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Film Thread.
I thought a trio of themed threads about other entertainment media might be good. If you're not interested, please just ignore the thread and pick some threads that interest you from here: http://celephais.net/board/view_all_threads.php

Anyway, discuss films...
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Series 7: The Contenders 
It was at the Sundance a while ago and I always meant to see it but never did until now. I was expecting a social commentary and instead got 40% commentary and 60% love story. A fucked up love story, but one none the less. I would recommend it.

Also, if I were being hunted, I would probably go with some sort of semi-automatic sniper rifle hidden somewhere, a pump-action shotgun, an automatic handgun with extended magazine, and a small crowbar. 
Pasolini! 
Hooray, the nearby theatre is having it's own Pasolini festival at the end of june. showcasing all of his movies over a 2 week period (some are played multiple times) and finishing off with the appropriate 'Salo: 120 days of sodom'

bit of irony, Pasolini was murdered by a gay prostitute when that film was released. However the film, while I don't think I could honestly "recommend" someone watch it, I do think it should be seen. I guarantee it will be the hardest feature length film you will ever sit through. Half the theatre walked out during it, and these were people expecting the worst.

If you can bring a date. 
Kinn, I'd Like 
to see a repeat performance of the last time you ripped on Pasolini. It is mind boggling how often he comes up as a subject.

I guarantee it will be the hardest feature length film you will ever sit through.

Nah. The documentary made in the eighties on nuclear war with footage of test pigs squeeling and the aftermath of Hiroshima makes mere shit eating perversions look like mere shit eating perversions. 
No offence Headthump but I think you may have missed the point. The people who were being forced to eat the shit and bathe in it weren't actually "into" the practice. 
HeadThump 
I would watch the nuclear war documentary, because i'm sure it will be thought-provoking and educational (being based on real-world events and all).

Salo is just fictional snuff showing a bunch of teenagers getting raped, mutilated and forced to eat their own poo. 
Atomic Cafe 
I'm pretty sure that that was the title. 
Oh Yeah, 
i saw that. 
 
just fictional snuff showing a bunch of teenagers getting raped, mutilated and forced to eat their own poo?

pfft, thats so ZZzzz
really, I thout there is more to 'Salo' 
Some More Stuff 
The Killing - Fabulous film noir by Stanley Kubrick, I'm surprised that this doesnt get a mention amongst his best films. It's far better than his later work like The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. Spot on acting and very confident and assured direction.


Sideways - Quite an enjoyable film with some very funny moments counterbalanced with strong characters and situations. Only thing holding it back from greatness is an overlong running time, 20 mins shorter would have been perfect for the story at work here.


Days of Being Wild - I've been trying to get a hold of wong kar wai's earlier films after liking his last 2 films a lot. This is considered his best early period film but I really cant see why. The screenplay is very weak, even for his standards, and the mood the he so heavily relies on just does not come across here. Very disappointing. 
And 2 More 
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - It's too stagey with too many rough spots and a weak ending to be entitled great, but when it fires, it does so on all cylinders. There's enough brilliant acting and moments in this film to overcome the shortcomings.


Night and The City - A little weak at the start and an even weaker end but the rest is very very good. Another very solid film noir by Jules Dassin. 
Niitin... 
...did you happen to catch the Kubrick festival and associated doco's on SBS recently? I think I preferred the doco's in the end (The Killing was featured highly in one). Kubrick rules, but in short doses with long gaps in between. 
Good Selections There Nitin, 
I really liked Sideways too. Adult comedies of the Wes Anderson vain are more likely to get me in the theaters than any other genre.

Giamati's (spelling correct?)acting was a first rate job. So good in fact, he took a character I would probably loathe in real life (wine sniffer who steals from his mother) and he makes the character very sympathetic.

I saw Life Aquatic last week, but was too drunk to remember anything but a vague feeling that it was all an homage to Fellini (The camera followed Bill Murray, who played a fustrated genius while nutso-quirkos aggraviated the hell out of him, kind of like 9&1/2 or Fellini's Poe short). 
Distrans/headthump 
didnt see the kubrick festival since I own or have seen most the stuff anyway (with the exception of spartacus, lolita and eyes wide shut). I did see the doco though, interesting but not as good as scorscese's doco shown recently.

Headthump,

yeah he was a prick done really well wasnt he? Same for his friend, I thought. I havent seen Fellini's stuff yet, although I have 8 1/2, amarcord, la dolce vita and la strada lying around.

Too much to see, not enough time now that there's full time work :( 
Headthump/nitin: 
Yeah, but i think the best comedies often involve characters that are simultaneously sympathetic and detestable. This way you want them to succeed, but you can also laugh at their misfortune. John Cleese in Fawlty Towers is a great example of this.

Nitin: The Killing is one of my favorites from Kubrick. It feels so modern in the storytelling, editing, etc. that it obviously was the ancestor of may more recent crime movies. 
Metl 
yeah but Sidewyas worked as a dram too, it wasnt an all out comedy, therefore needing the character to be more sympathetic than detestable.

And yeah, first thing that popped into my head after seeing the killing was Reservoir Dogs. 
Id Some Film Quotes Please. 
"There is no possibility of of release here, no chance of escape. This place will be your holding pen till your death, because death is the only way out of here. You are condemned - either accept it, or die."

"Welcome to Central Industrial, part of Correctional Services ever-expanding network of new-generation facilities, dedicated to the goal of humane containment."

Both on seperate and equally PHAT drum'n'bass tracks - they might belong to some right shite films tho =/.

There's another one I wanted ided but I forget... 
Shambler 
second one's from :

Ghosts...of the Civil Dead 
And A Link 
Sadly, Vin Diesel Is Hitman: Agent 47 
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=10032

Vin Diesel will star as Agent 47 in 20th Century Fox's upcoming adaptation of Hitman, the best-selling video game franchise from Eidos and developer IO Interactive.

Diesel also will serve as executive producer. Charles Gordon and Adrian Askarieh are producing through their respective companies, Daybreak Productions and Prime Universe Productions. Daniel Alter will co-produce.

The game's story centers on an international assassin known as Agent 47 who works for a mysterious organization dubbed the Agency. The first three games in the franchise have sold more than 10 million units. Eidos plans to release another sequel, "Hitman: Blood Money," this fall.

"'Hitman' is a project that by the virtue of its DNA can and will reach far beyond its already substantial core audience," Askarieh said. "The canvas on which this adventure takes place is something that movie audiences have embraced for the last 40 years. We obviously are delighted to have Vin Diesel on board, too -- he and Agent 47 are a match made in heaven (HELL)."


NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That baby-faced bulky fuck is NOT 47! Fuckdammit.

***** video game movies. 
Nitin 
Yah that figures, there's another sample in the track from some Aussie dood too...

Anyone know the first one? 
Tale Of Two Sisters 
I have to say, I was a little disappointed.

Sure, it's well shot, well acted and has a nice Kubrick/Polanski type of atmosphere. But in these post-Sixth Sense days, horror films with plot bending twists just cant afford to give all their cards away too early. Say what you will about Sixth Sense, but it singlehandedly revived and killed the horror twist ending genre.

In this particular case, the revelation(s) were signalled too obviously and too early IMHO. One twist was easier to spot than the other, but once yo work out one, the other follows if you think about it logically. And apart from the twist(s), I thought it failed to be scary in its key shock scenes. Buildup was usually good, but it was compromised either by predictability or poor execution.

I'm sure it works better if the twist(s) are not spotted, but there really is not much there once you've spotted them. 
Batman Begins 
Very very good and although Burton's films were completely different and also enjoyable, this is the best by far.

The mood and setting was nailed perfectly as was the character of Batman. Full marks to Christian Bale and the other actors for their performances. The script and direction are also very good save for a couple of moments which I'll go into later on. The city was realised beautifully, the buildup was fantastic and it leads nicely for a sequel. Too many cool moments to list.

What can be definitely imrpoved are the fight scenes. The jerky fast cutting camera style for the hand to hand fights needs to be ditched for something better. It got away with it a bit because most of it was still reasonably incharacter with the tone of the film but there has to be a better way wheer you can tell what's going on. The musical score, whilst adequate, was nothing memorable and perhaps this can also be looked into.

Overall, up there with spiderman 2 as best comic adaptation yet, albeit a very different one 
More 
Bringing up Baby - Disappointing IMHO. Slapstick was never my thing but I'd heard this was one of the best comedies. I expected a bit more wittiness, I mean it was ok but nothing special for my tastes.


Sullivan's Travels - First 20 mins into this and I was quite impressed, some clever wit and good lines. After that, it went all over the place and degenerated into slapstick, corn, silliness and didnt realy know what it was doing.


A Streetcar Name Desire - This was very interesting. On the one hand, I loved Brando's performance and some of the story. On the other hand I felt Vivien Leigh's performance was way over the top and too mannered, campy and overdramatic.

I dont know if that was deliberate or not but IMHO it really jarred with the more realistic approach of Brando. Still, it's worth watching. 
Nitin -- Have You Seen The Machinist? 
Bale was great in it but also quite disgusting to look at -- Good fucked up flick. 
The Machinist 
More disturbing than interesting. Definitely not as intelligent as it tried to be. Fairly predictable as well, and it lost a lot of its tension near the end. 
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