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Post by ovechkin8 on Aug 7, 2008 12:12:52 GMT -1
Whats the next thread after this going to be called Trav ? Some films I've had the fortune &misfortune to watch. Lets start with the turkeys. Doomsday. GT rates 28 Weeks Later as cack. Frankly Boyles offering is a dozen times far superior to this horrorshow. A familiar premise.Deadly virus wipes out Scotlands population only to reappear some three decades later in London. In the interim a wall a la Hadrians wall is built to keep the infected in. Plot holes ? No way Jose. Build a metal wall in a matter of hours ? Seal off airspace in minutes. Forget this. Logic doesn't play a part in this films proceedings. The gore count starts high & gets higher with gruesome scenes involving cannibalism & so on & so forth. With the outbreak of the virus in London a crack team led by a 'survivor' of the original outbreak as a child is sent to recover a 'cure' from a Dr.Kane (after Edinburgh & Glasgow are seen with survivors). Why not just send in an airborne grab & snatch team surely with a tranquiliser dart. No film of course .Pity really. The film meanders predictably from one bloody episode to another & is painfully transparent in dialogue & plot. The team are caught & killed or cannibalised. Only three of the team make it.Bizarrely how the survivors have lasted so long on a diet surely limited of meat is not explained and why everyone has turned into cast extras from a Sid Vicious concert is not explained either. Anarchic references ? The use of Fine Young Cannibals amidst a sleazy lapdance stageshow is a pointless irrelevance as are the ensueing scenes. How a steam engine has been maintained & propitiously appears at Glasgow Central is also unexplained. We are taken to a medieval scene which the now twisted Kane rules .Again predictably aside from the chap played by a very wooden Lester they escape. In of all things a completely spick & span Bentley. Which fails to outrun a motley assortment of bikes & clapped out vans. How they have managed to obtain the fuel for these is never explained. The cure turns out to be Kanes daughter who is then used by the evil Canaris to quell the virus & become the leading politician, the peoples saviour unaware that Sinclair (Mitra) has recorded evidence incriminating him in his devious plot. Which is his undoing eventually (though never shown it can be guessed at) whilst Mitra returns to Edinburgh to take over the leadership of the punk clans. Its a mess of a film with Bob Hoskins criminally underused as a sympathetic cop whose role might as well have been written out for all the time he appears onscreen. Neil Marshalls previous effort 'The Descent' is an excellent horror film but this is truly pants. Its a homage to various films 28 Weeks Later , Aliens, Gladiator,Escape from New York & numerous others and at times Mitra even looks the doppelganger of Selene from Underworld. As a result its a hotch potch of a film. Exciting perhaps(in places) but not with the air of believability of a decent horror. 6/10
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gt
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Post by gt on Aug 7, 2008 12:20:36 GMT -1
Sorry mate I just thought 28 Weeks Later had a belting opening then fizzled out hopelessly. Never fancied watching Doomsday, but you are right - The Descent is a top film.
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Post by ovechkin8 on Aug 7, 2008 13:14:57 GMT -1
Nowt to apologize for GT. Tis one own opinions otherwise it would be a boring world. Stardust. Yet another film featuring the supernatural & magical. The film is based on the novel by Neil Gairman & its very truthful to it. The plot features elements taken from other fantasy novels, from flying ships (Labyrinth novels of Weis & Hickman) , talking living stars (The Chronicles of Narnia) & elements from mythology in names & characters ie the three witches parallel the Horae. The tale itself relates to the fortunes of Tristan who is half English & half Stormhold. His father comes from the town of Wall appropiately set next to a wall that divides it from a legendary fantastical kingdom of Stormhold. His father some years previous crossed the wall & spent a night with an enslaved princess resulting in Tristan who was smuggled back across the wall to his father. We see the dissolute shp boy Tristan chasing after a high born Victoria played by Sienna Miller & he promises to bring her a star. Using the gift of a magical candle he crosses the Wall . At the same time the king of Stormhold (a wonderful cameo from Peter O'Toole)is dying & relates to his still three living sons(the rest are dead and appear as a theatrical chorus commenting on the action) that whosoever should turn the starjewel back to a ruby colour will be crownd king. The released jewel bring to earth a star Evania(Claire Danes). And so two seperate quests start.Tristan arrives soonafter & aims to bring Evania back across the wall to secure Victorias hand. Meanwhile a third quest sees three old crones desiring the heart of a living happy star to renew their youth. One of the witches Lamia is chosen & starts to pursue the star using part of the last stars heart they killed. So all three quests in typical fairytale fashion start to intertwine & a wonderful ensemble of actors with sharp witty dialogue bring it to life.de Niro has a memorable turn as a TV pirate captain. The scenes are excellently photographed but the sfx are used sparingly & effectively. Suffice it to say the pace of the story keeps moving along keeping one guessing & is the classic good versus evil & will our hero choose the right girl & eventually get her ? Cox excels as Tristan and the leading lady Danes is for once after flopping in T3 & too twee in Little Women despite struggling with her Queens English at times is perfect & never been lovelier on screen. Pfeiffer as the evil witch Lamia struggles & is a bit one dimensional & not enough into her part.It flatly imitates her as Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream .I would have preferred Sigourney Weaver to bring more edge to the darker side of the character as in Snow White A Tale of Terror. Strong is fine as Septimius with good performances from all even Miller as the vacuous Victoria which reflects her in real life. Sarah Alexander pops up as does Struan Ridger criminally underused British actors. As a fairytale film it is superb for viewers of all ages though some of the killings perhaps would not be suitable for those of a younger age. It is a classic in its own right but does lack the darker ,murkier ,sinister aspects of Pans Labyrinth or del Toros Hellboy. For fantasy film lovers 8.5/10.
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gt
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Post by gt on Aug 7, 2008 13:25:24 GMT -1
I watched that on Monday mate, I saw it at the cinema with my ex when it came out too. I reviewed it on the first thread, gave it a strong 6. Whisper it, but I even quite enjoyed the closing theme
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Post by Lollipop on Aug 7, 2008 13:55:42 GMT -1
I watched that on Monday mate, I saw it at the cinema with my ex when it came out too. I reviewed it on the first thread, gave it a strong 6. Whisper it, but I even quite enjoyed the closing theme Haha "We can ruuuule the woorrrrld!" I watched The Shawshank Redemption last night. I couldn't sleep and the recent accident involving Morgan Freeman reminded me of it, so I decided to watch it again. Embarrassingly, I only first watched this film late last year after being amazed by King's novella. Usually, books are far better than their film counterpart, but both the novella and the film are amazing. Freeman and Robbins play their roles exceptionally and they stay true to how I imagined them to be in the book (except 'Red' in the book is a white, red headed Irishman! ). It made me smile, it made me cry, it made me laugh and it made me hope. 10/10.
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gt
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Post by gt on Aug 7, 2008 13:57:22 GMT -1
It's my favourite film Jen, with my favourite quote of all time, which I have had to hold onto when I have had very little else.
'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no thing that is good can ever die'
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Post by ovechkin8 on Aug 7, 2008 14:01:05 GMT -1
I watched that on Monday mate, I saw it at the cinema with my ex when it came out too. I reviewed it on the first thread, gave it a strong 6. Whisper it, but I even quite enjoyed the closing theme I thought at first when you look at the cast that it would be precisely that a vehicle for 'stars' to preen themselves but its a wonderfully realised film ideal for all ages with that proviso I mentioned. And when compared tothe likes of Eragon there is no comparison. The King Of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin. Travis Bickle. The latter is one of the great archetypes of the cinema. The former is unknown to many inc.myself at least until last week. de Niro & Scorcese combine again to produce a film years ahead of it s time and very relevant to the celebrity obsessed world of today where the pursuit of fame is prized above everything else where intelligence & real talent counts for nothing (as exemplified in numerous TV shows). Its encapsulated in his dialogue when he gets his 'chance' to perform infront of a stage & TV audience who cannot verify the difference between real & false comedic ability. "Better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime." And this is the question for many in this fame obsessed age no matter the means de Niro yet again portrays a man on the edge of sanity whose relationships with others reveal his isolation from society in general as with Mr.Bickle. However his portrayal of Pupkin a fan obsessed with a talkshow/ comedy host Jeremy Langford (Jerry Lewis)is so earnest its difficult to decide whether is genuinely mentally ill or extremely naieve. No matter the means is perfect & is dark comedy as Pupkin and another obsessed fan kidnap the benighted host .Pupkin to get his spot on TV his fellow obsessive Masha the chance to get sexually close to her idol. This would normally elicit sympathy on the part of the kidnapped but because he is so obnoxious in contrast to his TV persona you root for Pupkin whom he has 'rudely' ignored & humiliated in a truly cringeworthy scene for the viewer yet Pupkin is unfazed. Lewis plays this to a tee perhaps reflecting his real life character. And when he does get his fifteen minutes of fame the price of which will be a prison sentence the twist is that he actually posesses some measure of comedic ability. Which then raises the question how often is it a matter of luck that a a person makes it in the world of media ? The expected denouement which would see Pupkin floundering is not used by Scorcese & his jokes reveal his own twisted sad persona. de Niro is absolutely rivetting as Pupkin & the sad but truthful fact is that there are people out there like him in ever increasing numbers who are more interested in the birth of a celebritys child than their own . I've purchased this now as a worthwhile addition to my library as a great character study. 9/10
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gt
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Post by gt on Aug 7, 2008 14:02:29 GMT -1
Spot on mate, it's an unheralded classic
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Post by Lollipop on Aug 7, 2008 14:03:14 GMT -1
It's my favourite film Jen, with my favourite quote of all time, which I have had to hold onto when I have had very little else. 'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no thing that is good can ever die' I think it's close to being my favourite film too - Stand By Me is up there aswell. I like that quote too . In the book there's a quote which I don't think they use in the film, but one which I also love: "Hope springs eternal". Have you read it, GT?
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gt
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Post by gt on Aug 7, 2008 14:14:06 GMT -1
It's my favourite film Jen, with my favourite quote of all time, which I have had to hold onto when I have had very little else. 'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no thing that is good can ever die' I think it's close to being my favourite film too - Stand By Me is up there aswell. I like that quote too . In the book there's a quote which I don't think they use in the film, but one which I also love: "Hope springs eternal". Have you read it, GT? Indeed I have, I read it about 7 years back when a mate lent it to me. I was already more than familiar with the film. It's ostensibly a short story but it's amazing how they haven't added much to the film in terms of plot, but instead have worked beautifully on character development and emotional interaction. I bought the poster of Andy standing in the rain with the words 'Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free' on it when I started Uni in 1998. I still have that poster
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Post by ovechkin8 on Aug 7, 2008 14:25:06 GMT -1
The Counterfeiters.
Yet another film in the vein of the marvellous 'The Pianist' and 'Schindlers List' 'Europa Europa' that highlight the plight of European Jewry & their attempte extinction by the Nazis.
It is superbly acted in an undertudied way neither leaning too extremes & being based on fact the characters are neither drawn as black or white but all shades of grey.
The hero/anti-hero is Salomon Sorowitsch an expert counterfeiter who is arrested in 1936 as a Jew under the new laws passed from Hitler & Goebbels regarding racial purity.
He uses his artistic skills to survive in Mathausen before being pressed into the horrific Sachsenhausen camp to join a team of counterfeiters (all Jewish) as part of Operation Bernhard .
This aimed to flood the UK & US currency markets with forged money to destabilise these economies but was then used for the purposes of using the forged currency to buy war materiel.
Sorowitsch suceeds of course with the pound. All the while the horrors of the camp with summary executions, tortures & abuse is never shirked from.
Sorowitsch tries to justify this 'treason' by the need to simply survive as many of the Jewish police in ghettos across Europe did & camp kapos who participated in crimes against their fellow Jews.
However there is one member of the team Burger a collotype expert who refuses to help aiming to sabotage the operation.
Sorowitsch is left with the dilemma of exposing Burger with his duty to maintain the lives of the team despite its purpose.
He skilfully manages to do so until the arrival of the Soviets in late 1944 earning respect from Burger & his team .
The other main character in the film is Herzog a Berlin detective who catches Sorowitsch & then recruits him for 'Bernhard'.
He is presented as a whimsical character with depth but we are left ambiguous as to whether he should be 'respected' for keeping the team alive by recruiting them & giving them privileges compared to the rest of the camp prisoners or merely treated as part of the despicable SS machine aiming to win the war which would result in the deaths of the team anyway. A more benign Amon Goeth so to speak.
Another 'jewel' if one can use the term in exposing the horrors perpetrated against the Jewish nation during WW2. 8.5/10
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Post by Lollipop on Aug 7, 2008 14:47:54 GMT -1
I think it's close to being my favourite film too - Stand By Me is up there aswell. I like that quote too . In the book there's a quote which I don't think they use in the film, but one which I also love: "Hope springs eternal". Have you read it, GT? Indeed I have, I read it about 7 years back when a mate lent it to me. I was already more than familiar with the film. It's ostensibly a short story but it's amazing how they haven't added much to the film in terms of plot, but instead have worked beautifully on character development and emotional interaction. I bought the poster of Andy standing in the rain with the words 'Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free' on it when I started Uni in 1998. I still have that poster Yeah, I agree. I think the relationship between the characters, especially Red and Andy, is the main plot of the story. King is amazing at writing beautifully developed characters. I'm taking lots of inspiration from him for the story I'm trying to write. Aah, that's great
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Post by ovechkin8 on Aug 7, 2008 14:52:26 GMT -1
Dirty Pretty Things.
This film deals with illegal immigration. All the protagonists are illegals. The hero is a Nigerian Okwe played by well known Shakespearian actor Ejiofor.
Audrey Tatou is however unbelievable in trying to portray a Turkish woman Senay.Her accentation is appalling , more Transylvanian than Bosphorus.
The film does portray the unfortunate situations illegals find themselves in & are exploited by the focus being an illegal organ removal scheme for cash run by a rather insouciant Sergi Lopez.
Ultimately he becomes the victim of his own scheme & both the main protagonists partly acheive their aims one by fleeing to NY the other by returning to Nigeria to meet his daughter.
However the film has a distinct pro illegal immigrant addenda conveniently ignoring the fact that these people are here illegally & thus put themselves in the position to be exploited.
It aims to engender our sympathies but I have none towards them for instance the knowledge that Okwe is a qualified doctor who has to sneak into hospitals to provide supplies for his medical service for other illegals when he could be utilised by the NHS.
The stereotyping of the two immigration officials almost as SS types ,when they come to investigate Senays flat is hardly realistic considering the huge numbers of illegals here & the pathetically low level of deportations.
I was hoping they would catch Okwe as he flees the flat & Senay working illegally.
Whilst well made I have concerns with such unbalanced films which also inc.Tom McCarthys recent effort The Visit also about illegals in NY , where a white middle class male ends up divesting himself of his own culture in favour of the illegals & ends up trying to prevent their deportation.
McCarthy denies its unbalanced propaganda but watching the film one gets one side of the story only.
Okwes character is incredibly Messianic and all the others are all portrayed as lovable rogues without a flaw. Frears should know better but has ended up here in Nick Broomfields camp.
5/10
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Post by Mrs H on Aug 8, 2008 7:15:01 GMT -1
Dirty Pretty ThingsFirst of all a photo for Trav's pleasure ;D Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an illegal Nigerian immigrant working a number of jobs to keep himself afloat. He works as a night porter in a seemingly nice hotel but when Okwe one night discovers a human heart in a toilet his world spirals even further into the London underworld. Senay (Audrey Tautou) is a Turkish immigrant working illegally as a maid in the same hotel. She and Okwe are sharing a flat until she is busted by immigration. Together they are nomads in seedy London. When they are both bribed by Juan the hotel manager to get involved in his illegal activities they know if they're ever to make it out of London they need to take drastic action. This film disturbed me an awful lot. The thought that immigrants come here looking for a better way of life but are treated no better than slaves and whores, by other immigrants not by the British. I thought Stephen Frears the director took too many ideas of what could go wrong for illegals in Britain and made their lifes looks so harrowing that in some points it was just unbelievable. I thought the best part of the film was Chiwetel Ejiofor's portrayal of Okwe. 7/10
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Post by Travis on Aug 8, 2008 10:58:16 GMT -1
The King Of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin. Travis Bickle. The latter is one of the great archetypes of the cinema. The former is unknown to many inc.myself at least until last week............. 9/10 I can't believe it's taken you so long to see this mate!
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 8, 2008 11:03:30 GMT -1
You know in Scarface was it the coke that made him stand that many buliets before he died? I though it was PCP that had more effect at dulling pain like that?
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Post by Travis on Aug 8, 2008 11:05:08 GMT -1
Dirty Pretty ThingsFirst of all a photo for Trav's pleasure ;D Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an illegal Nigerian immigrant working a number of jobs to keep himself afloat. He works as a night porter in a seemingly nice hotel but when Okwe one night discovers a human heart in a toilet his world spirals even further into the London underworld. Senay (Audrey Tautou) is a Turkish immigrant working illegally as a maid in the same hotel. She and Okwe are sharing a flat until she is busted by immigration. Together they are nomads in seedy London. When they are both bribed by Juan the hotel manager to get involved in his illegal activities they know if they're ever to make it out of London they need to take drastic action. This film disturbed me an awful lot. The thought that immigrants come here looking for a better way of life but are treated no better than slaves and whores, by other immigrants not by the British. I thought Stephen Frears the director took too many ideas of what could go wrong for illegals in Britain and made their lifes looks so harrowing that in some points it was just unbelievable. I thought the best part of the film was Chiwetel Ejiofor's portrayal of Okwe. 7/10 First things first........YUM!! And secondly I'm happy to see that someone else likes this film. I was about to berate ovechkin8 for giving it only 5/10. I thought it was necessarily grim in tone, but the chemistry between the leads worked well, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is a very fine actor who made for a very dignified lead. Although the ending where Okwe and Senay turn the tables seemed slightly romanticised within the context of the piece, it was rewarding to see nevertheless after such a harrowing journey. 8/10 for me.
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Post by Travis on Aug 8, 2008 11:07:09 GMT -1
You know in Scarface was it the coke that made him stand that many buliets before he died? I though it was PCP that had more effect at dulling pain like that? I think at the finale to Scarface, Tony's so high on coke and driven by his ego and paranoia that it's merely adrenalin that's keeping him upright......well, till the dude blows out his guts from behind! ;D
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 8, 2008 11:08:14 GMT -1
Do you like my little Rodney Wallace sig by the way Trav? ;D My favourite player when I was about 9 or 10 ;D My older brother's used to call me Rodney because I was shorter than them ;D
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 8, 2008 11:10:04 GMT -1
You know in Scarface was it the coke that made him stand that many buliets before he died? I though it was PCP that had more effect at dulling pain like that? I think at the finale to Scarface, Tony's so high on coke and driven by his ego and paranoia that it's merely adrenalin that's keeping him upright......well, till the dude blows out his guts from behind! ;D Yeah I supose if you take THAT much coke you're barely feeling reality and pain. Quite a way to die actually. I'd go for that. ;D
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