[andy popp]

Watched Black Panther yesterday (it opened this weekend in the US). I enjoyed it a lot as a piece of entertainment, though I don't normally watch this genre at all and so don't really have any yard sticks to judge it by. But to watch it in 2018 with a white nationalist administration and president in the White House, with white supremacy super emboldened, was fascinating. It was more overtly political - about blackness and about the relationship between Africa and African-Americans - than I expected. For the US as a whole and for African-Americans in particular its hard to exaggerate the importance of this film as a cultural event. The city we live in doesn't have a particularly large black community but there were many, many African-Americans in the theatre, which was great to see.

[Fiend]

The only film I wanted to see in the cinema in the near future.....won't be coming to the cinema: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/annihilation-paramount-netflix/551810/ absolute shit on a shitty stick. This is terrible for filmmaking overall.

[teestub]

That's a real shame, I read the Area X books last year off the back of seeing the trailer for this (hadn't heard of them before), and was really looking to see how they brought it to the big screen. The reviews seem to be good, but not good enough to get bums on seats in the States it seems.

[andy popp]

Watched a brilliant film last night, The Florida Project. Set in low-rent motels surrounding Orlando, populated by people just about surviving, by the skin of their teeth. It seems to be mostly plotless as follows the aimless wanderings of a bunch of six year old friends. But almost unnoticed a story arc develops. Beautiful to watch and also often very funny it is also distressing, given the poverty and dysfunction. The actors are almost all complete unknowns and the children are quite brilliant, the direction must have been something else to get these performances out of them. Willem Dafoe gives a great understated performance. Trailer:

[Mike Tyson]

I’d imagine it’s been recommended before (possibly by me) but if not, I can’t speak highly enough of Baby Driver. I went t the cinema to see it, but it’s just come onto Sky. Brilliant, clever film.

[Teaboy]

I saw it at Kandal FFand really enjoyed it, in fact I thought it was brilliant. He's someone I knew a little about but there's so much to his life that the film rattled along at a pretty fair pace.

[Teaboy]

Ah yes, I had almost forgotten that. So much crammed into one life/film.

[TobyD]

An old one but currently on Netflix, inglorious bastards . I really enjoyed this; a self indulgent piece of film making, but sufficiently entertaining to carry it off.  7.5/10

[Falling Down]

I love Inglorious Basterds.  Tarantino’s best film IMHO. Might watch it this weekend now I’ve been reminded.

[SA Chris]

Reminds me (kind of - Brad Pitt / War link).

Watched Fury recently, with Brad Pitt as commander of Sherman tank (fnarr). Thought it was really good, some incredibly intense battle scenes, although the ending felt a bit improbable. Recommended if you like that sort of thing. I'd give it a strong 7 too.

[Fultonius]

Reminds me (kind of - Brad Pitt / War link).

Watched Fury recently, with Brad Pitt as commander of Sherman tank (fnarr). Thought it was really good, some incredibly intense battle scenes, although the ending felt a bit improbable. Recommended if you like that sort of thing. I'd give it a strong 7 too.

You're going to think I'm a massive cock^tm but I thought Fury was gash!  There was about 15 minutes in the middle that was fairly well scripted and acted, but the rest was just an an aimless onslaught with no real story, point or interest.

Maybe we saw some heavily redacted version as we were in China? 

[Falling Down]

Watched a brilliant film last night, The Florida Project.

We watched this last weekend.  It’s absolutely brilliant.  Just like you describe it.  Very worth watching.

[gme]

Rainy bank holiday prompted trip to see Isle of Dogs with the kids.
Thoroughly enjoyed by all of us. Bit of cliched japanaise stuff but all in all a great few hours.

[Falling Down]

I usually give horror movies a wide berth but decided to give A Dark Song a go yesterday afternoon.  A troubled woman seeks help from a practicing occultist to perform a ritual to speak to her deceased son.  They hole up in an isolated house whilst he (Steve Oram from Sightseers) performs the difficult and dangerous ritual of Abramelim the mage with her which takes several months with several twists and turns along the way.  It's creepy, weird and really good. 

[TobyD]

I know it's old news now, but just saw
3 billboards... Brilliant. Funny and human. 9/10.

[SA Chris]

Reminds me (kind of - Brad Pitt / War link).

Watched Fury recently, with Brad Pitt as commander of Sherman tank (fnarr). Thought it was really good, some incredibly intense battle scenes, although the ending felt a bit improbable. Recommended if you like that sort of thing. I'd give it a strong 7 too.

You're going to think I'm a massive cock^tm but I thought Fury was gash!  There was about 15 minutes in the middle that was fairly well scripted and acted, but the rest was just an an aimless onslaught with no real story, point or interest.

Don't know, maybe just gives you another opportunity to disagree with something else I say.

[Fultonius]

 Bit harsh!

Anyhoos, we did actually see it when we were in China, and the storyline kept feeling like it was missing something, so we did actually wonder how edited it was.

We both came out feeling like we'd actually just survived a battle. The noise and scenes were definitely evocative, just didn't really like it. Probably more personal taste than anything.

Either way, you're wrong so there!

[andy popp]

Watched a brilliant film last night, The Florida Project.

We watched this last weekend.  It’s absolutely brilliant.  Just like you describe it.  Very worth watching.

Glad you enjoyed it.

[user deactivated]

I usually give horror movies a wide berth but decided to give A Dark Song a go yesterday afternoon.  A troubled woman seeks help from a practicing occultist to perform a ritual to speak to her deceased son.  They hole up in an isolated house whilst he (Steve Oram from Sightseers) performs the difficult and dangerous ritual of Abramelim the mage with her which takes several months with several twists and turns along the way.  It's creepy, weird and really good.

It’s a good one! I can’t think of much else like it? I just started rewatching dead mans shoes on 4OD another great brit flick

[moose]

I just started rewatching dead mans shoes on 4OD another great brit flick

"I'm not threatening you mate. It's beyond fucking words."

[TobyD]

Isle of Dogs saw this at the weekend. I really liked it. Political satire and amusing dogs. Bryan Cranston is great in it. I'd love to be able to see him in Network: just won an award for it I see. IOD: 8/10

[duncan]

Saw Isle of Dogs last night with the lad. Not really a younger kids movie though he still liked it and proudly translated for his cloth-eared Dad. The Japaneserie was lovingly done and didn't feel too much like appropriation though the American who saves the day felt like a miss-step. I hadn't realised how much a satire of political populism it was, nor quite how much it nodded to Kurosawa, and really enjoyed these aspects. 

The visuals were tremendous and completely distinctive. We'd been to an exhibition of the sets over the weekend so were primed to the style.

[Duncan campbell]

Watched The Shape of Water last night - pretty weird but also pretty good! Not sure exactly what genre it would be classed as but the basic gist is a mute cleaner falling in love with some sort of strange fish-man in a US govt research facility set sometime around WW2. Definitely left-field but worth a watch for sure

[TobyD]

I agree with both Duncans! Those were two highly enjoyable movies.

There doesn't seem to be much out of interest right now which I haven't seen; anyone seen Ready Player One?   

[TobyD]

Rampage

All the precis you need is: giant mutant indestructible animals wreak havoc. Giant flying wolf eats helicopters. Giant crocodile eats skyscrapers.

Artistic merit 0/10
Enjoyment factor 10/10