Movie madness
Talk about latest movie, old movies, bad movies, any movies. To widen discussion - tv shows, (not soaps) documentaries or theatre No advertisers
Open Loop 98
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Cyrano
Out on dvd now
Missed this at the cinema and was so pleased to receive it on DVD
A most exquisite tragic love story, so beautiful, well written, touching with poignant music.
https://youtu.be/DHo3w5ORcdY
A re-imagining of the original story
The scene with the soldiers underground singing this song reminded me of the Ukranian crisis 🥲
Heartbreaking 💔 but I know I will watch it again and again -
Ali and Ava (15) 2021 on Netflix now
A British drama starring Adele Akhtar (Ali) and Claire Rushbrook (Ava)
Meeting through their shared affection for a little girl, Eva is her classroom assistant and Ali her lift home from school each day.
Covering serious subjects, Ali and Ava are both damaged souls from different cultures, a class divide and even an incompatible taste in music make it an unlikely match but remarkably over a few weeks their feelings start to grow, much to the indignation of some of those around them. He a British born Pakistani landlord and former DJ and her an Irish immigrant now living in Bradford
A great film with a very high rating by the critics - I recommend this , at times hard to watch but worth every moment -
Half Brothers 2020 Netflix
Renato lives in Mexico and is due to be married . He is still traumatised by his Father leaving him and his Mother when he was a child .
He is then contacted by his Father’s American Wife asking him to come to the States to see his dying Father.
He then finds out he has a half brother whom he instantly dislikes and the feeling is mutual. Their Fathers dying wish is that they go on a journey together. They half heartedly both agree
I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was well worth watching , as they tried to find the mysterious Eloise and uncover the truth about their Father. -
The other week I finally watched Dune (the 2021 movie), the new film after the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The movie is so much better than the 1984 misguided David Lynch version (probably his worst movie).
While the movie has some pacing issues and tries to be a bit to hard to be "epic" for my taste, the cinematography and cast is great.
If you are into science-fiction/fantasy cross-over, I highly recommend it. It's not going to make my "best movies of all times" list or anything, but it's well made and captures the mood of the novel very well. -
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"M" by German director Fritz Lang (who emigrated to the US later) from 1931 is probably one of the most significant expressionist movies. The story of a child murderer and the way society reacts to the crimes was groundbreaking at the time.
Peter Lorre, who later made a career in Hollywood (Casblanca, Arsenic and old Lace), plays the leading role.
The movie can now be found for free on the internet and there are English subtitles, I've read once that there is a dubbed version from the 1930s but have never watched it. There are also several horrible remake attempts, best ignored. -
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Everything everywhere and all at once
The publicity for this film went nowhere near the reality or nature of this bizarre film in three parts. It stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn who during the film connects with her alternative lives from the multiverse!
Wiki describes it as an American absurdist comedy drama whilst IMDb describe it as an insane adventure.
At two hours twenty minutes I found it repetitive in parts and a little bit too long. I do however feel this could become a cult film and may be nominated for various awards including for its special effects, stunts and stunning cinematography. It is certainly unique .
Flashbacks, a dysfunctional family and Jamie Lee Curtis as you have never seen her before , as a tax officer. Lots of martial arts and as if that isn’t enough Evelyn’s husband is planning to divorce her , her estranged father decides to move in, and their daughter is gay , which Evelyn doesn’t want to
accept .
I really can’t find the words to describe it.
Watch it if you dare 😳 -
Film review : The Unbearable weight of Massive Talent
Starring Nicholas Cage as a fictional version of himself
And Pedro Pascal , Sharon Horgan, Paco Leon, Neil Patrick Harris and Lily Mo Sheen
Nick Cage is an actor who is getting divorced, has a teenage daughter and is in debt. He isn’t getting the big film roles now and desperate accepts a million dollars to attend a birthday party in Mallorca (filmed in Budapest)
Then the story really begins . From a slow start the film builds up into an action packed and creative plot with Pedro Pascal stealing some scenes with the sheer look on his face 😳
As the two gentlemen plan a new film together , Cage is being contacted and prompted by the CIA to find a kidnapped girl they believe is hidden in the compound where he is staying .
Loved this film. Witty, clever and not really what I expected . Ten times better 🤣
The end was magnificent -
The Lost City
This film was supposed to hit the cinemas in March but finally arrived this week but was it worth the wait
https://youtu.be/nfKO9rYDmE8
Absolutely! An Action packed adventure from the start and it is really funny in places too
Sandra Bullock at her very best - don’t miss it
One tip . Do NOT leave at the end when the titles start . There’s still a little bit you need to see 😉 -
Watched Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" on Friday night, for the first time in 10 years I think, still an amazing movie, probably one of the best ever made.
For those who do not know it, it has almost nothing to do with the Stephen King novel (apart from the basic plot). Every scene has so many layers it's unbearable :)
If you havn't watched it yet, I highly recommend you do so. -
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Has anyone seen Promising Young Woman, written and directed by Emerald Fennell? She got a Oscar, I believe.
We saw it last night at our local community cinema, which is lovely, slick when it comes to the films, with a discussion afterwards, but very cosy with homemade cake, magnums for £1, and small bottles of wine for £3, though I had decaf tea. What’s not to like?
Anyway back to the film. Well worth seeing. It’s described as a black comedy but I don’t think it’s very comedic. It’s about revenge taken slowly against misogyny and male violence. It was preceded by several shorts on the theme of female empowerment. -
Phantom of the Open
Went to see this film this afternoon and I can only say it’s
AMAZING
It made me smile, laugh and cry
The acting was brilliant , the music great and the story absolutely brilliant
And at the end there it was . Footage of the real man. Superb
Go and see it now before it leaves the cinema -
The Phantom of the Open.
This looks like the kind of movie you would enjoy if you like the Eddie The Eagle film.
It's the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, played by Sir Mark Rylance, who somehow got accepted to play in the Open Golf championship despite never having played a single round on any golf course. He shoots the worst ever round of golf, 121 over 18 holes. -
"The Longest Day" from 1962
This is a weird one for me. leaving aside the All-Star cast (taken to an extreme, really) this movie is certainly a classic of sorts, and actually historically more correct than one would expect it to be.
On the other hand it never really seems to know what kind of movie it want to be, despite the grim topic (the landings in Normandy) it is full of comedy and sometimes even has slapstick elements. I have watched it several times over the years and it always puzzled me. -
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Knives Out 2019
Comedy thriller
Watched lasted night on channel 4 - so hopefully on their Iplayer !
Starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Ana De Armas and Jamie Lee Curtis
At around two and a half hours long, we were hesitant to watch it, but so glad we did.
When a wealthy author is found dead after his 85th birthday party a private detective (played by Daniel Craig) investigates
A beautiful film. It is clever, sometimes funny and always interesting. Following and looking at the backgrounds of family members and what they had to gain from his death. Things are not what they seem!
Was it suicide or murder?
Highly recommended. Five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Stars -
Considered "cult" by some, and utter trash by others: "Dark Star" (1974), a science fiction comedy directed by no-one else but John Carpenter on a $60,000 budget.
The story features a crew of astronauts travelling space and having to argue philosophy with an intelligent nuclear bomb to convince it not to explode.
I find it hard to say I "liked" or "enjoyed" the movie, but it's "interesting". It's the perfect after-party movie when you are already too drunk but look for some relaxing trippy stuff to watch late in the night.
It's also full off pop-culture and 70s hippie references. -
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Those were the B-Movie days: "Creature from the Black Lagoon" from 1954 by Jack Arnold. Despite how silly it might look to us nowadays, it's an amazingly well filmed (especially considering the budget) movie with a huge impact on horror and science fiction.
I remember watching all is films ("It came from outer Space", "Tarantula", "Shrinking Man") as a teenager. And no, I watched them on television of course, I am not that old. -
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Not exactly a movie, but I recently remembered a TV Series I watched in my childhood: "The Tripods" after the John Christopher Novel and decided to watch some episodes.
Acting is a bit cheesy sometimes, but the story isn't bad. Anyone here watched this as a kid?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods_(TV_series) -
Christmas Family Movie Tip: The Dark Crystal by Jim Henson (1982)
Pretty dark and slightly scary puppet movie, but groundbreaking as it was one of the few high fantasy kids movies which touched topics such as death.
I remember watching it as a kid and being fascinated by the Skeksis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PTjIWyRmls -
Movie Tip: "The White Ribbon" from 2010. I don't think there is a dubbed version but there should be one with English subtitles.
A movie about a village in northern Germany in 1914, about the religious and social hypocrisy in rural Germany of the time (just months before the start of World War I)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPJxt6Vj2l4 -
My Feral Heart 2016
This film was on TV quite late one evening on BBC2 and is now on the Iplayer.
The storyline revolves around a gentleman with Downs Syndrome, who sadly has to go onto residential care when his Mother passes away.
The scenes at the start of the film with his Mum are so sweet. There is a beautiful feeling of it being ‘true and real’ almost amateur with a poignant quality .
Touchingly different, I fell in love with Luke from the first scene . His relationships with Eve, Peter and ‘the girl’ build into something quaint, loving and enchanting . A film to touch your heart . -
If you like the songs of George Michael this is for you . Based on the 1984 song and with the screenplay co written with George himself and Emma Thompson, several songs play during it.
It may be a bit corny , about a young woman that tends to make bad choices who meets a young ,but it is not quite the straightforward rom com that’s expected with a major twist in the last twenty minutes (tissue time 🥲)
I know it’s early for Christmas but I enjoyed it, made me smile , as well as weep 😁😁
