What films are you watching?

[Thedelldays]

watched Law abiding citizen last night

 

 

good film

[toofarnorth]

Just watched Gone Baby Gone and thought it was brilliant. Ben Affleck is fantastic behind the camera and thakfully lets his far more talented brother take the lead role. The supporting cast is excellent and not for a long time have I seen such a thought provoking film. You really are left thinking what would I have done.

 

Thoroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

[Hamilton Saint]

I watched Frost Nixon last night. Having lived through that period, and followed the Nixon administration and the whole long-drawn-out Watergate thing, I found this film very interesting.

 

Back then, I hated Nixon and I found David Frost smarmy and superficial (although I watched his American-based talk-show because he had so many fascinating guests on, and let them do their thing at length). But this film is even-handed. They are both given a fair shake in showing some of their strengths, as well as having their weaknesses presented critically.

 

As a film, it's interesting to see how it succeeds in creating momentum and drama about rather boring people and a fairly mundane subject - a series of television interviews conducted by Frost a couple of years after Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal.

 

Michael Sheen is very good as Frost and Frank Langella is excellent as Nixon. David Frost's girlfriend of the time is played by Rebecca Hall (Frost should have been so lucky!). She is luscious.

 

I enjoyed the film. I don't think it's for everyone. But if you like politics and are interested in the period, you'll like it.

 

Directed by Ron Howard.

Edited 15 December, 2009 by Hamilton Saint
punctuation

[Scudamore]

I watched Oldboy the other night. Some f::cked up Korean weirdness. Highly recommended!

[the stain]

I watched Oldboy the other night. Some f::cked up Korean weirdness. Highly recommended!

 

 

Sho'nuff. You should also check out the others in that loose trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.

 

Also by the same director, but f::cked up in a much more family-friendly way (and quite touchingly so), is I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK. Another touching fantasy-comedy about mental illness.

[jeff leopard]

I watched Westworld on Saturday, well, I got up to the point that the robots start killing people and the DVD started skipping and making very unsettling noises. Freaky or what? I'd forgotten just how good the pre-killing-spree stuff is (which is the vast majority of the film), James Brolin makes a great unlikely hero and wears a 'tash like the best of them.

 

Sho'nuff. You should also check out the others in that loose trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.

 

Oldboy rocks, I've only watched it the once and I'm looking forward to giving it another crack. Lady Vengeance is probably the best revenge film I've ever seen, and I've only seen Mr Vengeance once and...well....let's just say it goes a bit weird and I think I went a bit insane.

 

 

I watched Frost Nixon last night.

 

I'd be quite interested in seeing this. Unfortunately, the phrase...

 

Directed by Ron Howard.

 

makes me vomit blood'n'excrement out of my eyes and my arse at the same time.

 

Has anyone got a bucket and a sponge?

[Hamilton Saint]

I know what you mean about Ron Howard, but Frost Nixon is still worth a look!

 

[Saints1980]

Watched La Haine last night.

 

Very gritty - strangely reminded me of my youth, despite the fact I have never broken into a car, lived in France or sprayed graffiti anywhere.

 

8/10

[Sheaf Saint]

Just watched Brüno

 

Really uncomfortable viewing from the very beginning, but I don't think I have laughed as much as that for a very, very long time. Sacha Baron-Cohen must have balls of steel to put himself in some of the situations he finds himself in during this film. If you thought he was pushing his luck in Borat then in this film he has metaphorically flopped his genitals into a hungry lion's mouth and then flicked his gonads with a wet towel.

 

Quite unbelievable that he got away with a lot of what he did, and surely he must have a few fatwas on him by now, but you simply have to admire his dedication to his 'art'.

 

9/10

[Red Alert]

Avatar went to see it last night. Amazing film, first film I have ever seen in 3D and it really did amaze me. Ok the story is Dances with Wolves + The Smurfs. But it is so so good and it ramps up the intensity that the last hour is very climactic. Easily the best film I have seen this year.

[Johnny Shearer]

Avatar went to see it last night. Amazing film, first film I have ever seen in 3D and it really did amaze me. Ok the story is Dances with Wolves + The Smurfs. But it is so so good and it ramps up the intensity that the last hour is very climactic. Easily the best film I have seen this year.

 

Saw this tonight. I would agree its amazing..........in terms os special effects and the 3D aspect which is crazy but as a film I thought yeah it was ok.

 

Not as epic as I would have hoped it would have been but good, some people will love it others will not.

 

6.3 from me.

[St Landrew]

What is it with Nicholas Cage..? The bloke can't decide whether he's an action hero, a serious actor, a player in light comedies, or a bloke in moral tales. About the only genre he hasn't tried is horror. But I'm sure it's not off his radar.

 

So The Family Man wasn't that bad. It only stands one viewing, but it wasn't that bad. And Cage was actually convincing, in the end. It reminded me of his other film The Weather Man, and also It's A Wonderful Life, but it isn't as good as the latter, and better than the former film. If you've been watching it, or have watched it, I'm sure you have your own opinion, but if you haven't, it's not a bad film.

 

And co-star Téa Leoni is very cute.

[Sheaf Saint]

What is it with Nicholas Cage..? The bloke can't decide whether he's an action hero, a serious actor, a player in light comedies, or a bloke in moral tales. About the only genre he hasn't tried is horror. But I'm sure it's not off his radar.

 

So The Family Man wasn't that bad. It only stands one viewing, but it wasn't that bad. And Cage was actually convincing, in the end. It reminded me of his other film The Weather Man, and also It's A Wonderful Life, but it isn't as good as the latter, and better than the former film. If you've been watching it, or have watched it, I'm sure you have your own opinion, but if you haven't, it's not a bad film.

 

And co-star Téa Leoni is very cute.

 

I started watching this film but didn't stick with it because I felt no emotional connection with the lead character. Nicholas Cage is another one of those actors who has somehow managed to make a massive name (and fortune) for himself despite being extremely one-dimensional and actually a bit wooden.

[RonManager]

Watched 'A series of Unfortunate Events' yesterday.

Normally I enjoy these types of films but that was pants.

[Thedelldays]

Just watched Brüno

 

Really uncomfortable viewing from the very beginning, but I don't think I have laughed as much as that for a very, very long time. Sacha Baron-Cohen must have balls of steel to put himself in some of the situations he finds himself in during this film. If you thought he was pushing his luck in Borat then in this film he has metaphorically flopped his genitals into a hungry lion's mouth and then flicked his gonads with a wet towel.

 

Quite unbelievable that he got away with a lot of what he did, and surely he must have a few fatwas on him by now, but you simply have to admire his dedication to his 'art'.

 

9/10

 

I read up on the making of Bruno...and there were a few things they cut out and he talks about the scrapes they got into filming that...

 

brilliant

[dubai_phil]

Just watched Brüno

 

Really uncomfortable viewing from the very beginning, but I don't think I have laughed as much as that for a very, very long time. Sacha Baron-Cohen must have balls of steel to put himself in some of the situations he finds himself in during this film. If you thought he was pushing his luck in Borat then in this film he has metaphorically flopped his genitals into a hungry lion's mouth and then flicked his gonads with a wet towel.

 

Quite unbelievable that he got away with a lot of what he did, and surely he must have a few fatwas on him by now, but you simply have to admire his dedication to his 'art'.

 

9/10

 

Bruno is probably THE single most "wrong" thing I have ever sat through, and as a result was really funny once you got into it. Having been to Beirut & Jordan and seeing those scenes filmed there I can imagine what happened off camera - ROFL

 

Off to see Avatar Thursday, looking forward to that.

 

Had a house full of family and mates couple of weeks ago we watched Superbad. Twice in a week. That IS the classic :smt046 movie of all time, get through the first uncomfotable 15 minutes then it just rocks.

 

The two cops have to be the silliest movie characters in a long long time

[Ponty]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I liked it.

[jeff leopard]

Avatar

 

I watched Strange Days again recently, the very silly millennium-eve sci-fi thriller thingy, and was surprised to see that it was written and produced by James Cameron. But then suddenly everything made sense, especially in the wake of Avatar's release.

 

Like most Cameron projects, Strange Days has (by American standards) some pretty liberal politics at its heart, its set against the back-drop of the Rodney King beating/LA riots and comes down clearly on the side of oppressed black masses. But any real insight into the riots is undone by two-dimensional and leaden-footed characterisation and a preponderance of wince-inducing cliché.

 

Strange Days is about an hour too long and suffers from Cameron's belief that 'why have one ending when you can have four or five in a row, until the audience are literally baying for death' . All the good work done in the first 90 mins is dashed by the increasingly awful final third, which goes from being a bit silly to side-splittingly hilarious. (As much as I love Aliens, I can happily stop it and walk away when Ripley decides to go and rescue Newt) This is a shame as most Cameron films have a really interesting concept at their heart, but it usually gets lost under rolls of cinematic fat. One of the reasons Terminator is so great is that it doesn't outstay its welcome.

 

One of Strange Day's strengths is good old Ralph Feinnes as the unmasculine hero who needs saving by a kick-arse female character (see every Cameron film ever made, and I'm assuming this is also present in Avatar). I like Ralph and much prefer his winy American junky in Strange Days to his Don Logan impersonation in In Bruges.

 

So, despite some great ideas, a few interesting twists and a solid performance from Feinnes, best to avoid Strange Days, especially as its directed in the style of a dodgy 90s kiddy-rock video by Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker/Point Break). 4/10

 

Much better were -

 

Demon Seed - An automated house of the future gets taken over by a super-computer, sick and tired of being told what to do by stupid puny humans, and traps lovely Julie Christie inside to prod, poke and impregnate. To the film's credit, you end up empathising with the computer that refuses to be a part of mankind's rape of the planet, as it sweet-talks Christie into bed and produces a robo-baby. Its probably most famous for the Simpsons version where Pierce Brosnan played the voice of the computer that falls madly in love with Marge. It looks dated but still has plenty to say. 7/10

 

Let the Right One In - wonderful dream-like Swedish film that traces the tender relationship between two twelve year olds, one of whom just happens to be a vampire. The only thing that lets it down is its occasional bursts of cgi, which are more likely to generate hoots of laughter rather than screams of terror. Unlike the glut of US horror films, where a bunch of one-dimensional bimbos and jocks are killed in the nastiest ways imaginable, and despite the snowy, barren landscapes and lack of body-heat, Let the Right One In is a film full of warmth and tenderness, where each character is beautifully written and utterly believable. Great stuff, strongly recommended. 9/10

[St Landrew]

What is it with Nicholas Cage..? The bloke can't decide whether he's an action hero, a serious actor, a player in light comedies, or a bloke in moral tales. About the only genre he hasn't tried is horror. But I'm sure it's not off his radar.

 

So The Family Man wasn't that bad. It only stands one viewing, but it wasn't that bad. And Cage was actually convincing, in the end. It reminded me of his other film The Weather Man, and also It's A Wonderful Life, but it isn't as good as the latter, and better than the former film. If you've been watching it, or have watched it, I'm sure you have your own opinion, but if you haven't, it's not a bad film.

 

And co-star Téa Leoni is very cute.

 

What a crap review that was. I think I mentioned the film being not bad at least 3 times, and actually said nothing. As for Nicholas Cage; agreed he's not the best actor in town, but he's no Keanu Reeves, sorry, Oak Tree. Actually, that's an insult to oak trees.

 

I suppose I did get Cage's character, and went with the scenario, through the film. At the very beginning I wanted Cage to stick with his girlfriend [Téa Leoni], mainly because she was so cute. Then I wanted him to stay a rich man in his other world because he didn't seem to be the nastiest piece of capitalism, and he'd obviously worked hard and been successful. Then very slowly, actually slower than the character himself, I wanted him to take up his life in the alternative existence. The lack of pay-off in the end was mildly disappointing, but anything else would possibly have been very sugar coated or completely empty. Don Cheadle's character was the nod to It's a Wonderful Life. So, as I said before - not bad.

[Scudamore]

Don Cheadle does a cracking british accent

[St Landrew]

Don Cheadle does a cracking british accent

 

Yeah, he does. Love his bits in Ocean's NN

[Block 5]

Tombstone was on the telly last night.

What a crock.

I hated myself afterwards, for being too lazy to get out of bed and switch it off.

[Thedelldays]

Tombstone was on the telly last night.

What a crock.

I hated myself afterwards, for being too lazy to get out of bed and switch it off.

I saw that...how old does that look now

 

very inaccurate telling of the story also

[Huntingdon]

Yes Man

 

Watched last night for the first time & thought it was quite good.

 

I've heard the Danny Wallace book (which the film is based on) is seriously funny.

 

Always enjoyed watching Jim Carrey, but became quite taken with the lead female Zooey Deschanel - she's well hot & looks like Katy Perry too

[Sheaf Saint]

Seeing as it was referred to so heavily in the recent Star Trek film, I decided to dig out the DVD of Star Trek II - Wrath of Khan while I was bored tonight. They don't make 'em like they used to eh?

 

I remember being taken to the cinema to see this film and looking at the release date I must have been 7 years old, but I still remember distinctly being blown away by the grandeur of it compared to the original series and the first movie, that it was probably this film that sparked my love of sci-fi.

 

Ricardo Montalban played the part of Khan perfectly: Almost over the top but just not too much that he wasn't menacing with it. Delightfully dramatic with all the literary quotes, particularly from Moby D1ck on which the storyline for this film was based.

 

OK it looks a little dated now with some fairly poor special effects, but it stands the test of time in other ways I think; most notably the soundtrack which I think is possibly one of the best original soundtracks for a sci-fi film ever, with the possible exception of 2001 as discussed earlier in this thread.

 

There have been 9 more ST films made since this one, including the recent one, and although some of them had their moments and were visually impressive, I don't think a single one of them can touch this one, nor do I think another will ever be made that betters it.

 

8.5/10

[REDARMY79]

I just watched a film that had Sabrina the teenage witch and AC Slater from Saved By The Bell in. It was as bad as i expected it to be.

[St Landrew]

While writing out Christmas cards I'm watching the modern remake of King Kong for the first time, and I have to say that it is a bloody joke. How on earth did this film do any business..? I was never taken by the original concept of the beauty and the beast anyway, but I hoped that a modern attempt might bear fruit. Can't imagine how much money was wasted on such a preposterous film. If I'd have been in the cinema I would have walked out after half an hour, laughing my head off. As it is, I've taken the DVD out of the player at 1hr 43m [because Im only half attending to this crap] when the femme fatale landed totally uninjured onto the nose of a tyrannosaurus rex after falling about 60 feet. I can't watch anymore.

Edited 23 December, 2009 by St Landrew

[the stain]

While writing out Christmas cards I'm watching the modern remake of King Kong for the first time, and I have to say that it is a bloody joke. How on earth did this film do any business..? I was never taken by the original concept of the beauty and the beast anyway, but I hoped that a modern attempt might bear fruit. Can't imagine how much money was wasted on such a preposterous film. If I'd have been in the cinema I would have walked out after half an hour, laughing my head off. As it is, I've taken the DVD out of the player at 1hr 43m [because Im only half attending to this crap] when the femme fatale landed totally uninjured onto the nose of a tyrannosaurus rex after falling about 60 feet. I can't watch anymore.

 

Peter Jackson is to epic films as Meatloaf is to epic songs.

[RonManager]

While writing out Christmas cards I'm watching the modern remake of King Kong for the first time, and I have to say that it is a bloody joke. How on earth did this film do any business..? I was never taken by the original concept of the beauty and the beast anyway, but I hoped that a modern attempt might bear fruit. Can't imagine how much money was wasted on such a preposterous film. If I'd have been in the cinema I would have walked out after half an hour, laughing my head off. As it is, I've taken the DVD out of the player at 1hr 43m [because Im only half attending to this crap] when the femme fatale landed totally uninjured onto the nose of a tyrannosaurus rex after falling about 60 feet. I can't watch anymore.

 

The bit with all the insects is pretty intense. If one was arachnophobic, and was made to watch that 10 minute sequence, Clockwork Orange style, it could send you over the top!

[jeff leopard]

While writing out Christmas cards I'm watching the modern remake of King Kong for the first time, and I have to say that it is a bloody joke. How on earth did this film do any business..? I was never taken by the original concept of the beauty and the beast anyway, but I hoped that a modern attempt might bear fruit. Can't imagine how much money was wasted on such a preposterous film. If I'd have been in the cinema I would have walked out after half an hour, laughing my head off. As it is, I've taken the DVD out of the player at 1hr 43m [because Im only half attending to this crap] when the femme fatale landed totally uninjured onto the nose of a tyrannosaurus rex after falling about 60 feet. I can't watch anymore.

 

Yeah, the fight betwen Kong and the T-rex's (T-rexi?) should have been incredible, and i seem to remember it starts well, but, like the whole film, it gets stretched out to an absurb length, and just ended up being dull and laughably bad, both at once.

 

But are you really telling me that you missed the bit where Naomi Watts and King Kong go ice-skating in Central Park? Dude, you have no idea how bad the film gets.

[St Landrew]

Yeah, the fight betwen Kong and the T-rex's (T-rexi?) should have been incredible, and i seem to remember it starts well, but, like the whole film, it gets stretched out to an absurb length, and just ended up being dull and laughably bad, both at once.

 

But are you really telling me that you missed the bit where Naomi Watts and King Kong go ice-skating in Central Park? Dude, you have no idea how bad the film gets.

 

I tell you what, I still have some cards to write out, so I'm going to put the film back in, just to see how bad it really gets.

[SuperMikey]

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus

 

Yes, that really is the title of the movie. And it was bloody brilliant!

 

The plot of the movie centers around the thawing of two prehistoric giant sea monsters, who wreak havoc on anything they come across. Yes, it sounds corny, and it really is, but this was made by the Sci-Fi channel, so what do you expect? It's cheesy, the dialogue is awful, the acting is even worse, and the CGI is....well, laughable! But the whole movie is so much fun, and it's even more fun if you watch it with a couple of mates and a couple of brewski's. I got it on the 4 for £20 offer currently on in HMV as well, and it's worth more than a fiver in laughs alone!

 

2/10 (for a serious film)

8/10 (for a comedy)

[St Landrew]

I tell you what, I still have some cards to write out, so I'm going to put the film back in, just to see how bad it really gets.

 

Yep, the ice skating was as pathetic as you predicted, Jeff. But the whole film stunk. I think I'm on the verge of throwing up. In fact, I practically reached when Jack Black said... it wasn't the aeroplanes, it was beauty that killed the beast. Honestly, I actually do feel slightly nauseous, and it has nothing to do with festive cheer either.

:smt078

 

 

Crikey, what a clunker..!

[the stain]

Crikey, what a clunker..!

 

 

I must've seen the family edit.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

With work finished until the new year I had time to revisit two of my very favorite films today . An eclectic mix of Sidney Lumet's 1964 cold war masterpiece 'Failsafe' - combined with Henri-Georges Clouzot's magnificent 'The Wages of Fear' makes just about the perfect lazy day in front of the DVD Player for yours truly .

 

I am the Matador .

[Verbal]

Invictus.

 

Brilliant - and amazing that Clint Eastwood keeps turning out movies of such high quality. And the best sports movie since - well, Million Dollar Baby.

 

Matt Damon is surprisingly convincing as Pienaar, even down to the SA accent - but Morgan Freeman is nailed on for a Best Actor Oscar.

[St Landrew]

Sideways

 

Enjoyable comedy drama which centres on two guys in their forties. One id about to sow his last wild oats before getting married, and the other is still screwed up two years after his divorce. And just when things are looking up he gets his emotions hit again. This is despite having to cover for his lifelong, but shallow mate. Being lifelong pals, they care for each other, but know each other so well, they are short on patience when one or the other hits a weak emotional patch.

 

The humour is dry, and the laughs are genuine. The drama is real, ad so is the melancholic nature of the film. There's a lot for many people to identify with, on some level, or a certain age. This is not a film that's easy to watch, but it gets easier as you empathise with the characters. It's not brilliant, it's not sophisticated, but it draws you in. It's a story about ordinary people, and it keeps you interested allong the way. Recommended 6.5/10

 

BTW, I reckon King Kong was about 2/10, and only that high because it made me laugh.

[jeff leopard]

Sideways

 

Sideways is a great film, I also recommend the other films by the same director;

 

Election - brilliant and brutal look at b1tchiness and back-stabbing amongst staff and students at a typical american high school. 9/10

 

About Schmidt - This is even drier than Sideways, very downbeat but with an unforgettable emotional money-shot at the end that makes all the doom and gloom worth while. Possibly Jack Nicholson's best performance ever. 8/10

 

These are very much dramadies, comedies which are more bitter than sweet, but great never the less.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I saw A Christmas Carol on xmas eve (how appropriate) and I must say I was very impressed with it . This well known Charles Dickens pot boiler still retains its old power to move the viewer to a surprising extent and couple that with the very latest 3D cinematic effects and you end up with a memorable 2 hours of family entertainment . I think in many ways this is a better (but less hyped) film than James Cameron's much vaunted Avatar . While Jim Carrey may not be everyone's cup of tea his vocal talents are splendidly used here and don't let any preconceived notions put you off seeing Robert Zemeckis's wonderful work .

 

I saw my first 3D movie around 6 months ago (some forgettable kids film) and even in that short space of time the technique of employing this amazing technology to the full seems to have progressed significantly . Make sure you go to a 3D screening and then I'd avise you to sit somewhere close to the screen - the depth of view is quite amazing (some scenes reminding me of being inside one of those flight simulator machines) - snow seems to fall right into your lap and even long standing CGI problems such as 'rubbery' human skin effects now seem to have passed into film history .

 

See this if you can - you won't regret it .

[Baj]

Sherlock Holmes - Meh

[saint_stevo]

talking of films.....anyone know someone i can get DVD's off? My supplier has been cut.....

 

PM me

[miserableoldgit]

talking of films.....anyone know someone i can get DVD's off? My supplier has been cut.....

 

PM me

Amazon.co.uk, Play.com etc? HTH.

[St Landrew]

Sherlock Holmes - Meh

 

This being the Robert Downey Jr/Jude Law effort..?

[Thedelldays]

saw Avatar today...superb..obviously this 3D malarky is going to be the way forward..

 

saw a trailor for Alice in Wonderland..looks great also

[Block 5]

I saw that...how old does that look now

 

very inaccurate telling of the story also

 

It was a travesty.

I had to lol at Charlton "gun crazy" Heston though.

[St Landrew]

Finally watched Solaris this evening all the way through, without interruption by telephone, e-mail, the front door, someone talking to me, etc.. I think I've tried watching it/recording the bloody thing half a dozen times by now, and never have I been successful. Well, lucky for me, last week Film4 showed it yet again, and this time I nailed it. And for good measure I cut out all the adverts and left it for a few days before I came back to it.

 

So I'd had all these tiny moments before, which meant absolutely nothing to me, except I noted that it was very quiet, and very slow. Which in a film of under 1hr 30mins, is going some. And yet it is a film which has more story than dozens of films made in the 21st century. I thought it was a space film. It isn't, it just happens to be set in space. I thought it was a film about rescue. It isn't. It's actually is a story of love lost and finally regained. In fact the rescuer is being rescued, in a way. The idea of the planet Solaris gives the film the scenario that dead people can return if we dream about them enough. Dreams are about our experiences and our wants and needs. And what does a widower [George Clooney] dream about other than the premature lost love of his wife [Natascha Mcelhone]..! And so she appears and reappears in reality to love him again. Because he is an astronaut, with a disciplined and logical mind, it is all the harder to accept. He despatches the first replica of his dead wife of the ship, and knows he has done the right thing. But then he sleeps and she comes back to him. And in the silences, between them, there are a lot of things said.

 

It's a melancholic film, but ultimately an uplifting one. As with all slightly mysterious films, there's a twist at the end. All the performers get their parts just right, and director Steven Soderbergh paces and shoots it brilliantly, IMO. If I think I'm bored with a film, I tend to look at my watch, and if it shows an elapsed time that is way shorter than I expect, then the film's a bad one. This one whizzed by, despite the pedestrian nature of it. I looked at my watch as the credits rolled. Good film 8/10.

 

But you all saw it before me anyway.

[percy windham]

the soderbergh version is ball bags. film4 show the original fairly regulary, keep an eye out for it

[Redbul]

Got Moon on DVD for Chrimble 'cos I loved it when I saw it at Harbour Lights when it came out. Second time around it's even better 'cos even though I know what's going on there are so many clues that you miss the first time of watching.

 

Without giving too much away if you havent seen it, Sam Rockwell plays the part of an astronaut 'caretaker' of a mining installation on the moon. [The film is set in the mining installation which controls 3 harvesters which collects Helium 3 for processing an despatch to Earth as a clean energy source]. He's just coming to the end of his 3 year stint when he has an accident with one of the harvesters and wakes up in the medical bay of the installation....and this is where I can't say too much more for fer of giving anything away. Sam Rockwell is basically the only actor in this film and his studied approach to isolation and loneliness is absolutely brilliant. The moonscapes and vehicles are models (with some post shooting editing so that it doesn't look to 'Space 1999/UFO) as the whole thing was made on quite a modest indie budget.

 

But it's a return to a sci fi genre with no pretensions with echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Silent Running, Dark Star.

 

Give it a go, you will not be disappointed.

 

Oh, the score for the film is by Clint Mansell which reminds me; must dig out Requiem for a Dream later....

[Sheaf Saint]

Oh, the score for the film is by Clint Mansell which reminds me; must dig out Requiem for a Dream later....

 

Make sure you have some Prozac at the ready!

[jeff leopard]

Solaris

 

the soderbergh version is ball bags. film4 show the original fairly regulary, keep an eye out for it

 

As Hollywood remakes of European Art Cinema goes, i thought Soderbergh's version was alright. Its much shorter than the original and obviously has much better special effects, but it doesn't capture the unforgettable dream-like nature of Tarkovsky's original.

 

I've just read The Road which was amazing, but by most accounts the film version isn't all that. If Tarkovsky was still alive today he would have been the perfect director for The Road, it would have been three hours plus long, and not a great deal would happen, but by the end the audience would have been on profound journey. Or Lynch is another director who could get the balance right between mundane existence with earth-shattering horror potentially around each bend. Oh well, read the book, its ace!