Rate The Last Film You Watched (Whether You Liked It Or Not)

Sid Seadevil wrote:

Frank wrote:Precisely. That's exactly how it felt as if I'd been allowed to witness the director's personal nightmare or dream. And it's actually very full on for a film made in 1960. I tell you, I could write a whole book about it!

It actually sounds as if there is, indeed, a potential book to be mined from it.

Oh, someone will have beaten me to it, no doubt. Need to be quicker off the mark.

One of the few features on the DVD is an extract from a French documentary in which the director Georges Franju explains two of the odder scenes. I watched that and thought what a bloomin' genius. It has a very Surreal edge to it, reminding of Cocteau's work on 'Orphee' and 'Testament D'Orphee'. Which reminds me, I've got the latter to watch!

Frank wrote:Oh, someone will have beaten me to it, no doubt. Need to be quicker off the mark.

Sadly so. But there's always potential for a fresh take on most subjects - especially something within this field.

Frank wrote:One of the few features on the DVD is an extract from a French documentary in which the director Georges Franju explains two of the odder scenes. I watched that and thought what a bloomin' genius. It has a very Surreal edge to it, reminding of Cocteau's work on 'Orphee' and 'Testament D'Orphee'. Which reminds me, I've got the latter to watch!

That sounds fascinating. I bet there's so many marvellous foreign documentaries out there that we're missing out on by dint of the narrowness of the market for them over here.

Sid Seadevil wrote:That sounds fascinating. I bet there's so many marvellous foreign documentaries out there that we're missing pout on by dint of the narrowness of the market for them over here.

Indeed

This one was an extract from a series called Cinema Du Notre Temps. I've only ever seen one other edition of that series and it was about another of my favourites - Andrei Tarkovsky. A dream job would be working with Eureka on their Masters Of Cinema DVDs. They are truly labours of love those DVDs. Their editions of Metropolis, M, Vampyr, Nosferatu and Kuroneko and Onibaba are just to die for.

Frank wrote:Indeed

This one was an extract from a series called Cinema Du Notre Temps. I've only ever seen one other edition of that series and it was about another of my favourites - Andrei Tarkovsky. A dream job would be working with Eureka on their Masters Of Cinema DVDs. They are truly labours of love those DVDs. Their editions of Metropolis, M, Vampyr, Nosferatu and Kuroneko and Onibaba are just to die for.

I've seen their editions of the first four you list and agree that they're absolutely superb. You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to have a sniff around to see what Eureka's submission policy is.

You might just be surprised.

Frank wrote:

Sid Seadevil wrote:That sounds fascinating. I bet there's so many marvellous foreign documentaries out there that we're missing pout on by dint of the narrowness of the market for them over here.

Indeed

This one was an extract from a series called Cinema Du Notre Temps. I've only ever seen one other edition of that series and it was about another of my favourites - Andrei Tarkovsky. A dream job would be working with Eureka on their Masters Of Cinema DVDs. They are truly labours of love those DVDs. Their editions of Metropolis, M, Vampyr, Nosferatu and Kuroneko and Onibaba are just to die for.

I like Tarkovsky. When I was a student in Russia, it was sometimes possible to see his films, but they were seen as being quite subversive.

Last two movies were both Christopher Nolan films, the Prestige and Memento.

Memento gets a 7/10, but the Prestige gets a 10/10 and if you have not seen it I highly recommend it.
Imagine the twists of Dark Knight even more twisty and about dueling magicians, Tesla and a special magic trick. Great stuff.

Edit: Can I make a kind request for this thread to be stickied??

Prestige is quite good. I'd been meaning to see it for a while when Doc recommended it and The Illusionist as a double feature. A fine recommendation and an excellent pair of films.

Zoltar wrote:Prestige is quite good. I'd been meaning to see it for a while when Doc recommended it and The Illusionist as a double feature. A fine recommendation and an excellent pair of films.

Absolutely agree. I'm planning my own Nolan double bill sometime over the weekend if I get the chance with Batman Begins/The Dark Knight.

Oh yeah, The Prestige rules - but I prefer Memento. The Dark Knight is very good, but not the best super-hero film of the year!

Rich Flair wrote:Oh yeah, The Prestige rules - but I prefer Memento. The Dark Knight is very good, but not the best super-hero film of the year!

Momento is a superb film. And I agree re Dark Knight - Iron Man takes the award as far as I'm concered.

Indeed - Iron Man f'n rules!

The Dark Knight needed the nonsense with the boat and the entire Two-Face plot taking out.

Rich Flair wrote:Indeed - Iron Man f'n rules!

Not arf!

Rich Flair wrote:The Dark Knight needed the nonsense with the boat and the entire Two-Face plot taking out.

I can see what Nolan was doing with the whole Two-Face subplot - but it really warranted a film to itself for maximum milage from the character.

Yeah, the thing about the Harvey Dent character was they spent too much time telling us how great he was, instead of showing us, then didn't provide a convincing reason for his turn.

Or something!

Rich Flair wrote:Yeah, the thing about the Harvey Dent character was they spent too much time telling us how great he was, instead of showing us, then didn't provide a convincing reason for his turn.

Or something!

I suppose they were originally planning to spin it over into the next film and bring it down to a revenge against the Joker/Batman thing for Dent - with Gotham caught in the middle. But with Ledger's death...

On the subject of super-hero movies, I recently watched 'Hancock.' A fascinating post-modern version of a super-hero tale where the super-hero isn't particularly well liked.

Patrick wrote:On the subject of super-hero movies, I recently watched 'Hancock.' A fascinating post-modern version of a super-hero tale where the super-hero isn't particularly well liked.

Kate and I also enjoyed it very much indeed. It was a very refreshing sideways look at the standard film superhero shenanigans.

Patrick wrote:On the subject of super-hero movies, I recently watched 'Hancock.' A fascinating post-modern version of a super-hero tale where the super-hero isn't particularly well liked.

I refused to watch it. Any film that recasts the great Tony Hancock as a black American isn't for me. It's political correctness gone mad.

Rich Flair wrote:I refused to watch it. Any film that recasts the great Tony Hancock as a black American isn't for me. It's political correctness gone mad.

Bad move. Charlize Theron was wonderful as Sid James.

I hear that the Hattie Jacques role was played by a thin woman. What about the Magna Carta? Did she die in vain?

Rich Flair wrote:I hear that the Hattie Jacques role was played by a thin woman. What about the Magna Carta? Did she die in vain?

No. Not in vain. I hear she passed in Baker Street tube station. Just after meeting Tom.

Rich Flair wrote:Indeed - Iron Man f'n rules!

Haven't seen that yet, but it's on the list.

Iron Man was good. A better superhero flick than Dark Knight, but Dark Knight was a better movie and a much better story. And the boat thing made perfect sense to me.

The last film I watched was Sin City, and I think I never need to watch anything based on, or indeed read anything by, Frank Miller ever again.

It was ok. Stylistically lovely, some rather variable performances, some nice hardboiled dialog, but after the opening scene and Marv, everything else was a bit of a let down.

Dave Webb wrote:The last film I watched was Sin City, and I think I never need to watch anything based on, or indeed read anything by, Frank Miller ever again.

It was ok. Stylistically lovely, some rather variable performances, some nice hardboiled dialog, but after the opening scene and Marv, everything else was a bit of a let down.

I liked Sin City, it was remarkably accurate to the comics. I do agree with you though, Marv's segment and the opening were the best parts of the film.

I don't usually like 'modern' horror films, but the film Mirrors was pretty good.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790686/

I rewatched Punch-Drunk Love last night - Eccleston out of ten.