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SMB Film Thread 2025
- Thread starter Fletch73
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Blu-ray £55, director's cut £137 used.
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oddbod
Striker
Loved the babadook!
Perception is strange really!.... as i thought it wasnt very realistic especially if you see the original old photos of the climb ......obviously a very brave man in real life but to me the cinematic treatment was a little fake and the conversations not true to life and a little "propaganderish"!
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BarrySheensAutograph
Midfield
John Wick 4, complete nonsense, cant believe they made four exactly the same films, still enjoyable enough mind 7/10
riffraff
Striker
It’s very good but….
No no no no no
F1 - I thought I'd dislike this film, not a big fan of F1, and I can take/leave Brad Pitt, but somehow it turned out to be quite good. Yeah, it's got the older experienced bloke vs the young upstart tropes, but it is mixed in with pretty thrilling racing action. Also found the commentator explaining a lot of going on with regards to tactics etc pretty good, I knew a some of it, but that filled in some of more puzzling stuff to none F1 fans. I could image F1 die hards sat through this and picking holes left, right and center, but just as a film, i enjoyed. 7/10
safcforever
Striker
Warfare
f***ing brutal. Up there with Kilo 2 Bravo as the most intense modern war film I’ve ever seen.
f***ing brutal. Up there with Kilo 2 Bravo as the most intense modern war film I’ve ever seen.
Monty Pigeon
Striker
A Life Among Elephants (2025) 8/10
Documentary about elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton. Plenty of jaw-dropping footage of his close encounters with elephants. Not so good on the debate that took place in the 80s and 90s about population control and the selling of legal ivory to fund conservation. East Africa was against, Southern Africa was in favour. I was involved to a degree while working for a Southern African game department. East Africa got their way, and he credits that (and himself) with saving the African elephant. It's much more complicated.
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2022) 10/10
Werner Herzog's stunning documentary about two French volcanologists who died filming an erupting volcano in Japan. The film's as much about the nature of obsession as about volcanoes. Full movie here:
Karate Kid: Legends (2025) 5/10
The initial AI sequence of Mr Miyagi and young Ralph Macchio sets the alarm bells ringing. The entire script seems to be AI, scraping elements from the previous films and the TV series. There's an entirely unnecessary boxing subplot, and fight sequences seem to be lifted from a video game. Character motivations are all over the place. Older Ralph - one of the 'Legends' - doesn't appear until near the end. That said, some of the fights are choreographed by Jackie Chan, and they're great.
Documentary about elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton. Plenty of jaw-dropping footage of his close encounters with elephants. Not so good on the debate that took place in the 80s and 90s about population control and the selling of legal ivory to fund conservation. East Africa was against, Southern Africa was in favour. I was involved to a degree while working for a Southern African game department. East Africa got their way, and he credits that (and himself) with saving the African elephant. It's much more complicated.
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The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2022) 10/10
Werner Herzog's stunning documentary about two French volcanologists who died filming an erupting volcano in Japan. The film's as much about the nature of obsession as about volcanoes. Full movie here:
You must be logged on to see media items
Karate Kid: Legends (2025) 5/10
The initial AI sequence of Mr Miyagi and young Ralph Macchio sets the alarm bells ringing. The entire script seems to be AI, scraping elements from the previous films and the TV series. There's an entirely unnecessary boxing subplot, and fight sequences seem to be lifted from a video game. Character motivations are all over the place. Older Ralph - one of the 'Legends' - doesn't appear until near the end. That said, some of the fights are choreographed by Jackie Chan, and they're great.
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Monty Pigeon
Striker
Not seen it for years. Need to give it another watch.
Doogie Hauser
Midfield
Little Caesar (1931)
Edward G Robinson’s Rico wants a slice of the underworld big league, but his former partner in crime Joe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) doesn’t want a bar of it.
Rightly heralded as a classic and a game-changer, this is a tight, brisk crime film with a lot of quality that still has an impact today.
On the minus side, I did find the direction slightly stagey in dialogue scenes, and a real hangover from the silent era. Actors are slow to deliver their lines, and there’s long pauses between speaking and reaction, with facial expressions being too theatrical. Most of the acting is wooden. The cop is pure caricature.
Flipping to the good stuff, we have the exception: Robinson himself. Everything he does in this film is leagues above everything else. His line delivery is snappy, precise and dripping with menace, and you can see that he’s living this character. Everything is delivered with conviction. Even the aspects of this performance that have been mimicked and done to death over the years, that have become a stereotype, are still excellent because of the honesty of Robinson’s turn. He’s a top tier actor and shouldn’t be forgotten about by modern audiences. Every time he’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him. That’s screen magnetism, and it proves that you don’t have to be a suave ponce or a jacked up pretty boy to lead a film so comprehensively.
His character is also a complete winner. This isn’t about Robinson taking something unremarkable and making it remarkable. Rico is a genuinely interesting character. He’s remorseless, savage and has near-zero empathy with the people in his sphere. He’s ruthless and doesn’t care about norms and underworld etiquette - a truly unhinged loose cannon who has his goal and doesn’t let any nuance get in the way. I laughed out loud on several occasions at his callousness and carefree aggression. He doesn't give a shit, and makes for a fantastic, iconic turn.
Then we have the injection of empathy you feel at the end. When he realises that he can’t suppress all of his weaknesses, and we realise that he’s not entirely bad. I love his last line, delivered in third person. It’s like he’s disassociating himself from his weakness by reporting on his own failure - like he can’t face the fact that he didn’t have what it took to be truly number one. Magnificent.
As a film, by modern standards, it will be far too dated for many people. Too wooden, too basic, too much of a cliche. I get that. Which is why I watched it fully immersed in an understanding of its contemporary significance, looking for its impact and seeing stereotypes as products of this film, and not a reason to knock it.
In some respects, this film would be a 7/10. It has a lot of era-product faults. That’s like knocking an old novel for antiquated language, though.
EGR and his character raises its score significantly. He produces a modern performance that still works now. A blueprint for a psychopath. Not bettered, I think. Equalled, but not bettered for its sheer crazed single mindedness. I can overlook the 1930 new-to-sound acting of the others, and the stilted direction (although there is some very good camerawork and cinematography at various points that’s proto-noir). This is a great film, a classic, and Robinson deserves the utmost respect for changing cinema.
8.5/10
Edward G Robinson’s Rico wants a slice of the underworld big league, but his former partner in crime Joe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) doesn’t want a bar of it.
Rightly heralded as a classic and a game-changer, this is a tight, brisk crime film with a lot of quality that still has an impact today.
On the minus side, I did find the direction slightly stagey in dialogue scenes, and a real hangover from the silent era. Actors are slow to deliver their lines, and there’s long pauses between speaking and reaction, with facial expressions being too theatrical. Most of the acting is wooden. The cop is pure caricature.
Flipping to the good stuff, we have the exception: Robinson himself. Everything he does in this film is leagues above everything else. His line delivery is snappy, precise and dripping with menace, and you can see that he’s living this character. Everything is delivered with conviction. Even the aspects of this performance that have been mimicked and done to death over the years, that have become a stereotype, are still excellent because of the honesty of Robinson’s turn. He’s a top tier actor and shouldn’t be forgotten about by modern audiences. Every time he’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him. That’s screen magnetism, and it proves that you don’t have to be a suave ponce or a jacked up pretty boy to lead a film so comprehensively.
His character is also a complete winner. This isn’t about Robinson taking something unremarkable and making it remarkable. Rico is a genuinely interesting character. He’s remorseless, savage and has near-zero empathy with the people in his sphere. He’s ruthless and doesn’t care about norms and underworld etiquette - a truly unhinged loose cannon who has his goal and doesn’t let any nuance get in the way. I laughed out loud on several occasions at his callousness and carefree aggression. He doesn't give a shit, and makes for a fantastic, iconic turn.
Then we have the injection of empathy you feel at the end. When he realises that he can’t suppress all of his weaknesses, and we realise that he’s not entirely bad. I love his last line, delivered in third person. It’s like he’s disassociating himself from his weakness by reporting on his own failure - like he can’t face the fact that he didn’t have what it took to be truly number one. Magnificent.
As a film, by modern standards, it will be far too dated for many people. Too wooden, too basic, too much of a cliche. I get that. Which is why I watched it fully immersed in an understanding of its contemporary significance, looking for its impact and seeing stereotypes as products of this film, and not a reason to knock it.
In some respects, this film would be a 7/10. It has a lot of era-product faults. That’s like knocking an old novel for antiquated language, though.
EGR and his character raises its score significantly. He produces a modern performance that still works now. A blueprint for a psychopath. Not bettered, I think. Equalled, but not bettered for its sheer crazed single mindedness. I can overlook the 1930 new-to-sound acting of the others, and the stilted direction (although there is some very good camerawork and cinematography at various points that’s proto-noir). This is a great film, a classic, and Robinson deserves the utmost respect for changing cinema.
8.5/10
offmenut
Striker
Loved it
Sally Hawkins is great in everything she does imo. A lot more gruesome than talk to me , by the same director, which is a bit more fun.
Both of these movies a solid 7.5/10
Watched ‘the shrouds’ last night , which I usually like David cronenbourg movies, but this just wasn’t for me. A fairly slow movie which seemed interesting but never developed. 2/10
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I feel that David has ran his course tbh. Canny concepts but just a bit dull. Brandon on the other hand is very exciting.
Enjoyed Bring Her Back aswell. Sally Hawkins managed to pull you in and actually feel sympathetic for her.
offmenut
Striker
Aye , loved infinity pool and possessor with that Geordie lass in it
Never saw it when it came out but watched anti viral fairy recently after id watched those two , and he's moved on so much in directing - even though anti viral was a good concept.
Deffo a director I will look out for and look forward to his next movies
Great films. Anti Viral is so disturbing and not because of the concept, which is actually pretty believable, but the aesthetic. It’s so white and sterile.
It’s too close to call which I prefer, Possessor or Infinity Pool.
craigypants
Striker
Good reviews. Personally I liked The Shrouds a bit more but it was a bit messy. Some good ideas but didn't gel for me.
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