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What movie did you watch last night? (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter nlgbbbblth
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Cormcolash
Well-Known Member
Saw Out Of The Furnace the other night. Pretty good. Bale is better in this than he is in American Hustle, even though he has less to do. Actually Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, and The Dafoe are all great in this.
As you can guess, it's quite a male film, to say the least.
Basically Christian Bale and Casey Affleck are bros, Bale gets out of jail and Affleck is back from Iraq and going a bit mental, getting in too deep with shady characters like bar owner Dafoe, who owes gang boss Harrelson some money.
Naturally, it all goes downhill pretty quick. Or pretty slowly, in a sense, as this film is quite slow-moving despite the above description.
As you can guess, it's quite a male film, to say the least.
Basically Christian Bale and Casey Affleck are bros, Bale gets out of jail and Affleck is back from Iraq and going a bit mental, getting in too deep with shady characters like bar owner Dafoe, who owes gang boss Harrelson some money.
Naturally, it all goes downhill pretty quick. Or pretty slowly, in a sense, as this film is quite slow-moving despite the above description.
I'm currently on a quest to finish watching all the top films of 2013
Kind off you'll see. anyway
Here's some from last year and some of this years
12 Years A Slave
Almost a shoe in (Is that how that's spelt ?) to win every Oscar going 12 Years A Slave is one of the most ambitious, fascinating, beautiful and affecting movies I've seen since last years best film; Michael Haeneke's near perfect heartbreaker Amour. The plot, what little there is is based on a true story and yadda yadda you know all of this so I won't waste time. Suffice to say that the acting here is incredible, it's an ugly and deeply unsettling film which is beautifully and thoughtfully shot, carefully orchestrated and extremely potent in it's execution.
The reason why it works is firstly because of the sheer quality of the film making and secondly because the film makers have a lofty goal here. They don't just want to present slavery as a historical matter of fact it's not enough that the physical brutality of the time is present in virtually every scene. What's more terrifying is the psychology of slavery. The wilful ignorance a best, or the inhumane cruelty at worst of the slave owners. The forced submission of the slaves is almost secondary here to the the almost spiritual toll of slavery. This is what is most effectively displayed here. By far it's this aspect of the film which stayed with me the longest.
This is not the sanitised American apologetic re-telling of slavery in which the salt of the earth are brow beaten by the inherent system at large this is not the Spielbergian story which Terry Gilliam criticises for being about success instead of failure. Every scene here is testament to social and moral failure. Scenes in which the slaves themselves disregard the most basic human kindness for their fellow slaves, suppressing their own decency and dignity for fear of the repercussions are as troubling as the violence with which order is enforced. Even in the films finale it still manages to emphasise loss rather than redemption, and it's emotional payoff in the audience is akin to exhaustion rather than the usual convenient conclusion in which the audience feels relief.
This is what film was invented for, it's a challenge and even if it isn't perfect (It isn't) the film makers still hold themselves up to a higher level of intent. This isn't a simple biopic or a historical tale about the ins and outs of a period of time in a certain place. This is an invitation to think about what effects subjugation has on the spirit of a human being. It's unsurprising that several people I've spoken to since the film have said things like "It's hard to believe that that was only 150 years ago, thank god things have changed" If 12 Years a Slave manages anything it maybe, at least for some, raises the debate about whether or not we as a species have really come all that far in the intervening years ?
Mud
Jeff Nichols has made some of the best movies of the last 10 years. I highly recommend Take Shelter and Shotgun Stories. They are both excellent. Here he presents us with one of those films which manages to be somewhat unique while at the same time is stealing from some of the most cliched genres cinema has. At it's core this is a coming of age story about a teenage boy and at the same time, on paper this is in plot and tone something akin to a classic western.
Lone stranger turns up on the outskirts of town with a gun and a shady past, a young boy befriends him and upon this framework the film explores that pains of being young and pure of heart, first love, true, misguided and unreciprocated love and does all this against with an undercurrent of the possibility of violence and the eroding of tradition and community amongst the disenfranchised poor of the American south.
In the hands of a lesser director a film of this nature would itself succumb to the cliches that are inherent in most of the genres and it's borrowing from and the themes it's portrays but Nichols get's it right for the most part. Moving at a steady pace and allowing Mathew McConaghey and Tye Sheridan to turn in brilliantly nuanced performances. The film looks great and gets the mix of beauty and grit just right. A Hugely enjoyable if not world changing film. Well worth a look.
Spring Breakers
The first time Harmony Korine made a statement about the nihilism of youth it was by writing Larry Clarks 1995 controversy courter Kids. This time he's made his masterpiece. As an ode to nihilism, and the vapid vacuousness and joyful, malevolent abandon of youth he can surely never present anything as simultaneously brilliant, awful, utterly preposterous, original and deranged as this.
It's weeks since I saw it and I still can't make up my mind about it. What is for sure is that Korines style is polarising to say the least. Visually stunning and visceral throughout the film veers violently between thrillingly debauched, exhausting and irritating. The performances from the spring breakers themselves are strong although it's fair to say that all most of the young ladies are asked to do is to behave in the most base manner possible, look good in a bikini and move between bored and malevolent at a moments notice. James Franco takes all the acting plaudits as an unhinged drug dealer but Selena Gomez is actually very close behind him as a convincing sheep in wolves clothing.
Midway through the film Korine decides to jettison any moral centre to the film and revels in it's own aforementioned vacuousness. Whether the film is a vapid wate of time or a unique experience (for want of a better term) really hinges on how much you're willing to go along with Korines madness. In the same way that a film about boredom is probably going to be boredom and if it isn't it's probably failed to correctly convey it's subject matter to some extent - if Korine loaded this film with meaning or deeper themes or even any sense of commentary or morality it wouldn't succeed in it's aim.
Me ? I liked it a lot. One scene involving a Britney Spears song and a mega montage is probably the best sequence of the year and although this is cinematic marmite you get the feeling that Korine knows this and is complete control.
A deeply dislikable film which isn't for everyone, in fact it's probably deliberately made for no one. To say I enjoyed it would be a step too far but as an experience it's definitely got ... eh... y'know like... I don't know..... like.....something.
Spring Break forever y'all!!!!
Kind off you'll see. anyway
Here's some from last year and some of this years
12 Years A Slave
Almost a shoe in (Is that how that's spelt ?) to win every Oscar going 12 Years A Slave is one of the most ambitious, fascinating, beautiful and affecting movies I've seen since last years best film; Michael Haeneke's near perfect heartbreaker Amour. The plot, what little there is is based on a true story and yadda yadda you know all of this so I won't waste time. Suffice to say that the acting here is incredible, it's an ugly and deeply unsettling film which is beautifully and thoughtfully shot, carefully orchestrated and extremely potent in it's execution.
The reason why it works is firstly because of the sheer quality of the film making and secondly because the film makers have a lofty goal here. They don't just want to present slavery as a historical matter of fact it's not enough that the physical brutality of the time is present in virtually every scene. What's more terrifying is the psychology of slavery. The wilful ignorance a best, or the inhumane cruelty at worst of the slave owners. The forced submission of the slaves is almost secondary here to the the almost spiritual toll of slavery. This is what is most effectively displayed here. By far it's this aspect of the film which stayed with me the longest.
This is not the sanitised American apologetic re-telling of slavery in which the salt of the earth are brow beaten by the inherent system at large this is not the Spielbergian story which Terry Gilliam criticises for being about success instead of failure. Every scene here is testament to social and moral failure. Scenes in which the slaves themselves disregard the most basic human kindness for their fellow slaves, suppressing their own decency and dignity for fear of the repercussions are as troubling as the violence with which order is enforced. Even in the films finale it still manages to emphasise loss rather than redemption, and it's emotional payoff in the audience is akin to exhaustion rather than the usual convenient conclusion in which the audience feels relief.
This is what film was invented for, it's a challenge and even if it isn't perfect (It isn't) the film makers still hold themselves up to a higher level of intent. This isn't a simple biopic or a historical tale about the ins and outs of a period of time in a certain place. This is an invitation to think about what effects subjugation has on the spirit of a human being. It's unsurprising that several people I've spoken to since the film have said things like "It's hard to believe that that was only 150 years ago, thank god things have changed" If 12 Years a Slave manages anything it maybe, at least for some, raises the debate about whether or not we as a species have really come all that far in the intervening years ?
Mud
Jeff Nichols has made some of the best movies of the last 10 years. I highly recommend Take Shelter and Shotgun Stories. They are both excellent. Here he presents us with one of those films which manages to be somewhat unique while at the same time is stealing from some of the most cliched genres cinema has. At it's core this is a coming of age story about a teenage boy and at the same time, on paper this is in plot and tone something akin to a classic western.
Lone stranger turns up on the outskirts of town with a gun and a shady past, a young boy befriends him and upon this framework the film explores that pains of being young and pure of heart, first love, true, misguided and unreciprocated love and does all this against with an undercurrent of the possibility of violence and the eroding of tradition and community amongst the disenfranchised poor of the American south.
In the hands of a lesser director a film of this nature would itself succumb to the cliches that are inherent in most of the genres and it's borrowing from and the themes it's portrays but Nichols get's it right for the most part. Moving at a steady pace and allowing Mathew McConaghey and Tye Sheridan to turn in brilliantly nuanced performances. The film looks great and gets the mix of beauty and grit just right. A Hugely enjoyable if not world changing film. Well worth a look.
Spring Breakers
The first time Harmony Korine made a statement about the nihilism of youth it was by writing Larry Clarks 1995 controversy courter Kids. This time he's made his masterpiece. As an ode to nihilism, and the vapid vacuousness and joyful, malevolent abandon of youth he can surely never present anything as simultaneously brilliant, awful, utterly preposterous, original and deranged as this.
It's weeks since I saw it and I still can't make up my mind about it. What is for sure is that Korines style is polarising to say the least. Visually stunning and visceral throughout the film veers violently between thrillingly debauched, exhausting and irritating. The performances from the spring breakers themselves are strong although it's fair to say that all most of the young ladies are asked to do is to behave in the most base manner possible, look good in a bikini and move between bored and malevolent at a moments notice. James Franco takes all the acting plaudits as an unhinged drug dealer but Selena Gomez is actually very close behind him as a convincing sheep in wolves clothing.
Midway through the film Korine decides to jettison any moral centre to the film and revels in it's own aforementioned vacuousness. Whether the film is a vapid wate of time or a unique experience (for want of a better term) really hinges on how much you're willing to go along with Korines madness. In the same way that a film about boredom is probably going to be boredom and if it isn't it's probably failed to correctly convey it's subject matter to some extent - if Korine loaded this film with meaning or deeper themes or even any sense of commentary or morality it wouldn't succeed in it's aim.
Me ? I liked it a lot. One scene involving a Britney Spears song and a mega montage is probably the best sequence of the year and although this is cinematic marmite you get the feeling that Korine knows this and is complete control.
A deeply dislikable film which isn't for everyone, in fact it's probably deliberately made for no one. To say I enjoyed it would be a step too far but as an experience it's definitely got ... eh... y'know like... I don't know..... like.....something.
Spring Break forever y'all!!!!
Great reviews Washingcattle.
dunderhead
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2005
- Messages
- 3,422
happiness. like a bunch of others i'm sure, ive downloaded a few philip seymour hoffman movies over the last couple of days. some i've seen. some I have not.
this, i had not. fucked up, warped characters play out their shitty lives that seem to be crumbling all around them in crappy new jersey. that time out quote on the cover above sums it up pretty well. real black comedy at times. found myself heartily laughing at scenes that would definitely not warrant a laugh in 99% of movies but fit in well with the whole feel of this thing. PSH was great in it. what a loss
happiness. like a bunch of others i'm sure, ive downloaded a few philip seymour hoffman movies over the last couple of days. some i've seen. some I have not.
this, i had not. fucked up, warped characters play out their shitty lives that seem to be crumbling all around them in crappy new jersey. that time out quote on the cover above sums it up pretty well. real black comedy at times. found myself heartily laughing at scenes that would definitely not warrant a laugh in 99% of movies but fit in well with the whole feel of this thing. PSH was great in it. what a loss
Terrific film
Yeah, I was trying to describe this to people in work and say how great it was but they all thought I was a weirdo. "A paedo, wha'!?!"
travispickle
Well-Known Member
happiness. like a bunch of others i'm sure, ive downloaded a few philip seymour hoffman movies over the last couple of days. some i've seen. some I have not.
this, i had not. fucked up, warped characters play out their shitty lives that seem to be crumbling all around them in crappy new jersey. that time out quote on the cover above sums it up pretty well. real black comedy at times. found myself heartily laughing at scenes that would definitely not warrant a laugh in 99% of movies but fit in well with the whole feel of this thing. PSH was great in it. what a loss
I really liked Happiness on first and subsequent viewings; a very warped film to be sure. Among my friends, I found it to be completely polarising, as most vehemently hate it. This made me like it all the more and PSH is great in it - he just nailed those kinds of characters so well.
I recently rewatched Punch Drunk Love and though in a minor role, he just eats up the screen.
travispickle
Well-Known Member
Re-watched Down By Law in anticipation of the forthcoming new Jarmusch film. It's still a wonderfully watchable, funny, humane film with great natural performances from all 3 leads. Great music and cinematography (courtesy of Robbie Muller) too.
Cormcolash
Well-Known Member
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM
Booked our tickets for this today.
travispickle
Well-Known Member
Re-watched Black Swan and enjoyed it far more on 2nd viewing. It's pretty manic; don't think I was in the right mood for it at the cinema. Nice score (Clint Mansell) and a great performance by Natalie Portman.
He's playing in October, doing his scores with a string quartet. Hasn't been officially announced but a date in the Barbican in London has.
travispickle
Well-Known Member
Cool, cheers. Will keep a lookout.
nooleen
bad ape
i loved it - fine acting all round and barely a weak moment throughout, even though it seems to have got a bunch of crappish reviews. great shots of the steel mills and beautiful appalachian scenery which i guess doesn't get much publicity because the place is filled with maniacs
we had the cinema to ourselves so maybe a really terrible film would have been better - there wasn't really any shouting to be done at the screen
If you liked it I recommend this
Repulsion (1965) - IMDb
and this
Vargtimmen (1968) - IMDb
and obviously every single David Lynch film.
nooleen
bad ape
watched this on friday night
weird as shit and totally baffling for the first 40 minutes or so
but then totally brilliant
the plot doesn't hold up to any kind of scrutiny but it doesn't matter - it's mainly just a joy to watch the characters shouting, posing and gurning and would definitely stand up to a second viewing (and even be better second time round since you'd know what the fuck was going on from the start)
nooleen
bad ape
i forgot what i actually came here to do which was post this
50 Amazing Films You've Probably Never Seen | TotalFilm
50 Amazing Films You've Probably Never Seen | TotalFilm
Damn, I have only seen one film on that list - The Friends Of Eddie Coyle.
george mcfly
My Name Is Prince.
You should check out Beyond The Black Rainbow. It's on US Netflix. Great score.
have seen a handful of those... Gwendoline, Four Of The Apocalypse, Come And See (seriously grim). Cutter's Way was recommended to me recently. Have ordered a copy of Viy, really interested in checking that out
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