What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

[silversurfer19]

I've seen both Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder once only, and while both are certainly very intense and intriguing movies, they are also movies that I think require much more viewings than just the one. While I don't remember the ins and outs of either movies, there are sequences and images that just remain imprinted onto your mind and demand you to discover more about them. Will probably have to give them another go in the near future.

[Ron Burgundy]

Yeah Angel Heart and Jacobs Ladder are both on the same page. I should watch them again, because its been more than 10 years for both. Bill Durham, is next though, been meaning to get that one out of the way

Heres something that i was meaning to watch for a long time, and i finally did.

Elite Sqaud
The brand of policeman who take on the slums of Brazil. This movie from 2007 shows that struggle against the daily fight against drugs and corrupt cops who have friends and families just like us. Brutal interrogation tactics and hardcore training are among the tasks Elite Squad cops do, but the risk involved in the actual work in the slums is insanely high. The Captain, needs to find a replacement, he is having a son and this flimsy way of life will not go on. Enter Neto and Matias, two honest cops who are ready for a challenge and will likely be the lead candidates to take over from Captain Nascimento. The story that follows is terrific to watch, and im so keen to see the sequel now. A real feeling of desperation is achieved by Jose Padiha who has just helmed the remake of Robocop, and he directs with passion, you feel like you are one of the soldiers, or even the Captain himself. Not as much action as City of God, but the character development is equal or even better here. Top stuff
8.5/10

[Shrykespeare]

Yeah Angel Heart and Jacobs Ladder are both on the same page. I should watch them again, because its been more than 10 years for both. Bill Durham, is next though, been meaning to get that one out of the way

Please do. I've lived next door to Bill Durham for years. He's a real asshole.


Glad you liked Angel Heart. I think it was the first movie I ever saw with a "twist ending" that I didn't see coming.

As for Jacob's Ladder, yes, that was a seriously spooky movie. One of Tim Robbins' better performances.

[NSpan]

We're The Millers ("extended" version) - Much funnier than I thought, though still a bit of a throwaway comedy. Think: Horrible Bosses with less improv talent

You're Next - solid disposable horror. basically the spiritual successor to The Strangers.

The Possession - rewatched this, liked it even better the second time through. and the Comedian is in it ! Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert produced this and it feels VERY much like their style.

Insidious 2 - worth watching if you liked the first (though James Wan idea of what constitutes "scary" ruins all of his films for me). and Night Owl II is in it.

Adventuretime Seasons I & II - awwwwesome

Regular Show Seasons I & II - even awwwesomer

Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson has become a parody of himself....... and, yet, it's still a great movie. Salieri (young and old) and Ralph Fiennes make the movie. every other role is just icing


otherwise mostly just watching Harmony & Me, Blue Valentine, Dealin' With Idiots, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, and Somebody Up There Likes Me on an endless background loop

other than that, podcasts podcasts podcasts. three to be precise. Comedy Bang Bang (start with the episode with Ben Schwartz and Werner Herzog. from there, any episode with Paul F Tompkins) if you like improv comedy, WTF w Marc Maron if you're into actual interviews, and the Cracked podcast dips a bit too far into pop-psychology but it's consistently funny and interesting

[Leestu]

Coincidentally I just listened to a WTF w Marc Marron a couple of days ago (had no idea what it was - it was a youtube recommendation) - he did a good job to get nearly an hour's worth of interesting chat out of the normally reticent J Mascis

[Buscemi]

I've tried listening to a few of the Cracked podcasts but can never get past the 15 minute mark. There's too much random chatter and not enough actually talking about the subject.

But then again, I probably came in expecting an audio version of the articles.

[NSpan]

Marc Maron is a great stand up, but he's an even better interviewer (despite being completely self-absorbed). The really innovative aspect of his show is that he bothers to INTERVIEW his guests. It's crazy to think, but 99% of talk shows rarely get past an introduction, one or two throwaway questions, and then a plug. WTF is long enough (thanks to the podcast format) to actually dig in. It's also hilarious to see Maron poke and prod the guest to shock them out of auto-pilot (which most celebrities are stuck in when dealing with press and Q&A). He manages to do it with much more grace than someone like Howard Stern. It creates an intriguing dynamic and a major departure from the traditional talk-show formula. And, unless the guest is a childhood hero of the host, he rarely bothers to do much research. Yeah he's an asshole,but it can be quite entertaining to see genuinely interesting guests win over Maron's attention as the interview itself gets more and more involved.

The Cracked podcast is still finding its footing, but Jason Pargin, Jack O'Brien, Daniel O'Brien, and other co-hosts are comedy geniuses and scholars of pop culture. Even when its merely conversational, it's interesting. The topics are usually researched, and the guests bring prepared talking points to the table. They aren't putting on a comedy show in the way Comedy Bang Bang does it, but the result can be just as funny and, more often than not, even a bit informative/enlightening (much like Cracked's best articles)

[Chienfantome]

We're The Millers ("extended" version) - Much funnier than I thought, though still a bit of a throwaway comedy. Think: Horrible Bosses with less improv talent

I thought We're the millers was much funnier than Horrible Bosses. But that's just my French sense of humour I guess

[JohnErle]

I'll post these quickie reviews here because these movies are all old and I'm trying to avoid all the X-Men spoilers in the other thread.

Black Sunday, aka The Mask Of Satan (1960)

My second foray into Italian Giallo horror was much more enjoyable than the first, Suspiria, but still left a lot to be desired. It got off to great start with beautiful B&W photography, a gorgeously Gothic atmosphere, and Barbara Steele, who is one hell of a woman. The story quickly loses momentum, however, and once you've seen all the sets in the first 30 minutes even the visuals get a bit repetitive, and the bad dubbing was a constant distraction. 5/10

The Girl By The Lake (2007)

An Italian drama/mystery about a murder in an idyllic small town, starring Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) as a laconic cop who, much like Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War, arrives in town to investigate one crime, is faced with a murder that takes place while he's in the area, and solves the case through a series of interviews with the myriad of suspects. The ending was too ambiguous and anti-climactic for my tastes, but the movie looks good, it's well-acted, and it was interesting to see Valeria Golino (Hot Shots!) doing a drama in her native language. 6/10

Bachelor Party (1984)

I loved this movie when I was a kid because it was raunchy, hilarious, and it had boobies. Watching it as an adult, I found it mostly obnoxious and tasteless, only sporadically amusing, and Tom Hanks was trying way too hard to make something out of nothing. Thank goodness I haven't lost my appreciation for boobies. 3/10

[numbersix]

Down Terrace: 7/10
Ben Wheatley's debut film is a gangster film that ultimately becomes a black comedy about tensions in the family, particularly between a rather short-fused son and an aging and softening father. The humour comes from the unpredictable deaths that occur, often for the silliest of reasons, while there's much to laud in terms of the naturalistic dialogue. Julia Deakin is great as the seemingly benign mother who actually runs the show. For a no-budget film this is a distinct, if not disturbing, debut.

I actually watched this as Wheatley was over in my part of the world for a workshop. And I ended up taking him out for lunch over the weekend. He's a very nice, accessible guy. Definitely one of us, as opposed to the kind of directors who think they're beyond the regular folk. We chatted about video games, his next movie after High Rise, his HBO show, and he pitched me something that he backed away from making as it was so disturbing. Think he made the right choice on that one. High Rise is shooting in July and could be done by the end of the year, so it joins my list of anticipated films for 2015.

[Chienfantome]

You whaaaat ? Took Ben Wheatley out for lunch ? Very nice ! I actually saw Down terrace last year with him attending and he seemed like a nice fellow.

[numbersix]

Well i had heard he can be demanding on set, so was a little nervous, but he's very casual in person. I do get the sense that overall control of a project is very important to him (from writing with his wife to prep to post and even distribution), but that allows for the singularity of his voice. In a way, he should be commended for such "demands".

[Chienfantome]

That is very cool anyway

[JohnErle]

Robocop (2014)

So much time is spent on the doctor, the wife, the CEO, the kid, the mercenary, the talk show host, the corrupt cops, the drug lord, and the Omnicorp marketing department, that very little time is left over for Alex Murphy or Robocop, which was a colossal mistake. This is screenwriting 101, people! The few action sequences in the movie were well done, but there weren't nearly enough of them, and the whole movie takes itself far too seriously. 3/10

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

On one hand, there was no need for this to be a Jack Ryan reboot, but on the other hand, the Jack Ryan origin story in the first half hour is the only compelling part of the story. Once Ryan is in the field it's a big bore that goes nowhere. Moscow looks pretty at night, and Kenneth Branagh does a better job in front of the camera than he does behind it, but Keira Knightly was miscast and Chris Pine sharing screen time with Kevin Costner only highlights Pine's inherent lack of presence. 4/10

[numbersix]

What Maisie Knew: 6/10
Child actors must be a nightmare to control on set, especially ones younger than 10. On screen they mostly come across as trying too hard, like they're auditioning for a pantomime. So it's a wonder that the child playing Maisie is so natural. Credit is due to the directors for cutting around her and creating a convincing world of a kid whose parents are going through a divorce and are so self-absorbed that the kid often spends time sitting alone in lobbies or restaurants. The film has some good characters, with even the more likeable ones (the nanny who falls for the father, and the bartender whom the wife marries so she doesn't need a nanny) having relatable flaws. It's only a shame the ending is a major let-down, with so many questions posed and left unanswered. Yes, you could say it's true to life but in this case I felt the point the makers chose to end on was the wrong one.