Topic: Woo-hoo!!!!

[goodguy]

Anybody here seen Layer Cake, someone recommended it along side The Long Good Friday?

Sorry, haven't seen it, but after seeing Michael Vaughn's Stardust and Kick-Ass, I'm curious about it too. Although, unlike those too, it's someone else's script he works from in Layer Cake.

[Achim]

I have seen Layer cake and enjoyed it. It's bascially the producer's attempt to continue the success they had with Guy Ritchie doing Lock, Stockand Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch (or so it was presented at the time). That should give a a starting idea of the style they are going for (although I remember it was dialled back a little, which was a good thing, I suppose through the influence of Vaughn). It has Daniel Craig pre-Bond in it.

[Antares]

Just finished The Long Good Friday, 4/5

Very good film, but the musical score was awful. I looked up the guy who wrote it and noticed that he's only scored one other film. I now know why.

I'm going to try and find a different DVD of this film, because I want to see this again. But the Criterion disc I had, did not have subtitles, and about 10% of the time, I couldn't understand what Hoskins was saying.

Oh yeah, great line in the beginning of the film...

Hoskins goes looking for a police snitch and a black kid in the snitches neighborhood won't tell him where the snitch lives. The kid is working underneath a car and Hoskins' henchman Razors, kicks out the support holding up the car. The car narrowly misses the kid, and the kid says to Hoskins, He could have killed me. Hoskins replies, The way my days going, I could have gotten you a cut rate funeral.

Great line!

[Najemikon]

I have seen Layer cake and enjoyed it. It's bascially the producer's attempt to continue the success they had with Guy Ritchie doing Lock, Stockand Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch (or so it was presented at the time). That should give a a starting idea of the style they are going for (although I remember it was dialled back a little, which was a good thing, I suppose through the influence of Vaughn). It has Daniel Craig pre-Bond in it.

I need to see Layer Cake again. There is a good chance on a second viewing I will find it better than Lock Stock or Snatch. I went into it expecting another one like those, but actually it's more serious. Essentially Ritchie's films are good and popular, but they are satires. Layer Cake is closer to the ones you've just watched.

Just finished The Long Good Friday, 4/5

Very good film, but the musical score was awful. I looked up the guy who wrote it and noticed that he's only scored one other film. I now know why.

I'm going to try and find a different DVD of this film, because I want to see this again. But the Criterion disc I had, did not have subtitles, and about 10% of the time, I couldn't understand what Hoskins was saying.

Oh yeah, great line in the beginning of the film...

Hoskins goes looking for a police snitch and a black kid in the snitches neighborhood won't tell him where the snitch lives. The kid is working underneath a car and Hoskins' henchman Razors, kicks out the support holding up the car. The car narrowly misses the kid, and the kid says to Hoskins, He could have killed me. Hoskins replies, The way my days going, I could have gotten you a cut rate funeral.

Great line!

Horses for courses, I like the score! It is dumb and repetitive, but effective.

It's full of great lines: "I put money in all your pockets!" while various associates are hung up in a meat locker. And I often paraphrase "Mafia? I've shit 'em!" to suit various situations... 

[Antares]

Had 3 come in today...

Layer Cake, This is England and Princess Monoke.

Once more into the breech with an Anime film, I hope this one sways my opinion of them. 

[kahless]

Had 3 come in today...

Layer Cake, This is England and Princess Monoke.

Once more into the breech with an Anime film, I hope this one sways my opinion of them.  

I like "Layer Cake" - great movie!

"This is England" is a very good realistic drama about a 12 year old boy stumbling into the skinhead scene...

I own "Princess Monoke" as well - it is still on my unwatched list!

[Antares]

Princess Mononoke 3/5

I thought the first 40 minutes of this film was great, but after that it became a jumbled mess of a movie.

[kahless]

Thanks for info! I have to admit that I currently do not have an affinity to anime. I just want to give it a try but I don't have a clue what movie would be a good starter!

[Antares]

As I've posted before in this thread, Anime is not my cup of tea either. But in the beginning of this film, I thought that maybe this would be the film that changes my mind. But it just became such a hodgepodge of strange unimportant storyline divergences, that it destroyed the film for me.

[Najemikon]

Thanks for info! I have to admit that I currently do not have an affinity to anime. I just want to give it a try but I don't have a clue what movie would be a good starter!

I know Mononoke is Anime by definition, but Miyazaki's films aren't my first thought when I think of the term. If you want to dip your toe, Kahless, do like most people did in the early 90s when the Manga craze went nuts. Watch Akira. 

Critter and I reviewed it here: http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,5602.msg102984.html#msg102984 and here: http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,5216.msg101700.html#msg101700

Whatever you think of Akira's technique, good or bad, is a set-up for the typical style.

Miyazaki is a different style altogether really. I think Princess Mononoke is wonderful. I kind of understand the point Antares is making, about the divergences, but I loved how it did that and don't find them unimportant at all.

[Antares]

I've said it before, I guess I'm not an anime kind of person. 

[Antares]

Layer Cake 3.5/5

Good film, loved Michael Gambon.

[Critter]

Princess Mononoke is very close to being not only my favourite anime film, but one of my favourite animted films I have seen. There is just something about that film that grabs hold of me everytime I watch it. It has such a strong atmosphere. I would say it is my favourite anime film, even over Akira. And I love Akira.

[Antares]

In the beginning of the film, I felt as if I was watching a director who was heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi. It looked like it was going to be a fluid story about samurai's and Japanese mythology. And like I said in a previous post, it was extremely engrossing. But after Ashitaka arrives at the ironworks, the whole plot starts to diverge into MacGuffin like side stories. 

What was the point of the apes or the small clicking spirits that lead Ashitaka through the woods? Another plot point that is completely dismissed is the round object that the boar demon had swallowed. At first, Ashitaka is curious as to what it is, but then, at the end of the film it is left unresolved.

Another thing that was confusing was the unresolved issue of San. What happened to her after Ashitaka rescues her from Okkatsu? She disappears altogether.

Also, at the end of the film, Ashitaka decides that he will remain at the ironworks. Why? He's a prince of his own people from the East, and just decides to abandon them. This didn't make any sense to me.

I could go on with other points that baffled me, but I think it would be fruitless. Princess Mononoke is a visually stunning film, but with such a coherency problem in regards to its screenplay, it is somewhat of a disappointment for me.

[dfmorgan]

What was the point of the apes or the small clicking spirits that lead Ashitaka through the woods?

The apes were just another group of animals affected by the changes and were blaming the humans and wanting to wreak their revenge upon them. The small clicking spirits were Kodama or tree spirits and showed the life of the forest. At the end of the film they were shown returning to the forest.

Another plot point that is completely dismissed is the round object that the boar demon had swallowed. At first, Ashitaka is curious as to what it is, but then, at the end of the film it is left unresolved.

When Ashitaka met Lady Eboshi she demonstrated her weapons and said that she had used them against the boars so my take was that the round object was some form of bullet. Ashitaka's arm also reacted here.

Another thing that was confusing was the unresolved issue of San. What happened to her after Ashitaka rescues her from Okkatsu? She disappears altogether.

San was there at the end, she and Ashitaka rescued the Forest God's head from Jigo and gave it back to him. San said she would return to the forest whilst Ashitaka would go to Iron Town.

Also, at the end of the film, Ashitaka decides that he will remain at the ironworks. Why? He's a prince of his own people from the East, and just decides to abandon them. This didn't make any sense to me.

My understanding here was that his town had banished him and the cutting off of his Top Knot was symbolic of that showing that he was cutting all ties, something I believe lies within the Bushido Code.

Maybe I've read too much into this but the above is my take. Thank you Antares for at least giving another anime a try.

Dave