The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[QualityChimp]

I really enjoyed Dial M in 3D. It was a real treat with some of my fave elements combining - classic cinema, Hitchcock puzzle and 3D.
Thanks again [MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] for giving me the disc.

In preparation for John Wick: Chapter 4, I've watched the first three films.

John Wick (2014 via Prime) - Seen this a few times now, most recently with the commentary on in Woovember, so it's probably a little soon for a rewatch, but once Wick has smashed open the cache under his basement, it's a proper roller coaster ride.
Said all this before but I love his "JUST A DOG?!" speech and the crisp, clear choreography from a time where CGI was starting to turn films into greenscreen cartoons.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017 via Prime) - This is probably the most forgettable entry, so conversely, I enjoyed reminding myself what happens in it. I love the Ying-Yang battle with Cassian and how they trying to subtly assassinate each other in the train station.
Expanding the story for the following films, the end section is open, but also really thrilling as Wick is attacked by multiple assassins, offing a couple with nothing but a pencil. A ****ING PENCIL!
There's also a great sequence where Wick is given a gun with only 7 bullets, so he's working his way through all the henchmen and swapping weapons with every kill.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019 via Prime) - Probably the strongest entry, IMHO. The original is great, but there's less going on upon rewatches. The film picks up straight after 2, with Wick on the run before the bounty on him starts.
There's actually a good chunk of humour in this one as Wick becomes the reason why the stability of all the elements of the organisation start turning on each other.
Also, the action is some of the best in the series, with lots of gun-fu still, but a better mix with hand-to-hand, sword fights, knife fights, bike chase, horse chase, using a book, attack dogs and that brilliant opening scene in the corridor full of weapons. Some big names in there too like Halle Berry and Robsonorjerome and some great names from action cinema like Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman.Mark Dacascos is brilliant, with his "Zero" character set up as a merciless assassin, but is actually a John Wick fanboy (which I've mentioned before was Dacascos' idea and Reeves didn't know exactly how that scene would play out).

All are on Prime, but are leaving soon, if you also planned on a catch-up before the 4th part.

[wakka]

You are most welcome!

I like Dial M a lot. It's the first Hitchcock film I ever saw. My dad got it for me on videotape for Christmas when I was about 8 years old. Everyone in my family was baffled as to why he would choose something like that for a kid. But I loved it and still do. It's not Hitch's best, but then, comparisons are odious.

I really want to watch John Wick 1 again. I've seen the whole trilogy but each only once. My enjoyment declined with each episode. 3 felt overly long and became far too invested in the lore for me. I'm really not into all that stuff with the Continental and the coins and so on and so forth. I'm sure there's some very good action in there (long time since I watched it), but that wasn't the stuff I came away remembering. But I absolutely loved the first one. So fresh and tightly made. Def gonna stick it on again soon.

I only watched one film this weekend which was Faults. This 2015 effort sees a religious cult expert enlisted to kidnap a young woman off the street and deprogram her. He holes up with her in a motel room and aims to talk her out of her infatuation with a mysterious religious group known only as 'Faults' (hey, that's the name of this movie!).

Overall, it was quite good, but I wouldn't give it an unqualified recommendation. It's not quite a straightforward drama - there are black comedy elements in the mix too - and in that regard I think it works without feeling uneven. But the story didn't quite satisfy, and a late-game twist left things feeling slightly pointless. It has some great scenes though. I just wish it had gone in a slightly different direction overall.

[Neon Ignition]

In Ch4 I'd love to see some hesitation in some scenes. Wick already had a legendary reputation but after the events of Ch1-3 there should be some instances where an assassin crosses paths with him and has a moment of fear, it's odd that the only one to convey Wick's reputation that way was the original.

[QualityChimp]

Well, Part 2 starts with the brother from the boss of Part 1 and he's also worriedly talking about the boogeyman.
Part 3 has something like "$14m dollar contract on his head and every agent in the area trying to kill him. I think the odds are about even."

Also, there's mutual respect from other assassins. The Shinobis at the end say it's an honour to fight him but remark how he's been retired for 5 years, when they knock him down a few times. Zero also notes how he's tired, beaten and missing a finger, but is still going.

Also, there's an arrogance in the community where they all think they'll be the one to take John Wick down.

[Finsbury Girl]

Bladerunner 2049 - finally got around to watching this. It is a mixed bag for me. Way too long and meandering, could've done with some editing. I think the core story had some legs, the delivery of it wasn't great. It was beautifully shot however, absolutely looks amazing. Ford dominates the screen (no surprise) and I did enjoy Gosling as well.

[QualityChimp]

Another one to scratch off on the Movie Bucket List poster is Gangs of New York (2002 via Prime).

Not seen it since the cinema where I was underwhelmed and wondered if I was missing something with my younger eyes, but I'm still underwhelmed.

Some fantastic period sets, but felt like an opportunity for some actors to show how good they are at oirish accents. They're not.

Basically, the story starts with Leonardo DiCaprio's character wanting to kill Daniel Day Lewis' "Butcher", but despite him being an arsehole throughout, decides he's not all that bad, until he is. Roll credits.

Some good hats, though.

->Open Spoiler<-

[Atticus]

Another one to scratch off on the Movie Bucket List poster is Gangs of New York (2002 via Prime).

Not seen it since the cinema where I was underwhelmed and wondered if I was missing something with my younger eyes, but I'm still underwhelmed.

Yeah, it's a bit of a flawed gem ... you can't help feel there's a potential masterpiece hiding in there somewhere. But messy as it is it's a great looking period film and I just can't take my eyes off the amazing Daniel Day Lewis.

[QualityChimp]

He's amazing and it's basically the DDL show.
He put a glass contact in his eye and practiced tapping his eye with a knife without flinching for the scene where his character does it.

However, I think the moustache and hat do a lot of the character work and I thought his milkshake drinker was better, IMHO.

[Lebowski]

We watched two films over the weekend Glass Onion i wasn't to sure about, it looked poor compared to knives out and i didn't like the look of the trailer, but i was bullied into it by the other half. It's funny and witty with a fantastic conclusion and loads of twists and turns, not quite as good as the first but in no way worth skipping.

BulletTrain was my choice and to call it John Wick on a train is a bit off, but that kind of gives you a bit of jist of whats going on, loads of Assassins on a train lots of crazy fights, a pretty good script, a great cast with Tangerines speech's about Thomas the Tank Engine lore being a highlight for me. Just silly stupid fun and a good way to waste a couple of hours its not gonna win awards but if your in the mood to turn your brain off for a dumb funny action movie then you can do far worse.

[Neon Ignition]

Luther: The Fallen Sun
I mean, it's a stretch to call it a movie. This film continuation just about holds together at the seams thanks to some decent sequences in an otherwise very badly written plot about a serial killer who plans on going big on his kills. If you put any thought into the plot it will collapse like a dying star and despite the clear intention to continue beyond this the ending will make clear that we are very far now past the point where this character needs to be put to bed.

[QualityChimp]

Watched a couple of biopics leaving Prime soon.

The Imitation Game (2014)
The story of Alan Turing and his race to crack the Enigma code. I only knew bits and bobs, but it's a really tragic story, despite his heroic efforts.
Cumberbatch is excellent.
The sequence where they're not allowed to reveal they know the code is harsh and the treatment of Turing was horrific.
There's a weird thing where the titles are in French, so the epilogue text at the end needed translating.

The Founder (2016)
The story of how Ray Kroc took the original single McDonald's burger stand and built it into a countrywide franchise.
I didn't know this story either, but it's a fascinating look at a driven businessman who wants to show the naysayers he can be a success, but he'll steamroller over decent people to get there.
Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch are the leads and are great. Keaton is exceptional, delivering his take on Kroc, who is a terrible person by the end.

[Neon Ignition]

Scream VI
So, considering that they commissioned, wrote, filmed and released this in around a year it's solid enough but without the novelty of the break away there's a definite vibe about it that we're reaching the Saw movie sequels territory now where it's less like a new film and more like the release of a new episode of a TV series. We get very little time with the new characters and things move very quick out of the gate. The film features a nice, likeable but criminally short appearance from Samara Weaving a nice bit of carry over from her time with the filmmakers on Ready or Not. The plot is... it's close to a franchise worst with the slickness of the filmmaking itself being what keeps things going. I'm absolutely sure that a sequel will be commissioned quickly but they really need to take a longer break next time to work on the scripting more. Best post-credits scene in a long time though... astounding sequence.

[Finsbury Girl]

Bullet Train - a few genuine LOL moments for me ; nice little action sequences, yes it was over the top but I had a fun time. Loved the one second

->Open Spoiler<-

Ryan Reynolds cameo and wish Sandra Bullock had a bit more involvement

Some of the dialogue a bit try hard Tarantino that doesn't quite gel but I can forgive the homage. It is difficult to pull off. I'd love to see the Brad Pitt character in a sequel.

[fallenangle]

Watched the western 1970 Soldier Blue on Freeview Legend for the first time in ages.

Usually regarded as anti-Vietnam War movie, trying to make a connection between the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 with atrocities carried out by US soldiers in Vietnam its actually a bit of a crude mess. Part developing romance between two bland main characters, part polemic, part real history but completely out of context in its apparent attempt to draw parallels with the Vietnam 'excesses'.

The final massacre scenes are brutal even by today's standards and they didn't appear to have cut much out for this showing so is still commendably uncomfortable and powerful stuff to watch.

[fuse]

Watched The Street, a documentary largely about the gentrification of Hoxton Street. As well as property developers, they do manage to capture Nathan Barley in his natural habitat, and while you might think the older generations who've lived there their whole lives are going to be a more sympathetic cause, out comes the racism. As a documentary though it's good - it doesn't editorialise, instead focuses on pointing its camera at the right things, clearly earns the trust of all of its subjects, and then lets them talk. You watch reactions to Grenfell and Brexit, and are left with a bleak picture made all the more bleak knowing that 2020 will not have been any kinder to those already struggling with the speed of change.


Also watched Empire of Light. Margate in the early 80s sounds like a fairly humble backdrop, but it is a gorgeously shot film in some stunning surroundings, and the soundtrack is excellently subtle too, however the story is a jumble of half-baked ideas that doesn't ever get beneath the surface of any of them. There's some tender moments, but also plenty that just doesn't feel convincing enough, or amount to much.