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Film Weekly



Sussax

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Aug 31, 2012
2,332
Brighton
This thread will contain 'Heads Ups' as well as reviews of films either watched via the Telly/DVD/Cinema.

This differs from 'Film 2013' because it contains films not just from 2013 but from whenever you like.

For Example:

I've just watched 'Robin Hood' on C4 - Insert Review or Actors/Film itself -

And an example of 'Heads Ups' for next week is as follows:

Saturday 5th January Main Channels ONLY - other people can post films watched via Sky etc -

- Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007) BBC1
- The Dam Busters (1954) Channel 5
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) C4
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004) C4

Sunday 6th January

- Stand By Me (1986) Channel 5
- Bruce Almighty (2003) BBC1
- Thank You For Smoking (2005) Film4
- The Iron Lady (2009) C4
 




Meade's Ball

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,612
Hither (sometimes Thither)
I watched Chocolate today. Recorded it from last night on filmfour late on. It's by the director of Ong Bak, which i haven't seen, and concerns an autistic girl looking to reclaim the debts owed to her mother in order to fund her medical treatment. She kicks a lot of people in. It were alright. The actors receiving her beatings were a little over-dramatic and deliberately missful in their lame swipes, but it was enjoyable enough.
 


albion534

Well-known member
Mar 4, 2010
5,263
Brighton, United Kingdom
I watched Chocolate today. Recorded it from last night on filmfour late on. It's by the director of Ong Bak, which i haven't seen, and concerns an autistic girl looking to reclaim the debts owed to her mother in order to fund her medical treatment. She kicks a lot of people in. It were alright. The actors receiving her beatings were a little over-dramatic and deliberately missful in their lame swipes, but it was enjoyable enough.



Watch ong bak! Won't be disappointed
 






Sussax

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Aug 31, 2012
2,332
Brighton
Just finished watching Act Of Valor via Netflix, was rather let down by the ending though. Would you wait 5 seconds to shout GRENADE! after it hit the ground? Then jump on it rather than kicking it away, when your wife is heavily pregnant? I don't think so, as it wasn't the type of film for Heroes and a very poor soundtrack. 6/10

Avatar is on tonight on E4 at 8.00.

Ghost is on tonight at 9.00 after MI 3 which starts at 6:35 on Film4.
 




The Merry Prankster

Pactum serva
Aug 19, 2006
5,576
Shoreham Beach
This thread will contain 'Heads Ups' as well as reviews of films either watched via the Telly/DVD/Cinema.

This differs from 'Film 2013' because it contains films not just from 2013 but from whenever you like.

For Example:

I've just watched 'Robin Hood' on C4 - Insert Review or Actors/Film itself -

And an example of 'Heads Ups' for next week is as follows:

Saturday 5th January Main Channels ONLY - other people can post films watched via Sky etc -

- Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007) BBC1
- The Dam Busters (1954) Channel 5
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) C4
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004) C4

Sunday 6th January

- Stand By Me (1986) Channel 5
- Bruce Almighty (2003) BBC1
- Thank You For Smoking (2005) Film4
- The Iron Lady (2009) C4



Try following @TopFilmTip
 




TheBlueAndWhiteStrips

Active member
May 27, 2009
1,170
Huntingdon
And tomorrow night late on on BBC2 is The Big Steal. Another to record for me and watch soon after. Probably be on iPlayer too. Directed by Dirty Harry legend Don Siegel and starring the ever-smirking Robert Mitchum.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041178/

Bought this the other day along with 8 other noir films for £14 not got round to watching it yet.
 




Dusty_Fryer

New member
May 12, 2009
188
Port Stanley
Just watched Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Thirty-Nine Steps'. An absolutely superb film. My highlight has to be the gentleman who keeps shouting at the Memory Man, "How old's Mae West?"
 








Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,724
Brighton
Just quickly, not looking to start a binfest (although no doubt I will) is there not a bit of a case of "old films are rubbish" sometimes, like "old football is rubbish".

Watched the "classic" The Lady Vanishes with the in-laws over Christmas and was having to bite my lip to stop from laughing quite a few times, from the most casual gunfight you have ever seen, to some of the editing, dialogue and acting.

It's seen as a classic, yet if it came out now, it would be seen as utterly laughable. Am I missing something?
 




Meade's Ball

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,612
Hither (sometimes Thither)
Just quickly, not looking to start a binfest (although no doubt I will) is there not a bit of a case of "old films are rubbish" sometimes, like "old football is rubbish".

Watched the "classic" The Lady Vanishes with the in-laws over Christmas and was having to bite my lip to stop from laughing quite a few times, from the most casual gunfight you have ever seen, to some of the editing, dialogue and acting.

It's seen as a classic, yet if it came out now, it would be seen as utterly laughable. Am I missing something?

It's the same as despairing over poor production qualities of music not made last week, isn't it? As in, you recognise the era in which it was made and take into account the likely limitations of the machinery available at the time and the fact that the time itself was politically and socially different, therefore making dialogue and narrative and the completely hidden notions of sexuality dated. But you accept those elements as you are not comparing such a film as A Lady Vanishes to Transformers 3. You transport yourself to then as a viewer as best you can also. Sometimes an old film here or there is unavoidably amusingly bad. But then you just have to see Tom Cruise or Keanu Reeves attempting to "act" and you realise not much has changed at all in terms of whether pap is ever-laughable.
It's like deriding artistry of the 15th century because their paintbrushes weren't good enough. There's plenty beneath the surface.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
Just quickly, not looking to start a binfest (although no doubt I will) is there not a bit of a case of "old films are rubbish" sometimes, like "old football is rubbish".

Watched the "classic" The Lady Vanishes with the in-laws over Christmas and was having to bite my lip to stop from laughing quite a few times, from the most casual gunfight you have ever seen, to some of the editing, dialogue and acting.

It's seen as a classic, yet if it came out now, it would be seen as utterly laughable. Am I missing something?
I was going to 'heads up' for Sunset Boulevard last week, but it seemed pretty pointless, as those in the know would have already seen it, many times.
Those that don't are unlikely to get the nuances within the film.

I'm not a lover of Gone with the Wind but was riveted to a 'making of...' documentary.
The behind the scenes stuff, actors, clothing, direction, attention to detail, etc was fascinating.
 


Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,724
Brighton
It's the same as despairing over poor production qualities of music not made last week, isn't it? As in, you recognise the era in which it was made and take into account the likely limitations of the machinery available at the time and the fact that the time itself was politically and socially different, therefore making dialogue and narrative and the completely hidden notions of sexuality dated. But you accept those elements as you are not comparing such a film as A Lady Vanishes to Transformers 3. You transport yourself to then as a viewer as best you can also. Sometimes an old film here or there is unavoidably amusingly bad. But then you just have to see Tom Cruise or Keanu Reeves attempting to "act" and you realise not much has changed at all in terms of whether pap is ever-laughable.
It's like deriding artistry of the 15th century because their paintbrushes weren't good enough. There's plenty beneath the surface.

But surely the buck stops at the acting. Regardless of scenery, special effects, cinematography etc. and the acting in so many old films, especially child actors, is just so BAD that it makes it near impossible to "suspend disbelief".

Limitations of the time do not explain why the gun fight on the train in The Lady Vanishes is so casual, it's just awful film making irrespective of era.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
But surely the buck stops at the acting. Regardless of scenery, special effects, cinematography etc. and the acting in so many old films, especially child actors, is just so BAD that it makes it near impossible to "suspend disbelief".

Limitations of the time do not explain why the gun fight on the train in The Lady Vanishes is so casual, it's just awful film making irrespective of era.
I watched Son of Rambo and The Golden Compass in quick succession.

I couldn't believe a film as massive as Compass was handed over to such truly dreadful 'Tarquin and Tabitha' actors, verses real kids in Rambo.
 




Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,724
Brighton
For some balance, I saw The Great Gatsby the other day (not quite so old), and thought it was brilliant. And also the SWEATIEST film I've ever seen.
 


Meade's Ball

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,612
Hither (sometimes Thither)
But surely the buck stops at the acting. Regardless of scenery, special effects, cinematography etc. and the acting in so many old films, especially child actors, is just so BAD that it makes it near impossible to "suspend disbelief".

Limitations of the time do not explain why the gun fight on the train in The Lady Vanishes is so casual, it's just awful film making irrespective of era.

I tend to assess the acting of all involved in relativity to the time it was made. I don't watch a film from the 1940s with the heartfelt belief there'll be any gritty realism to it, as i half-expect even from action films of the very recent past. Cinema hadn't become that yet and was no cheaper for it. It was a place of theatre and in black and white had to work so much in luscious shadow.
The Lady Vanishes is a mildly derring do adventure with quite a lot of comedy to it. The shootouts aren't filled with bloodsplatter and don't need to have the bullet in the head explosiveness to it as repeatedly overdone in modern film. It sounds as if you weren't into it from the start and the more glaring differences to modern fare stood out all the more. For me it was a film, not the most amazing one i've ever seen, of playfulness and a little romance and mostly suspense thanks to the core of the story of the missing or not Miss Froy and the cause of her disappearance: the nazis.
 



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