What film did you watch last night?
- Thread starter Richeh
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Does it stand up well as a Sorkin script? I love his work, but I'll be honest can't get very excited about the plot of this one
Does it stand up well as a Sorkin script? I love his work, but I'll be honest can't get very excited about the plot of this one
The dialogue was fun, and did a good job of telling the story. You knew the outcome before the movie started, even if you aren't familiar with the actual facts, but it was still an enjoyable portrayal of the same. Quite a departure from the flag waving patriotism of Sorkins usual scripts - and quite timely with the US elections coming up too.
Thanks. It fits the bill of something both the girlfriend and myself would be interested in so rather than arguing for 20mins about what to watch we might give it a go
Although I don't know anything about the story, hence it not grabbing me…Thanks. It fits the bill of something both the girlfriend and myself would be interested in so rather than arguing for 20mins about what to watch we might give it a go
Will be interested in hearing what you though of it in that case. It was exactly that for us also, wife and I sat down to watch a movie last night and settled on it, ended up pleasantly surprised.
Candyman (1992)
A horror film probably most remembered for its ‘hook-handed’ slasher villain, but there is a lot going on here that’s of note.
Going to tag @arc@css and @SixTwoSix (horror club 4eva
We have a typical (albeit fairly slow) set-up that ramps up unexpectedly into a surreal ‘decent to madness’ affair. That plot arc alone, and the fate of the lead actress, is very unusual in a perceived ‘popcorn horror’ like this but there are a few other things that make this interesting:
- The ghetto / projects / black community setting. I’m not aware of any other horror like this and it’s interesting to see characters discussing urban legends in this context.
- The romancing by Candyman himself. He’s really rather ‘seductive’ isn’t he? He sucks our lead in with a dark and unexpectedly romantic hypnosis, half in the sense of traditional romance and have in the sense of the glory of immortality.
- The dreamlike vibe. Quite deliberately, I think, things end up half-explained, as if it were all a dream that you can’t quite remember. It avoids detailed backstory and explanation. I’m not sure whether I actually like this, but it does add to the uniqueness of the cocktail.
Other things of note: the first half of the film does have quite a few ‘false scares’ (very much out of fashion now, rightly so) but the gore (specifically the ‘blood’) is then quite abundant when it gets going. The horror imagery is also good and memorable, particularly ‘hook hand’ and the ‘bee kiss’. There is also a cool image of graffiti that unfortunately comes back too many times and becomes overused.
The soundtrack is also striking and very memorable, clashing hard with concepts of ‘the ghetto’ and adding to the dreamlike vibe.
All of this said, it doesn’t translate to the film being great. It never really feels like it excels at any particular thing and can’t quite make its mind up whether it wants to be a fun slasher story or a brooding spooker, missing the peaks of both sub-genres. But it remains memorable for merely attempting its strange blend.
Finally, it’s hard to not watch the film with 2020 eyes on and think about issues of race and how it addresses those issues. Racism and deprived communities is obviously a theme of the film and it largely succeeds in dealings with this. It does feel slightly awkward at times in having an attractive, naive white female lead and, separately, then having the entire ‘black community’ arriving at the funeral, for some reason. But to some extent that’s just an artefact of the plot and modern day sensitives.
On the basis of solely how unusual/interesting the film is: 8/10
Based on raw enjoyment / standard film ratings: 6.5/10
I still have a fondness for Candyman, despite not having aged well, one of the pivotal movies which cemented my love for horror in my early teens.
You've touched on most of the points i'd probably make. I have semi-high hopes for Peele's sequel, I very much liked Get Out and Us, the latter more for uniqueness though.
I really don't watch many films lately due to having to watch in the living room infringing on my family's space, and whenever they feel like watching something either I'm not in the mood or they want to watch stuff I have no interest in
That said, we all watched Seven Psychopaths on Friday night after my having a copy for many years and damn do I wish I'd watched it sooner. Brilliant film and Sam Rockwell is such a good actor it's almost sad how rarely he seems to get roles. He was magnificent in Moon as well
That said, we all watched Seven Psychopaths on Friday night after my having a copy for many years and damn do I wish I'd watched it sooner. Brilliant film and Sam Rockwell is such a good actor it's almost sad how rarely he seems to get roles. He was magnificent in Moon as well
Sam Rockwell is in tons of stuff. Half of it is smaller character movies, but he's also done big stuff like Iron Man 2, Three Billboards, Fosse/Verdon. He's great in everything.
I just looked at his filmography and yeah, for having only been about for a relatively short time he's been in a lot. I guess it's just a case of my not having seen a lot of them
Don
He's absolutely superb in 3 Billboards.
And 'Vice'. I think he's a very strong character actor who is choosy about his roles. More power to him for that.
Soldato
Watched Spontaneous last night.
Coming of age type film where kids randomly explode. Was pretty good, some funny moments and generally easy watching.
Coming of age type film where kids randomly explode. Was pretty good, some funny moments and generally easy watching.
His character was so good in that, how he changed through it etc.
Soldato
"Everly". A forced prostitute has to fight off seemingly everyone wanting to kill her. Action packed, dark humour, tension and lots and lots of guns & blood. Really entertaining.
Salma Hayek stars and was about 47 years old at the time. **** me, she looks AMAZING!
Free on Amazon Prime.
Salma Hayek stars and was about 47 years old at the time. **** me, she looks AMAZING!
Free on Amazon Prime.
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Caporegime
Like Father
Part comedy, part Royal Caribbean advert. Got a few chuckles, but very by-the-book.
5/10
Red Shoes & The 7 Dwarves
Quite enjoyed this, got a few lols and the animation was pretty good for an new studio.
6/10
Part comedy, part Royal Caribbean advert. Got a few chuckles, but very by-the-book.
5/10
Red Shoes & The 7 Dwarves
Quite enjoyed this, got a few lols and the animation was pretty good for an new studio.
6/10
Don
Shaun of the Dead - 8/10
Sat down and watched it on the telly last night, still find little bits in it that I've missed before.
Sat down and watched it on the telly last night, still find little bits in it that I've missed before.
Associate
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I watched Hot Fuzz yesterday and had the same thing, noticed so many small things that I had missed before, some of them made me almost spit my curry on the screen
