Films you've seen recently and would unreservedly recommend:

[Ness Rowlah]

Watched Cocaine Cowboys last night (recorded on the PVR). Brilliant documentary on the rebirth of Miami through drugs. Sadly not available online through Channel 4 (Edit: but looks like that most of it is on Google Video, feck me there is even a "part II"). Well worth two hours of your life. This one also repeated the claim that Miami got tarted up for Miami Vice (also stated in the Latin Music USA docs). Quite grisly in parts and what a nasty piece La Madrina was/is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griselda_Blanco.

Unreservedly recommended if you've got the stomach for it.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/cocaine-cowboys/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

Billy Corben's astonishing story, showing in the True Stories strand, tells of the sudden rush of cocaine into the then sleepy Miami in the 1970s and 1980s.

Colombian drug lords and Cuban and American gangsters realised that America had developed a taste for the drug but the authorities were slow on reacting to the threat. There was profit for all with, initially, very little risk attached.

The story is told through three key characters; Jon Roberts, who claims to have imported over $2-billion worth of cocaine, pilot Mickey Munday, who personally flew in some 10 tons and the chillingly attractive Jorge `Rivi' Ayala, enforcer and assassin for Colombian `grandmother' Griselda Blanco.

With a score by Jan Hammer, this is the true story behind the films Scarface and Blow, when money and mobs ruled Miami.

​

 

[nomadthethird]

Reminds me of a real-life punk band I read about whose singer has Down's syndrome. They're actually meant to be pretty good. Anyone heard of them? No idea what they're called, sadly.

this reminds me of the episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia when Dee sleeps with that white rapper and can't tell if he has Down Syndrome or not...

Edit: Cocaine Cowboys 2 is pretty good, as well...

 

[grizzleb]

this reminds me of the episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia when Dee sleeps with that white rapper and can't tell if he has Down Syndrome or not...

Best episode ever. The same one with 'dayman' getting busted out too.

Mr. Tea - I seen a documentary on BBC4 about a band of mentally disabled people. Bit of reading tells me their name is 'Heavy Load'. Was a pretty good doc.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Scarface

was on TV over Christmas - watched it at my parents' house. Fucking amazing, don't think I'd ever seen it all the way through before (though oddly enough the chainsaw scene early on stuck in my memory, for some reason). Just such a great portrayal of the classic (anti-)hero's inexorable trajectory from glory to oblivion through hubris, greed and paranoia. It was quite funny explaining to my dad why I was laughing when the line "Talk to Frank" occurred several times in the dialogue.

 

[craner]

Enjoying this.

 

[allegiant]

Alice in den Städten, by Wim Wenders.

Abandonment, disaffection and friendship all wrapped up in an impeccably acted and beautifully shot black & white road movie. It's simple and poignantly realised, but without the typical saccharin sentimentality that sometimes accompanies stuff like this. Loved it.

 

[baboon2004]

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Sheryl Lee is quite incredible in this.

 

[craner]

I love Widmerpool, Stringham and Templer. Anyone read the books?

 

[IdleRich]

I watched a kind of documentary thing called The Shutka Book of Records yesterday - I say kinda because although the characters and town are (apparently) real you definitely feel that, even more than with a normal documentary, the director is picking and choosing the most interesting and weird bits to create something approaching a story. Also, the director (called Manic appropriately enough), who seems to be a native of Shutka but also have western sensibilities is adept at undermining the more outlandish claims of his townsfolk with a slight movement of his camera - for instance when describing someone as incredibly wealthy he zooms in to show his ancient and holey socks, - whereas with the vampire hunters he just takes the piss by playing it straight.
Someone on IMDB describes the town as filled with real life Borats and, patronising as that may sound, that's not an unreasonable description of the impression you get from the film, however dishonest that impression may be.
The film is all about the constant competitions between the locals and particularly interesting to me (and most dissensians I'd guess) are the bits when the large numbers of people who collect Turkish music cassettes have a soundclash type thing where each has to play tunes to the others and a jury and is rated in terms of tunes, rarity and lack of crackle. Seems this is the most prestigious prize in Shutka for some reason.
You might accuse the director of whitewashing out any of the unpleasantness that must surely exist in such a poor community but he does every now and again drop in a horse being beaten with a spade or a child having a spike run through his cheek. I suspect this is the very tip of the iceberg though.
Anyway, the documentary may be dishonest but it's great fun and not really like anything else I've seen.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494831/

 

[craner]

I notice that Claudia Winkelman will be taking over Film 2010 rather than Mark Kermode.

Eh?

 

[woops]

Yeah Craner I can't claim to have read the whole sequence,
but do have an interest.
Isn't it just full of oblique aperçus.

 

[stephenk]

Alice in den Städten, by Wim Wenders.

Abandonment, disaffection and friendship all wrapped up in an impeccably acted and beautifully shot black & white road movie. It's simple and poignantly realised, but without the typical saccharin sentimentality that sometimes accompanies stuff like this. Loved it.

yeaah this is one of my favorites ever

 

[massrock]

Plus music by Can.

 

[allegiant]

Stunned into slack-jawed reverence of El espíritu de la colmena, by Victor Erice, tonight. Had no idea the Spanish were making such films in the 1970's.

 

[grizzleb]

Watched Fritz Lang's 'M' last night, really impressed by it. Great storytelling and innovative use of the cinematic medium. All manner of good shit going on there. Taut, tense and very modern. Reminded me of The Wire in bits as it cut between the criminal elements and the po-po.

 

[zhao]

saw Precious last night. amazing amazing movie. was very powerful for me.

 

[gumdrops]

still not seen that. am a bit wary as i loved the book and imagine the film will be a bit sugary.

saw a prophet at the weekend. really good, if a bit restrained. though theres a lot of films doing that these days. maybe as a result of the wire, mad men etc. as if 'thinking time' automatically makes it meaningful (eg no country for old men, which i hated). seemed like certain things about the main character were left unanswered in an attempt to keep it a bit sparser.

 

[crackerjack]

Watched Fritz Lang's 'M' last night, really impressed by it. Great storytelling and innovative use of the cinematic medium. All manner of good shit going on there. Taut, tense and very modern. Reminded me of The Wire in bits as it cut between the criminal elements and the po-po.

The direction on that movie must be 10 years ahead of anyone else. America was still just sticking cameras in front of actors and letting it roll. Lang's was all over the place (esp loved the shot of the fat cop at his desk from the ankles up). Makes me wanna see Metropolis, which I've still never got round to.

 

[polystyle]

Gran Torino

Anyone seen this one ?
Some corn, set up's and stiffness, but one can catch such a dose of loneliness in Clint's performance-
and his dry voice singing that title song over closing credits.

Sounds like Clint sings first over credits ,then this cat comes in ...

 

[grizzleb]

I've said it before, but I watched it again last night, and Stroszek is an absolutely superb film. The best in Herzog's oeuvre IMO. The fantastic use of music, the amazing looking grainy 70's film, great dialogue, and the characters who are portrayed just on the cusp of insanity/reality all make it one of my faves. A tragi-comedy par-excellence.