Films You Have Watched

[Nu-Eclipse]

Andy Murray: Resurfacing (Olivia Cappuccini, 2019)

Watched this last night. Was originally aired on Amazon Prime Video for a limited time but I had to watch it "elsewhere".

Wondering what Andy Murray might have gone on to achieve in professional men's tennis were it not for having the ultimately career-decimating hip issues while at the literal zenith of his tennis powers in the late 2010s has surely got to be British sport's biggest ever "What if...?" question.

A compelling and unique insight into a unique athlete and person. I'm not sure we'll ever see his like again.

[Atticus]

This weekend I watched Apocalypse Now. I was a proper Johnny-come-lately to this classic (never had the stomach for that scene at the end) but I'm making up for lost time now. Incredible film. Also watched Resident Evil (going the watch all six again ... got a real soft spot for this junk ). And lastly The Touble With Harry ... a dark little comedy from Alfred Hitchcock. Set in a small community in New England, the locals, one-by-one stumble upon a dead body in the countryside and don't quite know what to do with him. It's simple but crackles all the way thanks to a witty script and well drawn characters. The autumnal, Technicolor scenery in Vermont is always beautiful too.

[Dogg Thang]

A.W.O.L: Absent Without Leave - cheeseball JCVD. One of his best.

Stone cold classic.

[wakka]

I've never even heard of The Trouble With Harry Atticus. I'll deffo check that out, thanks for the heads up.

That JCVD joint sounds great too, another one I've never heard of!

[QualityChimp]

Nolan's Batman trilogy has dropped on Prime, so I watched Batman Begins with my son, who has never seen them, but has enjoyed the Nolan films I've shown him (The Prestige and Interstellar.)

I've still got the DVD, which is bundled with the animated Gotham Knight and I may see if there are any extras as I particularly enjoyed the various miniatures and model sets.
BB is my fave of the series as there's more fighting and the origin story is well handled, streamlining it and also setting up the baddie.
I find The Dark Knight a bit depressing as The Joker outwits Batman at every turn, only defeated when his final plan doesn't work.
I also prefer the fantasy setting of BB, with the monorail and comicbook Narrows serving the story better than the realistic approach of TDK.

I might change my mind when I watch it, but I feel that the amazing but tragic circumstances around Heath Ledger elevate the film's status, IMHO.

[Nu-Eclipse]

That JCVD joint sounds great too, another one I've never heard of!

Great is a stretch, but it came out during JCVD's 1980s to 1990s golden age.

Maybe you haven't heard of it (not sure how - living under a rock? ) because it has been released under a few different titles, like Lionheart, Lyonheart and Wrong Bet.

[Neon Ignition]

Harvey
The James Stewart film with the invisible rabbit, his sister does a lot of great heavy lifting in the film which overall is a very likeable little tale.

Nighthawks
It's okay, not amazing, with the weakest link being that it largely wastes Billy Dee and Stallone isn't putting in the best performance.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Kneecap (Rich Peppiatt, 2024)

Watched this on Amazon Prime Video last night.

Not entirely sure what to make of it, tbh, and I don't say that dismissively. I say that as somebody who admittedly isn't fully clued up on the subject matters that the film uses as an obvious backdrop to explain the rise of the rap group Kneecap.

While I totally appreciate the story being told within the context of Irish nationalism, preservation of the Irish language, The Ceasefire Generation, etc. (as well as how the actual group seek to convey all of that), and I'll always be down for rap music being used to help tell personal and political stories, I feel like parts of it and the surprisingly intense visual style of the film as a whole didn't quite land with me in the way that I thought it would. That said, I can definitely see how it is an effective way to bring said subject matters to younger Irish audiences and younger audiences elsewhere.

[Neon Ignition]

Excalibur
Liam Neeson! Patrick Stewart! Gabriel Bryne! Helen Mirran!
All hamming it up to the nth degree in this awful King Arthur tale which is let down by the usual issue that Arthur, in any telling, is only interesting until he pulls the sword out of the stone (a scene this absolutely fumbles as it borders closer to an episode of Maid Marian) but also in how shocking the acting and delivery is.

[Atticus]

Poltergeist - Can't believe I'd never seen this before. Absolutely loved it. Pefect blend of creepiness and Spielbergy family suburbia. So good.

Cure - Another first time watch. This is a Japanese serial killer / detective / horror affair where people are getting offed with a trademark wound/sign tying them together, but all the perps are different people. It's very good but so full of dread, there's not a moment of let up. Filed under admired more than enjoyed.

[QualityChimp]

It's an open secret that although Hooper is the Director of Poltergeist, it's practically all Spielberg.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/poltergeist-steven-spielberg-director-conspiracy-theory-confirmed-tobe-hooper-a7846651.html

[Atticus]

It's an open secret that although Hooper is the Director of Poltergeist, it's practically all Spielberg.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...-a7846651.html

Ah, I didn’t know about that but it makes so much sense. I knew he was involved producing and writing but really, it did feel like 99% a Steven Spielberg film.

[Neon Ignition]

Gregory's Girl
I wouldn't say it was a well made or well written film, not even well acted... yet it's oddly likeable throughout

[Atticus]

I rewatched Sexy Beast because my son wanted to watch it. Liked it a lot bitd (I did some work with Ian McShane following my first watch, never got to skate with him though) and still really enjoyed it. So tight too ... it goes by in the blink of an eye. Ben Kingley's performance is legendary but what stood out this time was a line he delivers to Ray Winstone that sums up every bully ever: Why should I let you be happy?

[Nu-Eclipse]

JCVD (Mabrouk El Mechri, 2008)

Just watched this on Google TV a short while ago. Had wanted to do so for a while now but never really got around to it until being inspired to do so by the recent talk about "The Muscles on Brussels" here on this very thread!

Definitely Van Damme's best on-screen acting by a distance (admittedly not a high bar if you want to be cynical/harsh about it) and a solid film, albeit not without its flaws. Props to the man himself for doing what many of his action-flick contemporaries past and/or present wouldn't ever dare to do and be brave enough to openly portray himself as more lethargic, vulnerable, downbeat and downtrodden than we've ever seen him before and, yes, that fourth wall-breaking monologue mostly lives up to the hype, but the down-on-luck-guy-caught-up-in-more-bad-luck storyline comes off as basic and a tad bit self-indulgent in places as well as making the other characters in this film feel somewhat redundant. The shooting and pacing can also come off as odd in places too, as if El Mechri has tried to be a bit too clever with how he's done it.

Ultimately probably worth a watch, but not before you've mostly exhausted the Van Damme oeuvre beforehand.