Top Five Films

[simon templar]

Highlander II...

I thought there 'could be only one'...?

[EL NOMBRE]

Highlander II...

I thought there 'could be only one'...?

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......Like it!

[Bud the Baker]

Are you sure? Without cheating and watching the director's cut?

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Is being a SF nut and having read the original novella Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? cheating?

Philip K. Dick is one of my favourite authors- The Kafka of SF!

Other Dick adaptions (Ooooh err missus) include

Next - Adaption of short story The Golden Man - in production.

A Scanner Darkly - Release Date July 2006

Paycheck

Minority Report

Impostor

Screamers

Total Recall

Edited February 18, 2006 by Bud the Baker

[Bud the Baker]

Highlander II...

I thought there 'could be only one'...?

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Two versions of this film, the original and a Director's Cut - Highlander II: The Renegade Version.

Director Russell Mulcahy tried to have his credit changed to Alan Smithee in the original version after it was edited however he backed down when threatened with legal action.

Edited February 18, 2006 by Bud the Baker

[Tom McB]

Is being a SF nut and having read the original novella Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? cheating?

Philip K. Dick is one of my favourite authors- The Kafka of SF!

Other Dick adaptions (Ooooh err missus) include

Next - Adaption of short story The Golden Man - in production.

A Scanner Darkly - Release Date July 2006

Paycheck

Minority Report

Impostor

Screamers

Total Recall

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Fine author indeed, though I would give the Kafka award to Samuel R Delaney.

Minority report and Total Recall show that good books can suffer poor adaptations.

Reidy : Delaney wrote a good review of 2001, found it online here.

Edited February 18, 2006 by Tom McB

[madmitch]

Films that fry yer brains with questions -

I nominate Cling Film.

1. How do you get the fecking stuff to detach in a straight line along that serrated edge blade thing ?

2. Once you've finally torn a piece off the roll, how do you prevent it from sticking to itself and forming a big sticky plastic mess before you get it to the article your trying to wrap it around ?

3. Is this phenomenon due to some form of static electricity or am I just ham-fisted ?

4. Once you've mastered the techniques for 1 and 2, how come it then won't stick properly to itself once wrapped around the intended object ?

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[Bud the Baker]

McB et al,

2001 was an unusual topic for Clarke who tends to focus on the hard aspects of SF.

I guess it must've been Kubrick who wanted to explore the Starchild theme (altho' Clarke did tackle this topic in Childhood's End). Kubrick always insisted it was up to the individual to make their own interpretation.

I found this site which IMO is mindboggling, 2001 explained. I think the music at the start of Part IV is Echoes by Pink Floyd.

************************************************

Genesis (Watcher of the Skies), Iron Maiden and Van Der Graff Generator have all recorded songs inspired by Childhood's End.

Edited February 18, 2006 by Bud the Baker

[Tom McB]

Excellent BtB- Cheers.

The music is indeed The Floyd.

I did know of Genesis and VdG's takes on Childhood's end.

Hammill was always a major SF freak.

[Herbie]

1. Irreversible

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Tremendous film.

All becomes clear after the second viewing though, so if you can stomach the fire extinguisher scene again, have another gander.

Edited to add this...

"The first 30 minutes of the film has a background noise with a frequency of 28Hz (low frequency, almost inaudible), similar to the noise produced by an earthquake. In humans, it causes nausea, sickness and vertigo. It was the main cause of people walking out of the theaters during the first part of the film in places like Cannes and San Sebastian. In fact, it was added with the purpose of getting this reaction."

Weird.

Edited February 19, 2006 by Herbie

[Bloomsbury Bud]

Tremendous film.

All becomes clear after the second viewing though, so if you can stomach the fire extinguisher scene again, have another gander.

Edited to add this...

"The first 30 minutes of the film has a background noise with a frequency of 28Hz (low frequency, almost inaudible), similar to the noise produced by an earthquake. In humans, it causes nausea, sickness and vertigo. It was the main cause of people walking out of the theaters during the first part of the film in places like Cannes and San Sebastian. In fact, it was added with the purpose of getting this reaction."

Weird.

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Well I live and learn

Much as I thought Irreversible was a brilliant film I'm not sure I could ever watch it, again. I can't recall seeing a more disturbing film.

Repeat viewing(s) - then you're made of stronger stuff than I am, Herbie.

[Colin M]

The opening sequence of Irreversible is pretty mindbending, and the fire extinguisher scene is horrific, there were scores of people streaming out of the cinema when I saw it

Dunno if saying I "enjoyed" the film overall would be accurate, but it was certainly one of the most powerful movies I've ever seen. The rape scene is probably even more disturbing, I found it very uncomfortable watching that, but then that's obviously the point.

It was a great film though, very dark and disturbing but technically excellent and extremely powerful.

[Hollz]

Films that fry yer brains with questions -

I nominate Cling Film.

1. How do you get the fecking stuff to detach in a straight line along that serrated edge blade thing ?

2. Once you've finally torn a piece off the roll, how do you prevent it from sticking to itself and forming a big sticky plastic mess before you get it to the article your trying to wrap it around ?

3. Is this phenomenon due to some form of static electricity or am I just ham-fisted ?

4. Once you've mastered the techniques for 1 and 2, how come it then won't stick properly to itself once wrapped around the intended object ?

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Please save that for the 'Whats the point of clingfilm' thread

1,Doctor Zivargo

2,Sound Of Music

3,Green Mile

4,Shawshank Redemption

5,X Men

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Erm 2 of my favourite films in this choice: Green Mile ( my fav) and shawshank redemption

Films that left me with more questions:

Memento

Sideways

Cold Mountain

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

1. Irreversible

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Is there not a really horrific rape scene in that that lasts for about ten minutes or something?

I did know of Genesis......takes on Childhood's end.

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I didn't. I know that song very well, what's Childhood's End all about? (Please make your answers rational and un-sarky, thank you.)

[Tom McB]

Is there not a really horrific rape scene in that that lasts for about ten minutes or something?

I didn't. I know that song very well, what's Childhood's End all about? (Please make your answers rational and un-sarky, thank you.)

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New age hokum really- Old Arthur C wrote some dodgy stuff sadly.

The deal is that strange aliens help humanity evolve into a stage of existence which needs no longer be tied to the planet- the existence is beyond the mere corporeal.

Precis here

The interesting bit is that the book, written in 1953, presages the story of the evolutionary leap for mankind shown at both the start and end of 2001.

[Bloomsbury Bud]

Is there not a really horrific rape scene in that that lasts for about ten minutes or something?

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There is indeed, it was highly distressing to watch, might have been 10 minutes long but it felt like hours - it was fuggin torture to view.

As Colin and Herbie have both said its a brilliantly made film and presented to the viewer in an unusual way. Maybes I'm getting fragile with the advancing years, but I'd never care to see it again.

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

Well I remember when it was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival and it got absolutely slated. The start of the review went something lie, “Okay, Mr. Deep & Meaningful Director, tell me your thoughts on the artistic merits of a rape scene in your film? And how about a rape scene that lasts TEN MINUTES?â€

It then went on to put the boot in saying it was a load of bollocks and that it thought it was a good film when it was actually shite. I’ve heard the same thing said about Baise-Moi, which also falls into the “challengingly horrific/gratuitously shocking†category. Having seen neither I can’t comment.

[simon templar]

Well I remember when it was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival and it got absolutely slated. The start of the review went something lie, “Okay, Mr. Deep & Meaningful Director, tell me your thoughts on the artistic merits of a rape scene in your film? And how about a rape scene that lasts TEN MINUTES?â€

It then went on to put the boot in saying it was a load of bollocks and that it thought it was a good film when it was actually shite. I’ve heard the same thing said about Baise-Moi, which also falls into the “challengingly horrific/gratuitously shocking†category. Having seen neither I can’t comment.

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When has that ever stopped you...?

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

When has that ever stopped you...?

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All the time, mate. I don’t make judgemental comments on films I’ve never seen.

[simon templar]

All the time, mate. I don’t make judgemental comments on films I’ve never seen.

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Yes you f**kin do. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You f**kin do. Yes, you do. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

Yes you f**kin do. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You f**kin do. Yes, you do. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

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Such as?

[Bud the Baker]

I didn't. I know that song very well, what's Childhood's End all about? (Please make your answers rational and un-sarky, thank you.)

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No!

McB has already answered so I'll leave it except to say that the it also inspired the album cover of Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin.

[Tom McB]

Well I remember when it was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival and it got absolutely slated. The start of the review went something lie, “Okay, Mr. Deep & Meaningful Director, tell me your thoughts on the artistic merits of a rape scene in your film? And how about a rape scene that lasts TEN MINUTES?â€

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Ditto for violence graphically done.

Only saw clockwork orange once, same for straw dogs, both at first release. (giving my age away )

In both cases the director would say that they were making important points. Kubrick had, imho, the good sense to pull Clockwork Orange from release or video release.

It was, afaik only released on DVD when he died.

I seriously doubt that we need to see rape to understand the horrific nature of the crime.

[Colin M]

I seriously doubt that we need to see rape to understand the horrific nature of the crime.

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I'm not sure I really agree with that.

In the case of Irreversible, the general premise of the film as I saw it, albeit delivered in as non-linear a manner as is probably possible, is to convey how life can be destroyed by a short series of events. I think the film would have had much less impact without that scene - the whole point of it was to convey as exactly as possible how horrific and indeed lengthy it would be. I think that we have a basic impulse, strengthened by social conditioning, to automatically condemn the act of rape as wrong, abhorrent etc, and rightly so. As a result however, I think that the vast majority of people have very little idea as to the extremity of the act, as they understandably want to shut it out of their mind.

Like BB I found it disturbing and have no desire whatsoever to see it again. However I would argue that it has extremely powerful artistic merit, in fact I suspect that more than any other movie scene I have seen, I felt exactly the emotions, and experienced the reaction that the director was trying to get across. I do not believe for a second that it was included, or shot in the way that it was, for glorification or titilation, and as such I would say that my own awareness of the horrific nature of rape was heightened - if only because I was being forced not to shut it out of my mind.

[Tom McB]

I can't comment on Irreversible- I haven't seen the film.

I would disagree about not understanding the horrific nature of rape.

But that's a matter of opinion. There have been enough dramas where the after effects are shown and explored without graphic details of the crime.

I would contend that there are some crimes whose far reaching effects are not understood. Burglary's a prime example. What may seem a small thing to the junkie who breaks into an old woman's house can totally destroy the confidence and happiness of the old woman. That type of effect is perhaps not fully appreciated.

[Colin M]

I would disagree about not understanding the horrific nature of rape.

But that's a matter of opinion. There have been enough dramas where the after effects are shown and explored without graphic details of the crime.

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Fair enough, but it's not really the after effects that are covered in the film, it's the direct effect of the act itself. I think there are a great number of people who do not appreciate why there are such after effects. I do concede though that those people are unlikely to be into French cinema.