Film

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Watched Polanski's last one 'J'accuse' tonight. A captivating story very well told. I'm not at all familiar enough with the historical events to vouch for the accuracy of the account, but definitely worth a watch.

[ochoill]

...Wouldn't mind some more recs in the vein of any of those above (films especially) if anyone has any.

Series:
Martian Successor Nadesico
Dominion Tank Police/ New Dominion Tank Police
Cyber City Oedo 808
Full Metal Panic

Film:
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise.
Future War 198X

I have yet to watch these, but have got Viva TV working again so will hunt them out soon.  I couldn't find them initially online so ended up watching more of whatever was on Netflix anime-wise.

Watched Stein's Gate, that was very good, a bit light by comparison to the other stuff but still very good.  Time travel, basically, spurred on by a lad who uses his microwave to send emails back in time.  Plenty of world building references to CERN and John Titor,
the whole method and style to the time travel in it is clever.  Animation is decent and a lonely enough feel off the whole thing, but a bit dramatic in the ending though it does still resolve nicely.

Got through Paranoia Agent too, the whole thing was on YouTube.  Another Satoshi Kon anime but a series this time.  Very good, basically starts as a sort of procedural about a series of attacks in Tokyo by a young lad with a baseball bat, with each episode focusing on a different character's point of view, but turns on its head quickly.  Very much recognisable as Kon if you've seen anything else he's done.  Recommended.

Watched Parasyte more recently again, just finished it yesterday morning.  Way better than I had expected, interesting story, good action, and great pacing - gets to the point quickly and no filler at all, though some later episodes involving an assault on the Parasites are a bit off kilter for the rest of the season, but they are still very good.

Have very much fallen into an anime rabbit hole but a lot of the stuff on Netflix isn't doing the trick at all, definitely going to have to find an alternative way to watch older/better series.

[StoutAndAle]

Mubi.com are doing 3 months for 1eur offer at the minute. You can sign up and then cancel and subscription will last for the 3months. Some more movie options for the lockdown ahead.

Thanks for this heads up.

I had considered joining Mubi before but the trial was only 5-days long. 3 months for a quid is a no-brainer. Watched some great stuff on it already - "Kind Hearts & Coronets" and "Metropolitan". Also watched an average but entertaining documentary on Ray & Charles Eames.

My only gripe - an this may not be Mubi's fault is the constant buffering at 1080p. Nexflix and Amazon don't have this problem on my broadband.

[pete]

Mubi.com are doing 3 months for 1eur offer at the minute. You can sign up and then cancel and subscription will last for the 3months. Some more movie options for the lockdown ahead.

Thanks for this heads up.

I had considered joining Mubi before but the trial was only 5-days long. 3 months for a quid is a no-brainer. Watched some great stuff on it already - "Kind Hearts & Coronets" and "Metropolitan". Also watched an average but entertaining documentary on Ray & Charles Eames.

My only gripe - an this may not be Mubi's fault is the constant buffering at 1080p. Nexflix and Amazon don't have this problem on my broadband.

I do have issues with the streaming too, so probably is on the side, but just if I'm doing something else on the computer at the same time. And the ps4 app is poor functionality wise. Also it's great that they added the catalogue functionality(as opposed to the original now showing idea) but annoying that the catalogue includes movies they don't have.... But a quid for three months as you say!

[pete]

.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Someone was telling me about a work-around they found on Reddit that allowed them subscribe, with free trial, to the online Criterion library. Worth a look into for the Mubi curious I'd say.

Edit: I should clarify that the work-around is to get it outside of the US, not for free.

[pete]

Someone was telling me about a work-around they found on Reddit that allowed them subscribe, with free trial, to the online Criterion library. Worth a look into for the Mubi curious I'd say.

Edit: I should clarify that the work-around is to get it outside of the US, not for free.

Criterion Channel is handy to set up if you have an Android device.

Download the Criterion Channel APK, and from there you can set up your free trial and it uses your Google play subscription for payment, but you can just go into Google play subscriptions and cancel any time. No vpns needed. Sign into Web app via browser no bother once setup.

[StoutAndAle]

I'd happily pay for The Criterion Channel - at least there'd be something that I actually wanted to watch on the front page rather than a lot of the lukewarm diarrhea that I pay Netflix for.

I'm a bit thick when it comes to these things - APK?

Does this work-around get you out of the need for a US credit card too?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I know nothing, but Pete seems to have all the answers, which is good.

After J'Accuse, we decided to see if there were any Polanski movies on Amazon, and lo and behold there was Bitter Moon, which neither of us had ever seen. Wow. A film that is so utterly over the top, it is genius even when it goes overboard (pun not intended, for anyone who may actually have seen it). Either way, it should be a film that people talk about all the time, in the same breath as Basic Instinct, Indecent Proposal. I mean, it's very almost like Indecent Proposal if John Waters had written and directed it.

Anyhow, long story short, if you're looking to set off some wide-ranging sexual discussion with the missus, crack open a bottle and get it into you. It leaves Amazon France on 31st January though, don't know about other zones.

[pete]

I'd happily pay for The Criterion Channel - at least there'd be something that I actually wanted to watch on the front page rather than a lot of the lukewarm diarrhea that I pay Netflix for.

I'm a bit thick when it comes to these things - APK?

Does this work-around get you out of the need for a US credit card too?

Sorry an APK is an android application packaged up. Like ". exe" on Windows. You usually install them using the play store. Via this they can restrict what regions can get what apps. E.g things like BBC iplayer. But there are folk who download these and upload to a website. E.g of criterion channel APK here https://apkpure.com/the-criterion-channel/com.criterionchannel

So you can download via your phone browser and open it and your phone will warn about installing it, in different ways depending on version of android, but you can tell it to continue.

Then the app works once you've a payment set up in Google play, Irish card fine, it will create a subscription you will see in your Google play app subscriptions and you can cancel it in there. (maybe check that out prior to ensure you will know where to cancel/manage)

Maybe you don't want to be pricking around with it but just FYI! And don't sign up to the year one if you do decide to continue just in case they ever locked down access.

[StoutAndAle]

Sorry an APK is an android application packaged up. Like ". exe" on Windows...

Thanks Pete. I'll take a look at that. My long suffering missus used to be a network engineer at the start of her career. I might annoy her about it.


Watched "A Man Called Ove" on Mubi last night. Perfect mix of moving drama and black comedy. I was nearly bawling at one point.

No. No. YOU'RE crying.

[astfgyl]

I've gotten a bad doing the last couple of nights.

First some shit with Jenny McCarthy and Susan Sarandon on a road trip and I think it was a comedy but I didn't laugh once despite the best will in the world.

Next up was Palm beach with Sam Neill and a couple of other lads. Was neither here nor there sort of family drama. Very tough going.

[Carnage]

I watched Prisoners last night, one from a couple of years back about two kids going missing and Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard (their fathers) trying to find out where they are. Pretty good, a few red herrings and  twists in it which were interesting, if telegraphed early on. Worth a look.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Yeah, Prisoners is very good. I always seem to go one way or the other with Villeneuve though; when I like a movie he does, I really like it, when I don't, I find it unbearable - Sicario, Incendies, Bladerunner 2049... just couldn't get into them, although in each case for very different reasons. It's why I really don't know what to expect my reaction to Dune will be like.

[Carnage]

Hmm, I thought Sicario was good, but not great, loved BR2049 & Arrival. I haven't seen Incendies, must look out for it.

I can't praise BR2049 enough, to be honest. As the original Blade Runner is my favourite film, I was prepared to hate the sequel but it blew me away. Seeing it on the big screen was important, but I've watched it a few times at home since, still amazing. I think Dune is in good hands.