What's the last or current Movie you Watched ?

[slimjim]

LOCKE (2013)

Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his carefully cultivated existence. Imdb

I watched this yrs ago but when I spotted it on a streaming site thought I'd give it another look. I remember at the time thinking "How can a 90min movie set mostly in a car driving the 125miles or so from Birmingham to London with the driver making many many phone calls be worth watching?" but it is. Tom Hardy stars (so that helps) in this compelling drama.
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Dubs or subs?

I got curious about the issue of subtitles vs dubbing so did a bit of digging.

It seems one major factor is cost as dubbing a movie costs between 10 to 15 times more than adding subtitles as a recording studio; production team and voice artists are required and it takes much longer. Also scripts need to be changed so that the foreign dubbing fits the lip movements of the original dialogue. Dubbing is more often used on kids movies as they don’t have to worry about childrens reading skills.

A major advantage with subtitles is that for deaf or hard of hearing they are essential whereas dubbing wouldn’t help them at all. On a side note there have been a few times where I have watched a movie (in English) with the dialogue so badly recorded or drowned out by background noise that I have turned the subs on so I can follow the plot.. I give you TENET as a prime example, although even if you could hear every word crystal clear it still might not help working out the fecking plot!

Dubbing is most common in several nations, including France, Spain, Italy, Germany and many Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Cambodia. Whereas in Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden subtitles are commonly used

 

[slimjim]

LIGHT THEREAFTER (2017)

Pavel, an emotionally volatile and socially alienated young man, sets off across Europe in search of his idol, the enigmatic painter Arnaud. Desperately lonely, Pavel tries to adhere to the host of characters he meets along the way. Imdb

I had been looking for this for a while as it stars Barry Keoghan but it was proving difficult to track down (turns out to be a Bulgarian/Belgium prodution) then today I found a free film channel that had it. Turns out to be a clunky art-house movie based around "the agony of the artist" and the main plot is shown in a series of flashbacks. There are some nicely filmed shots from time to time and Barry Keoghan is very good - but it's not enough.

 

[slimjim]

BYPASS (2017)

After the tragic death of his mother, Tom turns to a life of crime in order to make ends meet. (Imdb)

Another movie I have been trying to track down and in the end I found it by accident on another free movie app.

Tom is played by George MacKay (hence my interest) and he is excellent in it. There is some stylish camera work but it's a slab of bleak social realism and I couldn't really get into it.

 

[gorgik9]

BYPASS (2017)

After the tragic death of his mother, Tom turns to a life of crime in order to make ends meet. (Imdb)

Another movie I have been trying to track down and in the end I found it by accident on another free movie app.

Tom is played by George MacKay (hence my interest) and he is excellent in it. There is some stylish camera work but it's a slab of bleak social realism and I couldn't really get into it.

George MacKay is almost always brilliant!!!

 

[slimjim]

MONSTERS : DARK CONTINENT (2014)

Ten years on from the events of "Monsters", and the 'Infected Zones' have now spread worldwide. In the Middle East a new insurgency has begun. At the same time there has also been a proliferation of Monsters in that region. (Imdb)

I really enjoyed the original MONSTERS and had heard bad reports about this "sequel" but as it was on a streaming service thought I'd give it a go. Imho what I heard about it was correct, it's pretty bad, in fact it's awful... avoid.

 

[slimjim]

LIMBO (2020)

Limbo is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather's oud, the king of Arabic music instruments, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. Imdb

Yes it is a bleak but haunting film yet has many moments of gentle droll humour. Beautifully filmed on Scotland's North Uist, one of the Western Isles. I liked it, but it could be too slowly paced for some.

 

[slimjim]

THE COVENANT (2023)

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to herculean lengths to save Kinley's life. When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down first. (Imdb)


Excellent! A rivetting tense drama, edge of seat for most of the 2 hrs, which just fly by. The cast put in fine performances, Jake Gydenhall is really good, but then I've been a fan since the excellent Donnie Darko - I still think his best performance was NIGHTCRAWLER though. The cinematography is good but the editing is really good with some great shots. Really good soundtrack too.

My thanks to Shelter for his recommendation

 

[Shelter]

An English film from 2023: DEAD SHOT

When a border ambush goes wrong, a retired Irish paramilitary (Morgan) witnesses the fatal shooting of his pregnant wife by an SAS officer (Ameen). After outwitting the SAS, now wounded, and presumed dead, he escapes, taking his revenge to the dark and paranoid streets of 1970's London. Raw and suspenseful, Borderland is an adrenaline-fueled thriller that will leave audiences weighing up the true cost of revenge. (IMDb)

A film from the bad old days in the 70s when England was fighting against the IRA. It is not an action stunner but a very intense
vengeance thriller. Very recommended - and let us hope that these bad old days really are to be a thing of the past! But as a reminder that this never again will happen you should watch it. Who is guilty, who is a saint?

 

[haiducii]

Banksy Most Wanted (2020)

Intimate doentary about the notoroiously secretive graffiti artist Banksy. The film deftly combs through numerous theories as to the identity of Banksy, including interviewing investigators and journalists who are certain they’ve cracked the case.

Whoever he is, Banksy's successful maintenance of his secret identity seems an achievement in itself, and he's the artist this age deserves.

 

[slimjim]

EXTRACTION (2020)

In an underworld of weapons dealers and traffickers, a young boy becomes the pawn in a war between notorious drug lords. Trapped by kidnappers inside one of the world's most impenetrable cities, his rescue beckons the unparalleled skill of a mercenary named Tyler Rake, but Rake is a broken man with nothing to lose, harboring a death wish that makes an already deadly mission near impossible. Imdb

So I thought I'd watch this again as I might get around to watching Extraction 2 in the next week or so, not that I'm expecting you need to see this before viewing the 2nd one.

 

[slimjim]

EMA (2019)

Ema, a young dancer, decides to separate from Gastón after giving back Polo, the son they both adopted and were unable to raise. In a desperate search through the streets of the port city of Valparaíso, Ema seeks love affairs in order to overcome her guilt. However, she has a secret plan to recover everything she's lost. (Imdb)

I was intrigued by this Chilean movie. As you can see from the short teaser clip (the longer official trailer shows young kids hence not included here) it centers around dancing and flame throwers and seems to have some great cinematography.... but I gave up after around 30 mins or so as there had already been about 5 scenes of dancing and I was getting bored.

 

[Shelter]

A film from 2023: AIR

The movie explores how Nike's basketball shoe division was struggling in 1984 due to low sales, and how the company's Marketing VP Rob Strasser and CEO Phil Knight tasked basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro to find a new spokesperson for their shoes. Although they considered third draft pick Michael Jordan off limits due to his preference for Adidas and Converse, Vaccaro convinced them that Jordan was a generational talent, and that Nike should pursue him and try to convince Jordan to sign with Nike. (IMDb)

"Surprisingly entertaining biopic about the rise of a sports brand
Nike are now synonymous with sports and sportswear, and Adidas's great rivals, however it wasn't always that way and this little film explains how they did it." This has written a reviewer on IMDb - and these words is nothing more to add. At the end I can only say: WATCH THIS FILM WITH MATT DAMON IN ONE OF HIS BEST ROLES. And if you will do it, you will have a great evening or afternoon. Very recommended!!!!!!!

 

[slimjim]

A film from 2023: AIR



"Surprisingly entertaining biopic....... At the end I can only say: WATCH THIS FILM WITH MATT DAMON IN ONE OF HIS BEST ROLES. And if you will do it, you will have a great evening or afternoon. Very recommended!!!!!!!

Mmm..... I was aware of this movie but the idea of a bio-pic about trainers really didn't sound all that interesting - looks like I will have to search out a copy after all.
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DUPLICATE (a.k.a. JOHNATHON) (2018)

Jonathan and John are brothers, yet they share the same body. Life was routine for both of them; Jonathan gets the first half of the day (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) and John gets the other half (7:00 PM to 7:00 AM). Everything starts to shift when Jonathan realizes that John has a girlfriend and now wants so much more than this shared life. (Imdb)

If that synopsis doesn't get your interest then how about the fact that the body that John & Johnathon share is Ansel Elgort's body - and who wouldn't want to share that? It's an interesting concept to this sort of sci'fi/drama and worth a watch. Not sure that a bit better direction & editing might have made a better movie.

 

[Shelter]

Mmm..... I was aware of this movie but the idea of a bio-pic about trainers really didn't sound all that interesting - looks like I will have to search out a copy after all.
..................

Slimjim I think you will have the same taste in films like me (as I can see here?!). And believe me you will have no regrets about this movie. It is really very entertaining and when it is over you are very surprised that nearly 2 hours (111 Min) have gone!

 

[slimjim]

DOWNSIZING (2017)

A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor. A new world of possibilities awaits, thanks to a revolutionary medical procedure known as Downsizing. Billed as environmentally-friendly, many people choose to downsize for economic benefits. When the kindly occupational therapist, Paul, undergoes the new procedure, finding himself in this brand-new existence, he must choose between a sheltered life or making an impact in his own small way. Can he help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time? (Imdb)

Well it might have a good cast, but the performances are not that sparkling (except Christoph Waltz), but then neither is the overall plot, At 2 hrs it's too long but even cutting to 90 mins might not have helped.

 

[Shelter]

Two movies:
First = a french movie from 2022 DRIVING MADELEINE

Madeleine, leaves small suburban to join a nursing home, on the other side of Paris. Charles, a taxi driver, comes to pick her and in no hurry to reach, she asks him to go through places of the capital, which have counted in her life. (IMDb)

A very, very moving Taxi trip through Paris with a stressed Taxi driver and this old lady who very slowly wins the driver for her story. A great film and I think a MUST SEE because of its humanity.

Second = a doentary: ELDORADO - Everything the Nazis hate

A quote from the movie - "The pace of change is a source of frustration for just about everybody. If you're a radical, then change is happening much too slowly for you. On the other side, if you're a conservative, you're watching everything that gives your life depth and meaning washed away. And its that experience of being threatened by this change that gives fascists fertile ground in which to spread their poisonous ideas."

Excellent filmmaking - doentary like (with historical footage), but also with storytellers, and some very moving love stories at the centre.

Lot of food for thought for the queer community about how an idyllic period can overnight turn into horrific devastation. And also about where our priorities lie - to be foolhardy and to go along with evil only to be fatally betrayed like Ernst Rohm; or to make space for oneself, and a whole lot of others, and to grow authentically, like Magnus Hirshfield ? And in some irony, Rohm was perhaps more overt about his homosexuality than Hirshfield.

Also about how redemption is mostly an inside job - because even several decades after the war, the queer community still faced legal persecution in W. Germany. (Not that Alan Turing had it any better, on the other side)

This is a text of a reviewer on IMDb. A doentary which is more than recommended.

 

[Bryan]

Pearl (An X-traordinary Origin Story)
Mia Goth is very talented

 

[slimjim]

COLDWATER (2013)

Just a short teaser as the full trailers have too many spoilers.

A teenage boy is forcebly abducted from his home, with his mothers consent, and taken to a juvenile reform facility in the wilderness. As we learn about the tragic events that sent him there, his struggle becomes one for survival with the inmates, counselors, and the retired war colonel in charge. Imdb.

Grab a copy of this if you can find one. Being set in one of those privately run boot-camp/short sharp shock correctional camps means it's not an easy watch, it's tense and at times violent, graphic and brutal - jaw dropping at times. The cast, many of whom were in their debut roles were very good. Especially P.J. Boudousque (who looks like a young Ryan Gosling) as Brad; Chris Petrovski as Gabriel. James C. Burns plays the colonel.

 

[slimjim]

HERO (2002)

In feudal China, the King of Qin is waging a bloody campaign to conquer the entire land. He has been made a target of three dangerous assassins: spear-wielding Sky, and the lovers Broken Sword and Flying Snow. One day word comes that he has nothing left to fear; a prefect known only as Nameless has killed all three assassins. Nameless is called to the palace and asked to recount the tale of how he accomplished this amazing feat. After he tells his story, however, the King notices some flaws in it... IMDB

Director Yimou Zhang has several movies to his name of which 4No. are very highly rated. I have already watched what are considered to be in positions 3 and 4 - CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER and HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS - I thought they very both fine movies and so was left with what are generally considered to be his masterpieces SHADOW and HERO and pondered for a while in which order to watch ... so tonight I watched HERO and was blown away. It has a good story based on love; revenge; honour; lies & deceipt with several plot twists; the expected balletic swordplay /martial arts; a beautifully atmospheric soundtrack and as regards a cinematographic experience it is fecking AWESOME. Half of me doesn't want to spoil stuff from this movie - but the other half says "Take a look at this" (and on a big 4k TV if you can)

Highly recommended!

edit: I got a d/load of it but have since noticed that for anyone in the UK (or who may access to it from elsewhere) currently the ITV X streaming service has HERO, with english subtitles, available for free

 

[slimjim]

OLDBOY (2003)

Time to re-watch this Sth Korean classic - apparently there is a 4k restoration to make the 20th anniversary