[Tiste Simeon]

I saw Death Race the other day. It was pretty much like every single Jason Statham film... Enjoyable if you like that kind of film, pretty naff but amusing acting vague semblance of a plot... I liked it.

[Slow Ben]

Watched Slumdog Millionaire. Pretty damn good flick, enjoyed it a lot.

And Freida Pinto is friggin smokin!

[Anomander]

Lately I've decided to go back and watch a bunch of movies from the 90s. Oh the days before CGI was all the rage and there had to be a storyline of some sort. So far my viewing has included:

- Dangerous Minds
- Natural Born Killers
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Craft
- Jurassic Park
- The Blair Witch Project
- The Crow
- Clerks
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Dazed and Confused

Up next are "Donnie Brasco" and "Boyz N The Hood".

[Macros]

Watched observe and report.

sorry thats a lie, watched a bit of observe and report, fast forwarded some bits then turn it off after total of 1/2 hour tops.
Woeful

[Tiste Simeon]

Borrowed my friends Naked Gun complete collection so working my way through that! Brilliant classic stuff.

[Macros]

Valkyrie
Meh
Ok film, based on some intriguing events, but I don't knnow, seemed badly paced or soemthing

[Cougar]

I'll tell you what was problematic about Valkyrie, for me anyway. That period is one of my specialisms and they stuck very closely to the story (which isn't a bad thing per se) but didn't inject any drama into in it in the writing.

[Macros]

What just happened?


I'll tell you what just happened.
I wasted and hour and a half of my fucking life, that's what just happened.
My god this film pissed me off. Not in the way meet the spartans and its ill concieved pointless ilk do, but right at the fucking finish, I wanted to find the director and writer and give them a good old fashioned solid thrashing.
A lot of potential, A lot, wasted. A few good moments showed how this film could have been entertaining, and Deniro's character, hes likeable, the entire time I was wanting to like this film, really wanting to like it. But everytime there was a decent emotional or comical payoff (bar one, maybe two) oppourtunity they squandered it, fell flat on their face by trying to be too coy.
The ending, this made me actually shout out loud, oh for fucksake. This wasn't a quirky closure, a full circle, it was something, like everything else in this godforsaken movie, that was visible a country mile off. Grr, really irked me, a bit of decent tragedy to bring a bit of pathos to the scene would have saved this movie somewhat, maybe brought it to a 7 beers out of 13.
As it stands, 3

[stone monkey]

Currently halfway through the full version of John Woo's Red Cliff (it's over 4 1/2 hours long; on a pair of DVDs) I watched the first half earlier in the week. The word epic gets thrown around a lot, but this thing is truly epic in the scale of its vision. Surprisingly bloody too. All the usual John Woo signifiers are there (though the doves actually have a purpose this time) and it looks bloody gorgeous too. I wish this version had gotten a cinema release in the West; it did massive business in the East.

It's based on a single incident from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and has been sorely tempting me to get around to reading the thing again, possibly over this weekend (which I would do without hesitation were it not for the fact that it has 3000 pages, meaning I'd get absolutely nothing else done...)

As an aside, there has been a raft of Chinese language period films in the last ten years or so that look absolutely stunning; starting way back when with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. More recent examples include The Banquet and The Curse of the Golden Flower which is jawdroppingly beautiful to look at.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 17 October 2009 - 12:46 AM

[Mezla PigDog]

stone monkey, on 17 October 2009 - 12:38 AM, said:

Currently halfway through the full version of John Woo's Red Cliff

So was it all good? I saw the cinematic release and I really wanted to like it but I was soooooooo bored! I'm not one to get bored in a movie either, I'll watch anything but this really dragged.

I just got in from watching The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. I'm partial to a Terry Gilliam movie but I do think the majority of his stuff has more style than substance. He also always has unconventional plot arcs (often disguised as the absense of a plot!). This was no different. It looked good, there was uncomfortable stuff about Lily Cole playing a 15 year old who kept getting her not-15 year old flesh out and the plot was well hidden! I still quite liked it, mainly because I like Gilliam's fairy tale vibes but I wouldn't recommend it. My sister fell asleep 3 times and thought it was really shit. Old Heath's alright in it but I kept thinking he played his character like Jonny Depp, so when Jonny Depp did his stand in part it was well confusing!

[Illuyankas]

Speaking of Terry Gilliam, I just saw Brazil today on DVD. Balls to the wall crazy.

[Cougar]

stone monkey, on 17 October 2009 - 12:38 AM, said:

Currently halfway through the full version of John Woo's Red Cliff

Our Global Sourcing expert at my old work, who is Chinese, told me that this was a very poor version of the story and also not a great example of this genre Chinese film making.

[stone monkey]

Red Cliff doesn't quite do the book justice. But I'm not sure anything could. Its pacing is a bit weird too. I have enjoyed it immensely.though, and I wish I'd seen it on a big screen as it certainly very striking visually.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I want to see Iamginarium. I am a fanboy of both Gilliam and Depp, so it seems like something I should check out.

[Tiste Simeon]

I liked Imaginarium, it was good fun. Still not quite sure about the ending but otherwise it was definitely enjoyable.

I just finished watching Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Which, until tonight I didn't know why I had never seen. Now I know and wish I hadn't. It hurts to think about just how terrible it was...

[Jusentantaka]

Tiste Simeon, on 12 October 2009 - 04:36 PM, said:

I saw Death Race the other day. It was pretty much like every single Jason Statham film... Enjoyable if you like that kind of film, pretty naff but amusing acting vague semblance of a plot... I liked it.

Now go watch the original one. *cackle*

Quote

John Woo's Red Cliff

Oooooh... too fun of a movie to watch. I'm going to have to see about re-acquiring that.


I just watched Starship Troopers last night for what's probably the 400th time (10th) and I'm still amazed how many people think badly of this fantastic-is-going-to-far-movie. Whats you all think?

[Tiste Simeon]

Mortal Kombat was on last night. Many lulz ensued.

[dktorode]

Finally after a year of waiting i got to watch THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD.

It's like every favorite movie you've ever loved, but like nothing you've ever seen before. Its Wild and crazy.
A South Korean homageto the western which may not be particularly thought-provoking or deep, butit's also one of the most genuinely fun and inventive movies ive seen in a long time!

Well worth it... i highly recommend it.

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 16 October 2009 - 11:16 PM, said:

What just happened?


I'll tell you what just happened.
I wasted and hour and a half of my fucking life, that's what just happened.
My god this film pissed me off. Not in the way meet the spartans and its ill concieved pointless ilk do, but right at the fucking finish, I wanted to find the director and writer and give them a good old fashioned solid thrashing.
A lot of potential, A lot, wasted. A few good moments showed how this film could have been entertaining, and Deniro's character, hes likeable, the entire time I was wanting to like this film, really wanting to like it. But everytime there was a decent emotional or comical payoff (bar one, maybe two) oppourtunity they squandered it, fell flat on their face by trying to be too coy.
The ending, this made me actually shout out loud, oh for fucksake. This wasn't a quirky closure, a full circle, it was something, like everything else in this godforsaken movie, that was visible a country mile off. Grr, really irked me, a bit of decent tragedy to bring a bit of pathos to the scene would have saved this movie somewhat, maybe brought it to a 7 beers out of 13.
As it stands, 3

... aaaaaaaaand what movie would this be so we may actually avoid it?

[dktorode]

haha
Sombra... the movie is called WHAT JUST HAPPENED.
(see there is a reason i write movie titles in all caps )