Black Cat Bone

Snarfyguy wrote:

Mad Max comparisons aren't apt at all; this is quite a different -- and likely more realistic -- take on post-apocalyptic "society," a Hobbesian dystopia of scarcity and privation. The plot, as the title indicates, concerns an elemental, Darwinian struggle to survive amidst zero-sum competition for virtually non-existent resources.

There's no room for inessentials like unnecessary dialogue (and there may not even be a score - certainly, I wan't aware of any incidental music) here. It's a reflection of spare, lean world in which nothing is wasted. Food and sex have a price, but trust is beyond calculation.

Very well done, I thought.

I watched this last night on Netflix, and enjoyed it. I had a few nit-picky moments with it, and didn't really like the ending, but there you go. It was a decent enough way to pass the time while B was out at a poetry class.

*edit*

I also enjoyed, and was surprised by the fact, that it's an Irish film, and I didn't have to put up with a bunch of bullshit American bravado and machismo, which most post-apocalyptic films tend to trade in.

Snarfyguy wrote:

Darkness_Fish wrote:Hmm, Bob Mortimer apparently disagrees with BCB:

https://twitter.com/RealBobMortimer/sta ... 5277475840

"Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!"

He's deleted it, what a snowflake. Must've had pressure from the BCB massive. It just said something along the lines of "Snowtown, film about the body in a barrel murders. Fucking shit."

Darkest Hour (2017)

Focusing on the brief period of Winston Churchill's ascension to Prime Minister of England until the fall of mainland Europe to Axis powers, this drama actually offered a surprising number of light-hearted moments; the charm of Oldman's lead performance no doubt hinges a great part upon the quirky aspects of Churchill's personality. It plays a bit like a sequel to 'The King's Speech,' although the dramatic tension created by Churchill's will to lead Britain into a perhaps futile battle against the Nazis being balanced and checked by the various branches of the British government, factions in his own cabinet, and the wishes of the King reminded me rather more of the Abraham Lincoln movie from a few years back. This is the second new movie I've watched in the past year in which Dunkirk is a major plot-driving element, and I haven't even watched the Nolan movie yet!

The Apartment

Arrow's new remaster looks marvelous, and if you're a fan of the film, then I'd recommend picking one up because it's a limited edition with tons of extras and a nice, fat book is included as well. There's even a UK version (the one I bought, actually). Perhaps Wilder's best picture.

This was terrific. Really solid performances, a deft script and it felt current despite its genre tropes (lawman on verge of retirement, heist gone wrong, end of movie shoot out).

And the director is Scottish bizarrely.

Interesting HBO documentary featuring interviews with various Bowie collaborators, Bowie interviews and some great archival footage, tracing his career from the start, but focusing on the recording of his final two albums and the production of his play 'Lazarus.'

Moving day hell for seven households linked by a chain of intense confusion and understandable stress. Two removal companies, with gaffers and employees of differing sense and sensibilities try to hold it all and everyone together with varying degrees of success.
Other roles in addition to those featured on the poster are played by Leo McKern and Billie Whitelaw.

Matt Wilson wrote:
The Apartment

Arrow's new remaster looks marvelous, and if you're a fan of the film, then I'd recommend picking one up because it's a limited edition with tons of extras and a nice, fat book is included as well. There's even a UK version (the one I bought, actually). Perhaps Wilder's best picture.

Thanks for this Matt. I'll go and grab a copy.

I'm taking my best friend to see The Treasure of the Sierra Madre this Sunday as a belated 40th birthday present. He's never seen it before and I've never watched it on the big screen. Should be fun. It's only playing on the 14th & 16th:

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tcm2018-the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre

Goat Boy wrote:

This was terrific. Really solid performances, a deft script and it felt current despite its genre tropes (lawman on verge of retirement, heist gone wrong, end of movie shoot out).

And the director is Scottish bizarrely.

last April, BCB's Most Tedious Poster wrote:

Lots of by-now-familiar crime drama tropes - mumbling, tyres whirring up sand, diners, cops getting shot in the head and birds-eye shots of big open plains - but this was as good as this genre ever gets. And Jeff Bridges was outstanding. I love Jeff Bridges.

I love Jeff too , does he do that chewing on a stalk of grass delivery that has emerged in recent years?

I watched Platoon the other night. I remembered it as a good movie. On second viewing I found it quite hammy and really rather comical. Charlie sheen seemed to be the obvious choice for the later hot shots , he really isn't his dad is he?

PresMuffley wrote:I'm taking my best friend to see The Treasure of the Sierra Madre this Sunday as a belated 40th birthday present. He's never seen it before and I've never watched it on the big screen. Should be fun. It's only playing on the 14th & 16th:

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tcm2018-the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre

I’ve been contemplating going to that too. Never seen it on a big screen before.

Really liked this one, I just wish it hadn't kinda watered down its message a bit with the clumsy finale.

pcqgod wrote:
Interesting HBO documentary featuring interviews with various Bowie collaborators, Bowie interviews and some great archival footage, tracing his career from the start, but focusing on the recording of his final two albums and the production of his play 'Lazarus.'

I didn't like it very much - didn't understand why they jumped back to the archival footage, just became very disjointed and watered down. The focus of this doc was really meant to be the last 5 years, which i felt could have been very interesting - but it didn't do that at all. Plenty of other docs out there focusing on his earlier career so didn't really feel the archival stuff was necessary, nor did it add anything (a couple of pieces of footage I think were newly discovered but they just seemed to incongruously add them in a "look! what we found here!" fashion despite having nothing to do with the documentary). It was probably too early to do this one.

Davey the Fat Boy wrote:

PresMuffley wrote:I'm taking my best friend to see The Treasure of the Sierra Madre this Sunday as a belated 40th birthday present. He's never seen it before and I've never watched it on the big screen. Should be fun. It's only playing on the 14th & 16th:

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tcm2018-the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre

I’ve been contemplating going to that too. Never seen it on a big screen before.

I hope you went, or are planning on attending tomorrow. We had an excellent time. The theater was pretty much empty, and it had those badass reclining seats. A couple drinks of Booker's at the bar beforehand helped to liven up the event as well. We're going to try to catch Vertigo in March.

Aguirre: Wrath of God (1971), blu ray edition

Immediately after finishing this I watched it again with the English Werner Herzog interview/commentary because I had so many questions about the locations, actors, native languages and other aspects of this movie and was not disappointed. Plenty of interesting, hilarious and even frightening anecdotes concerning the making of the film as well, plus interesting insights into Herzog's method and philosophy of film.



The Villainess (2017)

Korean action movie mixing martial arts and shoot-em-up, in that sub-genre where the lead character is a killing machine who can take on an army by him/herself. Features some pretty good action sequences, but the human moments didn't quite balance them out.



The Babadook (2014)

Allegorical story about grief and resentment posing as supernatural horror. Some surprising moments here.



Spirited Away (2002)

I have to applaud the imagination in this Alice in Wonderland story, but I kind of hate that anime aesthetic.



Godzilla 1984 (The Return of Godzilla, U.S.)

I think this was the first reboot of the series, returning Godzilla back to his destructive force of nature/nuclear allegory roots. It also relies heavily on the classic Godzilla formula and f/x: toy airplanes, rubber suit Gozilla knocking down power lines, detailed miniatures of Japanese cities for Godzilla to fuck up, and of course crowds of frantic people evacuating. Somewhat of a sluggish start to what would be a good series in the Godzilla canon.

pcqgod wrote:
The Babadook (2014)

Allegorical story about grief and resentment posing as supernatural horror. Some surprising moments here.

I like that film an awful lot, even without the grief-driven thematic underpinning, it's just a quality horror. That kid is just weird, too. The guys behind the film also released a limited edition run of the Babadook book, but it goes for stupid money on ebay now. They actually tell people not to buy it, that they'll try and get more out soon, I hope they do, I'd love a copy.

Darkness_Fish wrote:

pcqgod wrote:
The Babadook (2014)

Allegorical story about grief and resentment posing as supernatural horror. Some surprising moments here.

I like that film an awful lot, even without the grief-driven thematic underpinning, it's just a quality horror. That kid is just weird, too. The guys behind the film also released a limited edition run of the Babadook book, but it goes for stupid money on ebay now. They actually tell people not to buy it, that they'll try and get more out soon, I hope they do, I'd love a copy.

The kid was amazing.

Father Goose

Grant's penultimate film is a silly romantic comedy which isn't really either. He thought he might win an oscar if he pulled a Bogart a la The African Queen so we see him here scruffy and cranky with a woman thirty something years younger than he is. I think even he was embarrassed, but then he cast her so there's that. Yes, it's somewhat charming because he always was - and it made a lot of money in 1964, so he knew what he was doing. But no oscar, not even a nomination. He finally did get an honorary one years later. It made him very happy.