The Film Thread: Page 45 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

The Film Thread

Burnwinter

This is the sense in which I come to that conclusion Klaus:

Burnwinter wrote:
You have to judge directors on results, given that half the job is being able to kick heads when people get in your way.

It's all very well to say that Woo was hampered creatively by his move to Hollywood - he clearly was - but he still made that decision and made a series of frankly mediocre films, so does that not then diminish him as a filmmaker?

Just think of me as the Biggus of film fans 🙂

So in your opinion, what's the next Johnnie To film to seek out if you've seen and loved Election and Election 2, then?

Klaus

It doesn't really answer the question though 🙂 There's a difference between directing your own film and being paid to do a job. With one or two exceptions, Woo's Hollywood career consisted entirely of the latter - simply because no one wanted his ideas. They just wanted the cool effects.

As for To, I would look up Exiled next. It came out four or so years ago. Amazing film, heavily inspired by Sergio Leone. After that I'd go with Fulltime Killer, The Mission and Running out of Time. I'd recommend Breaking News too, simply because the opening shot is so fucking awesome. I think it's seven or eight minutes long without a single cut. The rest of the movie is a bit hit and miss though.

Burnwinter

Thanks for the rec on Exiled - will check it out.

As for the issue of evaluating Woo's Hollywood output, there's obviously more than one possible perspective, but without being an insider it's difficult to really be in the know about the obstacles Woo faced. One can muster a relatively impartial judgement of the mediocrity of the films themselves, though 🙂

Burnwinter

Saw Snowtown last night. It's about Australia's most notorious serial killings. A naturalistic look at poverty, bullying, and senseless murder. Well-made film but it's pretty harrowing - it'd be hard to call it enjoyable in any way, shape or form.

Klaus

Is it similar to Out of the Blue? I watched that one last year. It's about the massacre in Aramoana in the nineties. Thought it was brilliant, but also very very hard to sit through.

Burnwinter

Don't know, Klaus. I haven't seen that one. It was probably the most relentlessly unpleasant film to watch that I've seen since Haneke's The Seventh Continent, which I saw a year or so ago. You don't raise a smile in two hours.

Kel Varnsen

watched true grit yesterday. decent film, but i don't get the hype...

Pepe LeFrits

I found it a little dull.

lorddulaarsenal

wot hype?

Pepe LeFrits

The new X-Men film is great. I'd need to watch it again but I'd probably put it on a similar level to X2.

flobaba

Arrggghhhh! Don't tell us Pepe!! going to see it asap!

lorddulaarsenal

Shuuuut uuuup peps

Pepe LeFrits

... eh? I didn't post any spoilers.

Timbob

Pirates otC 3D was better than I thought, but then i thought it was gonna be really, really shit. Make of that what you will!

USArsenal

watched Unstoppable last weekend.. was decent enough.. not a top honors film or anything, but an enjoyable watch

Burnwinter

The silly thing with Unstoppable was that, avoiding spoilers, you know that thing that Denzel's character does at the end of the film? Why the fuck doesn't he just do it at the start of the film?

Nice silly emergency/disaster flick though. All the clichés.

lorddulaarsenal

Xmen is truly awesome!

Has the lot. Without spoiling it, I can tells ya it includes hit babes skantily clad n all, wicked mutants some blue and skantily clad and to top it off it stars old man kevin bacon. Who despite his years gave a sizzling performance

bravo

it's one of the few films where you'd genuinely not be tempted to use the popcorn trick if you was accompanied by a fit dame

USArsenal

Burnwinter wrote:
The silly thing with Unstoppable was that, avoiding spoilers, you know that thing that Denzel's character does at the end of the film? Why the fuck doesn't he just do it at the start of the film?

Nice silly emergency/disaster flick though. All the clichés.

you do realize it was based on a true story about an incident in Ohio, right?

but all in all, as i said, not an Oscar winning movie, but a mindless, pleasurable watch

Burnwinter

Yeah, I know it was based on a true story, and in real life people would think pretty hard about doing what Denzel did.

But let's face it it didn't exactly achieve great realism across the board what with Rosario Dawson handing it out to those bigwigs in Corporate Rail Management and Chris Pine waving his smokin' monobrow around like a maverick. It was fluff - but as you say, quite fun 😃

lorddulaarsenal

xmen was based on a true story too 🙂

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