Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Great review! I had a few laughs...

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I must have been dozing off, because there were chunks I didn't remember. I'd give it a shot. Not a great start, but it gets better. Definitely laughed a few times.

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Ace in the Hole (1951)

Ace in the Hole is not a prime example of film noir, being mostly a straight drama about squalid journalism and a glory seeking reporter, however it does display one of noir’s common themes: a crushing sense of cynicism. Almost from the start we’re presented with an unrelenting portrait of some of the worst traits in human nature: greed, sensationalism, gullibility, and lying.

A newspaperman (Kirk Douglas) has been hired for a meager salary by a small Albuquerque daily after having been fired by most major publications for his underhandedness and temper. Soon a story arises with possible national interest when a local gas station owner gets trapped in a collapsed cave, which causes the newspaperman to scheme a way to build the story and his own involvement and reportage. He even convinces the authorities to alter the rescue method, which promotes a slower pace, allowing the story to be milked to a much wider audience as the carnival atmosphere with the snoopers and looky-loos builds at the site.

Along the way the trapped man’s wife, Lorraine (Jan Sterling), who had already wanted to divorce him before this incident, becomes partly complicit in the newspaperman’s plot due to her new found income provided by hundreds of tourists flocking to the site and spending money at the gas station. But soon their relationship sours as the newspaperman starts to drink, and an altercation occurs which injures the newspaperman and causes him to renounce the whole mess that he has started. The story grinds to an ending in which everyone except the poor sole in the cave seems to get their just desserts.

This is reportedly Billy Wilder’s first film in which he both wrote, produced and directed. His story is his most disdainful and misanthropic of all of his films. He exposes the underbelly of human nature in such a way that one feels the urge to wash one’s hands at the film’s end. The single redeeming let up in the tale is when the newspaperman realizes that he’s gone too far, and seeks redemption. Sadly the portrayal of a gullible public blindly reacting to a sensational news story has not changed much in the intervening 77 years.

Billy Wilder had earlier directed two bona fide noirs: Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), so his association with the movement likely influences people to consider Ace in the Hole as a noir also. One interesting bit of trivia that caught my attention is that the name of the insurance company involved in this tale, the Pacific All-Risk Insurance Co., is the same fictitious company featured in Double Indemnity.

Doc's rating: 7/10

I enjoyed it a lot, but Chris Pratt is too bland and wooden to get higher than an 8.5 from me.

I watched half of Pretty Woman on Netflix


3/5

Yes! Absolutely amazing film. Surprisingly anti-war, simply by showing its human costs.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

By jackassmovie.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68266749

Jackass Fore♥er - (2022)

Oh, how do I rate this? I don't know - but you know what would be good? A movie about a group of people like Johnny Knoxville and his pals who end up going way too far - with terrible consequences. But that's not what this is - although I tell you, these guys are really pushing it. Knoxville himself gives everyone a scare when a bull sends him flying into the air, going and over end, before hitting the ground awkwardly and not getting up - a few stunts end up in hospital visits, with broken bones and much bruising - if not worse. The guys do things to their genitals that feels like a risk of permanent damage - so I wonder how they could do that. Then I read that this film made $80 million at the box office - so, where do I sign up?

♥/10


By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6799556

The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz - (1955)

A bizarre film from Luis Buñuel that features titular character Archibaldo del la Cruz (Ernesto Alonso) repeatedly planning murders that are thwarted when the women he's trying to kill die by other unrelated causes before he can carry his plans out. Ahead of it's time really, and a fascinating watch - my review is here, on my watchlist thread.

8/10

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4/5 - White Material (2009) Not an easy watch, but has a drone like ambiance that helps me get through it, with some exciting releases from the tension, and of course the star of the film. Thematically is much like The Beasts watched recently, i would like to not watch another like these for awhile, where a foreigner is terrorized by the locals.

Beautiful, slow, arthouse type A24 drama about a woman recollecting memories of her life in Mississippi - with audio and visuals that evoke the best of Terrence Malick.

If you want action don't watch this film; if you're prepared to listen and look at the screen and get swept up in a sensual, non-linear narrative, it might be for you.

7.7/10

The Creator -

This is a pretty good, pulpy sci-fi action thriller featuring technology you've likely heard about this year and will continue to hear about: AI. It's set in a possible near-future where America's reliance on AI led to L.A. getting nuked. They banned it as a result and built NOMAD, an orbital defense system that monitors and destroys AI threats. They're all in Asia, i.e., "New Asia," which instead of banning AI went so far with it that people and AI humans live side by side. Our hero is Josh Taylor (Washington), an American soldier who defected to New Asia after falling in love with Maya (Chan) while undercover. After his army buddies discover his hiding place, they recruit him against his will to find and terminate AI suspect #1: Nirmata, a.k.a. the Creator. In the resulting confrontation, the pregnant Maya escapes and is presumed dead.

While I haven't loved all of Gareth Edwards' movies, I'll continue to be excited when he has a project in the works. His "isn't this fun, guys" enthusiasm for the genre is one reason and it's on full display here. It's really apparent in the visuals, which are not only vibrant and demand to be seen on the big screen, but also pay loving homage to the material that inspired it, Akira and Blade Runner in particular. Washington also deserves credit for how endearing and relatable he makes Taylor. His relationship with Alphie (Voyles), an AI prototype and "magical child" whose abilities would tip the balance for either superpower, has a lot to do with this for how it humanizes him and serves as a microcosm of the main theme. The stakes of their relationship, not to mention the driving pace and tight editing, means the action is never dull.

Again, this is pretty good sci-fi for how it explores the increasingly complicated relationship between man and machine. Edwards does wear his influences on his sleeve, but I don't think that's a bad thing since he puts his own stamp on them. What does hold the movie back from greatness is the many conveniences in the script. If it's not characters making uncharacteristically dumb decisions, its moments that make you question where some of the AI inventors went to college (some of the robots close their eyes and go to sleep on hammocks, for example). With that said, for its boldness, timeliness and for simply being good fun, Edwards and crew deserve your support. After all, they could have just made this into yet another Star Wars movie if they wanted to.

The Score (2001)

Pretty routine heist movie embellished by the performances of De Niro and Norton. The dialogue is stale and the performance of Brando simply laughable. I read that he wouldn't speak to the director so fck knows what wasted salary he was pulling down to diva it up. It's pretty predictable but has a few subtle twists. All round forgettable.

1st Rewatch...As I mentioned in my original review, it takes a minute to get going in terms of backstory and exposition, but once it does, this movie is a lot of fun. Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer are charming in the starring roles. Especially loved the part of the film where the two guys are trying to figure out exactly what powers the guys possess.

Umpteenth Rewatch...it was so interesting watching this after so many years because it offers Rock commentary on major pop culture events that have been nearly forgotten about. Chris talks about Michael Jackson's 2nd charge of child molestation, the charges against R Kelly, Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl, and the lack of police work put into the death Tupac Shakur. Chris' philosophies toward marriage and relationships are offered and sometimes divide the audience, but never fail to produce laughs.

Three good movies.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

SF = Z

Oooo really really enjoyed this!


[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it

Godzilla Minus One (2023)


This had the feel of a classic. The monster story is simple but effective and it's refreshing to watch - often, in trying to be new, films become overlong and overcomplicated. There is emotional weight to it, the main character a failed kamikaze pilot who is haunted by grief and guilt, the destruction wrought by Godzilla himself a stand-in for the destruction of war. The characters are distinct and likable and you believe in their relationships. It feels well made and heartfelt and I liked it very much. Would definitely recommend.

JANUARY 1, 2024

FERRARI (2023)

I decided to see Michael Mann's latest film this past week, and I have to say I thought it was really good. A word of advice, though: The movie begins in a decidedly in media res fashion, and it takes a while for the viewer to really orient themselves and get a good grasp on who's who and what's what. I sometimes wonder whether or not people have the patience for that these days, but that would really be the viewer's problem and not the filmmakers'. In any case, the story / situation begins to assert itself in fairly short order, and it's a very interesting one. Not really being a racing enthusiast, and not really knowing anything about the history of automobile manufacturing, I still found it rather compelling. (I admittedly had a similar reaction to Gran Turismo earlier this year, which was also based on a true story. As a matter of fact, there's a tragic and cataclysmic "it" event late in the movie which far surpasses that of Gran Turismo in terms of sheer devastation and destruction.)

Adam Driver was very good in the role of Enzo Ferrari, disappearing into the skin of the company founder quite effortlessly, in a way that definitely does not make one think of Kylo Ren! (Yeah, yeah. I know Driver's done plenty of good work since the decidedly mixed bag that was the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, but the only film of his since then that I've actually seen is Spike Lee's BlackKklansman, and acting-wise that was primarily John David Washington's show.) And Driver is quite readily rivalled by Penélope Cruz as Enzo's wife Laura, who owns half the company's shares and has become estranged from Enzo since the death of their young son Dino a year earlier. Cruz's performance actually creates a good deal of suspense, in terms of making the audience wonder exactly what she's going to do and how she's going to react to certain situations, and much of Enzo and the Ferrari company's fate rests on this. Complicating matters considerably is the fact that Enzo's been having a long-time affair with another woman named Lina for many years, with whom he's had another son named Piero, who just might end up being the heir to the company.

In short, I would highly recommend it, but I would also counsel patience due to its unhurried, unrushed pacing and the fact that its primary virtues are those of character development as opposed to nonstop action. (Although it's certainly not lacking in the latter, as we do get the big thousand-mile Mille Miglia race later in the film.)

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"Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid" - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)

"I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours" - Bob Dylan, Talkin' World War III Blues (1963)