I liked how the mutants didn't speak in the present tense, because they were afraid of the present. Crazy stuff this film, definitely one that needs to be watched again. Even crazier, it's an anti-totalitarian sort of film produced in... North Korea.

Did you see the French original or the Weinstein-Asimov bastardized version?

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was on tv. I've been wanting to see the original, and I've never seen a Mad Max movie before, and read that this one was almost universally said to be better than the first.

I was disappointed. As the credits rolled, I said "This is supposed to be a classic?" I guess I was expecting it to be grittier. Max barely shoots anyone. Basically, he met the people at that compound, barely talked, and then the biker gang shows up, tells them to leave, they decide to leave, and it leads to this long scene of trying to get the fuel truck out, which is action-y. Okay, I admit, that's oversimplified, but that's the gist of it. It just didn't wow me like I expected. Maybe I'm spoiled.

Maybe you're shitty.

I don't know. Maybe I have to watch it again. I'm not saying it was bad, but it was a letdown from what I was expecting.

I just watched Timecrimes after hearing you guys talk about it. It was pretty damn entertaining, I agree, like a lighter version of Primer. It makes sense in the end, it just sucks for the girl...

Maybe you need to watch Mad Max 1 first, to familiarise yourself with the general tone of the series. That's what I did, though I didn't find the 2nd significantly better - both were good and I also enjoyed the third. They aren't typical action movies. Well, they are, but you know what I mean.

What do you Finns think of Calamari Union?

I rewatched Sweet Movie and Playtime recently

Anyone here see The Grey yet? I saw it this weekend and it was a bit different than I expected. Almost more of a drama instead of the action/adventure film I was hoping for. There were still a lot of intense scenes, but other parts tended to drag a bit. It didn't help that the characters (other than Neeson's character) seemed a bit underdeveloped. In a few scenes it was a bit obvious that the wolves were CG, but it didn't do much to take away from the movie. Even with the all the negatives, I actually think it was pretty good. It did a great job drawing you in and keeping the tension high, and the philosophical undertones combined with the bleak setting set quite a mood for the film. I would see it again. And the ending - wow. I don't want to give it away, but they definitely picked a bold way to end the film. Definitely a solid movie in my book.

By Rambo, do you mean First Blood, or the most recent movie?

Rambo is technically First Blood Part II or the most recent one. First Blood is First Blood, there's no mention of Rambo in the title.

The Road

Watched this again over the weekend, its slowly but surely securing itself a spot in my all time favorites list. I've never seen a work in any medium to portray bleak hopelessness the way this does. Beautiful film, beautiful acting. Highly recommended.

Also watched the new daughter. Basically it was a choice between this, transformers and some high school musical movie. Kevin constner does his best Keanu Reeves impression, and well, there's not much else's to say. This was a turd of a movie. Plastic, uninspired 'horror'

Puppet Master - 1/5

This is just awful. For a franchise that spewed out like 6 sequels plus some cross-overs, this is one hell of an annoying, piss-poor, all around shit movie. The characters are cardboard cut outs, the story is stupid and the visuals are just awful. I'll give you an example - in one scene you see a puppet woman vomiting out leeches onto a man's skin. It's not really scary, it's not even good in a gross-out way...it's just weird and unpleasant like that guy that smells like moldy bread that you see every day under the bridge as you walk home. And I think you probably walk a little faster whenever you see that guy, don't you?

Red Tails - 4/5

I enjoyed Red Tails for its heart and vigor. I could really tell there was a lot of passion put into this, as although the acting was just above average at best and the story itself dragged on a bit long, the film was saved by its honest, blue-collar style devotion to just telling a story. It's a story that could have been condensed and made more dramatic than it was, but the guys behind this worked hard, and it shows. Red Tails wasn't always invigorating, but when it was on, it was friggin' on.

50/50 - 5/5

A great dramedy about a guy who gets cancer. Not sure how that can be done? Well the movie is up to the challenge, as 50/50 will make you laugh and cry at different times. Joseph Gordon Levitt is a great actor and this movie is another solid as hell performance for his repertoire. It's a film about coming together in tragedy and the different ways people deal with one. That sounds boring and sappy, but the movie itself keeps you hooked with great scenes and a flow like a waterfall - the dialogue is very well done and the ways the characters interact is snappy and keeps you watching. A meaningful and touching film, and one of my post-year favorites of 2011. Go see it.

Then you haven't read the book.

Exactly what I was thinking. The book is 10 times bleaker than the film.

I knew it, I haven't seen any trailers but I had a gut instinct that they would use CGI wolves. Yep, why use real wolves when we can use shitty CGI wolves that never look real no matter how hard we try.

I missed the boat on that film. All I can remember of it is a dude and his son tramping along from house to house pushing a shopping cart around in a post-apocalyptic America. I thought The Book of Eli was along the same premise but more action-y.

I have.

Slight over exaggeration on my part maybe? Sure. I got my point across.

Doing better than I did, I couldn't even make it through the opening credits. This reaffirms my suspicions, and I'm glad I didn't waste my time on it.

So, Grave of the Fireflies was endearing and powerfull and all that, but one thing keeps bothering me:
I guess it would miss the point though.

French version. I heard that the Light Years version was severely cut. I guess I'm a bit curious as to what Asimov did with the script. You're right about the mutants; at first I was wondering if I was again falling victim to horrible subtitling whenever they spoke, but luckily I can understand some french and I quickly realised what was going on.

Completely agreed. I thought this movie was amazing. It succeeds in that it gets you to actually care about Gordon Levitt's caracter. I kept telling myself : If he dies that will succccckkkk. A lot funnier than I expected,considering the subject matter. It triumphs where funny people failed.

Yeah well that one witch with the southern accent was really hot. To me at least.

I'm honestly surprised it got any kind of popularity or cult following, even an ironic one like The Room or Troll 2 or whatever. It's pretty much the rectal thermometer of the horror movie world. Total ass all around. And yeah even the opening credits were awful! How do you even do that?



It's hard to say why it worked so well; it just did. I enjoyed every minute. Just one of those movies where I can sit back, relax and enjoy it with no pretensions. I think part of it is that it didn't take itself too overly seriously - it took itself just seriously enough. It was a very down to Earth kind of movie despite the obvious Hollywoodisms on display (something that I don't dock points for on principle alone). And Levitt is just a great actor; love pretty much everything I've seen from him.

Take Shelter - 2011. Yeah...this was really boring. The open ended ending didn't really work in this case either. It sucks because I consider Micheal Shannon a tremendous actor and usually he's consistent. If I want to see him portray a paranoid schizophrenic in a compelling way,i'll just watch Bug ( a movie I can't recommend enough).

Any Coen Brothers love around here? My favourite filmmakers these days for sure. With the exception of no country for old men,which I just couldn't get into no matter how hard I tried, all of their stuff is gold. The Big Lebowski (favourite movie of all time), Fargo,Barton Fink,O brother where art thou,the list goes on. Unique sense of humour,lots of wide angle lenses,familiar actors,their work is unmistakable.

No Country is one of my favorite movies of the last decade...Big Lebowski is easily their best though. They really do just have a great style.

I dunno....O Brother, Where Art Thou might be my favorite...so many right things in that movie.

We thought you was a toad!

...What?

I liked O Brother, Where Art Thou well enough, but it's the soundtrack that I found to be A-class.

Agreed.

Of the ones I've seen (pretty much everything except the first couple), Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There and No Country are by far the best. Flicks like Fargo, O Brother, Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading are good, but ultimately fire-and-forget type of films. The Odysseia-theme of O Brother is very well executed though as is the making a lot of something out of exactly nothing of Burn After Reading. But the quirky comedy meets The Big Sleep of Big Lebowski doesn't really strike a chord with me even if the movie features some really good jokes from time to time, but aside from The Dude, I can't say I liked a single character; Julianne Moore's and John Goodman's are especially annoying, which is too bad since both are capable of so much. Fargo is another one with a noirish story spiced with quirky humor, though the story is much more vulgar this time.

Barton Fink is a masterpiece. Top 10 for me for sure.

I'll show you the life of the mind!

Coen Bros circle jerk? Hell yeah i'll get in on this! Recently read a biography of them, which i'd recommend fans check out. It goes through their careers with a section on each film, with fascinating production insights. Anyways, I haven't watched Brother Where Art Thou in about a decade - i remember liking it, and want to rewatch it again, but i find Clooney intolerable (pun intended), though i did watch said film again recently and was able to stomach it. Does anyone else wish Bad Santa was directed by the Coens and not just written by 'em? The only Coens film i didn't really like was A Serious Man. Anyone else feel this way? Burn After Reading may not be their top effort, but was pretty hilarious. Malkovich killed it.

I honestly feel that in 30 years "No Country For Old Men" will be seen as a genuine classic. It's a very memorable movie.

You think I made your life hell? Look around you,you're just a tourist with a typewriter. I live here! Goodman was awesome in that movie.

That movie is abysmal. Painful to sit through. It's not the only one I dislike, I actually don't think much of No Country, although it certainly wasn't horrible. Burn after reading took a little while to work for me, and I was bored and unentertained for a good 45 minutes, but the way it goes crazy in the last hour is hilarious and fun as hell. The CIA guys doing the wrap ups were probably the things that got to me the most. That and the dildo chair.

I loved A Serious Man. I've loved ever Coen Brother's movie I've seen. If you guys haven't seen some of their earlier ones like Miller's Crossing or Blood Simple you really need to. Fucking intense movies. Nothing's better than The Big Lebowski though.

I've seen four Coen films and haven't really liked any of them. No Country For Old Men bored me and just seemed like a glorified action flick, Miller's Crossing was extremely forgettable, Oh Brother Where Art Thou? was just annoying, though that was mainly because of Clooney. Fargo was probably the best one, largely due to the ending. I'm sure they're good filmmakers, I just don't see the appeal.

Edit: Forgot to mention The Man Who Wasn't There, I liked that one.

Out of interest, could you point out a single element that was enjoyable? I seriously can't identify a single redeeming quality.

Watched The Man from Earth for the second time tonight, brilliant flick. I wish the people I viewed it with hadn't gotten caught up on "believability." Come on. The film is so far beyond any sorts of attempts to legitimize the science fiction aspect of it...it's not about that.