What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

Anchorman 2.

Ok, its perhaps not as good as the origional and a tad overlong but it's still the funniest damned film i've seen this year. While it has more of a 'message' than the last one it still goes to some genuinely surreal places over the course of the film. Highlights for me include the streetfight and Champ kind's chicken restaurant that serves bat instead of chicken. (their the chicken of the cave!)



Bodybags.

Finally a decent release. Three short films put together as an anthology. Two directed by Carpenter that have a lot of black humor while the third one directed by Tobe Hooper is genuinely creepy. Lots of guest stars throughout and you can tell everyone involved was having a great time making it.

[Hawkmonger]

Gojira

In my own daft manner I have set out to watch all the Godzilla movies (and some other movies in the Toho continuity) in preparation for the new Godzilla movie hitting out screens next year. Kicking off with the original and the only truly "classic" (vomit) member of the series, Gojira itself. I have always preferred the original japanese version over King of the Monsters, but thats just personal taste,mI always found the scenes with Burr to be, thought well acted, a,little tacked on, and the dub to cheesy for the tone of the film.

The build up to Godzillas first appearance are very good. Foot prints, crushed buildings, and even radioactive trace are all seen in great detail, and his eventual reveal is surprisingly effective. Keeping the bulk of the beast hidden behind a mountain, and his size being shown via a tail mark and footprints there after. His rampage through the city is a combination of notorious man-in-suit animatronics and stop motion animation, showing everything in his path being destroyed The B&W nature of the film hides a lot of the tacky scenes to a point where they look highly stylised.

Acting is on fine form, with Akihiko Hirata (Sanjuro, Attack Squadron!) pulling off a self-repressed scientist who hates his discovery despite its potential to counter Godzillas attacks. Only the female lead, Momoko Kôchi, feels a tad dated in a role that is very indicative of how women where depicted in sci-fi the time.

The film owes a bit to The Quatermass Experiment as it was an early instance of post-modern, period science fiction. Although set at an indeterminable time in the future, it's clearly of the time period it was filmed. Which takes me onto the next pro-point. The anti-nuclear weapon message in the film is fairly clear, as the film regularly makes reference to how the unfolding events where triggered by the Hiroshima bomb. This could be translated to Godzilla being the manifestation of the earth rebelling against humanities unnatural experiments, and how if we continue down this path, we can only be held accountable for our own destruction. Or it could jus be a loud of silly balls.

Over all, I love this film, it's stylish, it's science it utterly baffling (Dinosaurs became extinct 2 million years ago? Seriously?), the destruction scenes are fun Top job, 4.5/5, go and see it kids.


BTW, the BFI dvd can be bought from Fopp around the country for a meagre £5. Highly recommended.

[SShaw]

Tonight I saw The World's End for the first time. I had spent some time preparing myself for disappointment, but in the endI needn't have worried as I really enjoyed it!

[wonderlust]

Kafka, 1991

[gag]

Cyberbully rubbish on so many levels, couldnt decide what it wanted to be .
was to girly girly to be a thriller etc but not to girly to be a girly film,
at times the film was pathetic and annoyed you on so many levels how some situations where dealt with in realistic or make believe life, for starters when you found who started all the bullying you wouldnt be best friends with them after when near commiting suicide, if you read online that you gave someone a std when you a virgin you wouldnt run off crying , you would at the very least write somerhing back like erm how dickhead when im a virgin so who the idiot now you tossser , the way they dealt with other bullies was kind of weak feable dull and boring, exscuse me youre a bully could you please stop it, here here I agree, bully then goes off crying wtf YAWN very unrealistic . If only dealing with all bullies in life was that simple . Kind of felt the film was a week unrealistic films based on a true story for the sky true story movies channel, and a very bad one at the best of times,

[keirarts]

So I wander in to work at 6pm to a series of confused looking people.

"What are YOU doing here?"

"It's 6pm and time for my shift to start"

"you had better go talk to the section leader"

One quick discussion later and I find out my contract had been terminated xmas eve. Just seems no one bothered to actually tell me or send a letter or anything like that. Stopped at my mates xmas party that I was going to miss due to work and then headed home to watch LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG.

Very good film indeed. Unlike Serbian film there were no parts of this that I felt existed simply to shock. It's a dark piece of film making to be sure and it doesn't look as slick as Serbian film but in my opinion its a much better film.

Lots to do Sunday but looks like i'll be getting a few films watched this sunday evening instead of going to work.

Given the general nafness of the Asda job i'm not especially sad about losing it, just feel the way it happened was totally shitty.

[sawyer6]

Recent viewings

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Watched the German Koch Media blu-ray of Buckaroo Banzai last night. Didn't think it looked great tbh. Seems to be from an HD master from a few years ago, and could've done with being spruced up a bit. Really surprised Arrow didn't pick this one up from MGM along with Remo Williams.

[Hawkmonger]

It might well have been. I never predicted Withnail and I getting released by Arrow but was pleasantly surprised.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

Buckaroo Banzai

Really surprised Arrow didn't pick this one up from MGM along with Remo Williams.

I have a mate who adores BB, but i hate it.

Perhaps it was too much of a marmite release and Arrow possibly saw it as a poor seller.