EADD Movie Recommendations Thread v.4...not for TV series and stuff Dan...

[Shambles]

Yeah, it's actually a Richard Pryor biopic.

This would read much better as:

Perhaps, but any sentence which begins with "Not to be racist..." is pretty much the same as saying "I'm racist and...". It's of similar ilk to "I've got plenty of *insert minority here* friends" really. I did mention the race thing in a subsequent sentence (somewhat clumsily perhaps admittedly) cos I know how it looks to compare to black actors as if they should be connected somehow. I also know I'm genuinely not racist (at least as far as I'm consciously aware) so am kinda irritated that it's necessary to emphasise at all. Such is the world we live in, I guess. Will be so nice when humanity as a species grows the fuck up and stops living in fear and ignorance.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

for some reason as a youngun i got robert de niro and al pacino mixed up and confused. That was nothing to do with racism, just the type of films they appeared in, i think. 8(

 

[parttime crackhead]

^ I used to do the same, also with Michael J Fox & Emilio Estevez.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

lol, glad i wasnt the only one.

 

[babylonboy]

I have told every black man I've ever met he looked like Wesley Snipes. Not a racist thing or anything. They just all did.

My thinking about plays has reminded me of "Scotland, PA". It's the plot of Hamlet, but set in a diner in the Northeastern United States in the '70s. Christopher Walken plays a vegetarian Macduff. I feel I must have recommended it before, but if not, or even if I have, watch it.

I watched "Gimme Shelter", cinema verite documentary about the Rolling Stones and the Altamont concert, really enjoyed it, slow to start but it's building an atmosphere that you don't really notice is developing until it's disrupted, good subltle filmmaking. Got "Let it Be" to watch.

"Fire in Babylon" is a documentary about the West Indian cricket team of the 1980s, really good, so good I think you could enjoy it if you don't like or know about cricket.

Also watched "Blowout" is a tense, dark thriller with John Travolta about a sound engineer, apparently similar to "The Conversation" with Gene Hackman, which is on my to-watch list.

"Vanishing Point" is a hippy road movie classic, my mate's dad called it "Easy Rider in a car", but I think it's a cool film, cool enough I watched it again the other day.

Finally, "Blackjack". Directed by John Woo. With Dolph Lundgren. Who plays a bodyguard with one weakness- his phobia of the colour white. There's a fight at a dairy. It's at least as silly as it sounds. That's my big fuckoff list of film recommendations, I dunno what more you want from me.

 

[Shambles]

Also watched "Blowout" is a tense, dark thriller with John Travolta about a sound engineer, apparently similar to "The Conversation" with Gene Hackman, which is on my to-watch list.

"Vanishing Point" is a hippy road movie classic, my mate's dad called it "Easy Rider in a car", but I think it's a cool film, cool enough I watched it again the other day.

Seen all of those and am happy to wholeheartedly second your recommendation (or first in the case of The Conversation). Bought Vanishing Point on VHS from the charity shop in town not long back funnily enough. Classic film and the inspiration for the Primal Scream album of the same name (it's great fun for film/music geeks to pick out all the bits that are sampled. Well, it's quite fun if suitably primed to do so). Not to mention Tarantino's duff part of Grindhouse and a gazillion other knock-offs.

The first one you mentioned sounds like it'll be worth a watch too. Walken again, innit

 

[ColtDan]

Cunts don't like Denzel Washington?

Denzel is a legend. american gangster and flight, class

 

[Shambles]

American Gangster was good. In fact I'm sure plenty of his films are good. But I still can't stand him.

 

[dan88]

Denzel is a legend. american gangster and flight, class

I watched flight last night, quality film

 

[babylonboy]

"Forbidden Planet", 1956 groundbreaking amazing sci-fi, first film set in space, first film with a spaceship made by humans, first film with a robot character. Also, it's sort of the Tempest, but in space. Rekomend.

 

[Shambles]

^ Yup. Stone cold classic that one - groundbreaking in so many ways. Also always amuses me to see Leslie Nielson playing it straight. I keep expecting him to do... Leslie Nielson stuff. One of these times I watch it I'm sure he will :D

Last night my viewing material was Behind the Candelabra.

(posterpic needed nsfwing cos is hyoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooj 8()

NSFW:

Another rather random whim and not a bad film. I don't really know much at all about Liberace other than he was on telly sometimes when I was a nipper and there seemed something a tad... different about him to my pre-pubescent mind. I suspect that mink coats and rhinestones are so intrinsically gay that even if you don't know what homosexuality is you kinda know all the same. Can't say that I feel like I know a great deal more about the fella's life than I did before watching the film as it really only deals with his relationship with Scott (Matt Damon). It's more a relationship film than a biopic, I'd say.

It's better than I'm making it sound but probably still pretty niche. The performances are all excellent with a corking cameo from Rob Lowe as the script-happy plastic surgeon one-eyeing his way through facelifts. Where many films have the classic training montage this film has a pills 'n' plastic surgery montage instead :D

EDIT: I noticed a number of actors who I am familiar with in the credits but hardly spotted any of 'em in the film. Dunno if this is just my pisspoor observation skills but I just had to check the cast list to see who some of 'em played. If anybody else has/does watch this can you please put my mind to rest and confirm that the period make-up, hair (especially facial given it's set in the 70s mostly) and costumes are bloody good and is not just me being braindead

 

[Uncle Robert]

I think Flight is the film with a full frontal of Catalina from My Name Is Earl

 

[kingme]

Flight was awesome.
Denzel is pretty good in the right roles... Inside man for instance though its not his movie truth be told

and forbidden planet was great still is. i love the robot

 

[babylonboy]

Ian McKellen as Richard III, set in a parallel '30s Britain. Wow. I know it's Shakespeare, but it's not just accessible, it's exciting. Masterful.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

1930s or 1530s / 1630s

William Shakespeare (/ˈʃeɪkspɪər/;[1] 26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616)[nb 1] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.

Jesus, you cant get much higher praise than that can you. The best writer, ever.

 

[babylonboy]

Yeah, sorry, 1930s. All tanks and imperial uniforms and smoking. Very cool.

you cant get much higher praise than that can you

Yeah, it's safe to say that Shakespeare is pretty well regarded in literary circles. Him or Dan Brown, it's a bit of a toss-up.

 

[Shambles]

Him or Dan Brown, it's a bit of a toss-up.

I admire Shakespeare but wouldn't go out of my way to see a thing just cos it's Shakespeare. I am not in the least bit ashamed of admitting I find it all rather impenetrable. The language sounds beautiful but am buggered if I know what is actually being said most of the time. I often like things based on his work though. That version of Richard III sounds rather intriguing actually. Might add that to my ToWatch list once I've cleared out a bit more space.

Jesus, you cant get much higher praise than that can you. The best writer, ever.

Quite. In relation to the above, and given your recent watchings schedule, had you noticed that Breaking Bad is basically Macbeth with bonus crystal meth? Shakespeare's stuff is so ubiquitous that it forms the basis of a gazillion and seven films/shows that are not immediately obvious. Out of copyright, see?

 

[mydrugbuddy]

hmm havent noticed that yet tbh, mind you i did get a U first time round for my English lit O level, i hated that teacher see. I did the resit in December and still only got a D. Macbeth wasnt my strong point, i quite liked King Lear though which we studied for A level, i did get to grips with that and found it interesting, all the layers of meaning to everything, the difference between outward appearances and reality, it was fascinating and well taught by a different and better teacher, as i was very much into mushrooms at the time and it seemed relevant somehow.

 

[Shambles]

To be quite honest I didn't actually notice the Macbeth thing till it was pointed out to me. It definitely is though - the plot and character development are all but identical. Well, very clearly based upon Macbeth anyway. I never did much Shakespeare at school (I recall we had to read a couple of sections from Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet but that was all). This was just at middle school though - didn't make it to upper school and it didn't come up at all in GCSE English. I've got all the plays - a complete works plus most of the individual ones - but must admit I've never actually read any of 'em

 

[babylonboy]

I admire Shakespeare but wouldn't go out of my way to see a thing just cos it's Shakespeare. I am not in the least bit ashamed of admitting I find it all rather impenetrable. The language sounds beautiful but am buggered if I know what is actually being said most of the time.

It is hard to understand, anyone who pretends it's not and that they get all of it all the time is a fucking liar. It's best seeing Shakespeare if you know the play, or at least the story, it's more enjoyable. I've not read or seen Richard III before, though (I know the story, but more from, like, him being an actual king and all), and I understood what they were saying, it's very well done. You shouldn't watch it because it's Shakespeare, if anything, you should watch it in spite of it being Shakespeare, but it's great, I was totally involved. Tell you what, give it 5 minutes, if it's not grabbed you, turn it off and tell me I'm a twat and that I owe you 5 minutes.