Saturday, March 31, 2018

Weekend Open Thread

March came in like a lion but goes out like a Lifeforce.

Sorry this was away last week. Thank you, everyone, for the birthday wishes elsewhere online. It meant a lot. The floor is yours!

40 comments:

  1. First ever look at the Xtro Reboot is now available to see

    http://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3490353/exclusive-watch-hd-trailer-blu-ray-release-1982s-xtro/


    Pre orders on Amazon



    Xtro: Limited Edition (Blu-Ray) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077H8S2PT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_ZM2VAbZD75RSP

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  2. I hope all you enjoy Easter weekend.

    There were few interesting first watches recently.

    CRONOS (1993) - I found a lot to appreciate in Guillermo del Toro’s debut feature, a fine example that inexperience and a low budget are not a hindrance to creating memorable cinema. The unique vision and imagination of del Toro is certainly present. It seems that he was always interested in blending drama with genre tropes. Like his most recent film, there is an emotional core to the fantasy. My favorite part of the film is Ron Perlman’s psychopathic Angel.

    TAXIDERMIA (2006) – I do not know what it says about me that I had a smile on my face watching this grotesque Hungarian film. The first section is as bleak as a film can be, the second section is revolting in its imagery and the nature of the principal character, and the third section is downright weird. This is strange and vigorous moviemaking that I thank the FThisMovie! community for recommending.

    MANDINGO (1975) – This was, for me, an utterly compelling melodrama about the antebellum South. The luridness of the relationships between the slaves and their masters is balanced by the detailed depiction of a slave society. The cast, moreover, is very strong. I can perfectly understand why someone would be offended by Mandingo, but I find a refreshing frankness in its storytelling.

    I also saw a couple of older films.

    LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT (1933) – Barbara Stanwyck headlines this pre-code crime drama that is also an early women in prison film. This prison certainly offers nice wardrobes and hair stylists for the inmates.

    THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) – This was a rewarding rewatch. There is so much more to this than the gimmick of a man getting smaller and smaller. The oversized props are amusing, though. Jack Arnold directed many gems in the 1950s.


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    1. Love Taxidermia! If you can track down "Final Cut: Ladies and Gentleman" by the same director it's a must watch. I saw it years ago and it vaulted to my second favorite film of all time. (I think it's on YouTube under it's native language title)

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  3. I just finished My Life as a Courgette, a Swiss-French stop motion film about kids at an orphanage. Uplifting is the word that first comes to mind. Totally worth checking out.

    I also revisited Spectre for the first time since the theater, saw the 1960's Casino Royale parody for the first time and rewatched Octopussy, which I remembered surprisingly little about. Spectre is pretty good for the first two thirds, but totally goes off the rails after you-know-what. Casino Royale had a couple of funny scenes but they were few and far between. Peter Sellers of course is always entertaining. And Octopussy is not good but strangely watchable. I used to really dislike the Roger Moore Bonds, but I've been listening to the James Bonding podcast and their love for Sir Roger may have rubbed off on me a little.

    And I got the Thor: Ragnarok Blu-ray a few days ago so had to rewatch it immediately. It's one of my favorite Marvel movies and definitely the funniest, but what else could you expect from Taika Waititi? Also rewatched Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming in my anticipation of Infinity War.

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    1. My Life as a Courgette is apparently called My Life as a Zucchini in the US. It was nominated for the animation Oscar last year.

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    2. Ma Vie De Courgette (french title) is a fantastic film. Everybody should watch it

      I also rewatched Winter Soldier this week. It's still my favorite Marvel Universe movie

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  4. Speaking of stop-motion animation, i saw Isle Of Dogs yesterday. Great movie, and undeniably a Wes Anderson movie. So, if you don't like his style or getting tired of his shtick, this might not be for you

    I also saw Unsane, the latest Steven Soderberg movie, which he's one of my favorite director. As a movie, the story doesn't work all the time, but it's mysterious enough to hold my attention. Once the 'twist' is revealed, the movie kind of went down from there. Some of the supporting cast is not always good.

    The movie was shot on an iphone and it shows. It look amateurish and takes a while to get used to it. Soderberg cinematography help a little, but from time to time there's a shot that remind you what you're looking at. By comparison, the movie Tangerine never felt like that, always looked good to me, but i think they used a special lense on that one helping it look different

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  5. i have a question, more like a poll really.

    which do you prefer: The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits? i'm talking about the original series, of course

    i'm asking this because i'm currently watching the new The Outer Limits Season 1 boxset from Kino, and whether we like it or not, these 2 series will always be put against each other. kind of like Star Wars and Star Trek. not that they have to be compared, but we always have a preference, while still liking both.

    i have to say i'm more of a Twilight Zone guy. one big factor is the length of the episodes. you're in, you're out, no fat to trim. some episodes are 50 minutes, but they're not the best of the original run. also, Rod Serling help a lot, his presence, his charisma and the intros/outros does a lot to put us in the right frame of mind for the show

    that's not to say The Outer Limits is not good, far from it. the episodes are getting better, as the first season progress. and Kino did a fantastic job on the boxset. the only extras are Commentary Tracks, which i'm not a fan of, but i think more extras are being created for Season 2.

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    1. Having watched some of the original Outer Limits episodes recently, I can say that I prefer The
      Twilight Zone. The quality of the scripts was more consistent.

      The Outer Limits episode I most enjoyed was Demon With A Glass Hand.

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    2. That episode is in season 2. I'm curious to watch it

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  6. Did anybody watch Ready Player One yet?

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    1. Going tomorrow

      70mm presentation baby

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    2. Saw it yesterday. Big fun. Big big fun.

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    3. I second JB. I saw it Thursday night in Dolby. I loved every bit of it!

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    4. I saw it and enjoyed it. It was constantly reminding me of other, better movies and kind of made me wish I was watching those instead. I'm still not crazy about the video game look, but I know it's to a point. Oddly enough, the romance and live action stuff was my favorite.

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    5. That movie was fantastic. It was pure fun. Haven't had that much fun at the movies in a while

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  7. Greetings all and hope everyone is having a good weekend. Need a little help from the F This Movie family. Me and my brother are currently working on a script that involves only two characters in a single location and I'm looking for a bit of inspiration. The film involves a kidnapped woman and the man she witnessed robbing a bank. We are aiming for a noir style gilm, but noir films aren't required.

    The old noir, Detour, was especially helpful as inspiration just to give some jdea.

    Thanks to all for any and all help.

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    1. i actually saw a movie that could help you yesterday. it's french, A Pure Formality, with Gerard Depardieu and Roman Polanski (yes, the director), it's directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. the story is simple, there's a gunshot at the beginning, some guy gets caught right after, and the rest of the movie is the interview by the detective

      there's also an episode of Babylon 5 where the character Sheridan is alone in a cell for the whole episode, being interviewed by somebody not in the room and we never see him.

      and that other episode where 2 of the worst enemies in the show, Londo and G'Kar, are trapped in an elevator together.

      i'll try to find the episodes number

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    2. the first Babylon 5 episode i talked about is from season 4 episode 18. and i was mistaken, we do see the interviewer

      and the other one is season 3 episode 2. it's not the whole episode, but the writing and the performances are extraordinary

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    3. Not noir, but Linklater’s Tape is one of the most tense 3 character/single location film I’ve ever seen. The dialogue is fantastic.

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    4. Death and the Maiden (1994) might be something to look at as well.

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    5. Thanks everyone, goves me some homework for this script. I really appreciate it.

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  8. A very similar type of film with 3 people, 2 male, 1 female, 1 location, but brilliantly made is The dissapearance of Alice Creed, very gritty tough drama or if you want similar again but exploring the fun elements of a similar plot then The Cottage might inspire you in different ways, both brilliant films but totally different, I bet you would enjoy them both inspirationally

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I've never heard of either so thank you for the recommendations.

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    3. Both follow your similar premise but go down a different path. Alice Creed film is a real gem and The Cottage is just pure fun

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    4. Alice Creed sounds really good and I'll definitely check out the other since there's so few films in the style I'm looking for.

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    5. Give us a shout once you've seen um

      I predict you will love Alice Creed

      And The Cottage is also very good but in a different way

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  9. My (past two) week(s) in movies:

    Coco, dir. Lee Unkrich (2017)

    Well this was utterly charming, visually truly sumptuous and one of Pixar's very best work! Having seen both 2014's The Book of Life and now this and as my friend Hattie pointed out; "there are plenty of Christmas movies!" so there is more than plenty of room for films that deal with Día de Muertos and Coco is just a wonderful heartfelt tale (some kind of moisture seemed to appear in the corner of my eyes during the final stretches of this...) And is wrapped up with some great music and some of the finest animation I have ever seen! Just blooming lovely...

    Sharky's Machine, dir. Burt Reynolds (1981)

    Been a long long while since I last watched a Burt Reynolds movie and the first time watching one of his directorial efforts, one that I have been meaning to see since I read William Diehl's novel a fair few years ago... Sure this isn't a perfect picture, let down by some clunky pacing in the overlong second act and Reynolds overuse of close ups BUT it is still a tough and entertaining police thriller with Reynolds on top charisma form and a great supporting cast including a scene stealing Bernie Casey, a luminous Rachel Ward and the ever dependable Henry Silva on bad guy duties!

    The Great Outdoors, dir. Howard Deutch (1988)

    One to file under both a pure nostalgia trip AND great cinematic comfort food!.. Watched this so many times as a young Tasker and just got my self in the mood to watch it again after hearing it discussed on the latest F This Movie! podcast and I'm real glad I did! A perfect comedy pairing of Dan Akroyd at his best, his line delivery is just something else, and the forever dependable and missed John Candy! Great gags and a feel good factor ramped up to 11!..

    Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, dir. Jeff Burr (1990)

    The Texas Chainsaw movies are arguably my favourite horror series and it'd been sometime since I revisited part. 3 and since I'm on something of a nostalgia trip down my cinematic memory lane this was the first of the sequels I saw back on a bootleg VHS when these films were still a horror forbidden fruit... Sure it lacks the dark comedic chaos of the late great Tobe Hooper BUT I have a soft spot for this and the still much unloved part. 4, granted the behind the scenes stories of part. 3 are arguably the most interesting part of this film, to think we were so so close to a Peter Jackson directed Chainsaw movie! There is still much I love about this film; a plucky final girl in Kate Hodges, the great Ken Foree and an early role from Viggo Mortensen relishing his bad guy duties... It may lack the grim griminess of the first two movies but it is a twisted fun underrated horror picture.

    Manhunt, dir. John Woo (2017)

    Keeping the nostalgia vibe going with the return to the two-fisted gunplay of director John Woo... It was the mid-nineties and the Van Damme staring Hard Target would introduce me to the action styling of John Woo, one day the work print of that feature will get a decent release, and got me to start watching his most excellent Hong Kong/Heroic Bloodshed films (Hard Boiled, The Killer, A Better Tomorrow II etc.) Sure I stuck with him through his Hollywood period, still have a soft spot for 2000's M:I-2, but with the exception of the nutso Face/Off none really had the flair of the old Woo... So when this got announced I have been waiting for it with baited breath... and... it hit the sweet spot, granted this isn't a masterpiece and feels like a greatest hits package of his work; doves, guns, male bonding and black clad motorbike riding assassins BUT I watched it with a huge grin and I can say "welcome back Maestro Woo, you've been missed..."

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    1. John Candy's films were a staple of my youth. I remember going to a theater to see Uncle Buck. Since it was on TV frequently in the early 1990s, The Great Outdoors was a film I viewed several times. In the past few years I have revisited '80s and '90s film releases, but comedy has generally not attracted me. Mostly the action films.

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    2. I'm often revisiting the 80's and 90's action films as they, like the horror films of that time, were my growing up movies BUT should a comedy get a mention, especially 80's, then I'm all for a re-watch!

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  10. My (past two) week(s) in movies part. 2:

    Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, dir. Lamont Johnson (1983)

    Now this is a blast from the VHS past! 1983 was the year that Hollywood tried to bring back 3D (Jaws 3D, Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D etc.) and as always it proved to be just a fad BUT it did give us such glorious guilt(less) pleasures like this!.. Sure it is a rip off... I mean sorry "homage" to Star Wars and Mad Max and its treatment of the female characters is '18 problematic BUT this film is just an 80's blast with some great old school effects, a very game cast with Molly Ringwald being just cute as a bean and the always reliable Michael Ironside on villain duties... It may not be high art but it is a whole heap of fun!

    Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, dir. Charles Band (1983)

    Back to '83 and another 3D piece of low budget sci-fi entertainment and one that, until now, I had not seen! Like the very fun Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone this feels like it belongs with the Italian rip-offs of Mad Max etc. (1990: The Bronx Warriors for example) and I mean that in the best possible way... Directed by B-movie auteur Charles Band, who shaped a lot of my nineties viewing thanks to Full Moon Pictures and late night Sky TV, this ranks as one of his best films though it is not without its flaws; a fair number of filler shots and a general incoherence to the storytelling, like they basically took the second act of the film and said "that'll do and we can save money shooting the explanation stuff!" Yet, I can't help but just love these movies and thanks to a decent B-movie cast, including an always welcome Tim Thomerson, some excellent widescreen cinematography and a cracking score by richard Band it is a good 83 minutes of eighties sci-fi schlock fun...

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    1. I'd love to see Manhunt! Even the cover features, front and center, a dove caught in slow motion rising into the sky. Haha, but for all his cliches, Woo is a great director and has made many movies I love. I'll check it out.

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    2. In the 90's John Woo was often on repeat in my VHS player... Manhunt may not be classic Woo BUT it does hit more than enough of the sweet spots and the doves, ohh yes the doves!

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  11. Just finished a little Argentinian thriller called Wakolda (aka The German Doctor), about a family with whom Josef Mengele lived for a while in 1960 without them knowing who he was, supposedly based on a true story. The German actor who plays Mengele and especially the Argentinian girl who plays the young daughter of the family and the movie's central character are excellent and the movie builds tension well.

    I made a New Year's resolution to watch more movies from around the world, and Argentina was my tenth country. The goal is 25.

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  12. Unsane was unbelievably stressful and frightening. I loved it, but what a crazy experience!

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  13. Happy Easter everyone! Our highlight of the weekend was watching Air Bud (1997) and Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998).
    These are actually pretty enjoyable.....and I don't have much more to say about them. My kids already wanted a dog, but now they REALLY want a dog.

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