The Recommended Movies Thread

Post by **sandman67** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:53 pm

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

great stoner action comedy.

Basically a bailiff/process server and his drug dealer have to go on the run when the bailiff inadvertently witnesses a murder committed by the dealer's psycho supplier. Throw into the mix the corrupt police, Chinese Triads, who are in a drug war with the supplier, and relationship issues with the bailiff's high school girlfriend....car chases, massive explosions, slapstick punch ups and pot orientated humor galore.

Great laugh along comedy movie.

Good versions about on the net so dvds in town should be good quality.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE WARNING:
All the versions available online are very poor quality and have sound issues - the disks in town will be very bad quality CAM or TS murder jobs. Be warned...you need to wait a good few weeks before watchable versions are about. Ditto ROCKNROLLA nd MAX PAYNE.

Post by **sandman67** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:56 pm

MAX PAYNE

the problem with films that use computer games as a source for the story is nine times out of ten they just use the character name and some of the features of the game, then just re-write the rest of the plot....thats the case here.

Marky Mark Wahlberg plays the out for revenge Max, and other than a few instances of "bullet time" slo-mo bullet ballet then thats about it as far as the game references go.

The story however is a good one, although pretty formulaic, involving bent cops, a killer designer drug, and a corrupt corporation....all of which are the reason Max lost his wife and kid and so he now has to get his revenge on all involved. Throw in Russian mafia and a sexy female assassin and it hits just about every cliche point in a good way.

Cinematography is good, (hyper real), and the feel of the film suits its bullet ballet theme....sort of a CGI supported John Woo feel to it.

Good film, but not a challenging one....just like most game to film conversions.

Out on the net now as a high quality R5 dvdrip, so give it a week or so and the lads round town should have some good disks - at the mo they are all awful cam or TS jobs....unwatchable.

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:00 am

Cheers for that SM, loved the game and its Film Noir type atmosphere.

I'll buy the DVD when I get there in a few weeks.

Post by **sandman67** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:17 am

THE DUCHESS

Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. While her beauty and charisma made her name, her extravagant tastes and appetite for gambling and love made her infamous. Married young to the older, distant Duke of Devonshire, intimate of ministers and princes, Georgiana became a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator and darling of the common people. But at the core of the story is a desperate search for love. The film delves into Georgiana’s passionate and doomed affair with Earl Grey and the complex love triangle with her husband and her best friend, Lady Bess Foster.

Sumptuous period drama at its best...and Kiera Knightly looks as hot as ever in corsets and feathers. Great chemistry between her and Fiennes, who comes across perfectly as the cold hearted 18C aristocrat. Reminded me quite a bit of The Libertine, and has the same sort of biographical driven drama to it.

Id recommend it if you like your period dramas....

Good copies out on the net from Korean sources, so good quality disks should be about in town

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:36 am

Quantum of solace - bang bang, shoot shoot, die die, SO SO...

You definately have to be a bond freak to like this film. It does just what it says on the tin. I was dissapointed to be honest...

Post by **Wanderlust** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:00 am

sandman67 wrote:THE DUCHESS

Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. While her beauty and charisma made her name, her extravagant tastes and appetite for gambling and love made her infamous. Married young to the older, distant Duke of Devonshire, intimate of ministers and princes, Georgiana became a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator and darling of the common people. But at the core of the story is a desperate search for love. The film delves into Georgiana’s passionate and doomed affair with Earl Grey and the complex love triangle with her husband and her best friend, Lady Bess Foster.

I have to say that she sounds an awful lot like Princess Diana from that brief description!

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:10 am

I happened to be in leciester square during the premier of Dutchess.
Have you ever seen a sunken chested dwarf swathed in a taffita? You would have that night...

Post by **sandman67** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:32 pm

WL

the press made a big thing about the fact she was a distant relative of Di...(she was a Spencer)....

thing is she was a mad gambler and a bit of a libertine....if you see the film you cant help but feel sorry for her at the end....but Im sure it was made because of the link not because she was historically an interesting character.

It is a good film tho

...but The Libertine is better.

Post by **sandman67** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:15 am

ADMIRAL

This is a Russian historical epic set at the end of WW1 taking in the pre revolution Russian sea war, the revolutionary period, especially the St Petersburg massacres, and then the White Russian resistance against the Bolshevik forces. Entwined in this is the love triangle story of the Admiral and his wife and his mistress.

Being Russian it means that the stories are well balanced, and theres enough attention to detail, supported by great special effects and CGI work, to keep all watchers interested. The sets and cinematography are excellent, and the battle scenes tense and bloody.

Great film, with great acting from the lead and support players. Good versions are out on the net so good disks should be available in town...just make sure they have the subtitles on!

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:37 am

Just watched 'Zack and Miri make a porno' It is as funny as s**t. I recommend it for a damned good chorkle...

Post by **sandman67** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:06 pm

thanks for the tip mate

I will download it now....

Post by **sandman67** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:12 am

well, having dropped a sound corrected version of QUANTUM OF SOLACE I can confirm Randys assessment above.....after Casino its a real letdown.

The scrappy badly filmed car chase opening is a mess, and basically reflects the rest of the film....messy, badly shot, and too much emphasis on crash bang chases with a paper thin dull story hanging it together.

The version I had (which I dumped after watching...rare for me) had sound issues still....by the end it was 3 seconds out of sync and thats a corrected version.

Dont bother...even fans like me will be disappointed

Post by **Vital Spark** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:30 pm

Thanks for the warning. Mr.VS & I are (were) James Bond fans, but after watching Casino Royale...

Sounds like the latest is even worse.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Caine and we watched THE QUIET AMERICAN the other day. Superb! Michael Caine said that it was the best film he has ever made. I agree. It's set in Vietnam in 1953 - the photography is wonderful, the girl is beautiful, and the story has a kind of twist at the end. Well worth a watch...

VS

Post by **hhfarang** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:41 am

"Taken"

This one just arrived here on DVD and it is one of the best action films I've seen in a while.

Liam Neeson is great in the lead role as a "can do anything and take care of any bad guy" character.

Don't want to say more and ruin it but I highly recommend it for action film lovers or Liam Neeson fans!

Post by **hhfarang** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:33 pm

"Mirrors"

Just watched it... bizarre horror suspense flick staring Keifer Sutherland. Recommended if you liked movies like "The Ring".

I may never look in a mirror again!