11 hours ago, Munkworth said:

When you say ‘the family’ I hope it wasn’t the wife & kids 

Saw it Friday and I found myself sympathising with the title character 

Wife and daughter (21 yrs old) (Daughter not the wife)

The story is told from the view point of the title character and both my wife and daughter sympathised with him, they even said he was hot. I enjoyed the film immensely and a part of me wanted him to be bad. I felt the subtext of the film was subversive and depicted a world where killing the rich was not only acceptable but to be encouraged. I think this is why certain critics  have condemned the violence which in itself is no worse than most Tarrantino films.

The film went to great lengths in building Jokers character and for me it slightly over emphasised how he became a murderer. It was starting to feel a bit slow until the dance scene on the stairs. When the Gary Glitter music started I immediately felt a change in the mood and was somehow persuaded that it was OK to like the bad guy. I really enjoyed Gary Glitters music for the first time since his paedophilia convictions. Please don't misunderstand me, as what he did was appalling, but the music on its own stands up very well and enhances the film more because of the conflicting feelings it generates. I would challenge anybody who has seen the film to not feel the same way.

This is the best film I have seen in years but it could be misunderstood in a similar way to how Clockwork Orange was. On face value its about a psychotic murderer who dresses up as a clown, but on a different level its about how society can inadvertently create an environment in which bad behaviour can thrive.

It is a thought provoking film and I would recommend it to most people. I was surprised it got a 15 rating and thought the themes and the context within which they were set warranted an 18.

Lots of backlash for using Gary Glitters music despite the fact he doesn’t own the rights to any of it and won’t see a penny. 

8 hours ago, Andy North said:

Wife and daughter (21 yrs old) (Daughter not the wife)

 

I'll just put that congratulations back in my pocket ....... jk jk jk jk

 

Edit:  thanks for the synopsis... I'm eager to watch, and feel that such a cautionary tale might be just what our times need.....plus Joaquin Phoenix just seems like he was born to play these roles fantastically!

Edited October 16, 20196 yr by Barry Bridges

Thought Joker was brilliant, Joaquin Phoenix did a fantastic job.

Joker was decent and Joaquin Phoenix was amazing, but I'm a big fan of 70s/80s films and to me it took lots of elements from King of Comedy, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Falling Down as well as seminal Batman comics like The Dark Knight Returns and Killing Joke and didn't really add that much to them.  I also didn't really buy De Niro as a talk show host, he's not a funny guy.  I know this makes me sound like an old fart, I liked it but it didn't blow me away.  The new Scorsese film, the Irishman, is amazing though, I saw a preview of it in connection with the London Film Festival, it'll be on Netflix in December I think, and De Niro is great in that one, once you take a couple of minutes to get over the weird de-aging technology.

I saw the Imitation Game at the Imax cinema in the Science Museum last Friday. The film was released in 2014 but Friday was the first time I'd seen the film. After the film was broadcast one of the Science Museum hosted a discussion with the Exhibitions Curator from Bletchley Park and GCHQ's historian. There were also a few questions from the audience.

The film was good in the way it depicted the life of Alan Turing and the work he carried out at Bletchley Park; his time at school and when in the fifties he was charged with committing an act of gross indecency. Turing was homosexual and it was only in the late sixties that the homosexuality was no longer seen as a criminal act. He received a posthumous Royal Pardon a few years ago.

Benedict Cumberbatch played Turing and he did a very good job and the film conveyed that he was brilliant at what he did. Turing's role in the development of modern computing is incredible and all at such a young age.

However, there were a number of historical inaccuracies in the film - and I guess that is often the case when making a drama out of an historical event - and these were highlighted by the staff from Bletchley Park and GCHQ. For example, the film shows Alastair Denniston in a poor light and implies that he didn't approve of Turing. In fact, Turing and Denniston had visited Paris in 1940 to meet Polish mathematicians who were working with French Military Intelligence and gave Turing and Denniston information about the Enigma machine. The Polish contribution was mentioned in passing in the film. Also, Denniston who had worked for Naval Intelligence in WW1 and recruited Turing to work at Bletchley Park.

Turing was a genius and that has been recognised by the fact that his face will be on the next £50 but the work of others e.g. Weichmann, Knox, Batey, Tutte and Flowers mustn't be overlooked either.

The Curator from Bletchley Park said that after the release of the film in 2014 there was an increase in visitors to Bletchley and they would no doubt have found out more about the work carried out there and Turing's life. There are loads of books - I've read a few - about Bletchley Park and it is a great place to visit.

Saw Rocky Horror Picture Show for the umpteenth time.  It never gets old!

Watched Some Like it Hot this afternoon. One of the funniest films I've ever seen and in my top ten favourite films. A great cast including Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and George Raft. Has one of the greatest last lines in a film.

53 minutes ago, Boyne said:

Watched Some Like it Hot this afternoon. One of the funniest films I've ever seen and in my top ten favourite films. A great cast including Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and George Raft. Has one of the greatest last lines in a film.

Absolutely my favourite funny film 

9 minutes ago, Valerie said:

Absolutely my favourite funny film 

 

 1917. Atmospheric, brilliant

Not a huge film watcher, but Sat down this afternoon with a slightly tender head after going to bridge yesterday and having a few beers, and watched my favourite film, I've watched loads of time, ZULU

6 minutes ago, chi blue said:

Not a huge film watcher, but Sat down this afternoon with a slightly tender head after going to bridge yesterday and having a few beers, and watched my favourite film, I've watched loads of time, ZULU

Good film although recently found out there was no singing by British troops at Forks Drift though made a nice touch on the movie.

Went and saw The Gentleman last night. 

Good film. Typical Guy Ritchie - you know what you're gonna get with his films and it didn't disappoint. Both Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell are great and you even get a bit of Jam on the soundtrack!

 

1 hour ago, chi blue said:

Not a huge film watcher, but Sat down this afternoon with a slightly tender head after going to bridge yesterday and having a few beers, and watched my favourite film, I've watched loads of time, ZULU

A great film. Like you I've watched it loads of times. One of my favourite films. I've also seen Zulu Dawn a few times. Have read a few books about the Zulu war. The politics behind the war are very interesting and complicated and are linked to the clashes between the British, Zulus and the Boers.

23 minutes ago, Boyne said:

A great film. Like you I've watched it loads of times. One of my favourite films. I've also seen Zulu Dawn a few times. Have read a few books about the Zulu war. The politics behind the war are very interesting and complicated and are linked to the clashes between the British, Zulus and the Boers.

A messy part of British colonialism and best not to mention the concentration camps.............

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by strider6004

Watched that 1917 film last night. Very good, I can appreciate the way it was filmed etc. but at the end of the day it’s still very much just a film about a bloke going for a walk. 

Parasite. An emotional rollercoaster. Brilliant filmmaking.

Saw 1917 the other day and thought it was alright. Great cinamatography and sound but some of the acting and dialogue was quite ropey. The bit where they have to cross no-man's land was very well done. I found some other bits a bit silly though, and a couple scenes later on made me wonder why it took so long for us to win the war when the Germans are all such bad shots. It's a good film to see at the cinema but not something I'd bother seeing at home. 

Anyone seen Uncut Gems? I got spoiled but still enjoyed it.

1 hour ago, seveN said:

Anyone seen Uncut Gems? I got spoiled but stillYes,  enjoyed it.

Yes, watched it last weekend. Really enjoyed it. Sandler was very good - never realised he could act.

3 hours ago, bluedave said:

Saw 1917 the other day and thought it was alright. Great cinamatography and sound but some of the acting and dialogue was quite ropey. The bit where they have to cross no-man's land was very well done. I found some other bits a bit silly though, and a couple scenes later on made me wonder why it took so long for us to win the war when the Germans are all such bad shots. It's a good film to see at the cinema but not something I'd bother seeing at home. 

I thought the cinematography was outstanding but you make some good points, especially about the Germans' inaccuracy when shooting (sounds familiar). The Gavin and Stacey actor at the end was a bit jarring for me! 

3 hours ago, seveN said:

Anyone seen Uncut Gems? I got spoiled but still enjoyed it.

The entire cast basically just shouting at each other for an hour and a half? Wasn’t for me. 

Now I have no excuse to not watch Parasite, it's the first movie to win the Academy Award that isn't in English, it's historical and hopefully this has opened the doors for everyone else.

I watched the 2016 version of Whisky Galore yesterday. Good and better than I expected but for me not as good as the 1949 version. That version is in my top 10 films. As for the 2016 version I was impressed by Eddie Izzard as Captain Waggett and Gregor Fisher as Joseph Macroon.

Both films contain that frightening line: "There is no whisky." A world without whisky is too scary to contemplate. Here's the clip from the 1949 version when one of the punters in the pub is told that there is no whisky.

 

Edited February 10, 20206 yr by Boyne