Rate The Last Movie You Saw [Archive] - Page 141

resopamenic

07-26-17, 06:34 AM

Shonen merikensak (2008)
https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/3/3/3/3/6/33336-brass-knuckle-boys-0-300-0-450-crop.jpg

Been a long time I want to see it, as they got punk+aoi miyazaki+kudokan's comedy..... but the rest of it was bad. Definitely the guy kudokan was not director~writer type and this one got his worst of writing when attempted to mix mockumentary, sentimental road drama with interconnecting past and present of the band story, executed directional-ly with such a mess. I can still be forgive if The jokes were.... Only it felt wry and half baked many occasions tho' when it hit, it hit punk-ly.
4/10 + Endo Michiro's Cameo

Sh*t I just can't get ride this verse out of my head, damn you telya
anduromeda omaewa..anduromeda anduromeda anduromeda wuuuo...
______________
Her love boils bathwater (2016)
https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/3/4/6/2/1/6/346216-her-love-boils-bathwater-0-300-0-450-crop.jpg

that title somehow......

As Both of the actress got japan academy awards last year, rie miyazawa and... I forgot her kid name again :/ , thing caught my attention. But then I guess the standard must be pretty low nowadays (or I just expecting it more). Feel it was just decent, they just crying lot.
It's get and exploit tropes that I'd not seen for a while, terminal illness and bullying-sidestory- which was pretty boring first half. Turned the 2nd half, thing started gettin' better, when the twist like "actually you were not my [spoiler] but her [spoiler]" T_T , only yeah as the mom severe ill definitely goes bad, can't pumped my quassi emotion much more till The pyramid scene, it was nice t_t.
There things I want to nitpicking like the mis en scene when they placed character(s) wandering, sit, or stand at each of it sets , waiting for other character(s) to come then "dialog" started, something like that... pretty much fappanese melodrama. well I guess that's too trivial even for point it out it as lazy attempt of writing or too repetitive use of technique and styles.

Then it come the ending. about how it feel and look, It sweet. but there this weird feeling or small vibe of horror, somehow......
.....it fit the title, yeah I can see why :')
Nice ost, they got kinoko teikoku

5/10

thebiglebo

07-26-17, 07:28 AM

A Cure for Wellness (2016)

What a psychedelic movie.....

7/10 because i like the crazy movies!!!!!

32883

WorldFilmGeek

07-26-17, 07:46 AM

Typical australian film - no promotion down this way. Trailer looks good.

Looks like no distribution either. Only getting a release at this stage at a film festival in one state.

IFC Midnight actually scored the distribution rights and released the film in a limited theatrical release, VOD, and Digital HD this past Friday :) I even got to interview Damien Power, very nice guy.

Iroquois

07-26-17, 08:28 AM

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 3

Too much monkey business.

TheUsualSuspect

07-26-17, 08:46 AM

Take Me

(Pat Healy)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dc/Take_Me_film.jpg/220px-Take_Me_film.jpg

2

A harmless, yet predictable kidnapping flick. It will garner a snicker here or there, but most of the time you're waiting for the film to catch up to the point you know it will eventually arrive at, which stalls any sort of suspense the film wants to generate.

Ray runs an awkward and unconventional business. He's an entrepreneur who specializes in high-end simulated abductions. That's right, he kidnaps you. He receives a phone call from someone looking to pay a lot of money to be kidnapped for an entire weekend. This goes against one of the ground rules Ray has, which is to not kidnap someone for more than eight hours. He goes against his gut when the money is too good to turn down. Things get a little complicated when the question arises; did he kidnap the right person?

Parts of the film work and work well. The on screen chemistry between Schilling and Healy manages to hold the film together for the short running time. There are several role reversals here that work for the story and the two of them manage to play off each other to positive comical effect. This is a small film, with very few characters, so the success of it really relies on these two. They succeed in their part, but the film itself fails them.

Where the film faults is the idea that it thinks it can trick the audience, or at the very least make them question the possible outcomes. Too many instances did Healy try to make you believe one thing, only to try and shake that belief in the next scene. To me, there were too many obvious signs that pointed to only one possible outcome for the story. While the film starts off with an interesting concept, it quickly falls into mediocrity that makes me question if the script should have taken more chances. The obvious answer is yes....it should have,

Ms. M

07-26-17, 08:56 AM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzBhNWFjZDktMDhjMy00YTAwLTliOGMtYmVmMzY5MmNlNTQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQ3NzUxOTM@._V1_UY268_CR7,0,182 ,268_AL_.jpg
4

Ms. M

07-26-17, 09:00 AM

http://picsee.net/upload/2016-10-22/396617398d53.jpg
2.5
Worst version of "Equlibrium". Hard to remember this movie.

Mr Minio

07-26-17, 11:02 AM

Nuns are so friggin hot but I seem to struggle with their movies. That's because you're watching the wrong kind of nun movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnnzl9xN1Q

Thursday Next

07-26-17, 12:39 PM

Camo

07-26-17, 12:41 PM

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

This was very funny at times but not really special overall. I felt like it relied a bit too much on swearing for humour. Swearing can be very funny, but if you're relying on it too much your script has issues. The best part of this is that they managed to get so many actual stars of the music world to participate with straight faces which blurred the satire lines completely. The joke of the final song falls a bit flat because it sounds a bit too much like Everything is Awesome. But I did have the Bin Laden song stuck in my head for a while afterwards.

3.5

Watched that the other day, gave it .5 less than you but felt about the same. Think the funniest part in the film for me was after the gay marriage song when Ringo says "He's writing this song for gay marriage as if it's not allowed...it's allowed now" :laugh:

Also the first line of the Mona Lisa song and Surprise Muthafcka with Snoop Dogg because i wasn't expecting either of them.

Thursday Next

07-26-17, 12:50 PM

Watched that the other day, gave it .5 less than you but felt about the same. Think the funniest part in the film for me was after the gay marriage song when Ringo says "He's writing this song for gay marriage as if it's not allowed...it's allowed now" :laugh:

Also the first line of the Mona Lisa song and Surprise Muthafcka with Snoop Dogg because i wasn't expecting either of them.

Yeah, it's somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5. I was feeling generous because it made me laugh. My favourite line was about the jeep song, "I couldn't really relate to that... cause I had different things in my jeep." But I think it was the delivery that made that so funny. :laugh: And the whole section with the wolves.

Gangland

07-26-17, 02:12 PM

https://cdn.traileraddict.com/content/warner-bros-pictures/kong-skull-island-4.jpg

First thing, the body count in this film was far bigger than I thought it would be. And the movie gets hilariously mean with some of the deaths (which I like). I understand by design that Godzilla and King Kong movies are anti-war/anti-colonialism, but it was far too much on the nose for me with Kong: Skull Island. I did enjoy the Vietnam Era aesthetics, which probably contributed to the "in your face" anti-war rhetoric.

The acting is the best you can hope for a movie like this. I thought Hiddleton (and I'm a Hiddleton fan) was as plastic as his action figure role, and as usual, Shea Whigham stands out and is excellent in everything he does.

My biggest gripe is that the skullcrawlers were a dumb design, and just didn't seem like that big of a threat for Kong.

Kong: Skull Island is definitely work a look and I liked it far better than it's monster counterpart reboot of Godzilla (2014).

RATING: 3.5

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cure-for-wellness-poster-2.jpg

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh- is the best way I can describe A Cure for Wellness. It looks amazing and Jason Issac is easily the best part of the movie. I love the creepy sanitarium feel and I was all over these eels being everywhere. I even love when the movie cranks it up to 11 in the third act. The movie's weakness is its length. Holy **** is this movie an endurance competition with whoever you're watching it with. You can probably chop 40 minutes off of this film and we'd still be good.

RATING 3.0

Okay

07-26-17, 02:54 PM

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
https://www.filmlinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DOC031AG_640x391-1600x900-c-default.jpg
4

Ultraviolence

07-26-17, 03:38 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDYzYWIxYzktZDAwMi00NDA2LWFhMjEtMzBlYWZiZGYyZGVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzM4MjM0Nzg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,74 1,1000_AL_.jpg
rating_3_5

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141020192314/theflophouse/images/8/86/House_1977_poster.jpg

http://www.cinemacats.com/wp-content/gallery/hausu/hausu01.jpg
https://incitingsparks.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/create-own-memes.jpg

https://shenanitims.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/house-mkv_snapshot_01-14-28_2011-08-08_11-22-42.jpg
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/236/815/903.png
rating_4
Never watch this film while high!

Rey Skywalker

07-26-17, 04:30 PM

https://68.media.tumblr.com/def0f84bb6469aeb6db9877151565e31/tumblr_omr5d2bBPH1tfg6jso10_r2_1280.jpg

Abscence of Malice (1981)

4

Stirchley

07-26-17, 04:48 PM

32890

Despite the New York Times & New Yorker giving this movie bad reviews, I went ahead anyway. They were right. First 15 minutes or so before I bailed out were a hot mess.

32891

ATROCIOUS. Avoid at all costs.

Thursday Next

07-26-17, 05:48 PM

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Miss_Peregrine_Film_Poster.jpg

I enjoyed this, and was surprised to find out after watching it that it had relatively low ratings. It does look like most of the negative reviews were from Tim Burton fans expecting something more Burton-esque, and fans of the book unhappy with the changes. Well I haven't read the book and have pretty much zero expectations regarding Burton these days and I was pleasantly surprised. It's nice to see Burton not rely on his usual stalwarts and the casting was pretty good (although why Chris O'Dowd had an American accent and Terrence Stamp had an English one when he was from Poland via Wales, who knows). The young actors were good too. Sure, there's a lot that doesn't completely stack up, plot-wise, but I put that down to what in Doctor Who they call 'timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly stuff' and suspended my disbelief a little bit. Most of all I liked this because I was able to watch and enjoy it with my 10-year-old, who tends to roll his eyes when I suggest classics and doesn't like superheroes, so finding anything that's modern sci-fi/fantasy 12-rated and isn't rubbish is always a bonus.

4

matt72582

07-26-17, 06:30 PM

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - 10/10

I have a few copies of this movie, saw it at least 15 times, but not in 5 years.. I should do that more often... I also notice the funniest movies are also usually my favorite.. I think the funniest part was when RP first meets with the entire team of psychiatrists, and is asked "What does the phrase 'a rolling stone gathers no moss'".... RP replies, the psychiatrist says "I don't quite understand what you mean" and THEN

"See, I'm smarter than he is." --- I ever laughed out loud...

I've probably reviewed this, but I took some notes this time. Oh, and my 2nd favorite funny part is when RP is introducing the rest of his fellow "doctors" and names "Dr. Scanlin... the famous Dr. Scalin" (because of the beard)... I love it. That's my kind of humor.

I can't read the rest, not much anyway.... I think this is one of the most important movies, and not just because it's my 5th favorite.. It's a great analysis on the system. Nurse Wretched pretends it's a democracy, when it's nothing of the sort. It's there for the illusion (not allusion, illusion!), and uses it for convenience and for show, and maybe to her amusement, as a sorta "They are with me, not YOU" and she takes pleasure when she sees indifference and fear.. Even the second time, she enjoys having the power to say no... Then the artist emerges, and the rest enjoy, and STILL... It reminds me of a bad parent who insist the child be punished, while also saying "How dare you have fun in your empty room?"

Jack Nicholson brings in one of the best performances... I wonder if you guys know that Cassavetes turned down this movie because he insisted on Seymour Cassell (only actor J.C. uses that I don't care for) -- oh well...

Finally, this paragraph will be dedicated to the book, which I have had for almost 15 years, but have never read more than 80 pages in one sitting, so I might do that now, since I have taken LSD.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_poster.jpg

cricket

07-26-17, 06:55 PM

I Walk Alone (1947)

3

http://list.lisimg.com/image/9377292/500full.jpg

From the noirs list, Frankie (Burt Lancaster) and Dink (Kirk Douglas) are partners in crime about to get busted when they split up. They promise each other that the one who gets away will split everything with the one who gets caught 50/50 when he gets out of prison. Frankie does 14 years and then comes looking to collect. Dink is now a big shot nightclub owner with no interest in sharing. I thought this was a little above average thanks to the cast which also includes the fabulous Lizabeth Scott. I had never heard of her before but have now seen her in 3 movies in the last 2 weeks. She reminds me a lot of Lauren Bacall, but she only ended up with 30 acting credits for whatever reason despite living to be an old buzzard.

mark f

07-26-17, 07:14 PM

... the fabulous Lizabeth Scott. I had never heard of her before but have now seen her in 3 movies in the last 2 weeks. She reminds me a lot of Lauren Bacall, but she only ended up with 30 acting credits for whatever reason despite living to be an old buzzard.
Check out Holden's Love Thread to Lizabeth here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=14625).

cricket

07-26-17, 07:40 PM

Check out Holden's Love Thread to Lizabeth here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=14625).

Thanks, that was a nice little thread and I added Martha Ivers to my 40's watchlist.

Captain Steel

07-26-17, 10:13 PM

Captain Steel

07-26-17, 10:30 PM

Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/15/5c/72/155c72c9181c6bfab9fe5f3865f9b750.jpg
I'm a Natalie Wood fan, but I'm ranking this as my least favorite of her movies so far.

This movie about the shallowness of late-1930's Hollywood is a downer. It's slow moving and there are no likable characters (even Daisy and her mother, played by Ruth Gordon aren't likable).

I woke up a little bit at the mention of Robert Redford's character's homosexuality (which might have been interesting if further explored), but it's only mentioned once and never followed up on. There's also a wasted role for Roddy McDowall as a valet who seems as unfeeling as the rest of the characters.

It's not a musical but there are a couple of musical numbers (as Daisy Clover is made into "America's sweetheart" as a big screen musical starlet by a somewhat heartless movie mogul played by Christopher Plummer). The musical pieces are kind of the highlight of the movie, not because they're catchy tunes, good songs or dazzling productions, but because they're the only scenes where Natalie shows off her good looks & figure!

If you're in the mood for pathos from start to finish, you might get into this movie, otherwise, for a good time, watch Sex and the Single Girl or The Great Race! ;)

2.5

WorldFilmGeek

07-26-17, 10:54 PM

https://worldfilmgeek.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/theconfessions.jpg?w=318&h=454

I really wanted to like this movie, I really did. Italian filmmaker Roberto Ando attempts to mix politics, religion, and a mystery with the death of the president of the International Monetary Fund during a G8 summit. A priest was the last to see him alive, when the IMF president offers to "confess". The tension builds up to a complete...I don't know. On the upside, very diverse cast of international actors and some nice stylish shots in certain places, but overall, the story should have been so much better.

2 out of 5 for me.

Dirk120

07-26-17, 11:18 PM

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 3

Too much monkey business.

Booo. Rise is a masterpiece, rating_4_5

Iroquois

07-26-17, 11:46 PM

Booo. Rise is a masterpiece, rating_4_5

So is John Wick, what's your point?

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 3, maybe 3.5

Has much better claim to being a masterpiece than Rise.

Okay

07-27-17, 01:40 AM

Barry Lyndon
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmoPxcLDEt4/VYBXdpaPkSI/AAAAAAAAEEc/tHlZbAHnFiE/s1600/14856598_0.jpeg
4.5

Ultraviolence

07-27-17, 09:00 AM

http://pre13.deviantart.net/2c2c/th/pre/i/2015/362/1/f/poster_society__1989__by_xguarawolfx-d9lrvj2.jpg
rating_3_5

Incredibly fun. A great social satire with body horror!

MovieMeditation

07-27-17, 09:03 AM

Booo. Rise is a masterpiece, rating_4_5
I thought a masterpiece was equal to "perfect" yet you give it 4.5? Isn't it only a near masterpiece then?

Joel

07-27-17, 09:26 AM

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141020192314/theflophouse/images/8/86/House_1977_poster.jpg

[
rating_4
Never watch this film while high!

Love this movie! Watched it stone cold sober and got a real thrill, so inventive!

Dirk120

07-27-17, 11:28 AM

I thought a masterpiece was equal to "perfect" yet you give it 4.5? Isn't it only a near masterpiece then?

Yes, near masterpiece. :D

Joel

07-27-17, 11:41 AM

FIRESTARTER (1984)
Director: Mark L. Lester

The director of Commando, Mark L. Lester, tries his hand at Stephen King territory with mixed results.

The casting is superb. Featuring David Keith, Drew Barrymore, George C. Scott, Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, and Martin Sheen, how could this movie ever go wrong?

The editing possibly. We don't get enough characterization with anyone besides maybe Martin Sheen and C. Scott, which is great, and the father/daughter scenes are rich when they play out for intimate moments, but somehow everyone still feels 2 dimensional. To their credit, Barrymore and Keith are more than convincing as father/daughter and do fine work. There are wooden performances by at least 80% of the bad guys as heard in mostly reactionary voice over cutaway shots. This is due to the casting of stunt men in the roles of the henchmen.

The music score is delicious. Dated but sexy. A sexy score for a film already guilty of working in pedopheliac tones is strange to say the least, but the end showdown is awe inspiring as Tangerine Dream's score beautifully lays out a very well paced series of editing choices, making the final reel exciting and almost hypnotic when the crap hits the fan. Effects are all live and in camera, and the craftsmanship on display is definitely noted by the viewer as fireballs fly in a trio of smooth shots, aimed at the enemies from the sheer will of Charley, the Firestarter girl. Lots of good cable and harness work. The effects, stunts, music, casting and some of the writing is fabulous, as it does seem to honor King's book, for better or worse, surrounded by a film not quite up to the task of employing gravity to the subject matter by way of capable directing. Lester still brings the goods in other ways.

This may not be a page by page faithful adaption of King's work, and it may be silly and sick minded, having General Patton want to do bad things to little girls, but somehow it all plays like an above average late night cable movie, which is most certainly is, anyway.

3

Anon-y-Moose

07-27-17, 01:40 PM

I saw Rise of the Planet
Of the Apes.
Out of ten,
I gave it eight and one eighths.

Okay

07-27-17, 01:57 PM

The Red Shoes (1948) 3
http://staticmass.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/dvd_red.jpg

Nausicaä

07-27-17, 02:48 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Tiger_House_film_poster.jpg

2

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/49/XX_%282017%29_poster.jpg

2

Ms. M

07-27-17, 03:02 PM

Manchester by the sea
rating_3
Good drama, but I think the Oscar is too much.

Ms. M

07-27-17, 03:42 PM

http://1.fwcdn.pl/po/10/92/661092/7558127.3.jpg
0.5
I couldn't watch it till the end. I winded it, to see if something interesting would happen, but it didnt.

Gideon58

07-27-17, 05:14 PM

https://meansheets.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/closer-movie-poster.jpg

It took me about 10 years to watch this movie from beginning to end, but I'm glad I did...Mike Nichols, we're not worthy.

3.5

TokeZa

07-27-17, 05:19 PM

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmVeE1CxHn4hXtczEiCrZ9sRRGCDsYii2NfJ54xLwbganM/vlcsnap-2016-12-04-11h46m12s70.png

After the Storm (2016) by Hirokazu Koreeda

A subtle family drama drawn on the heritage from the great grandmaster of Japanese Cinema Yasujiro Ozu. Its a beautiful depiction of the pathetic man: divorced, gambling and not fulfilling his dreams but still trying to have a meaningful life. The relations in the movie a subtly changing and portrayed in an understanding way without the big climaxes or confrontations which give a profound inside to the life of the pathetic man. Social-realistic drama, with a heart, the Japanese way anno 2017

4

Louise1956

07-27-17, 06:34 PM

The sweeney (1977). spinoff from the Tv series. Not good. 3/10.

Okay

07-27-17, 06:55 PM

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
https://www.litro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Hjyaw.jpg
I didn't finish this (and I know myself enough to know that if I had, I would of ended up hating it) and I have no intention on ever visiting it again.

Now the only Lynch film I have yet to see is Wild at Heart (I'm not counting Dune since the director himself pretends it doesn't exist), and after watching this mess of a movie, I'm not sure if I'm interested anymore, in fact, I would say I'm quite disappointed with Lynch as a director overall, none of his films wowed me as I expected (except for maybe Inland Empire). I respect him for always pushing the envelope and not going through the conventional route, but there are other currently working filmmakers that definitely surpass him in that field.

thebiglebo

07-27-17, 07:18 PM

Amazing scenes all the time..Not the best of Nolan but this is very nice movie..I like very much Mark Rylance!

Dunkirk 7/10

Yam12

07-27-17, 07:28 PM

32920

The Gift (2015) - 4

cricket

07-27-17, 10:06 PM

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

4

https://medialifecrisis.com/media/k2/items/cache/dc9e231f652301f80ea8e901bd9ec18a_XL.jpg

I was wondering how I'd like this now having not seen it since the late 90's. Pretty much the same as far a I can remember, except it's maybe a little lighter than I thought it was. It is a very well paced and entertaining film. Humphrey Bogart is at the top of his game playing Sam Spade, and Peter Lorre should be in everything. I wasn't crazy about Mary Astor in the lead female role, not that it wasn't a good performance, but I just didn't find her very alluring.

Camo

07-27-17, 10:09 PM

Iroquois

07-28-17, 12:21 AM

War for the Planet of the Apes - 3, maybe 3.5

Maybe the best of the three, but there's kind of a false note to it that gives me pause. May have to hash this out in a review.

The Gunslinger45

07-28-17, 01:38 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Dunkirk_Film_poster.jpg

Overall, typical Nolan fare. Visually amazing, superb cinematography, the story is not the most linear (but far from Memento and Inception), and ultimately is does not do that much for me.

I admit outside of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight I am not a Nolan fan. The man is by no means a bad director, but how some people think he is the greatest working director when Scorsese is still alive and well is beyond me. That being said if he shoots a movie in IMAX the flick is worth the price of admission. As much as I did not particularly care for Interstellar, seeing that movie in IMAX was quite the experience. And this movie is along the same lines.

Though credit to Nolan he does the the film without narrative plot exposition dumps. There is minimal dialogue in the movie. Dare I say it, the man did a pretty fantastic job telling the story visually and without a Michael Caine monologue. Plus it was nice to see Kenneth Branagh on the big screen again.

It is far from the best movie of the year that the adverts say, but I will take seconds of this movie over the rest of the crap I am skipping this summer.

3.5

TheUsualSuspect

07-28-17, 08:58 AM

Cottage Country

(Peter Wellington)

http://i.imgur.com/IP7kPDr.jpg

2.5

Cottage Country takes awhile before it finds the groove it wants to be in. This happens once the brother is killed. Everything leading up to that is really hit and miss comedy and bad set up. Labine doesn't seem comfortable, Akerman doesn't have much to do and Punch is incredibly annoying. Once the conflict arises, meaning the dead brother, the film finally gets into the right balance of comedy and horror...even though it goes lite on the horror.

Todd brings his girlfriend up to the family cottage with the intention of proposing to her. Problems arise when his loser of a brother, Salinger shows up with his on/off girlfriend and ruins everything. Things go from bad to worse when the two brothers get into a pushing match, which ends with Salinger dead. Now Todd must keep it together before other people find out.

Labine plays Todd, and every-man that people tend to walk over, be it his boss, brother and even wife. There is a bit of Tucker & Dale vs Evil intention here, with the character and overall tone of the film, but Cottage Country fails to deliver the laughs and gore. Instead we get chuckles here and there, mainly from the cast and the situation they are in. Akerman surprised me here. She held her own as the marriage obsessed wife. I forgot she could do comedy well.

The film tries this balancing act, but never quiet finds the footing. There are oddly placed scenes in which Todd sees his dead brother talking to him, but this adds nothing to the story and doesn't happen enough. There are only two scenes we get to see this interaction and decay of his psychological state. There were some tense and funny moments when the couple were trying their best to keep the murders under wraps, but not one memorable scene that stands out as really funny. The film had a decent premise (although it was a bit of a stretch) and it didn't really seem to take any chances. I would have appreciated it more if it had.

Cottage Country is a decent Canadian comedy horror that is 'lite' on both. If you can get past the awful choice of having Lucy Punch do an odd accent for cheap laughs, and you can appreciate the ludicrous aspect of the premise and these horrible characters, then give Cottage Country a look. Just don't expect much, you'll leave a little bit surprised.

Chypmunk

07-28-17, 03:16 PM

Powder Room (2013) 0.5
Don't bother - just don't.

Dani8

07-28-17, 03:21 PM

[CENTER]Cottage CountryThere is a bit of Tucker & Dale vs Evil intention here, with the character and overall tone of the film, but Cottage Country fails to deliver the laughs and gore.

As soon as I saw the poster I thought Tucker and Dale -v- Evil. Will check this out with your last comment in mind. :up:

Stirchley

07-28-17, 03:56 PM

32936

What a painful slog this movie was. Determined to finish it as I have failed before. Cannot understand the hype at all. Average at best.

32937

Beautiful movie. First saw it in 1977 at its release. Unavailable until recently. Saw it yesterday & it still holds up.

CosmicRunaway

07-28-17, 03:57 PM

https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/atomic-blonde-movie-poster-2.jpg

Atomic Blonde (2017) - rating_3?

This was a hot mess. The film started off really strong, but it kept digging itself deeper and deeper into a hole it couldn't climb out of.

I was a fan of the cinematography for the most part. The colours worked well, and I liked a lot of the scene transitions, even if they were borderline gimmicky. I thoroughly enjoyed but also kind of hated the soundtrack. While I loved almost all of the songs on there, they didn't always blend in with the scenes they were part of, and I found myself focusing more on the music than the actual plot. That's what I wanted out of Baby Driver, but not Atomic Blonde.

There were a number of typical twists that never left any impact, and only served to confuse the story. I was no longer engaged with the plot, and the runtime really started to drag. After 99 Luftballons was heard a second time, I was honestly more interested in whether or not I'd hear another David Bowie song, rather than whatever the film was going on about. Spoiler: I did.

Despite the negatives, it was still kind of fun, but I have no idea whether I liked the film or not. My rating comes with a question mark, because I honestly can't decide if it deserves to be better or worse than average.

Dani8

07-28-17, 04:01 PM

Atomic Blonde (2017) - rating_3?

Good to know and I trust your judgment. I've been wondering about this. Really not sure about it at this point in time so might wait for dvd

The Gunslinger45

07-28-17, 04:38 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Stalker_poster.jpg

I got the Stalker Blu Ray from the Criterion Collection in recently. Stalker was a film I saw for one of Movie Forum's very first Hall of Fame contests (i want to say it was the second one). It was the recommendation of Guap (an avowed Tarkovsky fan). I had seen a few Tarkovsky films before, but this was the one that finally did something for me. And by do something I mean it was among the most powerful film experiences I ever had. The film was hypnotic and haunting, visual astounding, cinematography that felt more akin to a painting then film, and bathed in deep symbolism of faith vs science vs philosophy. And ever since I have seen this movie I have desired to watch it on Blu Ray and have patiently waited for the Criterion Collection to finally pick up the movie.

Thankfully it has finally come to pass. It took a few years but it happened. The film is still a visual wonder, but the Blu Ray transfer makes the film all the more visually impressive. In addition the sound quality was leagues better then the sound I saw off the YouTube link provided by Guap. And now that I have sat through the film once, I actually found the sit for this film to be much easier. Tarkovsky might put people off with the length of his film, and that is because the man loves his long shots. Creating the feeling of not only a passing of time, but it also means that it is easy to get a 2 hour movie out of Tarkovsky, and he tops off close to 4 hours for Andrei Rublev. But despite the 2 hour and 40 minute run time the film did not drag. I felt too sucked into the visuals and eventually the many many psychological and philosophical hang ups of the Professor, the Writer, and the Stalker himself. And even on a repeat viewing the movie still holds up as a very powerful and contemplative film open to interpretation and discussion. Allowing the right amount of mystery for repeated viewings and further exploration.

5 and one of my top 25 favorite films of all time.

Nausicaä

07-28-17, 05:21 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71GdubZXC2L._SY445_.jpg

2

matt72582

07-28-17, 05:57 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=32937

Beautiful movie. First saw it in 1977 at its release. Unavailable until recently. Saw it yesterday & it still holds up.

Great movie -- my favorite couple in the history of movies.

TokeZa

07-28-17, 06:06 PM

https://merryfrolics.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/gare_centrale_1.jpg

Cairo Station (1958) by Youssef Chahine

I think this might have been my first Egyptian film. It was a quite exciting film which had similarities with the Italian Neo-realism. The focal point was the poor workers around Cairo station, focusing on a mentally ill person with a limb who falls in love with an attractive soda seller. The movie had a lot of interesting angles and the mise-en-scene was expertly crafted and though made on a shoestring budget was fairly experimental with its use of the camera. Im pretty sure a lot of you would find it fascinating as it had a quite interesting narrative.

4+

http://www.geyrhalterfilm.com/jart/prj3/geyrhalterfilm/resources/dbcon_def/uploads/filme/downloads/Homo%20Sapiens/HOMO_SAPIENS_3_(C)NGF.jpg

http://www.geyrhalterfilm.com/jart/prj3/geyrhalterfilm/resources/dbcon_def/uploads/filme/downloads/Homo%20Sapiens/HOMO_SAPIENS_6_(C)NGF.jpg

http://www.austrianfilms.com/jart/prj3/afc-new/images/cache/ef8b6408fc40aa2306c7e7a19e545019/0x97C6AE02AD5BE7F04ADC3A962D02AA2C.jpeg

Homo sapiens (2016) by Nikolaus Geyrhalter

I guess this is a movie which most of you would classify as dull or boring, but in my world it was rather captivating in creating a post-apocalyptic world (with great sound engineering btw). Its made in the vein of James Benning with still frames and no dialogue at all. I would classify it as an art documentary. It made me reflect in terms of nature versus man and the impact we as a species have on the planet. A lot of the scenes looked like a post-industrial world, where nature was making its own comeback.

4+

MonnoM

07-28-17, 07:26 PM

http://www.geyrhalterfilm.com/jart/prj3/geyrhalterfilm/resources/dbcon_def/uploads/filme/downloads/Homo%20Sapiens/HOMO_SAPIENS_3_(C)NGF.jpg

http://www.geyrhalterfilm.com/jart/prj3/geyrhalterfilm/resources/dbcon_def/uploads/filme/downloads/Homo%20Sapiens/HOMO_SAPIENS_6_(C)NGF.jpg

http://www.austrianfilms.com/jart/prj3/afc-new/images/cache/ef8b6408fc40aa2306c7e7a19e545019/0x97C6AE02AD5BE7F04ADC3A962D02AA2C.jpeg

Homo sapiens (2016) by Nikolaus Geyrhalter

I guess this is a movie which most of you would classify as dull or boring, but in my world it was rather captivating in creating a post-apocalyptic world (with great sound engineering btw). Its made in the vein of James Benning with still frames and no dialogue at all. I would classify it as an art documentary. It made me reflect in terms of nature versus man and the impact we as a species have on the planet. A lot of the scenes looked like a post-industrial world, where nature was making its own comeback.

rating_4+

I'm sold. The images alone piqued my interest, but the way you describe the experience makes me think this is something I would thoroughly enjoy. Great review.

mark f

07-28-17, 07:36 PM

It's on MUBI for a month.

edarsenal

07-28-17, 10:02 PM

https://keithandthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/yanks1.jpg?w=545&h=398

Pride of the Yankees (1942) 4 Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright make a truly lovely couple and it was pretty d@mn cool to see a young, thin Walter Brennan (though I kept hoping he'd belt out that signature cackle of his, just once). A great dedication to the legendary, hard working Lou Gehrig. An additional bonus was seeing a number of Yankee players of the day as well.
Great lil movie and SO GLAD I finally saw it. THANKS SilentVamp!!

Iroquois

07-28-17, 11:02 PM

Resident Evil: Retribution - 3.5

Art.

Rey Skywalker

07-29-17, 08:39 AM

https://68.media.tumblr.com/b229fd9f79a3300a01131c74e5a63a09/tumblr_omr5d2bBPH1tfg6jso3_r7_1280.jpg

The Sense of an Ending (2017)

3

Iroquois

07-29-17, 09:34 AM

Election 2 - 2

All I feel now is a combination of concern that the first one won't hold up on re-watch and also wondering when Kitano's going to do another Outrage film.

MovieMeditation

07-29-17, 09:43 AM

Resident Evil: Retribution - 3.5

Art.
[F]art.

And you watched it again!? Idiotic or Impressive... the question of questions...

Iroquois

07-29-17, 10:00 AM

Whatever, you still need to get around to watching The Final Chapter.

matt72582

07-29-17, 11:45 AM

Marnie - 6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Marnie1.jpg

MovieMeditation

07-29-17, 11:48 AM

Whatever, you still need to get around to watching The Final Chapter.
Oh.

So you hadn't forgotten.

F*ck.

TheUsualSuspect

07-29-17, 12:30 PM

Resident Evil: Retribution - 3.5

Art.

So this has to be on your inevitable list of bad movies you like.

Gideon58

07-29-17, 03:24 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512NM1KPMKL.jpg

4

StanleyKubrick

07-29-17, 04:23 PM

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) 6/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA2MTEzMzkzM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjM2MTM5MDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_.jpg

Caché (2005) 7/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk2NjM3NTM5MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTgyNzEzMQ@@._V1_.jpg

Angst (1983) 6/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWE5MmQ4MGYtNDcyMS00YTRhLTkxNDAtZWJhMzAzY2VlMjExXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

La piel que habito (2011) 9/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMwOTYyNDY4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDI1ODk0Ng@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,669,1000_AL_.jpg

RAW (2016) 8/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU3MDUxMDI0MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzk3OTg3MDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_.jpg

Get Out (2017) 7/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTE2Nzg1NjkzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTgyODMyMTI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,631,1000_AL_.jpg

Busanhaeng (2016) 6/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkwOTQ4OTg0OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzQyOTM0OTE@._V1_.jpg

The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015) 6/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTUyNzkwMzAxOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzc1OTk1NjE@._V1_SY1000_SX675_AL_.jpg

Green Room (2015) 7/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjU1ODQ5NzA0N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDg5MTA5NzE@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,675,1000_AL_.jpg

Gideon58

07-29-17, 05:32 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Ik8Szls6L._SY445_.jpg

4

Ms. M

07-29-17, 05:37 PM

http://1.fwcdn.pl/po/53/02/95302/7406395.2.jpg
rating_4
Thanks for link, mark f (from Camos thread).
Music is a masterpiece.

TokeZa

07-29-17, 05:58 PM

https://dafilms.com/media/gallery/2012/11/19/ABENDLAND_Foto_3__C_Nikolaus_Geyrhalter_Filmproduktion.jpg

Abendland (2011) by Nikolaus Geyrhalter

Another interesting documentary by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, this time more in the vein of Frederick Wiseman with the fly on the wall type of documentary without any comments or music. The film made me reflect over the dichotomy between freedom versus security within the European Union and in that context a reflection on life in late modernity. The movie only screens scenes from nighttime or the twilight period, which was an interesting dogma for this sort of documentary. Recommended for fans of Wiseman and Benning.

3.5

MovieMeditation

07-29-17, 07:41 PM

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)

I promise. Iro did not bribe me.

3.5-

matt72582

07-29-17, 08:10 PM

Seven Days in May - 7.5/10

Chicanery at the federal levels of government. JFK loved the book, and was so supportive of the movie in the making, he gave them access to take video.. Of course THE PENTAGON (respect) wasn't supportive.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Sevendays_moviep.jpg

matt72582

07-29-17, 08:11 PM

Twelve O'Clock High - 7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6a/Twelve_O%27Clock_High_poster.jpg

matt72582

07-29-17, 08:19 PM

Generation Zero

Written and Directed by The White House' very own -- Stephen Bannon!

Made in 2008, so you can see where it was going.. At times a good diagnosis about greed, the collusion between corporations and government, but you can see this is clearly propaganda.

http://worldofwonder.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/alg-steve-bannon-jpg.jpg

Marco

07-29-17, 08:27 PM

Hi, new poster, "A cure for wellness", I wasn't expecting much and it was interesting and entertaining. Unfortunately 20 minutes from the end I was expecting some conclusion...just far too long....6/10.

edarsenal

07-29-17, 09:42 PM

WELCOME, Marco!!

http://www.stuartfernie.org/potad3.jpg

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 4+ The second installment DID NOT disappoint. And this is coming from a fan of the original movies back when I was a kid. This one held a lot of emotional impact (not nearly as much as the first) and that, from my most poignant remembrance is what really stuck with me from the first franchise back in the 70's. And THAT is a VERY good thing.
Really looking forward to the third one.

HashtagBrownies

07-29-17, 10:23 PM

32968

For anyone who's interested in set design, this film will blow your fking mind. The sets and attention to detail are pure eye candy. My jaw literally dropped at the first showcase of Babylon in Act 2:

32969
(First showcase of Babylon in Act 2)

I noticed that even some of the most hardcore film goers on this forum haven't seen this film yet. Look, I know a 3 hour silent film sounds like Hell on Earth but trust me, it's worth it. Get it on Blu-Ray for best experience. The Royalty Free versions are beyond terrible.

8/10

Joel

07-29-17, 11:23 PM

Intolerable Cruelty (2003) 3 +

http://i.imgur.com/h9gadwP.jpg

Like The Ladykillers, this is one of the least regarded Coen Bros movies there is, but that's only saying that this movie is good and not great. I enjoyed it. I gave it all my attention and I had a bit of fun with it. Even the Coen's worst movies are still better than most other movies that try and put out the same spread.

Iroquois

07-29-17, 11:38 PM

So this has to be on your inevitable list of bad movies you like.

It's only inevitable if I get around to doing it. Stretching it to 50 might be a challenge, but this one feels like it'll crack the top 10 at the very least.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)

I promise. Iro did not bribe me.

3.5-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1t_nGaDLs

Seriously, though, I'm pleasantly surprised by this. What prompted such a generous rating (which, check me if I'm wrong, might be the highest you've given to one of these movies)?

TheUsualSuspect

07-30-17, 12:36 AM

Escape Plan

(Mikael Håfström)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5d/Escapeplanfilmposter.jpg/220px-Escapeplanfilmposter.jpg

2

I can't help but think this film could have and should have been so much better. Maybe if the two leads weren't old men past their prime, or if the script didn't resort to routine action, or the fact that the film tried to do too many things at once and seemingly failed to succeed at most.

Escape Plan is a redundant action escape movie where we are to believe that Stallone is some kind of prison escaping genius that runs a crew with 50 Cent and Amy Ryan. He goes into this high tech prison and must escape, no one knows who he is, can he pull it off when things go haywire?

If the film doesn't bore you with its depiction of escaping prisons, the utterly bad performances will. Has Stallone ever acted? Put his performance in this film up against anyone of his previous efforts and try to tell the difference. He dipped his hand in comedy before and took chances, this guy needs to do that again. Playing it safe with his "resurgence" is dull. But an even worse offender is the Terminator himself. He seems bored here and doesn't try to hide it. Finally we have Jim Caviezel collecting a paycheque and totally checking himself out of a performance. The guy doesn't even try to act here. Even in the face of certain death, his expression never changes. Emote dammit!!! EMOTE!!!

Escape films are suppose to be thrilling, inventive and let the viewer have fun with the escape sequences. This film doesn't do that. We are treated to a shoot em up climax that is dull and uninspired. Where is the creativity? This is the first official team up of Stallone and Schwarzenegger that isn't a glorified cameo (Expendables) yet their chemistry isn't there and they seem to be reaching too far into the past. Escape Plan wants to be an 80's prison escape film, but doesn't know how.

I'd advise you to avoid watching this flick. It'll bore you before you get bored. Twists in the film are so obvious a blind person can see it coming. Put those responsible for this flick in this prison, it's a crime I tell ya!!!

The Rodent

07-30-17, 02:39 AM

Elle (2016)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Elle_poster.jpg

Not your A-typical Verhoeven movie.
Well... ok... it kinda is.
It's a Verhoeven movie in that it's brave, unflinching and solidly written and shot.

But it's not a satire, nor a dark comedy, even though some critics who were probably expecting a satirical movie, they actually called it a "rape-satire".
Sure there's a couple scenes here and there with some humour in them... but it isn't a satire nor a comedy. It really isn't.

Verhoeven goes totally against type, and has created a borderline art-house movie, filled with ambiguous characters (ambiguous in love, sex, and even with basic emotions)... and wrapped the whole lot into a brooding thriller which kinda reminded me of Basic Instinct a couple times.

Now, the movie has Verhoeven's stamp all over it with sex and violence, including some blood and gore within the rape scenes too, a thriller-ish atmosphere... but I think the most effective thing with this film, is that is but PV has held it all back to create what is basically a drama backed up by brave and unflinching imagery and acting.

Basically the message with this film, is about life-choices, and just how f*cked up everyone's lives actually are.

Isabelle Huppert also gives a powerhouse performance.
Gladly, she was recognised as well and won Best Actress in something like 50 or 60 different awards ceremonies :up:

Very strong film... and in technical terms of screenwriting, acting, shooting and overall finished product, I'd say it was Verhoeven's strongest movie to date.

5++

ScarletLion

07-30-17, 06:46 AM

Yeah Elle is very good. Huppert was outstanding.

Larry

07-30-17, 07:37 AM

I'll add Elle to the "to watch" list.

MovieMeditation

07-30-17, 09:36 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1t_nGaDLs

Seriously, though, I'm pleasantly surprised by this. What prompted such a generous rating (which, check me if I'm wrong, might be the highest you've given to one of these movies)?
If you are surprised you should see me...

Anyways, well, I don't know honestly. A lot of things came into play I think. First off, who knows if I was high on something and this will suck on a future watch, though to be frank, I quite doubt it. I may expect it to drop to 3/5, but that's still a fairly good movie to me. So yeah. :shrug:

It is indeed the highest rated for the series, the closets being Extinction with 2.5/5. I think the two are slightly familiar, in the way that they feel like deserted survival flicks in a way, more so than the others. Final Chapter was actually a bit longer than some of the others, yet I saw the time fly by pretty fast. I feel like this movie had a better tempo to it and it was like it was constantly moving and didn't try to overcrowd things too much with plot, characters and so forth.

I had also just accepted what these films had become by now, but the previous films felt so crowded by stuff I didn't care about and/or degraded the film. This felt so much like a straight forward action flick and the story elements was actually some I didn't mind was answered. I think Final Chapter may have done to me, what Retribution did to you.

The movie was edited to pieces in its attempt to pull of some Fury Road style editing, while also wanting to borrow a little from the film overall as well. But honestly, while full of quick cuts, there weren't a lot of shaky cam, which did make it easier to see what was going on. I honestly didn't find it as bad as some people has made it out to be.

Anyways, it was a fun action thrill and I just got set up with a new high-end sound system, which definitely helped with the experience.

But yes... I'm surprised... at this point in the series. I guess the pain was worth it.

Iroquois

07-30-17, 09:58 AM

Atomic Blonde - 2.5, maybe 3

One for the "should've loved it" books, alright.

Iroquois

07-30-17, 10:10 AM

If you are surprised you should see me...

Anyways, well, I don't know honestly. A lot of things came into play I think. First off, who knows if I was high on something and this will suck on a future watch, though to be frank, I quite doubt it. I may expect it to drop to 3/5, but that's still a fairly good movie to me. So yeah. :shrug:

It is indeed the highest rated for the series, the closets being Extinction with 2.5/5. I think the two are slightly familiar, in the way that they feel like deserted survival flicks in a way, more so than the others. Final Chapter was actually a bit longer than some of the others, yet I saw the time fly by pretty fast. I feel like this movie had a better tempo to it and it was like it was constantly moving and didn't try to overcrowd things too much with plot, characters and so forth.

I had also just accepted what these films had become by now, but the previous films felt so crowded by stuff I didn't care about and/or degraded the film. This felt so much like a straight forward action flick and the story elements was actually some I didn't mind was answered. I think Final Chapter may have done to me, what Retribution did to you.

The movie was edited to pieces in its attempt to pull of some Fury Road style editing, while also wanting to borrow a little from the film overall as well. But honestly, while full of quick cuts, there weren't a lot of shaky cam, which did make it easier to see what was going on. I honestly didn't find it as bad as some people has made it out to be.

Anyways, it was a fun action thrill and I just got set up with a new high-end sound system, which definitely helped with the experience.

But yes... I'm surprised... at this point in the series. I guess the pain was worth it.

Intriguing. I guess if your expectations were already pretty low then it would be more likely to impress by default - I do get that sometimes when I'm running through a series and am more likely to be optimistic about the series' supposed low points than its high points (I'm definitely reconsidering the merits of 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift in hindsight - speaking of which, I wonder if I can consider this to be payback for me watching the whole Fast series). You're not wrong about the editing, but like I noted in my review it's weird how easy it was to get used to the choppiness of it all, almost like it was a Bourne movie or something.

MovieMeditation

07-30-17, 11:31 AM

Yeah. I think I noticed the editing style but wasn't bothered with it at all. I think people's comments about it made me focus more on it than I maybe would have. But yes, kinda like a Bourne film. Not the best quick cut shaky cam stuff I've seen, but it was fine.

Indeed, my expectations were low. It probably helped a bit.

cricket

07-30-17, 12:34 PM

White Heat (1949)

4.5

https://alexonfilm.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/whiteheat5.jpg?w=625

I watched the first 20 minutes last week but shut it off until my wife could watch it. We're both huge crime/gangster film fans, and I don't know how I overlooked this for so long, because it's one of the best. James Cagney is awesome in it playing what is now one of my favorite characters. I imagine it's a very influential movie as it reminded me of many favorites that would be made years later.

Children of Paradise (1945)

5

https://fanwithamovieyammer.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/children-of-paradise-6.jpg

I watched this for the 40's countdown because it's on Ebert's great movie list. It's 3 hours and 10 minutes of brilliance, and although I'll respect and admire it more than I'll consider it a personal favorite, I enjoyed it immensely. It seems that it's regarded by many to be the greatest French film ever made, and the story of it's production could be a film all by itself. It's set in Paris in the 1800's with two parts; the first part and then 7 years later. You've got this woman of questionable repute who goes by the name of Garance, and guys love this chick. The story follows her and four men who love her; an actor, a guy who works as a mime, a count, and a vicious criminal. Garance is played by a brilliant actress named Arletty. I don't think she's a ravishing beauty, but the character's attitude and the performance makes all of the adoration very believable. It's about unrequited love, lost love, loneliness, and all that good crap. I thought it was epic.

edarsenal

07-30-17, 01:44 PM

White Heat was on my original list for the 40's List. I AM surprised it took you so long, cricket to see it. But glad you did

Mr Minio

07-30-17, 01:48 PM

Children of Paradise indeed is a five star masterpiece. I rate White Heat four and a half, too, as well. Well done!

Steve Freeling

07-30-17, 04:12 PM

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qeJqIEOk1yaxU9a0YKDMWIlaj.jpg
5
Holy crap.

Claireofthemoon

07-30-17, 04:24 PM

JOE (1970) -8/10
https://youtu.be/4d7KhGmQbEE

matt72582

07-30-17, 05:11 PM

Taxi Driver - 9/10

Paul Schrader and one of the truly great stories.. who became a heck of a director, himself. It's online, by the way.. Everything is written, even the look, with one exception, when Travis is in front of the mirror.. (Are you talking to me?).. Interesting to hear Marty say he was influenced by Fassbinder's "Merchant of Four Seasons"... I think this is De Niro's best role.

Got a question... Remember when Travis says to himself "No more pills" but then later on, takes a pill.. Anyone else notice?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Taxi_Driver_original_movie_poster.jpg

Gideon58

07-30-17, 05:16 PM

http://www.queenslogic.com/.a/6a014e5fd5052c970c01b7c8dad132970b-pi

1st Re-watch since it won the Oscar for Best Picture...I enjoyed it more this time than I did the first time. I'm still not sure it deserved the Best Picture Oscar, but I still think the last 20 minutes of the film are the best last 20 minutes of a film EVER! My original rating will stand:

3.5

Raven73

07-30-17, 05:18 PM

War for the planet of the apes 7/10

Gideon58

07-30-17, 05:49 PM

Intolerable Cruelty (2003) 3 +

http://i.imgur.com/h9gadwP.jpg

.

Nobody ever talks about this movie...I think it's one of the Cohens' most underrated movies and George Clooney delivers one of his best performances.

Nausicaä

07-30-17, 06:08 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Bleed_For_This_poster.jpg

3.5

cricket

07-30-17, 10:47 PM

All the King's Men (1949)

3.5

https://medialifecrisis.com/files/images/articles/201602-Popgap/All-the-Kings-Men-1949/xAll-the-Kings-Men-1949-00-03-46.jpg.pagespeed.ic.rL8pI0HFtU.jpg

I can understand why this won best picture as it's a well executed and finely acted film. It's about a decent man who rises in politics, becomes corrupt, and his eventual fall. There's a good bit of melodrama thrown in. I can understand why it doesn't have a huge following as I didn't find it particularly memorable. It's a very good movie.

Beatle

07-30-17, 11:06 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJWw9k55Ef0/TwtaHO96RQI/AAAAAAAABPc/3AFkZVe6S_g/s1600/12angrymenposter.jpg

This really is a genial film like everyone says it is. Henry Fonda is the only one of the twelve jurors who believes, or is in fact reasonable, strong and good enough to believe a kid who's accused of killing his father is innocent. In the beginning, at least. But they all fall down one by one,each for his own reason. The quintessence of the movie is that it's not a crime movie in fact in it's heart. It's a psychological drama, a study of twelve different human conditions. We have him, who is good, a racist, a sadist, a psychopath (and this one made me laugh, I have to admit. It was hot, so in the beginning he voted guilty, just because it was in the majority, and he wanted to get out of there,but as it turned around, and he stilljust wanted to get out of there, he voted innocent), a dummie (Robert Webber in one of his early roles), another idiot who must do everything by the book etc. In the end Fonda wins, and it's clear the kid is innocent.

My favorite scene is when Fonda gets to the sadist, who starts yelling he'll kill him, just after they were talking about how when someone does that, it doesn't necessarily mean they mean it, as the kid was supposedly yelling it.

https://1001films.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/12a.jpg

You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?

rating_5

I can NOT fbelieve I forgot to dedicate this to Chris a.k.a. Yoda!

So, i'm erasing that unforgivable mistake here.

I'm dedicating this to Chris. :)

Beatle

07-30-17, 11:29 PM

https://i.jeded.com/i/a-star-is-born-1954.16175.jpg

Well, where to begin Gid? With that I liked it best out of all the classics I've seen this year? I know I'll spoil my coumtdown, but what a heck. I like it better than Citizen Kane (sorry Rules, I'm still not revealing anything about it though), The Godfather, Casablanca, Rging Bull, Psycho, Vertigo, 12 Angry Men, The Third Man you get the picture.

I admit that I, like most, hated musicals in general until I've seen this. I also admit I came in with extremely low expectations. And I even hated it for the first almost 3 hrs. I don't think it was only because of the expectations, I really didn't like it, except for the almost comic book-like sequence at the beginning. But then...James suddenly gets 100% serious after loosing the job, but you don't even have the time for that. To feel sorry for him. Because, while he's waking up from a sleep on drugs, Judy's talking just outside to the menager, saying how she should stop her career (the only thing he ever had) because she was neglecting him and needs to devote much more time to him. He hears it and walks right into the Pacific ocean. Of course she must've realized that he may not be sleeping any longer, at least it was risky. But even so, she resurrected him in the very final scene.

No doubt the most heart-breaking classic I've ever seen, I cried the entire day like a little baby. And that's the genius of it - you get drawn in this musical, with her singing silly songs for 3 hrs, and then all of a sudden all THIS!

rating_5

Guaporense

07-31-17, 01:25 AM

Um Historia de Amor e Furia (2013)
https://maniacosporfilme.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/uma-histc3b3ria-de-amor-e-fc3baria.jpg
Mediocre and cliche but get's an A for effort. Brazil needs to make a hundred of adult animations before they hit the gold and make a good one, this is the second adult Brazilian full length animation film that I watched. Better than Moana though. :)

s1n1st3r

07-31-17, 02:22 AM

https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/18486350_1286934208069268_3997232685207402378_n.png

Okja

I am a vegan so this one was always going to do something to me emotionally and I sometimes wish people see animals the way I do. This movie mostly focuses on the corporation side of the meat industry but by all means does not brush over how factory farming works. I think the actors did a decent job but nothing spectacular except perhaps Tilda Swinton which played over the top quite well. Jake Gyllenhaal was also good as a quirky washing up Vet personality I just wished he did something more. The Korean actor Seo-Hyun Ahn did a good job of showing emotion that was needed to make the film more impactful. There is not much more I can say but just say to all people that eat meat to watch this and let me know if you had a different view of how the meat industry works in the real world.

Heart score 4.5/5 Stars
Head score 3/5 Stars

Iroquois

07-31-17, 04:32 AM

A Ghost Story - 3.5

Me during the first 30 minutes: oh boy, it's going to be like a spooky version of Manchester by the Sea, yippee.
Me during the rest of it: holy f*ck.

TheUsualSuspect

07-31-17, 08:49 AM

A Ghost Story - 3.5

Me during the first 30 minutes: oh boy, it's going to be like a spooky version of Manchester by the Sea, yippee.
Me during the rest of it: holy f*ck.

What does this mean?!?!?!!?!

Iroquois

07-31-17, 08:54 AM

What does this mean?!?!?!!?!

Two things. One, wait for a review. Two, see it anyway.

Jeff Costello

07-31-17, 08:55 AM

I've went on a film watching spree in last couple of weeks, so this post will be a bit prolonged...

Rome, Open City (1945) - Roberto Rosselini 4
Essential piece of Italian neorealism. The second part is a nihilistic masterpiece.

Paisan (1946) - Roberto Rosselini 3
Film divided into six episodes written by six different people (including Federico Fellini and Sergio Amidei). I thought it was pretty unique but also a bit uneven. My favourite was the last episode.

Germany, Year Zero (1948) - Roberto Rosselini 2 +
In my opinion, the weakest link of Rosselini's war triology. I think it has aged pretty badly.

Gaslight (1944) - William Wyler 4+
One of the rare 40's thrillers that managed to really spark my interest and keep me at the edge of my seat. The entire plotline can be figured out in the first 20 minutes, but the film does an extremely good job of maximizing the suspense and building the momentum for the final act. I really enjoy the performances by Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, but this was primarily a Charles Boyer show, who did an exceptional job playing one of the most despicable villains on screen ever.

Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973) - Sam Peckinpah 3.5 -
Peckinpah's intriguing take on the old West. It was enjoyable, but I found myself too distanced from the film, which pretvents me from giving it a higher rating. Bob Dylan's soundtrack was definitely my favourite aspect.

The Great Madcap (1949) - Luis Bunuel 3.5
If you wondered what it would be like if Bunuel directed a classic Hollywood film, well this is it. Straight - forward and enjoyable comedy from his early Mexican period.

Bambi (1942) - Disney film 3.5 +

The Exterminating Angel (1962) - Luis Bunuel 4.5 +
Mesmerizing watch, even on repeat. As good as creativity and imagination can get. It's one of those films, where you wonder how somehow could write this and transform such brilliant ideas to silver screen. Silvia Pinal stated an interesting point in an additional interview, how Bunuel actually created a concept of reality shows with this film. I think she's kind of right !

Criss Cross (1949) - Robert Siodmak 3
Decent enough noir with a pretty cool ending. I didn't really think much of it.

Detour (1945) - Edgar G. Ullmer 3.5-
Very neat watch for such a short lasting noir. The chemistry between Ann Savage and Tom Neal made this film for me.

Le Corbeau (1943) - Henri-Georges Clouzot 4 +
I don't hear much about this stylish thriller and it's a shame. It easily beats majority of Hollywood flicks from that period in terms of ambient, intensity and relavance. Le Corbeau was pretty controversial at the time. In a certain way it reminded me of Jagten (2012), because it showed how destructive can nasty rumours be in small towns. Definitely worth a watch.

The Reckless Moment (1949) - Max Ophüls 2.5 +
I've felt about this similarly to Criss Cross. Decent enough ,but pretty forgettable. It needed more James Mason.

The Killers (1946) - Robert Siodmak 4
Very entertaining noir excelling in many aspects.

Shadow of Doubt (1943) - Alfred Hitchcock 2.5 -
It seems that mediocrity is a strandard when it comes to Hitcock's films, at least for me.

To Have and Have Not (1944) - Howard Hawks 3.5 +
Highly amusing romance/adventure with a great dialogue. Chemistry between future spouses is great to watch.

The Phantom of Liberty (1974) - Luis Bunuel 4
Bunuel's brilliant humour gets a full exposure in this surrealist tale. Some bits made me laugh out loud like a maniac.

Gilda (1946) - Charles Vidor 3 +
I didn't care much for the last third of the film. Otherwise its a fine noir. Nothing more or less.

Pinocchio (1940) - Disney Film 3.5 +
Pleasant reminiscing of a childhood favourite.

Breathless (1960) - Jean-Luc Godard 1 +
Even a cool cat like Belmondo couldn't save this disgustingly bad film. The actor himself was convinced that the film was so bad that it would never be released. I can firmly say that I share his past sentiments.( not sure how he feels about it now)

Bitter Rice (1949) - Giuseppe De Santis 3.5 +
Overlooked neorealist thriller/drama starring young Vittorio Gassman.

Brief Encounter (1945) - David Lean 1.5

Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) - Sam Peckinpah 3.5

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Albert Lewin 4.5 -
Enchanting watch. Evertything about it worked for me.

Great Expectations (1946) - David Lean 3 -
Fine film, but not something I particularly cared about. I have to say it was a bit distracting having a 40-year old actor playing a 20-year old.

Quai Des Orfevres (1947) - Henri-Georges Clouzot 3.5 -
Not as good as Le Corbeau, but still worth watching. It takes a bit too much time to get things going, but the final act is very rewarding.

Crossfire (1947) - Edward Dmytryk 4
Robert Ryan show !

Children of Paradise (1945) - Marcel Carne 4.5 +
Masterpiece which left me crave for more. And that's saying a lot considering the film lasted for 190 minutes ! I lost myself in this dashingly beautiful world of dreamers and courtesans. Spectacular in every imaginable aspect and absolutely worthy of its reputation !

A History Of Violence (2005) - David Cronenberg 2 -
The amount of acclaim that HOV received baffles me. I don't see anything special about it.

the samoan lawyer

07-31-17, 09:31 AM

Split (2016) - 3.5
Lemmy (2010) - 3
Counterpunch (2017) 3.5
Kon Tiki (2012) - 3
George Best: All by Himself (2016) - 3.5

Side Note; Just started watching Better Call Saul and think its great.

cricket

07-31-17, 09:49 AM

Jeff Costello I saw your low rating for Breathless and I thought right on, then I saw your low rating for Brief Encounter and I thought what the hell.

Ms. M

07-31-17, 10:53 AM

https://i1.wp.com/extracapsa.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/10-split-2017-9.jpg?w=219&h=327&crop&ssl=1
4
Hold out on me:)

Rey Skywalker

07-31-17, 11:59 AM

https://68.media.tumblr.com/ab6c98ef31c837a702d57cb68d3619b9/tumblr_omr5d2bBPH1tfg6jso7_r5_1280.jpg

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

4

HashtagBrownies

07-31-17, 01:00 PM

33006

I love the way this film tells a war story. Usually the story is like 'Saving Private Ryan' where the characters are always talking about their lives and then they get attacked. But this entire movie is that 'attack'. Music was great. Not Nolans best work but certainly not his worst.

7.5/10

Saunch

07-31-17, 01:20 PM

^
I was about to post a small reaction. Loved it. A thrilling display of cinematic mastery.

Nolan's leanest, most tense and most showman like work. Arguably his most emotional as well.

Thursday Next

07-31-17, 02:22 PM

Jeff Costello I saw your low rating for Breathless and I thought right on, then I saw your low rating for Brief Encounter and I thought what the hell.

I had the exact same experience reading that post.

False Writer

07-31-17, 03:19 PM

Dunkirk (2017)

I really enjoyed this one. As a fan of War films it is nice to see a different WW2 event reenacted. I feel like there are so many more WW2 stories that can be made into great films.

A very well-made movie all around, especially the music and cinematography. I was a little apprehensive when I found out it was PG-13 because I thought it wouldn't translate the horror and reality of war but I was dead wrong in that regard. This film had some very intense scenes. Definitely an Oscar contender!

4.5

matt72582

07-31-17, 04:18 PM

Record of a Tenement - 7.5/10

https://ruthlessculture.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/roatg.jpg

cricket

07-31-17, 04:37 PM

Random Harvest (1942)

3.5+

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/72/d5/32/72d532ac201ea8f4975ff7c8996d9e9c--greer-garson-movie-stars.jpg

A guy has amnesia after being in the war. He meets a gal and falls in love, but then something happens that brings his old memory back and erases his new ones. Of course, the gal isn't forgetting him. This is a pretty beautiful movie that doesn't exploit the amnesia aspect like other films have. My only complaint is that I thought the guy could have passed for the gal's dad. The actor (Ronald Colman) was 51 and could have passed for older, while the actress (Greer Garson) was 38 and could have passed for younger. It's a minor complaint. It didn't quite have me bawling in my pudding but it was very moving.

mark f

07-31-17, 05:27 PM

Well, Trump IS old enough to be Melania's dad, among many others I could name. You need to watch more Colman.

Stirchley

07-31-17, 06:01 PM

33049

These guys were the managers of The Who. Interesting if you like this band.

33050

Atrocious movie. Emilia Clarke over-acting & mugging like crazy. Ugh.

33051

Good movie. Very interesting story. I knew we flew drone strikes over Afghanistan & other places, but I had no idea how we did it. Alarming.

33052

Excellent movie.

Gideon58

07-31-17, 06:02 PM

https://i.jeded.com/i/a-star-is-born-1954.16175.jpg

rating_5

This review made my day:D

Gideon58

07-31-17, 06:02 PM

http://onthesetofnewyork.com/news/images/weekendatthewaldorf04.jpg

3

cricket

07-31-17, 06:04 PM

Well, Trump IS old enough to be Melania's dad, among many others I could name. You need to watch more Colman.

The guy on TCM said he was a big star and was making a bit of a comeback with this movie. I had never heard of him before.

Beatle

07-31-17, 06:09 PM

This review made my day:D

Glad I could help, Gid. :) In fact, there's more to come. I'm gonna go on a musical roller-coaster ride, the next is My Fair Lady, yaknow singin and dancing in the rhytm of music for dance. Imagine a life in the rhytm of music for dance. Blessed is the one who looses his mind at a young age, so his whole life is a musical.

Gideon58

07-31-17, 06:11 PM

Glad I could help, Gid. :) In fact, there's more to come. I'm gonna go on a musical roller-coaster ride, the next is My Fair Lady, yaknow singin and dancing in the rhytm of music for dance. Imagine a life in the rhytm of music for dance. Blessed is the one who looses his mind at a young age, so his whole life is a musical.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on My Fair Lady...needless to say, there's a review of it in my review thread somewhere.

Beatle

07-31-17, 06:20 PM

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on My Fair Lady...needless to say, there's a review of it in my review thread somewhere.

Well, it's written by Bernard Shaw? I actually saw it, but can't remember. I only remember the beginning, you know. Do you know why can't the English speak english? And watch where ygoi,d, what were you goi! This is the loverliest film ever!

With him behind the story, and Audrey shining like big bang, you can not go wrong.

Stirchley

07-31-17, 06:22 PM

Well, it's written by Bernard Shaw?

Just to nitpick, GBS wrote Pygmalion, the play upon which MFL was based.

Beatle

07-31-17, 06:28 PM

Just to nitpick, GBS wrote Pygmalion, the play upon which MFL was based.

Thanks. :) It's good to have such a mathematical spirit around. :) Do you like math? Oh, wait...you can't remember chess moves...Math any better? don't answer if your mathematical mind forbids you to go off topic. :)

Jeff Costello

07-31-17, 06:28 PM

33050

Atrocious movie. Emilia Clarke over-acting & mugging like crazy. Ugh.

I couldn't agree more. Me Before You is absolutely loathsome film with a horrible message as well. Emilia Clarke certainly put on over-acting clinic in it. I remember getting really annoyed with her constantly moving her eyebrows like a lunatic and exaggerating every single face expression. She was truly terrible in it.

Stirchley

07-31-17, 06:31 PM

I couldn't agree more. Me Before You is absolutely loathsome film with a horrible message as well. Emilia Clarke certainly put on over-acting clinic in it. I remember getting really annoyed with her constantly moving her eyebrows like a lunatic and exaggerating every single face expression. She was truly terrible in it.

Did she remind you of Sally Hawkins, who also horribly mugs & over-acts without a strong director to rein her in?

Jeff Costello

07-31-17, 06:39 PM

Did she remind you of Sally Hawkins, who also horribly mugs & over-acts without a strong director to rein her in?

I'm not really familiar with her.

Jeff Costello

07-31-17, 06:49 PM

The Big Sleep (1946) - Howard Hawks 4.5 -

http://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dtbs0PCp1qbz270o1_500.gif

The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964) - Roger Corman 2.5+

http://68.media.tumblr.com/415fcb084a28d6f0b0f40776a1ab7256/tumblr_mmb9pyWfEf1s01qkyo1_500.gif

iank

07-31-17, 06:55 PM

Death Line. Donald Pleasance is an eccentric London copper who investigates the disappearance of an OBE from a Tube line and uncovers a darkly horrific secret from the 19th century in this grisly early 70s British horror flick based on a real-life urban legend. Pleasance is hilarious as the rascally old-school copper, which is just as well as this cult classic is as disturbing as all hell at times!

Gideon58

07-31-17, 07:13 PM

Well, it's written by Bernard Shaw? I actually saw it, but can't remember. I only remember the beginning, you know. Do you know why can't the English speak english? And watch where ygoi,d, what were you goi! This is the loverliest film ever!

With him behind the story, and Audrey shining like big bang, you can not go wrong.

The story that was the basis for My Fair Lady, called Pygmalion, was written by George Bernard Shaw. The screenplay for the film was actually written by Alan Jay Lerner, who also wrote the music for the songs. Frederick Lowe wrote the lyrics.

Stirchley

07-31-17, 07:37 PM

I'm not really familiar with her.

You're lucky. Talented British actress, but needs a very firm director to rein her in.

The story that was the basis for My Fair Lady, called Pygmalion, was written by George Bernard Shaw. The screenplay for the film was actually written by Alan Jay Lerner, who also wrote the music for the songs. Frederick Lowe wrote the lyrics.

Nitpicking again. Pygmalion was a play. I posted all this an hour ago.

Gideon58

07-31-17, 07:40 PM

I don't think Alan Jay Lerner would consider it nitpicking.

Stirchley

07-31-17, 07:47 PM

I don't think Alan Jay Lerner would consider it nitpicking.

I meant I was nitpicking.

Beatle

07-31-17, 08:03 PM

I meant I was nitpicking.

haha you know what? Now Gid might come in and say "that's not what you said"!

:rotfl:

ok,maybe I got everything wrong again. What can i say? I'm a man - stupid as a bat.

But brilliant at math.

Stupid as a bat

But brilliant at math

So i don't know nothing but to take a bath

Or maybe take some meth

Rap it up as a wrath

Yam12

07-31-17, 08:21 PM

33063

Frances Ha (2012) - 4

Okay

07-31-17, 09:47 PM

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) - 4
http://www.thefocuspull.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/4-months-3-weeks-2-days.jpg
I'm loving this director so far, I first saw Bacalaureat and that was awesome, now this, which was even slightly better. Now I'm excited for Beyond the Hills.

SilentVamp

07-31-17, 11:56 PM

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Albert Lewin 4.5 -
Enchanting watch. Evertything about it worked for me.
Isn't this a good one? I love it.

My only complaint is that I thought the guy could have passed for the gal's dad. The actor (Ronald Colman) was 51 and could have passed for older, while the actress (Greer Garson) was 38 and could have passed for younger.
I can honestly say that I never knew Greer Garson was that old in there. That was a surprise reading that just now. Speaking of her, have you ever seen Mrs. Miniver with Garson and Teresa Wright? I am wondering whether you might like that one.

Larry

08-01-17, 04:39 AM

Unforgiven (1992)

What is more important when it comes to film, experiencing something meaningful or something entertaining? My favourite films are mixture of both, slightly tipping more in favour of the entertainment factor.

Unforgiven is a meaningful film. It creates a world of ambiguity. Black and white, hero and villain, it doesn't really exist, its all grey. At the forefront of this is the pitting protagonists played by Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Each one a character with plenty of grey for the viewer to ponder.

Who's good, who's bad, what is justification, retribution, revenge, death, victimisation, consequence. For the greater good? To what end? Can a man or a woman change. A simplistic list of the themes on offer. If I was to do the movie justice I would need to watch it several times more but no, I like the movie more now after the fact, after having watched it because it's thought provoking, yet to put it bluntly, at the time it didn't quite fill my (perhaps superficial) entertainment quota.

I see Unforgiven as an almost anti action film, accordingly, the action is sparse. Though of the violence, it can be emotionally ugly, anticlimactic and in no way romanticised. The taking of life is something that has ramifications on the taker, something rarely explored. It left me wanting more, I wanted to see more tension, more back and forth excitement, more emotion, maybe a cool witty James Bond line. But now I think that wouldn't work, it wouldn't be important enough to have that there. I wouldn't be sold on the world. The world of Unforgiven doesn't feign to the genre tropes. It's more than that and thus is has stayed in my mind, yet, i have no desire to sit through it again so soon, as I cannot deny that at times, it felt slow. It's generally regarded as a masterpiece, I can understand that but I cannot grade it that at this time. Perhaps its an acquired taste.

4/5 stars

cricket

08-01-17, 08:24 AM

I can honestly say that I never knew Greer Garson was that old in there. That was a surprise reading that just now. Speaking of her, have you ever seen Mrs. Miniver with Garson and Teresa Wright? I am wondering whether you might like that one.

That's one of the classics I watched just over 20 years ago but can hardly remember. I have it in my rewatch section of my 40's watchlist. I wasn't sure if it should be a priority since I haven't heard much about it. Should it be?

Iroquois

08-01-17, 08:39 AM

Spellbound - 3

A really suspenseful second half (talking about the spelling bee movie, not the Hitchcock movie).

cricket

08-01-17, 08:43 AM

Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

3.5

http://punchline.asia/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1306679291_2.png

For some reason I had the impression that this movie was going to be more lighthearted. During World War II, there is an American bombing group that is struggling badly. Gregory Peck plays a general who takes over as leader of the group hoping to whip them into shape. It was believed that the previous leader was failing due to his closeness with the men. The new leader is resented for his new tough ways, but great progress is made. Eventually, the general starts to gain a different point of view. This was not as thrilling or powerful as other great war films, but I thought it offered a unique perspective. It's a very good movie that's well worth watching.

TheUsualSuspect

08-01-17, 09:01 AM

88 Minutes

(Jon Avnet)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/16/88_Minutes_Poster.jpg/220px-88_Minutes_Poster.jpg

1

Seeing an old and tired Pacino run around school campuses to catch a killer in time is a rare mixture of sad and funny. A once great actor, Pacino is passed his prime and 88 Minutes showcases that perfectly. Save for one scene where he is able to recall the death of his sister, Pacino is out of his element here in a role that deserved a younger actor with more to give.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm testifies at the trial of Jon Forster, a suspected serial killer. His testimony, along with one eye witness, puts Forster away and placed on death row. Almost a decade later, when it's about time to kill Forster, another death suspiciously happens, exactly like the ones Forster is suspected to have done. Did Gramm falsify evidence to put away Forster? Is the real killer out there still? Gramm receives a phone call telling him his has exactly 88 minutes left to live, the chase is on.

What should be an exciting and thrilling film with a countdown constantly on the viewers mind, becomes an inept examination on how to make a dull film that feels more like a CSI episode than anything else. I had to pause the film and laugh at one particular scene where Pacino is outside his apartment on the street with a gun, while firefighters and cops run around to take care of a suspected fire in the building. Someone yells gun and people scramble, which makes him lose sight of his student/partner. He lazily tries to hide the gun every so often and dodges a firetruck that comes speeding into the scene, apparently not caring if they hit any pedestrians. What nonsense is this?

Lazy, that is the best way to describe this film, in every way. No one seems to be putting in any effort, except Neal McDonough, but his screen time is very minimal. Without a doubt, one of Pacino's worst performances and one of the least engaging movies I've seen in a long time. It's everything this type of film shouldn't be. I feel like you know who the killer is the moment you see them for the second time.

88 Minutes lacks tension, which is a big offender for a film where the main character is constantly on the move to solve a murder...his own.Great tagline that is, too bad the film doesn't live up to it.

rambond

08-01-17, 09:03 AM

ghost in the shell i rate it 7/10

the samoan lawyer

08-01-17, 09:09 AM

http://176.34.179.56/sites/default/files/imagecache/mast_image_landscape/mastimages/cosmos6_0.jpg
Cosmos (2015)

What did I just watch?!

2

WorldFilmGeek

08-01-17, 01:20 PM

https://worldfilmgeek.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/savagedog.jpg?w=344&h=510

Director Jesse V. Johnson unleashes this action thriller set in 1950's Indochina with Scott Adkins as former boxing champ turned prisoner Martin, whose fighting skills attracts the camp's runners, including the warden Steiner, top guard Boon, gambler Rastignac, and dealer Amarillo.

Martin has a chance for freedom and when he gets it, he spends his time pining for his love with local girl Julianna and hangs out at a local bar run by ex-pat Valentine. However, the camp's fight runners want Martin back and when he refuses, they kill those close to him and leave him for dead. Undeterred, Martin unleashes a barrage of vengeance like the title indicates.

The film has a more grounded style of action as opposed to Scott Adkins' trademark acrobatic flashy kicking style. The adaptation of fighting skills considering the setting works well here as well as some pretty good performances from Adkins, Marko Zaror, Vladimir Kulich, Juju Chan, and Keith David. The violence goes brutal when Adkins seeks revenge, and at times, it looks like Johnson took more of a Takashi Miike-approach level with geysers of blood galore and a rematch with Zaror (they fought each other in 2010's Undisputed 3) ending in a manner totally unexpected!

Final Rating: B+

matt72582

08-01-17, 04:13 PM

Lambert & Stamp

It's been out for three years and didn't read about until I checked out this thread, so thanks - The Who is one of my favorite bands!

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVNQPNMBOY9lJe7y35O_nCnJHBk9oKvx5SIhE6R4IhLw1doshc

SilentVamp

08-01-17, 04:51 PM

That's one of the classics I watched just over 20 years ago but can hardly remember. I have it in my rewatch section of my 40's watchlist. I wasn't sure if it should be a priority since I haven't heard much about it. Should it be?
There are so many movies from that era that I used to hear a lot about that I just don't seem to anymore. Mrs. Miniver is one of those. As for making it a priority, I don't really know what to say to that. Personally, I would make it one (if nothing else, just to see why it ended up the Best Picture winner of that year - that always gets me curious enough). If a story about the British home front during WWII sounds interesting to you (especially because it was made during the war), then I would watch it. I think it is a really good movie, though.

Camo

08-01-17, 04:54 PM

Spellbound - 3

A really suspenseful second half (talking about the spelling bee movie, not the Hitchcock movie).

The spelling bee one is better than the Hitch one.

Nausicaä

08-01-17, 05:58 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/Beyond_the_Reach_poster.jpg

2.5

Gideon58

08-01-17, 06:12 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/HumanStainPoster.jpg/220px-HumanStainPoster.jpg

2

Jeff Costello

08-01-17, 06:53 PM

La Ciociara (1960) - Vittorio De Sica 4 +

Heartfelt story about a relationship between mother and daughter and a disturbing depiction of Marocchinate. Sophia Loren's performance was amazing and she was rightfully awarded with an Academy Award for best actress. Not much to say about this, except that it is yet another De Sica's masterwork.

http://68.media.tumblr.com/8689e7f06214ae1bc5c9779a66e8be41/tumblr_nuzwys7ntz1qe4ru4o2_540.gif

The Woman In The Window (1944) - Fritz Lang 2.5

I can't recall the last time a film was ruined so much by its last three minutes. Absolutely ridiculous ! Otherwise this is a pretty decent and atmospheric noir despite being nonsensical at times.

https://oldmoviesaregreat.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/tumblr_nd12hz9iey1qe4ru4o1_500.gif?w=655&h=436

Nescafe

08-01-17, 08:08 PM

Nocturnal Animals 8/10

jmoney213

08-01-17, 08:47 PM

Silent Hill-9/10

Silent Hill is great. I loved the video game and the movie was just as brutal!

jmoney213

08-01-17, 09:07 PM

33063

Frances Ha (2012) - 4

Is Frances Ha worth watching? It's been on my radar for awhile but I just can't bring myself to do it.

HashtagBrownies

08-01-17, 09:53 PM

I can't recall the last time a film was ruined so much by its last three minutes. Absolutely ridiculous!

Damn Hays Code!

Gideon58

08-01-17, 10:00 PM

https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55c291a41700002600566b86.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

3.5

Joel

08-01-17, 10:04 PM

Is Frances Ha worth watching? It's been on my radar for awhile but I just can't bring myself to do it.

Why can't you bring yourself to do it? I've seen it, so if you tell me what the reservation is, I can tell you whether or not you're right.:p

cricket

08-01-17, 10:39 PM

The Woman In The Window (1944) - Fritz Lang 2.5

I can't recall the last time a film was ruined so much by its last three minutes. Absolutely ridiculous ! Otherwise this is a pretty decent and atmospheric noir despite being nonsensical at times.

Totally agree. I enjoyed it for the most part but that ending was maddening, one of the all time worst in my book.

cricket

08-01-17, 11:12 PM

The Red Shoes (1948)

3.5

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5258/5388177065_a74115d082.jpg

This movie is startling right off the bat with how it looks and that beauty never lets up. I actually think the movie is brilliant, yet I struggled to stay interested for it's duration. Maybe I just needed more focus because I have nothing to complain about. Anton Walbrook, who I just discovered a couple weeks ago, is an amazing actor. I just had trouble wondering what I was supposed to think and feel about his character. Maybe if I could pin something down I'd be able to connect more. I enjoyed Black Swan a little more, but I feel that this movie is substantially better somehow.

mark f

08-02-17, 12:30 AM

Of course it is.

Camo

08-02-17, 12:51 AM

I felt the same Cricket. Thought it was gorgeous and a very good film but i struggled to pay attention to it. Just don't think it is for me.

Beatle

08-02-17, 12:55 AM

The Woman In The Window (1944) - Fritz Langrating_2_5

I can't recall the last time a film was ruined so much by its last three minutes. Absolutely ridiculous ! Otherwise this is a pretty decent and atmospheric noir despite being nonsensical at times.

https://oldmoviesaregreat.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/tumblr_nd12hz9iey1qe4ru4o1_500.gif?w=655&h=436

¸haha that's crazy! How can 3 mins ruin the whole thing?! I've gotta see this now! Maybe that's the whole point! Because I don't even see how it's possible!

TheUsualSuspect

08-02-17, 01:01 AM

Spiderman: Homecoming

(Jon Watts)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Spider-Man_Homecoming_poster.jpg/220px-Spider-Man_Homecoming_poster.jpg

3.5

A successful return to a fun character. Marvel has another winner under their belt and has finally brought on a relatable and compelling villain, something the franchise films have been in dire need of.

After the events of Civil War, Peter Parker is able to keep the high-tech Spider suit Stark created and takes it upon himself to help the neighbourhood. When he sees common crooks wielding super weapons, custom made from after the events of The Avengers, Spiderman alerts Tony Stark. Stark has no time for small stuff like this, so who can Peter Parker turn to? He must look to himself, put aside his inexperience and become the hero he is destined to be. Stop those criminals, find the manufacturer and stop being a nerdy and awkward teenager around the girl he likes.

3rd times a charm? I'm still a big fan of Raimi's Spiderman 2, but I would put Homecoming on par with that film for the Spiderman series. The film is able to balance humour and action well, giving the viewer someone more relatable than the previous 'heroes' on the screen. This is a kid who thinks everything that is happening to him is spectacular, or amazing (see what I did there) and we are slowly moving away from the burdened hero. This gives this film the advantage of having a lot more fun with the silly concepts it throws at us, all while keeping it grounded with a compelling villain.

Michale Keaton rocks in this film, his character actually has understandable motivations. No longer are we concerned with world domination, this is smaller scale, which ironically raises the stakes. We've been bombarded with building exploding, world's colliding and hell breaking lose so often that we've become desensitized to it all. Now here's a guy manufacturing weapons from alien tech, working small time and on the ground floor. It's almost as if the people at Marvel listen to the criticism of the their franchise, and actually make ways to improve it. They have given us something a little different here and it works.

The film has some exciting action sequences, one involving a ferry, the other at the Washington Monument. Those sure are fun, but far from the best scenes this film has to offer. There's a scene where Keaton and Holland are in a car together and Keaton delivers some chilling lines that cranks the tension up tenfold. No overacting, just one guy having a conversation with another. Very subtle, but very convincing. Another performance from Keaton that makes me so glad to see him have a career resurgence.

Tom Holland is probably the best version of Spiderman we've gotten so far. He manages to blend innocence, brilliance and comical one-liners better than any previous entries. It might help that he is actually the youngest actor to portray the character. He has arguably the best looking suit as well.

Not everything is perfect. One too many hot aunt May jokes and an unearned ending where Stark wraps everything nicely in a bow for him takes the film down a peg, but otherwise, this is an enjoyable superhero film.

Jeff Costello

08-02-17, 03:55 AM

¸haha that's crazy! How can 3 mins ruin the whole thing?! I've gotta see this now! Maybe that's the whole point! Because I don't even see how it's possible!

I'm not sure what the reaction to an ending was at the time, but by today's standard it just seems cliche and overdone. Without too much spoiling, the film spends significant amount of time building up the tension and basically all of it is shattered by the film's 3 minutes. Guess you'll have to see it for yourself,but I personally thought the ending was very frustrating.

WorldFilmGeek

08-02-17, 09:43 AM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU5NzM5NDA2N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzAyMDA5NzE@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,682,1000_AL_.jpg

We Are X (Stephen Kijak, 2016)

This documentary revolves around the "greatest band to come out of Japan", X Japan, as they prepare for their 2014 gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The film mostly revolves around both drummer/pianist/leader Yoshiki and his search for "the meaning of life", which he discovers through his songs and his friendship with lead vocalist Toshi, who in 1997, was under the influence of a cult, which lead to the disbanding of the band only to be a part of the reunion ten years later, finally breaking free of the cult. There's also the mysterious death of guitarist Hide, which from what I understand, has been ruled an accidental suicide as he was drunk doing a neck stretching technique and hung himself in 1998. Yoshiki is also seen going to the doctors as his experiences so many issues from his frenetic headbanging and drumming. He was forced to stop the headbanging and learns a technique to play piano without using too much force.

I've been a huge fan of the band since 1992, when my best friend, who is originally from Japan, had me heard their 1989 album Blue Blood on a class trip. Since then, I've been hooked and they do have a sixth album almost ready to go.

Definitely enjoyed watching this!

Final Rating: A

Ms. M

08-02-17, 09:45 AM

http://www.kwgimnazjum.pl/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/miasto-444-300x226.jpg
4

Ms. M

08-02-17, 09:45 AM

http://1.fwcdn.pl/po/00/58/690058/7617586.3.jpg
4.5

FromBeyond

08-02-17, 10:05 AM

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bf6XKPqwuKs/Uz8Mw2Y6ssI/AAAAAAAAJCM/XiEqbxPHNpk/s1600/THE+DEVILS+-+UK+Poster+2.JPG
The Devils

When he's near, everything goes wrong. Toast falls jelly-side down, children hit tables, and people get hurt

Very deplorable people commit heinous deeds under the guise of holiness. Reed was a great actor.

rating_4_5

matt72582

08-02-17, 10:35 AM

Aki Kaurismaki (documentary)

Full video on youtube, link down below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc2fAmIzbqs

the samoan lawyer

08-02-17, 10:36 AM

http://www.film4.com/media/images/Channel4/Film4/1940s/pimpernel-smith.jpg
Pimpernel Smith (1941)

Surprisingly, a dark horse for my 40's list. A nice mix of tension and comedy, making this a really entertaining watch. Recommended.

4

this_is_the_ girl

08-02-17, 11:12 AM

https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/01/A-Separation-large-960x0-c-default.jpg
A Separation {Jodaeiye Nader az Simin} (2011, Asghar Farhadi)
5-

Another beautifully told story by Asghar Farhadi (I've seen About Elly a while back, and liked that one too). And again it explores the themes of family, morality and women's role in a traditional/religious society, alongside the all-pervading problem of lies and their effect on the course of events and, ultimately, on people's lives. Farhadi doesn't go out of his way to shock or impress the viewer technically - he uses the cinematic techniques available to him to the extent that is needed to tell his story, and he does it masterfully.

matt72582

08-02-17, 01:30 PM

Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana - 8.5/10

Another great Kaurismaki movie, and one of my favorite actors, Matti Pellonpaa...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Take_Care_of_Your_Scarf%2C_Tatiana_DVD_cover.jpg

SeeingisBelieving

08-02-17, 02:20 PM

Insomnia (2002) – 6/10

cricket

08-02-17, 03:35 PM

matt72582

08-02-17, 03:41 PM

La Vie de Boheme - 8.5/10

Another great one... I love how all Kaursmaki's movies have humor, and the kind I like. Black, subtle, the small things...

"$1200... and three..... plus labor, parts, $600... that will be $1800 and three".. (after customer is struggling to find bills).. "We'll make it an even $1800".

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/La_Vie_de_Boh%C3%A8me_DVD_cover.jpg

Okay

08-02-17, 03:47 PM

Stirchley

08-02-17, 04:08 PM

33109

Terrific movie. Particularly good were the actors who played the two terrorists.

Savages with Philip Seymour Hoffman & Laura Linney. Sweet movie.

Gideon58

08-02-17, 06:18 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Allied_%28film%29.png/220px-Allied_%28film%29.png

3.5

Jeff Costello

08-02-17, 06:33 PM

Scarlet Street (1945) - Fritz Lang 2.5

I didn't particularly like this noir ,up till the final act when the story took a darker turn. Therefore I'll settle for a neutral rating.

https://68.media.tumblr.com/24e1bb49e98149c9fff23276f81e3bcb/tumblr_nu9m77CZ3n1rdfgw4o1_r1_500.gif

matt72582

08-02-17, 06:43 PM

Calamari Union - 5/10

The only Kaursmaki movies I don't love are the ensembles with too much absurdity (Leningrad Cowboys, sequel and this).

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/CalamariUnion1985Poster.jpg

Marco

08-02-17, 06:50 PM

The Gift (2015). Really enjoyable thriller/something in the woodshed tale and well acted by all, specially Edgerton. Couldn't buy Bateman as a grown up bully (anyone can be a childhood one)...maybe just seen too many insipid other performances by him. Great watch on a rainy Wed night!

7/10.

GulfportDoc

08-02-17, 08:01 PM

All the King's Men (1949)

I can understand why this won best picture as it's a well executed and finely acted film. It's about a decent man who rises in politics, becomes corrupt, and his eventual fall. There's a good bit of melodrama thrown in. I can understand why it doesn't have a huge following as I didn't find it particularly memorable. It's a very good movie.
I too enjoyed the film very much. It's particularly interesting if one is familiar with the rise to power, and then assassination of the Louisiana governor, then senator, Huey P. Long. The story is one of the best examples of corrupt Louisiana politics which continues to this day. Long actually had a super highway built from the capitol in Baton Rouge to New Orleans so that it would shorten his journey-- maybe by 30-60 minutes...:rolleyes:

Broderick Crawford did a good job as the Long character, but his persona, with the Philadelphia accent, couldn't have been more different from Huey Long's. Occasionally Crawford even attempted a southern accent, but it was nearly comical when he did so...:D

~Doc

GulfportDoc

08-02-17, 08:21 PM

... The Woman In The Window (1944) - I can't recall the last time a film was ruined so much by its last three minutes. Absolutely ridiculous ! Otherwise this is a pretty decent and atmospheric noir despite being nonsensical at times.
Jeff, surely you're not referring to Edward G. waking up in the chair. That was the entire point of the movie. Maybe you're talking about the light-hearted ending. In the 1940's it was still permissible to have a light-hearted finish...;):D

~Doc

matt72582

08-02-17, 08:29 PM

I too enjoyed the film very much. It's particularly interesting if one is familiar with the rise to power, and then assassination of the Louisiana governor, then senator, Huey P. Long. The story is one of the best examples of corrupt Louisiana politics which continues to this day. Long actually had a super highway built from the capitol in Baton Rouge to New Orleans so that it would shorten his journey-- maybe by 30-60 minutes...:rolleyes:

Broderick Crawford did a good job as the Long character, but his persona, with the Philadelphia accent, couldn't have been more different from Huey Long's. Occasionally Crawford even attempted a southern accent, but it was nearly comical when he did so...:D

~Doc

I've always been interested in Huey Long -- I'll check this out, thanks!

cricket

08-02-17, 08:34 PM

I've always been interested in Huey Long -- I'll check this out, thanks!

I think you'd like it Matt.

Camo

08-02-17, 08:39 PM

Hamlet (1948)

No rating

http://www.leninimports.com/laurence_olivier_new_6a_medium.jpg

I thought this would be trouble for me but that I could at least try it. There's no point in rating it because I wouldn't know if it were terrible or great. It's really just the furthest kind of thing from my taste. I can only say Laurence Olivier is brilliant and Jean Simmons was cute as a blonde.

haha. Love how much you struggle with Shakespeare :D

Totally get it though i despised him in school until i somehow started reading him for pleasure and got into him, should watch that myself.

Already seen part of it in Last Action Hero :laugh:

iank

08-02-17, 08:43 PM

"To be or not to be..." (massive explosion) "Not to be..."

:D

TheUsualSuspect

08-02-17, 08:53 PM

Valerian & The The City of a Thousand Planets

(Luc Besson)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Valerian_and_the_City_of_a_Thousand_Planets.jpg

3

Luc Besson delivers what might be his spiritual follow up to The Fifth Element. A gorgeous visually realized space epic that wants to wow and dazzle you at every corner. For the most part, Besson succeeds at this, but fails at writing engaging characters for us to care for. Relying too much on one sacrifices the other and Valerian suffers from this.

Let's get the most obvious thing out of the way first, this film looks great. Careful attention to detail was given to almost every scene. Something as simple as cotton candy coloured clouds bring the world to life. A striking highlight for this film, but can almost seem a bit distracting. Besson is so concerned with cramming in as many of his unique creations as possible that the character dynamics take a big hit. Valerian and Laureline are partners, but he will constantly profess his love to her, which she continuously turns down. This dynamic could have been fun in the hands of better actors.

Dane DeHaan, is doing his best Keanu Reeves impression, which is so odd. He has next to no charisma here and the film deserved someone with a bit more dedication. His co-star Cara Delevingne has a little bit more spark in her performance. Her body of work hasn't been inspiring, so her role here brings some much needed levity. Ethan Hawke turns up in a small role as a pimp, while not adding anything to the story, it's fun to watch him in such a role.

Clocking in at almost 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film does feel a tad long. The story takes a few turns away from the main plot, which makes the film feel disjointed a bit. Maybe it's even an excuse for Besson to show more wild and creative things. I'm not really complaining, as I did have fun with the world I was thrown into. The film comes off as one of those "enjoy the ride" type flicks. It's not as cold and mechanic as a lets say a Transformers film, it comes off as a little more personal, which is even more evident by the dedication to his father at the end. Valerian is pretty much exactly what one would expect, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing.

HashtagBrownies

08-02-17, 09:33 PM

33123

Plot: An anthology horror story of all kinds of twists and turns.

When I was just a wee little lad I discovered this film in the 2011 edition of the book '1001 Movies'. It looked interesting but I kept it in back of my mind until now.

By God, I wasn't expecting this to be so absorbing. I might as well talk about each story individually.

33124
The stories are linked up by a man arriving at a sort-of B&B establishment and being astounded by its similarities to his frequent dreams. The women get slightly annoying as the film goes on as they're cheerfully laughing at stories of insanity and murder, but the men stay level-headed mostly. Must be the effects of the views of women in the early 20th century.

33125
The first story isn't very eventful or interesting. Definitely the weakest of the bunch.

33126
The second is an extremely basic campfire story. The ending can be predicted swiftly by most people. When the expected ending revealed itself a cheeky grin grew on my face.

33127
The third story is a fairly unique story. Ralph Michael is one extraordinary actor. His speech about reality and illusion is marvelous. The ending is fairly tense. The many questions raised are all answered at the end.

33130
The fourth story, written by the famous H.G. Welles, isn't the best but certainly the most unique. The special effects were impressive (except that golf ball flying around the course, that looked pretty fake). Surprisingly enough this story is very humorous, especially that unexpected ending which got a little laugh out of me.

33128
The infamous dummy story is most certainly the best of the bunch. Hugo is so damn creepy.
The subtle nervous expression on Redgrave's face during the only performance shown in the short is bloody ingenious and very ahead of its time for a 40's flick. A lot is left up to interpretation which is an element everyone loves about horror films. The ending was an amazing idea but I feel it could've been better if a few more shots were taken.

The end to the whole film is insane, unexpected, disturbing, satisfying, what else am I supposed to say without spoiling this great film for people who are ignorant of its existence?!

Overall. This film is funny, dark, thought-provoking, engrossing, scary and is a must for fans of 40's flicks and horror movies.

Just don't blame me if Hugo gives you nightmares...

33129

BOO!

4

cricket

08-02-17, 09:38 PM

Another Part of the Forest (1948)

4-

https://cdnsecakmi.kaltura.com/p/1660902/sp/166090200/thumbnail/entry_id/1_nksbu2n1/version/100002/width/640/height/360

This is the prequel to one of my favorite 40's movies, The Little Foxes. I didn't think this was as great, but it's at least in the same ballpark as we are shown the earlier years of the despicable Hubbard family. We have mostly a different cast, although the terrific Dan Duryea is back. All of the performances are fantastic but it's a little bit of a loss not having Bette Davis for this installment. What is back is the decadent and backstabbing behavior and sharp dialogue.

Camo

08-02-17, 10:25 PM

33123

This looks great. Think my next 30's thing is going to be four or five 30's Horrors including The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House at least, might watch this along with them.

rauldc14

08-02-17, 10:31 PM

I got to get to some more 40s before the deadline for the list hits. I've been waiting on My Darling Clementine for way too long.

Camo

08-02-17, 10:32 PM

I got to get to some more 40s before the deadline for the list hits. I've been waiting on My Darling Clementine for way too long.

Hope you like Clementine, i did alot.

Stirchley

08-02-17, 10:35 PM

33131

Amazing & very moving documentary of impoverished rural China filmed in 2010-2011.

Iroquois

08-02-17, 10:51 PM

Boyka: Undisputed - 2.5

Zangief: The Movie

BearSkinBathRobe

08-03-17, 12:58 AM

Valerian & The The City of a Thousand Planets

(Luc Besson)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Valerian_and_the_City_of_a_Thousand_Planets.jpg

rating_3

Luc Besson delivers what might be his spiritual follow up to The Fifth Element. A gorgeous visually realized space epic that wants to wow and dazzle you at every corner. For the most part, Besson succeeds at this, but fails at writing engaging characters for us to care for. Relying too much on one sacrifices the other and Valerian suffers from this.

Let's get the most obvious thing out of the way first, this film looks great. Careful attention to detail was given to almost every scene. Something as simple as cotton candy coloured clouds bring the world to life. A striking highlight for this film, but can almost seem a bit distracting. Besson is so concerned with cramming in as many of his unique creations as possible that the character dynamics take a big hit. Valerian and Laureline are partners, but he will constantly profess his love to her, which she continuously turns down. This dynamic could have been fun in the hands of better actors.

Dane DeHaan, is doing his best Keanu Reeves impression, which is so odd. He has next to no charisma here and the film deserved someone with a bit more dedication. His co-star Cara Delevingne has a little bit more spark in her performance. Her body of work hasn't been inspiring, so her role here brings some much needed levity. Ethan Hawke turns up in a small role as a pimp, while not adding anything to the story, it's fun to watch him in such a role.

Clocking in at almost 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film does feel a tad long. The story takes a few turns away from the main plot, which makes the film feel disjointed a bit. Maybe it's even an excuse for Besson to show more wild and creative things. I'm not really complaining, as I did have fun with the world I was thrown into. The film comes off as one of those "enjoy the ride" type flicks. It's not as cold and mechanic as a lets say a Transformers film, it comes off as a little more personal, which is even more evident by the dedication to his father at the end. Valerian is pretty much exactly what one would expect, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing.I felt it was fine, not as epic as I would've liked. The world was pretty imaginative. I thought like you that DeHann was not a quality lead, as I felt the girl (who really hasn't done much, being a model/musician as well) overshadowed him. Their characters were pretty thin too, and the story was rather predictable. Still looked good, but a pretty big letdown story-wise. I think the mini-worlds within Alpha and technology/elements could inspire sequels. Sadly I think it got hit hard at the box office. Probably a 7/10 just for the world and the nice blend of action and slow moments. The romance wasn't too bad and I dug their chemistry. Just didn't get to know Valerian very much.

dadgumblah

08-03-17, 05:26 AM

Re-watched this movie recently for the first time in decades and was totally immersed in seconds. Classic movie directed by John Boorman that either involves man vs. nature, man vs. man, or man vs. himself, however you want to see it. I think it includes all three themes and is the better for it.

All about four city men who travel to a Georgia river that is soon to be dammed and turned into a lake, according to the leader of the group, Lewis (Burt Reynolds). Lewis and his closest friend, Ed (Jon Voight) are more experienced. The two green men along for the trip are Bobby (Ned Beatty) and Drew (Ronny Cox). The various personalities either mesh or clash, particularly Lewis against Bobby. Ed and Bobby pull to shore in their canoe and are assaulted by two backwoodsmen. Veteran actor Bill McKinney is the recognizable actor here and he plays the vicious hillbilly terrifyingly, raping Bobby. The scene is horrifying because of the violence, yet the lead up to it has more tension than the actual act, which is edited in such a way that you think you're seeing more than you do.

When the other hillbilly is about to assault Ed, they are saved by Lewis, who uses his compound bow and arrows to deadly effect on McKinney's character. The other gets away and the four men conspire to cover up the rapist's death. It goes downhill for the men from then on as they realize they are being stalked from the shore by the other man. They must pull all they have from themselves to survive not only the bad man but the elements. Each man responds differently and some truly find the strength to do the unspeakable.

This is one tense, but very thrilling (not in a fun way) movie. Perfectly photographed and edited, excellently acted and tightly directed, this is one of Boorman's best movies, and in my opinion, one of the best movies ever made. I was lucky enough to see this movie at the cinema when it was first released and it's still just as effective today. And it's justifiably famous for it's song, "Dueling Banjos," which is played out near the beginning of the movie. As I inferred at the beginning, I saw this just the other night on cable and could watch it again today.

https://adamcr007.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/deliverance19721080px26.png

5

ScarletLion

08-03-17, 07:15 AM

Great review Dadgumblah. Deliverance is a classic. Fantastic ending too.

cat_sidhe

08-03-17, 07:37 AM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTEzNDk1MzM4MDleQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDM2NTI4ODEy._V1_UY1200_CR90,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg

Quite a decent first effort. Liked the score.

3.5

Beatle

08-03-17, 07:59 AM

Valerian & The The City of a Thousand Planets

(Luc Besson)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Valerian_and_the_City_of_a_Thousand_Planets.jpg

rating_3

Luc Besson delivers what might be his spiritual follow up to The Fifth Element. A gorgeous visually realized space epic that wants to wow and dazzle you at every corner. For the most part, Besson succeeds at this, but fails at writing engaging characters for us to care for. Relying too much on one sacrifices the other and Valerian suffers from this.

Let's get the most obvious thing out of the way first, this film looks great. Careful attention to detail was given to almost every scene. Something as simple as cotton candy coloured clouds bring the world to life. A striking highlight for this film, but can almost seem a bit distracting. Besson is so concerned with cramming in as many of his unique creations as possible that the character dynamics take a big hit. Valerian and Laureline are partners, but he will constantly profess his love to her, which she continuously turns down. This dynamic could have been fun in the hands of better actors.

Dane DeHaan, is doing his best Keanu Reeves impression, which is so odd. He has next to no charisma here and the film deserved someone with a bit more dedication. His co-star Cara Delevingne has a little bit more spark in her performance. Her body of work hasn't been inspiring, so her role here brings some much needed levity. Ethan Hawke turns up in a small role as a pimp, while not adding anything to the story, it's fun to watch him in such a role.

Clocking in at almost 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film does feel a tad long. The story takes a few turns away from the main plot, which makes the film feel disjointed a bit. Maybe it's even an excuse for Besson to show more wild and creative things. I'm not really complaining, as I did have fun with the world I was thrown into. The film comes off as one of those "enjoy the ride" type flicks. It's not as cold and mechanic as a lets say a Transformers film, it comes off as a little more personal, which is even more evident by the dedication to his father at the end. Valerian is pretty much exactly what one would expect, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing.

Thanks for this, Suspect. :) I've been meaning to see it ever since it came out. On tuesday, upon returning from the town, I saw the poster and thought about asking about it here. It's probably among my next watches one of these days.

I felt it was fine, not as epic as I would've liked. The world was pretty imaginative. I thought like you that DeHann was not a quality lead, as I felt the girl (who really hasn't done much, being a model/musician as well) overshadowed him. Their characters were pretty thin too, and the story was rather predictable. Still looked good, but a pretty big letdown story-wise. I think the mini-worlds within Alpha and technology/elements could inspire sequels. Sadly I think it got hit hard at the box office. Probably a 7/10 just for the world and the nice blend of action and slow moments. The romance wasn't too bad and I dug their chemistry. Just didn't get to know Valerian very much.

Thanks, Bear. :) It's becoming a concensus, so I'll definately watch it tommorow probably. Hopefully I'll dig something out of it that you two haven't been able to. Well, proly not, it's worth watching just upon your reviews.

Ultraviolence

08-03-17, 08:27 AM

http://www.dafont.com/forum/attach/orig/4/8/482955.jpg
Very nice film!
The director conducted the story very well, without getting repetitive and without stupids jump scares.
rating_3

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE3NjM5OTMxMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIzMTQyMw@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_.jpg
For the first time!
I really liked this film but the last 30 minutos ruined the experience for me.
rating_3

Beatle

08-03-17, 08:27 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Rebel_without_a_cause432.jpg

I actually saw it before, but I was so off, i was only physicaly watching. Spiritually...who knows what I was doing.

This is a master piece. Not that I am the first one to say it. James is one of my fave actors, even people anyway. And Natalie doesn't hurt, if you know what I mean. Shame they both ended tragically.

So, he does this unwined, off hand, abstract,as they put it, newcomer to the town and school. Of course he immidiately gets into conflict,but James always does it all differently. He's abstract. I didn't get much of the her/him chemistry, I feel she's really more or less a beauty decor. More to the point, I did get the feeling it's actually a women-hating film. All the negative characters, true negatives are mommies who spoiled and ruined their sons. I'm afraid it actually implies they killed hte famous car competing guy, as well the kid in the end, which is the most poignant scene, especially since it's so involved, perplexed and intervowen. Probably it has a lot to do with the American society in the 50s. This everlasting matriahat/patriahat, yaknow battle of the sexes thing. I'm not competent to ellaborate here, what was really the situation back then? I guess it was a heavy patriachat, hence the movie. So, i dig if you ladies do not dig it. I however do, James, Natalie or the movie itself,any of those is sufficient to give it at least 4/5. I'll simply discard the women-hating thing (about which I'm maybe wrong, it's just a theory) as much as I can, and admit it also shows daddies as weaklings,spineless whimps or the sort. It's actually a critique of the entire parenthood.

This is a beautiful, deeply and profoundly human, and unbelievably thought-provoquing film. One of a kind and an institution for itself.

rating_5

cricket

08-03-17, 09:11 AM

Cry of the City (1948)

3+

https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-e4281c3f36ebac56234a24dd5a9148d4-c

From the noirs list, Richard Conte plays a cop killer who gets shot and caught, escapes, and then is on the run. Victor Mature plays the lead pursuer. Conte is so perfect at playing the villain, and I wonder if that's what he mostly played during his career because he just looks the part. I just think there's a reason why some guys specialize at being supporting actors. Conte's character dominates the movie, and after a great first half it starts to wear just a little thin. I certainly enjoyed the movie, but for a while I was really loving it.

matt72582

08-03-17, 12:05 PM

I Hired A Contract Killer - 7.5/10

https://madaboutmoviez.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/i-hired-a-contract-killer-poster.jpg

Ultraviolence

08-03-17, 01:08 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTEwYTkzMTMtODEzNC00YWM2LTgxNDMtZWNkNTQzNDVjMWQ2L2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDY4NTQ1MA@@._V1 _SY1000_CR0,0,703,1000_AL_.jpg
rating_4_5
Incredible!!
One of the best of 2016!

The Gunslinger45

08-03-17, 02:30 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b5/Atomic_Blonde_poster.jpg

This is a cold war themes thriller set at the fall of the Berlin Wall, has a bitchen 80's soundtrack, a great cast, loads of R rated violence and nudity, and was directed by David Leitch who did the John Wick movies (he produced 2). I loved this movie right? HELL NO!

This movie was very well made but the question I kept asking myself was "Why the f*ck should I give a s**t?" I did not get invested in the flick at all. I did not care about the characters, no f**ks were given about the setting and plot, and I didn't even care about the action sequences! I don't know if this was a crappy adaptation of the original graphic novel or if the graphic novel was trash, but f**k this movie. You know it is bad when the highlight of the movie was Charlize Theron's (or her body double's) **** and the clips of Stalker I saw at the Berlin movie theater. All this movie made me want to do was see if they are bringing Tarkovsky to the big screen in my local movie theaters.

And to be honest this made me sad. I loved the John Wick movies and Theron was a badass in Mad Max: Fury Road. So to see this flop so hard for me was a bit of a disappointment. Then again I admit even with all the pluses going for it the trailers did nothing for me.

2

MovieMeditation

08-03-17, 03:22 PM

Y'all should totally watch this... it's so much fun... hilarious... best movie ever.

"20"
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
The year is no spelling mistake
total movie count ........... viewing day count
284 .......................... 341
__________________________

December 8th

—— 2004 ——
HOME on the RANGE
—— garbage ——
DISNEY CLASSIC no.45
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_brx_1wgj9NQ/Sp7snxDvZuI/AAAAAAAAAas/xKAm1LyUa7k/s200/HomeDVD.jpg

At first I was going to call it an utter embarrassment
but honestly it feels more like a total insult

I wish I could say, that ‘Home on the Range’ merely range from mediocre to horrible… only it doesn’t. ‘Home on the Range’ doesn’t range from anything really… instead it just seems perfectly at home in a single, simple location of pale and pathetic proportions. At its best, ‘Home on the Range’ is not even represented. At its worst, ‘Home on the Range’ is the single representative in sh*t town – population: 1 sh*tty-ass movie.

I don’t know what Disney was thinking with this, I honestly don’t. They have fallen so far down the ladder of success that they pitifully try to rip-off the animation style of the likes of Looney Tunes, and end up with a worse result than Michael Jackson after all his plastic surgery… I mean, Michael he pales in comparison to how bad of a job Disney did here… And well, that anything “pales” in comparison to Michael’s visual appearance might not be the greatest argument ever, I just realize that. But uh, anyways, the point is that this movie is the lowest Disney has ever went to date. Holy cow…

The animation is half-assed and lazy, and the story is so straightforward, that the two of them are battling each other for the “most simple outline ever” award… This is an out-and-out insult of a movie, that should have just stayed out… out of production, out of even being thought up, if there was even any thought involved at all to begin with. This stupid “cow movie” doesn’t even deserve a review, but it needs a proper ROAST, that’s for sure – and I’ll take that well-done, please, I want to make sure it’s completely dead. But then again, the characters are so thin and empty in this movie, I don’t even know if you could cut a decent steak out of it… I would sure love to slice into it though with a blunt butter knife – but that’s probably the producers that needs cutting more than anything. They better have their paycheck cut off immediately, at the least, before I step in and do the cutting for them… and I’m not talking about paychecks.

But I mean, why did Disney even try to take on boring farm animals as their next great hero? I have seen people take on farm animals in more interesting ways than this… only that isn’t exactly legal. Making a movie like ‘Home on the Range’ is somehow perfectly legal though. WOW. I mean, HOW THE COW is that so? I would rather sit through another “middle eastern home video”, filmed in Farmville, then I would ever endure this movie again. Watching ‘Home on the Range’ though, it’s no joke anymore bro... Watching ‘Home on the Range’, YOU are the violated animal. My senses feel violated, my brain feels artistically assaulted and because I decided to watch every Disney Classic ever, I had to endure this one and felt forced to do so more than anything.

I’m thankful and glad for one thing though… and that is the fact that Disney wasn’t dryhumping dollars out of me, because I never paid a single penny for this sh*t– unlike the thousands of kids and their families out there, who got screwed over, and are now scarred for life and must cope with this terrible experience. Bring in the family doctor... Bring in the local psychologist... No one walks away from ‘Home on the Range’ unmarked… NO ONE.

http://p.fod4.com/p/media/8e52a40abb/lOKK7ivSQe2VD4XfZQ1n_Cow%20Hell%20No.gif

1

__________________________

NOT.

cricket

08-03-17, 04:25 PM

The Turning Point (1945)

2.5

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/The_Turning_Point_%281945_film%29.jpg

A Cannes' winner that must be somewhat obscure considering I couldn't find a single screenshot and there's not even a synopsis on IMDb. It's a Russian film about the Russians trying to fend off the Germans during World War II. It's kind of interesting from a historical perspective and to see some of the strategy. It also has an authentic look and some strong moments. It was alright.

I get to cross another off my lists, and more importantly, I saw something before Mark did.:flair:

CosmicRunaway

08-03-17, 04:34 PM

Dane DeHaan, is doing his best Keanu Reeves impression, which is so odd.
I never picked up on that when watching the film, but now that you've mentioned it, I can completely see (or I guess hear?) it.

rauldc14

08-03-17, 05:18 PM

MovieMeditation

08-03-17, 05:26 PM

Titanic

8/10

My first time seeing it.
Say what now?:eek:

matt72582

08-03-17, 05:53 PM

All the King's Men - 6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/All_the_King%27s_Men_%281949_movie_poster%29.jpg

SilentVamp

08-03-17, 06:01 PM

This is the prequel to one of my favorite 40's movies, The Little Foxes. I didn't think this was as great, but it's at least in the same ballpark as we are shown the earlier years of the despicable Hubbard family. We have mostly a different cast, although the terrific Dan Duryea is back. All of the performances are fantastic but it's a little bit of a loss not having Bette Davis for this installment. What is back is the decadent and backstabbing behavior and sharp dialogue.
Speaking of Bette Davis (and since I have been pushing certain films before the countdown), have you watched Now Voyager yet? :)

Titanic

8/10

My first time seeing it. A visual masterpiece and the last hour was simply breathtaking and fantastic. It definitely starts off slow but overall just a great project that you can tell took a lot of effort from Cameron.
My brother kind of forced me to go see it with him when it was out in the theaters. I just never got the love for it. At times I thought it was terribly boring (especially the beginning), and I had no interest in the Jack/Rose relationship (there is a part of that where I actually thought it got silly). Otherwise, I can see it being an OK movie, I guess.

Citizen Rules

08-03-17, 06:34 PM

Titanic

8/10

My first time seeing it. A visual masterpiece and the last hour was simply breathtaking and fantastic. It definitely starts off slow but overall just a great project that you can tell took a lot of effort from Cameron.:up: Citizen likes that review. I couldn't agree more, Titanic is one of my favorite films from the last 20 years.

Nausicaä

08-03-17, 06:35 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Inferno_%282016_film%29.png

3

Film changed the ending to a happy ending instead of Langdon failing to stop the virus ending like in the bookand one character's motivation from what I can remember in the book. Still enjoyed it though.

TheUsualSuspect

08-03-17, 08:00 PM

About to watch The Dark Tower. Reviews are terrible for it.

Beatle

08-03-17, 08:06 PM

Titanic

8/10

My first time seeing it. A visual masterpiece and the last hour was simply breathtaking and fantastic. It definitely starts off slow but overall just a great project that you can tell took a lot of effort from Cameron.

Raul, I couldn't agree more. :) People often say it's too much of a bleeding hearts pathetic movie,and there may be some truth to it that ladies (or rather girls) took their bfs over and over again, so it's still only behind Avatar, even ahead of The Force Awakens, with over 2.1 bil, TFA just close to it.

But i don't think there's denying Cameron's grandeur as a director. As a director, i'd put him even above Kubrick or Spielberg. But still behind Hitch probably, Polanski, Godard, Scott, and especially Lean, who's my fave.

:up: Citizen likes that review. I couldn't agree more, Titanic is one of my favorite films from the last 20 years.

Glad to hear it. :) Nice that it's respected here.

Achoo42

08-03-17, 08:15 PM

Batman Begins: 8/10
Taxi Driver: 9/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 9/10
American History X: 8/10

I watched all of these in the span of two days. No regrets.

Gideon58

08-03-17, 08:16 PM

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyBq6E_fUJI/TSKAM0wUP1I/AAAAAAAAAIY/Fy8tV_SJJVo/s1600/No+Strings+Attached+Movie.jpg

2.5

HashtagBrownies

08-03-17, 08:17 PM

33167

3.5

HashtagBrownies

08-03-17, 08:18 PM

Batman Begins: 8/10
Taxi Driver: 9/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 9/10
American History X: 8/10

I watched all of these in the span of two days. No regrets.

I wouldn't regret it either!

Yam12

08-03-17, 08:19 PM

33166

Horrible Bosses (2011) - 3.5

Felt like having a laugh

cricket

08-03-17, 09:11 PM

The Miracle at Morgan's Creek (1944)

3.5-

https://christinawehner.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/the-miracle-of-morgans-creek-everett.jpg

Preston Sturges directs this madcap comedy that appears on the top 100 laughs list. Betty Crocker stars as Trudy Kockenlocker, a small town girl who attends a big sendoff party for the troops, and then wakes up in the morning married and pregnant. She has no clue who the guy is, but there's a stuttering local boy who loves her. Her cranky policeman father will have something to say about anything. It's a fast paced movie that I liked more than most other old comedies I've seen.

Citizen Rules

08-03-17, 09:14 PM

Betty Crocker? ha!, she did have a muffin in the oven:p

The Miracle at Morgan's Creek (1944), I really like that one, for it's time it was quite daring. I almost nominated it for the 40s HoF part 2. Then again I almost nominated like a 100 movies:)...I love the 1940's.

rauldc14

08-03-17, 09:29 PM

I will also add I have no idea how Titanic isn't on the Mofo Top 100 of the 1990s. That's just robbery in my opinion now that I've seen it.

matt72582

08-03-17, 09:34 PM

\
Taxi Driver: 9/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 9/10

I watched all of these in the span of two days. No regrets.

I watched those in two days, and I graded Taxi Driver with a 9, and the latter with a 10 :)

cricket

08-03-17, 09:38 PM

Camo

08-03-17, 09:51 PM

I will also add I have no idea how Titanic isn't on the Mofo Top 100 of the 1990s. That's just robbery in my opinion now that I've seen it.

It's the worst film of the 1990's so wrong kind of 100.

Camo

08-03-17, 09:52 PM

rauldc14

08-03-17, 10:44 PM

It's the worst film of the 1990's so wrong kind of 100.

No way

TheUsualSuspect

08-03-17, 11:20 PM

The Dark Tower

(Nikolaj Arcel)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/49/The_Dark_Tower_teaser_poster.jpg/220px-The_Dark_Tower_teaser_poster.jpg

1.5

This film, which was inspired, not adapted from the Stephen King novels of the same name, takes a sweeping epic, dumbs it down, loses the focus and lazily tries to make it look cool for a younger audience. This film is bad and I went in with an open mind, hoping to find some redeeming qualities about it. While there are some good ideas, I can't help but feel that this will be somewhat heartbreaking for fans of the books who were actually excited to see it.

Jake Chambers is a young boy who suffers from horrific nightmares. In those nightmares, he sees The Man in Black, who kidnaps children and uses a device to suck their minds right out of their head. All in an effort to destroy the Dark Tower. The Dark Tower is the centre of the universe, protecting all worlds from the evil that lies beyond, out in the darkness. Roland, the last of the Gunslingers, soldiers sworn to protect the tower, is on a mission to kill The Man in Black. When Jake discovers a portal that leads to their world, he jumps in and finds Roland. Together they must stop The Man in Black, or their world and all worlds, will end.

I couldn't help but think to myself, that people would never want to see a film that was loosely inspired by The Lord of the Rings. They would much rather see that literary masterpiece adapted to the big screen. Imagine Peter Jackson used the same characters and made a different story, but still slapped the title on it? So I can't help but wonder why they thought it would be a good idea to loosely adapt The Dark Tower and not do a straight adaption from the books. I kind of get the idea they were going for, in regards to how the book series ends, but they missed the mark and by a wide margin.

I'm sure fans of the series would pick up numerous nods to the books here and there, but that is not enough. Graffiti on the wall of Hailing The Crimson King will get a knowing nod from people, but that's it. I'm sure they would rather see the actual story from the books on the screen. Arcel and writer Goldsman, oversimplify an epic story into a 90 some odd minute shoot em up. Sure, it looks cool when Elba reloads his guns, but I want something more than that. It doesn't help that the film essentially has two and a half action sequences, which might look neat to those who haven't seen a film like John Wick.

Elba does his best with the clunky dialogue, but he can't save it. McConaughey chews up the scenery, as expected. His character is "worse than the devil". He can kill people by simply telling them to stop breathing. He does this numerous times. He can catch bullets, incinerate people, basically force anyone to do anything. Mucho powerful. But here's the expository dialogue part "Roland, you've always been immune to my magic, haven't you?" So there you have it, he can't hurt our hero in the "stop breathing" category. He can still use the force to hurl objects at him and watching McConaughey move his hands around to control items like broken glass or rocks is unintentionally comical.

Bad special effects plague this film. There is a sequence at night where a demon, which apparently breaks through the barrier, attacks Roland and Jake. It's hard to make out what it looks like, or what the heck is going on. But in the end does it matter? Who know the Gunslinger will eventually put it out of its misery. I snickered at seeing how bad they rendered humans falling around or getting hit by cars. It only happens a few times in one particular sequences, but it's something that still hasn't been perfected and probably never will.

The entire film feels clunky, unexplained or unexplored. I never got a sense of Roland's world. There are abandoned structures all over and they have no idea what they were used for, but we clearly know they are carnival rides, as does Jake. How does anyone who never read the books have a clue as to what this means. Arcel seems uninterested in exploring that side of the story and instead streamlines it from point A to point B. This isn't a story to do that, especially if the goal is to branch it off into a series. I suspect this will be the only film they make.

With generic action sequences, oversimplification of an epic story, shoddy effects and some questionable performances (Jake's friend is the biggest offender), The Dark Tower is a big missed opportunity. Here is a series that could have been several films, sweeping multiple genres and taking viewers on a ride they probably wouldn't of forgotten. Instead we get this film that I already have forgotten. Ho-hum, despite a big budget, we have yet another King adaption failure.

dadgumblah

08-03-17, 11:21 PM

Great review Dadgumblah. Deliverance is a classic. Fantastic ending too.

Thanks, SL! Yes, that ending, with the dream and then the image after the dream...just too eerie. :eek:

Camo

08-03-17, 11:28 PM

No way

You're right it's not the worst that goes to Kazaam but i'd rather watch this than Titanic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9w5bgtJC8

TheUsualSuspect

08-03-17, 11:37 PM

You're right it's not the worst that goes to Kazaam but i'd rather watch this than Titanic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9w5bgtJC8

I can't believe that has over 20 million views.

dadgumblah

08-04-17, 12:54 AM

You're right it's not the worst that goes to Kazaam but i'd rather watch this than Titanic

:) You know, I'm only one of my male friends I know that actually enjoyed Titanic, but while watching the video you provided, Camo, I watched the first two minutes, then skipped to the last three minutes, and it still hadn't sunk!. I was afraid it wasn't going to (game-wise, not real life-wise, with all due respect to the lost...;phew!). But that last three minutes took forever! I really thought it was going to be a cliffhanger of a video. Again, no harm meant to the actual survivors (who are most likely all deceased by now due to old age and other maladies) or their immediate descendants (who are now most probably really old and don't belong to this site...or something like that). I'm rambling, I realize so I'll stop now. But I think my favorite Titanic movie is A Night to Remember (1958). Good movie. You watch it. :)

EDIT: Okay, I've checked and all the survivors of the Titanic are now all deceased. I did a search for the immediate descendants of the survivors and could only get the age of a great-granddaughter of a now-deceased (in case you forgot) survivor and she was in her 60s. So it could be all over the map. Okay, I stop now!