What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Frankie Teardrop]

THE PIANO TEACHER – A typically excoriating film from Michael Haneke, his second after 'Funny Games'. It's about Isabelle Huppert's Erika, a stern, frosty piano teacher who seems dedicated to humiliating her pupils. She has a strange relationship with her controlling mother – they sleep in the same bed. Along comes a charming young wannabe pianist, and the two collide in a tortuous courtship which ends in agony when Erika confides her bondage fantasies to him and insists that the relationship heads in a certain direction. 'The Piano Teacher' is one one level an exploration of the dynamics of power. Erika's life is tightly controlled, and based around objectification, more often of others. She really lays into her students and reduces them to blubbering heaps, but she also hangs out in porn arcades, indulges in some voyeuristic 'dogging' (and seems to piss herself whenever she gets turned on) and engages in sexualised mutilation of self and other. She fantasises about being brutalized. An equally ambiguous character is blond haired Walter, who ostensibly tries to win her heart. Watching 'The Piano Teacher', I was never quite sure of his intentions – was he simply infatuated by Erika, then essentially driven mad by his frustrated lust, her freaky demands and his own loss of control? Or did he set out to humiliate her from the outset, break her circuit of control and her patrician facade by inducing her to feel for him? Much of 'The Piano Teacher' is like this, you're never really sure (perhaps until the end) who is playing who, or rather what kind of game is being played – a bit like excruciating psychological S&M with no 'safeword' and no boundaries. As noted, none of this ends well. There lots of subtleties, and I haven't read Jelinek's novel. Thoroughly absorbing and emotionally trying, 'The Piano Teacher' sees detached provocateur Haneke at his clinical best and I really do recommend this to all who haven't checked it out.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

THE PIANO TEACHER

Excellent review, Frankie.

It's been years since I saw this – I was going through a Michael Haneke phase at the time – but your review made many aspects and scenes come flooding back. I don't think I have it on DVD, but should really re-watch all my Michael Haneke films, even though they can be fairly tough going.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Escape from New York

As f******g cool as it ever was, Kurt Russell is the epitome of cool badass as Snake Plissken in the sci-fi flick set in the far flung future of 1997. For the people who have not seen this (and shame on you!) Manhatten Island has been turned into a giant penal colony surrounded by walls. Air force one crashed within the city and the president is captured. The police offer snake a pardon in order to rescue the pres and put two time release explosives in his neck to make sure he doesn't do a runner.

The countdown gives the film a real sense of urgency and the scenes of ruined Manhatten and the cannibal tribes living in the sewers are pretty creepy however the film also has a great sense of humour, throughout the film people keep meeting snake who know who he is and keep saying "I thought you were dead". The film also has Ernest Borgnine as Cabby, Harry Dean Stanton as Brain, Adrienne Barbeau as his lady and pre-scientology Issac Hayes as Chef.

Still one of my personal favorites.

I too watched this again last night. It's also a personal favourite of mine. So much so that each time i watch it it makes me want to buy Escape from LA again to give it another go as this films brilliance means it can't be as bad as memory serves can it?

Despite Snake and his laconic coolness, Maggie's cleavage almost steals the film.

[J Harker]

Its been a long time but I used to love Escape From L.A

[Demoncrat]

Watched most of the rather dire GI Joe sequel on Film4. The Paris sequence was fairly frenetic, but it ain't The Raid, so tonight I will make an effort to watch something.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I too watched this again last night. It's also a personal favourite of mine. So much so that each time i watch it it makes me want to buy Escape from LA again to give it another go as this films brilliance means it can't be as bad as memory serves can it?

Despite Snake and his laconic coolness, Maggie's cleavage almost steals the film.

Have been thinking the same

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Watched most of the rather dire GI Joe sequel on Film4. The Paris sequence was fairly frenetic, but it ain't The Raid, so tonight I will make an effort to watch something.

The sequel is shit.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I am pretty sure he played 'The Duke of New York City', not the head of a school cafeteria!

he shall forever be chef!

[Buboven]

Anyone seen the new Terminator film?

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

From 1966 - part 1:

Batman the Movie - starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo who come up against four of their most (in)famous adversaries, Riddler, Joker, Catwoman and Penguin. Filmed in between seasons 1 and 2 of the cult TV series this is just about as cheesey as it gets! Its all here, Bat-Shark repellant, Bat-Copter, Bat-Boat, Bat-this and Bat-that.

Gammera the Invincible - Another Japanese man in a rubber suit movie, only this one gets his own theme song! Most of these Kaiju movies are pretty formulaic.

Paradise Hawaiian Style - Another Elvis movie, this one also stars James Shigeta and a child actress, Donna Butterworth, who really was gunning for a Hollywood contract by being sooooo cute and sweet (sarcasm), that my teeth almost fell out.....and with me having to pay for dental treatment!

The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery - The final St Trinians movie until 1980, Frankie Howerd, and Reg Varney take on the schoolgirls in a not particulary funny instalment.

The Sand Pebbles - A Steve McQueen historical epic directed by Robert Wise this was the film he really wanted to do but because it was prooving to be a difficult project he mollified the studio by agreeing to direct the previous years 'The Sound of Music'.

Khartoum - Chuck Heston does another historical epic, not bad, way better than the previous years 'The Warlord'.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - OK I admit it I made a boo-boo regarding this one....Its actually 1965. Even grittier that Harry Palmer and a BAFTA Best British Picture winner. Burton also won BAFTA Best British Actor.

Doctor in Clover - The sixth and penultimate in the franchise. Dirk Bogarde has gone again and Leslie Phillips returns, (although as a different character). Alexandra Bastedo has an uncredited part as a nurse at a party.

Django - Franco Nero as the gunslinger in Sergio Corbucci's spaghetti western. Has a great score and also has that opening theme song used in Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'.....That songs going to be playing in my head for days!

Funeral in Berlin - The second 'Harry Palmer' picture in the franchise...Ipcress was better.