What was the last film you watched?

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Selma.

The portrayal of Martin Luther King was very credible as it was for the tensions both outside and within the movement.  The events took place after the signing of the Civil Rights Act against strong opposition from the South.  The depiction of LBJ (highly unpopular amongst anti-Viet Nam war protestors) has been criticised as unfair and seems to be used to show that King found opposition to (the pace of?) his demands even in the White House, also to demonstrate that the black community did not take a passive role as inaccurately suggested by some earlier films about civil rights.

I thought it was a competent and honest attempt to depict Martin Luther King's achievement, thought-provoking and well worth a viewing. 

[Andrew]

Adaptation.

Clever once you work out what's happening, but fundamentally dull and with no likeable characters.

What is happening?! I love it's paradoxes (or is it one whole paradox?) Like trying to get to grips with the truth of an optical illusion; once the mind decides it one way, the other possibilities tumble out of your neatly closed bag. It can never add up.

For me, a self-admitted headonist and thickie perhaps, I love films that entoxicate like that. It's not everyones idea of fun obviously and I equally like the different perspectives.   Art plays on each of us differently according to our own being. Belief me, I've read reviews of films and not had a clue what the reviewers on about. They've seen something that's bypassed me entirely. Something that sometimes I never see, even after considerable reanalysis. They're not wrong, they can't be. You've got to love that about film/art.

[mattc]

Quite excited about Selma (after playing this week's Kermode-Mayo).
Ive mainly given up on biopics,  they're generally like boring history books,  "and then this happened. and then this ... " But Martin Luther King is THE human rights story, isn't he? Hmmm? The lead actor came over very well, and the clips have been great.

I'm intrigued by how they've rewritten all the speeches inna King stylee. (due to Spielberg owning the licence to film them all)

[mark]

Selma was excellent.

The bit where LBJ tells J. Edgar Hoover to dig up whatever dirt he can on King was historically inaccurate (Robert Kennedy did that, during his brother's administration), but completely consistent with LBJ's cynical, dishonest approach to politics. King and other civil rights activists did encounter a lot of opposition to the pace of their demands at all levels of American society, all of it from people who already enjoyed the full spectrum of human and civil rights.

[Mr Larrington]

With the near-deification of the Kennedys in much of USAnian society one would hardly expect anything else

[fuzzy]

Broken City.

Marky Mark as a jaded ex cop PI, Maximus Decimus Meridius as the incumbent Mayor, Mariette Larkin as his wife and Private Daniel Jackson as his opponent in the upcoming mayoral election.

A quite entertaining yarn.

As a result of watching Private Jackson in action, I am revisiting one of his finest moments in installments- Saving Jason Bourne.

[Steph]

Predestination

On yout*be. It is a not-too-bad version of Heinlein's 'All You Zombies'.

[lisat]

Fifty shades of Grey
Nuff said

[Jaded]

May I tie you down for a review?

[hillbilly]

Fifty shades of Grey
Nuff said

Was it a flop?

[Jakob]

Cloud Atlas. I really enjoyed that and are looking forward to the extended version.

[Wascally Weasel]

Cloud Atlas. I really enjoyed that and are looking forward to the extended version.

Extended version - that's interesting.  I'll look that out when the time comes. Very much enjoyed it in the cinema and on bluray.  Any idea when that might be available?

[Kim]

Fifty shades of Grey

It took me an improbably long time to realise that someone had made a film of it.  I thought the interweb was full of people still ranting about the book.

[mattc]

the truth is that i was never going to consume the book OR the film. But if I WAS, then the casting of that 'king scary freak from The Fall would probably have put me off big-time.

I]d like to hear from the Executive Casting Producer on that one.

[clarion]

... that 'king scary freak from The Fall would probably have put me off big-time.

Mark E. Smith?

[Ian H]

'Before I go to sleep'.  The laugh-out-loud moment was when N Kidman bats C Firth over the head with an electric iron.  It was at our local community cinema — the only reason we went.

[Mr Larrington]

... that 'king scary freak from The Fall would probably have put me off big-time.

Mark E. Smith?

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that ^^^^

[Steph]

May I tie you down for a review?

You'll be bound to enjoy it.

[hillbilly]

Under the Skin

Atmospheric and well shot.  But basically had the feel of a short film that was made into a feature length film because Scarlett Johansson was attached.  I spent too long thinking "yeah ok get to the point".

Good to hear Weegie banter though, even if scripted.

Not sure I'd recommend this one.

[sg37409]

Weggie banter

 

[Andrew]

Reminded by the similarly themed Birdman (theatre and truth) and nudged by the mention of Adaptation (one of my fave ever movies), I revisited Synecdoche, New York. Like Adaptation, it's a Charlie Kaufman work - written and directed.

It's a big movie; themes, cast, set, questions. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the troubled and dying theatre director asking the why. It's a sprawling but brilliant piece of work; meandering, messmerising and at times frustratingly confusing (it is Kaufman after all!).

Recommended if you liked 'Being John Malkovich' or 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', or the aforementioned Apadtation, or even the recent Spike Jones movie 'Her' (Scarlett Johansson link!).... but stay away if you didn't!

[citoyen]

Deception

Geoffrey Rush as an auctioneer who gets involved with a young agoraphobic woman. Quite enjoyed it but it doesn't bear much analysis. Heavy handed script, implausible scenarios, lots of unnecessary explanation of the symbolic elements of the film, and a surprise ending that was obvious from pretty early on.

[Andrew]

... that 'king scary freak from The Fall would probably have put me off big-time.

Mark E. Smith?

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that ^^^^

MES is certainly way more frightening than Jamie Dornan!

Dornan is a talented actor and, as such, capable of credible performances. I very much doubt he IS a deranged serial killer. Or even into S&M. MES, on the other hand.... well, let's just say that I'm less sure!

[ian]

Fifty shades of Grey

It took me an improbably long time to realise that someone had made a film of it.  I thought the interweb was full of people still ranting about the book.

I'm not terribly inclined to watch it. I'm no literature snob but when I see the words 'Twilight fan fiction' I'm scared. And my most successful writing job was distilling high grade smut in that brief time before the internet started to feature pictures. Now, perhaps I had a more erudite audience, but I think they were too impatient, because trust me, erotica it wasn't. I did watch Twilight and it was pretty much two hours of my life for which I'm awaiting a refund. I did have the misfortune to read some of 50 Shades (and, well, why is not 256 Shades of Grey?) over the shoulder of guy next to me on a flight from Newark to LA. As he was about 80 it was in size 72 font on his kindle so every time I glanced over I saw something like

buttplug up her tight

or

sampled her wet chasm

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't ever want to spend five hours of economy class intimacy with an aroused geriatric.

So, yeah, I'll be skipping the movie experience. Mind you, as a positive, you remember my charity campaign to follow on from Movember and Dry January – Let's Lube for Lent. Well, hopefully the movie is encouraging everyone to get kitted out with the finest rear-end stoppers and large quantities of water-based personal lubricants, so let's make it a month that's hard to forget.

[mattc]

<snigger>