Return of the RECENT VIEWING

[pcqgod]

Your Name (2016, US release 2017)

Entertaining romantic fantasy about a teenage boy and girl who begin switching into each other's bodies following a tragic event. Beautiful and detailed animation.

[Jimbly]

Fast and Furious 8.

Total nonsense but great fun.

[Jimbo]

Dead Pool - Bloody and nasty super(anti)hero fun.

[PresMuffley]

Having only seen Mike Leigh's Naked & Career Girls, I was excited to notice that this was airing on TCM early this morning and it did not disappoint. The desperation & despair are palpable throughout, but there's also an undercurrent of humor that helps lighten the load. Brilliant performances from the entire cast - there's really nothing negative I can say here. Hard to believe something so good was made for TV.

[Matt Wilson]

Fast and Furious 8.

Total nonsense but great fun.

It's called Fate of the Furious, unless it's got a different title over there.


Ride the High Country

Peckinpah's first great film finally makes it to blu. Outstanding!

[Jimbly]

Fast and Furious 8.

Total nonsense but great fun.

It's called Fate of the Furious, unless it's got a different title over there.


Ride the High Country

Peckinpah's first great film finally makes it to blu. Outstanding!

It's called Fast and Furious 8 over in the Uk.

[Matt Wilson]

Imaginative title!

[Snarfyguy]

A feature length documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields, this will likely appeal to most of us here. Kind of a rock & roll gadfly, Fields seemed to be everywhere from the mid 60s to the late 70s, so it's a gossipy stroll down memory lane with the usual suspects, well crafted and generous with archival footage.

Despite being moderately annoying in present-day interviews, he's got some great stories. The tape of Lou Reed enthusing over The Ramones on first hearing them -- that alone is worth the price of admission.

[Darkness_Fish]

Second viewing for what seems to be the best received of the series, but it annoyed me the first time, and this time around it annoyed me and bored me in equal measure. It really dies on its arse by being an American production trying to sell the concept of English life in the 70s. So to set the scene for Enfield in 1977, they play The Clash's "London Calling" and show TV clips of Margaret Thatcher. Research dept wasn't up to much, I take it. The whole huge basement thing doesn't sit well with an English terraced council house, either. Very, very ropey.

[Darkness_Fish]

Strange disaster movie, following a criminally negligent helicopter rescue pilot who, in the event of a major earthquake destroying a city and killing millions, abandons his post to steal and trash as many vehicles as possible to try and impress his ex-wife. The plot is stupid, the effects just about tolerable if unconvincing, even by CGI standards, but the film was kind of enjoyable. Sadly, it doesn't show any of the aftermath where Dwayne his held to account for his actions.

[Charlie O.]

A feature length documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields, this will likely appeal to most of us here. Kind of a rock & roll gadfly, Fields seemed to be everywhere from the mid 60s to the late 70s, so it's a gossipy stroll down memory lane with the usual suspects, well crafted and generous with archival footage.

Despite being moderately annoying in present-day interviews, he's got some great stories. The tape of Lou Reed enthusing over The Ramones on first hearing them -- that alone is worth the price of admission.

Just finished watching it. Wonderful!

[Dr Markus]

Absolute poo. It was by the numbers money spinner. Couldn't make out a word the lead rebel actor dude was saying. About 2/3's way through the film, it was like "fuck, we forgot to throw in a bit of romance. We'll suddenly make it that the two lead actors fall for each other even though they have no chemistry at all and it hasn't been suggested anywhere through the film".

[Darkness_Fish]

One of the better films from the crop of modern horrors, I reckon. The plot might not hold much water, just know that it exists to play on a fear of the dark, and the concept allows for jump scares to be regular and necessary. I'm increasingly convinced that modern films should have as small a cast as possible, and little in the way of location.

[Goat Boy]

Raw

I thought the ending was a bit prosaic but it’s a stylish horror film with ideas and visual flair.


O Brother Where Art Thou?

It’s lesser Coens but very entertaining with lots of great wee moments and some terrific performances. The radio station man is a hoot and the whole KKK scene is hilarious. It looks beautiful too.


Guardians of the Galaxy

This was better than your average comic book film but it’s still full of tired old clichés. You’ve got some rock that can destroy the universe and some megalomaniac bad guy wants it and you’ve got a disparate band of weirdos who have to come together and form a team to save the galaxy and you’ve got a final battle above a city (ala both Avengers movies) etc. It also pisses me off that these movies are rarely stand-alone so there are certain key plot points that are left completely open as well. Why, for example, is Chris Pratt taken from earth as a kid? Oh we’ll find that out in the sequel, of course. On the plus side the performances are good, Chris Pratt in particular has charm, the script has some nice lines, there are some neat pop culture references and the special effects are eye popping if a little too busy for my liking. Maybe the sequel will be more satisfying.


The Tenant

It’s interesting that Polanski stars in this himself. Clearly there was something quite personal here and given Polanskis background it would be natural to assume that in some part his experience in the Warsaw ghetto growing up hangs over this movie. On one hand you could view this as about anti-Semitism or, more generally, the hostility faced by people trying to fit into another culture and the psychological consequences of this but it goes deeper and weirder than that as Polanskis identity starts to crumble in the face of the hostility and persecution of the apartment block. In the end he faces a choice of either conforming or succumbing to madness. There are echoes of other movies, both his own – Repulsion – but also The Shining (they both share a vague supernatural element) and familiar Polanski themes. Highly recommended.

[Geezee]

This was better than your average comic book film

...aren't they all...?

[...]

Raw

I thought the ending was a bit prosaic but it’s a stylish horror film with ideas and visual flair.


O Brother Where Art Thou?

It’s lesser Coens but very entertaining with lots of great wee moments and some terrific performances. The radio station man is a hoot and the whole KKK scene is hilarious. It looks beautiful too.


Guardians of the Galaxy

This was better than your average comic book film but it’s still full of tired old clichés. You’ve got some rock that can destroy the universe and some megalomaniac bad guy wants it and you’ve got a disparate band of weirdos who have to come together and form a team to save the galaxy and you’ve got a final battle above a city (ala both Avengers movies) etc. It also pisses me off that these movies are rarely stand-alone so there are certain key plot points that are left completely open as well. Why, for example, is Chris Pratt taken from earth as a kid? Oh we’ll find that out in the sequel, of course. On the plus side the performances are good, Chris Pratt in particular has charm, the script has some nice lines, there are some neat pop culture references and the special effects are eye popping if a little too busy for my liking. Maybe the sequel will be more satisfying.


The Tenant

It’s interesting that Polanski stars in this himself. Clearly there was something quite personal here and given Polanskis background it would be natural to assume that in some part his experience in the Warsaw ghetto growing up hangs over this movie. On one hand you could view this as about anti-Semitism or, more generally, the hostility faced by people trying to fit into another culture and the psychological consequences of this but it goes deeper and weirder than that as Polanskis identity starts to crumble in the face of the hostility and persecution of the apartment block. In the end he faces a choice of either conforming or succumbing to madness. There are echoes of other movies, both his own – Repulsion – but also The Shining (tafhey both share a vague supernatural element) and familiar Polanski themes. Highly recommended.

Always loved The Tenant since I saw it in Manchester in the early 80s just after it came out. Still one of his most under-rated films imho. Roland Topor who wrote the book on which it is based churned out some seriously weird stuff in his time (Joko's Anniversary being an excellent example)

[Goat Boy]

This was better than your average comic book film

...aren't they all...?

I'm not sure what you mean? That all of them are better than average these days?

[Dr Markus]

This was better than your average comic book film

...aren't they all...?

I'm not sure what you mean? That all of them are better than average these days?

I haven't even seen the new thor trailer yet, when I would have been excited to see it a few years ago. These comic book films are getting a bit boring. GOTG and Deadpool aside, the rest are meh.

[Goat Boy]

I enjoyed the first two Batman films. The first Avengers movie was elevated by Whedons writing.

Iron Man is alright I guess. There's been a lot of shit too. I'm not snobby about films in general but it puzzles me that adults are really into this shit. As popcorn entertainment go, it's fine but, you know?

[Geezee]

This was better than your average comic book film

...aren't they all...?

I'm not sure what you mean? That all of them are better than average these days?

Sort of - I just hear this kind of comment a lot..."ultimately run of the mill but better than average". I don't know - it was just a throwaway comment on my side.