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

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

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The Innkeepers is probably the only Ti West movie I really care for. I really did not like the two-hour VICE ad that was The Sacrament and there's a good reason why even West hates Cabin Fever 2.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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Must check out The Innkeepers.

John, while I get your point in that not a lot happens in The House of the Devil, I actually enjoyed how it used that to build tension. The phone calls, the sense of isolation, and once she gets to the house that tension slowly builds. My big concern was that it was so derivative that it was hard to see if the director is showing he knows the rules or can only just imitate, but if you say The Innkeepers is good then it must be the former.

Finishing off my Halloween week of movies

Ouija: 4/10

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones: 4/10
Neither were my choice, but I was at a party so went along with it. Ouija is to sanitised that it's impossible to be scary. It's terribly overlit and the effects are ridiculous, but not as fake as the performances (including Olivia Cooke who was more impressive in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl). The Paranormal Activity spin off suffered from just recycling the same old material, despite its attempt to insert a few Chronicle-like moments. And the more of the mythos each movie reveals the more banal the story becomes.

The Devils: 7/10
There's nothing supernatural or scary about this film. Actually, it's really about witchtrials and the mechanisms of power. Oliver Reed plays a charming, sexy 17th century priest who presides over a fortified city. The Catholic Church want him out so they can control the land, and use the lust of a crazy nun to lead accusations that the priest is a satanist. The film turns into a bizarre, frenzied nightmare of repression and fever, as the nuns go mad and their madness used for political gain. It's visually stunning, and incredibly cynical, but always compelling.

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

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Checked out some older flicks recently

Belladonna of Sadness: 6/10
Bizarre erotic Japanese animation about a couple who fall apart after the ruler of the land "takes her" virginity, and how she makes pacts with a demon to win back some power. The story is barely there, but the surreal visuals are impressive.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya: 6/10
Another great Ghibli production, this time a retelling of an old myth using a very traditional style of Japanese artwork. An interesting story about ambition and a longing to return to nature (like most Ghibli films), although a little too long to truly love

Last Days in Vietnam: 7/10
Excellent documentary about the final days of Saigon as the US pulled out. Rather than it be a simple condemnation of US cowardice (though it makes sue to show us how Congress refused to put any more money into rescuing people, despite spending billions on starting the war), instead it focuses on personal stories, whether the politicians involved, the soldiers on the ground, the Vietnamese who didn't make it, and those who did. There are so many amazing stories of solidarity, pain, and bravery in here, and most importantly there's plenty of recorded footage to show us how it happened.

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

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Funnily I think Belladonna is getting a re-released in a restored version in Paris in June.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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been a on bit of a netflix binge, but this one film stands out by far:

The Internets Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz - 9/10

All i can say is: watch it now, or if you have what did you think? I loved it. Inspirational, educational, suspenseful. Im even watching it for the 2nd time in 2 days

Also finally caught:

Secrets and Lies - 8.5/10
Brilliant, heartfelt and honest depiction of a family with (see title). It felt so real that the actors and director gets much kudos from me. This must have vaulted Timothy Spall to where he is today
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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Everybody! Stand Back! Ron Burgundy speaks:

I want to know what you thought of that doco is was telling you about, the one about Aaron Swartz. I thought it was brilliant. Even gonna watch it a 3rd time now. Perhaps its not the doco, its what the doco is about
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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I gotta say I haven't seen it.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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Got around to two oldies...

High and Low: 7/10
A Kurosawa classic that breaks all the rules and just about works. It's about a show company boss whose chauffer's son gets kidnapped (thinking it's the boss's son) and the boss must decide whether to pay the money, and ruin his life, or not pay and risk the life of a child. But then the film ends up following the cops as they try to track down the kidnapper. It's a little frustrating to lose sight of your main character, but the film is more interested in society than individuals, showing how decisions can ripple through society, for the better and for the worse. It's at time very real and sometimes unreal, but a very rewarding classic.

Hard Eight: 5/10
This was a major disappointment. I've always found something to like in PT Anderson's film (with the exception of Inherent Vice which I probably won't rewatch), and even going in expecting something underbaked wasn't enough. This is barely a film. A professional gambler takes on a hopeless kid, only things get messy when a prostitute gets involved. There are some nice directorial touches here and there, and it's interesting to see PS Hoffman and John C Reilly in early roles, but the film is too slight and never really gets you into the characters, and also has a ridiculous contrivance that is fit for a soap opera. PSA really upped his game with Boogie Nights.

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

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For Halloween season I caught some older horrors.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is probably a film I've seen fully, but in pieces. Watching it fully last night only revealed how badly it has dated, from the creature makeup to the synth music, and particularly the terrible dialogue and performances. Behind that is a good idea, but it's hard to enjoy the film now as folks probably did back then. I blame that Inception episode of Rick and Morty.

Cannibal Holocaust is quite the experience. I knew it was going to be nasty, but there are some real stomach churning moments, particularly sequences in which animals are killed on screen (and it actually did happen). Not only is that pretty heavy, but we get scenes of rape, torture, and murder, all the while watching a film that blatantly criticises modern media and its lust for blood in order to draw ratings. So on every level you're pretty much guaranteed to feel disgust, which makes it a powerful film, just one I wouldn't eat during.

Finally Session 9 is a more modern cult film. Shot in 2001 on DV tapes, it's an incredibly atmospheric tale about an asbestos clean-up crew working in a mental institute. It's not so much a supernatural film (though some read it that way) but about psychological decay and mental illness. It relies more on atmospherics than gore or scares, but is still unsettling. Peter Mullen is great as the team's leader whose personal and professional life are on the rocks, but the rest of the performances are very weak, particularly David Caruso:


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

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i really liked Session 9, but when i showed it to my siblings they werent impressed. I think it had something to do with not watch it alone and with the lights on.
And yeah Mullen was great in that film, first time i really saw his talents.

I just finished watching the 2nd half of No Country For Old Men
every time it comes on TV, i end up watching it to the end. Such a terrific movie!

Can we please do another favorite 100 movies next year or something? My taste/list have changed vastly
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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

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did a bit of binge watch in the last couple days, with more to come

thought id write it down here before i forget

Free State of Jones
I was pleasantly surprised at this, story of a deserter in the american civil war played by Matthew McConaghey. He plays his part well, and so does Mahershala Ali (house of cards, moonlight- really breaking out). The story doesnt really slow down to a part where you get bored, with the deserters mixing with black folks and forming a renegade army rebelling against the racist southerners. At the heart of the tale which splices into the film in short spurts is McConaghey's great grandson, who is on trial for being 1/8 black- and therefore cant marry a white woman, in Alabama i think. You think about it now and its absolute insanity of what went on back in those days.
7.5/10

Warcraft
Had to watch this sometime, and the first 5-10 minutes were ok....and then it was a horrible mess of movie with poor acting from all, Ben Foster hamming it up bigtime as the guardian (master wizard), and Vikings star Travis Fimmel particularly bad, his accent is off putting to say the least. I watched it to the end, the fighting scenes are so bad- its as if a child could cut off a monsters head with a blunt spoon- thats the CGI. I was a fan of Duncan Jones, because Moon is one of my all time favs- he had better deliver with 2017's Mute. by the way, this film has a rating of 7.1 on imdb from over 150k votes. Im giving it a generous
2.5/10

Central Intelligence
If this one had a touch more originality id have liked it more. Kevin Hart is beating the same drum every film now, and its starting to wear thin. The Rock on the other hand seems to have a pretty good handle on comedies, so its still fun to watch for the most part. But the 2nd half of the film kinda drags on, and the villian is somewhat predictable and just doesnt quite fit. Meh
5/10

The BFG
The colours! Starting with the opening scenes and going on right to the end, the vibe was just right. Not to mention i got quite a few laughs out of this one. Jermaine Clement steals every scene he's in as the big nasty giant- I hates water! Ive watched the animated version from when i was a kid and the film does follow that very closely, i havent read the book but i think Spielberg got alot from that animation. What he does differently is cut out the stale old song and dance, replaces it with heart and humor and gives the ending a proper send off. For a kids movie, this is right up there with the best.
8/10

(PS- rewatched catch me if you can, cast away, the terminal and saving private ryan all in the last 4 weeks, all really really good movies)

also finished off westworld season 1. i liked it, but wanted to see some other themes explored- cant really go in to detail, as everything would be a spoiler. But i can say, the acting for most part is high quality.

Now, ive got a few up my sleeve to feast on, not sure what to watch first but this is whats up:
1941 (looks like a good cast)
Being There (rewatch, want to analyse Peter Sellers performance)
The Exorcist (way overdue)
Halloween (^)
Patton (rewatch- didnt know FFCoppola co-wrote this, and im getting into war stuff now)
Persona (cause six has it so high on his list- also way overdue)
Shaolin Master Killer (rewatch-just for the epic montage)
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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

Post by Buscemi »

I really don't take IMDb ratings seriously anymore. Anything that's not from a studio, has a female lead, has non-white leads, or doesn't get a wide release almost always seems to get punished there due to its user base (often young, conservative white males) not being interested in them. The only things that seem to have high ratings are dumb action films, dumb comedies, and Whiplash.

Any site that rates Lifetime Christmas movies higher than Ben Wheatley films should look for a reinvention.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

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Watched The Exorcist- 5.5/10
really disappointed to say the least, i spose horror flicks have gotten scarier....

Also re watched Shaolin Master Killer
2nd time round, it didnt inspire the awe of the training scenes but nevertheless, still as good as dutch cheese.
6/10

currently 2/3 way thru:
Patton

epic movie, epic leading act from George C Scott, epic writing from Francis Ford Coppola. Some scenes are unnecessary, but so far, its been a blast watching this, as i hardly remember the first viewing. Also, for such an old film, the action/war scenes are terrific.


Off tangent Side note:
I think Les Grossman is Tom Cruise's best role ever !
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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

Post by Chienfantome »

These days French channel Arte pays tribute to Kirk Douglas for his century, and last night they broadcasted "Man without a star" and "Lonely are the brave", two films of his I had never seen. The first is a fine and fun western.

The second (Lonely are the brave) is one hell of an amazing film. Dammit. How could I never watch this ? I regret not discovering it on a big screen but on TV. Douglas plays a lonely cowboy in 1960's America, uneasy with the modern world and preferring to ride his horse in the nature. One day he learns his old pal is emprisoned because he helped Mexicans migrants. He then goes to jail on purpose to help him escape, but his friend doesn't want to run away. So Douglas escapes alone and finds himself tracked by a sherif (Walter Matthau) and his team in the mountain.
This is such a modern film, in the direction and in the writing. It clearly influenced many more recent films, first of which without a doubt, First Blood. The black & White is gorgeous too. I gotta see this film in a film theater !!!
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in

Post by Ron Burgundy »

Saw a few over the last couple days

Deepwater Horizon
Cant say i was expecting much, but the film does grip you in some parts. Peter Bergs relies heavily on CGI to show the audience how the pressure build up caused the largest oil spill in US history in the first 3rd of the film. John Malkovich pretty much steals every scene as the BP executive, though Kurt Russell does hold up to his own role too. All in all, it wasn't bad though my old man disagrees.
6/10

Not Without my Daughter
An early 90s flick which was on TV starring Sally Field and Alfred Molina. About a couple who decide to visit Molina's family over in Iraq, with their child. What starts out as a average holiday movie turns nasty when Molina turns villainous as the father who holds the other 2 almost like captive in his families household rife with religion and an otherworldly culture. What follows is Field searching for a way out. I missed a bit in the middle, but the story works- which is based on real life events.
6.5/10

Buried
Ive been passing this one of for long enough, so after re-watching Stephen King's The Mist i thought i was in a mood capable of dealing with a low budget claustrophobic effort starring Ryan Reynolds. The star does the whole movie in a coffin, buried in the ground, with a handful of props. So kudos to the director for keeping me entertained for 80+ minutes, with a variety of camera angles and some good dialogue between Reynolds and the few people he manages to talk to on the mobile. Still, i think the similar film- Locke is supieror, though this aint bad.
6/10

Batman vs Superman- Ultimate Edition
Zach Snyder...how far he has come since the heralded 300 and the well received Watchmen. All the way to the razzies ;) with Ben Affleck as Batman and the equally (un)charismatic Superman (Henry Cavill). Well i wont go into this, but the plot does go way silly, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor does all he can to make the movie as silly as possible. Only Scoot McNairy gives the movie some credible acting in a small role. I will say there was a very good action sequence about 1/3 of the way through with Batman in the desert, almost reminiscent of 300, just a pity there wasnt much else top notch action besides some of the final act. Theres also a training montage with Batman, reminiscent of the Rocky movies. Other than that, theres not much else to like. After this I cant see Wonder Woman or even Justice League being any good, sadly.
3/10
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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