posted
Taxi Driver: its contemporary trailer tries to promote it as a thriller/horror ("you've never met anyone as COLD... as CRUEL... as Travis Bickle") but actually almost all the satisfyingly brutal violence is in the last ten minutes. The rest is quite sympathetic, sensitive, even gently funny character-portrait of a man living in a tiny flat (barely room for him and the black and white TV set) who does his job for 20-hour stretches without complaint or prejudice, who gets a crush on a pretty girl, charms her briefly but, because of his unpolished, naive tastes and lifestyle, puts his foot in it (he buys her an album she mentions, but she's got it... his idea of a cinema date is a sex film) and hates the sickness, violence, rudeness and ugliness he sees building up all around him. Basically it's like Watchmen's Rorschach: the Early Years.
posted
Brighton Rock: pleasingly undated, despite its milieu where teenagers spend all their money on suits; and a nice archival sense of place and time, because of all the exterior location shots with unsuspecting normal folk doing what people did at the seaside -- strolling down the pier, listening to the big band, having a half of mild. Fred comes running into this crowd, hunted from the start as I understand he is from the first line of the novel (something like from the moment he arrived in Brighton, Fred knew they wanted to kill him -- I will be buying the book shortly) and pursued by the crew out of Morrissey's "Now My Heart is Full": Dallow, Spicer, Pinkie, Cubitt. Pinkie is fantastic with his clear, pretty face and his hand always reaching to the top front pocket for a razor -- commanding a weirdly older group of shambling, second-rate gangsters. The talk about Catholicism and salvation feels integral rather than tacked-on. In essence, a much better British gangster movie than almost anyone has come up with in the last twenty years.
posted
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Robert Downy Jr as very likable person who gets to pretend to be Mel Gibson without a black man, even though he can't fight.
Broken Flowers - Jim Jarmusch makes another un-film with Bill Murrey playing what I can only assume is Peter Venkman without the other ghostbusters after Dana has left him, all sad and stuff. He goes around, he does stuff, nothing happens. I wouldn't recommend this film, not that I didn't like it, I just wouldn't recommend it. It's just like the trailer, but with some car driving scenes in it.
-------------------- If Chuck Norris is late, time better slow the fuck down Posts: 2741
| IP: Logged
posted
I watched On The Waterfront yesterday, which I hadn't ever seen before. It's a good film, all the more remarkable for the fact that it was made in 1953 before American cinema was officially 'good' (1968 - 1977). Still - it's aged pretty well, thanks in part to MArlon Brando's performance, which defined screen acting for the next bazillion years, etc etc. There was good stuff from Kurt Malden, too, and Rod Steiger who doesn't look anything like he does in In the Heat of the Night (eg, not black). The film was sort of tarnished for me, though, when I found out afterwards that the director made the movie basically to justify his actions in testifying in front of the House of Unamerican Activities. That really makes him out to be a wanker, and when you think that he's aligning himself with Terry Malloy you also feel that he's got an inflated opinion of himself and his actions. Still, if you can divorce that from the film itself it 's easy to see why it's regarded as a classic.
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
posted
Robb's 'Oops Celebs' fave Killing Me Softly was on at the weekend - a film of stupefying awfulness. Makes Showgirls look like Last Year In Fucking Marienbad and one once again marvels at the continuing career of Mr Joseph Fiennes, an actor whose facial range seems limited to an expression akin to Bradley Walsh getting a blow job and having - such coarseness grieves me - a really good shit simultaneously.
Also: for an erotic thriller the film does an pretty definitive job of making London look like a place so dull and rain-smeared that no one could possibly wish to have sex there, ever.
Posts: 8657
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by ben: Also: for an erotic thriller the film does an pretty definitive job of making London look like a place so dull and rain-smeared that no one could possibly wish to have sex there, ever.
Whilst agreeing with your summation of the film I should point out that sex is the only thing one would wish to do in that particular shite-smeared city. Its like the baby-boomers, all these kids born because weary Londoners needed to escape from a total bum-stain of a city, and Vera Lynn. But thats for another thread I think. Carry on.
Posts: 874
| IP: Logged
Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
posted
quote:Originally posted by ben: ...London look like a place so dull and rain-smeared that no one could possibly wish to have sex there, ever.
Perhaps this is why the birth rate's been falling in this country since 1974.
Posts: 3340
| IP: Logged
posted
My sister's been trying to prop it up, single handedly, since 1989.
Watched Slaughterhouse 5 last night - I love the book, the film is very loyal, and quite disjointed. Pluses are the actor who plays Billy Pilgrim, he seems just as lost as the story, and enjoying every moment, and his wife is very funny. I've got to finish watching it today, as I got tired, but I'm liking it. Anybody seen Breakfast of Champions? I'm kind of curious now.
-------------------- If Chuck Norris is late, time better slow the fuck down Posts: 2741
| IP: Logged
posted
A day at the cinema and -- all marginally justified within the job of "field leader".
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
see this film if you like any of the following: Lethal Weapon Heat His Girl Friday The Last Boy Scout Collateral Will & Grace Get Shorty Reservoir Dogs Robocop The Thin Man The Big Sleep Pulp Fiction pulp fiction slash fiction San Andreas Los Angeles buddy movies film noir American cinema
The Constant Gardener
see this film if you like being punched in your hard heart for a couple of hours.
posted
Just a few spoilers I found it hard to resist, about the former film.
quote:To distract police from a corpse they're loading in the trunk, Perry grabs Harry and gives him a lingering kiss. (Harry is disgusted, however, and there's never any hint that he's now interested in exploring any latent homosexual feelings.) Perry shoots a gun he has stashed next to his genitals, and the action and dialogue that surrounds this moment are filled with gay gags and come-ons.
I should point out that Perry is not a stereotypical gay character. He's not portrayed as effeminate, but rather as a strong, capable man. He doesn't lisp. He doesn't have a limp wrist. Etc. As homosexual characters show up with increasing frequency on the big screen (and the small one, too), expect to see more who defy the "gay shtick" like Perry does. (In doing so, they will help further cement our cultural acceptance of homosexuality.)
posted
I really, really, can't wait for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The trailer was joyous enough, and all the above only makes me want to watch it sooner...
I've been watching Peep Show season one on DVD, and it's brilliant, as everyone else already knows. Can't belive it took me to season three to find out about this. Also went to see Broken Flowers, which I found consistently slightly disappointing but haven't been able to articulate properly yet. It did have the best Lolita joke of all time, though.
Tonight I'm missing Crash. Was that a mistake?
Posts: 147
| IP: Logged
posted
The Crash with the racism. I'd quite wanted to see it when it first came out because I read a plot synopsis and thought wow Magnolia brilliant, then I read the reviews which pretty much all said "It's like Magnolia, but less good". Also seeing it would have meant staying at work longer, but it's on tomorrow if anyone tells me it's brilliant.
Posts: 147
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: Ludicrous is very good in it though.
I always feel a tiny bit embarrassed for the other person when I correct them but it's Ludicris. Perhaps if I put a smiley, it will show I am being helpful, not smug.
quote:Originally posted by Jack Vincennes: I really, really, can't wait for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The trailer was joyous enough, and all the above only makes me want to watch it sooner...
I should have also mentioned that you should see it if you like
quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: Oh Kovacs, I thought that the title sequence of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was beautiful, thought of Saul Bass right away.
To be honest, I had read a review making the connection before I said it.
Have you seen the credits of Catch Me If You Can? Even more Saul Bass.
So is the poster for Clockers, for what that's worth.
posted
Yeah - catch me if you can seemed a little try hard to me, whereas Kiss Kiss Bang Bang had a really cool style about it. Clockers was my favourite film for a while, plus the book is really good. Have you seen Phase 4? It's funny that a film directed by Saul Bass, you'd think would be stylish and flash, yet it is slow, thoughtful and actually quite frightening in parts.
-------------------- If Chuck Norris is late, time better slow the fuck down Posts: 2741
| IP: Logged
posted
Mmmm, lovely Bassness Ko. Did you get to the Design Museum exhibition a while back, that was amazing.
Also apologies for the delayed response but thanks for posting your thoughts on Murray/Broken Flowers, I'm pretty much in complete agreement on the Murray front and although I'm a big fan I'm unsure about where he's got to go with it now.
Looking forward to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang alot.
-------------------- Some people stand in the darkness, afraid to step into the light... Posts: 3770
| IP: Logged
H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
What I watched last night: Roadhouse
Fistfighting, murder and bare chests. Mmm.
-------------------- i'm expressing my inner anguish through the majesty of song Posts: 4243
| IP: Logged
posted
Dragons' Den is back on - last night's was a corker. My personal favourite was the corkscrew-permed fraudster who went to pieces under Doug from OCP's cold, hard stare.
Posts: 8657
| IP: Logged
posted
Knowing a bit about the ignominious collapse of her venture lent a delightful piquancy to every piece of advice old vinegar tits offered.
Posts: 8657
| IP: Logged
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic