What Non-New Films Have You Seen? (2019 Edition)

[St_Eddie]

Taken looks like he's being green screened in even when he's interacting with other humans. Trainspotting looks bored to fuck throughout. Why when they're fighting the Devil at the end do those doors keep locking? That's never explained! The whole thing made me angry and I don't know why.

Aye, this make no sense whatsoever.  Presumably, an engineer working within that location would have to time their walk very carefully from one end of the corridor to the other, on a daily basis.  It's exactly the sort of thing that this scene in Galaxy Quest was rightfully mocking.

He is.

Eh, less so than the actors were green screened into scenes in the following two sequels.  The Phantom Menace has a lot of practical sets, relatively speaking.

[bgmnts]

Well yeah they definitely got worse. You can measure how much uninspired green scene there is by how slouched George Lucas is in his director's chair, and also the size of the coffee he is drinking.

[Blumf]

Masters of the Universe (1987)

Oh hey, it's Monica, it's Lieutenant Tom Paris, it's Principal Strickland.

Not really that good a film, unsurprisingly (Cannon). Really makes you wish for a redo... oh wait! Maybe..., if it can get out of development hell, but they're using some twink called Noah Centineo to play He-Man? Come on!! You need a full on muscle Mary in the role!

Best bit - My wife finding out that Evil-Lyn's name is Evil-Lyn. She always thought it was Evalyn. Meg Foster did a good job in the role at least, as did Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a shame the film never really does anything worthwhile, could have been as great as Flash Gordon.

2 Dolphs out Lundgren

[greenman]

Langella could do the voice for a more CGI Skeletor still.

[A Hat Like That]

Masters of the Universe (1987)

Oh hey, it's Monica, it's Lieutenant Tom Paris, it's Principal Strickland.

Not really that good a film, unsurprisingly (Cannon). Really makes you wish for a redo... oh wait! Maybe..., if it can get out of development hell, but they're using some twink called Noah Centineo to play He-Man? Come on!! You need a full on muscle Mary in the role!

Best bit - My wife finding out that Evil-Lyn's name is Evil-Lyn. She always thought it was Evalyn. Meg Foster did a good job in the role at least, as did Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a shame the film never really does anything worthwhile, could have been as great as Flash Gordon.

2 Dolphs out Lundgren

I like the bit in the final fight when they turn all the lights off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ceERPc3pyw

I thought it was a style choice. Apparently, they were just really low on money.

[Shit Good Nose]

The Phantom Menace

I thought I'd seen it up to the podrace and then died of excitement but, it turns out I've never seen it. Or I've seen it in bits? I couldn't remember any of it though. And with good reason. Fuckinell. Pig shit from tip to tail.

Taken looks like he's being green screened in even when he's interacting with other humans. Trainspotting looks bored to fuck throughout. Why when they're fighting the Devil at the end do those doors keep locking? That's never explained! The whole thing made me angry and I don't know why.

Don't forget jedi superspeed, which is never used or referred to ever again in any SW film.

[bgmnts]

Neither is holding breath for very long.

[Shit Good Nose]

Neither is holding breath for very long.

They use those little air capsule things don't they?

[St_Eddie]

Don't forget jedi superspeed...

It's especially bizarre because they're shown to use force speed in the opening act onboard the Trade Federation station but then Obi-Wan doesn't use it to bypass the forcefields in the corridor in the final act?  He wouldn't have had to watch his Master die, if he had.  Idiot!

...which is never used or referred to ever again in any SW film.

Luke uses force speed to escape the carbonite trap in The Empire Strikes Back (resulting in Darth Vader commending him upon his ability with the force; "Impressive. Most impressive").

They use those little air capsule things don't they?

Yes, which they just handily happened to have on them, concealed within their Jedi robes, on a diplomatic assignment to a space station...

[Ferris]

Lads, I'll just say it - I thought The Phantom Menace was alright on a recent rewatch. Bit mad and nonsensical, but basically fine.

[bgmnts]

They use those little air capsule things don't they?

They show us using them when swimming to the underwater Gungan city but when they are gassed they just hold their breath dont they?

[St_Eddie]

They show us using them when swimming to the underwater Gungan city but when they are gassed they just hold their breath dont they?

Yes.

[bgmnts]

Lads, I'll just say it - I thought The Phantom Menace was alright on a recent rewatch. Bit mad and nonsensical, but basically fine.

I liked.it as a child because I liked the big battle sequences and I quite liked the Gungans and Darth Maul and the mental lightsaber fights.

I do remember liking the original triology more as a child though, which is less of a busy visual experience. So I must have seen through Phantom Menace on some level.

[zomgmouse]

More Abel Ferrara, nearing the end now:

4:44 Last Day on Earth. This somehow spoke a lot to me. Maybe it was the change of pace, the comparative calm as well as the themes but it really struck me hard.

Welcome to New York. Masterfully unpleasant, Depardieu gives an astoundingly impressive performance. Fascinating treatment of power. Especially the way it uses nudity to express this.

Started catching up with Xavier Dolan as I'd only seen his first film. He's an interesting director with interesting choices and a lot of the time these work to amazing effect but then he'll either take them too far or add something unnecessary and it'll ruin the effect.

With Heartbeats this would be the stilted talking heads which seemed a little out of place but particularly annoying because of the incessant zooming of the camera and that detracted from the atmosphere he built up during the main narrative, which I loved (although perhaps one slow-motion scene too many - I read someone comparing it to Wong Kar-wai and now I can't get that out of my head).

Laurence Anyways again was very good but stretched out far too much and a bit too focussed on Laurence's partner for what is a trans coming out story, and a bit too steeped in clichés.

Tom at the Farm felt different and fresh in its brooding darkness, probably because it's based on a play, but there's an enjoyable menace here - I loved the dancing in the barn for example, and Tom's gradual twisting. Though again this has a lot of drawn-out elements.

My favourite so far has been Mommy (though again could be tightened) as I think it has the best blending of stylistic choices and dramatic choices. Some excellent moments.

[Ferris]

I liked.it as a child because I liked the big battle sequences and I quite liked the Gungans and Darth Maul and the mental lightsaber fights.

I do remember liking the original triology more as a child though, which is less of a busy visual experience. So I must have seen through Phantom Menace on some level.

I'd forgotten the gungans mainly (except for the main one).

Remember their fun gloopy tank things? Sploshed paint on people, but it killed the droids. And Danny the Dealer from Wihnail was one of the pilots. My opinion is becoming increasingly galvanized.

Up next: the Hobbit movies were alright.

[bgmnts]

I'd forgotten the gungans mainly (except for the main one).

Remember their fun gloopy tank things? Sploshed paint on people, but it killed the droids. And Danny the Dealer from Wihnail was one of the pilots. My opinion is becoming increasingly galvanized.

Up next: the Hobbit movies were alright.

Honestly they're no worse than Ewoks are they? A native species against the technological terror conquering their land, fairly basic both. Boss Nass was Brian Blessed so surely that gets points?

I quite liked their little grenades that look like plasma balls. And their cool shield thing that Avengers Infinity War stole.

[SteveDave]

Why was it all so racist?

[zomgmouse]

Pasolini. Abel Ferrara certainly knows how to weave a powerful singular vision. Dafoe brings a great presence to playing Pasolini and the recreations of some of his unfilmed scripts were really astounding, especially the "feast of fertility" scene. Quite clever touch of having some interview scenes to get some of Pasolini's own words out on screen. Also - this brings me to the end of Ferrara's narrative feature filmography, barring his recent Cannes release which I'm going to see in a few weeks at the film festival here.

Filling in some Almodóvar gaps, started with I'm So Excited! which wasn't brilliant but rather fun, especially the air stewards. Dunno why but their po-faced air safety instructions really got me laughing and their Pointer Sisters mime was a lot of fun.

Then threw on The Burning. This was not very good at all despite a decent Rick Wakeman score and a couple of nice kills.

[bgmnts]

Why was it all so racist?

And anti-semitic too, don't forget Watto the Space Jew.

[Piggyoioi]

I watched 'Birth' recently. The film and particularly the movieposter kept coming up in my experience of browsing movie streaming platforms but I disregarded it as I usually, stupidly, dismiss films after quickly googling their 'critical reception'.

But if something keeps popping up in my grill repeatedly, even though im not big on meaningful coincidences, I usually embrace them.

Great movie, I was gripped absolutely immediately. The opening prologue -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP7DtzyGZa8

I don't even wanna talk about it or explain the plot, just that the soundtrack, characters and themes are gourmet as fuck. And Nicole Kidman is brilliant (the opera scene), an actor i never really about much of before.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Last night I watched Berberian Sound Studio. I liked it but my mind was wandering a little, which meant I didn't follow the plot of the film-within-the-film quite as well as I should have, and realised I probably should've been paying more attention to it a bit late, so didn't really piece the thing together as well as I should've done.

I will need to watch it again.

Spoiler alert

I also found the end bit really confusing. I got that it probably suggested the cycle repeats, but the way it switched to Italian and Gildroy coming in at the beginning just made it odd, if they omitted that it would've implied this film was stuck there forever, repeating the mistakes so long he'd learned Italian, but that scene sort of ruined that.

[close]

Cool soundtrack by Broadcast too.

It's also tickled my interest in Giallo films, which I'll probably like (I sometimes find straight horror a bit dull, but like a noir and elements of comedy so probably will get on with them) so have added The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (this is on youtube in 720p) and The Girl who Knew Too Much. If I started a thread on this shit, would there be enough interest to generate a discussion?

[bgmnts]

Drive.

Was fine. Tuned out towards the end.

[zomgmouse]

Last night I watched Berberian Sound Studio. I liked it but my mind was wandering a little, which meant I didn't follow the plot of the film-within-the-film quite as well as I should have, and realised I probably should've been paying more attention to it a bit late, so didn't really piece the thing together as well as I should've done.

I will need to watch it again.

Spoiler alert

I also found the end bit really confusing. I got that it probably suggested the cycle repeats, but the way it switched to Italian and Gildroy coming in at the beginning just made it odd, if they omitted that it would've implied this film was stuck there forever, repeating the mistakes so long he'd learned Italian, but that scene sort of ruined that.

[close]

Cool soundtrack by Broadcast too.

It's also tickled my interest in Giallo films, which I'll probably like (I sometimes find straight horror a bit dull, but like a noir and elements of comedy so probably will get on with them) so have added The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (this is on youtube in 720p) and The Girl who Knew Too Much. If I started a thread on this shit, would there be enough interest to generate a discussion?

I remember at the time it was suggested that he never leaves the shed in the first place? And killed his mother or something?

Also I think there was a giallo thread started not too long ago if I remember correctly. You gotta watch The House with the Laughing Windows. Suspiria if you've never seen it is my favourite horror film (Argento's Deep Red is amazing too, but make sure you get the full cut). A Quiet Place in the Country. The Perfume of the Lady in Black. And perhaps my favourite title: Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key.

[zomgmouse]

I watched Strange Days last night on the big screen. Certainly a lot to take in. I didn't realise it was written by James Cameron until the credits rolled and that certainly explains a lot of the hokeyness about it, even if Bigelow did a spectacular job pumping it up to be a pretty sensational experience, especially visually. The ideas in this were great and the technology as well.

[Egyptian Feast]

Last night I watched Berberian Sound Studio. I liked it but my mind was wandering a little, which meant I didn't follow the plot of the film-within-the-film quite as well as I should have, and realised I probably should've been paying more attention to it a bit late, so didn't really piece the thing together as well as I should've done.

I watched a torrented copy with no Italian subs, which made for an interesting experience. I didn't cop on until after the film ended that this was not the way it was supposed to be viewed.

I'm a huge giallo fan, even of many of the shit and excessively sleazy ones, so I'd enjoy a thread. The two films you've chosen are a really good place to start.

[zomgmouse]

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Kind of a misfire for me from Almodóvar - seems like he's trying too hard to blend a fucked situation (Antonio Banderas plays someone recently released from psych ward and kidnaps an actress he fell in love with once) with his colourful absurdism, and it doesn't really work.

Son of Saul. Really magnificent. Beyond a harrowing depiction of concentration camp life it's a tragic tale of an attachment to what is no longer.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I watched a torrented copy with no Italian subs, which made for an interesting experience. I didn't cop on until after the film ended that this was not the way it was supposed to be viewed.

I'm a huge giallo fan, even of many of the shit and excessively sleazy ones, so I'd enjoy a thread. The two films you've chosen are a really good place to start.

Ha! Me and a mate once got back from the pub and stuck on this new Cohen Brothers film - No Country for Old Men that I'd left torrenting when we were in the pub. About half an hour in both of us declared it as bollocks that made no fucking sense.


It was only the next day I realised that it was one of those ones that came in two ~700mb parts, and I'd stuck part two on.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Following on from my little Strickland season, I watched The Duke of Burgundy last night. I liked it, somewhere between a beautiful love story and stylish smut, as one reviewer described it.

[bgmnts]

Brazil.


I don't want to imagine what goes on inside Terry Gilliam's head. It makes for absolutely gorgeous visuals but fuck me ots distressing.

[Puce Moment]

Following on from my little Strickland season, I watched The Duke of Burgundy last night. I liked it, somewhere between a beautiful love story and stylish smut, as one reviewer described it.

Have you seen the Czech film Morgiana (1972) by Juraj Herz? Strickland cites it as a strong influence on Burgundy, and there is a nice little call-back to it in In Fabric as well. Now I think about it, there is a really lovely call-back to Burgundy in In Fabric as well!