Films you've seen recently and would unreservedly recommend:

[IdleRich]

"Nearly watched this the other night but decided to be bratty about it (Oh, God a sequel how gauche). Je regrette..."

I didn't even know that there was a sequel - then again I'm the only person who doesn't like the original that much.

 

[crackerjack]

Nearly watched this the other night but decided to be bratty about it (Oh, God a sequel how gauche). Je regrette...

The greatest cold turkey sequence known to cinema.... great ending too (tho not as good as FC1).

Went to a screening of Son of Rambow tonight and, for the most part, really liked it (there were a few 'let's do the show right here' bits that stuck in my craw). As an 80s schoolkid myself I thought it was spot on and the stuff about the French exchange students was perfect.

 

[don_quixote]

went to see four months... last night. i don't think anything has unsettled me so much since 'threads'. maybe i should have taken my jumper off earlier, so i was feeling a bit hot anyway, but i damn near fainted during the abortion because it comes at the end of such intense emotion and that part is so damn claustrophobic. i felt ill.

i can't say i enjoyed it, but im glad i saw it.

 

[bnek]

went to see four months... last night. i don't think anything has unsettled me so much since 'threads'. maybe i should have taken my jumper off earlier, so i was feeling a bit hot anyway, but i damn near fainted during the abortion because it comes at the end of such intense emotion and that part is so damn claustrophobic. i felt ill.

i can't say i enjoyed it, but im glad i saw it.

yes the cinema i saw it in was quite stuffy too, maybe they switch the air-con (usually theres too much) off to enhance the effect. but that (very long) scene was just incredible. very affecting film - i look forward to his next - i think i remember an interview around the time it was released here & he said it would be part of a series of films examining that period in romania.

 

[DJ PIMP]

Cool Hand Luke

Remember being quite entranced by this as a teen. Will have to watch again...

 

[Immryr]

i recently watched Mauvais Sang by Leos Carrax. great stuff.

 

[IdleRich]

I watched The Last Man on Earth at the weekend, I think it was the first attempt to film I Am Legend and, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it more than Omega Man. There were some scenes that were very creepy indeed, particularly the first time you see and hear the vampires trying to break into Morgan's house and the time (in flashback) when Morgan's wife returns from the dead and her ghostly voice is heard at the door saying "let me in, let me in". It went off the boil slightly at the end this rendering of the book as a horror rather than a thriller worked quite well in my opinion. Haven't seen the Will Smith one yet though....

Anyone know anything about a seventies horror called The Other? My friend burnt me a copy of that so I may watch it this evening.

 

[tox]

I enjoyed that Juno movie down at the pictures the other day. Maybe a little too self consciously indie to be considered great, and too chock full of product placement for my own tastes, but still a nice watch. The writing is pretty great in places for sure.

Honourable mention to Barbarella, which I hadn't seen up until last weekend. Great costumes, special effects and sounds! Shame about the story.

Also shout to Hotrod, one dumb Wil Ferrell movie. Totally derivative stuff, a massive rip-off of Napoleon Dynamite, but still raised a giggle, which is all it was set out to do.

 

[IdleRich]

"Honourable mention to Barbarella, which I hadn't seen up until last weekend. Great costumes, special effects and sounds! Shame about the story."

All that and you want a story as well?

"Anyone know anything about a seventies horror called The Other? My friend burnt me a copy of that so I may watch it this evening."

Answering my own question, I watched this yesterday and it's really good. I'd strongly recommend it if you like low-key psychological/supernatural horror that slowly builds to a dramatic climax. It's kind of like The Omen in the way it features scary children and the film wouldn't work without their performances being great - luckily they are. I assumed that the twins were played by one actor but looking at the credits it seems that they did actually get two identical twins and they both do the job very well. I don't want to give too much away but if you get a chance see it I reckon.

 

[U-Basstard]

not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but Scaphandre et le papillon aka The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is highly recommended. Especially gotta mention the sound design which is absolutely stunning, completely immersive and so much attention to detail it's scary. Best film i've seen in a long time.

 

[IdleRich]

"not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but Scaphandre et le papillon aka The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

When the book came out I remember some story about someone who investigated this and concluded that it would have been impossible (or at least it would have taken four hundred years or something) for the guy to have written the book using the method that he claimed. I haven't seen or heard anything about this since so maybe it was debunked, anyone heard anything about this?

 

[Magz Hall]

One Man in the Band

Director Adam Clitheroe has made a really captivating feature long film which makes the world seem really magical for a change. Its so well shot and crafted together and was really heart warming to watch and it took him 2 years to make! The sound is great too.

It's beautifully shot with humour and is certainly the best music doc I’ve seen in years with excellent performances from Dennis Hopper Choppers, Duracell, Honkeyfinger, Man from Uranus, Ninki V, Thomas Truax and The Two Tears.

The candid interviews with the artists in the film give a wonderful insight into the twisted musical minds of these maverick underground stars and what drives them to make music.

Jim and I are really chuffed to see Ninki V You Are Hear session on it, its great to see such archive footage of the show back in the day and the magicdust of film certainly does transform that smelly old live room !

Check this film link to the high resolution trailer

http://www.onemanintheband.com/

an article by the director on the film
http://www.krugermagazine.com/content/view/1409/10994/

more clips and detail on his myspace

http://www.myspace.com/onemanintheband

Magz

 

[UFO over easy]

When the book came out I remember some story about someone who investigated this and concluded that it would have been impossible (or at least it would have taken four hundred years or something) for the guy to have written the book using the method that he claimed. I haven't seen or heard anything about this since so maybe it was debunked, anyone heard anything about this?

I just had a quick google and couldn't find anything on this - on the author's wiki it does say this though -

Despite his condition, he authored the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by blinking when the correct letter was reached by a person slowly reciting the alphabet over and over again. Bauby had to compose and edit the book entirely in his head, and convey it one letter at a time. To make dictation more efficient, Bauby had his interlocutor read from a special alphabet which consisted of the letters ordered in accordance with their frequency in the French language. The book was published in France in 1997. Bauby died just ten days later of heart failure. He is buried in a family grave at the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France. [2]

Seems like it should really have been possible, elsewhere there are claims that each word would have taken roughly 2 minutes using the system, which would presumably make the whole thing possible.

I'm going to see it this weekend with high expectations. Hope it's good

 

[tox]

When the book came out I remember some story about someone who investigated this and concluded that it would have been impossible (or at least it would have taken four hundred years or something) for the guy to have written the book using the method that he claimed. I haven't seen or heard anything about this since so maybe it was debunked, anyone heard anything about this?

I thought this was pretty much how Stephen Hawking's speaking device worked? Although I guess the technology today could be like predictive text and work out what words are possible with the beginning combination of letters, which would save him time.

Hmm.

 

[IdleRich]

"I just had a quick google and couldn't find anything on this"

No, I couldn't find anything either. It was something that I saw once and stuck in my head to be revived when this film came out. I can't really see why it shouldn't be possible using some shortcuts but I just wondered if anyone else had heard the same thing.

"One Man in the Band"

Sounds interesting, looks as though there are a few unusual bands featured.

 

[IdleRich]

I watched The Leather Boys at the weekend which was really good I thought. I'm sure you all know but just in case you don't it's a kind of kitchen sink style thing with Rita Tushingham, kind of like Saturday Night Sunday Morning but with motor bikes and a gay subtext (that gets less and less sub). It's really just young people who are trapped in various situations by social conventions and by their own expectations and their lack of knowledge of any other way things could be. I found it quite touching in parts.

 

[bnek]

When the book came out I remember some story about someone who investigated this and concluded that it would have been impossible (or at least it would have taken four hundred years or something) for the guy to have written the book using the method that he claimed. I haven't seen or heard anything about this since so maybe it was debunked, anyone heard anything about this?

hmm i saw the film about a month ago & the way they depicted it (his dictation), well it seemed pretty credible/convincing. basically the lady(s) taking notes was increasingly quick in reciting the alphabet (letters were read in order of frequency of use) & increasingly able to predict what he wanted to say, ie. she would get to 'I' - wink for yes, 'W' wink, 'A' wink - guess 'want', wink for yes, 'T' - guess 'to', wink for yes, 'D', guess 'die', wink for yes - 'i want to die' - wink for yes...anyway it made sense & was quite well portrayed. good movie.

 

[straight]

its a doc and probably mentioned elsewhere but scott walker:30th century man is fantastic

 

[UFO over easy]

so yep I did go and see diving bell, and it was wicked! wept buckets

went to see it in the Renoir curzon cinema, which I'd never been to before. very nice. never had a beer in the cinema before.. their little mag is great as well, I now have a few things on my list of things to look out for - interesting looking film called Garage, I think about homosexuality in small town america but I forget (anyone know anything about this?), new Mike Leigh film which looks surprisingly upbeat, and an animated movie based on a fairly famous Iranian graphic novel which I've never read called Persepolis. those last two aren't out for a while though

saw no country for old men for the second time last week as well, better on second watch

 

[zhao]

have just seen Lust Caution.

SPOILER AHEAD DO NO READ

very good and there are loads of things i can say but all i can think of is one thing:

















girls like assholes. and nice guys get thrown off a cliff.

LOL