Films

I think Rear Window's one to watch when you're really relaxed (or wanting to be), don't want interruptions, and keep a nice drink or three on the go. We know that everyone (bar the baddie's wife) survives, and there are happy endings all round, so it's not as weird, scary, or downbeat as other Hitch films.
 
Just watched Flame and Citron, a Danish film about two resistance agents during the German occupation. Plenty of action and an interesting insight into humanity, disillusionment and betrayal.

They were actual resistance members and much of the background to their story and personalities has been provided by people who knew them. Flame was so-called because of his red hair, and Citron because he worked at a Citroen factory and sabotaged all the cars being sent to Germany.

It is subtitled but that doesn't get in the way and there are instances where a Danish phrase sounds almost exactly as it would in English, reflecting our own language's many and varied roots.

I'm not a great one for war films, but I enjoyed this one.
 
Black Sam Moan. Very good performances from Christina Ricci:<3: and Sam Jackson. I expected it to be better than it was though.

Dororo. Funky Japanese Samurai/Fantasy pic based on a Manga comic book. Very good.

La vie en Rose. Biopic of Edith Piaf. Marion Cottilard in the lead role won an oscar for this and you can see why. Brilliant performance.
 
Last edited:
Watched an old favourite again in High Society. It won't beat The Philadelphia Story with me but it is still thoroughly enjoyable. The musical score is excellent.

And, I'm trying to think of instances where I prefer a remake to the original, and I was surprised to find I enjoyed Move Over, Darling much more than My Favourite Wife. Unusual for me, given that I normally love Cary Grant films but I thought the remake was charming.
 
Watched Michael Caine in Harry Brown on DVD. Desperately dark film that could be described variously as "Death Wish for pensioners" or a well acted reflection on modern inner city life. Painful but gripping. Caine is very good.
 
Tomorrow Andrei Rublev is due from Lovefilm. Having read it's IMDB page and a couple of forum discussions elsewhere I almost feel I should be limbering up.
 
Two classics this afternoon on TV:

On The Waterfront (now, Five USA)
My Darling Clementine (Film Four)

(plus They Were Expendable)
 
Whaddya mean 'this afternoon'? Are you telling us you weren't riveted by the action at Lingfield - you know, where horses actually go at galloping speed? :p
 
Hamm said:
Hidden (Caché) is one of the best films I've ever seen.
Click to expand...

Watched this earlier this evening. Very cleverly made; almost David Lynch-like in how it leaves itself open for so much interpretation, just without being surreal like Lynch usually is (very much the opposite; its clinically real for the most part).

It's difficult to discuss without giving too much away, but I like the potential allegory to certain aspects of French (or any old colonial power's) history that have been conveniently forgotten, and the possible identity of those who are forcing it to be remembered.

That said, I'm really not convinced that the childhood actions that it all centers around were so bad, given how young (five?) he was. Not that that excuses his inability to face up to it in any constructive or unselfish way in adulthood; he really is a first class prick.

(On the other hand, Haneke is clearly having fun winding up the audience, just like the guy at the dinner party with his shaggy dog story. And yet still the girl asks if it's true!)
 
I watched The Departed last night for what I realised was the second time - or at least, all of the film - I'm sure I must've snored off for vast chunks during my first viewing! Scorsese really knows how to shuffle the deck of villains - even the good guys get their heads shot off, and while Jack Nicholson assumed his 'Heeere's Johnneee" persona for some of the scenes, Scorsese reined him in from his often OTT gurning and eye-bulging. My initial trouble was finding Leonardo di Caprio and Matt Damon in baseball caps almost indistinguishable from one another - but terrific performances from everyone. Sarky, snarky Mark Wahlberg, a psychotic Nicholson, etc. My only critique of the director is that women are playtime peripherals in his films - I can't think, right now, of one film where there's been a strong lead female, unless you count pantomime mothers.
 
Gareth - It's to Auteuil and Binoche's credit that they can play such unlike-able characters without seeming to try to do so.

Krizon - I watched the Departed last night too.

"Who are you?"
"I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy!"

I watched The White Ribbon on Friday. A majestic piece of filmaking, if a rather unpleasant subject.
 
Last edited:
I must say I did get a real feeling of how on edge I'd be, were I a mole in either camp in The Departed! I don't think my nerves would've held out too well, especially if I'd had to wrestle with the complexities of mobile phones! It's funny now to look back at old films where Our Hero has to dash to a public phonebox to make calls, then a bit later where he has half a house clamped to his head with the first cells, now down to little flip-lid jobs where he can film and record. When Damon's furtling around in his pants pocket doing something with his phone - well, that's me scuppered! I can hardly remember how to switch it on or off, let alone not knowing how to text. I can't get rid of the blasted Predictive rubbish on mine, so my desperate message to HQ would read "Thz a shy in the comp. Cost a lot is an wit the BIF end I no hoo the niche is. Cll me black sunniest."
 
Andrei Rublev I finally managed in two sittings (due to Loverfilm only sending half the film initially.) One of the most beautifully shot but also one of the most disturbing films i've seen. It's funny, i've seen films like Hostel and Saw with their gore and blood and guts and just laughed it off really, it's like cartoon violence, no more disturbing than Tom and Jerry. But some of the scenes in this film were quite hard to take. And horses play kind of a central part in the film. But not always in a good way. Highly recommended if you have half a day to spare.
 
Gareth Flynn said:
Watched this earlier this evening. Very cleverly made; almost David Lynch-like in how it leaves itself open for so much interpretation, just without being surreal like Lynch usually is (very much the opposite; its clinically real for the most part).

It's difficult to discuss without giving too much away, but I like the potential allegory to certain aspects of French (or any old colonial power's) history that have been conveniently forgotten, and the possible identity of those who are forcing it to be remembered.

That said, I'm really not convinced that the childhood actions that it all centers around were so bad, given how young (five?) he was. Not that that excuses his inability to face up to it in any constructive or unselfish way in adulthood; he really is a first class prick.

(On the other hand, Haneke is clearly having fun winding up the audience, just like the guy at the dinner party with his shaggy dog story. And yet still the girl asks if it's true!)
Click to expand...

good points - i think Haneke had what happened to the Algerians in Paris in mind.

He is a master of guilt.
 
At what point does brutality and violence become voyeuristic? I haven't even heard of the film you're referring to, Euro, but some films seem to portray savagery as a sport, which must surely desensitise the, er, less intellectually-challenged? If you view rapes, shootings, dismemberments, throat slashings and other more disturbing images as entertainment, even amusement, then how outraged should we be when Muslim militants put up real beheadings on YouTube, or young kids consider a day's fun the torture and brutalisation of their peers? Thoughts?
 
Well, this is the sort of film you need to know the background to before you watch it. Set in 15th Century Russia violence and how if affects the central character is the main, crucial theme that runs throught the film. Those were very violent times so I wouldn't call the movie voyeuristic at all.
 
I guess you could make a film about Vlad the Impaler or any number of the Ottoman emperors, renowned for some interesting methods of despatching enemies and tired harems, but if you concentrate the film on violence per se, rather than part of overall life during the time depicted, isn't that like art for art's sake - violence for violence's sake? I don't think dressing actors up in period costume makes the brutalities any more or less what they are - if you're going for honesty in the way you make the film, you're not going to play around with the depictions, are you?

We know what porn is for, we know that many films are Good vs Evil in all kinds of guises (i.e. moral fables), but what would be the 'purpose' (if film has a purpose) of films which intend to show you virtually nothing but violence?
 
krizon said:
I guess you could make a film about Vlad the Impaler or any number of the Ottoman emperors, renowned for some interesting methods of despatching enemies and tired harems, but if you concentrate the film on violence per se, rather than part of overall life during the time depicted, isn't that like art for art's sake - violence for violence's sake?
Click to expand...

It depends on the individual film. Andrei Rublev was a real person, a monk who found fame painting religious Icons. And the film basically shows how the violence he sees affected both himself as a person and his work. Without the violence there would be no film.
 
Last edited:
:lol: Fame was the wrong word, he was canonized in 1988 and is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes.


If there's a meeting between mid June and early July (I have three weeks off) i'll make it down.
 
Well, thanks for increasing my knowledge of Russian iconography from 0 to 100%!

Excellent - Thailand's loss will be Leafy's gain!
 
I watched The Departed last night for what I realised was the second time
Click to expand...

Know what you mean. One of Martins worst. Laughable overblown stuff at times.

Father of my children is another fine french drama. Extraordinary that it was directed by a 29 year old because it is a mature subject hadnled with...well...great maturity. There are a few small flaws perhaps but it is held together with some fine perfoamnces and is genuinely thought provoking and in small ways suprising at time

Crazy Heart is a bog standard story held together by good performances (except colin Farrel whos really miscast) and a great one from Bridges. Great because he completely pitches the charcater just right. no overplaying or "lookatme" theatrics. Bridges has always one of my fav actors and this was a great showcase
 
For a moment, I got confused with 'Angel Heart' with Mickey Rourke playing Lou Cifre or whatever the screamingly obvious take on 'Lucifer' was, and thought, heck, don't tell be I snored and drooled my way through that and missed Jeff! I love Jeff Bridges' performances, although I haven't seen FOMC. He was genuinely chilling in 'Jagged Edge' which, although I know it backwards now, is a really frightening film. For once, portentous music works, as the then unknown killer climbs the stairs to the bedroom of that smart house, with the jagged-edge knife in hand... My nerves were pretty much jagged-edged by the end of it, too!
 
Mesrine (1) L'instinct de mort. Brill, far better for me than The Departed. Vincent Cassel has such a menacing presence. The guy he played was a total nut job and he played him to perfection.
 
Back
Top