Rate The Last Movie You Saw.

[Still Servant]

Great review, James. I'm even more excited about seeing this film. The Raid isn't for everybody, but I beg anybody who loves action to give this franchise a chance. I wish more American films were like this. Oddly enough, the director of the films isn't even Indonesian.

[DoctorDodge]

Even stranger - he's Welsh! I was genuinely shocked by that!

[Mattrick]

I love action. I just require something more than choregraphy and skulls being smashed and limbs being broken and jugulars being sliced to bring me in...like, a plausible story and a great lead character. The original has the dumbest plot in any movie ever...why fight from the ground floor to the roof when you can land a chopper on the roof? And what bad guy thinks he's safe at the top of a building he can't escape from? And what was being redeemed to qualify the subtitle of 'Redemption'? Clearly not action films. This just makes me realise there hasn't been a great action movie in...I can't even remember what the last one was. Probably Rambo and The Negotiator before that. I blame Jason Statham for the state of action films these days. I'm more jaded with action movies than horror movies, whose torch is being cared by the guy who refuses to be as good as he can in James Wan and whatever combinations of producers of SAW/Paranormal Activity/Insidious they slap on EVERY poster to sell the crapfest they're selling and I am sure this Occulus movie will be no different than the rest of the awful horrors in recent years.

P.S. When I scrolled up and saw James posted a review I was hoping it would be for Dom Hemingway, as I seem be one of the few out there who really, really loved The Matador...and I mean I mean LOVED and about that I am as serious as an erection problem.

[Still Servant]

Sometimes you just have to turn your brain off. The Raid is easily one of the best action films of the last decade. Barebones story and characters or not.

Also, Dom Hemingway is really good. I predict a Matthew McConaughey like run at some point for Jude Law.

[DoctorDodge]

I liked Dom Hemingway, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Some pretty great dialogue, and a very different performance from Jude Law, but there were moments when it dragged a little too much for me. Still, like I said, a pretty quotable film (if not quite as quotable as I hoped it would be), especially with the added presence of the continually wonderful Richard E. Grant. 6/10, I'd say.

Last film I watched: Inferno. Finally got around to watching this one last Sunday, and after I finished, I asked myself: "dafuq did I just watch?" Not to say I didn't enjoy it, but definitely one of the strangest plots I've seen from an Argento movie, and this is coming from someone who saw Suspiria and Phenomena. Not that the story was complicated, with people stumbling across one of three powerful witches and continually dying in spectacularly gruesome ways (my favourite involved a lot of rats), but more that it didn't feel quite fleshed out enough at times, especially in terms of its characters: there's a lot of times when characters are literally entering dangerous as fuck places with very little or even no clear motivation given, and in fact, the motives of the villain of the piece didn't exactly seem to be clear either. In fact, the strangest thing about the film is that it actually makes more sense of another film altogether, in this case Suspiria, as it reveals more background on the witch in that film as well as who aids the witches.

But then again, no one watches Argento films for the plot or for rich character development - they watch them for gorgeously shot imagery and brutal death scenes, particularly when the two come together, and Inferno is no exception. Like Suspiria, it uses a lot of bright colours, including blues, reds and yellows for its lighting, maintaining some of the dreamlike, almost fairytale atmosphere of the previous film. The death scenes are as painful and strangely beautiful as ever, showing Argento to be a true master of the genre in his prime.

I didn't enjoy this movie quite as much as Deep Red or Suspiria, but it was still a great watch. 7/10

[Jean]

But then again, no one watches Argento films for the plot or for rich character development - they watch them for gorgeously shot imagery and brutal death scenes, particularly when the two come together

that's exactly what I was going to say while reading the first two paragraphs of your post

[Still Servant]

I can see where you are coming from with Dom Hemingway. I thought the first half of the film was great, but the second half was just so-so. It didn't go where I wanted it to go in the second half. I could have done without the cliche storyline about him trying to reconnect with his daughter.

[DoctorDodge]

But then again, no one watches Argento films for the plot or for rich character development - they watch them for gorgeously shot imagery and brutal death scenes, particularly when the two come together

that's exactly what I was going to say while reading the first two paragraphs of your post

Can't say I'm surprised. How would you rate Inferno, bears?

[DoctorDodge]

I can see where you are coming from with Dom Hemingway. I thought the first half of the film was great, but the second half was just so-so. It didn't go where I wanted it to go in the second half. I could have done without the cliche storyline about him trying to reconnect with his daughter.

Mike: you hit the nail on the head. The first half was pretty good, especially Dom trying to get his money and enjoying his freedom, but yeah, when it drops us back in England...despite still having some great moments (particularly the safe cracking ("FUCK YOU! AND FUCK YOUR CAT!"), which I think was another problem with me enjoying the film - we didn't get to see enough of Dom's safe cracking skills imo), it seemed to go for a very different plot from the 'crime' film I was hoping for (which was something a little similar to Lock, Stock and Snatch, in other words. First half was like that, but the second? Sadly not so much). I had a similar problem with Looper - adored the first half, but then everything seemed to slow right down with the 2nd, and didn't explore enough of its key ideas that made me so interested in watching the film in the first place.

[Heather19]

DD, have you seen Opera yet?

[DoctorDodge]

Nope, not yet.

[Jean]

But then again, no one watches Argento films for the plot or for rich character development - they watch them for gorgeously shot imagery and brutal death scenes, particularly when the two come together

that's exactly what I was going to say while reading the first two paragraphs of your post

Can't say I'm surprised. How would you rate Inferno, bears?

I liked it, but I don't differ between Argento films. They are all for me one continuous Argento.

[Heather19]

Nope, not yet.

What are you waiting for?

[DoctorDodge]

It's always great reading your perspective on things Jean, as to you, there's usually very little (if any) stories you've enjoyed entirely because of the actual plot, but rather the mechanics of the work, for lack of a better word. Even to me, surface plot does help enjoyment of a work - for example, the reason Deep Red is my favourite Argento is (despite some weak elements in the plot, including one or two rather ridiculous coincidences,) the fact that the visuals work rather well in conjunction with the mystery part of the plot, especially the vital clue that both the main character and we see but don't realise until the director reveals it towards the end. It's why I also enjoyed your perspective on Life on Mars - unlike me, neither the time travel nor the old-school cop element had a great deal of appeal to you, but it was always great reading about other countless parts of what made the show as great as it was.

Nope, not yet.

What are you waiting for?

Finding it.

[fernandito]

I watched Cold Fish earlier this week. I really liked the first half, but the final act and beyond seemed kinda rushed. It felt like if it was building up to some monumental finale but it ended rather abruptly. It felt tame in comparison to some of the stuff by Miike or Wook Park, maybe that's more my fault than the films though. Idk, maybe I need to watch it again.

6.5/10

[Heather19]

Nope, not yet.

What are you waiting for?

Finding it.

Ah, hopefully you'll find it soon.

[Merlin1958]

Not sure if this qualifies here, but I just watched the "special features" from "The Hobbit II" and they were really fascinating and informative.

[Jean]

James: you're so right! bears really hardly ever enjoy a film for its plot (come to think of it, they don't even really follow plots... it's some fault built into ursine perception), but what you said definitely makes me want to re-watch Profondo Rosso.

Also,

: sarcasm :

thank you very much for reminding me of LoM!

: double sarcasm :

I just have nothing to do, nothing to watch, nothing to read, and altogether plenty of time!

doctors obviously want bears to never watch anything new, but to keep re-watching ancient dusty stuff that doesn't even have special effects to speak of!

***

I watched Cold Fish earlier this week. I really liked the first half, but the final act and beyond seemed kinda rushed. It felt like if it was building up to some monumental finale but it ended rather abruptly. It felt tame in comparison to some of the stuff by Miike or Wook Park, maybe that's more my fault than the films though. Idk, maybe I need to watch it again.

6.5/10

Maybe you do! Now that some time has passed since I watched it, it amazes me, among other things, by the precise balance it has between the parts: the pace, the tone, the swing from depressing to hilarious to gruesome to tragic to unpalatable to comic to absurd to grotesque, all in the exactly right measures.

[Mattrick]

I've download David Gordon Greene's 'Joe' and will be watching it in a few days. Looking forward to flexing my film muscles again after putting them through the mandatory oscar season ringer.

Jean, since you're watching a lot of horrors now you should check out Beneath. Probably the best horror movie to feature the most ridiculous premise I've ever heard of. It's very smart in it's dissection of modern personality types and in the manner which today's youth define themselves in specific roles within society and their group of friends but that sometimes our friends are only there for show. It is both a clever tongue-in-cheek satire of horror films an it's own expertly crafted mark in horror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Nskpe4Iws

[Ricky]

Looking forward to flexing my film muscles again after putting them through the mandatory oscar season ringer.

This is exactly how I've felt since Oscar season. I've probably watched two movies since then.

[Mattrick]

I've mostly watched TV shows...new season of futurama I haven't seen, Walking Dead, finished Dexter...played some video games through. My entire 2014 movie list is basically only until end of February lol. It doesn't help a few of the movies I have watched since then, like The Prestige, disappointed me. Even this horror movie tournament hasn't been able to get me to toss a film up and watch it. I usually watch a movie with my friend once a week but with baseball back on and the hockey playoffs those are sports nights for the time being and can't get myself to do it at home. I've been telling myself, 'I'm going to watch The Innocents today' for about three weeks.

[Still Servant]

Looking forward to flexing my film muscles again after putting them through the mandatory oscar season ringer.

This is exactly how I've felt since Oscar season. I've probably watched two movies since then.

I've mentioned it before, but I also go into what I like to call a post Oscar slump or funk. Like Matt, baseball and video games have taken up more times recently. Once more movies that I want to see start hitting theaters, I will get more into it again.

[Lookwhoitis]

Under the Skin blew me away!

[Jean]

Jean, since you're watching a lot of horrors now you should check out Beneath. Probably the best horror movie to feature the most ridiculous premise I've ever heard of. It's very smart in it's dissection of modern personality types and in the manner which today's youth define themselves in specific roles within society and their group of friends but that sometimes our friends are only there for show. It is both a clever tongue-in-cheek satire of horror films an it's own expertly crafted mark in horror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Nskpe4Iws

I'll try, if I can find it; only since you say so, because neither the trailer nor the synopsis looks/sounds like anything bears could like

[fernandito]

Under the Skin blew me away!

I really, really want to watch that.

I read that some of the hitchhikers in that film were actual civilians and not actors.