The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[QualityChimp]

It's nothing fancy.
We just rewound to 00:00 counted to 3 and started it roughly at the same time.

The biggest issue was whether we count up or down.
We said down is the obvious way, like a rocket launch, but someone mentioned when you lift heavy furniture together, you count up.

He was bloody right and that really put the cat amongst the pigeons!

[Atticus]

Aha, I thought it might be something like the GroupWatch feature on Disney+

[QualityChimp]

There's an app for Netflix via PC, but chatting os so much easier on PS4.

It's crude, but effective.

[Family Fry]

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since 360 had an actual Netflix party Mode.

https://kotaku.com/say-goodbye-to-netflix-s-party-mode-on-the-xbox-360-5866245#:~:text=The%20Xbox%20360%20Party%20Mode%20gave%20a%20clever%2C,New%20Xbox%20Live%20Dashboard%20Re-Invents%20TV%20Viewing%2C%20Interface%2C

It was such a great feature I’m surprised it hasn’t been done again on the consoles.

[JazzFunk]

After waiting about eighteen months in a haze of blissful-eyed expectation, FINALLY viewed A FIELD IN ENGLAND, t'other week.

Absolute tommyrot, I'd rather eat a baguette full of cat-doings than watch this incredibly bizarre, slightly shiddy slice of compost again.

I was sad, I soooooooooo wanted to see it, I adore KILL LIST!!!!!

[Atticus]

Gimme Shelter (1970) - This Rolling Stones doc was supposed to chronicle the closing stages of their US tour in 1969 but concluded with the tragic event(s) at the free open air concert at the Altamont Speedway in San Francisco. I'd seen this a long time ago and it still scares the crap out of me watching it. From the moment the Stones look down on the site from their helicopter, with hundreds of thousands gathering in the middle of nowhere, it feels unsafe. The moment they land there is no safety and Mick gets a punch in the face. And from there it descends into a hellish and genuinely scary place full of people freaking out on the bad drugs and the hells angels. A disastrous mix if ever there was one. These guys are the real deal. Like a pack of wolves among a flock of sheep. Sheep that are too naive, hammered or both to sense the pending danger. Worse still, because the masses are misbehaving the increasingly drunk and agitated angels are handed security duty to guard the stage and escort the bands. It's hard to watch ... not because it captures a murder on film, but because you feel the danger. You feel the panic welling up inside. Nothing about the event is right or well thought out. A dark finale to the swinging 60s.

If you're interested in seeing it someone has very kindly put the Criterion rip up on youtube

[Asura]

Watching ALIENS tonight. I watch it every few years and I'm always impressed by how well it holds up.

[randombs]

Watching ALIENS tonight. I watch it every few years and I'm always impressed by how well it holds up.

I’ve got Mondays off this month and I’ve been dying to watch Aliens on one of them. You’ve given me the push I needed

[Cassius_Smoke]

Watched Dunkirk again last night. Only seen it once before ages ago.
Easily Nolans best film. I not a fan of his, but his 'cold' directing style works perfectly with this film. Being Chris Nolan, the time line hops around too, but again he manages to avoid it becoming too 'Nolan'. The only criticism I'd have is the explosions and action fall a little flat... But I'll forgive it because it's probably more true to life.

[Neon Ignition]

Absolutely, I feel like Dunkirk was a bit of a Nolan-palatte cleanser for me to remind me I could enjoy his films. Tenet, Interstellar, Dark Knight Rises - all naff-balls movies, he's much better when focused.

[QualityChimp]

We watched the final Fear Street 1666 together and I enjoyed it, but the first half was the poorest of the three films, but really enjoyed the second half.

[QualityChimp]

I still think the first one is the best, but it's a 3-part story, so worth seeing all three, IMHO. Nothing groundbreaking and it's original influences are better, but it was a fun ride.

Finished off A Field in England tonight. Basically, it's Wheatley's trippy movie and it's not supposed to be completely coherent. Mission accomplished!

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, we finished Fear Street Part III: 1666 last night too and I've seen it banded around it's the best one but that's something I'd disagree with easily. The first half felt very flat and borderline unnecessary and the second half was better but could have effectively been tagged on to the end of Part 1 to make it a single film. I enjoyed the overall trilogy though and if they opted to make more it'd be nice seeing the origins of some of the other killers.

We also watched Over the Moon. The first half hour is really nice, about a girl who's mother has died and her father has been seeing a new woman so she's upset at the direction life is taking her in thinking her father has forgotten her mother. Then events go the the moon and the film rapidly falls apart.

[Atticus]

Waterworld - Never seen his before. Back in the mid-90s I was put off by the trailer (and the odd clip) where the action scenes looked like a stunt show. Then it slowly disappeared and that was that. But I watched it this week and there's lots to enjoy. I'm not saying it's a masterpiece that was wrongly appraised or anything, but it's not entirely deserving of all the bad press it got.

I decided to watch the longest Ulysses Cut which clocked in around 3 hours. And it didn't drag. At all. I enjoyed the opening around and inside the atoll. This has to be one of if on the most impressive set I've ever seen. A huge floating armoured ring town out at sea, fully populated and stuff, it's incredible. And it has to be big because the Mariner's boat is HUGE, and that has to fit through the gate and inside. So impressive. Says everything about the ambitions of the film makers. Impressive as the atoll is it does still have that stunt show feel when it kicks off but to be fair when you're watching in context it comes off more like an old-fashioned epic and you get swept along with it just fine.

Then when proceedings get away from that and out into open water, seeing Kev on that 60-foot trimaran skimming across the water, it's stunning at times. There's no way it would be made like that now. Proper out at sea. There's simply no way the same feel could be recreated with cgi or a tank. It's feels real and vast because it is.

I enjoyed Kev and also Jeanne Tripplehorn in a rare role that isn't a cheated on wife. But if there's a serious weak point in the film it's Dennis Hopper. He's a rubbish villain. And every scene he's in he took me out of the experience ... it's just Dennis Hopper dialling it in with a daft eyepatch on.

But that's a minor quibble. I did genuinely enjoy watching this. And that

->Open Spoiler<-

Planet of the Apes

moment at the end was ace.

[wakka]

Never seen Waterworld and I'd like to. It's funny you mention a 'stunt show' feel, because Universal Studios did actually have a Waterworld stunt show (as you may know). It was pretty cool!

In The Line of Fire

Reading contemporary reviews after watching the film, I saw one from the LA Times describe this as 'crisply entertaining'. I think that sums it up quite nicely. This is a thoroughly convention thriller, but smooth and competent in its delivery.

There's lots to enjoy here, from Malkovich's baddie to a pile-up of character motivations that ensure the tension is ramping up throughout. Just enough knots are introduced in the plot to ensure the second act - usually where the problems arise with this kind of film, as the plot sags between the intriguing opening and the action-packed climax - keeps attention riveted.

All that said, it's damnably predictable, and the protagonist is a complete jackass. He comes out with a whole bunch of misogynistic claptrap which we're presumably meant to see as a sort of unreconstructed charm, judging by the surprisingly positive reaction of the female lead. If you're especially sensitive to that - and I wouldn't blame you if you were - it could easily derail the film entirely for you.

Overall, a pretty decent weeknight watch. It's on Netflix and in UHD on there too, and it looks pretty tremendous (although the resolution does show up some slightly dodgy optical effects in some scenes).