"Now Showing"

[furie]

One of the things I love about doing the whole "top 250 films from (whatever source)" is that it makes you aware of films that you would otherwise have just skipped past.

I was browsing last night, and saw that TCM had The Manchurian Candidate on. The 1962 original, not the remake (which was okay I guess).

The film is very "clean". It's very clear scenes with lots of quiet. It's verging on film noire at times, but it keeps things military, which is helpful as it's all about the military

It's basically the story of a platoon of soldiers who get "kidnapped" during the Korean war. One ends up getting the medal of honour (sorry, honor ) for his actions... Which he never performed.

It's all a conspiracy theory type of film, only it's much more open (cleaner) than most modern films like this. It doesn't try to hide things, or misdirect you. The film is open and honest all the way through, and the only time information is withheld from you, is when it's also withheld from the characters.

The film leads up to a fairly decent "suspense" ending, but overall, it never really shines. Acting is superb at times, with Angela (murder, she wrote) Lansbury playing a particularly excellent role of "bitch mother". However, it's all just "watchable". It never really excels.

I can understand why, in the days before we had films with massive twists and turns in plot all the time, this became well regarded as a brilliant film. If you take yourself back to before you saw all the modern films like this, you'd see it was something never really done before, and it's tackled brilliantly. It's just a type of film that has been done to death over the last 15-20 years (from Usual Suspects to even things like the Saw films I suppose). So the film loses impact sadly.

I enjoyed the film, but I don't think any film in my own top 200 is breaking a sweat with worry. It's a simple film, with some great performances and an impact that has sadly been muffled and absorbed by a glut of these films in recent years.

Oh, it's not the same story as the new version, and it's quite considerably better

8/10

 

[Nic]

I loved spotting places in Brighton I saw when visiting Nic six months back.

It's one of those films that "you should watch", just to say you have :lol: My problem was seriously the issue above. Every time a musical piece crept in, I kept thinking of Daltrey, dressed as a giant green dragon singing "the wheels on the bus". It may have destroyed some of the atmosphere for me :lol:

A few points...
1) <3
2) I agree that everyone should watch it. However, I also agree that it never really gets going.
3) hahaha! I never knew about the big green dragon thing. That's AMAZING!

As you say, it's a great snapshot of social history. I would've loved to be a mod (I think that where my love of things finished in light blue and lots of chrome comes from). Plus, it's also a fantastic homage to my hometown that I love so much!

If you've not seen it, people, you know what to do!

 

[ciallkennett]

I watched Taxi Driver a few nights back. It was one of my films from my list which I have had downloaded and ready to watch for ages, but for one reason or another, I haven't got around to watching.

I can see why it is a classic - a perfect mix of a simple storyline and plot, with some nice action (though limited) complete with emotional character bonding and great acting.

I have to admit, that a very young Robert De Niro is very sexy, as is a young Cybill Shepherd.

A classic, and such a nice film to watch, even with the darker underlying tones and particularly violent final scenes.

9/10

 

[Hixee]

OK, a few films from me. As ever, I can't be bothered to review them in depth, so I'll keep it short.

Green Zone
I was expecting this to be just another Borne film. Whilst the Borne films are fantastic, I want them to remain finished and original. With Matt Damon and the same director (or something like that, as if I actually care) I was worried that it was going to be the same. Thankfully I was wrong. I really liked the mix of action and drama in the film and the plot felt quite strong. I did feel a bit like it was trying to be too poignant in places, but overall it worked very well. It's certainly worth a watch. 8/10

Cop Out
I wasn't expecting much from this film to be honest, but I thought it would be quite fun and mindless. It was. I didn't have to think hard to watch it and this meant I could relax a bit and just chill out. There were some funny moments, as there always are with films like this, but overall the film was nothing special. 5/10

The Losers
I'd never heard of this film, but I really enjoyed it. It had a nice combination of group comedy and hardcore action and it even had a good plot. I would recommend this film if you want an easy going, good quality, special-forces style film. 8/10

From Paris with Love
This film was a bit of surprise to me. I was expecting a kind of light cop duo action film for some reason. Don't know why, but I was. It wasn't really much like that at all. I really liked the film, but it was a lot more brutal and intense than I thought it was going to be. 7.5/10

Toy Story 3
Absolutely fabulous. I'm not going to go into lots of detail about the film, many people before me have, but it was extremely good. There were loads of funny moments and some great references back to the other films. It was truly stunning. I loved it. It was the first one of these animated films with three parts that didn't feel like it ran out of steam. I hope they leave it be now, it ended perfectly. If you've not already seen it, go watch it, it's glorious. 10/10

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

^ Did you cry at the end of Toy Story 3, Hix?

 

[Snoo]

No.. because he has testicles.

 

[furie]

No.. because he has testicles.

So does Taylor though... The plot thickens... Well, when Taylor posts again, the average intelligence of the posts on this page will...

 

[Snoo]

Drop exponentially?

 

[furie]

thicken

 

[Gavin]

I watched Salt a couple of nights ago.

It's basically an hour and a half of Angelina Jolie kicking the **** out of people, with very little else.

Meh.

 

[peep]

Tonight I went to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

I like Nic Cage now, I love his quirky roles (not seen Bad Lieutenant? I suggest you check it out) but he kinda goes back to doing his 'I'm having fun making this family film' which is exactly what he did with National Treasure (which has the same director and producer as this film) - and I loved the National Treasure films. So I was looking forward to seeing this film. The trailers made it look like it focused too much on the main dude's annoying stereo-typical geek shenanigans but unlike every other film released at the moment the trailer feels completely different to the actual film. The film is fun and while in some scenes it lacks time with some interesting characters it keeps annoying moments to a minimum and has a great pace to it, you never stick around too long. Meh it may be predictable but I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I'd happily welcome a sequel.

Rating: 4/5

Oh and for those that care, there is a post-credits scene.

 

[ciallkennett]

^ I'm not a fan of Nicolas Cage. Every expression he pulls is virtually the same, i.e, this:

It's really off-putting, and I therefore avoid most films he is in.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Nic Cage wants your soul...

 

[kimahri]

BEEEEEEEEEES!!!

 

[MinteButtons]

Though some of his films may be good, I cannot stand Nicholas Cage.
His expression and voice are always the same, (or in ghost rider with a AWFUL accent)
So I can never see him as the character, just as himself.

 

[Ben]

I *hated* him up until the point I saw Wild at Heart.

Anyone who wants an opinion on Mr Cage needs to have watched that film. Plus, it's generally great.

 

[furie]

I don't dislike Nicolas Cage, I just find him exactly the same in every film he's in.

"Okay Nick, we need you to play a dynamic sales director. He's got a winning smile, everyone loves him. He's fast, dynamic and cheeky"

"How about I kind of make him, slow, talking and a little bit like the gravity around his head is four times the rest of the worlds? He'll drawl a lot too and probably have the charisma of a haddock. I think that would suit the character better."

"You mean 'can I just play myself?'"

"Yeah, yeah, that would be a good way for the character to be played."

Anyway... To Kill a Mockingbird. I've had this on the DVD shelf for 12 months still shrink wrapped. I'm a heathen and never read the book. I've never shown any interest in it at all and had no idea what the story was or anything. It's great to enter into something "surely everyone must know" completely blank.

Of course, it's one of the top 250 films

I really can't see why people hate black and white films? When they're as well made as this and The Manchurian Candidate, it really doesn't matter. Okay, it's not colour, but it's hardly then poor quality filming, direction etc... Though it probably doesn't have explosions and robots (unless it's Metropolis ) - so that probably explains a lot

Anyway, the film is a superb tale - I really want to read the book now to fill out the bits the film will have had to leave out. Acting is exceptional, and the film is really gripping. Just really good, thoughtful film making. Well worth unwrapping

9/10

 

[marc]

The only film I like Cage in is Face Off, as you say he is just the same in every single film.

 

[Snoo]

National Treasure, Face Off, and Gone in 60 Seconds were his only good roles.. NT and 60 because the movie was good.. not necessarily because of him. FO was just epic.

 

[marc]

Yes agree with you there, Face Off was great and both actors were fantastic in that.