my votes
Oldboy
The Mist (ok it was a bit cheap but it was more about the people than the monsters)
The Dark Knight
and by all accounts Moon and District 9 although i've not seen them yet, all reviews have been promising
Lives of Others
district 9..really??! looks crapola.
Got disagree, looks ace but will probably turn out to be crappola.
The dark knight & batman returns are all I can think of.. Very sad state of affairs really
Redbelt is a very good film, Inglorious Basterds is most excellent.
Off to see "The Hurt Locker" on Friday and "District 9" next week I am most excited.
It's not all too bad; do you hear that Michael Bay!
In terms of films that are all about blowing shit up, I'd say we are in a lull. Most of the films that have really impressed me recently have been documentaries - Grizzly Man for example.
i like the look of the new tron film.has anyone seen it,is it any cop?
Gran Torino
and by all accounts Moon and District 9 although i've not seen them yet, all reviews have been promising
Moon is just brilliant. It's the first film I thought of when I saw the thread title.
Shandy - agree on Gran Torino
Mr Agreeable - blowing shit up films?? you missed the new Terminator & Transformers films?
Transformers 2 was 2.5 hours of constant blowing shit up. If you like blowing shit up, you couldn't ask for a higher percentage of shit being blown up.
wristcutters
Gran Torino gets my vote too!
Peachos, the last Terminator film I saw was the third one I think, and it just didn't stick in my mind at all. Can't say I see that many films at all these days but action films in particular seem pretty tired. Visually they all seem to be generated on a computer, and plot-wise they rely either on well-worn cliches or knowing post-modern smirkiness. Blow shit up by all means, but do it with a bit of originality, conviction and style.
Another point is that there are plenty of great films out there already, and I'm not going to be spoon-fed the latest thing when access to amazing movies made over the previous 75 years has never been more easily available.
Sin City
28 Days Later
As a comic purist, Sin City was a little bit of a let down. Combining so many Frank Miller stories into a single film is asking for trouble and confusion. That said, it was _very_ well done and I enjoyed it.
I'd still like to see a film version of Hard Boiled though.
I'll get back to you with a recent decent film.
JCVD. A neat ironic take on a "real" action movie.
No Country For Old Men (albeit a strange ending). Just captivated me.
Little Miss Sunshine. Started watching it and was like wtf is this...but thoroughly enjoyed it.
Watched District 9 t'other day and wow, best film I've seen in ages!
Eagle v Shark, didn't have a clue what it was about but it left me with a smile...
Spongebob Squarepants the Movie, it made me cry.
Mr Agreeable - Member
Peachos, the last Terminator film I saw was the third one I think, and it just didn't stick in my mind at all. Can't say I see that many films at all these days but action films in particular seem pretty tired. Visually they all seem to be generated on a computer, and plot-wise they rely either on well-worn cliches or knowing post-modern smirkiness. Blow shit up by all means, but do it with a bit of originality, conviction and style.Another point is that there are plenty of great films out there already, and I'm not going to be spoon-fed the latest thing when access to amazing movies made over the previous 75 years has never been more easily available.
i couldn't agree more in respect of access to loads of great films mate. LOVEFILM is ace and has allowed me to get around to viewing all those goldies that i never saw!
as far as blowing shit up films though - have they ever been original?
Juno, In Bruge, Little Miss Sunshine just off the top of my head.
The Reaping a few nights ago, great horror
Not much modern stuff I can say has left a lasting impression, so:
2001: A Space Odyssey
Aguirre: The Wrath Of God
Alien
Bladerunner
Das Boot
Belleville Rendez-Vous
The Thing
The Unforgiven
Les Mans
Anything with Jacques Tati
Off the top of my 'ead.
[In no particular Order]
as far as blowing shit up films though - have they ever been original?
In concept no, but The Wild Bunch, Hard Boiled or even Die Hard had a lot more impact on me than most of the recent ones.
I guess "No Country For Old Men" would count as an example of that sort of film but done well - and no big budget special effects required, just an extremely scary bloke in an even scarier wig. 🙂
z1ppy - Member
batman returns
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😕 😆
tbf, it is a good film!
Gran Turino
Sin City
The Mist is one of the worst films I've ever seen.
Watchmen. Properly good. And i hate comic book bo11ocks normally.
Lives of Others
+1. A truly outstanding film.
Oops that wasn't the one I meant TFT!
Enjoyed Watchmen but thought most ppl would struggle with it
Pan's Labyrinth.
Agree with S_F on "No Country for Old Men", except I liked the ending It's what happens in the book, so it's a faithful adaptation. McCarthy novels often have no real resolution or end ambiguously.
Hunger
It was a bit of a cinematographic epiphany, and I've struggled to find a film having the same enveloping effect since.
Gran Torino came to my mind first. Batman Begins was the same after watching the first time. Juno, In Bruges, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labrynth, yep yep yep yep
Orphanage was good too.
Angel Eyes
I enjoyed Seraphim Falls enormously. I like westerns, and that was a film which looked great, felt modern rather than just a pastiche and yet didn't hit any bum notes from the point of view of the genre.
The Prestige. Beautifully done, and remarkably creepy.
Man on Wire may be the best thing I've seen, I was absolutely captivated. Agreed that Grizzly Man is excellent too.
To those that District 9 might be fun..
the short file it's based on is on [url=
The Departed. Watched it again at the weekend, just excellent.
Gran Torino
30 days of Night
Bladerunner
...and all the LOTR films I'm afraid....
Moon is brilliant, good script, great acting, and a class example in making the most out of a minimal budget. Dark Knight/Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Juno. I must admit to really enjoying Transformers/Tran2, for the totally juvenile joy of Blowing Shit Up. Some may not agree, but some of the recent animations have been great fun, too, especially now they've got 3D pretty well sussed, particularly Coraline.
Lives of others
Into the wild
Juno
Little miss sunshine, and I really liked Gran torino.
Taken and Veronica Guerin both spring to mind as brilliant
There Will Be Blood is probably the best thing I've seen in recent years in the "They don't make films like that anymore" arena
into the wild
bridge to terabithia (me and my kids love it)
Gladiator-purely on a visual basis.
Little miss sunshine-again, shot beautifully and i didn't really get it, right until the end, and then it just all made sense. Great film.
oh I forgot - Bubba Ho Tep! Never **** with the king! LOL
District 9 and Last King of Scotland (not that new I know) I thoroughly enjoyed.
Films that have stood out for me over the last year or two
No Country For Old Men
District 9
Let The Right one in
The Orphanage
Up
There Will Be Blood
The Wrestler
Mesrine Killer Instrinct
Gomorrah
Coraline
I'm Not There
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Gone Baby Gone
In Bruges
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Lots. But I just saw The Fountain. Amazing.
Watchmen
In Bruges
Hard Candy
No Country For Old Men
Hot Fuzz
along with much of the above...
District 9 and Hurt Locker are both excellent. Pans Labyrinth although not that new is a spectacularly good film. But my favourite film of recent times is In Bruge. By a long way, just fantastic from start to finish.
It is amazing how many truly shit movies are out there though.
Layer Cake for me, twas a great film
Layer Cake? really?
Up.
have none of you seen Frost/nixon? shame on you, tis bloody brilliant!!!
giant shark vs massive octopuss...
frost/nixon is v good
Snakes on a Plane
'Tell No-One', only film I remember seeing where I could feel my heart beat rise & fall with the film (the bit in the park when his wife walks in..).
+1 for 'The Lives of Others' too.
"In Bruges"
recent goodies for me have been
Juno
In Bruges
Kite Runner
The Wrestler
Diving Bell and the Butterfly
pans lab
mongol
saints ans soldiers
tsotsi
this is england
dead mans shoes
assembly
assasination of jesse james
the fall
training day
have none of you seen Frost/nixon? shame on you, tis bloody brilliant!!!
Yes. Very good, though Sheen's performance does descend into too much pastiche at times and he's acted out of every scene by Langella.
Finally got round to watching Lives of Others a couple of weeks ago - exactly as good as I hoped it would be.
Seven Pounds was very good.
Watched Bronson at the weekend. Quite dark and very funny at times. Tom Hardys portrayal of Charles Bronson aka Michael Peterson was brilliant.
Agree with lots of the above, but also:
3:10 to Yuma
Let the Right One In
I watched "Shoot 'Em Up" the other night. I don't think there was a plot, just a long series of gunfights, chases and a completely gratuitous hooker in corset and black stockings. Brilliant for it's simplicity. As the ad says, did exactly what it said on the tin.
Man on Wire. Best film I've seen in the last few years.
Joe
This had me in tears
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Right, the OP asked about films that are being made now, some of these films are from the 70's! Unless we're measuring time geologically.
The more recent films I've seen that I thought were good were In Burges, Dark Knight and Gran Torino.
I have had to start watching forign films what with the good lady being Italian. So, to add to the other good'uns mentioned already;
Science of Sleep
My Brother is an Only Child
Romanzo Criminale
and very old but too good not to mention La Haine
...they are not bad for films you have to read. Next on the list Gamorrah.
if we are on foreign films then these are defo worth a watch:
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Pan's Labyrinth
The Mist (saw it last night - classic B movie but as dark as the Road)
Up
er... there are masses of others
I'm not too impressed with a lot of recent films, but one of my co-workers lent me a copy of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 'Babel' which I thought was excellent- nice, low key, naturalistic performances out of even the biggest stars.
His '21 Grams' was even better, so good that I almost forgive that Naomi Watts for her complicity in the cinematic war crime that was the King Kong re-re-make.
Well, almost...
I've also enjoyed 'No Country for Old Men' and 'The Prestige'.
Although I enjoyed District 9, I didn't think it was all that good a movie, as a concept yeah, interesting, but the movie was pretty formulaic.
Let the Right One In gets my vote for most interesting film recently
Pan's Labyrinth, one of the best films of all time.
Spirited Away, amazing bit of anime, nice and quirky.
More recently, Inglorious Basterds,
"You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin"
I like Spirited Away (especially the soot). Howl's Moving Castle was great too.
and by all accounts Moon and District 9 although i've not seen them yet, all reviews have been promising
Two very good films, nightmare finding somewhere showing Moon but it was worth it. When you start to watch District 9 you might think it's going to be a lemon but it improves...
UP and Hurt Locker next on my list of new films...
North Face. Absolutely superb German film about climbing the Eiger.
I enjoyed Cloverfield, as an origianl take on a well used story. Try it.