Got a free Now TV box with 2 months Sky Movies on it last week so will be going on a movie watching frenzy once I get all 10 seasons of the X-Files watched, which will be no mean feat it has to be said. I love how they remastered the series on Amazon to HD looks beautiful and thats not just Scully
Been a few days... I actually watched and wrote this on Monday night/Tuesday early morning, but forgot to post it. Day 11 of Kurosawa: High and Low Synopsis: An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom. Review: Astonishing and great; nearly as perfect as Kurosawa's Rashomon and Seven Samurai. I must admit I had high hopes for Yojimbo and Sanjuro, but I was sort of let down both times. They were both good movies but they weren't profound or psychologically thrilling, but High and Low exceeded all expectations I had. This mammoth achievement has great acting, a flawless script (adapted from an Ed McBain novel), and superb direction from Kurosawa. Toshiro Mifune is awesome as Kingo Gondo (gotta love that name), a man troubled by business affairs and a pesky kidnapper who wants 30 million from him. An excellent study of human morality and the extents to which we are value money. The film also feature a solid performance from Tatsuya Nakadai, a police officer trying to crack this case. The script is composed to such a high degree of perfection that it keeps you engaged from the beginning when Gondo says "So what do you want?" to the end which shows a very psychologically challenging and emotionally gripping scene. Kurosawa executes the script brilliantly with his pacing and his depiction of the city in wide screen format. The film reminds me a lot of Stray Dog and how interesting the relationship between a cop and a criminal is. This film tops Stray Dog though by a long shot. This is probably the best police procedural film I have seen. The entire movie is a thrill ride with a remarkable ending which is so genuine in it's exploration of human nature, desire, and social mentality that it is neither existential nor happy. Definitely something I'll be coming back to again and again for years. Rating: 9.5/10
Day 77, film 77. "The flying Scotsman" with jonny lee miller, met the brownlee brothers today so thought I'd watch a cycle movie tonight.......
Horses for courses! I'm not big Will Smith fan either, but I thought was truly excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the film, it was a deep and sad indictment of a dark side of American culture and big brother enforcement.
The Lady in the Van I sometimes find Alan Bennett's writing almost as annoying as it is good. He goes from ultimate whimsey to the deepest subjects without a blink. This film is unlikely to bring him any new fans. Not a bad film but another which would have been better left as a radio play imo. And most definitely "No female co stars were worth a shag in this film". In honour of the 100th anniversary, I am going to re-watch Michael Collins and The Wind That Shakes The Barley next. A lot more exiting but no more fundamental.
Same. I ****ing hate Jim Carey. Just watched the Spooks film though. I tutted a few times at glaring security errors but it was a fun enough romp. Sort of like a Mission Impossible Lite. Never did watch the series, is it worth it?
The series was far, far better. You have to stick with it to get used to the style (split screens when the story splits at pace), but if you do you'll find it addictive. Give it a go, get to know the characters, it's way better than the film - especially series 2 onwards. I've never managed to enjoy a single minute of a Jim Carey film, he's worse that Sandler and Van bloody Diesel, which takes some doing.
So similar to 24 then? Which I thought I'd hate, but loved. Agree on Sandler, him and Carey just annoy the utter piss out of me. But Vin Diesel, honestly, I like his stuff.
24 is a good comparison, but Spooks has an edge. Tried The Last Witch Hunter last night, managed 20 minutes, then watched Concussion, which was decent.
I don't get it, why do film makers want him in their films, he's not funny, carn't act,and is a complete waste of approx 2 hours of your precious time. I looked across at my mrs laughing and though, what do we actually have in common, it's certainly not ****ing humour.....and what the **** was Terence stamp doing ???
