Last film watched

[Numbers]

The Banshees of Inisherin - I thought this was excellent, if you like explosions and that sort of stuff this isn't for you, however if you like amusing dialogue this is advised viewing. It's directed by Martin McDonagh who did In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, it's on Disney+.

[Mikey Brown]

Yep. Favourite film I saw last year by a long way I think. Definitely very funny but incredibly bleak at the same time.

Quite a few disappointing ones this year that were massively hyped up (namely everything everywhere) but this was fantastic. I'm so glad I saw it on a big screen mainly for the big, sweeping landscape shots, but will definitely watch this again at home if I can find it. I didn't think 7 psychopaths was good and 3 billboards didn't quite click for me, despite having a lot to like, but I think this one is even better than In Bruges.

[Son of Mathonwy]

The Banshees of Inisherin - I thought this was excellent, if you like explosions and that sort of stuff this isn't for you, however if you like amusing dialogue this is advised viewing. It's directed by Martin McDonagh who did In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, it's on Disney+.

Yeah, it's good. I kept thinking of Father Ted though - I think this film shows what happens when you're slightly closer to the mainland than Craggy Island: mad stuff but more serious.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Halfway between horror and comedy, The Menu is a joy.

[Donny osmond]

Hard disagree here on "Banshees of Inishirrin". Shit and completely self-indulgent. Some of the dialogue was quite funny, but overall a terrible film that is massively up its own arse. Sorry!

Could say the same about Wakanda Forever.

Bizarrely, as I'm not a fan of Jonah Hill usually, watched You People last weekend and thought it was pretty good, if a little clunky at the end.

[paddy no 11]

Barbarian - very entertaining horror

Not going to even bother with banshees - can't stand McDonaghs stuff

[paddy no 11]

RRR is a howl for a bit of action and a dance off

[Numbers]

I watched All That Breathes last night, enjoyable, it's a documentary about some brothers who rescue and tend to Black Kites in Delhi, it's quite charming.

[Mikey Brown]

Hard disagree here on "Banshees of Inishirrin". Shit and completely self-indulgent. Some of the dialogue was quite funny, but overall a terrible film that is massively up its own arse. Sorry!

You just like… don’t get it or whatever.

[Donny osmond]

Hard disagree here on "Banshees of Inishirrin". Shit and completely self-indulgent. Some of the dialogue was quite funny, but overall a terrible film that is massively up its own arse. Sorry!

You just like… don’t get it or whatever.

it would be fair to say I didn't get it

[Son of Mathonwy]

Triangle of Sadness is good. I think it could have been excellent but it falls short due to uneven pacing and general randomness.

[Which Tyler]

Triangle of Sadness is good. I think it could have been excellent but it falls short due to uneven pacing and general randomness.

Failed to stick the landing for me.

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No way the beach pedlar wouldn't have noticed all the flotsam and jetsam, or the fact the stroke-lady was in a life-raft. Highly unlikely that the resort wouldn't have seen the smoke from the wreck; or that a ship like that doesn't have rescue beacons bleeping away like mad.

The rest of the film was good, but not good enough to earn forgiveness for that.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Triangle of Sadness is good. I think it could have been excellent but it falls short due to uneven pacing and general randomness.

Failed to stick the landing for me.

► Show Spoiler

No way the beach pedlar wouldn't have noticed all the flotsam and jetsam, or the fact the stroke-lady was in a life-raft. Highly unlikely that the resort wouldn't have seen the smoke from the wreck; or that a ship like that doesn't have rescue beacons bleeping away like mad.

The rest of the film was good, but not good enough to earn forgiveness for that.

All true, and plenty of unbelievable things on ship before then, really. I think I was taking it more as a slightly surreal satire for that to completely ruin it for me.

[paddy no 11]

Triangle of Sadness is good. I think it could have been excellent but it falls short due to uneven pacing and general randomness.

Failed to stick the landing for me.

► Show Spoiler

No way the beach pedlar wouldn't have noticed all the flotsam and jetsam, or the fact the stroke-lady was in a life-raft. Highly unlikely that the resort wouldn't have seen the smoke from the wreck; or that a ship like that doesn't have rescue beacons bleeping away like mad.

The rest of the film was good, but not good enough to earn forgiveness for that.

All true, and plenty of unbelievable things on ship before then, really. I think I was taking it more as a slightly surreal satire for that to completely ruin it for me.

I liked it, can forgive the flaws but they should have made a 5 star film

[paddy no 11]

Be interested what ye think of cailin ciuin and aftersun if ye get round to them

Didn't think we learned enough about mescals character in aftersun. I did like that the dialogue was actually how people talk rather than being very written

[cashead]

Got round to watching the new Hellraiser, with Jamie Clayton as the Priest (better known as Pinhead).

Very much a love it or hate it affair, and a bit of a departure from The Hellbound Heart, but honestly, I'd argue that it's a more proficiently made film than the 1987 original - a film that Clive Barker, who directed it himself, has referred to as an "uneven" film.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Got round to watching the new Hellraiser, with Jamie Clayton as the Priest (better known as Pinhead).

Very much a love it or hate it affair, and a bit of a departure from The Hellbound Heart, but honestly, I'd argue that it's a more proficiently made film than the 1987 original - a film that Clive Barker, who directed it himself, has referred to as an "uneven" film.

It could have been better but given the straight-to-video dross we've had since Hellraiser 3*, it's a massive return to form. It may be a bit short but it's a solid horror film with decent actors, script and effects - so maybe, just maybe, can get this story/universe going again. It's definitely more proficiently made than the original, but given the low budget and post-production butchery that suffered from, I guess that's not too surprising!

Clayton's Pinhead was a bit forgettable - more like the Cenobites' spokesperson than their leader - although she did her best. A bit miscast really. As a reboot, the film changed the mythology a little and added some detail - which was all fine. The new rules about the box were interesting and made reasonable sense. My favourite of the films was the imaginative Hellraiser II, so it was nice to see a bit of creativity.


* OK I confess I haven't seen any of the many sequels after 4, so I may have missed an unexpected gem amongst them.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Be interested what ye think of cailin ciuin and aftersun if ye get round to them

Didn't think we learned enough about mescals character in aftersun. I did like that the dialogue was actually how people talk rather than being very written

I've just watched Aftersun. It's good - a serious, worthy film, and is very realistic with good, natural performances from the leads. It's probably not quite my kind of thing - it's very low-key and slow, often mundane. And, as you say . . .

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ambiguous, because we're never told the full story of events before the holiday, nor pretty much anything about what might have happened after that.

I was surprised that we didn't get more time with the adult Sophie to get a better sense of what her life was really like, what the holiday actually meant to her, what (if anything) happened to her father afterwards. My guess is that he killed himself, but we don't really know. Presumably we're meant to mull this over (unless of course I missed lots of subtle clues!).

[paddy no 11]

Yup, feel the same as you. The conclusion you came to is definitely right which is why I'd like to better understand him and his relationship with partner, it hints but doesn't give enough

[Son of Mathonwy]

Infinity Pool is worth watching if you're into weird, trippy, arty horror. Brandon Cronenberg is a little more subtle than his dad and has made a film with echoes of Christopher Priest's The Affirmation and Priest's work in general.

[Mikey Brown]

Infinity Pool is worth watching if you're into weird, trippy, arty horror. Brandon Cronenberg is a little more subtle than his dad and has made a film with echoes of Christopher Priest's The Affirmation and Priest's work in general.

Yeah was definitely an odd one. Some really fantastic moments and the general style and atmosphere was great. I’m unsure how cohesive it was as a whole and some particular character motivations baffled me.

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Why was punching a clone of himself where he drew the line? Having been happy to watch ‘himself’ get murdered? I just didn’t understand why that was his tipping point, and the whole film seemed to hinge on that moment.

Definitely an experience though.

Surge - I really enjoyed this. It follows a man on the verge of a mental breakdown and is a bit of a difficult watch both in terms of visual style (intense shaky cam) and the awkwardness of his interactions. I found it really rewarding and bizarrely funny though. Incredible lead performance from Ben Wishaw, whom I don’t think I’ve actually seen before. On iplayer at the moment too.

Queen and Slim - some really great moments, great lead performances and generally a fun/cool vibe to it, but the weight of the story/themes it was covering really got lost. I feel like this could have been very good but didn’t really land the crucial punches.

Worth a watch (on iplayer too) if you don’t want to take it too seriously, but that feels like a very odd thing to say about a film focused on US race relations and police brutality.

[Numbers]

Infinity Pool is worth watching if you're into weird, trippy, arty horror. Brandon Cronenberg is a little more subtle than his dad and has made a film with echoes of Christopher Priest's The Affirmation and Priest's work in general.

Yeah was definitely an odd one. Some really fantastic moments and the general style and atmosphere was great. I’m unsure how cohesive it was as a whole and some particular character motivations baffled me.

► Show Spoiler

Why was punching a clone of himself where he drew the line? Having been happy to watch ‘himself’ get murdered? I just didn’t understand why that was his tipping point, and the whole film seemed to hinge on that moment.

Definitely an experience though.

Surge - I really enjoyed this. It follows a man on the verge of a mental breakdown and is a bit of a difficult watch both in terms of visual style (intense shaky cam) and the awkwardness of his interactions. I found it really rewarding and bizarrely funny though. Incredible lead performance from Ben Wishaw, whom I don’t think I’ve actually seen before. On iplayer at the moment too.

Queen and Slim - some really great moments, great lead performances and generally a fun/cool vibe to it, but the weight of the story/themes it was covering really got lost. I feel like this could have been very good but didn’t really land the crucial punches.

Worth a watch (on iplayer too) if you don’t want to take it too seriously, but that feels like a very odd thing to say about a film focused on US race relations and police brutality.

Yeah, I saw that when it came out, quite a departure from James Bond's Q and the Paddington films for Wishaw.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Infinity Pool is worth watching if you're into weird, trippy, arty horror. Brandon Cronenberg is a little more subtle than his dad and has made a film with echoes of Christopher Priest's The Affirmation and Priest's work in general.

Yeah was definitely an odd one. Some really fantastic moments and the general style and atmosphere was great. I’m unsure how cohesive it was as a whole and some particular character motivations baffled me.

► Show Spoiler

Why was punching a clone of himself where he drew the line? Having been happy to watch ‘himself’ get murdered? I just didn’t understand why that was his tipping point, and the whole film seemed to hinge on that moment.

Definitely an experience though.

► Show Spoiler

I think (if anything made sense by that point in the movie) our protagonist drew the line there because the group were ridiculing him, not treating him as one of them. But then he was gradually going insane so perhaps anything goes.

Possessor is another one to watch by Brandon Cronenberg.

[Mikey Brown]

That does actually make a huge amount more sense.

[Which Tyler]