What Movie Are You Watching?

[Sergeynest]

I want to watch it.

But if what I gather actually happens

Spoiler

he lets his sister starve to death so that he can live

, I absolutely do not want to watch it, as that is heartbreaking (and, sadly, probably something happened often during WWII... but still heartbreaking).

Spoiler

He did not let his sister starve to death; it did everything he could for both of them; it was just the consequence of the time they were living in. It is a great movie; but it will definitely make even the strongest of men cry.

 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Spoiler

He did not let his sister starve to death; it did everything he could for both of them; it was just the consequence of the time they were living in. It is a great movie; but it will definitely make even the strongest of men cry.

Gotcha!

I only offered that because I am familiar with Nosaka and it has come out that he based the novel on his experiences during WWII (which was known)... and that he actually had to not offer food to his sisters, hence them dying from starvation/malnutrition (which was not fully-known).

If that was indeed true, then I could not watch a film that devastating...

 

[danielmann861]

Great Choices. I absolutly loved The Wind Rises. Don't know if you have watched this one; Its also amazing "Grave of Fireflies"

Oh yes, I've watched it. And it broke my fucking heart. I sat in tears as the credits rolled the first time I saw it. Not an easy feat to achieve. But boy, this one got me. And further cemented my belief that Isao Takahata is truly the yang to Miyazaki's yin.

But it's a great film in general. Albeit incredibly heart breaking. Furthermore it's really interesting to hear Takahata's perspective on it. While people in the west consider it an Anti-War film, he actually didn't consider it an Anti-War film at all. His take on it is that it depicts a failed life due to isolation from society. It was always kind of interesting to hear his take compared to many Western takes that describe it as a straight up Anti War film. And yet, for the author of the book, he considers it an apology for what happened to his own sister.

 

[bcdcdude]

It's heartening to see that we have a lot in common :)

@Sergeynest - I have seen 'Grave of the Fireflies', but I must admit I can't remember much of it. Whether it was so traumatising I blocked it from my mind or if my memory is awful I cannot say. What I do remember is I watched it at a time when I would watch anime dubbed and it was the first film I watched where I thought "watching this in English is ruining the film", so I switched to Japanese and never looked back!

@danielmann861 - What a lovely story! I sadly didn't get to see a movie when in Japan (my girlfriend isn't as much of a movie buff as I am!), but I imagine it must've been lovely! I think I loved The Wind Rises, because it wasn't afraid to stop and smell the roses. So many CGI and animated films are done in an ADHD riddled way that it becomes hard to care, but The Wind Rises (and a lot of Ghibli films) aren't afraid to take things slow. I have happy memories seeing it with a friend and the only other people in the cinema were 3 old ladies. It was nice to talk to them afterwards about the movie :)

@Truck_1_0_1_ - Ah! Yes, 'Rush' is a great movie (and my favourite of that year!) I don't care for sports, but I love a good story, so that film was right up my alley. It kinda reminded me of 'Le Mans '66' (or 'Ford vs Ferrari' in US/Canada?) - that was a good film too! And yes, what I love about The Raid 2 is that it turns the original up on it's head; as great as the original was, it wasn't exactly a plot heavy film, so it was a brave move to make the sequel more plot driven. Plus, I love films with long lengths in genres that don't often allow it; how many action films are 2 1/2 hours these days (i'm not counting superhero films)?

The other thing I love about stuff like The Raid and Mad Max etc is the reliance on practical effects. CGI bores the shit out of me now. CGI is done well when you don't notice it and the problem with a lot of films is that it's just cheaper to do CGI instead of practical effects. Obviously, CGI is needed for some things, but it's hard for me to keep occupied when films are full of it. Also, I need to watch 'Silence' again. I recall liking it, but it's not the easiest of films to watch. I adore Scorcese, so will give it another go!

But yeah, 'Your Name' affected me in so many ways. It's just such a beautiful film that even seeing screenshots give me the feels. Ultimately, the best films are the ones that make me feel I can be better as a person. It's a miracle of a film <3

 

[Tsukuyomimagi99]

Because I love spreadsheets, I looked back at my best of the 2010s, and in my top 10, we share Mad Max Fury Road and in my honourable mentions (essentially 11th - 20th), The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Handmaiden made it!

I have watched another 10 films, but in this instance, I'll mention by best of the 2010s (I would go into detail about all of them, but it's hard when all 20 are wonderful)

Honourable mentions
10th / Submarine (Richard Aoyade) - A lovely little British comedy-drama with a soundtrack from Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.
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9th / Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) - Nostalgic romances are like catnip to me~
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8th / The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata) - As mentioned, this is a beautiful work of art
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7th / Tokyo Tribe (Sion Sono) - Sono is an infant terriblé, but what an entertaining one!
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6th / Boyhood (Richard Linklater) - The fact the film works filmed over 12 years is a miracle in itself
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5th / Mother! (Darren Aronofsky) - This is truly a Marmite film and I love it for that reason!
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4th / The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook) - I was lucky to see the extended 3-hour edition. Such an amazing piece of work
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3rd / Creed (Ryan Coogler) - I love the Rocky films and was amazed that the torch was passed with its legacy intact.
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2nd / Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan) - I had the pleasure of seeing this in 70mm. Watching it at home truly is not the same.
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1st / When Marnie Was There (Hiromasa Yonebayashi) - A beautiful little Ghibli film; almost moves me to tears each time.
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BEST OF the 2010S
10th / Her (Spike Jonze) - Again, a wonderful, quirky romantic drama. More moving than people gives it credit for.
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9th / The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey) - I have many reasons why I love this, but one I will share is that having seen Hugh Jackman perform in the flesh, he truly is amazing.
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8th / The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki) - The master truly on top of his game <3
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7th / Mad Max Fury Road (George Miller) - This could've easily failed, but my God - this is CINEMA.
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6th / Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (Edgar Wright) - I was a bit disappointed when I first saw it, but the more I watch it, the more I adore it. It is such a sugar rush of a film (and I've been a long-term Wright fan!)
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5th / The Raid 2 (Gareth Evans) - So ballsy to make a 2 1/2 hour plot-heavy sequel, but it works. And the action is top-notch.
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4th / La La Land (Damien Chazelle) - Warmed my heart when I needed it most. I love old school musicals and romance films and made me feel the world was a beautiful place.
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3rd / The Tree Of Life (Terence Mallick) - I couldn't tell you what this film was about, but it's the closest I've had to a religious experience.
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2nd / Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Kore-eda) - A gentle film full of love and joy. My girlfriend took me to Kamakura where the film was set and I felt full of joy. It's a warm hug from a movie.
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1st / Your Name (Makoto Shinkai) - The 4th film to ever make me cry and the only one where I cry knowing fully well what is going to happen. I'm happy to be alive to see this film exist.
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I know there aren't many anime fans here, but if you enjoyed Your Name I'd strongly suggest you give Clannad a try. As for movies I've seen in the 2010s, none stand out too much. I don't think I can make a top ten, but here are the ones I enjoyed the most in no particular order.

1. 13 Assassins

A remake of 1963's Eiichi's Kudo's film brought to modern-day. As a fan of Asian warrior culture, this was a natural pick for me. I enjoyed the masculine camaraderie and the ingenuity of how thirteen in bloody fashion overcame insurmountable odds.

2. IP MAN Saga

This set of films started in the late 00s ending in the 2010s. A set of films detailing the life of Yip Man who taught Bruce Lee was too good to pass up. Also like I said before, I love Asian warrior culture so this was a natural choice for me.

3. Taken Films

Most action films of the eighties and early nineties were about ultra-masculine men like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Vandam kicking ass for the sake of it. So to watch a series of films that contain that type of masculinity along with having a protagonist who is more intelligent and tactical is a refreshing change of pace.

4. Lupin the Third: Goemon's Blood Spray

I am not a fan of the Lupin series, but this subseries starting with "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" has been a real treat for me. I love the cynical and dark nature of this subseries. Which according to the original creator Monkey Punch, intended for it to be. In this movie, Goemon works as a bodyguard for a Yakuza family while dealing with a powerful adversary. The story is nothing to write home about, but the animation quality is superb and the story is easy to follow. As I have said before, I am a sucker when it comes to Asian warrior culture.

5. Fate/Stay Night Heavens Feel I & II

An engrossing dark urban fantasy anime story with excellent animation done by UFOTable.

 

[danielmann861]

@danielmann861 - What a lovely story! I sadly didn't get to see a movie when in Japan (my girlfriend isn't as much of a movie buff as I am!), but I imagine it must've been lovely! I think I loved The Wind Rises, because it wasn't afraid to stop and smell the roses. So many CGI and animated films are done in an ADHD riddled way that it becomes hard to care, but The Wind Rises (and a lot of Ghibli films) aren't afraid to take things slow. I have happy memories seeing it with a friend and the only other people in the cinema were 3 old ladies. It was nice to talk to them afterwards about the movie :)

I actually think it might be my personal favorite of Miyazaki's whole catalog. I will always have a soft spot for Totoro and I love Mononoke unconditionally, but yeah, The Wind Rises is one that still lingers with me for both its moral complexity, but also for reasons you just said. That it wasn't afraid to stop and smell the roses and it's a really enchanting and lovely film at times just to look at.

That and the rousing Joe Hisashi soundtrack is really beautiful. And it's probably the most personal film Miyazaki has ever made and you can't help but see parallels between Miyazaki and Jiro. It quickly became my favorite of his and took the spot of Mononoke (something I didn't think would ever happen.)

In many ways, I've always preferred Takahata of the two because I felt Takahata tackled far more complex subject matter. Whereas Miyazaki was the idealistic dreamer, Takahata struck me as the more grounded and humanist of the two. So his works kind of always appealed to me a little more. I think that's why I liked The Wind Rises quite a deal. Because it was the perfect blend of Miyazaki's idealist and whimsical nature but also brought in something a little bit more grounded and complex with its moral questions that I would maybe more so assign to Takahata. I was really taken by The Wind Rises.

 

[Guppy]

Anyone else excited for the new Mortal Kombat movie? It might turned out to be garbage but this trailer really made me feel like a kid again:


Lately I've been really into Korean movies. Memories of Murder might be one of the best movies I've ever seen. The last South-Korean movie I watched is Burning, a slow burn but masterfully suspenseful film. Very underrated and available on Netflix.

 

[danielmann861]

Anyone else excited for the new Mortal Kombat movie? It might turned out to be garbage but this trailer really made me feel like a kid again:


Lately I've been really into Korean movies. Memories of Murder might be one of the best movies I've ever seen. The last South-Korean movie I watched is Burning, a slow burn but masterfully suspenseful film. Very underrated and available on Netflix.

It made me want to re-watch the original Mortal Kombat...which I did.




Mortal Kombat -- I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THIS FILM! It will always have a soft spot in my heart. I love Johnny Cage's cheesy one liners. Some cruddy and dated CGi aside, I actually really like the look of the film. Some of the locales they filmed on were pretty beautiful. I think the Goro animatronic actually holds up pretty nicely. Yeah, I just always had a soft spot for this film. Even without the gore and overt fatalities, it's still pretty amazing what they got away with for a PG-13 rating. There are still fatalities in this film, just nowhere near as gory as the game. Hell, there's a bloody Friendship that comes right after a countered Fatality in the film. And that soundtrack! That fucking amazing 90's dance/grunge metal soundtrack!

Yeah, I will always love this film. It's just pure fun through and through. Still the best live-action video game movie to date in my opinion.


The Wind Rises -- All that talk about The Wind Rises earlier made me want to re-watch it. Still beautiful from end to end.,

 

[bcdcdude]

I watched the original Mortal Kombat the other day too! I'll talk about it in greater detail as i'm 18 or 19 films behind at the moment on this topic, but long story short, there was a lot of charm and it was respectful to the series. Incredible soundtrack too! (Street Fighter will always be my favourite though) <3

 

[bcdcdude]

Right - might have to do a couple of posts today!! I'm typing this as I listen to the interview with Michael Huber!

1) Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971) [RW]: For someone who classes myself as centre-left, I find it odd that I enjoy films that are seen as pretty right-wing! This is the first time i've watched the film for a few years where i've since become more political and I thought it would ruin my memories of the movie...turns out it didn't! It's not an easy film to watch and I guess I can't blame people for thinking it's uncomfortable at points, but I dunno...it's Clint Eastwood being a bad-ass and i'm OK with that. He's clearly not taking advantage of the weak, he's pretty much raging against the system. I've watched this film a few times now and only seen the sequels once, so looking forward to seeing how they stand up.

2) Ralph Breaks The Internet (Phil Johnston & Rich Moore, 2018) [RW]: At the time, I really liked it, but I had an uneasy relationship with all the advertising in that film (like Amazon and eBay need the exposure...), but appreciate that it was necesary in a weird way? I found the 3rd arc with the King Kong Ralph a bit tedious, but there was so much to love; the heartbreaking scenes where Ralph needed Venelope more than she needed him, the scenes with the Disney princesses really stand out for me 2nd time round.

3) Night of the Demon (James C. Wasson, 1980): Those in the UK may know about the 'video nasties' scare of the early 80's where films were banned for a variety of reasons. I was too young to learn this (I was born in 1985 after it happened), but growing up, I found the list of "banned"* films and found it almost like a 'to-do' list of films to watch (plus the Video Nasty documentaries are fascinating to show the context behind them). Many of them are easily available now and much of them are pretty tame nowadays. I got a month's free Amazon Prime, so am currently watching all the video nasties I can find. Night of the Demon was one of them and it was so *BORING* I had to turn it off after an hour. The video was VHS quality, the acting was shoddy and the only good scene was the monster castrating a biker taking a wee.

*to this day only 2 or 3 films are still legally banned...one of them got rejected only 6 months ago!

4) Poor Cow (Ken Loach, 1968): Ken Loach does not make bad films. I think i've seen almost a dozen of his films now and they are all brilliant. Many of them are difficult watches as his films are very sad and concentrate on the downtrodden. Poor Cow was his first full length film and concentrated on a single mother and her difficult relationships with men in her life (often in prison). It's fascinating watching a 60's era England that shied away from the sort of swinging London that was big at the time.

5) The Sect (Michele Soavi, 1991): This film from an alumni of Dario Argento was a massive disappointment. It's such a shame as there are elements of bits which are pretty interesting, but there was no way this film needed to be almost two hours long. Sadly, like 'Night of the Demon', I couldn't finish it. The low budget and excessive runtime combined with the sheer boredom made for a crappy film.

6) Gang Wars (Barry Rosen, 1976): AKA The Devil's Express:



This poster came up on my facebook feed a few months ago. I knew nothing about it, but I knew I needed to watch it. Like most exploitation films, the poster is often better than the film itself! I fell asleep at the last 5 minutes so can't remember how it ends, but it's kinda fun in a trashy way; An interesting combination of blaxploitation, gang warfare and monster gore!

7) All The Colours Of The Dark (Sergio Martino, 1972): This was a pretty cool giallo (Italian murder mystery essentially). Again, sadly fell asleep towards the end, but I enjoyed the paranoia creeping throughout the film. It's hard to tell if the main character is acutally suffering or if she's imagining it!

8) 1990: The Bronx Warriors (Enzo G. Castellari, 1982): More cheap Italian cinema! This is like a low-budget Mad Max and sadly is pretty crap. That said, there is a bizarre 5 minute scene where two gangs square up to each other and there's a drummer playing between them for no reason whatsoever!

9) Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932): A pretty cool early-talkie horror. As with most early-talkie's, there's still some sense of getting used to the new and even thought it's only 72 minutes long, it felt like it dragged on a bit. That said, Dreyer did a much better film, which i'll talk about later

10) The Beguiled (Don Siegel, 1971) [RW]: I've watched this before along with Sofia Coppola's remake, but both were watched years apart, so now i'm in an opportunity where I can watch both films close to each other to compare. I still find this film a little slow, but there's an undercurrent of menace and horror which I think is fantastic. Clint Eastwood plays things a little differently in that he is essentially helpless. It's amazing to think that not only is this from the same director as Dirty Harry, but they both came out in the same year!!

 

[thepeaguy83]

If you're bored of Beat Takeshi's mob films, I recommend Kids Return.

Summarily, it's about a bunch of Japanese delinquents who are trying to find their niche in life. One is training to become a professional boxer; the other enrols in a Yakuza clan.

At present, I'm watching Violent Cop. (I've been watching a lot of Kitano's films lately. I blame that on playing the Yakuza games.)

EDIT: Bcdcdude, Clint is actually centre-left in real life. He just knows how to play the stoic hero in a lot of Hollywood films.

 

[ShenGCH]

Just finished the long-anticipated documentary Patrice O'Neal: Killing is Easy. By my recollection, the only documentary to ever make me shed a tear, and I have watched a lot of them. I wasn't even aware of the guy's existence until 2017, six years after his death, but my god has he touched my life in those four years. I don't even like stand-up comedy, but he was far more than a comedian; moreso than any of his contemporaries.

I could call him a philosopher, a visionary, or something as simplistic and throwaway as "genius," but those descriptions don't do him justice. He was similar to Karl Pilkington in the sense that his natural inclination was to read between the lines, penetrate the grey areas, and provide enlightened answers to important questions that no-one would even conceive in the first place.

My only criticism of the documentary is that Anthony Cumia, the other half of the Opie and Anthony Show, which is where Patrice really shone and cultivated his audience, doesn't appear anywhere outside of the odd archive clip from the aforementioned show, despite everyone else from that particular universe getting a lot of screen time. I sincerely doubt he would have declined to be interviewed - he was good friends with Patrice - but the reason behind this is up in the air. Maybe we'll find out why at some point.

Even if you have never heard of Patrice O'Neal, I sincerely recommend giving it as little as fifteen minutes just to get a flavour of the guy.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

Just finished the long-anticipated documentary Patrice O'Neal: Killing is Easy. By my recollection, the only documentary to ever make me shed a tear, and I have watched a lot of them. I wasn't even aware of the guy's existence until 2017, six years after his death, but my god has he touched my life in those four years. I don't even like stand-up comedy, but he was far more than a comedian; moreso than any of his contemporaries.

I could call him a philosopher, a visionary, or something as simplistic and throwaway as "genius," but those descriptions don't do him justice. He was similar to Karl Pilkington in the sense that his natural inclination was to read between the lines, penetrate the grey areas, and provide enlightened answers to important questions that no-one would even conceive in the first place.

My only criticism of the documentary is that Anthony Cumia, the other half of the Opie and Anthony Show, which is where Patrice really shone and cultivated his audience, doesn't appear anywhere outside of the odd archive clip from the aforementioned show, despite everyone else from that particular universe getting a lot of screen time. I sincerely doubt he would have declined to be interviewed - he was good friends with Patrice - but the reason behind this is up in the air. Maybe we'll find out why at some point.

Even if you have never heard of Patrice O'Neal, I sincerely recommend giving it as little as fifteen minutes just to get a flavour of the guy.

Ahh cool, I didn't know about this but it looks like I can stream it through the Comedy Central website, so I'll watch this tonight. And yeah, I'm mostly familiar with Patrice O'Neal through the Opie and Anthony show and liked him for a lot of the same reasons as you.

I think the reason Anthony Cumia wasn't shown often is probably due to the fact he was "canceled" about 5+ years ago due his tweets after he was assaulted, and possibly because he's also a Republican. Can't have Republicans on Comedy Central! Of course I'm just speculating here, but you know how things are nowadays.

 

[ShenGCH]

Ahh cool, I didn't know about this but it looks like I can stream it through the Comedy Central website, so I'll watch this tonight. And yeah, I'm mostly familiar with Patrice O'Neal through the Opie and Anthony show and liked him for a lot of the same reasons as you.

I think the reason Anthony Cumia wasn't shown often is probably due to the fact he was "canceled" about 5+ years ago due his tweets after he was assaulted, and possibly because he's also a Republican. Can't have Republicans on Comedy Central! Of course I'm just speculating here, but you know how things are nowadays.

I mean, fuck, if Anthony was deemed persona non grata for an incautious tirade on Twitter that was later blown completely out of proportion, what can be said of the accumulated weeks worth of material in which the most unsavoury language is used and objectionable topics are discussed by each and every host and regular guest on the Opie and Anthony Show?

Thing is, every host and regular guest features very comfortably in the documentary, yet the most we get from Anthony is stuff from the radio show archive. Nothing original related to the documentary at all. If the rules were applied fairly, Jim Norton would have been sent on a one-way trip to the sun for just a fraction of the (very much amusing) things he has said and done over the years. Uncle Paul (my favourite of his characters) alone would be grounds for having his tongue cut out in some countries.

Anthony and Patrice had some of the best discussions and friendly sparring matches in the show's history. Anthony's absence is palpable, and would elicit one of Patrice's infamous scrunched-up "the fuck are you doing!?" faces were he around to see the documentary.

 

[GardenJoseph]

watched Dog Day Afternoon yesterday, I like it to be honest!


[Mod Note: Hyperlink to gambling site removed from image. Warning issued.]

 

[bcdcdude]

If you're bored of Beat Takeshi's mob films, I recommend Kids Return.

Summarily, it's about a bunch of Japanese delinquents who are trying to find their niche in life. One is training to become a professional boxer; the other enrols in a Yakuza clan.

At present, I'm watching Violent Cop. (I've been watching a lot of Kitano's films lately. I blame that on playing the Yakuza games.)

EDIT: Bcdcdude, Clint is actually centre-left in real life. He just knows how to play the stoic hero in a lot of Hollywood films.

Ah, I meant to say right-wing in the movies! As for non-Takeshi mob movies, I also strongly recommend 'Kikujiro' and 'Dolls'. I have 'A Scene At The Sea' to watch too and i'm really looking forward to that!

 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Anyone else excited for the new Mortal Kombat movie? It might turned out to be garbage but this trailer really made me feel like a kid again:


Lately I've been really into Korean movies. Memories of Murder might be one of the best movies I've ever seen. The last South-Korean movie I watched is Burning, a slow burn but masterfully suspenseful film. Very underrated and available on Netflix.

The only thing I don't like about Taslim as Sub Zero is that he's a Judo practitioner and IIRC, Sub Zero is absolutely not lol. I'm sure fights looks like fights to 90% of people, but perhaps I'm nitpicking to death.

I'm so, so, SO looking forward to it, as I too adore both MK films (MK:A is my second favourite film ever, quality be damned) and the first is the best videogame film ever by far; nothing will ever dethrone it, unless another film can be up to that level.

 

[Jibby]

watched Dog Day Afternoon yesterday, I like it to be honest!
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[Mod Note: Hyperlink to gambling site removed from image. Warning issued.]

Leaving links to gambling websites and online casinos in your posts is not allowed. Especially trying to hide them in clickable images. Please stop.

 

[bcdcdude]

Here's the next batch~ (Once things settle back to normal, i'll never be able to watch as many films again...)

1) Strip Nude For Your Killer (Andrea Bianchi, 1975): This is some proper sleazy Italian exploitation. When I found out the same director did 'Burial Ground', it made sense! From a modern lens, this is a rather sexist, misogynistic film, but given the themes of the film and the time it was made, I just let it slide. It's like most giallo in that there are twists and turns throughout and whilst the ending was weak, this sticks in the memory more than most giallo does.

2) Conquest (Lucio Fulci, 1983): After a few years of hardcore horror films (culminating in the giallo 'New York Ripper' which makes 'Strip Nude For Your Killer' seem like a kids movie), Fulci did a sideways step and did a cheap Conan rip-off. It's amusing i've seen this and other Italian rip-off's, but i've yet to see the original Conan film! It might be the version i've watched, but this was a hard film to watch as the quality was awful and felt like vaseline was rubbed all over the screen. It's pretty cheap and tacky, but it's bizarrely watchable. It's pretty grim in places, but I guess for me, it's interesting watching a director do something different!

3) Lucky (John Carroll Lynch, 2017): What a send-off for Harry Dean Stanton. His final film before his death (and his first leading role in over 30 years) is a wonderful little film. It's one of those films where little happens, but much joy is found in the small details. Also, David Lynch is in it wearing what appears to be a white zoot soot. That alone merits watching it!

4) Dishonoured (Josef Von Sternberg, 1931): My 2nd film in my Sternberg/Marlene Dietrich boxset and this is a lot better than their previous film. Dietrich plays a sexually liberated spy and I find such pre-Code brazenness irresistible!

5) Devil In The Flesh (AKA Venus In Furs) (Massimo Dallamano, 1969): This film is interesting in its depiction of S&M which at the time must have been pretty shocking, but at the same time, it was so tedious and boring. Having watched a few films like this (and having a couple of friends in the scene), i'm led to the conclusion that it's not a lot of fun.

6) Almost Human (Umberto Lenzi, 1974): I'm quite the Lenzi fan even though i've never rated any of his films more than 3/5. This is my first 4/5 film of his. It's a pretty grim and nasty film, but the main actor changing from pathetic to evil in the space of a few seconds is pretty gripping!

7) Mortal Kombat (Paul W. S. Anderson, 1995) [RW]: I swear i've seen this before, but i'm damned if I can remember it. I guess because Street Fighter is one of my all time favourite films, I didn't see much point in watching this; plus that i've seen the 2nd MK film and that is awful (sorry @Truck_1_0_1_ !!). Still, from the beginning where the theme tune comes in right to the end, I can see how *fun* this is! It is pretty damn loyal to the lore and whilst it's quite tame violence wise, i'm OK with that. The trailer to the reboot looks good, but it also looks kinda generic and forgettable, whereas this - like Street Fighter - has charm to boot! I'm trying to find a cheap 12" of the theme tune to play at a party now haha.

8) Borat (Larry Charles, 2006): This is one of those films that I found offputting because so many people kept going on about it at the time. I figured I should watch it now - especially as I want to watch the sequel - and while it's not as laugh out loud funny as I was hoping, I cannot fault Cohen with his brazenness. It's telling that the most humanistic person was the prostitute!

9) The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928): This is one of the most famous silent films (along with 'Metropolis') and it truly did not disappoint. Everything I heard about this film is true; the actress playing Joan was a reveleation (and only did two movie roles...truly going out on a high). The camera angles, the acting - all top notch. It's not an easy watch at all, but this is pure cinema. I would love to watch this on the big screen.

10) Double Dragon (James Yukich, 1994): I figured after watching Mortal Kombat, why not this? And you know what? I really enjoyed this! This is such a goofy, fun movie. I have huge nostalgia for movies of the 90's (everything seems more *fun*) and I don't think this deserves the kicking it got. It's not as good as Street Fighter (what is?), but it put a smile on my face. The director is mostly known for doing a bunch of Genesis and Phil Collins videos, so he's already a legend in my book~

 

[BloodyHeartland]

I might be wrong but I think I posted here about rewatching the first Pokemon movie here a couple months ago. Basically saw the (cut?) content for the first time, rest of the movie was a bit more meh than I remembered, but still more interesting than whatever they’re doing now.

So I finally decided to watch the remake. Honestly, it’s not as terrible as people make it out to be, the details are nice and it remains pretty true to the original aside from replacing the vikings with a corny Lapras boat. The thing is, I do feel a lot of the animation is too jank or goofy unfortunately, and there are just a lot of questionable choices with the art style. The main thing that got to me was the change in voice acting. Some were ok but others felt really off.

Even so, it makes me think I should rewatch the second movie...well, that and sort of recent news about how Lugia came to be. Speaking of, I may start my first gen 2 randomizer today. Don’t care about the new remakes since I quit gen 4 early on anyway. The Legends thing looks closer to what I’d want out of a new Pokémon game but it just looks technically terrible.