What movie did you watch last night? (14 Viewers)

[David Kronenbourg]

The Place Beyond The Pines. Interesting film. Certainly one of the more ambitious American films I've seen recently but it doesn't quite live up to its early promise. I found the climax rather silly but it take some interesting and surprising turns on its way there. Well acted by the entire cast but the younger actors stuck out the most for me. Worth a watch. I swear to god though if I read one more review that says the words "a film about fathers and sons" I'll cut my own nuts off and never have kids.

 

[washingcattle]

The Queen of Versailles

I'd imagine that being a documentarian is a bit like being a mortitian. If everyone suddenly stopped dying you'd be out of business and so while not exactly hoping for a disaster, it's far to say they don't lose sleep over it's occurrence. Equally if world peace were declared and misery became a thing of the past the documentarian would be out of a job. No one cares about tales of everything going to plan, unless as The Joker put it the plan is horrifying. That's the second time I've used that reference lately but it's hard to look at the word without thinking ... well, he was on to something.

In 2008 David Siegel, owner of the biggest timeshare business in the world, set to work building the biggest single family home in the world. This dream home was based on the palace of Louis XIV at Versailles and as such the house in Florida soon became known as Versailles among friends, family and business associates. At the same time as building the biggest home in America Seigal was also built the biggest building in Las Vegas. A documentary crew showed up to make a film about the family and about the building of the house and the tower and about the wealth generated by this self made entrepreneur.

What happened next, however, was the financial equivalent of "The Revolution Will Be Televised". While perhaps the documentarian does not pray for bleak events to unfold surely they indulge in schadenfreude when these occur in front of their cameras. And surely with such an opulent, decadent subjects as the Siegels you can allow them a smirk, even if they try as hard as possible to not revel n their subjects misfortune.

In September 2008 the banks collapsed and as a result all of Siegel's business went into decline. Siegel, like the banks had himself, slyly removed "cheap money" from the pockets of the working and middle classes by pouring honey in their ears and promising them the American dream of feeling wealthy now found that this well of cheap money had dried up. The business took a nose dive. As Siegel himself describes, America had become addicted to money and the banks could no longer feed that addiction.

If money was addictive if it was a drug then what Siegel represents was both a dealer and an addict. and the film is a cold hard look at the relationship between those things. Addiction and the ability to make a fortune off of that addiction. At times this is an amazing film, partly a film about the business of money and about the American dream and partly reality TV, it reminded me of The Osbornes crossed with Inside Job. Spoilt children and unhinged adults living day to day in a manor which seems both decadent and grotesque. Occaisionally as the titular Queen - Davids wife - Jaquiline Siegel goes on spending sprees or speaks about either how her life might be if the money dries up or about how money influenced her decisions in life and I found myself thinking of Robert Downey Jrs famous description of his drug addiction. He said that he knew he had a gun in his mouth but found that he liked the taste of the metal. Though director Lauren Greenfield tries to remain objective about the events, offering no commentary.

What I found to be an utterly damning microcosmic appraisal of both the family and the wider financial and social situation was that as the money becomes tighter the living conditions in the family home deteriorates. Children - spoon fed since birth by their nanny - a woman who lives in a doll house in the family garden (I shit you not) , are incapable of doing even the most basic of household chores and the family simply seems to blame their filthy living conditions on the fact that they have a smaller staff of cleaners. They are unable to see how economy and society are not the same thing. They allow decline unable to see how simple actions rather than finance can intervene in the decline.

Though not a perfect film by any means, most notably David Siegel remains somewhat enigmatic throughout. Choosing to speak at length about money and business rather than any emotional connection to his situation, he becomes notably more withdrawn and isolated but always emotionally unavailable the film rarely penetrates the surface of his relationship with his wife. It time and again allows Jaquiline more than enough rope to hang her self and though she was once a bright intelligent woman it is easy to see why it is commonly said that the brain too is like a muscle - use it or lose it, to say that the film victimises her though is slightly unfair as it's hard to see her as anything other than a deluded addict and the irony of the films title is of course lost on all concerned.

This is a timely film which has contained within it both a sad depiction of a deteriorating marriage a family in turmoil, a stark look of the dark decline of the American Dream and an allegory for the wider socio-economic time which we live in. Infuriating, darkly comic and at the same time quite tragic this is a fine film which I highly recommend.

 

[therealjohnny]

The Place Beyond The Pines. Interesting film. Certainly one of the more ambitious American films I've seen recently but it doesn't quite live up to its early promise. I found the climax rather silly but it take some interesting and surprising turns on its way there. Well acted by the entire cast but the younger actors stuck out the most for me. Worth a watch. I swear to god though if I read one more review that says the words "a film about fathers and sons" I'll cut my own nuts off and never have kids.

I liked this and I was glad it was not what I was expecting. As we were going into the cinema my girlfriend sarcastically wondered how long it would be before Ryan Gosling took his shirt off. I let out a loud "ha" at the very fist shot.

The trailer is slightly misleading. Ryan gosling is intense and complicated, but has a good heart...again. It's like Drive on motorbikes said my girlfriend, "they should have called it 'Ride'". (she was on form that night)
So I was pleased this film took a different , unexpected direction. And yeah, the kids were very good in this.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I liked this and I was glad it was not what I was expecting. As we were going into the cinema my girlfriend sarcastically wondered how long it would be before Ryan Gosling took his shirt off. I let out a loud "ha" at the very fist shot.

The trailer is slightly misleading. Ryan gosling is intense and complicated, but has a good heart...again. It's like Drive on motorbikes said my girlfriend, "they should have called it 'Ride'". (she was on form that night)
So I was pleased this film took a different , unexpected direction. And yeah, the kids were very good in this.

yeah, the trailer is misleading and all the better for it because, like you said, it wasn't what i expected.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Breakdown. Kurt Russell's car breaks down on a lonely highway and his wife accepts a lift into town from a seemingly friendly trucker. Big mistake. A smart, taut, fast paced thriller with a great villain. Do they make nifty little films like this anymore? If I had to fault it I would say it's a bit far fetched and relies too much on coincidence but for the most part this is thrilling stuff.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I liked this and I was glad it was not what I was expecting. As we were going into the cinema my girlfriend sarcastically wondered how long it would be before Ryan Gosling took his shirt off. I let out a loud "ha" at the very fist shot.

The trailer is slightly misleading. Ryan gosling is intense and complicated, but has a good heart...again. It's like Drive on motorbikes said my girlfriend, "they should have called it 'Ride'". (she was on form that night)
So I was pleased this film took a different , unexpected direction. And yeah, the kids were very good in this.

a quibble. Gosling and Mendes - do people who look like that really work as carnies and waitresses in dead end towns? they didn't even try to ugly them up. in fact, bleaching Gosling's hair only made him look more charming and Mendes looks like she has never served a plate of food in her life. there's less glamorous actors they could have cast in those roles.

 

[xsteox]

Operation:endgame.
Comedy/action mash up about two rival espionage teams, assassinating each other, on presidential inauguration day.
Not that good, some great lines, but not lol funny at all. 4/10

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Spoorloos (The Vanishing). Bloody terrifying.

 

[washingcattle]

Spoorloos (The Vanishing). Bloody terrifying.

what a film. You should see the remake.

Dogshit.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

what a film. You should see the remake.

Dogshit.

a turd. same director and all. what was he thinking?

 

[washingcattle]

a turd. same director and all. what was he thinking?

Money.

 

[therealjohnny]

Just back from seeing Evil Dead

Fuck me, gore , gore and more gore

The last scene is hilariously over then top, like a firehose sparing red paint

It lacks the charm and humour that made the original a classic..but I loved the book and the drawings

Not my thing but if you like body horror and gore then you'll probably enjoy it

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Rosemary's Baby. Polanski conjures up a masterfully suspenseful and unsettling tale of the macabre. A remarkable film.

 

[washingcattle]

Rosemary's Baby. Polanski conjures up a masterfully suspenseful and unsettling tale of the macabre. A remarkable film.

Great haircut too.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

great run Bernie/

I have Breakdown on VHS, taped off the telly towards the start of the 00s. UNEASE.

 

[hermie]

Breakdown. Kurt Russell's car breaks down on a lonely highway and his wife accepts a lift into town from a seemingly friendly trucker. Big mistake. A smart, taut, fast paced thriller with a great villain. Do they make nifty little films like this anymore? If I had to fault it I would say it's a bit far fetched and relies too much on coincidence but for the most part this is thrilling stuff.

Yeah that's pretty good. It's a remake of a French movie that's even better though IIRC.

Edit: just noticed your subsequent post .

 

[hermie]

Last night Pilgrim Hill

washingcattle really should not see this movie. If he thought Garage over-played Irish woe-is-me "realism" this'll surely blacken his wellies. Promising debut feature from Gerard Barrett who's only 25. Heart-breaking in places but relentlessly, unnecessarily morbid I thought. Didn't have the same humanity as the aforementioned Pat Shortt triumph. Castaway in Co Clare. I liked the lead but couldn't figure out why most of the movie plays like a documentary.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Garage was a very good film. Cattle thinks he's Barry Norman.

 

[washingcattle]

Hold up there folks, it's not (just) Garage I have a problem with Adam and Paul is a fucking ridiculous film.

 

[washingcattle]

Garage was a very good film. Cattle thinks he's Barry Norman.

Here's Barry giving it the big Vagina!!



Respect.