Rate the Last Film You Watched

I'm quite fond of Sanjuro, I think that's mostly because the theme that most of the comedy is based on appeals to me. Much of the humour centres on different cultural expectations and rules, with many of the issues our main characters face arising from their tendency to take things at face value and to let themselves be bound by traditions and social expectations. I did also enjoy the more serious character study comparing Muroto and "Sanjuro", who are fairly similar but on slightly different paths (or possibly the same path with slightly different experiences). I think the film probably benefits from being re-watched with that in mind as well.

I recently got around to watching Deadpool.

I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy this one since I'd heard it was kind of a sarcastic, fourth-wall breaking parody. It is that but I have to give it credit for not leaning too heavily on that gimmick, there's an actual story and the characters aren't used entirely to be vehicles for jokes. I did enjoy some of the humour too, the observations about typical hero stories were often well delivered and there was some solid black humour about how unheroic Deadpool can be.

I wouldn't say it was a favourite (I like the standard stuff and I tend to prefer Captain America to any of the "edgy" heroes) but it was surprisingly enjoyable and a decent complement to the other films that offers a bit of a different experience.
 
Spring Breakers

Spring Breakers followers a group of friends who conduct armed robbery in order to raise money for the ultimate spring break. It just might be the most obnoxious film I’ve ever seen, but at the same time that really works in its favour. There is much to be taken aback by, the film features an enormous number of shots of sex, drugs, nudity and general partying to the point where it borders on the perverse and voyeuristic. Many of the characters are completely unlikeable, and very little attempt is made to improve our opinions of them, but somehow they’re enthralling throughout and almost become endearing, even during their more outrageous behaviour. The film’s neon colour scheme is inspired and almost every shot contained within it is a masterpiece. This combines with script and editing, which feature lots of repeating phrases and looped dialogue to give the film an almost poetic quality, even if the cumulative effect does occasionally become a little nauseating at first, and clearly elevates it beyond being “just” a party film as the marketing may imply. Thematically, the film is perhaps hard to pin down, but the through line of the film is about “friends” corrupting each other in the pursuit of society’s ideals and the damage it causes, though it treats its audience far more intelligently than to wrap its events up with a preachy monologue. Unfortunately, the film’s ending is abrupt and as a result I found it to be somewhat unsatisfying, although I believe the lack of resolution to be intentional. Although some may be offended by its more perverse and voyeuristic sensibilities, its refusal to explicitly condemn its lead characters, or its sheer obnoxiousness, it’s clear the film has been precision engineered by writer-director Harmony Korine to give off this effect. Its near-poetic intolerableness is more than just intentional, it’s the film’s very core, the reason for its existence. It’s definitely not a film for everyone, but beneath its nauseating neon exterior lies a clever, more nuanced film than one might expect. I would highly recommend this film to anyone with a love of film and an open mind, but if you are at all unsure about whether you would not enjoy it, I would probably stay away as it requires a complete willingness to roll with it.

9/10.
 
The Neon Demon (2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn is an interesting chap (he's from the future after all!), The Neon Demon is the latest movie from the Director and it's fair to say it had an interesting reaction when it premiered at Cannes, from Audience Walkouts and Booing right through to Standing Ovations. The movie didn't play near me so I earmarked the day this came out as a Day 1 watch and that day is today (or yesterday by the time this is posted!).

Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a young, naive, aspiring model from a small town who moves to LA to try and make it, she then pretty much ploughs right in and steamrolls the competion, who in turn become very jealous which in turn causes animosity and problems.

No surprise that this is a visually stunning movie, cinematography is outstanding as with other NWR movies and is probably amongst the best released this year, particularly with the use of colours and lighting and it's soundtrack is amazing, Cliff Martinez absolutely nails it once again. No surprise also that the movies style very much outshines it's substance.

The movie is very narratively thin, if you enjoy visual story telling you'll have a better time with this movie than someone who prefers there straight narratives and being given the answers as this movie is definitely off the chain. Particularly when the movie enters it's closing stages, without spoiling it, the ending will definitely illicit some sort of reaction from every viewer. The movies scenes are definitely designed to be like that and similar to Only God Forgives features very OTT scenes which lack any sort of believability and for that probably hurts the story somewhat, a case of going too far for going fars sake if that makes any sense. But at the end of the day NWR will do what NWR does and that is to film the kind of thing he wants to see and will happily revel in the audiences reaction regardless of how they lean. This is NWR probably at his most NWR, and it's fair to say if you'll excuse my language this is without a doubt NWR's Most ****** Up Movie, guys got some crazy fetishes!

If you are not into films which are different or if you are easily offended, then steer right clear from this. But if your looking for sort of an Artsy, Experimental Thriller/Horror Film that is not afraid to go to the dark side then you may find this an entertaining watch, also to note if you have watched Drive and Only God Forgives this will probably be of interest to you too as this is deemed to be the third installment of the 'Neon Trilogy' as it's been called. It's not a perfect movie. But it certainly is a movie that is going to stick with me for a long time to come, like Drive and Only God Forgives there is a lot to extrapolate from the film!
 
I rewatched Requiem for a Dream last night, and that is still a great movie. I always hear a lot of people saying "You'll never want to watch it again!" but I really don't get that. Yes, it's incredibly dark and horrific in it's latter half, but that doesn't make it any less of an excellent film. I guess some people just can't handle it? I have no idea. I'm not sure if it's odd, but one of the elements I love the most about the film lies in it's editing. It's so unique and it uses so many different techniques to great effect, like quick cutting to show the passage of time, speeding up or slowing down footage to simulate the effects of drugs and the split screen effect, where you see the same scene from two different perspectives at the same time. I especially loved how the editing was used to draw a parallel between Harry and Sarah, cutting from Harry taking his pills to Sarah taking her pills, without the audience knowing the scene had changed. It's editing so just so clever, I honestly wish more films would take a less conventional approach to film editing as it makes things far more interesting than just cutting from shot to shot. Edgar Wright is another master of this, the editing in his films and how it's used for visual gags is just fantastic. Editing aside, Requiem is still brilliant, with excellent performances, it's iconic score and it's unflinching look at drug abuse. I've heard it called the best anti drug PSA ever, and that is certainly on point.

A couple of nights back I also decided to rewatch Evil Dead 2. As far as horror comedies go, it's still one of my favourites. It is very goofy, which may not be to everyone's tastes, but to me, it's one of the most relentlessly entertaining films I've ever seen. There's genuinely not a dull moment in the entire thing, which is really a marvel. Most horror films take a little while to get into things, but here, there's a decapitation in the first 7 minutes! You really can't argue with that! The direction from Sam Rami is excellent, and is honestly what gives the film its incredible sense of energy, and the special effect work is also spectacular, especially toward the end. This also reminds me, I still haven't seen Army of Darkness, I should probably get on to that at some point...
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
I rewatched Requiem for a Dream last night, and that is still a great movie. I always hear a lot of people saying "You'll never want to watch it again!" but I really don't get that. Yes, it's incredibly dark and horrific in it's latter half, but that doesn't make it any less of an excellent film. I guess some people just can't handle it? I have no idea. I'm not sure if it's odd, but one of the elements I love the most about the film lies in it's editing. It's so unique and it uses so many different techniques to great effect, like quick cutting to show the passage of time, speeding up or slowing down footage to simulate the effects of drugs and the split screen effect, where you see the same scene from two different perspectives at the same time. I especially loved how the editing was used to draw a parallel between Harry and Sarah, cutting from Harry taking his pills to Sarah taking her pills, without the audience knowing the scene had changed. It's editing so just so clever, I honestly wish more films would take a less conventional approach to film editing as it makes things far more interesting than just cutting from shot to shot. Edgar Wright is another master of this, the editing in his films and how it's used for visual gags is just fantastic. Editing aside, Requiem is still brilliant, with excellent performances, it's iconic score and it's unflinching look at drug abuse. I've heard it called the best anti drug PSA ever, and that is certainly on point.
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Big fan of Darren Aronofsky and Requiem for a Dream. I fall into the camp of finding it difficult to want to re-watch though. I think perhaps if it contains parallels to "Train Wrecks" you've had in your own life that is where some of that difficulty (at least for me) arises. I'd highly recommend his film "The Fountain" if you have not seen it.
 
got to see doctor strange lately, love how it shows us a side of the marvel universe that has only been seen in the comic books (the magical, mystical side, and by magic like spells and spirits magic instead of highly-sufficient alien technology magic)

i was almost expecting an mvc3 kinda showdown near the end too, yeah, that would've been kinda neat :p
 
Cloud Atlas (2012)

With its hugely ambitious, multi-stranded narrative, I can't help comparing Cloud Atlas to Babel, but the two are very much like opposites. Babel, I thought was a sharp-edged drama with very fine individual segements that never came together in any meaningful fashion, whereas Cloud Atlas is surprisingly warm, welcoming and more than the sum of its parts. In the end, I thought it was a bit overly sentimental, but it's a satisfying film that really doesn't feel its 3 hour-ish running time.
 
Safe House (2012)

Pretty standard boiler-plate thriller, but stars Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds acquit themselves well, and there's some nice, crunchy action on offer.
 
High Rise (2016)

Didn't go to see this on release as I was put off by a lot of negative reviews, but honestly, I don't think you could ask for a more perfect adaptation of J.G. Ballard's darkly comic dystopia, in which the class-obsessed residents of a luxury apartment block descend into their own private feral society.

I think a lot of people may have been disappointed that, for all its intense examination of the people living in the block, it doesn't seem to have any grand point to make about society, and lacks much of a final punchline (beyond possibly "The Aristocrats!"), but that was my experience of the book as well. Ballard always seems more interested in making snapshots of the individual's mental state while thrust into an unfathomable (and often taboo) situation, and that is exactly what we get here, expertly acted and beautifully shot.
 
Star Wars: Rogue One

A solid 9.5.

As someone who does everything in my power to avoid spoilers, I knew literally nothing going into this other than "It's about stealing the Death Star plans and that girl on the posters in the main character". In that spirit of spoiler avoidance, I won't even post spoilers in spoiler tags.

I really wasn't sure to begin with. It seemed a bit slow to get going, was jumping around from location to location and is directed quite differently to the other films. But once it got going, especially after the introduction of a character I really did NOT expect to see, boy did it get going. I lost count of the moments my jaw dropped and I looked around to make sure everyone else was as thrilled as I was. This is how you bring something new to an established universe. I was satisfied with TFA, it was better than I feared it would be and the new cast members are pretty good actors I look forward to seeing more of, but I was quite disappointed by how little new it brought to the table. Rogue One has put everything right again. It feel like the creative team responsible for it really loves the Star Wars world and its possibilities, in a way I have to say TFA didn't.
 
ayase said:
Star Wars: Rogue One

A solid 9.5.
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Good to see someone agrees with me. Opinions seem pretty divided overall, but I loved it. You actually hit all the points I'd make too, to be honest. Opening was a bit shaky, with all the different locations and character jumps, but once it really got going, it was brilliant. Really loved the K2 droid, got quite a few laughs from me, and Donnie Yen's character kicked some major ass. I also appreciate it as a Star Wars film with no Jedi in it. That felt very refreshing, and I'm glad to see you can totally just make a Star Wars film about any part of the universe, not just the Jedi and Sith, and still make it great. Definitely better than TFA in my eyes. I also must say that the CG work on Tarkin was just excellent, it looked so good, it was actually pretty eerie. Shame the same can't be said for Leia cameo at the end which looked a lot faker.
 
Pride (2014)

If you get down to brass tacks, this true-life tale of the unlikely alliance forged between a group of London-based lesbian and gay activists and a small Welsh village at the heart of the 1984 miners' strike is rather the 'heartwarming British underdog story' writ large, but it's told with such wit and earnest enthusiasm that the film is an absolute joy from beginning to end.
 
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I enjoyed this quite a bit, I think I like it even more so on reflection. It really has a great cast of characters and does quite a lot with them in the time it has.

I would say that the two main protagonists felt a little weaker and their arc seemed to almost be missing a step somewhere to fully justify it's progress. Still, that's more than made up for by the rest of the cast. Each character is introduced in a way that makes them easily likeable and does a good job of conveying a lot of information about them in a fairly short time. It feels like you could almost make a film about each character (or at least a couple at a time) and that they really do have their own histories and personalities.

In a way, this has always been the strength of Star Wars. Every character is a person in that universe and it always feels like there are plenty more stories to tell behind what you see. Everyone might have their own idea of what Star Wars should be and maybe this film won't suit everyone but there's always plenty more room for different stories. I'm pleased to see that they're willing to take a chance by having a major release cover a story that would have previously been restricted to Expanded Universe content.

I hope they have some more creative stuff to tell, I'd quite like to see a film based on similar ideas to Knights Of The Old Republic 2 (though done properly). Well, that or TK421: A Star Wars Story.

I'd like to give special mention to Krennic, although it would have been nice to see more of his story I did appreciate getting a bit of insight into the "other side". I think they could do a lot more with that idea but it's probably also the kind of thing that could be difficult to do well (and it'd probably be more of a risk in terms of wide appeal).
 
More than a month late, but w/e

Rogue One

Having also seen a plethora of opinions on this one, I was a bit apprehensive, but I enjoyed it a lot. I'd heard it described as a war film that just happens to take place in the Star Wars universe, and that seems pretty much on the money, especially into the second half, where it feels as though characterisation takes a back seat, in favour of progressing the larger story. Overall, it struck me as a touch overlong and perhaps a little unecessarily grimdark (despite my lack of investment in most of the characters, I'd have preferred for not all of them to die), but it was a visually sumptuous, absorbing bit of old-fashioned gun-rattling action and I'd rather have more like this than another TFA, to be quite honest.

Just as an aside, it also struck me while watching that there was a small edit to the market scene that appeared to be removing the detonation of a suicide bomber, although I think that's quite understandable. I'm actually surprised they'd consider including that in the first place.
 
I've gone to the cinema for the past month so here's a quick summary of what I've watched:

A Monster Calls - 3.5/5
A good film about a boy trying to face his problems with a talking Liam Nesson tree. It won't appeal to everyone and I may not pick this one up on Blu-ray but it's a solid film as a whole. Great story though.

Silence - 4/5
Long and rather slow-paced, Silence won't please everyone but it's story and character development caught my interest all the way through it's 3 hour run-time.

La La Land - 4.5/5
I never thought I'll get into this film, but I really enjoyed it. The music was great, and both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone do a tremendous job with their roles. Highly recommended.

T2 Trainspotting - 3.5/5
Really surprised with this sequel. I found this to be more intriguing than the first film, though it does repeat moments that the first film did so it's not entirely original. The story itself I felt was better than the first but overall it's a satisfying sequel to a film that came out 20 years ago.

And here's some films I watched on Blu-ray:

Drive - 4.5/5
A cult classic. I honestly knew nothing about Drive and after watching it, I loved it. The soundtrack is well handled and Ryan Gosling was great. The story and tone are pretty interesting as well.

Kubo and the Two Strings - 4/5
I believe this is the first Studio Laika film I've seen. Kubo is really good and while the story was slightly predictable, it didn't ruin the viewing experience. Top notch animation and casting. If it wins Best Animated Feature at the Oscars I'll be happy.

The Nice Guys - 5/5
This caught me by surprise. I heard things about this movie so after picking it up and watching it I absolutely loved it. A buddy cop comedy that honestly made me smile and laugh all the way, and I would love to rewatch it again and again. I would love to see a sequel happen.

Spotlight - 4.5/5
Spotlight was a film that I never thought would intrigue me all the way. It's a somewhat slow-paced film but I just get invested in the story that surprisingly enough actually happened in real life (well it's based on true events). Great cast and a cool direction.

Trainspotting - 3.5/5
An interesting cult film following a group of drug-addicts. The story is hard to follow and personally put me off at times but it is interesting once you understand what's going on. Great cast and soundtrack.
 
The Hateful Eight (2015)

Didn't bother going to see this on release, after my general disappointment with Django Unchained, but to my surprise, it's actually the most focused effort old Quentin's put out in a long time. It's still overlong, but it's beautifully shot and feels much more like a coherent, sustained narrative than Django or Basterds. I'd put it as his best film since Jackie Brown.
 
I still have to see THE but Django was good in my opinion. As a big Tarantino fan (shame on me for not having seen yet THE...couldnt make it to the cinema at the time), my biggest disapointment with his movies was the Inglourious Basterds. My hype was so big I could touch the sky... Came out of the cinema a bit disapointed... it was not bad but not as good as previous ones.
 
Been meaning to talk more about the film I've seen at the Cinema. A whole lot of films for me over the past few weeks (praise be to the unlimited cinema card!), so will just keep it as brief as I can!

A Monster Calls

Young Lewis MacDougall puts in a very good performance that's more than the sum of his years. Really liked the transitions between the dark themes and the more fantastical elements, the watercolour sequences are something for the eyes. Spoilt slightly by interference in the film during those sequences during the dramtic climaxes at the end of the second act and a good portion of the third act.

La La Land

Beautiful Film, still can't believe that Director Damien Chazelle is still only 32 years old. Emma Stone was lovely, and my love affair with pretty much everything Ryan Gosling has done continues! Really would like a piece of that OST on that Blue Vinyl I've seen!

Sing

Colourful Animation, Catchy Songs and Soft Animals, what more do you need for a film of this type, delivered exactly what it says on the tin!

Split

Really wasn't expecting much from this film, but it surprised me, pretty entertaining and thrilling stuff. Probably up there as one of James McAvoy's best performances. A return to form of sorts for M. Night Shyamalan.

Lion

It would be hard not to feel some kind of emotion throughout whether it's through following young Saroo getting lost through traversing the unforgiving Kolkata streets. Through to the issues that Saroo has to face when he has grown up and the struggles he has. There were certainly a few tissues out at the end of this film in the audience. I think I just managed to hold it back. I will also say that the movie's Cinematography is pretty fantastic. Watched it again later in the week.

Manchester by the Sea

Stunning piece of drama with some really nice fully-realised characters. Casey Affleck is certainly superb in his role.

Hacksaw Ridge

A story of faith and courage that may depict strong violent war drama but it's more fascinating following it from the standpoint of why men would fight for their country in the first place, particularly the man who was of course the first conscientious objector to be awarded a Medal of Honor that the movie is centered around.

Loving

Understated movie with some strong performances from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. Really like how the movie focuses on the Loving's life and how it potrays them as just a couple who just love each other just as they did rather than dramatise the civil rights case that surrounds them. Movie was also wonderfully presented.

The LEGO Batman Movie

Another Awesome-Sauce piece of Lego Awesomeness. Funny, Beautifully Animated and Brilliantly Chaotic.

T2 Trainspotting

Shouting, 'Lager, lager, lager, lager'...Really different film from it's predecessor but I very much enjoyed it, really liked Spud's arc throughout the film. Worthy sequel and of course the soundtrack is top notch!...Choose Life!
 
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bakum4tsu said:
my biggest disapointment with his movies was the Inglourious Basterds. My hype was so big I could touch the sky... Came out of the cinema a bit disapointed... it was not bad but not as good as previous ones.
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Yeah, I know what you mean. You'd think a war movie would be a perfect fit for Tarantino, but I felt it ended up as less than the sum of its parts.

Bad Taste (1987)

Peter Jackson's debut is an endearingly amateurish bit of comic splatter, as a hapless bunch of government-sponsored goons attempt to repel an alien invasion in backwater New Zealand. A Pythonesque gun-battle in the middle rather outstays its welcome, as does Jackson's own gurning, grubby avatar, Derek, but the film is good company throughout, with plenty of gleeful DIY charm to fill in for its lack of budget and some surprisingly sophisticated camera work to keep things interesting.
 
Another visit to the local World of Cine today to see a couple of films (just by myself on this occasion).

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures for those who don't know is The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. This is certainly a very likeable movie, I think anyone could go and see this with possible exception of the absolute youngest and get something positive out of it which is something that not many films have the capactity to possess, It doesn't really do anything to push the cinematic envelope but it really doesn't need to, it's a likeable film that acknowledges contributions to history that have previously been overlooked.

John Wick: Chapter 2

After having watched the First John Wick movie for the first time just a few days ago, I was more than ready for it's follow up. And it certainly delivered on the action front, from where I was sitting I could feel every gunshot and winced at the times it got a bit gory (particularly a scene involving pencils once again), it does everything on a bigger scale than the first film but never comes across as obnoxious which is what can happen to action sequels. So after coming out of the movie my main train of thought was...John Wick: Chapter 3 when? Which pretty much says it all really, I really need more of Johnathan, his faithful canine friend and some well-dressed bad guys and their assassin economy.
 
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