What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[SharonLynette]

Originally Posted by Baseball Fury

Dumb and Dumber, you know it makes sense

Never!

[Wes]

The mood today was European and serious, a double-bill of Fassbinder's early gangster film Love Is Colder Than Death and Tarkovsky's Solaris, courtesy of Criterion's liquid smooth Blu, like seeing the film for the first time...

[VicDakin]

Originally Posted by SharonLynette

Never!

perhaps madam would prefer the Bottom

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[Handyman Joe]

Here's some things I've seen recently and my thoughts upon said things

The Killing - Not the Danish one with the lady in the jumper, but the early Kubrick - it's pretty good apart from a dumb voiceover telling you whats going on (Eminem spoofed this in the Guilty Conscience video I now realise) and a racehorse being shot. Not dissimilar to Riffifi with the same fatalistic, we're all doomed (especially criminals) vibe.

Hotel - Yet again, 3rd time in a year. What is it with this movie? Saw through it's technique this time - every shot is simply held for about 20 seconds longer than necessary - yet it still spooks me. There's a scene which simply shows the lead actress in an old fashioned dressing gown bending over, except the framing cuts her head off and it seems shot in a weirdly elongated way - inexplicably shivery.

Paranorman - 3rd cinema visit in as many weeks and it's still all good. I loved this, although its probably scarred my mates kids for life. Never thought I'd see Cannibal Apocalypse referenced in a kids movie. Either we're living in strange times or i'm getting old - probably both. One moan - why didn't they follow through on the 'seeing dead people' angle - those early spectres were hilarious, especially the mobster still in his concrete 'boots'!

Strip Nude for Your Killer - Hmmm. I've been on a 'classics' kick lately so thought I'd add a bit of roughage to my diet and watch this piece of shucht. All i remember is a succession of luridly coloured underpants and breasts. Lots of breasts. They don't make them like this anymore, thank Christ.

Wages of Fear - Now you're talking, what a film - just oozes atmosphere for the first hour and tension for the second. I think it's all a descent into hell, complete with inferno and devilish twist at the end but you'll be too gobsmacked to notice at the time. French actors & directors circa 1950s were incredible - Les Diaboliques, Les Yeux Sans Visage, Riffifi and now this - any other recommendations most welcome.

Barfly - Mickey Rourke's performance here is something else, I can't decide whether it's his best or worst. Looks like he's got a mouthful of cotton wool in his gub, a la Brando and he adopts a weird stooped gait for the entire movie - and what's that accent about? Jack Nance is in it! So is Frank Stallone! Catfight between Faye Dunaway and a snobby blonde bird at the end briefly stirs the torpor. Actually I quite like this film for all its drunken tottering.

[SharonLynette]

Originally Posted by VicDakin

perhaps madam would prefer the Bottom

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Warmer! Although I'm not quite sure myself but The Comic Strip Presents box set has been brought down to the den, along with Drive-In Cult Classics and SCTV.

[Wes]

Originally Posted by Handyman Joe

Wages of Fear - Now you're talking, what a film - just oozes atmosphere for the first hour and tension for the second. I think it's all a descent into hell, complete with inferno and devilish twist at the end but you'll be too gobsmacked to notice at the time. French actors & directors circa 1950s were incredible - Les Diaboliques, Les Yeux Sans Visage, Riffifi and now this - any other recommendations most welcome.

Fantastic list Joe, have you seen William Freidkin's Wages of Fear update Sorcerer ? Incredible film...this needs a Blu-Ray immediately...

[Handyman Joe]

Originally Posted by Wes

Fantastic list Joe, have you seen William Freidkin's Wages of Fear update Sorcerer ? Incredible film...this needs a Blu-Ray immediately...

I haven't seen it but would love to. Apparently Freidkin is in the last stages of a legal battle with Paramount (I think) to get the film released. It seems it was made under dodgy tax conditions and now the studio wants to bury it - arseholes. Lets hope old Wullie wins the case!

[Wes]

It's taken me years of false start and abandoned screenings but I'm finally enjoying the films of Jean Rollin, courtesy of the Redemption/Kino Blu's - I watched Rape of the Vampire yesterday afternoon, on the hop from work, and it's a strange and magickal film if you can tune into Rollin's peculier wavelength...

[SShaw]

I finally succumbed and bought the German Steelbook of The Boondock Saints this evening on the way home. The Blu-Ray of the film is accompanied with a DVD of Overnight the documentary about director Troy Parker.

The film is much better than I remembered, perhaps I have mellowed with age?

The German Blu-Ray is English friendly as one might expect for a U.S. film and it is possible to turn off the German subs completely (even for onscreen text). Only downside is the trailer for Red Tails the most recent Lucas travesty.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by SharonLynette

Warmer! Although I'm not quite sure myself but The Comic Strip Presents box set has been brought down to the den, along with Drive-In Cult Classics and SCTV.

Its gotta be a Bad News double bill for sure.