On 08/10/2016 at 16:11, A F said:

Tried Luke Cage last night too, mate. Didn't hook me. Is there a specific episode it hooked you?

Episode 7 is the best one so far, and I think Episode 3 with his prison flashbacks. The best episodes seem to be the ones set in the past.

Jessica Jones is far superior, I'd watch that first.

  On 09/10/2016 at 22:45, Choke said:

Episode 7 is the best one so far, and I think Episode 3 with his prison flashbacks. The best episodes seem to be the ones set in the past.

Jessica Jones is far superior, I'd watch that first.

Shall do. Thanks mate.

  On 09/10/2016 at 03:58, Satyriconhome said:

HT - I can't begin to tell you how far you have fallen in my estimation with that bolded statement above...American sheeesh

Well Saty, I don't consider directors like Lynch and Jarmusch to be typical of the American formulaic film and television production line or the Hollyweird factory - they are international directors/writers/producers who work outside of that framework.  Regardless of where it was made, Twin Peaks (series 1) was a masterpiece (and if you want to see a superb piece of film making, take a look at The Straight Story) - I would be more disappointed in myself if I were writing off films and TV series based purely on where they were created.

  On 10/10/2016 at 03:28, hardtack said:

Well Saty, I don't consider directors like Lynch and Jarmusch to be typical of the American formulaic film and television production line or the Hollyweird factory - they are international directors/writers/producers who work outside of that framework.  Regardless of where it was made, Twin Peaks (series 1) was a masterpiece (and if you want to see a superb piece of film making, take a look at The Straight Story) - I would be more disappointed in myself if I were writing off films and TV series based purely on where they were created.

Each to their own HT, Lynch leaves me cold, bit too much cerebral masturbation for my liking

  On 09/10/2016 at 03:58, Satyriconhome said:

HT - I can't begin to tell you how far you have fallen in my estimation with that bolded statement above...American sheeesh

Twin Peaks is above you Satyr

Hardly suprising

  On 10/10/2016 at 08:51, Sir Why You Little said:

Twin Peaks is above you Satyr

Hardly suprising

Was that really necessary?

  On 10/10/2016 at 20:23, AzzKikA said:

Was that really necessary?

Well it's certainly not American rubbish....

Anyone a horror fan?

  On 11/10/2016 at 06:45, Luther said:

Anyone a horror fan?

It depends. I loved the original Japanese Ringu and Dark Water (American versions were terrible), loved the first Nightmare on Elm Street, The Others was clever, and I thought Descent was a very good film.  Not into the franchises like Saw etc.

  On 11/10/2016 at 08:19, hardtack said:

It depends. I loved the original Japanese Ringu and Dark Water (American versions were terrible), loved the first Nightmare on Elm Street, The Others was clever, and I thought Descent was a very good film.  Not into the franchises like Saw etc.

Good taste! The Descent was one I never saw but always meant to. I rate the original Saw as a very good, low budget horror film and felt the psychological element to it was very, very good. From then on though, it just became torture porn. Insidious, from James Wan (also directed Saw) is pretty good. Quarantine and the original Spanish REC are both pretty creepy found footage films about a rabies outbreak in an apartment block.

Have you seen The Babadook? Australian horror that came out a couple of years ago, starring Essie Davis. It's brilliant and scary, plus addresses human emotion really nicely. Can't recommend that enough.

  On 11/10/2016 at 06:45, Luther said:

Anyone a horror fan?

I'm a big giallo fan. Seen any? Love the style, shotmaking and music. 

Giallos are the original slasher films but made in the 60s and 70s in Italy, with often American or English actors. Basically murder mystery thrillers.

Here's a list of my favourites:

By Dario Argento:

- Deep Red

- Tenebrae

- The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

By Sergio Argento:

- Torso (probably the biggest influence on American college campus-based slashers)

- The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

By Lucio Fulci:

- The New York Ripper

- Lizard In Woman's Skin

- Don't Torture the Duckling 

The House with the Laughing Windows (Pupi Avati) is worth seeing. I saw it at MIFF a few years back.

Some also consider Brian DePalma's best film Dressed To Kill to be a giallo too. 

Edited October 11, 20168 yr by A F

  On 11/10/2016 at 09:52, A F said:

I'm a big giallo fan. Seen any? Love the style, shotmaking and music. 

Giallos are the original slasher films but made in the 60s and 70s in Italy, with often American or English actors. Basically murder mystery thrillers.

Here's a list of my favourites:

By Dario Argento:

- Deep Red

- Tenebrae

- The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

Bu Sergio Argento:

- Torso (probably the biggest influence on American college campus-based slashers)

- The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

Lucio Fulci

- The New York Ripper

- Lizard In Woman's Skin

- Don't Torture the Duckling 

The House with the Laughing Windows (Pupi Avati) is worth seeing. I saw it at MIFF a few years back.

Some also consider Brian DePalma's best film Dressed To Kill to be a giallo too. 

Can't say I've seen any from that list, but have seen Inferno and possibly a couple of others, but the names escape me. They were enjoyable but not thrilling. Haven't been able to see a lot of European film to be honest, but I'll be adding those to my list to try and educate myself a bit more!

Did you see The Witch? If so, thoughts? I was kind of underwhelmed. The setting was very original and it looked fantastic but the plot was really thin and the final scenes totally redundant IMO. 

Edited October 11, 20168 yr by Luther

  On 11/10/2016 at 10:10, Luther said:

Can't say I've seen any from that list, but have seen Inferno and possibly a couple of others, but the names escape me. They were enjoyable but not thrilling. Haven't been able to see a lot of European film to be honest, but I'll be adding those to my list to try and educate myself a bit more!

Did you see The Witch? If so, thoughts? I was kind of underwhelmed. The setting was very original and it looked fantastic but the plot was really thin and the final scenes totally redundant IMO. 

Yeah, the early giallos are the best. Argento hasn't made a good one for years.

Yep, saw The Witch. I thought it was beautifully shot and created mood brilliantly, but yeah, didn't blow my socks off or shock me.

If we're talking general European arthouse, can't go past Bergman. The Virgin Spring is great. I really like Brink of Life too, but it might be a little inaccessible. Persona is another.

Back on US slashers, I love the early Friday The 13th films and A Nightmare on Elm Street too.

Oh and if you're at all into comic surrealism Luis Bunuel was a genius. One of the key inspirations for David Lynch. You can even hear the Bunuel influence in Lynch's dialogue.

For fans of 'Film Noir' here is a little known classic ... Fritz Lang's 'Scarlet Street'  - stars Edward G Robinson but Joan Bennett steals the show with a superlative performance.

 

Just finished watching the genius that is Adam Curtis with his new film HyperNormalisation, which came out a couple of days ago in the UK. 

This film is incredible. If you haven't heard of Curtis, he makes documentary films for the BBC with their archive and often deals with international politics and masterfully weaves between political events in the West and the Middle East. Although terrifying, I'd have to say this film is the best film I've seen in 2016. It is incredible. The ideas blow my mind and the way he sums up complex ideas about society, the ways it functions and its problems is something I haven't seen from a filmmaker before. He's Michael Moore without humour and more intellectual. 

Has anyone seen it yet?

Good to see we've got some Film-Noir fans on this thread ... at various times it's my favourite genre. 

The classics like 'The Maltese Falcon' & 'Sunset Boulevard' are too copyright protected to be up on youtube but there are numerous other quality movies in the Film-Noir genre that are available. 

Here's an excellent one starring Humphrey Bogart,  Ethel Barrymore & Kim Hunter - 'Deadline U.S.A' ... the movie can be viewed in HD (press settings) and can be converted to full-screen 

*Movie was unable to be played on the link provided - I'll re-post the movie up at a later date. 

Edited October 29, 20168 yr by Macca

  On 21/10/2016 at 12:05, Macca said:

Good to see we've got some Film-Noir fans on this thread ... at various times it's my favourite genre. 

The classics like 'The Maltese Falcon' & 'Sunset Boulevard' are too copyright protected to be up on youtube but there are numerous other quality movies in the Film-Noir genre that are available. 

Here's an excellent one starring Humphrey Bogart,  Ethel Barrymore & Kim Hunter - 'Deadline U.S.A' ... the movie can be viewed in full HD (press settings) and can be converted to full screen 

 

Noirs are great. Roots in the German Expressionist period. I love the style. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari - the original Shutter Island.

Double Indemnity, Laura, The Third Man, The Night of the Hunter and one of my all time favourite films, Vertigo.

The top of the list for me of neo noirs is also considered a giallo, DePalma's Dressed To Kill. Love the Cohen's first film too, Blood Simple.

Edited October 21, 20168 yr by A F
Ministry of Fear by Fritz Lang is great too. As is his classic M.

  On 21/10/2016 at 12:14, A F said:

Noirs are great. Roots in the German Expressionist period. I love the style. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari - the original Shutter Island.

Double Indemnity, Laura, The Third Man, The Night of the Hunter and one of my all time favourite films, Vertigo.

The top of the list for me of neo noirs is also considered a giallo, DePalma's Dressed To Kill. Love the Cohen's first film too, Blood Simple.

German Expressionism is fascinating! Loved learning about it at uni and the progression to noir is very interesting.

Love The Sniper and Double Indemnity is great, phenomenal read too as a script. Ace In The Hole and Murder, My Sweet are both great films.

  On 21/10/2016 at 13:16, Luther said:

German Expressionism is fascinating! Loved learning about it at uni and the progression to noir is very interesting.

Love The Sniper and Double Indemnity is great, phenomenal read too as a script. Ace In The Hole and Murder, My Sweet are both great films.

Yeah, I studied German Expressionism at Uni too. Haven't seen The Sniper, Ace In The Hole or Murder, My Sweet.

I find it one of the great paradoxes that I love German Expressionism and noirs, but rarely like anything by Tim Burton.

  On 21/10/2016 at 13:38, A F said:

Yeah, I studied German Expressionism at Uni too. Haven't seen The Sniper, Ace In The Hole or Murder, My Sweet.

I find it one of the great paradoxes that I love German Expressionism and noirs, but rarely like anything by Tim Burton.

Those three are definitely worth watching.

The only Burton directed film I've enjoyed is Big Fish. Everything else has been underwhelming, and Alice in Wonderland was total trash. I suppose the technical aspects that Burton shares with the German expressionist films don't really help the fact that his work is pretty unengaging IMO.

  On 21/10/2016 at 14:03, Luther said:

Those three are definitely worth watching.

The only Burton directed film I've enjoyed is Big Fish. Everything else has been underwhelming, and Alice in Wonderland was total trash. I suppose the technical aspects that Burton shares with the German expressionist films don't really help the fact that his work is pretty unengaging IMO.

Yeah, true, although I can often look past substance if the style is amazing. Hence my love of giallos, but I have never been able to with Burton. His first Batman film is good.

  On 22/10/2016 at 00:37, A F said:

Yeah, true, although I can often look past substance if the style is amazing. Hence my love of giallos, but I have never been able to with Burton. His first Batman film is good.

What do you think of Nicholas Winding Refn's films? Personally, I think they look great but don't enjoy them at all. Apart from Drive, which is probably because that was written by Hossein Amini and not Refn himself.

  On 22/10/2016 at 05:24, Luther said:

What do you think of Nicholas Winding Refn's films? Personally, I think they look great but don't enjoy them at all. Apart from Drive, which is probably because that was written by Hossein Amini and not Refn himself.

He's been in a bit of a blind spot for me. I've seen Bronson and have been meaning to see Drive and the Pusher films for years, but have never really wanted to enough. Love the Drive soundtrack though. I got into that at the time. Cliff Martinez is great.

  On 22/10/2016 at 06:22, A F said:

He's been in a bit of a blind spot for me. I've seen Bronson and have been meaning to see Drive and the Pusher films for years, but have never really wanted to enough. Love the Drive soundtrack though. I got into that at the time. Cliff Martinez is great.

Yeah, amazing soundtrack! What were your thoughts on Bronson? I read a really good article a couple of years ago comparing Bronson and Chopper, and the influence of Chopper on Refn's film. Was really interesting, and the contention was that Bronson was simply stylistic and completely lacking in any kind of soul or connection, whilst Chopper was style and a heap of substance, which I couldn't agree with more. Chopper is one of my favourite movies ever made.

  On 22/10/2016 at 06:38, Luther said:

Yeah, amazing soundtrack! What were your thoughts on Bronson? I read a really good article a couple of years ago comparing Bronson and Chopper, and the influence of Chopper on Refn's film. Was really interesting, and the contention was that Bronson was simply stylistic and completely lacking in any kind of soul or connection, whilst Chopper was style and a heap of substance, which I couldn't agree with more. Chopper is one of my favourite movies ever made.

I didn't get a lot from Bronson. I don't love Chopper, but I can see its merits and it's certainly a better film. Tom Hardy is great though.