Last Film(s) You Watched

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 1:18 pm

Troll Hunter ........ liked it but it was nothing spectacular, strangely the farting trolls had me worrying for Australia's ozone layer Rolling Eyes

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:20 pm

robmead wrote:

Troll Hunter ........ liked it but it was nothing spectacular, strangely the farting trolls had me worrying for Australia's ozone layer Rolling Eyes

Ain't seen it for a couple of years, but as there was bugger all on sky last nite, watched "Football Factory" still a top film of mine Very Happy

http://www.flixster.com/user/phubbs1 · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:38 pm

The Keep (1983)

Mann's second film and a controversial adaptation of Wilson's novel that didn't go down too well with either the audiences or the author. The film isn't particularly bad but there is obviously allot of hack editing going on and much of the original plot has been ignored or cut.

On the visual side the film is really quite cool looking, it almost looks like an early MTV rock video hehe the effects (for the time) were pretty swish and do hold the tone of the film together. There is allot of visual flair going on here which is one of the films saving graces.

Another plus point is the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, as you would expect their usual blend of futuristic, electronic, enthral and spiritual sounds is quite unique and very uplifting to listen to. The only problem is this lovely soundtrack doesn't really fit this film, allot of tense moments don't really come across as I suspect they should have whilst the music floats in the background, you would expect to hear a score like this for a film like 'Blade Runner'.

The film is also confusing and unexplained, the original novel is straight forward but the film is a mess. The evil entity that is released seems to be angry at the Nazi's for killing 'his people' so I'm guessing it was a Jewish entity? and if it wants to kill Nazi's why not let it?. We also don't find out where the entity comes from, what it is?, what's its purpose?, who is 'Glenn'?, what is 'Glenn's' story? etc...

This isn't really a horror in my eyes, there isn't much blood or gore and its not scary in the slightest, it comes across as a slightly adult version of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' really. The entity or demon is a bit comical to be honest, should of been kept unseen really, shame as the sets, lighting and camera work all play well to set the mood.

I think first time viewers who have not read the novel will struggle with many questions but the blend of gothic horror set amidst WWII will keep most entertained and interested as it is well crafted. The cast of big names in early roles also works in the films favour, check McKellen in a pre 'Professor X' type role and Gabriel Byrne as the sadistic German SD Officer Sturmbannführer.

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:44 pm

Good Will Hunting Really great movie with Matt Damon, Casey and Ben Affleck, Robin Williams...

http://www.flixster.com/user/phubbs1 · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:39 am

Hostel III (2011)

Next new outing for this torture porn series and there isn't much really I need to say about it, I'm sure most will know the premise by now.

Bunch of young guys and some sexy skirts get abducted by a few big meat heads and dragged off to be slaughtered for the entertainment of ultra rich folk, just your usual Saturday night out round these parts.

Much like 'Saw' the first film was good and original, the second also just got by but after number two they should stop. The idea has been used and the novelty is over, from here on its just the same thing but with new sick ways to murder people and this third film is just that. The only difference that the 'Saw' franchise has is the reasonable story throughout which contains reasonable twists n turns, this Hostel flick is just a stand alone story with nothing new to offer.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:08 am

Vampires (1998) - Classic John Carpenter stuff here. Probably my favourite vampire movie. James Woods is brilliant as the lead slayer. Mindless vamp action, great stuff!

RocknRolla (2008) - I started to watch this, thinking i was actually starting to watch another Guy Ritchie flick, Revolver. Got the name mixed up for some reason. Anyway, once i realised (first scene lol), i kept watching as hadnt seen in ages. Actually think i enjoyed it more this time than first. While its not even in same league as Snatch or Lock Stock, its actually an okay watch. Personally think Johnny Quid is star of the show as such, and should have gotten more screen time.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - Really powerful story, and a great all round film. Some of it was a bit graphic though and tough to watch. Great performances from Craig and Mara.

Killer Elite (2011) - I tend to stay away from Jason Statham films these days. All the same mindless action with no real storyline. For some reason i gave this one a go. Was okay, and better than some of his recent ones, though thats not hard. Really liked how it was set in 70s though, and thought it added something different to all the modern-day set thrillers. Thought it was maybe 20 or 30mins too long and dragged on a bit, but enjoyed it none the less.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:01 am

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Donkey (2010)

A surprisingly good flick... I'm not even sure how I came upon it.

http://www.flixster.com/user/phubbs1 · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:57 am

The Hunter (AUS 2011)

Filmed entirely in Tasmania and some of the scenery shot is quite tremendous, it really is the sparkle in this film, without it this it would be really quite average.

On the whole the film isn't exactly stunning, its an oddity really, Dafoe is sent into the outback of Tasmania to find the thought to be extinct Thylacine or Tasmanina Tiger after a few apparent sightings. He stays with a woman and her kids and helps get her life back on track and off medication due to her husband vanishing in the outback.
At the same time he of course gets very friendly with the woman and her kids, gets slightly tangled in local disputes between tree loggers and environmental groups against the loggers (of which the woman he stays with is part of) whilst also trying to solve the disappearance of her husband plus track a live Thylacine.

The problem with the film is it doesn't feel like its about anything in particular and it doesn't feel like there is any real conclusion at the end. Without trying to give the game away Dafoe does achieve his goals but doesn't do anything about it, he discovers what happens to the woman's husband but seems to do nothing, we're not quite sure exactly why the company hes working for wants him to find a Thylacine and at the end he does something which doesn't seem right, you don't know wether your on his side with his decision.

Dafoe is suppose to be a hunter, he tracks and survives in the wild, this we know, but seeing him roam the outback setting nasty steel traps and shooting mammals doesn't really sit right with me, he's suppose to be the 'hero' of the film looking after a lone woman and her kids but he doesn't really do anything other than kill animals and set traps, are we suppose to root for Dafoe's character?

The acting is superb with Dafoe and good old Sam Neill on form, the kids play their parts very well too but the plot is strange and jumbled and for lovers of wildlife it isn't quite what you expect. Well filmed, well crafted with lovely location work and a pretty real looking Tasmania Tiger in the finale (you know he finds it before you even begin to watch) but it seems down beat overall.

http://www.flixster.com/user/phubbs1 · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:42 pm

Chronicle

Very dull slow take off for this comicbook type film as we see a bunch of teens just messing around and talking crap whilst not much else is going on. The first half of the film is shown through 'Andrews' camera as he goes around filming everything and its damn annoying, of course its building characters but to be frank it doesn't seem that way as its really uninteresting.

The way in which the three young males find the 'unknown object' in a deep dark hole after simply climbing down into it is a bit silly methinks, as if you would do that. The object looks a bit like the spiky crystal like pod in which Superman travels to earth in from the 78 film, anyway they all get infected or transformed or sick from the object and thusly gain telekinetic super powers...for some reason.

The film is really quite boring until 'Andrew' starts to get a little warped with his ways and begins using his powers for 'evil' or bad as it were. From that point on it perks up allot with much more tension and some reasonably good special effects consisting of average cgi and average bluescreen work but some nice telekinetic movement work on people in places.

There is a slight feeling of 'X-Men' as the sparks fly along with cars and chunks of building, almost a more realistic take with proper teen angst issues tossed in. The stress caused by family issues, school life and their increasing powers is well played out by the actor trio. The point where 'Andrew' finally decides he is now pretty much a more evolved human being and capable of anything he wants, a newly evolved 'apex predator', does add some great moments of edge of your seat thrills as you simply don't know what he will do next, he no longer cares for anyone including his super powered friends.

Filmed almost entirely with handheld cams, or CCTV in some sequences, does add realism to the action but it also annoying too, like other films in this style it can be hard to follow action as the camera jerks all over the show.

So the first half of the film is dull and slightly rushed maybe but it gets much better once 'Andrew' loses it, its almost like a male version of 'Carrie' really, Dane DeHaan does portray the breakdown and instability of his character very well. Overall some nice sequences like the boys trying their new powers as they develop them, strong moments of family feuding and a good finale.

http://www.flixster.com/user/phubbs1 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:21 am

Sister Street Fighter (JAP 1974)

Obvious spin off from the much much better martial arts film 'The Street Fighter' but has nothing to do with the former film, this is a stand alone story.

I realise this may be seen as a cult these days but I really didn't think much of it, the whole thing was so damn hokey and daft looking, almost like an Oriental version of the 60's Batman TV show!
All the fighting is clearly staged with fists and kicks nowhere near their intended targets haha the acting is worse than usual as is the dialog but the really sore point is the fact Sonny Chiba is hardly in it.

Apart from the fight finale Chiba doesn't really figure in the film despite the title, add to that the fact the film has nothing really to do with the original and the whole cheesy look of everyone and everything, the bad guys look like they have just stepped of the stage of a children's pantomime show.

The original Street Fighter was hard ass and vicious, this attempts the same but fails, a bit of blood n gore near the end but its little too late.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:25 am

watched the grey last night and really enjoyed it Smile

its quite a dark film not a happy story at all. i found it quite scary also in the same sort of way i thought jaws was scary when i was a kid, i dont usually think films about animals are scary but the wolves are nasty bastards and i wouldnt want them stalking me in the dark.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:11 am

bazzer101 wrote:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - Really powerful story, and a great all round film. Some of it was a bit graphic though and tough to watch. Great performances from Craig and Mara.

Hey bazzer,if you liked it, I'd recommend you also the swedish film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:03 pm

elma wrote:

Hey bazzer,if you liked it, I'd recommend you also the swedish film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/

thanks elma, funnily enough i downloaded that ages back, but had a problem getting the subtitles to work on my media player. So forgot about it for a while. Then the new version came out so tried that first. But going to watch the swedish version. I figured id give it a bit of time before watching it though, so other one aint so fresh in my head. Have you seen both or just the swedish one?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:18 pm

Puss in boots!

gotta love this film guys!! it made me chuckle quite a few times!! whether your an adult or a child i'm sure you'll love this film.. i love animated movies and the puss rules!

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:51 pm

bazzer101 wrote:

thanks elma, funnily enough i downloaded that ages back, but had a problem getting the subtitles to work on my media player. So forgot about it for a while. Then the new version came out so tried that first. But going to watch the swedish version. I figured id give it a bit of time before watching it though, so other one aint so fresh in my head. Have you seen both or just the swedish one?

I've seen them both and I've watched the original first.I prefered the swedish version.
When I watched the american version I had the swedish one in mind.
I'm not saying I didn't like Fincher's film -afterall he is on of my fav directors and the reason I saw the movie,but I think I'd give him more credits if swedish didn't exist.
You liked Rooney Mara?Wait until you see Noomi Rapace. Very Happy