Films you've seen lately

[Maclintick]

I enjoyed the Irishman, but my biggest issues was with DeNiro playing a man in his mid thirties. He was just to damn old to look the part

Opinion is divided on the success or otherwise of the de-ageing CGI employed....

https://dankanator.com/37788/terry-gilliam-the-irishman-deaging-technology/

[gurnemanz]

Opinion is divided on the success or otherwise of the de-ageing CGI employed....

https://dankanator.com/37788/terry-g...ng-technology/

I was less distracted by this once I got involved in the action, but never quite came to terms with Al Pacino's Jimmy Hoffa hairpiece.

The discussion afterwards suggested they did make an effort to match body movement to age of protagonist.

[Padraig]

I really must make an effort to go to the cinema - I have missed all the films mentioned here except 'Where Eagles Dare' with which I entertained the local pals of my children with the aid of my school's film projector. Remember those! The last film I actually went to see was 'The Entertainer' * which was responsible for my purchasing 3 volumes of Scott Joplin Rags, most of which I could play back then. I have started watching films on television and have seen some oldies but goodies which I saw in the cinema - Bogart, Bacall, John Wayne, Spenser Tracey, Hepburn etc But I have lost the feel for films, and reading this thread prods me to at least try some DVDs.

Maybe someone will tell me I'm not missing anything, which is what I tell myself at times.

*Sometimes known as 'The Sting'

[LMcD]

I really must make an effort to go to the cinema - I have missed all the films mentioned here except 'Where Eagles Dare' with which I entertained the local pals of my children with the aid of my school's film projector. Remember those! The last film I actually went to see was 'The Entertainer, which was responsible for my purchasing 3 volumes of Scott Joplin Rags, most of which I could play back then. I have started watching films on television and have seen some oldies but goodies which I saw in the cinema - Bogart, Bacall, John Wayne, Spenser Tracey, Hepburn etc But I have lost the feel for films, and reading this thread prods me to at least try some DVDs.

Maybe someone will tell me I'm not missing anything, which is what I tell myself at times.

My problem is not the films but the (rest of) the audience - constantly checking their phones/unwrapping confectionery/chatting just loudly enough to be a distraction - and the sound level is far too high for comfort - so we prefer to watch at home. Our library hires out DVDs for £3 a week (newer releases) reducing to £1 after a while. They occasionally show films of special/local interest, some of which we have attended.

[gurnemanz]

My problem is not the films but the (rest of) the audience - constantly checking their phones/unwrapping confectionery/chatting just loudly enough to be a distraction - and the sound level is far too high for comfort - so we prefer to watch at home. Our library hires out DVDs for £3 a week (newer releases) reducing to £1 after a while. They occasionally show films of special/local interest, some of which we have attended.

We usually do daytime shows which are cheaper and tend to have less clientèle and mainly of a more restrained older vintage. Some audience reaction is good of course to make it a communal thing. We go fairly regularly but not as often as we might like, partly because many films we would like to see don't make it to our local multiplex. We recently spotted that A Hidden Life, the new Terrence Malick film, was on. There were four other people in the screening. Glad we grabbed the opportunity - well worth seeing and it disappeared pretty quickly.

[Nick Armstrong]

Not to everyone’s taste here I’m sure, but I must say I absolutely loved the last film I saw in the cinema: Guy Ritchie’s latest, The Gentlemen.

A gangster/crime caper set in England, relished by the whole cast, notably Matthew McConaughey and above all Hugh Grant, almost unrecognisable and outdoing even his own recent brilliant performances.

A hilarious ride which I suspect I shall find myself watching a few more times over the years.

.

Next cinema trip: Armando Iannucci’s David Copperfield....

[johncorrigan]

The Lighthouse is like no other film I’ve seen. Two men do a term manning a remote and forlorn lighthouse, and drive each other mad. In truth, the senior of the two, played by Willem Dafoe is already bonkers, being an amalgam of Captains Ahab and Birdseye, speaking in pastiche dialogue culled from Melville and contemporaneous seafaring logs. His taciturn junior played by Robert Pattinson even accuses him of sounding like a parody following a particularly barnacle encrusted monologue, but in time he goes stir crazy and fantasises about mermaids while being stalked by a belligerent one-eyed seagull (I did say it’s was like nothing else...). Unusually it’s shot in an almost square aspect ratio, generating the claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere, and in a high contrast black and white, like an expressionist nightmare. On top of this is an incessant sound-track comprising the roaring sea, squawking sea-birds and a baleful and deeply unsettling fog-horn. Like the two protagonists, I couldn’t wait to escape from this terrible place, but had to find out what happens. Of course it does not end happily, but boning up on the Prometheus myth might lend a clue as to what is going on, or maybe not. It’s ellipsis may ultimately signify nothing. The two performances are outstanding in their demented intensity, as is the design and cinematography. Despite 1917’s technical wizardry, the mysteries of this film will remain with me far longer. A distinctly salty contrast to the heritage whimsy of David Copperfield.

Brilliantly summed up, Belgrove. Went to see 'The Lighthouse' this afternoon - still got the foghorn in my head. Great performances from the two main characters, and the cinematography was stunning, but what was going on? Mrs C said as we came out, 'That's an art house movie if ever I saw one!' and 'He should have stayed off the drink; that was his downfall!'

[Belgrove]

Parasite is a particularly lethal black farce larded with social commentary that has been successful in this season’s awards and sent critics into raptures. It’s a very entertaining, ingenious, immaculately acted and crafted film, but ultimately derivative of the equally inventive Inside Number 9 episode featuring the silent burglars.

[Dave2002]

My problem is not the films but the (rest of) the audience - constantly checking their phones/unwrapping confectionery/chatting just loudly enough to be a distraction - and the sound level is far too high for comfort - so we prefer to watch at home. Our library hires out DVDs for £3 a week (newer releases) reducing to £1 after a while. They occasionally show films of special/local interest, some of which we have attended.

If you want DVDs you can often buy reasonable copies of some quite good films - from Poundland .... for a pound!

That assumes that you have one of those stores in your area.

Also your library might sell of its DVD stock periodically for low prices.

[gurnemanz]

Next cinema trip: Armando Iannucci’s David Copperfield....

Just seen, Most entertainingly done. Many laughs. Iannucci shows his love of Dickens, sharing Dickens' (and David Copperfield's) love of language and the colourful phrase.

[LMcD]

If you want DVDs you can often buy reasonable copies of some quite good films - from Poundland .... for a pound!

That assumes that you have one of those stores in your area.

Also your library might sell of its DVD stock periodically for low prices.

Ours library regularly sells off DVDs for £1 - mind you, they only charge £1 per week (box sets £2 for 2 weeks) to rent after the 'Premium' (£3) period has expired. They also sell off quite a lot of books, and a small selection of CDs, from time to time. I already spend too much in Poundland, but you've encouraged me to have a look at the DVDs!

[johncorrigan]

Just seen, Most entertainingly done. Many laughs. Iannucci shows his love of Dickens, sharing Dickens' (and David Copperfield's) love of language and the colourful phrase.

I really enjoyed it too, gurney. I also enjoyed 'Armando's Tale of Charles Dickens' which was repeated on Beeb 4 the other night - I hadn't seen it before, though it seems to have been around for a good while.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0195pt7

On the subject of films, I watched 'Spring and Port Wine' on Talking Pictures last night. Thought it was great...James Mason was fantastic as the stern father.

[Constantbee]

Parasite is a particularly lethal black farce larded with social commentary that has been successful in this season’s awards and sent critics into raptures. It’s a very entertaining, ingenious, immaculately acted and crafted film, but ultimately derivative of the equally inventive Inside Number 9 episode featuring the silent burglars.

Looking forward to seeing this. South Korea movies tend to appeal to an insatiable market appetite for violence and horror, but more and more movies addressing social issues are emerging. It is, after all, a society with a lot of hidden and latent social problems. Dysfunctional youth is one example of a theme that’s frequently addressed on screen, like Chang-dong Lee’s Burning (2018). Another would be the single female carer, see Poetry (2010) by the same director, and Joon-ho Bong’s Mother (2009). I'm expecting Parasite to be intriguing and compelling viewing

[pastoralguy]

Alas, whilst 'Parasite' may have enthralled both viewers and critics, it has not impressed 'President' trump, (sic), who was not impressed that a Korean movie won best picture at the Oscars what with it being in the Korean language with, gasp, subtitles! The commander-in-chief calls for movies life 'Gone with the Wind', what with its depiction of racism and slavery.

[Rjw]

I know where I'm going.

This is a film which gets better every time I watch it!