What film did you watch last night?

Junglist said:
Just finished watching the latest Netflix documentary on some tombs in Egypt; Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb. Really fascinating the stuff they found and it blows my mind how old the things they're finding.

I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel to be the first person to have seen and touch something in 4000 years. I always wanted to be a palaeontologist or archaeologist when I was a child so I always find these types of things interesting and this one didn't disappoint.

Not quite a film but really recommend it.
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I quite fancy this. Fascinated with Egypt.

I saw the trailer a couple of days ago after watching something horror related and tbh, I was half expecting it to be a documentary/found footage horror type thing. Took m a little while to figure out it's and actually a real documentary. Should probably lay off the bourbon ;)

I'll give it a watch.
 
Due to the news earlier in the day I watched The Hunt for Red October again. Haven't seen it for several years and it is really good. Great acting and directing, great tension and not too rushed in the events.
 
Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut

I hadn't seen Apocalypse Now before so I can't comment on the difference the extra half hour in the Final Cut edition makes, judging by a list of what is included I doubt it's actually better than the theatrical release. That aside. Vietnam makes a bizarre and compelling backdrop for an updated take on Conrad Black's classic Heart of Darkness. Exquisitely shot for '79, and well acted with tremendous sound design, it exudes menace and there's a constant spiralling feeling of increasing madness. I have no idea how well it reflects the actual experience of the war; but it feels like it does. It's easy to see why it's a classic.

8/10
 
End of Watch - 8½ / 10

Just my kind of movie. Good 'buddy' aspect to it with Gyllenhall and Pena as two cops on the beat in LA. The interspersed body cam/hand held cam, rather than becoming a hinderance to the actual movie due to trying to hold the gimmick (1917 anyone?), works really well. Kind of saw the end coming, but overall, really enjoyed it.
 
AndyCr15 said:
End of Watch - 8½ / 10

Just my kind of movie. Good 'buddy' aspect to it with Gyllenhall and Pena as two cops on the beat in LA. The interspersed body cam/hand held cam, rather than becoming a hinderance to the actual movie due to trying to hold the gimmick (1917 anyone?), works really well. Kind of saw the end coming, but overall, really enjoyed it.
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Probably seen this 4/5 times, one of the better movies of the last decade and would easily sit in a top 10 if I had to make one. Would recommend Harsh Times, Training Day and Street Kings on the back of this if you haven't seen them.
 
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) - 5/10

Silly and goofy but not particularly funny, although the old school vs modern technology gags still hold true.

Atkinson’s entertaining enough in his buffoonish ways and there’s enough big stars to carry the rest of the film, even if the plot and delivery of the jokes is rather flat.

Humourous rather than hilarious and it's good to see a comedy that doesn't rely on foul language or crass humour for its material.
 
Sorting through some old stuff I found Alien on DVD. I knew I put a blu ray in my PC for some reason more than it just looks cool and retro and secondary backup, so I rewatched it in a pretty old fashioned style.

The film is still a stunning achievement with amazing performances all round, Yaphet Koto is particularly natural and realistic in his performance, Ian Holm incredible as well, they're all so good.

Once again reminded of how most movie makers influenced by Scott totally miss the point, going for visual style above all when it's quite clear his real talent is for pacing and getting realistic dialogue out of actors - both masterfully done in Alien.

He isn't just a visual master, his best movies have great dialogue and great performances in totally lived in and believable sci fi Worlds.

Some acclaimed directors working today in sci fi can't hold a candle to Scott's best work, including Scott himself on bad days. Though still on the basis of 2 movies Scott can be considered the greatest sci fi director of all time with Alien setting that template.

I reviewed Blade Runner 2049 earlier in this topic giving my opinion of how hard it is to do a good Ridley Scott style movie without an amazing script and proper pacing. Needless to say Alien still stands way above any work of those he's influenced.

Amazingly paced movie with believable and natural dialogue that makes the sci fi horror all the more believable. 9/10.
 
Watched Veronica and #Alive yesterday for Halloween. Alive shows that Koreans keep killing it with zombie media. It's nothing particularly revolutionary it's just a zombie film that is well done.

Veronica was great though, very enjoyable 'spooky' horror. Well acted and well told.
 
Over two successive days I re-watched The Conjuring and it’s sequel The Conjuring 2.

Both definitely succeed at being highly effective popcorn spookers / haunted house affairs. I also think the sequel is actually better than the original, perhaps it feels fresher due to its English poverty setting (no manors here, just a terrace). The sequel also flirted between genuine startles, moments of dread and then some intentionally goofier spooky moments - I like this mix as it creates an entertaining vibe. The twist and the reveal in the sequel was a bit unnecessary/ silly but I was having too much fun to care.

I had an excellent time with both, would recommend. Not sure there is actually much better out there in the haunted house / popcorn spooker genre.

The Conjuring - 7.5/10

The Conjuring 2 - 8.5/10
 
My issue with the 2nd is they based it on the Enfield hauntings which were widely debunked and as such, hard to immerse myself into it.

Now I know it's all make believe but with the core material of the 2nd being such a popular culture topic for anyone into English hauntings, it just didn't click.

The first Conjuring still has me totally on edge with the washing line and sheet scene, I get goosebumps on my arms just typing this and thinking of it.

Nitefly said:
I had an excellent time with both, would recommend. Not sure there is actually much better out there in the haunted house / popcorn spooker genre.
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While not a movie, i'd argue Haunting of Hill House is as good, if not better, however it has a whole series to build a great story, whereas the movies have a few hours.
 
Shamikebab said:
I still think the first is the best. The sequel (and all the generally poor spinoffs) have all relied far too much on jump scares than actual terror imo.
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This sort of goes back to something I mentioned to another thread: what do people actually want from this genre? Do people want to be terrified? Does more terror mean better? For me, how frightening a horror film is doesn’t necessarily impact how much I enjoy it (unless at the far ends of the spectrum).

As I said, both to my mind are ‘popcorn spookers’ - entertaining romps that don’t really require much thought or engagement to take enjoyment from them. Often, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. Being ‘easy to enjoy’ is a big win for me.

Not aimed at you specifically but I really don’t understand why people ferociously dislike “jump scares”. One effective way of frightening people is by startling them. Some jump scares are great - they can be ‘fun’ and generate a laugh or two. The examples in the spoilers below are genuinely frightening moments, I think.

I really do dislike “false scares” though, where there is a jump scare and it’s just something ‘harmless’. Candy man, which I watched recently, was terrible at this!!

There is a very effective jump scare in Conjuring 2 where the camera cuts to showing something jarring (example in spoiler), which I think is probably the most effective way of doing it these days. Insidious also has an excellent example of this effect (in spoiler).

Conjuring 2 - where the old man suddenly appears and shouts at the girl when she’s watching TV.

Insidious - when the demon suddenly appears behind the man at the table when they are having a conversation. Holy poop that startled the... poop out of me!

Not directing all of that at your specifically but just an opportunity to share my thoughts.

In respect of the other sequels, the first Annabelle was terrible. The second (Creation) was actually pretty good. Not seen the third. The Nun film was raw popcorn horror - knowingly goofy/silly and all round just a great time. The La Llorona films weren’t great.

So a mixed bag with a few gems.

SixTwoSix said:
My issue with the 2nd is they based it on the Enfield hauntings which were widely debunked and as such, hard to immerse myself into it.

Now I know it's all make believe but with the core material of the 2nd being such a popular culture topic for anyone into English hauntings, it just didn't click.

The first Conjuring still has me totally on edge with the washing line and sheet scene, I get goosebumps on my arms just typing this and thinking of it.

While not a movie, i'd argue Haunting of Hill House is as good, if not better, however it has a whole series to build a great story, whereas the movies have a few hours.
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I’m not aware of the Enfield haunting at all so that probably ‘helps’ (or rather, your awareness ‘hinders’ your enjoyment).

Yup Hill House is good.... one absolutely legendary world class jump scare in that series:

When the ghost of Nell appears when they are arguing in the car.

Underwear destroyed :eek:
 
Nitefly said:
Insidious - when the demon suddenly appears behind the man at the table when they are having a conversation. Holy poop that startled the... poop out of me!
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Yeah, if makes me feel a little uneasy even thinking of it now, it's so well orchestrated with no pre-amble, a superb scare.

Nitefly said:
I’m not aware of the Enfield haunting at all so that probably ‘helps’ (or rather, your awareness ‘hinders’ your enjoyment).
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Absolutely, had I no knowledge of the Enfield hauntings, i'd have liked the sequel much more. It was all over TV as I was growing up, multiple documentaries about it and features on other shows. The children all but admitted it was all made up.

Nitefly said:
When the ghost of Nell appears when they are arguing in the car.

Underwear destroyed :eek:
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That's a brilliant scare, again, no hint of it coming but totally fits with the narrative of what's going on, not there for the sake of it. I don't exaggerate when I say I nearly fell off the settee when it happened.
 
The Dictator (2012) - 3/10

Silly, crass, rude, crude and offensive to everyone but after a while, it gets boring.

It’s impressive the amount of material they get through and how relevant it is, but because it’s so frequent, the shock factor quickly wears off.

Any valid satire is lost in a sea of slurs and silliness, and apart from the odd scene, none of it really stands out.

As with most of his work it’s a committed performance and good production, but the plot isn’t very good and overall, not very memorable.
 
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