What was the last movie you've seen?

[REPO Man]

It's set in the same timeline as the Arkham games, occurring after the events of Arkham Origins.

Despite Batman's name in the title, The Dark Knight himself takes backseat (for the most part) to The Suicide Squad, consisting of Harley Quinn and Deadshot, among others, in a mission to break into Arkham and get The Riddler after being kidnapped by Amanda Waller (voiced once again by CCH Pounder). If they fail, get captured, or just piss off Amanda Waller (the fat bitch!), a bomb in their necks explode (which happened to short-lived Suicide Squad member KGBeast).

Despite it's short run-time (76 minutes) there's TONS of comic-book-style action, a huge bulk of which is in the last 20 or so minutes.

Worth a rental.

[Sload Soap]

Don't ask me why but I watched Iron Sky. Worse I watched the extended directors cut. I get the movie is supposed to be some campy b-movie shlock but there is are still some really weird mixed messages here and worse it even tries (and fails) to be thoughtful at the end. I'd have been happier if it was just 90 mins of steam punk nazis blowing up shit. At least then it would have looked like a slightly more high budget Command & Conquer cutscene.

To wash the taste of that out I watched Throne of Blood. Amazing film. It's like a previously obscured piece of Japanese culture has fallen into place and I can now see a direct link from contemporary games and film back through to Noh theatre. I have seen a few Kurosawa's before but Throne is pretty unique. Very moody and brilliantly shot.

[prfsnl_gmr]

To wash the taste of that out I watched Throne of Blood. Amazing film. It's like a previously obscured piece of Japanese culture has fallen into place and I can now see a direct link from contemporary games and film back through to Noh theatre. I have seen a few Kurosawa's before but Throne is pretty unique. Very moody and brilliantly shot.

Since MacBeth is one of my favorite plays, Throne of Blood is one of my favorite Kurosawa films. I have also realized the "connection" you discuss in your post, and if you would like some recommendations for additional classic Japanes moves, please let me (or Ack) know.

.....

Last night, my wife and I watched:



Only God Forgives (2013). I loved Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, but this film just was not in the same league. Like Drive, it is a very quiet film punctuated by acts of extreme violence, and it plays out like a mash-up of Dario Argento's Suspiria and a modern Yakuza film. (I also remarked at one point that the film play out like a John Woo film told from the villain's perspective.) The result, however, is not that compelling, and despite the fact that the film is well-acted, highly stylized, and beautifully photographed, it ultimately disappointed my admittedly high expectations. (Kristin Scott Thomas's character - which is quite a departure from her usual roles - is a force of nature, however, and the film is almost worth watching just for her performance.)

[Ack]

To wash the taste of that out I watched Throne of Blood. Amazing film. It's like a previously obscured piece of Japanese culture has fallen into place and I can now see a direct link from contemporary games and film back through to Noh theatre. I have seen a few Kurosawa's before but Throne is pretty unique. Very moody and brilliantly shot.

Yeah, it's pretty awesome how Shakespeare works so well in a feudal Japanese setting.



I finally got to watch Argo. No, it's not historically accurate(and in some ways is far off and actually pissed off quite a few diplomats and a few governments). Yes, it was an entertaining movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, it also glorifies Hollywood and the CIA when in reality they were playing second banana to Canada, but the movie does an excellent job creating tension in the face of a country in the midst of a revolution from one kind of totalitarianism to another.

If I have a criticism, it's that after a while the attempts to create tension got hammy, particularly at the end. When the bus had trouble starting, I admit that I started laughing. But is it worth watching? Yeah, I would say it was. I enjoyed it, it definitely did it's job, and that's probably the best acting I've ever seen Ben Affleck do. I think he's generally better behind a camera than in front of it, but he nailed this one in my opinion.

Only God Forgives (2013).

I've been wanting to see this for a while, despite hearing it wasn't nearly as good as Drive. It stuns me how something you describe as " a mash-up of Dario Argento's Suspiria and a modern Yakuza film" could be bad, so now I have to know...or I can wait a bit longer. October is almost here, and noise has been helping me generate a list of horror films to seek out.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I've been wanting to see this for a while, despite hearing it wasn't nearly as good as Drive. It stuns me how something you describe as " a mash-up of Dario Argento's Suspiria and a modern Yakuza film" could be bad, so now I have to know...or I can wait a bit longer. October is almost here, and noise has been helping me generate a list of horror films to seek out.

It's not really horror, but it certainly employs a lot of horror conventions. (In addition to a strong "giallo" influence, I also picked up a hint of David Lynch in some scenes.) It is an interesting film - the "villain" is a rogue cop who would almost certainly be the hero in a John Woo film - and I think that you should see it just so that I can read your thoughts on it.

[Sload Soap]

I've got a Kurosawa box set that has shamefully sat on my shelf untouched since Xmas to get through first but then yeah, by all means hit me up with those recommendations.

[Ack]

I've got a Kurosawa box set that has shamefully sat on my shelf untouched since Xmas to get through first but then yeah, by all means hit me up with those recommendations.

What's in the box set?

[prfsnl_gmr]

I've got a Kurosawa box set that has shamefully sat on my shelf untouched since Xmas to get through first but then yeah, by all means hit me up with those recommendations.

If you are looking for films with a strong Noh influence, I cannot recommend Kwaidan (1964) and Ugetsu (1953) highly enough. In addition to Kurosawa's many famous "samurai" films, I also recommend Harakiri (1962), which is excellent, and if you are looking for something more modern, I recommend The Twilight Samurai (2002).

[Ack]

I've got a Kurosawa box set that has shamefully sat on my shelf untouched since Xmas to get through first but then yeah, by all means hit me up with those recommendations.

If you are looking for films with a strong Noh influence, I cannot recommend Kwaidan (1964) and Ugetsu (1953) highly enough. In addition to Kurosawa's many famous "samurai" films, I also recommend Harakiri (1962), which is excellent, and if you are looking for something more modern, I recommend The Twilight Samurai (2002).

I think all of these are excellent choices but will go a slightly different route and focus on recommending more exploitative and violent samurai movies: The Sword of Doom, Sword of Vengeance, and 13 Assassins.

The Sword of Doom is a great intro to the more violent and dark themes that dominate in 1970s Japanese cinema. Sword of Vengeance is the first in the Lone Wolf and Cub series of films, based on the popular and influential manga. And 13 Assassins is both a gateway to modern Japanese historic cinema and the work of director Takashi Miike. These are all enjoyable examples of chanbara(or chambara, "sword fight") film, which is a subgenre of Jidaigeki, "period dramas."

[prfsnl_gmr]

As usual...All excellent choices!