Jawbox5
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@jawbox5
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Post by Jawbox5 on Apr 24, 2017 19:03:58 GMT
well its lovely that we agree on the three of mine you have seen, I wish I could agree with all your films. Captain America: Civil War (2016, Anthony & Joe Russo) – I actually have it as their best and one of the better superhero films ever made 7.5-8 Constantine (2005, Francis Lawrence) – couldnt finish it, disliked. Blue Ruin (2013, Jeremy Saulnier) – 7/10. Green Room (2015, Jeremy Saulnier) – yup 7.5/10 Sideways (2004, Alexander Payne) – I saw it at the movies and enjoyed it enough but have never felt compelled to watch it again. 6/10 Rogue One (2016, Gareth Edwards) – It certainly has its problems but I enjoyed it enough 7/10. The French Connection (1971, William Friedkin) – I am a big fan of Friedkins 70's work so I wish I liked this more but for the most part I just found it annoying 5/10 My issue with Marvel is that I think they try to include too much given the whole shared universe thing, but that's more of a personal quibble. I dislike Episode VII and Rogue One because I think they're just covering old ground, putting stuff in for nostalgia or because it was in the original trilogy and they are not becoming they're own entity. I take it you're a fan of Friedkin's Sorcerer? One of the most underappreciated and interesting films of it's time for me.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 24, 2017 23:16:59 GMT
well its lovely that we agree on the three of mine you have seen, I wish I could agree with all your films. Captain America: Civil War (2016, Anthony & Joe Russo) – I actually have it as their best and one of the better superhero films ever made 7.5-8 Constantine (2005, Francis Lawrence) – couldnt finish it, disliked. Blue Ruin (2013, Jeremy Saulnier) – 7/10. Green Room (2015, Jeremy Saulnier) – yup 7.5/10 Sideways (2004, Alexander Payne) – I saw it at the movies and enjoyed it enough but have never felt compelled to watch it again. 6/10 Rogue One (2016, Gareth Edwards) – It certainly has its problems but I enjoyed it enough 7/10. The French Connection (1971, William Friedkin) – I am a big fan of Friedkins 70's work so I wish I liked this more but for the most part I just found it annoying 5/10 My issue with Marvel is that I think they try to include too much given the whole shared universe thing, but that's more of a personal quibble. I dislike Episode VII and Rogue One because I think they're just covering old ground, putting stuff in for nostalgia or because it was in the original trilogy and they are not becoming they're own entity. I take it you're a fan of Friedkin's Sorcerer? One of the most underappreciated and interesting films of it's time for me. Yup love sorcerer, it's in my top 50 and is maybe the greatest remake ever. Perhaps the most underrated film of all time. Did you hear they are making another remake of it
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bill7576
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Post by bill7576 on Apr 25, 2017 0:18:18 GMT
Hi, Dark. Interested in watching The Love Witch. Yours: Black Rain 8/10 I liked it. Loved Michael Douglas and Ken Takakura. Reservoir Dogs 8.5/10 Yeah, love it. I prefer Pulp Fiction though. Punch Drunk Love 7/10 Watched it a while ago. I thought it was O.K., I preferred other Paul Thomas Anderson's movies though. So I Married an Axe Murder 7/10 I don't remember it much, but I remember thinking it was O.K. Your Highness 4/10 You watch it often. I didn't like it. Mine: Planetarium 7/10 It's the French movie with Natalie Portman and Lily Rose Depp. It's about two psychic sisters touring in Paris before World War 2, and they get to know a film producer who wants to capture an actual supernatural phenomenon on film. It's O.K., maybe a bit bland. Loved the acting though. Natalie Portman makes the movie, IMO. ::yes: Zandalee 4/10 It's a movie with Nicolas Cage. It's about a painter with big debts who goes to New Orleans to meet with a rich old friend of his, who's in crisis, and starts an affair with his wife. Didn't like it, it's really a bit ridiculous, some of the dialogues are hilarious, and I don't think they're supposed to be. Although the lead actress was really hot. The Sting 10/10 Classic. It's fantastic, I really loved it, the script, the acting. It'a gorgeous visually too. I prefer it to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Frank & Lola 5/10 It's a movie with Michael Shannon, kind of a film noir, it's about a chef who goes to Paris to get revenge on the guy whom he thinks has raped his girlfriend in the past. Didn't like it much, it feels a bit dull, IMO. Also, the twists, I'm not sure they make sense. Yeah I have Reservoir as a close third behind pulp and inglorious YOURS The Sting - yeah its superb 8/10 in my top 150 for sure Planetarium sounds interesting at least Well, if you liked 9 1/2 Weeks, you can check out Zandalee for the heck of it, why not, it's kind of similar, but it's pretty bad. There's a sequel to The Sting. Never heard about it before. No Robert Redford or Paul Newman, and no George Roy Hill directing, but the writer is the same apparently.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 25, 2017 5:30:25 GMT
Yeah I have Reservoir as a close third behind pulp and inglorious YOURS The Sting - yeah its superb 8/10 in my top 150 for sure Planetarium sounds interesting at least Well, if you liked 9 1/2 Weeks, you can check out Zandalee for the heck of it, why not, it's kind of similar, but it's pretty bad. There's a sequel to The Sting. Never heard about it before. No Robert Redford or Paul Newman, and no George Roy Hill directing, but the writer is the same apparently. Not a fan of 9 1/2 weeks. sting 2 is pretty bad
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 25, 2017 5:31:53 GMT
First Viewing: Free Fire (2016) -- The film is basically one long pitched gun battle inside an abandoned warehouse in the aftermath of a black market arms deal that goes south. Gritty and tense thriller laced with dark humor. 7/10 Satellite in the Sky (1956) -- So-so sci-fi adventure in which the crew of the world's first satellite -- more of a spaceship really -- attempt to set off a nuclear bomb in space. Some decent effects and interesting art direction. 5/10 Terrore Nello Spazio aka "Planet of the Vampires" (1965) -- This sci-fi/horror movie, although released just a year before the television debut of "Star Trek" is basically more a throwback to Buck Rogers with a more stylish look. Male characters and squared jawed, tough-talking action heroes with zero personality and women characters are only there to scream and faint at the first sight of danger and to look good in tight black leather suits. Ultimately comes across as a middling "Twilight Zone" episode with better production values. 6/10 The Comic Strip Presents...Bad News and More Bad News (1983, 1987) -- Pretty much all the jokes are on the mark. Planer as "Den" is endearing in his boorish way. 8/10 Yours: Reservoir Dogs -- 9/10 So I Married an Axe Murderer -- 6/10 Your Highness -- 6/10 Not seen any of yours
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 25, 2017 5:40:57 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. Hi Darky! Black Rain (1989, Ridley Scott) Saw it for the first time last summer and it met my expectations. really liked the characters. Especially Masa. 7/10 Reservoir Dogs (1992, Quentin Tarantino) Classic crime Tarantino movie. 8/10 Your Highness (2011, David Gordon Green) As much as I despised it the first time around it was strangely not bad at all on rewatch. 6/10 Here's mine: Commando (1985 Bluray): I never heard much about this movie but I was under the impression that it was gonna be an all-out war action in the jungle or something. It was not the case at all. It was not all bad but it was not nearly as good as I thought it would be. The story is as simple as it gets and it unfolds very slowly. I've watched so many action movies that I'm kind of tired of scenes of people following other people but there's a lot of this in this one. Also, the way they included the women in the plot was just ridiculous and he should've never picked her up after he stole her car. And why did she follow him after? Cheap car chases, crappy shootouts, poor fight scenes, not what I was in for. Arnold running to places, Arnold sneeking into places... This Arnold movie finds itself at the bottom of my Arny movies. Here I was Thinking I had been missing out on a great film... 5.5/10 Project A ( "A gai wak" 1983 DVD): I said it before and I say it again ; Jackie Chan is the greatest actor/director/writer/stunt director ever. The guy's a real phenomenon. Right off the first minutes of this movie I was smiling and I kept smiling and laughing untill the end. Some of the coolest, funniest, craziest fight scenes I've ever seen. The very first one (the Navy VS the police) was memorable. The one with the bikes was also original. There was a few major editing flaws but it just made it all funnier. This one is right up there with Police Story. 8/10 13 Reasons Why (2017 Netflix): So I finished all 13 episodes. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that the first 11 episodes are all solid and interesting but never really great. Then you get to the last two episodes and that's when shit gets real. Some tear jerking material that will leave you speechless. I think it's unfortunate that this is not a two hour movie because every teacher should have its students see this. It's eye-opening on a subject that we are all already aware of, but to the whole new degree. I always love watching things that are a bit shocking and this one really got to me in the end. Overall: 8.5/10 and thats mainly because they had the guts to go all the Way. Yeah, I was the same way with Your Highness commando / always have found fun with this one , seen countless times 7/10 13 reasons Why - im glad you watched it, I liked it more than you and found it compelling throughout
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 25, 2017 11:17:36 GMT
Surprised you've not seen So I Married an Axe Murderer, any interest? Mild interest. BTW, just tried to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the first time in many many years... turned it off after 35 minutes
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Jawbox5
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@jawbox5
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Post by Jawbox5 on Apr 25, 2017 15:55:59 GMT
My issue with Marvel is that I think they try to include too much given the whole shared universe thing, but that's more of a personal quibble. I dislike Episode VII and Rogue One because I think they're just covering old ground, putting stuff in for nostalgia or because it was in the original trilogy and they are not becoming they're own entity. I take it you're a fan of Friedkin's Sorcerer? One of the most underappreciated and interesting films of it's time for me. Yup love sorcerer, it's in my top 50 and is maybe the greatest remake ever. Perhaps the most underrated film of all time. Did you hear they are making another remake of it Would definitely be in my top 50 too, superb in almost every area. I actually think it's the type of story that could be reworked, and if Ben Wheatley is involved as rumoured then I would be very interested.
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Post by jcush on Apr 25, 2017 18:10:00 GMT
BTW, just tried to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the first time in many many years... turned it off after 35 minutes Blasphemy.
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Post by movielover on Apr 26, 2017 0:16:27 GMT
BTW, just tried to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the first time in many many years... turned it off after 35 minutes I didn't care for it that much either. I'm like the only person who doesn't like movies made by the Coen brothers (the only exception being No Country for Old Men).
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 26, 2017 1:51:31 GMT
BTW, just tried to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the first time in many many years... turned it off after 35 minutes I didn't care for it that much either. I'm like the only person who doesn't like movies made by the Coen brothers (the only exception being No Country for Old Men). Im not a huge coens fan but I like a few of their movies, only one i adore is Fargo. I've also never met anyone irl who doesn't like Lebowski so that's good to hear
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bill7576
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@bill7576
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Post by bill7576 on Apr 27, 2017 0:20:42 GMT
Well, if you liked 9 1/2 Weeks, you can check out Zandalee for the heck of it, why not, it's kind of similar, but it's pretty bad. There's a sequel to The Sting. Never heard about it before. No Robert Redford or Paul Newman, and no George Roy Hill directing, but the writer is the same apparently. Not a fan of 9 1/2 weeks. sting 2 is pretty bad Yeah, I imagined that about The Sting 2. There's not even a trailer available on youtube. Just a clip. O.K., then you can really skip Zandalee. Have you heard about Jonathan Demme? Really sorry about it, I loved his movies.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 27, 2017 6:39:49 GMT
Not a fan of 9 1/2 weeks. sting 2 is pretty bad Yeah, I imagined that about The Sting 2. There's not even a trailer available on youtube. Just a clip. O.K., then you can really skip Zandalee. Have you heard about Jonathan Demme? Really sorry about it, I loved his movies. Yeah I just heard today, he had an interesting career
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bill7576
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@bill7576
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Post by bill7576 on Apr 27, 2017 13:42:36 GMT
Yeah, I imagined that about The Sting 2. There's not even a trailer available on youtube. Just a clip. O.K., then you can really skip Zandalee. Have you heard about Jonathan Demme? Really sorry about it, I loved his movies. Yeah I just heard today, he had an interesting career I'm curious to watch Stop Making Sense. I only saw the one about Neil Young of his concert movies.
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Post by petrolino on Apr 29, 2017 0:40:43 GMT
Hi. I've seen most of your movies this week. The two I like most - the comic fantasy 'Your Highness' through which Natalie Portman broke the internet and QT's stunning heist picture 'Reservoir Dogs'. --- --- --- --- My viewings : ‘Marisa’ (1957, Marisa la civetta – Mauro Bolognini) Seventeen year-old orphan Marisa (Marisa Allasio) is a child of the railway who’s become the most popular girl in her port. Boys only covet her beauty so she believes in being self-sufficient. Marisa is approached by three respectable suitors : happy-go-lucky sailor Angelo (Renato Salvatori) lays claim to the docks, strict Catholic ticketmaster Antonio (Francisco Rabal) patrols the station and champion footballer Luccicotto (Ángel Aranda) roams the parks. ‘Marisa’ is a gentle, disarming fable with a funny script. Cinematographer Carlo Carlini’s serene compositions and elegant camera motions are complimented by composer Carlo Rustichelli’s jaunty, joyful musical accompaniment. The action is beautifully staged by director Mauro Bolognini (assisted here by Flavio Mogherini) who casually depicts small social pleasures while skilfully translating the slow pace of life holding back a free spirit on the cusp of womanhood. ‘The White Wife And The Hot Pepper Lover’ (1980, La moglie in bianco... l'amante al pepe - Michele Massimo Tarantini) The Patanè family of Naples has a hard-earned reputation to uphold. Grandpappy Calogero (Lino Banfi) still grabs a handful of the ladies, dentist Giuseppe (Lino Banfi) tames his patients by hand and his son Gianluca (Javier Viñas) has the looks of a third generation Patanè studmuffin. When Gianluca is caught with a secret stash of bodybuilding magazines and a new pink suit, his family insist it’s time for him to get married so Giuseppe hires new dental assistant Sonia (Pamela Prati) who’s also a fitness fanatic. ‘The White Wife And The Hot Pepper Lover’ is a gutbusting entry in the ‘Wife’ comedy cycle from grand master Michele Massimo Tarantini. Lino Banfi slices off a generous pair of hambone steaks as the two horny elder statesmen of the Patanè family line who must teach young Gianluca the dangers and delights of the opposite sex. Tarantini and Spanish cinematographer Raúl Pérez Cubero use close-ups, whip-pans, divided camera motions and split-screen techniques to enhance a series of comic set-plays including an unforgettable workout on an exercise bike. ‘Ninette’ (2005 - José Luis Garci) Andrés (Carlos Hipólito), a fine craftsman from Murcia, Spain, takes a business trip to Paris, France in 1959. At his boarding house in Paris, Andrés makes no effort to resist advances made by Alejandra (Elsa Pataky) - Ninette the coquette - who’s young enough to be his daughter. Upon his return to Murcia with Alejandra in tow, it dawns upon Andrés that Ninette is actually a devout Catholic attracted to faith and devotion. ‘Ninette’ is an entertaining comedy of manners based on a play by Miguel Mihura. It’s nicely filmed and maintains a controlled tone throughout, filing moments of absurdist humour within a variety of adversarial work set-ups. Comedian Carlos Hipólito and horror favourite Elsa Pataky are in scintillating form and receive hilarious support from Enrique Villén as inquisitive businessman Armando and Mar Regueras as kinky maid Maruja. Composer Pablo Cervantes’ music is terrific, a small jazz orchestra underscoring the action and supplying a classical theme that sounds straight out of the 1950s. ‘Silent Laughter : European Style’ (2005, Documentary – Egon Tender-Squires) Exploring the origins of European slapstick and its adoption of classical miming and clowning techniques. This is a short video installation celebrating physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Max Linder, Ferdinand Guillaume (known also as Tontolini and Polidor ) and André Deed, some of the craziest cats around. It’s set to synthetic mechanised dance beats which accentuate just how modern their movements were. ‘The Fall And The Rise’ (2006, Documentary, La chute et l'envol – Jonas Rosales) An interview piece with fantasy filmmaker Jean-Claude Brisseau about his influential feature ‘Sound And Fury’ (1988). This is an extended interview recorded with Jean-Claude Brisseau who’s always courted controversy. It’s solely about ‘Sound And Fury’ which has been acknowledged as an important influence on hard-hitting French films like ‘La Haine’ (1995) and ‘Ma 6-T Va Crack-er’ (1997). 'Aux Marches Du Palais' - Nana Mouskouri
‘Inside Black Orpheus : Music, Carnival And Culture’ (2016, Documentary – Jake West) A piece-by-piece deconstruction of the experimental musical ‘Black Orpheus’ (1959) which offers a retelling of the legend of Orpheus (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn). ‘Inside Black Orpheus : Music, Carnival And Culture’ divulges some of the secrets behind Marcel Camus’ magical rendering of a classical tale from Greek mythology. ‘Black Orpheus’ explores Afro-Brazilian culture against a backdrop of cultural fusion mixing dynamic dance steps and musical styles from Southern Europe, Western Africa and Latin America. This educational documentary helmed by multi-talented horror director Jake West offers two distinct viewpoints on the movie, a traditional embrace of the film’s open-hearted romanticism, and a more cautious, revisionist take that upends notions of fantasy. ‘The Shallows’ (2016 – Jaume-Collet Serra) Surfer Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) takes a break from the pressures of medical school to visit a secluded stretch of the Mexican coastline that her late mother went to during pregnancy. Staying in constant touchpad contact with her little sister Chloe (Sedona Legge), Nancy comes to some important decisions about her future while engaging a great white shark in a battle of wits. ‘The Shallows’ is a basic survival thriller about a girl and a shark that gives a sparkling makeover to an elemental force of nature. It’s filmed atop the surface of shimmering crystal blue waters doused with sunlight gloss by visual stylist Jaume Collet-Serra who relishes the opportunity to preserve every glistening drop of water clinging to Blake Lively’s designer wetsuit and bikini bottoms. I don’t think the moral dimension of the story is tapped with the intensity needed to make Nancy’s personal tragedy compelling; awkward attempts to mine her past via passageways of quasi-existential angst are interrupted suddenly by a seemingly supernatural seaside presence, but such erroneous channels pale in comparison to the dark shadowlands cultivated within fatalistic post-war thrillers like Bernard Vorhaus’ itchy melodrama ‘Bury Me Dead’ (1947), Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s literate fantasy ‘The Ghost And Mrs Muir’ (1947) and Jean Renoir’s enigmatic mystery ‘The Woman On The Beach’ (1947). What ‘The Shallows’ does project is plenty of shallow beach bum glamour. ‘Joe Cocker : Mad Dog With Soul’ (2017, Documentary – John Edginton) An impassioned tribute to tortured vocal artist Joe Cocker. Songwriters Randy Newman, Chris Stainton, Jimmy Webb, Rita Coolidge, Billy Joel and Charlie Midnight join together with producer Glyn Johns and the American Standard Band to honour singer Joe Cocker in John Edginton’s nostalgic memory mosaic ‘Joe Cocker : Mad Dog With Soul’. “There’s 3 things I remember about 1969 : Woodstock, the Led Zeppelin album came out, and the Joe Cocker album. And that’s how I sum up 1969.”
- Billy Joel'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' - Joe Cocker
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Post by darksidebeadle on Apr 30, 2017 4:24:56 GMT
Hi. I've seen most of your movies this week. The two I like most - the comic fantasy 'Your Highness' through which Natalie Portman broke the internet and QT's stunning heist picture 'Reservoir Dogs'. --- --- --- --- My viewings : ‘Marisa’ (1957, Marisa la civetta – Mauro Bolognini) Seventeen year-old orphan Marisa (Marisa Allasio) is a child of the railway who’s become the most popular girl in her port. Boys only covet her beauty so she believes in being self-sufficient. Marisa is approached by three respectable suitors : happy-go-lucky sailor Angelo (Renato Salvatori) lays claim to the docks, strict Catholic ticketmaster Antonio (Francisco Rabal) patrols the station and champion footballer Luccicotto (Ángel Aranda) roams the parks. ‘Marisa’ is a gentle, disarming fable with a funny script. Cinematographer Carlo Carlini’s serene compositions and elegant camera motions are complimented by composer Carlo Rustichelli’s jaunty, joyful musical accompaniment. The action is beautifully staged by director Mauro Bolognini (assisted here by Flavio Mogherini) who casually depicts small social pleasures while skilfully translating the slow pace of life holding back a free spirit on the cusp of womanhood. ‘The White Wife And The Hot Pepper Lover’ (1980, La moglie in bianco... l'amante al pepe - Michele Massimo Tarantini) The Patanè family of Naples has a hard-earned reputation to uphold. Grandpappy Calogero (Lino Banfi) still grabs a handful of the ladies, dentist Giuseppe (Lino Banfi) tames his patients by hand and his son Gianluca (Javier Viñas) has the looks of a third generation Patanè studmuffin. When Gianluca is caught with a secret stash of bodybuilding magazines and a new pink suit, his family insist it’s time for him to get married so Giuseppe hires new dental assistant Sonia (Pamela Prati) who’s also a fitness fanatic. ‘The White Wife And The Hot Pepper Lover’ is a gutbusting entry in the ‘Wife’ comedy cycle from grand master Michele Massimo Tarantini. Lino Banfi slices off a generous pair of hambone steaks as the two horny elder statesmen of the Patanè family line who must teach young Gianluca the dangers and delights of the opposite sex. Tarantini and Spanish cinematographer Raúl Pérez Cubero use close-ups, whip-pans, divided camera motions and split-screen techniques to enhance a series of comic set-plays including an unforgettable workout on an exercise bike. ‘Ninette’ (2005 - José Luis Garci) Andrés (Carlos Hipólito), a fine craftsman from Murcia, Spain, takes a business trip to Paris, France in 1959. At his boarding house in Paris, Andrés makes no effort to resist advances made by Alejandra (Elsa Pataky) - Ninette the coquette - who’s young enough to be his daughter. Upon his return to Murcia with Alejandra in tow, it dawns upon Andrés that Ninette is actually a devout Catholic attracted to faith and devotion. ‘Ninette’ is an entertaining comedy of manners based on a play by Miguel Mihura. It’s nicely filmed and maintains a controlled tone throughout, filing moments of absurdist humour within a variety of adversarial work set-ups. Comedian Carlos Hipólito and horror favourite Elsa Pataky are in scintillating form and receive hilarious support from Enrique Villén as inquisitive businessman Armando and Mar Regueras as kinky maid Maruja. Composer Pablo Cervantes’ music is terrific, a small jazz orchestra underscoring the action and supplying a classical theme that sounds straight out of the 1950s. ‘Silent Laughter : European Style’ (2005, Documentary – Egon Tender-Squires) Exploring the origins of European slapstick and its adoption of classical miming and clowning techniques. This is a short video installation celebrating physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Max Linder, Ferdinand Guillaume (known also as Tontolini and Polidor ) and André Deed, some of the craziest cats around. It’s set to synthetic mechanised dance beats which accentuate just how modern their movements were. ‘The Fall And The Rise’ (2006, Documentary, La chute et l'envol – Jonas Rosales) An interview piece with fantasy filmmaker Jean-Claude Brisseau about his influential feature ‘Sound And Fury’ (1988). This is an extended interview recorded with Jean-Claude Brisseau who’s always courted controversy. It’s solely about ‘Sound And Fury’ which has been acknowledged as an important influence on hard-hitting French films like ‘La Haine’ (1995) and ‘Ma 6-T Va Crack-er’ (1997). 'Aux Marches Du Palais' - Nana Mouskouri
‘Inside Black Orpheus : Music, Carnival And Culture’ (2016, Documentary – Jake West) A piece-by-piece deconstruction of the experimental musical ‘Black Orpheus’ (1959) which offers a retelling of the legend of Orpheus (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn). ‘Inside Black Orpheus : Music, Carnival And Culture’ divulges some of the secrets behind Marcel Camus’ magical rendering of a classical tale from Greek mythology. ‘Black Orpheus’ explores Afro-Brazilian culture against a backdrop of cultural fusion mixing dynamic dance steps and musical styles from Southern Europe, Western Africa and Latin America. This educational documentary helmed by multi-talented horror director Jake West offers two distinct viewpoints on the movie, a traditional embrace of the film’s open-hearted romanticism, and a more cautious, revisionist take that upends notions of fantasy. ‘The Shallows’ (2016 – Jaume-Collet Serra) Surfer Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) takes a break from the pressures of medical school to visit a secluded stretch of the Mexican coastline that her late mother went to during pregnancy. Staying in constant touchpad contact with her little sister Chloe (Sedona Legge), Nancy comes to some important decisions about her future while engaging a great white shark in a battle of wits. ‘The Shallows’ is a basic survival thriller about a girl and a shark that gives a sparkling makeover to an elemental force of nature. It’s filmed atop the surface of shimmering crystal blue waters doused with sunlight gloss by visual stylist Jaume Collet-Serra who relishes the opportunity to preserve every glistening drop of water clinging to Blake Lively’s designer wetsuit and bikini bottoms. I don’t think the moral dimension of the story is tapped with the intensity needed to make Nancy’s personal tragedy compelling; awkward attempts to mine her past via passageways of quasi-existential angst are interrupted suddenly by a seemingly supernatural seaside presence, but such erroneous channels pale in comparison to the dark shadowlands cultivated within fatalistic post-war thrillers like Bernard Vorhaus’ itchy melodrama ‘Bury Me Dead’ (1947), Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s literate fantasy ‘The Ghost And Mrs Muir’ (1947) and Jean Renoir’s enigmatic mystery ‘The Woman On The Beach’ (1947). What ‘The Shallows’ does project is plenty of shallow beach bum glamour. ‘Joe Cocker : Mad Dog With Soul’ (2017, Documentary – John Edginton) An impassioned tribute to tortured vocal artist Joe Cocker. Songwriters Randy Newman, Chris Stainton, Jimmy Webb, Rita Coolidge, Billy Joel and Charlie Midnight join together with producer Glyn Johns and the American Standard Band to honour singer Joe Cocker in John Edginton’s nostalgic memory mosaic ‘Joe Cocker : Mad Dog With Soul’. “There’s 3 things I remember about 1969 : Woodstock, the Led Zeppelin album came out, and the Joe Cocker album. And that’s how I sum up 1969.”
- Billy Joel'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' - Joe Cocker
Shallows was ok enough although ridiculous at times 5.5-6
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