What have you been watching? (DVD or Films on TV)

[MadCapsule]

Recently watched Youth of the Beast and loved it. Joe Shishido was great!

Before that I watched all of the Dirty Harry movies.

[Peven]

watched "Closure" last night with Jillian Anderson, a Brit made movie about a couple who is brutalized by several men late one night while driving in the country. they had hit a deer and when the men come upon them the husband's eye and face are cut up and he is beaten, and Jillian is really brutally raped. she doesn't want anyone to know she is raped, so they only report it as an assault, but Jillian wants blood, revenge. her husband is messed up from the attack not only because of what was done to him, his face disfigured and the loss of his eye, but because of his wife being raped because he was unable to protect her, he becomes impotent, wants nothing more than to escape into a pot-induced haze. now, the film takes a mighty coincidental turn when Jillian's father passes and on her way out to visit his house in the country she happens upon a group of horseriders along the road, one of which is one of the men who raped her, and she recognizes him. she follows him back to his house, and proceeds to hatch a plan for revenge, only her husband is not nearly as bloodthirsty for revenge as she, and she has to shame him into going along with it, insinuating he is soft, not man enough, unless he does. don't want to spoil any of the resolution, but i will say it is a movie that ends with more questions than answers and i think it is intended for people to be left to ponder and discuss the morality of what they just saw, not to be given a conclusive resolution

i liked it, Jillian seemed to handle the Brit accent alright, but what do i know, i am just a yank, and it was pretty well acted, though the camera work and editing were probably the weakest link, imo.

5.5 out of 10, maybe a 6 since we get to see Jillian's very nice breasts

[Jenn7878]

Watched Mighty Peking Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076164/ on cable this weekend. Like it quite a bit, but was hoping for something more bizarre.

Also:

The Reader http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976051/ Winslet was wonderful!
The Manitou http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077904/ Cheesy Fun.

[havocSchultz]

watched "Closure" last night with Jillian Anderson, a Brit made movie about a couple who is brutalized by several men late one night while driving in the country. they had hit a deer and when the men come upon them the husband's eye and face are cut up and he is beaten, and Jillian is really brutally raped. she doesn't want anyone to know she is raped, so they only report it as an assault, but Jillian wants blood, revenge. her husband is messed up from the attack not only because of what was done to him, his face disfigured and the loss of his eye, but because of his wife being raped because he was unable to protect her, he becomes impotent, wants nothing more than to escape into a pot-induced haze. now, the film takes a mighty coincidental turn when Jillian's father passes and on her way out to visit his house in the country she happens upon a group of horseriders along the road, one of which is one of the men who raped her, and she recognizes him. she follows him back to his house, and proceeds to hatch a plan for revenge, only her husband is not nearly as bloodthirsty for revenge as she, and she has to shame him into going along with it, insinuating he is soft, not man enough, unless he does. don't want to spoil any of the resolution, but i will say it is a movie that ends with more questions than answers and i think it is intended for people to be left to ponder and discuss the morality of what they just saw, not to be given a conclusive resolution

i liked it, Jillian seemed to handle the Brit accent alright, but what do i know, i am just a yank, and it was pretty well acted, though the camera work and editing were probably the weakest link, imo.

5.5 out of 10, maybe a 6 since we get to see Jillian's very nice breasts

I Spit On Your X-Files...

[DerLanghaarige]

I caught Eight Days A Week on TV, a 1997 independent teen comedy, written and directed by Michael Davis (Shoot 'Em Up).
It's about a guy who has a crush on the girl next door, who he knows since he was a kid. Of course she already has a boyfriend who is a dork, she is in our hero only interested as a friend and to make things more complicated she will go to college in three months. But his Grandpa tells him the story of someone who had a similar problem and solved it by waiting in front of the girl's house until she finally fell in love with him. So he decided to do the same and wait on her lawn till she loves him or she goes to college. Of course today this would be considered as stalking, but I guess the whole neighbourhood knows that the guy is harmless and that's why nobody calls the police. Or because stalking wasn't such a big thing in 1997, kinda like sexual harrasment was in the 80's. I'm sure the neighbourhood in this movie would think different if they would hear what he says about the girl's body. In fact, he only talks about her body and how much he wants to fuck her and not how much he loves her character. But they still try to keep it not-creepy.
While he is waiting on her lawn he also has a chance to watch his neighbours and their little quirks. That's the most interesting part of the movie. Especially the subplot about the man, who might have murdered his sick wife.
The movie has two big problems. #1 There is not one, really memorable moment in it. It's not boring, but there is not one single joke, dialogue or even moment that you want to quote or makes you wanna watch the movie again.I assume this may be because of problem #2: It's horribly dated! The movie came out in a post-Clerks time, where indie comedies tried to get their audience with lots of explicit dialogue and jokes about obscure sex toys. I'm sure when it came out, 12 years ago, it still was a blast. Only one year later was the year of 'American Pie' so audiences where still not tired about movies where the characters talking about sucking their own dick and fucking a water melon, but today we have seen and heard everything about it and I think only a prudish housewife, who thinks that she is sooooo filthy and edgy because she's watching Sex And the City or a less than 12 year old kid would get a kick out of this. The "edgy" sex comedy reached their peak when David Ogden Stiers ate Jake Busey's testicle. (But to be fair: The slurping noises of the sex toy made me laugh. But more because it was a funny sound, not because it made these noises.)

Yeah, like I said, it has some nice moments and is kinda entertaining, but not really worth watching.
6,5/10

[Doc Holliday]

Finally caught up with another classic last night - 'Badlands'. Great film - over twenty years earlier, Malick shows Stone how 'Natural Born Killers' could have achieved twice the bitter irony, twice the satire on Americana, twice the twisted romance - all with less than a hundredth of the gore and sensation. Not that either film is better nor worse, but 'Badlands' takes a different route and is all the more powerful for doing so.

Next up on the list.....Apocalypto. Should be good.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

Finally caught up with another classic last night - 'Badlands'. Great film - over twenty years earlier, Malick shows Stone how 'Natural Born Killers' could have achieved twice the bitter irony, twice the satire on Americana, twice the twisted romance - all with less than a hundredth of the gore and sensation. Not that either film is better nor worse, but 'Badlands' takes a different route and is all the more powerful for doing so.

Next up on the list.....Apocalypto. Should be good.

With hundred times more the gore than it would have if it came out at the time of Badlands. Hmmm................

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

I think Mel Gibson's a cu nt.

[tapehead]

Finally caught up with another classic last night - 'Badlands'. Great film - over twenty years earlier, Malick shows Stone how 'Natural Born Killers' could have achieved twice the bitter irony, twice the satire on Americana, twice the twisted romance - all with less than a hundredth of the gore and sensation. Not that either film is better nor worse, but 'Badlands' takes a different route and is all the more powerful for doing so.

Next up on the list.....Apocalypto. Should be good.

With hundred times more the gore than it would have if it came out at the time of Badlands. Hmmm................

I think another interesting comparison is 'True Romance' - closer in spirit in some ways and similarly penned by Tarantino, it's unmistakably his work - but Tony Scott got the gig directing, and recognising the similarities, borrowed parts of Badlands soundtrack for the opening of the movie - it's perhaps his best film outside of the straight action genre (I also like The Hunger). Badlands is the masterwork and the others the imitators, (I think perhaps both Mickey and Mallory, as well as True Romance's Clarence and Alabama are the cinematic offspring of QT's hard on for Malick's Kit and Holly, with a little Bonnie and Clyde thrown in) but I enjoy each in their own way.

[Seppuku]

Natural Born Killers was basically an adaptation of an abandoned screenplay by Roger Avery called The Open Road, and True Romance was a cannibalization of Tarantino's first, shittily-acted flick, My Best Friend's Birthday. There's a shortened cut of MBFB on youtube: Tarantino plays an Elvis lookalike called Clarence (whose best friend is called Mickey...) who hires a hooker and kills off her pimp. There was even a Pulp Fiction-style cocaine overdose at one point.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

Just watched Tron. Oh how this place overrates such geek films...

Shoulda replayed the Kathy Lloyd Playboy DVD that I've had on keeps from Lovefilm one more time again.

[tapehead]

I think Sepp might know more on the subject than I do... And possibly more than QT would...

[John-Locke]

Shoulda replayed the Kathy Lloyd Playboy DVD that I've had on keeps from Lovefilm one more time again.

What would you have done for the other 86 minutes though

[Seppuku]

I think Sepp might know more on the subject than I do... And possibly more than QT would...

Naw, I'm just being one of those annoying gentlemen who barges in on a conversation with a total non sequitur. I've not read The Open Road screenplay (it's apparently about 500 pages!), but I think it actually name-checked Badlands at one point, so Doc's not a million miles off with his NBK comparison.

Incidentally, I love Malick, but am I the only one here who thinks each of his movies has been slightly worse than the last one? Not sure if it's just the roll of the dice, or if he's one of those directors who only have a couple of stories in them and should leave it at that. That ain't to say The New World wouldn't be an awesome addition to anyone else's CV or anything.

[Seppuku]

Gonna embark on a Nixon Night later on with a couple of friends (yeah, I hang around a strange crowd). Movies featured will be: Frost/Nixon, Dick- that one with Heath Ledger's widow- and climaxing with the two Nixon movies I've actually seen, Nixon and the completely fucking awesome one-man powerhouse Secret Honor (yep, my suggestion). Pray that I don't come out of it sounding more incomprehensible than a drunken Marlon Brando!

[John-Locke]

watched "Closure" last night with Jillian Anderson...

i liked it, Jillian seemed to handle the Brit accent alright, but what do i know, i am just a yank

Yeah and she's just a Brit

[Peven]

watched "Closure" last night with Jillian Anderson...

i liked it, Jillian seemed to handle the Brit accent alright, but what do i know, i am just a yank

Yeah and she's just a Brit

for reals? i did not know that, obviously

[John-Locke]

Well she was born in Chicago, lived in London from the age of two until eleven then back to the states where she was teased for her Brit accent (thanks IMDB).

So she is an American (I got my facts slightly wrong), about two years ago she was in a Period Costume Drama on the BBC and was appearing on talk shows talking in an English accent (around the same time she made that film you mentioned) so it's an easy mistake to make either way.

Anyways what were her tits like

[DerLanghaarige]

I just re-watched Jersey Girl and I still don't get the negative reaction against it. Yes, "Bennifer" was annoying back in 2004, but if you can get over the less than 10 minutes long cameo of J.Lo (which should be much easier today), you get a wonderful movie full of great dialogue, lovable characters, great performances by Ben Affleck and George Carlin (maybe the best performance of his life!) and absolutely natural kid acting (And I'm not just talking about how the actress who plays the girl acts, but also how Smith wrote her character). It never becomes too corny or sweet, but also never too Smith-esque to scare your girlfriend away.
Seriously, it's not just one of Smith's three best movies, but also one of the most underrated of this decade.

[caruso_stalker217]

The only problem I had with JERSEY GIRL was the scene where Affleck is talking to the baby and he "cries." I don't know what was going on there, but I think maybe he got botox injections that day and his forehead was paralyzed. His forehead didn't crease or anything during that scene. Really bugged me.

[Spandau Belly]

Alright, this one's been a long time coming.

I finally saw FINGERS, this 1978 American movie was remade under the title THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED in France in 2005. The French version is a movie that I find infinitely watchable and love to death, but had never seen the original. I read Roger Ebert's review of the French remake and he calls it more of a riff on the same concept than a straight remake. I think Ebert is kinda fucking wrong on that one. Both movies are pretty similiar and feature many of the same scenes and most of the same characters. A few subplots go in, a few go out.

Both films are character pieces about an adult man who is torn between a thuggy life and his passion for piano. Both films feature the main character as being half his father and half his mother. In both films his father is a tacky slimeball gangster who struts around in a bright leisure suit, and in both films the lead character's mother was a concert pianist, however in the French one she is dead and spoken of as though she was a kind and well-bread woman, whereas in the American one she is alive but has suffered some sort of nervous breakdown and no longer plays piano because she is in the nut house.

At the end of the day, I think I prefer the French one. I found more angst in Romain Duris's performance and I gravitated to that. However Keitel brought more innocence to the role, and that may be more your cup of tea. Plus, I know Kietel can act in movies where he freaks out, goes violent, and ends up naked, so this wasn't really any revelation. However when I saw the French version, Duris was mostly known for comedy and seeing him bring such seriousness was really surprising. It made me see him in a whole new way.

I also think the pacing is better in the French one. All the scenes that are kept from the original are in a different order and I think it works better. Both directors seem to be channeling Scorcese, I think Jacques Audiard does a better job at getting that grit, whereas James Toback feels more movie-ish where things feel like they would only happen in the movies and people all seem to know what each other are thinking. I thought Jacques Audiard's debut film, READ MY LIPS, showed great potential, but wasn't great. When he made THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED he lived up to that. I'm very excited to see his new film this year.

Then there's the climax. It plays out pretty similiarly as the remake only Kietel blows the bad guy's head off. I picked the remake as a film for my Oleg Movie Club and some of my Oleg brothers expressed mild disappointment over Duris winning his humanity and not becoming a killer. Maybe they'd prefer the American one since it ends with Kietel losing the struggle to maintain his humanity and becoming a gangster like his father.

Overall, both are good films and if you haven't seen either, you should check one out, and if you've only seen one, you should see the other.

[Peven]

saw the french version and really dug it, but have yet to see the Keitel version

[Bloo]

Alright, this one's been a long time coming.

I finally saw FINGERS, this 1978 American movie was remade under the title THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED in France in 2005. The French version is a movie that I find infinitely watchable and love to death, but had never seen the original. I read Roger Ebert's review of the French remake and he calls it more of a riff on the same concept than a straight remake. I think Ebert is kinda fucking wrong on that one. Both movies are pretty similiar and feature many of the same scenes and most of the same characters. A few subplots go in, a few go out.

Both films are character pieces about an adult man who is torn between a thuggy life and his passion for piano. Both films feature the main character as being half his father and half his mother. In both films his father is a tacky slimeball gangster who struts around in a bright leisure suit, and in both films the lead character's mother was a concert pianist, however in the French one she is dead and spoken of as though she was a kind and well-bread woman, whereas in the American one she is alive but has suffered some sort of nervous breakdown and no longer plays piano because she is in the nut house.

At the end of the day, I think I prefer the French one. I found more angst in Romain Duris's performance and I gravitated to that. However Keitel brought more innocence to the role, and that may be more your cup of tea. Plus, I know Kietel can act in movies where he freaks out, goes violent, and ends up naked, so this wasn't really any revelation. However when I saw the French version, Duris was mostly known for comedy and seeing him bring such seriousness was really surprising. It made me see him in a whole new way.

I also think the pacing is better in the French one. All the scenes that are kept from the original are in a different order and I think it works better. Both directors seem to be channeling Scorcese, I think Jacques Audiard does a better job at getting that grit, whereas James Toback feels more movie-ish where things feel like they would only happen in the movies and people all seem to know what each other are thinking. I thought Jacques Audiard's debut film, READ MY LIPS, showed great potential, but wasn't great. When he made THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED he lived up to that. I'm very excited to see his new film this year.

Then there's the climax. It plays out pretty similiarly as the remake only Kietel blows the bad guy's head off. I picked the remake as a film for my Oleg Movie Club and some of my Oleg brothers expressed mild disappointment over Duris winning his humanity and not becoming a killer. Maybe they'd prefer the American one since it ends with Kietel losing the struggle to maintain his humanity and becoming a gangster like his father.

Overall, both are good films and if you haven't seen either, you should check one out, and if you've only seen one, you should see the other.

I might have to check out the original and see what I think, obviously they saw something in it, as it is, to my knowledge, the only American movie to be remade by a French director

[Spandau Belly]

I might have to check out the original and see what I think, obviously they saw something in it, as it is, to my knowledge, the only American movie to be remade by a French director

As far as I know it is the only American film to be remade in France as well.

I think FINGERS is a good movie, I watched the special features and apparently it is one of those truly independant movies. It's budget came from some wacko who had made a fortune in the perfume business and wanted to get into producing movies. No studio was involved.

But as a result of the non budget, they had to film it in half the time a film like this would normally take. I think the director, James Toback, said normally it would take 50 days to "comfortably" make a film like this and he had to do it in 22 days or something. Toback also said that since they were shooting on the fly a lot of it was pretty improvised and if something wasn't working they didn't have the time to make it work and so they would just chop that portion of the story and if something else was working they'd add more of it. When Audiard made his remake he had the time to plan it out a lot more. So I understand why Audiard's film has a better rhythm.

Like I said, they are the same film, but in a way a different shade of the same story. Kietel's take on the character is more of a dreamer and at times naive. Duris's take on the character was more of a bitter guy searching for a way out. But both characters have the same quality of being moved by compulsion in interesting ways. And each version ends on a different note. One losing his humanity, the other maintaining it.

[Peven]

just finished watching "Royal Tenenbaums", for the 30-something-ish time, i never get tired of it. the same goes for all of Wes Anderson's films actually. i hope he never listens to detractors who try to criticize his work by saying his movies aren't different from each other enough. for one, i think those people simply fail to see the differences, the growth, progressively in each film as well as failing to appreciate the unique voice that Anderson brings to the table. i wonder what those people would want him to do? make a movie that is like a lot of other "mainstream" movies? ape some other film maker's style? do something that is different than what his inspiration is just for the sake of doing something different? that is like criticizing Monet because he didn't do any cubist paintings or Caruso because he only sang opera. as far as i am concerned Anderson can keep on making films just the way he wants to and i will continue to soak them up with pleasure

[caruso_stalker217]

"You wanna talk some jive? Cuz I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you never heard!"
"Oh yeah!?"
"Right on!"

[Peven]

Coltrain

[Spandau Belly]

I guess I am one of those Anderson detractors. I really like Rushmore, it's one of my favorite comedy movies, and I could accept that Royal Tennenbaums just wasn't my type of thing because I hate movies about big disfunctional families. Those types of movies typically take place around Thanksgiving and are called "indie" movies, and I guess Anderson dodged those two aspects but it was still a mindblowingly annoying movie.

Then I saw Life Aquatic and that's when I gave up on Anderson. I think Life Aquatic could've been a good movie if he kept it a sea adventure. But then he just brought back the ol Rushmore intergenerational love triangle and everything involving Owen Wilson as the long lost son just felt pointless.

So it's not that he keeps repeating himself that bugs me. I mean, I've been contently watching Woody Allen crank out a film a year dealing with infidelity for the past 30 years, so I can live with a filmmaker dwelling on certain themes. My problem with Anderson is that his movies became formless and his obsession with novelty objects, quarkiness, and mod music have overpowered his ability to build a sensible or compelling narrative.

That and he's a racist.

[caruso_stalker217]

The only part of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS that annoys me a little because it seems like it's trying too hard is when the kid asks Paltrow if she tried to have her finger reattached and she says "Wasn't worth it."

Actually, that's not the only part where Anderson is trying too hard, but it's the one that stands out the most. For me, anyway.

[DerLanghaarige]

I watched Step Brothers and I enjoyed it.
There is not much else to say about it. We all know what kind of movie it is, so if I would now try to tell you about the non-existing story or the flat and predictable character arcs it wouldn't make sense, because the only reason to watch a movie like that is to laugh your ass off and I did. It's strange that the only Apatow Productions that make me laugh involve SNL comedians (mostly Ferrell and Sandler)and it's no big surprise that Seth Rogen's Cameos happened in the unfunniest scene of the whole movie. (And in fact I'm sure that I would have laughed about it if Rogen had any idea how to make a fart joke funny. I'm not saying that fart jokes are never funny, because I know a few hilarious ones, but Rogen just sat there and said some unfunny stuff. But that's what Rogen usually does, so there is no surprise on my side.)

[DennisMM]

Watched The Aviator for the first time since I saw it in the theater. Remains a strong film, though I still believe Leonardo DiCaprio was miscast. While he gives a good performance, he seems too young and light to handle the heavier, later scenes, especially the mental breakdowns. Also, the mustache and scars do not do much to make him seem older than his 30 years at the time of filming. He looks younger, in fact, than his age. The other performances are good, though Cate Blanchett's Katharine Hepburn is rather broad. As always, I enjoyed John C. Reilly; I'm not sure I've ever seen him give a bad performance. Alec Baldwin was nicely oily as Juan Trippe, chairman of Pan American Airways. Alan Alda was pretty flat; he seemed like Alan Alda being self-righteous.

The production design was stunning, as is the case with most Scorcese pictures since he went "big." Sets were spacious and well-appointed, the costumes were beautiful, the period details done well (though I couldn't tell exactly how accurate they are). The digital work was mostly very convincing. (Who thought we'd ever be talking about digital work in a Scorcese picture?) Overall, 8/10. Worth a good look again, or a first look if you haven't seen it.

[minstrel]

I like The Aviator, too, and have seen it four or five times. Actually, the first time I saw it I thought DiCaprio was miscast, but each time since it just seems to me he fits the role better and better. Maybe that's just because I'm used to him now. But I thought he did very well in the "breakdown" scenes.

[DennisMM]

He's intense, I'll give him that. But he still seems so young to me. Perhaps this is because my first dramatic exposure to Hughes as a character was Tommy Lee Jones in "The Amazing Howard Hughes" back in the '70s. That man could bring some weight, even then. Rather too unattractive to be Hughes, but did a great job in the role.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

Yeah I go with ya, Dennis on the Jones version, I saw twice, once - as a child, then - as a man. He's brilliant in that role and seems to flesh ALL of Hughes out, but again, this isn't just down to the running time. All that heavyweight portrayal is in JONES himself, even though he shows him as a quiet, restrained person. It's one reason why I'm put off Decaprio a bit, though a screen grab of him and Hughes shows he looks like him a bit too. But Jones isn't necessarily unattractive to play Hugh........ HOLY FARK, SCARY EVIL DEMON BABY ON THE MOVIE 'IT'S ALIVE' ON BBC 2 RIGHT NOW!!!! SCARY FARK!!! KILL ITTTT!!!!!!!

[DerLanghaarige]

I was a little bit too busy and lazy (bazy) to go on with my Werewolf Movie Book, but I try to change that. Today I watched Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, the follow up to the great 'The Wolf Man'.
While I was kinda entertained by it, the movie doesn't really make much sense. Interesting enough is that despite its age, it feels like a sequel of our time: It's not just louder, sillier and more in-your-face than part 1, it's also much dumber. Especially the character motivations and the resulting actions are most of the time so fucking unbelievable, that I thought I was watching an episode of BSG (remake). Let's take the villagers as example. They change their opinion every few seconds. "Grrrrr, Frankenstein, we curse your name! Oh, by the way, would you, daughter of Dr. Frankenstein, like to be the special guest at our festival?" A few hourse later: "Grrrrr, daughter of Dr. Frankenstein, we don't trust you and we are sure that you got something to do with the monster. Oh, you said you wanna help us? Sure you can go wherever you want."
And there is a reason, why the movie is called 'Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man" and not "The Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein". While the first half is only about Wolfy Talbot, he becomes a bit player in the second half.
But yeah, despite the huge I-got-no-idea-what's-going-on-right-now-factor, I liked it.

[DerLanghaarige]

Semi-Pro
Unfortunately this one turned out to be pretty lame, but with a few inspired bits of lunacy.
There is so much wrong with this movie. Many pieces that don't connect really. Like when Woody Harrelson's character is introduced, everybody hates him because he seem to be a big asshole who likes to break some noses at the court. But then he never does anything assholish and in fact turns out to be a pretty cool guy. And there is also a love story going on between him and Maura Tierney, but this is only in a few scenes and in fact has nothing to do with the story of the movie. It feels totally out of place. Like in one of these Laurel & Hardy movies, where they meet a young man and help him to fall in love with the girl of his dreams. It's strange, the movie pretty much focusses on Woody Harrelson and Will Farrell, although their character arcs have absolutely nothing to do with each other, despite the fact that they play in the same team. And none of them has enough to do in the movie. I would even go so far and say that it feels like it was shot as a "serious" Basketball comedy about Woody Harrelson, with Will Farrell in a supporting role, but then some disastrous test screening happened, the audiences wanted to see more of Farrell and so 50% of the movie were re-shot, to give Farrell's character more attention. And while I'm talking about Farrell's character: Another thing that feels weird in the movie that he seem to be a huge egoistic douchebag, but his team still likes him and support every of his silly ideas.
I also mentioned "a few bits of inspired lunacy". Unfortunately there are really just a few, but when they start, they will make you laugh tears. Like the running gag with the bear, the fight during the commercial break or the police car at the end. Another good thing I can say about it is that Andre 3000 turned out to be a member of the rappers-who-are-surprisingly-convincing-and-charismatic-actors-club.
But still, unless you catch it for free on TV when you got nothing better to do and there is seriously nothing better on, you don't have to watch Semi-Pro.

[Spandau Belly]

I was over visiting my mum who is from England and so she likes viewing films about her peoples, so we watched:

LAYER CAKE
aka L4YER CAKE (although I didn't see any distinct four layers so it's not even a clever word-number title like SE7EN)

I liked this movie a bit better now than the first time I saw it like 4 years ago, it's still not very original or even ambitious in any way, but it has a few more entertaining moments than I gave it credit for initially. This film is clearly a Guy Ritchie knockoff (made by Matthew Vaughn, the producer of Guy Ritchie's films) although it lacks Ritchie's knack for snappy dialogue, crazy moments, memorable characters, or energy.

I'll come out first saying I've never really liked Daniel Craig, to me he's not a very charismatic actor and so as a lead in this type of movie he doesn't hold the whole thing together. He's got a narration track, but it's not witty as if Ritchie had written it and he doesn't deliver it with the same snap as Jason Statham would. Craig's character comes off as a cold fish. Whether it was intentional for him to seem so dettached is debateable.

I also don't really find Sienna Miller to be anything special. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's good looking or whatever but there just isn't anything memorable about this chick. I probably wouldn't recognize her if I bumped into her on the street unless she was attached to Jude Law's wang. There's a long scene where we just watch her dance and either she just can't move in an intriguing way or Vaughn doesn't know how to film her to make her sexy. However my favorite part was when Craig and Miller are going to have sex and she goes into the next room to change into lingerie and thugs silently abduct Craig in the next room.

I think George Harris as Morty was the most charasmatic actor in this movie. He gets a really good scene where he beats a guy up in a diner. But overall the characters aren't distinct or memorable. You know how in Alien 3 at the end they all start crying that the alien ate Kevin and I'm all like "Who was Kevin again?", well there's sometimes a bit of that. At the end they're looking at a bloody corpse and say "Sorry, Lucky." and my mum was like "Which one was Lucky?" I was like "Fuck me if I know, mum."

And I think there were some guys called Crazy Freddy and Lazy Larry or something that I had to keep straight in my mind. The dialgoue is okay and at least it doesn't try for anything it can't achieve. There's a lot less pompous Sam Jackson wannabee speeches in this movie than in your typical gangster movie like this. Except for one big speech that sorta explains the title. It means that life is a shitcake and you born beneath the shitcake feasting one shit and you work your way up eating less shit and presumably becoming slimmer and with better breath until you reach the top of the shitlayercake and become like that little plastic groom. A flawed philosphy and metaphor in my opinion since babies don't put up with no shit, they just flop around and get tits in their face for free, I gotta work and pay for that kind of treatment.

Vaughn's directorial style is a lot more grounded than Ritchie's. A lot less showoffy MTV tricks. It almost seemed like he wanted to make something more like those PUSHER movies and pulled back into something a little more safe. Layer Cake comes out as 85% Guy Ritchie, 15% Pusher. Speaking of Pusher, those first three films were fucking great, but why did he stop there? They just kept getting better, I almost cried at the end of the second one and the third one left me feeling exhausted. I could use Pusher part 4 through 10.

But all and all this movie is pretty watchable. It's one of the better Guy Ritchie knockoffs, but that's not much of a compliment seeing as its competition was DOMINO and SMOKIN ACES. But at the same time watching this has filled my Guy Ritchie appetite and probably pushed my seeing of ROCKNROLLA further into the future seeing as I don't feel like this type of fare that often.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

I like Layer cake as it doesn't try t be all flashy for a start or machismo or overviolent like Guy Ritchie's 1st 2 gangster efforts. Instead what we got is a great central character that not only does he use his wits and cunning t get out of an impossible situation, but he has balls that would make anyone sick in having to deal with his predicament. Also, deep down we DO see a real cold blooded streak in him. I mean, just like that, that garden night scene, look at what he did! Who saw that coming?!

I just watched The Dee Hunter, one of my all time faves. I find it so hard to express how REAL they got these guys, it's like they weren't acting at all, I really believe that's what happened in a large % of this film, I do think it might be the best acting I've seen on film, and I DO really mean that, I've considered this for a long time. It's not just the acting overall, but those little tiny moments where something happens with an actor that sort of remind me of real life experiences that I've had or observed. Like a pin Struggling Background Artist in one of your memories of some past emotion you had. Even stuff like Walken going 'get off me' when the French dude gabs his arm. Weird!

One of the reasons this movie gets so close to home like this is because a lot of this stuff was done for real it turns out. I mean, did you know that in the scene where Robert De Niro does the Russian Roulette thing to John Cazale, Bobby (that's what I call him as we're right good buddies, me and him!) suggested that real life bullet be put in the chamber for extra 'intensity' and John Cazale agreed to this? Fucking nutter!!! He does actually pull the trigger in the scene too! Fucking nutter!!!

Oh by the way, research into 28 cases of Russian Roulette deaths after the film was released, DID actually link those incidents to the guys involved getting the idea from this film or at least watching these scenes. Who says that movies don't influence people or that Snakes on a Plane won't encourage people to kill snakes?

[Peven]

I like Layer cake as it doesn't try t be all flashy for a start or machismo or overviolent like Guy Ritchie's 1st 2 gangster efforts. Instead what we got is a great central character that not only does he use his wits and cunning t get out of an impossible situation, but he has balls that would make anyone sick in having to deal with his predicament. Also, deep down we DO see a real cold blooded streak in him. I mean, just like that, that garden night scene, look at what he did! Who saw that coming?!

I just watched The Dee Hunter, one of my all time faves. I find it so hard to express how REAL they got these guys, it's like they weren't acting at all, I really believe that's what happened in a large % of this film, I do think it might be the best acting I've seen on film, and I DO really mean that, I've considered this for a long time. It's not just the acting overall, but those little tiny moments where something happens with an actor that sort of remind me of real life experiences that I've had or observed. Like a pin Struggling Background Artist in one of your memories of some past emotion you had. Even stuff like Walken going 'get off me' when the French dude gabs his arm. Weird!

One of the reasons this movie gets so close to home like this is because a lot of this stuff was done for real it turns out. I mean, did you know that in the scene where Robert De Niro does the Russian Roulette thing to John Cazale, Bobby (that's what I call him as we're right good buddies, me and him!) suggested that real life bullet be put in the chamber for extra 'intensity' and John Cazale agreed to this? Fucking nutter!!! He does actually pull the trigger in the scene too! Fucking nutter!!!

Oh by the way, research into 28 cases of Russian Roulette deaths after the film was released, DID actually link those incidents to the guys involved getting the idea from this film or at least watching these scenes. Who says that movies don't influence people or that Snakes on a Plane won't encourage people to kill snakes?

......or that "I Spit On Your Grave" won't inspire people to spit on graves?

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

I like Layer cake as it doesn't try t be all flashy for a start or machismo or overviolent like Guy Ritchie's 1st 2 gangster efforts. Instead what we got is a great central character that not only does he use his wits and cunning t get out of an impossible situation, but he has balls that would make anyone sick in having to deal with his predicament. Also, deep down we DO see a real cold blooded streak in him. I mean, just like that, that garden night scene, look at what he did! Who saw that coming?!

I just watched The Dee Hunter, one of my all time faves. I find it so hard to express how REAL they got these guys, it's like they weren't acting at all, I really believe that's what happened in a large % of this film, I do think it might be the best acting I've seen on film, and I DO really mean that, I've considered this for a long time. It's not just the acting overall, but those little tiny moments where something happens with an actor that sort of remind me of real life experiences that I've had or observed. Like a pin Struggling Background Artist in one of your memories of some past emotion you had. Even stuff like Walken going 'get off me' when the French dude gabs his arm. Weird!

One of the reasons this movie gets so close to home like this is because a lot of this stuff was done for real it turns out. I mean, did you know that in the scene where Robert De Niro does the Russian Roulette thing to John Cazale, Bobby (that's what I call him as we're right good buddies, me and him!) suggested that real life bullet be put in the chamber for extra 'intensity' and John Cazale agreed to this? Fucking nutter!!! He does actually pull the trigger in the scene too! Fucking nutter!!!

Oh by the way, research into 28 cases of Russian Roulette deaths after the film was released, DID actually link those incidents to the guys involved getting the idea from this film or at least watching these scenes. Who says that movies don't influence people or that Snakes on a Plane won't encourage people to kill snakes?

......or that "I Spit On Your Grave" won't inspire people to spit on graves?

Dunno.

Haven't come across your grave yet.


Did you guys know that Robert De Niro said that this is like, his favourite role? And also his most physically exhausting one?
Also the beginning of this movie was set in '68 yet ended in '75? You're telling me that this move spans 7 years? I wouldn't have thought that.

[Al Shut]

I always felt the ending of Layer Cake was a bit forced and trying to be different for the sake of it. According to IMDB test audiences like it for beeing different and "not like other American movie endings"

[Spandau Belly]

I can see people saying that, Al Shut, but all the American wacky gangster movie also try for crazy endings that come out of left field too. I realize there is such thing as the pasturized Hollywood ending, but people just like to say that shit.

I guess it's kinda funny that this dude can play everybody and get himself out from under what seems like unbeatable odds and then get shot by a total douchebag over some pussy. The DVD has a couple alternate endings that basically add up to the same thing just in more subtle ways. An ending where Craig just told me he was ultimate tricky dick and smiled smugly at me and strolled off with his piece of ass would've probably been unsatisfying to me.

[Doc Holliday]

I like Layer cake as it doesn't try t be all flashy for a start or machismo or overviolent like Guy Ritchie's 1st 2 gangster efforts. Instead what we got is a great central character that not only does he use his wits and cunning t get out of an impossible situation, but he has balls that would make anyone sick in having to deal with his predicament. Also, deep down we DO see a real cold blooded streak in him. I mean, just like that, that garden night scene, look at what he did! Who saw that coming?!

I just watched The Dee Hunter, one of my all time faves. I find it so hard to express how REAL they got these guys, it's like they weren't acting at all, I really believe that's what happened in a large % of this film, I do think it might be the best acting I've seen on film, and I DO really mean that, I've considered this for a long time. It's not just the acting overall, but those little tiny moments where something happens with an actor that sort of remind me of real life experiences that I've had or observed. Like a pin Struggling Background Artist in one of your memories of some past emotion you had. Even stuff like Walken going 'get off me' when the French dude gabs his arm. Weird!

One of the reasons this movie gets so close to home like this is because a lot of this stuff was done for real it turns out. I mean, did you know that in the scene where Robert De Niro does the Russian Roulette thing to John Cazale, Bobby (that's what I call him as we're right good buddies, me and him!) suggested that real life bullet be put in the chamber for extra 'intensity' and John Cazale agreed to this? Fucking nutter!!! He does actually pull the trigger in the scene too! Fucking nutter!!!

Oh by the way, research into 28 cases of Russian Roulette deaths after the film was released, DID actually link those incidents to the guys involved getting the idea from this film or at least watching these scenes. Who says that movies don't influence people or that Snakes on a Plane won't encourage people to kill snakes?

......or that "I Spit On Your Grave" won't inspire people to spit on graves?

I sneezed into someone's ashes once - a fatalist's Annie Hall moment, if ever there was one...

Just got done watching PRINCE CASPIAN. A good story ruined by uninspired directing. Wrong shots, used throughout the film, conspire with child actors and wooden deliveries to rob the film of any emotional resonance. For shame, Adamson, FOR SHAME!

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

I like Layer cake as it doesn't try t be all flashy for a start or machismo or overviolent like Guy Ritchie's 1st 2 gangster efforts. Instead what we got is a great central character that not only does he use his wits and cunning t get out of an impossible situation, but he has balls that would make anyone sick in having to deal with his predicament. Also, deep down we DO see a real cold blooded streak in him. I mean, just like that, that garden night scene, look at what he did! Who saw that coming?!

I just watched The Dee Hunter, one of my all time faves. I find it so hard to express how REAL they got these guys, it's like they weren't acting at all, I really believe that's what happened in a large % of this film, I do think it might be the best acting I've seen on film, and I DO really mean that, I've considered this for a long time. It's not just the acting overall, but those little tiny moments where something happens with an actor that sort of remind me of real life experiences that I've had or observed. Like a pin Struggling Background Artist in one of your memories of some past emotion you had. Even stuff like Walken going 'get off me' when the French dude gabs his arm. Weird!

One of the reasons this movie gets so close to home like this is because a lot of this stuff was done for real it turns out. I mean, did you know that in the scene where Robert De Niro does the Russian Roulette thing to John Cazale, Bobby (that's what I call him as we're right good buddies, me and him!) suggested that real life bullet be put in the chamber for extra 'intensity' and John Cazale agreed to this? Fucking nutter!!! He does actually pull the trigger in the scene too! Fucking nutter!!!

Oh by the way, research into 28 cases of Russian Roulette deaths after the film was released, DID actually link those incidents to the guys involved getting the idea from this film or at least watching these scenes. Who says that movies don't influence people or that Snakes on a Plane won't encourage people to kill snakes?

......or that "I Spit On Your Grave" won't inspire people to spit on graves?

I sneezed into someone's ashes once - a fatalist's Annie Hall moment, if ever there was one...

Just got done watching PRINCE CASPIAN. A good story ruined by uninspired directing. Wrong shots, used throughout the film, conspire with child actors and wooden deliveries to rob the film of any emotional resonance. For shame, Adamson, FOR SHAME!

When you make it so that at the end of the film, you feel the 2 male 'hero' leads are quite hateful people and you end up wanting THEM to get beaten, you know you have well and truly failed. That's maybe the worst thing you can do as a storyteller.

No wonder the remaining novels might not make it t screen. Is a shame - as now I'll have to pay to buy the books and read them now, instead f seeing the films for nothing with my Cineworld monthly pass (gets the plug in so he can still get the pass for free, me being IN movies and all.)

[Doc Holliday]

The whole ending was just fucked backwards.

See that bad guy - yes, that's the one, the guy we've spent 90 minutes gearing you towards hating - we're going to give him a halfway noble way out. Oh shit, hang on a minute, we've still got a story to resolve and now the audience don't hate the evil dude. Hangonaminute - you know that cowering simp? The one that we portrayed, halfway sympathetically, as mistrusting the main bad guy? Let's give his character a quick 180 reversal - now he's the bad guy! GENIUS!

Now tell casting to get those ENT rejects from LOTR, as well as the Poseidon that made Harryhausen weep, and let's roll those cameras!

[Peven]

I can see people saying that, Al Shut, but all the American wacky gangster movie also try for crazy endings that come out of left field too. I realize there is such thing as the pasturized Hollywood ending, but people just like to say that shit.

I guess it's kinda funny that this dude can play everybody and get himself out from under what seems like unbeatable odds and then get shot by a total douchebag over some pussy. The DVD has a couple alternate endings that basically add up to the same thing just in more subtle ways. An ending where Craig just told me he was ultimate tricky dick and smiled smugly at me and strolled off with his piece of ass would've probably been unsatisfying to me.

the ending is one of my favorite parts to "Layer Cake", and i really dig that movie. i thought that it stayed true to the whole spirit of the movie, once you become part of that layer cake you can either move up or down, but you don't get out clean, not alive. if he had walked off scott free with the $ and the chick it would have been breaking the rules the rest of the movie had set up, imo.

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

The whole ending was just fucked backwards.

See that bad guy - yes, that's the one, the guy we've spent 90 minutes gearing you towards hating - we're going to give him a halfway noble way out. Oh shit, hang on a minute, we've still got a story to resolve and now the audience don't hate the evil dude. Hangonaminute - you know that cowering simp? The one that we portrayed, halfway sympathetically, as mistrusting the main bad guy? Let's give his character a quick 180 reversal - now he's the bad guy! GENIUS!

Now tell casting to get those ENT rejects from LOTR, as well as the Poseidon that made Harryhausen weep, and let's roll those cameras!

Is that what happened? So unmemorable I can't... remember.

Not to mention the 'press the red button for an instant win whenever you feel like it' clause, and 'get out of Jail Free card' by simply asking Aslan to sort shit out whenever the good guys are losing. So you know, even when the good guys get beaten, they still are gonna win just like that anyway.

How's THAT for tension!!!!?????

[BuckyO'harre]

No wonder the remaining novels might not make it t screen.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still going to be made,I think.
Just not by Disney.
Fox bought the rights if I recall.

[Doc Holliday]

The whole ending was just fucked backwards.

See that bad guy - yes, that's the one, the guy we've spent 90 minutes gearing you towards hating - we're going to give him a halfway noble way out. Oh shit, hang on a minute, we've still got a story to resolve and now the audience don't hate the evil dude. Hangonaminute - you know that cowering simp? The one that we portrayed, halfway sympathetically, as mistrusting the main bad guy? Let's give his character a quick 180 reversal - now he's the bad guy! GENIUS!

Now tell casting to get those ENT rejects from LOTR, as well as the Poseidon that made Harryhausen weep, and let's roll those cameras!

Is that what happened? So unmemorable I can't... remember.

Not to mention the 'press the red button for an instant win whenever you feel like it' clause, and 'get out of Jail Free card' by simply asking Aslan to sort shit out whenever the good guys are losing. So you know, even when the good guys get beaten, they still are gonna win just like that anyway.

How's THAT for tension!!!!?????

I imagine him standing at the other side of that bridge, whispering aside

"Watch this shit - I picked it up from some elven chick I met at the Prancing Pony"

Then, as the minions charge shouting "For Frodo!", him shouting at them "That's 'ASLAN', you Struggling Background Artists....."

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

No wonder the remaining novels might not make it t screen.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still going to be made,I think.
Just not by Disney.
Fox bought the rights if I recall.

Yeah that's right. Though the present movies sure have fumbled the potential for these movies to last out, eh? In short, Superman Returns, this IS!