I stumbled upon this awhile ago and finally watched it last night.
It's a quirky genre mash of the hit man with a conscience trope augmented by supernatural hijinks (in the vein of Ghost) and a bizarre love tetrahedron.
The plot has a few hiccups but the pacing and solid acting let's you forget and forgive the minor inconsistencies. A couple of the action scenes are clunky, too, but the finale is pretty tight and the twist ending is nice.
The trailer doesn't do the film justice, but here it is anyway:
RIYL
The Wild Goose Lake; A Chinese Ghost Story; Angel-A: Chungking Express; The Villainess; First Love
05-15-2020, 11:32 PM
dookeyXXX
Merry Sickmas!
This holiday horror ditty is gonzo bonkers.
Teeming with yuletide sneer and slasher excess, it takes a page from Home Alone, crumples it up, and tosses it into a boiling pot of glogg.
I didn't include the regular trailer as it gives away some of the more crafty and bugged out elements of the film.
RIYL:
The Babysitter; Anna and the Apocalypse; Scouts Guide to the Zo,bie Apocalypse; Sean of the Dead
05-16-2020, 08:19 PM
JimmyCarter
Not sure if it’s been mentioned but just saw UHF is available on Prime.
05-20-2020, 12:10 AM
dookeyXXX
SON OF RAMBOW
This has been on my radar for several years now and I finally watched it tonight (it just popped up on Prime this week).
This little film came out rather quietly in 2008 and slipped under many a radar (mine included).
All I can say is that I would be rather surprised if Taika Waititi didn't watch this film a few times before making Jojo Rabbit; it has the same style of off-kilter, quirky humor, not to mention somewhat similar characters.
RIYL
First Blood; Jojo Rabbit; Moonrise Kingdom; I Declare War; Microbe and Gasoline
05-20-2020, 02:07 AM
Mike Pow
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
SON OF RAMBOW
This has been on my radar for several years now and I finally watched it tonight (it just popped up on Prime this week).
This little film came out rather quietly in 2008 and slipped under many a radar (mine included).
All I can say is that I would be rather surprised if Taika Waititi didn't watch this film a few times before making Jojo Rabbit; it has the same style of off-kilter, quirky humor, not to mention somewhat similar characters.
RIYL
First Blood; Jojo Rabbit; Moonrise Kingdom; I Declare War; Microbe and Gasoline
Great movie
05-21-2020, 05:29 PM
splat
Currently going through Philip K Dicks electric dreams...
05-21-2020, 09:08 PM
MontuckyFried
Quote:
Originally Posted by splat
Currently going through Philip K Dicks electric dreams...
That's a fun one. What an all-star guest line up. Enjoy!!!
If you dig Old School-styled stop motion animation and off-kilter whimsy, and wry surrealism, then this is a fun cinematic romp (in French with English subtitles):
RIYL
Amelie; Gumby; Ernest and Celestine
05-23-2020, 07:42 AM
dookeyXXX
GALLIPOLI
Wow.
I have no idea how I have overlooked this film all these years, also not sure how I missed it back in 1981, unless it had a very limited US release.
It is less a war movie and more a coming-of-age film. Yet it does contain quite a bit of socio-political commentary; it's just delivered in a quietly blunt manner.
The ending of the film, while predictable, manages to be both poignant and ironic, and packs an emotional wallop.
The cinematography is great and it again reminded me that Peter Weir knows how to shoot a scene and has made some stellar films over the years (Picnic At Hanging Rock, Master And Commander).
The only out-of-place aspect of the film was the somewhat jarring electronic score. Also, at times it really reminded me of Chariots of Fire for some reason (the running sub-plot and the electronic music, perhaps?).
Also, how did Mark Lee not become a big star? He was just a wee bit more charismatic than the young Mel Gibson.
Still, this is a great film and highly recommended.
05-23-2020, 07:46 AM
I Skied Bandini Mountain
Very good film, a real punch in the gut. His next film "The Year of Living Dangerously" was also very good.
"The Last Wave" was the first film to blow my young mind.
05-23-2020, 08:46 AM
GeezerSteve
Breaker Morant and Gallipoli came out in consecutive years, both Australian New Wave, both fine anti-war movies, some production overlap.
Breaker Morant compares favorably to Stanley Kubrick's great anti-war film Paths of Glory, IMO the greatest English-language anti-war movie of all time.
Watching all 3 in sequence is a trip.
05-23-2020, 02:39 PM
dookeyXXX
^^
I need to track down both Breaker Morant and The Year Of Living Dangerously.
I have Paths Of Glory in the queue.
05-23-2020, 02:45 PM
PNWbrit
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeezerSteve
Breaker Morant and Gallipoli came out in consecutive years, both Australian New Wave, both fine anti-war movies, some production overlap.
Breaker Morant compares favorably to Stanley Kubrick's great anti-war film Paths of Glory, IMO the greatest English-language anti-war movie of all time.
Watching all 3 in sequence is a trip.
Paths of Glory could be justified in a list of 10 best ever movies.
05-23-2020, 04:50 PM
otto parts
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
^^
I need to track down both Breaker Morant and The Year Of Living Dangerously.
I have Paths Of Glory in the queue.
Dooks-Year is just god dang terrific, shocked you’ve never seen....
Man, there's a ton of shit that I've seen (that others have not) and then there's a ton of shit that I haven't seen (that others have)...
:D
05-24-2020, 08:59 AM
EWG
Gallipoli is an emotional atom bomb. Extremely well done. Saw it in college at some point (not sure why one of us picked out the video) but it crushed us all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
GALLIPOLI
Wow.
I have no idea how I have overlooked this film all these years, also not sure how I missed it back in 1981, unless it had a very limited US release.
It is less a war movie and more a coming-of-age film. Yet it does contain quite a bit of socio-political commentary; it's just delivered in a quietly blunt manner.
The ending of the film, while predictable, manages to be both poignant and ironic, and packs an emotional wallop.
The cinematography is great and it again reminded me that Peter Weir knows how to shoot a scene and has made some stellar films over the years (Picnic At Hanging Rock, Master And Commander).
The only out-of-place aspect of the film was the somewhat jarring electronic score. Also, at times it really reminded me of Chariots of Fire for some reason (the running sub-plot and the electronic music, perhaps?).
Also, how did Mark Lee not become a big star? He was just a wee bit more charismatic than the young Mel Gibson.
Still, this is a great film and highly recommended.
05-26-2020, 09:31 AM
PB
Homecoming: second season is out. Took 3 episodes to start making sense, very different feel compared to first season, jury's still out for me.
05-27-2020, 11:19 AM
Dantheman
We were getting bored with Netflix so I decided to drop it last month and bought a year-long full Prime membership. My 10 y.o has been loving The Grand Tour. What other good stuff is on here that I can watch with the kid that isn't a "kids" show? I'm not too concerned with language up to a point (TGT has nothing on what he hears at the skatepark and the lift line at Brighton, but he's still too young for Tarantino-level profanity at home), but sex/violence needs to be pretty minimal.
Whoa. This is a bugged out, f$%ked-up slab of PoMo neo grindhouse bravura.
It twists, turns, and smacks you upside the head with off-kilter violence and quirky performances.
The coolest thing is that the trailer is one giant red herring that sets you up for a headcracking and deranged good time.
RIYL
Swiss Army Man; Lucky Day; Borgman; Mandy
05-28-2020, 01:13 AM
bobz
Me & my kid just watched Hunt For the Wilderpeople (probably available for rent on Amazon, but we saw it free on Kanopy, if you have access to that), by Taika Waititi, more recently known for JoJo Rabbit (and supposedly on tap for a future Star Wars movie). It's an outdoorsy comedic (adopted) father - son adventure tale, occasionally silly, but overall wonderful, fun, and something different.
Speaking of movies by Kiwi directors who went on to bigger projects, I also recently saw Peter Jackson's Bad Taste (on Hoopla, I think). I can't really recommend that one, but it is kind of, uh, special. The whole point of the film is to set up multiple scenes of disgusting personal violence, and since it's humans versus extraterrestrials in human form, and the latter characters don't die easily, well, there's a kind of economy where individual characters get to be gutted and dismembered more gratuitously, and sometimes more than once, than if they were human victims. Oh, and there's a running joke where a guy who cracked his skull keeps needing to stuff (mostly his own) brains back into his head when they accidentally spill out. 1.5 stars (at best), Joe Bobz sez check it out.
05-28-2020, 06:38 AM
dookeyXXX
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobz
...I also recently saw Peter Jackson's Bad Taste ... Joe Bobz sez check it out.
:D
I grew up reading JBB's movie reviews. Always wish I had been extra nerdy and had clipped them out of the paper and kept them in a scrapbook...
FWIW, Bad Taste just popped up on Prime. I suggest it as a late nite "red eye matinee"...but, yeah, not Jackson's best (that would be Dead Alive). :cool:
And Hunt For The Wilderpeople is fantastic.
Taika Waititi's even earlier film, Boy, was on Prime last time I checked. Have not seen it yet, but it is in my queue.
05-28-2020, 09:26 AM
PB
x3 on HftWpeeps. In fact, now I want to re-watch it!
05-30-2020, 08:43 AM
dookeyXXX
If the trailer for Come To Daddy intrigued you (see post #622 above) and you wish to indulge in a gonzo PoMo grindhouse evening, this would make for a killer (and demented) double-feature:
Heck, go for broke and make it a triple-feature with Better Watch Out (see post #603).
This is a great post-Shaw Brothers effort that showcases John Woo before he became the master of the ballet of bullets-styled films he is best known for.
06-02-2020, 11:08 PM
leroy jenkins
I'm an hour into the evil within. Not sure I'm up for finishing it at the moment, although I'm not sure I can turn it off. Its a portrayal of what its like to be completly fucking crazy and slightly mentally challenged, but as a horror movie, which is a pretty good idea. The scariest thing is the human mind. Horror movies have always struggled to not be sensationalist murder porn for psychos, and this definitely redefines the genre in an insightful creative and meaningful way. Its just disturbing and pretty fucking heavy and just sad when you think this really is life for some people.
06-02-2020, 11:45 PM
dookeyXXX
Quote:
Originally Posted by leroy jenkins
I'm an hour into the evil within. Not sure I'm up for finishing it at the moment, although I'm not sure I can turn it off. Its a portrayal of what its like to be completly fucking crazy and slightly mentally challenged, but as a horror movie, which is a pretty good idea. The scariest thing is the human mind. Horror movies have always struggled to not be sensationalist murder porn for psychos, and this definitely redefines the genre in an insightful creative and meaningful way. Its just disturbing and pretty fucking heavy and just sad when you think this really is life for some people.
I have had that flick in my queue for quite some time now.
It has a really interesting history.
It was written/directed by Andrew Getty, one of the heirs to the Getty oil fortune. He began working on the film in 2002 and it suffered numerous shooting, legal, casting, monitary, and production problems over the span of 13 years (Getty continued to work on the film until his death in 2015). The film's producer finished the film and released it in 2017.
This article does a decent semi-deep dive into the madness behind the making of the film (make sure you click THR link in the Guardian story for a deeper dive into the behind-the-scenes madness):
This will have some spoilers, although vaugue. Ya, I knew the back story, but not the details of the guys life. Based on that, and the reviews I read, I was expecting something much more crazy, like nonsensical, weird, random, etc. I haven't finished it yet, but I havent' seen any of the rambling surreal nonsensical interludes that were described in some of the reviews. The whole movie so far is an insightful, dare I say elegant portrayal of madness from the point of view of the crazy person. I was expecting much more meth influence, but really its abut mental illness. Its a pretty scary thing to think a serial killer would be targeting you, thats a fear many movies have explored. What is far more terrifying is that something inside you could make you become one despite your own horror and terror at being unable to control your actions. I have never had cause to fear my own mind in that way, but this movie makes that fear seem almost tangible.
EDIT Finished it. My earlier review stands. I'd rate the writing as amazing, the directing as pretty good, and the acting as slightly above adequate, but great flick.
06-05-2020, 12:06 AM
dookeyXXX
THE VAST OF NIGHT
4/5
This film is exceptionally well done and further proves that if you have a compelling story, solid pacing, and a great cast, you do not need to blow shit up every 5-minutes, if at all.
This film is teeming with snappy dialogue, a great conspiracy theory, and lots of subtlety pointed socio-political commentary.
There are a few stylistic choices I felt were a bit wonky (The b/w intercuts and the blatant CEOTTK elements at the end), but aside from those brief moments, this is a tense thriller that sucks you in from the get go and keeps you glued to the screen for the duration.
RIYL
Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Pontypool; Orson Welles' broadcast of War of the Worlds
06-05-2020, 11:43 PM
dookeyXXX
7 BOXES
This little "running man" thriller from Paraguay takes place in the claustrophobic market of Asuncion over the course of a day. A serpentine plot unfolds around the competitive wheelbarrow delivery scene which permeates the market, all revolving around the titular boxes.
Just the sweaty grime and bustle of the market creates an engaging scenario, but add in some shady criminal doings, somewhat incompetent cops, and a wide-eyed protagonist, and you've got yourself a pretty entertaining yarn.
06-06-2020, 07:20 AM
Mike Pow
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
THE VAST OF NIGHT
4/5
This film is exceptionally well done and further proves that if you have a compelling story, solid pacing, and a great cast, you do not need to blow shit up every 5-minutes, if at all.
This film is teeming with snappy dialogue, a great conspiracy theory, and lots of subtlety pointed socio-political commentary.
There are a few stylistic choices I felt were a bit wonky (The b/w intercuts and the blatant CEOTTK elements at the end), but aside from those brief moments, this is a tense thriller that sucks you in from the get go and keeps you glued to the screen for the duration.
RIYL
Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Pontypool; Orson Welles' broadcast of War of the Worlds
Excellent. Loved it. Thanks.
06-06-2020, 05:36 PM
JongDoe
Did somebody else post that trailer ^^ here before? I know i saw it somewhere fairly recently, but not sure where.
06-06-2020, 05:43 PM
PNWbrit
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
THE VAST OF NIGHT
4/5
This film is exceptionally well done and further proves that if you have a compelling story, solid pacing, and a great cast, you do not need to blow shit up every 5-minutes, if at all.
This film is teeming with snappy dialogue, a great conspiracy theory, and lots of subtlety pointed socio-political commentary.
There are a few stylistic choices I felt were a bit wonky (The b/w intercuts and the blatant CEOTTK elements at the end), but aside from those brief moments, this is a tense thriller that sucks you in from the get go and keeps you glued to the screen for the duration.
RIYL
Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Pontypool; Orson Welles' broadcast of War of the Worlds
That one would've escaped my attention. Lined up for this evening's viewing.
06-06-2020, 07:12 PM
dookeyXXX
Quote:
Originally Posted by JongDoe
Did somebody else post that trailer ^^ here before? I know i saw it somewhere fairly recently, but not sure where.
Guilty as charged...I yammered about it back on 4/22 (page 23, post #522, to be exact) when it was announced that it was coming to Prime at the end of May. :cool:
06-06-2020, 09:04 PM
Flyoverland Captive
^^^ That was a good watch; thanks.
06-06-2020, 10:10 PM
shroom
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
COME TO DADDY
4/5
Whoa. This is a bugged out, f$%ked-up slab of PoMo neo grindhouse bravura.
It twists, turns, and smacks you upside the head with off-kilter violence and quirky performances.
The coolest thing is that the trailer is one giant red herring that sets you up for a headcracking and deranged good time.
RIYL
Swiss Army Man; Lucky Day; Borgman; Mandy
thanks, that was entertaining
06-07-2020, 08:09 AM
Name Redacted
Watched "The Gentleman" last night, had to rent it for $5.99. As far as Guy Ritchey films go, I'd say it wasn't the best, but it was ok. Just a little too clean, not gritty enough, and a bunch of A listers (Hugh Grant) speaking in a Cockney accent that I just couldn't wrap my head around. But I'd still recommend it as a good (but less complex than some Ritchey movies) storyline.
06-08-2020, 11:32 AM
JimmyCarter
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookey67
THE VAST OF NIGHT
4/5
This film is exceptionally well done and further proves that if you have a compelling story, solid pacing, and a great cast, you do not need to blow shit up every 5-minutes, if at all.
This film is teeming with snappy dialogue, a great conspiracy theory, and lots of subtlety pointed socio-political commentary.
There are a few stylistic choices I felt were a bit wonky (The b/w intercuts and the blatant CEOTTK elements at the end), but aside from those brief moments, this is a tense thriller that sucks you in from the get go and keeps you glued to the screen for the duration.
RIYL
Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Pontypool; Orson Welles' broadcast of War of the Worlds
I think it's the best Amazon original film I've seen to date - maybe not 5/5 but great story and mood setting. Suggest watching it in a very dark room for effect.
My only complaint is some of the exposition was a bit too direct.
06-08-2020, 05:49 PM
PNWbrit
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyCarter
I think it's the best Amazon original film I've seen to date - maybe not 5/5 but great story and mood setting. Suggest watching it in a very dark room for effect.
My only complaint is some of the exposition was a bit too direct.
Recommend watching it with a real surround sound set up too.
