Last Film You Watched? (use spoiler tags in this topic)

[FauxDrPepper]

Rabid (1977) - Usual early Cronenberg tropes; body/medical horror, etc. Not his best work, but a decent watch. 3/5

[ROBO]

Magic Mike- Pretty damn good. A mix of drama and... stripping. I didn't care too much for the story, maybe it's the lack of emotion or facial expressions in most of the cast, Channing Tatum wasn't bad because his role wasn't very demanding as the slick playboy stripper. The best parts were on stage and I didn't realize just how good Mr. Tatum was. The best thing about the film was Mathew Mcconaughey because he fit his character perfectly and he got a few laughs out of me.

7/10

[Hubbs]

Lockout

Hmmm dare I say a Die Hard clone in space? I don't wanna go there I really don't but I think I may have to slightly go there. 'Die Hard' with some continental Besson flare. That flare being evident in the rather short swish high speed bike chase sequence at the start that seems to be a curious blend of videogame and live action comicbook visuals. Either that or its just poor cgi, not sure, looked kinda neat though.

Of course its not exactly 'Die Hard' in space but once the action kicks in you do get that feeling from time to time. Prison in space ('Fortress 2') with lots of naughty spawns all in hibernation. Presidents daughter goes there to see if all the prisoners are being treated well (typical PC goodie goodie), prisoners get loose (didn't see that coming), take presidents daughter hostage so the suits send another freshly convicted badass to save the day.

That badass being Guy Pearce who does add to the 'Die Hard' theory with his snug fit t-shirt and continuous quick wit during the most awkward moments. You do get the impression he's trying his best cocky smart ass Willis routine and while a few lines are sweet it gets dull fast.

From here on the action is violent and brutal with lots of big bald men fighting each other and running amok with guns. For some reason the leaders of this convict outbreak are two Scottish brothers, I got the impression they really wanted Gerard Butler for the lead bad guy seeing as the guy they have (Regan) is a dead ringer for him. If you like brutal Scottish lunatics portrayed by fellow countrymen of England and Wales then behold the glory before thee.

So the plot is completely flat out unoriginal but the look of the sets and space sequences are impressive. Everything does look realistic, not an overblown future with silly laser guns. The sets are of cold steel designs in various tones of blue and grey, add to this the nice lighting and shadow work to really give the place an epic gloss that is slick and ultra cool. I expect nothing less than quality from Besson with action and this film does deliver exactly that with some great visuals, mainly in space.

Its a good smack in the mouth film with lots of aggression which obviously you can't take seriously. Thusly small issues of how the prisoners manage to overcome hibernation so quickly after being released, Pearce's character giving Grace's character a quick trendy haircut so she can fit in with the general population of psycho's without them noticing she's a woman (yeah right!), the end sequence plummet and can gun turrets fire bullets in outer space/orbit?....you must overlook all.

Problem is at the end of the day its just a run of the mill action flick in space with a little bit of brains around the edge. It looks good and that's its trump card, a solid action flick and expensive looking B-movie.

[BASSI]

Joyride 2 (I still can't believe I seen 3 times now)

Everyone times I see this movie, i also seem find it that I like much less the my last watch.

The fist movie was great as it had some really great Thrill Ride of scary and tense moment in that movie, sadly I can not say the same for this movie.

This is was stand alone (Which I was Gutted about), No one of first movie as come back and even have new person playing the killer.

This movie never feel had any suspense in action seen and the lead in this movie was very annoying throughout the whole movie, so don't really feel sorry for her and I don't think her acting helped out all.

This movie as some good bloody moment in it and some torture scene, which I thought that scene was ruined by the silly screaming from the goth kid.

The acting from some of cast was just really bad and very annoying.

4 out of 10 (Why did l Like this on first watch. i must of been drunk lol)

Originally Posted by FauxDrPepper

Rabid (1977) - Usual early Cronenberg tropes; body/medical horror, etc. Not his best work, but a decent watch. 3/5

His new one, Cosmopolis, looks interesting. Anyone seen it yet?

[FauxDrPepper]

Young Adult (2011) - Liked it quite a bit. Theron is excellent in the lead role. But it's Oswalt who steals the show. 3.5/5

Originally Posted by Gort

His new one, Cosmopolis, looks interesting. Anyone seen it yet?

I haven't heard many good things. I'll probably see it when it comes out on Blu.

[jonnyhiboy!]

Killer Joe. What can I say? Hat's off to the fucked up, very imaginative individual who created this absolute demented masterpiece. It is a great, actually I don't know what genre to place it under; it's up for the viewer to decide. Never have I seen such a well written, character based study on a screwed up 'family' who can't seem to do anything right. Yet this isn't some normal or usual film that feels desperate to be Oscar nominated or win awards or achievements, for the film in itself pushes boundaries and in itself is a massive achievement. Censors must have been appalled. This film is many things; controversial, disturbing, odd, weird, brutal, utterly unique, brilliant concept, intriguing, darkly comical(I do hope people will 'get' this side to it) but perhaps what I liked most was it's unflinching nature down to exquisite direction. I will be widely looking forward to a second viewing so that I can laugh at certain scenes I felt people would think I was an absolute nut job if I did laugh at it in the cinema. Very complex, unpredictable and darn right fine performances all round - GREAT ending such a revelation. I'm going to mention them separately. You have Emile Hirsch who plays Chris. He is the type of character who can't seem to ever get anything right, yet you can tell he is a good person at heart and just getting mixed up with wrong crowd. His actions arguably defy stupidity, but yet can't bring yourself to hate him. Matthew McConaughey plays Killer Joe Cooper. He is extremely chilling, bringing a quiet take to his character. You never know what the plot is going to do with him which is a clever accomplishment that only adds to the movie. Juno Temple is Dottie(Chris' sister), who is a perfectly nice young woman who is not mentally sound and kinda acts like a child, even though she is sort of smart in her own way. Very unique take on the character and I could not envisage anyone else in this role. She brings enough innocence to the character in that you feel sorry for her in some ways and at times her expressions defy logic. Thomas Haden Church is the drunk, arguably comical, waste of space Dad of Chris and Dottie. He doesn't have a clue and is really unintelligent about all the events going on around him, having no idea that he should not be dealing with them lightly. Then you have Gina Gershon who is the stepmother, a real bitch of a person. She has the most challenging role in a scene which must have been awkward and hard to film. All of these five characters have their highlight moments of the movie and each of them can have scenes so odd and bizarre they are kinda funny. This is so hard to describe, but as long as you have a strong enough stomach I urge anyone interested in a bit of fantastic film making and screwed up storytelling to give this a go. I highly suspect this will be a film were audiences may not know what to think or unfairly write it off because they are too disturbed. I sincerely hope not and that those on this forum give it a chance as all of you seem like open minded people. Cannot fault Killer Joe!

[Hubbs]

The Raven

Very fictionalised account of Poe's last days up until the point where he was mysteriously found ill and dying on the streets of Baltimore. Apparently the writers included some real accounts of Poe's life into the film but to be honest you would never have guessed.

What you have here is a serial killer horror set at the time of Poe and that's pretty much it. This could be set or made anywhere its that generic and bland, its only the dark rustic mists of old 19th century Maryland that make this remotely interesting to watch.

So someone is killing folk just as Poe has written in his literary works and its up to Sherloc....I mean Edgar to track down the killer before his beloved is murdered. Poe is portrayed by John Cusack and I didn't really think too much to this decision. He does look the part somewhat I admit but Cusack comes across as a bit too humorous at times, he doesn't really fit the bill for this type of dark thriller. He gets better towards the end but for the most part he really doesn't stand out a tall.

Rest of the cast are pretty much your standard affair with all the mutton chop sideburns and beards in place. Gleeson does seem terribly type cast here, any period flick going they stick him in it with facial hair.

Its all very dull with not much happening to keep you in your seat. Slow plodding plot with lots of 'Scooby Doo' type clues and searching intertwined with the odd gory moment. Its hardly nail biting stuff, I didn't really care about any of the characters and the ending is so so....plain!.

Without my own review seeming to generic itself as I'm sure others will have made this same observation but think of this film like the recent 'Sherlock Holmes' films. Less glossy action and much more darkness and blood, an adult version if you will. On the other hand you could think of it as a much weaker version of 'From Hell', bit of a duffer I'm afraid.

[Pelicula]

I haven't heard many good things. I'll probably see it when it comes out on Blu.

Not the film, but the book is worth the read and thought it suited Cronenberg very well. Quite a lot of the reviews for the film version have been negative.

[FauxDrPepper]

The Amazing Spiderman (2012) - There are good things about this film; Emma Stone for instance gives a very good performance and the film handles the emotionality involved with the events that surround Parker's evolution into Spiderman far better than the Raimi films did, which all in all I would have preferred more of because it is the parts involving Spiderman and Lizard that are the weakest sections of the movie. Ifans as Dr Connors does rather well with what little he has, but it is his transformation into the Lizard that lets the film down. The character design is awful as is the digital animation, which turns what should seem like a tangible threat to the safety of the city and a villain with enough presence and power to threaten Parker's abilities into nothing more than a poorly rendered and highly forgettable figure. The film itself also seemed far too long for the story they were telling. At two hours and seventeen minutes it drags its feet when it really didn't need to. In the past, a film of this type could and would wrap itself up in 90 minutes, whereas this sort of film today has to be 'epic' and an 'event' which for the most part (with a few notable exceptions) can never really live up to that billing. I would much rather the 90 minute acton/superhero film than the over long wankfest we're force fed today, but that's just me. Overall, there are some enjoyable moments, but it's nothing special. 1.5/5

Oh, and don't get me started on the...

Spoiler

..crane, "we're all in this together" BS section of the film. Urgh...

Originally Posted by Pelicula

Not the film, but the book is worth the read and thought it suited Cronenberg very well. Quite a lot of the reviews for the film version have been negative.

I've read a lot of DeLillo, Cosmopolis being one of those I've read. It's far from his best work in my estimation. I think you're right when you say the material seems like it might have suited Cronenberg's style. But it seems like he wasn't on the best of form for this one. But we'll see...