[TobyD]

I followed this up with The Banshees of Inishirin. VERY different types of film but Banshees was incredible. Film of the year contender for me, not that I've watched all that many 2022 films in 2022.

I'd agree with that, it's amazing. For me, about equal to Living.

[TobyD]

Got round to watching glass onion last night, I thought it was sensational and somehow managed to top the first film.

On Glass Onion,  I thought it was highly entertaining but not quite as good as the first one.  GO was a bit too silly for my liking,  and takes too long introducing the characters.  Craig and Norton save it, however. I really hope they don't try to spin out the idea into several more movies, as I'd struggle to see how they can take it anywhere interesting now.

[Bradders]

I really hope they don't try to spin out the idea into several more movies, as I'd struggle to see how they can take it anywhere interesting now.

They're going to though aren't they.

Finished The Banshees of Inisherin yesterday, and I really don't quite know what to make of it!

NSFW  :

I have so many questions!
- Colm has clearly lost his marbles. Why on earth is everyone carrying on interacting with him almost as normal (playing music etc.) once he's cut off his own finger, let alone after the other four go?!
- How would a finger kill the donkey?
- What happened to Dominic? Presumably his father didn't kill him, did he kill himself? After finding out Padraic maybe isn't so nice after all and having been rejected by Siobhan?
- Why is it called Banshees of Inisherin when Inisherin doesn't exist and it was shot on Inis Mor which definitely does exist?

Shall be watching it again at least!

[scragrock]

I really hope they don't try to spin out the idea into several more movies, as I'd struggle to see how they can take it anywhere interesting now.

They're going to though aren't they.

Finished The Banshees of Inisherin yesterday, and I really don't quite know what to make of it!

NSFW  :

I have so many questions!
- Colm has clearly lost his marbles. Why on earth is everyone carrying on interacting with him almost as normal (playing music etc.) once he's cut off his own finger, let alone after the other four go?!
- How would a finger kill the donkey?
- What happened to Dominic? Presumably his father didn't kill him, did he kill himself? After finding out Padraic maybe isn't so nice after all and having been rejected by Siobhan?
- Why is it called Banshees of Inisherin when Inisherin doesn't exist and it was shot on Inis Mor which definitely does exist?

Shall be watching it again at least!

I am with you on this, i absolutely loved the movie as its beautiful, every scene is a painting. The acting is ridiculously good, i also get that it is trying to parallel the pointlessness of the civil war where families and friends ended up as enemies but i wanted it to have a more conclusive ending, perhaps this says more about me than the film

[Paul B]

Craig and Norton save it, however. I really hope they don't try to spin out the idea into several more movies, as I'd struggle to see how they can take it anywhere interesting now.

They didn't save it for me. I remember seeing the trailer for the first one in a cinema and thinking it wasn't for me. However, it was on a subscription service at a later point and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it but not this version. Halfway through I thought perhaps it had enough of a twist to prove me wrong for a second time but not this time.

[teestub]

They didn't save it for me. I remember seeing the trailer for the first one in a cinema and thinking it wasn't for me. However, it was on a subscription service at a later point and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it but not this version. Halfway through I thought perhaps it had enough of a twist to prove me wrong for a second time but not this time.

Conversely I gave up on the first one when it was first streaming as I couldn’t get into it, but I hugely enjoyed the massive amount of piss taking in this one (not least the Jesus style wall mural), which made it a joy.

I’m not sure it would be as funny with an actual southern gent playing the lead role, the ham definitely adds to the overall effect.

[jwi]

I just saw the latest (2022) of many Caravaggio biopics at the movies and thought it was great.



Bio-pic in a very loose sense of the word as I suspect that most biographical details are partly or completely invented, but it had a marvellous cast and very good depiction of the art created by the great painter.

[Duma]

I'm also a bit mystified by all the love for glass onion. Enjoyed knives out, in a mild sort of way, but the newer one just seemed to add nothing.

Rewatched Bad Times At The El Royale last night, reminded me how much I love it, Cynthia Erivo is just fantastic.

[Moo]

I wasn’t sure about banshees at first but it’s stayed with me more than any other film I’ve seen this year. I didn’t feel like I’d want to sit through it again but now I’m starting to feel like I might have to.

[andy popp]

We watched Banshees last night and also loved it: very, very funny, beautifully acted, profoundly sad.

In response to Bradders' questions (I've never used NSFW before so hope I haven't messed this up):

NSFW  :

1. They've all lost their marbles (except Siobhan)
2. The donkey choked to death
3. Surely we're meant to think Dominic killed himself
4. It's fiction

And one of my own, I wasn't sure who Siobhan was corresponding with on the mainland. I probably just missed it amid the ridiculous amount of fireworks being detonated outside.

[Teaboy]

As we are scraping the barrel of things to watch we ended up watching Troll on Netflix and really enjoyed it but no idea why.

[Falling Down]

Is Banshees only available on Disney?

We watched Notre Dam on Fire last night as we’re going through a disaster movie phase. It was great and very nicely done splicing real footage with the acted/set scenes. (The storyville doc on the same subject is excellent BTW).

Happy new year all!

On a film related note, I’m off to see Andrei Rublev at the cinema in a couple of hours for a rare screening. Can’t wait to see it on a big screen.

[seankenny]

I’ve only seen Andrei Rublev once and it was at the cinema, absolutely one of the best films ever and a real experience.

[TobyD]

Is Banshees only available on Disney?

Probably still in some cinemas, especially as I'd have thought it would be up for awards of some sort. I saw it on a big screen, which is well worth it.

[Falling Down]

Doh! (Slaps forehead) of course. Will go next weekend with W ‘cos she’s off work.

Sean, Andrei Rublev was quite the experience in the cinema, I saw so much more than I did whilst watching at home.

[TobyD]

Recently watched Hunger Games: catching fire on Netflix. It's a decent stab at a dystopian action movie although as a political satire it's pretty clumsy. Other films have pulled this off better, (District 13, Total Recall) but it was still really enjoyable. Probably a better TV movie than I'd imagine it was in the cinema.

[SA Chris]

Reply to Andy's Banshees question below. I've NSFWed it to, but don't think it reveals much of the plot.

NSFW  :

And one of my own, I wasn't sure who Siobhan was corresponding with on the mainland. I probably just missed it amid the ridiculous amount of fireworks being detonated outside.

Other than being offered a job as a librarian, which I guess she applied for, there wasn't any other correspondence.

FWIW I wasn't crazy about the film as a whole; stunning scenery, great acting, but plot didn't seem to amount to much.

[Duma]

Assume all you Banshees lovers have seen The Guard?

[Bradders]

Yes, and given the choice I think I'd choose The Guard to watch again. Funnier, kind of sad too, and much more satisfying.

[SA Chris]

And In Bruge. No similarities other than the same 2 actors, but a great film. Maybe I was expecting similar.

[TobyD]

FWIW I wasn't crazy about the film as a whole; stunning scenery, great acting, but plot didn't seem to amount to much.

I'd argue that Banshees has a very clearly defined narrative,  in that it tells the story of a relationship ending.  There are other things happening around this,  but I liked its raw simplicity. I also thought that the way that it ends is part of its appeal.  It resists the idea of any neat conclusions and leaves you thinking about what you've just seen.  Admittedly,  I wouldn't have liked it if what I wanted was some pure, uncomplicated entertainment,  which I often do. It's a great movie,  in my opinion,  but perhaps not the most immediately entertaining. 

I don't think that there's anything wrong with just wanting to be entertained,  incidentally,  I think it just depends what you want out of the experience. 

[scragrock]

FWIW I wasn't crazy about the film as a whole; stunning scenery, great acting, but plot didn't seem to amount to much.

I'd argue that Banshees has a very clearly defined narrative,  in that it tells the story of a relationship ending.  There are other things happening around this,  but I liked its raw simplicity. I also thought that the way that it ends is part of its appeal.  It resists the idea of any neat conclusions and leaves you thinking about what you've just seen.  Admittedly,  I wouldn't have liked it if what I wanted was some pure, uncomplicated entertainment,  which I often do. It's a great movie,  in my opinion,  but perhaps not the most immediately entertaining. 

I don't think that there's anything wrong with just wanting to be entertained,  incidentally,  I think it just depends what you want out of the experience.

I suppose if you were after everyone talking about your movie long after they viewed it then that is exactly what has happened.

Let me be clear here, i have recommended Banshees to several friends since i watched it because it is a beautiful film with amazing acting and an intriguing plot, the caveat being that they discuss how they felt about it afterwards.

I too watched Banshees off the back of In Bruges, I found Bruges to be way more satisfying.

[Will Hunt]

I wouldn't normally go for a romance but I thought Lady Chatterley's Lover on Netflix was very good.

[duncan]

Tár is an orchestral conductor at the pinnacle of her profession but who grooms and preys on women. Like most of the film this is ambiguous - she’s clearly autocratic and somewhat Machiavellian, but probably needs to be given who she is and the sea she swims in - but only hints at the sexual predation. It doesn't have a clear plot and there are certainly no goodies or baddies. It would have been more audience friendly, but probably less interesting, to have the central character be a Harvey Weinstein figure. Classic music is not short of them, take a bow Placido Domingo or Jimmy Levine. That Tár is a lesbian and apparently an impressive and sympathetic figure - a kind mother and often supportive wife - makes the tragic flaw that undoes her so much more surprising. Her complete commitment to her art is quite moving but the way she constantly imposes her views is repellent. It’s an excellent portrait of the manipulative narcissism that quite a few extremely talented people have - everything has to revolve around them. The much talked-about masterclass scene is a good example of the film's ambiguity. Left-wing and Conservative commentators, both spectacularly missing the point, have taken it as a defence of western values against student workery - one of the student’s doesn’t like Bach because he’s a “white cis male” - but this is completely undermined by Tár’s behaviour: it’s a study in dominance and narcissism, not listening to the students, imposing your view on everyone.

Cate Blanchett is superb in every way (except her conducting technique, which won’t worry any but classical nerds) and has to be a shoe-in for the Oscars. It looks gorgeous: all bleached-out shades of grey, Berlin modernist architecture and design, shot in ultra long takes. It has exceptionally good sound, not just the music. Like nearly all modern films it's about 20 minutes too long, there are a couple of sub-plots that could have been cut. It’s quite implausible in places. There are a number of classical music in-jokes and several barely-disguised secondary characters but you don’t need to know about the world to enjoy it. The ending is hilarious or heart breaking depending on your viewpoint. I can’t stop thinking about it and I’m keen to see it again.

[Yossarian]

Enys Men

What a film. It makes the director’s (Mark Jenkin) previous black and white hand-cranked movie Bait look like Avengers Endgame. If you need an antidote to overhyped computer-generated twaddle, this is it. (Much better review by Mark Kermode in the Guardian.)

The Menu

This had quite good reviews, but I thought it was fairly irritating and extremely pleased with itself.

I decided to give Knives Out a go based on the positive words on here, but I lasted about 20 minutes before my patience ran out…