PG Cooper
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And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
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Post by PG Cooper on Sept 3, 2016 17:42:15 GMT -5
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Sept 3, 2016 18:27:54 GMT -5
I have the blu-ray, but have been slacking a bit because I've been busy with work. Might be able to get to it over the long weekend.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Sept 15, 2016 5:02:33 GMT -5
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) There’s kind of a long history of Jon Le Care novels being adapted into movies that I like but perhaps not as much as I’d like to, and it would seem that this tradition goes back to the very beginning as this is the first time one of his novels was adapted for the screen and indeed I like rather than love it. To the film’s credit, I’m guessing that the very concept of making a realistic spy movie would have been a lot more novel in 1965, especially given that this was the decade where James Bond was at the height of his popularity. The film depicts a very low stakes spy operation and focuses on a character that is completely fed up with the whole espionage game but doesn’t really have many other places to go. The film is clearly making a statement by keeping this operation relatively low stakes rather than making it some kind of world ending scenario, but there is a reason why the less realistic spy movies tend to up the stakes and it’s not terribly easy to get to worked up about a scheme to discredit one random communist agent even if I get what they were going for and recognize the personal stakes involved. The production elements here are pretty solid. Richard Burton is in good form and the rest of the cast is solid, the cinematography is good, the production design is good. It’s all perfectly respectful but there’s a certain spark missing. Certainly a quality film, but for something that’s in the Criterion Collection I expect just a little more.
***1/2 out of Five
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jan 18, 2017 21:04:47 GMT -5
Alright, so this kinda petered out a few months ago but let's see if the few of us here can keep it going. Would anyone be interested in getting on board with the film club again?
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jan 18, 2017 21:25:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I'd definitely be down for coming back to this.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jan 18, 2017 22:01:55 GMT -5
If a new round starts I'm in
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Dhamon22
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Upon Further Review...
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Post by Dhamon22 on Jan 18, 2017 23:53:01 GMT -5
I'd be interested in participating. Finally have the forums bookmarked again. Is the message board available on Tapatalk?
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jan 19, 2017 0:23:47 GMT -5
I'm in. Alright, so this kinda petered out a few months ago but let's see if the few of us here can keep it going. Would anyone be interested in getting on board with the film club again? Not so easy, is it?
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PG Cooper
CS! Silver
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Post by PG Cooper on Jan 19, 2017 8:14:53 GMT -5
In.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jan 19, 2017 19:29:05 GMT -5
6 people including me, that's a good turnout. I'll give it another day and post the round tomorrow.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jan 20, 2017 16:51:39 GMT -5
Alright guys let's do this. I'm getting the ball rolling again on this so apolyogies if you have a partner you've had recently. Let's give this a whirl. ROUND 171-REDUX
PG Cooper - Dhamon22 Doomsday - Dracula PhantomKnight - Jibbs
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jan 20, 2017 16:57:14 GMT -5
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jan 21, 2017 12:30:30 GMT -5
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jan 21, 2017 13:17:05 GMT -5
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jan 21, 2017 16:31:35 GMT -5
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jan 21, 2017 16:57:45 GMT -5
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jan 21, 2017 17:49:19 GMT -5
I'll go with The Witch, I've heard good things.
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jan 21, 2017 20:14:31 GMT -5
I'll go with Love & Mercy
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Dhamon22
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Post by Dhamon22 on Jan 21, 2017 21:53:09 GMT -5
Our Little Sister For you: Krisha Son of Saul Captain Fantastic Sunset Boulevard Victoria
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Dhamon22
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Post by Dhamon22 on Jan 23, 2017 16:30:27 GMT -5
Our Little Sister
I wasn't surprised to find out after watching this that it was based off of a manga. At times it plays like a live action Anime drama. I was surprised by how quiet and pleasant the movie was. No big twists or blow outs, just small day to day problems and how they crop up in these sister's lives. I really appreciated this aspect of the film and other films like it when its done well. The movie looks great visually and has a nice subtle score behind it to match its tone. You really get to know these characters and what makes them tic. Its like a coming of age story for women of four different ages all at once. Basically we're always trying to "come of age" regardless of how old we are. I also enjoyed being able to take in Japanese culture on a day to day basis. Not just the sights and sounds but the living arrangements, social interactions, and especially the food. I'll have to check out more of Hirokazu Koreeada's filmography.
4/5
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Feb 11, 2017 20:55:04 GMT -5
Love & Mercy (2014)
Love & Mercy is two films. There's Brian Wilson, genius songwriter behind the Beach Boys in the 60s, and then intercut is another story following him in the 80s. The 60s Brian Wilson, played by Paul Dano, takes place around the time they're making Pet Sounds, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, and the struggles of getting the band on board to a "new Beach Boys," and the mental issues that are starting to come about for Brian. In the 80s, played by John Cusack (perfect old Paul Dano), he's at his low point mentally, and meets/dates Melinda (Elizabeth Banks).
There were two things that hurt my enjoyment of this film. One, the two halves are so separate that its a real tough movie to get into. Also, I have to admit that on a personal level, I'm a big fan of the cookie-cutter biopic that we've seen so much: The band/artist has good times, inside jokes are stuck in, there's a scene where a famous song gets born, and la de da. Actually, most of those are in the movie, but it's still not your typical musical biopic. But mostly, the movie is just a sad sack. You would think maybe the dichotomy would allow for a light and dark side, but not really. The scenes in the 80s are very unsettling and awkward, and the early ones are a bit all over the place. I will admit, when the credits rolled, I may have understood what they were doing. The early segments end with him falling into despair, while the later ones have him come out of it. Still, I hate to say I didn't get much out of this, even as a Beach Boys fan. Maybe that was the problem?
**/****
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Feb 12, 2017 1:30:32 GMT -5
Every decade has a Beach Boys biopic. Personally, I like the John Stamos produced one from the 90's.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Feb 12, 2017 16:44:30 GMT -5
Straight Time (1978)
Straight Time is a crime movie from 1978 starring Dustin Hoffman and featuring Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and a young Kathy Bates… with all that going for it why have I not heard of this thing? Part of it may simply be that the movie came out during a decade where the standards for gritty crime films were pretty high and while I think a lot of people liked this movie they certainly didn’t like it as much as Dog Day Afternoon or Serpico. The movie concerns a guy who gets out of jail and tries to transition to society but that goes pretty badly pretty fast. If the movie has something to say about the criminal justice system I’m not quite sure I follow. Is it saying that this guy was an irredeemable time bomb or was it saying that he would have made it if people had been less suspicious of him? I’m not really sure. When it tries to be a more conventional bank robbery story it works pretty well as one with two very well done robbery scenes, but the surrounding character study only did so much for me.
*** out of Four
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Feb 16, 2017 14:39:53 GMT -5
The Witch
I've mentioned it before but I am no fan of horror movies. There are a few that I enjoy but for the most part I steer clear. Most look terrible, most are terrible, none really interest me. Every once in a while though I'll hear some whispers, some small discussion about a movie that piques my interest. The Witch sounded like it was something more than the standard horror fare. Not only that, it was getting great word of mouth.
What's neat about The Witch is that it's very atmospheric and very reliant on its time period and setting. A devout Puritan family leaves the confines of their plantation and faces the wilderness alone. Before long their infant disappears while being cared for by the oldest child Thomasin. As time progresses and the hardships of the wilderness begin to manifest other occurrences take place which finally force the family to acknowledge that they could be cursed by a witch. That obscurity however is what helps the movie work. Kind of like how Jaws doesn't reveal the shark until you're a good deal into the movie, The Witch does a good job in holding back and just letting the tension build. The score which has a 2001 vibe to it at times is great and is another solid element in the mood-building. There aren't many jumps or shocks, it's a movie that is constantly building creepy tension. Rather than jump every now and again I was constantly uncomfortable, a feeling that stuck with me for a while.
From what I'm reading this seems to be a pretty divisive movie. Like I said, I'm no fan of contemporary horror and The Witch seems like a movie that wouldn't be met with overwhelming praise from people who frequent those kinds of films. I'm more fond of and give more credit to movies that are what I would call a slow-burn, movies that really establish settings, characters and build that tension rather than go for shock payoffs. For me, The Witch legitimately creeped me out and had me on the hook from the beginning. I can't remember the last time any movie did that to me.
A so says Doomsday
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Feb 16, 2017 15:03:49 GMT -5
Straight Time (1978)
Straight Time is a crime movie from 1978 starring Dustin Hoffman and featuring Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and a young Kathy Bates… with all that going for it why have I not heard of this thing? Part of it may simply be that the movie came out during a decade where the standards for gritty crime films were pretty high and while I think a lot of people liked this movie they certainly didn’t like it as much as Dog Day Afternoon or Serpico. The movie concerns a guy who gets out of jail and tries to transition to society but that goes pretty badly pretty fast. If the movie has something to say about the criminal justice system I’m not quite sure I follow. Is it saying that this guy was an irredeemable time bomb or was it saying that he would have made it if people had been less suspicious of him? I’m not really sure. When it tries to be a more conventional bank robbery story it works pretty well as one with two very well done robbery scenes, but the surrounding character study only did so much for me. *** out of Four I hadn't heard of it until I did my Michael Mann filmography rewatch last year. He did an uncredited rewrite of the movie and you can see a little of his influence in there. Glad you enjoyed it for the most part.
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