Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I believe the studio sold this to Netflix rather than pursue a theatrical release, which is modern film production speak for "cutting your losses." Not in the least surprised if that's the case. I wouldn't have wanted to risk reclaiming the costs of a theatrical release with this movie either.

Was number 1 in the UK listings the other day though! So I guess it has done alright for them.

Ford vs Ferrari (also known as Le Mans '66) [2019]

This is a (mostly) accurate re-telling of the famous Le Mans race of 1966, where Ford (or the owner of Ford, Henry Ford II) was aggrieved by Ferrari following collapsed takeover talks, and strove to win on the world stage. It follows the events surrounding their lead driver, Christian Bale (who has a great/horrible Brummy accent) and owner of the Shellby Corba car company Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon in a stetson) and their attempts with Ford to win Le Mans, and stick one to Ferrari.

I will say that if you are into motorsports and racing films this is probably one of the best I have seen, right up there with Rush and the original Steve McQueen Le Mans film. Firstly; all of the cars are genuine, no CGI (other than the portrayal of the crashes - for obvious reasons if you look up the price of a Ferrari '66) and the racing sequences are superbly filmed. I saw in 4k through a decent sound-system and it really blows you away, with the engine notes and zoomed driver shots, really made me wish I had seen it on the big screen it must have been quite an experience.
Secondly, after doing some reading after watching the film, it is close enough in terms of historical accuracy. Apparently it does a fair job of representing both Ken Miles (Bale's character) and most of the events, with some of the characters combined (I think mostly the suits that seem to seek to derail the project at every moment) and a few events exaggerated, and blanks filled in, for entertainment purposes. But, this isn't a U-571, and you can watch the end of the film safe that it isn't going to be a typical hollywood bad-guys vanquished and good-guy gets the girl. I thought Director James Mangold did a great job (incidentally he also made Copland - Sly Stallone's best film I think, if you haven't seen that).

Overall: Even if you're not into cars or racing particularly you should enjoy because it's so well made and Bale is always worth watching. It will leave you with some strong emotions, and the time spend watching will race by.

4 / 5 (add 1 star if you are a petrol head or into racing)

Aye, I heard that this one's really good.I'd love to watch it some time.


As for #1 in the UK for that other film - was that according to Netflix' website? I don't trust a single thing that interface tells me. Would be interesting if they actually published viewing numbers.

I didn't like it but cars bore me as hell (didn't like Rush as well), and the plot wasn't inspiring at all. I was interested in it because I love the two leading actors and watch pretty much whatever they do, plus I always watch all the movies that are nominated for the academy award as best picture. The acting was very solid and the director did a great job, it's just the screenplay that didn't leave me any emotion.

I just have one real critique and that's, again, related to accents. There is at least one scene that is supposed to be funny in which Matt Damon "sabotates" the italian team during the race, leaving the mechanics yelling against each other in disbelief. My disappointment comes to the fact that their moves (in particular) and accents are typical of american guys trying to imitate italians. There's nothing italian in them, and that scene actually managed to irritate me. Some other minor characters that are supposed to be italians also speak very badly during the movie. They did Enzo Ferrari great though, and Remo Girone is an amazing actor.

Yes I did wonder about that scene during the film, it was a pretty low blow (and like you say a poor stereotype) - perhaps not a very smart thing to do, as I'm sure a lot of Italians will have watched the film, and that part was really just a cheap laugh for the Hollywood audience.

I liked how some of the executive (of both Ferrari and Ford) were portrayed. Really almost psychotic and treating people around them appallingly, but immensely driven. Apparently the scene where the Ford exec relays to Henry Ford what Ferrari has said about him did happen in real life, and then helped lead to Ford spending many millions of dollars to beat Ferrari at Le Mans - it had become personal!

 Pacific wrote:


Ford vs Ferrari (also known as Le Mans '66) [2019]

really made me wish I had seen it on the big screen it must have been quite an experience.

When this was announced I knew I was going to see it in theater (something I rarely do, and even more rarely do I take the missus with for. . . . reasons), My issue with theater sound systems is that they tend to have everything tuned way down and are overly reliant on their subs to get a deep wub wub thrum in your chest during, everything. This movie however, was fething PERFECT for that tuning, as it actually worked with the engine sounds rather than exaggerating them.

The most glaringly obvious thing they missed in the film was at the finish line, if you watch actual footage (IIRC you can see it on YT), there was no "dead heat" . . Bruce McLaren surged ahead, causing Miles to try the same, so the three Fords were somewhat strung out (though all within a couple tenths). The controversy is still there, and true, because of race rules at the time. In fact Ive seen some conspiracy theory types who contend that Miles' consistent lap times were such that the only reason he didn't win the race, were because organizers deliberately did not count a number of completed laps. Like, they are hunting down every scrap of record they can get their hands on to try and prove themselves right.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Pacific wrote:


Ford vs Ferrari (also known as Le Mans '66) [2019]

really made me wish I had seen it on the big screen it must have been quite an experience.

When this was announced I knew I was going to see it in theater (something I rarely do, and even more rarely do I take the missus with for. . . . reasons), My issue with theater sound systems is that they tend to have everything tuned way down and are overly reliant on their subs to get a deep wub wub thrum in your chest during, everything. This movie however, was fething PERFECT for that tuning, as it actually worked with the engine sounds rather than exaggerating them.

The most glaringly obvious thing they missed in the film was at the finish line, if you watch actual footage (IIRC you can see it on YT), there was no "dead heat" . . Bruce McLaren surged ahead, causing Miles to try the same, so the three Fords were somewhat strung out (though all within a couple tenths). The controversy is still there, and true, because of race rules at the time. In fact Ive seen some conspiracy theory types who contend that Miles' consistent lap times were such that the only reason he didn't win the race, were because organizers deliberately did not count a number of completed laps. Like, they are hunting down every scrap of record they can get their hands on to try and prove themselves right.

Yes Ensis - I will put my comment in spoilers (I know that seems mental for something that happened 50 years ago, but there we go!)

Death on the Nile

The latest Brannaugh film where he plays Poirot. Have to admit, I did not see Murder on the Orient Express even though I wanted to. Didn't get around to it. I also have not read any Agatha Christie novels.

This was beautifully shot. I was not surprised to see Ridley Scott as a producer as he knows how to shoot a great movie. There was some CGI to touch-up or put you in the right place/time; but nothing outrageous.

Everyone does a nice job. The only real question I had was why did the killer finish off witnesses and leave Poirot alone? Unsure.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the spectacle and the performances.

Defenders (Netflix)

So, as noted Daredevil Season 3 doesn't make sense unless you see Defenders.

(Defenders in turn does not make sense unless you see Iron Fist and Daredevil S2, but too late for Iron Fist for now, besides the character is just not interesting)

And it's... OK.

With 4 heroes and their supporting casts and the Hand it feels overcrowded even with 8 episodes. It takes 2 or 3 episodes for the heroes to even meet which leads to some good fights and good character moments but I'm sure it's worth it. The finale is unfulfilling and I think the TV budget was too limiting. Even the Arrowverse shows manage more epic battles.

It might have worked better as Daredevil/Iron Fist show or even better a Power Man/Iron Fist show. Neither a big strong guy protecting Harlem, nor a millionaire kung fu dude interest me, but put these opposites together as Heroes for Hire in a shabby office off of Times Square, and yeah, that works.

Worth noting that Defenders features an evil ninja clan led by Sigourney Weaver, an undead Greek ninja, and a white blind karate sensei, and a white mystical kung fu master. Yeah it's true to the comics but it did give me a feeling that Marvel/Netflix is somehow unaware of the existence of Asian actors.

(Note: ignore the screen name, I'm Irish-American and have no particular dog in this fight, but even so it bugged me)

 Easy E wrote:
Death on the Nile

The latest Brannaugh film where he plays Poirot. Have to admit, I did not see Murder on the Orient Express even though I wanted to. Didn't get around to it. I also have not read any Agatha Christie novels.

This was beautifully shot. I was not surprised to see Ridley Scott as a producer as he knows how to shoot a great movie. There was some CGI to touch-up or put you in the right place/time; but nothing outrageous.

Everyone does a nice job. The only real question I had was why did the killer finish off witnesses and leave Poirot alone? Unsure.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the spectacle and the performances.

Well, Kenny Branagh is of course a fine actor.

But when it comes to Poirot, he ain’t David Suchet. And he ain’t David Suchet, I don’t give a rat’s ass!

[img]

Agree 100%, David Suchet will always be Poirot in my mind!

I like Branagh, but he always seems to be: Director, Producer, star actor (more than one role sometimes!)

 Pacific wrote:
Agree 100%, David Suchet will always be Poirot in my mind!

I like Branagh, but he always seems to be: Director, Producer, star actor (more than one role sometimes!)

Yeah, I'm kind of two minds when it comes to him. On the one hand he seems to LOVE filmmaking, and everything about it, and he does it. Which is really cool. On the other hand (and surely that goes hand in hand with the prior note), he's full of himself and maybe not that great with all his decisions. Apart from esteemed Easy E's review, I haven't heard much good about Death on the Nile.

 Pacific wrote:
Agree 100%, David Suchet will always be Poirot in my mind!

I like Branagh, but he always seems to be: Director, Producer, star actor (more than one role sometimes!)

Yes, I also grew up with him as Poirot and enjoyed him as well. However, things change and life moves on. I also liked the guy who played Sherlock in the old Mystery shows on PBS.

I will say this about Death on the Nile they were trying to "jazz it up" both literally and figuratively. One by putting in more Jazz music, and two by adding more "action" with a stupid WWI "origin of the Mustache" story and a chase scene. These all maybe part of the book/character, but I have suspicions they were added to make the movie a bit more.... intense or modern or something. They kind of stuck out as anachronistic to me.

I've watched Death on the Nile yesterday. Solid sequel, it's basically copy paste from the 1978 one, except for one of the characters dying instead of another one and the prologue. I liked it, although the 1978 one had a much greater cast and I still prefer it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Easy E wrote:


Everyone does a nice job. The only real question I had was why did the killer finish off witnesses and leave Poirot alone? Unsure.

Because the killer(s) wanted Poirot to clear him/her/them (no spoiler) by accusing someone else . The killer(s) thought it was a perfect plan that not even Poirot could unfold.

There was a really great Judge Dredd/2000AD comic I read once, where you had someone who looked like Angela Langsbury (from Murder She Wrote) who always seemed to be in the vicinity of murders being committed. Of course Dredd investigated and it was her all along as the serial killer

(Apologies it was much more funny in the comic than I have made it sound!)

Welcome to Raccoon City

It’s….pretty crap to be honest. Effects look dated, and frankly the Mila Jovovic nonsense ones were far more fun.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Welcome to Raccoon City

It’s….pretty crap to be honest. Effects look dated, and frankly the Mila Jovovic nonsense ones were far more fun.

Yeah, I thlought so. Also, the casting on some characters looked ...inspired. But I'm not muchinto the whole story, so I couldn't comment on that.

Aaaanyway, with the Milla Jovowich films, especially the later ones from 3 on, you knew what you're in for. Mostly artificial looking, hyperstylized things revolving around Milla Jovowich. And I really don't mind that, because I really like looking at that. Few weeks ago I caught about 20 minutes of my favourite RE film, which is the one which is Milla Jovowich just walking from one stage to the next fighting zombies. I'm not sure if anybody really talks in the film at all. It's proposterous, but it looks good.

Not that I'd sit down and watch any of the RE films really. BTW, I watched one of the computer animated ones recently. I think it's two, and they're on Netflix. Very much elongated video sequences made by capcom and with that delightful Japanese view on Europeans and Americans. Also kinda boring. Don't Watch.

I’ve a soft spot for the original RE movies. For me, they come down just on the right side of “silly but they’re not pretending otherwise”.

They’re fun, and they’re not remake on remake. Each one adds a fresh new bit of silliness.

The new one though? Well, I’d watch it again, because it’s not awful. I just found the “oh hi Jill Valentine, hey yourself Albert Wesker” name dropping a bit…well I’ll say on the nose, though I’m not sure that quite the right phase.

I didn't even know of that film until a friend of mine (who's really into Resident Evil. Like caring about the backstory and stuff like that) told me about it. Never heard a peep elsewhere.

Bone Tomahawk

Modern western. Kurt Russell is the lead.

It’s alright. A pretty brutal scene in one bit. But….plot is paper thin. Still a fairly fun watch. Definitely well shot and directed. Just not that much to see, really.

I just watched Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), which is a cool vampire film. I'm not clever enough to fully appreciate it due to references I'm sure, but I like how it's about grown-ups and how people are really annoying, experiences are overrated and things are good. Watch It. It also has cool music and looks great.


So I was thinking. What are my top 5 vampire films?

.) Blade
.) Fright Night
.) Only Lovers Left Alive
.) Vampires
.) can't decide whether it's 30 days of night or Daybreakers.

Disclaimer: I haven't seen Lost Boys, I haven't seen Let Me In. I have seen Vampire's Kiss. No Nosferatu, because it's the proper grandaddy of them all.


Which ones are yours?

RLM just released a video discussing Near Dark, which sounds like it might have thematic similarities with Only Lovers Left Alive. I haven’t seen it.

My favorite vampire movies tend to be movies with vampires in them, like Underworld or Monster Squad. I remember enjoying Fright Night and that movie where young Jim Carey becomes a vampire, but most vampire movies are not for me.

Near Dark is awesome, immortal Lance Henrikson is "fresh pants please" scary

As is happens ARTE, the German-French culture channel, will show Near Dark this coming Monday. Because good TV is good. I'll see that I watch it then!

 Sigur wrote:



So I was thinking. What are my top 5 vampire films?

.) Blade
.) Fright Night
.) Only Lovers Left Alive
.) Vampires
.) can't decide whether it's 30 days of night or Daybreakers.

Disclaimer: I haven't seen Lost Boys, I haven't seen Let Me In. I have seen Vampire's Kiss. No Nosferatu, because it's the proper grandaddy of them all.


Which ones are yours?

Fright Night, the original from the 80s, is definitely my favorite vampire movie, I adore it. The remake is kinda ok though.

Blade II and From Dusk Till Dawn definitely in top 5, then of course Interview with a Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Those for sure, not necessarily in that order. Notable mention to The Omega Man, which was based on a great novel dealing with vampires while the movie changed those mutants. The remake, starring Will Smith, made them zombies instead. So it's not really a vampire movie, but the book that was adapted from was a vampire story and the mutants are still vampire-ish looking. I don't include it in my top 5 but I have to mention it, it's a really good movie starring Charlton Heston.

I liked Underworld I and II plus the prequel, Blade I and III, Carpenter's Vampires, 30 Days of Night, Let Me In (original), Lost Boys, What We Do in the Shadows, Only Lovers Left Alive and Nosferatu as well.

Hell or High Water

A modern day western starring Jeff Bridges and one of the Hollywood Chris' (don't ask me which one, they're all interchangeable to me). It's like No Country for Old Men, except that this film is good. The Chris is probably the weakest member of the cast, and even he's not bad. Definitely worth a watch if you find time.

The Captain from Köpenick (1956)

Finally got to see that one. It's loosely based on an the actual case of Wilhelm Voigt. In 1906 he dressed up as a Prussian officer, took command of a bunch of soldiers, led them to Köpenick (outside Berlin) and stole a bunch of money from the town's treasury. Hhe was caught and spent a while in prison, but became a folk hero and eventually was pardonned by the Kaiser.

The story, based on Zuckmayer's stage play, was turned into film at least thrice (I think one of them was made fairly recently), the most famous one being the 1956 version though. Heinz Rühmann, terribly popular German actor between the 30s, 60s, plays the main role. Heinz Rühmann is a problematic figure because he was a big film star in the Nazi regime and almost wasn't cast in this film (which would be his come-back after the war) due to this fact.

Aaaanyway, the plot goes as such: Poor shoemaker gets out of prison after some low-key document fraud and tries to get a job. Everywhere he goes to find a job or new papers (which he lost or were taken away or something) he's greeted with "Where did you serve?". We're talking turn-of-the-century Prussia here; a wildly militarized society. And that's one of the things that struck me the most while watching this. It's basically Starship Troopers. And about as close to us here nowadays as Starship Troopers is as well; probably further away. Which brings up interesting ideas about current state of things, how they might develop and so on.

Anyway, the poor shoemaker is sent from job interview to job interview, in between he tries to get papers or even just a passport to leave Prussia and go somewhere else. Everywhere he's sent away because a.) He wasn't in the army, b.) he's an ex-convict. Without a job he can't get papers, without papers he can't get a job. He ends up desperate and back in prison, due to lack of any other literature he starts to learn Prussian field manuals, stuff goes on from there.

Another thing that struck me was the bureaucracy in an analogue world and how certain key figures held a LOT of local power. Maybe that's one tiny little bit that got better with digitalization? Not sure. Luckily I never had a run-in with a beaurocrat so far; people working for state agencies or whatever you call it have always been really, really nice.

The film not only shows several facettes of a militarized society in tragic-comedic ways, but at its core of course also talks about the difference a uniform, social standing and military tone makes. All of which seems very alien to us nowadays, with the people in power trying to appear like regular people in streetwear, and being obsessed with the how and where of communication/advertising. There's a scene in which an officer has a uniform tailor-made which I thought illustrates power structures very well: The tailor is very servile while taking the officer's measurements, cracking a few jokes, telling him how he'll look like a soldier prince or stuff like that. He's constantly talking, being very keen on selling his services of course, even though the officer's already made the choice of having the uniform made by him. At the very same time the tailor scolds his own son (who of course also is in the reserve army, but very reluctantly, preferring to read novels when he's not working at his father's tailor shop) with every other sentence. He tells him to stand straight, and how he'll never make officer or cut a great figure such as the officer who's getting his uniform made. Meanwhile he officer's himself is being friendly, non-threatening and jovial. So the power he holds is mainly consolidated by the ones below him, like the tailor, who in turn kicks down at his own son to reaffirm his own position in that whole social construct.

The film goes on, after some more rejections for work places or documents the poor shoemaker finally gets a letter in which he's told he's going to be expelled from the country. This is the final straw, the shoemaker basically snaps. He lost any trust in this system. After a quick dialogue between his brother-in-law (who just got a rejection for an officer's rank in the reserve army, despite the fact that it would have been 'his turn') the shoemaker leaves. <the big impostor part happens in which the shoemaker dresses up as an army captain, he steals the 4000 Mark and so on.

The police are looking for the fake Captain of Köpenick, it's a big news story. Eventually Voigt turns himself hin and returns almost all of the money. Things get weird as he meets the warden of the prison he's spent many years in, the chief of police, and a bunch of army officers. They all love the whole story, everybody jokes and laughs, Voigt is given nice brandy, is asked to put on the uniform again, and so on. It's interesting how these men who just saw their system easily turned on its head by some vagabond get such a kick out of the whole situation. They see no danger in this little man who basically made the army, the uniform and the police a mockery.

In the end Voigt ist pardonned by the Kaiser, we see some kids walking with him as a parade of soldiers passes by and Voigt walks off into the sunset in a very Chalpin-esque manner.


Heinz Rühmann, who plays the poor shoemaker Voigt, got a lot of praise for this role, and rightly so. In a review somebody wrote, that he fully immersed himself into this role and that this was miles away from the roles he played in his films under the nazi regime. I'm not very familiar with his earlier work, just having seen one or two films of his he did in the 30s, in which he also played underdogs, but in a very different way. The Captain of Köpenick very much is a post-war German film: excellent costumes, great colours, really solid stage actors, pretty up-beat and clean (although this one probably was pretty dark for the time), always with a little twinkle in its eye, but hinting at social realities in between. Rühmann is a charismatic dude who's easy to root for (at one point, for a little second, he's crying as he's led away by the police, which is pretty heart-breaking) in his struggles. Later on he went on to make even more family-friendly films, many of which were also hits with German audiences, but the fact that he was a big star under the nazi regime always stuck. The Captain of Köpenick is viewed as his best film and it's easy to see why.


Watch It, although I'm not sure if an English dubbed version gets the atmosphere across as well. Berlin/Prussian dialects play a bit of a role in defining the characters.>


This concludes my "mini" review.

Thanks! I had not heard of that one, and I like the snapshot at pre-WWI Prussia. I may have to look for it online.

Uncharted

It's like National Treasure only with less Nick Cage! This is a serviceable film, and much of it's ability to keep your attention will come from you tolerance of watching Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg mug for the camera. It is pretty standard action/adventure fare... and also completely skippable.

The Batman
For the record, I can quote the Keaton Batman movie from memory as it was the first movie my family had on VHS. Therefore, I have seen it 100's of times.

This one sets a suitably grim vibe to the setting, uses audio and visuals to reinforce it, and then makes the story relatively low level and gritty. This Riddler is no Jim Carey, just a maladjusted accountant with a penchant for [b]Saw[/b[-esque murder.

That said, the best set pieces are all blown by the trailer. You have seen that before. That said, this movie is a pretty good take on Batman and does not bother re-hashing the origin story, which is GREAT news. However, it is still personal to Batman. That said, it is not really all that great of a mystery about what is going on, and Batman seems like he is chasing the obvious sometimes.

10/10 for setting and tone, the rest is much more mundane. Not bad for a street level hero flick, but it is hard not to compare it to Daredevil S1 for me. On the plus side, this is no Schumacher film.

I'm kind of torn on it really.

Yeah, the German version of the film is on youtube for sure, not sure about any English subtitles or dub.

Your review of Uncharted echoes pretty much everything I heard about it. Somebody summed it up as "surprisingly un-crap", but very forgettable and by-the-numbers. I don't have any fond feelings towards the video games, so I guess I'll skip that one.

The Batman almost sounds interesting. I don't care all that much about Batman, but I do like Paul Dano doing things. Let's wait and see.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Bone Tomahawk

Modern western. Kurt Russell is the lead.

It’s alright. A pretty brutal scene in one bit. But….plot is paper thin. Still a fairly fun watch. Definitely well shot and directed. Just not that much to see, really.

Was glad you mentioned that, literally the only thing I can remember from that film is 'that one scene' !

Brightburn

So yeah, a hormonal 12 year old discovers he's really an extraterrestrial with god-like powers and proceeds to well, act like a hormonal teen and stalk girls and kill anyone who's wronged him. Evil 12 year old Superman should have a ton of potential but the directing is pedestrian and the plot utterly predictable. The last 5 minutes are the best part, teasing an evil Justice League. Might watch a sequel. Might.