Rate the last movie you've seen

[MinionZombie]

Strange Days - 7/10 One of those flicks that, seemingly, flew under the radar. 1995, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and co-written by James Cameron. Stars Ralph Fiennes, and various other familiar faces. Set in the near future of Los Angeles, New Year's Eve 1999, it follows an ex-cop selling black market "clips" to people who use a device to wire directly into their brain the experiences on those "clips" (usually sex, or bank robberies, things like that - so that you can experience everything as the person who made the clip). However, rogue cops start gunning for him and his friends and people start turning up dead all because of one very powerful clip. It's an interesting and kind of weird movie. It's riddled with mid-90s techno-babble and jargon invented for the movie ('trodes, and squid-heads, etc), which is a bit cheesy in that 'they thought it was ahead of the time at the time' way, but one of the most interesting things about the movie is that it's very much inspired by the 1992 Rodney King L.A. riots. The influence of this event over the film is very clear, as is the anger expressed by the filmmakers, and there's an interesting moral debate in the third act which gives the film added gravitas that you don't expect when going into the movie. It's not perfect, certainly, such as a slightly overlong run-time, but it's an enjoyable watch - and it's interesting to see something from the back catalogue of well known filmmakers that has somewhat fallen into the cracks between much larger landmark projects of the respective key creatives involved.

[Neil]

Strange Days - 7/10 One of those flicks that, seemingly, flew under the radar. 1995, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and co-written by James Cameron. Stars Ralph Fiennes, and various other familiar faces. Set in the near future of Los Angeles, New Year's Eve 1999, it follows an ex-cop selling black market "clips" to people who use a device to wire directly into their brain the experiences on those "clips" (usually sex, or bank robberies, things like that - so that you can experience everything as the person who made the clip). However, rogue cops start gunning for him and his friends and people start turning up dead all because of one very powerful clip. It's an interesting and kind of weird movie. It's riddled with mid-90s techno-babble and jargon invented for the movie ('trodes, and squid-heads, etc), which is a bit cheesy in that 'they thought it was ahead of the time at the time' way, but one of the most interesting things about the movie is that it's very much inspired by the 1992 Rodney King L.A. riots. The influence of this event over the film is very clear, as is the anger expressed by the filmmakers, and there's an interesting moral debate in the third act which gives the film added gravitas that you don't expect when going into the movie. It's not perfect, certainly, such as a slightly overlong run-time, but it's an enjoyable watch - and it's interesting to see something from the back catalogue of well known filmmakers that has somewhat fallen into the cracks between much larger landmark projects of the respective key creatives involved. I'd quite like this flick...

[MinionZombie]

I'd quite like this flick... I stumbled across it on Sky Movies the other night. There doesn't seem to be any other showings at the moment, but if you have that package keep an eye out for it. Or you could probably find a DVD for cheap as it's a lesser known film. Worth checking out.

[shootemindehead]

Strange Days - 7/10 One of those flicks that, seemingly, flew under the radar. This film was quite popular in its day. It was very much on the radar. Fiennes was just off the back of 'Schindler's List', so a lot of eyes were on him and Basset had just done her breakthrough Tina Turner film. It was a flop though. However, it dated incredibly fast, which has led to its mainstream shadiness today, I spose. Haven't seen it myself in a long time (probably the naughties), but remember the tech and the whole 1999 thing looking sort of quaint. It remained interesting in concept though.

[EvilNed]

I remember seeing it twice. It was Ok. The premise is great, tho. I'd like to see it again.

[MinionZombie]

This film was quite popular in its day. It was very much on the radar. Fiennes was just off the back of 'Schindler's List', so a lot of eyes were on him and Basset had just done her breakthrough Tina Turner film. It was a flop though. Oh, aye? I don't recall anything about it at the time, but then again I was much younger then. Being that it flopped then that'll be why it's been under the radar since then. The '90s future' aesthetic scattered throughout the movie is at times a bit cringy, but at other times it's quite fun. It's certainly aged better than some other 'techno future' type films of the era, but then again others have aged far better than this. Fun flick, though. Perhaps it's better watching it now than it was at the time of its original release.

[beat_truck]

The Killer Shrews (1959) 6/10 James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazzard) and Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke) drink a lot of alcohol and battle against dogs wearing shag carpet remnants and goofy masks with giant fangs. One neat thing I noticed about it was that there was some of the same library music in it that was used in Night of the Living Dead (1968). I think it was the piece that was playing when Ben was punching Cooper after he wouldn't let him back in the house after the truck exploded.

[JDP]

The Killer Shrews (1959) 6/10 James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazzard) and Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke) drink a lot of alcohol and battle against dogs wearing shag carpet remnants and goofy masks with giant fangs. One neat thing I noticed about it was that there was some of the same library music in it that was used in Night of the Living Dead (1968). I think it was the piece that was playing when Ben was punching Cooper after he wouldn't let him back in the house after the truck exploded. That movie obviously had an influence on Romero. Besides some of the music, some plot elements in Night of the Living Dead are lifted from it as well.

[beat_truck]

The Brain From Planet Arous (1957) 6/10 Decent classic cheese, but the ending could have been a little more exciting.

[shootemindehead]

'Le Samourai' Melville's classic neo-noir French mood fest about a Parisian hitman, that still holds its own quite well. It's probably over rated by some, but it's a very good watch if you're in the right frame of mind. Alain Delon is perfect in the lead role and late 60's Paris is nicely captured - looking all the better in the recent Criterion release, it makes the Pathe blu ray from a number of years ago look like a VHS. I've never been comfortable with the ending of the film though, as Costello's choice doesn't seem like something his character would do. So, it gets a few points knocked off for that. Still, it's a great mopey Euro flick, but very much a case of style over substance. 8/10 'Hangman' Bog standard serial killer film about a sicko who uses the children's game as a hook for his murders, that seems to want to riff on 'Seven', but hasn't got the brains to do it successfully. Both Pacino and Urban -as the two cops hunting the Hangman serial killer - just glide along in their roles, never once coming off the basic rails of the character. Pacino, especially, seems to be there for a paycheck. Brittany Snow (as an unlikely bedded in reporter) does try a bit. But what happens to her character is so screenwriting 101, I don't have to tell you any more. It all falls flat by the third act, with an ending that's incredibly lame. 4/10 'Truth or Dare' A bunch of truly tiresome teens, complete with piss poor attitudes and that annoying, fake, croaky, west coast, nouveaux, "American" accent gather together in an abandoned house to play truth or dare. It's the site of a bizarre series of deaths on the back of the same game (judged to be "accidents" by the law) in 1983 and one of the group thought it would be a bit of a laugh for him and his mates to play the same game at the same location 24 years later...gruesome events ensue. It sounds awful and it sort of is, but if you go with it, it's not entirely unenjoyable. There's some "fun" to be had - in a schadenfreude way - seeing these awful people meet their end and the gore/cringe moments are handled well enough, which is what a picture like this is going to hinge on anyway. Mildly ok and a passable 90 minutes, but ruined by a truly awful "black out" ending, that left me thinking that I'd missed part of the film. 4/10

[Geordie9]

Kingsman Golden Circle 8/10

[bassman]

Kingsman Golden Circle 8/10 I just watched this, as well. It doesn't have the exact same spark as the original, but it's still a very fun flick. I look forward to seeing how Vaughn finishes off the trilogy.

[MinionZombie]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...edi-quick.html

[MinionZombie]

Table 19 - 7/10 A comedy/drama indie with various familiar faces and up-and-comers filling the cast (e.g. Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Wyatt Russell, Craig Robinson) that centres around the handful of people who end up on the titular table at a wedding, the table basically being where all the weird/awkward people are ditched, and we follow them throughout the reception and that night. It's a fun little flick that I took a pure punt on just because of some familiar faces being in it, and was very pleasantly rewarded. It's doing the rounds on Sky Movies at the moment, having recently premiered the other day.

[kidgloves]

Wind River. 8/10 Nothing spectacular but well written, directed, acted etc. Great from top to bottom.