EDF Cinema

[mockney piers]

I figured we've the two music threads, at least two footie ones, a gaming thread, but so far no film one.

Soo, thought I'd kick it off after having seen This Is England last night.

Gripping, powerful, understated and brilliantly acted, this is by Shane Meadows who gave us Dead Man's Shoes which isn't for the faint hearted but well well worth a watch.

Anyone seen it, or anything good of late?

[Ladygooner]

This is England is on my list of films to see. Recently seen Elizabeth and Brick Lane at the Ritzy - probably a bit too girly for you boys!

[Jah Lush]

Ladygooner Wrote:

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> This is England is on my list of films to see.

> Recently seen Elizabeth and Brick Lane at the

> Ritzy - probably a bit too girly for you boys!

It's on my list to see as well. Not sure if Brick Lane is too girly for us boys though, (we're not all macho beefcake blockheads insensitive to women's feelings). I was a little disappointed in the book but I'd quite like to see the film. Last time out at the Ritzy I saw Closer which was an excellent black & white portrayal of the doomed Ian Curtis.

[mockney piers]

"Last time out at the Ritzy I saw Closer which was an excellent black & white portrayal of the doomed Ian Curtis."

That's on my list of things to see as it goes. I don't think the missus would go for it though, so may have to go alone. She was mesmerised by This is England though, just don't think a music biopic would work there.

[fractionater]

Beowolf in 3D at Surrey Quay last night - v.good, especially the 3D effects.

They are showing it in 3D at the IMAX too - which will most likely be better.

[citizenED]

Ok so we have all enjoyed some of these Disney/Pixar films - but my enjoyment of this autumn has been enhanced by finding the magical tale, Ratatouille. Anyone else think this is the best ever animated film?

citizen

[*Bob*]

I wouldn't mind seeing The Secret of Nimh again.

Admittedly it was over twenty years ago when I saw it.. it might not be as good as I remember.

[david_carnell]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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>Last time out at the Ritzy I saw Closer which was an

> excellent black & white portrayal of the doomed

> Ian Curtis.

I saw that as well. Beautifully shot and great performances but the pacing went a bit awry in the second half which seemed to drag. If anything the guy that played Curtis had a better voice than he did.

[char1ie]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> I figured we've the two music threads, at least

> two footie ones, a gaming thread, but so far no

> film one.

>

> Soo, thought I'd kick it off after having seen

> This Is England last night.

> Gripping, powerful, understated and brilliantly

> acted, this is by Shane Meadows who gave us Dead

> Man's Shoes which isn't for the faint hearted but

> well well worth a watch.

>

> Anyone seen it, or anything good of late?

I didn't like it. It didn't explore the issues enough and didn't really develop. There was a lot of menace and it was faily obvious that the older character newly released from prison was a violent psycho. But so what? Not enough tension or smart story telling.

Dead Mans Shoes is just horrible. Violent, miserable, very believable and unpleasant.

Going downhill from there film-wise would be Irreversible (http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=irreversable&x=0&y=0) a film so graphically violent and nasty that I had to switch off half way through just before a violent rape.

On a lighter note, The Counterfeiters was totally excellent - the lead character, a jewish forger that survives the camps through his involvement in a Nazi dollar/pound forgery operation is superb. A simple film told really well and without the cliches that you'd expect of films of the holocaust.

Charlie

[char1ie]

And I have just downloaded American Gangster and Cocaine Cowboys - boys viewing this week once the wife has gone to bed. Anybody seen them?

Charlie

[*Bob*]

I'm shocked, Char1ie. You should be supporting your local business, not downloading illegally.

Buy from the nice Chinese man who sells just-released films out of a bag from door-to-door.

[mightyroar]

i saw ratatouille this weekend, and although it was goos to nurse my hangover and entertain my children at the same time i didnt really rate it.

But I did see Crash (not the kronenberg) on DVD this weekend and I thought that was brilliant.

[mockney piers]

I look forward to seeing ratatouille, but can't comment yet.

I didn't take to Crash. Simplistic with flimsy 2 dimensional characters and heavy-handed didactic.

It was however rescued by excellent performances pretty much throughout (exception of Bullock, I couldn't work out whether it was her character or acting that grated), and the Matt Dillon character which was the only attempt to show the world in shades of grey as well as black and white.

Actually it wasn't bad at all, just not worthy of that heaped praise and oscars. Only my opinion obviously.

[Keef]

Good thread, I love films! (much better way to spend an evening than watching the crap they put on telly)

One waiting for me to watch at home is A guide to recognising your saints, which I stumbled across, and liked the sound of... I shall let you know what it's like.

This is England is on my Lovefilm list too.

Films I've really enjoyed in the last year or maybe 2 would include

Kenny (Aussie film, I saw over there last year. It's just been out in cinemas here, and is released on DVD soon. It's a mockumentary about a porter loo plumber. It's great!!!)

Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda (although couldn't help thinking the ending was a bit too happy and took away from the horrors of the whole thing), The Constant Gardener (great book, and a decent film adaptaion), Tsotsi (get the tissues ready at the end), Hidden (odd French film, good though), Million Dollar Baby (another tissue moment), Broken Flowers (good bit of Bill Murray), I heart Huckabees (bit of philosophy), Layer Cake.

Whilst I thought it was very well done, I was genuinely disturbed by Wolf Creek, it is horrible!

There are loads more that I love, but these are more recent ones.

[char1ie]

Is anybody on the list into Korean films? My Sassy Girl, 3 Iron, Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Bittersweet Life, The Host, I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, The Art of Fighting, Crying Fist, Memories of Murder. All excellent. But a few of them are completely amazing:

I'm a Cyborg but That's OK features a woman in an a mental asylum surrounded by an assortment of great characters. She has her grandmother's false teeth, which allow her to talk to machines. Her kleptomaniac friend in a cardboard rabbit mask agrees to steal her conscience so that she can kill the guards and staff with weapons built into her hands. Inventive, crazy, funny and very smart.

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is about a deaf mute with blue hair who kidnaps a girl to pay for his sister's kidney transplant. The kidnapper doesn't hear the girl drown during a very moving trip to the lake and we get to watch the girl's father endure the autopsy, police investigation and his efforts to track down the anti-hero. Incredibly original and very cool.

3 Iron features a young man that breaks into empty houses and stays the night, doing laundry and clearing up. When he breaks into a house where a battered wife is hiding they continue to live this strange lifestyle as a couple. The woman's husband tries to get her back, challenging their love for each other. Also very very original and beautiful.

Strangely enough, two of these films feature lead characters that do not say a word. They are all amazing. The Korean film industry is so creative, well funded and bright.

Charlie

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Keef mentioned: "A guide to recognising your saints". Does that include St Fiacre? Always amused me that there is a saint for piles.

[barrymarshall]

Charlie - I like Korean flicks - A Tale of Two Sisters is an entertaining psychological thriller/ghost story. I loved the OldBoy/Mr Vengeance films, but thought the third, Lady Vengeance, was too laboured. Looked beautiful though.

If you liked 3-Iron, check out Kim Ki-Duk's Spring Summer Autumn Winter ... and Spring, a tale about a boy as an apprentice Buddhist monk who becomes a man, commits a crime and learns repentance. Lovely photography in it and minimalist performances. Great stuff.

[barrymarshall]

... and then there's Save the Green Planet ... eek!

[mockney piers]

Agreed, Korean cinema is excellent, in fact much from the far east and SE Asia is under-rated.

Brotherhood seemed a bit ott for our western sensibilties, but I had a lump in my throat come the end.

[Keef]

Piers what was that film I watched with you, black comedy in the trenches of Bosnia or somewhere like that. That was really really good!

[SeanMacGabhann]

how about Korean comedy?

My Sassy Girl is pretty great as well

[figgins]

I loved This is England. Film of the year, far as I'm concerned. Brilliant acting, music, direction, dialogue.

"What's wrong with yer trousers, love?"

"Look at the ****ing size of 'em!"

Thought Rataouille was rubbish. Hey! It's a rat who's also a chef! And he hides in a chef's hat and pulls the guy around by his hair and gets him to cook! FFS...

Charlie - have you seen Lady Vengeance? What did you think?

[Keef]

Has anyone seen Outlaws with Sean Bean, Bob Hoskins, Danny Dyer and more? Someone at work said it was great, but not sure I would share their taste...

[mockney piers]

great line Figgins, quite a few of them as I recall.

Keef, it was No Man's Land. I watched just before my Bosnia trip in 2002, real impact first time you see it, though as I've seen it with quite a few people now it's lost some of it's power, but it's as blackly funny as ever.

Pretty Village Pretty Flame didn't have much of that side to it and I found it quite harrowing.

[mockney piers]

Outlaw has some pretty ropey reviews, but not seen it.

I did rather enjoy Severance though, another mockney Danny Dyer effort. It's very silly but admittedly it did make me laugh which can't be a bad thing.