[ScoJo]

@scojo, I came across malice randomly when some band a friend showed me used Alec Baldwin’s “I am god” speech as an opener. I’d never even heard of it and it became an instant fav. I think roger ebert said it was the only movie he’d ever seen where there was a serial killer subplot just thrown in simply for atmosphere

(Also pre saw tobin bell, who was just always that sinister looking I guess)

It’s a wild movie, bill pullman has a rough time of it haha.

It's a goodie alright, I often come back to it. Peak Baldwin. Harold Becker is a solid 'elevated B-movie' director for sure. And it's one of the few Nicole 'Hey, Look At Me Acting!!' films i can go with, alongside Dead Calm.

[static14]

God I rented Malice so many times during the vhs days. The 90’s were rotten with “erotic” thrillers. The Joe Eszterhas era.

[maxlevel]

What we Do in the Shadows TV series is excellent, the werewolves episode is once again the highlight of the story but the British vampire leads make the whole thing sing

[inksb]

What we Do in the Shadows TV series is excellent, the werewolves episode is once again the highlight of the story but the British vampire leads make the whole thing sing

Give me Matt Barry and I will always be laughing. Actually the highlight of the series was Natasia Demetriou, her expressions alone were enough to make me laugh but her delivery on her distaste for most stuff was incredible. I loved the show and look forward to another season. I saw a lot of people claim it wasn't funny, wasn't as good as the other spin off series (Wellington Paranormal) but Jemaine wrote over half the episodes and directed a bunch too. Taika directed the pilot, The Trial and the finale. It feels very much like the original film and has it's own thing going on. I wish there were more than 10 episodes.

As for Wellington Paranormal, I watched that recently too. I found it quite fun, it focuses on the two bumbling police officers from the What We Do In the Shadows movie. Even has a small cameo from one of the vampires but I didn't think it worked as well as the WWDITS TV series. Just my personal preference, I like it and will watch more as it comes out.

Speaking of Matt Berry I need some you living in the UK to watch Year of the Rabbit and tell me how amazing it is. Supposedly it's coming to the IFC channel in the US after it finishes it's run on Channel 4 but I want/need it now :)

[maxlevel]

@inksb yeah that’s about to start too! I definitely quote Toast on a daily basis, and when not possible out loud then internally

Also: demetriou has her own sketch show on bbc at the moment Ellie & Natasia: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07bmz1q it’s experimental, some of it is pretty great

[inksb]

Every time some one orders a whiskey at the bar Matt Berry's voice rings loudly in my brain. I need to revisit Toast, I haven't watched it since the 3rd season ended. Fucking Clem Fandango!

[maxlevel]

The guy who plays Clem is the absolute shittest thing about the new Star Trek Discovery. I mean yeah, love he’s got that gig but they really shit the bed there

[Bezulsqy]

The guy who plays Clem is the absolute shittest thing about the new Star Trek Discovery. I mean yeah, love he’s got that gig but they really shit the bed there

I have no idea about the conversation you guys had in the post above but I agree with this statement. I loved the first season of ST Discovery, but this season I cannot really get into it. I stopped watching after 4 episodes to wait until it finished so I could watch the remainder in one go.

[Bezulsqy]

@ScoJo
We watched House of Games yesterday.
It looked very made for tv. Not sure if it was. I liked it from the start though. My girlfriend not so much. She found it all a bit strange. But when the cop got shot for some reason my girlfriend became intrigued and in the end she did like it.

[ScoJo]

@ScoJo
We watched House of Games yesterday.
It looked very made for tv. Not sure if it was. I liked it from the start though. My girlfriend not so much. She found it all a bit strange. But when the cop got shot for some reason my girlfriend became intrigued and in the end she did like it.

It wasn't made for TV but Mamet is not really known for his cinematic vision - he is a very famous American playwright and screenwriter, and this was his first film. Like most of his movies, it is very much like a play which has been filmed, and he has a VERY peculiar way with vernacular US dialogue and performances. A bit like Yorgis whatsisface, the Lobster guy, he gets his actors to perform as if they have just recovered from major brain surgery, are on high dose of tranquilizers, and show all the emotional range of a tin of paint. And yet.... you get used to it as a style! His films are all about plot, insanely brilliant, clockwork plotting and structure, with character coming only through action and pithy retort rather than endless speeches telling each ther 'how they feel'. This reaches it's height for me with Spartan, a film that on paper sounds like Bourne meets Zero Dark Thirty but actually plays out like the weirdest fever dream action film as produced by visiting aliens. It's completely bonkers, brilliantly written, and endlessly quotable. His most 'approachable' film for a wide audience is probably his Hollywood comedy farce State and Main. But it's still Mamet doing a comedy - so definitely not for everyone haha!

The fact that your gf found it a 'bit strange' is completely understandable, so do tell her it's 'not her'! To be perfectly honest, the way Mamet writes/directs his actors is bizzaro for almost everyone - and especially so I imagine for someone who has English as a second language!? My own gf is a theatre person, and actively loathes Mamet. Whenever she walks in on me watching something of his, or even a film he has scripted, it's not long before her brows furrow, her nose wrinkles, and she's like 'what is this shit? It's not Mamet is it??' Uncanny, happens every time!

[inksb]

he gets his actors to perform as if they have just recovered from major brain surgery, are on high dose of tranquilizers, and show all the emotional range of a tin of paint.

I absolutely love this quote. That's exactly how I felt while watching The Lobster. I've been intrigued by Mamet for a long time, I think I was told to watch House of Games in the early 00's and have been aware of his work since then but outside of seeing a few films he's written, I've never watched a film directed by him. Someday I will watch at least one.

[maxlevel]

@inksb @scojo I think Glengarry is masterful. I’m no Mamet scholar but holy shit what a cast

[ScoJo]

@inksb @scojo I think Glengarry is masterful. I’m no Mamet scholar but holy shit what a cast

^ 100%. And it benefitted from a director who knew what to do with them... although Foley never hit that same level again sadly (did some good tv work on TP, Hannibal, House of Cards, but his features have been dreadful - finishing with the last two Fifty Shades crackers!)

[maxlevel]

@scojo wow, didn’t know that! Sometimes you wonder how the director has the balls to put his name on a film. It reminds me of an anecdote about Lock Stock where they basically showed up with all their mates for shooting but the grips and camera techs brought all their specialist toys out. This resulted in an amazing array of details and technical achievements which the film didn’t really warrant by itself.

[ChrisMcQueen007]

Time to revisit this one after 15 years or so.

[skeletonbutt]

anyone watching Too Old to Die Young? i made it through three and not sure if i can do the next seven. i like NWR but i think a compact 2-hour movie is better suited for his style.

[inksb]

I just found out about it yesterday, going to try and watch an episode this weekend. I was wondering how his style would translate to a series though.

@chris what did you think of your return to TCM2? I love that movie, it's so absurd. I really appreciate Tobe's desire to steer far away from just doing part 1 again.

[ChrisMcQueen007]

@inks : I liked it much better than when I saw it last (which was my second viewing). I hated it when I saw it the first time in my late teens as I thought it was plain silly. But it actually does go into some dark places while beiing pretty crazy and absurd as you put it. It was probably the right choice of Hooper to take this tongue-in-cheek approach as it would not have worked out to replicate the experience of the first one. But somehow I still wish he wouldn‘t have made such a retarded clown out of Leatherface in part 2.

[inksb]

Night Beast is a gem. I had never heard of this film until a few months ago on a podcast when some one was gushing about it. A few months go by and the always impressive Vinegar Syndrome released a bluray of it for their "half way to black friday" event. It's insanely low budget, the acting is stiff and awkward but the love for film making is oozing out of every scene. There are great practical effects in a film made by people who shouldn't be able to make effects that good. The set up is an alien ship crashes on Earth, in back woods country area, locals investigate and get annihilated (in gloriously cheap fashion), the local sheriff investigates, realizes this is a huge problem and tries to evacuate the town. Standard country folk characters, asshole biker, big show down, weird awkward sex scenes, lots of shots of guns firing, the film has it all for a low budget affair. If you are into cheap sci-fi horror films then this is a must watch. It is available to stream on Amazon in the US but I recommend just picking up the bluray as it's impressive how good it looks.

I also finished Chernobyl and feel so drained and sad about human nature. Night Beast was a nice escape from that show.

[deafmetal]

@inks - The cover image on Night Beast is intriguing, yikes! I have been unable to get J to start watching Chernobyl with me as she felt it might be too grim and depressing, and now it will probably never happen as she heard something about all the dogs in the city being put down as part of the story (is that true)?

Speaking of solo viewing, I gave up on continually asking her to watch David Gordon Green's Halloween with me, so I managed to sneak in a viewing last week. I'm so late to the party, but I really enjoyed it. The pacing felt very crisp, and the mix of the tense atmosphere and ultraviolence worked well for me. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode felt a bit over-the-top at times, but I'm willing to give her a lifetime pass on just about anything (except for the "Happy Halloween, Michael!" one-liner at the end, egads). Lastly, Carpenter's score was nothing short of electrifying. I loved it. Now I can finally crack the seal on the soundtrack LP...

I also randomly watched The Holy Mountain for the first time, haha (also alone). I think I shed a few acid-fried braincells while watching this. I could have done without the animal abuses or whatever was going on there, but I kept alternating between thoughts that Jodorowsky is an inspired creative genius or just some hack nutjob asshole. I suppose that was the proper reaction?

[ScoJo]

The 'Dog-a-gedden' episode of Chernobyl was no joke. I did not enjoy it one bit, and I'll bet your lady has made the right call on that one. However you owe it to yourself to go there, and watch the entire series. It's just extraordinary on every level (and after the last ep I admit I cried for 15 minutes... which is practically unheard of for me, with a TV show!)

[ScoJo]

I have a long history with Holy Mountain. It is definitely a world-destroying film for a 19yr old. Must have seen it around a dozen times in various odd places. Not sure I feel need to watch again.
I met Jodo twice, once in the very early 90s and again about 7yrs ago. Neither time did it go especially 'well', but the first time was distinguished by my pal excitedly returning from visit to gents where he had stood next to AJ at the urinals, and couldn't resist having a sneaky peak at 'Jod's Plod' ;-)

[ScoJo]

The Halloween '18 score is straight ffffiiiiyaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!!!!

[static14]

This was fun last night. :)

[inksb]

@inks - The cover image on Night Beast is intriguing, yikes! I have been unable to get J to start watching Chernobyl with me as she felt it might be too grim and depressing, and now it will probably never happen as she heard something about all the dogs in the city being put down as part of the story (is that true)?

Speaking of solo viewing, I gave up on continually asking her to watch David Gordon Green's Halloween with me, so I managed to sneak in a viewing last week. I'm so late to the party, but I really enjoyed it. The pacing felt very crisp, and the mix of the tense atmosphere and ultraviolence worked well for me. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode felt a bit over-the-top at times, but I'm willing to give her a lifetime pass on just about anything (except for the "Happy Halloween, Michael!" one-liner at the end, egads). Lastly, Carpenter's score was nothing short of electrifying. I loved it. Now I can finally crack the seal on the soundtrack LP...

I also randomly watched The Holy Mountain for the first time, haha (also alone). I think I shed a few acid-fried braincells while watching this. I could have done without the animal abuses or whatever was going on there, but I kept alternating between thoughts that Jodorowsky is an inspired creative genius or just some hack nutjob asshole. I suppose that was the proper reaction?

Chernobyl is a tough watch, quite depressing and very affecting. Episode 4 is split down the middle, half of it is plot progression and the other half is murdering dogs. They were trying to be humane, put down all of the animals left behind in Pripyat that were exposed to all that radiation, it's very hard to watch. I think you should definitely watch the show though, my wife loved and hated it due to how depressing it was but very few TV shows does she want to discuss afterwards and we had a few talks about various parts through out that evening and the next day.

Glad you enjoyed Halloween '18, it's quite enjoyable and as @ScoJo said the sound track is fiyar!

I haven't revisited Holy Mountain since the mid 00's, not sure when I'll go back, it's a wonderful mindfuck of a film but some uncomfortable moments keep me from wanting to just throw it on at any given time.