A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 1:18 pm The Banshees of Inisherin. Best film I've seen in years. Wonderful.

I was really disappointed by it. I thought every part of it was really great, apart from the script and the story. Great performances (at least four of 'em!), it looked stunning, and it was engaging enough, but it really pissed me off, because it was either wilfully contrived or ducking the difficult stuff, in a way that I associate with really "showy" theatre.

Dudley wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:16 am Great performances (at least four of 'em!), it looked stunning, and it was engaging enough, but it really pissed me off, because it was either wilfully contrived or ducking the difficult stuff, in a way that I associate with really "showy" theatre.

That's funny, as one of the things I loved about it was how astutely it stared down the difficult stuff. Amazing how we can differ like that.

Dudley wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:16 am

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 1:18 pm The Banshees of Inisherin. Best film I've seen in years. Wonderful.

I was really disappointed by it. I thought every part of it was really great, apart from the script and the story. Great performances (at least four of 'em!), it looked stunning, and it was engaging enough, but it really pissed me off, because it was either wilfully contrived or ducking the difficult stuff, in a way that I associate with really "showy" theatre.

Completely agree. His other films are very underwhelming for some of the same reasons. I much prefer his brother's work, and in fact this one is the most like his brother's and perhaps his best (least bad?).
It's a shame Kerry Condon's performance will get overshadowed by Farrell and Gleeson, as they could do whatever and people will still laud it, but she absolutely nailed being a small town Irish sister. It was like being back home.
Barry Keoghan is not as good as people make out - he always does this staring half into the distance and being a bit odd thing in every role he has and people think he's Marlon Brando. He still needs to develop his acting.

Strip away the impressive cinematography/landscapes and you just have a very thin film with a shock aspect.

andyman wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:56 am It's a shame Kerry Condon's performance will get overshadowed by Farrell and Gleeson, as they could do whatever and people will still laud it, but she absolutely nailed being a small town Irish sister. It was like being back home.

Yeah, I thought she was incredible in this. Because I'm stupid, I sat there not being able to place her, but thinking she was really familiar, despite being in the middle of watching BCS for a second time.

andyman wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:56 am Barry Keoghan is not as good as people make out - he always does this staring half into the distance and being a bit odd thing in every role he has and people think he's Marlon Brando. He still needs to develop his acting.

But he's a shoo-in for a central role if they ever make a film of the Primal Scream story.

I thought he was pretty good in "Calm With Horses", which I really liked, but thinking about it after reading your post, there is a fair amount of "staring half into the distance and being a bit odd" on display throughout the cast of that.

I watched Glass Onion on Netflix the other night just because it was THERE. It was fun but also kind of shitty in that badly-written way that modern films are. The murder-mystery plot was very strained and the ending was just stupid.

An old Columbo special would have been a better bet, ah do declare.

Anthony Flack wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:09 pm I watched Glass Onion on Netflix the other night just because it was THERE. It was fun but also kind of shitty in that badly-written way that modern films are. The murder-mystery plot was very strained and the ending was just stupid.

Yeah, I thought Knives Out was better. I did like the theme of the culturally worshipped tech mogul being a phony idiot riding others' coattails.

Soft and Quiet - in which a small group of white women meet to discuss how black, brown, Jews, feminists, and LGBTQ+ people are bringing about the downfall of America. Later, a home invasion prank goes off the rails. Shot in one continuous take this conceit sometimes adds to the tension, but it can also get a bit exhausting. Not sure if I'm onboard with the ending after sitting through 90 minutes of racist white characters acting without moral principles, but the story did keep me engaged. It can get intense and there's a scene of sexual assault so viewer beware.

losthighway wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:00 pm I did like the theme of the culturally worshipped tech mogul being a phony idiot riding others' coattails.

That's how I feel about tech mogul worship too, but on the other hand it meant it wasn't a surprise at all. The film was lampooning him so hard from the beginning so... well, the detective was complaining about the plot being stupid and obvious, a bit of lampshading there I feel.

I liked all the art, that was fun. They destroyed a whole museum worth of fine art for personal revenge, but hey. That crystal anus. And there were moments when Daniel Craig was basically channelling Inspector Clouseau, and it's fun that he is willing to be that silly.

The Quiet Girl (2022). One of those where you wonder why it was adopted from its source. Nicely made, just falls all wrong as a film.