Films thread

[iank]

Kicked off my festive movie season last night by watching It's a Wonderful Knife on Shudder. A teenage girl, Winnie, and her brother are attacked on Xmas Eve by the masked killer stalking her small town who has already murdered her best friend. In the ensuing fight Winnie manages to kill the killer, who turns out to be a sleazy local real estate mogul (Justin Long), who's been trying to buy up half the town. But a year later Winnie's life seems to be going downhill - she's still not over the loss of her best friend, has failed to get into her dream college and her boyfriend has cheated on her and dumped her for another of her friends - and in a moment of self-pity she wishes she were never born... only to find herself instantly flung into a nightmare parallel reality where no one knows her, her brother is dead and her family fracturing, the killer is still killing and Long now owns almost the entire town and is even Mayor.

This fun 2023 festive slasher flick does for It's a Wonderful Life what Happy Death Day did for Groundhog Day. This has got mixed reviews but I had fun with it. It even has the same trope as Happy Death Day of a virtual stranger being the only one to believe the lead girl and becoming her main ally/confidante/potential romantic interest, only here it's a girl, Bernie, a lonely and isolated girl who's been outcast and declared a weirdo by her school for no particular reason. The relationship between the two girls gives the movie a bit more heart than I was expecting, even when I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't reading too much into it (I do see lesbians everywhere ) but, as it turned out, I wasn't. (There was just something about Winnie's utterly blase physical affection and Bernie's awkwardly nervous reaction to it that gave me a bit of a Sky and Lana vibe lol) and this carries the movie through some of its flaws (like the weird bit in the climax that out-of-nowhere implies Long has supernatural powers over the townsfolk). It's a feel good festive slasher lol and I enjoyed it for that. If it gets a Blu I will probably buy it.

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Going to the cinema to see Home Alone this week. Can't wait!

[Deleted]

The Karate Kid Part II (1986)

In a year of big budget action like Top Gun and Aliens, Karate Kid II stands out as quite a modest little gem. It feels quite timeless compared to the others as well. There were a bunch of sequels in the 80s and 90s that simply repeated the original's story, but this film ends up doing something completely different. Not only does the setting change from LA to the beautiful, old-timey landscapes of Okinawa but the focus of the story also shifts from Daniel to Mr. Miyagi. Sure, there's still a love interest and the inevitable villain that Daniel must face at the end, but they have a surprising amount of depth. The stand out sequences in the film are the incredibly tense and well choreographed typhoon scene and the "to the death" fight between Chozen and Daniel. It may be a bit dated and doesn't last as long as it should have done, but there's still a lot of drama in the fight. The film ends with the kick ass love song "Glory of Love" which was a huge hit at the time like the movie. Even my mum remembers this movie. I think a 6.1/10 on IMDB is far too harsh for such a lush and sometimes quite mature drama.  It isn't as iconic as the first, but a real case could be made that Karate Kid II actually holds up better.

9/10

[Deleted]

Home Alone (1990)



Watched this on the big screen for the second time today. One of the greatest films of 1990 and indeed one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Looked gorgeous in the Cinema even if it looked like someone had fiddled with the brightness a bit. Someone kept quoting the film loudly throughout, but I think the guy had some problems so to be honest I just bit my lip and ignored him. I'm so familiar with the film now that I could watch it without the sound on and still know what the characters are saying.

I've never noticed this before, but the name of the van Harry and Marv drives is Oh-Kay Plumbing which I assume is a reference to Joe Pesci's character Leo from 1989's Lethal Weapon 2 in which he famously says "okay" over a hundred times. Also, Heather is so cute in a late 80s/early 90s way! It annoys me she wasn't in the sequel. Anyway, great movie though my mum is sick of it now. To be fair, she has watched it probably every Christmas since it came out lol

10/10

[Deleted]

Beetlejuice (1988)

Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Geena Davis star in Tim Burton's zany masterpiece which sees two ghosts try and rid their old house of the new residents. The film is wonderfully morbid and boasts many innovative effects. Some are a bit too ambitious for the time, but I think they're genuinely charming and unique. At 90 minutes the film is quick and full of great dialogue and gothic visuals to keep one interested. Keaton is obviously the stand out although he seems to have considerably less screen time than I remembered. I'm also unsure who I fancy more in the film: Winona or Geena. I love Winona's goth girl look but Geena has always been a beautiful lady herself. Either way, the movie is definitely not lacking in eye candy. Excellent film overall if not quite as good as Batman. Looking forward to seeing the sequel next year.

8/10

[iank]

Winona.

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Blade Runner (1982)

This atmospheric masterpiece from 1982 combines breathtaking cinematography, incredible visual effects, a great story and an enchanting and evocative synth score which results in a satisfying and often moving experience. I'm not sure what the best aspect is because there are so many. The Vangelis score has to be up there with the best movie scores especially his love theme. I also think Sean Young is at her most alluring here. That piano scene with her and Ford is honestly one of the most gorgeous moments of any film mainly because of the camerawork and music. I also love that this film focuses more on emotion rather than action. There's not a whole lot of it, but there doesn't need to be. Ford doesn't need to kill the bad guy at the end either. The scene where Roy dies in the rain and gives that amazing speech is honestly one of the most though provoking moments I've witnessed. Sensational movie..

10/10

Is the 2017 sequel any good?

[Deleted]

I watched 40 minutes of the sequel and realized I had two hours left! So boring and flat. I looked at comments about this movie and most of them were saying how much they preferred it to the original, a film they didn't like all that much. Each to their own, but I can't sit through this one I'm afraid. Serves me right being curious about a modern movie.

[rushy]

Dec 8, 2023 0:27:25 GMT @kengrubshaw said:

I watched 40 minutes of the sequel and realized I had two hours left! So boring and flat. I looked at comments about this movie and most of them were saying how much they preferred it to the original, a film they didn't like all that much. Each to their own, but I can't sit through this one I'm afraid. Serves me right being curious about a modern movie.

sounds like my experience with Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Why it's so popular, I cannot say. 

Yes, it tells the story more succintly than Lynch's film, but it is completely devoid of any personality or interesting dialogue. 

[Bernard Marx]

Top Gun: Maverick (2022), streamed for free.

Appallingly overrated and braindead- although I guess this isn't unusual for Jerry Bruckheimer produced films. However, unlike the others, this one was an Oscar contender. It is characterised solely by nostalgia-bait, frenetically edited dogfight sequences (with indiscernible geography), montages of fighter pilots performing push-ups, incessant and jarring close-ups, immensely punchable lead characters and neoconservative wank fodder, with no trace of nuance or intelligence in sight.

I was pining for the amusingly unnamed enemy (presumably either Iran or Russia) to win the day, courtesy of these characters being such vacuous and hubristic (yet, according to the film, heroic) twats.

Mark Kermode's review of this film ("I found myself powerless to resist...Cruise's mercilessly engaging facial muscles, and [was] shamefully brought to tears") is one of the most hilarious things he's ever written, up there with his gushing appraisal of Last of the Time Lords.

As Tom Cruise himself said back in 1990- shortly after the release of Born on the Fourth of July by Oliver Stone (who himself wasn't exactly a fan): 

Some people felt that “Top Gun” was a right-wing film to promote the Navy. And a lot of kids loved it. But I want the kids to know that’s not the way war is – that “Top Gun” was just an amusement park ride, a fun film with a PG-13 rating that was not supposed to be reality. That’s why I didn’t go on and make “Top Gun II” and “III” and “IV” and “V.” That would have been irresponsible.

I wonder what happened to this principle...?

("Money...")

How this film- barely any different to Michael Bay's output (also Bruckheimer produced)- is being lauded as superior to the likes of Citizen Kane and Vertigo on Rotten Tomatoes' audience aggregate score is baffling. 99%?! Jesus...

I suppose substituting faux-left identity politics for hardline America-lionising military-aided neoconservatism is enough, as if they aren't connected in any way...

[iank]

Anna and the Apocalypse. A teenage girl and her friends battle for survival in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. This very weird 2017 British flick is a comedy horror zombie... musical. No, really. It's better than it sounds, but it's not just the musical aspects that make it odd, it's also a very strange fish tonally. I've heard it called a "feelgood Christmas classic" except that, take away the songs, and it's ultimately as bleak and depressing as most other zombie flicks, even lacking the hopeful "everything's back to normal, more or less" coda to Shaun of the Dead. The lead girl is very likeable and very beautiful, and it's watchable - I didn't turn it off, which is a major win for modern cinema lol - but it's just... odd.

[Deleted]

Christmas Vacation (1989)

Clark Griswold wants a great Christmas for his family,but after the tree explodes, a SWAT team burst through his doors and a Squirrel ends up in the house he realizes that things don't always go to plan...

Classic John Hughes comedy starring the highly amusing Chevy Chase. Seen this quite a few times, but it never fails to make the family laugh. 9/10

[iank]

Dead End. A bickering family heading to relatives for Christmas find themselves trapped on a never-ending road to nowhere. Ray Wise, Lin Shaye and Alexandra Holden star in this early 2000s darkly comic Xmas horror that isn't very Xmassy. Great atmosphere and I loved this when I first saw it back in 2004, but once you know the end I think it makes revisits a little pointless.

[Deleted]

Under Siege (1992)

A group of terrorists led by Tommy Lee Jones seize control of a battleship and there's only man who can stop them... Steven Seagal? Well, of course. As dodgy as he is, he can't ruin this obvious but totally awesome Die Hard knock off. A battleship is actually a great setting to set a story like this especially if said ship is in the middle of the sea with no quick help on hand. The direction is slick and makes good use of the claustrophobic spaces throughout the vessel. I also like how the lights get switched off resulting in a lot of suspenseful "hide and seek" scenes between the terrorists and Seagal. I only wish stories like Warriors of the Deep had the sense to lower the lights a little. It really does change a lot. Seagal isn't too bad, but the obvious stand outs are Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey as the villains. In fact, I'm absolutely certain the pair of them get far more screentime than the actual star Seagal who seems to take a backseat for quite a bit of the first half. The film is also notable for Erika Eleniak as Miss July 89. She's gorgeous which is probably an understatement. She lights up the screen and the scene where she burts out of the cake is probably the most replayed scene in the VHS age next to Phoebe Cates's "reveal" in Fast Times.

Great film anyway. I realize people would be instantly put off by Seagal, but I recommend not writing this one off. As far as action movies go it's extremely well made. 

8/10

[Deleted]

The World is Not Enough (1999)

The best of the Brosnan films. It isn't as dull as Tomorrow Never Dies or as dated as GoldenEye. Die Another Day is more entertaining, but this film is better constructed and has less WTF moments. It sort of plays out like a precursor to Skyfall with elements such as M being targeted and MI6 HQ being bombed being repeated from this one. The whole plot about the oil is extremely generic however and unfortunately Robert Carlyle fails to make an impression as the villain. On the other hand, Sophie Marceau's turn as the deceptive and alluring Elektra character is arguably the highlight of the movie. She's absolutely sizzling and once she drops the facade is a very cool villain. Denise Richards plays Bond girl Christmas Jones and is extremely easy on the eye and to be honest rather underrated. She's not the greatest Bond girl ever, but I'd rate her above the borefests in the sexless Craig era. I mean who doesn't like the idea of a 90s Denise Richards in a tank top? The movie also boasts a great score by David Arnold and some exceptional cinematography in the Scotland and Turkey scenes. 

I have a lot of nostalgia for this film. It was the first I ever saw (it also came out the same year I was born) and so I have more affection for it than others do. I don't think it's one of the all time Bond greats, but there's plenty of fun elements in there to make the two hour runtime go by quite fast.

7/10