Films

[steviewevie]

RIP

[NorthernSoul52]

Aware this may make me sound like a proper grump but in terms of winners, probably one of the worst Oscar slates for personal preference in a few years. I really just didn't think Anora should be in the conversation for Picture to begin with, let alone sweeping up so many gongs. We're yet to get Flow over here too, but I'm quietly devastated for The Wild Robot. Definitely the wrong pick in Actress too. 

[steviewevie]

Disagree...made up that Anora won personally and made up for Mikey Madison. Thought it was a great film and she was brilliant in it, both funny and tragic,and about the real and present world.

Edited March 3, 2025 by steviewevie

[NorthernSoul52]

Each to their own, and glad you enjoyed it. But she spends so much of the second act as effectively a passenger, and then a third act surrounded by caricatures that her efforts struggle to carry the nuances. Torres was my personal pick - magnificent in a less flashy vehicle. 

 

Of the nine Picture nominees, it's second-last for me. By all means a good film - but not one I'd have had in the conversation. It isn't the only one this year. 

[charlierc]

I've not seen Anora so I can't really comment ngl. Conclave and Dune 2 were the only Best Picture nominees I've seen thus far.

 

Substance and A Complete Unknown are on my list to check out.

[NorthernSoul52]

To be fair, I didn't think 2024 was a vintage crop - first year in a while I've not actually had an out-and-out five-star film. (I do half-star ratings these days, so a few four-and-a-half calls would be rounded up otherwise.)

 

Best of the bunch last year was Sing Sing for me, while among the Picture nominees, it was Dune: Part Two. Given it ultimately emerged as the main threat to Anora, I would have been taken with Conclave winning - four stars, but of the bunch nominated, probably third between A Complete Unknown and I'm Still Here.

 

Emilia Perez left me cold though. Saldana gives it her all, but some serious category fraud there - she's in the film more than anybody else and yet wins the Supporting Actress prize. Go figure.

[steviewevie]

if anyone is looking for a nice family film then Sisu on netflix is a sweet choice.

[philipsteak]

Mickey 17.

Been really looking forward to this one but ended up a little disappointed. 

Interesting idea, looks amazing, Robert Pattinson is very good, as are a few others. 

But it's a bit of a mess. Very flabby, bit all over the place. And Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette are awful in it. Ruffalo especially.

[charlierc]

On 13/03/2025 at 06:43, philipsteak said:

Mickey 17.

Been really looking forward to this one but ended up a little disappointed. 

Interesting idea, looks amazing, Robert Pattinson is very good, as are a few others. 

But it's a bit of a mess. Very flabby, bit all over the place. And Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette are awful in it. Ruffalo especially.

Heard mixed things. Some people really like it, some think it's more of a film to admire than truly enjoy and some think it's a bit of a sprawling mess.

 

I do intend to see it. Maybe all I can do is do so then report back.

[charlierc]

I'm curious to know - what's the worst film anyone's seen?

 

Was having a chat about this earlier and it lead me down the rabbit hole of the Wikipedia article showing the Worst Films of All Time, none of which I've seen in full. Nearest I've seen was clips of Madame Web, which is on the list and looked abysmal, plus being disowned by its entire cast before it was even in cinemas. I've heard of things like Sex Lives of the Potato Men or FIFA's propaganda project United Passions and them being proper stinkers though.

 

Worst film I've paid to see was Let's Be Cops. Saw it in 2014 on a bit of a high as it was the day I passed my driving test, and immediately regretted choosing it as a way to celebrate that life milestone.

[philipsteak]

Not sure I'd be able to remember.

I seem to filter these things out. Was similar in the "Worst acts" (or most disappointing?, can't remember how it was put) thread in the Glastonbury forums.

Not sure I've ever had a moment where I've thought, that was the worst film I've ever seen. It's even worse than the last film I thought was the worst film I've ever seen.

 

The only film I've walked out of the cinema (I think, again I might have forgotten others) was the Halle Berry Catwoman. 

[charlierc]

On 16/03/2025 at 07:04, philipsteak said:

The only film I've walked out of the cinema (I think, again I might have forgotten others) was the Halle Berry Catwoman. 

I'd count that. I've switched off films I was finding boring before but if I'd paid to go to the cinema to watch, I tend to stick it out to the end.

[charlierc]

I'm late to this but I wound up watching Netflix's Red Notice last night. Which was just fine. Was just Rock "The Johnson" Dwayne and Deadpool doing their usual schtick in a "chase the MacGuffin round the world" boilerplate film, but it was reasonably passable enough.

 

Certainly not quite the same company as I gather the new Electric State film Netflix put out, which seems to have been a $300m+ turkey judging by reviews.

[-TLR-]

stumbled across "Needful Things" the other day (based on a Stephen King story i think) and ended up very much enjoying it.

 

had two of my favorite actors in Max Von Sydow and Don S Davis, and was an enjoyable way to waste a couple hours... 

[clarkete]

Not posted for ages, but have seen quite a few films. 

 

Few of these are recent, but all good or great:-

Some war related ones

Grand Illusion (1937) - a french classic set in WWI, but made just before WWII

Rome, Open City (1945) - pretty much made at the end of WWII, so very authentic look and feel

Army of Shadows (1969) - this and the one above cover resistance to a degree

The Big Parade (1925) - this one's about WWI, involved thousands of actors, loads of planes, vehicles and tanks which was apparently pretty new, plus their attempt to add some realism to the battlefield scenes.  The main action Gilbert was famous for his films with Greta Garbo, but apparently this was one of the things he was most proud of.

Lore (2012)

 

Samurai I, Samurai II, Samurai III - excellent and beautiful trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune 

 

Steam of Life (2010) - documentary with Finnish men in the sauna talking about some pretty deep stuff

 

Spotlight (2015) - sure many of you have seen this before likewise...

 

Room (2015)

 

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) - wanted to see as it's directed by Orson Welles

 

The Pledge (2001)

 

Duck you sucker/Fistful of dynamite (1971)

 

Bringing out the dead (1999)

 

Pearl (2022)

 

The Lives of Others (2006)

 

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) - one of the Powell and Pressburger films I saw mentioned by Scorsese on his doc.

Black Narcissus (1947) - another Powell and Pressburger film

 

Buck and the Preacher (1972)

 

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

 

The White Sheik (1952)

 

Yes Madam (1985) - Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock duffing people up

 

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) - over a century old, but has come cracking artwork and goth make up

 

A Real Pain (2024)

Flow (2024) - have seen something recent at least 🙂 

 

 

[-TLR-]

got free trial of Shudder over the weekend and watched a few movies.

 

When Evil Lurks - hear about this on one of those youtube countdown lists... it wasn't quite what i was expecting but have to say i greatly enjoyed it, especially the opening act with the "rotten". good old fashioned yucky special effects, nice!

 

The Beyond - an old italian movie that had passed me by... again, reallly enjoyed this, nothing particularly special, but excellent era-typical effects and an enjoyable way to pass an hour or so.

 

The Borderlands - i really do not like found-footage movies, i just find them, generally, tedious at best... the first time i saw The Borderlands was a few years ago and the only reason i kept it rolling was because the remote was too far and i couldnt be bothered to move to get it... since then i have seen this movie a bunch of times and i absolutely love it, it is fantastic. it does a genuinely great job of creating atmosphere, and the chemistry between the two main characters/actors can't help but draw you into the story...  i highly recomend giving this a go if you have not seen it.

[charlierc]

2 hours ago, -TLR- said:

The Borderlands - i really do not like found-footage movies, i just find them, generally, tedious at best... the first time i saw The Borderlands was a few years ago and the only reason i kept it rolling was because the remote was too far and i couldnt be bothered to move to get it... since then i have seen this movie a bunch of times and i absolutely love it, it is fantastic. it does a genuinely great job of creating atmosphere, and the chemistry between the two main characters/actors can't help but draw you into the story...  i highly recomend giving this a go if you have not seen it.

Not related to the Borderlands video game series and the critically derided movie based on it that came out last year then clearly.

[charlierc]

 

I don't know if this is necessarily going to be the magic bullet to reboot the MCU given how out-of-ideas its looked since End Game, but given the two poor attempts at a Fantastic Four movie that have been out in the 21st century, I'm hopeful this is gonna deliver on its promise.

[philipsteak]

Been trying to see Sinners since it came out and finally got the chance tonight. 

Superb. 

Absolutely loved it. Don't want to say much about it but there's a scene in the middle which is stunning 

I do love a good genre mash up

Looks amazing, great performances, the music is sublime.

[clarkete]

A few more I've seen since last update 

Under the Skin 2013

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_skin_2013

Tbh I think my favourite aspect was just Scarlet Johanssen driving around Glasgow in a van. 

 

Detour 1945

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/detour

Film noir about a piano player who picks up a hitchhiker.

 

 

The Band's Visit 2008

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_bands_visit

Film about an Egyptian band who accidentally visit a particular city in Israel.  Seemed very much of its time, as they treat each other with humanity and respect. 

 

 

The man in the white suit 1951

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_in_the_white_suit

Classic Alec Guinness film where he works in a cloth mill but secretly works to invent a fabric that never needs washing.  As with any old film, sometimes just seeing shots of mills and other things from our UK history is good and it's a good little tale too. 

 

Seven days in may 1964

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seven_days_in_may

Kirk Douglas plays a colonel who starts to suspect the army are planning a coup against the president (in this case the president is negotiating multilateral nuclear  disarmament with Russia which seems so fanciful today) 

 

Limelight 1952

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

Charlie Chaplin plays an aging and past it music Hall artist who helps a despondent young dancer. 

 

The 400 blows 1969

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

French new wave film by François Truffaut about a teenager not getting on with parents and getting into trouble

 

To be or not to be 1942

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

They manage to convey some meaning and comedy in the story of the invasion of Poland. 

 

A Matter of Life and Death 1946

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_matter_of_life_and_death

"A Matter of Life and Death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger." 

 

Black Angel 1946

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080192-black_angel

Another film noir

 

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang 1932

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_am_a_fugitive_from_a_chain_gang

Doesn't leave you in any illusions firstly about how awful the depression was and secondly being chained to a line of others day and night. 

 

Heretic 2024

A recent one for me and good to see Hugh Grant doing something really dark

 

Breathless 1960

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/breathless

Classic by Jean Luc Godard. 

 

One of them days 2025

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_of_them_days

Very funny tale of two girls whose day goes from bad to worse.  (one of the two is SZA and she's great) 

 

The Friends of Eddie Coyle 1973

tps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211532-friends_of_eddie_coyle

1970s villains

 

Ran 1985

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ran

One of the critics said "There's probably more carnage in Ran than there is in Rambo and The Terminator combined, but the new film substitutes intelligence and emotion for mindlessness and emotionalism."

 

Suspicicion 1941

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1020660-suspicion

Cary grant and hitchcock 

 

Ikiru 1956

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ikiru

Another kurosawa classic. 

"Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life." 

 

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 2014

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_girl_walks_home_alone_at_night

"In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire" 

 

Sinners 2025

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sinners_2025

Excellent stuff 

[charlierc]

I wanna echo the praise for Sinners. Saw it a month ago and was very impressed 

 

Went to see Mission Impossible as well. The sunken submarine and biplane stunt work was outstanding. But it really didn't need to be nearly 3 hours long and there was so much filler in the first 90 minutes. I'd recently rewatched the previous 3 Mission Impossible movies and they thought were better

Edited June 1, 2025 by charlierc

[philipsteak]

7 hours ago, clarkete said:

A few more I've seen since last update 

Under the Skin 2013

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_skin_2013

Tbh I think my favourite aspect was just Scarlet Johanssen driving around Glasgow in a van. 

 

Detour 1945

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/detour

Film noir about a piano player who picks up a hitchhiker.

 

 

The Band's Visit 2008

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_bands_visit

Film about an Egyptian band who accidentally visit a particular city in Israel.  Seemed very much of its time, as they treat each other with humanity and respect. 

 

 

The man in the white suit 1951

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_in_the_white_suit

Classic Alec Guinness film where he works in a cloth mill but secretly works to invent a fabric that never needs washing.  As with any old film, sometimes just seeing shots of mills and other things from our UK history is good and it's a good little tale too. 

 

Seven days in may 1964

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seven_days_in_may

Kirk Douglas plays a colonel who starts to suspect the army are planning a coup against the president (in this case the president is negotiating multilateral nuclear  disarmament with Russia which seems so fanciful today) 

 

Limelight 1952

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

Charlie Chaplin plays an aging and past it music Hall artist who helps a despondent young dancer. 

 

The 400 blows 1969

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

French new wave film by François Truffaut about a teenager not getting on with parents and getting into trouble

 

To be or not to be 1942

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limelight

They manage to convey some meaning and comedy in the story of the invasion of Poland. 

 

A Matter of Life and Death 1946

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_matter_of_life_and_death

"A Matter of Life and Death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger." 

 

Black Angel 1946

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080192-black_angel

Another film noir

 

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang 1932

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_am_a_fugitive_from_a_chain_gang

Doesn't leave you in any illusions firstly about how awful the depression was and secondly being chained to a line of others day and night. 

 

Heretic 2024

A recent one for me and good to see Hugh Grant doing something really dark

 

Breathless 1960

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/breathless

Classic by Jean Luc Godard. 

 

One of them days 2025

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_of_them_days

Very funny tale of two girls whose day goes from bad to worse.  (one of the two is SZA and she's great) 

 

The Friends of Eddie Coyle 1973

tps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211532-friends_of_eddie_coyle

1970s villains

 

Ran 1985

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ran

One of the critics said "There's probably more carnage in Ran than there is in Rambo and The Terminator combined, but the new film substitutes intelligence and emotion for mindlessness and emotionalism."

 

Suspicicion 1941

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1020660-suspicion

Cary grant and hitchcock 

 

Ikiru 1956

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ikiru

Another kurosawa classic. 

"Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life." 

 

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 2014

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_girl_walks_home_alone_at_night

"In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire" 

 

Sinners 2025

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sinners_2025

Excellent stuff 

 

A Matter of Life and Death is one of my absolute all time favourites. 

 

Heretic it's also superb

[clarkete]

26 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

A Matter of Life and Death is one of my absolute all time favourites. 

 

 

I came across this lovely documentary by Scorcese, where he tells the story of how as an asthmatic kid he couldn't go out and play so watched TV, American films weren't licenced but British were and Powell and Pressburger became his favourites.  Since then I've seen 3 of them - this, Black Narcissus and Blimp and they were indeed all brilliant.  Yet to see the Red Shoes. 

 

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0025785/made-in-england-the-films-of-powell-and-pressburger

[philipsteak]

2 hours ago, charlierc said:

I wanna echo the praise for Sinners. Saw it a month ago and was very impressed 

 

Went to see Mission Impossible as well. The sunken submarine and biplane stunt work was outstanding. But it really didn't need to be nearly 3 hours long and there was so much filler in the first 90 minutes. I'd recently rewatched the previous 3 Mission Impossible movies and they thought were better

 

Agreed on Mission Impossible. The opening scenes just went on forever, mostly characters telling Ethan Hunt/Tom Cruise how amazingly incredibly awesome and important he is. Was fine once it eventually got going.

 

Saw Hallow Road the same week. No bagginess in that fine. Really tight 80 minutes or so, brilliantly acted and went in a direction I did not see coming. Won't say anymore but greatly heartily recommended. 

 

Really looking forward to The Ballad of Wallis Island. My local cinema doesn't get it until next week so should get chance then

[philipsteak]

5 minutes ago, clarkete said:

 

I came across this lovely documentary by Scorcese, where he tells the story of how as an asthmatic kid he couldn't go out and play so watched TV, American films weren't licenced but British were and Powell and Pressburger became his favourites.  Since then I've seen 3 of them - this, Black Narcissus and Blimp and they were indeed all brilliant.  Yet to see the Red Shoes. 

 

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0025785/made-in-england-the-films-of-powell-and-pressburger

 

Those are the 3 I've seen too. 

 

Don't think I've seen The Red Shoes yet