What Emmanuelle Movie Did You Just Watch?

[Jan]

Robin Hood(idthinkitwouldbeagoodideatomakeahistoricallyc orrecttrilogyaboutRobinHood?)

Or more precisely: Loxeley Begins.

What a frustrating movie. Especially considering that there are bits and pieces that really shine but are offset by my perception of Robin Hood. As a medival epic it did have potential.

[BillyG]

Calling it Robin Hood is basis for false advertising. Frustrating is perfect, Jan.

[Matt]

I still need to see 'Robin Hood' so that I can be a Ridley Scott completionist.

[Jan]

Especially considering that Crowe actually seems to have fun for the first time again in ages acting in a movie.
I wonder what would have been if they´d have went with the original screenplay idea of giving a dual identity to the sheriff/Robin Hood. Traces of which can be found in the more "traditional" final product we got. Now there is squandered potential for a truly interesting spin on a story told to perfection and beyond on the silver screen already.

[Abraham Smashington]

I still like Men in Tights the best.

[Matt]

Errol Flynn all the way.

[Ben Thomas]

T:L and Robin Hood Begins are two films I enjoyed whilst watching and retroactively hate the more distance I get from them.

I had a bit of a yearning for something old school last week so I watched:

In a Lonely Place

Regarded by some as Bogart's best performance (it isn't, but its good), this is a really solid noir-ish film about a writer (Bogart) who becomes a suspect in a girl's death, falls in love with his neighbour (Gloria Grahame) and has some serious anger issues. Its not so much a whodunnit (though that element is there, the investigation is never really focussed on) as it is a character study. Bogart is really good, but the real reason to watch the film is the crackling dialogue. From the first scene, you know you're gonna get some classic zingers and sure enough, you do. Its also really interesting to see how Nicholas Ray manages to suggest what must have been rather risque at the time (Grahame sleeps nude; her and Bogart are clearly having a sexual relationship outside of marriage). And the final scene is exactly how you want the film to end. Mark under entertaining.

Then I picked up a Hitchcock boxset (14 films + several short docs and the Hitchcock Legacy doc on a separate disc - all for £15!) so this weekend I watched:

Shadow of a Doubt

Joseph Cotten's finest hour. Another semi-whodunnit, with one or two nice Hitchcock flourishes. A killer (or is he?) visits his family, the Feds follow him and his niece that he is very close to him begins to suspect him. Its all about Cotten and his scene where he talks about city women being left their rich husbands' money is chilling. The climax on board the train is pure Hitchcock and the money shot still gave me the willies a little.

Topaz

A nice little espionage thriller about the build up to the Cuban missile crisis. Its by no means essential, but John Forsythe turns in a nice performance and its worth seeing for one or two classic Hitchcock flourishes - namely some choice shots in Cuba (a billowing dress that gives way to pooling blood was simply beautiful) and a dialogue-free set-piece outside a hotel. Ultimately though, its a bit too wordy and needed a bigger finish. Not to mention, a more charismatic lead.

Psycho

Do I really need to qualify this in any way? Incredible film. A true game-changer.

Then I finished off the weekend with Ip Man and Ip Man 2.

Ip Man is great fun. Forget that its supposed to be a portrait of the guy and accept it as the painting of a legend, painted in as broad strokes as that implies and its a fucking blast. The photography is sweet and the choreography is top notch. I swear there must be a fight scene every 10 minutes without fail, but it never gets boring. When Donnie Yen says, "I want to fight ten men", hold onto your butts, cos you're about to see one of the sickest fight sequences I've seen in some time. I literally shouted 'Fuckin' Hell!' at my TV a couple of times. And I was on my own. Far better than the similar Jet Li's Fearless.

Ip Man 2 is Rocky IV, with Donnie Yen as Rocky Balboa, Sammo Hung as Apollo Creed and some annoying British tit (why are the English-language actors in HK productions always soooooo shitty?) as Ivan Drago. Its nowhere near as good as the first, but the constant stream of fights remains as does the quality of (most of) the choreography - one scene has Sammo and Donnie fighting atop a table and, despite some obvious wirework, is incredibly impressive. There's a horribly tacked-on easter egg involving Bruce Lee that threatens to further cheapen the already very broad tone, but if you want to see Donnie Yen handing wave after wave of men their posteriors, these films should do it for you.

[Jan]

...and then some!

[Matt]

LOVE 'Shadow of a Doubt'. I still think that 'The Third Man' is Cotten's best performance, but SoaD is right up there. The young girl actress in this film is quite strong as well.

[Martin]

Tron: Legacy

Talk about a movie that did not need to be made. However, the production design and CGI are a wetdream for art nerds. Michael Sheen as Castor, I tolerated him when he was called the Merovingian in The Matrix. Garret Hedland is the poor man's Jensen Ackles and Oliver Wilde while looking nice is not hot.

Again, the highlight is the soundtrack and that needs to be in another movie.

Ed, stick to dudes. Your female beauty application tool was left in Monica Belluci's anus in that dark alley.

But his character made absolutely ZERO sense. It's one thing to buy into the fact that programs would be avatars that look like their users. It's another thing to buy that a program would have that much 'character' to it. When every other program is fairly straightforward and bland...THIS is my function, THIS is my program, THIS is what I was created to do...having a Liberace-inspired flamboyant NIGHT CLUB owner just seems waaaaaaaaaaaay out of place.

Nah, Castor was the only ray of light in those 2nd and 3rd bland acts.

[Timothy225]

Haven't seen Tron: Legacy yet, but just on the surface, wouldn't Castor represent social media avatars, like Second Life stuff? Some of those avatars wouldn't be out of place at certain parades or social gatherings, and really serve no other function as programs beyond that.

Again, I haven't watched the flick yet, so take my opinion for what you will.

[Abraham Smashington]

I still think people are overthinking Tron.

[Anderson]

I watched Passion Play last night.

Yeah, umm...yeah.

Bill Murray's a ganster and Mickey Rourke is a tortured jazz musician. Yeah, it happened.

[Abraham Smashington]

How are the tits?

[Anderson]

How are the tits?

Mediocre. Shit happens and you're like wow there. The whole film feels like somebody try to rip off Jarmusch without having any sense of mood or atmosphere.