What Non-New Films Have You Seen? (2020 Edition)

[Armin Meiwes]

Yeah really great film that innit, Dicky Attenborough SO good as the creepy Christie. Interesting factoid- it was actually filmed on Rillington Place, although not at no 10 as they couldn't get permission.

[SteveDave]

The Devils

A wonderful fucking bit of mental. It was the "original" version with the scene of the nuns frotting on the statue of Christ whilst Limmy wanks over them from on high.

[Small Man Big Horse]

i cordially offer anyone who thinks they like the hudsucker proxy to come and watch it at my house, and every time some terrible cringey shit happens i'll look at you and say 'great film huh? really great movie right?'. guaranteed you will come to my way of thinking before too long.

I saw it at the cinema and loved it, then rewatched it last year and loved it even more. I'm not going to go around to your undoubtedly coronavirus covered stinkhole and watch it a third time though, not until the pandemic is over and someone's forced you to clean the misery up.

The Devils

A wonderful fucking bit of mental. It was the "original" version with the scene of the nuns frotting on the statue of Christ whilst Limmy wanks over them from on high.

I love that weird little bastard of a film a ridiculous amount too, Ken Russell had an incredible run in the 70s and early 80s and this might just be my favourite of them all (though it might be Lisztomania, I can never quite make up my mind on that front).

[Puce Moment]

What a trip of a film. Absolutely nuts in some quite subtle ways. The performances are just wonderful aren't they?

[SteveDave]

What a trip of a film. Absolutely nuts in some quite subtle ways. The performances are just wonderful aren't they?

Oliver Reed (an actor I've not really thought about before) is amazing in it. Proper sexy without being a ripped pretty boy. And Tinker from Lovejoy.

[SteveDave]

Up The Junction

I spent a long time trying to figure out what the second song featured in it reminded me of and it turned out to "Find The Answer Within" by the Boo Radleys. I was expecting a much grimmer film than we got.

[Dex Sawash]

i cordially offer anyone who thinks they like the hudsucker proxy to come and watch it at my house, and every time some terrible cringey shit happens i'll look at you and say 'great film huh? really great movie right?'. guaranteed you will come to my way of thinking before too long.

<shows slip of paper with circle drawn on to kittens>

#destroyed

[greenman]

Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey Into Night, in "its like thing crossed with another thing" terms In The Mood For Love/2046 crossed with Stalker comes to mind, indeed openly lifts a few shots from the latter. First half dreamy romance shifting around in time/space, second half hour one single take following protagonist around rural Chinese town. That might sound quite gimmicky but manages to stay very interesting visually  rather than just being done for the sake of it(supposedly done over 7 times).

[Fr.Bigley]

I saw Terminator 2: Judgement day (Austrian future death skeleton film) and it was rather gleeful fun. lots of one liners and a scary man made out of mercury that impersonates a police officer. I particularly like the bit where the Austrian Death skeleton says "I will be back soon" and "Hasta manana, Child". There's also a rather attractive square jawed gentleman that was put into a loony (insane) bin for reasons not clear to me as i haven't seen the first.

Best sequel i've ever seen.

9/10- One point removed for lack of ladies Breasts.

[greenman]

"Hakuna Matata, Baby", I think you'll find.

[Small Man Big Horse]

From the past few days:

The Muppet Movie (1979) - The first cinematic outing for Kermit and co, and how the furry funsters originally got going, with Kermit bumping in to an agent in a swamp and deciding to head off to Hollywood so he can bring joy in to the lives of millions. Along the way he meets the rest of the muppets as well as a bunch of cameoing celebrities like Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Orson Welles, Elliot Gould, Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor, though far too often they're barely on screen for more than fifteen seconds which feels like a bit of wasted opportunity. Otherwise it's great, as are the songs (though Miss Piggy's Frog Fuck Fantasy number is a bit disturbing), and the second half really picks up once more of the gang are on the road and it becomes more playful too. 7.4/10

Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) - Fairly average action flick that has the odd decent scene but thinks it's plot is far more interesting than it is, and it slows down in a rather annoying manner just before it gets to the rather bland ending. 5.1/10

Justice League Dark Apokolips War (2020) - A John Constantine led superhero flick where after a misguided attack on Apokolips Earth is all but destroyed, many a superhero is dead, and Superman is powerless, after about half an hour I lost interest and only half watched it, it's okay I guess but reliant on many an average action scene, and there's a big rubbish reset button at the end. As I only half saw it it's probably unfair to rate it, but at best I'd give it 6.1.

[Puce Moment]

Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey Into Night, in "its like thing crossed with another thing" terms In The Mood For Love/2046 crossed with Stalker comes to mind, indeed openly lifts a few shots from the latter. First half dreamy romance shifting around in time/space, second half hour one single take following protagonist around rural Chinese town. That might sound quite gimmicky but manages to stay very interesting visually  rather than just being done for the sake of it(supposedly done over 7 times).

I watched this on a break to London with my siblings earlier this year. We crammed in as many films as we could but this one has really stayed with me. The Tarkovsky references almost become parodic of other, current Tarkosvian directors given their abundance but that did nothing to diminish how seductive and entrancing this film managed to be. I did not catch it with the second half in 3D which is a shame because that part apparently really makes you feel you have moved somewhere completely different - wizard of oz style.

Also, it's the closest I have ever come to seeing a dream on screen. No surrealism, or stylised shots of someone's past (something we neve dream about) but rather that nagging, impatient feeling of needing to get somewhere whilst being habitually prevented from doing so.

[Egyptian Feast]

The Muppet Movie (1979)

It's not the best Muppet movie, but the songs are so great it'll always be my favourite. I once watched it not long after a harrowing & life-altering hallucinogen related experience, in which the layers of reality literally unpeeled like cels of animation in a fire and in the final number when the set collapses and Kermit turns to the audience and starts singing "Life is a movie, write your own ending etc" I completely freaked out. Little green fucker blew my fucking mind.

I later had my mind blown in a different, much less terrifying way when I watched the bicycle sequence in The Great Muppet Caper after seeing a doc about Henson that explained how he and his son did it.

[Calistan]

Dogtooth - I thought this was fantastic. A man keeps his three children imprisoned in their large home. Such a surreal film with a nice blend of horror and humour. David Lynch called it a wonderful comedy which I think showcases how warped it is.

The Lobster - Fantastic cast and very good fun but I thought it lost its momentum towards the end.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer - Another bleakly comic film by Yorgos Lanthimos, it's very disquieting. Would have it above The Lobster but below Dogtooth. Still have to watch The Favourite. I know Colin Farrell gets a bad rep but I thought he was excellent as the almost gormless protagonist.

Bait - I subscribed to the BFI player and heard the likes of Kermode and Scroobius Pip (!) describe it in glowing terms so I gave it a go - excellent film about tourists clashing with locals in a Cornwall fishing village.

The Man Without A Past - I loved this film. It's so sad and upbeat at the same time. A man travels to Helsinki but gets beat up as soon as he arrives in the city. He wakes up but can't remember anything about himself. Aki Kaurismaki is fast becoming my favourite director after watching this and the also excellent Drifting Clouds recently. I will try to watch Ariel next.

A Short Film About Killing - Bleak, bleak, bleak. It's about a man who kills another man seemingly without reason and the attorney who defends him in the ensuing trial. It's very good but obviously a tough watch. I will hunt down more of Kieślowski's films but will prepare myself accordingly.

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia - It shares some of the themes of the above as it chronicles a murder investigation from the viewpoint of the different characters involved including the perpetrator, the police, the prosecutor and the doctor. It's brilliant but exhausting.

What We Do In The Shadows - Amusing film about vampire housemates. It flew by and I was actually a bit sad when it ended because I was enjoying the characters so much. Will have to check out the series and also Hunt for the Wilderpeople which I'm told is excellent.

[El Unicornio, mang]

The Cotton Club (Encore) - Francis Ford Coppolla put up half a million of his own money to get his preferred cut released, adding over 20 mins of footage, after finding it on a Betamax tape a few years ago. He was unable to track down the original negative so they had to use new technology to go frame by frame through the Betamax footage and get it looking as good as the 35mm. Worth the effort as the difference between the footage is indiscernible. I wouldn't say it's a great film overall, feels miscast here and there, but definitely worth watching for the fantastic 1920s/30s era song and dance routines. Lonette McKee singing "Stormy Weather" is one of the new scenes and probably my favourite in the movie.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I've got the cotton club downloaded after it was shown on mubi and I started watching it but I got tired.

Interesting about the upscaling. Some coders are using machine learning to upscale Star Trek Voyager/DS9 that'll probably never get released on bluray because although they were shot on film they were edited and had all the effects added on standard definition betacam tapes. It's interesting as given machine learning is basically just a 'thing recogniser' it's generating new detail that wasn't captured that looks most like what it thinks you want to see.

[Small Man Big Horse]

It's not the best Muppet movie, but the songs are so great it'll always be my favourite. I once watched it not long after a harrowing & life-altering hallucinogen related experience, in which the layers of reality literally unpeeled like cels of animation in a fire and in the final number when the set collapses and Kermit turns to the audience and starts singing "Life is a movie, write your own ending etc" I completely freaked out. Little green fucker blew my fucking mind.

I later had my mind blown in a different, much less terrifying way when I watched the bicycle sequence in The Great Muppet Caper after seeing a doc about Henson that explained how he and his son did it.

I'm very fond of it but definitely prefer Muppets Christmas Carol. I do plan to watch Caper soon, out of interest which muppet movie would you say is the best?

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) - A Japanese girl learns how to leap through time and uses her ability to do well in a test, avoid getting (slightly) hurt at school, sing a fuck load of karaoke for free and do very minor acts of kindness. I thought this was going to be a mad fantasy thing but in fact it's a low key, coming of age comedy drama and rather sweet with it, though around the hour point it becomes a more dramatic and poignant affair, albeit one with an ending I didn't quite find as satisfying as I'd hoped. 6.7/10

[Egyptian Feast]

I'm very fond of it but definitely prefer Muppets Christmas Carol. I do plan to watch Caper soon, out of interest which muppet movie would you say is the best?

You know, I couldn't say for sure without watching them again, which is an extremely tempting idea. You could make a case for Caper or Carol being the best and I remember them better than the others, so I'll say Caper in spring, summer and autumn and Carol in winter. I've seen people (Halliwell for one) say Manhattan is the best, but I can't remember very much about that one at all.

I haven't seen the latest ones, but I'll get around to them eventually. I worked with a guy who reckons the first of them was the best Muppet movie yet, which may be correct but Gervais. 

[phantom_power]

Gervais is only in the second one isn't he?

[Jim Bob]

Gervais is only in the second one isn't he?

Indeed, though it's not the only time Gervais has acted the fool alongside a frog, as this appalling video of him abusing his power to mock people who are physically different will attest.

[Egyptian Feast]

Ahh, that's good to know.

[Small Man Big Horse]

You know, I couldn't say for sure without watching them again, which is an extremely tempting idea. You could make a case for Caper or Carol being the best and I remember them better than the others, so I'll say Caper in spring, summer and autumn and Carol in winter. I've seen people (Halliwell for one) say Manhattan is the best, but I can't remember very much about that one at all.

I haven't seen the latest ones, but I'll get around to them eventually. I worked with a guy who reckons the first of them was the best Muppet movie yet, which may be correct but Gervais.

I enjoyed Movie so much I think I might go through the rest of them, I watched Carol just before Christmas and adored it and it'll take a lot for any of them to be beat it, but stranger things have happened.

And yeah, Gervais is in the second one, and is appalling. I really liked the first of the new films, which came as a surprise as I'm not a big fan of Jason Segal but he's really great in the film (and deserves kudos for co-writing it), but I made it about 30 minutes in to the second before turning it off as Gervais was irritating me so much.

[Artie Fufkin]

Dogtooth - I thought this was fantastic. A man keeps his three children imprisoned in their large home. Such a surreal film with a nice blend of horror and humour. David Lynch called it a wonderful comedy which I think showcases how warped it is.

The Lobster - Fantastic cast and very good fun but I thought it lost its momentum towards the end.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer - Another bleakly comic film by Yorgos Lanthimos, it's very disquieting. Would have it above The Lobster but below Dogtooth. Still have to watch The Favourite. I know Colin Farrell gets a bad rep but I thought he was excellent as the almost gormless protagonist.

Bait - I subscribed to the BFI player and heard the likes of Kermode and Scroobius Pip (!) describe it in glowing terms so I gave it a go - excellent film about tourists clashing with locals in a Cornwall fishing village.

The Man Without A Past - I loved this film. It's so sad and upbeat at the same time. A man travels to Helsinki but gets beat up as soon as he arrives in the city. He wakes up but can't remember anything about himself. Aki Kaurismaki is fast becoming my favourite director after watching this and the also excellent Drifting Clouds recently. I will try to watch Ariel next.

A Short Film About Killing - Bleak, bleak, bleak. It's about a man who kills another man seemingly without reason and the attorney who defends him in the ensuing trial. It's very good but obviously a tough watch. I will hunt down more of Kieślowski's films but will prepare myself accordingly.

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia - It shares some of the themes of the above as it chronicles a murder investigation from the viewpoint of the different characters involved including the perpetrator, the police, the prosecutor and the doctor. It's brilliant but exhausting.

What We Do In The Shadows - Amusing film about vampire housemates. It flew by and I was actually a bit sad when it ended because I was enjoying the characters so much. Will have to check out the series and also Hunt for the Wilderpeople which I'm told is excellent.

All those sound great, thanks. And, yes. Wilderpeople is awesome. So funny and weird. The kid is brilliant.

[Artie Fufkin]

The Night Eats The World - 2018

Quirky little french Zombie film, that's kinda like 28 Days Later, but with actual zombies.
Guy wakes up in locked bedroom after raucous house party to discover everyone's a zombie.
It has a great cameo from Denis Lavant, who's one of those jobbing actors who are always brilliant.
It's a quiet film, really. Not a lot happens. I enjoyed it.

[greenman]

I watched this on a break to London with my siblings earlier this year. We crammed in as many films as we could but this one has really stayed with me. The Tarkovsky references almost become parodic of other, current Tarkosvian directors given their abundance but that did nothing to diminish how seductive and entrancing this film managed to be. I did not catch it with the second half in 3D which is a shame because that part apparently really makes you feel you have moved somewhere completely different - wizard of oz style.

Also, it's the closest I have ever come to seeing a dream on screen. No surrealism, or stylised shots of someone's past (something we neve dream about) but rather that nagging, impatient feeling of needing to get somewhere whilst being habitually prevented from doing so.

The first half feels more dreamy and based on memory whilst the second uses the long take to feel as "of the moment" as possible. Both halves though as with November and Monos are nice to see modern arthouse that really strongly commits to its visuals rather than dwelling on shallow depth of focus tastefulness.

[A Hat Like That]

The Molly Maguires - not much really happens but not much really happens beautifully and the inevitable end is a bit of a gut punch.

[Neomod]

Up The Junction

I spent a long time trying to figure out what the second song featured in it reminded me of and it turned out to "Find The Answer Within" by the Boo Radleys. I was expecting a much grimmer film than we got.

That whole Manfred soundtrack sounded to me like the template for the first Stone Roses album.

Entertaining Mr Sloan 1970. You'd think you couldn't go wrong with a cast including Harry Andrews, Beryl Reed and Peter McEnery. Director Douglas Hickox begs to differ.

Great theme by Georgie Fame though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYYvlLkY7AA

[rjd2]

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia - It shares some of the themes of the above as it chronicles a murder investigation from the viewpoint of the different characters involved including the perpetrator, the police, the prosecutor and the doctor. It's brilliant but exhausting.

Have you seen The Wild Pear Tree,, keeps popping up when deciding what film to watch some evenings, but I always say "3 hours...don't have time" ...same director.

[Armin Meiwes]

Not seen the wild pear tree (is it on one of the popular streaming services??) but HAVE seen Winter Sleep also by the same fella and it's also very long and very very good

[rjd2]

Not seen the wild pear tree (is it on one of the popular streaming services??) but HAVE seen Winter Sleep also by the same fella and it's also very long and very very good

I think its streaming illegally or 2 quid renting from itunes unfortunately.