The Movie Thread

[Konrad]

Went and saw Civil War yesterday, not bad at all. While not really a movie, I just go done watching Daredevil season 2. Not as good as the first, but okay. Some great fight scenes and characters mixed in with some painfully drawn out rambling monologues and a sadly lukewarm Electra. Why is it I can suspend disbelief long enough to get into a crime drama with super powered people wearing silly outfits, but can't hold out long enough to include ninjas in the mix? Mostly caught up on Game of Thrones too. All Men Must Die....daaaaaammmmn.....
Snowpiercer is easier to swallow if you take it not as a story with a plot, but a big allegory with a theme. Some beautiful scenes in that flick. I give it a thumbs up.

[me_in_japan]

Watched a couple of movies the past coupla days.

Attack the Block is a low budget British Sci Fi flick about a bunch of yoofs (a gang) who have to defend their London tower block against an alien invasion. The effects are iffy (it is low budget, after all) but the writing is snappy as hell, and the cast are excellent. Also interesting to see a teenage John Boyega, before he went off to act in some other sci fi flick. Space Battles, or summat...

The Mist, which I kinda popped on as background filler while I painted, but turned out to be pretty dang good. Based on a Stephen King short story, directed by the guy who did The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemtion, but not at all like either of those movies. Apparently the ending is different to the book, and King said that he liked the new one much, much better. Monsters-a-go-go is the theme here, as well as some of the usual siege/horror flick themes these films do so love to explore (the real monsters aren't out there, they're in here with us. In fact, they are us... kinda thing). A good cast hold the movie higher that the typical horror fare, but the standouts are the monsters, which are many and varied. Made me want to play Half Life or Resistance again. Anyway, definitely worth a watch.

[Konrad]

Watched a couple of movies the past coupla days.

Attack the Block is a low budget British Sci Fi flick about a bunch of yoofs (a gang) who have to defend their London tower block against an alien invasion. The effects are iffy (it is low budget, after all) but the writing is snappy as hell, and the cast are excellent. Also interesting to see a teenage John Boyega, before he went off to act in some other sci fi flick. Space Battles, or summat...

The Mist, which I kinda popped on as background filler while I painted, but turned out to be pretty dang good. Based on a Stephen King short story, directed by the guy who did The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemtion, but not at all like either of those movies. Apparently the ending is different to the book, and King said that he liked the new one much, much better. Monsters-a-go-go is the theme here, as well as some of the usual siege/horror flick themes these films do so love to explore (the real monsters aren't out there, they're in here with us. In fact, they are us... kinda thing). A good cast hold the movie higher that the typical horror fare, but the standouts are the monsters, which are many and varied. Made me want to play Half Life or Resistance again. Anyway, definitely worth a watch.

Oooh, sounds like fun. I've been in a bit of a horror mood, it being summer in Japan and all. I finally watched that "28 Days After/Later" movie. Solid Zombie flick, all the elements there, and a bit of a twist with the "Rage" theme. There is a beautifully composed shot of a church interior, that is just utterly horrific and stayed with me longer than anything else in the movie.
And speaking of B, (perhaps C) movies, there is "Frankenstien's Army"........ Fast forward through the fake Russian accented, horrors of war shot through old hand held movie camera, first half and you get some truly inspired Nazi, cyborg, zombie death bots. They set the standard for Nazi, cyborg, zombie deathbots everythere.
Just got around to doing the "Walking Dead", only on the first episode.

[me_in_japan]

28 days later is a good movie. The scene that really stood out for me is when they're on the motorway (highway) and its all deserted, maybe some wrecked cars. I'm so used to seeing that kinda stuff on US movies, but when it's on a uk road, with actual uk road signs (Manchester and The North) it really brought it home, so to speak.

Frankenstein's Army sounds pretty watchable.The Walking Dead, otoh, I tried. I made it as far as season 2 ep 3 or 4, but maaaaaan is that show slow. Whole episodes can go by with absolutely nothing of import taking place. I'm all for building characters, but when I watch a zombie apocalypse based show I'd like to see some actual survival going on, and less relationship love triangle stuff, please.

[me_in_japan]

Watched frankenstein's army this evening whilst (appropriately enough) painting a zombie. As Konrad said, aye, it's not bad actually. Very, very reminiscent of all things Wolfenstein, but that's by no means a bad thing. Worth a watch, as background filler, I'd say

[Konrad]

Watched a couple of vampire movies this month.
1st was, well the 1st. Nosferatu, the 1922 silent film. Figured I ought to go to the source. Pure silly camp by today's standards, but there are some pretty creepy shots of the vampire and some interesting attempts at 1920's special effects. there is this "Vampire Manual" that they show pages of that is written in the most glorious, gothic calligraphy I have ever seen.
And speaking of camp, I just started watching the real, honest to goodness Bela Lugosi "Dracula" for the first time. Every kids Halloween party decoration is derived from this film. Fake cobwebs to rubber bats that squeak like bathtub toys. Only just getting started on that though.
Now for the real deal, "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night". Oh wow. This film rocks. It's a surreal mish mash of classic cars, oil wells, California suburbs, young love, addiction and loss. All shot in black and white, the characters speaking Persian (Farsi I think it's called) , the hands down coolest soundtrack since Pulp Fiction, but with songs you've never heard, and to top it off the young woman playing the vampire, Shelia Vand just drinks up the screen. Make this your Halloween treat.

[Primarch]

I like my horror movies to be entertainingly bad. As such, I recommend:
Razor Blade Smile - A low budget, British B-movie about a vampire hit-woman.
From Dusk till Dawn - Over the top Robert Rodriguez movie about a pair of criminals wandering into a vampire strip club.
John Carpenter's Vampires - It's mindless nonsense. Grab some popcorn and some beer, switch off your brain and enjoy.

[ashmie]

This year for Halloween I'm hoping to watch a good version of The Signalman. BBC drama from 1971. You should be able to view it on you tube but it's blocked in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... lwyNMXQYXo

Also Night of the Demon again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaElzJjy_xU as well as something by a one man show called Nunkie Theatre. A chap who reads M.R. James stories to camera. He recently toured the UK with H.G. Wells The Time Machine.
http://www.nunkie.co.uk/

[Konrad]

I like my horror movies to be entertainingly bad. As such, I recommend:
Razor Blade Smile - A low budget, British B-movie about a vampire hit-woman.
From Dusk till Dawn - Over the top Robert Rodriguez movie about a pair of criminals wandering into a vampire strip club.
John Carpenter's Vampires - It's mindless nonsense. Grab some popcorn and some beer, switch off your brain and enjoy.

Razor Blade Smile sounds like it's right up my alley.
And no man with a pulse can resist "From Dusk Till Dawn". Selma oh Selma.

[Primarch]

Just found this on the internet.



And a few new movie trailers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVnBBjjjAnY
Ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga Ooga-chaka,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEpsPXUt4R0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Div0iP65aZo