The Recommended Movies Thread

[Homer]

Watched Harry Brown on Boxing Day. Just watched it because I'm a bit of a Michael Caine fan, but I had no idea what the film was about. Blimey! I wasn't quite prepared for the fully justified violence in the film, but it was riveting. If this is a reflection of today's society in the UK, I'm glad I'm well away from it.

Watched it for the same reason and had the same reaction. One of the reasons Sir Michael took the role is the exteriors were filmed in the neighborhood where he grew up. He talks about the differences between then and now: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/cult ... ation.html

[Homer]

Can't remember if it was in this forum where there was a discussion about the increasing average size of movies available for download. I can see two reasons why the files are getting larger. Obvious one is more people have high speed internet so they compress the files less for better fidelity. The prevalance of iPads may be the second reason. People tell me that movies play best on the iPad in a particular format and (insert technical stuff here), which is the same format available on iTunes. Converting a movie to the optimal format can take hours with the CPU pegged at 100%. Movies that are less compressed convert much faster. People are opting for more download time in exchange for less cooking-their-computer time.

[buksida]

It was here Homer, I questioned it and found out that people are also ripping BluRay discs now instead of DVDs so the file sizes have doubled - 1.4Gb per movie instead of 700Mb.

[sandman67]

There are broadly two reasons for the increasing fle size:

In general PCs and graphics cards are getting more powerful to where 1280p or higher rez copies are playable....except if like me you own a 4 year old clunker laptop wth basic graphics that struggles with 720p rez files. I just dont get it myself as unless you burn and playback the copies on a hi rez plasma screen or PC screen setup the difference is hardly noticable. You have to bear in mind that the rippers are all techo-geek otakus with good systems.

The other main point is that BluRay discs are released a month or so ahead of the regular DVD release to promote BluRay system sales. So, rippers who are looking to make aname for ther group getting out the earliest release will rip down a BluRay and do it initially as a hi rez big fat whopper file. Then after a week or so some numpty like me gets sick of this and re-rips the BluRay down to a lower rez and smaller file. BluRay releases also sometimes are the extended versions of teh films with added scenes put in - AVATAR and COWBOYS AND ALIENS for example.

Its a frigging pain in the arse given the new compression codecs like H264 allow for small fles with good sound and rez. Personally as I watch my stuff on my laptop, and can always use a converter should I want to burn stuff to disc for DVD playback, I look out for MKV copies that are around 500mb, or drop streaming online copies that are FLV format - they come out around 200-300mb. GOM PLAYER and VLC PLAYER handle both formats well when you also download the CCCP Codec pack and install it...K LITE CODEC PACK is an alternative. I have freeware converters that can change these into AVI or MPEG if I need to burn a playable disc, or a freeware DVD Authoring program to make proper DVDs with subtitles.

There are an ncreasng number of rips that use the MP4 format which is not good - MP4 is really hit and miss as to its playability even on good up to date systems and I recc you avoid copies that use that format.

The only answer other than usng non AVI formats is to wait a week or two after the release and some kind soul will hopefully have re-ripped it down to a normal 1CD 700mb file. AxxO copies are a reliable source....even tho AxxO himself seems to have retired his name is attached to the 1CD standard.

[buksida]

There are an ncreasng number of rips that use the MP4 format which is not good - MP4 is really hit and miss as to its playability even on good up to date systems and I recc you avoid copies that use that format.

Can confirm that, even on the latest hardware MP4 files can be blocky with out of synch sound. I usually stick to AVI which will play on anything.

[sandman67]

I just got a PM about how you "capture" onlne streaming videos from Youtube or film sites like

http://www.watchseries-online.eu/
http://www.tv-links.eu
http://watch-movies.ro/

etc

These can be ether smallish FLV files or bigger AVI files.

If you use FireFox go to the Add Ons page of mozilla and look up an add on called DownloadHelper. Install that and then you can grab onlne streams very easily. Its simple and titchy and works a treat. Once you install restart FireFox. Now...when you go to a streaming vid site and hit play the little DowloadHelper symbol next to your address bar lghts up....click on it and select download and away you go.

now....you have an FLV fle you need to convert to AVI so you can stick it on a disk and watch it on your DVD player....easy peasy

Use a freeware FLV to AVI Converter.....FREEZ or PAZERA for example

http://download.cnet.com/Pazera-Free-FL ... 86669.html

you can find similar programs that convert MP4s to AVI, MKVs to AVI etc. Just google "freeware (format) to AVI Converter".

[sandman67]

Woop Woop Woop

Aharrrrr shipmateys, thats the Sandomatic 2000 Early Warning System going off!

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is out in R5 DVDRIP format - copies are on http://oneclickmoviez.com/ so will be out and about in torrent format as well. R5 can be sometimes a bit off but usually are good hi rez copies so its worth a gamble. Of the two that are currently at oneclick SceneLovers is the version that is 699mb and ViP3R version is 900mb. Go with the SceneLovers version is my tip.

Ive checked the screenshots and it looks like a lovely crisp copy.

Its getting rave reviews everywhere as well

Im off to drop a copy now

YaHarrrrrrr



PS: Fans of the original UK TV 7 part series should go look at Veehd.com and do a search for "tinker". The follow up Smileys People is also on there. I think Sarge was lookng for that at some point. There is also a third John Le Carre series on there called A Perfect Spy.

[sandman67]

KILLER ELITE

Jason Stratham and Robert DeNero are senior members of a team of mercenary button men who specialise in technical assassination set ups. After a job goes badly wrong Jason decideds to pack it in and retire back to the countryside to farm. A year later tho and he finds his friend is now the prisoner of a deposed Omani oil shiek who hired him to kill the three men who killed his sons. Jason is given an ultimatum....complete the job and earn $6 million, or his mate gets the chop. There is just one small issue...the men who he has to kill are all SAS. So Jason reassembles the team and sets out to work, only to find that the targets are also protected by a shadow group called the Feather Men who protect ex-SAS soldiers, and its main enforcer isnt willing to just sit on his arse and see his mates killed.

For a revenger assassin flick ths is quite clever as it throws in loops and curves, and adds layers as the flick goes on, soon turning into a who is screwing who over whodunnit. Some critics loved it, some hated it, I liked it. The action segments are explosive and tense, and the layering of the plot keeps you tied in to try to work out who the actual client is till the last reel.

Out and about in lovely crisp DVDRIP format at all the usual places.

Three cheers and a keeper.

[hhfarang]

Now that is the kind of information I want, no depend on!, from you Sandman. Both Stratham and De Niro are two of my favorite actors!

To see them both together in an action flick will be great!

[sandman67]

HHf

its a real suck it and see flick mate....sort of a half way house between the assassin revenger flick like COLUMBIANA which you said you liked, and a spy thriller where there are different groups each havng the others over a barrel. The action bits are laced nbetween plot heavy bits.....I liked it even if some of the camera work was a bit too pop video cut cut cut style. Likeyou Im a big Bob DeNero fan, and Stratham is shaping up to be a sort of action hero with a brain and heart.....

Have a butchers and see what you think

[hhfarang]

^ Box: all lids open plus air holes and a door cut in the side!

[sandman67]

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Gary Oldman dons the bottle bottom specs and crumpled overcoat of the George Smiley character in this much condensed version of the John Le Carre 70s spyhunter thriller.

The Circus, a specialist intelligence unit of MI6, learns from a whisper on the ether that it may have been compromised. So Control, its head, sends out an agent to liase with the source and find out more. Unfortunately the meeting is a set up, and the agent is captured. The resultng scandal sees Control and his rght hand man Smiley trashcanned in disgrace. One year later the Minister reactivates George as it seems after all there is a mole withn the Circus' senior management, and the mole must be found. So George and his staff of old timers and current Circus staff begin a manhunt.

Its filmed in a sort of tobbacco smoke teabag stain haze, and although slow and plot heavy keeps happily trotting along its quiet methodical path. The acting from the core team, supported b an A list ensemble B team is top notch. Im lucky in that I didnt read the book and cant remember the TV adaption, so see it as is and without any pre-conceptions....and I think it works wonderfully. Quiet, thoughful, and sparse it feels grubby damp and real rather than the whizz boom bang of 007 flicks. Purists may hate it as it does have to prune down the story somewhat to get it into a 2hr flick....I liked it.

Anyways, out and about in lovely clean and crisp R5 DVDRIP format, although you may need to drop a subtitle file for the foriegn bits....look up "Tinker Tailor Eng SRT 1CD" on google and you will find one.

Three smoky cheers and a tumbler of Johnny.



PS: It sets up the next installment at the end nicely so expect a second flck next year or so.

[hhfarang]

Sandman, there's one running this week through sometime in February on MGM (Truevisions) that I think you will enjoy. I is called "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and is a classic epic filmed in 1965. It's much more exciting than "The King's Speech" and I think you'll really like it. Surly it's downloadable too from one of your favorite sites.

[sateeb]

"The Greatest Story Ever Told" and is a classic epic filmed in 1965.



Based on a true story.....yeahhhhhh right

[sandman67]

HHF

I may just tune in as I actually have a soft spot for the old Hollywood epic "bible" flicks like that and The Robe, Samson, Ben Hur, etc.

Last week I watched The Ten Commandments (the Charlton Heston/Yul Brynner version).....great stuff. But as a history lesson youd be better off readng the contents list of a cornflakes box.

Great eye candy and entertainment, but 18th Dynasty Egyptian history it certainly aint.