Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:27 pm  

Horatio Yed wrote:

I caught the Hurt Locker the other day on film4, how did that win Oscars? it's pants, the characters are unbelievable and some of the things that happen in it just don't make logical sense.

SSSSHHHIIIIITTTTEEEE (yes that's immature but it really is that bad)

Agreed, can't remember that much about it now but I do remember commenting on here about it being completely overrated after I saw it last year.

Hello : Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:05 pm  

Although critically panned, I preferred 'The Lovely Bones' to both Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker of the same year.

Re: Hello : Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:41 pm  

WIZEB wrote:

Although critically panned, I preferred 'The Lovely Bones' to both Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker of the same year.

The Lovely Bones was (correctly) panned for creepily sympathising with a man who rapes and murders a teenage girl. Tarantino kind of lucked out with his lead actor for Inglourious Basterds. Minus Christoph Waltz the film would have been fun but mostly forgettable. The Hurt Locker is just stylised racist crap. Like Platoon and that other disgusting flick - The Deer Hunter - it inverts truth and reason whitewashing America's imperialist history whilst also drowning the viewer in a sea of self-pity. In these films it is the invaders who are the victim - who suffer. No mention is made of the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodians and Iraqis whose lives were snuffed out beneath a 2,000lb laser-guided bomb. Moreover, those that do survive are uniformly portrayed as shifty, deceitful cut-throats who may also get a sadistic kick out of forcing noble and honest GIs to play Russian Roulette.

Boil Hurt Locker down and you're left with a psychopath - high on violence in someone else's country where the suffering of others simply isn't part of the equation. A quintessential Hollywood celebration of the "lone lunatic". A film about killing in which the word killing and its meaning have parted company.

Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Mon Feb 06, 2012 1:13 am  

I might go see The Grey.

Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:03 pm  

McClennan wrote:

Yeah wasn't as mad on that. It was good and had promise but it felt like half a film to me. Like they'd dropped us into a story halfway through lol. That spoiled it a bit, plus it was the same old street gangster stuff. Performances were great though. What did you think?

If you thought Animal Kingdom was good then you should like Snowtown even if it's a lot more unpleasant because I thought it provoked a lot more questions, none of them with easy answers either. It's a contender for a top ten film of the year for me because it's still lingering there now.

I really enjoyed it, it was a slow burner in lots of ways. It built well though and came to life towards then end and the performances were excellent. I could do to watch it again.

Not seen Snowtown yet but am looking forward to it, heard only positive comments.

Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:06 pm  

McClennan wrote: 2011: Best of British Film I wasn't overly fussed with Attack the Block. I liked Submarine and loved Neds. Not see Kill List or The Guard yet.

McClennan wrote: 2011: Best of British Film I wasn't overly fussed with Attack the Block. I liked Submarine and loved Neds. Not see Kill List or The Guard yet.

Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:11 pm  

Friends with Benefits - The trouble with rom-coms is they are rarely funny or romantic. This especially annoyed me as the the idea itself was good but it fell into the same old trap. It's sassy, snappy dialogue was fine to start with but ended up feeling a bit disingenous along with relationship itself. Woody Harrelson lit up the film and Mila Kunis was very easy on the eye but it just lacked any sincerity for me.

Never Let Me Go - Uncomfotable bleak story which suceeds due to the excellent performances from the three leads. Not always easy viewing and slow for the first half an hour but, the film underplays the core issue very well instead preferring to deal with the effects rather than challenge the idea. It's poignant and moving and genuinely left me feeling sad.

Re: The even-newer film thread – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! : Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:28 pm  

PAUL M wrote:

Friends with Benefits - The trouble with rom-coms is they are rarely funny or romantic. This especially annoyed me as the the idea itself was good but it fell into the same old trap. It's sassy, snappy dialogue was fine to start with but ended up feeling a bit disingenous along with relationship itself. Woody Harrelson lit up the film and Mila Kunis was very easy on the eye but it just lacked any sincerity for me.

Aye. It was pretty much cheesy Hollywood overload. I can cope with the fact that they all have ridiculously high paid jobs if it's funny or, as you say, sincere and that was just toss really. Best two Hollywood ones I've seen from last year were How Do You Know and Crazy, Stupid, Love. The former is more consistent and has a great performance from Owen Wilson and the latter is funny even if it loses it a bit on the storyline and gets a bit funny with what it was aiming for. Both are full of laughs though I thought.

Re: Hello : Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:02 pm  

Mugwump wrote:

The Lovely Bones was (correctly) panned for creepily sympathising with a man who rapes and murders a teenage girl. Tarantino kind of lucked out with his lead actor for Inglourious Basterds. Minus Christoph Waltz the film would have been fun but mostly forgettable. The Hurt Locker is just stylised racist crap. Like Platoon and that other disgusting flick - The Deer Hunter - it inverts truth and reason whitewashing America's imperialist history whilst also drowning the viewer in a sea of self-pity. In these films it is the invaders who are the victim - who suffer. No mention is made of the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodians and Iraqis whose lives were snuffed out beneath a 2,000lb laser-guided bomb. Moreover, those that do survive are uniformly portrayed as shifty, deceitful cut-throats who may also get a sadistic kick out of forcing noble and honest GIs to play Russian Roulette.

Boil Hurt Locker down and you're left with a psychopath - high on
violence in someone else's country where the suffering of others simply isn't part of the equation. A quintessential Hollywood celebration of the "lone lunatic". A film about killing in which the word killing and its meaning have
parted company.

Come on, stop tiptoeing around. WTF do you really think?

Re: Hello : Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:21 pm  

Mugwump wrote:

The Lovely Bones was (correctly) panned for creepily sympathising with a man who rapes and murders a teenage girl. Tarantino kind of lucked out with his lead actor for Inglourious Basterds. Minus Christoph Waltz the film would have been fun but mostly forgettable. The Hurt Locker is just stylised racist crap. Like Platoon and that other disgusting flick - The Deer Hunter - it inverts truth and reason whitewashing America's imperialist history whilst also drowning the viewer in a sea of self-pity. In these films it is the invaders who are the victim - who suffer. No mention is made of the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodians and Iraqis whose lives were snuffed out beneath a 2,000lb laser-guided bomb. Moreover, those that do survive are uniformly portrayed as shifty, deceitful cut-throats who may also get a sadistic kick out of forcing noble and honest GIs to play Russian Roulette.

Boil Hurt Locker down and you're left with a psychopath - high on violence in someone else's country where the suffering of others simply isn't part of the equation. A quintessential Hollywood celebration of the "lone lunatic". A film about killing in which the word killing and its meaning have parted company.

To be fair with Platoon it was the first of a trilogy of films Oliver Stone did about Vietnam. IIRC Platoon was done from the perspective of a US soilder fighting Vietnam, the 2nd is 'Born on the 4th July' which tells the story of a soilder who comes back from Vietnam disabled only to find the country he loyally served has abandoned him, and he goes on to become one the biggest opposers of the war (its based on a true story). The 3rd is 'Heaven and Earth' which tells the story from a young Vietnamese girl who is left traumatised by what the Viet cong and the American Army does to her and her village. She ends up marrying a American black ops soilder (who is driven to alchololism and the brink of insanity because of the evil things he's done in the name of his country) and moving to America. The film is one of the most harrowing films I've seen in recent years.

If you take Platoon as one film it can seem like its white washing over some of what actually happened, however if you view the films as a trilogy its easier to understand what Stone was trying to say.