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Post by DieuxDesCimetieres on Jan 17, 2018 23:58:36 GMT -5
I didn't like Fire And Ice very much. I wasn't aware it was a cult classic when I stumbled on the DVD at a flea market and bought it just because there didn't exactly use to be an abundance of fantasy movies on DVD back then. If I remember correctly, it struck me as something of a cross between Heavy Metal and He-Man but not as impressing as either of those. OK, in the case of He-Man: as impressive as the He-Man cartoon was for a six-year old kid, ha!
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Post by thekeeper on Feb 20, 2018 12:53:59 GMT -5
Has anyone seen this? Watched it last weekend. Pretty brutal.  |
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Post by emerge on Feb 21, 2018 12:21:34 GMT -5
I saw it in college for a color theory class... some things can't be unseen.  Recently saw El Topo, the first time it made no sense. I watched it again muted with subtitles while playing records, and more of the allegorical themes came out. |
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Post by thekeeper on Mar 11, 2018 20:52:59 GMT -5
Watched both Dominion Tank Police series last week. Hadn't seem them before despite my total interest in 80s and 90s cyberpunk police stuff. Really great. I prefer the animation of New Dominion but the narrative of the first series, for the most part. Always enjoy a good promethean AI/cyborg narrative of the search for 'their beginning', despite how common of a trope that is, often overtly humanist and unalien. The humor of everything worked pretty well.
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Post by thekeeper on Mar 13, 2018 12:21:51 GMT -5
Watched this last night:  Incredibly human, humble, and realistic portrayal of Christ (referred to as Yeshua in the film), taken in by a poor family in the desert, weighing the meaning and cost of words and actions while in conversation with a demon twin of his amidst the familial struggles between a scared father, a dying mother, and a downtrodden son. Really great camerawork and genuine emotions, visually beautiful. My only major issue is that the ending segment after the main narrative could've been left out entirely. Perhaps it would've been awkward to simply leave the family outright in the ways he had to, maybe wrapping it up a tiny bit to transition back to Jerusalem would've been fine, but it was just awkward how they concluded everything with a time lapse. A rare portrayal of Christ in film, entirely free of the supernatural and the miraculous, a more artful take on 'a movie about Jesus' (really, the movie is as much about the family as it is about him); actually, I read somewhere that it was less for Christians than it was for other viewers. It's quite fragile yet brutal in the reality of people's limits, fears, and desires. Very nice orchestral soundtrack, too. But wow the ending was not necessary. |
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Post by thekeeper on Mar 20, 2018 9:33:22 GMT -5
 Watched this over the weekend. Anyone seen it? Thought it was alright, but not great. Good acting and a great premise for a story, but some of the scenes came off as very deliberate, like the director ascribing clearly intentional symbolism and metaphor which interrupts the immersion of the film. Far too much emphasis on the text conversations which quickly becomes the vehicle for the plot, which might have been fine if it didn't do a poor job of making the sender ambiguous (the 'twist' was predictable, practically being a resolution). At times it felt like the director wasn't sure what kind of film he wanted to make. Despite these criticisms, it was still pretty enjoyable if you don't expect much in terms of the paranormal. There's a lasting feeling of tension, confusion, discomfort, and hesitancy that works well. Kristen Stewart was good in this. I'd say give it a shot if you like vaguely paranormal stalker films or things about grief. |
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Post by crystallogic13 on Mar 20, 2018 10:40:51 GMT -5
You probably forgot to post the image , add text too in case 5 years down the road the images are not there for discussion's sake  (Edit: now it loads so maybe it was on my end when I posted) Last Days in the Desert seems interesting, thanx for the write up.. Personally I've seen not too many things lately but the two I remember liking were Fargo, I watched the series and like all 3 seasons but missed the movie so it was an essential watch . The other thing I saw was Perfetti Sconosciuti which I downloaded for a good looking  female coworker so I wanted to have an opinion and found it interesting enough. It's a usual human relationships film that portrays many things in modern couples and relationships. And I hate these kind of movies but this one was definitely interesting. It has a *slight* twist in the end too which makes it worth it too. Now, I need to see for the millionth time soon For a Few Dollars More and/or The Good the Bad and the Ugly to get my fix |
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Post by thekeeper on Mar 23, 2018 12:21:30 GMT -5
 Watched this yesterday. Beautiful at times, pretty rough at others. The ending skate rink to hospital scene killed me.
Anyone seen it? |
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Post by thekeeper on Apr 11, 2018 9:58:51 GMT -5
 This was an interesting one. I suppose it's more 'tame' than other Bresson films in terms of spirituality and gripping moments. Moves along quite well. He picked a great actor for Michel. All of his emotions are very restrained, slowly seeping out in times of anxiety. Probably some of Breson's best camerawork. Some really great framing and interesting shots during the thieving scenes. |
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Post by toodarkpark on Apr 11, 2018 17:18:39 GMT -5
The Expanse Season Two on Netflix, I wish they would bring out some physical releases for the OST for this series.
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Post by dungeonsnake on Apr 11, 2018 19:37:10 GMT -5
I am obsessed with Conan the Barbarian these days
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Post by thekeeper on Apr 11, 2018 20:25:50 GMT -5
I am obsessed with Conan the Barbarian these days What do you think of Barbarian and Destroyer in comparison? |
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Post by dungeonsnake on Apr 11, 2018 20:51:35 GMT -5
I think it's one of the saddest stories in modern film history. The studios clearly didn't know what they had on their hands. They should never have tried to make a sequel without Milius's involvement, or at least a comparable talent like Oliver Stone.
You probably already know this, but the film was originally intended to be the first of a multi-part series, at least 3 in number but Oliver Stone said it would be a good idea to have them come out every few years like James Bond. Milius's vision for his rewrite was a trilogy centered in part on the "Riddle of Steel", with Conan being the steel. The first movie is the "forging of the sword", the second would have been the wielding of the sword, and the final film: the sword being put to rest, or finding its ultimate purpose. It is a tragedy that we never saw this vision completed. Still, it only adds to the monolythic symbolism of the film itself. It's wondrous that such a thing ever came to be, it seems like a dream or a transmission from a distant world.
Anyway, I understand that many people have sentimental feelings towards Destroyer, but because I didn't see it until I was an adult, it pales in comparison to the first movie for me. Destroyer is charming in its own way but the first movie was a masterpiece. It is the rare adaptation in which the screenwriter/director was able to merge his talents with the source material in such a way that it actually succeeds better for having been altered.
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Post by thekeeper on Apr 12, 2018 18:19:27 GMT -5
I think it's one of the saddest stories in modern film history. The studios clearly didn't know what they had on their hands. They should never have tried to make a sequel without Milius's involvement, or at least a comparable talent like Oliver Stone. You probably already know this, but the film was originally intended to be the first of a multi-part series, at least 3 in number but Oliver Stone said it would be a good idea to have them come out every few years like James Bond. Milius's vision for his rewrite was a trilogy centered in part on the "Riddle of Steel", with Conan being the steel. The first movie is the "forging of the sword", the second would have been the wielding of the sword, and the final film: the sword being put to rest, or finding its ultimate purpose. It is a tragedy that we never saw this vision completed. Still, it only adds to the monolythic symbolism of the film itself. It's wondrous that such a thing ever came to be, it seems like a dream or a transmission from a distant world. Anyway, I understand that many people have sentimental feelings towards Destroyer, but because I didn't see it until I was an adult, it pales in comparison to the first movie for me. Destroyer is charming in its own way but the first movie was a masterpiece. It is the rare adaptation in which the screenwriter/director was able to merge his talents with the source material in such a way that it actually succeeds better for having been altered. I heard a third was still in development, like more recently with regard to Arnold being an older guy now, but I'm unsure of its status. I don't know which I liked more. I thought the first was an okay movie but it was one of those things where the camp:serious ratio seemed awkward. Some sequences were definitely kool, but it seemed drawn out to me and the story was fairly predictable. I can see it being something less about the actual narrative and more about the visual experience, but it sounds like a lot of people are really into the actual plot of the series. Maybe it's a "you had to read the stories" kind of thing. I think the first was a better film in terms of cinematography, but the second was more enjoyable in a campy sort of way. I'm not at all familiar with the stories or comics or anything, so I pretty much went into them blindly (save for my love for Arnold). The second seemed a bit sillier and more fun, but yeah I wouldn't say it was as visually appealing as the first. It's been a couple years since I watched them last (and I've only seen them maybe twice). |
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Post by dungeonsnake on Apr 12, 2018 19:24:01 GMT -5
Interesting! Yeah, I read the Robert E. Howard Conan stories. They are pretty decent, more evocative for the themes they represent than the quality of the prose. He is outclassed by other pulp authors, but it's memorable nonetheless. I think I saw the movie before reading the books, but remember picking up a paperback copy of some of the books a few years later, and eventually read them all as I became more and more invested in fantasy literature. I would imagine coming to it from the primary perspective of an Arnold fan would be quite different. I'm a big fan of Arnold as well so I understand where you're coming from.
The commentary with Schwarzenegger and Milius is pretty funny
John Milius unfortunately suffered a traumatic stroke and will most likely never direct again. It's another facet of the tragedy; the great racounteur is left unable to speak. I think Milius probably appreciates the operatic irony. He also wrote Apocalypse Now, and did script doctoring on other films like Hunt for Red October and Dirty Harry.
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(Edit: now it loads so maybe it was on my end when I posted)
female coworker so I wanted to have an opinion and found it interesting enough. It's a usual human relationships film that portrays many things in modern couples and relationships. And I hate these kind of movies but this one was definitely interesting. It has a *slight* twist in the end too which makes it worth it too.
