|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 14:40:24 GMT
Hi all,I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and my festive viewings were: X-Mas TV specials: The X Files: How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (1998) 10 The episode with the lowest budget of season 6 and the smallest cast list of any X-Files episode made up to now, writer/director Chris Carter uses this unusual minimal set-up to his advantage by brewing a ghost stories for Christmas atmosphere in lighting the house with festive red lighting and coiled camera moves from the corners of rooms capturing the confined state Mulder and Scully are in. Backed by a chiming score from Mark Snow, Carter slants the ghostly CGI wounds (which has actually aged well) with comedic Hijinks of disappearing doors and sitting back in chairs chats with ghosts. One of the more comedic eps of the season, the script by Carter shines black comedy merriment on the house, in the odd couple exchanges between the agents and ghosts Maurice and Lydia, whilst the limited time the haunting is allowed to take place, gives the ghost a slithering unpredictability. Joining the excellent Duchovny and Anderson, Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner give utterly splendid turns as the ghosts, whose funny, off the cuff one-liners is thrown with a screw-ball slickness by Asner and Tomlin, along with an excitement of being the ghosts who stole Christmas. Father Ted: A Christmassy Ted (1996) 8 Praying for double the runtime of a normal Ted, the script by series creators Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews take on the extra time with an impressive ease, thanks to the main plot-line of a sudden rush of fame going to Ted's head tugging at character comedy over Ted's suspicion of jealousy from others, which opens up the paths for very funny physical Comedy set-pieces, when someone claiming to be from Ted's past, arrives to take advantage of his star-struck state in wacky Mission Impossible 1-inspired set-pieces. Hunching Ted (played by a hilarious Dermot Morgan)and his fellow priests down like they are on a battlefield in a whip-pan along a lingerie store, director Declan Lowney takes the set-pieces to high heaven with rubbery, frantic slap-stick over Christmassy time on Craggy Island. Knowing Me Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge 10 Bringing the curtain down on the Knowing Me era of the series, writers Steve Coogan,Armando Iannucci,Patrick Marber & Rebecca Front pull a cracker of a final ep, which satirically mocks all-star chat show specials, with hilarious, sparkling dialogue that sends Partridge falling into every mishap and uncomfortable long pause with his guests.Done as a extravagance special for the chat show, director Dominic Brigstocke breaks Alan's show with fantastic visual sight-gags of would-be set-pieces falling apart, and ill-judged attempts at underhanded product placement. Becoming a throne in the series in the next series, David Schneider gives BBC head Tony Hayers a fittingly slimy manner which causes Steve Coogan to have Partridge be wonderfully ill at ease, as Alan pulls the cracker on his career. X-Mas films: Night Before Christmas (1961) 8 Continuing a run of Fantasy titles, auteur writer/director Aleksandr Rou enchants with an utterly delight Christmas atmosphere, spun by Rou & cinematographer Dmitri Surensky weaving the camera down the streets of the snow-covered village. Gliding by on a 66 minute runtime, Rou rolls into the surreal with sparks of primary colours shimmering on the screen from lush dissolves, and Rou skilfully blending rustic Comedy into the tale, such as the cute, mischievous Devil being used as a mode of transport. Sending Vakula out to find the Tsaritsa's slippers for his love Oksana, the screenplay by Rou's adaptation of Nikolay Gogol is strung with whimsical flourishes which thread Vakula and the Devil into the bustling small-town dramas, as the locals prepare on the night before Christmas. Don't Open Till Christmas (1984) 6 Stuck in delays, (filmed in 1983,put out in 1985) which led to extra murder set-pieces to be filmed for a final high-end body count of 14, and the first two directors being sacked, the third, and final director Ray Selfe sows it all together with a grubby Grindhouse atmosphere. Filmed round the crumbling outskirts of London, Swlfe sniffs up the seediness in panning shots round the dark, dank locations and swift first-person tracking shots of the psycho stalking (and then killing) sexy ladies, and down and outs dressed as Santa. Rid of the gloss of US Horror of the era, the Slasher slay bells ring on a ugliness of dry red smeared across the screen. Chopping some of the US Slasher clichés off, ("The Final Girl" not being the pure and innocent type, the victims being largely rough round the edges) the screenplay by Alan Birkinshaw & Derek Ford follows the spreading of good cheer in the directing by giving the dialogue an unshakeable mean spitefulness, where even the cops treat survivors with a bullying contempt. Pulling off the beard, the writers carve the motives of the nutter with a unrelenting wide-eyed psycho harshness which leaves the police with an open case till Christmas. Better Watch Out (2016) 8 Building up a snowstorm from a plot twist pencilled in at the half-way point, the excellent performances by Levi Miller and Ed Oxenbould as Luke and Garrett really make the twist work, thanks to Miller giving Luke an ambiguity between childish teasing, and an increasingly unsettling wide-grin, blank stare void, while Oxenbould gives Garrett a casual slacker state open to manipulation. Reuniting with Oxenbould after M. Night Shyamalan's return to praise and box office success with The Visit (2015), Olivia DeJonge gives a live-wire turn as Ashley, whose initial babysitting of Luke is given a pointed comedic edge by DeJonge, which breaks into horror by DeJonge turning the screws on Ashley's sinking fear, and scarping to survive. Returning to the screen for the first time since the torture- Horror Undocumented (2010), co-writer/(with Zack Khan) director Chris Peckover & cinematographer Carl Robertson imaginatively use Christmas decorations and the scenery to give the flick a macabre edge that leaves the pure driven snow red, and (excluding the mid-credits scene) frames the final shot like the front of a Christmas card with a wry grin. Continuing to have torture be an element in his films, Peckover wraps the film in the psychological effects of it in tight close-ups on faces giving the horror a tense chill,along with sound effects and dabs of paint and blood on the floor suggestively drawing what has taken place. Hanging up the decorations with a comedic playfulness in the opening, the screenplay by Peckover and Khan superbly snowballs comedy with Home-Invasion thrills, via Ashley's relaxed attitude to babysitting creaking under unexplained noises and broken glass. Opening up the present to the viewer, the writers wonderfully free the twists and turns to glitter, by continuing to gradual build the fraught relationship between the trio,as Ashley discovers that it is better to watch out. Maria Chapdelaine (1934) 8 Sailing to Canada with a cast and crew from France, co-writer/(with Gabriel Boissy) directing auteur Julien Duvivier lands with style in vast wide-shots breathing in the great earthy outdoors of Quebec. As fellow IMDber dbdumonteil mentions in his terrific review, Duvivier cuts down the fir trees with an almost musical stylisation, layering the soundtrack with the national heritage of the locals in songs such as A la Claire Fontaine and Marianne s'en Va-t-Au -Moulin swaying to the gatherings of the towns people. Continuing to build the major visual motif across his credits of impending tragedy laying await behind the sun, Duvivier fills Maria full of grace with glowing, poetic white lighting, and Paradis's walk in the rugged terrain being followed in a tightly-held tracking shot. For the first of (currently) three filmed adaptations of Louis Hémon's novel, (who died at just 32, via getting struck by a train when walking near the tracks) the screenplay by Boissy & Duvivier wrap this version in a magical elegance, thanks to Chapdelaine and Paradis's blossoming love being balanced by the shadow of death getting ever nearer to Chapdelaine's family. Teaming up for the first of seven times with Duvivier, the fresh-face Jean Gabin gives a very good turn as Paradis, who is given a surprisingly sensitive, delicate edge by Gabin. Looking angelic in close-up, beautiful Madeleine Renaud gives an enticing performance as Chapdelaine, with Renaud subtly casting a down-cast glimmer across her face, as Maria finds herself not full of grace. So pleased to see you rated Better Watch Out so much. I really liked it and was very surprised to see so much venom spewed its way in the review section on IMDb. I thought the twist was great, as was the cheeky finale, I mean I'm no hardcore horror film fan so I guess the twist doesn't bother you and I the way it does the serio dudes. I imagine many went into it expecting your standard blood and guts home invasion formula? maybe? But again since it's a formula I'm not overly fond of - and have in fact grown bored with it - what I found was refreshing instead. Great write up chap, and yes I agree about DeJonge being livewire, I will not be upset to see her name on a credits list in future.
|
|
|
Post by wmcclain on Jan 2, 2019 14:46:16 GMT
Thoughts on Backfire and Basic Instinct Bill? Backfire: I didn't follow the plot very well. I could have concentrated more, but there are a lot of characters and named characters who don't appear for a while. Basic Instinct: I rewatched this because I was told Camille Paglia's commentary track on the Blu-ray was a "hoot". Recently I enjoyed her book on The Birds. She loves this film. I saw it back when and remember thinking it terribly overblown. It was supposed to be thrilling and sexy, but wasn't. Controversial for being offensive to gays and it wasn't that either. I never got the idea of Catherine Tramell as this irresistible lamia who clouds men's minds. This time: well, Verhoeven is not a subtle director but this is perhaps his most polished work (even with the blood splatter). The leads do good work. Paglia did get me thinking about the design and how it plays off traditional Hollywood material. Apart from that, I hope all fans of Technicolor musicals have seen: The Harvey Girls (1946)
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 14:52:57 GMT
Hi all, hope you all had fun or peace at Xmas (depending on your preference of course). Time off work ensures plenty of viewings > Dredd (2012) - www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/reference Incendiary! Dredd is directed by Pete Travis and written by Alex Garland. It stars Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey and Wood Harris. Music is by Paul Leonard-Morgan and cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle. Review for 2D Version Only. Sylvester Stallone' 1995 attempt at bringing Judge Dredd to the big screen was met with a critical mauling, both professionally and by serious fans of the 2000AD comic books from whence the character came. On its own terms it's a fun popcorn piece, but one that totally missed the fascist grime of the source. Here however, under the guidance of Travis and Garland, Dredd gets the picture the fans and the character deserves. Plot is simple, we are in a dystopian future in a place known as Mega-City One. The only law and order are the Judges who are able to act as judge, jury and executioner. One such feared judge is Judge Dredd (Urban) and when he and his partner in training, Anderson (Thirlby), answer a call to a triple homicide at the multi storey slum tenement known as Peach Trees, they are locked in by crime boss Ma-Ma (Headey) and forced to defend themselves against practically everyone who resides there. This is stripped down to the essence of what makes Judge Dredd such a beloved character in comic book lore. There's no need for backstories, love interests or comedy side-kicks, this is bad ass characters from either side of the law going at it full throttle. The action is unrelenting and explosive in its construction, bloody and brutal into the bargain as well. Dredd the character is rightly kept to a basic level, he's a hard dude in a suit and helmet, with an arsenal of weapons upon his person and he delivers short sharp shock pieces of dialogue with gruff assertiveness. Anderson is a mutant of sorts, she can read minds, which superbly adds spice to this fight for survival narrative. Ma-Ma is a damaged villain, disgustingly menacing without histrionics, it's her calmness that's so terrifying. At the core of the criminal activities fronted by Ma-Ma is a new drug called Slo-Mo, a drug that reduces the brain's perception to 1% of speed. This allows the makers to bring some dazzling effects into play whilst setting up some blood letting scenarios. The production design is top draw, where Mega-City One has a perfect totalitarianism sheen to it, which in turn is boosted by Dod Mantle's excellent colour lenses. With Urban perfectly cast and his two lady co-stars also firing, Dredd is a thrilling action sci-fi movie. It doesn't push new boundaries and raise the bar per se, but it keeps the fires well and truly burning in the genre whilst appeasing the fans wholesale. 8/10 TV EpisodesThe Twilight Zone - The Night of the Meek (1960) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0734666/reference - Review > www.imdb.com/review/rw3381817/?ref_=tt_urv 9/10Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/reference - mdf covered this on last weeks thread. It's 10/10 for me, only I was angry beyond compare to find that the 2005 Box Set features a version that has one of the best jokes edited out. Shameless censorship. Hi Spike,I hope you had a good X-Mas,with Blackadder (the X-Mas special of which is thankfully uncut on Netflix) have you seen the unaired pilot: Sadly not a smash hit (the slo-mo shoot-outs are worthy of HK era John Woo) Dredd is the only 3D film I've seen twice at the cinema. In recent Dredd news,Karl Urban says Garland was actually the "uncredited" director of the movie: www.indiewire.com/2018/03/karl-urban-dredd-alex-garland-directed-pete-travis-1201937017/My 2012 review: 8 www.imdb.com/review/rw2676203/?ref_=ur_urvBeing deeply disappointed with the use of 3D in a number of movies,I was please to witness the technology get a knock out punch to the head!.Opening with the title exploding on the screen,director Pete Travis and Danny Boyle/Lars Von Trier main cinematography Anthony Dod Mantle deliver truly eye-popping 3D,as blood,smoke,bullets and glass "jump out" of the screen to pull the audience deep into the action.Along with the 3D,Travis also shows a real eye for the many tremendous action scenes,by giving the Peach Trees, (named after a building in Shrewsbury UK!) a real seedy atmosphere,whilst also staying away from trigger-happy jump cuttings,to instead allow the viewer to get a real feel of the action taking place.Pulled right from a 40's hard-nosed Gangster movie by Alex Garland's rough'n' ready screenplay,Karl Urban shows the Dredd helmet to be a perfect fit,thanks to being able to deliver the film's adrenaline-rushing,ultra-violence action scenes with a real relish,whilst also keeping the character away from being one dimensional,by cleverly having moments which allow his personality to come through,such as walking to the pounding Industrial score by Paul Leonard-Morgan,to delivering one liners that will put a grin on any Action movie fans face, ("Its judgement time") as they get the chance to witness Judge Dredd deliver some bone crunching hard justice. No hadn't seen that, legend you are, thank you Chris. Ah man, I would probably kill to go back in time a bit and see Dredd in 3D on the big screen, I can tell by your review it was a thrilling experience, and since it's thrilling in 2D I know that must be fact for like minded fans. I may still get the chance, I have the 2 disc edition (with the 2D and 3D cuts) and my Blu-ray player is 3D set, it's just a question of if I upgrade the TV now! Great film, especially for fans of the source, but definitely one for sci-fi action fans not familiar with Judge Dredd the character. My side-bar disappointment with anything Dredd related is that I used to own all the comics back in the day, I loved 2000AD (and when it joined with Starlord as a joint publication), but I foolishly sold them when I got towards my 20s. You know when getting rid of stuff for quick cash for a night on the town seemed smart?...
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on Jan 2, 2019 15:38:54 GMT
hitchcockthelegendI not at all sure why I watched "Dredd." It is not something I am normally interested in. But I did watch and, to my surprise, enjoyed it very much. I was very much impressed by Ms. Thirlby. In this kind of shoot-'em-up, it is not that easy to establish a character beyond a "type" or to give us some character development, but she manages it quite well.
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 15:42:03 GMT
KING OF KINGS (1961) Like BEN-HUR, even though the majority of this film is non-Christmas, my experiences with it have usually been around the holiday. I first saw parts of it on Christmas on Cinemax (in 1989), saw more on Cinemax near Christmas 1990, and although I saw the majority on Cinemax on Easter 1991, I’ve been more comfortable watching it on Christmas since 1994 (preferably on December 23). Warner BluRay TOMBSTONE (1993) 25TH ANNIVERSARY Probably my favorite of the OK Corral films, first viewed on PayPerView back in the Summer of 1994. This is the extended version from Buena Vista DVD. 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958) 60TH ANNIVERSARY this month. Ray Harryhausen’s first foray in the Arabian Nights. Remember reading pictures of the Skeleton duel in my monster movie books, then saw bits and pieces of the film in the early 1990s on Cinemax and TNT. With my Lego Pirate ship, I would mimic the film’s ending of the sailing ship humming Bernard Herrmann’s opening music. Columbia Tri-Star DVD. KING OF KINGS (1961) Like BEN-HUR, even though the majority of this film is non-Christmas, my experiences with it have usually been around the holiday. I first saw parts of it on Christmas on Cinemax (in 1989), saw more on Cinemax near Christmas 1990, and although I saw the majority on Cinemax on Easter 1991, I’ve been more comfortable watching it on Christmas since 1994 (preferably on December 23). Warner BluRay I think it's the best of the Christ story pictures > www.imdb.com/review/rw2231855/?ref_=tt_urvTOMBSTONE (1993) 25TH ANNIVERSARY Probably my favorite of the OK Corral films, first viewed on PayPerView back in the Summer of 1994. This is the extended version from Buena Vista DVD.It was the Western film that I got my non Western film fans to love! Not that it converted any of them to my way of the Oater mind you, but it is very much adored in my circle of friends and much of the dialogue is from time to time quoted on nights out. > www.imdb.com/review/rw2296496/?ref_=tt_urv 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958) 60TH ANNIVERSARY this month. Ray Harryhausen’s first foray in the Arabian Nights. Remember reading pictures of the Skeleton duel in my monster movie books, then saw bits and pieces of the film in the early 1990s on Cinemax and TNT. With my Lego Pirate ship, I would mimic the film’s ending of the sailing ship humming Bernard Herrmann’s opening music. Columbia Tri-Star DVD.God bless those monster movies books! As it happens, the Sinbad's, Argonauts, Mysterious Island etc are never far away from my holiday seasons viewings. Got the Blu-ray of 7th Voyage earlier in the year and watched it just a couple of days ago. Will post the review on next weeks thread
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 15:56:02 GMT
Porky's Railroad (1937) I realized I had never seen a solo outing from Porky Pig, he either appeared with other characters or his signature sign-off at the end of most WB cartoons. So I made a point of seeking out some. Here he costars with Toots the train. Porky Pig's Feat (1943) Porky and Daffy Duck keep trying to check out of a hotel without paying their bill. Non-stop laffs. Porky is the star, but Daffy steals the show and would soon go on to surpass his popularity with the public. Christmas Inheritance (2017) has that ole timey classic film feel, big city girl goes to small town at Christmas and her experience there turns around her world view and she falls in love. Contrived and yet lovely. It's Christmas and I fell for it. Almost Christmas (2016) Danny Glover's entire family comes home for Christmas, each with their own problems. A comedic drama that works. Bird Box (2018) The most watched Netflix movie ever, an apocalyptic sci-fi movie involving some alien force that forces you to kill yourself if you see it, so everyone stays indoors and blindfolded. Made for great Christmas viewing though! Christmas Eve (1947) The things I do for Randolph Scott! He doesn't even appear until the last half of the movie, which is not as Christmasy as I was hoping it would be. Still, it was entertaining enough. Joan Blondell steals every single moment she appears in. Christmas Eve (2015) The things I do for Patrick Stewart! I had to watch this after seeing the original movie called Christmas Eve. These movies are totally unrelated, however. This one is okay too, although it all takes place in various trapped elevators. Rent (2005) The famous movie version of the famous musical. It didn't blow my mind or anything, and I was a little bored at times, but the music was mostly okay. It was leaving Netflix so I thought I should check it out. A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018) is the sequel to Netflix's unexpected big hit from last Christmas. It was such a big success that Netflix commissioned a sequel and a ton of other Christmas-themed movies. It's harmless fluff and enjoyable. Thumper (2017) Nothing says Christmas like a little movie about drug dealers. This was a random selection that turned out surprisingly good. It also stars Eliza Taylor, who also starred in the very different Christmas Inheritance earlier in the week. Hold the Dark (2018) was a very dark, very violent (and shockingly so!) neo-noir Alaskan crime thriller, the best thing I saw all week. Highly recommended! We're No Angels (1955) The story of my trying to see this movie over the years could be a movie itself. FINALLY I got to see it from beginning to end. It's charming, a bit like a stage play really, but fun holiday viewing. Very different from the De Niro/Penn version. Dead Man Down (2013) And so begins the out-for-revenge portion of my Christmas viewing. I had a relative here who only watches action movies so I went along with him. I like them too. This one was very good, with some twists and great acting. Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017) This was more of a comedic action movie, almost sort of like a Carl Hiaasen novel meets the Coen brothers kind of mashup. Bruce Willis seems like he got his mojo back, while John Goodman seems to be on medication that makes him drowsy, or maybe that was just his choice for the character? Pottersville (2017) At first it seems like a Christmas movie that may be riding the coattails of It's a Wonderful Life, but that movie never had Bigfoot sightings and a furry sex club! My first Ian McShane movie of the week. Here, he spoofs Jaws in a scene that simply has to be seen. Woman Wanted (1999) The things I do for Holly Hunter! I only watched this because of her and also my friend was a production assistant on the movie too. She couldn't say enough good things about Kiefer Sutherland, and quite the opposite about Michael Moriarty. Let's just say, she never worked on another movie afterwards. The movie is a meandering mess, although not the worst I've ever seen. This Christmas (2007) This was very similar to Almost Christmas, which came out later and I liked it better. However, this seemed to be more fun for the cast to make, the outtakes at the end were great. Uncle Nick (2015) This movie makes Bad Santa look like A Charlie Brown Christmas. Quite raunchy at times, somewhat funny, then ends on such a downer. Definitely qualifies for the title of anti-Christmas movie. Mr. Holmes (2015) An aged Sherlock Holmes revisits his last case. Ian McKellen is superb, as always. Had this movie sitting around for eons waiting for me to watch it, finally, I did. The Hollow Point (2016) A violent neo-noir modern day western. If Sicario and Hell or High Water could have a one night stand, the offspring may look like this. Okay, so it's not as good as either of those two movies, but it's quite good. Ian McShane is in this too, and has all the best lines. Vengeance (2017) Nic Cage is out for vengeance! Not too bad, but not too good either. Cage might just be the weakest link here, his character never emotes while all the other characters get to emote up a storm. Acts of Vengeance (2017) This movie was chosen because it had vengeance in the title and I had to continue to entertain my uncle with a fresher and fresher supply of action movies. I was impressed with Banderas and his fighting skills. The filmmakers did a good job of tricking us into believing this was filmed in NYC and not Bulgaria. The things you do for love of films... I have commented elsewhere about We're No Angels, I like it enough, but Aldo Ray is a stupefying presence to me. You really got my attention with The Hollow Point. Not heard of it before and I'm always on the look out for anything that falls under the Neo-Noir banner. Poorly rated on IMDb but it also looks very under seen, and while not wanting to sound snobbish, some of the best Neo-Noir films get met with indifference because it is a different sort of experience than that of a standard crime picture. I'll stick it in my search facility and hopefully get a chance to see it, cheers Leb.
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 16:07:28 GMT
Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)--okay directorial debut of Penny Marshall, starring Whoopi Goldberg in some nonsense about spies. A few laughs, some suspense, and a look back at the technology of the mid-'80s (old computers, brick phones, and telephone booths). Some familiar faces turn up--Jon Lovitz, Phil Hartman, Garry Marshall, Michael McKean, Tracey Ullman, etc. Worth a look. Hi Marianne. Jumpin' Jack Flash was beset with problems, Marshall only stepping in at the last minute. It's an ok time filler I think> www.imdb.com/review/rw2934297/?ref_=tt_urvWhen I last watched it I was actually trying to see another Goldberg film, Fatal Beauty, but got mixed up and ended up with Jack Flash instead. And still today I have not seen Fatal Beauty!
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 2, 2019 16:36:24 GMT
Thoughts on Backfire and Basic Instinct Bill? Backfire: I didn't follow the plot very well. I could have concentrated more, but there are a lot of characters and named characters who don't appear for a while. Basic Instinct: I rewatched this because I was told Camille Paglia's commentary track on the Blu-ray was a "hoot". Recently I enjoyed her book on The Birds. She loves this film. I saw it back when and remember thinking it terribly overblown. It was supposed to be thrilling and sexy, but wasn't. Controversial for being offensive to gays and it wasn't that either. I never got the idea of Catherine Tramell as this irresistible lamia who clouds men's minds. This time: well, Verhoeven is not a subtle director but this is perhaps his most polished work (even with the blood splatter). The leads do good work. Paglia did get me thinking about the design and how it plays off traditional Hollywood material. Apart from that, I hope all fans of Technicolor musicals have seen: The Harvey Girls (1946)Hee, oh crap! I was hoping for some pointers on Backfire as it's a film that's missing from my noir viewings list. Basic Instinct. When it first hit the picture houses here in the UK the furore and hype was incredible, and while it was a very electrifying experience at the theatre (more on that when I hopefully host a thread next week about theatre visits), it didn't hit the mark for me as a genre piece of work that has to be seen. Since then, though, I have long become a fan of Verhoeven's work, very much so. Basic Instinct hasn't aged at all well, but what can be seen now, away from the shock and schlock, is a hugely accomplished Neo-Noir thriller mystery. > I'd have to be pretty stupid to write a book about killing and then kill him the way I described in my book. I'd be announcing myself as the killer. I'm not stupid. Basic Instinct is directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhaz. It stars Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Denis Arndt and Leilani Sarelle. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Jan de Bont. Nick Curran (Douglas) of the SFPD is strung out and under investigation by Internal Affairs, last thing he needs is to be drawn into a dangerous relationship with a sex crazed blonde who may be a murderess... Time hasn't been kind to Verhoeven's soft-core porn thriller, where once was shock and awe killings (the film opening with a brutal mini ice-pick murder), steamy love scenes and a famed and controversial crotch shot, now is ludicrous orgasms, iffy effects and Michael Douglas' unappetising ass! Hell there was even protests during the film's initial theatre run as the gay community went up in arms about the portrayal of bisexuals possibly being mad murderers? Yet for all of its taming over the years, Basic Instinct can at least now been seen as the hugely efficient mystery thriller that it is, one that is propelled by some very good performances by the principal actors. The strength in the story is not in the sex or blood, but in the character arcs of Nick Curran and Catherine Tramell (Stone). Curran is a man perched on the edge of doom who is controlled totally by the women around him. He is by definition a quintessential film noir protagonist, in so deep he ultimately will be resigned to his fate. Catharine Tramell is a ultimate femme fatale, beautiful and seductive, she's always in control, leading all male characters where she wants them to go. There's a delicious kink to the narrative, with Verhoeven gleefully pulling the strings, a smirk no doubt etched onto his face. This is very good story telling, with a plot of substantial twists and turns. True, it does carry some soft-core baggage that can steer the restless away from the character strengths within, but for the neo-noir crowd there is much to enjoy here. 7.5/10
|
|
|
Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jan 2, 2019 17:35:45 GMT
hitchcockthelegendThe Hollow Point is very interesting, and probably underseen. Patrick Wilson always makes great choices in movie roles, and Ian McShane is just too entertaining here not to be seen. Of all the movies I've seen this week, I would suggest Hold the Dark, since you like neo-noirish films. It's very dark but quite good.
|
|
|
Post by morrisondylanfan on Jan 2, 2019 22:24:30 GMT
Hi Spike,I hope you had a good X-Mas,with Blackadder (the X-Mas special of which is thankfully uncut on Netflix) have you seen the unaired pilot: Sadly not a smash hit (the slo-mo shoot-outs are worthy of HK era John Woo) Dredd is the only 3D film I've seen twice at the cinema. In recent Dredd news,Karl Urban says Garland was actually the "uncredited" director of the movie: www.indiewire.com/2018/03/karl-urban-dredd-alex-garland-directed-pete-travis-1201937017/My 2012 review: 8 www.imdb.com/review/rw2676203/?ref_=ur_urvBeing deeply disappointed with the use of 3D in a number of movies,I was please to witness the technology get a knock out punch to the head!.Opening with the title exploding on the screen,director Pete Travis and Danny Boyle/Lars Von Trier main cinematography Anthony Dod Mantle deliver truly eye-popping 3D,as blood,smoke,bullets and glass "jump out" of the screen to pull the audience deep into the action.Along with the 3D,Travis also shows a real eye for the many tremendous action scenes,by giving the Peach Trees, (named after a building in Shrewsbury UK!) a real seedy atmosphere,whilst also staying away from trigger-happy jump cuttings,to instead allow the viewer to get a real feel of the action taking place.Pulled right from a 40's hard-nosed Gangster movie by Alex Garland's rough'n' ready screenplay,Karl Urban shows the Dredd helmet to be a perfect fit,thanks to being able to deliver the film's adrenaline-rushing,ultra-violence action scenes with a real relish,whilst also keeping the character away from being one dimensional,by cleverly having moments which allow his personality to come through,such as walking to the pounding Industrial score by Paul Leonard-Morgan,to delivering one liners that will put a grin on any Action movie fans face, ("Its judgement time") as they get the chance to witness Judge Dredd deliver some bone crunching hard justice. No hadn't seen that, legend you are, thank you Chris. Ah man, I would probably kill to go back in time a bit and see Dredd in 3D on the big screen, I can tell by your review it was a thrilling experience, and since it's thrilling in 2D I know that must be fact for like minded fans. I may still get the chance, I have the 2 disc edition (with the 2D and 3D cuts) and my Blu-ray player is 3D set, it's just a question of if I upgrade the TV now! Great film, especially for fans of the source, but definitely one for sci-fi action fans not familiar with Judge Dredd the character. My side-bar disappointment with anything Dredd related is that I used to own all the comics back in the day, I loved 2000AD (and when it joined with Starlord as a joint publication), but I foolishly sold them when I got towards my 20s. You know when getting rid of stuff for quick cash for a night on the town seemed smart?... Hi Spike, out of the half a dozen "new" 3D films I've seen at the cinema (have not seen one for a few years now) Dredd and Life of Pi are the ones which still stand out,with the 3D being used in Pi to give it a real depth of field. With 3D, the studios are planning for glasses-free 3D TV to be the new format after 4K TVs. www.provideocoalition.com/glasses-free-3d-really-coming-every-tv-set/Speaking of Dredd, I was sadly unable to go to a showing last year of it at The Electric, (due to it being on late) which had John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra as guests: www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/birminghams-coolest-comic-con-ice-15153812On IMDb, BA has been praising the ambitious A Strontium Dog Fan Films of 2000AD/Starlord (the films are on YT) www.imdb.com/title/tt6394036/?ref_=tt_urv
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 3, 2019 8:05:42 GMT
hitchcockthelegend The Hollow Point is very interesting, and probably underseen. Patrick Wilson always makes great choices in movie roles, and Ian McShane is just too entertaining here not to be seen. Of all the movies I've seen this week, I would suggest Hold the Dark, since you like neo-noirish films. It's very dark but quite good. Yeah I looked at Hold the Dark, but I don't have Netflix. I thought that was Samuel L. Jackson on the poster!
|
|
|
Post by OldAussie on Jan 3, 2019 9:53:58 GMT
You got a smile out of my son! Let me explain. Most weeks the majority of my viewing is dictated by others - especially Aussie Junior. Hence most weeks there are any number of my viewings I would generally avoid. But this week only 2 were "forced" on me - The Untouchables and The Natural. Not that I complained, love 'em both.
|
|