[Rico]

Cliffhanger was on again last night,  ITV2, 3 and 4 are fast becoming the place to be for late 80's, early 90's action movies. After Die Hard the other week I feel quite spoilt.

They just don't make ‘em like they used to.

[Fingers of a Martyr]

They just don't make ‘em like they used to

thank god

[Jim]

just seen cock and bull story. Thought it was pretty funny and worth watching if you like coogan / bryden.
Saw layer cake t'other night as well and thought was pretty good annal

[Rico]

They just don't make ‘em like they used to

thank god

You don't like Die Hard, and therefore Die Harder and Die Hard with a Vengeance?

Those movies are an inspiration, if I'm ever in a tricky situation I often think to myself, what would John McLane do?

WWJMD.

[Fingers of a Martyr]

[Bubba]

has anyone mentioned wolf creek yet? if you have a borderline personality disorder and quite fancy being pushed over the edge into full-blown psychosis then this might be just the film for you...

on the other hand, if you have any ambitions to drive into the australian outback, are looking for a film to watch with the missus, or even a film that you might enjoy watching yourself then i really would avoid it.

Finally saw this yesterday - pretty dark stuff. Bradley Murdoch anyone?

[Yossarian]

i think it's supposed to be a bit of a combination of the falconio story, the backpacker murders,  and this - http://www.bizarremag.com/true_crime.php?id=483

[moose]

my 2p's worth re stuff I've seen on DVD recently:

Wolf Creek: better than expected Texas Chainstore Massacre stylee stuff.  Simple, direct horror: no post-modern ironical shit here.  Nice photography (hard not to be given the locations), and quite well acted with admirably little attempt at all made to explain the bad-dude's behaviour or motives.  Pretty hard on the stomach though: at one point I was desperately hoping a victim would fail their latest ordeal and put us all out of our miseries.  If you liked it may I recommend the frankly bonkers french variant "Switchblade Romance"?  

Crash: eye-wateringly worthy emsemble piece.  One of those lots-of-separate-threads-all-coming-together jobs.  All very intriguing and well acted but I personally found it a bit disappointing.  It doesn't really have anything to say other than (i) racism is bad and (ii) "it's a rum old world": not exactly revelatory.  In one word: ppffttttt.

Last Days: Kurt Cobain-esque fella wanders about mumbling incoherently (not a single intelligable word is said: FACT) and subsisting on "just add water" style snacks.  The general public and various hangers-on are all shown to be foolish and shallow by comparison.   He kills himself.  The End.

[SA Chris]

Watched Million Dollar Baby on DVD last night. Did this really get Oscars?

Story line: Cliche (long), minor twist, cliche (short) cliche ending. Poor.

[Jim]

watched dead mans shoes this evening. very good film and well worth watching. not to everyones taste tho.
Thanks for the tip Yossarian, even the wife enjoyed it!

[Falling Down]

watched dead mans shoes this evening. very good film and well worth watching..

aye.. this is a good one.

A bit of a climbing link too.  Mark Herbet (the Producer/Director) was at Psalter Lane with my housemates in 1991 and his first proper 16mm film was a 15 minute short of me and a dreadlocked Gavin Ellis climbing Chequers Crack and blabbing on about how great life on the dole and climbing was.. (now the the three of us are company directors with big mortgages and famililes   ) ..

[SA Chris]

This week I have been mostly watching;

Anchorman - Stupid, but Very Funny, Will Ferrell at his best, the role suits him perfectly. Brick is a quality character.

The Collective - Mountain Biking Movie - Superb, really well good camerawork, some amazing footage, especially the urban stuff.

The Gods Must Be Crazy - One from my youth. Outdated, cheesy, but still good fun. Now on DVD.

[Bubba]

The Collective - Mountain Biking Movie - Superb, really well good camerawork, some amazing footage, especially the urban stuff.

Awesome film, and their new one is out pretty soon too.

[SA Chris]

I saw some of it at the Dundee Mountain Film Festival last year, and borrowed it to see the rest. Really refreshing to see a MTB Film that features something other than kids playing in a park. The stuff filmed from cables is really well done.

What's the new one called?

[Bubba]

"Roam"

Some stuff here:

http://www.thecollectivefilm.com/roam/index_roam.html

[Pantontino]

Not sure if Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has been mentioned? I watched it last night and loved it. More Wes Anderson eccentric genius, with some great music from bloke out of Devo, plus great Portugese versions of David Bowie songs.

[Jim]

Was thinking about this t'other day and it reminded me of the royal tenenbaums which is another top film. have just d/ld it to watch again this week.

[tommytwotone]

alright, have just watched "Hostage" with Bruce Williz, and what should come on the digi box but...die hard. Yippie-kay-aye.

Anyone seen Jarhead yet? What about that french ting "Hidden" / "cache"??

[moose]

I had a "day off" on Sunday and caught up on my cinematic self-education (2 films with a Berghaus Wall beasting and a protein-shake inbetween... god I know how to live!):

Jarhead: Pretty damn good - Full-metal Jacket-esque stuff for the MTV generation.  The first half is the normal Boot Camp brutality stuff - all very savage and entertaining.  The second half is much more thoughtful as the young fella's who've been so carefully dehumanised, had almost everything removed save a desire to kill (and be an actor in their own Apocalypse Now), are denied that opportunity whilst the Stealth Bombers do their remotely guided work.  I guess if you were in the wrong mood (or expecting an Andy McNab "slotting rag'eds" extravaganza) it could be a little dull.  I would be hard to make a film that is largely about soldiers' redundacy and tedium that isn't I guess.  For cinematography buffs there's some incredibly striking imagery though: burning oil fields, white footsteps leading through the black ash of burnt-up civilians, a game of football in an utterley boundless open desert.

Also saw Tristam Shandy:A Cock and Bull Tale - Incredibly knowing (and probably "post modern" whatever that means) film within a film of a book within a book, with lots of actors playing caricatures of themselves.  Thankfully it isn't too busy being recursive and clever that they forgot to make it funny.  If you liked Alan Partridge and 24 Hour Party People (and  are into film industry satires) it's probably a pretty safe bet for an evening's fun - rarely laugh-out loud funny, but well observed and quite witty.  Though there are lots of "in-jokes" - being familiar with Steve Coogan's debauched "muff magnet " reputation he gained in the US etc would be a bonus.

[SA Chris]

Anyone seen Jarhead yet?

See what I thought on pg 19, and obi on pg 20 of this fred.