What Film Are You Watching Tonight?

I forgot about this.

Maybe my girl* has to suffer tonight, I still have so many SWs to watch
 Sam Cooper for example.

*actually she likes to watch my movies and even encourages my spleen.

[quote=“scherpschutter, post:2440, topic:372”]MINDHUNTERS (2004, Renny Harlin)

Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians for the lobotomised
I guess it’s not bad as far as these serial killer things go, but these things simply don’t go very far
This one is particularly stupid, as two of the future profilers have a violent past and wouldn’t have been allowed to the training-course ever (or doesn’t the FBI screen applicants?)

The Silence of the Lambs (both book and film) seemed refreshing at first sight (never seen or read it again by the way), but the sub-genre very soon looked anemic. I can’t remember any book or film on the subject that really was worthwile, and I’ve seen/read quite a few (I reviewed crime novels for a couple of years). I guess Val McDermid’s The Mermaids singing is the best novel, Copy Cat the best film (at least much better than the laughably overblown Se7en).[/quote]

Mindhunters isn’t one of the worst, at least there are a few surprises.

A pity you don’t like Se7en, Scherp. It’s the best and most stylish thriller imo of the last 20 years, or so. And one of the few which can carry the enigma of the film beyond the end.

Most thrillers have only good ideas for the first third, or if they are better for 2 thirds of the film, but then they mostly fail to find a consequent and/or interesting end. Se7en has a wonderful and fitting end.

What about James Ellroy? Many of his novels are about serial killlers.

[quote=“Stanton, post:2443, topic:372”]Mindhunters isn’t one of the worst, at least there are a few surprises.

A pity you don’t like Se7en, Scherp. It’s the best and most stylish thriller imo of the last 20 years, or so. And one of the few which can carry the enigma of the film beyond the end.

Most thrillers have only good ideas for the first third, or if they are better for 2 thirds of the film, but then they mostly fail to find a consequent and/or interesting end. Se7en has a wonderful and fitting end.

What about James Ellroy? Many of his novels are about serial killlers.[/quote]

Don’t like Ellroy, don’t know what it is exactly, but I can’t read his novels

Se7en is a good-looking film of course, but it’s all style, no content
Like I said, I found it quite laughable, I mean literally: I remember I started laughing during the movie about all this biblical nonsense, and pathetic goings-on
But it does look good and the ending is effective

Hmm, well, I didn’t care too much for the content, I never tried to dig deeper into the background story. I thought it was a strong idea and it worked very good to serve to plot.

Why nonsense?

He he style over content, sounds like a good SW!

True. Many of them try to come up with that ultimate twist that usually makes things even worse than they already are

I didn’t like Mindhunters because I didn’t really care who did the killings, I had no feelings whatsoever for any of the characters
When the killer was exposed, I didn’t even know rightaway who he/she was, I had nearly overlooked the girl/guy (no spoilers here) all the time ! But I guess the film is okay if you like these type of films: there are a few shocks and the way people are killed, is sometimes pretty bizarre

Another good novel about serial killers, is Gone but not forgotten
The story doesn’t make too much sense, but it’s tremendously suspenseful

The best crime novel, is Truman Capote’s ‘factional’ novel In Cold Blood
Sebastien Japrisot’s L’étĂ© meurtrier is also great, and furthermore anything from Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald
In recent times, Scandinavia has produced some good crime writers, notably Henning Mankell
(The Sjöwall and Wahlöo novels weren’t bad either)

Is there a good German crime writer?
Can’t remember I ever heard of one, but I must have

[quote=“Stanton, post:2445, topic:372”]Hmm, well, I didn’t care too much for the content, I never tried to dig deeper into the background story. I thought it was a strong idea and it worked very good to serve to plot.

Why nonsense?

He he style over content, sounds like a good SW![/quote]

I never dig deep in the background story if there isn’t any
In other words: if a film maker is unpretentious, keeps it simple, I’m not the one to complain about that, I like simple, straightforward stories

But se7en was a very pretentious movie, and it all sounded hollow: the seven deadly sins, the killer giving his victims a chance to repent and save themselves, the killer turning himself in, all this talk about moral decay and society falling apart 
 and then the overwrougth acting of Pitt and (especially) Spacey 


Mindhunters was nothing special, but I don’t remember much of it. Too much of the usual I think.

I like Ellroy very much, but his latest rummaging through the newer american history in his last 2 novels is exhausting as there is too much of all, as all is too monstrous.
But the 4 connected previous novels are very good: The Black Dahlia (lousy film), The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential (good film, quite different from the source, a bit overrated), White Jazz.

Chandler is wonderful, I have reread most of his novels a few years ago. Hammet is also interesting.
What’s the best of McDonald? I’ve read a few, but a friend claims that his novels are of different quality.

German crime writers 
 I’m sure there are some, probably some good either, but I don’t remember even a name.

[quote=“scherpschutter, post:2447, topic:372”]I never dig deep in the background story if there isn’t any
In other words: if a film maker is unpretentious, keeps it simple, I’m not the one to complain about that, I like simple, straightforward stories

But se7en was a very pretentious movie, and it all sounded hollow: the seven deadly sins, the killer giving his victims a chance to repent and save themselves, the killer turning himself in, all this talk about moral decay and society falling apart 
 and then the overwrougth acting of Pitt and (especially) Spacey 
[/quote]

For me it wasn’t pretentious, apart from maybe a few moments. And I liked the acting very much, from all 3 leads.
Yeah, completely different views on this one 


Two of the best things concerning crime in the last 15 years were 2 british TV series: Cracker and Prime Suspect

Both are not excactly a series, more a bunch of films made for TV over the years. Some of them as two-parters with a lenght of more than 3 hours.

" the mist" tonight

[quote=“Stanton, post:2450, topic:372”]Two of the best things concerning crime in the last 15 years were 2 british TV series: Cracker and Prime Suspect

Both are not excactly a series, more a bunch of films made for TV over the years. Some of them as two-parters with a lenght of more than 3 hours.[/quote]

Prime Suspect was superb, don’t know Cracker
Trial & Retribution started well, but went downhill after a while

RossMacDonald: the quality of his books is indeed quite different; his last five novels are sometimes called the best crime novels ever written by an American. I even prefer him to Chandler and Hammet, but he is less accessible. He writes crime novels, but they’re not very suspenseful. They’re more studies in existential pain, studies in how people ruin their own lives as well as the lives of the people they love. Like Chandler’s stories, they’re set in California, and usually have a upper-class setting, but while Chandler writes about those people with a mixture of irony and contempt, MacDonald feels sorry for them: they’re most of the time about people who can’t leave the past behind them. They often are have-it-alls who lack what they need most.

The Instant Enemy - 1968
The Goodbye Look - 1969
The Underground Man - 1971
Sleeping Beauty - 1973
The Blue Hammer - 1976

Of the earlier novels The Chill - 1964 is remarkable

Maniac Cop has been viewed.

An ex cop is pissed off and especially with the people responsible for sending him to prison, in this exploitation film by William Lustig which is well done for this sort of stuff. My favourite Lustig films though are Maniac and Vigilante.

Enjoyed that one. It’s a bit unusual cause the focus is more on the people as on the monsters.

Tomorrow I think I’ll watch Oliver Stone’s W. It’s on Austrian Free TV and I’ll try catch it. BTW it’s on Pro7 on Friday. Has anybody seen this George Bush Movie so far?

[quote=“Paco Roman, post:2454, topic:372”]Enjoyed that one. It’s a bit unusual cause the focus is more on the people as on the monsters.[/quote]yeah i quite enjoyed it. it followed the novella quite closely until the end, which i thought was better than the story’s original ending but a lot of people don’t like it.

"scary movie 4 " tonight

Not too bad, but not great either

I agree with director Darabont that religious fanatics are dangerous, but the message is too much emphasized here
Great insects by the way

The Weapon, the Hour and the Motive
-average giallo in convent settings.

Combat!
Season 1
Campaign 2

TURKISH STAR WARS!!
-Best film ever
 yes
 it really is