What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Little Women is a great film, watched it all the time with the girl MTDS when she was younger. The more recent one too.

I've owned the US dvd for years but never got round to watching it. So i decided to take the plunge. It was very good i agree.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Ha,ha. Fair enough.

I would say i'm surprised you remembered but as it's you i expect you have a file on all of us.

Yeah, you should see the photos I have of Mr420 dressed as Servalan.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Yeah, you should see the photos I have of Mr420 dressed as Servalan.

He posts those everywhere.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Whats that then? An Italian rip off of Downton?

Yeah, but given an urban edge.

[keirarts]

Ghost in the shell (2017)

The initial anime adaptation of GITS by Mamoru Oshii was a perfect distillation of the manga by Masamune Shirow. Its still probably going to make a lot of 10 best cyberpunk films where in its near future setting the human race is embracing cyber enhancements to the point of full body prosthesis and human identity is defined by the ghost, which is to say the soul or consciousness. A newly born A.I that has escaped into the web discovers Major Motoko Kusanagi and decides it wants to merge with her to create a new being that has never before existed. It raises questions like if a being that could be seen as alive is born from human technology can it be deemed as being truly a living being? If the memories can be hacked like computer software to the point we truly believe something to be true, can a transhuman trust anything to be real and what does that say about our soul? Is our sense of identity determined by our memories? Ect. Ect. Basically its a film that isn't afraid of big ideas.
I've started with an attempt at a summation of the original film as it probably helps establish the gripes I have with this film. Visually its pretty good. Occasionally some effects work doesn't quite work as it should but overall it does a decent job of of visually representing the world of Ghost in the shell. In spite of accusations of white washing, Scarlett Johannsen is great as the major and does a great job of representing her disconnection from the world, Takeshi Kitano is awesome as section 9 chief Armaki and Pilou Asbæk is great as Batou. Sadly the film is scuppered more than a little by a script that pretty much scraps or sidelines the philosophy and the questions in favour of lifting the 'everything you know is a lie and the people you work for are evil' plot template that's been used in countless lazy writing hack jobs throughout the years. The people writing don't quite 'get' A.I. characters quite bluntly argue that its not capable of independent thinking or creativity which is BS, Developers are already working on AI that can compose songs. It probably explains why they dumped the A.I plot as I get the impression that the people writing didn't quite 'get' what was going on in the original film so stuck with a plot that is probably great for people who dont want to be saddled with any real thoughts. Also they remove any agency the character had and make her a victim because of course they did.

The original film has this scene...



Its a moment that does nothing to further the plot but is both crucial to the film and one of its best moments. Its a moment in time and place that cements the world of GITS in the viewer. Gives a sense of a living breathing world that mixes in old and new. The 2017 one drops it and has the song appear in the end credits. This tells you a lot about the filmmakers.

In fairness if your not a fanboy then its possible a solid 6/10 popcorn flick.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by mr 420

Don't forget Downtown Abbey.

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Whats that then? An Italian rip off of Downton?

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Yeah, but given an urban edge.

'Downtown Abbey' is actually the Petula Clark jukebox musical

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Ghost in the shell (2017)



The original film has this scene...



Its a moment that does nothing to further the plot but is both crucial to the film and one of its best moments. Its a moment in time and place that cements the world of GITS in the viewer. Gives a sense of a living breathing world that mixes in old and new.

This has always been my favourite scene in the original film. My other half went to see GITS this weekend and he said he loved it, and then he watched the original yesterday morning so I'm sure he did. I'm still not convinced. I might go and see it but I'm a bit busy with Uni these next few weeks so I might not get a chance. I don't think I'm that bothered either way.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Tenant (1976)

Despite a fine performance from Roman Polanski as the titular character who rents a downbeat Paris apartment, i found The Tenant, a film that comes across like a male version of the directors far superior Repulsion from a decade earlier, a long winded exercise in morbid tedium.

I'm not saying The Tenant is a bad film, it's just a film i didn't get on with.

[mr 420]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Yeah, you should see the photos I have of Mr420 dressed as Servalan.

Shut it, Rosie Dixon! what you neglected to say was that it was Halloween and I was only going out dressed as Dem. Anyway, what about you dressing up as the good Inspector in an ape costume? Why you had to shave the backside is still a mystery to me !?!

[bleakshaun]

Mate brought over Santa Sangre.
With this Jodorowsky film, I liked it. However i do feel that the second half of the movie feels off.