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

Sid Seadevil wrote:Indeed. Although I expect some studio suit will insist on wanting to realise 40's LA, Sin City style.

Perhaps the loud splat noise made by Frank Miller's The Goddamned Spirit at the box office will dissuade said suit of that idea.

Zoltar wrote:Perhaps the loud splat noise made by Frank Miller's The Goddamned Spirit at the box office will dissuade said suit of that idea.

We can but hope. Oh, and Frank Miller's The Goddamned Spirit , is one of the very few films that I've ever actively wanted to fail.

Sid Seadevil wrote:We can but hope. Oh, and Frank Miller's The Goddamned Spirit , is one of the very few films that I've ever actively wanted to fail.

Yep, as did I.

Three movies to post...

Boy in the Striped Pajamas 10/10
Milk 9/10
Gran Turino 9/10

Three great dramas with very sad endings...I must be on a kick or something.

Went to see The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button last night.

Somewhat of a disappointment. Essentially a good film trapped inside a staggering, Hollywood juggernaut. Full review on the ol' blog.

'Oi'll give it foive' - now that does age me, much like the film in fact.

Frank wrote:Went to see The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button last night.

Somewhat of a disappointment. Essentially a good film trapped inside a staggering, Hollywood juggernaut. Full review on the ol' blog.

'Oi'll give it foive' - now that does age me, much like the film in fact.

It's obvious they have it earmarked as this year's "Forrest Gump", oscar-wise. Eastwood's, much superior and more deserving, Gran Torino, has been royally shafted by the Academy crowd in favour of Button, I suspect.

Sid Seadevil wrote:

Frank wrote:Went to see The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button last night.

Somewhat of a disappointment. Essentially a good film trapped inside a staggering, Hollywood juggernaut. Full review on the ol' blog.

'Oi'll give it foive' - now that does age me, much like the film in fact.

It's obvious they have it earmarked as this year's "Forrest Gump", oscar-wise. Eastwood's, much superior and more deserving, Gran Torino, has been royally shafted by the Academy crowd in favour of Button, I suspect.

Yes, I tend to agree. And poor old Frost/Nixon has been left to wither on the vine too. It hardly got a look in at the BAFTAS. Saw the trailer for Gran Torino last night and it looked interesting.

Frank wrote:Yes, I tend to agree. And poor old Frost/Nixon has been left to wither on the vine too. It hardly got a look in at the BAFTAS. Saw the trailer for Gran Torino last night and it looked interesting.

I think Frost/Nixon suffers from the unfortunate twin problems of being something seen as having a very limited interest here in the UK, while also being a subject which the US would like to quietly sweep under the carpet in an historical sense. Gran Torino on the otherhand, sees Eastwood again very near the top of his directorial game - it poses some awkward questions re the morals and ethics of the "Dirty Harry" generation's moral stance and attitudes towards "minority" cultures amongst them. As such, it's possibly slightly uncomfortable and definitely not "safe" viewing from the Academy board's perspective.

Nor the studio's either, I suspect. Given as how they're very much playing up the "Dirty Harry" angle in the UK advertising for the film.

Sid Seadevil wrote: I think Frost/Nixon suffers from the unfortunate twin problems of being something seen as having a very limited interest here in the UK, while also being a subject which the US would like to quietly sweep under the carpet in an historical sense. Gran Torino on the otherhand, sees Eastwood again very near the top of his directorial game - it poses some awkward questions re the morals and ethics of the "Dirty Harry" generation's moral stance and attitudes towards "minority" cultures amongst them. As such, it's possibly slightly uncomfortable and definitely not "safe" viewing from the Academy board's perspective.

Nor the studio's either, I suspect. Given as how they're very much playing up the "Dirty Harry" angle in the UK advertising for the film.

QFT on Frost/Nixon. It's a very niche movie.

I must catch up with Gran Torino. Now, I loved the first few Dirty Harry movies and that's interesting that he's decided to look at the moral view point from the other direction. There was a whiff of the Dirty Harry angle in that trailer and even I thought, from the footage I saw, that that wasn't what the film was about. It's actually about some important moral questions but the trailer was so over the top you'd have a hard time seeing that.

Frank wrote:QFT on Frost/Nixon. It's a very niche movie.

I must catch up with Gran Torino. Now, I loved the first few Dirty Harry movies and that's interesting that he's decided to look at the moral view point from the other direction. There was a whiff of the Dirty Harry angle in that trailer and even I thought, from the footage I saw, that that wasn't what the film was about. It's actually about some important moral questions but the trailer was so over the top you'd have a hard time seeing that.

Exactly so. The deliberate misleading slant given to the trailers is the studio mistakenly panicking about how the films actual themes will put off Joe Public. When such certainly hasn't been the case and the US box office, and is even less likely at the European B.O. - especially in a country like France, where Eastwood's rightly lauded as the serious and insightful film maker which he undoubtedly is.

I love the early Dirty Harry's too. And of course, one of the things about them that's been forgotten over the years is the fact that they were critiques of the very moral stance that they're now mistakenly thought of as celebrating. Harry is undoubtedly an iconic character - but even then he was intended to be viewed as an iconic character who's time has passed.

Sid Seadevil wrote:in a country like France, where Eastwood's rightly lauded as the serious and insightful film maker which he undoubtedly is

Absolutely. Play Misty For Me, Mystic River and Unforgiven are quite marvellous. And I must be one of the few that loved Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Haven't seen much of his latest stuff so I can't comment. Must have a look at Changeling too.

Frank wrote:Absolutely. Play Misty For Me, Mystic River and Unforgiven are quite marvellous. And I must be one of the few that loved Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Haven't seen much of his latest stuff so I can't comment. Must have a look at Changeling too.

You're not alone when it comes to Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil - both Kate and I admire the film deeply. Which is no mean trick on Eastwood's part, given how prior to him taking up the project I'd long considered the book as being near impossible to realise in anything close to a satisfying way filmically. I was wrong - he wasn't.

I must get around to Changeling too, sooner rather than later. I suspect if most other big name Hollywood directors had helmed it, it would have turned out as a maudlin, over-sentimentalised weep-fest of blockbuster proportions.

or it would have had aliens in it...


It doesn't have aliens in it right?

Kate Seadevil wrote:or it would have had aliens in it...


It doesn't have aliens in it right?

I am of the opinion that...no, it doesn't have aliens in it. As it was written by JMS then you might be disappointed to know that the Vorlons and Minbari don't make an appearance.

Frank wrote:

Kate Seadevil wrote:or it would have had aliens in it...


It doesn't have aliens in it right?

I am of the opinion that...no, it doesn't have aliens in it. As it was written by JMS then you might be disappointed to know that the Vorlons and Minbari don't make an appearance.

Bummer. How about Thor or Spidey?

And speaking of Marvel Superheroes, the last film I saw was Iron Man. Finally got 'round to it. It's a bit short, but it does capture Stark and his blazin' armor rather well. The cast did a nice job, though I look forward to seeing what Don Cheadle will do as Rhodey in the sequel.

I've just acquired the new feature length Wonder Woman animated adventure. I've heard very good things about it, so I'm looking forward very much to settling down to watch it at the first opportunity.

It certainly has a damned impressive voice cast for something of this nature.

Sid Seadevil wrote:I've just acquired the new feature length Wonder Woman animated adventure. I've heard very good things about it, so I'm looking forward very much to settling down to watch it at the first opportunity.

It certainly has a damned impressive voice cast for something of this nature.

I saw that myself last night. It was good and most of the voice cast did a fine job. The chemistry between Diana and Steve was particularly fun. Helps they had Gail Simone as one of the writers.

Zoltar wrote:I saw that myself last night. It was good and most of the voice cast did a fine job. The chemistry between Diana and Steve was particularly fun. Helps they had Gail Simone as one of the writers.

That's all encouraging news. I'm going to set aside some time either tonight or tomorrow to eyeball it. Thanks for the heads-up, old chap.

Oh yes, finally managed to catch up with "Son of Rambow", yesterday. A wonderfully funny and particularly well acted and observed little film it was too. Myself and "The Eye", enjoyed it immensely.

Everyone here should see-

'LET THE RIGHT ONE IN'

10/10.....best film of the year.......easily in the top 5 of all vampire films ever made........

Monsters Versus Aliens, as predicted, best film of the year.

A great big gelatinous ball of fun with jokes for all the family, and adhering to the Carey theory of the universe (where all systems, be they military, political, or personal, are ,if not inept, then simply stupid).

Well recommended. Especially in 3D.

Monsters Verses Aliens. Not sure about the best film of the year, but up there with the top few.
Recommended in 3D although I wish the glass weren't so stupid or so large.
A very funny film, although I'm sure half the jokes went above the children's heads. Really is one for all of the family.

Thanks guys. I'll ask my dad if we can see it over the summer.

So noted. I've been considering seeing it, it looks fun.

Went old school a bit over the last couple days and watched the 1st 3 films in the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman series. All very good, as I'd remembered. Nice moody stuff, with good acting (bearing in mind that Japanese acting style in the 60's wasn't quite the same as it was in the Western world.) Choreography for the sword fights is pretty good, with some very nice "roughness" to them (Hollywood has a tendency for all martial artists to act with perfect precision in real-life combat, which is pretty unrealistic.) I was also reminded that, unlike the recent remake where Ichi's been remade as all stoic and grim, the original character is quite jovial and friendly most of the time, a reminder of a time when a protagonist could be portrayed as both deadly and likeable, instead of having to be all dark and grim. Very bittersweet endings to all three films (and to the 4th, if I remember correctly.) The switch from Black & White to color with the 3rd film is nowhere near as jarring as one might expect.
Undoubtedly not for everyone, but for those who like period samurai films* (not to be confused with Kung Fu flicks, a different genre with much broader and sillier conventions) they're very good. You have to get all the way up to the 8th film or so before you even hit one that could be described as bad.

*Technically, Ichi's not a samurai. Indeed, there's very little of the Hollywood glamourization of the samurai in these films, with virtually every member of that class turning out to be a bastard who preys on those lower on society's rungs. It's one of the things that makes Ichi such a wonderful "working class hero." The 1st film contains about the only actually noble samurai in the series and he's certainly got flaws.