[Victimlas]

In the theaters, saw Inside Out with the family and agree one of the best films of the year , and Jurassic World with the Hubby and we loved it! Though I am biased, Chris Pratt can do no wrong

Rental wise , we watched Ex Machina and that was excellent! We enjoyed it so much more than Her

[EphelDuath666]

Rental wise , we watched Ex Machina and that was excellent! We enjoyed it so much more than Her

great movie indeed. Bought it a few weeks back on Blu-ray and loved it. And Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac are 2 of my favorite young actors, both doing a great job in this one too.

I also saw Ex Machina recently, still in cinemas here. Excellently twisted story, compelling characters and fantastic visuals; those robot effects are some of the most realistic I've seen. This is definitely going to my Blu-Ray collection.

[JuZ]

Watched Ant Man today. Enjoyed it without being blown away.

It plays for the laughs for most of the way through and Paul Rudd is a good choice to pull this off. Made me laugh anyway.

As corny and shamelessly stereotyped as his character is, Michael Pena pretty much steals the movie as usual. The guy is a huge talent.

Fun.

The Human Centipede 3

Not as dark as the last one, but more self-referential (including a gratuitous appearance by the director playing himself) and with more humor than both its formers. There are now a few familiar faces amongst the prisoners who have notable roles, and Eric Roberts makes an interesting appearance with a shameless mullet.

The villains of both prior films co-star and this is where a lot of the comedy comes from. Laurence Harvey's British accent keeps escaping his otherwise decent attempt at a Texas one, but he's a master of subtlety compared to Dieter Laser, who doesn't even bother trying for nuanced performance; he plays his character as it was literally written, a constantly shouting, drunken sadist who redefines harsh language.

The film got released here uncut, and it interested me to note that in terms and sex and violence, it's not much different to HC2, though maybe a touch less graphic overall. The self-aggrandizing is to be expected but if you didn't like it in the last two installments, your opinions won't change with the third. It also goes for longer than the last two, and frankly I'm not sure if that was necessary (I certainly felt it could have benefited from less of Laser's slurred screaming).

Overall, I suppose this one could be considered the best of the lot but I'll admit, I completely understand if someone views it as the worst. Take it or leave it.

Just came from my 3rd viewing of Fury Road, this movie just gets better and better every time.

[EphelDuath666]

The Human Centipede 3

Not as dark as the last one, but more self-referential (including a gratuitous appearance by the director playing himself) and with more humor than both its formers. There are now a few familiar faces amongst the prisoners who have notable roles, and Eric Roberts makes an interesting appearance with a shameless mullet.

The villains of both prior films co-star and this is where a lot of the comedy comes from. Laurence Harvey's British accent keeps escaping his otherwise decent attempt at a Texas one, but he's a master of subtlety compared to Dieter Laser, who doesn't even bother trying for nuanced performance; he plays his character as it was literally written, a constantly shouting, drunken sadist who redefines harsh language.

The film got released here uncut, and it interested me to note that in terms and sex and violence, it's not much different to HC2, though maybe a touch less graphic overall. The self-aggrandizing is to be expected but if you didn't like it in the last two installments, your opinions won't change with the third. It also goes for longer than the last two, and frankly I'm not sure if that was necessary (I certainly felt it could have benefited from less of Laser's slurred screaming).

Overall, I suppose this one could be considered the best of the lot but I'll admit, I completely understand if someone views it as the worst. Take it or leave it.

I don't know what this may say about me....but I laughed my ass off watching HC1. Of course I watched a South Park episode called HumancentiPad prior to seeing the movie so that may be why....nah, I would have still laughed my ass off.

Melbourne International Film Festival is going on and I just treated myself to a few over the last week.

7 August - Breaking A Monster. A documentary about teenage metal band Unlocking the Truth (who I remembered from the viral YouTube videos only a couple of years back) and how they started from playing on the streets of New York to suddenly finding themselves engulfed (and subsequently jaded) by the music industry, and this is before they even had a proper recording. Whether you like their music or not is of course subjective; personally if I heard a band in their 20s or 30s release the same kind of material I may not give it too much attention. But given the fact they are so young and have to deal with pushy music executives, it does make for interesting viewing on just how much the industry exerts their control and the effects that they have on the bands in question.

8 August - Dark Age. Australian cult movie from the 80's that's basically Jaws with a salt-water crocodile. But unlike films such as Lake Placid or Rogue, the croc in this movie isn't an entirely unsympathetic creature. The themes of conservation vs hunting/poaching also play a large factor on the human story. They played it as part of a series of retrospective movies; for a couple of decades this film was actually difficult to find. With that said, I had seen this before on TV but it was more interesting and effective on the big screen. Worth checking out if you can find it.

11 August - The Nightmare. Another documentary, this one dealing with sleep paralysis and the psychosomatic effects that come with it. A group of different individuals are interviewed, with their stories re-enacted in the style of a horror movie, so as to match the sensations they were feeling when undergoing these events. Some of the subjects viewed their terrors as a religious or spiritual experience, while others take a more logical and analytical approach. Has a few jump moments and is pretty funny in parts, though during some reenactments there are times where it doesn't translate quite as well. An intriguing film, nonetheless.

12 August - Goodnight Mommy. Austrian suspense-horror involving twin boys who live in an isolated house in the country. Their mother has just come home after having reconstructive surgery to her face following an accident. When she behaves in frequently ill-tempered, uncaring and even violent fashion towards them though, they come to suspect that she is an impostor. What they have in mind for her isn't exactly pretty. Great build up and mystery, well acted and cast, and while it does get bloody it doesn't go too far. However the final reveal does have too strong a familiar feeling. Still recommended.

14 August - Deathgasm. Horror-comedy from New Zealand involving a group of outcast, metal-loving teenagers who unwittingly summon demonic forces while jamming in their garage. My favorite on this list, it's an unashamed homage to films like The Evil Dead and Trick or Treat, as well as the old Peter Jackson films like Bad Taste. They've also done well to avoid CGI as much as possible, making the brutality all the more fun to watch. Loaded with laughs and some pretty killer tunes on the soundtrack. Definitely worth your while.

Edit: Not part of MIFF, but during that week I also watched Fury Road again, paired with The Road Warrior at the Astor cinema. Couldn't resist that combination and totally glad I attended.

Dead Snow 2.
Picks up right where the last left off and continues the Nazi zombie rampage throughout Norway, with the survivor of the original teaming up with some nerdy American zombie hunters in the hopes of stopping the monsters, all while running from the police who believe he is responsible for the murders in the first place.
Gorier, funnier and just as self-aware as its predecessor, it somehow manages to top the previous film as far as entertainment value. Having loved the first one, I was surprised to find I enjoyed this one even more, despite the fact the story is much sillier than before (and has less snow). Recommended.

[EphelDuath666]

Dead Snow 2.
Picks up right where the last left off and continues the Nazi zombie rampage throughout Norway, with the survivor of the original teaming up with some nerdy American zombie hunters in the hopes of stopping the monsters, all while running from the police who believe he is responsible for the murders in the first place.
Gorier, funnier and just as self-aware as its predecessor, it somehow manages to top the previous film as far as entertainment value. Having loved the first one, I was surprised to find I enjoyed this one even more, despite the fact the story is much sillier than before (and has less snow). Recommended.

I enjoyed that one too. Was a lot of fun!

[EphelDuath666]

Saw The Martian a week ago in theater. And fuck me, what a great movie that was. Funnier than expected and just everything one could have asked for. I gotta say Ridley Scott really knows how to make really, really good sci-fi flicks. Not all his movies may be great....but he made Blade Runner, Alien and now The Martian. So, sorry but I gotta love this guy.

The Martian here as well. It was a pure feelgood film - even though being stuck on Mars obviously sucks. I've read the book, so I guess I knew what to expect, but it nonetheless blew me away. I did miss some of the jokes in the book though.

Just came home from seeing Back to the Future, from a celluloid copy, in a small classic cinema. Awesome! It had been a good while since I last watched it, and it was even funnier than I remembered.
The special 30th anniversary marathon on 21st sold out super fast, but fortunately they announced these additional showings. Going to see part II at the same place tomorrow.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Pretty good, truly keeps to the spirit of the original films, although at times becomes a little too reliant on certain thematic references.
Still, it has a great cast and compelling characters and is far better than any of the prequels.
A definite crowd pleaser with the right balance between dark and light.

The Hateful Eight
Caught the 70mm Roadshow edition, glad I did because it really was a feast for the eyes.
Stylistically more similar to Reservoir Dogs than Tarantino's other works, and arguably more nihilistic than his first feature. The whole cast is enthralling and display talents at being simultaneously sympathetic and venomous, with no clear cut heroes.
In great Tarantino fashion there are twists aplenty, hard-hitting violence (no pun intended) and a balance of suspense and wry humor. My only real complaint is that some key moments suffer from repetition that could have been trimmed back a touch.
Absolutely recommended nonetheless.