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Uncle Spielberg's Film Club
- Thread starter Uncle Spielberg
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #162
Another quite week at the DVD store and Cinema ( what a shite year for films so far with only Munich, Ice Age 2 hitting the spot as the cinema ) so went with Les Biehn's recommendation
Narc
Les Biehn recommended this film and I have heard of it but knew little about it. It did not tear up the box office or rental market and I did not expect too much.
This film is a superb " cop " thriller with fantastic turns from Patric who was excellent and exorcised the demons of Speed 2 and the always Reliable Ray Liotta looking well matured and dishevelled.
It is about the murder of a cop and who did it. Was he is cop ?, was he a junky ?, there something going on in Liotta's past that Patric does not know about.
The 2 of them go around investigating people, smack head and low lifes, rough quite a few up and start to get to the bottom of it. The camera work is excellent with a superb 5 minute sequence with the screen split into 2 and then 4 stories.
Patric thinks he has go to the bottom of it, but has he ?. The pay off at the end is superb with an unexpected twist.
This is an excellent film and deserves much higher box office and word of mouth. It is one of the best films I have seen recently and will watch it again.
8.3
Narc
Les Biehn recommended this film and I have heard of it but knew little about it. It did not tear up the box office or rental market and I did not expect too much.
This film is a superb " cop " thriller with fantastic turns from Patric who was excellent and exorcised the demons of Speed 2 and the always Reliable Ray Liotta looking well matured and dishevelled.
It is about the murder of a cop and who did it. Was he is cop ?, was he a junky ?, there something going on in Liotta's past that Patric does not know about.
The 2 of them go around investigating people, smack head and low lifes, rough quite a few up and start to get to the bottom of it. The camera work is excellent with a superb 5 minute sequence with the screen split into 2 and then 4 stories.
Patric thinks he has go to the bottom of it, but has he ?. The pay off at the end is superb with an unexpected twist.
This is an excellent film and deserves much higher box office and word of mouth. It is one of the best films I have seen recently and will watch it again.
8.3
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
The Hills Have Eyes
A remake of the 1977 Wes Craven classic. This is a blood-splattered GOREFEST of a film that I actually quite enjoyed. A simple premise of a family on a caravan holiday stranded in the New Mexico desert after crashing their car. They are hunted down then raped, burnt, hacked and bludgeoned to death by a group of violent retards who have been monstrously deformed by radiation contamination (after the US Army tested nucleur bombs in the area years before).
Some well crafted tension is interspersed with some truley sickening scenes of graphic violence and disturbing images. Even the familys pets arn't spared. Highly recommended.
7.1.
A remake of the 1977 Wes Craven classic. This is a blood-splattered GOREFEST of a film that I actually quite enjoyed. A simple premise of a family on a caravan holiday stranded in the New Mexico desert after crashing their car. They are hunted down then raped, burnt, hacked and bludgeoned to death by a group of violent retards who have been monstrously deformed by radiation contamination (after the US Army tested nucleur bombs in the area years before).
Some well crafted tension is interspersed with some truley sickening scenes of graphic violence and disturbing images. Even the familys pets arn't spared. Highly recommended.
7.1.
- Thread starter
- #164
I have the original
Alternative title
" A Weekend in Croydon ".
Alternative title
" A Weekend in Croydon ".
Tom Bombadil
Well-known member
Finally saw Downfall last week and was impressed 8.5
Also sat through Kiki's Delivery Service, a studio Ghibli animated job which was really dissapointing 3.1
Also sat through Kiki's Delivery Service, a studio Ghibli animated job which was really dissapointing 3.1
Ultraviolet -True gash - 1.1
- Thread starter
- #167
Got tickets for Pirates 2 Friday.
Superman Returns looks tasty as well.
Superman Returns looks tasty as well.
The Wind That Shakes The Barley - 7.5
Ken Loach's latest about the treaty between Ireland and England. Very well done, mainly told from the point of view of a small band of Irish freedom fighters. Very Loachian (of course) but definately worth checking out, probably his most accessible film to date.
Ken Loach's latest about the treaty between Ireland and England. Very well done, mainly told from the point of view of a small band of Irish freedom fighters. Very Loachian (of course) but definately worth checking out, probably his most accessible film to date.
- Thread starter
- #169
Anyone seen this Hard Candy yet ?.
Next dvd - The Hills have Eyes remake.
Les Narc was superb, give me another suggestion
Next dvd - The Hills have Eyes remake.
Les Narc was superb, give me another suggestion
- Thread starter
- #170
Uncle Spielberg's film recommendation
This underperformed at the box office but is fresh and always interesting with good turns from Fiennes, Bassett and wild man Sizemore and Lewis looks fecking hot in a tiny biniki and roller skates.
Well worth a look if you have not seen it
------------------------------------
Strange Days (1995)
Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow
Genre: Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller (more)
Tagline: you know you want it (more)
Plot Outline: A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a police conspiracy in 1999 Los Angeles. (more) (view trailer)
User Rating: 6.9/10 (14,238 votes)
Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes .... Lenny Nero
Angela Bassett .... Lornette 'Mace' Mason
Juliette Lewis .... Faith Justin
Tom Sizemore .... Max Peltier
Michael Wincott .... Philo Gant
Vincent D'Onofrio .... Burton Steckler
Glenn Plummer .... Jeriko One
Brigitte Bako .... Iris
Richard Edson .... Tick
William Fichtner .... Dwayne Engelman
Josef Sommer .... Palmer Strickland
Joe Urla .... Keith
Nicky Katt .... Joey Corto
Michael Jace .... Wade Beemer
Louise LeCavalier .... Cindy 'Vita' Minh
Awards: 2 wins & 3 nominations (more)
STRANGE DAYS
"Are we impressed yet?", 12 January 2000
Author: RichardCat from Coventry, England
The answer being, of course, yes I am impressed.
What a thoroughly enjoyable film Strange Days is. Fast-moving and occasionally violent, it's not high art but then neither is it dumbed-down fodder and it has much to commend it. The central plot revolves around an ex-cop (Fiennes, doing a - to my ears anyway - convincing American accent) peddling FBI technology on the black market. The SQUID technology (Super conducting QUantum Interface Device) electronically absorbs information from the central cortex and allows users to experience the thrill of another's sensations - be it murder, sex, robbery, etc. Of course, this central idea, while fascinating, does derive pretty much directly from a Twilight Zone episode. Were this a "classic" Zone episode from the b/w era, then people would have picked it up straight away and the game would be over. As it is, the inspiration comes from one of the colour Twilight Zone episodes which had even less viewers than Strange Days and so the movie can rest assured it is safe in obscurity. (Give up? Okay, it was episode 23, season three, 1989, "The Mind of Simon Foster". I'm an anorak, I know these things).
But whether such were intentional is pretty much irrelevant as the magpie technique of this film takes from many texts and builds something greater than the parts. One of the two greatest science fiction films of the 90s - the other being the excellent "Twelve Monkeys" - both have built-in sell-by dates by fixing their time period in a very near locale. Hence while the supposed date of Monkeys is long past at 98, this film now becomes a historical document as of New Year's Eve 1999. But then does it follow that we will stop watching 2001 in 2002? Hopefully not, and Strange Days is one that too deserves to be revisited in years to come.
The reason why I commend it most is its rewarding political stance. The development that gets adhered onto the "Squid" plot directly references the beating of Rodney King. Such contemporary referencing may again date it as quickly as the '99 setting, but then we also have Angela Bassett as a very empowered, yet caring black woman. Note how she and Lenny have exchanged traditional gender roles in this film, yet this feels not like some "macho woman" schtick but genuine characterisation. Lenny is a likeable, wisetalking street peddler who spends the film as a human punchbag. Gone is the cliched jaw-breaking action man role for him, instead his only retort to violence is "I'll give you my Rolex". This sense of, if you like, PC-ness, can also be evidenced with the lesbian couple kissing as the year 2000 breaks, or the (one scene only, admittedly) appearance of a disabled man as a central character.
However, the boundary-pushing elements of this movie are tainted by the appearance of Juliet Lewis in the film. A capable actress, her only role appears to be as a receptacle for various men's sexual needs or to gratuitously expose her breasts on multiple occasions. This is a great shame, and a pity that a film which has such high intentions in almost every other area should fall back on unfortunate portrayal.
The dialogue is pitched just about right without being particularly clever, though occasionally it stalls. "You're like a goddamn cruise missile, targetted on making it", Fiennes tells Faith (Lewis) at one point, managing to keep a straight face. Later, Bassett must endure having to say "These are used emotions. It's time to trade them in" and not use her gun on the scriptwriter. When the credits do roll, it's perhaps no surprise that James Cameron was the co-writer, as its slight perfunctory, by-the-numbers stance often reminds one of the machinations of "Titanic". Tom Sizemore as Max is every inch the one-dimensional Cameron "character", while plot twists sometimes feel heavily engineered. Maybe Jay Cocks is responsible for the script's more "human" feel, with particular note going to the moral debate of whether or not to expose the LAPD's murder of an influential black rapper. The two leads debate (internally, as well as verbally, a first for a Cameron movie) the implications and the possible consequences of such an action. Despite its flirtation with the mainstream, Strange Days is a film that dares to pervert the traditional course of Hollywood into a future that is worth seeing. Perhaps predictably, it made little impact at the box office.
This underperformed at the box office but is fresh and always interesting with good turns from Fiennes, Bassett and wild man Sizemore and Lewis looks fecking hot in a tiny biniki and roller skates.
Well worth a look if you have not seen it
------------------------------------
Strange Days (1995)
Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow
Genre: Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller (more)
Tagline: you know you want it (more)
Plot Outline: A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a police conspiracy in 1999 Los Angeles. (more) (view trailer)
User Rating: 6.9/10 (14,238 votes)
Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes .... Lenny Nero
Angela Bassett .... Lornette 'Mace' Mason
Juliette Lewis .... Faith Justin
Tom Sizemore .... Max Peltier
Michael Wincott .... Philo Gant
Vincent D'Onofrio .... Burton Steckler
Glenn Plummer .... Jeriko One
Brigitte Bako .... Iris
Richard Edson .... Tick
William Fichtner .... Dwayne Engelman
Josef Sommer .... Palmer Strickland
Joe Urla .... Keith
Nicky Katt .... Joey Corto
Michael Jace .... Wade Beemer
Louise LeCavalier .... Cindy 'Vita' Minh
Awards: 2 wins & 3 nominations (more)
STRANGE DAYS
"Are we impressed yet?", 12 January 2000
Author: RichardCat from Coventry, England
The answer being, of course, yes I am impressed.
What a thoroughly enjoyable film Strange Days is. Fast-moving and occasionally violent, it's not high art but then neither is it dumbed-down fodder and it has much to commend it. The central plot revolves around an ex-cop (Fiennes, doing a - to my ears anyway - convincing American accent) peddling FBI technology on the black market. The SQUID technology (Super conducting QUantum Interface Device) electronically absorbs information from the central cortex and allows users to experience the thrill of another's sensations - be it murder, sex, robbery, etc. Of course, this central idea, while fascinating, does derive pretty much directly from a Twilight Zone episode. Were this a "classic" Zone episode from the b/w era, then people would have picked it up straight away and the game would be over. As it is, the inspiration comes from one of the colour Twilight Zone episodes which had even less viewers than Strange Days and so the movie can rest assured it is safe in obscurity. (Give up? Okay, it was episode 23, season three, 1989, "The Mind of Simon Foster". I'm an anorak, I know these things).
But whether such were intentional is pretty much irrelevant as the magpie technique of this film takes from many texts and builds something greater than the parts. One of the two greatest science fiction films of the 90s - the other being the excellent "Twelve Monkeys" - both have built-in sell-by dates by fixing their time period in a very near locale. Hence while the supposed date of Monkeys is long past at 98, this film now becomes a historical document as of New Year's Eve 1999. But then does it follow that we will stop watching 2001 in 2002? Hopefully not, and Strange Days is one that too deserves to be revisited in years to come.
The reason why I commend it most is its rewarding political stance. The development that gets adhered onto the "Squid" plot directly references the beating of Rodney King. Such contemporary referencing may again date it as quickly as the '99 setting, but then we also have Angela Bassett as a very empowered, yet caring black woman. Note how she and Lenny have exchanged traditional gender roles in this film, yet this feels not like some "macho woman" schtick but genuine characterisation. Lenny is a likeable, wisetalking street peddler who spends the film as a human punchbag. Gone is the cliched jaw-breaking action man role for him, instead his only retort to violence is "I'll give you my Rolex". This sense of, if you like, PC-ness, can also be evidenced with the lesbian couple kissing as the year 2000 breaks, or the (one scene only, admittedly) appearance of a disabled man as a central character.
However, the boundary-pushing elements of this movie are tainted by the appearance of Juliet Lewis in the film. A capable actress, her only role appears to be as a receptacle for various men's sexual needs or to gratuitously expose her breasts on multiple occasions. This is a great shame, and a pity that a film which has such high intentions in almost every other area should fall back on unfortunate portrayal.
The dialogue is pitched just about right without being particularly clever, though occasionally it stalls. "You're like a goddamn cruise missile, targetted on making it", Fiennes tells Faith (Lewis) at one point, managing to keep a straight face. Later, Bassett must endure having to say "These are used emotions. It's time to trade them in" and not use her gun on the scriptwriter. When the credits do roll, it's perhaps no surprise that James Cameron was the co-writer, as its slight perfunctory, by-the-numbers stance often reminds one of the machinations of "Titanic". Tom Sizemore as Max is every inch the one-dimensional Cameron "character", while plot twists sometimes feel heavily engineered. Maybe Jay Cocks is responsible for the script's more "human" feel, with particular note going to the moral debate of whether or not to expose the LAPD's murder of an influential black rapper. The two leads debate (internally, as well as verbally, a first for a Cameron movie) the implications and the possible consequences of such an action. Despite its flirtation with the mainstream, Strange Days is a film that dares to pervert the traditional course of Hollywood into a future that is worth seeing. Perhaps predictably, it made little impact at the box office.
- Thread starter
- #171
Saw Pirates of the Caribean 1 on DVD, swashbuckling is not my bag particularly but it was mildly entertaining fare but did Depp really deserve an oscar nomination , I think not 5.7
Pirates of the Caribean 2 Dead Mans Chest
A packed cinema on Friday and again it was 2 and a half hours of nonsense really with a convaluted plot and lots of swords and sea monsters and jellyfish men and a few good scenes and Depp reprising his half pissed pirate roll. Ok but not as good as Superman Returns by a long way I would wager 5.5
Pirates of the Caribean 2 Dead Mans Chest
A packed cinema on Friday and again it was 2 and a half hours of nonsense really with a convaluted plot and lots of swords and sea monsters and jellyfish men and a few good scenes and Depp reprising his half pissed pirate roll. Ok but not as good as Superman Returns by a long way I would wager 5.5
Pirates 2
Not even close to being as good as first and the ending was poor and I dont think it was needed.
Not even close to being as good as first and the ending was poor and I dont think it was needed.
Cheeky Monkey
Well-known member
- Jul 17, 2003
- 23,169
Finally caught both the Kill Bill's last week.
First one 9/10
Second 7.5/10
Had to rush down to HMV where both soundtracks retail for the bargain price of £5.99 each. The best music I have bought in many, many years.
"Bang, bang, my baby shot me down, bang, bang...."
First one 9/10
Second 7.5/10
Had to rush down to HMV where both soundtracks retail for the bargain price of £5.99 each. The best music I have bought in many, many years.
"Bang, bang, my baby shot me down, bang, bang...."
Knightsworld
Well-known member
Kinky Gerbils said:
Just got back from watching this and i am of the same opinion as you.
I had seen/read sooo many reports about this film and they were all giving it top marks and was really looking forward to seeing it. Came out feeling a little bit deflated at what i saw.
The wife and kids loved it though.
I would give it 6 out of 10.
- Thread starter
- #175
Pirates 2 did not have the cinema rocking at all, there was a sense of seen it before and slight boredom and a very half hearted response at the end, certainly not 1 person saw fit to applaud it.
- Thread starter
- #176
North Country - dvd
I had seen some good reviews of this and Theron was nominated for an oscar and there were some big names, McDiarmid, Harrelson and Bean.
It was a standard tale of a woman working in a factory in redneck America and her sexual harrassment and general abuse of the women as the owner and other men wanted them at home in the kitchen and bedroom.
Theron put in a decent turn, she is not just a pretty face but nowhere near as good as Monster.
It never really reached the heights and even the Dead Poets Society type ending did not have the emotional punch it should have. I was a little dissapointed
6.0
I had seen some good reviews of this and Theron was nominated for an oscar and there were some big names, McDiarmid, Harrelson and Bean.
It was a standard tale of a woman working in a factory in redneck America and her sexual harrassment and general abuse of the women as the owner and other men wanted them at home in the kitchen and bedroom.
Theron put in a decent turn, she is not just a pretty face but nowhere near as good as Monster.
It never really reached the heights and even the Dead Poets Society type ending did not have the emotional punch it should have. I was a little dissapointed
6.0
Redhead
New member
Kinky Gerbils said:
I was loving it until the ending, I was confident I was going to come out of there in awe of another masterful performance from Jonny Depp, and it was, Orlando Bloom was shit as expected, and Kiera Knightly didn't get enough screen time for me, but the ending was so badly thought out it tarnishes what was a very good film.
6/10
I also saw Anchorman Legend of Ron Burgandy for the first time yesterday, that was a pleasant suprise and very funny
7.234/10
Man of Harveys
Well-known member
Applauding in cinemas is for FOOLS, unless it's a (very rare)spontananeous reaction to a momentary bit of brilliance in a scene, i.e. Indiana Jones shoots over-elaborate swordsman. But clapping at the end of a film is POOR.Uncle Spielberg said:
- Thread starter
- #179
Maybe but it is still a good yardstick of whether you have seen something a bit special I find as whenever I have been in a cinema and there has been a spontaneous burst of applause at the end it has been a very good film.
- Thread starter
- #180
" a momentary bit of brilliance in a scene, i.e. Indiana Jones shoots over-elaborate swordsman. "
Careful did you know Spielberg directed this
Careful did you know Spielberg directed this