Movies you've seen recently

[TheChris92]

 

If anybody got any recommendations to some underrated movie gems, or ones that are quite out of the ordinary like most of Spike Jonze's films or anything by Charlie Kaufmann I'd like to hear some. Got plenty of films to dig into right now, but I've been searching for films outside the spotlight, possibly contenders for Cannes that didn't get enough recognition or indies. There are a lot of fascinating pieces of cinema outside of Hollywood.

 

Well - what about the classics like David Lynch's Eraserhead?

 

If not that, have you watched any Alejandro Jodorowsky films?  El Topo and Santa Sangre are pretty good; Holy Mountain certainly has a cult following but I've never been as satisfied by it as others are.

 

If you like dark comedies at all, you could do worse than cult film The Ruling Class with Peter O'Toole.

 

Pretty much seen everything from Lynch. I like a lot of his films but some of them are a bit too pretentious. I like art-films, that chooses to place emphasis on aesthetics, symbolism, characters, etc over blindly trying to appeal to the mass market, or at the very least offers a unique twist on genre film like Eternal Sunshine, Her, Mr Nobody etc. And I definitely do like dark/black comedies, as it is my type of comedy, the sort of twisted satire-with a slice of life to it and usually featured in some of my favorite films like Fargo, Lebowski, Snatch, American Psycho etc.

 

I know Alejandro. I'll check him out. Cult films are interesting as well because they usually carry the things I love in films

 

Anyway, I'm starting to spin things off topic. Wish we had a movie recommendation thread now, heh x)

Edited April 22, 2014 by TheChris92

[sorophx]

This thread surely can have both impressions and recommendations. And speaking of Jodorowsky, I have yet to see any of his movies. But I am very excited about the recent documentary that tells the story of his failed attempt to direct Frank Herbert's Dune

[HoonDing]

HE used  many of his ideas for Dune in the Incal/Metabarons/Megalex/Technopères comics.

[sorophx]

yes, I know
http://youtu.be/6mUlNWNv28k

[Humanoid]

If anybody got any recommendations to some underrated movie gems, or ones that are quite out of the ordinary like most of Spike Jonze's films or anything by Charlie Kaufmann I'd like to hear some. Got plenty of films to dig into right now, but I've been searching for films outside the spotlight, possibly contenders for Cannes that didn't get enough recognition or indies. There are a lot of fascinating pieces of cinema outside of Hollywood.

 

I'd look towards the 'boutique' home media releasing companies - even if not to purchase, the range of titles they release will give you some very good ideas. In the US, most releases in the Criterion Collection or Cohen Media. For EU releases, there's Eureka's Masters of Cinema collection, Artificial Eye, the British Film Institute, or StudioCanal collection (which is discontinued but still available, classic titles are now folded into the StudioCanal classics line).

[Valsuelm]

Transcendence.

 

In order to avoid spoilers, I'll just say: Good Flick.

[Oerwinde]

Anchorman 2: Supersize Edition

 

Not as good as the original, but still funny as hell. Surprisingly they only reused one joke, and it was the one I hoped they would re-use. Stylistically it felt more like Walk Hard than Anchorman, but Walk Hard was awesome too so I didn't mind.

[Hurlshort]

Anchorman 2 was average until the end, when it went absolutely nuts with hilarity.

[HoonDing]

The Human Centipede 2

 

It dragged on way too long.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Drudanae

[Oerwinde]

Anchorman 2 was average until the end, when it went absolutely nuts with hilarity.

I didn't watch the theatrical, I guess the Supersize edition had a limited release and everything I read said it was way better so I just watched that.

[Meshugger]

Primer

 

My head hurts.

[Blarghagh]

The Human Centipede 2

 

It dragged on way too long.

 

i c wut u did thar

[Walsingham]

Gangsters, Guns, and Zombies.

 

 

It's a bad film. But - and I really hate people who excuse crap as ironic 'fun' - it's the good kind of bad.

 

No original setting or theme, but acceptable actors, and a number of neat twists. I was about to list some, then I realised this might ruin your enjoyment when you find them yourselves.

[Meshugger]

The Hunt (2012)

 

Incredible movie. The amount of tension left me emotionally drained.

[TheChris92]

Should write my own thoughts of Vinterberg's The Hunt as well soon.  Among the best thing to come out of Danish cinema for a while. Definitely on par with his previous masterpiece The Celebration.

Edited April 26, 2014 by TheChris92

[Lexx]

Just seen The Station Agent. Great movie, imo.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Should write my own thoughts of Vinterberg's The Hunt as well soon.  Among the best thing to come out of Danish cinema for a while. Definitely on par with his previous masterpiece The Celebration.

 

I enjoyed it during Belgrade FEST (movie festival). I like the leading actor as well, particularly in the movie Adam's Apples. He's somewhat of a rising star now.

[Drowsy Emperor]

HE used  many of his ideas for Dune in the Incal/Metabarons/Megalex/Technopères comics.

 

I loved that stuff. It took me so long to find the Incal, with only the first album being available in Serbia in wide circulation. The other series are a decline in quality and ideas IMO.  And art, but then there is only one Jean Giraud.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Drowsy Emperor

[Drowsy Emperor]

If anybody got any recommendations to some underrated movie gems, or ones that are quite out of the ordinary like most of Spike Jonze's films or anything by Charlie Kaufmann I'd like to hear some. Got plenty of films to dig into right now, but I've been searching for films outside the spotlight, possibly contenders for Cannes that didn't get enough recognition or indies. There are a lot of fascinating pieces of cinema outside of Hollywood.

 

Tarkovsky is my favorite director, anything by him is good and his best work can only be described as transcendent. That said, he's hardly underrated or lesser known..

 

For a less known director I recommend the spaniard Alexis De La Iglesia. His black comedies, "La Comunidad", "El Crimen Ferpecto" and "El Dia de la Bestia" are ingenious.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Drowsy Emperor

[TheChris92]

 

Should write my own thoughts of Vinterberg's The Hunt as well soon.  Among the best thing to come out of Danish cinema for a while. Definitely on par with his previous masterpiece The Celebration.

 

I enjoyed it during Belgrade FEST (movie festival). I like the leading actor as well, particularly in the movie Adam's Apples. He's somewhat of a rising star now.

 

Adam's Apples is tres bien as black comedies goes -- I enjoy black comedy when it's best, like Lebowski, Fargo, Burn After Reading, Snatch, The Royal Tenenbaums etc.  Adam's Apples though is also a film that will potentially alienate non-Danes, given some of its humor would only make most sense to Danes. I'm surprised you enjoyed it though. Good thing too. I'd recommend Flickering Lights, After the Wedding or Prague, as other interesting films with Mads Mikkelsen.

 

Also if you liked The Hunt then I'd recommend The Celebration, directed by Vinterberg as well. It adheres to the Dogme 95 movement, which is an avan-garde film-style that incorporates simple production values and naturalistic performances. It falls back on the traditional values of story, acting, theme without the use of special-effects or technology --  Originally started up by Lars Von Trier, Vinterberg and other influential Danish film-makers.

If you're a real film-nerd then you should probably watch Trier's movies too. And for elite film-nerds I'd say it's imperative to watch The Five Obstructions for anybody who has remote interest in film-making or the art within the medium.

Edited April 26, 2014 by TheChris92

[TheChris92]

 

If anybody got any recommendations to some underrated movie gems, or ones that are quite out of the ordinary like most of Spike Jonze's films or anything by Charlie Kaufmann I'd like to hear some. Got plenty of films to dig into right now, but I've been searching for films outside the spotlight, possibly contenders for Cannes that didn't get enough recognition or indies. There are a lot of fascinating pieces of cinema outside of Hollywood.

 

Tarkovsky is my favorite director, anything by him is good and his best work can only be described as transcendent. That said, he's hardly underrated or lesser known..

 

For a less known director I recommend the spaniard Alexis De La Iglesia. His black comedies, "La Comunidad", "El Crimen Ferpecto" and "El Dia de la Bestia" are ingenious.

 

Thanks, I'm open minded to Black comedies. Got a list of films to watch now, and currently searching for anything before the 80's alongside some other gems.

[Meshugger]

Tarkovsky is up there with Bergman, Kubrick and Kurosawa.

 

Anyone interested in movies as an art form should watch Solyaris and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. They pretty much changed my outlook on the human condition on profound level. Now, what kind movies does that?

 

Drowsy: I have actually seen El Dia da la Bestia. I expected a horror-movie, but having a priest trying to ressurect Satan by trying to committ simple thievery and listening to Heavy Metal set a completely different tone to it

[Drowsy Emperor]

Tarkovsky is up there with Bergman, Kubrick and Kurosawa.

 

Anyone interested in movies as an art form should watch Solyaris and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. They pretty much changed my outlook on the human condition on profound level. Now, what kind movies does that?

 

Drowsy: I have actually seen El Dia da la Bestia. I expected a horror-movie, but having a priest trying to ressurect Satan by trying to committ simple thievery and listening to Heavy Metal set a completely different tone to it

 

Yes, Stalker and Solaris changed me as well.  Stalker in particular. Mirror as well. I've seen a lot of films before and since but I've yet to find anything as powerful.

 

El Dia de la Bestia is totally wacky, in a good way. It reminded me of the Jodorowsky type absurdity which I enjoy a lot. El Comunidad is as good, if not better.

[sorophx]

Seduced and Abandoned.

 

a documentary with Alec Baldwin and his friend (forget the name) seeking financing for their next movie (a remake of Last Tango in Paris set in war torn Iraq starring Baldwin and Neve Campbell) during the Cannes Film Festival. the docu follows them interviewing a lot of big names of the movie industry. half are financiers, whose only goal is to make a movie that will make them a lot of money, the other half - film makers, who just want to make good movies with someone else's money.

 

Baldwin's friend is amazing on screen, I couldn't turn away for one minute. I loved how they pitched the movie to everyone and got **** like "can you add action sequences to it, a car chase maybe?" in response.

 

and Ryan Gosling just had me in stitches with his interview.

 

4.5 out of 5

[Amentep]

I liked Tarkovsky's Solyaris, but man is that one glacially paced film. Some day I'll sit down and watch STALKER...

 

For my weekend watching...

 

THE QUIET ONES (2014) - another variation on the Philip Experiment, like 2012's THE APPARITION. Its a stronger film than the earlier film; it departs a good deal from the basics of the Philip Experiment and creates its own creepy atmosphere. Its not perfect - there's a minor subplot about a student who is against the lead professor's work that seems like it belongs to another film; it and a couple of scenes make me wonder if the film started out with one idea and they changed the premise while making it (at least one other scene suggests that). Jared Harris as the professor and Olivia Cooke are good in their parts as the obsessed, randy professor and the possessed (or is she just crazy?) young woman he is trying to cure.

 

GRIZZLY (1976) - what Jaws did for sharks, Grizzly does for bears. A "throwback" to megafauna grizzlies stalks a park killing at will (often dismembering people with a swipe of the claws). Christopher George is the dedicated Park Ranger out to save those in the park; Richard Jaekel is his friend, a wilderness expert who wears animal skins and lives with animals. Pretty much follows the Jaws formula (people get killed, an official refuses to do anything, more people get killed, hunters try to catch/kill the creature and get killed). Very unusual for the time for a gruesome attack on a kid and his mom.

 

WILLOW (1988) - its probably been two decades since I saw the film (and I hadn't seen it in a non-pan&scan version since I saw it in the theaters in '88). I always knew it had problems, but they become more and more glaring with each viewing. In this case, the story structure is wrong (really, for the audience, the story doesn't start until the characters arrive at the Inn meaning that there is a lot of padding before they get there). The romance between Madmartigan and Sorsha makes no sense, and a lot of the set pieces are undercut by having to cut back to the brownies who - by virtue of effects at the time - seem stuck onto the narrative. I can still watch it and it has its fun moments (the fight in the castle with the dragon creature is still memorable, and the end is fairly solid if a little mispaced) but I can't help but watch this, look at the George Lucas writing credit and think that a lot of the weaknesses in THE PHANTOM MENACE are on display in this movie.

 

THE ADVENTURER: THE CURSE OF THE MIDAS BOX (2014) - feels like an attempt to cash in on the "teen action" series that have been so popular for awhile at the movies. Its an okay low budget affair; certain things appear to be done simply because the budget didn't allow for something bigger. Michael Sheen and Sam Neil do well in their roles, but the majority of the film is on the shoulders of younger actors (who aren't bad, for the most part). Good costumes and set design; if there is a problem it is that the script feels a bit rushed - the scope of the story being broader than the film can convey easily, I think.