What was the last movie you saw?

Bunaraku [2010]
Hard to describe. Part Western, part Martial Arts, post apocalyptic, neon, crime story crossover, with more than a few knowing nods to manga and graphic novels.
The visual is highly stylised to the point of abstraction, but it uses a few neat tricks to make things work. At one point two character are on a call. They start off in very different locations but as the lighting changes they appear to be separated by thin mesh drop screen. It could be CGI but it felt like a silk screen flat.
Visually it is a stunning look, but the action is just a beat off and the dialogue even worse. All the actors and there are a few real names, seems to be on different scripts. They don't seem to work as a whole - even in the same scene.
I've only recently found out that the title Bunraku is derived from a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theater, and that sort of fits. This looks like it is a shadow or hint of the film they were trying to make.
It is worth watching the first 5-10 minutes for the mini exposition film. That I really liked.
 
AE35Unit said:
Watched all 3 Matrix films last night, crikey what a slog! Good stuff but film 2 is boring in parts.
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Each to their own.

I think I would rather tear my own head off than watch any of them again..

Last night I rewatched Michael Haneke's Caché (Hidden) which, though not as captivating as I remember, still made not a lot happening on screen incredibly interesting. It is, I suspect, one of those films that is best only watched once and left to play in the memory.
 
Godzilla Vs Kong

Zero character development and idiotic dialogue. It’s one of those movies that knows how nonsensical its science is so it gets the characters to talk really fast in order to camouflage the stupidity of what they’re saying. It’s also got the standard plucky teenagers helping to save the world (which really, really irritates me). Maybe I should have been a Scooby Doo villain (I could have watched a decent movie it it weren’t for you meddling kids).

I enjoyed the first two Godzilla movies and even thought Skull Island wasn’t too bad. This was easily the worst so far in this reboot. It was so stupid in places that it reminded me of a Transformers movie. Great fight sequences though, and I suppose mindless monster mayhem is about all one watches a movie like this for.
 
Space Trucker Bruce. A well done with no budget (10k$). Cardboard machines and trashcan robots, yet it looks good for what they work with.
 
Watched Raja, The Last Dragon. And no, I didn't watch it with any children, which probably says something about my level of sophistication. What likely says more about it, is that I enjoyed it. It was typical Disney fare with more magic than I'm comfortable with, but it at least had a discernable plot (I'm looking at you Transformers), a real hero who works to overcome her flaws, and the very laudable moral that when family of any sort comes together everyone benefits.

Recommended
 
Just watched the first 30 mins of Tolkein. A little bit quaint so far. I don’t think I realised he went to King Edward V school Birmingham.
 
Foxbat said:
Godzilla Vs Kong

Zero character development and idiotic dialogue. It’s one of those movies that knows how nonsensical its science is so it gets the characters to talk really fast in order to camouflage the stupidity of what they’re saying. It’s also got the standard plucky teenagers helping to save the world (which really, really irritates me). Maybe I should have been a Scooby Doo villain (I could have watched a decent movie it it weren’t for you meddling kids).

I enjoyed the first two Godzilla movies and even thought Skull Island wasn’t too bad. This was easily the worst so far in this reboot. It was so stupid in places that it reminded me of a Transformers movie. Great fight sequences though, and I suppose mindless monster mayhem is about all one watches a movie like this for.
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I really enjoyed Skull Island, primarily because I really liked the movie apocalypse Now, which this is so inspired by. The music, the visuals; ok the story isn't up top much , but it's definitely an experience.
 
Last Blood

Wow, what an incredibly violent film. Far moreso than any of the previous films in the franchise. And it's a real shame that the franchise ends on such a sour note. The first film was brilliant, and a damning indictment on the way war heroes are sometimes treated and their rehabilitation into normal society. Even the second film had a reason to exist with him getting some redemption by rescuing his fallen comrades.

It's a shame, because this last movie could have been much different and poignant, more in the mood of the first film in the series. Instead it's an over-the top violent action movie with no redeeming features and no real point to make.
 
Parson said:
and the very laudable moral that when family of any sort comes together everyone benefits.
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Personally I find that a very dubious moral message to send out as the solution to all ills given the vast number of child abuse cases, incest, and violence against women and older members of society that were kept hidden by the families concerned 'sticking together'.

And outwith the genetic family unit... "of any sort"? A lot of cults think of themselves as family. Heaven's Gate, The Branch Davidians, The People's Temple...
 
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It is better than most Disney offerings where the moral is for a poor girl to grow up and marry a Prince. ;)

Or, the very poor examples of family seen? Lion King, Snow White :cautious:
 
THE BRIBE (1949) NOIR ALLEY; Muller was not enthusiastic about this one, but, I having seen it before, thought it was o.k. . Vincent Price is the villain. How can it fail? :unsure:

So, naughty boys are selling ex-military aircraft engines along with scrap metal as cover for them. The place is a Caribbean island, whose only industry is fishing trips for rich guys. Big fish. So, they send Rigby (Robert Taylor) to investigate; on the plane, he meets a very friendly Carwood :)devilish:Vincent Price:devilish:) , who talks up a storm during the flight. Good supporting cast; I liked the film enough to see it twice.



BLOCK-HEADS (1938) L&H in WWI; commanding officer leaves L in the trench, telling him to stay until relieved. 20 years, later, some other guy convinces him that the war ended, etc. So, he is living in the old soldiers home, and his portrait is in the newspaper, where H sees it. H goes to see L, who has forsaken a park bench in favor of a wheelchair, but, to fit, he has to tuck his right leg under him. H, thinks he had lost his leg during the war. Classic L&H! :LOL:
 
JunkMonkey said:
Personally I find that a very dubious moral message to send out as the solution to all ills given the vast number of child abuse cases, incest, and violence against women and older members of society that were kept hidden by the families concerned 'sticking together'.

And outwith the genetic family unit... "of any sort"? A lot of cults think of themselves as family. Heaven's Gate, The Branch Davidians, The People's Temple...
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I believe that the "moral of a story" is a general truth and not an absolute one. There are always exceptions to the moral of a story, but that doesn't mean we should avoid a general truth because it is not absolute truth.
 
The Walking Target (1960)

Enjoyable low budget crime drama. Our antihero gets out of prison after serving five years for robbery. The cops know he's got the loot hidden somewhere, so they watch him like a hawk. Newspaper reporters and photographers are also hounding him. His old girlfriend uses her feminine wiles to try to find out where the cash is, because she's really fooling around with one of his old buddies, who is working for a crime boss who wants a big chunk of the dough. Meanwhile, the antihero tries to track down the widow of his buddy who got shot by the cops not long after the heist, intent on giving her the dead man's share, not to mention the fact that he had a thing for her himself. Notable for an extended flashback sequence, unusual in a cheap B picture like this. The performances are universally good, from a cast without any big names. There's some sharp dialogue, and the film moves at a rapid pace. Well worth a look.
 
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