Films you've seen lately

[Belgrove]

...The only one of those war films I watched then that I've seen again subsequently was Full Metal Jacket which for me really is a masterpiece, like almost everything by its director...

I find this film unsatisfying, being of unequal halves. The first in the training camp is brilliant, Lee Ermy’s foul mouthed, scary but hilarious drill sergeant could plausibly be the prototype for Malcolm Tucker’s baroque insults. The second half is dull, I have no recollection of the fate of the characters introduced in the first part, despite seeing the film several times. It is fatally undermined by its shooting location. Beckon Gas Works is no substitute for Vietnam, the light is totally wrong. Kubrick, being so fastidious, surely knew this. His choice of music was uncharacteristically off the mark in this film too.

[jayne lee wilson]

No time right now to comment on Apocalypse Now, but I wonder what people here think of Zero Dark Thirty, a masterpiece from the great Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Detroit etc), another serious and controversial epic dealing with serious issues?

The last hour of Zero, following the attack on the Bin Laden compound by the two black Stealth Copters, from the subradar-flying through the mountain valleys to the close-up visceral terrors inside,, is some of the most riveting, nerve-shattering cinema I've ever seen.

[Katzelmacher]

I find this film unsatisfying, being of unequal halves. The first in the training camp is brilliant, Lee Ermy’s foul mouthed, scary but hilarious drill sergeant could plausibly be the prototype for Malcolm Tucker’s baroque insults. The second half is dull, I have no recollection of the fate of the characters introduced in the first part, despite seeing the film several times. It is fatally undermined by its shooting location. Beckon Gas Works is no substitute for Vietnam, the light is totally wrong. Kubrick, being so fastidious, surely knew this. His choice of music was uncharacteristically off the mark in this film too.

I entirely agree. The first half is an excellent, intimate drama about a group of disparate men placed in an unnatural situation that won’t prepare them for the ordeal that lies ahead.

The second half - on which most of the budget was spent - is a largely unrelated story about soldiers ‘fighting gooks’ in an artificially constructed jungle. I found it almost completely unmemorable.

[LHC]

I find this film unsatisfying, being of unequal halves. The first in the training camp is brilliant, Lee Ermy’s foul mouthed, scary but hilarious drill sergeant could plausibly be the prototype for Malcolm Tucker’s baroque insults. The second half is dull, I have no recollection of the fate of the characters introduced in the first part, despite seeing the film several times. It is fatally undermined by its shooting location. Beckon Gas Works is no substitute for Vietnam, the light is totally wrong. Kubrick, being so fastidious, surely knew this. His choice of music was uncharacteristically off the mark in this film too.

R Lee Ermey’s dialogue in Full Metal Jacket was almost entirely self-written and often improvised, almost unheard of in a Kubrick film. Ermey had been a drill sergeant himself and had initially been employed as a technical advisor for the film, having previously worked in a similar capacity on Apocalypse Now. Apparently the meaning of some of his more baroque insults had to be explained to Kubrick by members of the crew, including the reference to a reach-around.

[Richard Barrett]

It's fairly common for people to find the second half of FMJ disappointing, but I find the two halves complement one another in what I can only describe as a beautiful and expressive way. The combination of bravado and fear, of long stretches of nothing happening and sudden violence, the meaninglessness of all of it, seem to me a more thoughtful and indeed memorable way to use the medium to look at war than in most other such films. As for the location, I had no idea what the location was the first time I saw the film and no impression that it was anything but the ruins of a south east Asian city circa 1970; and yes I have been to south east Asia, if not actually Vietnam. It isn't a film that builds up tension towards a edge-of-the-seat conclusion but that wasn't usually Kubrick's way; he could do that when he wanted to, but here he seems to have been after something else.

[richardfinegold]

It's fairly common for people to find the second half of FMJ disappointing, but I find the two halves complement one another in what I can only describe as a beautiful and expressive way. The combination of bravado and fear, of long stretches of nothing happening and sudden violence, the meaninglessness of all of it, seem to me a more thoughtful and indeed memorable way to use the medium to look at war than in most other such films. As for the location, I had no idea what the location was the first time I saw the film and no impression that it was anything but the ruins of a south east Asian city circa 1970; and yes I have been to south east Asia, if not actually Vietnam. It isn't a film that builds up tension towards a edge-of-the-seat conclusion but that wasn't usually Kubrick's way; he could do that when he wanted to, but here he seems to have been after something else.

Having not seen either film for years, and having exhausted everything that I want to watch in Lockdown, I will be trying to DVD or Blu Rays form the library system, which could take a while. I don't think that Amazon's requirement of having to watch within 24 hours of starting will work for either of these (my wife tends to nod off 15 minutes into anything and often requires multiple attempts to view). I am particularly interested to see the Directors version or whatever its called of A.N., as I remember the original striking me as somewhat incoherent at the end

[Belgrove]

... I am particularly interested to see the Directors version or whatever its called of A.N., as I remember the original striking me as somewhat incoherent at the end

That won’t help you as far as comprehending the ending is concerned. What slight differences there are between endings I’ve discussed upthread. The ending of the film, in whatever version, is as elusive as that of the book. The additions in the other versions occur earlier in the film - a stop-over at a French-colonial plantation, and further encounter with the bunny girls. Neither scene adds much, and arguably detracts by taking the foot off the pedal of the narrative.

[Nick Armstrong]

I am particularly interested to see the Directors version or whatever its called of A.N., as I remember the original striking me as somewhat incoherent at the end

I watched the “Director’s Cut” version following broadcast by the BBC earlier this year. It was the first time I’d seen any version of the film all the way though, although had seen sections before of course (I think I’d done a Mrs Finegold on previous attempts to view )

I found it very compelling (but I do take Belgrove’s point about the French plantation scene being slightly mystifying in terms of narrative pace and purpose, interesting though it was to me having French contacts with SE Asian family history)

The main benefit of the Director’s Cut seemed to me to be the huge improvement in the visuals and sound - it could have been made yesterday. I think it was the visual splendour of it that kept me riveted more than on previous attempts to view

[Katzelmacher]

Watched Whiplash last night on BBC2. Really enjoyed it -great, low-budget filmmaking by people who know their stuff.

[richardfinegold]

I watched the “Director’s Cut” version following broadcast by the BBC earlier this year. It was the first time I’d seen any version of the film all the way though, although had seen sections before of course (I think I’d done a Mrs Finegold on previous attempts to view )

I found it very compelling (but I do take Belgrove’s point about the French plantation scene being slightly mystifying in terms of narrative pace and purpose, interesting though it was to me having French contacts with SE Asian family history)

The main benefit of the Director’s Cut seemed to me to be the huge improvement in the visuals and sound - it could have been made yesterday. I think it was the visual splendour of it that kept me riveted more than on previous attempts to view

We watched most of the DVD yesterday, up to what appears to be the French Plantation scene, which I don’t remember at all, and I think that the Studio made the right call in removing. Other Vietnam War Movies such as The Deer Hunter show French Colonials still in the picture but I don’t know how factual they are either?

[Jonathan]

We decided to watch something a bit light hearted last night and ended up watching "Boxtrolls" which we'd had recorded for ages - I know it's supposed to be a childrens film but it's really actually quite dark. It's extremely well done and rather clever.

[Nick Armstrong]

Watched Whiplash last night on BBC2. Really enjoyed it -great, low-budget filmmaking by people who know their stuff.

Gripping film, just watched for the first time (having noted the positive reaction when it was released five or so years back).

Brilliant performances - to the extent that it’s quite a stressful watch, J. K. Simmons’s character raging in pursuit of musical excellence makes for some white-knuckle viewing....

[jayne lee wilson]

Gripping film, just watched for the first time (having noted the positive reaction when it was released five or so years back).

Brilliant performances - to the extent that it’s quite a stressful watch, J. K. Simmons’s character raging in pursuit of musical excellence makes for some white-knuckle viewing....

Yes, with a wonderfully open-ended, redemptionally ambiguous final scene, which bears repeated viewings very well (lost count).
So if you liked that try this.....

First Man (2018).....based on the 2005 book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, with Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong.

Chazelle's masterpiece to date I think**, with a stunning opening as Armstrong takes the X-15 to the edge of space with shudderingly realistic metallic vibrational energy, and nearly gets lost up there. "Neil, you're bouncing off the atmosphere...". Visceral doesn't begin to describe it.

The final, startlingly tangible scenes around the moon landing itself inspire the pit-of-the-stomach tension you might have felt as a NASA operative, watching the approach and the descent live; with a wonderful soundtrack too. The tragic early death of Armstrong's daughter is handled very well.

Lost count of how often I watched it; one of my alltime greats now.
I still go and watch the opening sequence sometimes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBLO6ike0Y

Love Armstrong's reaction when he gets down... how cool is that.

(** Come on, La La Land wasn't that bad...

[gurnemanz]

Watched Whiplash last night on BBC2. Really enjoyed it -great, low-budget filmmaking by people who know their stuff.

I watched it first on an aeroplane and missed the last few minutes because we were close to landing and it was switched off. Infuriating but my own fault of course. I managed to catch up eventually.

[Dave2002]

Lion - amazing film based on a book by Saroo Brierly based on his early life in India, and later adoptIon in Australia. Excellent.