FG Film Club - Alien 3 - 29th Aug - 11th Sep

Virgin Go in the UK.

www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/twelve-monkeys

VPN not an option?

Not really, but it's alright I can always probably catch the next one.

Klyffe

Instructions unclear, this the one?

Seems like I'm the first to have watched this, so guess I'll kick this off.

I often find I'm a bit underwhelmed by Gilliam films. On the surface, they appear that they should be right up my street (sci-fi, a bit zany, a bit ambiguous). I just find I struggle to engage with them. I did see 12 Monkeys years and years ago and had much the same experience as I've had with his other films, and so I had very little memory of what actually happens other than the broad strokes of there being a bit in an asylum, there was a virus and some time travel.

Watching it again, I think it definitely clicked more than my first time with it. The future aesthetic is obviously fantastic and it is a bit of a shame that we don't get to spend a bit more time there. It was also cool to see the post apocalyptic city above them, with the animals roaming around. Again, would have been good to see more of that sort of thing.

Then again, the limited future scenes lends itself to the most interesting aspect of whether the events we see are the imagined ravings of a mad man or if Cole can be believed. By the end, the film does offer a conclusion to that question, but it is left ambiguous enough to be open to interpretation.

And that ending works really, really well. I couldn't remember it at all, perhaps because it is rather down beat. As I say, there is an ambiguity as to whether Cole is successful in his mission, but there is also a strong sense of the inevitability of the events and the powerlessness of those caught up in it. There is a small crack of a victory, but it is tiny.

Probably the biggest negative against the film was the portrayal of mental illness. It is very 90s in that regard and over the top. Brad Pitt gives one of those performances that I expect lots of people thought was incredible, but is actually a bit grating and lacks any subtlety. It feeds nicely into the ideas of what is real though and the Bruce Willis's Cole has more nuance to it, although it occasionally slips into acting stereotypically crazy, particularly early on.

Interestingly looking at gilliams film list I thought he had done more.

Moving this to fortnightly, if still no interest then can sack it off

Maybe regularly update the thread title to include the name of the film and the date we're watching it by (if the character limit allows)? That way people could join in if it's a film that interests them.

Anyway, I haven't gotten to this one yet, but have a hankering to finish watching the TV adaptation. I remember it being surprisingly decent.

Haha! Greetings!

That this did not kick off with Enemy Mine is a travesty that can never be recovered from

Imma have to watch the first 2 first.
Good for kids, right?

Poll for the next film can be found on first page. Voting lasts till 10th sep