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SMB Film Thread 2025

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Monty Pigeon said:
Just read Tarantino's Cinema Speculation. He's much more in love with genre cinema than I am, but it sent me back to three of the films he devotes chapters to.

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Bullitt (1968) 8/10
Possibly the greatest car chase of all time, and a decent finale among active airliners at San Francisco Airport. Lags a bit in between.
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Dirty Harry (1971) 8/10
Take away the 'Do you feel lucky, punk?'* speeches, it'd be a routine cop thriller. But thanks to the famous lines, and to Eastwood's performance, it's a bona fide classic. (* As usually misquoted.)
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Rolling Thunder (1977) 8/10
Tarantino reckons that where you see a film can be as important as the film itself. I saw this in a packed cinema in Africa with full audience participation. The film itself - a Vietnam ex-POW going on a revenge rampage after losing his family and his hand - is pretty decent. Linda Haynes's performance as William Devane's love interest is extraordinary. (Tarantino repeatedly tried to bring her out of retirement, but from the 80s onwards she was done with acting.)
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Got that book sitting on a shelf waiting for me to get 5 minutes to myself. Is it good?
 

Drexl said:
Got that book sitting on a shelf waiting for me to get 5 minutes to myself. Is it good?
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Definitely. He's not just a fan, but also an insider - so in addition to his infectious enthusiasm for particular movies, you get plenty of gossip. He's not shy with a strong opinion.
 
Cell 2455, Death Row (1955)

William Campbell is a career villain, with the clock ticking on Death Row. The film is pretty much one long flashback, studying the triggers for his behaviour and the impact of it.

This is based on a true story. At the time the film was made, the subject was still on Death Row, using every possible legal manoeuvre to get off. The film doesn’t try to make him into a sympathetic character. The catalysts are explored, and they are very sad, but at no point does it try to excuse or judge. He’s a right scumbag, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.

I enjoyed it as a mock-biopic. There’s some great scenes in it, yet others are clearly low budget.

7/10
 
I had a strange urge to watch a Bob Hope film yesterday so searched the various sources we are signed up to in the house and went for My Favourite Brunette - amusing enough film, I'm a sucker for almost any black and white film. That's where it hit a snag, only a colourised version available. Why do they do this? Everyone looks like they are in a Ready Brek advert and it's really hard to watch - I altered the colour settings on my telly to make it black and white but it still looked weird. The iast time I fancied watching The General only a colourised desecration was available. Messing with Bob Hope is one thing but interfering with cinematic genius is criminal so I didn't bother. Does anyone like colourised films?
 
Exapno Mapcase said:
I had a strange urge to watch a Bob Hope film yesterday so searched the various sources we are signed up to in the house and went for My Favourite Brunette - amusing enough film, I'm a sucker for almost any black and white film. That's where it hit a snag, only a colourised version available. Why do they do this? Everyone looks like they are in a Ready Brek advert and it's really hard to watch - I altered the colour settings on my telly to make it black and white but it still looked weird. The iast time I fancied watching The General only a colourised desecration was available. Messing with Bob Hope is one thing but interfering with cinematic genius is criminal so I didn't bother. Does anyone like colourised films?
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Agreed, I hate colourised versions of black and white films. I refuse to watch Stan and Ollie ones. A noir I watched last year - I can’t remember which - has been colourised. I watched a bit and it was dire. A lot of cinematographers used lighting and shadows very specifically in these films. Colourising them ruins that.
 
Exapno Mapcase said:
I had a strange urge to watch a Bob Hope film yesterday so searched the various sources we are signed up to in the house and went for My Favourite Brunette - amusing enough film, I'm a sucker for almost any black and white film. That's where it hit a snag, only a colourised version available. Why do they do this? Everyone looks like they are in a Ready Brek advert and it's really hard to watch - I altered the colour settings on my telly to make it black and white but it still looked weird. The iast time I fancied watching The General only a colourised desecration was available. Messing with Bob Hope is one thing but interfering with cinematic genius is criminal so I didn't bother. Does anyone like colourised films?
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Totally agree on colourisation, if the director wanted colour it would be lit differently etc etc, there is a dingier than dingy version of The Longest Day that sometimes gets shown, it is worse than the day-glo shite you normally see.

My DVD of My Favourite Brunette is an awful darker grey, grey and lighter grey out of focus bag.

Wikipedia has a much better print on the film's page.
👍
 
Doogie Hauser said:
Agreed, I hate colourised versions of black and white films. I refuse to watch Stan and Ollie ones. A noir I watched last year - I can’t remember which - has been colourised. I watched a bit and it was dire. A lot of cinematographers used lighting and shadows very specifically in these films. Colourising them ruins that.
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Colourisation technology is improving, but I don't see what the point is when the production design and cinematography have been tailored to b&w.

Sets were often dressed in weird colours specifically to look good in b&w. Hitchcock famously used Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of blood in Psycho for visual impact.
 
Monty Pigeon said:
Colourisation technology is improving, but I don't see what the point is when the production design and cinematography have been tailored to b&w.

Sets were often dressed in weird colours specifically to look good in b&w. Hitchcock famously used Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of blood in Psycho for visual impact.
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Make up was weird as well for early b&w, not designed to be "updated", green faces and black lines iirc.
 
The End We Start From - Netflix

Post-apocalyptic set up about a young woman and new born baby trying to figure out surviving after massive floods leave UK cities uninhabitable. Slow-paced, thoughtful and rather moving film - like the polar opposite to a Walking Dead/28 Days Later type of post-apocalyptic thriller.

Brilliant performance from Jodie Comer in the lead role, with decent little cameos from the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and wor Gina McKee.

8/10
 
Just been released in US I think….

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Caught this one on Amazon Prime last week.. it reminded me of one I watched in the 1980s called Blood Beach (which was a much better film!)

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Think I got the wrong Popeye🤣

Absolutely shite and hideous, lasted 5 minutes. Totally unnecessary 1/10

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Edit just seen it been mentioned above🤣
 
Dark Traveller said:
Just been released in US I think….

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Caught this one on Amazon Prime last week.. it reminded me of one I watched in the 1980s called Blood Beach (which was a much better film!)

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Does Popeye sing the title, which is a clever play on words?
 
Dark Traveller said:
Just been released in US I think….

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Caught this one on Amazon Prime last week.. it reminded me of one I watched in the 1980s called Blood Beach (which was a much better film!)

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Blood Beach was great fun. ^These look terrible. :lol:
 
Sound of freedom (2023), Amazon
7/10
Good film but uncomfortable at times, delving into child trafficking for the sex trade in South America. Based on true events. Tim Ballard was quite a fella 👏🏻
 
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Appaloosa (Prime)
Nearly gave up on it, was looking like a very by the numbers Western, but improved as it went on and I liked the ending.
7.8/10
 
riffraff said:
Vastly overrated imho. Saw it months ago. It’s basically morphs from a MTV video/light Porn video mash up into a comedy hapless gangster film ower the course of the film.
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It was certainly a journey. Never knew where it was going to go, nice on the eye, but knew it wouldn’t end well. A bit like going to the jack the rippers actually.

The Russian gangsters were good I thought, but it went a bit too daft and edgy. Made it look fun to be a 21yo billionaire mind. Enjoyed it tbh would recommend.
 
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