2. Leave the World Behind
Was quite looking forward to this - an apocalypse film with three amazing actors in it? Yes please. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with Netflix exclusive films, this is an overlong and profoundly mediocre experience. The performances are decent enough, but the dialogue veers from unconvincing to terrible at times (Julia Roberts opening monologue is awful shite) and there's so many instances of the characters acting in ways that make no sense that the whole film quickly collapses in on itself. There's some decent ideas and some unnerving sequences, but they feel disjointed and not as profound as the film thinks they are. I'm sure there's some grand metaphor intended here, but I didn't really care enough to think it through. Knock at the Cabin did this much better and it was a bit shit. A massive wasted opportunity. 4

And there's a sequel, hurrah. So that's up next...

Not pretentious enough for you, gotcha.

Dark Soldier wrote:

I watched Barbie and bar a couple of scenes it's fucking trash lads, most of you been huffing glue. Shite stilted humour carried by a couple of alright performances.

*Fistbump

It should be but it isn't.

Not sure it's really a sequel per se tbh, but I'll find out soon enough

Intriguing

Swiss Army Man
Surrealist dark comedy that is just about held together by the two leads. Dano in particular is vital to the whole thing not just spiralling into being a total mess. It requires his unique brand of uncomfortable weirdness.

LivDiv wrote:

Swiss Army Man
Surrealist dark comedy that is just about held together by the two leads. Dano in particular is vital to the whole thing not just spiralling into being a total mess. It requires his unique brand of uncomfortable weirdness.

When the lights came up at the cinema for this we realised there was an old couple up the back. They asked my friends and I if we liked it and we said yes. The lady took a beat and said "yes, well, I don't think that was meant for us" with a smile. Good they say through the whole thing. I'm sure I'll feel the same about Gen-whatever filmmaking when I'm old.

4. Sisu
I know some people like this but I really, really didn't. I thought it was very poorly shot, looking like a bland straight to streaming glossy mess. I thought the action was, mostly, terribly staged and filmed and with too many sequences relying on "if the camera can't see it then it's not happening" stuff. Seriously, they're in a convoy, how do you not see stuff happening in the car in front. I don't understand why the Nazi's spoke English. Or why anyone really spoke at all, it never added anything worthwhile. And final nit-pick is that it starts by saying 'Sisu' can't be translated and then proceeds to translate it. I know they likely meant "directly translated into a single word" but still that was stupid. The mine sequence was good though.
[3]

5. Living
I connected very strongly with this film. Possibly partly due to my gran passing away recently but even apart from that it's a beautifully told version of a film story that you kind of know where it will go. The acting is brilliant, the score is stunning and it's just beautiful to look at. I hope the focus puller won some focus pulling awards.
[9]

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Can't hear the name Paul Danan without remembering a story I read about him turning on the Christmas lights somewhere (presumably because Jambo was busy). Apparently to warm the crowd up, which obviously contained plenty of kids, just before the big switch flip he opted for the low-hanging hype line "make some motherfuckin' NOOOISE!!".

That was, of course, Preston. He was then sacked from the panto he was supposed to be doing.

So is Preston.

Shouldn't have turned his back on jungle fighting.

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

  5. Living I connected very strongly with this film. Possibly partly due to my gran passing away recently but even apart from that it's a beautifully told version of a film story that you kind of know where it will go. The acting is brilliant, the score is stunning and it's just beautiful to look at. I hope the focus puller won some focus pulling awards. [9]

A brilliant film. I watched the Japanese original (Kurosawa's Ikuru) and I may have preferred the remake. But I reckon it's more a cultural preference than the actual film. Nighy's brilliant performance is almost an impersonation of the Takashi Shimura performance and the film is a very accurate redux , apart from the longer funeral/wake sequence that the JP original has.

davyK wrote:

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

  5. Living I connected very strongly with this film. Possibly partly due to my gran passing away recently but even apart from that it's a beautifully told version of a film story that you kind of know where it will go. The acting is brilliant, the score is stunning and it's just beautiful to look at. I hope the focus puller won some focus pulling awards. [9]

A brilliant film. I watched the Japanese original (Kurosawa's Ikuru) and I may have preferred the remake. But I reckon it's more a cultural preference than the actual film. Nighy's brilliant performance is almost an impersonation of the Takashi Shimura performance and the film is a very accurate redux , apart from the longer funeral/wake sequence that the JP original has.

It reminded me that I really haven't watched much Kurosawa and I need to rectify that. Will probably watch the original later this year.