What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[NotThePars]

It's funny and a bit sad that The Matrix turned out to be an allegory for the directors being transgender and yet it ended up the ur-text for the alt-right.

[Stellaboz]

I enjoy the shit out of all 3, yes even the third.

[BFTD]

1 hour ago, Ludo*1 said:

Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) & Laurence Fishburne won't be in the next instalment so it's already shite.

That's a shame, but maybe they're planning on doing something totally new.

Whoops, just looked it up and it doesn't sound like it. Never mind. Will be amazed if it's anything other than another cash-in to fund other movies they actually want to do.

[sfha]

The Prodigy

I like a good creepy child horror and this one was pretty good.

Bad Samaritan

David Tennant does his absurd Yankee accent in an otherwise good Oregon-based thriller. One of the characters has an Irish accent throughout so I'm surprised they couldn't simply have had Tennant being an immigrant Scot.

The Blackwell Ghost

Not a movie but the, so far, 5 parts of this paranormal 'documentary' are well worth checking out.

Edited March 14, 2021 by sfha

[Arch Stanton]

On 12/03/2021 at 22:17, BFTD said:

The Lighthouse - two-hander set in the 19th century about an old-hand lighthouse keeper (Willem Dafoe) and his new short-term apprentice (Robert Pattinson) who arrives on the island to undertake the menial chores, only for things to begin going awry.

This was really impressive. Filmed in black & white, and shot in an old-fashioned aspect ratio that's slightly taller than it is wide, it's a film that really benefits from the lack of colour and the crisp monochrome visuals. There are some really visually striking images and scenes throughout, and it features a very good score that's just constantly brooding away in the background, underscoring that things aren't right

IMDB states "Since the film is set in 1890, it was shot on 35mm black and white Double-X 5222 film, all while augmenting the Panavision Millennium XL2 camera with vintage Baltar lenses from as early as 1918 to as late as 1938. This makes the aspect ratio approximately 1.19:1, which is practically square. To enhance the image and make it resemble early photography, a custom cyan filter made by Schneider Filters emulated the look and feel of orthochromatic film from the late 19th century. This filter blocks all the red wavelengths from hitting the film, so that the reds appear black. Considering most pores and skin tones have red in them, the orthochromatic emulation allows the audience to see just about every imperfection and pore on the actors faces."

I thought it was excellent and yes, having no action it won't be for everyone. Just great acting from DeFoe and Pattinson, a fittingly eerie score my only criticism is, in striving for authenticity in the accents, some of the dialogue is hard to discern.

[BFTD]

Just now, Arch Stanton said:

IMDB states "Since the film is set in 1890, it was shot on 35mm black and white Double-X 5222 film, all while augmenting the Panavision Millennium XL2 camera with vintage Baltar lenses from as early as 1918 to as late as 1938. This makes the aspect ratio approximately 1.19:1, which is practically square. To enhance the image and make it resemble early photography, a custom cyan filter made by Schneider Filters emulated the look and feel of orthochromatic film from the late 19th century. This filter blocks all the red wavelengths from hitting the film, so that the reds appear black. Considering most pores and skin tones have red in them, the orthochromatic emulation allows the audience to see just about every imperfection and pore on the actors faces."

I thought it was excellent and yes, having no action it won't be for everyone. Just great acting from DeFoe and Pattinson, a fittingly eerie score my only criticism is, in striving for authenticity in the accents, some of the dialogue is hard to discern.

The picture really was striking. Occasionally you'll see a modern film that uses monochrome and think it's a bit of a gimmick, but that's one of the few that would have been made much worse by having been filmed in colour. I had a wee bit of trouble with Willem Dafoe's accent towards the beginning, but my ear was trained to his dialogue before too long. Probably helped with the impact of the film, actually, as you really have to concentrate  

Always liked Willem Dafoe, but I've seen a couple of films lately where he's been absolutely mesmerising. I know the Academy Awards are a pile of shite, but he's long overdue a wee gold man.

[Archie McSquackle]

He gave a stunning performance in Mr. Bean's Holiday. [emoji41]

[sfha]

Brightburn

Watched this again, I had forgotten how violent that wee bugger was!

[BFTD]

The New Mutants - DVD - final film in the Fox X-Men franchise. Action-drama revolving around a facility set up to help young mutants to come to grips with their powers.

Saw this two days ago and I've virtually forgotten it already. There was a lot made of this being a departure towards horror for the X-Men franchise but, similar to the last Fantastic Four film, it's just gloomy without straying too far down that path. I haven't seen Dark Phoenix, but this is probably the worst of the X-Men films, just being a bit of a mediocre angsty coming-of-age flick with superpowers, and the set-up for a new spin-off franchise that was doomed for a variety of reasons.

Timecop - DVD - Jean-Claude Van Damme is the titular Timecop, part of an American task force set up to monitor time travel and prevent changes being made to the past.

Hadn't seen this, and it was a pleasant surprise, made during Van Damme's brief Hollywood purple patch. The plot's very straightforward for a time-travel movie, with Van Damme set to stop the bad guy who is established early on in the film, but there's plenty of entertaining action sequences, as the world's favourite Belgian kicks large amounts of ass, does the splits on more than the single contractually-obligated occasion, and appears onscreen with himself yet again, as one Van Damme is never enough. Made me want to go and do some more Van Dammage to my DVD player, frankly.

Se7en - DVD - everyone kens what this is about by now; just wanted to mention that it's still one of my favourite films, and I introduced the wean to it last night, as he's developing a liking for David Fincher. "Very dark", says he. Indeed.

[NotThePars]

I watched the two Superman movies before Thursday's #event.

Man of Steel (2013) - Zack Snyder

By far the most competently made of the Snyder Superman trilogy and ergo the most boring one as a result. Still has traces of classic Snyder obsessions. Had to laugh at both of Supes's dads getting yeeted in the first 40 minutes and still turning up for the rest of the movie. 

There are some really fucking good actors in these movies. Michael Shannon is decent enough.

5/10

Batman v Superman (2016) - Zack Snyder

It's the ultimate ideal of a Zack Snyder movie as a vaguely interesting and complex philosophical question accompanied by great visual directing and bags of repressed homoeroticism does battle with disjointed storytelling,  Snyder identifying with the wrong character (this time it's Lex Luthor) and his obvious contempt for comic books. It's hard to say who wins out because this movie is quite interesting for longer than it deserves to be before it goes to absolute shite in one of the most I've ever laughed out loud sidestepping resolutions to the movie's central driving premise between Batman and Superman's competing visions for the world.

This ruled so much. 

6/10

 

[Arch Stanton]

6 hours ago, BFTD said:

Se7en - DVD - everyone kens what this is about by now; just wanted to mention that it's still one of my favourite films, and I introduced the wean to it last night, as he's developing a liking for David Fincher. "Very dark", says he. Indeed.

Is "the wean" a euphemism or an actual child?

As brilliant as film as it is, its suitability for a wean-like audience is questionable.

[SmudgePop]

Avengers: Endgame! I loved the movie a lot As I am a great fan of marvel Avengers: Endgame', which marks the end of the Infinity Saga, is spellbinding and surely an enthralling experience.

[BFTD]

11 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

Is "the wean" a euphemism or an actual child?

As brilliant as film as it is, its suitability for a wean-like audience is questionable.

He's fifteen. Same age I was when I saw it in the cinema  

Edit: I do still have a wee list of films that he'd need to track down himself if he wanted to see, but he's fine for all things Fincher now.

Edited March 17, 2021 by BFTD

[YER SISTERS YER MAW]

Girl In The Basement

The story is loosely based on Austrian monster Josef Fritzl.
A girl coming up on her 18th birthday can't wait to leave home to get away from her controlling father but he has other ideas and imprisons her in the hidden sound proof bunker in their basement.
This budget film was a hard watch at times but compelling nonetheless.
7/10

[BFTD]

Saint Maud - a young, religious, palliative care nurse becomes convinced that she has been chosen to save the soul of the glamorous, hedonistic dancer in her care.

Wasn't expecting this at all - from the marketing, I got the impression this was some kind of exorcism movie, but it's a bit more interesting than that. It's essentially a study of mental illness exacerbated by egotism and religious fervour; definitely a horror film, but more in the style of the old Polanski film Repulsion. It's smart enough to stay quite short and sweet, with the main character gradually spiralling further into insanity, portrayed very well by Morfydd Clark, and a quality supporting turn from Jennifer Ehle, channelling Meryl Streep. Won't be to everybody's taste, but I thought it set out to do what it wanted to pretty well.

[accies1874]

It's always good to see Repulsion, although not Roman Polanski, get a mention.

[Biscuits]

Justice League - haven't actually watched it but the length (4h 1m) has put me off already [emoji849]

[Miguel Sanchez]

Whiplash

Inspirational and hilarious in equal measure

[Ira Gaines]

The ending of Whiplash is one of my favourite modern movie endings. Absolutely thrilling.

[accies1874]

It's absolutely brilliant, but I would love to see it get re-released in the cinema as I missed it first time round and I don't think my TV does it justice.