Terrorism comedy is a tough genre to pull off, but Four Lions did it well. I'm not sure where that movie is playing, but Chris Morris's second film, The Day Shall Come (saw it last night on Hulu), tries again. I thought it had a lot going for it, but it's pretty uneven compared to Four Lions, so I'm not going to recommend it.
If you're interested in the subject matter, or just up for a something-very-different indie, though, The Day Shall Come does a decent job satirizing (that is, satirizing, not directly dramatizing) the kinds of law enforcement activities that really have occurred in the post-9/11 US. Basically, a small group of stupid, delusional people in Florida, who are Black, with not fully formed ideas about revolution (but generally against violence), get caught up in an FBI entrapment scheme, mainly because they're broke and serious money is being dangled in front of them. Unfortunately for the FBI, the scheme ends up running head-on into a different agency's entrapment scheme. Black guys versus two bumbling law enforcement operations, guess who loses.
02-27-2022, 07:41 PM
dookeyXXX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Profane
Has this been mentioned? I was checking out the choices on my girlfriend's Hulu, and saw "Cronenberg" and 2020, and that was good enough for me. Watched the whole thing before I realized it wasn't David Cronenberg, but his son, Brandon Cronenberg who directed. Very creepy mind switch thing.
+1
Highly recommended, especially if you dig visceral sci-fi.
02-27-2022, 07:44 PM
dookeyXXX
The Raid 2: Berandal
Leaving Hulu on 2/28, so watch it tonight or tomorrow. Stat!
Brutally entertaining (or entertainingly brutal?).
Perhaps the best martial arts action movie of the last decade bar none.
"show me the picture - Jim Marshall Story" is excellent. Talk about being in on the ground floor of the 60s...
03-17-2022, 09:47 AM
Danno
Quote:
Originally Posted by EWG
The Great has been entertaining.
I'm 3 eps in and definitely enjoying it. Huzzah!
03-17-2022, 10:56 AM
dookeyXXX
IN THE EARTH
Pandemic guerilla filmmaking at its finest!
Apparently this nifty little psychedelic horror offering was filmed in 15 days at the height of Covid quarantine (August 2020).
Ben Wheatley's latest is a blast of folk horror and isolation hysteria.
RIYL The Kill List; A Field In England; It Follows; Censor; It Comes At Night
03-22-2022, 02:48 AM
Mike Pow
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
IN THE EARTH
Pandemic guerilla filmmaking at its finest!
Apparently this nifty little psychedelic horror offering was filmed in 15 days at the height of Covid quarantine (August 2020).
Ben Wheatley's latest is a blast of folk horror and isolation hysteria.
RIYL The Kill List; A Field In England; It Follows; Censor; It Comes At Night
Had no clue what was going on, but loved it
04-25-2022, 11:07 PM
bobz
Deep Water is Adrian Lyne's return to the erotic thriller, mashed up with trying to be a counterpoint to Gone Girl (Ben Affleck suspected of murder, and the messed up happy couple ending). It's not exactly bad, more like meh.
The Thriller aspect, in particular, was underwhelming (actually, the Erotic aspect as well). What do you do with a plot where the guy suspected of murdering, at that point, two of his wife's lovers, has let practically the whole town know, "yeah, I killed her" (well, he said he was joking)? What I did with that plot was to say: That's way too obvious, so of course there's a big plot twist coming up, right? And (SPOILER)... uh, no plot twist; dude kills the guys who he allowed his wife to fool around with, just like he said.
Oh, and there's a final forest-road chase scene between a Subaru Outback and a bicycle (ten-speed style, or maybe, at best, a drop-bar gravel bike). That is, the bike is chasing the Subaru. It made me stop and think, wait, was this whole movie just meant to be silly? But no, the overall flick doesn't work as silly, either.
04-27-2022, 12:22 AM
dookeyXXX
SETTLERS
This quiet, slow-burn sci-fi thrillerama owes a large debt to the introspective Western genre.
It moves along at a steady pace, offers up a few surprises, and has some nicely set up foreshadowing.
The ending is great, too.
RIYL Silent Running; Young Ones; Prospect; THX-1138
05-14-2022, 11:55 PM
dookeyXXX
MEN & CHICKEN
An irreverent and at times absurdist cross between The Three Stooges and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Lottsa politically incorrect humor, overt allusions to bestiality, masturbation, and gerontophilia, and just an overall sense of weirdness.
Starring Mads Mikkelson in a role quite different from what Western audiences know him for.
RIYL Flickering Lights
05-29-2022, 10:55 AM
seano732
Has this been mentioned yet? Based on the Krakauer book of the same name…..Absolutely riveting……And insane.
TITANE
Screenwriter/director Julia Ducournau’s sophomore effort won The Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Which just goes to prove that not only are the French adept at making fucked-up films, they are also adept at enjoying them.
As with her previous effort, Raw, Titane is a difficult film; difficult to watch, difficult to grasp. On the one hand it’s a gonzo Greek tragedy. On the other, it’s a Shakespearean mistaken identity melodrama soaked in petrol and dizzy off of exhaust fumes.
One thing for certain: it’s never not engaging.
Whereas Ducournau’s debut was a twisted coming-of-age story, here she throws a head-spinning array of ideas into the mix. There’s incestual innuendo, hints of homoeroticism, body-horror-meets-womb-horror, feints of Fregoli, auto(mobile)eroticism, steroidal rage, mechanophilia, serial killings, and imposter syndrome fallout, just to name a few of the myriad and deranged themes the story appropriates and hugs tightly to its chest.
The film comes out the gate with a wash of visceral violence that had me cringing, squirming, and muttering “what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck?!?” more than once. Then it dips into a strange and unnerving familial drama taking place at a firestation. To say any more would ruin the experience of watching it yourself.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the entire thing, but I feel that at its core it’s a rumination on loss, getting old, loving cars, and hating your parents. I think.
RIYL Irreversible; Dead Ringers; Annette
06-17-2022, 05:58 PM
PB
One episode in on The Old Man; I'm lovin' it. Bit of a retread on plot but sheeeee-it it's good. The pacing is superb, scene framing excellent, dialogue spot on, and Bridges and Lithgow F'in kill it. And the dogs ......
06-17-2022, 07:49 PM
MontuckyFried
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
TITANE
Screenwriter/director Julia Ducournau’s sophomore effort won The Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Which just goes to prove that not only are the French adept at making fucked-up films, they are also adept at enjoying them.
As with her previous effort, Raw, Titane is a difficult film; difficult to watch, difficult to grasp. On the one hand it’s a gonzo Greek tragedy. On the other, it’s a Shakespearean mistaken identity melodrama soaked in petrol and dizzy off of exhaust fumes.
One thing for certain: it’s never not engaging.
Whereas Ducournau’s debut was a twisted coming-of-age story, here she throws a head-spinning array of ideas into the mix. There’s incestual innuendo, hints of homoeroticism, body-horror-meets-womb-horror, feints of Fregoli, auto(mobile)eroticism, steroidal rage, mechanophilia, serial killings, and imposter syndrome fallout, just to name a few of the myriad and deranged themes the story appropriates and hugs tightly to its chest.
The film comes out the gate with a wash of visceral violence that had me cringing, squirming, and muttering “what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck?!?” more than once. Then it dips into a strange and unnerving familial drama taking place at a firestation. To say any more would ruin the experience of watching it yourself.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the entire thing, but I feel that at its core it’s a rumination on loss, getting old, loving cars, and hating your parents. I think.
RIYL Irreversible; Dead Ringers; Annette
Funny you mention this one. I meant to review it a while back. I'm pretty damn open minded when it comes to cinema, typically enjoy French films, love out there bonkers movies, and even a lot of "bad" movies, and even I ended up pretty much hating this one. I suffered through the entire thing. I was even sorta ok with the entire WTF 1st act. But what honestly killed it for me was the entirely uneven pacing. Went from a nuts movie to a slow burn with a pretty incoherent plot altogether.
Seriously though, unless your Dookey, skip this one. However feel free to watch the first 1/2 hour or so if you're curious about quite possibly THE most WTF events in cinematic history. Then skip STRAIGHT to the last few minutes for the ending. You can entirely skip the rest of the movie. Kind of a snoozefest with no point. The entire first act makes for possibly some interesting water cooler talk tho. I'm still kind of shaking my head like...
Oh yeah. And word to the wise. Do NOT watch this one with your family, spouse, gf, whomever. They will question your sanity and quite possibly who you even are as a person. Haha. It's THAT effed up.
Oh yeah. And word to the wise. Do NOT watch this one with your family, spouse, gf, whomever. They will question your sanity and quite possibly who you even are as a person. Haha. It's THAT effed up.
The film owes a huge debt to David Cronenberg, so if you dig his oeuvre, then you will dig Titane.
But, yeah, unless you like extreme body horror wrapped in an arthouse vibe, probably best to have the wife and kids skip it.
Speaking of Cronenberg, I took a GF in college to see Dead Ringers. That did not go over well.
:wink:
06-17-2022, 10:10 PM
dookeyXXX
MANDIBLES
Sacre mouche merde!!!
If you are familiar with the work of Quentin Dupieux (Rubber), then you know to strap in for some absurd and wacky dark comedy.
RIYL Dude, Where's My Car; A Fish Called Wanda; Dumb & Dumber; Surfer Dude
06-18-2022, 01:20 AM
Mike Pow
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
One episode in on The Old Man; I'm lovin' it. Bit of a retread on plot but sheeeee-it it's good. The pacing is superb, scene framing excellent, dialogue spot on, and Bridges and Lithgow F'in kill it. And the dogs ......
Likewise
Bridges is the new Clint
06-18-2022, 09:52 AM
MontuckyFried
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
The film owes a huge debt to David Cronenberg, so if you dig his oeuvre, then you will dig Titane.
But, yeah, unless you like extreme body horror wrapped in an arthouse vibe, probably best to have the wife and kids skip it.
Speaking of Cronenberg, I took a GF in college to see Dead Ringers. That did not go over well.
:wink:
Haha. I love Cronenberg's stuff. He is a master of the grotesque and I am always along for that ride. Guys got a lot of masterpieces under his belt. Loved the Fly, Existenz, Crash, Scanners, Eastern Promises, the list goes on. Dead Ringers is tame compared to Titane though. At least HIS films usually have cohesive plotlines and are interesting. But speaking of Cronenberg, I'm really looking forward to his latest creation, "Crimes of the Future." You seen it yet?
Haha. I love Cronenberg's stuff. He is a master of the grotesque and I am always along for that ride. Guys got a lot of masterpieces under his belt. Loved the Fly, Existenz, Crash, Scanners, Eastern Promises, the list goes on. Dead Ringers is tame compared to Titane though. At least HIS films usually have cohesive plotlines and are interesting. But speaking of Cronenberg, I'm really looking forward to his latest creation, "Crimes of the Future." You seen it yet?
I was lucky enough to get to interview Mr. Cronenberg a couple of times back in another career life. I recall him being cool.
But I digress.
Sadly, due to mitigating circumstances, I missed the brief, local theatrical run of CotF.
Gonna have to wait for the DVD or streaming.
Speaking of DC, quite a number of his films are streaming for free via Tubi and Kanopy...
06-18-2022, 12:08 PM
dookeyXXX
ABOUT ENDLESSNESS
Roy Andersson's latest endeavor is a collection of droll and aloof vignettes overseen by an unnamed, unseen, casually omnipresent narrator. The overall theme seems to be not only the mundanity of human life, particularly the lives of Swedish city folk, but also the joys and fears of being human.
There are delayed callbacks and often times the real action is going on in the background of a scene. It is teeming with a very dry sense of whimsy and scenes are often set-up like an Edward Hopper painting, albeit with a much staider color palette (Anderson favors "institutional" colors like beige, greys, and muted greens).
I laughed, I scratched my head, and was left with a few thoughts to mull over post-screening.
I only just discovered Andersson's films this year, but he is now one of my favorite filmmakers.
06-19-2022, 01:18 AM
dookeyXXX
BOSS LEVEL
This film is a balls-to-the-wall, bofo action packed maelstrom.
Sure, the premise is familiar and is pretty much a well-worn gimmick, but the whole package comes out the gate with such ferocity that you're immediately hooked.
Of course it helps that Frank Grillo completely owns his character and brings the badassery with charm galore.
It's a shame it didn't get a theatrical release as it's heads and tails above most of the bigger budgeted action films that slide into the Cineplex these days.
RIYL Crank; Shoot 'Em Up; xXx: The Return of Xander Cage; The Suicide Squad (2021)
*****not including the trailer as it gives away the gimmick and shows most of the funny bits and killer action sequences
06-19-2022, 10:03 AM
PB
Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
BOSS LEVEL
This film is a balls-to-the-wall, bofo action packed maelstrom.
Sure, the premise is familiar and is pretty much a well-worn gimmick, but the whole package comes out the gate with such ferocity that you're immediately hooked.
Of course it helps that Frank Grillo completely owns his character and brings the badassery with charm galore.
It's a shame it didn't get a theatrical release as it's heads and tails above most of the bigger budgeted action films that slide into the Cineplex these days.
RIYL Crank; Shoot 'Em Up
*****not including the trailer as it gives away the gimmick and shows most of the funny bits and killer action sequences
Agree; a delightfully pleasant surprise; Grillo killed it.
06-19-2022, 11:34 AM
dookeyXXX
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
Agree; a delightfully pleasant surprise; Grillo killed it.
Bonus Points galore since you perfectly summed up the film in 3 words.
Delightfully pleasant surprise indeed! :D:cool:
I was super hesitant to watch it given that all the advance press (news about the production, reviews, film festival blurbs, trailers, etc.) revealed the gimmick/main plot device.
But the first 10-minutes alone are so off-the-nuts gonzo thanks to keenly choreographed action and well-written and razor sharp dialogue that I was immediately won over.
It's a stupidly smart action film brimming with brio, the likes of which, sadly, don't come along often enough.
06-20-2022, 09:54 AM
Danno
I watched Good Luck to You, Leo Grande last night.
It really was a play made into a movie, every scene but 2 took place in the same hotel room. It was well done, believable, and Emma Thompson is a hot older lady. Full frontal nudity! But it also was a small movie, it won't blow you away or anything.
06-21-2022, 08:27 AM
dookeyXXX
CRYPTOZOO
If you enjoy quirky, hand-drawn animation, mythology, and quasi socio-political sci-fi, then chances are you'll dig this flick.
It wasn't at all what I expected, which was cool (the film starts with a mature content warning).
There is some nudity, sex, and plenty of violence, but underneath is a message about utopian naivety, government corruption, and environmental frailty.
But honestly, its just a damn good, fun, and visually engaging fantastical yarn.
RIYL Nova Seed; Heavy! Metal; April and the Extraordinary World
•▪•▪•Clip included because the trailer gives away quite a few surprises and practically the whole plot.
Don't worry, the version of the film on Hula is not subtitled.
:biggrin:
06-22-2022, 10:15 AM
PNWbrit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
I watched Good Luck to You, Leo Grande last night.
It really was a play made into a movie, every scene but 2 took place in the same hotel room. It was well done, believable, and Emma Thompson is a hot older lady. Full frontal nudity! But it also was a small movie, it won't blow you away or anything.
I thought this was excellent.
06-22-2022, 10:24 AM
Danno
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
I thought this was excellent.
I did too, maybe I didn't convey that well enough. I just meant that it's small in terms of subject matter, plot, effects, etc. But if you watch a trailer and wonder "is this actually any good", the answer is definitely "yes".
06-22-2022, 03:36 PM
dookeyXXX
GAIA
Full disclosure: I am cutting this film some slack due to exotic bias.
:cool::D
It's a South African ecological horror/revenge of nature yarn that contains some familiar plot elements, yet the cast, cool practical effects, hallucinatory camera angles, and insanely creepy sound design more than make up for the routine storyline and oh-so-obvious "twist" at the end.
Not a great film, but a decent one with enough interesting moments to warrant a recommendation.
In English and Afrikaans.
RIYL In The Earth; Fantastic Fungi; The Descent; The Cave
06-23-2022, 12:55 AM
dookeyXXX
FLEE
A thoroughly engaging, often harrowing, and heartfelt coming-of-age/coming out story wrapped in a 10-year long endeavor to escape from war torn Afganistan.
Told from the perspective of an Afghan refugee living in Denmark, the protagonist's epic journey is relayed in animation which flits between vibrantly colorful clean lines and smudgey black-and-white shadows.
Highly recommended.
RIYL Waltz With Bashir; Funan
06-25-2022, 10:57 AM
dookeyXXX
UNDINE
As with his previous film, 2018's excellent Transit, writer/director Christian Petzold's latest endeavor is a restrained romantic fable with an undercurrent of dark fantasy.
While it helps to know the etymology of the word/name "undine," it is not essential to enjoying the film; it does add an interesting subtextual nuance to the story though.
Quiet, haunting, slightly strange, and wonderfully engaging.
RIYL Ondine; The Secret of Roan Inish
06-25-2022, 01:31 PM
Sluff
The Old Man is excellent. Highly recommend it.
06-25-2022, 05:57 PM
seano732
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sluff
The Old Man is excellent. Highly recommend it.
Just stumbled across this last night…..Instantly hooked. Awesome.
06-26-2022, 11:21 AM
dookeyXXX
PIG
Cage is solid and decidedly understated in this muted thrilller.
The film is an interesting mix of genres and tropes yet the story is never what you expect it to be and delivers many nice surprises..
Quiet, brooding, and always engaging.
RIYL Leave No Trace; The Card Counter
06-26-2022, 12:12 PM
Buzzworthy
Quote:
Originally Posted by seano732
Just stumbled across this last night…..Instantly hooked. Awesome.
Same, good stuff.
06-26-2022, 07:42 PM
dookeyXXX
MONOS
Straddling the line between visual tone poem and quasi-non narrative storytelling, this Spanish language film revels in vivid, semi-hallucinatory imagery and a plot saturated in abstruse elements, all of it taking place in an unnamed South American country. Drawing heavily from Golding’s Lord of the Flies, but also tossing in guerrilla ambiguity and what can only be described as “jungle noir”, it unravels as a languid commentary on lost innocence, corrosion of conformity, and the primal human nature surrounding survival of the individual. The strength of the film lies in slow building dread, a feeling that something catastrophic is just waiting to happen in the next frame. The downfall of the film, however, is that nothing really does. But damn if it all doesn’t look like an idyllically off-kilter travelogue as rendered in lush green hues, teeming with fog, mud, and rain forest audio ephemera. Speaking of sounds, the score is a bristling and immersive offering that paints much of the imagery with fairy tale-styled ambiance, but also slips in nuances of nightmarish menace. The ending of the film leaves many questions unanswered as well as requiring the audience to fill in any lingering blanks on their own. On the one hand it feels unfinished, on the other it creates a ripe atmosphere for post-viewing discussion.
RIYL Apocalypse Now (specifically the third act); The Thin Red Line (and pretty much any other Terrence Malick film); The Mission; Apocalypto; Quest For Fire
06-27-2022, 06:25 AM
buttahflake
Hulu - Streaming Recs
Pistol is a fun romp, really enjoyed the kid that plays Malcom. It’s based on Steve Jones and his memoir of the Sex Pistols.
