What was the last film you watched?

[mattc]

The Human Centipede 3

I look forward to the in-depth review!

[Manotea]

Blade runner 2049.

Okay but the wrong side of ponderous

[Kim]

War for the Planet of the Apes

Because if they could use a King Kong^[1] reboot as an excuse to do a Vietnam war film, then why not this one?

Actually, I minded this a lot less than the previous two.  You know exactly what to expect, and it delivers well.


There should be a law against hearing directors making films with sign language^[2] in them without adult supervision, thobut.  They really haven't got a clue about how to frame the shots, and it's extremely jarring to watch, even with subtitles.  You wouldn't not bother providing sound when actors speak in FOREIGN, would you?  Fucksake.


_{[1] It took me about half the film to get the 'donkey' joke.   
[2] I recognised exactly one ASL sign and some reasonable proforms, so I'll defer to someone with knowledge of USAnian to say whether it was utter bollocks, ASL or a credible derived pidgin.  Not that it matters, the sign space should still be in frame by default.}

[T42]

There should be a law against hearing directors making films with sign language^[2] in them without adult supervision, thobut.  They really haven't got a clue about how to frame the shots, and it's extremely jarring to watch, even with subtitles.  You wouldn't not bother providing sound when actors speak in FOREIGN, would you?  Fucksake.

Do they manage to get the sign language right, or is it like the silent films where the actors told each other dirty jokes and scandalized lip-readers in the audience?

[mattc]

Or did you want Jackanory - someone filmed reading the book, so that you can stay on the sofa in front of the gogglebox??

I know that's meant in jest, but I have wondered - in this age of cheap programmes and abundant bandwidth to fill with them - why nobody's thought to do a Jackanory-for-adults type series.  It's the sort of thing my mum would have watched while doing the ironing.  Throw in an audibly-pleasing celebrity or two and it might attract a decent number of viewers.

Yes, it probably would! Radio4 does this superbly - and IMO radio is by far the better medium for it - but they only have so much airtime (what with all that "News" getting in the way. And people do like watching telly, so there is probably a market for this (and it's probably cheaper than another quiz show / reality show /  etc )

[Kim]

There should be a law against hearing directors making films with sign language^[2] in them without adult supervision, thobut.  They really haven't got a clue about how to frame the shots, and it's extremely jarring to watch, even with subtitles.  You wouldn't not bother providing sound when actors speak in FOREIGN, would you?  Fucksake.

Do they manage to get the sign language right, or is it like the silent films where the actors told each other dirty jokes and scandalized lip-readers in the audience?

The Apes don't use a BSL-family language, so I couldn't tell.  Need an American for that.  It did seem lacking in grammar and facial expression^[1].

Films made by Deaf people with signing characters have proper^[2] signed dialogue and frame the shots so you can actually follow it.  Even when it's a language you don't understand, you have a much better connection to the tone of their expression.


_{[1] In science fiction terms, this is probably realistic.  All the teaching-primates-sign-language experiments I've heard about have suffered from the fundamental flaw of the subjects not being exposed to the real language of native users.   Deaf children of well-intentioned hearing parents don't develop language properly without external input, why would we expect a primate to?
[2] In much the same way that characters' spoken dialogue is more witty and profound than real life, signing characters spend a lot less time handshaking to the lowest common denominator and repeating things.  Standard suspension of disbelief stuff that.}

[Jakob]

Wonder Woman. Was looking forward to this, but instead got a WW1-action movie?
The visuals of the fight between Zeus and Ares were amazing, though. Loved those.

[fuzzy]

Fair Game

Fact based film about a CIA operative married to a former diplomat.

Diplomat calls foul on the George W administration about some of the 'intelligence' they cited to go to war in Iraq. Administration takes it a bit personal and the shit hits the fan landing the CIA operative right in it.

A very good film.

I particularly liked the way they ended the film with real newsreel footage.

[Torslanda]

Used Kodi last night to watch The Gumball Rally.

OK it was crap but it's the only film I know that features a 427 Cobra, a Daytona Spyder and a 911, flat out through downtown Manhattan. We may never see the like again...

[Jaded]

From Russia With Love

Goodness films were slow in those days!

[citoyen]

The Meyerowitz Stories

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hated it but I found all the characters deeply unsympathetic and didn’t care one jot for their middle class narcissistic self-loathing.

It wasn’t all bad though - Emma Thompson was excellent. (I admit I’m predisposed to liking Emma Thompson in anything but I didn’t even realise it was her until well into the film when she finally took her sunglasses off.)

My wife seemed to enjoy it a lot more than me, judging by how much she was laughing. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for it.

[mattc]

Red 2

The only thing that I could describe as quite similar - but not quite as good - is an earlier film (with similar cast and writers) called: Red

They are both reeeeally good. I mean, Helen Mirren with sniper rifles, and bodies in acid baths? And Malkovich as a deranged - but kindly - homicidal ex-spook? What's not to like?

[Warning: contains Bruce Willis. He's quieter than the old days, but still smirks a lot. ]

It's like Mr & Mrs Smith crossed with Fargo, with added laughs. Even N snorted with laughter.

[T42]

The Killer (O Matador) on NF.

Now to to do with bulls, it's a sort of western set in the 1910-1940s period in Pernambuco, which seems to have been as lawless as Kansas before it became a state. Generally fascinating and almost burlesque in parts.

[Wascally Weasel]

There should be a law against hearing directors making films with sign language^[2] in them without adult supervision, thobut.  They really haven't got a clue about how to frame the shots, and it's extremely jarring to watch, even with subtitles.  You wouldn't not bother providing sound when actors speak in FOREIGN, would you?  Fucksake.

Do they manage to get the sign language right, or is it like the silent films where the actors told each other dirty jokes and scandalized lip-readers in the audience?

The Apes don't use a BSL-family language, so I couldn't tell.  Need an American for that.  It did seem lacking in grammar and facial expression^[1].

Films made by Deaf people with signing characters have proper^[2] signed dialogue and frame the shots so you can actually follow it.  Even when it's a language you don't understand, you have a much better connection to the tone of their expression.


_{[1] In science fiction terms, this is probably realistic.  All the teaching-primates-sign-language experiments I've heard about have suffered from the fundamental flaw of the subjects not being exposed to the real language of native users.   Deaf children of well-intentioned hearing parents don't develop language properly without external input, why would we expect a primate to?
[2] In much the same way that characters' spoken dialogue is more witty and profound than real life, signing characters spend a lot less time handshaking to the lowest common denominator and repeating things.  Standard suspension of disbelief stuff that.}

Baby Driver has some scenes with what purports to be ASL.  I have no idea if this is shown well (in terms of signing) but it does seem to be framed in most shots clearly to allow viewers to see.

http://www.pearlanddean.com/news/ansel-elgort-wanted-do-sign-language-justice-baby-driver

[mrcharly-YHT]

I think he gets kudos for saying this:

It was my first time ever acting a scene in a different language.

The character (his stepfather) is played by an actor who is deaf. I didn't know that. The scenes between them are great, CJ Jones is terrific as his foster father.

[citoyen]

The scenes between them are great, CJ Jones is terrific as his foster father.

Agreed, although there's a hint of the Magical Negro about the Joe character that I'm not so keen on.

[fuzzy]

The Guard on Filum 4.

Father Ted meets NCIS or similar.

Brendan Gleeson plays an Garda Síochána sargeant in rural Ireland where a bit of drug traffiking is occuring. Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham are amongst the bad guys. The FBI (repersented by agent Don Cheadle) are involved as they have been tracking the cocaine shipments and have an operation to deal with it. Cue the clash of cultures as auld school Gleeson meets and deals with by the book Cheadle

"the FBI lad, probably hadn't had this much fun since they burned all those kids up in Waco"

A bit of a fecking laugh

[fuzzy]

Prior to the above, I finally caught up with Kingsman.

I know I shouldn't appreciate it but the OTT gratuitous violence and the camp lisp of Samuel L were absolutley brilliant.

[Wascally Weasel]

Prior to the above, I finally caught up with Kingsman.

I know I shouldn't appreciate it but the OTT gratuitous violence and the camp lisp of Samuel L were absolutley brilliant.

The sequel is less good although it has its moments.

[citoyen]

Prior to the above, I finally caught up with Kingsman.

I know I shouldn't appreciate it but the OTT gratuitous violence and the camp lisp of Samuel L were absolutley brilliant.

I generally can't stand excessive gratuitous violence in films these days but the church scene is sheer genius.

[hillbilly]

I eventually summoned up the will to watch La La Land.  Glad I did as it turned out to be a good film; entertaining and not the syrup sandwich I'd worried it would be. 

Essentially a cross between LA Story and One Hundred Days of Summer, in that it is a (apologies for the cliche) modern love story between the director and Los Angeles, and the two protagonists.  Music numbers are half decent and the dance routines not overly intrusive (other than the one at the start of the film which had previously put me off watching it). 

[Kim]

Baby Driver has some scenes with what purports to be ASL.  I have no idea if this is shown well (in terms of signing) but it does seem to be framed in most shots clearly to allow viewers to see.

http://www.pearlanddean.com/news/ansel-elgort-wanted-do-sign-language-justice-baby-driver

Just watched this.  That's proper ASL, that is^[1].  And it's framed so you can follow it.

Ansel Elgort signs like a hearing person (all hands and no facial expression), which fits with the character.


I really enjoyed it, in a something I wouldn't normally have watched kind of way.  That opening scene... 


_{[1] I recognised at least three signs, not counting the ubiquitous <OK>, there was clear evidence of grammar and the fingerspell^[2] made sense.
[2] My ASL fingerspell is almost as rusty as Bart Mancuso's Morse.}

[citoyen]

[Baby Driver] That opening scene... 

Oh yes. Leaves a lot for the rest of the film to live up to.

[Kim]

[Baby Driver] That opening scene... 

Oh yes. Leaves a lot for the rest of the film to live up to.

I'm going to make barakta watch that opening scene, for SCIENCE.

It's the sort of thing that I think she'd appreciate, if and only if she has enough I/O bandwidth to follow it.  Her general problem with film is that it's Hard Work, she tends to miss visual detail, and background music is mostly just noise.  I expect Baby Driver will be lost on her in much the same way that Ferris Bueller's Day Off was lost on a Deaf friend, due to piss-poor subtitling - take away the music (or the wit and comic timing), and they just become films where stuff happens.

[Redlight]

Paddington 2 (one of the benefits of having a 10 year-old).

A plot that makes the average Jeffrey Archer short story plausible but loads of fun. And Hugh Grant steals it, of course.