Your Film of the the Week 1 May - 7 May

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 Blue Straggler 08 May 2017
In the wake of last week's "only one reply" thread and a later accusation of pontification:

Cinema: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
9/10.

Notable DVD: Music and Lyrics (fluffy 2007 rom-com with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore)
9/10
 Skyfall 08 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I'm quite upset I'll probably miss seeing GOTG2 in the cinema, but only because I'm in Kaly! Thinking of which, the Mix Vol 1 is going on the boombox right now
 Sean Kelly 08 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I quite enjoyed Nightcrawler on BBC2 last Saturday. A little dark but quite riveting performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. I was immediately reminded of the work of Weegee from the 1930's, and so it turns out to be the original idea on which the film was based. Nice to find a film you enjoy about which you know nothing beforehand.
 Padraig 08 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:
Theeb

p.s. i enjoy this thread
Post edited at 20:08
 aln 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

GOTG2 tonight, seven and a half out of ten. Prometheus last night, same score.
 Yanis Nayu 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

How's this any different from Lemming's thread which you criticised?
1
 graeme jackson 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

fast and furious 8 at the weekend. It was ok -ish - better than one or two of the previous. 7/10.
 Tom Valentine 09 May 2017
In reply to Padraig:

I enjoyed Theeb.
Watched Black the other day. Another reworking of Romeo and Juliet so the ending has few surprises but a revealing and shocking picture of the Brussels gang scene.
 Offwidth 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Just forget the naval gazing and keep up the good work. Film lovers will come. Railing against UKC threads having some life of their own is fighting inevitability.

Prometheus last night for the second time, still impressed. I'd seen Nightcrawler sometime last year and thought that was an unexpected dark gem; JG is one of those big name actors who often seems to end up in interesting films.

On the subject of dark and slightly off topic watched the latest incarnation of Hinterland last night: moody, magnificent and very cinematic in style.
In reply to Yanis Nayu:

> How's this any different from Lemming's thread which you criticised?

Can you narrow it down?

This is different because it is written in response to perceived feedback to a previous similar thread. The Lemming seems to regularly forget the majority of his previous threads.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Nightcrawler fans - you'd do well to probably start watching just about anything starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He is a fascinating actor who very often takes challenging roles with complex and not always likeable lead characters. Even in films which on the surface look like they are going to be rom-coms (Love and Other Drugs, for instance).

Demolition was a very good recent one.
In reply to Padraig and Tom V:
Theeb looks good, it had not been brought to my attention before so thanks for that, I'll look out for it. This weekend I reminded myself of the possibility of renting DVDs cheaply from the local library, who are quite well stocked with recent arthouse fare. I'll bet that I have missed Theeb's theatrical run so I'll try to get hold of it at the library in a few months' time.
Post edited at 09:47
In reply to Yanis Nayu:

> How's this any different from Lemming's thread which you criticised?

I reply to it
 galpinos 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Neither new films but:

Neon Demon - I always like NWR's films and this was not exception but I felt it was lacking something, I'm not sure whether it'll need another watch. I can't decide whether it's a good film that I had unrealistic expectations for or just mediocre. Looked fantastic, obviously, with a strong score but had a couple of "plot points" that jarred, got a bit wrapped up in itself and little lost at the end.

The Good Guys - Far funnier than it should have been, always like Ryan Gosling but Russell Crowe I find a bit hit and miss lately. This, however, I thought was very good.

In reply to galpinos:

I saw The Neon Demon in the cinema but it was all a bit rushed, trying to cram in a teatime screening before a gig. I wasn't sure what to make of it. The story is of course wafer-thin and the analogy/message is the kind of thing a young teenager might come up with after watching some Twilight. But the style was beautiful and I am a fan of anything starring Elle Fanning (although she seemed an odd choice for the lead role in this as she simply came nowhere near outshining the others in terms of conventional beauty, or was that the point and did I miss that entirely?!)

Very much enjoyed The Nice Guys too but I have long been a fan of Shane Black and his sprawling narratives. This one was especially fun insofar as the "find the girl" plotline was [SPOILER DELETED]
Also topless porn mermaids lezzing it up in an aquarium.
In reply to Yanis Nayu:

> How's this any different from Lemming's thread which you criticised?

The Lemming is welcome to come and criticise this thread or any others of mine.
 Tom Valentine 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Theeb was on Sky
 Tom Valentine 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Sounds like Jake is ousting Denis Quaid.....
 Tom Valentine 09 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Ok now you need to explain to me what "arthouse" means.
I've already googled it and found several unsatisfactory definitions so I'd really like to hear yours.
 Padraig 09 May 2017
In reply to Tom Valentine:

> I enjoyed Theeb.Watched Black the other day.

Yeah saw Black and thot it was OKish

Another foreign Oscar nominated film I have mentioned here before is "Tangerines".

Prob the best foreign film I've seen..

 Tom Valentine 09 May 2017
In reply to Padraig:

You have a lot to look forward to, then....
 BnB 10 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Stalker.

I received the DVD last Xmas and finally got round to watching it, prompted in part by its occasional appearance in these threads. So thank you.

Fascinating. On the one hand a modern reworking of Goethe's Faust, where two deep thinkers go in search of absolute knowledge. On the other hand a story about storytelling and the unreliability of the narrator. Just as the Scientist and the Writer are guided thorough the Zone by the ambiguous Stalker, so we are led through the creative process by Tarkovsky. As they question his guidance, so we come to distrust the elusive images on the screen. I'll be back for more.
In reply to Tom Valentine:

> Ok now you need to explain to me what "arthouse" means.I've already googled it and found several unsatisfactory definitions so I'd really like to hear yours.

As you well know (and clearly imply/acknowledge in your query), it has a loose and very subjective definition.
For me personally, it simply means "the kind of film that I would not usually be able to see in an Odeon/Cineworld/Vue/Showcase cinema". Something that needs me to make a trip to an "independent" such as Phoenix in Leicester or Quad in Derby or Broadway in Nottingham (none of whom shy away from screening more mainstream fare just to keep themselves afloat, although they probably wouldn't screen The Fate of the The Furious )

e.g. The Neon Demon, 20th Century Women, probably the upcoming remake of The Beguiled.

There are exceptions of course. I saw Manchester by the Sea at my local Cineworld, which pleased me as it saved me about £18 in travel and cinema tickets. Also there are "crossover" films such as Birdman. Plus anything Scorsese even if it's a total duffer (hello, "Silence")
And then there are the little films which maybe could thrive in a multiplex but don't get the required distribution deals due to not having a big selling point e.g. Bone Tomahawk (so now I ask myself "is that an arthouse film")

Thus, for me, it's as much about the cinema it's shown in as content. If I went on content alone I might say Ghost in the Shell was "arthouse"
 Tom Valentine 10 May 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:

So when I watch Fitzcarraldo on my TV I'm not getting the full arthouse experience?
In reply to Tom Valentine:

You are but you have to wear a black turtle-neck and sip strong black coffee. No sweets or Pepsi.
And every now and then you have to somehow manage to say "shhhh" and make it sound posh. :-P

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