269 replies to this topic

[Gilly?]

Thought the first one was the worst.

[Richard Head]

A Serbian film...... cracking film with plenty of twists, just be sure to find one with English subs.

Well that really got the gist of the film over.... Um, you might have missed out the child rape though? Just saying. Ok, so that was a spoiler, but my point is you might have hinted that it's one of the most shocking, controversial films of the last thirty years. I haven't seen it, btw. In ZFG we trust.

It is banned in the UK, thought that, and the fact that other posters in this thread have already mentioned it is a shocker would be enough of a hint that it is for adult viewing only, if you want to watch it, you have a choice.

[AlcatrazPFC]

A Serbian film...... cracking film with plenty of twists, just be sure to find one with English subs.

Well that really got the gist of the film over.... Um, you might have missed out the child rape though? Just saying. Ok, so that was a spoiler, but my point is you might have hinted that it's one of the most shocking, controversial films of the last thirty years. I haven't seen it, btw. In ZFG we trust.

It is banned in the UK, thought that, and the fact that other posters in this thread have already mentioned it is a shocker would be enough of a hint that it is for adult viewing only, if you want to watch it, you have a choice.

Feels a shame cause that sick movie comes from my state. It's absolute rubbish, and i can't stand the fact that this piece of shite actually calls 'Serbian film'. Should be banned in whole world.

[ZianfrancoGoal]

The title 'A Serbian Film' does kind of give the impression that the filmmakers are declaring "here's how we do it over here!"

[SALT1R3]

That film left a nasty taste in the mouth - there wasn't even a peaceful ending either; it was just way way ott.

[Ste]

The title 'A Serbian Film' does kind of give the impression that the filmmakers are declaring "here's how we do it over here!"

I can't remember seeing any male on male action so it can't be a true representation of life in Serbia, surely? Unless the kid was a boy...?

[Benji]

An aging porn star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.

That's IMDB's plot synopsis of it. Is it just me, or does that read like it's introducing a comedy? All it needs is "with hilarious consequences" on the end.

[Richard Head]

Just watched Final Destination 1-5 this week, I'm not gonna review every one, but will say...... If you aint seen em, give them all a viewing, brilliant films the lot of em.

[Gilly?]

Just watched Final Destination 1-5 this week, I'm not gonna review every one, but will say...... If you aint seen em, give them all a viewing, brilliant films the lot of em.

Apart from the fourth one.

[Rastamandem]

Second and Last are the best FD films.

Watched "The Darkest Hour".

Where to start...

Alien invasion films are on a downward spiral. After films like Skyline (I thought the ending was good and different, but the rest poor), Battle Los Angeles, District 9 (A decent film but the casting was shocking, one of the most irritating lead roles I have ever seen and the film is a bit all over the place), the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still (I like the morals behind this film but it was just , Cowboys vs. Aliens the list goes on...

This film adds to that list, and towards the top of it. It's more of a horror film than a sci-fi film. A group of twenty-something year old's (4 of them, 2 boys, 2 girls) get caught in the middle of an "alien" invasion, the difference being these aliens are electrical. Whilst it's nice to see a change, the ideas are the same, rehashed, boring ideas. I say it's more of a horror film - one you'd watch with your GF at the cinema, because of the cast. It's not adult, it's not mature, it's to appeal to teenagers, which is where its biggest fault lies. I'd give it a 5/10 because the idea is something different and the animation, although not fantastic works very well.

Will any alien invasion film come along and dethrone Independence Day in the near future? Judging by the films being churned out at the moment, no.

[stevencc]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

I really enjoyed this film felt it's point about the importance of human emotion, individuality and the need to fight against forces/people/situations that may attempt to strip these away from us in favour of bland uniformity was a very pertinent one that hasn't aged at all. I wish the ending had been kept as planned though as I felt that was a very powerful scene that broke the third wall and really hit home with me. The actual ending was a little weak, but not poor.

8/10

Edited by stevencc, 11 March 2012 - 05:54 PM.

[Nilsson]

Manhattan

Dir. by: Woody Allen
Year: 1979
Stars: Woody Allen, Michael Murphy, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Meriel Hemingway

Plot
Isaac (or Ike, played by Allen) is a television writer with problems. His best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is having an affair with a journalist Mary (Diane Keaton) who hates Bergman and mispronounces Van Gogh; his second ex-wife, now a lesbian (Meryl Streep) is about to publish a book about their failed love life; his own sex life exists only with seventeen-year-old Tracy (Mariel Hemingway). Ike happens to meet Yale’s mistress Mary, and, due to the fact she is as neurotic as Ike, he begins to like her…

Any Good?
This is as fine a blend of humour and insight as you're likely to see. Much like Allen's later Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), which diverted him back into the grand themes covered here after much lighter comedies, Manhattan's success comes from its stuttering dilemmas and genuinely moving character arcs. The writing is extraordinary. Each character has their own way of speaking. Mary, for instance, is the only character who, when pushed to the extreme, is honest enough to throw away her highbrow, Philadelphia facade and drop the F-word. When offered tokenism from Yale, who breaks off with her and suggests meeting with Ike, she stutters and bursts out with truth: "Fuck off, Yale." Isaac, meanwhile, internalises when he is hurt. Between brown water and a strangling parrot noise, he tells Mary that he never gets angry; "I grow a tumour instead."

The very personification of the anti-hero, Allen is bespectacled and small, paranoid because he is all-too fully aware and proud of being Jewish. He is foolish and cowering, growing tumours which are in his mind, awake all night because he believes somebody is strangling a parrot upstairs. When out in a thunderstorm with Mary, he makes sure he has his fair share of the newspaper to keep his head dry. Allen has always been aware of this. True, he may not be an acrobat, but his physical shortcomings are no different to those of the bumbling tramp or unsmiling, accidental hero, Buster Keaton. He exploits them, makes fun of them, laughs along with his would-be mockers. And the joke is, then, on those who doubt this guy's sex problems. Allen the intellectual, perhaps for the first time in his career, far outweighs Allen the skinny man.

That we feel for Ike and empathise with him pays testament to two major points: again, Allen's ability to depict the human condition and say something important about the lives we lead; and two, that deep down in us all, we share the same fears and insecurities as he does when it comes to love. Allen comes dangerously close (knowingly, too) to Chaplinesque sentimentality, with postcard shots of Ike and Mary under the 59th Street Bridge, and a final line of optimism which only just rings true. But, also like Chaplin, Allen gets away with it, moving from soppiness to sophistication like a sneaky chameleon worthy of a role in Zelig.

[buzzmaverick]

My buddy recently got a cineworld VIP card so we go for free now, as such I've seen loads of films lately. Here are some short & sweet (and probably crap) reviews.

John Carter - 4/10 - Think Avatar, mixed with what little I've seen of star wars, and almost any other "epic" style film made with CGI in recent years. Throw in a bog standard, and highly unlikely, love story and you have this film. A weak plot supported by impressive CGI scenes and some fairly decent action sequences save it from being awful, but I'm glad I didn't pay to see it.

Project X - 6/10 - Worth seeing if it's been as long since you got laid as it has for me, simply because you can enjoy all the topless model-eque babes... don't enjoy it too much though, the cinema is a public place. This was exactly like Superbad except with much less likeable characters. A ridiculous over the top story, 3 geeks throw a party, the wanker mate (the "Seth" character) convinces the slightly awkward but ultimately nice guy (the "Evan" character) to throw a party whilst his parents are out of town, he just happens to live in a glorious detached house with a pool, the wanker mate puts it on Facebook, everyone shows up, including some famous people, the house gets trashed etc etc. They threw in a long-term love interest for some reason, it didn't add anything. The most ridiculous moment comes at the end of the film when, after causing something like $200,000 of damage to his parents house, apparently it doesn't matter because it was a great party... yes, everyone would think like that. There were moments that made me chuckle though, as the writing wasn't terrible, it was just so painfully unoriginal.

The Hunger Games - 7/10 - Trailer made it look like this would be more action packed then it was, but it was still very enjoyable. I was aware this film 1 of 3 and it felt like it, there seemed to be a lot of attempts to explain "the world" through visual sequences rather than actually get the story going and it felt like this section took up too larger a proportion of the total film time. The actual "Hunger Games" didn't feel long enough and definitely felt kind of rushed, but what there was of it (I think it was about 45 minutes in the actual games) was really good. The whacky outfits are straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate factory, that bugged me the whole way through as I couldn't think where I'd seen them before. Acting was of pretty high standard by most of the cast, however the lead male was really fucking annoying, so pathetic and I was annoyed the lead female (I've forgotten both their names, I think she was something like Candice) didn't have a go at him for being a complete douchebag. Worth watching.

21 Jump Street - 8/10 - I like Jonah Hill but I am aware some people find him annoying so probably won't like this film. He pretty much plays the usual character you'd expect from him, comical awkward guy. The duo were well matched, the action, characters and storyline deliberately over the top and some good gags throughout. There isn't much to say about this film, it's very basic. Couple of clowns don't make good "cops", get transferred to ridiculous undercover group, get sucked into high school life, clown about, fall out with each other, make up, arrest some drug dealers. Recommended.

The Woman In Black - 8/10 - This should never have been given a 12A rating, if I saw this when I was 12 I'd have been shitting my pants. Good atmospheric crime/horror movie, Radcliffe irks me as an actor, I think he is incredibly limited. I don't have the vocabulary to explain why I think he's crap other than to say he always seems really stiff, never relaxed enough to act well. Despite that, and it's a testament to the errie atmosphere created by the rest of the cast and director/shooting, I got properly sucked into this and ended up jumping at all the right bits (along with seemingly everyone else in the cinema) and fell asleep with the light on the night I got in. Not sure if it is still on at the cinema or not though...

This Means War - 6/10 - A comedy come chick flick in my opinion, denied by others. Quite amusing, Reese is superb, as ever, because she is so hot. In one scene she is dancing around in the kitchen in her pants and a big jumper singing at the top of her voice. I now firmly believe this is what all women do when they are left to their own devices. That's how convincing Reese is, what a superstar, I love that woman. The two guys in it are ok, the English guy pissed me off cos make him an English stereotype, and as such he is a soppy pathetic "gent", whilst the other guy is a stereotypical American jock, and therefore a complete arsehole. Er, I think I actually enjoyed this more at the time than a 6/10 suggests, but when I think back to it and what the film entailed, it is pretty naff. 2 best buds who happened to be secret agents, fall for same woman, they devote ridiculous energy and resources to stalking her and finding out everything possible, she falls for them both, they fight, she picks the bigger bellend of the two for some reason, but it's all ok cos then the loser gets back with his ex. The end.

Edited by buzzmaverick, 26 March 2012 - 01:18 AM.

[SALT1R3]

Manhattan

Dir. by: Woody Allen
Year: 1979
Stars: Woody Allen, Michael Murphy, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Meriel Hemingway

Plot
Isaac (or Ike, played by Allen) is a television writer with problems. His best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is having an affair with a journalist Mary (Diane Keaton) who hates Bergman and mispronounces Van Gogh; his second ex-wife, now a lesbian (Meryl Streep) is about to publish a book about their failed love life; his own sex life exists only with seventeen-year-old Tracy (Mariel Hemingway). Ike happens to meet Yale’s mistress Mary, and, due to the fact she is as neurotic as Ike, he begins to like her…

Any Good?
This is as fine a blend of humour and insight as you're likely to see. Much like Allen's later Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), which diverted him back into the grand themes covered here after much lighter comedies, Manhattan's success comes from its stuttering dilemmas and genuinely moving character arcs. The writing is extraordinary. Each character has their own way of speaking. Mary, for instance, is the only character who, when pushed to the extreme, is honest enough to throw away her highbrow, Philadelphia facade and drop the F-word. When offered tokenism from Yale, who breaks off with her and suggests meeting with Ike, she stutters and bursts out with truth: "Fuck off, Yale." Isaac, meanwhile, internalises when he is hurt. Between brown water and a strangling parrot noise, he tells Mary that he never gets angry; "I grow a tumour instead."

The very personification of the anti-hero, Allen is bespectacled and small, paranoid because he is all-too fully aware and proud of being Jewish. He is foolish and cowering, growing tumours which are in his mind, awake all night because he believes somebody is strangling a parrot upstairs. When out in a thunderstorm with Mary, he makes sure he has his fair share of the newspaper to keep his head dry. Allen has always been aware of this. True, he may not be an acrobat, but his physical shortcomings are no different to those of the bumbling tramp or unsmiling, accidental hero, Buster Keaton. He exploits them, makes fun of them, laughs along with his would-be mockers. And the joke is, then, on those who doubt this guy's sex problems. Allen the intellectual, perhaps for the first time in his career, far outweighs Allen the skinny man.

That we feel for Ike and empathise with him pays testament to two major points: again, Allen's ability to depict the human condition and say something important about the lives we lead; and two, that deep down in us all, we share the same fears and insecurities as he does when it comes to love. Allen comes dangerously close (knowingly, too) to Chaplinesque sentimentality, with postcard shots of Ike and Mary under the 59th Street Bridge, and a final line of optimism which only just rings true. But, also like Chaplin, Allen gets away with it, moving from soppiness to sophistication like a sneaky chameleon worthy of a role in Zelig.

Fantastic film, will need to see it again soon!

[Nilsson]

Chinatown

Dir. by: Roman Polanski
Year: 1974
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Plot
In the sun-baked, dried-out, hot and roasting pre-war Los Angeles of the 1930s, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), a private eye who makes a living of snooping after straying spouses, is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to find out with whom exactly her husband is having an affair. But then he finds that he hasn't been hired by Mrs Mulwray at all. And then, when Mister Mulwray is found dead in a reservoir, Gittes finds himself in a shadowy world full of intrigue, deceit, incest, corruption, knives, noses, and watery murders.

Any Good?
The labyrinthine detective-story plot of Chinatown, as complex as it is, is one of its main strengths (of which it has many). It's one of those exceptional work-of-genius stories, reminiscent of both Chandler novels and film noir, a wonderfully woven mystery that intrigues the viewer as it twists and turns towards its unforgettable ending. Definitely one that is appreciate increasingly the more it is watched.

Nicholson is often hailed as one of the great actors, and his talent is as evident here as it would be in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. To the streetwise private eye, he brings tremendous onscreen persona, doing whatever he can to find out what he must in order to make a living. The quick transition from his angry outburst in the barber's to the subsequent laughing at the "screw like a Chinaman" joke is a stark example of the variety he gives the role. On the other hand, Faye Dunaway brings an exceptional complexity to the character of Evelyn Mulwray, who at first, like all film noir female leads, is the suspect, before becoming the victim - and the secret she's hiding is very dark indeed. Huston is haunting as the deranged maniac, "a very dangerous man."

This is definitely one of my favourites. More than anything I love its convincing philosophical exploration of time, memory, fatalism, morality, corruption, etc. One of those brilliantly balanced films of wide, big corporate corruption told through the devastating relationships between individual personalities. Any film that paints a portrait of urban life as one of heated oppression and faceless mistrust gets a thumbs up in my book, too.

[Luke]

Watched about 10 films this week due to a weird shift pattern...

Friends with Benefits - 7/10 - Can't believe i'd not seen this, been out for a while and it was a pretty good watch. Something a bit different from the romantic norms. Didn't think Justin Timberlake would be a good actor but he's doing an alright job, Mila Kunis is amazing.

In Time - 6/10 - Another JT special, futuristic film set in 2019 where everyone has stopped aging at 25 and instead has "time" allocated until they die. Worth a watch.

The Three Musketeers - 5/10 - The 2011 version, was ok and had a few funny moments but seemed a bit tacky. Some big actors for a pretty standard film. Much preferred the 93 version.

Daybreakers - 5/10 - A bit Blade style in a vampire based film where there are few human beings left on the planet due to a Vampire disease. Wasn't great.

Moneyball - 7/10 - Good film, about how a baseball team was created through the use of statistics. Good watch.

Hall Pass - 7/10 - Another film i've taken my time to see, good laugh though. Owen Wilson is a good actor, Jason Sudeikis too. Even Stephen Merchant plays a good part where 2 men are given a week off marriage but it turns out to be the other way around.

[Gilly?]

Watched about 10 films this week due to a weird shift pattern...

Friends with Benefits - 7/10 - Can't believe i'd not seen this, been out for a while and it was a pretty good watch. Something a bit different from the romantic norms. Didn't think Justin Timberlake would be a good actor but he's doing an alright job, Mila Kunis is amazing.

In Time - 6/10 - Another JT special, futuristic film set in 2019 where everyone has stopped aging at 25 and instead has "time" allocated until they die. Worth a watch.

The Three Musketeers - 5/10 - The 2011 version, was ok and had a few funny moments but seemed a bit tacky. Some big actors for a pretty standard film. Much preferred the 93 version.

Daybreakers - 5/10 - A bit Blade style in a vampire based film where there are few human beings left on the planet due to a Vampire disease. Wasn't great.

Moneyball - 7/10 - Good film, about how a baseball team was created through the use of statistics. Good watch.

Hall Pass - 7/10 - Another film i've taken my time to see, good laugh though. Owen Wilson is a good actor, Jason Sudeikis too. Even Stephen Merchant plays a good part where 2 men are given a week off marriage but it turns out to be the other way around.

Always thought the idea for Daybreakers was fantastic, it just wasn't particularly effective. The Number 23 fell victim to this also.

[Startinez]

Anyone watched Thor? Just wanted to know whether it's worth watching really.. though I've already started watching and I will continue to regardless

[Smally]

The Fog 2005 - Well, there's not much positive to say about this film. I always try to find something good to say about anything I watch or see or read or hear. But I honestly can't think of anything for this film, other than it ends. It would be best if this film just went away and was never watched by anyone ever again. Ever.

Edited by Smally, 08 May 2012 - 12:51 AM.

[cwisstoffhur]

Frankenweenie - 8/10 Tim Burton back to his best, enjoyed all the ridiculous looking characters and endless classic horror refrences. Didn't expect anything from it but ended up having a blast

Skyfall - 7/10 It's good, just nothing new and left me feeling underwelmed. Without Bardem it would have been a 6/10

[stevencc]

Boy's Don't Cry (1999)

Imdb synopsis "The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female."

Very touching story that had me gripped from start to finish. Was recommended to my by my girlfriend (at least I hope she is a woman) and I wasn't disappointed. Based on a true story with some of the facts altered for dramatic effect.

9/10.

[stevencc]

Monster (2003)

Imdb synopsis "Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer."

Predictably romanticised account of her life but taken alone as a standalone film it is touching and very enjoyable.

9/10.

That's my girlfriend's film picks out of the way for a few days. Off to see Silent Hill (not expecting much, being a massive fan of the first four games) on Wednesday and then the next 3 film picks are mine. Starting with The Lost Weekend.

[Gilly?]

Monster was excellent, didn't Theron win an Oscar for that role?

[stevencc]

Monster was excellent, didn't Theron win an Oscar for that role?

I'm not sure mate, pretty sure she won something for it though.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012)

Imdb synopsis "When her father disappears, Heather Mason is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood."

Boring, cliched, crap. As a standalone film it is absolutely terrible but when considered as part of the Silent Hill franchise it takes on new levels of shittiness.

Can't believe I missed Chelsea vs United for this.

3/10

Edited by stevencc, 31 October 2012 - 10:05 PM.

[Moe Lester]

Watched The Inbetweeners Movie for the first time last night. I was never a fan of the programme and found it over rated and nowhere near as good as people made out. Thought I'd give the film a go to see if it was any better. I genuinely wondered why I wasted two hours of my life after. Awful storyline from the word go and still highly irritating characters.

1/10. Thanks for making me think of my summer holiday destination in 2013.

[Well Done Tommy Spurr]

Horrid Henry The Movie.

 

6/10.

[Rastamandem]

Dark Skies

 

Supernatural Horror.

 

 

Predictable. Supposed to be a twist at the end, but if you've watched similar movies you kind of figure out the twist about 20 minutes into the film. Waste of time watching it as there are much better films in this genre. Poor acting. Sub-cast only have a couple of scenes which doesn't keep an interest in the story. It's just a mish-mash which comes to an abrupt end.

[NiallQuinnsDiscoPants]

The Hangover 3

 

good film, not as good as the first but better than the second. looking at it as an actual film, it's produced and keeps your attention better than the first two, but you don't get the belly laughs like you do in the first.

alan is the undoubted star of the film and i'd probably say the trilogy as well. I still think Chow is one of the most irritating characters i've ever seen. I don't understand all the rave reviews he gets from casual fans, he's barely funny.

[mnb098mnb]

Untouchable (2011)

Film about a quadriplegic who hires a guy from the bad side of town (Paris) to look after him. Another enjoyable foreign language film with natural performances from both leading roles. A genuinely funny film. I must admit, I much prefer low budget films to big budget blockbusters these days.

[SALT1R3]

Untouchable (2011)

Film about a quadriplegic who hires a guy from the bad side of town (Paris) to look after him. Another enjoyable foreign language film with natural performances from both leading roles. A genuinely funny film. I must admit, I much prefer low budget films to big budget blockbusters these days.

 

Me too, can't watch any of the big Hollywood drivel now, think the last one was The Dark Knight Rises which was very average.