What's The Latest Film You Have Seen?

jackhammer · 03-14-2010, 07:32 PM

[REC] is a Spanish low budget film that I saw a while back (around 6 months ago). It's a POV film whereby a T.V crew follow firefighters in real time to any emergency call that they get. When they arrive at a block of flats they find that the inhabitants of the block are infected with a virus and they are all trapped in the block by the authorities and have to deal with the virus as it spreads that turns people into violent inhabitants who bite their victims.

Although it does borrow from films such as Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield it was still a decent film with menace and a chilling ending.

So guess what? Barely a year after this it was remade for the American audience and pales in comparison.

The original film worked on so many levels, that the remake missed completely. A big proportion of the original film was improvised with various scenes only known by the writers and directors so when they were employed, the reactions from the cast is genuine and feels more realistic. The cinematographer literally plays himself in the movie so the shots are organic and off the cuff and there is scant explanation as to why these things are happening which is a device that makes you ponder the film long after you have seen it. It is also shot on a low grade camera that is grainy and under lit that it feels as if you are really there.

The remake seems to be shot on film so immediately the claustrophobic gritty vibe is lost and therefore everything seems staged and far less organic. The original ran at a taut running time of 78 mins whereas the remake adds over 10 minutes to shoehorn an explanation into the equation which lessens the films visceral power .

The original was comprised of many first time actors which again heightens the sense of realism whereas the sequel (even though those involved are barely household names) has professional actors on the whole whose presence strips the film of it's base qualities. They also seem to be aware of the lines as the camera seems to anticipate their lines by a split second which is not apparent in the original. This softens the blow of their reactions and I just could not empathise with any character in the remake, yet in the original i felt their fear and terror and was with them every step of the way.

I am not dissing a remake here for the sake of it either. If you can remake a film and build upon it and even improve it then I am all for it but alas it was a quick cash in that missed the plot entirely. Watch the original for sure.

Seltzer · 03-14-2010, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

My first time seeing this and I loved it. If there's such thing as a slapstick tragedy then this is it. Brilliantly-told story and pretty much the definitive film of two halves.

Fantastic isn't it? I always say that it's as charming as Amelie. It's on my rewatch list along with Withnail & I.

I watched Bowfinger for the first time the other night. The weird thing is that I'd never heard of it before... I don't remember hearing anything about this film in the 90s when it came out, although I suppose I didn't watch that many films when I was 11.

I didn't have high expectations for Bowfinger but it was actually pretty entertaining, and better than Tropic Thunder IMO. I was surprised to find that it was Frank Oz who directed this... after all, it's fairly different to Death at a Funeral.

LoathsomePete · 03-14-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

[REC] is a Spanish low budget film that I saw a while back (around 6 months ago). It's a POV film whereby a T.V crew follow firefighters in real time to any emergency call that they get. When they arrive at a block of flats they find that the inhabitants of the block are infected with a virus and they are all trapped in the block by the authorities and have to deal with the virus as it spreads that turns people into violent inhabitants who bite their victims.

Although it does borrow from films such as Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield it was still a decent film with menace and a chilling ending.

So guess what? Barely a year after this it was remade for the American audience and pales in comparison.

The original film worked on so many levels, that the remake missed completely. A big proportion of the original film was improvised with various scenes only known by the writers and directors so when they were employed, the reactions from the cast is genuine and feels more realistic. The cinematographer literally plays himself in the movie so the shots are organic and off the cuff and there is scant explanation as to why these things are happening which is a device that makes you ponder the film long after you have seen it. It is also shot on a low grade camera that is grainy and under lit that it feels as if you are really there.

The remake seems to be shot on film so immediately the claustrophobic gritty vibe is lost and therefore everything seems staged and far less organic. The original ran at a taut running time of 78 mins whereas the remake adds over 10 minutes to shoehorn an explanation into the equation which lessens the films visceral power .

The original was comprised of many first time actors which again heightens the sense of realism whereas the sequel (even though those involved are barely household names) has professional actors on the whole whose presence strips the film of it's base qualities. They also seem to be aware of the lines as the camera seems to anticipate their lines by a split second which is not apparent in the original. This softens the blow of their reactions and I just could not empathise with any character in the remake, yet in the original i felt their fear and terror and was with them every step of the way.

I am not dissing a remake here for the sake of it either. If you can remake a film and build upon it and even improve it then I am all for it but alas it was a quick cash in that missed the plot entirely. Watch the original for sure.

Remakes of foreign movies are not done to give another culture's point of view on the subject matter, they're done merely for the sake of people's illiteracy.

Not only that the reporter in [Rec] was way better to look at than in Quarantine.

TheCunningStunt · 03-15-2010, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violent & Funky

You said it wasn't the most entertaining film?!

It had me gripped, every single second of it. I love this film.

Violent & Funky · 03-15-2010, 02:51 AM

I loved it, but entertaining and thought-provoking are not necessarily equal in my book...

boo boo · 03-15-2010, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violent & Funky

Oh, you could have just said "best movie ever made", would have made it easier.

TheCunningStunt · 03-15-2010, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violent & Funky

I loved it, but entertaining and thought-provoking are not necessarily equal in my book...

It had both, I liked the ideas it explored and it was gripping as well.

Even the bag floating through the air had me entertained.. Am I simple?

Violent & Funky · 03-15-2010, 03:38 AM

No, it's just when I personally think of entertaining and thought-provoking I think of something like Forrest Gump. American Beauty was great but there were still a few little things that irked me...

jenneym · 03-15-2010, 04:16 AM

i have seen "Hurt Locker" Yesterday.

TheCunningStunt · 03-15-2010, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violent & Funky

No, it's just when I personally think of entertaining and thought-provoking I think of something like Forrest Gump. American Beauty was great but there were still a few little things that irked me...

What irked you about American Beauty? In parts it had a slower pace but it just added to the intensity of the movie and made it more entertaining.

I thought it was a near perfect film, one of my favourites.

03-14-2010, 07:32 PM	#5521 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	[REC] is a Spanish low budget film that I saw a while back (around 6 months ago). It's a POV film whereby a T.V crew follow firefighters in real time to any emergency call that they get. When they arrive at a block of flats they find that the inhabitants of the block are infected with a virus and they are all trapped in the block by the authorities and have to deal with the virus as it spreads that turns people into violent inhabitants who bite their victims. Although it does borrow from films such as Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield it was still a decent film with menace and a chilling ending. So guess what? Barely a year after this it was remade for the American audience and pales in comparison. The original film worked on so many levels, that the remake missed completely. A big proportion of the original film was improvised with various scenes only known by the writers and directors so when they were employed, the reactions from the cast is genuine and feels more realistic. The cinematographer literally plays himself in the movie so the shots are organic and off the cuff and there is scant explanation as to why these things are happening which is a device that makes you ponder the film long after you have seen it. It is also shot on a low grade camera that is grainy and under lit that it feels as if you are really there. The remake seems to be shot on film so immediately the claustrophobic gritty vibe is lost and therefore everything seems staged and far less organic. The original ran at a taut running time of 78 mins whereas the remake adds over 10 minutes to shoehorn an explanation into the equation which lessens the films visceral power . The original was comprised of many first time actors which again heightens the sense of realism whereas the sequel (even though those involved are barely household names) has professional actors on the whole whose presence strips the film of it's base qualities. They also seem to be aware of the lines as the camera seems to anticipate their lines by a split second which is not apparent in the original. This softens the blow of their reactions and I just could not empathise with any character in the remake, yet in the original i felt their fear and terror and was with them every step of the way. I am not dissing a remake here for the sake of it either. If you can remake a film and build upon it and even improve it then I am all for it but alas it was a quick cash in that missed the plot entirely. Watch the original for sure. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

03-15-2010, 02:51 AM	#5525 (permalink)
Violent & Funky FUNky Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Midland, MI Posts: 2,482	I loved it, but entertaining and thought-provoking are not necessarily equal in my book...

03-15-2010, 03:38 AM	#5528 (permalink)
Violent & Funky FUNky Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Midland, MI Posts: 2,482	No, it's just when I personally think of entertaining and thought-provoking I think of something like Forrest Gump. American Beauty was great but there were still a few little things that irked me...

03-15-2010, 04:16 AM	#5529 (permalink)
jenneym Groupie Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 4	i have seen "Hurt Locker" Yesterday.