FilmFlicking

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 7945

Musicals....erm...J.C.S.?? Rocky Horror?,

would you not even be interested in like the new Sweeney Todd Honey??

And thrillers????

really? Westerns ...okay I understand ...for many its not their cup of tea but do you not feel your labeling big groups of films together there not to watch?
_________________

Caro · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 7:34 am Post subject:

It is ages since I was here so I hope it is alright just to write about the last two movies I have seen. Both on the same night and after months of not going out to the movies.

They were both from a film festival in Dunedin, and both on the grim side and both with rather open endings. We are a little inclined to prefer having the 'i's dotted and the 't's crossed. Both European with sub-titles. Can I remember their names? One was Beauty in Trouble, about a woman whose husband lands in jail; she goes to her mother's with the kids, but her mother's parent is a real sleaze and an very nice older man is interested in her. Off they go to him and the ending shows her still with him, but masterbating when her husband phones. We were unclear just what this signified for the future.

The other one was 4 Months, 3 Days, 2 hours or a similar title, and was about two young women, the main one finding an abortion for her friend. This movie was a bit graphic for my husband, with the abortion shown, and the foetus. He said sub-titles are tricky when you aren't watching! Another sleazy man, I'm afraid. Insisted on sex with both girls as the payment for doing the abortion. It did not give a great picture of Roumania where it was set. I had assumed in the present but my husband said it must have been in the 60s as there aren't ID cards in Roumania now. It was urban and not urban chic. Urban very industrial so the town looked poverty-stricken and dreary. I did rather enjoy these, even if they were on the gritty side of things. I like character-driven movies with not much action.

Have any of you seen these? If so, how did you interpret their endings?

Cheers, Caro.

Catnapper · Site Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 5323

Hi Caro.....it's good to see you here again

Of course it's ok for you to post reviews! Sometimes you get to see movies before we do so it's interesting to read what movies you've seen and what you think of them.

The movies you mentioned were shown at Film Festivals here late last year, so it's possible they're still on the Festival Circuit and haven't been released yet. I know a film can take up to a year to do the rounds of Film Festivals. I'll look out for any news on the films.

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 7945

Hi Caro..

..great to see you back...we missed you here

Good reviews there...I like films that push boundaries a bit..

Those endings were a bit strange alright??

_________________

Caro · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 10:42 pm Post subject:

Thanks Cat and Lucifer. I looked up a few reviews after writing that and found these films were both highly rated. I should have mentioned the directors, I suppose. The Romanian one was directed by Cristian Mungiu and was set in 1987 and won the Palme D'Or.

The Czech one (Beauty in Trouble) was directed by Jan Hrebejk with writer Petr Jarchovsky. Am I allowed to put a link here to a very good review. http://www.cinematical.com/2006/09/13/tiff-review-beauty-in-trouble/

Cheers, Caro.

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 7945

Off course you are Caro..

.you can post whatever link you wish

I'll check it out now
_________________

Nostromo Crew Member · Popcorn Seller Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 20

Seems like ages since I've been on here. New job and renovations to house have prevented me from conversing here. So the last three movies I've seen

IRON MAN - Slow to start, but once it gets going it's a witty, well cast movie based on the Marvel comic. Robert Downey Jnr is, against my initial reservations, ideally cast as the spoilt rich businessman whose supplies the most advanced weaponry to the military. The concept of this is thrown into doubt when he is attacked and held captive whilst on a press launch for the latest missile "Jericho". Coming to terms with the things he makes have a consequence beyond their original purposes he decides to abandon making them much to the surprise of the stockholders... Terrence Howard, so good in Crash is underused as his friend and Gwyneth Platrow is nothing more than a foil for Downey's one-liners. It's up to Jeff Bridges to bring a real depth to the film as Obadiah Stain, co-owne of Stark industries. Worth catching on a wet afternoon. Simple escapism doen with a touch of humour. Word to producers, have more 3 dimensional characters next time. 8/10.

GODZILLA (1954) -More tension, better acting and shorter than the awful 1998 version. A moral tale of man's use of nuclear weapons. Something that was downplayed in the remake in favour of special effects. A cinematic gem. 8/10

PAN'S LABYRINTH - Sumptuous fantasy tale set in fascist Spain in 1944 where a young girl creates a secret land away from the horrors of war filled with magical creatures including a fawn who informs her she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. Every thing you've heard about how original and wonderful this film is is true. A modern masterpiece from Guillermo del Torro. 10/10.

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 7945

Good to see you back Nostromo

new job eh?? Hope its all going well for you now bud?

Good reviews there

I really want to see Pan's Labrynth but I haven't yet...everyone is given it great reviews and I do love the old Godzilla myself

As for Ironman I haven't seen it either but I tend to at some stage hopefully this week.....you mention Terrence Howard being underused...I reckon the reason behind him being cast here is due to the sequels because his role/part of Jim Rhodes gets alot juicer (well it does in the comics) you see he becomes a character called War Machine...Stark creates a new armour which is similar to the old one except its grey and black and massively gunned and Rhodes uses it

_________________

K · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:30 am Post subject:

Walk the Line- Yet another film which caught me by surprise. A film which I just thought I'd start watching with my dinner, as a distraction. But I really enjoyed it, despite the very moving scenes. Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely brilliant, it is such a shame this film was up against 'Capote' for an Oscar. Otherwise Joaquin would have won it. He did his own singing [as did Reese Witherspoon]; he was scarily like Johnny Cash in looks, movements, mannerisms [that weird eye rolling that Cash always did].

I wondered if Johnny Cash was a hero of Joaquin's- at first glance you would wonder what on earth a famous film star had in common with an old Country musician. But its obvious- both men witnessed the horrific death of their beloved older brother: the golden child, the one who was meant to 'be something'. Both men started out with nothing, pan handling on the streets or cutting crops in the fields, and found salvation in music and the arts.

Well worth a look- even if you don't like the film, you will be impressed with Joaquin's singing and it'll get your toes a'tapping.
_________________
Anyone from BBC movies section and www.moviemumblings.com - your friends are all here!

Films and movies. Classics, Sci-fi, Romances, DVDs, Film stars, Oscars...