Logan 6 / 10

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This is a movie about a gay internet porn producer known as King Cobra (played by Christian Slater) and his latest protege (Garrett Clayton; a 25-year-old actor whose mom is played by Alicia Silverstone - the casting doesn't work).

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James Franco plays a rival producer whose comapny is called Viper Boyz. He wants to bring King's protege into his realm - and offer him a LOT more money.

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This coulda/shoulda been a crazy ride, but it plays more like a gay-themed Skinamax flick.

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Based on a true story by the way.

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2/5 (because I did like both Slater and Franco's performances)

[Edited 3/16/17 7:39am]

What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? (2005) - Shot during the summer of 2005, this enigmatic film was the second collaboration between Saint Etienne and director Paul Kelly. It follows a young paperboy's adventure across London's last remaining wilderness in the Lea Valley on the eve of the Olympic development. A poetic ode to a metropolitan hinterland that has been forever changed by the impact of the 2012 Olympics games.

I love the way this was filmed. Nearly every frame shown of the local area is a work of art. 4/5

sexton said:

What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? (2005) - Shot during the summer of 2005, this enigmatic film was the second collaboration between Saint Etienne and director Paul Kelly. It follows a young paperboy's adventure across London's last remaining wilderness in the Lea Valley on the eve of the Olympic development. A poetic ode to a metropolitan hinterland that has been forever changed by the impact of the 2012 Olympics games.

I love the way this was filmed. Nearly every frame shown of the local area is a work of art. 4/5

even though i was quite a saint etienne fan at one time (and still am, really - i just don't follow music much now) i had no idea these films existed. i'm adding them to my pending watchlist.

[Edited 3/16/17 20:31pm]

the devils - ken russell's dramatization of a 17th century french catholic priest's trial for possession. like the other ken russell films i've seen, this was very visually flamboyant, exremely extravagant, amps turned to 11. unfortunately the streaming site i used didn't have a subtitle option, and between the frenetic acting & the fairly heavy uk accents, i found i lost a lot of the dialogue in the early going. i think i adapted to the flow of the language as it went along, but i'd like to watch it again before i really pass a final judgment as i don't think i quite got all that happened. however, i feel fairly comfortable in saying that people who fancy cultish films & mental cinema will find something to enjoy here.

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This one is just.... not good. Co-produced by a very young Griffin Dunne (who cameos as well).

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1/5

Beautifully shot film, the acting is near perfection. They did a lot of post-production work while rendering the film to digital to make it look like a film from the 50s. It was shot on 16mm as well. There was some CGI in it to keep the visual vernacular in check with the times. The director & editor really worked on the look of the film as much as the content. Blanchett and Mara melt into their respective roles. As a note, during any phone call scenes, they were actually on the phone with each other, and it was filmed simultaneously. They decided to do that among themselves to help the other react accordingly. The use of cigarettes was also meant to be symbolic. Blanchett smokes when she's feeling the need to be more confident. She doesn't smoke ever when she's with Mara because she's happy. Mara smokes when she's nervous or having anxiety.

Apparently, it won a lot at the Golden Globes, but was shunned by the Oscars. Many saw it as homophobic and sexist. Mara was submitted for supporting actress, but actually had a bit more screen time and more lines in the movie than Blanchett (who was the title character).

It was based on a book, The Price of Salt, and the author used a pen name to publish it, and denied it was her that wrote it for 38 years! I mean, it's about an affair between two men in a time when homosexuality was viewed as a mental disorder. (That's addressed in the film, too.) When the author finally admitted it was her book in 1990, it was republished and she added an afterward to the book. The film has been in development for 20 years or something insane like that. It was worth the wait, I think.

CAL3 said:

.

This is a movie about a gay internet porn producer known as King Cobra (played by Christian Slater) and his latest protege (Garrett Clayton; a 25-year-old actor whose mom is played by Alicia Silverstone - the casting doesn't work).

.

James Franco plays a rival producer whose comapny is called Viper Boyz. He wants to bring King's protege into his realm - and offer him a LOT more money.

.

This coulda/shoulda been a crazy ride, but it plays more like a gay-themed Skinamax flick.

.

Based on a true story by the way.

.

2/5 (because I did like both Slater and Franco's performances)

[Edited 3/16/17 7:39am]

The perv in me has wanted to watch this for awhile.

damosuzuki said:

the devils - ken russell's dramatization of a 17th century french catholic priest's trial for possession. like the other ken russell films i've seen, this was very visually flamboyant, exremely extravagant, amps turned to 11. unfortunately the streaming site i used didn't have a subtitle option, and between the frenetic acting & the fairly heavy uk accents, i found i lost a lot of the dialogue in the early going. i think i adapted to the flow of the language as it went along, but i'd like to watch it again before i really pass a final judgment as i don't think i quite got all that happened. however, i feel fairly comfortable in saying that people who fancy cultish films & mental cinema will find something to enjoy here.

I need to see this, looking up shudder now

This is Tomorrow (2008) - The third film of 'A London Trilogy, the films of Saint Etienne' is about the history and reconstruction of the Royal Festival Hall, interviewing surviving architects and designers including Leonard Manasseh and Robin Day. The film also documented the hall's complete refurbishment from 2005-2007, which has once again made it London's cultural centre.

Not as visually appealing as the first two London Trilogy documentaries (picturesque images of suburban London look much nicer than hall renovation footage), but still well told with an irresistible soundtrack by Saint Etienne. 3.5/5

damosuzuki said:

sexton said:

What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? (2005) - Shot during the summer of 2005, this enigmatic film was the second collaboration between Saint Etienne and director Paul Kelly. It follows a young paperboy's adventure across London's last remaining wilderness in the Lea Valley on the eve of the Olympic development. A poetic ode to a metropolitan hinterland that has been forever changed by the impact of the 2012 Olympics games.

I love the way this was filmed. Nearly every frame shown of the local area is a work of art. 4/5

even though i was quite a saint etienne fan at one time (and still am, really - i just don't follow music much now) i had no idea these films existed. i'm adding them to my pending watchlist.

[Edited 3/16/17 20:31pm]

They made four films in total--all relatively short, ranging from 48 to 70 minutes. I have them all on disc, the first three being repackaged together a few years ago as The London Trilogy, but I'm sure they are all streaming somewhere. If you like Saint Etienne then you should like them.

Passengers (2016) starring Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Lawrence Fishburne and Michael Sheen. I really enjoyed watching this film because it was a simple sci-fi love story....and Chris has a nice I give this film a 4 out of 5

[Edited 3/17/17 19:04pm]

Hudson said:

CAL3 said:

.

This is a movie about a gay internet porn producer known as King Cobra (played by Christian Slater) and his latest protege (Garrett Clayton; a 25-year-old actor whose mom is played by Alicia Silverstone - the casting doesn't work).

.

James Franco plays a rival producer whose comapny is called Viper Boyz. He wants to bring King's protege into his realm - and offer him a LOT more money.

.

This coulda/shoulda been a crazy ride, but it plays more like a gay-themed Skinamax flick.

.

Based on a true story by the way.

.

2/5 (because I did like both Slater and Franco's performances)

[Edited 3/16/17 7:39am]

The perv in me has wanted to watch this for awhile.

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It's worth a look if you're really interested. Now that I've thought about it more for a few days, I'd go 2.5/5 mainly because it made me look up the details of the true story (which they should've followed more closing, I believe).

the wailing - 4.5/5 incredibly peculiar south korean supernatural/horror movie that starts out as as an almost borderline slapstick keystone kops-style police mystery, then turns into a demonic possession film with a shamanist exorcism scene as mental as anything in the devils. the tone & atmosphere in the final section of the movie really reminded me of the more creepy moments of the witch, as well.

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i really, really liked this a lot.

thekidsgirl said:

damosuzuki said:

the devils - ken russell's dramatization of a 17th century french catholic priest's trial for possession. like the other ken russell films i've seen, this was very visually flamboyant, exremely extravagant, amps turned to 11. unfortunately the streaming site i used didn't have a subtitle option, and between the frenetic acting & the fairly heavy uk accents, i found i lost a lot of the dialogue in the early going. i think i adapted to the flow of the language as it went along, but i'd like to watch it again before i really pass a final judgment as i don't think i quite got all that happened. however, i feel fairly comfortable in saying that people who fancy cultish films & mental cinema will find something to enjoy here.

I need to see this, looking up shudder now

your mileage may vary, as the kids say, but i'm pretty happy with my shudder subscription. the price is right, and they definitely seem to be trying to find interesting, novel genre movies. there's a fair bit of what i'd consider dross as well, of course, but you take that as a given. my only gripe is the lack of subtitles on most english-language films. i have a bit of a hearing loss, and i do find i miss dialogue at times, so that's more of an issue for me than for most people, i'm sure.

Ingela said:

Logan- 8/10 Kong: Skull Island 8/10 Popcorn movies. They are what they are. But they're even better when they are well made. And boy are these two well made. Yes the plots are "out-there" and you have to take them with a grain of salt, but they never pretend to be anything they're not. And Logan and Kong both deliver big time. I was talking earlier how a critical darling director can shit a movie out, and an echo-chamber of sycophants and wanna-be insiders will fawn over it because of the directors previous work. As was the case with Peter Jackson's full-on 2005 king kong shit fest. He was a critical darling, and critics in the ech-chambers praised that piece of shit. Watch it now on Netflix I dare you! Watch it and tell me it isn't a piece of shit. Same with Sam Mendes and the Bond shit-fest Skyfall. And as with last year's Arrival(though nowhere near as bad as those two) Well the good news is that Kong Skull Island didn't get to be the top movie of the weekend based on a directors glow. It got the top spot because it was actually well made and entertaining. Same with Logan. Logan is a little long-in-the tooth style-wise and story-wise. You can see on the screen that it was made by someone who's been in Hollywood for way too long. And under lesser hands it would have been a bad made for TV movie. But what sets it apart is the acting. Jackman, Stewart, and especially the little girl are spectacular. And taking a chance and making a stale story and direction grittier pays off big time. So two great popcorn movies, completely different, but both have quality and attention to detail and a sense of inspiration in common. [Edited 3/15/17 21:28pm]

What did you think of the Kong 'post credits' scene? I got goosebumps. I'm salivating for the next two movies.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Fox has lost control of its X-iverse. Boots, reboots, and re-re-boots. The franchise's sum of its parts is greater than the whole. No continuity whatsoever. It wastes the talents of actors like Fassbender, McAvoy and Turner.

That said, a pretty enjoyable movie. Better than I expected but still falls apart.

.75

Kedi (Nine Lives: Cats In Istanbul) (2017)

Really enjoyed this one.

uPtoWnNY said:

belladonna of sadness 1973 - 3.5/5 very trippy japanese film about a peasant woman who makes a pact with the devil after being being raped & cast out as a witch by her village. some portions are animated, but large sections just have watercolour paintings displayed with narration. i can't quite unreservedly recommend this, mainly because it has some fairly tacky elements that could have been ripped out of an old heavy metal magazine, and also because some sections, particularly in the first half, do drag a little i found.

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but there are some really fun full-on psychedelic freakouts here, greatly aided by a jazz-fusion soundtrack that at times reminded me of the soft machine & the trippier parts of can's tago mago. and the art is really nice to look at. not for all tastes for sure, but i thought it was a very nifty, truly odd find and i'm glad to have stumbled across it.

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it was the 70s. as far as decades go, that one was pretty out there.

[Edited 3/20/17 19:13pm]

How We Used to Live (2013) - A cinematic ode to post-war London by acclaimed director Paul Kelly, created using rare footage drawn from the British Film Institute's National Archive and original music by Saint Etienne with a narration by Ian McShane.

I didn't think I'd like a documentary comprised entirely of archival footage of 1950s-1980s London this much. The scene of the skateborder set to Sarah Cracknell's "Ready or Not" is a thing of beauty. 4/5

[Edited 3/21/17 9:49am]

CAL3 said:

.

This is a movie about a gay internet porn producer known as King Cobra (played by Christian Slater) and his latest protege (Garrett Clayton; a 25-year-old actor whose mom is played by Alicia Silverstone - the casting doesn't work).

.

James Franco plays a rival producer whose comapny is called Viper Boyz. He wants to bring King's protege into his realm - and offer him a LOT more money.

.

This coulda/shoulda been a crazy ride, but it plays more like a gay-themed Skinamax flick.

.

Based on a true story by the way.

.

2/5 (because I did like both Slater and Franco's performances)

It has its moments. Some have seen it as a very dark comedy or satire on the porn industry. The guy whose story it's based on says he doesn't like it. Silverstone's casting is logical. She's 40 in real life, and the character is 18. She was 22 when she had him. She just always looks like she's 25, which isn't a bad thing per se.

The real story is pretty intense. What people won't do for some dick! As most gay movies are campy, typical, and b-list at best, this one has a better air of movie-making about it. It's only 90 minutes or so, and had some of the elements of the characters been taken in deeper, it could have been a good 2-hour flick. It didn't feel like a demo, but it didn't' feel like the final mix either. But close. The Slater character has a different name than the person he's meant to be, but the others pretty much have the same name was people in real life.

T2 Trainspotting

Not as good as the first one (but how many sequels are? ). I still enjoyed it.

sexton said:

The scene of the skateborder set to Sarah Cracknell's "Ready or Not" is a thing of beauty. 4/5

[Edited 3/21/17 9:49am]

that song is possibly my favourite song that has sarah cracknell singing, st etienne or not. it's perfect to me.

damosuzuki said:

sexton said:

The scene of the skateborder set to Sarah Cracknell's "Ready or Not" is a thing of beauty. 4/5

[Edited 3/21/17 9:49am]

that song is possibly my favourite song that has sarah cracknell singing, st etienne or not. it's perfect to me.

I like the U.S. version of Lipslide more than any Saint Etienne album.

I loved the biopic about James Brown, wonderful acting specially the lead actor, it was like watching James Brown himself.

sexton said:

damosuzuki said:

that song is possibly my favourite song that has sarah cracknell singing, st etienne or not. it's perfect to me.

I like the U.S. version of Lipslide more than any Saint Etienne album.

i really love turnpike house & words & music, & i'd probably slot those slightly higher...but lipslide is definitely top tier for me too.

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train to busan 4/5 korean zombies on a train. snowpiercer with zombies, though i'd say i probably like this more than snowpiercer. it doesn't really do anything you haven't seen before, but it's fun & exciting all the way through & never dawdles.

Probably one of strangest films I´ve ever seen. Not so much because of its weirdness (though it IS really weird) but because of its extremely slow pace, its attention to details, extremely realistic dialogues and characters and neverending scenes that make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

It´s about an aging man who loses his beloved dog and then travels to Bukarest, Romania, where his estranged daughter works for a high profile consulting company. They have very little in common and the film is about their relationship, or lack thereof.

Lots of plot twists, great ideas, great dialogues, very unspectacular and yet very fascinating. Long and bizarre at times, and clocking in at 162 minutes this is a must-see to some and a very forgettable non-film to some others.

I highly recommend watching it. The film has no score except for maybe that one song that the old guy (a retired music teacher ) sings with his daughter and the end credits.

Can´t really rate this one but it´s a very unusual film and definitely fascinating, so I´d say four out of five stars.

[img:$uid]http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT0KUZZofK860sL_ba2U2XC3CtL9mAyPf1CTPfwR4msZczKGGS1[/img:$uid]

[Edited 3/22/17 8:31am]

[Edited 3/22/17 8:32am]

Beauty and the Beast (2017)


Fixed all the plotholes in the 1991 film, though doesn't feel nearly as timeless. Good cinematography and a movie I will want to own on blu. New songs are surprisingly good. I'd say it's on par with Cinderella but not as strong as The Jungle Book.

3/5

damosuzuki said:

sexton said:

I like the U.S. version of Lipslide more than any Saint Etienne album.

i really love turnpike house & words & music, & i'd probably slot those slightly higher...but lipslide is definitely top tier for me too.

Words And Music beats the U.K. Lipslide for me, but the U.S. release replaces some of the weaker album tracks with some excellent b-sides so that's why it's my favorite.

The band announced a new album this week. http://www.saintetienne.c...gory/news/