h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's very good for that moment when Samuel L. Jackson shouts out "I've had enough..."

But really, that's all the film was leading up to, and it's downhill all the way from there.

(I did rent it on DVD though )

RF

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Sporks!??

Sporks on a Plane? Snorks on a spork.

I would just like to take a moment here to express the hope that everyone who in any way attempts to book, reserve, purchase, exchange or cancel tickets for either High School Musical 3 or Quantum of Solace seriously *gets leprosy.

I've been watching all the Saw films in order and in order to catch up my girlfriend who wants us to go and see Saw V. Meh, not very good, the first one was okay in a cheesy 50p budget catharsis kind of way, the second one was poo and didn't match up to the ideas of the first and the third was slightly clever but too obviously a conceptually confused and fiscally motivated attempt to realign the franchise. Nummer IV tonight. Woot.

>> I would just like to take a moment here to express the hope that everyone who in any way attempts to book, reserve, purchase, exchange or cancel tickets for either High School Musical 3 or Quantum of Solace seriously *gets leprosy. <<

What do you have against such people?

I went to see Burn After Reading on Sunday. Very typically Coen-Brothers-ish. John Malkovich was brilliant, even though he mostly said the dame thing...it was the way he said it!

RF

I work in a ticket booking office and I have done so today since 10 in the morning. I am naturally misanthropic and profane and as such not suited to a customer service enviroment.

Daughter's just back from HSM3, and couldn't recommend it highly enough. She cried at most of the songs, and almsot stood up and applauded at the end.

So, a must see for 15 year olds!

Agreed, but the topless locker scene was a complete let-down for us aged mums.

HSM3, anyway. It was good clean fun.

Also, Layer Cake. I didn't really watch it properly - but I saw enough to give me nightmares.

Mol

Red Dragon. Not really my sort of movie, but it IS a genre beloved by both my daughter and my other half, so in the interests of family bonding I agreed to join them on the sofa.

Well, I didn't hate it. And Ralph Feinnes was obviously working on his Voldemort characterisation.

And today, Quantum of Solace. I gave up trying to follow Bond movies years ago, and so just go along to enjoy the spectacular stunts and what have you. Craig is a very good Bond. The soundtrack was deafening during the spectacle scenes (they're not really fights are they?) and the 5 shots-a-second directing designed to give a sense of adrenalin-fuelled action just gives a sense of migraine.

This weekend I saw:
Once Upon a Time in the West , and No Country for Old Men. A bit strange, but I quite liked it.

Watched a Czech film from the 1960s yesterday, called "Who Wants to Kill Jessie". A scientist discovers a formula that will allow her to see into people's dreams. She tests it on her husband and finds he's been dreaming about the sexy heroine of a comic strip. The comic characters come to life in the "real world" and hilarity ensues. I really enjoyed it!

On Saturday night, I watched Shoot 'Em Up. High body-count action thriller, where all the baddies can't shoot straight but the goodie gets his man with every bullet (and sometimes carrot). There is a plot, which revolves around a baby. I'm thinking about re-watching it in order to count exactly how many people get killed...

On Sunday afternoon, I went to see James Bond. It's rubbish, and even more disconnected and disjointed than other Bond films. The plot turns on such unlikely events as tracing where a dollar bill was found - the script-writers seem to have a totally misguided concept of what money laundering actually is. Almost as bad as Die Another Day. I don't think I enjoy humourless Bonds, so I personally rate Roger Moore above Daniel Craig. Dalton was another po-faced Bond, but at least he *tried* to crack a joke every now and then.

On Sunday evening, I watched El Mariachi - a Mexican film about a guitar player. Quite good, simple story, again the baddies couldn't hit a barn at 5 yards, but what the hey. I have a box set of 3 films (El Mariachi, Desperado, and Once Upon A Time In Mexico) so I'm going to try and get through them all this week.

RF

El Mariachi was made for a pittance, under 10 grand, most of which came from Rodriguez being paid to have pharmaceuticals tested on him. Genius. A fair whack of Evil Dead was bank rolled by Sam Raimi's dentist. Also genius. I think I might have already said that.

I re-watched M, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Oni Baba (partially to crib some nice images to try to 3d-ify) and then had some kind of suspenseful-high-contrast-black-and-white fit and went out and rented Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. They both seem kind of long and yet also to be missing an act, especially Iron Man, probably due to the ever so well organized and sublimely integrated tsunamis of exposition they both seem determined on. Not that they were bad, they were enjoyable, just a bit leaden and kind of too easy.

Saw IV was actually ok, which I wasn't expecting, even the part of me that spends most of the film internally screaming in frustration at the protagonist's ultimately lethal inability to think laterally did so in a kind of good-natured way. Nice-ish twist too, although one that'll probably fall to bits on a second viewing.

>M, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Oni Baba

All personal favorites!

I'm *still* waiting for Netflix to ship me a copy of Saló.

Salo... is that the Marquis De Sade thing?

I'm trying to think of black and white films that have very visually striking moments that aren't well know/easily recognisable, can you suggest any?

Yeah, it's the de Sade thing. Haven't seen it in ages, and Criterion released a version a while ago I'm itching to see.

If I come up with answers to your second question, I may just swing by your PS with suggestions, otherwise I'm likely to derail this thread like I do everywhere else I go.

The Midnight Meat Train, not bad but not as good as the short story it's based on.

Bonjour Tristesse. A simple storyline, and I liked the mix of Black-and-White and Colour.



Did you know that Murnau was born in Bielefeld? They have a silent movies festival named after him, with live music to accompany the movies

This year it starts next Friday:
http://www.murnaugesellschaft.de/filmmusik_programm08.html

(warning, link in German!)

Burn After Reading. Great stuff, a cauldron of subterfuge with bonkers twists and plenty of Coens lunacy. Lots of fun!

Donnie Darko. Amusingly, I liked better the non-essential parts of the movie. On the whole, I guess it was a bit too arcane for my frame of mind yesterday evening.