Return of the RECENT VIEWING

[northernsky]

When Schrader’s on his game, there’s no one better. Fucking brilliant film, far superior to Shame, which garnered so much more attention.

[algroth]

The Profound Desire of the Gods

I agree with what Algroth said. It's an excellent film from an equally excellent director.

You've only seen a handful of Japanese films? In a way I'm jealous because you have so much greatness to watch for the first time. Can't really go wrong by starting with the more famous films from Kurosawa, Teshigahara, Ozu, Miyazaki, Mizoguchi, Miike, and of course Imamura.

If you're exploring more from this director then I most recommend The Insect Woman and Black Rain. It's hard for me to decide which one of those two is my favourite from him.

Those two are also brilliant. Also worth checking out Masaki Kobayashi's stuff which is utterly immense.

[driftin]

The Profound Desire of the Gods

I agree with what Algroth said. It's an excellent film from an equally excellent director.

You've only seen a handful of Japanese films? In a way I'm jealous because you have so much greatness to watch for the first time. Can't really go wrong by starting with the more famous films from Kurosawa, Teshigahara, Ozu, Miyazaki, Mizoguchi, Miike, and of course Imamura.

If you're exploring more from this director then I most recommend The Insect Woman and Black Rain. It's hard for me to decide which one of those two is my favourite from him.

Those two are also brilliant. Also worth checking out Masaki Kobayashi's stuff which is utterly immense.

Dunno how I forgot Kobayashi considering that Kwaidan is probably my favourite Japanese film ever.

[$P.Muff$]

The majority of Japanese films I've seen have been directed by Kurowsawa & Miyazaki. Watched a couple by Ozu and Mizoguchi... but yeah, I suck.

[$P.Muff$]

I thought I'd lose interest in this fairly quickly but was pleasantly surprised. There were a couple plot points that seemed unrealistic, but Jessica Lange gives a solid performance as a recently widowed mother struggling with two sons and a forced move to Baltimore.

The real highlight for me was Joan Cusack as the oddball Apt. neighbor with a penchant to help others, and for teenage boys.

[harvey k-tel]

The story has sucked me in despite the atrocious acting.

[Jimbly]

The Promise. Would be epic about the Armenian Genocide. It come across a bit Son of Dr Zhivago at times, medical student, love triangle against dramatic historical event. Its a bit too black and white, all Turks bar one are evil.

However it did make me go and read some stuff about it, which was one of the reasons it was made in the first place.

Solid rather than Spectacular

[$P.Muff$]

I knew nothing about early, underground, late night NY talk radio before watching this. Bob Fass is definitely my kind of people.

[Jimbly]

Last night we watched Key Largo. Not really top notch Bogart but pretty good.

[naughty boy]

top notch Eddie G, tho'!

[Matt Wilson]

Really, you didn’t think so? I suppose I used to be of that mind but it’s not like you can come up with too many films that he did that are better. In his top 10 anyway.

[Jimbly]

I think I should clarify, both Bogart and Robinson were great, but I think it's a lesser Bogart film and also lesser Houston.

Top 10.

Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The African Queen To Have and Have Not, The Caine Mutiny , Dark Passage, Angels With Dirty Faces, Transformers - The Last Knight, In A Lonely Place.

[Matt Wilson]

Transformers?

[Jimbly]

Just checking you were paying attention:-p

[$P.Muff$]

It's been a while since a film has annoyed me as much as this one. It started with promise, but quickly became typical Hollywood fare - which is a shame as there is a unique story to be told here.

[$P.Muff$]

I enjoyed this much more than Capt. Fantastic but it's still a bit of a mess. Just too many obvious plot holes for me to feel like I was all in.

[driftin]

Favourite of the year? The fact I've watched it three times now probably means yes.

[Minnie the Minx]

[$P.Muff$]

Only seen that once many moons ago but it has always stuck with me. Pete Postlethwaite was a treasure.

[The Modernist]

I've watched a bunch of dvds recently. Most of them weren't great it has to be said, I struggle to find really good films to watch these days. Unless they're really good films, I can't be arsed to write detailed reviews now, so here are some capsule reviews.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Typifies a certain strand of "quality" British films. The art design was very good, drawing a link between the Iron Curtain and a drab 70s Britain. The performances were strong too as you would expect from such a distinguished cast. However this was one of the most unthrilling thrillers I've ever seen, there was little dramatic excitement or momentum to any of the scenes. The four suspects were drawn with such vagueness that you didn't care which one was the mole.
The whole thing was very flat, only Tom Hardy's character had any spark. 3/10.

El Bonaerense Low budget Argentinian indie about a country boy, who through a mixture of corruption and happenstance, finds himself a Buenos Aires cop. Very much in the vein of neo-realism, I enjoyed its grimey eye and comic bleakness. Ultimately through the narrative was far too slight to really engage. 4/10
The Aviator Very typical of latter day Scorsese in that its sweep and visual scale were very immersive, but it also felt a little empty. I'm not sure I got that much insight into Hughes ( was he a visionary or just an eccentric rich kid with too much money? The film didn't give me a clear answer on that). It got much stronger in its second half as Hughes' demons took over and Di Caprio was very good. 7/10

Mr Nice Biopic of Howard Marks. This gets off to a disastrous start with the decision to have Rhys Ifans, who is clearly in his mid thirties, play the schoolboy Marks in a series of flashbacks. What an earth made them think they could get away with this I have no idea. It gets better though, because with Mark's roller coaster life, it's impossible to make a dull film. This though makes the film very episodic, so it feels like a lot of separate scenes thrown together rather than something with narrative depth. It's brash and entertaining though, but the kind of thing you forget as soon as you've watched it. 6/10