Seen any good films lately? [3]

{{I've mentioned this film before, but rewatched it and had forgotten just how good it is- direction, performances in particular and just a brilliant psychological study.
The Hill, starring Sean Connery (in my personal favourite performance of his followed by The Man Who Would Be King and Outland- both of which I also recommend).

Its a war film (set during WW2) without the war, at least directly. And follows five main character, all British military sent to a British Military prison where the main punishment is The Hill- a massive hill of sand and stone built by the prisoners and up which, in the full glare of the sun, they must carry bags of sand.
Its a simple, elegant, brutal premise around which to study the characters of prisoners and guards, among other things.

Sadly the trailer for The Hill is unbelievably bad in every way possible so heres a short scene from it instead. If you get the chance its worth digging up}}}

I remember watching that film when I was a wee lad many moons ago. I like films that go into the psyche of people.

I've not heard of it before, thanks for sharing Petty.

I just saw a film called High Rise. My mom hated it, but I thought it was very well-made. It's subject matter, that of a high-rise apartment building in the 70s that was meant to exemplify the community of the future, is quite interesting to me when presented within the context of inherent British class-struggles. The building's 20-something floors begin with the blue-collar workers on the lower floors and carry on through up to the wealthy "aristocracy" at the top. 

The film is basically about all of that going to pot as electric and food shortages begin straining the tenants patience for each other. A kind of class war breaks out that leads to a dystopian breakdown of this miniature society. 

Throughout the whole thing is Tom Hiddleston's quiet, unobtrusive surgeon/teacher character, who is on the right floor to rub shoulders with both the poor below and the rich above. He's quite damaged in the film, but is somehow able to weather the chaos around him as all hell breaks loose. 

The film is not played straight. Much of it is obvious allegory and simplified metaphor. I read somewhere that the novel it is based upon satirized some aspect of English life under Margaret Thatcher. The movie also requires some suspension of disbelief, apparently, because several of the comments on Netflix were complaining about how it didn't make sense for everyone to stay in the building instead of leaving it. 
I didn't mind that in the least myself. I was too busy enjoying the film's well-edited pace, occasionally beautiful cinematography, and interesting acting. There's one shot underwater in a pool where the red light of sunset is streaming into the water and turning it the colour of apple cider that I thought was particularly beautiful. 

A word of caution, however. It does contain some strong R-content (mature stuff, that is). At least one dog is killed, there's some orgy stuff, and some moments of violence. These moments of darkness didn't bother me that much though, because it all contributed to the dynamic and interesting shifts in this social structure that were going on. 

Anyway, I guess you might hate it like some others did. But I would, with caution, recommend it. The fact that it is based on a novel is apparent throughout, especially because of the variety of character types and motivations we see.

It stars Tom Hiddleston, and has Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman, in a solid role!), and Elizabeth Moss. Oh yeah, and Enzo Cilenti, an actor from several good things that I have only just recently begun to appreciate more. You might recognize him as one of the slaver-lords from Game of Thrones, Childermass in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, or a ton of other stuff since the late nineties.

I read about that film, it looks worth a looksee. I loved Tom hiddlebum in 'The Night Manager' he would make an excellent James Bod imo.

Sounds alot more interesting than the utter garbage I just watched - Wanted

There's talk of a sequel.

Not one I'll be watching

Along with the Gunslinger film? Or is that on the list simply out of respect of the source material?

I saw A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which was an Iranian vampire story filmed in small town California, written and directed by an Iranian born in Britain, now in America, clearly keeping up with an Iranian rat-pack.

It was superbly filmed in noir black and white.  A film that's unafraid to take its time.  Nobody takes time anymore.  A very spare dialog, during which you have time to see people thinking and feeling deeply.  You may not know what they are feeling and thinking, but you know they are doing so, and it is sufficient.

The Iranian music that mainly accompanies it is gorgeous, and even though I've been surrounded by Iranian students at times and heard plenty of music, the director has an ear like Tarentino, and she has distilled an entire cultural angst into a dozen selections.

One of the executive producers was Elijah Wood.  I both like the idea that he's out promoting independent film, and disappointed that both he and the director are largely from the Western sphere.  I so much wanted to get something like this directly from Iran.  But there's no way this would have been filmed there, I suppose.

I dig it. the music reminds me of Sergio Leone.

That trailer was similar to the original Swedish "Let The Right One In " that was about a girlie vampire too

halfwise wrote:  A film that's unafraid to take its time.  Nobody takes time anymore. 

Au contraire mon frere!

Mr. Turner is two and a half hours long! Only Lovers Left Alive dwells and dwells and dwells on its introspective vamps and takes its time quite happily. The Lobster doesn't even introduce Colin Farrel's love interest until half-way through the film! Leviathan moves at a very deliberate speed indeed.

Thanks for the recommendation though; I have added it to my netflix queue.

hmm...Only Lovers Left Alive looks quite interesting indeed. I shall have to dig it up.

*winkwink*

I saw Hacksaw Ridge yesterday with my mom of all people. I liked it! The gore was extraordinarily strong, and the Japs caught a good amount of dehumanizing-flack, but I really liked that the film took its time developing the story of the main character before he signed up. No more than a third of the film took place on Okinawa itself, and I felt like this really told the audience, "Hey, this is not just a war film." Which is something that I can appreciate.

And oh my gosh, I can't not love Hugo Weaving in any of his work. He's very well-acted in this and plays a veteran from the Great War who is utterly destroyed by survivor's guilt and self-loathing. It's awesome.

On the con side of things, there were really only two points in the film which stood out to me as over-done and/or offensive. In one, Vince Vaughn's wounded seargent character is pulled backwards away from a group of Japanese soldiers while firing at them with an automatic weapon. It was a tad unrealistic to my novice eye.
And the second thing was a series of shots showing fleeing Japanese soldiers being consumed by walls of flame inside of a tunnel. That was quite unnecessary.

Other than that though, I liked it. It had likeable characters. Even Weaving's character is quite likeable, which is a rare nuance when it comes to abusive parents.

I need to see this. I used to know Desmond Doss' son. He's always been the hero of Seventh Day Adventists. There's even a comic book!

Interesting! Did you know his son out west, or back on the east coast?

He was living in Astoria OR when I first met him.

Neat-o

Id like to sit out by a camp fire & listen to Dave & his stories, I really would. You hint to me of a quiet get along guy that can suddenly pull one out of the hat

Sort of a Forrest Gump type am I? I suppose I'll have to accept that.

maybe if Forrest Gump had a Phd in nuclear physics and sailed the High Seas like Sir Walter Raleigh.

Noooo, not Forest Gump !! He was portrayed as sixpence short of a shilling & your not that, Dave !!

Speaking of Gump-like people, has anyone seen the Swedish film "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared"?
I want to be THAT guy when I'm a hundred!




{{{{{hmmm... Raleigh....I might have to try that one on for size.....}}}}}