Topic: The Movie Thread

@Ravix

That’s a good list. I need to rebuild my collection, having moved house last year.

So Thankyou for the good ideas.

Looper is excellent. Actual intelligent sci-fi.
Anything Christopher Nolan has done is an absolute must for me.
I recall seeing Vanilla Sky at the movies, and that was interesting.. Reminded me of Eyes Wide Shut. I have never seen the Spanish original “Open your eyes”.
I have to track down another copy of twelve Monkeys.
There was something about the Machinist that turned off. Can’t imagine what. So I have never seen it. But American Psycho is excellent, probably the blackest of all black comedies.

And I have just recalled David Fincher’s Benjamin Button. With Brad Pitt. A 4k release of that would be wonderful.

@Matthewnh probably the skin and bones Bale, he's basically a corpse in it 🤮 I don't think it is the most pleasing film to watch, but then again, a lot of good films aren't. I feel like I need to own Nightcrawler, for example, but I know when I watch it I will be in a foul mood and hate society for a good while 😅

Arrow have Twelve Monkey's at a fairly consistent £14.99, although technically it is their "summer sale" price.

Vanilla Sky I think will be one of the next wave I get tbh, I know I liked it, but I know a few people that really did not (so that is even better 😅) I might team it up with Mulholland Drive and really stretch my pretentious wings around those that would rather watch FAST or indeed Furious 36 1/3 part 8.658 recurring.

Speaking of Fincher and the potentially pretentious, Mank was something that Netflix actually did alright, and now I can't remember if I ever saw The Killer, i'm sure I must have 🤔

And the tangents keep coming, I can only apologise, but Nightmare Alley is a good watch. I think Disney even had a Guillermo Del Toro cut/black and white version, something like that, hidden away on their app too. Not sure if that version ever released physically.

Apologies thread, you must bear the weight of one more comment 😅

But... Does anyone use Zavvi Red Carpet Club? Seems like a one off payment for: free delivery, 10% discounts, special offers etc. Now, is the 10% off on top of deals that are already on site, like say the "two 4ks for £30" deal. Because, if so, it feels like a very good deal and Zavvi will clearly have the best prices for a lot of stuff. I mean, all it would take is one order of six 4ks on that deal to get an extra £9 off it, which is the cost of the Red Carpet Club itself. And from that point on everything else would be a bonus discount on top of free delivery regardless of order size.

I'm of the mind that any decent 4K at £15 a pop is a fair enough deal anyway, so this is tempting me. I was hoping to only use HMV and Amazon, but they are being stingy this week with deals 💀

Of course, if the discount isn't included on top of deals, I think their prices are generally higher than elsewhere anyway, so that would be one catch. There's usually a catch, right?

@Ravix Coherence is well-kept secret, and there are some fantastic takes on plot to review once you finish. It is even better on a re-watch, considering that you'll be viewing through a completely different context. An easy recommend, such a great movie. So much you'll grab on the 2nd watch!

We should rename this thread Ravix's Movie Club Thread.

@Ravix I've not heard of that Zavvi club, but am a bit hesitant to add add yet another subscription service. I stopped using Zavvi, for a reason I can't quite remember.

I'm kinda glad there are no good deals on Amazon and HMV at the moment. 😅

@CJD87 I'll keep an eye out for it, then. Is it kind of a movie/play in that it is small scale, small cast that type of thing? I do usually enjoy a more intimate setting, especially for drama. Haven't watched a trailer yet, just saw it was an independent lower budget one, and the art gave that kind of smaller scale vibe to me.

@JohnnyShoulder indeed 💀 although having people recall all kinds of older movies they've not seen in ages is always a good, I find. Really triggers the old nostalgia and can get discussion going, and a good way to find movies you've missed along the way.

My brain is like a very badly organised movie encyclopedia tbh, as cinema was a love of mine before gaming kind of replaced that a little, and I've seen so many good and bad movies in my time, from sneaking in to Saw as a kid (god knows why 😬) all I know is small scale cinemas really didn't care which screen you went to after paying for whichever film you pretended you were going to see 😂 to the endless independent films and general flops that got put on late night tv and then the general edgy new crap, which I suppose I kept seperate from stuff I liked on a deeper level. It served a purpose, and Jason Statham made a career out of people turning their brains off for 90 minutes, so fairs fair. And we don't mention the era of sh** sci fi remakes. Even when I was the target audience for that kind of crap, I still understood Total Recall was infinitely better than Total Farrell.

Anyway, I digress. Hit me with some movie nostalgia or memories you have, I love this sh**, and everyone has memories 😁

@Ravix Hang on sec while I consult my ‘Movie Memories’ spreadsheet… 😜
In seriousness, I’m not near the level of cinema aficionado that most of you all are, so 90% of the movies you’ve mentioned are complete unknowns to me. When I try to remember mind-bender movies I’ve liked or seen or have fond memories of, the first that comes up is Pulp Fiction. It’s probably not in the same stratosphere as some of the niche titles mentioned, but I do have distinct memories of that movie making me ponder and scratch my young head at the time. I’ve never watched it a second time and so I would enjoy doing that for nostalgia and to see if it really holds up to my fond recollection.

Most of my movie watching is stuff in the popular circles and probably not worth much of a mention in this context. Like, another favorite mind-bender from years past is Inception, for example. Hardly a hidden gem. I also have distinct “what the ‘eff is this?” memories when I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey as a young lad. The whole beginning sequence was completely unexpected, like I felt the wrong movie had been booted up. 😅. Others I thought of that I need to do a rewatch and see if they blow my mind like they did years ago — Fight Club and The Matrix.

@Ravix You mentioning Nightcrawler reminded me of when i saw it at the cinema. It was my choice so was chuffed that it turned out to be the movie it was, as none of us had heard of it.

There was another movie out about the same time which was similar, not in tone but was almost unheard of but turned out to be rather good. Don't remember that one though.

@Th3solution do yourself a favour (a friendly inflection, not the cockney aggression the phrase could be assossiated with 😛) and get yourself a Tarantino collection of some sort would be my sage advice, then. And maybe a Christopher Nolan collection. All great watches and rewatches, and crowd pleasers if you are having a gathering or a chill. I'd say you'd have an 80% chance of liking pretty much all of their stuff.

Pulp Fiction isn't really a mind bender, but I can see why a young mind would be in awe at the new thing they are seeing as it is a story told in parts, and not chronologically. It also oozes style, and Tarantino has a way with dialogue like no other, which translates to a near endless stream of chat.

And fight club is David Fincher, also mentioned above. '2001' a Stanley Kubrick too, so you're well on your way to being a bonafide film buff, you just don't know it yet. I will hold off on the "one of us" chants for now, but there's potential for you yet 😁

@JohnnyShoulder nice. It is a very good film, for sure, really dark satire, but man it put me in a mood. I don't know if I dare own it, maybe I will stream it one day.

A quick google ai says "31 Oct 2014. There were 5 other movies released on the same date, including Saw, Horns and Before I Go to Sleep" any of those ring a bell? I'm intrigued now, Gone Girl was pretty bleak and high drama, that was 2014 apparently too, but that was a massive hit, I think.

My guess might be Prisoners, as it is similar by way of being another serious Jake Gyllenhall flick. But I doubt it was the same release window so maybe not.

@Ravix Yes, Coherence is very much one of those 'small scale' films with a cast of maybe 7-8 characters mostly spending time within the confines of a house (under the pretence of a dinner party). A lot of small character actors, you might recognise 'Xander' from the Buffy TV show lol. I think you'll absolutely relish it based on your tastes. Skip the trailer, too spoiler-y, just go straight in mate

This thread is moving too fast for me to keep up with, but I would like to state that I am offended that one is not allowed to both like Mulholland Drive and the Fast & the Furious franchise.

Also, for those frustrated with the unavailability of Abyss, it is readily available outside the UK and if you buy it from any European site, it will work with your players (unless you buy a US import version, naturally). This is a Scandinavian site that I've used previously; they are reliable and they have it for £25,49-
https://imusic.uk/movies/7333018030312/james-cameron-2024-the...

Also worth noting is that 4K discs are very rarely region locked (though the accompanying Blu-Ray discs might be), so importing is much easier if you don't care too much about the extras on the BR disc you're importing.

I, for one, do care about the extras, so I simply broke down and imported a 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD player from Amazon US, along with a power converter, so now I can buy rare US discs with no worries (granted, one motivating factor here was that my DVD library is 90% region 1, so after my old hacked Panasonic player gave up the ghost, I've had no way to watch them)

So, trailer for the Spinal Tap sequel took me completely by surprise by looking like it's actually funny and maintaining the spirit of the original. Looking forward to it now!

@Ravix it was Ex Machina I was thinking of as it was released the same year as Nightcrawler. It feels like we watched them quite close together. I did have a similar experience with the original Saw film, but that was released a wee bit before those films.

If you want some WTF (as me and a mate class them as) try MEN directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina) and Enemy directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Jake Gyllenhaal. I would be interested to know what you think of them. I was a bit indifferent with them, but they definitely had me thinking way after I finished watching them.

@FuriousMachine Yeah I've seen that price for the Abyss, but that is still a shade too expensive for a standard 4K of a movie for me. I usually only pay that price for things like steelbooks special/collector's editions.

@Ravix I’ve always felt like I should dive into Tarantino’s body of work, and yet I think that Pulp Fiction is the only of his I’ve seen, for some reason. And I’d have to rewatch it, but I think the mind-bending, or rather mind-blowing aspect for me was the briefcase and what was actually in it. The fact it’s never shown or specified, that I know of, had me and friends pontificating. I think there’s a theory it held that particular character’s Soul, and John Travolta and Sam L Jackson were angels… or demons… trying to secure it… or something. 😅

I’m doing much better with Nolan — Interstellar, Oppenheimer, Dark Knight trilogy, The Prestige… all favorites. I’ve somehow never seen Memento. And I tried to watch Tenet and somehow dropped out after like 20 minutes but I think I was just having a weird moment and I couldn’t muster the interest at the time.

I also have done okay with Kubrick, having watched Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, and Lolita. Full Metal Jacket is definitely my biggest hole there; not sure why I never go around to it.

@CJD87 nice. I do like a confined room kind of set up. Very character driven and reliant on performance to sell the ideas. I've added it to amazon watch list jist as a reminder, and its available for 0.99p rent or £1.99 to own so, a no brainer at this point to check it out some time.

@JohnnyShoulder ooh, doppelganger drama, colour me intrigued. (My brain just fired at me the thought: Didn't Richard Ayoade make one of those, so I will have to track that down too)

@Th3solution see, you are well on your way to being a film buff. Join us, the warmth of the fire is quite lovely here. Tarantino will mostly crime at the heart, but the genre can vary a little. My personal favourites are more the: Reservior Dogs, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, The Hateful 8, True Romance types, but then I'd be happy watching most things tbh. Inglorious Basterds, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and so the lost goes, it is all going to be good wherever you start. You could work your way through chronologically by release date to help, of course 😁

I'd also recommend anything Coen Brothers to you, especially some of the more obscure ones, I think you'd enjoy their complexities, especially if you like to ponder the Tarantino briefcase, then the 'Briefcase of Coen' contains Greek myths/tragedies as a strong theme in the background of most of their work. I wouldn't even know what to recommend first, as they can appear quite zany on the surface at times. Some favourites: Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona, in fact, just about everything so it isnt even worth listing. They make a lot of westerns too, which I love. I reckon you'd be a Barton Fink appreciator, but I'm only speculating wildly.

@FuriousMachine allowed, hmm maybe, but encouraged, no no no 😁 I used to watch them, that is why I hold that opinion. I basically got sick of some of the stuff I used to be able to enjoy mindlessly tbh, but then again, I'd prefer the street racing based stuff as a young whipper snapper, and I have no idea the direction it is currently going in? International terrorism, spying and arms dealing? 🤷‍♂️ FAMILY

I'd much prefer the general population prefered movies with style, depth and artistic merit than carsplosions and ex wrestlers (i'm being overly harsh and purposely closed minded for effect) Dave Baustista is pretty decent in some stuff, and I do love his Drax! and The Rock in The Tooth Fairy, "chef's kiss" 😂 (again, mostly joking around, but it is a valid wish that the general public should be more open to things other than blockbusters) I shall leave the real ranting to Ol' Ridley, though.

Edit: The Double was the Richard Ayoade film!

@Ravix I’d definitely feel a little ‘imposter syndrome’ if I were included with you all at the film buff campfire. 😛 I’m a novice by comparison and probably classed as what we call “filthy casuals” in the gaming world. 😂

That said, I’ve seen all the Coen Bros movies you just mentioned, except for Barton Fink. I just had no idea they were all made by the same guys! 😅 I guess I can see their stylistic similarities now that I know. I also have seen No Country for Old Men, at least I know I started it. I can’t remember if I even finished it though because I distinctly remember having to step away from in mid way and now I don’t remember if I ever resumed it. I must not have really been invested.

Reading a quick summary of Barton Fink, I’m not sure about it. One of my weird hangups is when the movie industry makes movies about themselves. In other words, movies or TV shows about filmmakers, writers, directors, or actors as the subject always strikes me as pretentious and self absorbed. Like when a writer or director casts themselves as the hero in their show. It’s a turnoff. I know I’m being really unfair and prejudiced.

@Th3solution Ah, I thought you for a lover of satire and black comedy. And I was basing a recommendation on the fact you might like to explore the symbolism within it. It can be a bit of an uncomfortable watch, but a definite must-watch as part of their overall works.

I know what you mean though, and pretentiousness is a fine line, I love stuff that veers towards what others might think as pretentious, but if it is genuinely full-on pretentious I probably wouldn't won't like it, it has to know what it is and lean into it, and anything written by people that can mock themselves and the industry is on the right side of the line, for me. I'm sure there are some examples of when it is a godawful idea though 😁

@Ravix I definitely appreciate some dark comedy from time to time. Recent examples I can think of off the top of my head are Jojo Rabbit and Parasite. Both really great and with subtle commentary mixed into their ridiculous premises.

It’s definitely a fine line though, as it relates to satire. If it’s poorly done it just becomes a silly mess. I’m not much of a fan of the full-on base comedy (Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, Will Farrell, etc). I have to be in the mood.

@Th3solution yes, intelligent satire is better than silly satire. But it can be mixed a little, and not all silly is bad. In gaming a lot of people think GTA is silly, but for the most part it is usually really sharp, witty satire and an overall love letter to crime cinema.

If you like Parasite and Jojo then i'm fully confident in you liking a lot of Coen movies. And i'm also going to throw Martin McDonagh in there for you, now (Banshees, Billboards, Bruges etc)

And to avoid spamming the thread some more, I'll tack on this general comment. I accidentally mildly-drunk-ordered some more 4Ks 😂 The Batman, Vanilla Sky and The Revenant.

I did however manage to avoid ordering many, many more from Zavvi, as I decided I can't be trying to sign up for a new storefront while mildly intoxicated 😂 Phew.

But now I really want to track down In Bruges, ffs 🤦‍♂️😂 Second Sight have a nice Blu Ray, and there is a US 4K combo pack, 4K unlocked, Blu Ray Region locked. I'm leaning Second Sight, not sure if anyone has either one for recommendation of which to go for?

I'm almost satisfied that i've got a good selection for autumn/winter viewings now though 😅 (am I?)