The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[Dogg Thang]

it was refreshing to go from him whining about the Toche Station in the first, whining about moving things with The Force in the second and finally strutting into Jabba's palace like a boss, mind-tricking, flipping, slashing and finally being confident in his powers in the third.

Totally. And I think that's a huge reason that version of Luke has stuck with people. Finally, Luke was actually cool. And he was genuinely cool, in spite of his failures, but I think the effect of that was that most of us missed the last part of his character arc there and what he had to learn. I certainly missed it as a kid.

[wakka]

I just love the way the lightsaber stuff is handled in Jedi. The film overall is the weakest of the original three, but like you guys are saying, the Luke/Vader/Emperor stuff is just so, so good.

It's such a dramatic scene and I think the whole bit is just brilliantly handled. So much anger, so much hate, is it gonna turn him to the Dark Side or is he doing what needs to be done?! On the one hand we need him to defeat Vader, but will he destroy himself - and help the Empire by becoming evil - in the process?

Anyway, I'm stating the obvious, but I love the way Luke is just whaling on him. There's none of this balletic stuff that we got in the later prequels. It's great. Lightsabers done right, right there.

Nobody (2021 via NowTV) - It's just a lot of fun. Lacks the seriousness of John Wick, but the whole cast are fun to follow, with some epic action sequences.

[B]I was a bit disappointed by this film. I had high hopes (I'm a big fan of the first John Wick), but this just lacked any kind of emotional depth to carry it over the line. It was kind of like watching a music video. Pretty pictures but I didn't come away from it having felt anything.

The fight scenes are cool though, for sure, and are the central element of course. I think maybe my expectations were too high. Had it come out of nowhere I'd probably have rated it higher.

Vivarium (2019 via All4) - Another curiosity I wanted to investigate, but never got chance at the time. I'll be honest, there's an intriguing start and a bold finish, but there's about 50 minutes of digging a hole in the middle. There's a brilliant Outer Limits/Black Mirror episode in there, but not a 100 minute movie.
Reminded me of Under The Skin, but that is so much more gripping.

This has been on my list to watch for a while so it's interesting to hear your impressions. I'm still curious to give it a viewing.

Are there adverts during the film on All4?

[Atticus]

Misery (1990 via Film4) - Wanted to rewatch this after listening to the Film Stories podcast about it. The key scene is very gruesome, but even worse in the book. This scene alone saw the film get passed up on by many directors and actors. The smaller production company meant they could take a risk with Kathy Bates and I'm glad they did because she towers over this film.

Firstly, top moviethon. I absolutely love Misery. The film is such a great adaptation. Even knowing the story inside out it’s tense from start to finish. Burke and Caan are both outstanding … as soon as she starts snorting like a pig he knows he’s in trouble

[Golgo]

It's a great film. Saw that in the flicks when it came out and the whole audience squirmed and howled at that scene. Only other time I saw an audience react 'as one' like that was when the velociraptor jumped up in Jurassic Park - cue everyone in audience pulling up their legs.

[wakka]

Wanted to watch Misery again as I barely remember it (due to love ITT), and I find it's just been issued on UHD by Kino Lorber. Schwing!

[QualityChimp]

[MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] - yes to all those things.
I think it's my fave SW because it's the first one I connected to and Luke finally becomes the Jedi that Kenobi thought he could be.

Misery - I liked it, but not sure how many times I could rewatch it once you know what happens?

Nobody - I completely agree and why I didn't vote it as my film of the year. There wasn't any peril.
It works better if you see it as an action comedy, rather than action drama, IMHO.
Trying to give it some depth, you'll come away wanting.

Vivarium - I want someone else to discuss it with, so I'll encourage you to watch it with the caveat that it doesn't quite work.
Sometimes it's interesting to take in something a but quirky, though.

All4 - yes there are adverts, but after the initial ones, I think it was just for All4 itself, so only a few seconds.

[wakka]

@wakka - yes to all those things.
I think it's my fave SW because it's the first one I connected to and Luke finally becomes the Jedi that Kenobi thought he could be.

Misery - I liked it, but not sure how many times I could rewatch it once you know what happens?

Nobody - I completely agree and why I didn't vote it as my film of the year. There wasn't any peril.
It works better if you see it as an action comedy, rather than action drama, IMHO.
Trying to give it some depth, you'll come away wanting.

Vivarium - I want someone else to discuss it with, so I'll encourage you to watch it with the caveat that it doesn't quite work.
Sometimes it's interesting to take in something a but quirky, though.

All4 - yes there are adverts, but after the initial ones, I think it was just for All4 itself, so only a few seconds.

RE: Nobody, I had forgotten this as I watched it a while back, but think you pinpointed my exact issue. Zero peril. You're kind of just watching him do his thing and kick arse and it washes over you. Which is cool, but clearly lacking compared to something like Wick 1.

RE: Misery, I actually don't remember what happens. To be honest I'm not even 100% I've seen it. I've definitely read the book but again a long time ago. I think I have seen it and it'll be one of those ones where I get twenty minutes in and I remember everything.

Alright guys I've got one for ya - The Revenant.

This is a film about a guy who gets left for dead in the wilderness in mid-1800s America, and he has to survive and make it back to safety. That is the long and the short of it pretty much. There are three things to note about this:

1) It features DiCaprio at his most extravagantly scenery chewing. He leaves you in no doubt that he is a man who will stop at literally nothing to win an Oscar survive.

2) It has great costumes and production design. The cinematography is awesome in places. It looks remarkably authentic. You feel that this is probably what the 'old West' actually looked like. No expense has been spared, and it's all right there onscreen.

3) It is a rollicking good ride that pummels your nerves for two hours straight as you see this guy defy death time and again.

DIRECTIVE 4 (CLASSIFIED) [not an actual film spoiler]:

->Open Spoiler<-

It's actually a pretty cornball movie with pretensions well above its station.

So in conclusion, a very fun watch with a ton of eye candy, wrapped round a decent story that I absolutely bought. I was rootin' for the good guy and I was tootin' for the baddie (as it were).

But I always felt that the film wanted to be more than that, wanted to be deeper, wanted to be maybe even a little art house and contemplative. The problem being that it is also a film where a series of extremely implausible things happen which largely has the tenor of a Die Hard franchise entry. So if that really was their goal, they didn't achieve it. What they did achieve was an excellent survival thriller.

I watched this on UHD disc, where it looked frankly mind boggling. One of the best discs I've seen.

[fallenangle]

Have to say I found the Revenant a hard going slog when I last watched it.

Agreed it looks good and performances likewise but I just could not believe it. Putting aside those who wanted to kill him too the guy would have died of exposure or of his wounds or infection multiple times long before the story played out.

Yes, I know it was based on a book of a true story but it stretched my credibility throughout and the unrelenting physical hardship depicted and general misery of the piece just didn't engage me on any level.

That reminds me: Film 4 are showing Wind River again sometime this week - modern western/murder investigation fusion with a genuine real life theme at its core but the issue is not over laboured. Worth giving it a go if you've not seen it before.

[wakka]

It’s bonkers, yeah, and as I understand it in reality the guy’s various deprivations and brushes with death were spread out over a lifetime rather than crammed into 24 hours.

But I’m OK with that. It’s a film, after all. I actually didn’t find it particularly miserable because what was going on was so implausible anyway, I was happy just to be strapped in for the thrills and spills. It is a bit overlong, I would say though. I’d have cut the Gladiator-style dream sequences. They didn’t add much of anything. Would’ve had more velocity that way.

[Neon Ignition]

Scream 3
It had been a long time since I'd seen this one and I remember it not being as strong as the previous two. Well, that was an understatement. It's a terrible and misjudged approach to a sequel, one where the franchise looks so far inside it disappears up its own backside and emerges as a Scary Movie entry. The casting is intentionally B-tier along with the performances but no-one stopped to consider if that might undercut the actual tension of the film. The only cool point it scores is that for some reason, that no-one online seems to be able to properly work out, in the scene where Jenny McCarthy is hiding in the prop room you can see a Kryten head on a shelf

[QualityChimp]

I keep thinking about rewatching The Revenant because it's gorgeous, but I'm never really motivated enough when there are other things to watch. I have to say that the sequence on the river where the camera constantly pans around is phenomenal.

That reminds me: Film 4 are showing Wind River again sometime this week - modern western/murder investigation fusion with a genuine real life theme at its core but the issue is not over laboured. Worth giving it a go if you've not seen it before.

Cheers! VHS set!
Could be something the wife and I enjoy as she likes a good murder mystery.

As proven with our viewing last night!
Death on the Nile (1978 via iPlayer). Genuinely couldn't remember any of the story so I don't think I'd seen it.
The wife guessed it, but I didn't know until she said.
Great cast and lots of fun with Poirot constantly explaining he's Belgian, not French.
Some amazing scenery as they explore Egypt, but I was freaking out as they climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid. You couldn't do that now!

[QualityChimp]

[MENTION=3144]Dogg Thang[/MENTION]

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[Dogg Thang]

Yep. There it is.

[fallenangle]

Originally Posted by fallenangle

That reminds me: Film 4 are showing Wind River again sometime this week - modern western/murder investigation fusion with a genuine real life theme at its core but the issue is not over laboured. Worth giving it a go if you've not seen it before.


Cheers! VHS set!
Could be something the wife and I enjoy as she likes a good murder mystery.

I should warn you its not just a murder investigation, there's more, much more to it than that. It might be a little uncomfortable viewing for some, women in particular.

[QualityChimp]

OK, cheers.