djchump wrote:

Minkymu wrote:

infernal kept reminding me of John Woos hard boiled im not sure why, maybe the undercover cop in the crime organisation story line

Probably also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Leung_Chiu-wai

Lol that's exactly why

Accused (2023, Netflix)

Holy fuck thats good. Young lad on the train home to see his parents is mistaken for a terrorist bomber after a bomb goes off at the train station he was at. Similar clothes to the bomber.

Social media goes on one, finds him, finds his address and...yeah. Actual terrifying look at the consequences of speculation. Great film, tough watch.

[8]

I didn’t mind it. It’s just nothing special. Unlike Infernal Affairs, which is great.

I don't like either of them.

I thought The Departed was pretty good when I watched it recently. Haven't watched Infernal Affairs for a while, tho...

Speaking of John Woo hes back:

This looks tremendous

https://youtu.be/iCNsLqHr4d0?si=gELyE1QoY9QsPEzT

Hard Candy I remember there being a bit of a fuss over this one. It's a subject that's almost mainstream now, but it's still a neat variation on the peado sting tale. Splendid two hander even though it requires a very slight suspension of belief.

39. Terrestrial Verses - 4 Oct (LFF)
Nine vignettes of 8-9 minutes each, based in Tehran, where a statonary camera (in 4:3 format screen) captures an Iranian citizen having an exchange with an off-screen member of authority. Each one portrays a different way in which citizens struggle with an oppressive, backwards and heavy-handed regime. So it almost feels like a documentary. However, it misses the mark somewhat by being a bit mundane and not all of the situations were strong enough to elicit any emotional response. Interesting final shot, but by then I was bored.
[5]

40. Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell - 5 Oct (LFF)
3-hour Vietnamese debut feature following the spiritual journey of a young man who loses a relative and deals with grief and his own existential crisis. Very long shots/takes and slow camera movements capturing a laid-back cast of mostly locals, the film is reminiscent of Tarkovsky, Kiarostami and Weerasethakul. Deserved winner of Un Certain Regard at Cannes earlier this year.
[9]

106. The Strangers
Still one of great home invasion films and also just nice to watch a horror film where the camera isn't all up in the actors face so you can't see what's going on and that's meant to be scary. I wish more films used space like this does. Does rely on characters making some stupid choices though.
[7]

107. Fear
Well this was a lot of fun! Mark Wahlberg plays a good douchebag, who would have thunk it. Really goes places by the end too. These 90s thrillers are great.
[7]

108. Hard Candy
Still a very solid film mainly because of the two main performances. The thing that holds it back is the early 2000s filmmaking styling I think. A few too many ultra close-ups.
[7]

109. The Collector
Meeeeeeeeh. Definitely riding on the coat-tails of Saw and Se7en and all that stuff but made by someone who doesn't know how to turn those influences into something good. There is some good ideas in it but it also has a lot of stuff you're meant to just handwave.
[3]

110. Interstellar
I'll keep going to see this at IMAX every couple of years or so because it's a great experience on the big big screen. Like most new Nolan's though it's a shame he think his viewers are a bunch of dumb cunts and everything needs to be explained and played out to ensure that no one could struggle to understand what is going on. This time I wondered if one side of the end sequence could have just been completely cut out and it still would work. I think it would as all it does is repeat what is already going on except one character is vocalising it.
[8]

111. The Creator
I really wanted to like this but I thought it was just a bit of a mess. Is it a hard hitting sci-fi trying to shine a light on the atrocities that have occurred in various Asian nations over the years by western countries or is it a jokey Aliens-esque action sci-fi? It also just doesn't flow too well, splits it's attention between too many characters so you don't end up caring about anyone. Pretty at times though.
[3]

112. Don't Breathe
This is such a well crafted film. Not only in how it really makes sure you know the layout of the place so everything makes sense throughout but also in how it plays with your expectations. Sometimes doing exactly as you think and then others not, keeps you on your toes throughout. Just goes on a little too long at the end I think.
[7]

113. No One Will Save You
Pretty fun little alien film although I thought the way the aliens looked and moved was quite funny even though the music was telling me I should be scared. Such long arms! So silly. Good for an easy arvo watch.
[6]

114. Them
I had this in my mind as fitting in with the French Extremity stuff but it doesn't have any hard edges really and the characters are really really fucking dumb which just makes it annoying to watch. Had some promise but squandered it.
[3]

115. Sleeping With The Enemy
Another super fun shlocky 90s thriller although with a pretty hard edge with all the abuse stuff. I don't think Julia Roberts is a particularly good actress in this but she has a crazy amount of screen charisma, you can tell why she became a star. Another thing I like about these films is how nice they look. Real cinematography and not just shite shot on a stage to look flat and boring like nearly all modern Hollywood releases.
[6]

50. Shanghai Knights
Great fun. Jackie Chan being his awesome self and Owen Wilson doing his thing as a surfer cowboy - just a little glass of sunshine in a film. 8

51. Clash of the Titans (2010)
Incapacitated on the couch, with no one to pass me the remote, I watched this. What a cast! Why did they do it? Was it for the money? It must have been for the money! Ralph Fiennes looking like a fancy Fagin, Liam Neeson as Zeus in very shiny armour and an appalling beard, Mads Mikkelson with a perplexing braid, Nicholas Hoult being a shitty kid who does nothing, Jason Flemyng with a confusing complexion and loads of red-shirts who die because they have to. Hot garbage. 5

Gremill wrote:

50. Shanghai Knights
Great fun. Jackie Chan being his awesome self and Owen Wilson doing his thing as a surfer cowboy - just a little glass of sunshine in a film. 8

51. Clash of the Titans (2010)
Incapacitated on the couch, with no one to pass me the remote, I watched this. What a cast! Why did they do it? Was it for the money? It must have been for the money! Ralph Fiennes looking like a fancy Fagin, Liam Neeson as Zeus in very shiny armour and an appalling beard, Mads Mikkelson with a perplexing braid, Nicholas Hoult being a shitty kid who does nothing, Jason Flemyng with a confusing complexion and loads of red-shirts who die because they have to. Hot garbage. 5

Jackie Chan's an awful human being, according to some people.

He has worked with some of the best Hollywood has to offer as well. You'd think some of it would rub off on him.

Dark Soldier wrote:

V/H/S/85 feels like one of the strongest entrants in the series for me.

The segments ate interlaced with random clips of television recordings, as if its some weird VHS mixtape thing. Some segments overlap, and I loved the whole presentation. Genuinely the first one, to me, that feels like some sort of 'lost media'.

Nothing scary, but suitably gruesome, fun and styled of the era

[7.5]

Didn't Gareth (the raid) Evans do a vhs short based on a cult? I remember rating that one

nick_md wrote:

Jackie Chan's an awful human being, according to some people.

Deets pls. What kind of awful are we talking??

Dark Soldier wrote:

He did yeah. Derrickson of Sknister etc fame does on in this one. Its interesting but ties the least into the films aesthetic

Also the guy who did The Ritual. I'm keen for this, gonna watch tomorrow