Films

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Watched Troll Hunter last night after putting it off as it looked like another Blair Witch found footage cheap scare flick and it was pretty good.

But one thing that bugs me about troll (magic, vampires etc) films is they never explain why they are covered up and hidden from the public awareness. Aliens being covered up I can understand as it's something new added to the mix but with things that would have been around as long as man I just don't get it.

Hey they are Scandanavians. Who knows who their minds work. There are the people that brought us Animal Farm ;-)

[Spartacus Mars]

Couldn't agree more.

Heh, that's funny.

I'm not sure a non-camper/hiker would get as scared by the BWP. It's more identifiable for anyone who has been wild-camping, especially as a teen or whatnot, and in the darkness and isolation have gotten themselves into a state of near hysteria convinced every wind-shook branch is a demented axe murderer, and/or have gotten lost on a hike in unfamiliar turf and have that panicked "I'm lost" moment.

I'm assuming this applies exponentially for Americans and Canadians who have vast wildernesses, poor mobile/GPS coverage AND bears.

[5co77ie]

Watched Troll Hunter last night after putting it off as it looked like another Blair Witch found footage cheap scare flick and it was pretty good.

But one thing that bugs me about troll (magic, vampires etc) films is they never explain why they are covered up and hidden from the public awareness.

Talk to someone Icelandic /me touches nose

[jump]

Heh, that's funny.

I'm not sure a non-camper/hiker would get as scared by the BWP. It's more identifiable for anyone who has been wild-camping, especially as a teen or whatnot, and in the darkness and isolation have gotten themselves into a state of near hysteria convinced every wind-shook branch is a demented axe murderer, and/or have gotten lost on a hike in unfamiliar turf and have that panicked "I'm lost" moment.

I'm assuming this applies exponentially for Americans and Canadians who have vast wildernesses, poor mobile/GPS coverage AND bears.

I've been camping and hiking and didn't really like it/got scared. The problem with Blair Witch is it only really has 2 good scenes in it. The one with the guy in the corner and the girl crying and the rest of it didn't really have any memorable scenes or create an atmosphere

[5co77ie]

Blair Witch started the original 'Alan' one year when it was shown at Glastonbury Festival with everyone shouting 'Josh!' all night - made a change from 'Bollocks!' that year. More amusingly was the fact back then the cinema field was by the nature reserve and very few walked through that area afterwards on the way home, we sat watching them go down the path counting how long it would take for them to bottle it.

[radish]

Blair Witch started the original 'Alan' one year when it was shown at Glastonbury Festival with everyone shouting 'Josh!' all night - made a change from 'Bollocks!' that year. More amusingly was the fact back then the cinema field was by the nature reserve and very few walked through that area afterwards on the way home, we sat watching them go down the path counting how long it would take for them to bottle it.

I remember that. It very successfully turned Blair Witch into a crowd participation comedy laugh-a-long. Good memories.

[Spartacus Mars]

I've been camping and hiking and didn't really like it/got scared. The problem with Blair Witch is it only really has 2 good scenes in it.

If you've never been lost hiking then you won't have noticed the "we've been at this place before" scene. Lost in the woods that sh1t is TEH TERRYFRYING.

What age were you when you started camping alone, and what sort of location? I was in East Anglia, which is pretty big and barren and no hiking/camping tourists like some other more open areas of England, and in the earliest of teens. BWP brought me back to that scared-in-a-tent feeling.

[jump]

If you've never been lost hiking then you won't have noticed the "we've been at this place before" scene. Lost in the woods that sh1t is TEH TERRYFRYING.

What age were you when you started camping alone, and what sort of location? I was in East Anglia, which is pretty big and barren and no hiking/camping tourists like some other more open areas of England, and in the earliest of teens. BWP brought me back to that scared-in-a-tent feeling.

I've been lost hiking before, I even got lost at night a few times in a closed reserve area which you're not meant to be in which when you've got no idea where you or worried about being caught is tense.

With Blair Witch I never felt tension and I hate that the whole shakey camera thing has caught on because of them, even with things like Galactica they have to have be shakey. Tho I may try seeing Blair Witch the next time I'm camping as it sounds like fun.

[windy_miller]

I've been lost hiking before, I even got lost at night a few times in a closed reserve area which you're not meant to be in which when you've got no idea where you or worried about being caught is tense.

With Blair Witch I never felt tension and I hate that the whole shakey camera thing has caught on because of them, even with things like Galactica they have to have be shakey. Tho I may try seeing Blair Witch the next time I'm camping as it sounds like fun.

I think it was "This Life" that invented the whole shaky camera thing.

[jump]

I think it was "This Life" that invented the whole shaky camera thing.

Shakey camera has been around for donks (since at least the 80's with Evil Dead being the 1st to come to mind) but it seemed to get really popular around the time of Blair Witch. With low budget, gritty or more grounded shows/films it works well like District 9 but I'm just getting sick of the whole thing. Transformers as shit as those films are is fucking terrible for it because you can't tell the cgi robots apart as it is let alone have them rolling around with the shakey camera and I've lost intrest in the Bourne films as every one of them become more & more extended shakey camera action scenes.

[Spindles]

I never bothered watching Blair Witch. The kind of absolute gits who raved about it plus all the hype just made me think it was well worth avoiding.

However I can very much understand what mr mars says about that scared in teh woods feeling. I used to do a paper round as a kid and there were some parts of the route that involved paths through woods. In the winter months to an adolescent mind the sounds in the darkness were frickin terrifying. I had dynamo lights on my bike, so it was no stopping or you are plunged into darkness.

As for shakeycam, like every other novelty that made someone money once, it has been done to death, then taken round the back and done some more. I'm tired of both found footage and fakumentaries. The thing about district 9 is that the shakey cam and interview footage acts to supplement, not become the main feature.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

If you've never been lost hiking then you won't have noticed the "we've been at this place before" scene. Lost in the woods that sh1t is TEH TERRYFRYING.

What age were you when you started camping alone, and what sort of location? I was in East Anglia, which is pretty big and barren and no hiking/camping tourists like some other more open areas of England, and in the earliest of teens. BWP brought me back to that scared-in-a-tent feeling.

I can relate to some of that. I have been 'lost' a few times in my life especially in woodlands and thick forest. They are some of the more challenging come claustrophobia environments and I have crapped myself at times, however Blair Witch really is crap ;-)

[jump]

Looper is really good, probably the most enjoyable go to the cinema film I've seen this year. One thing bugs me tho...

If the point of the loopers is to kill people from the future as it's too hard to do it in their own time then why and how did they kill Bruce Willis wife?

[Halcyon]

Also went to see Looper last night

Wasn't as blown away by it as I hoped I was going to be. Sure, it was a decent film, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It seemed extremely slow in the second act... pretty much as soon as he got to the farm the pace of the film slowed significantly.

The acting was pretty great (certainly from JGL and Blunt, Willis not so much), but it's almost as if the director had two films ideas, couldn't decide which to make, so tried to do both at once. And, for me at least, failed to excel at either. The first was a hard sci-fi about time travel and the inherrent possibilty of time paradoxes, the second is a thriller about a guy wanting to protect his family from people that want to hurt them.

All the TK stuff was completely unnecessary imo... I'd actually forgotten about it when we first see the kid about to explode, so had to ask my mate what the f was going on. That kid seemed insanely smart, and would have had a solid motive for disposing of the Loopers, so I don't see the need for the TK nonsense.

All comparisons to 12 Monkeys, Source Code, Terminator or Moon are overblown imo... it's not in the same league as those films.

[metallimuse]

Also went to see Looper last night

The acting was pretty great (certainly from JGL and Blunt, Willis not so much)

Joseph Gordon Levitt is a phenomenal actor who has constantly turned in fantastic performances in smaller budget films.He seems to now be making the move into more mainstream films and so far I think his choices have been spot on.

[The Nal]

Saw Killing Them Softly last night. Really enjoyed it. Very "indie". Funny, violent and thought provoking.

[The Nal]

Saw Take Shelter over the weekend.. really enjoyed it... great performances, lovely to look at with a perfect soundtrack.

Have it at home. Been meaning to watch it. I hear its really slow though?

[The Nal]

well, it's not exactly action-packed if that's what you're after...

my wife thought it was slow, I simply adored it. Can't get it out of my mind for some reason. Watching clips of it now, with a mildly apocalyptic storm going on outside... which is a little odd

Cool. I'm not looking for car chasing and explosions. I read some great reviews and some not so great. Will check it out over the weekend.

Love Michael Shannon in Boardwalk Empire and I could look at Jessica Chastain all day. And all of the night. Thought she was great in Lawless.

[When Jokers Attack]

Shannon is fantastic in Take Shelter. I liked it but felt it did drag in places. Defo worth a viewing though.

[The Nal]

The Princess Bride is being released on Bluray!!

[G-Stud]

The Princess Bride is being released on Bluray!!

Amazing! Really hope they clean it up all shiney like

[philipsteak]

Saw Looper last night.

Like so many of these types of film, OK, not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Or rather, not nearly as clever as you are lead to believe it is.

[Purple Monkey]

Saw Looper last night.

Like so many of these types of film, OK, not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Or rather, not nearly as clever as you are lead to believe it is.

In the Matrix/Inception category you would say then? That's the sort of blockbuster movie I can still tolerate.

How anyone thinks these films require any real thought to follow is pretty depressing. Yes, compared to Transformers 3 they're incredibly taxing, but that's only because your average blockbuster movies have plots about as detailed as a Saturday morning childrens cartoon. So when something which requires you to pay just a little bit of attention, it blows these people's tiny minds.

Edited October 5, 2012 by Purple Monkey

[jump]

In the Matrix/Inception category you would say then? That's the sort of blockbuster movie I can still tolerate.

How anyone thinks these films require any real thought to follow is pretty depressing. Yes, compared to Transformers 3 they're incredibly taxing, but that's only because your average blockbuster movies have plots about as detailed as a Saturday morning childrens cartoon. So when something which requires you to pay just a little bit of attention, it blows these people's tiny minds.

Pretty much, The Matrix is better and it will probably be more watchable than Inception (which I hated on my 2nd watch).

I really enjoyed it and there's a few things that bug about it but it's just nit picking which doesn't effect the film overall and the child actor is brilliant in it.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

In the Matrix/Inception category you would say then? That's the sort of blockbuster movie I can still tolerate.

How anyone thinks these films require any real thought to follow is pretty depressing. Yes, compared to Transformers 3 they're incredibly taxing, but that's only because your average blockbuster movies have plots about as detailed as a Saturday morning childrens cartoon. So when something which requires you to pay just a little bit of attention, it blows these people's tiny minds.

I dont mind Transformers 3. Sometimes I want to have mindless entertainment and see pretty things on the screen.