What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Inspector Abberline]

Funeral In Berlin...(1966)
Not being the biggest James Bond fan,and certainly no one since Roger Moore has even came close to getting me excited by the franchise,then again my favourite Bond is Live and Let Die,with its blaxploitation villlains and the coolest theme song this side of Shirley Bassey,so what do I know...Even though the Harry Palmer movies were produced by Bond producer Harry Saltzman,there is no gadgets,no fast cars with machine guns popping out of the headlights,no relentless armies of henchmen,and just a smidgen of shagging...Len Deighton's spy thrillers are cold and cynical and far removed from the sunny climes Bond usually finds himself in Ian Fleming's stories, I doubt if Harry Palmer even owns a tuxedo to wear at a casino...That's not to say that Michael Caine isn't as cool as the others, quite the opposite, his ordinary down at heel look,gives him that everyman appeal that makes him more relatable as a character...Funeral In Berlin is the secound in the trilogy,and like The Ipcress File,is a full on cold war classic,seeing Harry Palmer being sent to Berlin to try and help smuggle Oskar Homolka as Colonel Stok across the Berlin wall...Of course being a spy thriller,nothing is at it seems,and double crossess and under hand deals ensue...The mid sixties were a golden time for spy thrillers, thanks to the iron curtain and the Berlin wall,and makes for a good nights viewing along with The Quiller Memorandum and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,if you are looking for a Bond alternative that is.....

[iank]

The Long Kiss Goodnight. Geena Davis is a primary school teacher and mom who's also an amnesiac, with her life beyond eight years ago an utter mystery even to her. But her past is about to catch up with her... This mid 90s flick is a classic (and far too underrated!) action flick that I always reach for every few years, and always enjoy. Just so much fun - and a great Christmas movie as well!

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by iank

The Long Kiss Goodnight. Geena Davis is a primary school teacher and mom who's also an amnesiac, with her life beyond eight years ago an utter mystery even to her. But her past is about to catch up with her... This mid 90s flick is a classic (and far too underrated!) action flick that I always reach for every few years, and always enjoy. Just so much fun - and a great Christmas movie as well!

Years since I've seen this, as you say it's a Xmas movie will save it for the silly season.

[Demoncrat]

Saw TLKG at the pictures mainly due to there being nothing else on I fancied really
A silly romp is what I remember. It's also been years. On the list!

[trebor8273]

When the new lady mayor of a city allows anyone too join the police force this leads every misfit and loser joining the force. A film which you can switch your brain of and forget your problems . That poor horse! 8/10



Commandant Lassard brother is having problems with a gang in the neighbourhood his prescient is located, so he sends he best academy graduates to help out , but their help could be worse than the gang. 7.5/10


Now watching

[Graveyard]

Sometimes you came across a movie, that is so important but doesn't mean it's good.

Sweet it's just a mess, most of the time you have the main character running around and that's it. for a movie with a duration 1h40 it's not great.. Boring

[trebor8273]

If you go in expecting a typical Scooby Doo adventure and mystery you will be very disppointed. Here Scooby and Shaggy are asked to leave the gang thanks to Simon Cowell, yes I did say Simon Cowell , and get involved with blue falcon and Dick Dastardly who is after Scooby who has a secret destiny. Lots of nods too other Scooby and Hanna Barbara shows. But the CGI style didn't suit the movie and dear good the acting was poor most of the cast didn't sound like the characters we loved , the studio went for big names over actors who sound like the characters , who's bright idea was it not too cast Matthew Lillard!

The best part was the opening 20 minutes when Scooby and Shaggy first meet and they meet the rest of the gang and solve there first case. Also enjoyed the opening titles which mimic the original shows opening credits.

A lot of reviews moan say it's nothing like Scooby Doo and I suppose it is in a lot of ways but in other ways it still is and it's a kids movie and it brings to younger generations other Hanna Baraba characters but at its core it's still has the most important part of Scooby Doo, Shaggy and Scoobys friendship .

[Demoncrat]

Unhinged (2020)

Crowe plays The Car.
Ever had one of those days?
Well you might just cheer along as Maximus (cough) takes life a tad too seriously in this odd wee thing. When they make The Winona Ryder Story, the female lead is a shoo in. Reasonably enjoyable until it falters.


Death Screams (1982, David Nelson)

Generic "slasher". A group of clods go off road whilst a mystery (HA) psycho trims down the local populace. Set in VHS land, the forecast is murky and muffled (88!!! Ahem), so might have enjoyed it more if I could've seen the kills hahaha.
Ahem.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Jojo Rabbit (2019) ★★★★

Like a bizarre blend of Moonrise Kingdom, The Great Dictator, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, this satirical comedy-drama seemingly seeks to expose the mundanity of evil in Nazi Germany by showing it through a child's eyes.

Whilst not a great film, it's a brave one which treads the balance between absurdist humour and wartime horror extremely well; it had me laughing in one scene and gasping in shock at the next.

The performances are uniformly excellent, from Roman Griffith Davis' portrayal of the titular character to Scarlett Johansson as JoJo's mother and screenwriter-director Taika Waititi's Adolf Hitler. Although the goofy and slightly camp Hitler certainly won't be for everyone, I think it works because that's possibly what a 10 year old boy will find relatable in such a figure, someone who will have been the source of oaths of allegiance and news broadcasts for Jojo's entire life.

I was less happy with Elsa, the Jewish girl who Jojo discovers his mother is hiding, because she is not sufficiently developed to be anything more than a device to make Jojo question the validity of what he's been told about Jews – her family and the Holocaust are barely mentioned.

A few quibbles aside, I thought this was excellent, a brave piece of filmmaking which surpassed my expectations and a film I will definitely watch again this month.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

The Wind Rises (2013) ★★★★★

When people think of the best films by Hayao Miyazaki and at Studio Ghibli, this is perhaps unfairly overlooked in favour of Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies. There is not to say that they aren't brilliant films, just this is equally brilliant.

It's a fascinating character study of someone whose passion for aeroplanes was only matched by the woman who became the love of his life.

Unlike Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, this isn't a film which embraces the fantastical and is firmly rooted in reality. It reminds me a little of Martin Scorsese's The Aviator as a film which tells the story of a brilliant (and real) aircraft designer, his inspirations and fashions. It's a similarly compelling watch, a film I've seen several times, and always find it a rich and rewarding experience.

I watched it years ago and this feeling was with the Japanese soundtrack; I'll watch it with the English dub in a couple of days.