I agree with you on this, it's seem that if a sci-fi movie isn't a 2 hour action packed bonanza people can't keep their focus. The movie had incredible cinematography and the atmosphere you got was spot on
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Lorna's Silence (2008) a bleak slice of Euro realism from the Dardenne brothers about gangsters and immigration scams where the most likeable character was a hopeless junkie ! Well acted and believable but depressing.
Sunshine (2007) visually dazzling sci fi movie which got a bit muddled and incoherent towards the finish but all in all, entertaining and worth a watch without being a classic. Acting was okay but the ideas and visuals moved it along.
I haven't really been watching any movies lately, been binge-watching Doc Martin instead as I didn't watch the show when it first came out. I think the show is okay if you watch it once a week or once a month, but binge-watching it it becomes pretty repetitive, plus it's very reminiscent of Northern Exposure. And by season 4 the main characters of Doc Martin and Louisa become just insufferable, if it hadn't been for the lovely seaside village of Portwenn and some of the other characters I would have given up after season 7. (I actually had to skip to season 9 just to find out what happened to Buddy the dog, now that I know I don't need to see all the episodes I had skipped.) So yeah, Doc Martin is ok, but for me only in limited doses.
And now hopefully back to some movie watching, am not sure what I'm in the mood for.
And now hopefully back to some movie watching, am not sure what I'm in the mood for.
I found it fine to watch once a week. An easy watch. Sigourney Weaver even shows up. It seems she is friends in real life with the actress that plays the pharmacist, and a fan of the show so they found her a guest star role in one Ep or was it two ?
I think Sigourney Weaver is in one of the later episodes, maybe even the last one that had aired. Unfortunately I won't watch it, I just can't slog through yet another soul-crushing episode of Martin and Louisa being toxic and dysfunctional. It's too bad because I liked most of the other characters, especially Bert Large and Joe Penhale.
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I watched The Jazz Singer (1980) last night, it's for Neil Diamond fans only, which I'm really not. I really wanted to like this movie, but I started fast-forwarding through Diamond's musical numbers, and the acting was pretty weak all around, including Laurence Olivier's. I was just laughing during the scene where Olivier tore his shirt and was wailing as a sign of disowning his son, it was so over the top. And I don't know which accent he was trying to recreate...The Jazz Singer was a huge and uncharacteristic miss for the legendary Laurence Olivier.
At least I liked seeing early 80s NYC and LA, and the wardrobe and makeup were surprisingly subdued. So there's that.
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - Normally this isn't my type of gig and I'm admittedly a bit rusty with the biblical stuff, but I wanted to see one of those epic Hollywood movies with a stellar cast of yesteryear. Both I got with the movie clocking in at a bit over three hours and with the likes of Max von Sydow, José
Ferrer, Charlton Heston, Donald Pleasance, Roddy McDowall, Sidney Poitier, Telly Savalas... I think about the only people who were not in this were Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Well, maybe they were in some very minor uncredited role, heh.)
The movie is slow with lots of dialogue and prolonged close-ups, and obviously, like the Titanic, it's predictable. But it's fun to see how these epic movies used to be made, and to see all the aforementioned stars. (Surprisingly the budget was only $20 million, that doesn't seem like a lot even for the times.)
Ferrer, Charlton Heston, Donald Pleasance, Roddy McDowall, Sidney Poitier, Telly Savalas... I think about the only people who were not in this were Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Well, maybe they were in some very minor uncredited role, heh.)
The movie is slow with lots of dialogue and prolonged close-ups, and obviously, like the Titanic, it's predictable. But it's fun to see how these epic movies used to be made, and to see all the aforementioned stars. (Surprisingly the budget was only $20 million, that doesn't seem like a lot even for the times.)
Oldboy (2013) Spike Lee remake of the Korean original. As far as remakes go I have seen a lot worse but it still has nothing of the impact of the original. Acting was okay for the most part. Changing the ending and shortening the movie achieved little and lost the effective slow build up of the original.
This actually sounds pretty interesting, I'll give Oldboy a whirl since it's airing on Crackle for free right now. Not sure I'd be able to get a hold of the original Korean film, I'm sure it's much better.
Speaking of remakes I rewatched the French-English The Tunnel (2013) recently, the first season anyway, it's quite good in the beginning. But then it gets more and more absurd as the episodes go by, I remember liking the original Swedish-Danish Bron/Broen (2011) better. Apparently there's even an American remake, good lord, how many bridge remakes do we need?
Being I can't get enough of crime drama I also watched the first five episodes of Wisting (2019) yesterday, don't think I've ever seen a murder mystery from Norway before. But I thought it was pretty good - the scenery was lovely (winter in Norway it looked appropriately glacial), the story interesting and not dragged out like in The Tunnel, and I liked all the actors except for Carrie-Anne Moss. I didn't like her in The Matrix, and I didn't care for her in this series either.
There's only one season of Wisting and I still have to watch the next five episodes, mercifully they had solved the case that included Carrie-Anne Moss in the first five episodes. So I'm looking forward to watching the rest, even if it turns out to be crap it's nice to see something different, it's almost like watching a travel show like Rick Steves' Europe. I've never been to Norway or any of the other Scandinavian countries, so it's nice to at least see a bit of them on TV.
Magnificence! I was able to get a hold of an Oldboy (2003) stream (legally or otherwise), I think once you've been a cinephile for seemingly centuries like movingtarget and I have it becomes hard to impress. But this movie was pretty good. It had a bit of everything and ranged from delightful to just plainly gross and grotesque - some scenes made me laugh because they were reminiscent of old kung-fu flicks, others reminded me of early Tarantino, visually I was reminded of Blade Runner at times, a couple of scenes made me think of Japanese porn... I think I was supposed to be thinking more deeply about the actual plot, but I was more interested in trying to pinpoint what the filmmakers had been influenced by. I know the original source material is manga, which I admittedly know very little about.
Anyhoo, the original Korean version of Oldboy is definitely worth a looky, one way or another you end up thinking about it after the end credits roll. The American remake I won't even bother with, there are too many Nordic noir TV series to catch up on. Speaking of which...
I finished watching Wisting, I really liked it. At times I got a bit confused following the plot and all the different characters, but I'd prefer being confused to being bored.
Anyhoo, the original Korean version of Oldboy is definitely worth a looky, one way or another you end up thinking about it after the end credits roll. The American remake I won't even bother with, there are too many Nordic noir TV series to catch up on. Speaking of which...
I finished watching Wisting, I really liked it. At times I got a bit confused following the plot and all the different characters, but I'd prefer being confused to being bored.
I, Daniel Blake (2016) Hard hitting movie from the UK about a mans struggle with government bureaucracy. Totally believable. Can see why it won awards.
Christmas Story (2007) - Not the Christmas Story from the 80s that is nowadays considered a classic in the States, this is a Finnish take on how xmas and Santa came about. The story is supposed to be simple so kids can understand, but with a body count of at least five (including Santa's parents and baby sister) and Santa's adoptive guardian being an arsehole it's thoroughly depressing. It's not something I would recommend watching in order to get into the holiday spirit. The acting was half-baked, but at least the scenery and sets were sort of charming, so there's that.
On a side note - love how the forum's swear filter had changed a certain expletive I had used to "champion", no, Santa's guardian most definitely wasn't a champion, he was a complete arsehole. At least the filter doesn't seem to be censoring the word arsehole.
On a side note - love how the forum's swear filter had changed a certain expletive I had used to "champion", no, Santa's guardian most definitely wasn't a champion, he was a complete arsehole. At least the filter doesn't seem to be censoring the word arsehole.
I looked up the synopsis, this film sounds like a real party starter.
As you mentioned it got very good reviews and ratings, but it seems like something you would really have to be in the mood for. It sounds a little too real. Speaking of which...
Have you seen Los lunes al sol (2002)? Think I might have asked you before but forgot... it also deals with some real issues and has some very dark moments. But it also has a sense of humor, so it's thoroughly watchable no matter the mood. And it has Javier Bardem before he won the Oscar for No Country For Old Men (also excellent movie), so that's a bonus.
Just finished watching I, Daniel Blake, I feel like I've been punched in the gut. The movie does have a few heartwarming moments, but that's only because Blake had some good and kind characters around him who were wanting to help. The rest was just soul draining bureaucracy and bureaucratic people you would do best to avoid, if, however, you've lived long enough you've probably encountered it and them whether you wanted to or not.
So yeah, it's a good movie, but the synopsis was correct, I think you just really have to be in the mood for it. It is very real.
No I haven't seen that Bardem movie but he is usually good although I saw him in in a Woody Allen movie Vicky Christina Barcelona that put me to sleep . He chewed the scenery well in the Bond movie Skyfall but he was funny. He was great in No Country For Old Men and Before Night Falls about the Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. Some of his older Spanish films were good. Have to catch some of his older ones that I missed. Perdita Durango was full on and not for everyone. One of his forgotten movies probably. The Almodovar movie Live Flesh was also different. Not Almodovar at his peak but still entertaining enough.I looked up the synopsis, this film sounds like a real party starter.
As you mentioned it got very good reviews and ratings, but it seems like something you would really have to be in the mood for. It sounds a little too real. Speaking of which...
Have you seen Los lunes al sol (2002)? Think I might have asked you before but forgot... it also deals with some real issues and has some very dark moments. But it also has a sense of humor, so it's thoroughly watchable no matter the mood. And it has Javier Bardem before he won the Oscar for No Country For Old Men (also excellent movie), so that's a bonus.
Watched ,The Dry last night. Had lots of arid Australia drone footage trying to set up the lack of water..dozens of flashback sequences of layers of crime,one present day,the other from decades earlier in the detectives teen years..I was not expecting much,and the movie delivered.
I have seen Genevieve O'Reilly in other things,she is consistently excellent..Eric Bana is OK
I have seen Genevieve O'Reilly in other things,she is consistently excellent..Eric Bana is OK
I haven't seen Vicky Christina Barcelona or Skyfall, and while I do like Rosie Perez Perdita Durango doesn't sound like something I would want to tackle. Before Night Falls, No Country For Old Men, Lo lunes al sol, and The Sea Inside are all very good Bardem movies though, and I might give Live Flesh a try.
Have you seen Biutiful?
The movie currently on my I really, really need to watch it is Rush. The F1 move about James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Diabolique (1996) - It pains me to even have to review this flick, it was awful, just awful. The plot was getting more stupid and unbelievable as the minutes went by, and the lead actresses had no chemistry. Sharon Stone was very awkward toward Isabelle Adjani's character, and I didn't buy her as a teacher at all. The only redeeming point was Kathy Bates, unfortunately her role was much too small.
I kept thinking Diabolique must be some kind of a very poor remake, it turns out it is. The original is a French movie called Les Diaboliques (1955), I have no doubt it's much better because it can't possibly be worse than Diabolique.
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) - This was actually a pretty good crime drama with a great cast, though Andy Garcia's acting felt a little too rehearsed at times. But all in all it was a decent way to spend some time, it certainly was much better than watching fecking Diabolique. (Oooof, I'll never get those 107 minutes back.)
I kept thinking Diabolique must be some kind of a very poor remake, it turns out it is. The original is a French movie called Les Diaboliques (1955), I have no doubt it's much better because it can't possibly be worse than Diabolique.
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) - This was actually a pretty good crime drama with a great cast, though Andy Garcia's acting felt a little too rehearsed at times. But all in all it was a decent way to spend some time, it certainly was much better than watching fecking Diabolique. (Oooof, I'll never get those 107 minutes back.)
W. - The Killer of Flanders Fields (2014) - And now a crime drama from the Flanders region that apparently only three other people had seen, it goes without saying the very first scene showed someone riding a bicycle. Unfortunately the rider had been abducted and brutally murdered.
The plot wasn't terribly original and actually got quite silly at times, and there were many plot holes. But the scenery was lovely and I enjoyed the subdued tone, plus one of the detectives wore some really cool sweaters. So yeah, it's not exactly the Tour of Flanders, but it was nice to see something that isn't a flashy Hollywood production.
The plot wasn't terribly original and actually got quite silly at times, and there were many plot holes. But the scenery was lovely and I enjoyed the subdued tone, plus one of the detectives wore some really cool sweaters. So yeah, it's not exactly the Tour of Flanders, but it was nice to see something that isn't a flashy Hollywood production.
Too bad you didn't watch the original first as it is very good, never saw the remake. Sharon Stone was in some very good films but also some awful trash. She had a nice fight scene with Arnie in the original Total Recall. Another movie with a mediocre remake but for once it was a remake of a Hollywood movie not a European one but it did have a European director !
I kinda regret not seeing the original French Diabolique first because the plot twist in this movie is so crucial that once you see it there's really no point in rewatching the movie because it's totally spoiled. Maybe I'll still watch it anyway though, just to compare the quality of it to the crappy Hollywood remake.
In the meantime I watched The Night Clerk (2011), it's more of a French family drama than a crime drama, and up until the ending it was actually pretty good. But the ending... I don't mind ambiguous endings that are supposed to leave you to draw your own conclusions. But this ending just felt like the script was unfinished, it was like, where's the rest of the movie? Will there be a sequel?
That aside the scenery was absolutely stunning, the movie took place in some posh hotel in the French Pyrenees. The snowy mountains were just gorgeous, and there were lots of shots of some nifty hairpins. (I'm sure plenty of ambitious riders must climb them each year when the weather is more favorable.) So yeah, never mind the family drama, this movie is worth watching for the scenery alone.
On a side note - I didn't know Hollywood had remade its own Hollywood blockbuster Total Recall with Arnie, that's sacrilege.
Rewatched Live-in Maid (2004), it's about two aging women living through the not so long ago Argentinian economic crisis. One is a woman who is used to the finer things in life that now has to pawn off her belongings, the other is her maid. At first glance it looks like the formerly well-to-do woman is abusive toward her maid, but as the film progresses it becomes clear the relationship is symbiotic, these two women need each other regardless of the class difference. I like it because it's a refreshingly quiet movie and more of a character study, it's not for everyone.
Speaking of not for everyone I started watching the Mexican thriller Barrancas (2016), not sure I can finish watching it. There's very little info on it at IMDb and no wiki entry, apparently everyone else has either given up on it as well or has never bothered to watch it to begin with. But it's refreshing to learn young adults in Mexico can be just as annoying as anywhere else, glad they're killing each other off one by one. So at least there's that.
Speaking of not for everyone I started watching the Mexican thriller Barrancas (2016), not sure I can finish watching it. There's very little info on it at IMDb and no wiki entry, apparently everyone else has either given up on it as well or has never bothered to watch it to begin with. But it's refreshing to learn young adults in Mexico can be just as annoying as anywhere else, glad they're killing each other off one by one. So at least there's that.
Midnight Special (2016) odd sci/fi movie, well acted by an impressive cast , visually good, maybe a a bit too slow for some moviegoers. One that could end up being a cult movie.
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