What was the last film you watched?

[Bledlow]

Mrs B thought it was very Japanese. Lots of unspoken emotion. She liked it. So did I, but I wasn't sure she would, so was pleased.

Interesting. Mrs FM (also Japanese) thought it was a racist and ignorant heap of crap

I didn't say she thought it was an accurate or sympathetic portrayal of Japan, but the Japan of the film is mostly background, an alien environment to point up the loneliness of the characters. Its strangeness is exaggerated to enhance that effect.

I wonder if the reception in Japan (& from Mrs FM) is partly based on resentment at a foreign film mocking things Japanese, even if their own opinion of the things mocked is low. For example, the ridiculous TV show was a parody, but one Mrs B greatly enjoyed. There are such silly shows, & Mrs B is full of scorn for them, & thinks they deserve to have the piss taken out of them. She thought the parody showed a keen understanding of the more ludicrous aspects of such shows. Some other Japanese people might react differently.

[Flying_Monkey]

Mrs B thought it was very Japanese. Lots of unspoken emotion. She liked it. So did I, but I wasn't sure she would, so was pleased.

Interesting. Mrs FM (also Japanese) thought it was a racist and ignorant heap of crap

I didn't say she thought it was an accurate or sympathetic portrayal of Japan, but the Japan of the film is mostly background, an alien environment to point up the loneliness of the characters. Its strangeness is exaggerated to enhance that effect.

I wonder if the reception in Japan (& from Mrs FM) is partly based on resentment at a foreign film mocking things Japanese, even if their own opinion of the things mocked is low. For example, the ridiculous TV show was a parody, but one Mrs B greatly enjoyed. There are such silly shows, & Mrs B is full of scorn for them, & thinks they deserve to have the piss taken out of them. She thought the parody showed a keen understanding of the more ludicrous aspects of such shows. Some other Japanese people might react differently.

I think that the cultural context and the fact that it is just background is actually the important thing. My wife says that there is plenty of understanding of the ridiculousness of TV in Japan (and indeed many of the shows are ironic and self-mocking anyway in ways that many 'look at those crazy Japanese'-type commentators don't appear to get). In this case, all of the film is simply stereotyped exotic walpaper, not so much that it's 'gaijin' doing the mocking, but that what is being mocked is not even that important, or that it is only important in how it serves the egos of the white main characters. This BTW is not unique to LiT, it is a really common trope in many westerners' stories about their experiences in Japan, or indeed other 'exotic' locales.

[geoff]

....

To be honest, Bill Murray sleepwalks through films these days. He doesn't act, he just does 'Bill Murray'. That said, I thought this worked in The Life Aquatic and Broken Flowers more than Lost in Translation.

Probably for Bill murray it's just Groundhog Day all over again....

[tonycollinet]

The bone collector - in which Angelina actually gets to show she can act.

A good film, but loses it a bit at the end.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Try Girl, Interrupted.

She's very impressive in that, as is Winona Rider.

[her_welshness]

Try Girl, Interrupted.

She's very impressive in that, as is Winona Rider.

Yes, recommended (Jolie got an Oscar for it).

[BrianI]

Star Wreck: In the Pirkining

http://www.archive.org/details/StarWreckInThePirkining

In Finnish with english subtitles!

An interesting spoof of Star Trek / Babylon 5

Ne'er mind that, she's gaun tae blow!
The twist core just breuk and thare's antimaterial gas awgates

Commander Dwarf: Plingon warriors do not take showers!

 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Another  for The King's Speech. It's mesmerising. And very moving. From the first minute I was filled with sympathy for Bertie. Colin Firth was absolutely superb. He and Geoffrey Rush both deserve Oscars for their performances.

[Andrij]

Withnail and I. 

Haven't seen it for years and forgotten how good it was.  Mrs Zep wouldn't watch it with me as Richard E Grant turns her stomache apparently.  This is also why I'm not allowed to play Bowie in the house. 

Watched this last weekend — an excellent film. 
 

[Canardly]

my lad is a film buff and Cambridge film festival reviewer so gets a bit ecoteric around here.......we have dvds of films no one has heard of. He interned for a major agency for many months this year but true to form they screwed and exploited him on minimum wage. Amazing what a first gets you these days.

[interzen]

Dare I say that the last film I watched was 'Twilight'  

Not voluntarily, mind - SWMBO put it on when I was round at her place and despite being determined to just listen to it in the background, I ended up watching most of it.

I've seen better, and I've seen a lot worse, but if you slip your brain into neutral and just go with the flow then it seems to work quite well. Also, the female lead looks a lot like a younger version of Sigourney Weaver to these eyes.

To make amends, I watched "Serenity" for the n^th time when I got home

[jezzasnr]

went to see 127hrs,
passed out....
won't be going back there for a day or two!

[Mike r]

I saw 127 hours a week ago, it's a great film, but I didn't see what all the fuss was about regarding the 'gore'. The worst part fro me was when he realised he was trapped and the rest of the film is preparing you fro the inevitable. Great acting by Franco!
As a climber I was much more horrified the moment when Joe Simpson broke his leg in the film Touching the Void

[Mr Larrington]

Mr Nice.  Understandably a lot was excised from the book but then again, one multi-million pound dope deal is very much the same as another.  Rhys Ifans looks spookily like the younger Howard Marks.

[mattc]

I saw 127 hours a week ago, it's a great film, but I didn't see what all the fuss was about regarding the 'gore'. The worst part fro me was when he realised he was trapped and the rest of the film is preparing you fro the inevitable. Great acting by Franco!
As a climber I was much more horrified the moment when Joe Simpson broke his leg in the film Touching the Void

I don't know if it's still on iPLayer, but the recent Horizon about pain was jolly interesting. There was a chap who had the "127 hours" dilemma - but in his basement!

Anyway, after many hours contemplation, he hacked off the offending limb, and reported no notable pain. (although it was still traumatic to be cripplin himself). _Scientists think this is something the body can just do for you - you know you have to do this for your long-term survival, so the pain signals never reach the conscious brain.

[fuzzy]

The Abbys

I love that film

"Virgil, you weiner!"

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Black Swan, tonight. I thought it was ridiculous and over the top and melodramatic but I really enjoyed it. And Natalie Portman was amazing.

[Tim]

Black Swan, tonight.

Likewise.

Thought it deserved a razzie for worst on set catering - clearly not enough pies handed out to the cast.

All a bit fightclub though.

[Wowbagger]

Mrs. Wow and I are going for a rare treat on Friday - a visit to the Odious in Saarfend to have a look at that Mr. Firth getting above his station.

[Kathy]

Black Swan, tonight.

Likewise.

Thought it deserved a razzie for worst on set catering - clearly not enough pies handed out to the cast.

All a bit fightclub though.

I enjoyed the special effects - very subtle. 

[Wowbagger]

Dez I watched "In the Loop". I'm not sure what I thought.

[Mr Larrington]

Lemmy.  A bit of a mess, really.

• Various people tell us what a total rock god Lemmy is.
• Lemmy goes to the pub.
• Dave Brock and Nik Turner tell us that Lemmy was a pain in the arse but we don't care because we're waiting for vintage footage of Stacia getting her tits out.  This happens.
• Lemmy shows off his Nazi memorabilia
• Bits of Motorhead gigs
• Lemmy drives a tank

And so on.  The number of people who only get a mention in the DVD extras, if at all, is quite large too.  You'd think that Lucas Fox, Larry Wallis, Brian Robertson and Wurzel didn't exist.

Edit: And Pete Gill.

Poor.

[andrewc]

"Casablanca" , I'm 46 and have somehow never seen it before........ Good Film 

How long til the re-imagined version ....

[Manotea]

watched a DVD of Frost & Nixon, or was it Nixon & frost with mrs manotea and master manotea back from college forca few days, a rare treat.

anyway, great performances all round I thought

[Ray 6701]

Expired on BBC2.

Samantha Morton is cute