Film

[Mooncat]

"Manhunter" - Michael Mann's third feature film and first adaptation of Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon". I was fully convinced that I had seen this before but it turns out that I hadn't.

Stylistic flourishes out the ying-yang - which is to be expected from Mann and great performances from several of the main cast. Why William Petersen's career didn't explode after this and "To Live and Die In LA" coming out within 9 months of each other is a mystery.

Some great songs on the sound track too. The film-editing is fucking dreadful in places though. No idea how the edits got past Mann who is a perfectionist.

Went through a bit of a Michael Mann phase last year. The two I'd recommend for some pure Mann-ery are Thief: pure 80s Mann. Neon-lights reflected on rain-soaked streets, and ice-cold hardened criminals pulling off heists. If you liked Heat, then Thief is his original in that genre. I prefer it to Heat! James Caan is great in it as the master thief.

And episode one of Miami Vice if you can track it down. It was a movie-length extended episode and is also pure 80s Michael Mann. The only episode he actually directed (he produced the rest of the show). Super entertaining with just enough darkness, and the beginning of a new era in TV at the time.

Amazingly I've never seen Manhunter. It's just never turned up on streaming yet. Not even for rent! Plus I try to buy sparingly and only get stuff I know that I want these days.

[Carnage]

Manhunter is fantastic, might be my favourite of his. Worth watching for Cox's brief appearance alone but Peterson is phenomanal too. Highly recommended, and it's there on Sky if you have that in the gaff.

Haven't seen Thief but in relation to Heat - I preferred L.A. Takedown when I saw it. A fraction of the budget so all of the gloss is stripped back, but all the more impressive for it.

[StoutAndAle]

"Manhunter" - Michael Mann's third feature film and first adaptation of Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon". I was fully convinced that I had seen this before but it turns out that I hadn't.

Stylistic flourishes out the ying-yang - which is to be expected from Mann and great performances from several of the main cast. Why William Petersen's career didn't explode after this and "To Live and Die In LA" coming out within 9 months of each other is a mystery.

Some great songs on the sound track too. The film-editing is fucking dreadful in places though. No idea how the edits got past Mann who is a perfectionist.

Went through a bit of a Michael Mann phase last year. The two I'd recommend for some pure Mann-ery are Thief: pure 80s Mann. Neon-lights reflected on rain-soaked streets, and ice-cold hardened criminals pulling off heists. If you liked Heat, then Thief is his original in that genre. I prefer it to Heat! James Caan is great in it as the master thief.

And episode one of Miami Vice if you can track it down. It was a movie-length extended episode and is also pure 80s Michael Mann. The only episode he actually directed (he produced the rest of the show). Super entertaining with just enough darkness, and the beginning of a new era in TV at the time.

Amazingly I've never seen Manhunter. It's just never turned up on streaming yet. Not even for rent! Plus I try to buy sparingly and only get stuff I know that I want these days.

Yeah. I'm a big fan of Michael Mann. "Thief" is brilliant. James Caan is class in it. "I'm wearing $150 slacks!"

I presume that you're talking about "Calderon's Revenge (or Return?)"? That's a feature length episode (culled from 2 parts) of "Miami Vice" but Mann didn't direct it. Mann never directed an episode of "Miami Vice". He mentioned that fact on an episode of "The Rewatchables".

"LA Takedown" is good but it's not in the same league as "Heat", in my opinion.

If you can find his TV movie "The Jericho Mile" it's also brilliant.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I don't usually have time to watch press conferences (nor the interest either tbh), but someone pointed me to this one about The Zone of Interest and I found it fascinating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkkA_LMVtIk

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Just watched The Seventh Curse. Christ, what a movie    Highly recommended.

[Eoin McLove]

Golda. Pure grand. A bit too slow overall- I nodded off for a bit in the middle and woke up without having really missed any developments 

Unfortunate timing for its release with popular opinion on Israel being possibly at an all time low.

[Caomhaoin]

Golda. Pure grand. A bit too slow overall- I nodded off for a bit in the middle and woke up without having really missed any developments 

Unfortunate timing for its release with popular opinion on Israel being possibly at an all time low.

Didn't think much of that myself, wasn't particularly accurate either. It kind of half made the Israelis sympathetic (a tough ask at the best of times) but naw, overall. Some amount of fags smoked.

The scene with Kissinger was quite good. He's a fascinating man, a modern day Machiavelli if ever there was one.

[Mithrandir]

I watched Day of the Dead last night, I feel like this is the least talked about of the original Romero trilogy. Tom Savini's practical effects in this one are out of this world, just so good.

[Sworntothecans]

I watched Day of the Dead last night, I feel like this is the least talked about of the original Romero trilogy. Tom Savini's practical effects in this one are out of this world, just so good.

It'll always be my favourite of the three as it was the first one I watched.
Still remember seeing the trailer on tv as a kid and being mortified.

Yeah, Savini, Berger & Nicotero's work on it is outstanding.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Watched The Beekeeper last night. Watchable utter rubbish.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

And tonight Matrix Ressurections. I feel like people didn't insist enough on how awful this is. The cover of RATM's Wake Up over the end credits, not great in itself, is the best bit so far.

[leatherface]

Any Matrix sequels are just dreadful imo.

52 Pick Up (1986) John Frankenheimer

Overlooked Elmore Leonard adaption in 1986 with Roy Scheider. Sleazy LA noir for the 80s. Plus John Glover.

[Ollkiller]

And tonight Matrix Ressurections. I feel like people didn't insist enough on how awful this is. The cover of RATM's Wake Up over the end credits, not great in itself, is the best bit so far.

Still pisses me off how bad the sequels are. I saw the matrix in the cinema with a few mates the day it came out. We knew nothing about it and were floored by how good it was. Should have made 1 more film and ended it. Could have been glorious but it ended up a bloated piece of nonsense.

[astfgyl]

Yep, saw em all in the cinema and the sequels were fucking atrocious. Never even tried the trilogy in the one go

[Sworntothecans]

Watched The Beekeeper last night. Watchable utter rubbish.

I lasted 30 minutes. Absolute shite!

So I re-watched Crank instead. Much better.