[GCW]

i recently watched "last man standing" with bruce willis and liked it alot.
and also "the funeral" from abel ferrara.

Last Man Standing is a crap re-vamp of the classic Clint eatswood film, For a Fistfull of Dollars.  Go watch the original instead of the Vest Wearing Mumbler.   

[matthew]

Saw a french film called "Banlieue 13" (district 13 in english i think). It was sorta Essex boys meets Jump london meets army of gangland thugs. Was awesome though, free running and guns is a damn good combination.

[lorentz]

All you Space Cadets go see Sunshine. Blew my mind... Totally.

[Paz]

There's actually only about 20 mins of free running max, which is good but most of which you've seen before in Jump London, Jump UK, and the stuff at the start of Casion Royale is way better.  Yamikazi had even better stunts., but they could've been on wires.

It's an OK film, but they tried too hard to give it a plot (though it was made at the time of the Paris riots to make it topical).  Surely they know that we the film going public aren't scared anymore by mere nuclear missiles, especially ones aimed at France.  I would have rather it had no plot at all and loads more free running, that's why most of us went to see it.  If I want a plot I'll read Le Carre.  Not even the most die hard Luc Besson fan would've gone to tick all his movies, as lord knows he's come up with some right turkies.  It just flops at the `would you watch it again' question?  No, next time you'll just skip straight to the parkour. 

For proper stunts, Born to Fight is worth renting if you've got one of those free renting DVD memberships.  It has a really awesome bit with a couple of trucks that they actually did, and were lucky nobody got hurt doing.  Until Hollywood takes note I really don't feel any need to watch another new american film again.

[Stubbs]

I watched Banleiue 13 at the cinema and then watched it again on video, twice.  It's a briliinat film to stick on in when you just want to watch interesting moving things, go 'ooooh' and laugh occasionally (much in the same vein as Taxi, which is better).  I thought the free running in B13 was better than the bond film, as it was more realistic and there wasn't any stunt men involved.

[Paz]

So it seems like I do have watch it again then.

[Pantontino]

Watched Old Joy, a film featuring Will Oldham in one of the lead roles, and recommended on here a while back by Uncle.

I loved the 'less is more' simplicity of it, and I found the sense of poignancy and loss underlying the dialogue very moving; I guess we've all had/have got friends like Kurt, or maybe some of us actually are Kurt!

Make sure you see it.

Here's some discussion of it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Joy-Daniel-London/dp/B000N2HDG4

[Eddies]

How about 'Old Boy' prob been mentioned several times already but if you havent seen it yet thats deffo worth a watch.

[mark]

Watched Old Joy, a film featuring Will Oldham in one of the lead roles, and recommended on here a while back by Uncle.

I loved the 'less is more' simplicity of it, and I found the sense of poignancy and loss underlying the dialogue very moving; I guess we've all had/have got friends like Kurt, or maybe some of us actually are Kurt!

Make sure you see it.

Here's some discussion of it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Joy-Daniel-London/dp/B000N2HDG4

Just watched this. I enjoyed it and I appreciate that the long pauses were stylistically important but I did wish there was a bit more dialogue to explore the characters rather than leaving so much implicit. It's only 70 mintes long. Another twenty talk-filled minutes wouldn't bloat it out too much, I reckon.

I also think they should make another version where a horde of zombies attack them while they're in the hot tubs and they have to fight their way to freedom through the woods. Maybe that's just me though.

Finally, did Al get much money for letting Slim act in it?

[Idol eyes]

Pans Labyrinth... ****

[Houdini]

The Chumscrubber.

An unusual and at times moving film with a strong cast that had many chances to be shit, but turned out great.  A hard one to describe.  Definitely worth 2 quid at blockbuster, give it a whirl.

[Jim]

will give it a look.
Usually a link to IMDB is a good way to describe a film IMO
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406650/

[Houdini]

 ???

Just booked tickets for Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End.  Can't wait!

[Bubba]

Don't think this one's been done yet:

Saw C.R.A.Z.Y. at the weekend and have to say it's one of the best films I've seen for quite some time.

It's a French-Canadian film that documents the growing pains of a Quebec family with four sons, the main theme being one son's (and his family's) struggle with coming to terms with his less than clear-cut sexuality as he grows up.

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking but with consistently great acting, script, direction and soundtrack.

It doesn't sound terribly exciting but honestly this is a real gem of a film, watch it.

[moose]

some brief recommendations / warnings-off:

Pan's Labyrinth. 
It really is as good as everyone says, and I normally run a mile from anything that smells of "magical realism" (I came close to setting my copy of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" on fire). The brutality of the Spanish civil war "reality" actually makes you long for the retreats into the (frankly grotesque) fantasy world rather than viewing it as an intrusion into the narrative (which I guess is the point).

Black Book. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389557/
Personally I thought this was complete rubbish.  It's essentially a glossy modern version of one of those old sunday matinee WWII espionage thrillers (the likes of  "Operation Crossbow").  Overlong, took itself far too seriously, had a hackneyed but hugely convoluted plot, and none of the usual redeeming features of the old versions of this kind of film (e.g. scenery chewing performances from slumming it thesps).

Hot Fuzz. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/
Good fun with lots of nice touches... but far too long.  Would probably have been better converted into a short "Police Squad" style series.

Last King of Scotland http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455590/
Brilliant - possibly the year's best film.  Veers between the funny and the stomach churning, utterly compelling, and has excellent performances all round (although Forest Whitaker as Idi is the obvious draw).  It is frankly bizarre that it only got one Oscar (Best Actor for Forest) rather than none or lots - as it is one of those films that you would not be surprised if it were too "minor" to be acknowledged at all, that its existence was noted, yet only rewarded in a slightly tokenistic way seems almost insulting.

Flags of Our Fathers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418689/
Dull... worthy but dull. 

Thank You for Smoking http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427944/
Broad satire on the smoking and "spin" / PR industries.  Similar plot to the old Jim Carey film Liar Liar but less corny and apologetic.  Not really savage enough to be in any way a classic (more Zoolander than "The Insider") but good fun and a decent, undemanding rental for a saturday night after a day at the crag.

oh and a heads-up: on saturday at 11.20 BBC2:
The Station Agent.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340377/
Really good, much lauded, indie comedy from a few years back.  About a fella with dwarfism who moves to the back of beyond to indulge in being a lonely misanthrope but finds himself drawn into the (fucked-up) lives of two people he meets.  Funny, thought provoking, and far less twee than you would imagine from any pocket description .

[Jim]

Have finally found Mike Leigh's Naked on DVD rip. Its on demonoid if you wanna find it.
Have been looking for it for ages. Quality film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107653/

[moose]

Have finally found Mike Leigh's Naked on DVD rip

fucking genius film that.... have you heard the Orbital track that's set to the Chernobyl / wormwood rant - I think it's called Salt (or s.a.l.t)? 

[Jim]

I know the track you mean, been looking for it but I think it might be by the Orb and not orbital

[Jim]

It is the orb, found it.
Correct title tho, S.A.L.T

"Oh, do you ever get the feeling that you're being followed?"
"Are you not familiar with the book of Revelations of St. John, the final book of the Bible prophesied the apocalypse?"
"He forced everyone to receive a mark on his right hand and on his forehead, so that no one shall be able to buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is the name of the beast and the number of his name and the number of the beast is 666." 
"What can such a specific prophesy mean?"
"What is the mark?"
"The mark is the barcode, the ubiquitous barcode, that you'll find on every <Vogno???> and every packet of Johnnies and every <Poxy Cartlied???>.  Every barcode is divided into two parts by three markers, those three markers always represented by the number 6 6 6 6."
"Now what does it say? No one shall be able to buy or sell without that mark. And now what they're planning to do in order to eradicate all credit card fraud, in order to precipitate a totally cashless society, what they're planning to do they've already tested on the American troops, they're going to subcutaneous laser tattoo a mark onto your right hand or onto your forehead. They're going to replace plastic with flesh. Fact!"
"In the same book of Revelations when the Seven Seals were broken open on the Day of Judgment, when the seven angels blow the trumpets and third angel blows up wormwood, wormwood will fall from the sky. Wormwood will poison the third part, and all the waters in the third part and all the land and many many many people will die. Now do you know what the Russian translation of wormwood is? Chernobyl. Fact!"
"On August the 18th, 1999 the planets of our solar system are going to line up into the shape of a cross."
"They're going to line up in the fixed signs of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio. Which just happen to correspond to the four beasts of the Apocalypse as mentioned in the book of Daniel. Another fact!"
"Do you think that the amoeba ever dreamed it would evolve into the frog? And when that first frog shimmied out of the water and employed its vocal cords in order to attract a mate onto the turn of gravity, did that frog ever imagine that the insignificant call would evolve into all the languages of the world into all the literature of the world? And just as that froggie could never have conceived of Shakespeare so we can not possibly imagine our destiny.  Look, if you take the whole of time and represent it by one year, were only in the first few moments of the first of January. There's a long way to go.  Only now were not going to spout extra limbs and wings and fins because evolution itself is evolving. When it comes, the apocalypse itself will be part of the processof that leap of evolution. By the very definition of apocalypse, mankind must cease to exist, at least in a material form. We'll evolve into something that transcends matter, into a species of pure thought. Are you with me?"

[Johnny Brown]

Genius, quite possibly my all time favourite film.
Clm has the script in book form I do believe - he should be able to fill those parentheses for you. Funnily enough my very first trip to Sheffield involved both an Orbital gig and the film Naked.

[Bonjoy]

Which Orbital gig, I might have been there?

[Johnny Brown]

Octagon, autumn '94? Think they played there again a couple of years later too.

[Bonjoy]

Think I missed those

[Johnny Brown]

Come on then, which one did you see?

[Bonjoy]

 I went to two in Sheff, the one I can recall was at the Leadmill. Got chucked out for taking speed (bouncer leaned over the toilet door, caught me red handed), but managed to sneak back in past a pissed up doorman. It was a Megadog thing, their first gig in Sheff.