapstick humour and a larger than usual and carefully delineated cast of loveably barmy characters who really deserve a series of their own, imo.

The madcap universe they've created here is a million miles away from the relative sanity of 'Wallace & Gromit' or 'Chicken Run' and there is an almost Pythonesque surrealism to the visuals that put me in mind of Terry Gilliam's absurdist flights of fantasy - 'Baron Munchausen' in particular.

It's a strikingly beautiful work and laugh-out-loud funny for kids and adults alike, the voice characterisations are all spot-on, the initially ridiculous plot (about trying to win the Pirate of the Year contest!) reveals itself as a nicely judged morality tale of having to choose between the trappings of success and staying true to oneself and the whole project has "labour of love" written all over it. As ever Aardman have produced an effortlessly heartwarming and genuinely loveable entertainment for all the family and there isn't really a lot more to be said than that... well done, chaps!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.150.16.94
Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 02:44 am:   

Just been to see the Cabin in the Woods and Stevie's hyperbole is pretty much spot on. Two hours later and I'm still grinning. I'll be buying this for definite when it comes out on DVD and watching it with a big notebook to try and count all the films referenced (and see how many I can name as well)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 11:39 am:   

Bloody fantastic wasn't it, Weber!! I still find myself thinking about it and grinning inanely at odd times even now.

The best horror spoof since 'Shaun Of The Dead', no contest.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 05:09 pm:   

I've just checked the new cinema releases today and there is nothing, not a sausage, that you could even pay me to go and watch! I can't recall a slower or less memorable year for cinema, at a third through ffs, than this one. Maybe the "recession" (read Depression) is to blame?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 05:33 pm:   

I would have thought the Marley biopic would be right up your street.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 08:32 pm:   

It was on here a few weeks back but that's one more for telly. Roll on 'Prometheus' I say...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 02:58 am:   

Against all the odds I discovered an unexpected horror/suspense gem this weekend:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
6. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
7. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
8. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
9. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
10. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan

At first glance 'Silent House' didn't appear too appetising, sounding and looking like another hackneyed slasher movie, until I noticed that the lead role was played by Elizabeth Olsen, who was so astonishing in 'Martha Marcy May Marlene', and that the film purported to be shot in real time all in one take ala Hitchcock's 'Rope' or that unforgettable episode of 'Psychoville'. The directorial team of Kentis & Lau had been responsible for the fairly effective but ultimately rather gimmicky thriller 'Open Water' (2003) which had me wondering if this effort, also allegedly based on a true story, would be more of the same... but in the end the lure of seeing Olsen again won me over, and I'm glad it did.

On the surface 'Silent House' is an unremarkable suspense thriller with a by-the-numbers set-up that plays very similarly to the French thriller 'Them' (2006). A young woman accompanies her father and uncle to their rambling vacation home in the country intending to help clean it up before selling. The place has been left half derelict by the vandalism of local youths and squatters with no power and every window broken and boarded up leaving the inside in perpetual darkness. Carrying torches and lanterns she and her father set about their work while Uncle Peter heads back into town for supplies. Before long a knocking is heard at the door and, while her father is busy in the basement, the girl answers it to be confronted by another young woman who embraces her claiming to have been her best friend when they were kids. After an awkward conversation, in which it is clear she doesn’t remember the girl, the “stranger” departs promising to return with photographic proof of their friendship. Our heroine is left unaccountably disturbed by this rather spooky encounter and proceeds to lock the front door so that no one can walk in unannounced. A fateful decision…

The usual strange noises from the depths of the house ensue with her growing ever more panicky and insisting to her father that they are not alone. Scoffing at her fears he proceeds to search the place and is summarily despatched by an unseen assailant while she, of course, has to go and lose the front door key in her panic and spends the rest of the film locked in the darkness of the vast house while being stalked by a faceless maniac – all in one fluid take with the camera never leaving her. Once again Elizabeth Olsen’s performance is mesmerising and carries the entire film. I have rarely seen stark terror portrayed so convincingly on the face of any actor and this is heightened to almost unbearable levels by her having to stifle even the faintest whimper while the killer plays cat and mouse with her through the many rooms and dark hiding places of the house. The use of noise – clumping footsteps and creaking doors, etc - echoing through the stillness from varying hard to gauge distances and the camera’s lingering over every facial expression of this astonishingly gifted young actress are the tools used to keep tension on a knife-edge throughout the film. Technically this is a masterwork of sustained suspense that shamelessly throws every trick in the book at the viewer, with keys refusing to fit into locks, floorboards creaking and vases being knocked over at the wrong times and even the old chestnut of having a sequence lit only by the flashbulb of a camera all having the desired effect on the nerves.

But if that is all there were to ‘Silent House’ then it would fall into the arena of simple gimmick thrillers, like last year’s ‘Julia’s Eyes’, that superficially entertain on a first viewing but don’t hold up to much scrutiny afterward. For all its gimmicky set-up the story, building on the mystery of that other young woman’s appearance at the beginning of the film, becomes much more involved and thought provoking than is at first apparent with the action being cleverly interspersed with hints at some deeper mystery hidden in the protagonist’s forgotten past, and the unspoken history of the house, that reveal a richer psychological and possibly even supernatural subtext to the girl’s plight. I can say no more than that to avoid spoilers but there are moments of real scalp-prickling dread in this movie, above and beyond the cat and mouse suspense, when we wonder if we can even believe the evidence of our eyes and that make us question what exactly is going on, ensuring that after the final credits roll the film lingers in the mind and is sure to reward repeat viewings.

For Olsen’s star making performance and the refreshing depth and ambiguity that beefs up the deceptively simple premise this is a brilliantly acted and seriously effective gem of its kind that is sure to remain one of the best horror films of the year. Far superior to the team's 'Open Water' and the OTT thrills of 'Julia's Eyes' this is definitely well worth catching, imo.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.47.222
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 09:16 am:   

Have you seen the original Uruguayan film (La Casa Muda, 2010), upon which this was based, Stevie?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.94
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 11:05 am:   

Goodies recently found:

Pulse (Kairo). Glad I foud a copy at long last!

Los Sin Nombre. Would you believe I'd never seen this? A great film in its own right which retains just enough elements of the Landlord's novel.

The Heart is Deceitful above All Things. Not bad, but the short stories in the collection of the same name are better. Asia Argento is actually very good in this.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 11:16 am:   

Stevie - interestingly, SILENT HOUSE was actually shot in a series of ten to fifteen minutes takes rather than one ninety minute one. Don't know about the original though
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 12:41 pm:   

It's extremely well edited then, Mick, as the joins are unnoticeable. Technically the film is a marvel and the way Olsen sustains her performance with the camera never leaving her has me in awe of her talent and also a little bit in love.

The fact that it was a US remake of a subtitled original was another thing that didn't bode well about the film for me but, by all accounts, this is one of those rare examples that improves upon the original in every way. A really great no-nonsense little thriller, imo. Have you seen the original, Huw?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.210.42
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:55 pm:   

Rope was shot in the same way in 10-15 minute takes. You know when it changes take because the camera closes in on an item - a door, someone's back, the chest lid etc- till it fills the screen for a frame or two. Those are the edit points. I might have to watch silent house just to see if i can spot them.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 02:33 pm:   

Yep - Rope's easier as the cameras they used only had ten minutes' worth of film, so you just had to wait until almost ten minutes were up and there'd be an obvious change, as Marc says.
With today's digital tomfoolery, I don't know how easy it would be to spot the edits - I guess, in SILENT HOUSE at least, there's a fair bit of scope for covering them up, with the house being in darkness and all.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.23.109.19
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 02:53 pm:   

I thoguht Silent House a bit naff, personally.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 03:18 pm:   

I can see it being one of those films that will divide opinion right down the middle. I thought the resolution of the mystery was brilliantly handled and found those final scenes to be imbued with almost Campbellian levels of dread. The clues to what was really going on were there all along and thinking back, trying to spot them with hindsight, is what makes the movie linger in the mind - for me anyway.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 06:51 pm:   

Has anyone seen the trailers for the subtley named Pirahna 3DD yet?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.216.11
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 07:04 pm:   

Yes! And it's definitely one i'm going to see - even though it does look like a rerun of the last film rather than continuing from the rather splendid ending of 3d.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 07:12 pm:   

I've seen one reviewer describe it as a 'guilty pleasure', and I think that sums it up nicely. I'll have to find a way of fooling the wife into her thinking I'm off to watch something a little more high-brow...
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.113.105
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:26 am:   

Other than filming a theatrical performance, I can't imagine why one would want to film something in one take, or even give that impression. Cuts are usually invisible, cauterized instantly by the mind. To exclude them is distracting, I think. Our perceptions are fragmentary, after all. I believe Lacan wrote about this.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.48.128
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 09:53 am:   

Stevie, no, I missed seeing the original, unfortunately. It was showing at a film festival here last year, but I wasn't able to go. I haven't seen the remake, either. I'm curious about them...
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.31.147
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 11:57 am:   

Not with you, Proto. The opening of Touch of Evil? Rope?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 12:22 pm:   

There was a brilliant opening scene to the Spike Lee 'joint' Summer of Sam, where the camera moved down the street and into the nightclub all in one take, to the gorgeous Mira Sorvino dancing. I quite liked that film, although it was a little trite in parts.
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.23.109.19
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:06 pm:   

The opening of Casino is similar. A dazzlingly choreogarphed sequence.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.125.217
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 06:13 pm:   

"The opening of Touch of Evil? Rope?"

Yes, both good examples - of distracting technique and of simulating a theatrical experience respectively. Would Rope be a lesser film if it was cut more traditionally? Don't you find the camera's motiveless looming into objects and peoples' backs every ten minutes distracting? To be charitable, if Hitchcock was trying to make us feel like a guest at the party (albeit a drunken one) he succeeds. But even if these technical problems were solved completely, it took a Hitchcock to make Rope a terrific film despite the gimmick.

Even this is judging a technique by the best of its type, not the worst (the helicopter crash in TERMINATOR: SALVATION, perhaps). Like deep focus, I think remaining cutting-celibate misunderstands how the eye and mind work.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 09:19 pm:   

And speaking of Scorsese, that long single shot in GOODFELLAS is another wonderful example.

But one of the best of recent years? The continuous-shot battle sequence in CHILDREN OF MEN.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:08 pm:   

I think you have a point there, Proto; an exception doesn't mean it is solid across the board. But a good example can work so well.

As you've also noted, standard cutting and editing does not draw attention to itself, whereas even a relatively shortly cut extended take does so instantly. So it is garnering attention for its own sake, really.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.28.39
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:25 pm:   

Do you think? How about the extended take in Terror in a Texas Town, for instance?

I found Rope claustrophobic in a way that Rear Window isn't for me, purely because of the long takes.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.28.39
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:33 pm:   

An interesting list, and see the comments too:

http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2007/05/long-take.html
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.94
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:36 pm:   

I miss those long takes à la Once Upon a Time in the West. Modern cinematic storytelling has become rather elliptic.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:36 pm:   

That is true: they do not allow for diffusion of stress. There is a 17.5 minute take in the film Hunger that is apparently suffocating in its power. But again, the film is famous mainly for the fact it had a 17.5 minute take. It begs the question how much artistic merit would have been attributed to the film if the scene was cut back and forward.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/22/entertainment/ca-hunger22
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.19.147
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:45 pm:   

I found Rope claustrophobic in a way that Rear Window isn't for me, purely because of the long takes.

Can we so sharply distinguish the effects that editing and staging have on us? After all, James Stewart needs to use binoculars in Rear Window. But I can see how claustrophobia could be evoked without cutting.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 11:12 pm:   

How about the extended take in Terror in a Texas Town, for instance?

I haven't seen Terror in a Texas Town; I'll keep a look-out for it.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 11:23 pm:   

I will too! Starring Sterling Hayden, screenplay by Dalton Trumbo... looks good....
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.209.31
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 12:48 am:   

We experience real life in real time without cuts. When films manage to accurately simulate this it makes the whole experience more intense and draws you in so much more. Personally i find the current habit of not going more than 10 seconds without a change of camera angle/shot is far more distracting than an occasional close up on a swinging door or someone's back.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 01:11 am:   

We experience real life in real time without cuts.

Funny you mention this, because I came to a kind of enlightenment the other day: we are unified beings, hopelessly locked in binary hell. EVERYTHING conceivable - there is no exception! - is a binary state, to our unified consciousness; even these very thoughts thinking it are... and this is the source of all our unhappiness, our slake-less quest in seeking multiple, layered sensations, experiences, and existences --

Hold on. My pot dealer's at the door.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.144.35.15
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 01:30 am:   

the main cause of problems i our lives is the pictures we carry in our heads of how it should be...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.144.35.15
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 01:30 am:   

*in our lives
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 03:50 am:   

That, and trying to do 2+ things at once. You can only do, think, see, smell, touch, read, experience, etc., 1 thing at any given moment. To do 1 thing, means X number other things can't be done. This creates a constant state of anxiety. The great gurus, holy men, saints, etc., of the world... they seek states of pure consciousness, of perfect still bliss: they seek the ONE, which is to be beyond the binary state, the off/on state that is our --

Dude. Seriously. This is some really good weed this guy got me.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.249
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 09:15 am:   

"We experience real life in real time without cuts."

No, that's the point. We don't.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.217.74
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 09:56 am:   

I wish someone could edit my walk to work. That's 40 minutes of time i could do with trimming off. And the working day itself when i'm there... That always seems like 8 hours real time. How do you jump cut straight to the end of it? Seriously though, i genuinely don't understand what you're saying. The only time we ever experience things not in real time is when we're dreaming- which can't be considered real life.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 10:26 am:   

Hold on. My pot dealer's at the door.

Great stuff.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 10:34 am:   

As far as the extended cut goes, think of the poor boom operator. Apparently in the film Hunger they took four takes, and the boom operator collapsed in the third.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 11:07 am:   

"the working day itself when i'm there... That always seems like 8 hours real time. How do you jump cut straight to the end of it? Seriously though, i genuinely don't understand what you're saying."

This is slightly different from the question of perception, but you manipulate time every time you are bored and undertake an action, surely?
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 129.11.76.229
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 11:13 am:   

Has anyone ever read Richard Matheson's short story 'Montage'?
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 12:41 pm:   

The mind likes cuts. It makes them itself. I actually get bored if there aren't any. There comes a strain that doesn't need to be there.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 01:05 pm:   

"but you manipulate time every time you are bored and undertake an action, surely?"

Unfortunately, my name is not Hiro Nakamura, Billy Pilgrim or Henry De Tamble. Neither am I a native of the planets Gallifrey or Tralfamadore. Therefore when I undertake an action I experience it in real time without cuts.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 03:14 pm:   

Great stuff.

Though not exactly the timeline as described, Christopher, the substance was unadulterated. Translate as desired.

Has anyone ever read Richard Matheson's short story 'Montage'?

I haven't, Gary, but have you read Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's "Lapses"?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 04:51 pm:   

I'm always phasing out into a world of my own and walking past people I know in the street without acknowledging them or being spoken to in a group without realising it was me being addressed. It's a real nuisance sometimes but something I've learned to live with. We are in a constant state of flux between our interior and exterior worlds and both are the creations of our own narrow field of perception... and that's without even considering the subconscious realm or the superconscious overriding reality that we are all only infinite facets of.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:28 pm:   

Even light moves in blocks, and apparently the brain can't really 'see' movement.
Were people getting fed up with cuts or something?
Cuts reflect the movement of the mind. I can't remember every step of my day, or sequence of events. Not cutting is almost akin to making sure people's feet are always in shot.
As an aside, Eric Rohmer always made us see his character's physical journeys, didn't just cut to them. He also filmed his character's whole bodies, for the most part. I sort of agree with those things.
And yet, if a film made in a continuous shot is a good film, then good.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 08:16 pm:   

You can always introduce cuts into your own life by binge-drinking. One minute you're doing a rendition of Queen's Fat-Bottomed Girls, the next you're in the cells. With your underpants on back-to-front.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.94
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 08:56 pm:   

Has anyone ever read Richard Matheson's short story 'Montage'?

Never even seen it, Gary. Clue us in.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 05:20 pm:   

Couple of movies opening in the next week that look like they might be worth checking out:

Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows', about which I know next to nothing, other than it was based on a long-running US TV series from the 60s I never heard of, but Burton is always worth taking a risk on. Will it be another 'Alice In Wonderland' magnitude misjudgement or a visionary return to form, like 'Sweeney Todd'. Here's hoping the latter.

And Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy opus, 'The Dictator', helmed by the ever-reliable Larry Charles of 'Seinfeld', 'Curb', 'Borat' & 'Brüno' fame. With a pedigree like that it's gotta have something going for it!

Anyone heard any reports and/or rumours?
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 06:00 pm:   

There have already been a couple of Dark Shadows films, back in the 'seventies. I've seen the first (HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS - 1970) but not the second (NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS - 1971) although I do have both on a nice laserdisk set.
Folk whose opinions I trust have not said good things about the new film...
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 220.138.166.21
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 07:33 pm:   

It's been ages since I read the 'Collected Matheson', but isn't 'Mantage' the one about the struggling writer who finally gets all the fame and success he ever dreamed of, but things don't work out quite as he'd expected?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:00 pm:   

Stevie: Apparently Sasha Baron Cohen was barred from the Oscars, from attending as his character in The Dictator, anyway. He has to go as himself. It would have been some publicity stunt, but looking at how outrageous some of his other stunts have been, it may have overtaken the occasion somewhat.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 05:08 am:   

That first, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, is wonderful, Mick, ennit?! But that second one, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS, man... I just remember it being a terrible disappointment....
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 11:10 am:   

That first, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, is wonderful, Mick, ennit?! But that second one, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS, man... I just remember it being a terrible disappointment....

Yep, Craig - first one's a good'un all right. I've yet to steel myself to watch the second as I only hear bad things about it and don't want to spoil my memory of the first!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 02:07 pm:   

I think I'll risk 'Dark Shadows' this evening anyway. Burton has a habit of surprising me just when I've written him off (again) and as I'll be coming to the whole 'Dark Shadows' phenomenon fresh I'll be able to judge the movie on its own merits. Here's hoping...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 02:08 am:   

He's done it again... I am pleased to announce a storming return to form:

1. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
2. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
3. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
4. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
5. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
6. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
7. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
8. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
9. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
10. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh

I went to see Tim Burton's latest knowing next to nothing about it or the TV series it was based upon and can state categorically that it's right up there with his very best works, imo. What we have here is a visually magnificent and genuinely hilarious black comedy horror film that ranks alongside ‘Beetlejuice’ (1988) or ‘Mars Attacks!’ (1996) as one of his zaniest and most purely entertaining visions of unfettered insanity. I don’t know how faithful to the original it is but if the TV show is even half as enjoyable it must be an absolute riot!

The tone is one of outrageous high camp gothic melodrama with a quality cast all hamming it up beautifully and the OTT imagery, comic horror set pieces and bizarre plot twists perfectly matching their eye-rolling performances while the whole thing is kept afloat with a deliciously sinister streak of cruelty behind all the madcap antics. The Collins family may superficially resemble their cousins the Addamses but this lot have real bite and to spend a night in Collinwood Manor is something one would be lucky to survive in one piece.

To try and describe the plot would be as futile as trying to knit with spaghetti but basically Johnny Depp plays Barnabas Collins, the 18th Century master of the family whose fishing business built up the seaport town of Collinsport, Maine, over which their imposing gothic manor casts its shadow. After rejecting the love of a powerful witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), to marry his sweetheart, Josette (Bella Heathcote), Barnabas finds his family cursed, his bride driven to her death and himself transformed into a vampire before being entombed in a chained coffin by the scorned sorceress. 196 years later, in 1972, with the descendants of the Collins family reduced to eccentric squalor and their home a half derelict mausoleum to their former greatness, some workmen unwittingly unearth the coffin and unleash the demonic Barnabas with a raging thirst and the determination to reclaim his place as head of what remains of the family. Of course his nemesis, Angelique, having discovered the secret of immortality, still lives in Collinsport as the super-bitch head of their former business and most powerful person in town, with her hatred/love of Barnabas undiminished by the centuries. Naturally mayhem ensues…

Throw in a feisty matriarch (Michelle Pfeiffer), a ne’er do well brother (Jonny Lee Miller), a rebellious teenager with an Alice Cooper fixation (Chloë Grace Moretz), a spookily precocious little boy (Gulliver McGrath), his stern, pale faced nanny, who just happens to be the reincarnation of Josette (see above), some resident ghosts, a werewolf, a live-in mad scientist/psychoanalyst (Helena Bonham Carter), the requisite creepy servants (Jackie Earle Haley & Ray Shirley), a mad old sea captain (Christopher Lee), lost treasure and more hidden passages, dark family secrets and internecine plotting than it’s possible to keep track of and what you have is a wildly enjoyable stew of horror and soap opera clichés with not a dull moment from beginning to end.

Burton has a ball with this material and also has great fun juxtaposing the gothic gloom and Hammer horror atmospherics against the ridiculous never to be repeated fashions and pop culture of the early 70s setting. Depp’s Barnabas Collins is a wonderfully po-faced and solemn voiced creation, when he isn’t ripping the throat out of some innocent pleb, and his 18th Century puritan’s reaction to the madness of the 20th Century’s most outrageous decade provides many of the film’s funniest moments.

Yep, this is one of Tim Burton’s best. Sublime entertainment that showcases all the director’s unique strengths at the very top of his game! I guess the message is, never write off a genius, no matter how self-indulgent, cos when his muse is firing and he connects with the material at hand there is still no one can touch the man for sheer visionary flair.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 03:17 pm:   

I'm off to see 'The Dictator' tonight. This appears to be more of a Will Ferrell type scripted comedy than Cohen's former mockumentary collaborations with Larry Charles. John C. Reilly & J.B. Smoove (Leon from 'Curb') are in it as well, and Ben Kingsley, which all bodes well.

Has no one else here seen 'Dark Shadows' yet? It really is a great show. Tim Burton right back in top form, imo.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 - 04:27 pm:   

Saw 'The Dictator' last night and it's a big disappointment. A misfiring vanity project for Sacha Baron Cohen who struggles to carry a scripted comedy as well as he does the spontaneous humour of his character based mockumentaries. The few genuinely hilarious scenes and moments of razor sharp political satire that pepper the movie are far outweighed by groan inducing lowest common denominator crudities, devoid of wit, and crassly predictable plot developments straight out of the Hollywood handbook for how to please the plebs - think a less charming remake of 'Coming To America' (1988) - that dilutes any deeper point the film could have made about the Arab spring, western hypocrisy in the face of it and shifting definitions of good and bad dictatorship. A fitfully amusing but ultimately distasteful wasted opportunity given the wealth of talent involved. John C. Reilly, J.B. Smoove & Edward Norton are given only blink and you'll miss them cameos and Ben Kingsley has nothing much to do other than grimace over Cohen's shoulder.

The character of Admiral General Aladeen is as one dimensionally monstrous as any of the star's previous creations - coming across like a stupider and less likeable version of Colonel Gadaffi - but the flaw here, as with his film debut, 'Ali G Indahouse' (2002), is that, removed from the real world and normal people to react with outrage to his preposterous utterances, the humour, as scripted and performed, is shown to be as unsubtle and embarrassingly unfunny as the character would be in reality. This is a problem Cohen is going to have to overcome if his film career is to continue and I'd advise him to let other people handle the writing in future and not to feel constrained into playing the Hollywood game. He is an immensely talented comic actor - just watch his turn in 'Talladega Nights' (2006) for proof of that - but with this latest movie he's about as funny as Benny Hill playing a chinaman.

Trying to balance increasing shock value with increasing popularity just isn't working anymore. The characters of Ali G, Borat & Brüno worked magnificently on TV and 'Borat' (2006), the movie, was a comic masterstroke, that could only have worked the once. 'Brüno' (2009) was a half scripted and half as funny watering down of the format but with 'The Dictator' Cohen's ego has eclipsed his judgement and the results are sadly painful. For all the moments that do work by movie's end I was left deflated and feeling a little bit sick. Not good.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 01:52 am:   

Although it's from 2009, this is an interesting article by Jason Zinoman —resident horror expert at Vanity Fair— about his experiences on one of Robert McKee's script-writing seminars.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2009/11/robert-mckee-200911
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 07:49 am:   

I attended a McKee seminar, about 10 years ago. It lasts three days. The only real thing I feel I "learned," was the notion that it's always best to end a sentence on the most powerful word. Er, I mean, the word that's the most powerful.

I kinda disagree with both McKee and the author of the article, myself. I think film can be broken down and studied, and to do so, you need concrete, definable forms (otherwise it's like doing an autopsy on the Thing). Also, if we are to take into account stories have levels of quality - if we want to persist in our belief that one story is better than another story - we have to have reasons why, and what we're using as measurements; and these will inevitably lead to Platonic Ideals arguments, which again is about forms. And the structure and form of stories, with the end result being how to tell good ones from bad ones, and therefore how (as writers) to create good ones rather than bad ones, is the entire purpose of McKee's sermons and seminars.

But McKee can be rigid, and he discounts other factors I think are relevant in stories: the vital necessity and weight of conventions within genres; the anxiety of the audience, that is always present upon entering upon any given story; extra-story elements, which I radically believe are as part of any given story, as anything within that same story.

But I do agree with McKee, that in Hollywood, a great script can get noticed. If only they were easier to write, now....
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.184.110.232
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 09:46 am:   

http://grimmfest.com/grimmupnorth/2012/04/ti-west-double-bill-thur-24th-may/

This is where I'm headed tonight
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 10:10 am:   

You're lucky to have regular festivals like that over there. Northern Ireland is a boring cultural backwater when it comes to anything genre, worse luck.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.211.28
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 12:49 pm:   

I have to admit to almost total ignorance about these films and this director. Can any of you lovely people tell me if i should be preparing myself for a shock to the system?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 12:55 pm:   

Weber: They look great, although I don't know much about them. If I didn't have the final exam of my degree tomorrow, I'd be there. I didn't know things like this went on at all. I need to get on BFS Site more...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.217.50
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 01:26 pm:   

Are you in manchester chris?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 01:46 pm:   

Barrow-in-Furness these days, but originally from Wirral.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.19.79
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 02:11 pm:   

Here's a discussion that reveals rather a lot, so beware:

http://www.knibbworld.com/campbelldiscuss/messages/1/3575.html
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.147.143.185
Posted on Friday, May 25, 2012 - 03:01 am:   

Well I have to say I agree with Zed and (to a point) Paul from that thread. House of the Devil is indeed quite silly in places, she gets too scared for no reason and far too quickly. However, the director shows a great sense of how to compose a shot and I thought it was a pretty good film despite the flaws in the narrative logic.

The Inkeepers was a different kettle of fish altogether. This took all of the best ekements of House ofthe Devil - the naturalistic dialogue, realistic characters, slow steady build of tension, lovely composition of shots, and it kept them. All the promise that HOTD showed is built on and improved in this. The silly ending syndrome from HOTD is gone, replaced by a brilliantly tense alst 15 minutes that had two thirds of the cinema squirming in their seats.

The story concerns the last few days of business in a run down hotel. There are only 2 staff left to run it - given that only 2 of the rooms are booked, this isn't even understaffing the place - and they're staying in the hotel tehmselves just till the boss comes back on MOnday, just before the hotel shuts up shop for good.

Our two staff members are Clare and Luke. Luke spends a lot of his time creating a website about the ghosts which apparently haunt the hotel. Clare is an avid believer and trying to get proof of the ghost (a woman who commited suicide in the hotel soon after it opened and was walled up in the cellar to try to avoid bad press). Although there's not much that you could call strikingly original, this manages to feel fresh and teh interplay between the lead characters is totally believable. Kelly McGillis as an aging actress turned faith healer is a nice touch and really well played as well. Thhere are a few genuine jump out of your seat mments and a general creepiness which is absent from most ghost movies these days.

The writer/director manages to pull off the "is it real or is she totally mad" trick with considerable aplomb here. Even the ending still leaves room for doubt.

Highly highly recommended. When it comes to a cinema near you, don't miss it.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2012 - 02:22 pm:   

Stevie, have you seen Albert Nobbs? I saw it last night and loved it – a gentle, intelligent film about a lonely female transvestite working as a waiter in a Dublin hotel a century or more ago. The turning point is when she meets another woman who is living as a man, but with a female partner. The theme of working-class lesbianism, and its part in protecting women from abusive men, is handled thoughtfully and unsensationally. Despite the occasional lapse into sentimentality, this is a strong and compassionate film with a sharp sense of humour, clearly influenced by The Crying Game.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2012 - 03:00 pm:   

I saw that it was on but thought the film sounded a bit farcical and over-reliant on coincidence, Joel. I've never been much of a fan of gender bending comedies as they tend to have only one joke. If I'd known it was more akin to 'The Crying Game' I'd have been the first in the queue!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2012 - 05:23 pm:   

Had a wonderful experience in the cinema on Saturday morning that makes everything else I've seen so far this year pale in comparison. Went to see Harold Lloyd's imperishable masterpiece, 'Safety Last' (1923), preceded by a selection of classic era Looney Tunes cartoons. Was heartwarming to see such a large crowd there of all age groups having an absolute ball, laughing their heads off at the perfectly timed sight gags and gasping at the still incredible stunts on the side of that building.

Among the cartoons 'Hair-Raising Hare' (1946) with Bugs Bunny stood out for me as a pitch perfect spoof of the old Universal Horrors including a Peter Lorre caricature as the "Evil Scientist" and a big red thing as his Frankenstein monster type creation. Laugh out loud comic genius that had the tears streaming down my face. It was also nice to see how well the "Is there a doctor in the house?" routine works in the cinema, as it was meant to be viewed. The silhouette standing up against the screen to proclaim "I am a doctor" is surprisingly convincing and Bug's "What's up, Doc?" has never been so meaningful nor funny. Absolutely priceless!!
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2012 - 07:59 pm:   

Stevie, Albert Nobbs is not so much a comedy as a drama with intermittent light comedy elements. By the end I was crying like a baby. But then I weep at the speaking clock: That sense of time passing, it's just so... elegaic... sniffle...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 02:37 pm:   

Finally 'The Artist' has been ousted from the No. 1 spot:

1. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
2. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
3. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
4. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
5. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
6. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
7. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
8. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
9. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
10. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau

It took two viewings for me to be sure this film was as awesome as my senses were telling me and, apart from being unimpressed by the 3D, it was an even more coherent and satisfying sci-fi epic the second time round. An instant masterpiece of its kind, imo, 'Prometheus' proves that Ridley Scott still has the ability to turn out truly visionary cinematic spectacle, with all the strengths of 'Alien' or 'Blade Runner', when he connects passionately with the material and completely removes himself from the real world and gives his imagination free rein.

It is clear from the complexity of the script – as much from what it leaves unsaid as it makes explicit – that this project has been years in gestation as a carefully planned prequel to ‘Alien’ that rightly ignores the rest of the formulaic franchise while attempting to broaden out the haunting first half of that film, which elevated it from just another scary monster flick to a genuine sci-fi/horror groundbreaker. Scott’s ambition was clearly to provide just enough answers without lessening the overall sense of mystery but rather creating a plethora of new ambiguities and unanswered questions on a truly cosmic scale that created in this viewer the feeling of awe I get from the best writers in the genre. More even than Asimov, Clarke or Heinlein, however, the author that most sprang to mind while gaping at this momentous spectacle was H.P. Lovecraft. Think ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ done in deep space and just as tantalisingly creepy and claustrophobic and you’ll have some idea of what I got out of this great motion picture.

There is a wonderfully exciting combination of high concept ideas and pure pulp energy evident throughout the film. For all its intelligence and slow moving grandiosity Scott never forgets to entertain the viewer, young and old alike, with their expectations raised either by the cinematic sci-fi epics of yesteryear or the adrenaline pumping excitement of today’s adult sci-fi computer games, and that he gets away with this “required” balancing act is testament to his directorial nous at working round interference from the money men. That there is so little action in the movie, so many long atmospheric scenes of exploration and conversation and no alien monstrosities leaping out every time the lights go off is proof of a master craftsman getting his way in the corporate minefield of Hollywoodland and putting his own vision and the wishes of the true fans, the ones who’ve cared since 1979, first.

When the action and horror set pieces do kick in, however, they are all the more effective and exhilarating for the long intellectually and emotionally engaging passages that preceded them and for their sheer unpredictability given the clichés we all became accustomed to over the three sequels of the franchise. This is the ultimate test of a perfectly paced adult genre entertainment that respects the intelligence of its audience, imo. I would state, for that reason, that ‘Prometheus’ is the best ‘Alien’ movie since the original and Scott’s finest achievement since ‘Blade Runner’ (1982), by a country mile. A second viewing only confirmed that opinion and the exciting news that a further twenty minutes of “director’s cut” footage will be on the DVD has me positively foaming at the mouth with expectation. Every scene of this movie was so brilliantly composed and visually awe inspiring that what extras exist must surely exhibit the same quality and add to the completeness of the finished product. My one and only major gripe with the film is why we weren't allowed to see the full existing version on the big screen - but that's, perhaps, the one battle Ridley couldn't win over the corporate shite spinners. However, I digress, and still shiver with excitement wondering will we get to see more of the intriguing intro back on Earth, more scalp-prickling scenes of archaeological exploration in slime dripping cyclopean spaces, more squamous tentacled horrors slithering over the screen or, most exciting to contemplate, scenes of David piloting the alien spaceship and, perhaps, of what lies in store for them!

Which brings me to the heart of the movie - the character of David, the journey he takes and Michael Fassbender’s astonishingly multi-layered performance as a soulless android, the prototype of Ian Holm & Lance Henriksen, and the best thing in the film. To put the android at the centre of the action and make him the most fascinating and oddly sympathetic character is only more evidence of Scott’s determination to break away from the tired mechanics of the franchise and create a new richer vision. David has been created and programmed by human beings, in their image, to serve and never to question yet his childlike computer brain and eagerness to learn make him the only one of the characters to fully engage with the alien mystery they uncover, on a level of awestruck wonder that puts to shame his hard-nosed flesh and blood companions, with their feuds, love affairs and petty bickering in the face of their own makers… whatever they are. Yet poor David has no option but to obey his programming and it is the unblinking “struggle” between his free self and his subservient monster persona, for he is also the most chilling threat in the movie – outclassing all the pulsing mucoid horrors for cold, calculating menace - that raises the story above just another glossy computer gamish confection to a serious work of fiction that touches on eternal truths.

Hidden agendas are afoot on board the starship Prometheus and David is far from on the side of the angels... he knows it, we know it, and there's not a damn thing can be done about it! The rest of the fine ensemble cast of human beings; Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Rafe Spall, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Benedict Wong, Emun Elliott & others (there are a mouth-watering 17 crew members in all) are kept pleasingly anonymous for the most part and, as with ‘Alien’, we have no way of knowing who are the good guys and who the bad guys, who will end up the principal hero (if any) and who just monster chow and the interplay between them and David (just who is pulling his strings?) generates marvellous suspense during the long atmospheric build-up. When the revelations and character turnabouts start coming that’s when the action cranks up and our adrenaline glands go into full flow. That is what I call masterful popular filmmaking.

One can quibble about incidental details the way any lesser genre work could be pulled apart if one is so inclined but I have no doubt most of the apparent minor inconsistencies are down to the audience complimenting tell-them-less-is-more approach of the scriptwriters, Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof, as well as, perhaps, to the suited vultures' insistence on removing those twenty minutes... we shall see.

I have a much loved Beethoven CD in my collection, called ‘The Creatures Of Prometheus’ (a ballet score played by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), that I won’t be able to play now without thinking of the creatures in this movie… all of them. The enigmatic alien engineers or “giants in the earth” of mythology, the smaller subservient replicas they created out of “clay” i.e. us, the punishment for stealing the god’s fire that resulted in the cancerous abandon of the pseudo-humanoid alien nightmares come to eat what spawned them and, at the end of the line, a clean, smiling, innocent being called David – with eyes as cold as ice.

Brilliant, just brilliant filmmaking on an epic scale that sings of the major achievements of the 60s, 70s & 80s – from ‘2001 : A Space Odyssey’ & ‘Planet Of The Apes’ to ‘Solaris’ & ‘A Clockwork Orange’ on to ‘Blade Runner’ & ‘Brazil’ and that reiterates Ridley Scott’s boast of being one of the few genuine auteurs of science fiction cinema. Another twenty minutes of the ride remains and I, for one, am praying for those sequels, folks. When a thing is done right after so many decades of false starts that fact needs to be celebrated. Hats off to you, sir, ya played a blinder!! Move over ‘Inception’… ‘Prometheus’ is the sci-fi movie by which the early 21st Century will be judged!

For the record here’s my ranking of the Alien franchise:

1. ‘Alien’ (1979) by Ridley Scott *****
2. ‘Prometheus’ (2012) by Ridley Scott ***** (No. 2 for now…)
3. ‘Aliens’ (1986) by James Cameron ****½
4. ‘Alien³’ (1992) by David Fincher ****
5. ‘Alien Resurrection’ (1997) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ***½
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.82.78
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 11:35 pm:   

Prometheus sounds great! I can't wait to see it.

Oh, hang on...

(Seriously, that's been happening a lot - looking forward to the film again and then remembering that I've already seen it.)
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.5.43.148
Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2012 - 12:04 am:   

To be fair, even I didn't see the film Stevie described , and I liked Prometheus...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2012 - 09:29 am:   

Then watch it again, Zed. It improves and makes much more sense on a second viewing. Above is not so much a review as a personal declaration of what I got out of the movie. It is sensationally good and I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who is saying that.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:05 pm:   

I'm off to the cinema and it's a toss-up between two vaguely interesting looking new horror films; 'The Pact' or 'Red Lights'. I know nothing about either so wish me luck, people.

Report to follow...
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:13 pm:   

I got put off Red Lights when I saw the bit with the levitating man on the stage. Go see Pact! :-)
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:28 pm:   

No, both of you: save your money, go to the video store, and rent all 4 seasons on DVD of "Breaking Bad," then watch them before it starts on July 15, because I just finished Season 4 and IT BLEW THE TOP OFF MY FUCKING HEAD!!! OMFUCKINGG!!!

Which is to say... it's pretty good.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2012 - 03:19 am:   

So they're taking another bite at the apple - looks too much like THE DARK KNIGHT, but I hope it's better than the last one at least... and please God, let it be very popular, so that maybe they'll further explore the weird and wonderful world of Judge Dredd: http://youtu.be/ull44R4yhJY
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John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert)
Username: John_l_probert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.158.152.219
Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2012 - 11:04 am:   

I suspect there are people on here who will find COSMOPOLIS worth a look so here's a link to my review after I saw it last night:

http://www.johnlprobert.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/cosmopolis-2012.html

And Stevie if you've not seen THE PACT yet have a look at what I had to say about that - so at least you don't miss the references!
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.39.191
Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2012 - 12:26 pm:   

Thanks for that, John – I'm hoping to see Cosmopolis this week.

Just a quick note: if you have the opportunity to see Cafe Flore, a recent French-Canadian film starring Vanessa Paradis, go to see something else. If it's the only film available, go to the pub instead. If you're tied to a chair and forced to watch it, try to knock yourself unconscious before the last half-hour. Though Paradis is very good, her character is wasted in an execrably stupid film. This is the core storyline (SPOILER ALERT)...

A jealous ex-wife whose husband has left her realises that in a former life, she was a psychotically jealous mother who killed her disabled child – so she decides to hug her errant hubby's new bride and make nice.

No, I'm not making this up. It really is that stupid, that insulting, that tacky.
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John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert)
Username: John_l_probert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.158.152.219
Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2012 - 12:36 pm:   

Oh dear! Thanks Joel - I shall indeed give that one a miss.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2012 - 02:09 pm:   

Saw two new movies last week and we have a new Top 10 entry and a new Turkey of the Year:

1. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
2. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
3. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
4. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
5. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
6. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
7. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
8. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
9. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
10. 'The Pact' by Nicholas McCarthy

Turkey Of The Year: 'Red Lights' by Rodrigo Cortés


'The Pact' is a really interesting and intelligent little horror movie expanded from a short by first time feature writer/director, Nicholas McCarthy. It is a carefully crafted and enjoyably low key twist on the haunted house theme made by an obviously knowledgeable fan of genre tropes as our expectations are played with quite brilliantly throughout. Visually and thematically it recalls last year’s ‘Insidious’ and is even set in the same kind of anonymous suburban American house, not usually associated with being haunted, but the director shows much more restraint, teasing the audience with sounds, half glimpsed shadows or flitting movements, and the central character’s increasingly neurotic reactions (imagination?) while avoiding any descent into OTT shock-horror tactics. This may not please the popcorn crowd but had me warming in appreciation of the sedately paced less-is-more approach. McCarthy shows great respect for his audience and for the horror genre with this picture and displays a rare cinematic understanding of how the subtle intrusion of the supernatural into everyday life, as perfected by M.R. James and Stephen King (at his best), makes for more memorable scares in the end.
For scares and jump moments there are aplenty but they are all generated by fear for the protagonist due, in no small part, to a fine wild-eyed yet sensitive performance by Caity Lotz that carries the movie and completely beguiles the viewer into sharing her plight and possible psychosis. She plays a psychologically disturbed yet feisty young woman who plucks up the courage to return to her childhood home following the death of her hated mother. The place was the scene of some unspecified trauma in her childhood and at once we are made to doubt if the impressions she picks up on returning there alone, to sort out her mother’s affairs, are real or the product of long buried memories. McCarthy has obviously been watching a lot of Asian horror movies and decrying the lack of anything comparably effective being produced in the States for his film is steeped in the creeping understated dread of the best from the Orient and plays with technology – laptops, mobile phones, satnav systems, etc – with the same sense of rebellious authority. I will say nothing about how the plot develops as I defy anyone to second guess the script but I was really impressed with the ending. It presents a knockout mental challenge to the viewer, rather than some pat explain-all twist, and had me cogitating fiercely on the way home until the penny dropped and then wanting to see the film again to pick up the rest of the cleverly strewn clues I realised I had missed. Without doubt one of the most impressively assured genre debuts of recent times I can’t recommend this fine little chiller enough. It promises great things… [I’ll have a look at your review now, John, as I wanted to give a spontaneous reaction to this great wee film]

On the other hand, the glossy big budget supernatural thriller, ‘Red Lights’, by yet another of the current crop of rising Spanish genre directors, Rodrigo Cortés, is just about the most preposterous load of bollocks I have come across in recent years. You may have thought last year’s ‘I Saw The Devil’ was bad or that ‘Confessions’ plumbed the darkest depths of imaginable shite but nothing will have prepared you for this one! An illogical and mind numbingly stupid concoction of pseudo-clever, sub M. Night-Shyamalan rubbish that deserves to be murdered by all right thinking horror fans. I was wooed along by the gobsmacking quality of the cast – Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy, Joely Richardson & new scream queen on the block (you heard it here first!), Elizabeth Olsen (who was so mesmerising in ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ & ‘Silent House’) – and I left thinking all of them must have been either hypnotised or paid quadruple their usual asking fee to stomach appearing in such an utter farce! At one point I swear I saw De Niro cracking up during a particularly overwrought and supposedly frightening set piece but I can’t be sure if it was corpsing or terrible indigestion from the ulcer he no doubt developed after agreeing to this script. Okay, the first twenty minutes or so are fine, and actually quite engaging, with Sigourney Weaver (long my favourite actress) bringing her usual charisma to the screen, and the set-up, of three academic paranormal investigators (Weaver, Murphy & Olsen) tracking down cases of genuine supernatural/psychic phenomena, pleasingly calls to mind ‘The X Files’, ‘Sea Of Souls’ & ‘Fringe’ with spot-the-reference abandon, but after the introduction of De Niro’s ludicrously camp Uri Geller impersonation things go downhill with an acceleration that leaves the viewer not so much breathless as doubting one’s senses in a miasma of “is it me?” confusion. A part of my mind kept insisting there had to be some ultra-clever twist in store that would explain the increasing absurdity of the script in a moment of all-revealing clarity that would send us home raving instead of raving mad, as it were, but the final climactic confrontation of this movie takes the cake for the single most ridiculous so-called twist, that wouldn’t even fool a three year old, I have ever been insulted with. When the credits started to roll you could feel the stunned under-reaction all through the auditorium. I think it was five minutes before a brief strangled “is that it?” was heard somewhere behind me and then began the long soul-scarred trudge out into the daylight again. Hands down my new overstuffed Turkey of the Year and then some!! Avoid, warn people, pray, but do anything to ensure this drivel is forgotten asap…
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2012 - 03:26 pm:   

I've a real cinema treat in store this evening. The romcom genre is probably my least favourite type of movie but I am off to see the absolute greatest example that has ever been made as well as being its director's finest of many masterpieces and the single greatest performance of Jack Lemmon's career. Yep, it's Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment' (1960) on the big screen. One of the most magical movies of all time and also the darkest feelgood film ever made.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.24.198
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2012 - 04:18 pm:   

We saw it very recently on DVD - I wish I'd known of the imminent theatrical reissue! I previously saw it about fifty years ago on a rainswept New Year's Eve in New Brighton - imagine my adolescent mental state...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2012 - 11:15 pm:   

Just back from it, Ramsey, and I swear when Shirley MacLaine said "just deal" and THE END came up there was a collective round of oohs and aahs from every woman in the place followed by spontaneous applause. Peerless filmmaking!
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - 02:50 am:   

Well I saw the most execrable garbagey crap-shit so far for me this year, on an actually fairly well-received film: CRAZY STUPID LOVE.

Yes, I'm in the minority. Still. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated this.

Everyone involved in this film should be dragged out into the streets and summarily [insert your own worst nightmare involving one or more beings from Lovecraft's mythos].
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.23.26
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - 07:51 am:   

Hey, Stevie, it's "Shut up and deal"! But I certainly know what you mean. I remember seeing An Affair to Remember at the cinema, and when Cary Grant recognises the (offscreen) painting at the end a muffled sob went through the entire auditorium.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - 01:48 pm:   

Proof positive that they certainly don't make 'em like that anymore, Ramsey.

There was some kind of inexplicable warm emotional connection between cinema and its audience in those days (the same can be said of the music of the time) that was fuelled by an almost willful innocence and otherwordly respect for film and pop stars. The explosion of brutal honesty and unleashing of sex in the 60s/70s necessarily put an end to that and the tragic result could only ever have been the descent into outright cynicism and decadence we have witnessed since the 80s. People knew shame before the permissive society and there was an unspoken code of honour that had communities bonding together like families in those days whereas now all is grist to the popular mill and community spirit but a myth of our forefathers.

For a couple of hours there last night I was transported with a crowd of strangers into a ghost world that had ended before I was even born. The magic of cinema!

To listen to me anyone would think I'm a dyed in the wool Tory ffs!! The Horror!!
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - 02:19 pm:   

Ever since the Tories rebranded their class war as 'modernisation', the left has been on the back foot trying to defend community, solidarity and common human decency against the charge that it's out of date. We're reverting to Victorian or pre-Victorian models of healthcare, public transport, housing and even working life – and they have the nerve to call that 'modernisation'.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - 03:05 pm:   

I know, Joel, and it's bloody terrifying. Cameron's series of "modest proposals" yesterday was nothing less than a declaration of war on the "lower classes".

But they will be the architects of their own downfall, imo. The global financial depression we have been plunged into by criminal bankers has already started to change people's opinions of what is decent and correct and a very real movement back to ideas of co-operation, neighbourliness and community spirit can be detected all around the world - fired by a new found sense of communal outrage and a determination never to have the wool pulled over our eyes again by corporate con artists.

These things are cyclical and socialism is on the rise again so never fear... the Tories are fucked, man!
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, July 04, 2012 - 08:38 am:   

What happens when an uncle marries his niece? You get a tense and nifty little nail-biter like The Steel Trap (1952), a little-known gem of a crime thriller starring Joseph Cotten and Theresa Wright—who, nine years earlier, were the principal characters in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. Here, they play husband and wife, living the picture-perfect 1950's picket-fence life in L.A., with Cotten working as a bank manager, who does the same thing day in, day out... until one day an evil thought enters his head, and he decides to rob his bank of $1 million cash, and flee the county for extradition-less Brazil with his beautifully innocent wife—herself totally ignorant of the robbery—in tow. You're on the edge of your seat with sick tension throughout: you want him to get away with it, but you don't... you want the truth to come out, but you don't... and meanwhile, everything keeps going south for him. That this has never been released to VHS/DVD is a crime in itself, though someone reviewing it on imdb claims that as of 2010 at least, there was only one known copy of the film even surviving (which I'm sure has been rectified by now, me having dvr-ed this on TCM a few months back). If you like your semi-noir suspensers fast-paced and hair-raising, and are any kind of fan of Joseph Cotten playing with the darker side of human nature....
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 195.59.115.60
Posted on Wednesday, July 04, 2012 - 02:04 pm:   

That sounds really good, Craig - I shall look out for it. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.97.32
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 01:42 am:   

The Adequate Spider-Man.

That is all.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 03:09 am:   

I'll burn you a copy, Mick.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 09:42 am:   

Really Proto? Ebert said it was the second best of the Spiderman films. That's a shame.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 01:22 pm:   

If anyone would like me to burn them a copy of Blood on Satan's Claw, just send me the DVD. I'll supply the lighter fluid.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 02:33 pm:   

D'oh - you built my hopes up there.
I've never seen it.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.140.146
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 04:51 pm:   

I was being kind. The Awful Spider-Man.

Really it's made by replicants - Philip Dick replicants, not Ridley Scott ones. Charmless, needlessly dark and hollow. You need to know the financial and legal background to this before you can fully appreciate how cynical its existence is.

SPOILER
The last act the protagonist makes is to betray the wish of a dying man, whose daughter smirks with approval at this.
END SPOILER

Ugh.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 04:56 pm:   

I remember liking Blood On Satan's Claw, once upon a time... years ago... though not seen it since. I'm sure you can catch it somewhere on youtube, Tony.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.216.67
Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2012 - 05:51 pm:   

Oh good. Proto hated spiderman. That means i'll love it.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 09:22 am:   

Blood On Satan's Claw is excellent - weird and disturbing.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 10:21 am:   

Willem Dafoe said he saw a bit of the new Spiderman and said it was so much the same in quality and proffessionalism he wondered really what the point was. He also said the original had a nice innocent 'Aw Shucks' quality that could never happen again, and that he wasn't against remakes at all as they happened in theatre all the time but that this did feel a little cynical.
That's an odd attitude of yours, Weber... :-(

I like Willem Dafoe.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 10:27 am:   

We watched two silent films this week, to go back to the film at the head of this thread - The Golem and Nosferatu. The Golem was surprisingly great - a strange atmosphere like nothing else, and not for a moment anything other than gripping. Sad the music was so indifferent, though. As for Nosferatu, will it never age or fail to terrify? Such a strange film, almost documentary rather than the expressionistic creation it's famous for being.
It's been odd watching them because the mind reacts to them differently to how it does the kind of film we've grown used to. They seem more urgent and real - the mind, curiously, does not seem able to wander.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 10:36 am:   

And to go back to silence again, we tried watching the film Pandorum last night but gave up - there was so much sound, so much distractingly obtuse music we had to turn it off. But moments before, as an experiment, we turned the sound off - and it was instantly a better film.
(And while it was no great shakes it still had more atmosphere than Prometheus)
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.208.241
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 11:27 am:   

It's not such an odd attitude to have. So far there's been a 100% success rate that when proto posts saying how much he hates a film i've loved it. I often find his criticisms are on such esoteric and peculiar things that have no bearing on the enjoyment of the film to me. They seem to me to be the equivalent of saying the latest stephen king is rubbish because they use times new roman font in the blurb on the back cover.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.135.213
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 11:35 am:   

Pandorum was funny because Dennis Quaid's bits were filmed in a few days in the Czech Republic and he was sitting down for most of the film. Nice gig. It's a mess, but I thought the last scene on the planet's ocean was nice and Clarkian. Yes, sound is so crudely used today. I wanted more silence in Prometheus.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.135.213
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 11:41 am:   

I put on a bit of Spidey 3 to wash away the aftertaste of TAS and wow! It's so light and wide-eyed. I thought TAS and AVENGERS failed to find human stories and ended up with entire cities under ridiculous threats that are impossible to relate to. Raimi to his credit kept the human stories in there. He made me care that Peter almost lost Aunt May's engagement ring at the start.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.135.213
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 11:46 am:   

Saw the new Bond trailer. Lots of scowling. Sigh.
Bond 24 - title: Deadpan, villain: Pokerface.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 11:59 am:   

Spidey 3 has improved with time. Dafoe is right about the innocence - we need it sometimes.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.233.135.213
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 12:20 pm:   

I LOVED Spidey 3 from the start. My expectations were on the floor, which helped, but I still find parts of it genuinely moving. I learned that Venom was forced on Raimi while they were shooting.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 12:34 pm:   

It does suffer from him. You can see the joins. You can even feel the anger at the pressure. The Sandman scenes are uniformly wonderful - it could have been as good as 2 if he'd been the focus.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 12:35 pm:   

Does this mean Weber hates the 'old' spidey films..?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.210.147
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 01:17 pm:   

That doesn't quite follow. Just because i - so far - have liked every film i've ever seen proto claim he hates, it doesn't mean that i hate everything he likes. I loved the first two spidey films and liked the third a lot. Number 3 needed at least one villain excising from the story. They also committee a cardinal sin in rewriting pivotal events in the previous films for no good reason.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 04:19 pm:   

Giving Spidey the black suit for one film and not bringing Venom into it yet would have been good. Then number 4 could have concentrated on Venom.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, July 06, 2012 - 05:44 pm:   

Well I'm going to see Spidey tomorrow night (or at the weekend sometime for definite) so I'll be able to give my informed opinion before Monday.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.8.235
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 01:50 am:   

Okay, this is a 2011 film, but I"m sneaking this one in because I think it's the worst film of 2011 and it's so bad that it manages to be the worst film of 2012 too. There's a lot to learn here about what's wrong with studio films today.

The director said he took pains to match events with the original film (as if that was what would make a good film) and he couldn't even get that right. (They show the saucer being destroyed by the Norwegians in the original, but that doesn't happen in this one).

A massive honking stinker.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.8.235
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 02:03 am:   

I just realised that it might help if I actually named the effing film. It's The Thing (2011).
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 02:17 am:   

The only item you list, Proto, is what could be classified as a "continuity error."

So I wonder—serious question here. Put yourself into a totally objective mindset, or even imagine you never saw and didn't care worth a damn about the original-remake of The Thing.

Just as a film, all by itself, existing like an island... how was this 2011 version then?...
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.8
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 02:41 am:   

A continuity error is when food reappears on someone's fork after they've eaten it. This is a GIANT FLYING SAUCER exploding, in a scene that now apparently never happened. And this in a film where every object seen in the 1982 film is placed with great care to segue into the 1982 film.

I can't pretend that the original film didn't exist. How would you even do that? Maybe if I'd woken from a coma and not seen the original or any of the things it inspired I might be mildly impressed by the monster designs, but I still wouldn't be emotionally involved as there are no characters in the film.

It made me appreciate all the more the deft way in which actors made their small parts come alive.

(Oops, that sounds rude. The thing, indeed...)
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.8
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 02:48 am:   

When you say "The only item you list..." does that imply I should list all that was wrong with the film? Gosh, no time for that. 99% of it was bad.

- Particularly bad were the soundtrack: that awful standard modern horror film combination of music and high-pitched whiney "atmospheric" sounds.
- The characters. There were none.
- The rudderless plot.
- Dreadful editing that, along with the score, telegraphed the surprises in advance.

Good things:

- Woodruff/Gillis kept their usual high standrd for their creature designs.
- The production design did fit with the 1982 film.

That's it, really.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 03:03 am:   

I found the film forgettable and unnecessary, myself. I thought even as an attempted carbon-copy, and with the vast "improvements" (debatable) in sfx, the (1982) original was more horrific and more visually stunning.

But I did like the depiction of the space ship at the end, and the utterly alien-ness of it. That was my favorite sequence. I was worried I was being overly subjective, myself... but you seem to bear me out....

Such wasted efforts. Apparently, according to you, Spiderman ain't much better. Again, we can only hope that the new Judge Dredd gets a re-boot right (for one, the main actor isn't taking his helmet off; though surely a stupid move in real life, since it limits all peripheral vision, thank god for one good omen!).
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.8
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 03:20 am:   

I quite like this review:

http://antagonie.blogspot.ie/2011/10/one-damn-thing-after-another.html

One more bad thing:
- It was snowing a lot. Antarctica is technically a desert.

(This is grim and illustrative. The lack of precipitation means everything is tinder dry so fire is a big danger:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17168526)

One good thing:
- Yes, I liked the alien-ness of the ship interior and the lack of explanations as to what the Tetris hologram was, for instance. I would have liked a whole film set on the ship.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.8
Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2012 - 03:27 am:   

The internet tells me that Tetris was a post-production replacement for an alien pilot that confused test audiences. (Test audiences are confused by default, surely?)
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.147.137.251
Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2012 - 01:51 am:   

I just got back from watching Amazing Spiderman at the cinema and I absolutely loved it! I'm not sure why they've rebooted the series quite so soon but I think they've done a really good job of it. More comments in the morning when I'm a bit less tired.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.147.137.251
Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2012 - 11:55 am:   

After a night's sleep, I think this may well be the second best of the Spidey films - despite the arguable redundancy of a reboot. The tone is darker than any of the others but that's a good thing.

This is the story of a man who becomes a vigilante when his beloved uncle is killed - it's certainly not needlessly dark (what does that phrase mean anyway?) If there's darkness inherent in the story then let's see it. It's good to see a summer blockbuster that shows the murkier side of the characters.

The performances throughout are pretty much spot on. I much prefer the new Aunt May to the original.

The use of humour is very nicely done I particularly loved Stan Lee's cameo and his initial lack of control over his powers.

SPOILER -

The promise he breaks at the end and the girl smirking about it, the promise was to not speak to the girl again, the girl he was in love with and who was in love with him - the girl who now felt he'd betrayed her by not being there for her. By saying what he said to her he was basically telling her that his love for her was stronger than the promise he'd made to her Dad which he had tried to keep.

But of course this is a film with apparently no human stories. Apart from the revenge story and the love story and the deterioration of a nice guy into a monster of course. No. No human stories in there at all.

I need to rewatch the first 2 at some point but this is easily at least second after spidey 2.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - 03:28 am:   

This one's an upcoming film, but I'm sure a fellow fan like Stevie (and others) will agree: a great choice for a Christie novel to adapt! One of her best, and (alongside Ten Little Indians) darkest....

http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/sony-pictures-worldwide-acquisitions-buys-into-a gatha-christies-crooked-house/
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.184.108.202
Posted on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 12:57 am:   

And another Stevie update

"I have just seen one of the most towering works of pure cinema it has ever been my pleasure to be surprised by. 'Seeking a friend for the end of the world' is at one stroke the greatest end of the world sci fi movie ever made, the greatest black tragi-comedy of the modern era, the best thing Steve Carrell and everyone else involved in the project has ever done (or dreamed of doing) and redefines the word "magnificent" for the 21st century.

If you don't walk out of the cinema choking, tears streaming down your face and waving a futile fist at the heavens while feeling your chest swell with human pride after this show then you're simply not human - pod people perhaps?

It is a thing of beauty and now vies like an unprepossessing titan with Prometeus and The Artist for the greatest cinema masterpiece I have seen in 2012. Miss it and miss perfection.

He's paying me by the word for this.

I now see it as the dark flipside to Little Miss Sunshine - the greatest comedy of the new millenium so far imo.

It's funny and also incredibly incredibly bleak, moving and strangely uplifting. An amazing achievement.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.184.108.202
Posted on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 12:58 am:   

Oh and he loved Spiderman as well.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 01:23 am:   

Hmm. I need to know what Stevie thought of another recent similar-genre Steve Carell film, Crazy Stupid Love, before I can take this opinion seriously....
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.184.108.202
Posted on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 11:54 pm:   

To answer your question Craig, he's never seen it.

I think he might be a fan of the new Friedkin film as well

Killer Joe

his non-hyperbolic review goes along these lines

Awesome! Fucking awesome!! We have a new film of the year! William Friedkin rocks!! Killer Joe is right up there with the Exorcist, the French Connection and Scarecrow. An eyeball popping white knuckle suspense ride from start to finish. The best film of its kind since No country for Old Men and possibly even better!!!! My hair is still standing on end!! Post that please.

The best Coen bros film the Coen Bros never made. Fucking sensational. Post that. fuck I hate being offline.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 03:14 am:   

It better be better than No Country For Old Men.... Good moments there, but a disappointing film, for me.

Remind me again—why is it that Stevie has no internet access? Is he permanently shut out now?!
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.152.62.175
Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 08:27 am:   

I dunno - I couldn't read any real pleasure in Stevie's review there. I think it was quite ambivalent.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 06:32 pm:   

On the grounds of a lot of repetition I didn't post his 6 follow up texts about how awesome this film is and it's made hime high on pure cinema and etc etc.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.147.55.79
Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 06:40 pm:   

Ha! I got those! He sometimes feels like he's texting me without being able to hear me. I sometimes ask stuff but the next text is about a film. Not always, but often.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 188.221.155.202
Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 10:57 pm:   

Online for a few minutes in a mate's house. Here's my new Top 10:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
5. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
6. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
7. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
8. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
9. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
10. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 188.221.155.202
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 05:06 pm:   

Saw 4 films in 4 days this week:

'The Amazing Spiderman' by Marc Webb - thoroughly entertaining but just lacks the emotional resonance of Sam Raimi's first two spidey films. It's better than the third.

'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria - an instant cult classic that treats the subject matter of imminent global destruction by meteor impact with deadly seriousness but somehow still manages to be very funny and oddly sweet. Quite possibly the finest end of the world sci-fi movie I have ever seen with an emotional punch that had me helplessly filling up!

'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin - Awesome! Fucking awesome and my new Film of the Year!! The best Coen Brothers movie the Coen Brothers never made and the most visceral thriller of its kind since 'No Country For Old Men'. This is an eyeball popping white knuckle suspense ride from start to finish. William Friedkin has produced another masterpiece to rank alongside 'The Exorcist', 'The French Connection' or 'Scarecrow'. Matthew McConaughey - an actor I've never been particularly fussed on up till now - gives a terrifying performance as the ice cold psychopathic hitman of the title. A character as cool as Clint's man with no name and every bit as evil as Javier Bardem's immortal creation but more human and with a strange nobility behind the fondness for excruciating mental and physical torture. I left the cinema with my hair standing on end and wanting to be just like him... a frightening experience!

'Cosmopolis' by David Cronenberg - A big disappointment and completely lacking in dramatic tension this grinding boreathon is like the cinematic equivalent of lift music and perhaps the single most pretentious movie I have ever seen. Cronenberg has completely lost the plot on this evidence. This is him trying to do a Kubrick and falling flat on his face. It's beautifully made and the set up is initially intriguing but after a while the endless conversations and tedious rather than odd encounters create an overwhelming sense of patience sapping frustration that culminates in the most anti-climactic pay-off imaginable and sent this viewer from the cinema muttering obscenities under his breath. 'Spider' remains the last great movie Cronenberg has made - sadly.

So that's: great entertainment, instant classsic, masterpiece & boring as fuck.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 188.221.155.202
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 05:18 pm:   

And a couple of weeks ago I saw the hugely enjoyable B-movie creature feature 'Storage 24' by Johannes Roberts. A by-the-numbers 'Alien' clone in which the requisite group of clashing individuals find themselves locked in a high security storage facility with a big bug-eyed whatsit with a penchant for ripping people's faces off. There's nothing new here but it's all carried off with bags of energy and a self-deprecating sense of humour that I'm sure would appeal to most people on here looking a quick fix of satisfingly gruesome and suspenseful horror fare.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 188.221.155.202
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 05:37 pm:   

Hi, Craig. I'm currently offline due to being flooded out of the house three weeks ago and having to be moved into temporary accomodation for the next few months they reckon. I'm off work as well and got no mobile internet so until I get myself upgraded with a new laptop and dongle you'll be hearing very little from me on here.

But now for the really sad part... my book collection has been completely decimated. Lost about three quarters of the collection. After getting used to the idea I'm trying to be philosophical about it as I also nearly lost my Dad back in June and I'd have gladly swapped everything I own for his health to be restored. Also my collection had long since become ridiculously unwieldy and a serious clearing out was becoming a matter of some urgency. All my horror anthologies survived, thank God! Also only lost about 20 CDs (out of some 2,000) and none of my DVDs so they're what I'll be concentrating on from now on. No more collecting novels for me... when it's read it's being passed on or given to a charity shop, with only a few exceptions i.e. Ramsey Campbell & Robert A. Heinlein. One can get used to anything!
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 05:47 pm:   

That's terrible, Stevie. Good wishes speeding your way.

I know I'd be freaked-out at losing all the books I've piled up over the years myself... and yet, I'd almost relish being freed of their anchoring weight... I kind of understand where you're at now. So it goes, as a wise author once wrote.

In the words of another wise one: "Last night the wife said, poor boy when you're dead, you don't take nothing with you but...", you know.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 05:49 pm:   

(Private note for Tony: Note Stevie's post about Storage 24 above—another contained film. You can see how they're all over the place now....)

Move along, move along. Nothing to see here.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 188.221.155.202
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 06:13 pm:   

Time for a mid-year recap of all the new films seen on the big screen in 2012:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin - Film Of The Year!!
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
5. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
6. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
7. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
8. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
9. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
10. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt

11. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
12. 'The Pact' by Nicholas McCarthy
13. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
14. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
15. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
16. 'The Amazing Spiderman' by Marc Webb
17. 'Storage 24' by Johannes Roberts
18. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins
19. 'The Dictator' by Larry Charles
20. 'Cosmopolis' by David Cronenberg
21. 'This Must Be The Place' by Paolo Sorrentino
22. 'Red Lights' by Rodrigo Cortés - Turkey Of The Year!
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.113.161
Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2012 - 12:26 am:   

This looks gorgeous, in time for Hallowe'en!

http://ie.ign.com/articles/2012/06/28/universal-classic-monsters-the-essential-c ollection-blu-ray
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.188
Posted on Friday, July 27, 2012 - 05:41 pm:   

I'm Back!!!! Thanks to the wonders of modern science.

Only seen one new film in the interim: 'The Dark Knight Rises' by Christopher Nolan. I enjoyed it as much as I did the first two, as a genuinely thrilling, well constructed and good looking slam bang actioner, but also have the same reservations. Nolan's Batman films are overlong and take themselves far too seriously - frequently descending into bathos, imo - and I sincerely believe that once all the hype has died down and we can look at these films objectively they will appear very mundane alongside the sheer fun and soaring imagination of Tim Burton's take on the character. TDKR slots in one notch above 'Avengers Assemble', for me, and just misses out on a Top 10 spot. For all its entertainment value this is a bubblegum movie trying to be a four course meal and providing only the indigestion.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.37.199.45
Posted on Friday, July 27, 2012 - 06:22 pm:   

Stevie, that's very sad news about your books but I'm glad you're alive and well – and yes, second time round the purchases will be more selective. Also, I suspect you'll be busy with post-flood repairs for quite a while. Take care!
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.31.212
Posted on Friday, July 27, 2012 - 10:10 pm:   

Bloody hell, Stevie, I'm sorry to hear about all that. Do you have my email?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.149.35.184
Posted on Monday, July 30, 2012 - 01:14 am:   

Well I've just been to see killer Joe and I have to say I don't think Matthew macwotsit is as scary as Javier Bardem. When he's amking direct threats of violence yes, he's very effective, but Javier didn't need to - he was threatening just by walking into the room. The most inconsequential things he said were laced with violence. Matthew macwotsit never quite manages that level of intensity (except in the KFC scene).

That said, this is still an excellent film. I left the cinema feeling completely gobsmacked. However I expected that scene to play out, that wasn't it...

This is certainly the best thing I've seen in the cinema this year.

I'm hoping to go see Dark Knight Rises and Ted (the first feature film by Seth Macfarlane) this week
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.234
Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2012 - 03:51 pm:   

Thanks for your concern, Joel & Ramsey.
I'm back online but having very little chance to sit down at the computer these days. I'm still in a temporary flat with only room for the basics and looks like I'll be here for a few more months to come. The house is still in the process of drying out and all my precious belongings that survived have been piled upstairs in storage. No, I don't have your email, Ramsey.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2012 - 04:23 pm:   

Sorry to hear about your predicament, Stevie and welcome back.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.129.59.183
Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2012 - 05:56 pm:   

Christopher Ecclestone has just been cast as the bad guy for Thor 2...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.167.145.112
Posted on Friday, August 03, 2012 - 10:48 pm:   

It's not a 2012 film but I found out that Street Trash has been released uncut on DVD - in a 2 disc edition. Found it in Fopp for a fiver so I kinda had to buy it.

The sleaziest, trashiest film that I ever actually enjoyed.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.20.216
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2012 - 05:16 pm:   

Sorry to hear that Stevie. Where exactly is your house? Was it a victim of bad planning during the boom?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2012 - 08:43 pm:   

Street Trash . . . I remember it well. I saw it in a cinema with a friend and we nearly laughed our heads off.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.7
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2012 - 11:30 pm:   

Thanks, people.

No, Proto. It was a victim of as much rain falling in one hour as usually falls the whole month of June and the fact that the drains in the street hadn't been cleaned out since God knows when. The Council paid out a £1,000 hardship payment to everyone affected as a result but it's almost all gone. I'll be lucky to move back again before Christmas the way things are looking but got off light compared to some people!

Glad you liked 'Killer Joe', Weber. My film of the year too and quite possibly the finest thriller/psychological drama of the new millennium so far. Great to see William Friedkin back at his very best!
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.112.131
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2012 - 01:34 am:   

Stevie, that's tough. I hope you write. This will at least be good material.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.147.136.115
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2012 - 11:51 pm:   

Does anyone know if this is for real?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=933FExsfU3c
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.9
Posted on Monday, August 06, 2012 - 02:33 pm:   

We have another Top 10 candidate for feelgood comedy of the year:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
5. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
6. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
7. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
8. 'Ted' by Seth MacFarlane
9. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
10. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin

Who'd have thought it? The makers of 'Family Guy' produce a typically crude "adults only" comedy infused with the spirit of Frank Capra and the glory years of Hollywood sentimentality that had this viewer leaving the cinema bathed in a warm glow of misty-eyed contentedness and with aching jaws.

Anyone who has followed Seth MacFarlane's FG & 'American Dad' over the years doesn't need me to tell them of the shows' near miraculous consistency in terms of belly laugh humour, devastating wit, fearless satire and sheer "did they really just say that" shock value. Fans will be glad to hear that all of that carries over successfully to this first big screen project (the film had me crying with laughter on several occasions) but what raises the movie up several notches from anything MacFarlane has done before and makes it more than just the FG formula translated to the cinema is the irresistible strength of the story and the genuine heart on display. Despite what the one-sided trailers may imply 'Ted' is as poignant and tear-jerking, without any post-modern mickey taking, as it is crude and hilarious.

Behind all the fart jokes, pop culture side-swipes, absurdist interludes, drug taking and sexual depravity this is a straight Pinocchio-like sentimental fantasy based upon a lonely and misunderstood young boy's Christmas wish for his only friend "teddy" to be alive and to never leave his side - "buddies for life". MacFarlane never deviates from the essential sweetness and inevitable heartbreak of that oldest of fairy-tales while showing us in typically unflinching detail what exactly would happen if a stuffed teddy bear came to life in the real world and tried to fit in. The animated bear itself is an adorably cute yet brilliantly realised three dimensional character in its own right that even the hardest of hearts couldn't help but warm to. Think Peter Griffen mixed with Fozzie Bear and as offensive, funny, guileless and utterly vulnerable as that implies. Ted really is an inspired creation and makes a wonderful comic double act with Mark Wahlberg, at his most dopey, as the boy who wished him into life grown into an emotionally retarded child-man struggling to put boyhood things behind him in an unforgiving world.

The result is both sublime comedy that would pass anyone's "how many times did I laugh out loud" test (I lost count) and one of the most heartwarming fantasies of recent years with an ending that had every bloke in the place sniffing, coughing and shifting in their seats to hide the welling emotion. It's a real ten box of hankies job that makes this film that rarest of beasts - an old fashioned weepie for blokes that really works! And afterward they can insist it was the fart jokes that had them crying...
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Friday, August 17, 2012 - 05:41 pm:   

I saw Dark Knight Rises last night and absolutely loved it. I won't leave any spoilers but when Nolan said he was ending the trilogy here he meant it.

Fantastic popcorn entertainment with a serious edge. I think I may actually have enjoyed it more than the Dark Knight. (although I was in the company of one of my absolute favourite people on this whole planet - which makes anything I do more fun).

Going to see Ted tonight.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, August 17, 2012 - 11:07 pm:   

although I was in the company of one of my absolute favourite people on this whole planet - which makes anything I do more fun

Just to—like Finnegans Wake—wrap this thread around, and join it to the beginning...

Was it Tony Hancock?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.54.13.151
Posted on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 03:30 am:   

much sexier than Tony Hancock
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.54.13.151
Posted on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 11:26 pm:   

Well Ted was a brilliant piece of film-making - every bit as good as stevie Superlatised about earlier.

I just finished watching Dead Snow (I know it's an old one but I don't care)

Just finished watching Dead Snow. What a freaking awesome film!!! Nazi zombies in the snow! How can you beat that? SEveral firsts for me in zombie films as well - first time I've seen a human bite a zombie's face off. First disemboweeling from the point of view of the victim. First 3 zombie kills utilising a jetski as the weapon (in 3 different ways!). With clear influence from Peter jackson's Braindead (Dead alive if you live on the other side of the pond) - even down to one of the characters wearing a Braindead tshirt - this is a fantastic horror comedy with some truly imaginitive set pieces and a couple of genuine shocks - one death was actually pretty bloody disturbing and genuinely made my jaw drop.

I recommend this most highly.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.57
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 - 02:30 pm:   

'The Hunter' by first time director, Daniel Nettheim, is a great little independent Australian movie I saw last week that just misses out on a Top 10 spot but will still be well up the list come the end of the year. This is a remarkably assured adult drama of slow burning intensity set amidst the stunning scenery of central Tasmania and that boasts a powerhouse performance by Willem Dafoe in the title role. The movie is almost impossible to categorise having elements of outsider character study, family drama, odd couple romance, wilderness adventure, murder mystery, spy thriller, science fiction and mystical fantasy!! Yet each of these disparate elements are so finely balanced and necessary to the plot that none of them dominates resulting in a quietly ambitious work of pure cinema that is as absorbing and unpredictable as any serious literature.

Dafoe plays an obsessive big game hunter who has built up a wall of icy detachment from the rest of the human race and prides himself on his perfectionist resolve to always bring back his quarry. He is approached by a shadowy biochemical company with a proposition he cannot refuse. They have confirmed reports of a surviving Tasmanian Tiger being seen in a remote forest region of Tasmania and wish him to travel there, undercover as a researcher, and kill the beast so that they can have sole rights to the unique anti-clotting compound it carries in its saliva. He is warned that rival companies will stop at nothing to beat him to the kill and he accepts the challenge with relish.

Arriving in Tasmania Dafoe is given accomodation by a local family of hippies living on the edge of the wilderness – mother, daughter, son – and is gradually drawn into the mystery of what happened to the missing father. A committed eco-warrior and political agitator against the all-powerful logging companies who are decimating the ancient forest he had vanished a year before on a routine trek into the woods. So as Dafoe sets forth to kill the last remaining Tiger he is also subliminally wired, through growing sympathy for the pitiably vulnerable family and, despite himself, the first stirrings of unspoken love, into keeping his eyes open for clues to the missing man’s fate or the discovery of his body – a double quest, one honourable, one barbaric, into the most primal terrain on Earth… and he is not alone. A tense and multi-layered battle of wits ensues between man and animal, and an unseen rival with equal resolve, as our hero realises he has made powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to keep him from completing either quest.

What sounds impossibly convoluted from that synopsis is instead a miracle of slow deliberate pacing and understatement buoyed by wonderfully naturalistic performances from all the cast. Dafoe is more than matched by Frances O’Connor (as the love interest), ever reliable Sam Neill (as the rival) & the charming child actors, Morgana Davies & Finn Woodlock, who carry their pivotal roles with beguiling ease and typically Australian cussedness that makes the emotional pay-off of the human drama all the more heart-rending when it comes.

Some may balk at the more fantastical elements of the plot and the plunge into full throttle mysticism of the denouement but, for me, the otherworldly nature of the Tasmanian terrain – it frequently looks like Dafoe is stalking the surface of an alien planet - and allegorical significance of the material quest for a creature that may not even exist create the same kind of weird atmosphere that suffuses so much Australian cinema from ‘Walkabout’ to ‘Picnic At Hanging Rock’ and ‘Long Weekend’ to ‘Jindabyne’, etc… The result is a haunting little gem with a cumulative emotional power that transcends all the convolutions of the plot. Well worth catching, not least for Willem Dafoe at the very top of his game.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.29.206
Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2012 - 01:43 am:   

Just seen Shadow Dancer and walked away shaking – a brilliant, bleak thriller about an MI5 informer within the IRA in 1993. One of those rare films where complex plotting serves to heighten the impact of characterisation and theme instead of compensating for the lack of either. The film's understated but intense style does justice to its substance of secrets, divided loyalties and broken dreams. This is unmissable – but there is little comfort in its perspective.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.152
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 01:34 pm:   

Will be going to see that this week, Joel. I always approach films about the Troubles in Northern Ireland with some anguish as about 95% of those I have seen are so grossly inaccurate or take one side over the other without showing the whole picture and the true human cost of those awful years. I particularly loathe those films that glorify the hunger strikers as Christ-like martyrs or the Provos as romantic freedom fighters... and don't even get me started on how cinema has treated loyalist paramilitaries or security force collusion. There were injustices and rash decisions but there was no black and white, good guys and bad guys in that tragic conflict - it was a collective insanity that tore a community to pieces.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.31.153
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 01:47 pm:   

What did you feel about The Wind that Shakes the Barley?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.24
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 07:36 pm:   

As an accurate historical portrait of the most tumultuous period in Irish history I thought 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' was a remarkable achievement, Ramsey. That really is what it was like. I'm a big fan of Ken Loach. One of the greatest directors Britain ever produced, imo.

I know there was some controversy about the film being one-sided but it was the story of the Irish fight for independence and against very real injustice - in which the British could only ever have been portrayed as the imperial oppressors - and went on to show the real tragedy of the Irish people's self-defeating pig-headedness in the godawful Civil War that followed.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.7.240
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 09:55 pm:   

I'm also a big Ken Loach fan but thought The Wind That Shakes the Barley was a bit unfocused and maudlin, not as strong as Michael Collins (from another director) or as Loach's masterful study of the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom.

And speaking of sectarianism, some bitter tankie in the Morning Star recently described Land and Freedom as 'ignoble and infantile' because it attacked Stalin.

That's what makes Loach unusual in terms of European cinema: he's not a Communist director, he's a Trotskyist director. To see why the distinction matters, just look at Greece this year: a left coalition party narrowly failed to win the last election because the Communists stood against them.

Loach isn't concerned with Being In the Right: he's concerned with promoting alliances and united fronts and a deep-rooted class perspective – with workers standing together rather than serving a privileged leadership. What matters in his films isn't his intellect, it's his analysis.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 05:40 pm:   

Ugh... this trailer I just watched....

Can you say, "mawkish"?

http://youtu.be/ZzakbhhtA1A
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 10:06 pm:   

Now here's a REAL horror story, but with a happy ending.... (the article will explain)

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/09/02/oogieloves-big-balloon-adventure-worst-box -office-debut-flop/
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.52
Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - 04:19 pm:   

Time for a brief recap of the last month's moviegoing. Saw four films only one of which made the Top 10:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. 'Shadow Dancer' by James Marsh
5. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
6. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
7. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
8. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
9. 'Ted' by Seth MacFarlane
10. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton

Two very different spy thrillers and two equally different comedies – populist vs serious:

'The Bourne Legacy' by Tony Gilroy - thoroughly enjoyable and really well put together all-action/suspense follow-up to the famous trilogy that manages to balance the gritty realism of the Matt Damon films with the more fantastical elements of a James Bond movie - complete with super-cool indestructible Terminator-like villain who won't stop coming. One to switch the brain off and wallow in with Jeremy Renner making for a believably sympathetic action hero. Miles better than 'Salt' and just behind 'Haywire' for this kind of fare.

'Shadow Dancer' by James Marsh – exceptionally well made, slow burning and claustrophobically tense spy thriller set in Northern Ireland during the early years of the peace process that shows how the intelligence services clinically manipulate vulnerable individuals into becoming informers and the emotional devastation this creates in its wake with results having to be balanced against loyalty… on both sides. The best thriller of its kind since last year’s ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ with which it bears admirable comparison. As a Catholic having grown up in west Belfast during the Troubles I can also vouch for the film’s accuracy and even-handedness – though some of my more Republican minded mates might disagree (a good thing imo). James Marsh – director of the incredible docu-drama ‘Project Nim’ – has launched himself into the big time as a director of compelling adult drama on this evidence. Hands down one of the best films of the year!

'The Watch' by Akiva Schaffer - surprisingly gruesome sci-fi/horror with rather cool bug-eyed aliens but mediocre and obvious as a comedy that just about passes the time. A waste of the talent involved.

'To Rome With Love' by Woody Allen - really shockingly poor, by his standards (half decent by anyone else’s), multi-story ensemble comedy that was intended as a heartfelt ode to the Eternal City but comes across as poorly conceived and cobbled together from some of the great man's lesser ideas - that would have been better left in the discard pile. It would perhaps have worked better with the unconnected stories strung together one after the other - portmanteau style - but in this form it's a complete mess I'm afraid. Here's hoping this isn't a sign of artistic burnout following the career best excellence of 'Midnight In Paris'.

In both cases the high brow beat the low brow but in Woody’s case only just this time…
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, September 28, 2012 - 02:23 am:   

MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (1946). This is an entry in the "The Whistler" series, which was based on a radio serial of the time—the fifth in the series, but I think this one warrants the special attention I'm giving it here (the others I've seen so far are fine, but don't warrant it, imho), because it's something quite unique.

There is the "Whistler" premise itself, which is that this is a rare dark-suspense anthology series; every one of them featuring original stories with the same lead actor, Richard Dix, yet non-recurring characters (except the mysterious shadowy form who speaks in ominous tones called "The Whistler": every film begins with his eerie whistling theme). That alone is unique for the time! They're atmospheric and strange, many directed by William Castle (including this one).

But why this one stood out, was its storyline—a bizarre and twisting plot that reminded me immediately of Hammett/the pulps. Sure enough, it's based on what was originally a pulp story (appearing in Black Mask in 1936), written (screenplay too) by Eric Taylor (who screen-wrote pretty much all the Whistlers): if you ever want to see a film that so finely matches the style of, say, Hammett's Continental OP, this is the best one I've yet seen. Yet, the lead character, a detective (played by Dix) named Don Gale, is thoroughly corrupt: no, I don't mean he's a bad guy trying to do the right thing, or a good guy driven to extreme measures—this guy is just to-the-core, through-and-through, evil, there's no other word for it (though at the very end, it pulls back and proves a tad ambivalent).

If you want to see a classic 1940's noir excellent take on a sprawling classic pulp plot featuring a thoroughly disreputable lead protagonist?… This is the one.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.144.33.95
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:30 am:   

I've just seen Rubber - the film about the killer tyre. For the first time in a long long time I can't think of anythin g that a film resembles in any way shape or form.

It's one of the best things I've seen for ages. If you get a chance watch it. I'm not sure it's possible to leave spoilers on this but I'm not saying any more in any case.
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Lincoln (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 60.230.33.81
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 01:52 pm:   

Stevie - so glad you enjoyed 'The Hunter'. I was born and raised in Tasmania, so it's always good to see it on film. Even better when the film is good. Another one that uses the landscape to great effect is 'Van Diemans Land' - also worth watching, though not as good as 'The Hunter'.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.140.43
Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 03:36 pm:   

Seeing that film brought to life visually for me one of the best books I've read this year, Lincoln. 'The Doubleman' (1985) by C.J. Koch set in Tasmania and then Sydney in the 40s-60s. A brilliant character drama with subtly haunting fantasy/horror elements that makes powerful use of the locations and local folklore. If you haven't read it I imagine you'll find it a highly nostalgic experience and can't recommend the book enough.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - 11:54 am:   

For anyone who's been wondering about this thread - due to circumstances (rather than lack of quality) I haven't been to the cinema since Woody Allen's last on the 18th September. Some kind of a record for me in recent years. Soon to be rectified...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 11:35 am:   

So can anyone tell me what great new movies I've missed over the last three months?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.212.230.91
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 06:14 pm:   

Well i went to see 7 psychopaths the other day and it was rather good. Not sure where it would come in my films of the year list though. Nice concept well realised.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 06:41 pm:   

Well, this one looks way way way over-the-top (and we all know, they're talking about Cthulhu!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4rgmlr5J0o
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.16.245.126
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 08:57 pm:   

Saw the trailer for the new Superman film the other day. It looks like it's going to take itself way, way, WAY too seriously.

http://youtu.be/6atne6y2phI
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.156.185.130
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2012 - 12:18 am:   

I thought the trailer looks really good. I'm looking forward to it coming out.
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.16.245.126
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2012 - 03:17 pm:   

I don't know. It may well be a great film, I just feel if any superhero franchise needs dial down the grittiness and just be plain fun, it's Superman.

But then the Batman films were a huge success while the more comic booky Green Lantern was a disaster, so I shouldn't be surprised at the tone.
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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 80.5.8.49
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 10:26 am:   

Attempted to watch "Cosmopolis" last night and although it was a brave stab at something different and difficult, and although I like difficult, quiet films, I fell asleep about a quarter of the way in and when I woke up nothing had changed or improved. In other words, don't bother.

Cheers
Terry
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.176.179.114
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 10:46 am:   

You may have missed loads of excitement whilst you were asleep though, Terry!
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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 80.5.8.49
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 04:19 pm:   

Damn!
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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 80.5.8.49
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012 - 04:26 pm:   

Oh, and David and Weber...

For me, nothing will ever match the excitement at the relase of the Christopher Reeve version of "Superman", back in the late 1970s (Gene Hackman was the consumate Lex Luthor and Margot Kidder a perfect Louis Lane), a film that seemed to have the tone just right. I loved it so much I saw it twice, the first time with the lovely Valerie and the second time with the gorgeous Lucy (I had to borrow my mum's ageing Morris Minor for that date, there was feeezing fog and it was like being in a mad car journey in some film noir).

Cheers
Terry
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2012 - 04:47 pm:   

Stuck, stuck, stuck in the past.... But still, wow, what a film! The Unsuspected (1947) has got to be one of the finest gems of noir out there—it certainly deserves more attention. Directed by Michael Curtiz (post-Casablanca and Mildred Pierce), it was also independently produced by him; so this is a "Michael Curtiz" film, like Hitchcock's films are his, and it shows. Apparently he wanted Orson Welles and Jennifer Jones in the leads, but they were busy, so he settled for Claude Raines (excellent!) and Joan Caulfield (meh) instead—but it's the supporting females, Constance Bennett (sister to Joan) and the never-better Audrey Totter that steal and chew up every scene they're in. A strange mystery with two concurrent threads, that lend the film a rich complexity, despite its core simplicity. Laura looms large, with the portrait on the wall; but one would surely be reminded of this film when Unfaithfully Yours came out the following year, and Dial M For Murder a few years later. A can't miss for noir fans: it's heartbreaking to watch this, and think... yeah, yeah, The Hobbit, another superhero movie, sure... but there will never, ever again be films made like this anymore....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2012 - 03:31 pm:   

Finally got to see 'Skyfall' and have to admit to being somewhat underwhelmed, given all the "best Bond ever" hype. It's a good solid entertaining thriller with a great performance by Daniel Craig and is a million times better than 'Quantum Of Solace' but, to my mind, is markedly inferior to 'Casino Royale' or any of Connery's official Bonds and commits the unforgiveable sin of taking itself far too seriously. I'd put it roughly on a par with any of Brosnan's Bonds and the best of Roger Moore's. Doesn't make the Top 10 and I enjoyed Steven Soderbergh's 'Haywire' more.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2012 - 03:55 pm:   

'Fury' & 'Free Live Free' have rather suffered of late from my happening to read two compulsively addictive novels back-to-back but when I've mopped up 'The Shrinking Man' (now two thirds through) they'll be getting my undivided attention.

I also plan to get stuck into 'Night Terrors : The Complete Ghost Stories Of E.F. Benson' one story a night over the festive period as the perfect Christmas treat!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, December 21, 2012 - 12:12 pm:   

I think my problem with 'Skyfall' is that they tried to inject too much humanity into the character (and those around him) while keeping the more ridiculous elements of the franchise intact - resulting in plot and character motivations making no sense. A case of trying to have one's cake and eat it. Anyone for bathos?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 80.239.243.176
Posted on Friday, December 21, 2012 - 08:27 pm:   

I'm on my phone so i can't start a new thread here but anyone in the region of manchester on feb 7th needs to get to stockport plaza where grimm up north are presenting a double bill of The Tall Man and Martyrs. Both by pascal laugier - his most recent and the one that made him famous. A night not to be missed if i ever saw one
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.150.135.70
Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 01:34 am:   

I got round to seeing the Hobbit on Tuesday and I thought it were flippin great. THe first hour could have been trimmed a little bit once the action kicked in it was every bit as good as the original trilogy. The stone giants fighting were awesome
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.150.135.70
Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 02:17 am:   

On the reverse side of that - a couple of weeks ago I tried to watch a DVD called Vampires Vs Zombies - apparently based on the story Carmilla by S Le Fanu.. this is what I had to say about it on facebook.

For the first time in a long long time I decided the movie I'd just put in my DVD player was too bad to carry on with. TBH I didn't have high hopes for it in the first place but it managed to subceed (is that the opposite of exceed?) my expectations...

Vampires vs Zombies - I thought it might at least be good for a laugh but it's really truly terrible. Badly acted, written, shot, directed, really poor effects even for a low budget piece of schlock. There is not a single thing to recommend about this film. I gave up after 20 minutes and now have a shiny new coaster for my coffee cups.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.5.233
Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 02:23 am:   

How long before the first vampire/zombie meercat film?
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.119
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 12:37 pm:   

A late 2012 film that's has very limited exposure in the UK is The Hunt, directed by Thomas Vinterberg (who is best known for Festen). I saw it at one of the four screenings that may be all it gets in Birmingham, at least this year. The film is about a teacher in a small community whose life becomes a nightmare when he is unjustly accused of child abuse. It's a very good film indeed, moving and intelligent.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

It's interesting to compare The Hunt with Festen – in which a young man challenges his family with the claim that he and his sister, who has recently committed suicide, were repeatedly raped by their father as children. His accusations are fiercely rejected, but finally vindicated by his sister's suicide note.

The Hunt tells an opposite kind of story, but shows the same commitment to supporting truth against the prejudices of small communities. The girl who first accuses the teacher is not evilly motivated but her grip on reality is poor. Other children chime in with their own investigations. The police investigate and quickly realise the accusations are all untenable, as the supposed context of the crimes is not real. But meanwhile the community, prompted by their 'gut feelings', have set out to punish the teacher.

This is a powerful film that neither condemns nor idealises any character: it just points to the destructive consequences of acting on emotion while suppressing reason. Every scene brings new insight, and nothing happens in a predictable way. While Festen (also a fine film) used a kind of ironic hyper-realism to challenge the audience, The Hunt is more naturalistic and at home in its own cinematic space, which is a similar one to that of Winter's Bone. There is violence and desperation in the story, but there is also gentle humour and a thread of persistent humanity.

It's possible that the film's poor UK distribution is related to current public anxiety about child protection in the wake of the Savile scandal. Cinemas may feel audiences don't want this film. But that would be a misconception and a real loss. The Hunt, like Festen, is about the importance of truth and the danger of lies – and truth does not always look the same.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.119
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 12:38 pm:   

Sorry, I forgot to mention that The Hunt is a Danish film shown with subtitles in the UK.
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.119
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 12:54 pm:   

Sorry, I should have said 'Other children chime in with their own accusations.' Slightly unwell this morning (no, not hung over).
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Joel (Joel)
Username: Joel

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 2.24.28.119
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 12:56 pm:   

By the way, if anyone would like to work with me on a script for a vampire/zombie meercat film, feel free to get in touch.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.212.230.198
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 01:50 pm:   

I'll work with you on 'Blood Shimples'
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.60.39
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 02:11 pm:   

Skyfall was ok, but for a grand finale I'd expected something more than a shootout in Scotland which looks as if it was diredted by Spielberg. Good to see the Aston Martin again, though. Strange as it may sound, I prefer Quantum of Solace.

My money is on Prometheus, which gets better with repeated viewings. Yes, it woefully sags in the middle (those two mock-scientists are truly unsufferable - what was Scott thinking?) and yes, the heroine's wonder woman antics are a bit difficult to swallow, but there's plenty there to set a chap thinking.

While I haven't seen The Hunt, I think I prefer the fairytale innocence of the Danish cult film You are Not Alone (1978, I believe) which I finally got to see this year.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.150.18.3
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 05:47 pm:   

Alexandr, meerkat of Dracula? Doesn't have quite the same ring as Zoltan, hound of... but it's gettin there...

What about Meerkat People?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 86.24.62.55
Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2013 - 06:01 pm:   

I hope to see 'The Hobbit' this week and will keep my Film List of 2012 until then. So far William Friedkin's 'Killer Joe' is still taking the prize with 'Prometheus' a close second.

Agree with you, Hubert, on the disappointingly mundane climax to 'Skyfall'. I also thought Javier Bardem was rather wasted in the arch-villain role as we didn't get to see enough of him. All things considered a middling Bond, imo.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 10, 2013 - 04:36 pm:   

So here it is... the final Top 10 list of 2012:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. 'Shadow Dancer' by James Marsh
5. 'The Hobbit Part I : An Unexpected Journey' by Peter Jackson
6. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
7. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
8. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
9. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
10. 'Ted' by Seth MacFarlane

I saw 'The Hobbit Part I : An Unexpected Journey' (I'm assuming that's the full title) on Tuesday and have to say I loved every moment of it. As an epic visualisation of the first half of Tolkien's great novel it will never be surpassed nor could we have hoped for a more trustworthy fanboy/director to bring it to life. It is indistinguishable in quality from Jackson's 'The Lord Of The Rings' trilogy of more than a decade ago, looking and feeling, visually and in terms of performances, like it was made straight after.

I can't find fault in it for what it is... even the lengthy added scenes and characters that never appeared in the original narrative are defensible because they come directly from Tolkien's own extensive appendices, designed to give explanatory backstory and depth to the novel. So my initial scepticism about expanding a single novel into a trilogy to rival TLOTR would appear to have been unfounded. As for criticism of how "slow to start" the film is I actually loved the long intro sequence and its carefully crafted build-up of initial backstory, atmosphere and character with ever so subtle hints of the not so fun life-changing events to come. Never has a lead character's naive exuberance at setting forth on an exciting adventure been so laced with poignancy and a sense of impending doom.

In many ways - like the original 'Star Wars' trilogy - Jackson's films are beyond criticism as great big crowd pleasing extravaganzas with heart and intelligence and, most importantly of all, complete respect for the legendary source material. Even Jackson knows that - as well nigh miraculous a job as he's done - these films pale into shallow insignificance beside the literary and artistic achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien's imperishable, genre-defining and never to be bettered masterpieces!

Full list and those much coveted Stevie Awards to follow...
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 1.161.43.131
Posted on Thursday, January 10, 2013 - 05:20 pm:   

Have you seen Life of PI yet, Stevie? It was filmed just down the road from me, you know. Probably worthy of a Stevie or two...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, January 14, 2013 - 12:24 pm:   

Going to see 'Life Of Pi' tomorrow, Huw, as it's only opened here. It's guaranteed No. 1 spot for 2013 at least.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, January 14, 2013 - 01:27 pm:   

Here it is. The final ranking of all the films I saw in the cinema in 2012. It's a much shorter list than normal due to personal experience of Severe Climate Change last year!

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin - Film Of The Year!!
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. ‘Shadow Dancer’ by James Marsh
5. ‘The Hobbit Part I : An Unexpected Journey’ by Peter Jackson
6. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
7. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
8. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
9. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
10. ‘Ted’ by Seth MacFarlane


11. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
12. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
13. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ by Christopher Nolan
14. ‘The Hunter’ by Daniel Nettheim
15. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
16. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
17. 'The Pact' by Nicholas McCarthy
18. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
19. ‘Skyfall’ by Sam Mendes
20. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
21. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
22. ‘The Bourne Legacy’ by Tony Gilroy
23. ‘To Rome With Love’ by Woody Allen
24. 'The Amazing Spiderman' by Marc Webb
25. 'Storage 24' by Johannes Roberts
26. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins
27. 'The Dictator' by Larry Charles
28. ‘The Watch’ by Akiva Schaffer
29. 'Cosmopolis' by David Cronenberg
30. 'This Must Be The Place' by Paolo Sorrentino
31. 'Red Lights' by Rodrigo Cortés - Turkey Of The Year!

Tension mounts! The votes are being counted and Stevie Award winners will be announced later today.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, January 14, 2013 - 04:25 pm:   

AND THE WINNERS OF THE 2012 STEVIE AWARDS ARE [dramatic pause]:


Film of the Year: KILLER JOE

Horror Film of the Year: MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
Sci-Fi Film of the Year: PROMETHEUS
Fantasy Film of the Year: THE HOBBIT PART I : AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Thriller of the Year: KILLER JOE
Drama of the Year: THE HUNTER
Comedy of the Year: TED

Cinema-Going Experience of the Year: THE ARTIST
Guilty Pleasure of the Year: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Turkey of the Year: RED LIGHTS

Director of the Year: MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for 'The Artist'
Script of the Year: KILLER JOE (Tracy Letts - based on her own play)

Actor of the Year: WOODY HARRELSON for 'Rampart'
Actress of the Year: ELIZABETH OLSEN for 'Martha Marcy May Marlene', ‘Silent House’ & ‘Red Lights’ (not her fault the film was shit)

Most Irritating Performance of the Year: SEAN PENN for ‘This Must Be The Place’

Most Promising Newcomer: SEAN DURKIN as Director of 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Most Heartening Success of the Year: PROMETHEUS - after 23 years and against all the odds Ridley Scott triumphantly restores gravitas to one of the great sci-fi franchises!!
Biggest Disappointment of the Year: DAVID CRONENBERG as Director of 'Cosmopolis' – remarkably just pipping Woody Allen!!

Most Overrated Movie of the Year: SKYFALL
Most Underrated Movie of the Year: PROMETHEUS

Action Movie of the Year: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Crime Movie of the Year: KILLER JOE
Gangster Movie of the Year: NONE
Western of the Year: NONE
Historical Epic of the Year: NONE
Weepie of the Year: THE ARTIST
Documentary Feature of the Year: NONE
Animated Feature of the Year: THE PIRATES
Children's Movie of the Year: THE MUPPETS

And Stevie's Special Award of the Year goes to... WILLIAM FRIEDKIN for the longevity of his mercurial career while refusing to play the studio game and always staying true to his own vision and for proving all the nay-sayers wrong by producing a masterpiece the equal of anything he’s done before! Long may he continue to take risks.

All things considered 2012 is hardly going to go down in cinematic history as a vintage year but, nonetheless, congratulations to all.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, January 14, 2013 - 05:18 pm:   

Looking back over the list 2012 could be called the year of the spy thriller. No doubt in the wake of 2011's defining film, 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. I saw four excellent examples, two of which I would call outstanding.

But the prize for Spy Movie of the Year has to go to: SHADOW DANCER

And no one was more surprised than me that the much vaunted 'Skyfall' was only marginally more accomplished than 'The Bourne Legacy' and positively paled beside 'Haywire'.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2013 - 11:52 am:   

We have a late entrant for my 2012 list having just seen Martin McDonagh's wonderfully stylish and unpredictable black comedy thriller/Hollywood satire, 'Seven Psychopaths', starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell (who steals the show), Christopher Walken (in brilliant form), Woody Harrelson (rubber stamping his Actor of the Year award alongside his breathtaking turn in 'Rampart') & Tom Waits. It's been on here since early December and is proving extremely popular. I'm a big fan of fellow Irishman McDonagh's leftfield thrillers ('Six Shooter' (2006) & 'In Bruges' (2008) - and his brother's 'The Guard' (2011)) and one can only wish that more modern day filmmakers were prepared to be as brave and entertainingly original. It misses a Top 10 spot by the narrowest of margins going in at No. 11 and is undoubtedly one of the finest films of last year.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 12:59 pm:   

The final final list of 2012:

1. 'Killer Joe' by William Friedkin - Film Of The Year!!
2. 'Prometheus' by Ridley Scott
3. 'The Artist' by Michel Hazanavicius
4. ‘Shadow Dancer’ by James Marsh
5. ‘The Hobbit Part I : An Unexpected Journey’ by Peter Jackson
6. 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' by Lorene Scafaria
7. 'Rampart' by Oren Moverman
8. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' by Sean Durkin
9. 'The Cabin In The Woods' by Drew Goddard
10. ‘Ted’ by Seth MacFarlane


11. 'Seven Psychopaths' by Martin McDonagh
12. 'Dark Shadows' by Tim Burton
13. 'The Muppets' by James Bobin
14. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ by Christopher Nolan
15. ‘The Hunter’ by Daniel Nettheim
16. 'The Pirates' by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt
17. 'Avengers Assemble' by Joss Whedon
18. 'The Pact' by Nicholas McCarthy
19. 'Haywire' by Steven Soderbergh
20. ‘Skyfall’ by Sam Mendes
21. 'The Grey' by Joe Carnahan
22. 'Silent House' by Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
23. ‘The Bourne Legacy’ by Tony Gilroy
24. ‘To Rome With Love’ by Woody Allen
25. 'The Amazing Spiderman' by Marc Webb
26. 'Storage 24' by Johannes Roberts
27. 'The Woman In Black' by James Watkins
28. 'The Dictator' by Larry Charles
29. ‘The Watch’ by Akiva Schaffer
30. 'Cosmopolis' by David Cronenberg
31. 'This Must Be The Place' by Paolo Sorrentino
32. 'Red Lights' by Rodrigo Cortés - Turkey Of The Year!
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Lincoln (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 137.147.31.44
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2013 - 11:59 am:   

Stevie, no 'Berberian Sound Studio' on your list! Would be at, or near, the top of my list.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2013 - 12:39 pm:   

Never heard of it, Lincoln. Just looked it up on Wiki and sounds great. Thanks for the rec. Must seek out the DVD.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2013 - 12:45 pm:   

Just so you know, the above list is my personal experience of cinema last year and is in no way intended to be definitive. I'm sure I must have missed many great movies and the more I hear about the better.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.212.230.45
Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2013 - 05:45 pm:   

Biggest omission from your list is Sinister. Easily the scariest thing to come out of hollywood this century so far.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 86.24.62.55
Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2013 - 06:17 pm:   

That was from the makers of 'Insidious' wasn't it? One I was sorry to miss but will catch on DVD.

Best serious horror film I saw last year was 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and the best populist horror, by quite some stretch, was 'The Cabin In The Woods'.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2013 - 09:58 pm:   

Just randomly came across this web page, and thought it might contain some suggestions for films that could be worth seeking out....

http://www.filmbizarro.com/bestof2012.php
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 - 06:10 am:   

Wow, Stevie, sorry to keep ragging on you on various threads (, as always, as you know)... but I just finally caught Skyfall, and... brilliant! Maybe not the best Bond ever, but there is no "best Bond film," it's not possible; there can only be a personal favorite (mine will ever remain, Octopussy, though I wouldn't call that "best" either).

Anyway, and given what I just said? Skyfall is the best of the Daniel Craig Bonds, the richest and most imaginative—"fantastic," you could say. There is so much more going on in this film, Stevie, than I think you give it credit; it would take me seeing it another time or two, but... it's like what you were saying elsewhere, about Wolfe and his symbolism in the "Wizard Knight" series. This entry is "mythic" front to back, inside-out, upside-down, and all over the place. Watching it like you'd sit down in an arena in ancient Greece to witness before you yet another familiar tale of the Gods, only re-imagined for this year's festival, yes, the only way to experience this (these). As I've argued elsewhere, and as this one didn't fail me, only then does it all make total sense. The climax is far from anticlimactic... it's apt, and moving, couldn't have been better.

James Bond is dead—long live James Bond.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 - 05:22 pm:   

I was pretty sure you'd love it, Craig. I really liked it and it was a huge improvement on 'Quantum Of Solace' (you could actually follow what was going on without developing vertigo and a simultaneous migraine) but I still say it was ridiculously over-hyped and overrated last year. It's definitely one of the better latter day Bonds but still pales beside 'Casino Royale' and any of Sean Connery's films (bar 'Never Say Never Again').

In truth the 1960s (with Fleming's novels still being written) was James Bond's time to be and, for that reason, Connery will always be, for all intents and purposes, the perfect Bond, without even taking his pitch perfect and wonderfully funny performances into account.

That decade, with the Cold War at its height, was the time to make British spies sexy in the public eye, as cover for the unconscionable crimes they were really perpetrating in the name of Queen and Country (pah!). Fleming led the way in the 1950s. Dennis Wheatley was there with him. The public bought it and James Bond was the most famous product of the subterfuge. It is laughably ironic that the most sociologically transformative decade of the 20th Century was also the one that had spies - those ultimate upholders of the status quo - as part of the zeitgeist in the form of sexy heroic white knights upholding the honour of the land! The powers that be really pulled the wool over our parents eyes with that one.

But of all the wonderful films and TV shows that came in Bond's wake, riding the zeitgeist wave, and made their mark on the public consciousness with most intelligence and subversive wit were the iconic children's "spy" shows of Gerry Anderson ('Captain Scarlet', 'Joe 90' & 'The Secret Service') and Patrick McGoohan's multi-layered critique of the character and the times that spawned him in 'Danger Man' and 'The Prisoner'. John Drake was the perfect anti-Bond and just as fantastical a character. His gradual disillusionment - detailed in his earlier adventures - and famous cry of "I am not a number! I am a free man!" takes on extra resonance in that context. Spies are not sexy. They're not even heroic. They're brainwashed savages who have had the conscience beaten out of them in servitude to a Hitlerian ideal. It was no wonder Drake tried to escape the life!

In 'Skyfall' Bond is betrayed by his paymasters and "killed", making the perfect escape that Drake could only ever have dreamed of, but loyalty - or is it conditioning - makes him return like a good little lap dog when his old bosses whistle. I had far more sympathy for Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva who went the same way as John Drake and ended up just as insane (my reading of the famous last episode of 'The Prisoner').

But if you want to see a Bond figure taken to the other extreme of unquestioning loyalty to the nation then watch 'Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons'. This guy literally dies for the cause, and feels every ounce of pain, in virtually every episode and is reconstructed, while writhing in agony, time after time again, before being sent out on his next mission. When all he really wants is to die. "Captain Scarlet... Indestructible!" The poor bastard. From Drake to Bond to Scarlet. The myth of the noble spy revealed...

Btw, in case you think I'm exaggerating the significance of Gerry Anderson's later puppet shows, in respect of James Bond, I must declare the fact that Anderson himself was approached, during the making of the sublime 'UFO', by Saltzman & Broccoli to write the script for the next Bond adaptation, after 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', which he duly did. They opted to go for 'Diamonds Are Forever' instead (one of my fav Bonds and probably the most violent) while Anderson's script was shelved. Several years later the Bond team filmed Anderson's script as 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and gave him no credit whatsoever (it's one of Roger Moore's best and introduced the arch-villain Jaws - a typically Andersonian creation). Anderson attempted to sue for plagiarism but was forced to settle out of court for a paltry £3,000 in compensation. To add insult to injury Anderson's great special effects man, Derek Meddings, the man responsible for all those wonderful models and explosions, was head-hunted to provide similar effects for the next Bond project 'Moonraker' - again featuring Jaws. Apparently this caused a rift between the pair that was never healed. I know all this because I've read Gerry's biography.

If you want to see what British spies were really all about watch the fantastic ITV series 'The Sandbaggers' (1978-80) or read Graham Greene's great later masterpiece 'The Human Factor' (1978) or finally catch up with the sensational adaptation of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011) by Tomas Alfredson.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2013 - 08:38 am:   

You're definitely right, Stevie, in that Skyfall was easier to follow than the previous two (which, are one movie split into two parts—finally, a James Bond double-album!). I think the previous one just as brilliant, in a different way, a different style of storytelling. I can't yet speak to whether Skyfall was overhyped: I've only just seen it, am enthusiastic about it, and time will determine if I'm right or not that it's still the beautiful, excellent film I think it is now.

I don't know much about the time Bond was born in—I know there were just tons of these spy films made in the wake of Bond's success, virtually every last one a moldy corpse in some forgotten grave by now, probably rightfully so. Bond, when birthed, was different—Dr. No and From Russia With Love are great flicks, but the Bond "template" isn't fully worked out until they hit the third one, in Goldfinger. From there, and beyond, Bond outlived its own faddishness, and far beyond its own stale trappings—like the Greeks watching moldy old myths played out during their annual competitions—and taking on ever-renewable fresh life, as its own kind of myth-cycle.

I will sample some of these other spy entertainments you speak of; I'm sure they're probably as great as you say they are; I'm not sure they're the same thing anymore that Bond is to me—something far larger than the sum of its parts. That's why I guess I don't look at these quite the same as you seem to at least partially: as constantly making statements upon the actual "cold war" and what Britain did or didn't do during it to its own, then and now, etc. These films are neither realistic, to me, there were many of those from that era and beyond; nor satiric, as many of those; not even tragic, though some Bonds ventured there partially and occasionally (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). They're, to repeat, mythic. I appreciate these other films, love the great ones, gobbling them up whenever I can (my favorite film of 2011 was Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy!). Still, though I know some will think me loony, I actually go to a Bond film for—as well as to be entertained—for spiritual sustenance.

Javier Bardem was wonderful in Skyfall—the anti-Bond, the evil twin brother, you could say; with their joint mothers being the "merciless" M. Raoul Silva has a great arc in the film: he's the most powerful man on Earth when we first meet him, and like Satan in the lowest levels of Hell (who has power over this world) he tempts Bond with anything he desires… but what Silva wants, like Satan, is to punish God for rejecting him. Money and the world's trappings have no meaning (wealth is satirized in Bond films: I love how most will have a moment where vast sums are joyfully flung away by Bond, as so much worthless dross—like the great scene where he throws money to the Indian crowds in Octopussy); all that consumes the Satanically powerful Silva is… to put a bullet into M. And so you have that superbly grotesque final moment in Skyfall, where he begs M to (hearkening back to the opening of the film) "take the shot," and kill them both. Ah, I could keep going on… I'll spare you, and leave you to appreciate, yes, just how much I really loved this film….
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.157
Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2013 - 04:11 pm:   

Bond is an undeniably fascinating iconic character, Craig, but he cannot be separated from his profession. Indeed he is his profession. It is all that defines him and that's what makes him such a tragic figure.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2013 - 04:41 pm:   

Tragic, but redemptive. I keep thinking about Skyfall (**spoilers**), and it could easily be called, Bond: Resurrection. The film fits in with the recent trend in "reboots," in that by the end, the entire franchise has been re-imagined and the tables re-set: a new young Q, a new young Moneypenny, and a new M. Only Bond, who falls into "Hell" (think the Apostles' Creed) at the beginning, comes back to Earth reborn: note how we for the first time visit the place of Bond's birth, and get a Batman-like genesis story, where we're eerily told (via Albert Finney) that young Bond went down into the tunnels, and two days later emerged a "man"... what happened down there? Also note how the film really is a journey through Hell: much of the film takes place in various underground tunnels and locales; there's that iconic scene where Bond is on the Chinese boat, floating across the river, ala the Styx; there's something of Eurydice in the character of Severine, the girl Bond tries to save, who ends up getting killed by Silva (Bardem) literally moments before rescue arrives. Severine, in this installment of the Bond series, is the sole "human" character we encounter: her end is tragic... but though Bond has something of the tragic about him, like Jesus does (did I just say that?! yes!); also like Jesus, you cannot call him tragic. There's too much of the mythic to be tragic here—and the mythic is always, ultimately, a redemptive narrative.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.253
Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - 08:19 pm:   

Have you never watched the TV series 'The Prisoner' with Patrick McGoohan, Craig? If so you don't know what you're missing. Talk of a spy as a mythic character only really applies to John Drake's transformation from an unquestioning servant of the State into a free man in that iconic series. The greatest of the 1960s, imo, when television went through a golden era that we will never see again.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 05:16 am:   

Fwiw, just randomly stumbled across this blog's list, its ranked best horror films of 2012. Most of these I'd never heard of! But they all sound intriguing....

http://www.planetofterror.com/2012/12/the-top-10-best-horror-films-of-2012.html
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 11:10 am:   

Interesting list, Craig. I like the sound of that Lance Henriksen one! If it's even close to being his "finest genre performance" then it has to be a must see.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 04:46 pm:   

Yeah, I think I'm going to go find that one out, too, Stevie.

I need something to cleanse my palate from one of the worst pieces of shite horror films ever foisted, which I just saw—not from 2012, but two years before (and it was already shelved for two years on top of that): Wes Craven's My Soul To Take. This movie was so terrible, I was depressed when it was over (but for the sheer elation that it was over, of course); and I thought it a crime... a crime I think should be punishable by lots of pummeling about the face... that Craven wasted $25 million dollars on something un-thought-out, un-cared-for, as this. Execrable garbage, that only works to heap scorn and righteous anger against the horror genre in film—doesn't he know that?! He didn't care, he took his fat paycheck and shat out this (thankfully, at least) forgettable, terrible thing. For shame, Wesley!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.93
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 05:51 pm:   

Sounds like another 'Deadly Friend', Craig. Thanks for the warning!

As I've said on here before Craven is the closest thing to a modern day Roger Corman figure that the horror genre has produced. Sometimes inspired but more often than not only in it to make a fast buck and damn the quality of the finished product.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 212.183.128.93
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 05:55 pm:   

For the record I consider Lance Henriksen's finest genre performance to have been as Frank Black in the criminally underrated horror series 'Millennium'. I love that show!
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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 212.219.63.206
Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 07:03 pm:   

Sorry to "reboot" the discussion but I finally got to see "Skyfall" last night and was awed by it. The point about most of it taking place underground is a good one, something I must admit, I didn't catch while watching it. The photography and atmosphere were perfect, particularly the flame-painted final act.

I like Daniel Craig's Bond. Thre is a certain vulnerability about his interpretation that makes him a much more interesting character than many previous incarnations.
Cheers
Terry
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2013 - 04:32 am:   

At least Deadly Friend told a straightforward story, and didn't have loftier aspirations. I could go on and on about what went wrong with My Soul To Keep, Stevie, but why bother? It's not worth the cursing the darkness. But I just hate how Craven so wasted money, and efforts. I'd actually be embarrassed to say I was involved with this film in any way; and I usually have respect for anything made in Hollywood, to some degree, it's such an uphill climb and difficult to get anything done.

By contrast, I had also seen (my own double-bill that night) Sorority Row (2009), which in comparison, was brilliant. It wasn't, but it wasn't bad—it just wanted to be a bloody body-count film, lots of gore and naked female flesh; it had a not bad storyline, and some good comic scenes (Carrie Fisher actually has a plum little role). Great? No. But not hardly an abhorrence, like the other one.

Yes, wasn't that a wonderful Bond entry, Terry? I hope they never stop making them, and I hope they maintain the high level of quality—a great streak for over a decade now. Bond is dead—long live Bond!
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.27.234
Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - 04:01 pm:   

Ashamed to admit we've only just caught up with Martha Marcy May Marlene. I thought it was insidiously disturbing, and the last scene hung around like a presence at my back.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 86.24.62.55
Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - 07:12 pm:   

I found it very much a Campbellian psychological horror story of deep rooted paranoia, Ramsey. We are never entirely sure what is real and what is only perceived as a threat by the heroine while the mood of escalating dread and dislocation is like something right out of your pages. As I said above.

It was my horror film of last year.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 09:34 pm:   

I admit to not having seen Martha Marcy May Marlene yet, but I did read the screenplay. An excellent example of script-writing at its best, in every degree. I wonder though if the film ended up being the same one that was shot? I notice Joel mentions above a "mental clinic," and none appears in the screenplay; I wonder if a lot more was altered, to elicit his extreme reaction (i.e., judging from what I encountered on the page, which didn't add up to the same, for me; the polar responses here remind me of those we just had with We Need To Talk About Kevin). Purely as a written work? It's a superb and very subtle horror story by a fine writer indeed (his first produced feature script!)... but did it end up that way on film? Only time will tell (me, at least).

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