In 1979, American teens were cruisin', listening to Southern rock or disco, and in the summertime, they might volunteer and be a counselor at a summer camp.

Завтрак на траве is one in a long line of Soviet television films that take place in their Pioneer camps. The genre consists of mostly wholesome stuff, and despite the limited pool of possibilities, somehow manages to captivate the viewer with its unguarded innocence and a commitment to the spirit of bonding.

During this era, American teens at camp were slightly different, having replaced campfire sing-alongs with playing naughty games after the tykes are sent to bed. The bad American teens fooled around, which resulted in them being violently slashed in American summer camp cinema. This slaughter of adolescence eventually found its way into nearly all holidays populated by hormonal youth.

There's none of that carnage here under the logical guidance of counselor Ivan Kovalev. Yes, there are songs. Yes, there's romancin'. And yeah, there's joy. Come on along for the ride.

It works as kitsch, so rear-project this behind your acid folk band and you're good to go. And no doubt, there's probably a bunch of ex-Pioneers that will have a nostalgic blast reliving those simpler days. About a decade or so later, these values got traded in for living on the streets and huffing cleaning solutions.

Have a nice day.

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Glossy art-house film that attempts to take a fresh new approach to Hank Williams' biography. Problem is, nobody has ever seemed interested in making a true, detailed biopic of Williams' life to begin with.

What hurts I Saw the Light the most is that the production design, the cinematography, the mood -- they're all meticulously (and strategically) rendered as neo-noir, more conducive to a film like L.A. Confidential than any type of music bio narrative. Even an obituary would be more uptempo than Marc Abraham's gloomy vision. Mind you, it's technically bulletproof, but the dark imagery and syrupy lens work would be more at home in a solemn French drama or a slasher film. Completely absent from anything resembling joy, Hank's life is represented as a disturbed state of internal anguish, personal demons and drunken incidents. Not only is his life dragged down into this chasm, but the entire era appears cold, isolated and depressing. You never get the impression that the true story is on display, rather interpreted as tortured declination. I Saw the Light only sees the light as Hank's death, opting to exhibit a disintegrating map that leads to that epilogue.

A typical bio-pic will load you up with the highlights of one's life before getting to the descent. A number of events depicted in the film completely lop-off the good parts (ie, Hanks's debut at the Grand Ole Opry, leaving out Hank's becoming the first artist to receive six encores!) Filmmakers seem to only be able to focus on one dimension of Hank Williams, and this is yet another shallow, misguided venture into a troubled, yet multi-dimensional artist.

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A stunning piece of cinema, excepting any liberties taken in grandstanding political ideals. The cinematography is remarkable and there's quite a number of impressive performances that make the nearly 200 minutes easier to digest. Diane Keaton has never been better (or more beautiful!) and Maureen Stapleton (Oscar winner for best supporting actress) is at the top of her game. Jack Nicholson also turns in a fine performance. Despite the rugged political subtext, the heart of Reds is indeed the love story.

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All Kinds Of Everything.

This was on telly the other day, so decided to finally watch it, so that I could tick it off my mental 'to see' list.

I wasn't too convinced from the outset, I have to say, because it had an air of "too good to be true" about it... what with the stellar cast, clothes by Givenchy (no less) a gently groovy Henry Mancini score (which is excellent!) it seemed a little like a film that was more 'designed' than inspired...

...Like someone sat down and constructed a movie based on what sells, for the sake of the box office.

But while that certainly is true I think, thankfully the story, kind of saves the day, and wins you over by gradually absorbing you in the intricacies of the plot.

...And the plot, indeed, the whole film, is a rather eclectic mix of different movie genres and film-making styles that in all honesty have no business being together, and give the movie a slightly odd feel:

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn play through the middle of this whodunnit encased in a spy thriller rendered in a gloriously Technicolor Film Noir as a light-hearted rom-com adventuring bantering couple, for which both are usually known (and doubtless, for why they were cast here).

...As Audrey Hepburn's character seeks to learn why her husband, who she learns after his demise, was possibly a spy, was apparently killed, and almost immediately, enters a rogue's gallery of villains and shady characters at his funeral who begin gathering around her to discover if she knows where 'the money' her husband stole from them is... Cary Grant helps her dodge these schemers along the way, as the film moves from the usual rom-com fluffiness from these two, to something more like the Third Man noir-ish-ness with some of the most well made cinematographical noir sequences you'll see... in colour (!)

Very good homage to Hitchcock suspense thriller type of thing all round, even with a very strong whiff of Vertigo in the opening credits... and there's even a rooftop struggle to boot!

All round, a curious bag of disparate bits that shouldn't ought to sit well together , but, strangely, do. And in a way that makes this film feel like it must have been something altogether 'new' for the time, and certainly feels ahead of it's time on occasion... curiously more modern than the 1963 it was made in... it even makes the contemporary James Bond (Another film style this was trying to cash in on) films of the era feel a little dated.

But a very good, entertaining film.

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The second of three filmed versions of Robert Sherwood's play. Due to the Production Code, Myra's troubled situation is somewhat cryptic without reading between the lines, but even that aspect of the film is handled cleverly and without distraction -- even enhancing the flow of the story. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better shot and lit film from this era, but the shining beacon is Vivien Leigh, who was never more beautiful. Leigh considered this to be her favorite of all her performances and it's easy to see why.

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Spencer Tracy can always be relied upon to deliver the goods, and I can appreciate the reason the film was made, to raise awareness and money for the real Boys Town, which was in financial need at the time, but that doesn't change the fact that this is just unbearably corny. A chunk of screen time is spent just trying to get one boy to smile. Having to sit through Bobs Watson's performance is painful, never mind Mickey Rooney's boisterous schtick. Darryl Hickman, on the other hand, steals the show with the kind of spirited performance that kept him working for many years.

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Brilliant caper from one of the silver screen's all-time great bitches. Linda Fiorentino is sensational as the woman scorned having the last laugh. A clever thriller with twists and turns, but also a very funny movie (the comedy genre is never attached to this film, but should be!) Joseph Vitarelli's music score perfectly paces the film. Discover this sleeper.

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The performances are solid, but the sermonizing is quite a bit heavy-handed and ruins what could have been a great film. Most of the depression-era story follows the exploits of a nymphomaniac housemaid, then makes an abrupt turn into a women's rights speech in the final reel. All of the attention went to the performances of Laura Dern and Diane Ladd, but it's still Robert Duvall's show. Lukas Haas is also convincing.

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Sat and watched this movie (again) last night. It is currently on BBC iplayer and would recommend you spending a few hours of your time with it.

The film cover the metal health struggles Brian Wilson had and how they "influenced" his music in particular the period when he stopped touring with the band and lead a studio life. It certainly shows what a genius he was in being able to get the sounds from his head in to real life.

The film also covers the abusive control Eugene Landy had over Brian. Whilst it is apparent that Brian needed help at various points during the 70s & 80s there is no doubting that Landy abused his position. He was finally charged by State of California Board of Medical Quality with ethical and license code violations stemming from the improper prescription of drugs and various unethical personal and professional relationships with patients (not just Brian).

The attention to detail within the film is great. The studio scenes are beautiful recreated.. check the clip below.

[YouTube Video]

As they state in the trailer:

Once you know the story... You'll never hear the music in the same way.

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Quite a grim premise for an enjoyable movie...

...A deeply bitter, angry (nasty) mum, played brilliantly by Frances McDormand, who has lost her daughter in an unsolved case of rape / murder, and seems to be taking it out on everyone around her, especially Woody Harrelson's local Sheriff character (The only reasonably nice character in the movie!), who she primarily blames for the lack of resolution.

It's an evolving drama with many objectionable characters including Sam Rockwell's mostly dim, racist deputy, and other broken people who's lives are turned upside down by her actions.

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Abysmal remake which manages to effortlessly lose all of the edge from the original classic. Jersey-born director Tim Sullivan's disdain for the South is crystal clear, and he makes sure to overload this tepid quickie with broad Southern accents acquired by studying Cajun-chef cooking shows. We're also graced with tasteless bits such as a dim-witted young man with his pants down chasing a pig...seriously? As horrific as the Pleasant Valley ghosts are supposed to be, I found the "victims" even less pleasant, like all modern slasher film teens, one-dimensional hedonists bleeding rudeness and arrogance in every scene which they appear. The film's only satisfying element was Robert Englund's performance. And the ending.

I suppose it could have been worse; Rob Zombie could have directed it.

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An excellent documentary that I'm sure is of interest even if you hate football. You could describe it as a rise and fall story but there's much more to it than that. What strikes me is how little protection he is given, both physically as a player getting kicked off the pitch and mentally as he is swamped by fans and reporters with no visible PR team to shield him.

Some might argue that Maradona was his own worst enemy but I think that's harsh. He was such an incredibly talented footballer that you can't help thinking what could have been if he'd obeyed the Barcelona hierarchy and curbed his 'lifestyle'. Instead he joined Napoli where he turned an underdog team into league winners but at an incredible cost to himself as the local camorra encouraged his worst off pitch excesses. he eventually left Italy in disgrace, both loved and hated, with not much inbetween.

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Not a great film by any means but it's harmless fun to play spot the popstar (Including a very young Mitch Mitchell)

This film is also a must see for anyone who is a fan of Joe Meek with many of the tracks and artists featured being products of his Holloway Road production line.

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This is the review I wrote on another forum (yes, there are others! :wink:

Oh my God, what a film! I'd not even heard of it before (I know, I know) but, after the first few minutes, I knew it was something (completely) different! Shirley (Anne) Feld - I'd not seen her act like that before, why wasn't she a megastar? And Oliver Reed - wow! What presence, the making of a legend!

This is like no other Hammer film I can think of. The B&W photography, the desolate Chesil Beach locations (must! visit! Chesil!) , the acting (even the kids!). Viveca Lindfors is so sultry and almost steals the movie at times.

I couldn't quite believe the relationship between the two leads (it reminded me of late-period William Holden films where we are forced to believe a vivacious young thing would fall for someone of his age) and there were some creaky moments but they are minor quibbles.

BTW, according to IMDB, it is from where The Damned took their name!

:happy:

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Well, here's a funny thing! 10/10 for a Keanu movie!

I really liked the first two Wick movies so was looking forward to this one. The reviews were sound, the storyline seemed like fun, but, you know how it is - looking forward to something? Hmmm...

Anyway, the plot picks up after the second film where Wick has broken one of the laws of his craft and killed someone on hallowed ground: a safe house within the organisation known as the High Table.

A price is put on his head and... hilarity ensues! Really! This is a funny movie!

Even the violence is chucklesome, almost Tom-And-Jerryish in places!

Yes, the audience actually groaned at one point, due to some grisly meet-your-makering, but then everyone laughed at the absurdity of it. Oh, and the effects are unbelievable! How did they do that!? So realistic!

Also, I must mention the sound - especially of the gun-shots. Wow! So much bass! :cool:

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A member (Affleck) of an armed bank robbery gang falls for a potential witness (Hall) to a heist. Another member (Renner), starting to show psychotic tendencies and in favour of getting rid of "loose ends" suggests they do away with the witness, without knowing about Affleck's affection for her.

She is the one who could force him to take a new path but, due to the persistence of an FBI agent (Hamm), she finds out and, not to put too fine a point on it, freaks out!

Affleck tries to reassure her and wants out but circumstances prevent this.

After an explosive start, where a bank robbery takes place, it cools down for a while - to the point I considered not watching it.

The plot picked up after that, when both Renner and Hamm found out about the above relationship, and I really enjoyed it!

I'd not heard about this film before but I found the stars immensely watchable and could not predict the ending. :happy:

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What to say, c'est le Francais [shrugs shoulders], not particularly a comedy, and not much of a romance.
At the ski-resort they call home, Pascal (the babe-magnet) shows off his latest conquest, Viviane, to his best friend Micky (the dumpy one). Micky is irritated and grumpy and unfriendly towards Viviane, however when Pascal goes to work Micky stays to keep Viviane company and the icy façade thaws. Things then get a bit romantically complicated, or predictable, or rather it skids along as the screenwriters can't seem to make their minds up on where to take the slushy story. This viewer was left decidedly cold and unperturbed, rather like the participants.

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Having always intended to read the book, but at the same time being congenitally intellectually lazy, I was pleased to see this was on telly over Christmas, so I could sit back and watch the film instead.

It's grand tale of opulence and excess belying more human motives are terrifically conveyed in typical Baz Luhrmann style...

...but...

It's one of those films that I stuggled with, and in any ordinary circumstance, I would have switched it off after the first 10 - 15 minutes, as being too messy, superficial, and too much hard work to concentrate on. And the reason is this really goes with the pimped out big budget music video thing for almost 40 minutes - quick cuts, lots of shallowness and dazzling images that are too much of an assault on the senses.

Fortunately, I was even too lazy to find the remote on this occasion, so let it go, and I'm glad I did, because as this "human" centre reveals itself in the story, it settles down, and reveals a real film there that is worth watching.

Obviously, this was intentional, in order to peel away the mask of emptiness of these characters, but I think having to go the better part of an hour to get there is asking a lot of an audience, and perhaps Baz could have eased off the gas a little earlier in order to make the point without bludgeoning my brain too much.

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Great period piece, with excellent location shots of ye olde London tahhhn, rather than boring matte shots or models!

Coincidentally, I was reading a short article in a magazine about the Barbican Centre, saying it was built on the bombed-out remains of Cripplegate Street (I did not know this). Sure enough, a road sign for the street was shown and yes, it was a shell! Little did they know what it would become!

:happy:

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Wow! They don't make them like this anymore. Although perhaps post-Brexit they will and we can return to this amazing simultaneously kinky and yet utterly repressed England which surely even at 1973 must have seemed unreal?!

I really enjoyed this film, it's dreadful, BUT it's so unashamedly dreadful that if you go with the flow then you can enjoy it. A good cast hamming it up with an unrelentingly cringey script - Beaver (the mammal) and Tit (the bird) jokes feature heavily.

It's basically a carry on film with a mere smidge of nipple.


That's progress! Or was it........

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I've not seen a 'Confessions' film for at least 20 years and having just watched this one I'm finding myself strangely fascinated with just how terrible it was. A young plumber gets into various sexy scrapes in an effort to pay off his gambling debts and avoid the least threatening gangster of all time - Arthur Mullard!

It's hard to imagine this was ever funny or erotic in any way and it certainly isn't now. Some of the scenes of 'slapping birds about' or getting them to get out of bed to make a cup of tea are pretty amazing to watch nowadays. This was 1978!

It'd be hard to argue that this film is anything other than a load of crap which given the subject matter is very apt.

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This film could never quite live up to the striking opening shot of blood dripping down a decaying English seaside pier but overall it's a very enjoyable watch.

It has to be said that after the opening, the emphasis is very much on Flesh rather than Blood. The female cast often appear topless for no apparent reason whereas the murders are surprisingly low key.

One thing that isn't so low key is the acting. Patrick Barr steals the show as the lonely Major Bell.

If you enjoy thespians being bumped off then this makes a nice and sleazy companion piece to the camp horror classic Theatre Of Blood

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A radicalised black man is ejected from college and fantasizes after a mixed racial relationship. Meanwhile in London somewhere, machine gun toting revolutionaries force a bishop to beg with a suckling baby, a man endures a cannibalistic castration, a hippy chick prances and much racist babble is shouted at Hyde Park corner.
Light relief comes from a freaky band who practice in a derelict house in a soot-encrusted street, and who also soundtrack much of the film.

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Two lowly computer dudes in a financial institution discover irregularities that prove a money laundering fraud and excitedly report their findings to Bernie, the big cheese. However Bernie is well aware of the fraud as it involves his gangster cohorts, and schemes to have the boys eliminated while they party at his swanky beach-house for the weekend. Unfortunately for Bernie, the gangsters see him as too much of a liability and it is he who ends up as cold meat. The boys arrive but cannot resist the temptation to party on, since nobody but them seems to notice that Bernie is dead, and this ultimately leads to complications with the hitman who is eager to finish the job. Tasteless yes, but the slapstick comedy and indignities that pile onto the unfortunate Bernie make this irresistibly funny.

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What is THIS! its a film about childhood, and about traumas, nightmares and hideous unseen danger, and what is real and unreal. If this was a conventional thriller, you would have the gang of sick hoodlums raping and killing around the countryside while being pursued by the one-eyed sheriff who dispenses justice in his own way. But instead we follow Seth, through the eye of the storm, the gang making fleeting appearances and looking cool, the sheriff appears threatening and brings torment and anguish in his wake. Seth is withdrawn, has a difficult mother and hero-worships his brother, he thinks his neighbour is a vampire and she plays along with it, he finds a mummified baby and believes it is an angel. There is so much strangeness this could be mistaken for a David Lynch film, but it is unlike any other, the photography is astounding, the soundtrack sparse and just right, if there is a film guaranteed to polarise an audience this could be it, personally I love it.

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Now this is class!

Superficially, it looks like a bit of 60s fluff and all about ogling Jane Fondle in various skimpy costumes!

Yes, there is that... BUT it has a pretty good psychedelic feel to it and I, personally, love it! It has also had a cultural impact (Barbarella's night club, Duran Duran etc.) which would not have been foreseen.

The acting is rather dire, true, but that adds to its charm.

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The Love Epidemic is a series of comedy vignettes about sexually transmitted disease spliced with serious medical footage and doctors explaining the risks of unsafe sex.

This is considered an Ozploitation (Australian Exploitation) film. You will never convince me this is a serious educational film. It was simply an excuse to get nudity and sex past the censors to make a few bucks at the box office.

It is very funny in places and it draws comparisons to Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask (a better film). There's a really fun sketch with two ignorant men in the pub talking; "one day you're just going about your business then the next thing you know your tool drops off". Or syphilis and gonorrhoea represented as two blokes in boiler suits inside the factory of the human body drinking beer and talking about the good old days of WWII VD. Or the prostitute who makes the punter wash his "old man" in the sink. It's all very silly stuff and Brian Trenchard-Smith even manages to sandwich in a kung fu fight and a medieval battle.

This is far from a great film, but it delivers on what modern viewers expect. A fair amount of nudity including some full frontal, simulated, but lengthy sex scenes and some laugh out loud moments. It's not as good or as polished as the aforementioned Woody Allen film, but for a low budget Australian comedy it does deliver on inventiveness and laughs. Be warned there are some graphic scenes of the symptoms of VD so don't watch it if you are having your dinner.

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Villeneuve strikes again!

As with Blade Runner, I kind of groaned when learning of the intent to make this (again), but having witnessed the brilliance of what this director did with Blade Runner sequel (and all his other work!), I breathed a little sigh of relief.

That said, unlike Blade Runner, this is not a sequel, but a remake (of sorts), or more accurately, a new attempt at the original Frank Herbert novel for the big screen... And as someone who, despite it's many, many faults, dearly loves the Lynch Dune movie (mostly it's quirky Lynch-ian oddness is why I love it), and who has read the vast and complex and subtle novel which has many prescient themes woven intricately into it's fabric, I was worried it might still be biting off a little more than even Villeneuve could chew...

(After all, in terms of influential books that HAD to be made properly one day for cinema, there's The Lord Of The Rings, and then there's Dune!)

...And while I'm a bit sketchy now about the details of the novel, the overall impression remains, and this finally feels like it's living up to that epic tome... In both the scale, look and feel of the work, and it's essential themes and message (more of the subtlety than Lynch was able to shoe-horn into his available contracted space).

I was also worried that, having read the book, and seen the previous movie attempt, this would offer nothing new... No surprises, and it would just be a more careful run trough of what I already knew - pointless watching if you know all what's coming! But some of the story-telling choices, and visual devices used still managed to carry me along with it.

There will, of course, be some ardent fans of the novel who are not satisfied, because they are unwilling to concede that this is a different art form, and whatmay work in a book won't work on screen, so the director / film-maker has to TRANSLATE it into something that will work in that medium, which this does.

And much of Villeneuve's style does the story-telling without having to literally copy the text. A lesser, or even a different director who is more concerned with details might get bogged down, and overwhelmed by this, but here, Villeneuve is the RIGHT man for the job, in the same way that Peter Jackson was the RIGHT director for Lord Of The Rings, even if, it were arguable that a "better" director were available - Chris Nolan, for instance, might well have spiralled down into a thick morass of endless detail and complexity if he'd tried this.

It is, of course, more of a tale akin to The Godfather, than a Star-Wars-esque flashing light and action festival, in that it is a slow paced, (although occasionally active) epic, depicting the cosmic power struggles between families / dynasties and factions, with economics, ecology, philosophy, mysticism, prophecy and political manoeuvrings at it's heart, so more like The Godfather, or war and Peace in space... and Messianic overtones.

But the two and a half hours do fly by, as you are engrossed in the stunning visuals, the good script and pacing, and Timotheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (however you pronounce that, I don't know, 'cause I'm a dunce :) Chalamet has a lot of burden to carry in this movie, but does so with impressive ease, even though the role in this first part, is largely subdued, as a kid with a lot of expectation of him, and the weight and heft of earthing this story is done by the super solid performances of the "supporting" cast of reliable perfomers like Brolin, Rampling, and others.

(Jason Mamoa deserves a lot of credit for his performance that offers a lot of levity and charisma to the film)

The only real complaint I have, is that it's a split film, leading up, only to when Paul and mum take up with the Fremen, because I was was so wrapped in the movie, I didn't want it to end!

(I could have sat through another three hours quite happily, in order to see the story through to the end)

And as for the music, it's that man Zimmer again, knocking it clean out of the park with another esoteric abstract brain crusher of a score, perfectly complimenting the visuals... Brilliant.

Cannot wait for the next part, which had better be forthcoming Warner Brothers, or I will not be happy!

In short, this will take your brain to another dimension... so pay close attention :)

[YouTube Video]

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There's been a trend starting in the 00s to make films in the style of exploitation films from the 70s and 80s that were popular on VHS; titles including Nude Nuns With Big Guns, Hobo With A Shotgun and even Hollywood getting in on the act with Deathproof and remakes of The Hills Have Eyes and I Spit On Your Grave. The Greasy Strangler is one such film in the "straight to VHS" mould, using a lurid colour palette and a deliberately soft print.

A misfit father and son team do tours of disco hotspots in an unnamed American town. Their relationship is compromised when son, Brayden falls for Janet, a patron on one of the disco tours. In the meantime a greasy strangler is murdering locals.

The first 20 minutes are hilarious. I was laughing a lot. The film reminded me of Tim and Eric's Awesome Show and South Park. It uses gross out humour, scatological references and nudity featuring prosthetic penises. There's also a ton of overly camp murder scenes with purposely bad special effects. Sadly my enjoyment was soured by the endless repetition of the few good jokes and lines. It would have worked beautifully as a 30 minute TV pilot, but crass for crass sake soon wears thin. I have a strong stomach and watch many exploitation and horror films, but even I found this film disgusting.

I honestly believe British director, Jim Hosking is one to watch in the future as he has crafted something slightly derivative, but also it stands out in an oversaturated, engineered B-Movie market. It probably just needed a slightly higher budget and maybe an additional writer to tidy it up and we could have had a great black comedy. Don't believe the hyperbole about this being one of the best films of the last decade or a cult classic, it's purposely designed to appeal to people who love Troma and/or the hardcore horror film festival crowd. For me while enjoyable it fell quite a bit short.

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A girl, standing in front her boss, asking her not to fire her.

As much as I thought this was going to be a snappy, witty razor sharp comedy (which it is), it turns out this is actually a romantic comedy.... a rom-com.

Except, instead of a boy - girl / man - woman arrangement, and in the traditional sense of “romance” that we're used to, at it’s heart, it’s about the relationship between Emma Thompson’s ageing talk show host anchor, deemed past her prime, and about to lose her show, and the young, optimistic (naïve) Mindy Kaling character, who has ambitions to become a comedy writer for the show, who is hired, it seems, purely for diversity’s sake, and tries to freshen up the show with a new perspective.

And while it is funny, razor sharp, and cracks along in super snappy smart manner, it doesn’t do so at the expense of genuine feeling, and warmth. With some sombre moments underpinning Emma Thompson’s acerbic nature, and a kind of cynicism about modern cynicism (meta-cynicism?) , it’s pretty much as feel good as most other romantic comedies.

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