Let's have a films thread.

[ajthefox]

Watched a Spanish film called Competencia Official on Netflix last night. It's a satirical film about making a film, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz are 2 of 3 main characters in a very small cast and they're both great. Had me laughing out loud a few times, well worth a watch.

Edited 6 August 2023 by ajthefox

[Samilktray]

Thought Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was right up there with the best of the Marvel movies

[Daggers]

18 minutes ago, Samilktray said:

Thought Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was right up there with the best of the Marvel movies

I made the mistake of not watching it based on reviews I read. The girl made me put it on. I feared the worst as she sat down with a box of tissues.

 

It was a great watch.

[urban.spaceman]

First of all.

 

On 05/08/2023 at 21:32, Line-X said:

Salieri is consumed by an inferiority complex and intent on orchestrating Mozart's downfall.

 

On 05/08/2023 at 21:32, Line-X said:

SPOILERS!!!!

 

It's a masterful piece of filmmaking/cinematography. Beautifully shot, brilliantly cast, superbly acted and a wonderful dialogue and script. Robert Downey Jnr. in particular delivers a stunning performance as Lewis Strauss and Florence Pugh made a very compelling Jean Tatlock but perhaps the film could have afforded more exploration of the character, which was marginalised - in particular, struggles with her sexuality which were also instrumental in her suicide. 

 

However, for a movie that prides itself on its historical accuracy, what greatly disappointed me was some of the more fanciful and overly dramatised scenes which were needless. For example, the part with Niels Bohr and the apple was ludicrous and it's actually questionable whether he even laced it with potassium cyanide in the first place. I enjoyed seeing Tom Conti on the screen again but the relationship with Albert Einstein was greatly exaggerated. The discussion at the pond at the AEC was pure imagination and the idea that he had approached Einstein to scrutinise his chain reaction calculations is pure nonsense. Throughout Oppenheimer's mid to late career Einstein was more an acquaintance than a close personal friend. He said to his brother Frank 'I need physics more than friends". Perhaps Einstein was ultimately the source of both? I also thought that more could have been made of his at times unpredictable and erratic behaviour, his inherent contradictory personality traits together with his underlying depression. He was portrayed more as having an even disposition and equanimity, and at times being highly pragmatic although his esoteric arcane interests were captured alongside his enigmatic side. Finally, contrary to belief, following the successful detonation of Trinity, Frank recalled his first words as being simply "I guess it worked" he did not actually vocalise the Bhagavad Gita passage, "now I am become death, the shatterer of worlds." Oppenheimer later recounted that these and other verses were going through his mind during the explosion. 

 

I did like the emphasis upon his brilliance as a theoretical physicist and in particular his determination of the limit to how massive a single atomic nucleus, what we know today as the core of a neutron star, could be before collapsing entirely into a 'dark star'...which we now term a black hole. Oppenheimer, like Lawrence, would have undoubtedly won a Nobel Prize if he had continued his research into the latter. 

 

When I was watching this, I was struck by the similarity with the enmity and bitter resentment that Strauss held for Oppenheimer and the jealousy and obsessive vengeful hatred held by composer Antonio Salieri for Mozart depicted in the film Amadeus. Salieri is consumed by an inferiority complex and intent on orchestrating Mozart's downfall. I read in an interview with Nolan this week that this was very much the inspiration behind the motivation of Strauss. 

 

I do wish that they had included more or the Berkeley campus, it's beautiful. 

 

Finally, the screenplay of Oppenheimer is based upon the Pulitzer Prize winning  'American Prometheus' which is essential reading - although it shares many of the anecdotes and possibly apocryphal events. For anyone reading this post, I can also highly recommend the more accessible 'Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller'. I bought this twenty years ago and have revisited it several times. Written by the then senior curator and historian of the Smithsonian Institute, Gregg Herken, while he does not hesitate to comment on the personalities involved, he tries to stick to analysis rather than (moral) judgement. Its covering of Oppenheimer at least makes it more understandable why the suspicion and security fears arose during the peak of McCarthyism/'the red scare' largely because of the Chevalier incident. Having said that, I also enjoyed learning more about Teller and Ernest Lawrence. This book gives accounts of how their thoughts and opinions evolved, and explained the history behind the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos laboratories. While I knew there was competition between them, I never appreciated how scientific personalities and disagreements created that atmosphere.

 

I will definitely similarly be re-watching Oppenheimer over the years. A stunning piece of work. 

This is why I can't wait to get my hands on the screenplay (the other reason is that I have a script that might work in first person and I want to study his technique). Everything in this film that isn't in black and white is from Oppenheimer's perspective - all his fears, anxieties, his delusions - we are put in his head, and he's an unreliable narrator.

 

Lacing the apple might not have happened but in real life but could it represent Oppenheimer's carelessness at that time? Similarly, as he was a womaniser - and in 1940s America - I do wonder if Oppenheimer was equipped to understand Tatlock's sexuality, he just saw her as quote literally a vessel. In the shots we're shown of him imagining her death there's a pair of black gloved hands on her head - I don't think this suggests that's she was murdered, more that he felt responsible for her death. 

 

I didn't feel Einstein was presented as a close personal friend personally; they only had a handful of scenes together after all and for me he was presented as a sort of mentor - not many people on the planet could have understood the gravity of what Oppenheimer had achieved, which is why Einstein popped up every now and then to offer his thoughts. I think the main thing people knew about Oppenheimer the man before going into the film was his famous recanting the "I am become death" quote, which currently has about 26m views on YouTube. Throughout the film I was certain that it was going to be in the final scene - choosing to go with what he did flipped the audience's expectations and is what made the ending so devastating in my opinion. 

[Foxdiamond]

Operation Mincemeat. The Ben Macintyre book is tremendous. Alas the film is dull. It seems the director and screenwriter did not have enough confidence in what was an amazing true story. There is too much time spent on a daft love interlude and stupid conflict with the two main characters 

[spacemunky]

Watched Mullholland Drive for the first time in a very long time last night. 

 

I think I appreciated it even more this time around and I was able to put the pieces together a bit better.

 

Brilliant film.

[Scanchez]

Watched this for the first time last night.

Incredible film. I was an emotional wreck by the end of it.

[Tommy G]

On the plane I saw ''A Man called Otto'' funny, sad, brilliant. Tom Hanks was the lead role but backed up by a comical cast. Enoyed it

[kingkisnorbo]

4 hours ago, spacemunky said:

Watched Mullholland Drive for the first time in a very long time last night. 

 

I think I appreciated it even more this time around and I was able to put the pieces together a bit better.

 

Brilliant film.

Yeah it's prime Lynch. Infinitely re-watchable and has something different every time. 

[CWC1983]

5 hours ago, Scanchez said:

Watched this for the first time last night.

Incredible film. I was an emotional wreck by the end of it.

I went to see it in the cinema based on Jonathan Ross on BBC Film 1999 (or whatever year it came out). All I caught was " you must see this film". 

 

I sat there with my popcorn and all of a sudden these subtitles came up when the film started. I'd no idea it was a foreign film and was going to give it 10 mins max before walking out. 

 

I stayed, and it is without doubt the best film I've ever seen. I bought the VHS......and watched it so many times. 

 

As you said, it fair plays havoc with your emotions

 

 

 

[Daggers]

High time I gave this another run out

 

 

[urban.spaceman]

What is it about The Martian that's so rewatchable?

[urban.spaceman]

On 11/08/2023 at 16:13, Daggers said:

High time I gave this another run out

 

 

"Two manky hookers, and a racist dwarf. I think I'm heading home"

[Daggers]

Hellraiser was as good as all the other Hellraisers. Which isn’t a glowing tribute. But then I like Hellraiser films. 
 

The thing that gets me is if they really wanted a person to suffer, [insert LCFC gag here].

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

What is it about The Martian that's so rewatchable?

It's just well done. The narrative, the acting, the soundtrack, the plot, all of it. Just solid without being a massive spectacular.

[Suzie the Fox]

Re watched Dune the other night, ready for part 2 being released in November. Such a great movie.

[urban.spaceman]

2 hours ago, Suzie the Fox said:

Re watched Dune the other night, ready for part 2 being released in November. Such a great movie.

I regret only seeing it once at the cinema when it came out. Sincerely hoping they re-release it around the autumn. Would LOVE a double bill with the second one.

[whoareyaaa]

14 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

What is it about The Martian that's so rewatchable?

Great film

 

Will watch Dune tonight after the above

[Royston.]

Bull on Netflix.

 

Violent and uncomfortable but in a good way

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 10/08/2023 at 15:15, Scanchez said:

Watched this for the first time last night.

Incredible film. I was an emotional wreck by the end of it.

Superb film

 

 

[ozleicester]

On 08/08/2023 at 00:48, Daggers said:

I made the mistake of not watching it based on reviews I read. The girl made me put it on. I feared the worst as she sat down with a box of tissues.

 

It was a great watch.

?

[Daggers]

3 hours ago, ozleicester said:

?

People said it made them cry

[moore_94]

Finally managed to watch Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse last night and thought it was absolutely brilliant

 

Cannot wait until the next one comes out, such a shame it has been delayed and there is no release date for it now!

[Suzie the Fox]

Guardians of the Galxy - Volume 3. Lots of laughs, some great music and a really enjoyable watch. 

[STEVIE B]

On 13/08/2023 at 18:55, Royston. said:

Bull on Netflix.

 

Violent and uncomfortable but in a good way

Saw this last pm. I thought it was great. The ending threw me a little !