Oh I'm sorry, Did I Break Your Conversation........Well Allow Me A Movie Thread by S&T

someone told me to watch sling blade..is it good? heard it was the movie that made BBT into a star
 
Review: Starred Up
-----------------------------

Part Bronson, part Hunger, UK prison drama Starred Up is one that will stick with you and be talked about in the pantheon of prison flicks going forward.

Rising star Jack O’Connell plays 19-year-old Eric Love, a violent, hot-tempered troublemaker who does his problem solving with his fists. The film’s title refers to a young persons early transfer into an adult prison due to their behavior. It’s clear from the start that our main character has a few screws loose. Inside, things get a bit more complicated as his estranged father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), is in the same prison, battling his own issues, now having to deal with his son.

Starred Up is a gritty, hard to swallow depiction of the prison dynamic. While it focuses on Eric, his unstable personality and his path toward mental maturity, it also hones in on a not-so-normal father and son relationship what doesn’t have a choice but start to mend.

It’s hard to even describe this film without first picking your jaw up off the floor while watching O’Connell shine. While many may not know about him yet, they will by the end of the year as he stars in Unbroken which should be a big contender come Oscar season. But Starred Up is a film I won’t soon forget specifically because of his performance. O’Connell resembles Tom Hardy in Bronson, sans the muscles and mustache, so much. From the wild demeanor to the off the wall fight scenes, he’s fearless yet so vulnerable. His skinny frame gives off an impression of weakness and youth, but his psychotic aggression makes him utterly dangerous.

His performance contains a level of subtleness that draws in the viewer, forcing us to pay attention to every expression. Eric Love is a broken young man, mentally and emotionally.

As good as O’Connell is here, it wouldn’t be as powerful without the help of a fantastic supporting cast. Rupert Friend plays Oliver, the resident counselor of the prison who leads (loosely put) therapy sessions. Much like his role on Showtime’s Homeland, he’s strong, convincing, and genuinely cares about the growth Love can show. Ben Mendelsohn can do no wrong on the big screen. He continues to churn out quality role, one after the other. As a well-respected inmate, Neville commands his block. Once his son enters the prison, he continues his “tough love” mannerism, wanting the best for his son. He pleads for Oliver to help Eric right the wrongs that have left him in a steel cage. Mendelsohn’s tough exterior is only masked by the age prison puts on a man. His loyalty and compassion for his son’s well being is what brings the film together and adds multiple layers to what could be viewed as a simple film about incarceration.

What director David Mackenzie does best in this picture is encapsulate the sociology behind prisoners, guards, and coexisting in a dehumanized environment. The sense of chaos in the prison from all the violence, while a bit disorganized, feels real thanks to writer Jonathan Asser’s real life experience in the system.
While some (American) viewers may complain that they can’t understand a lot of the dialogue in Mackenzie’s film, rest assured this was an artistic vision that really doesn’t rely on dialogue as much as it does the aura of O’Connell and the prison dynamic.

One of the best qualities of this film is that it never loses sight of its premise. It never force-feeds the audience a sappy relationship, just like it never compromises the hardships of making it to the next day in prison. As we watch Eric’s rage boil into scuffles with authority, and thus simmer into controlled anger, the idea of redemption, while never at the forefront, ends up feeling like a possibility.

Starred Up is a true survival tale and the epitome of a breakout performance from O’Connell. This is the film we’ll look back on and point to in a few decades that put this English thesp on the map. Good luck containing this guy, he’s got superstar written all over him.

Rating: B+
 
I was going to write how some people didn't like the direction it took in the last few episodes. It did seem kind of weird. Still not sure if I liked it or not. Tricia Helfer / Caprica 6 looked like pure sex though. Whenever I saw her on screen I just wanted a taste.

I still need to watch Blood and Chrome. Had all the mini-episodes on my laptop but it broke. Shame they didn't greenlight it to be another series. They wasted time on the Caprica show even though I did watch it.
 
Last edited:
Is there a Masters of Sex thread on here?

That doctor that wanted to Virginia to work with him on his study was wildin'.
laugh.gif
alien.gif


Didn't eem recognize that Betsy Brandt from Breaking Bad is Bill's secretary.
 
Is there a Masters of Sex thread on here?

That doctor that wanted to Virginia to work with him on his study was wildin'. :lol 0]

Didn't eem recognize that Betsy Brandt from Breaking Bad is Bill's secretary.

There is one, but I don't think it gets posted in at all. Hasn't been updated for S2 and only is at about 2-3 pages last I checked.

Need to get into that show as well.
 
Last edited:
I was going to write how some people didn't like the direction it took in the last few episodes. It did seem kind of weird. Still not sure if I liked it or not. Tricia Helfer / Caprica 6 looked like pure sex though. Whenever I saw her on screen I just wanted a taste.

I still need to watch Blood and Chrome. Had all the mini-episodes on my laptop but it broke. Shame they didn't greenlight it to be another series. They wasted time on the Caprica show even though I did watch it.
Yea they started losing with the final five stuff. Its like the wrote themselves into a corner and had no idea how to make it work. Then the way they wrapped up starbuck and mostly everyone was else was such a letdown :{ But yea Trecia was just that eye candy anytime was on there. I never got around to Blood and Chrome and I hit up maybe two eps of Caprica 6 before i jumped ship.
 
Excited for that Simpsons marathon in August :hat


So i had all these shows on my queue:

Justified Season 4
The Americans
Fargo
Hannibal
Orphan Black

But i started watching some CW drama instead, The 100 :lol :{

I'm a fan of the main characters chest though :hat

tumblr_n6kav7RUVN1rcdaqbo2_250.jpg
 
Last edited:
^
Maybe if leo recorded killing himself, someone will make it into a fictional documentary type movie and he'll finally win one post-mortem.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of post-mortem :(

IMDb ‏@IMDb · 1h
Check out an exclusive clip for #AMostWantedMan w/ Philip Seymour Hoffman & Robin Wright. http://imdb.to/1k8BnP8

Oen of the last couple new things coming out with PSH in it.
 
James Garner died.

RIP... I enjoyed watching Space Cowboys on cable...

Love that Spike Jonze paid tribute to 70s cop shows like Garner's Rockford Files (as well as Mannix, Streets of San Fran, Starsky & Hutch) for the Beastie Boys Sabotage vid... :smokin
 
I had tried one week to actually watch all of those new CW shows; Reign, The 100, The Tomorrow People, Beauty & the Beast, Supernatural (which is surprisingly still on air), Vampire Diaries, etc. and I gotta say if it weren't for the hot females in them I'd have nothing nice to say about any of the shows.

It's come to the point where when I think CW, I think trash failure. At one point they did have average to good shows even dating back to them being the WB. Shame :{



Jake gunning for that Best Actor Oscar

Leo would probably off himself if Jake Gyllenhaal wins one before he does :lol


Jake will always be one of my personal fav actors.

True about Leo though :lol :{
 
^ I didnt make it though 20 minutes of The 100 just now :{

I heard its get better later on in the season but its not worth it :lol
 
I saw like the first 2 episodes of the 100, the young hot female actresses kept me trying to watch. Watched 4-5 episodes of Reign. The females on that show were really nice.
 
The Leftovers has me on tone, alone.

Nothing else. I need some form of a return on this show... about now.

Triangle being on YouTube has negatively affected the amount of people I've convinced to watch.
 
Last edited:
Hit up a pretty good little movie called $50K and a Call Girl. It's about two brothers and one is basically terminal with a brain tumor. So the other brother decides to use his savings/wedding money to go on a lengthy road trip and cross of a bunch of stuff on his bucket list with his brother during his last few months.
 
Back
Top Bottom