Post: #1776

(05-08-2019 09:49 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  I still think Leon is the peak of hitman movies, even though there’s not much action in the film. The movie was elevated by Jean Reno’s acting.

I forgot about that movie. While I still prefer "Collateral" overall, "Leon: The Professional" is top quality.

Post: #1777

While we are reminiscing about hitman films, I can't move on without mentioning how good the original Day of the Jackal was. This classic movie (based on the equally classic Frederick Forsyth novel) stars an ice-cold (and young) Edward Fox as the titular Jackal, out to assassinate France's Charles de Gaulle.



Fox can be placed firmly in the 'amoral sociopath' hitman category rather than the sympathetic anti-hero one. As evidenced by his brutal seduction, then strangulation of a French aristocrat upon learning that she'd been talking to the police.

This is the film that features the iconic 'steal a new identity from a graveyard' scene that's been copied in so many movies since.

If you haven't seen the original, you're missing a treat. It's wonderfully dated now, which only increases its charm.

Post: #1778

+1 for Day of the Jackal, the original. Its an older film, so the pacing is a bit slower, but its worth it. There are periods where little happens, but there is tension as you contemplate the next move.

There was a sorta remake in the early 90s, its OK but not as good. Most of the tension is gone.

BTW, there are a few examples of game in the original.

Post: #1779

My favorite scene from day of the jackal. Remake was shit though.





P.S. Supposedly, Edward Fox were to be first James Bond but he either declined or they picked Connery over him.

Post: #1780

Another great slow burn hitman movie is The American with George Clooney. A very lean and nuanced performance.

Post: #1781

Burning

Caught this movie in the theater a few months ago. Holy shit, what a great movie.

It's a Korean film based on the novel Burning Barns by Haruki Murakami. It's directed by an acclaimed Korean director, Lee Chang-Dong, and stars Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead.

The movie's plot takes place in Seoul and in the city's rural outskirts. It is about a young man, Jong-soo, that falls in love with a girl, who then goes off to travel. When she returns, she introduces him to a mysterious man, Ben (Steven Yeun), who, as the plot develops, begins to raise suspicions. As the movie unfolds, Jong-soo seeks to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

The movie is exceptionally well-directed, well-acted, and well-paced. Nothing seems 'affected', silly, or over the top which was something I was expecting. The running time lasts more than 2 hours, but it's every bit worth it as the atmosphere becomes enthralling, suspenseful, haunting, and enigmatic.

I also found fascinating the portrayal of idealized attractiveness, class tensions and privilege in contemporary Korean society.

Outstanding film, and I'd love to watch it again.

Post: #1782

(05-10-2019 11:31 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:  Burning

Caught this movie in the theater a few months ago. Holy shit, what a great movie.

It's a Korean film based on the novel Burning Barns by Haruki Murakami. It's directed by an acclaimed Korean director, Lee Chang-Dong, and stars Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead.

The movie's plot takes place in Seoul and in the city's rural outskirts. It is about a young man, Jong-soo, that falls in love with a girl, who then goes off to travel. When she returns, she introduces him to a mysterious man, Ben (Steven Yeun), who, as the plot develops, begins to raise suspicions. As the movie unfolds, Jong-soo seeks to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

The movie is exceptionally well-directed, well-acted, and well-paced. Nothing seems 'affected', silly, or over the top which was something I was expecting. The running time lasts more than 2 hours, but it's every bit worth it as the atmosphere becomes enthralling, suspenseful, haunting, and enigmatic.

I also found fascinating the portrayal of idealized attractiveness, class tensions and privilege in contemporary Korean society.

Outstanding film, and I'd love to watch it again.

I just watched it. Awesome film; finely crafted. I think that the top-notch Korean directors make some of the finest films in the world right now.

Post: #1783

I finished the recent film of the Planet of the Apes reboot, War for Planet of the Apes, last weekend. It makes you wonder sometimes on both sides if either side acts more animalistic or human.

This is defintely a good example of how you can revive a dormant franchise and bring it to modern times. I think Tim Burton's remake, in retrospect, just did the same thing over like the franchise was doing back in the 60's and 70's. The new films brings it to modern day and Andy Serkis did very well with playing Caesar.

I don't think a fourth one should be made because the third film wraps things up nicely.

Post: #1784

Sweet Bean

Excellent Japanese drama from 2015. I don't cry easily but this one brought me close to tears. Not gonna give too much away, just go ahead and watch it, I believe it's only about 1 hour and 20 minutes long.

Post: #1785

(05-08-2019 12:42 PM)Player_1337 Wrote:  

I just watched this film. After watching the opening scene, I realized that I watched the film years ago, but I decided to watch it again. It is a very quirky film, which I like.

I would describe it as a hate-fueled Kentucky blood feud orchestrated by Mr. Bean (a Rowan Atkinson type character) -- and I do not mean that in a bad way. A homeless semi-autistic bumbling revenge-killer chased by the enraged members of a rural family clan. What's not to like?

Post: #1786

(05-10-2019 11:31 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:  

I just watched this movie based on your recommendation, but i feel stupid. I didn't understand the meaning behind it. Did the rich guy kill the girl? Where did she disappear? Why was there so much talk about the well? and the greenhouses? What did they mean to the story? Can't quite figure it out.

Post: #1787

(05-15-2019 03:25 PM)chvrches Wrote:  I just watched this movie based on your recommendation, but i feel stupid. I didn't understand the meaning behind it. Did the rich guy kill the girl? Where did she disappear? Why was there so much talk about the well? and the greenhouses? What did they mean to the story? Can't quite figure it out.

This is a deep movie. Plenty of layers that involve class warfare distinctions and other societal issues. In short, the rich idle guy (having too much time on his hands) stated that his favorite past time was burning down old greenhouses -- and then he told the poor guy that he would burn one down very near to him. Then the girl disappears.

Burning down greenhouses was a metaphor for killing women. The rich guy did exactly what he promised to do. In his hubris, and by using a metaphor, he believed that the poor guy was too dumb to make the connection -- and to realize that he was a serial killer (even though he had actually admitted to that, using a metaphor). The rich guy underestimated the poor quiet alpha guy (strong silent type).

He also told the poor guy that the police did not care about old greenhouses (i.e., poor working women). By smoking marijuana (which is highly illegal in Korea), the rich guy also indicates that he is above the law. Indeed, Koreans can be arrested for smoking weed in another country, where it is legal!

Quote:“Weed smokers will be punished according to the Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There won’t be an exception,” said Yoon Se-jin, head of the narcotics crime investigation division at Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police agency, according to the Korea Times.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/o...-in-canada

At the beginning of the movie, the poor guy did not recognize the girl, who claimed to be his former neighbor as a child. She later admitted to having plastic surgery. So, was she really his former neighbor -- or someone else entirely? The poor guy fixated on the whether a well existed on the neighbor's property, because that was the only clue that the girl mentioned that would confirm her story and, thus, her identity.

This is a truly a brilliant film for deep thinkers, jam-packed with hidden meanings and serious stuff. You should watch the film closely a second time.

Post: #1788

(05-15-2019 03:25 PM)chvrches Wrote:  I just watched this movie based on your recommendation, but i feel stupid. I didn't understand the meaning behind it. Did the rich guy kill the girl? Where did she disappear? Why was there so much talk about the well? and the greenhouses? What did they mean to the story? Can't quite figure it out.

The mystery is part of what makes it such an excellent movie.

The 'burning greenhouses' were symbolic for left-behind Korean girls who the protagonist (probably) liked to kill when he was done with them. Nobody knows about these girls, nobody cares. Did he truly kill her? Who knows...

My understanding is that the well served as an artifact for the overarching theme of Jong-su's distorted reality. The girl recalled Jong-su helping her out of it, but there's no evidence of a well at the site of her house. Her relatives also mentioned that she made up fantastical stories and also denied the existence of the well. Then Jongsu's mother confirms that at one point there was a well. In short, the well underscores a state of confusion where Jongsu is not sure what to believe about what happened with the girl and Ben.

Post: #1789

Correction...

The mystery is part of what makes it such an excellent movie.

The 'burning greenhouses' were symbolic for left-behind Korean girls who the protagonist Ben (probably) liked to kill when he was done with them. Nobody knows about these girls, nobody cares. Did he truly kill her? Who knows...

Post: #1790

Post: #1791

(05-14-2019 08:24 PM)Kurgan Wrote:  I finished the recent film of the Planet of the Apes reboot, War for Planet of the Apes, last weekend. It makes you wonder sometimes on both sides if either side acts more animalistic or human. This is defintely a good example of how you can revive a dormant franchise and bring it to modern times.

Yes!

The crazy thing is the new POTA provides the perfect opportunity for SJW soapboxing, after all, the original concept was a thinly veiled analogy for civil rights movement. Despite making Caesar the protagonist, he's not just an empty SJW stereotype. He's sort of a philosopher king who tries to find a way forward.

The second of the third movies handles the subjectmatter best because Koba provides the SJW coounterpoint to Caesar's philosopher king. He's the one with the permanent chip on his shoulder who has no trouble in calling for an eye for an eye. Caesar can see the futility of that approach. He stands for principle, not empty tribalism. Meanwhile there are human characters who aren't just caricature ape-racists. It's those shades of gray which have been lost in the SJW identity-politics era.

It's one of those movies that should have won an oscar rather than that literal masturbatory SJW fantasy Shape of Water.

Post: #1792

"The Spy Who Dumped Me" is an SJW fem-fest, but there is one scene that is absolute gold. A female (of course) assassin is posted in a tower and told that her targets are "two dumb American women" in the center of Praugue. From her high vantage point, the assassin looks through her rifle's scope at the various tourists below -- and all she can see are pairs of American women doing ludicrously idiotic things. She sees the target rich environment and realizes that dumb American women are everywhere. A superbly accurate, and funny, scene.

The other cool part of the movie was the assassin's Metallic 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider:

   

Post: #1793

Anybody watched John Wick 3? Is it any good?

Post: #1794

(05-17-2019 01:35 AM)Glaucon Wrote:  Anybody watched John Wick 3? Is it any good?

Thanks for letting me know its out! I'll go see it next week.

Post: #1795

I have mixed feelings about John Wick 3. Very big mixed feelings. I did my best to enjoy the movie for what it was. And it did not disappoint. However, they are doing too much now to try to appeal to a broader audience. The scenes are getting more Crank-like, the gore/ gun porn is becoming more focused on comedy, and several feminist aspects are pushed in your face.

The first one comes from the female ambassador of the High Table who is a weapons expert and walks around having everyone do her bidding. No one calls her out and she walks everywhere without any repercussions. I guess the High Table is powerful enough to just carry their weight by name alone, but you'd think they'd give more respect to a legend like John Wick. Unless they assume that she is good enough to even be in John Wick's presence without being shot. She even sits around in the final battle, untouched while all the shooting happens around her. You could have easily given her a vibrator during that scene and it would have the same effect.

The second is Halle Barry. She shouldn't have been in this movie. She was purely for having a female assassin who is on the level of John Wick and for the star power. Her existence alone was a big nail in the movie. She doesn't show up after the big action scene where they're gunning down an army of men, but she takes most of the time during that while John Wick is secondary.

The other part was the Mother figure of John's old training grounds. You first are introduced to this masculine room of men who talk to a desperate John Wick who is trying to seek safe haven. Then they stand up and take him to the real leader, an old woman that is their boss. I wouldn't have minded this in another time era, but all these points of feminism showing up left and right is no coincidence.

Not exactly in the film, but that Anna trailer showed prior to the movie starting about a female assassin, and I can't for the life of me understand what makes that movie a thriller to go see. Maybe it is for a more female demographic, but I've never seen a trailer with such a lack of substance and focus. "I'm a woman, who kills people. And...that's it." Just this smug straight face. At least John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves at that, shows more character in his shots than whatever this Anna hitwoman is suppose to be.

In summary, the series is becoming what I suspected: the mainstream is waking up to it, thus the movies have to get worse. Now I'm glad they didn't make a sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Just leave it there and let the movie be untouched by the cultural war going on.

Post: #1796

(05-19-2019 11:41 AM)Manbeline Wrote:  The second is Halle Barry. She shouldn't have been in this movie. She was purely for having a female assassin who is on the level of John Wick and for the star power. Her existence alone was a big nail in the movie. She doesn't show up after the big action scene where they're gunning down an army of men, but she takes most of the time during that while John Wick is secondary.

In summary, the series is becoming what I suspected: the mainstream is waking up to it, thus the movies have to get worse. Now I'm glad they didn't make a sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Just leave it there and let the movie be untouched by the cultural war going on.

If they didn't want to omit the character entirely, they could have at least cast a much better chick. Plus, Halle Berry's star power is a fraction of what it used to be. She peaked more than a decade ago.

She was attractive but was always a mediocre 'actress' at best.

Post: #1797

The new terminator trailer is out. They've got to stop making these movies. I'll likely download it, but there's just not a good story to tell anymore with this series.

Post: #1798

(Yesterday 12:48 PM)rapaz12 Wrote:  The new terminator trailer is out. They've got to stop making these movies. I'll likely download it, but there's just not a good story to tell anymore with this series.

Of course there is. The next terminator will be a woman. Or gay. Or a trans. Or black.

Post: #1799

(Yesterday 01:41 PM)Manbeline Wrote:  

(Yesterday 12:48 PM)rapaz12 Wrote:  The new terminator trailer is out. They've got to stop making these movies. I'll likely download it, but there's just not a good story to tell anymore with this series.

Of course there is. The next terminator will be a woman. Or gay. Or a trans. Or black.

Considering the current trajectory of our culture, in 20 years Skynet can infiltrate the highest levels of U.S. society only by using a black lesbian terminator.