Movies - what you seen and was it any good? - Page 141 - Ajarn Forum

Nick · 6th September 2008, 14:44

Seems like your Thai friends owe you a farang movie, kms!

scribble · 6th September 2008, 14:54

Felon - a very entertaining prison flick, directed by and starring Stephen Dorff. The slightly portly Val Kilmer gets in on the act too, trying to restart his career. Couldn't believe the size of hime in De Ja Vu, although he's toned down slightly for this one.

Also saw a newish Tarrantino film, Deathproof. Total, utter bollocks. Quentin's lost the plot.

Bangkok Phil · 6th September 2008, 15:42

Dead Man's Cards (2006)
Tom Bell

British underworld drama. When Tom suffers a bad eye injury his boxing career comes to an end, and his marriage begins to suffer. After a chance encounter at the gym, Tom is offered a job working as a door man for the same run down night club as Paul, a tough looking man who likes to use his knuckle duster.

5/10. I was expecting something similar to 'Face' or 'Layer Cake' but this was poor. Very poor indeed. It showed some promise at the beginning but never gets going. A frail, mumbling Tom Bell playing the role of the nightclub owner, and obviously on death's door in real life, just adds a further insult because he was one of the finest British actors around in his day.
Crap. Avoid.

upthepool · 6th September 2008, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsara

bangkok dangerous is god-fucking-awful! what a bland excuse for a film. if not for the thailand draw factor i would have left after 20 mins. crap. save your money.

Bit harsh me thinks. I saw this movie last night and it was OK. I agree with the "thailand draw factor" comment and for those who haven't lived/worked in Thailand many of the scenes won't have the same effect. Plenty worse and plenty better films out there for sure.

Cyrille · 6th September 2008, 15:56

Thanks for the warning.

Tom Bell is a bloody hero.

I went to see this t'other night:

This is a good review

Quote:

Guillaume Canet's thriller opens on one of those naturalistic dinner party scenes: all glasses clinking and laughter and dialogue just a pitch below hearing. Yet this is a misleading beginning for a film that progresses into a thoroughly surprising and superior tale of a husband's desperate search for his seemingly dead wife.

Canet executes the set-up for his tale beautifully, placing his couple stark naked, lakeside, and under the moonlight to emphasize the sheer indulgence of their love. Then with little dialogue he changes the tone from romanticism, to blinding horror as Alexandre (Francois Cluzet) hears a scream and tries in vain to save his wife Margot (Josee Croze) but is beaten over the head by her attacker.

The casting of this couple was crucial as for all its twists and turns what follows is essentially their love story; and neither Cluzet nor Croze disappoint-the latter possessing a perfect vulnerable quality (akin to Naomi Watts in 'King Kong'). However, it is to Cluzet that we owe such an absorbing tale of grief and that false friend: memory.

As we flash forward eight years he conveys sometimes only through his eyes the ever-present grief ready to resurface as soon as his wife's name is mentioned. And, this being a thriller her name is mentioned pretty quickly in the form of an email, plunging the audience into a taut whodunit/what really happened/who's hiding something tale, the answer being of course everyone. And what a terrific supporting cast we are treated with: Margot's father (Andre Dussollier) effortlessly conveys equal parts frustration and resolute duty; while one cut to Jean Rochefort's brooding and wrinkled face alerts the audience to all the pain of his past. Kristin Scott Thomas is possibly even more captivating in French and her poise and cheekbones seem to be a natural marriage with the language and Parisian backdrop. . Canet uses this midsummer Paris to his full advantage to turn up the heat on his fevered search, notably in a touching scene where Alex is racing through the sweltering streets with a giant dog.

"An innocent man" declares Alex's lawyer "does not run". (What-has she not seen 'The Fugitive'?) In any case thank goodness in this circumstance he does as these provide the most compelling scenes in which even Alex crossing a motorway becomes a thing of beauty.

What keeps us gripped though, is that we actually care about these characters and their fate-about what really happened that night (which is possibly why I put up with a slightly indulgent confession scene), and despite the fact that this thriller utterly surpassed most of the usual Hollywood offerings; I found myself craving what Tinsel Town does best: a happy ending.

The motorway scene is indeed brilliantly executed - a totally convincing and totally uncliched stunt, in a movie that sidesteps so many of the movie cliches of this genre.

I saw it badly dubbed into English mostly spoken, very oddly, with broad Australian accents. Also they changed all the names into English ones, so for example a black french speaking african woman living in France was referred to as 'Mrs Anderson'.

I think several awards were handed out to this movie, and even in badly dubbed English the male lead was really excellent.

Highly recommended - 8.5/10

Slim Chance · 6th September 2008, 19:28

Watched a couple of old films...again.

Bliss

Made a couple of decades ago in Australia.
Harry Joy has a heart attack and reassesses his life. He rejects his career, friends and family and eventually cuts out of city life to live with a hippy girl, and grow trees for the bees to make honey.
This movie is interesting, has a few flaws, and a bit 'arty'. But overall its enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Prick Up Your Ears

Biography of Joe Orton, up and coming playwright who was murderd by his gay lover in the sixties. Stellar performances by Gary Oldman and a myriad of other British stars. The content could be a little confronting but a good movie.

samsara · 7th September 2008, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthepool

Bit harsh me thinks. I saw this movie last night and it was OK. I agree with the "thailand draw factor" comment and for those who haven't lived/worked in Thailand many of the scenes won't have the same effect. Plenty worse and plenty better films out there for sure.

is it? wonder why it wasnt screened by anyone...? maybe because everyone involved knows it sux and is praying itll eek out 20M based on cages mug.

Mr. Hales · 7th September 2008, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slim Chance

Bliss

would love to see this...i think the novel is fantastic.

Slim Chance · 7th September 2008, 18:37

^ downloaded just a week or so ago. Its still available on Demonoid.

Peter Carey is a great writer - maybe the movie might be a disappointment!!

Mr. Hales · 7th September 2008, 18:40

i heard it was, as you said, a bit arty...a bit 'film-studenty'...

MikeS · 7th September 2008, 18:51

Bliss is a lovely movie. Part of it was filmed in Bellingen on the NSW North Coast between Sydney and Brisbane, where Carey used to live before he moved to New York.

Piece Train · 8th September 2008, 00:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeedsLeedsLeeds

Absolutely outstanding, this is a fairly long filum at just over two hours but it is really worth taking the time out to watch it. Right from the start, with the cinematography, the soundtrack and the intrigue of the main character to the gradual unravelling of his story, the dialogue and the journey Paris, Texas is one of the best and most heart-breaking filums that I've seen. It's an absolute classic and must not be missed. Made in 1984, starring Harry Dean Stanton and the gorgeous Natassja Kinski.

I put in a post here the other night that I ended up deleting. I was considering riling up the 'ol cult films thread after speaking with Leeds.

When I saw the name Natassja, I immediately thought of her father, Klaus, who was famous in his time for a whole lot of films, especially B flicks and what would be considered cult films.

By the way, I saw Into the Wild. It was a great film. Leonardo DiCaprio would have been a good actor for it.

Jon · 8th September 2008, 06:27

Tropa de Elite/Elite Squad (Brazil 2007)
Hard hitting semi fictional account of the BOPE special police force that fights the drug traffickers in Rio's favelas, subtitled into English.
Annoying narration throughout, but otherwise a pretty good police action movie, that leaves you with no sympathy for either side in this drugs war, or the dopeheads that create the demand and fuel the conflict.
The disturbing thing is that it reflects the unfortunate extreme violence faced by people who live in the favelas. One of Brazil's highest grossing films ever, and produced by the guy who made Bus 174, a documentary about a televised bus hijack in Rio that also went around world cinemas.
Only showing in small independent cinemas in the UK, because most Brits don't really do subtitled films

jimbo · 8th September 2008, 06:30

I hadn't seen the original in about a decade....

The Wizard of Oz...1939

Always a classic, good one to share with someone

And the first one is always the best one!