Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[mojofilter]

https://www.pastposters.com/cw3/assets/product_expanded/JamieF-SAS/escape-from-alcatraz-cinema-quad-movie-poster-(1).jpg
ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ
(1979)

First viewing. Great film. Can't believe it took me this long to watch this exciting prison drama that is based on real events. Eastwood is completely in his element here and carries the movie with prowess. Now I see where Stephen King got his inspiration from when he came up with the idea for The Shawshank Redemption.
4

[Osiris]

Charlie's Angels (2000) - Rewatch
2.5
Ah yes, your typical 2000s era blockbuster consisting of a thin plot that's a poor excuse for mediocre martial arts sequences playing to cheesy '90s pop songs. They would usually star popular celebrities at the time that weren't really top-billing enough to have their agents be picky about casting them in a film like this, such as the likes of America's Sweetheart at the time, Drew Barrymore, Cameron "There's Something About Mary" Diaz, and Lucy Liu coming off her "Couching Tiger" success. That's all you need to know about this movie really. It's not nearly as clever as it pretends to be in all its mocking of the earlier (and smarter) "Mission: Impossible" film adaptation or as funny either.

Being a 2000s blockbuster, there are also a number of other well-known celebrities you might recognize from that one movie, such as the likes of a not-so-popular-yet Sam Rockwell, LL Cool J off his "Deep Blue Sea" lackluster shark flick, Tim Curry off his lackluster "Congo" run, Matt LeBlanc still going strong with his circle of "Friends", and Bill Murray having his '80s star-power peak coming to its much delayed death (until "Lost in Translation" three years later anyway). They aren't really vying for an Oscar here, but they put enough effort to offer a few chuckles here and there.

But you know, it's not nearly as much of a trainwreck as I would have expected. It's cheesy, it's dumb, and it makes me wish I could have been doing something more meaningful with my life, but it's just decent enough to leave me with some appreciation for its script. For example, in spite of the overly sexualized wardrobe that would never be greenlighted in the likes of feminist 2010s, it's really the men here that are portrayed as the dumb furniture manipulated by their hormones (aside from Sam Rockwell, but he's a sex machine, so he doesn't count), so I feel that the more risqué aspect is somewhat justified as a playful take on female sexuality. I also like that not all the men here are portrayed as inherently nasty like some of the works I could think of in the 2010s, and you do have a nice healthy balance of relationships between both genders.

But when it comes down to it, it's still a dumb American blockbuster overshadowed by much more brilliant counterparts (Mission: Impossible for one thing), and it's no coincidence that a certain animated series inspired by "Charlie's Angels" that once aired on Disney Channel in my country (Totally Spies) was also overshadowed by a more brilliant and polished female spy counterpart (Kim Possible). It's just one of those films that tried to cash in on the star power and hope to make enough money back. Can't spell "Summer Blockbuster" any more than that.

For what it's worth, the trailer for both this and Full Throttle looked fun enough to even make me watch the damn thing. Can't say the same for the remake.

[Zotis]

Makes you wonder how much propaganda we are fed on a daily basis by the media.

You don't even know the half of it.

[Zotis]

https://www.covercity.net/displaycover/medium/b26e6de612bbe97c2ea250aee8af3a0b

Castle in the Ground (2019)

This movie was a realistic look at the dazed, confused, and sometimes insane life of drug addicts. Just trying to have fun, relax, and feel good, these reckless free spirits found themselves embroiled in a world deadlier than they anticipated. Alex Wolff played Henry, a nineteen-year-old Jewish boy looking after his sick mother. He befriended his new neighbor, Ana, played by Imogen Poots. As Henry entered Ana's drug world he got sucked into a potentially fatal vortex that was way more than he bargained for. Imogen Poots did a spectacular job portraying a drug addict. This was perhaps the most realistic drug movie I've seen, second only to Requiem for a Dream. The ending was brutal. I was especially impressed with Poots' acting because it was so accurate and totally different from anything I've seen her do before.

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Castle-in-the-Ground-Imogen-Poots.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=370

4

[hell_storm2004]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcT3-mLE4uPYgoNXBxHGqrhqzW1r1gNDM8wROOZjZqKFzYVQyyg5&usqp=CAU


Puppet Master (1989) - 6/10. So I watched this last week, better than a lot of other stuff I have seen from the era. Well executed for such a wacky concept. The lead actor, was a little weird. All in all, enjoyable.

So I talked to a lady during the lockdown, now it's really effecting my movie viewing. First weekend in a long time I watched nothing! I normally leave foreign language films for the weekend, as I can watch English stuff while working! Bummer!

[Mr Minio]

Soundtrack to the post (loop if necessary):
https://youtu.be/gqyiqpfI5-k

Images of the post:
https://i.imgur.com/LlzxZ6L.png
https://i.imgur.com/62RF4DT.png

Text of the post:

(A selection of some films I've seen recently)

單身男女 [Don't Go Breaking My Heart] (2011) - 0.5 - Oh no, you did it, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai! :( Never expected a second Romancing in Thin Air (which is one of ten best films of the last decade, in case you were wondering), but what I got was painfully below my expectations. Just a plain, normie, vulgar, flashy romantic comedy. Not even the level of perfectible yet solid Turn Left, Turn Right, but way below it. A couple of enjoyable moments and ideas get lost in all the yarn. A shame.

GONIN2 [The Five Women] (1996) - 2 - The first film had Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano having gay sex next to a rotting corpse. The second installment in Ishii's trilogy steers away from the utter nihilism, and offers an interesting, gender-bending spin on the intial premise. I found myself less indifferent to it, too, as both the eponymous women and the avenging husband characters were nicely fleshed out. The crane shot at the pool is simply mesmerizing, and the very last 'miraculous' scene both bitchin' and moving.

Vitalina Varela (2019) - 3.5 - You most probably know that feeling. A renown director whose work you do admire, and do love. But not a single film you really believe to be all-time greatest. Costa just stopped being this kind of director for me. From the very first scene in which the heroine, barefoot, descends the steel stairs, to the final shattering shot, Vitalina is a tremendous masterpiece. The feeling of impending doom, so prevalent all throughout the film is reminiscent of The Turin Horse's incoming apocalypse. The catastrophe already happened. A life. Shattered. Wasted. But what's coming? Does anybody ever still believe in Hope? The visuals are one of the best. Perhaps ever. The faces hidden in darkness -- shots you will remember. Costa finally reached the level of his mentors.

はるか、ノスタルジィ [Haruka, Nostalgy] (1993) - 3 - Is it very inappropriate that one of the most romantic and heartfelt films I've seen in a while contains a de facto lolicon romance crowned with a sex scene between a high school girl and a man in his 40s (the actress was 19 at the time)? It's not just that it portrays people of such age gap having sex that rubs me the wrong way, but the fact it portrays anybody having sex at all. Sex always kills romanticism to me, and few directors can make it kill the romanticism only a little bit instead of fully butchering it. Obayashi is one of them. The sex is muddled up by the idea the girl actually had sex with the younger version of the man, but let's not get any further into this direction. Because it all makes sense. The story would be completely different if you changed anything. It's beautiful. It's touching. Problematic, yes. But a masterpiece. It's again about memories. It's about love. It's about a sort of life-long connection. To a place. To a person. The romance, with long walks, talks, is my ideal. Cathartic.

John Wick (2014) - 0.5
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - 0.5
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) - 2 - I wanted to be as cool as Ultraviolence and watch the entire trilogy in one sitting, but I failed after finding the first two installments disappointing. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad films, but the tongue in cheek formula as well as handgun ballet feel way less rewarding than it initially sounds. At least they had some eye-candy flashing lights scenes to keep me interested all throughout. Now, the third film was everything I wanted it to be from the very beginning. The superior cinematography (oranges & blues), the much, much better choreography (dat knife fight), and lots of crazy ideas & stunts! Wall-climbing dogs, kickin' horses, motorbikes, a bunch of Japanese assassins listening to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and VIVALDI GETTING RAPED! It's still dumb as hell, but it's fun, and much better than 1 & 2. Here's hope that the Fourth one, reportedly belated by Corona, out in 2022, will keep that quality.

さびしんぼう [Lonely Heart] (1985) - 3 - Yet another Obayashi masterpiece, this time tackling Oedipus complex, loneliness, and first love. I laughed and cried as this lovely film progressed. My kind of romanticism! Please don't make the mistake of thinking Obayashi is a director of just one "meme" film Hausu. He's had a long-spanning career, and made many wonderful films, many better than Hausu. My 10.000th watched film was his Seven Weeks watched the day he died, without me being aware of that. I found out hours after the film's finished. It was so fitting given the theme of the film, and how it's about life, and death. It's also about memories - a theme explored by Obayashi in almost all of his films. It's incredible to watch an artist's films and learn all about life, his convictions and beliefs, especially given how close they are to your own. I'm sure there is a lot more to take out of his filmography, but I'd like to finish with two quotes, both from Seven Weeks, but also repeated (actually like the first one, or symbolically like the second) all throughout his filmography:

Children of the future. Learn from the past.

and

Art cannot be killed. So fantasies should be invested in art.

And to this beautiful, touching words, and their author, I tip my hat. Rest in peace, Obayashi. I still haven't seen his swan song Labyrinth of Cinema, but I already know it's a masterpiece.

[Zotis]

John Wick (2014) - 0.5
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - 0.5
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) - 2

I saw on letterboxd you had John Wick 4 on your to-watch list. Why? I seriously gave up on the series after the second one, and I don't even know how I got through the second one. Just do yourself a favor, and don't watch #4.

[Zotis]

https://www.ramascreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mobile-Homes-407x586.jpeg

Mobile Homes (2017)

Imogen Poots stars as Ali, a young woman with a son living with a chaotic and dangerous boyfriend. As they hustle to survive, she worries about how her son might be endangered by their lifestyle. She finds a potential way out stowing away in mobile homes. Callum Turner did a great job as Evans, an abusive delinquent boyfriend who isn't a stereotypical villain, but is actually very human. His human side adds to the dilemma of leaving him for his traumatic elements. Callum Rennie played a sympathetic role as the owner of the mobile homes who showed compassion for Ali and her son. This movie was very realistic and the ending shed me a tear of sorrowful joy.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/11/14/arts/mobile1/mobile1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

4

[Zotis]

Vitalina Varela (2019) - 3.5 - You most probably know that feeling. A renown director whose work you do admire, and do love. But not a single film you really believe to be all-time greatest. Costa just stopped being this kind of director for me. From the very first scene in which the heroine, barefoot, descends the steel stairs, to the final shattering shot, Vitalina is a tremendous masterpiece. The feeling of impending doom, so prevalent all throughout the film is reminiscent of The Turin Horse's incoming apocalypse. The catastrophe already happened. A life. Shattered. Wasted. But what's coming? Does anybody ever still believe in Hope? The visuals are one of the best. Perhaps ever. The faces hidden in darkness -- shots you will remember. Costa finally reached the level of his mentors.


Added to my to-watch list.

[HollowMan]

I saw on letterboxd you had John Wick 4 on your to-watch list. Why? I seriously gave up on the series after the second one, and I don't even know how I got through the second one. Just do yourself a favor, and don't watch #4.


Seriously? John Wick 1 and 2 are modern action masterpieces. Giving them such a low rating should be illegal.

[HollowMan]

65018

8/10

Makes you wonder how much propaganda we are fed on a daily basis by the media.


Loved this film. Gyllenhaal is brilliant.

[GulfportDoc]

65030
The Vast of Night (2019)

Saw this listed in Mark F's post, and it looked interesting.
So I watched this delightful picture last night, as it had been bought by Amazon and put up on its site yesterday (5/29/20). It's a sci-fi mystery by new director Andrew Patterson, starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Producer, director, writers, and some of the actors are freshman in the industry. The excellent cinematography is by veteran M.I. Litten-Menz.

Everything clicked on this picture. It's set in the 1950s, framed as a story on a Twilight Zone copy, Paradox Theater. Slow to build, it carefully sets the background, then gradually quickens the pace to intense thriller levels as the story unfolds. They've adroitly captured the intense but innocent feel of the 1950s sci-fi monster flicks, such as The Blob, and others. The production design was impressive on what must have been a low budget.

The acting is first rate, especially from Miss McCormick and the old pro Gail Cronauer; but it is the fresh and exciting cinematography by Litten-Menz that provides such captivating and engaging photography. The 90 minute film goes by quickly, although it leads to a somewhat anticlimactic finish.

You can be sure that director Andrew Patterson will be offered lots of work for much bigger money as the result of this first time feature. Will look forward to any future productions he helms.

Doc's rating: 8/10

[GulfportDoc]

[Nightcrawler]
8/10

Makes you wonder how much propaganda we are fed on a daily basis by the media.
I would say that there is more propaganda than "news".

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=65030
The Vast of Night (2019)

Saw this listed in Mark F's post, and it looked interesting.
So I watched this delightful picture last night, as it had been bought by Amazon and put up on its site yesterday (5/29/20). It's a sci-fi mystery by new director Andrew Patterson, starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Producer, director, writers, and some of the actors are freshman in the industry. The excellent cinematography is by veteran M.I. Litten-Menz.

Everything clicked on this picture. It's set in the 1950s, framed as a story on a Twilight Zone copy, Paradox Theater. Slow to build, it carefully sets the background, then gradually quickens the pace to intense thriller levels as the story unfolds. They've adroitly captured the intense but innocent feel of the 1950s sci-fi monster flicks, such as The Blob, and others. The production design was impressive on what must have been a low budget.

The acting is first rate, especially from Miss McCormick and the old pro Gail Cronauer; but it is the fresh and exciting cinematography by Litten-Menz that provides such captivating and engaging photography. The 90 minute film goes by quickly, although it leads to a somewhat anticlimactic finish.

You can be sure that director Andrew Patterson will be offered lots of work for much bigger money as the result of this first time feature. Will look forward to any future productions he helms.

Doc's rating: 8/10OK, first MarkF and now you both liked The Vast of Night (2019), I'm going to watch it and hope for the best. I've not been impressed much with the new films I've seen in the last couple years, so I hope this one works for me.

[GulfportDoc]

OK, first MarkF and now you both liked The Vast of Night (2019), I'm going to watch it and hope for the best. I've not been impressed much with the new films I've seen in the last couple years, so I hope this one works for me.
I couldn't agree more about new films. But you're gonna like this one. Have I ever led you wrong?..:)

[Citizen Rules]

I couldn't agree more about new films. But you're gonna like this one. Have I ever led you wrong?..:)Ha, I'm not sure:p But I believe our movie taste would be pretty much aligned. So look for me doing a write up here on this thread in a day or two.

[Rachel]

https://img.moviepostershop.com/notting-hill-movie-poster-1998-1010730705.jpg

3.5

Oh, to be a small book store owner and have Julia Roberts randomly stop by and fall in love with me ...

[Marco]

https://www.ramascreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mobile-Homes-407x586.jpeg

Mobile Homes (2017)

Imogen Poots stars as Ali, a young woman with a son living with a chaotic and dangerous boyfriend. As they hustle to survive, she worries about how her son might be endangered by their lifestyle. She finds a potential way out stowing away in mobile homes. Callum Turner did a great job as Evans, an abusive delinquent boyfriend who isn't a stereotypical villain, but is actually very human. His human side adds to the dilemma of leaving him for his traumatic elements. Callum Rennie played a sympathetic role as the owner of the mobile homes who showed compassion for Ali and her son. This movie was very realistic and the ending shed me a tear of sorrowful joy.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/11/14/arts/mobile1/mobile1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

4

I've been quietly impressed by Imogen Poots, even though I think it's a made up name:)

[MovieGal]

65034

I Am Dina
(Jeg er Dina)
2002
3.5/5

[Dog Star Man]

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/54f337175a3daa5200a2688f3666422e.jpeg

Bergman Island(2004)

4.5/5

This film makes me want to make films. It's really inspiring. It documents a great director who's had a lifetime of success, but it has come at the cost of many personal and artistic failures. There seems to be an encouragement though through it all: "Keep working at your life and vision." "Learn from your mistakes." and "Continue to improve and better yourself."

https://cdn.britannica.com/82/77082-050-EA1FE174/Joan-Fontaine-Mrs-de-Winter-Danvers-Judith-1940.jpg

Rebecca(1940)

4/5

I really enjoy Rebecca as a film. It's very "tightly" constructed film by the hands of Hitchcock. Even the performance by Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers provides enough reason to watch it. The way she holds herself. Her continual dress of "mourning." Her stern speech. Everything about her is frightening. But ultimately I found myself at odds with the narrative. I don't do well with these "class" films. Lower class woman meets upper class male; or high society films, etc. They just never really have struck much of a chord with me. I can't seem to relate to them I guess...

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDZjMmI3NTMtNjVlOC00MjgxLWFmODgtNGU1MjQ3Y2E4ZDcyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyNDQ2NjI@._V1_.jpg

For All Mankind(1989)

5/5

This film is pure poetry from beginning to end. From it's soundtrack by Brian Eno. To the breathtaking footage which is masterfully captured by NASA and the astronauts. To the rhythm of these footages in the edit. To the recollections of those who came an went to the moon. This film to me illustrates cinematic poetry in motion. Beautiful, beautiful, film...

[Fabulous]

King of Kings (1961)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fT2vGpFZVRKw7LaiSFXAeU36a1a.jpg

[Mr Minio]

Just do yourself a favor, and don't watch #4. I just watched the Violent S*it trilogy! Not watching stuff is WEAKNESS! :D
Added to my to-watch list. Kewl. Lemme know when you watched it in like 2024.

[Zotis]

I just watched the Violent S*it trilogy! Not watching stuff is WEAKNESS! :D
Or it could be seen as making better use of your time?

Kewl. Lemme know when you watched it in like 2024.

If you want to know what I think of it, I can bump it up. Heck, just say the word and I'll watch it today.

[Zotis]

Seriously? John Wick 1 and 2 are modern action masterpieces. Giving them such a low rating should be illegal.

Now you sound like a Communist dictator. :p

Heh, na, but I gave John Wick 1 2.5/5, so average. And the second one had considerably less plot and more unrealistic action. So I gave it half a star less, and I'll never crave mindless action enough to watch the last two. If I want action, I can just watch more Nicholas Winding Refn movies.

[Zotis]

https://i.ibb.co/7GzbmhK/I-Believe-in-Unicorns-2014.jpg

I Believe in Unicorns (2014)

A teenage girl fell in love with a skateboarding punk and set off on a spontaneous road trip of dreamlike romance, but it wasn't all smiles and rainbows. Natalia Dyer played the lead, Davina, a cute but sad teenager with a fondness for unicorns. When she crushed on a boy named Sterling, played by Peter Vack, the two became entwined in a bitter sweet romance. Sterling displayed some abusive signs, inherited from his abusive father, but love triumphed over their wounds, though the future was uncertain. Julia Garner played Cassidy, Davina's best friend, though her role was relatively small. She only appeared in four scenes, but they were very effective scenes. Garner has a knack for sympathetic cuteness like no other, delivering more in subtle expressions of emotion than words ever could. There was one scene that stood out above everything else in the movie, at least to me. It was about a quarter of the way into the movie, Davina had had sex for the first time with her boyfriend. She was telling her friend, Cassidy about it, and they kissed to demonstrate how good of a kisser "he" was. It was adorably naive, and awkward, and more was said with their timid glances and pursed lips than words ever could. I've never been more interested in over the shoulder dialogue shots, because half of the shots didn't include and dialogue, and they also captured both characters compositionally in an interesting way. The cinematography made great use of sloppy gritty hand held, stop motion, and montages.

https://i.ibb.co/r6V2gsY/06-I-Believe-in-Unicorns.png

3.5

[Chypmunk]

Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things (Leslie Woodhead, 2019) 3+
Skeetle-boop-de-doo-dup-dootle-ootle-biddle-day

[Stirchley]

65050

Loved this strange movie. Hugh fan of Robert Pattinson.

[Ultraviolence]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWZiZjkyNGEtYzgwMS00NjEwLTljNDYtZTExNmYzZmViNjFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_.jpg
I liked it more than the second one.
rating_4

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODA2NmY4NDEtNjk1Yi00NmI1LTgwMjEtYWZmMjRmMDUyMTlkL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1 _SY1000_CR0,0,675,1000_AL_.jpg
I love Bruce Willis so I wanted to like this film, but everything felt so weak... the only positive point was Willis himself imo.
rating_2

[pahaK]

Black Moon (1975)

For some reason which I can no longer recall, this oddity by Louis Malle did make its way to my watchlist. It's a dreamlike film with no apparent plot and a ton of stuff that's either allegorical or just weird. Maybe it's about the rise of militant feminism and teenage girl's attempt to grasp what it means to be a woman (implied by the film's literal war on sexes), or maybe it's just dreams and memories of a demented old lady. I don't think it really matters.

The first comparison that comes to mind is Valerie and Her Week of Wonders which does the pudding sexuality thing much better and is also more inventive and daring in its dreaminess (also both have pretty teenage leads flashing some skin). Still, Black Moon is moderately interesting and unpredictable. Maybe this will grow with time but for now, I'm only going to give...

2.5

[Zotis]

https://ssl.sdcdn.com/cms/mag/chat1.jpg

Chatroom (2010)

Imogen Poots played a secondary character in this movie about internet chat rooms. There was really nothing special about this movie, as the main character was a mentally disturbed individual trying to convince another unstable person to commit suicide. There was little story or plot.

2.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk5MjkwNTU5N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTkwMTc5NTE@._V1_.jpg



4.5

[GulfportDoc]

I've been quietly impressed by Imogen Poots, even though I think it's a made up name:)
Heh, heh. I wondered about that too. But evidently it's her family's name from England. I've always liked "Imogene" since the days of Imogene Coca, from the old Your Show of Shows, and scores of other roles.

[Stirchley]

⬆️ Poots’s father is not from England; rather, he is from Northern Ireland & perhaps that’s from where their surname derives.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/The_Ox-Bow_Incident_%281942_poster%29.jpg



4

[Fabulous]

Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/w31S6JZ0DA7nzFz5W2SlCeUzkNQ.jpg

[mojofilter]

https://robbinsrealm.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/12-angry-men-pic-1.jpg
12 ANGRY MEN
(1957)

First viewing. 63 years old but doesn't seem too outdated. Good performances by the entire cast.
3.5

[mojofilter]

https://www.pastposters.com/cw3/assets/product_expanded/JamieR-AC/some-kind-of-hero-cinema-drive-in-movie-poster-(1).jpg
SOME KIND OF HERO
(1982)

Richard Pryor in an underrated and overlooked dramatic turn as a Vietnam War veteran and POW, with Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) playing a prostitute.
3.5

[chawhee]

Clerks 2 (2006)
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Video/f6/c1/c2/mzl.bzvwxebf.jpg/268x0w.jpg
4
This is the only Kevin Smith movie I own, and I still think it's one of my favorite comedies overall. Some of the script and dialogue is a little weak when it comes to developing a story, but the jokes and character humor are all top notch.

[xSookieStackhouse]

The Cutting Edge (1992) 10/10 loved cutting edge movie trilogy https://www.joblo.com/assets/images/oldsite/posters/images/full/1992-cutting-edge-poster3_thumb.jpg

[Raven73]

Sin City
8/10.
I love the cool, neo-noir style of this movie and the way it contrasts the gritty with the sleek, the ugly with the beautiful. I find I enjoy the movie more when I assume some of the characters have super abilities which make them extremely tough to kill (especially Marv).
I appreciated the movie more on the big screen, where the black and white with the colour highlights really popped.
Also noticed this time around that Quentin Tarantino had shared in directing. He did the driving-to-the-pits scene, which is totally Tarantino.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Sincitypostercast.jpg

[sawduck]

11:14
8/10
A really enjoyable and underrated movie with a great cast. It centers around an accident which occurs at 11:14pm and is told through different perspectives of those either directly or indirectly involved. It was such a fun movie and i loved the ending, it brought everything together

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/48/8a/7e/488a7e7188d494b09e0f1e9bf39508ba.gif
Sunset Boulevard (1950, Billy Wilder)
5
Brilliantly written - and Gloria Swanson is just magnetizing. This film encapsulates everything that was great in the classic Hollywood era.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/The_Dead_Don%27t_Die.jpeg

2.5

Snooze factor = Zzz


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

[HollowMan]

Julius Caesar (1953)

https://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Brando,%20Marlon/Annex/Annex%20-%20Brando,%20Marlon%20(Julius%20Caesar)_06.jpg


Adaptation of Shakespeare's play so the script is obviously brilliant, albeit a bit of an acquired taste. Lots of legendary speeches and quotable lines; plenty for this great cast to get their teeth into. James Mason and Marlon Brando are particularly impressive. The highlight has to be Caesar's death and the two speeches that followed from Brutus and Mark Anthony; glorious, absorbing old-school Hollywood.


4/5 Stars

[GulfportDoc]

65087
Journey Into Fear (1943)

This picture, with its intricate plot and star actors, unfortunately was compressed into a mere 68 minutes. Its complexity, along with several notable scenes and innovative filming would have benefited from more time for plot development, at least another 20 minutes.

It’s an interesting spy film set chiefly in Istanbul and the Black Sea, co-written by Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton, who also play the lead roles. Joining them are the highly popular Dolores Del Rio, and several actors from Welles’ Mercury Theater, including Everett Sloane, Agnes Moorehead, and Ruth Warrick.

Welles was slated to direct in 1941 following the success of Citizen Kane. But he had followed “Kane” with work on The Magnificent Ambersons, which he was just finishing up at the commencement of filming of “Journey”. Welles was on a limited schedule before he headed for South America to continuing work on the never completed, It’s All True.

Consequently Welles gave up direction of the picture in favor of his colleague Norman Foster. Welles was subsequently fired by RKO during post production, so he had no input in the editing. Presumably the picture would have been more elaborate and roomy had Welles been part of the finish of the film. All the material was there. It just needed Welles' direction.

Still, it’s an enjoyable movie, and it features several memorable sequences which were widely copied by subsequent filmmakers.

Doc's rating: 6/10

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; orphans: 2; widows:

[GulfportDoc]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/48/8a/7e/488a7e7188d494b09e0f1e9bf39508ba.gif
Sunset Boulevard (1950, Billy Wilder)
rating_5
Brilliantly written - and Gloria Swanson is just magnetizing. This film encapsulates everything that was great in the classic Hollywood era.
I agree with you. It's one of the great films. Period. Swanson stole the show, but William Holden was dynamite in one of his first big roles. And of course Billy Wilder's direction was phenomenal. But you know, every time I watch the picture it still has the same ending...;)

~Doc

[Fabulous]

The Dirties (2013)

2.5

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2013/10/dirties_a.jpg

[ckprimeval07]

Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955): 8/10
Short Circuit (1986): 6/10

[pahaK]

Häjyt (1978)
There's no official English title but it refers to groups of 19th-century troublemakers and criminals in certain parts of Finland who traditionally carried (and used) knives. Wiki kind of suggests the word Knife-Fighters.

Another Finnish TV production from the seventies. It's a two-part mini-series but I'm posting it to movie thread. It tells the tale of the two famous 19th-century criminals and the lawman trying to stop their reign. As a story, it's the same old but the setting (old rural Finland), and some of the ways the things progress make it quite different.

The first half is pretty good; all the main characters (and actors) are good and it builds the conflict well. The latter half tries to cram too much stuff in it and it jumps all over. They probably had a quite limited budget to work with, but I think the story would have needed more than 2 hours to tell properly. Still, for some reason, I seem to enjoy these older Finnish films more than the modern ones (which I tend to hate).

3 1st part 3.5, 2nd part 2.5

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Eighth_Grade.png

3.5

Snooze factor = Z



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

[mojofilter]

https://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/img11/mystifyMichaeldocposterblckm59902.jpg
MYSTIFY MICHAEL HUTCHENCE
(2020)

Dark and captivating documentary on the tragic downfall of troubled INXS lead singer and rock legend Michael Hutchence
3.5

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Fbcc063e23443041c8173b73590d46687%2Ftumblr_o2nzqzHW141u9g95uo1 _400.gif&f=1&nofb=1
Silent Rage

One of my guilty pleasures. I have a soft spot for love stories/slashers about ass kicking Texas sheriff's hunting down a bad dude who hacked up two folks up with an axe only to be shot dead, brought back to life and made indestructible by overly ambitious Dr.'s who were more concerned with if they could that they never stopped to think if they should. Well, one Dr. thought they should NOT aaaaand he was kinda right. Regenerated dude quietly goes on a little rampage. There's a minor side story about a biker gang causing havoc in town which is really only included to showcase Chuck's talents at wiping out an entire bar of bikers single handedly/footly, whatever. It's pointless, stupid and fun. Co-stars Stephen Furst, aka Flounder, as Chuck's bumbling sidekick who delivers some pretty amusing lines ("They were the biggest things I ever saw. I might just go back in there and ask her to marry me"). Oh yeah, the love story...Chuck hooks up with his ex GF, who happens to be the sister of Dr. No and their relationship appears to be mostly physical until the sappy music montage kicks in, which leads you to think that there may be something there that wasn't there before.

4 for being dumb fun

[Stirchley]

https://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/img11/mystifyMichaeldocposterblckm59902.jpg
MYSTIFY MICHAEL HUTCHENCE
(2020)

Dark and captivating documentary on the tragic downfall of troubled INXS lead singer and rock legend Michael Hutchence
3.5

Never heard of this, but Prime has it for streaming so it’s now in my watchlist.

[mark f]

This Joint Is Jumpin' - Jazz Musician Fats Waller (Mike Wallington, 2008) 3 6.5/10
Sex Kittens Go to College (Albert Zugsmith, 1960) 1.5 4/10
The Wandering Soap Opera (Raoul Ruiz & Valeria Sarmiento, 2017) 2.5 6/10
End of Sentence (Elfar Adalsteins, 2019) 3- 6.5/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/19e2b69b9f17f282929fa4a814e5a8e7/tumblr_pyfbtlWDRS1r3v7t2o1_500.gifv
Father John Hawkes and son Logan Lerman work out their issues while taking their wife's/mom's ashes to Ireland.
I Am Evidence (Trish Adlesic & Geeta Gandbhir, 2017) 3+ 6.5/10
Born Reckless (Howard W. Koch, 1958) 2 5/10
Limited Partnership (Thomas G. Miller, 2014) 3+ 6.5/10
My Lucky Stars (Sammo Hung, 1985) 2.5 6/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/a8db8c825c30d8a6206088d16295e2e9/tumblr_oup9flcLpW1wstc5to1_400.gifv
Jackie Chan does more damage than he expected.
On the Record (Kirby Dick &,Amy Ziering, 2020) 3 6.5/10
Disappearance at Clifton Hill (Albert Shin, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Not Wanted (Elmer Clifton [& Ida Lupino], 1949) 2 5/10
Two Trains Runnin' (Samuel D. Pollard, 2016) 3+ 6.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3sU3tNqRh0
The search for long-lost blues musicians and recently-missing civil rights workers intersect in 1964 Mississippi.
Olla (Ariane Labed, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
The Healer (Paco Arango, 2017) 3- 6.5/10
Debt Collectors (Jesse V. Johnsoni, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Tarnation (Jonathan Caouette, 2003) 3 6.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDq7x4YYQhQ
Highly-creative story of the director's life and family.
Ne Zha (Jiaoz, 2019) 2.5+ 6/10
Turnover (Linda Palmer, 2019) 3- 6.5/10
Yesterday (Radoslaw Piwowarski, 1985) 2.5+ 6/10
Parting Glances (Bill Sherwood, 1986) 3 6.5./10
https://i.giphy.com/media/WnsiV128oI0ww/giphy.gif
Steve Buscemi, who's dying of AIDS, is comforted by best friend Richard Ganoung.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWI0Y2NhMzMtYTE5ZS00MDlhLTg0ZjEtMjAwZmEwNTc0ODc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU0OTQ0OTY@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,66 6,1000_AL_.jpg



4

[Marco]

The Evil That Men Do (1984)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/The-Evil-That-Men-Do.jpg

Nasty little thriller where Charles Bronson is on the vengeance trail (when is he not in the 80s?). This time he is a former assassin tasked with bringing to justice a Doctor Moloch who has been using his torture skills for the highest bidder.

It's exploitative and hard to watch at times but has a decent underlying point and interesting characters (Molochs sister for instance). Not great but not awful.

2.5

[MovieBuffering]

Silence Of The Lambs - 1991

Movie was on AMC last night. I've seen the movie before but not in a really long ass time and mostly just bits and pieces. I'm not sure if I'd ever watched the whole thing with a more mature movie perspective then I have now. I'd seen the end with Jodie Foster many times though.

Take aways:
-Anthony Hopkins is way too good at this role. Iconic turn.
-Jodie Foster was great as well, both deserved their Oscar
-A clinic in horror. Doesn't have to be gory cheap jump scares. Just need tension.
-The end scene in Bill's house is so damn good.
-Might crack my top 100 if I revisit it down the road. Close if not.
-I just think of Joe Dirt when Bill is telling her to put the lotion on :laugh:. "Dang man, say it don't spray it!"

4

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/horrormovies/images/2/2b/The-Silence-of-the-Lambs-1-.jpg/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20150424172842

[HollowMan]

Silence Of The Lambs - 1991

Movie was on AMC last night. I've seen the movie before but not in a really long ass time and mostly just bits and pieces. I'm not sure if I'd ever watched the whole thing with a more mature movie perspective then I have now. I'd seen the end with Jodie Foster many times though.

Take aways:
-Anthony Hopkins is way too good at this role. Iconic turn.
-Jodie Foster was great as well, both deserved their Oscar
-A clinic in horror. Doesn't have to be gory cheap jump scares. Just need tension.
-The end scene in Bill's house is so damn good.
-Might crack my top 100 if I revisit it down the road. Close if not.
-I just think of Joe Dirt when Bill is telling her to put the lotion on :laugh:. "Dang man, say it don't spray it!"

4

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/horrormovies/images/2/2b/The-Silence-of-the-Lambs-1-.jpg/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20150424172842


Iconic film. Superb. Definitely in my top 100.

[matt72582]

Marnie - 7/10
Not the best paced for a Hitchcock movie. In the first half, I kept saying to myself, "On with it!", but I was still intrigued, especially with the theme, considering it's bizarre for any time period.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Marnie1.jpg

[Fabulous]

City of Joy (1992)

1.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/w6Zgh1kFxLzeQFLOR8hC2JTwEon.jpg

[MovieGal]

65129


The Lodge
(2019)
3.75/5

[Fabulous]

The Man Who Never Was (1956)

2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ybrl3pEoMwJ9YVZnTdS2Tmyhvvu.jpg

[ckprimeval07]

The Time Machine (1960): 8/10
Iron Man (2008): 8/10

[mojofilter]

Never heard of this, but Prime has it for streaming so it’s now in my watchlist.

Prime is where I watched it. The documentary takes you down the dark hole that Michael fell into that he apparently couldn't get out of. I always likened him to Jim Morrison from The Doors, but just less controversial. His stage presence and sensuality to be specific are an exact mimic of Morrison's. It makes sense that Oliver Stone actually considered him for the part of Jim in the 1991 biopic before landing on Val Kilmer.

[Gideon58]

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/DXJ3RJ/babes-in-arms-DXJ3RJ.jpg



3

[Gideon58]

Marnie - 7/10
Not the best paced for a Hitchcock movie. In the first half, I kept saying to myself, "On with it!", but I was still intrigued, especially with the theme, considering it's bizarre for any time period.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Marnie1.jpg


Yeah, I finally saw this for the first time a couple of years ago, it was actually better than I expected it to be.

[GulfportDoc]

The Man Who Never Was (1956)

rating_2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ybrl3pEoMwJ9YVZnTdS2Tmyhvvu.jpg
Sorry Fab. We just simply can't permit a Gloria Grahame movie to get less that a 60% rating....:D (jk)

[cricket]

Queen & Slim (2019)

3+

https://cdn1-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2019/09/queenslim.jpg

Lovers on the run is a familiar storyline and one that I typically like. This one has a different than usual cultural vibe and that's probably the best part of the movie. The two leads are quite good, as is the music and look. There are some tense moments but overall I didn't find it particularly memorable. Worth a watch for sure.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/The_Gentlemen_poster.jpg

3.5

Snooze factor = Zzz



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

[chawhee]

Scary Movie 2 (2001)
https://images.amcnetworks.com/ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Scary-Movie-2-Hand.jpg
3
A guilty pleasure of sorts. Saw it with a bunch of friends when I was younger, so there are jokes in here that still persist today. Definitely the best of the series.

[FromBeyond]

Rise Of The Footsoldier 3: The Pat Tate Story

Moving away from the story of Carlton Leach we go back in time and take a look at the rise of "psychotic yeti" Pat Tate who goes on the run to Marbella after stabbing some poor soul with a fork and fleeing from a court house in his beloved Essex.. in Marbella he decides he wants to be gangster no1 and nobody's going to get in his way.. expect the c word and lots of violence..

Rise Of The Footsoldier 4; Marbella

The thoroughly reprehensible mad man Pat Tate and his awful chums are back in Marbella to find the man who put him in Prison and inflict more violence on anybody who looks at him wrong.. he'll take on the whole world if he has to... except even more c word

3

[xSookieStackhouse]

i started to rewatch Top Gun because Top Gun 2 is coming out this year or next so i aalways gonna rate Top Gun (1986) 10/10
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/67/d8/6567d8a5fcc83199ab8fe0841f9411c3.jpg

[Marco]

Changeling (2008)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Changeling_poster.jpg

Involving story about murders of children carried out in California (1920s). It also tells of the way the police tried to get around their poor efforts to locate a missing boy by believing the store or a "cuckoo" for some good press. The performances are brilliant (Jolie and Malkovic) and the real-life story itself is pretty jaw-dropping.

3.5

[Ultraviolence]

Scary Movie 2 (2001)
https://images.amcnetworks.com/ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Scary-Movie-2-Hand.jpg
rating_3
A guilty pleasure of sorts. Saw it with a bunch of friends when I was younger, so there are jokes in here that still persist today. Definitely the best of the series.

The memories of watching this with friends when I was younger are so funny. We still laugh about the day we watched this film together. But I honestly can't remember much. I'll check it again with the same friends, 'cause now that I saw the picture of the butler I got nostalgic - that cake scene and the last scene of the movie... :rotfl:

[Stirchley]

65145

Re-watch of an excellent movie.

[Gideon58]

https://www.merchantivory.com/image/film/id/38




4.5

[HollowMan]

Dazed and Confused (1993)

https://www.maxim.com/.image/t_share/MTU4Njc5Njg4NDY0NTczODcz/facebook-linked_image___dazed-and-confused.jpg

Great film. Terrific ensemble cast. Epic soundtrack. Unlike a lot teen movies it's not so much a coming of age story or a film where there's lots of crazy adventures; it's more just a snapshot of teen life in 1976, which I found very refreshing. The focus is on the characters, the music and capturing the essence of life at that age in the 1970s. I thoroughly enjoyed spending 90 minutes in the company of these characters, in this setting with such a killer soundtrack.


4/5 Stars

[Stirchley]

⬆️ Never seen this movie, but have now put it in my Netflix Q. Sounds good.

[mark f]

Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella (Andrew Loveday, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Peckinpah Suite (Pedro González Bermúdez, 2019) 3- 6.5/10
Little Miss Thoroughbred (John Farrow, 1938) 2.5 5.5/10
Last Moment of Clarity (Krisel Bros., 2020) 2 5/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/5668369ddfc4e4761259275d2eb6a787/c129b491e14c65c9-55/s500x750/e9d1b25bdef4529bd2faa9829967ed6e08a95812.gifv
Something fishy's going on, but who's lying and why?
16 Shots (Rick Rowley, 2019) 3 6.5/10
Burn Mother****er, Burn! (Sacha Jenkins, 2017) 3.5 7/10
Spelling the Dream AKA Breaking the Bee (Sam Rega, 2020) 3 6.5/10
Ouija Shark (Scott Patrick , 2020) 1 3/10
https://i2.wp.com/horrorpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Ouija-Shark2.jpeg?fit=620%2C356&ssl=1
[B]A flying ghost shark could be considered camp if it weren't so incompetent.
The Control (Eric Schiller & Michael Stasko, 2018) 2+ 5/10
Ode to Joy (Jason Winer, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Road Gang (Louis King, 1936) 2+ 5/10
I'm No Longer Here (Fernando Frias, 2019) 2.5 6/10
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZS26U4XsAAmIPb.jpg
Teenage Colombian cumbia dancer Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño is hangin' in Monterrey, Mexico when he gets in trouble with a cartel and goes to the US.
Walk Away Renee (Jonathan Caouette, 2011) 2.5 6/10
MS Slavic 7 (Sofia Bohdanowicz & Deragh Campbell, 2019) 2 5/10
All Night Long (Basil Dearden, 1962) 2.5+ 6/10
A Song Is Born (Howard Hawksi, 1948) 3 6.5/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/fd16ba1d130276b9a5ceb20bfe5757e6/tumblr_p0glavHHsi1vehtqxo5_500.gifv
Hep beauty Virginia Mayo falls for staid musicologist Danny Kaye [naturally] in this remake of Ball of Fire.
Original Cast Album: Company (D.A. Pennebaker, 1970) 3 6.5/10
Forget Me Not AKA Forever Yours Zoltan Korda, 1936) 2.5 5.5/10
Olivia (Jacqueline Audry, 1951) 2.5 6/10
The Fearless Hyena (Jackie Chan, 1979) 2.5 6./10
https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/d30f45358a6705d4556035c8da68afae/tumblr_p979egU3HQ1rmrpdmo3_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1https://78.media.tumblr.com/068d2f83fb33ba18b3a37189915b7208/tumblr_p979egU3HQ1rmrpdmo1_400.gif
Young Jackie Chan gets a haircut in between fighting.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Parasite_%282019_film%29.png


1st Re-watch...I have used the phrase in reviews of other movies and I now realize I was wrong...this is truly a "one of a kind movie experience." I have never seen anything like this and never will. You guys can have your CGI superhero movies, this is art...this is cinematic art. I am upping my original rating.


4.5

[Stirchley]

⬆️ I just bought this dvd. It’ll take me quite a while to get to it, but am looking forward to it.

[Dog Star Man]

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/kung-fury-cannes.jpg

Kung Fury (2015)

5/5

For me, it's rare to have as much fun as I did with Kung Fury. Even on multiple viewings the film still remains fresh. Brought back so many memories for me growing up. Love, love this film.

[Dog Star Man]

https://i2.wp.com/www.doblu.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/giantbehemoth2019-01-23-19h54m38s938.jpg

The Giant Behemoth (1959)

4/5

I'm a huge sucker for these kind of camp films. Each time I come across one I feel like I'm about to go on a vacation some place, bring my portable DVD player with me, and watch something mindless and fun for a few hours. Like Kung Fury, I love this stuff.

[Takoma11]

1st Re-watch...I have used the phrase in reviews of other movies and I now realize I was wrong...this is truly a "one of a kind movie experience." I have never seen anything like this and never will. You guys can have your CGI superhero movies, this is art...this is cinematic art. I am upping my original rating.


4.5

While Memories of Murder is probably my favorite of his (partly for some serious nostalgia reasons) this one is excellent.

The first time I watched it all I could process was just the elegant way that he uses the frame--characters constantly moving up and down staircases and in and out of the different spaces. Bong Joon-ho does very detailed storyboarding of his films and you can really see that in a film like Parasite.

[Fabulous]

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/wTDeYlDyN3bfnfDwgC5Hunix3FL.jpg

[Steve Freeling]

https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/20945_19_1080p.jpg
Promare (2019) - First Time on Blu-ray 4
Some movies just work, even if they don't necessarily rub elbows with the five-star classics in the world of cinema. I already knew it wasn't going to be another Akira or another Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, but I also knew I was going to see this one eventually after seeing the dub trailer before a theatrical screening of My Neighbor Totoro and I'm not the least bit disappointed because it delivers on its every promise and blind-buying the Blu-ray certainly wasn't a mistake on my part. Hiroyuki Imaishi's Promare is pure unabashed genre fun, a popcorn muncher if you will, and it works simply by knowing exactly what it is and not pretending to be anything else. The animation is stunning. While the movie's budget isn't currently known to the public, I can only guess it was pretty sizable since the animation screams "money." Imaishi, a key animator on the beloved Neon Genesis Evangelion, clearly went all-in here. While some have criticized Kazuki Nakashima's screenplay, it's really not half-bad at all and certainly enough to sustain a 111-minute film that's largely wall to wall action. Gotta say, the soundtrack is also pretty rad; it's been some time now since viewing and I can't get Kakusei out of my head. NYAV Post, as they have for the likes of Your Name, A Silent Voice, and Mirai, has delivered yet another excellent English dub, once again directed by NYAV Post founders Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh. Billy Kametz is excellent as Galo Thymos, the newest member of a firefighting team named Burning Rescue. Galo is brash, a bit arrogant and by no means subtle, but Kametz molds him into a likable character with aplomb. The legendary Johnny Yong Bosch is equally impressive as Lio Fotia, the leader of Mad Burnish, a group of the Burnish, mutated humans who wield fire and often cause many of the fires Burning Rescue extinguish. Lio is a decidedly different character from Shotaro Kaneda, Vash the Stampede, and Toji Suzuhara, and even Takaki Tono, but Yong Bosch pulls it off with flying colors. Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld is also rock-solid as Aina Ardebit, Galo's partner in Burning Rescue. Crispin Freeman is both appropriately charming earlier in the film and appropriately sinister and "Eeeeevil!" later on as Kray Foresight, Galo's childhood hero and the governor of Promepolis who is not at all what he seems. Cowboy Bebop fans will want to watch out for Spike Spiegel himself Steve Blum as Ignis Ex, the captain of Burning Rescue. Kari Wahlgren is appropriately crazed as Lucia Fex, a mad scientist who creates equipment for Burning Rescue. If there's a negative, it's that Sinterniklaas himself feels wasted here as a rat named Vinny, especially since said rat does nothing beyond the usual squeals and I doubt he sounded much, if any, different in Japanese. Aside from that, though, NYAV Post has worked their usual magic and the dub script is completely natural. All told, Promare is a whole lot of fun. Sure, it's 111 minutes of straight-up genre fun but I'm sure that's exactly what some of us need during these troubled times and it's no surprise that GKIDS even had to bring it back to theaters by popular demand. Personally, I liked it a whole lot and I'll certainly be coming back to it in the future.

[Fabulous]

Blinded by the Light (2019)

1.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/5xVj9qDkZTALvIounsBdkqlLzH1.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTgyMzc0MjgyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTgxOTk2._V1_.jpg


3.5

[Marco]

Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Two_Mules_for_sister_Sara_Poster.jpg

This was an above average cowboy romp. Manages to keep the humour and light-handed touch. Clint and Shirley are both acting well in a thin script!

2.5

[MovieGal]

65172

Back In Time : A "Back to the Future" Documentary
(2015)
3.75/5

Many critics say it was one of the best scripts ever written.

[pahaK]

Kahdeksan surmanluotia (1972)
aka Eight Deadly Shots

Yet another Finnish TV-production from the 70s. This is loosely based (or heavily inspired) by a real event of a drunken farmer shooting four police officers coming to arrest him. Director, writer, and leading actor Mikko Niskanen came from a similar background and was obsessed about the project (e.g. he was drinking and sleep-depriving himself to match the mental state of the actual killer). Whatever he did, it was worth it as his performance is superb. There are lots of amateur actors in the film as well, and they add to the authenticity of it all.

There are two versions of this; a theatrical cut of 145 minutes and the mini-series that's 316 minutes. I watched the longer one. Despite the fact that there are long periods where very little is happening, I wasn't particularly bored at any point. It's really intensive depiction of poverty, alcoholism, and the negative effects of urbanization (how it slowly kills the countryside). It's easy to sympathize with its characters, and kind of sad when you know where it all leads.

3.5

[Fabulous]

Metropolis (1927)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/e5kr5W12zgJneQvOJGBbxYLr5eo.jpg

[Marco]

The Gentlemen (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/The_Gentlemen_poster.jpg
Enjoyable Guy Ritchie romp...had me laughing (Colin Farrell especially) and interested in the story. Solid film.

3.5

[Takoma11]

Kahdeksan surmanluotia (1972)
aka Eight Deadly Shots

Yet another Finnish TV-production from the 70s. This is loosely based (or heavily inspired) by a real event of a drunken farmer shooting four police officers coming to arrest him. Director, writer, and leading actor Mikko Niskanen came from a similar background and was obsessed about the project (e.g. he was drinking and sleep-depriving himself to match the mental state of the actual killer). Whatever he did, it was worth it as his performance is superb. There are lots of amateur actors in the film as well, and they add to the authenticity of it all.

There are two versions of this; a theatrical cut of 145 minutes and the mini-series that's 316 minutes. I watched the longer one. Despite the fact that there are long periods where very little is happening, I wasn't particularly bored at any point. It's really intensive depiction of poverty, alcoholism, and the negative effects of urbanization (how it slowly kills the countryside). It's easy to sympathize with its characters, and kind of sad when you know where it all leads.

3.5

Hadn't heard of this one before. Thank you for the write-up.

[Osiris]

https://i.imgur.com/knpyfHM.jpg
4

"Boycotting the buses in Montgomery. Segregation in Birmingham. Now? Voting in Selma. One struggle ends just to go right to the next and the next. If you think of it in that way, it's a hard road, but I don't think of it that way. I think of these efforts as one effort and that effort is for our life."
- Martin Luther King Jr, Selma (2014)

Over the past week and a half, we've seen horrific images on both our television screen and on the web, images that would resemble a third-world country ran under a dictatorship. In troubled times like these, it's easy to let ourselves fall into cynicism and feel that nothing has changed in our 50 year war for racial rights. In fact, the day before I watched this film, I was prepared to bear such a sentiment myself by the end of it.

Selma recounts the final years of Martin Luther King Jr. (the Oscar snubbed David Oyelowo) from 1964 up to 1968, but it's largely centered on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by King. Despite criticisms for certain historical inaccuracies, including the vilification of president at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), the events recounted in the film only further strengthened my conviction that little has changed since the '60s, from the excessive force exhibited by the law enforcement officers during peaceful protests to "covert racism" dressed under subtlety and hypocrisy to corrupted politicians waging a domestic war on American citizens, caring more about how it makes them look than what it does to the people. Yes, 2020 doesn't leave much room for optimism.

But then I started to pull back my rage and reflect a little upon our current privileges, our privilege to vote and protest regardless of race, gender or even sexuality - or sit wherever we want in a damn bus for that matter. There's light in the tunnel Martin has opened for us, and there's light to be found in this tale of the great man as well (one of the few movies out there actually about MLK and his civil right movements that's not a documentary, whereas JFK had at least five movies about him and his assassination). But more importantly, the light I speak of comes in the form of retrospect, that today, in 2020, we've come further than ever to a universal agreement that to persecute anyone by the color of their skin is not only intolerable, but an utterly barbaric and antiquated concept that would only revert society back to uncivilized times. Police brutality hasn't changed much, but at least now bystanders are doing more than just standing by idly. Furthermore, racism is now being documented on an iPhone. It's not much, certainly not the ideal future people have fought for their children in the '60s when a black man could be murdered in the daylight on the street, but the hard road has indeed come far since the days of cotton fields.

And I think such an optimistic perspective towards the film and the progress we've made is indeed befitting for the simple man who had a dream of equal men (and women). Hell, even the writer (Paul Webb) wasn't afraid to inject some humor into an otherwise grim look of human atrocities. There's a very uplifting approach to its theme of racial equality, particularly in its portrayal of white Americans who also share the heartache of witnessing people beaten down for demanding human rights.

In retrospective contrast, it certainly has a more sanguine approach than the likes of Malcolm X, a figure whose biographical film I shall visit the following week (though in retrospect, I felt like I should've watched it before "Selma").

[koolkeshav93]

Moonlight - 6
12 years a slave - 7

[MovieBuffering]

Onward - 2020

Totally adequate animated film. However for Pixar it feels a bar below for the standard they have reached. It's by no means a bad film. It just feels clunky in spots to me. I could feel the movie struggle to move forward at times unlike say a Wall-E or Inside Out where the movie just seems to flow naturally. It also felt way to overhanded sentimentalized. Uses it almost as a crutch. Feels like their goal is to make you cry, which never works on me when that's your goal.

Again its a fine movie, worth a gander. But not up to par of some other Pixar flicks.

2.5

https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/h_onward_050520update_mobilestatic_19062_0194a70c.png

[Fabulous]

The Favourite (2018)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ph5fElfh4U7O3jwhFljxz2LDp1l.jpg

[Olivier Parent]

internal affairs 4.5/5

[Siddon]

https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0515/18/niagara-1953-lobby-card-sexiest-image_1_f616f8b089ec36107414e804cd269a76.jpg


Niagra (1953)

rating_4_5




https://alchetron.com/cdn/Fallen-Angel-1945-film-images-ae5ac769-2407-42c9-8355-b1eeb8c0b60.jpg



Fallen Angel (1945)



rating_4

[Fabulous]

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

1.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/z2LepM1gL0FwHfJUJEOhf9njmjQ.jpg

[Thunderbolt]

65196

The Enforcer (1951)

Bogart doesn’t have his razor sharp wit in this script but the fast paced plot and final twist make it well worth watching.

3.5

[Marco]

Arkansas (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Arkansas_poster.jpg

Pretty middle of the road crime thriller that suffered from bland actors. The story and mystery (Frog) itself is not that interesting either.

1.5

[Truman]

BlacKkKlansman 9/10

[Dog Star Man]

Metropolis (1927)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/e5kr5W12zgJneQvOJGBbxYLr5eo.jpg

The original orchestral soundtrack alone makes me give this film a five star rating. The film is great too.:D

[mark f]

The Last Days of American Crime (Olivier Megaton, 2020) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Becky (Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
A Little Romance (George Roy Hill, 1979) 3.5 7/10
Shirley (Josephine Decker, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/aecb39521aee30369bf1a0e7d4ab5541/9ec2d9517f8bde76-43/s500x750/7ad1daf816b3ab909e6292c27ee673be183f417c.gifv
Writer Shirley Jackson (Kate Moss) and her professor husband Michael Stuhlbarg seem to be playing some kind of sexual games as she writes her new book.
The Tracker (Giorgio Serafini, 2019) 2 5/10
Blue Story (Andrew Onwubolu, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
In the Radiant City (Rachel Lambert, 2016) 2- 5/10
And when I die, I won't stay dead (Billy Woodberry, 2015) 3 6.5/10
https://jxjdc.org/2017/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/And-When-I-Die-I-Wont-Stay-Dead-MAIN.jpg
Beat poet Bob Kaufman underwent major health and personality changes when the state deems him undesirable, throws him in a mental hospital and electroshocks him.
Boomtown (Sabyn Mayfield, 2017) 2 5/10
Rachel, Rachel (Paul Newman, 1968) 3- 6.5/10
Confessional (Brad T. Gottfred, 2019) 2- 5/10
The Young Master (Jackie Chan, 1980) 2.5 6/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/befef6f60fe42beae1ef9430b9428807/tumblr_pjfn2dMDY71rmrpdmo3_400.gif
Jackie Chan takes on another overrated kung fu master.
Excess Flesh (Patrick Kennelly, 2015) 2- 5/10
The Devil Within Her (Peter Sasdy, 1975) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Hopscotch (Ronald Neame, 1980) 3.5 7/10
Judex (Georges Franju, 1963) 3 6.5/10
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/04/12/3d0412502868b8bed7879c83cf37feef.gif
Borderline surrealistic mystery adventure with plenty of intrigue and surprise.
Left on Purpose (Justin Schein, 2015) 3 6.5/10
The Show AKA This Is Your Death (Giancarlo Esposito, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Fine Lines (Dina Khreino, 2019) 3 6.5/10
The Children of the Century (Diane Kurys, 1999) 2.5 6/10
https://www.frockflicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/enfants-du-siecle-les8-400x350.jpg
Novelist George Sand (Juliette Binoche) shares a brief passion with jealous poet Alfred de Musset (Benoît Magimel).

[Gideon58]

https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/1/adg/cov584/drv700/v722/v72209y3qh4.jpg


4

[pahaK]

Time to Hunt (2020)

A Korean heist film that goes almost slasher towards the end. The script is inconsistent and stupid, none of the leads have charisma and the villain (sort of, at least) is completely forgettable. In addition to all that, the film is (like quite a few Korean films) way too long for its content. It leaves a room for a sequel too, but I think I was bored enough with this one already.

1.5
--

Der Hauptmann (2017)
aka The Captain

A mix of drama and satire about a German deserter during the last weeks of the Third Reich. He comes upon a captain's uniform and takes the role. Everyone is eager to follow orders, but also to do whatever to survive. I'm usually a fan of B&W filming but here I don't really see the point. It does a fine job of balancing between serious and fun (like almost serious, nothing as wacky as Jojo). There are small pacing issues and the ending is a little rushed. I kind of liked it (rating is generous by my standards)...

3.5

[chawhee]

Knocked Up (2007)
http://campademics.wdfiles.com/local--files/knocked-up/knocked_up.jpg
5
Another 5-star rating for a comedy movie I can't help but love despite it's flaws. It helps that I have more than one friend that reminds me strongly of Seth Rogen. This is the first time I've watched it since becoming a father, and the scenes I find the most humor in have definitely altered.

[Fabulous]

Shadow (2018)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/f7V0ajRNN0cdFKAaoTZiPd77rK1.jpg

[Thunderbolt]

65248

Skin Game (1931)
Alfred Hitchcock

A feud over land between two families leads to tragedy in this early Hitchcock effort. Worth checking out if you are a Hitchcock fan but doesn’t have the master of suspense touch that we know and love.

2.5

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2Ff%2Ff3%2FMidoriDVD.jpg%2F220px-MidoriDVD.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

3

Not exactly great family entertainment. An orphaned girl hooks up with a travelling carnival and goes through all kinds of abuse from various sideshow freaks until a Western magician shows up and "protects" her. The magician is a sensitive type so don't call him short or tell him to get back into his bottle or he will eff you up. Real bad. This is a pretty brutal toon that looks like it was ripped right from a comic book. Was interesting for most of its short runtime but lost me a little at the end.

[Marty McFly]

Trolls World Tour. Ewww

[Zotis]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2Ff%2Ff3%2FMidoriDVD.jpg%2F220px-MidoriDVD.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

3

Not exactly great family entertainment. An orphaned girl hooks up with a travelling carnival and goes through all kinds of abuse from various sideshow freaks until a Western magician shows up and "protects" her. The magician is a sensitive type so don't call him short or tell him to get back into his bottle or he will eff you up. Real bad. This is a pretty brutal toon that looks like it was ripped right from a comic book. Was interesting for most of its short runtime but lost me a little at the end.

Midori is a gem. I liked it a lot.

[pahaK]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2Ff%2Ff3%2FMidoriDVD.jpg%2F220px-MidoriDVD.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

3

Not exactly great family entertainment. An orphaned girl hooks up with a travelling carnival and goes through all kinds of abuse from various sideshow freaks until a Western magician shows up and "protects" her. The magician is a sensitive type so don't call him short or tell him to get back into his bottle or he will eff you up. Real bad. This is a pretty brutal toon that looks like it was ripped right from a comic book. Was interesting for most of its short runtime but lost me a little at the end.

Never heard of this before. Any idea if the version on Youtube is complete (IMDb says this is 56 minutes but the one on Youtube is only 48 minutes)?

[Gideon58]

Knocked Up (2007)
http://campademics.wdfiles.com/local--files/knocked-up/knocked_up.jpg
5
Another 5-star rating for a comedy movie I can't help but love despite it's flaws. It helps that I have more than one friend that reminds me strongly of Seth Rogen. This is the first time I've watched it since becoming a father, and the scenes I find the most humor in have definitely altered.


5 stars? Seriously?

[Achoo42]

A Hidden Life (2019): 8/10


One of the few Christian films with true artistic merit (among other films such as Ben-Hur, Chariots of Fire, The Last Temptation...etc.). Portraying the true story of an Austrian man trying to stay true to his religious values during Nazi occupation, A Hidden Life is wonderfully directed and acted, on top of Terrence Malick's love-it-or-hate-it editing style.


Warning: It is a very slow paced film—at nearly 3 hours it is more of an spiritual meditation rather than an actual historical narrative. Those looking for a biopic will be disappointed.

[Hey Fredrick]

Never heard of this before. Any idea if the version on Youtube is complete (IMDb says this is 56 minutes but the one on Youtube is only 48 minutes)?

No idea. Looks like the one I saw was 48 minutes.

[chawhee]

5 stars? Seriously?

Haha I admitted it's not perfect in my summary (it's too long for one), but I will turn this movie on any time I have the chance.

[GulfportDoc]

Arkansas (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Arkansas_poster.jpg

Pretty middle of the road crime thriller that suffered from bland actors. The story and mystery (Frog) itself is not that interesting either.
rating_1_5
I liked it more than you did. Here's my review:

Arkansas (2020)

Director: Clark Duke; Stars: Liam Helmsworth, Clark Duke, Vince Vaughn, John Malkovich, Vivica A. Fox, Michael K. Williams.

This clever film had a mind numbing 30 producers/exec producers, and 6 production companies. Possibly this was to “spread the risk” a little for a movie which had a first feature director and a cinematographer who was also new to feature films.

It’s a Coenesque story with clever dialogue, and quirky drama. There were several twists in this offbeat tale of Dixie drug dealings which held one’s interest, but whose length at 115 minutes could probably have been trimmed a little in the middle to maintain pacing.

Duke, who directed and co-wrote, starred as Helmsworth’s partner, and was an odd bit of casting (as in Twins), but it was acceptable in a quirky picture. This was not too far off from a bullseye, but Helmsworth’s character might have been better cast, and the middle seemed to drag a little.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

[Neesonfan]

The Love Bug: 8/10

[GulfportDoc]

Skin Game (1931)

Alfred Hitchcock

A feud over land between two families leads to tragedy in this early Hitchcock effort. Worth checking out if you are a Hitchcock fan but doesn’t have the master of suspense touch that we know and love.

rating_2_5
This may be one of Hitch's early films that I've missed. Thanks for the heads-up! ~Doc

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWU2NGMxNTctNDc4MC00ZTdkLTlhYjItMTRjMmMxZDBjZTMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDkzNTM2ODg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,66 6,1000_AL_.jpg



3

[cricket]

Uncut Gems (2019)

4.5

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/2f/64/cd2f64bdd4a6e701e5fcbd57dbeb8b5a.gif

I knew I was going to love this since I can relate to it. Adam Sandler should've been nominated and Kevin Garnett was very convincing playing Kevin Garnett. It wasn't perfect but I didn't see many missteps. Great pacing and the right ending.

[Dog Star Man]

https://live.staticflickr.com/4141/4758944575_3db83a122a_b.jpg

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

4.5/5

This film literally had me crying, laughing, and clapping with joy. While it does have it's moments of "lull," the picture is an absolute pleasure and will leave your heart warm. Definitely recommend.

[pahaK]

Mutant (1984)
aka Night Shadows

A trash caliber Fulci ripoff from America. I think this was one of the first zombie (sort of) films I saw as a kid, and I had somewhat positive memories (albeit very vague, only remembered a couple of scenes) of it. Well, that nostalgia didn't carry far. Using a lot of fog and copying some shot angles doesn't make you Fulci, and there wasn't even any gore. Ultimate bore, but half a point extra for nostalgia.

1.5

[Dog Star Man]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6e-B5fNXHMs/maxresdefault.jpg

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

3.5/5

I really tried to get into this film. I usually love Ford/Wayne films... but this one left me feeling a little dry. It seemed there's a lot of traveling from one place to the next, but never once did I feel a sense of urgency or care over the character's situation. Then the fight in the bar scene at the end I felt was a little over the top and unnecessary. I don't know, not my cup of tea. Not a bad film by any stretch... it's okay, but not great.

[Thunderbolt]

65274
Murder! (1930)
Alfred Hitchcock

An early effort from Hitchcock which cemented him into the genre he was loved for. Some of the subject matters would be frowned upon in todays politically correct climate. This is however one of the better early efforts from Hitchcock.

4

[mojofilter]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/Nobodys_Fool_1994_original_film_art_a_600x.jpg?v=1551792250
NOBODY'S FOOL
(1994)

First viewing. Enjoyable light comedy drama starring the late great Paul Newman.
3.5

[Gibbonblack]

Headhunters 2011

I had no idea what to expect when I started watching this. It turned out to be a genuinely funny action thriller and well worth a watch.

[Gideon58]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71fErtTVs9L._SY445_.jpg



4

[Thunderbolt]

65288
Rich and Strange
Alfred Hitchcock (1931)

A married couple inherit money and go on a cruise where they both have affairs. Not many laughs in this mundane Hitchcock comedy. Far removed from his usual standards.

1.5

[HollowMan]

Gran Torino (2008)


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B0MoElAJDRY/TL2Ccke76gI/AAAAAAAAEjo/VXY10q2of8g/s1600/Gran+Torino.jpg



Nobody plays a grumpy old badass better than Clint Eastwood. This film was filled with great character moments; serious, light hearted, tense, funny and touching. Just a great little film that leaves you with a warm, poignant satisfaction. It film avoids the temptation of falling into sentimentality which is so often the case with these kind of stories.


It was also refreshing to see so much politically incorrect banter between the characters which provided much of the comedy and helped give the film a sense of realism. This film would have no chance of being made in today's hyper sensitive climate of political correctness.


Overall a very satisfying drama.


4/5 Stars

[Marco]

The Square (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/The_Square_%282017_film%29_poster.png
Didn't really know if this was having a go at modern culture or trying to make a deeper observation. Either way, it was watchable and (maybe a bit too) ambitious. Has the feeling of a Haneke, as in, trying to make the audience somehow complicit (Cache for example). Good film. Cover is not representative!
4

[Takoma11]

Gran Torino (2008)
This film would have no chance of being made in today's hyper sensitive climate of political correctness.

People have been saying this about slightly older films (like, 5-10 years old) since at least 2002.

Realistic portrayals of racist/bigoted language aren't a problem in art. It's only a problem if it's shown to be a positive attribute of the character.

Gran Torino has a good central performance from Eastwood and the direction is fine. I felt that the overall story was a bit superficial. Walt's racism mainly consists of a litany of racial slurs. Someone who is prejudiced spends time with a group he doesn't like and, surprise, comes to like/care for them. By the time Eastwood is filming himself literally in a Christ pose . . .

Not all movies have to be super nuanced, but I thought it was a shame that the dynamics of the neighborhood were so flat. You can pretty much divide everyone except Walt into "bad guys" or "victims."

I thought that the two most powerful ideas in the film were (1) the idea of finding family and connection in unexpected places and (2) having empathy for someone else (specifically in how Walt doesn't want Thao to go to a place of violence that will haunt him the way that Walt is haunted).

I liked the film (and scored it a 7/10), but I feel like it could have been better with a few tweaks.

[Marco]

I liked it more than you did. Here's my review:

Arkansas (2020)

Director: Clark Duke; Stars: Liam Helmsworth, Clark Duke, Vince Vaughn, John Malkovich, Vivica A. Fox, Michael K. Williams.

This clever film had a mind numbing 30 producers/exec producers, and 6 production companies. Possibly this was to “spread the risk” a little for a movie which had a first feature director and a cinematographer who was also new to feature films.

It’s a Coenesque story with clever dialogue, and quirky drama. There were several twists in this offbeat tale of Dixie drug dealings which held one’s interest, but whose length at 115 minutes could probably have been trimmed a little in the middle to maintain pacing.

Duke, who directed and co-wrote, starred as Helmsworth’s partner, and was an odd bit of casting (as in Twins), but it was acceptable in a quirky picture. This was not too far off from a bullseye, but Helmsworth’s character might have been better cast, and the middle seemed to drag a little.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

Different strokes GulfPortDoc, I did just think it was a mish-mash (well pointed out in the production values!). The characterisation was really thin and I kind of got my serious head off when he approaches the love interest in the supermarket...just didn't do it for me.

[Takoma11]

The Square (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/The_Square_%282017_film%29_poster.png
Didn't really know if this was having a go at modern culture or trying to make a deeper observation. Either way, it was watchable and (maybe a bit too) ambitious. Has the feeling of a Haneke, as in, trying to make the audience somehow complicit (Cache for example). Good film. Cover is not representative!
4

I've been meaning to watch this one for ages! Have you seen Force Majeure by the same director? An amazing dark comedy.

He's also got an interesting short film called Incident by a Bank that I liked.

[Takoma11]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b18735a3917ee20d18a2117/1566834872086-UZRN5LL7GT9GP3UAKM5I/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJKmwpQG9gLWOT1OWEKbROQUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIII bLZhVYxCRW4BPu10St3TBAUQYVKcjUIVmbxRpdscExLIz4B_mz-yWsBWIKCTCl2wVvkbD66izYwpaBLRKqe3jvdE2Trq/phantasm_eventbrite.jpg?format=1000w

Phantasm (1979) (Third viewing)

You know the kind of film where you can see its flaws but you just can't bring yourself to care about any of them?

That's the kind of film that Phantasm is for me. And maybe one of the best things about it is just how rewarding it is on a rewatch. While the surreal horror plot is full of images and sequences that really capture your attention, it's the fragile relationship between Mike, Jody, and their friend Reggie that holds the heart of the movie.

This last time around I especially appreciated the nightmarish/dreamy quality of using the simple effect of so many scenes being windblown. An eerie whistle of wind and stark close-ups manage to turn simple shots into terrifying ones. Phantasm really exemplifies how horror on a budget can be so, so right, using practical effects and the power of suggestion to craft most of its most frightening sequences.

And undercutting the horror are some really relatable themes of fear, grief, and loss. The entire subplot of Mike's anxiety about his older brother leaving him--resulting in Mike obsessively stalking Jody whenever he leaves the house--gives an undercurrent of extra angst to the film. This is a movie without any traditionally comforting authority figures (unless you count the slightly sinister psychic Mike visits), and the sense that all Mike, Jody, and Reggie have is each other adds an emotional heft to every action sequence.

I often find that on rewatching a film, certain sequences will drag a bit, but every time I watch Phantasm I am all in. The Tall Man (pictured above) is a memorable villain, but the film wisely devotes plenty of runtime to the protagonist and making you incredibly invested in them. It's the kind of off-kilter, character-driven horror that really floats my boat.

4.5

[pahaK]

Buffet froid (1979)

A French dark comedy / surreal crime weirdo film. It's a dreamlike series of events that starts with a murder in the underground. There's no conventional plot, there's no actual sense in how people respond to things happening to/around them, and it's unclear (and probably unimportant) whether everything is the main character's nightmare or reality. It's not the funniest comedy and it's not suspenseful crime film, but it's surprisingly entertaining in its oddity. It takes a bit too long to really get going so I'm not giving it a good rating, but it's pretty damn close to that.

3.5

EDIT: Raised the rating by .5

[pahaK]

Animal Crackers (1930)

I tried to watch this before the 30s countdown but couldn't find a copy with good enough audio (or subs) to understand what's said. Now it's on MUBI so I decided to give it another try. There are some good jokes and scenes, but there's not enough material for a 90-minute movie. Some musical numbers (especially the harp scene) feel complete fillers and some jokes are dragged on for too long. Still worth a watch, I think, and at least lots of the humor was rather bawdy.

2.5

[AgrippinaX]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b18735a3917ee20d18a2117/1566834872086-UZRN5LL7GT9GP3UAKM5I/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJKmwpQG9gLWOT1OWEKbROQUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIII bLZhVYxCRW4BPu10St3TBAUQYVKcjUIVmbxRpdscExLIz4B_mz-yWsBWIKCTCl2wVvkbD66izYwpaBLRKqe3jvdE2Trq/phantasm_eventbrite.jpg?format=1000w

Phantasm (1979) (Third viewing)

You know the kind of film where you can see its flaws but you just can't bring yourself to care about any of them?

That's the kind of film that Phantasm is for me. And maybe one of the best things about it is just how rewarding it is on a rewatch. While the surreal horror plot is full of images and sequences that really capture your attention, it's the fragile relationship between Mike, Jody, and their friend Reggie that holds the heart of the movie.

This last time around I especially appreciated the nightmarish/dreamy quality of using the simple effect of so many scenes being windblown. An eerie whistle of wind and stark close-ups manage to turn simple shots into terrifying ones. Phantasm really exemplifies how horror on a budget can be so, so right, using practical effects and the power of suggestion to craft most of its most frightening sequences.

And undercutting the horror are some really relatable themes of fear, grief, and loss. The entire subplot of Mike's anxiety about his older brother leaving him--resulting in Mike obsessively stalking Jody whenever he leaves the house--gives an undercurrent of extra angst to the film. This is a movie without any traditionally comforting authority figures (unless you count the slightly sinister psychic Mike visits), and the sense that all Mike, Jody, and Reggie have is each other adds an emotional heft to every action sequence.

I often find that on rewatching a film, certain sequences will drag a bit, but every time I watch Phantasm I am all in. The Tall Man (pictured above) is a memorable villain, but the film wisely devotes plenty of runtime to the protagonist and making you incredibly invested in them. It's the kind of off-kilter, character-driven horror that really floats my boat.

4.5

I keep meaning to watch that, now I definitely will.

[Chypmunk]

Forty years later and I still want a couple of those spheres :D

[Marco]

I've been meaning to watch this one for ages! Have you seen Force Majeure by the same director? An amazing dark comedy.

He's also got an interesting short film called Incident by a Bank that I liked.[/QUOTE]

I did my usual and, when I like a film, checked out the directors back catalogue to see something I might like (suppose we all do!), will be giving Force Majeure a go for sure.

[Holden Pike]

...will be giving Force Majeure a go for sure.
The American re-make, Downhill starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was released earlier this year. But definitely seek out the original.

[movie_]

SAW I

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinema.com.my%2Fimages%2Fmovies%2F2020%2F7richardjewell_sg00_450.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
3.5

Whenever I see a movie where someone doesn't listen to his lawyer when it comes to keeping your yap shut when talking to the police it annoys the hell out of me. There's quite a bit of that in this. I know it's based on a true story and that's probably how Jewell was but it still annoys me and I always end up doing my Larry David impersonation, screaming "SHUT THE @#$% UP!" It's a decent movie with good acting, on par with what Clint's been putting out recently. Rockwell was good, as always and I'm really starting to like Nina Arianda who popped up on my radar in Goliath.

[Zotis]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b18735a3917ee20d18a2117/1566834872086-UZRN5LL7GT9GP3UAKM5I/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJKmwpQG9gLWOT1OWEKbROQUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIII bLZhVYxCRW4BPu10St3TBAUQYVKcjUIVmbxRpdscExLIz4B_mz-yWsBWIKCTCl2wVvkbD66izYwpaBLRKqe3jvdE2Trq/phantasm_eventbrite.jpg?format=1000w

Phantasm (1979) (Third viewing)

4.5

I feel like it had the potential to be a great horror film, but they focused too much on things that weren't particularly interesting, and didn't fully capitalize on the most interesting and most terrifying elements of the movie. Overall it didn't really work for me.

[Marco]

The Postcard Killings (2020)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/The_Postcard_Killings_poster.jpg
Absolutely nothing novel about this serial killer/detective film. Could have been 2 episodes of a TV Tec ("Baptiste" springs to mind). OK way to spend a rainy lockdown afternoon. Nothing objectionable but Jeffrey Dean Morgan should really be pushing himself for better than this pulp. Creaky dialogue and predictable.

2

[Takoma11]

I keep meaning to watch that, now I definitely will.

Just know that its particular vibe really isn't for everybody. I have made peace (SORT OF) with the fact that not everyone loves Phantasm.

I feel like it had the potential to be a great horror film, but they focused too much on things that weren't particularly interesting, and didn't fully capitalize on the most interesting and most terrifying elements of the movie. Overall it didn't really work for me.

Which parts did you think weren't interesting? See, I think that the film makes a wise choice in largely hinting at things but not exploring them too much. I think that it gets a lot out of implication. Things like the exact nature of the Tall Man, what exactly is being done with the corpses, etc, don't really matter. And for me it works because the film is so highly subjective to Mike's experience.

When I said that I can see its flaws but don't care, that's kind of what I mean. I can see how someone might see the film as slow or underwhelming, but I find it to be a perfect balance for my particular horror taste. It takes time to get to know the characters. In most other films, Reggie the ice cream truck driving best friend would be a throw-away character. But here his relationship to the brothers is much deeper than that.

As long as we can all agree that the close up of the young woman's face recurring and recurring and then turning into the Tall Man is awesomely horrifying.

I did my usual and, when I like a film, checked out the directors back catalogue to see something I might like (suppose we all do!), will be giving Force Majeure a go for sure.

I didn't know much about it going in, and it was classified as a "drama" on the one site I looked at, and so it took me WAY too long to see it as a dark comedy. But once I got on the same frequency with it, I was laughing out loud.

[HollowMan]

The Raid (2011)


https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/94329/movieposter/the-raid-redemption-5707ff56a75d6.jpg



Quite simply an awesome action film. Some of the most impressive martial arts I've ever seen. Truly brutal fight scenes. There's not much in the way of plot or character development but there doesn't need to be: it's an action film pure and simple. As such you'll probably love it or hate it.


4/5 Stars.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8f/Mom_%2B_Mom_poster.jpg/220px-Mom_%2B_Mom_poster.jpg

2

Snooze factor = Zzz


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

[Takoma11]

The Raid (2011)

Quite simply an awesome action film. Some of the most impressive martial arts I've ever seen. Truly brutal fight scenes. There's not much in the way of plot or character development but there doesn't need to be: it's an action film pure and simple. As such you'll probably love it or hate it.


4/5 Stars.

I'll admit that around the last act I was starting to experience "stunt fatigue", but the fights are so meticulously choreographed and the athleticism on display is so amazing. It's high on my list of films I wish I'd seen on the big screen.

[hell_storm2004]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGQwZWUzMDUtZTcyYS00MTIzLWEyYWMtOTg0Mzc3Y2EzZTdmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_UY1200_CR67,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg




Pin (1988) - 6/10. This was certainly a little smarter than most of the "horror" movies from the 80s. Although not exactly sure, if this is a horror movie to begin with. I was able to figure out more or less what was going on around the 30 mins mark. But still a decent ride till the end. Found it in an "underrated horror" category on some site. Underrated maybe, but i take offense in calling this a horror.

[rambond]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGQwZWUzMDUtZTcyYS00MTIzLWEyYWMtOTg0Mzc3Y2EzZTdmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_UY1200_CR67,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg




Pin (1988) - 6/10. This was certainly a little smarter than most of the "horror" movies from the 80s. Although not exactly sure, if this is a horror movie to begin with. I was able to figure out more or less what was going on around the 30 mins mark. But still a decent ride till the end. Found it in an "underrated horror" category on some site. Underrated maybe, but i take offense in calling this a horror.
It s not smarter than they live, and the changeling, and the entity, those are classics of the 80s

[hell_storm2004]

It s not smarter than they live, and the changeling, and the entity, those are classics of the 80s

Probably!

[Takoma11]

Pin (1988) - 6/10. This was certainly a little smarter than most of the "horror" movies from the 80s. Although not exactly sure, if this is a horror movie to begin with. I was able to figure out more or less what was going on around the 30 mins mark. But still a decent ride till the end. Found it in an "underrated horror" category on some site. Underrated maybe, but i take offense in calling this a horror.

I am a fan of Pin. I personally consider it a horror film, though one that leans into thriller territory.

My appreciation for Pin is on two fronts:

1) I like that the film is sex-positive in its own way. There's nothing wrong with someone being sexual, and the film shows how taking a negative or moralistic approach to healthy sexuality can actually lead someone down a disturbing path. The scene where Leon reads his work of fiction to the horrified boyfriend being a stand-out. It's rare in a horror film that a female character being excited about sex isn't an instant death sentence, and I liked that aspect of Ursula's character.

2) While what actually happens in the film might be kind of dubious from an actual medical/psychological standpoint, I did find it refreshing that what's happening with Leon is explicitly called out as mental illness. Even these days it's hard to find good mental health help for someone, and so I really empathized with Ursula--living and taking care of someone who clearly *needs* help, but she feels like she's stuck between doing nothing or putting him in a mental institution.

I did appreciate that the characters (especially Ursula and Stan) felt more real than most horror movie characters. I also liked that it's the kind of film where you can empathize with all of the characters and it doesn't reduce anyone to a one-dimensional "good guy" or "bad guy".

I can see how if it was sold as being way underrated it might give you expectations that were too high. I went into the film knowing nothing about it and was really pleasantly surprised. I dug its vibe and would probably rate it a 7 or 8.

[matt72582]

Love Meetings - 8/10
Very good if you're like me and like social documentaries. This is similar to another one of my favorites, "Place de la Republique" by Louis Malle.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/Love_Meetings_%281965%29_Film_Poster.jpg

[matt72582]

The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark
The movie is dumb, but these guys are funny! I have never laughed out loud in a movie (at least not more than once or twice). I can only seem to get my laughs from stand-up comedy, and even that's rare. Before this, the only place I could find "fresh" humor was from certain Comment Sections (YouTube, for example).


Just imagine a group of three guys doing Beavis & Butthead, only watching movies instead of music videos.

https://youtu.be/ntmX1WZMmFU

[Steve Freeling]

https://i0.wp.com/doblu.mystagingwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/perfectblue2019-03-18-18h24m06s788.jpg
Perfect Blue (1997) - First Time on YouTube 4
I'm still figuring out what to say about this movie. I kid you not, it vehemently bucks easy description and easy discussion. I'm still wondering if Kon was dropping acid while making it. It was one of those days where I was just bored and by chance, the entire English dub of Perfect Blue, named as a "slime tutorial," showed up in my recommendations on YouTube. Within the first few minutes, I found it a bit confusing what exactly was happening but it successfully drew me in and I found myself bearing witness to many strange things, not least of which included a man getting stabbed in his junk. ...yeah, it's just that kind of film. It's honestly kind of surprising that I watched it at all, given that I'd previously said there was no way I'd watch anything Satoshi Kon directed. Hearing someone say his films were "20x more awesome than" Spirited Away had put me in a pretty foul disposition towards the director since it's no well-kept secret how I feel about the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. But I decided to watch it with an open mind and found out I was wrong about Kon and it was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. Sadayuki Murai's screenplay apparently changes a lot from Yoshikazu Takeuchi's novel but it still works. The animation is also pretty amazing, though I gotta admit I thought some of the characters—okay, a lot, most if not all of the male characters, and even one of the female characters in fact—were really frickin' ugly. It was in 720p so detail was a bit subdued—writing that seemed like it should have been more legible wasn't— and this was especially obvious on my smartphone's 1080p screen, but it looked way better than a 240p or 360p version would look and it didn't make the more unsettling imagery (which shows up quite often) any less unsettling. Granted, the story goes that some assclown destroyed the original negative and so this movie has been stuck with the same old master ever since the old DVD. Oh, well. It doesn't look as good as Akira or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, or Castle in the Sky or Spirited Away but it could be a whole lot worse. The audio really got a chance to shine, however, since my smartphone has the option of DTS:X 3D Surround Sound with headphones or earbuds connected. I always have it turned on so it made the experience all the more involving and chilling. I'm going to be remembering Masahiro Ikumi's musical score for a long time and Virtual Mima is especially haunting. The dub is also solid. Bridget Hoffman is excellent as Mima Kirigoe, a 21-year-old pop idol who's decided to become an actress. So is Wendee Lee as Rumi Hidaka, Mima's manager whose motives aren't always clear. Also, watch out for Jamieson Price in a surprising turn as a sleazy photographer named Murano. Price in no way sounds like Colonel Shikishima here, though I guess that dub of Akira was a while after this. Everyone else is also up to par and the dub script is completely natural. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you can handle it, it's worth watching. I certainly won't be coming back to it as much as my big-time favorites but I'm glad I gave it a shot with an open mind. Later.

[Takoma11]

[CENTER]
Perfect Blue (1997) - First Time on YouTube 4
I'm still figuring out what to say about this movie. I kid you not, it vehemently bucks easy description and easy discussion.

Ha, agreed!

It's honestly kind of surprising that I watched it at all, given that I'd previously said there was no way I'd watch anything Satoshi Kon directed.

Kon is maybe my favorite animation director, up there with Miyazaki. Losing him at such a young age was a real loss for the film community.

Of what I've seen of his, Perfect Blue is about in the middle. I have liked or loved everything I've seen of his. My favorites are probably Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and his TV series Paranoia Agent.

The animation is also pretty amazing, though I gotta admit I thought some of the characters—okay, a lot, most if not all of the male characters, and even one of the female characters in fact—were really frickin' ugly.

Kon's characters (and especially his male characters) look a lot more like "character actors". On the whole his characters aren't drawn as handsome and beautiful. Kon's films are often about pretty adult themes, and his characters often look grizzled or worn out.

I hope that you'll check out more of his work. He and Miyazaki are both immensely talented, unique voices in animation. I think it's a shame how often they are pitted against each other by fans, as if we can't be grateful that we get to have films like Tokyo Godfathers and Spirited Away at the same time.

[mark f]

The Stolen (Niall Johnson, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
365 Days (Barbara Bialowas & Tomasz Mandes, 2020) 1.5+ 4.5/10
The Wrong Missy (Tyler Spindel, 2020) 3.5 5.5/10
3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold, 2007) 3.5- 7/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/3fd60e5a269a17cdc63bacd0211847f6/tumblr_ps31q2yrOx1us57u5o1_540.gifv
Outlaw Russell Crowe is kinda worried that farmer Christian Bale may cause trouble for him.
The Desperado (Thomas Carr, 1954) 2.5 6/10
Dudes Are Pretty People (Hal Roach Jr., 1942) 2+ 5/10
Guns of Diablo (Boris Sagal, 1964) 2.5 6/10
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (Dave Fleischer, 1936) 3.5 7/10
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/PlushRaggedAzurevase-size_restricted.gif
Popeye and Sindbad meet up on a strange island.
Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie (Jeff Garlin, 2017) 2 5/10
Desert Passage Lesley Selander, 1952) 2.5 6/10
Bag Boy Lover Boy (Andres Torres, 2014) 2 5/10
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://i.imgur.com/Niim8mN.gif
Is mecha Haley Joel Osment capable of being a real boy and is Frances O'Connor capable of being a real mother?
Kinshasa Makambo (Dieudo Hamadi, 2018) 2.5 6/10
The Night Clerk (Michael Cristofer, 2020) 2 5/10
The Family (Luc Besson, 2013) 2.5 6/10
The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, 2012) 3 6.5/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/cb3286323d0a6513164d9b9d277d1a2f/tumblr_nto4y74Jxd1qbar1do2_r1_500.gifv
Aborigine singing group rehearses for their tout in 1960s Vietnam.
The Noonday Witch (Jiri Sádek, 2016) 2+ 5/10
Come and Find Me (Zack Whedon, 2016) 2.5 6/10
Love Meetings (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964) 3 6.5/10
Big Stone Gap (Adriana Trigiani, 2014) 2.5 6/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/c3bee6972cfa7fb2143f971e1492ca87/tumblr_obe4ffdONv1vzb6ujo1_250.gifvhttps://66.media.tumblr.com/8f9236e84a79e5b8a82f43442c70d029/tumblr_obe4ffdONv1vzb6ujo10_250.gifv
Happy endings only happen in the movies.

[JayDee]

The Wrong Missy (Tyler Spindel, 2020) 3.5 5.5/10


That meant to be 2.5 yeah?

[Mr Minio]

That meant to be 2.5 yeah? Or an arthouse rating. :laugh:

[mark f]

Both.

[Nostromo87]

The Black Swan (1942)


Captain Morgan favoured a spicy life, and a glass of his favorite rum. Captain Morgan left the comfortable life for one which proved far more satisfying... that of a buccaneer on the Spanish Main. His feats were many, his exploits endless, and his thirst legendary. Now those of you who enjoy a good rum can savour a glorious rum. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. The original Spiced rum. A magnificent golden Jamaican Rum laced with spice and other natural flavours. Discover how Captain Morgan Spiced Rum makes your favourite Rum drinks taste even better. Oh, the movie. It has Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Captain Henry Morgan, and Anthony Quinn. Quite offensive and rough actually. Cheers bogusfaces

http://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpghttp://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpghttp://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpg+

Raise a Glass (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKnC3exDPxY)

http://i.ibb.co/zVp4nmb/thebs.png


Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)


Douglas Fairbanks Jr in a dashing performance as the treasure seeking adventurer, Sinbad. Finds out he's a prince, and searches for his birthright - the lost treasure of Alexander the Great. Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn fly in again to lure and entrap the risktaking lead dude. Reminds of an Indiana Jones flick, but like, forty years before those. Enjoy these two tho can't rate them higher, really. Not as entertaining as The Golden Voyage of Sinbad from the 1970s, does have a better cast.

http://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpghttp://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpghttp://i.ibb.co/QjnP09b/popcorn1.jpg+

Hymn of the Seas (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMZD7s9wPW8)

http://i.ibb.co/JK4p45z/sinbadthesailor.png

[MovieGal]

https://compote.slate.com/images/b2c155b6-de08-495d-a027-78add6cbf06b.jpeg?width=780&height=520&rect=1560x1040&offset=0x0

Parasite
(2019)
3.75/5

[Fabulous]

Border (2018)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/vBwiSGxkQEvExjAx1yDAVee8ybT.jpg

[MovieBuffering]

Enter The Dragon - 1973

Watched the 30 for 30 the other day. It was ok but I knew next to nothing about Bruce Lee. Of course I knew who he was but I was not intimately knowledgeable about the details of his life and rise to fame. He was a fascinating dude for sure, a shame he died so young, but probably adds to his mystic. Seems like he was about to blow in the United States when this movie came out. Died 10 days prior to the release and was set to appear on Carson that week. I wonder how much different Hollywood would look if he lived on. Great respect for him after researching him, probably watch a few more of his movies eventually.

Anyways the movie itself is pretty fun and Bruce just oozes charisma on camera. He was born to fight on screen. It's pretty basic stuff in terms of plot but couldn't imagine how cool it was to see all the fight scenes in the early 70s like that. They still hold up really well and the end scene with Lee in the house of mirrors is iconic. It's just mindless kicking ass fun with a charismatic lead. A lot of the movie is dubbed over after the fact which at the beginning is really annoying but gets better. I don't know if it was just some of it or all of it, but the beginning is quite jarring. Would have loved to see him make some of his movies in the Hollywood system with probably bigger budgets. Think this was one of the most profitable movies in history, so he definitely would have gotten the chance to....money talks.

3.5

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ht4NPSk0L._AC_.jpg

[Zotis]

Which parts did you think weren't interesting? See, I think that the film makes a wise choice in largely hinting at things but not exploring them too much. I think that it gets a lot out of implication. Things like the exact nature of the Tall Man, what exactly is being done with the corpses, etc, don't really matter. And for me it works because the film is so highly subjective to Mike's experience.

When I said that I can see its flaws but don't care, that's kind of what I mean. I can see how someone might see the film as slow or underwhelming, but I find it to be a perfect balance for my particular horror taste. It takes time to get to know the characters. In most other films, Reggie the ice cream truck driving best friend would be a throw-away character. But here his relationship to the brothers is much deeper than that.

As long as we can all agree that the close up of the young woman's face recurring and recurring and then turning into the Tall Man is awesomely horrifying.

I can't remember enough of it to really comment. It was years ago, and I found the movie mostly forgetable. The one thing that sticks to me is the sensation of those haunting deadly spheres. If they focused more on that, and the otherworldly nature of things, I would have liked it a lot more. I just found a lot of the movie boring. Sorry, I can't really remember details.


Perfect Blue (1997) - First Time on YouTube 4
I'm still figuring out what to say about this movie. I kid you not, it vehemently bucks easy description and easy discussion. I'm still wondering if Kon was dropping acid while making it.

It's honestly kind of surprising that I watched it at all, given that I'd previously said there was no way I'd watch anything Satoshi Kon directed. Hearing someone say his films were "20x more awesome than" Spirited Away had put me in a pretty foul disposition towards the director since it's no well-kept secret how I feel about the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. But I decided to watch it with an open mind and found out I was wrong about Kon and it was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. Sadayuki Murai's screenplay apparently changes a lot from Yoshikazu Takeuchi's novel but it still works. The animation is also pretty amazing, though I gotta admit I thought some of the characters—okay, a lot, most if not all of the male characters, and even one of the female characters in fact—were really frickin' ugly.

Perfect Blue is my favorite animated movie, and my second favorite movie of all time. Nothing else that Kon did affected me so deeply. I've watched it 7 or 8 times now, and every time I learn something new. It's an incredibly deep movie with many layers to every subtle thing, a meticulous attention to detail. Unlike Miyazaki's movies, that have an incredible level of detail, there is nothing frivolous or superficial. The ugliness of the characters is something you rarely see in animation, and honestly it's a lot easier to draw beautiful people than ugly ones. Beautiful people have smooth features with less detail. Having lots of ugly characters accentuates the beauty of the beautiful characters, and increases their value. Because value is determined by scarcity. It really enhances Nima's youthfulness and charm. It's also more realistic. The movie also has a lot of self-awareness and is insightful into the cinema and music industry as well as the normal lives of celebrities and their interactions with the public. It has so much in such a condensed package. Scandal, media, murder, sex, rape, the pressures of fame. Some of my favorite elements are the character criticisms subtle in circumstances, like when the other two girls in the music group make fun of Nima. And Nima's sort of casual way of playing it off with naivite and remaining kind, but you can really feel it. You can feel the hurt of those comments. It speaks to me a lot about missunderstanding, and the things that a person experiences that no one else knows even though they still judge and criticise.

The first time I watched it, I didn't notice the part where the killer sits down in front of the three friends who were joking about one of them being the killer. The second time I watched it, I noticed that, and it shocked me a little. There are lot of things that people miss that are very important to the story and the psychology of what's going on. No other Kon movie did this to such an extent.

I've never been a fan of Miyazaki myself, and I think I sometimes resent his acclaim over other artists that I believe are more talented and artistic. The only thing I have to admit with Miyazaki is how prolific he was. The sheer volume of work that he produced, and the high quality of the drawing and animation detail are impressive. But what I feel his movies lack is more important than the visuals. It's substance in the writing. Most of his movies feel meaningless to me, and even some of his best work has glaring flaws. Spirited Away bored me. I kept waiting for something to happen, some villain or dangerous ghost, or some terrible mistake with dire consequences. But in the end nothing happened, and I was more than dissapointed. I was annoyed. It taught me absolutely nothing. A girl wanders through a land of ghosts, where's her vulnerability? She faces no challenge. Where's her courage? What does the movie say, what does it accomplish? Nothing. The parents turn to pigs because they ate from the buffet, but then they're turned back to normal with no real consequences, learning nothing from their mistake. Everyone goes away like nothing ever happened. A trip to the zoo, or a theme park, is more meaningful.

[Fabulous]

Under the Shadow (2016)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/keX3XBX34vUDDULvcohfzPXIU8T.jpg

[hell_storm2004]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkyNzc4NjkwNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzI2Mjc1MDE@._V1_UY1200_CR90,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg





Hellraiser (1987) - 6.2/10. Getting a little tired of the over-sexed horror movies of the 80s. Feels like the only thing that to attract audience during that time was sex. The porn industry was alive and kicking then! So what's the need.of these in movies.


As far as the movie goes, its a unique experience. The practical effects were done brilliantly. Story is decent. Certainly will give part two a try.

[Zotis]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/aRNBsQcKmw7lKHJzWwtC7INcxLnCV9F3bFHRB9D9BsyNb8vYqpUlhNHXz6xov1jaYxiAzKpLVyu4RWODJyUSNOG0o469zVxMr1YR kz97UVqFf-87IYuEGLWCmuHB

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Director William Wyler made this movie based on his experience during WWII. He had made propaganda movies, documentaries, for the U.S. government and military during the war. What he saw during the war changed him dramatically as a person. During his filming of The Memphis Belle, he decided to go on a bombing mission with his crew and capture real raw footage. One of his camera men died when his bomber was shot down. When he got back to Hollywood he decided to make a movie that focused on the invisible scars that many vets had, the emotional scars from the horrors they experienced. The movie won 9 academy awards, and it made me cry four times. The music was terrific. It wasn't cliche at all, but quite original and powerful. The violins absolutely wrecked me. This wasn't my favorite style of cinema. It was very, "Hollywood." But this to me is when Hollywood shines the brightest, because a director like Wylder, though a Hollywood giant, was actually an outsider when he made this movie. He went against the tide and made his own movie his own way as an independent director. One note of particular importance to me was the wardrobe. Instead of having someone paid to do the wardrobe for the cast, he simply gave the actors money to go and buy their own clothes for the movie. That was a wonderful touch, and subtle things like that bring authenticity in a way that Hollywood usually lacks.

https://streamondemandathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/bestyears.jpg

4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTkwY2VjOWItNGE4Yy00NTJjLTkyMzMtMzY0N2ZmZTJkMTRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,65 4,1000_AL_.jpg



3

[Stirchley]

65342

I thought I had not seen this movie, but early parts were very familiar. Excellent movie & amazed neither lead actor won an Oscar.

[Osiris]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDkzOTFmMTUtMmI2OS00MDE4LTg5YTUtODMwNDMzNmI5OGYwL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg
4.5
"We've never seen no democracy - all we've seen is hypocrisy. We don't see any American dream. We've experienced only the American nightmare."

That was how the 1992 Spike Lee biographical film "Malcolm X" had opened with, a series of disturbing imagery featuring police brutality against black Americans and the American flag being burned away to form the letter X. Looking back now that I've finished the film, it's almost hilariously obvious why such an ostentatious opening was needed, not merely to highlight the kind of police violence that still exists today, but more likely, to highlight the kind of polluted image we have of the activist known as X.

In my research (while watching the film) regarding Malcolm's Muslim background, I came across a couple of interesting articles; some of them criticized the "extremist" (and filmmaker Spike Lee in regards to feminism) while others defended his tarnished image many of us still bear today. Many would remember Malcolm as the militant counterpart to Martin Luther King Jr, the Magneto to Professor X, the Batman to Superman.

One such article by Omar Suleiman on "Al Jazeera" (a news website in the Middle East), made an interesting observation. In his article, he noted that he gave his students two sets of quotes. The first one, "Ignorance of each other is what has made unity impossible in the past. Therefore, we need enlightenment. We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience, and patience creates unity. Once we have more knowledge (light) about each other, we will stop condemning each other and a United front will be brought about," sounds like something our beloved Dr. King would say. Meanwhile, the latter, "The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the N****. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to steady growth toward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony. But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanity," is a more extremist view befitting Malcolm. Right? Unfortunately, the reverse is the truth. Much like the author's students (and I'm sure a number of you), I mistook the true source of each quote. History and historians tend to favor simplifying the truth for convenience, but as we know, reality is hardly simple or convenient.

I was further surprised to learn that Malcolm had intentionally allowed himself to be demonised to further the narrative that MLK was on the side of justice, whereas he... was the villain everyone could loathe. A silence martyr. I was surprised, but not confused by this decision. Watching the film, it made a lot of sense that Malcolm would be a man of such integrity. In hindsight, Malcolm's existence, his actions and, ultimately, his martyrdom were integral to Martin's Civil Rights Movement. A comment on YouTube (of all places) said it well, that "MLK was the voice of "Give us our rights," whereas Malcolm X was the voice of "Or else." Both men made great sacrifices to bring us to where we are today in 2020, but truth be told, I prefer Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" to "Selma", the latter of which feels like a higher quality Hallmark special.

Spike Lee's Malcolm X (Denzel Washington), on the other hand, is a more thorough examination of Malcolm's life contemplating just what kind of man Malcolm is and what kind of man he seeks to be, chronicling his years as a troubled kid growing up in Boston, his time in prison after a series of robberies, his meeting with "Nation of Islam" leader, Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman, Jr), his rise as an activist, and ultimately, his assassination. The last of which is a significant portrayal that separates this film from the more hopeful "Selma" (in fact, it's a lot more brutal and graphic than I expected).

I've said in my Selma review that the film's optimistic tone was an approach that befits MLK, and I still don't regret my words. It was fitting for the man, and I was glad that the film remembered him for the glory of how he lived, not how he died (although there was a brief footnote describing his murder). But Malcolm X was a different case. Malcolm was unjustifiably vilified by history, and many had voiced out that Lee might misportray him in the time leading up to the film's release. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. In the last few scenes leading up to the finale, Malcolm seemed almost prophetic of his death, like he knew he was going to be killed the moment he stepped up to that podium, uncoincidentally in the same manner Jesus knew of his betrayal. Spike portrayed him in such a way that it's left to the audience to interpret what Malcolm's final thoughts must be as he contemplated the kind of man he must become for his people, even if it would cost his life. This was made all the more tragic when I learned of his (possible) willingness to be demonized for the success of MLK.

So yes, I do think that the film needed such a violent footnote to create the appropriate gut-punch and whiplash. After following his journey and his struggle from a small-time crook to an angry extremist to his discovery of equality and brotherhood among men of all colors, I feel that it was important that his violent end was witnessed on-screen as a reminder of the injustice done not only to black people, but also his name and legacy. It was fitting then the true ending of the film was a montage of footages where African children were cheering his name while holding up a Malcolm X poster, and right as Nelson Mandela speaks of his legend in school, the kids consecutively shouts in individual shots, "I am Malcolm X!"

But if I could be frank... the Bill Cosby shot was unfortunately dated. Big oof.

[Takoma11]

Hellraiser (1987) - 6.2/10.

As far as the movie goes, its a unique experience. The practical effects were done brilliantly. Story is decent. Certainly will give part two a try.

Hellraiser 2: Hellbound is easily my favorite of the series and a film that I've watched countless times. I already said this in the "favorite horror sequels" thread, but it's like an enjoyable bad movie AND an actually good horror movie rolled into one. There's some good character development and memorable sequences.

[HollowMan]

Mystic River. (2003)


https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/1s/t0/ls/g6/mystic-river-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=e90fa216dd



A thoughtful, tense and tragic drama about how the weight of the past shapes the lives of three childhood friends. A great cast with excellent performances, particularly from Penn and Robbins. My only complaint is that it should have ended two scenes earlier with Sean and Jimmy talking on the street. An impressive and absorbing film.


4/5 Stars.

[Marco]

Quadrophenia (1979)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Quadrophenia_movie.jpg
Great little eye view of the time and a brilliant performance by Phil Daniels. Seen this before but still it is authentic of the time. Not a huge fan of the Who but in the story, setting and genre it was perfect.

4

[James D. Gardiner]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=65349

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

Is this one of the wackiest films ever produced? Did I watch this movie for a cheap laugh? We may never know the answers to these questions... You be the judge, here on this station!

7/10

[MovieBuffering]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 2000

Never sat down and watched this after all these years. Bruce Lee kick I am in got me intrigued to finally do it. I really enjoyed the flick. The fights scenes choreography and cinematography were awesome. Some of the best and most enthralling I've seen honestly. Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh were amazing in their roles. Guess they are both pretty big stars internationally, with big careers. I recognized Zhang Ziyi from Rush Hour 2...was off the heels of this movie...I remember them making a big deal about her when the movie came out, but I was real young. Seems like she has had a really good career in China and dabbling in Hollywood.

I thought the story was solid. Could have maybe used a touch more of Li Mu Bai character I thought. More focus on that character and Yeoh's relationship I think would have served it better. And reworking Ziyi's arch a bit would have improved it. The 20-30 minutes they spend on her side story slows the momentum of the plot to me. In fact her whole love story was probably the least interesting aspect of the film. Listen by no means was the flick bad, the action is great, and I was emotionally involved at the end. Just maybe go in a different direction with Ziyi's character...don't want to dive to deep for spoilers...and more time on Li Mu Bai and Yeoh's character would have put it over the top for me. Still a great, entertaining film I thought. Worthy of the praise it got.

3.5

https://resizing.flixster.com/5wbyEWGda2KUYxFDaOoOh9Wz5h4=/206x305/v1.bTsxMTIwNDE0NztqOzE4NTM0OzEyMDA7MTUzNjsyMDQ4

[Takoma11]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 2000

Never sat down and watched this after all these years. Bruce Lee kick I am in got me intrigued to finally do it. I really enjoyed the flick.

I got to see it on the big screen with my family and it was a great theater movie.


I recognized Zhang Ziyi from Rush Hour 2...was off the heels of this movie...I remember them making a big deal about her when the movie came out. Seems like she has had a really good career in China and dabbling in Hollywood

She's really good in The House of Flying Daggers, another action/martial arts film.

I also liked her (and the whole cast) in 2046, which is a Wong Kar-wai film following multiple characters (and one piece of it takes place in a science fiction novel).

[Dog Star Man]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKsjXF1JiuE

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)

5/5

No matter how many times I see this film, I feel the urge to get beaten up by buxom women. Pure camp. The tragically ludicrous. The ludicrously tragic. (As John Waters so put it onThe Simpsons.) And genius, no doubt genius—and a joy to watch.

[Chypmunk]

Uncanny (Matthew Leutwyler, 2015) 1.5+
Oddly lacking

[Thunderbolt]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=65349

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

Is this one of the wackiest films ever produced? Did I watch this movie for a cheap laugh? We may never know the answers to these questions... You be the judge, here on this station!

7/10

Great choice of movie for something completely different. I love the opening scene with Arsenio Hall and Don 'No Soul' Simmons has me in stitches.

[pahaK]

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

A heist noir with a really solid cast (even though it feels odd to see Lee Van Cleef with hair). Nice plot with a reasonable twist. The writing and characters are quite noir, but visually it's lacking the proper style. Also, the romance is rather poorly written. Quite enjoyable still.

3

[Dog Star Man]

https://drfreex.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/trog-joe-cornelius-joan-crawford-1970.jpg

Trog (1970)

2.5/5

Wow... what a way to go Joan Crawford... talk about ending your career on one of the lowest notes possible. In some sense I did enjoy this film, (which is why is scored any points with me), again I'm a huge cult/camp fan... the first half brought me home, but then it dragged on, and on... and on. And what started out as cheesy-schtick that was palatable just turned into one big yawn. Not for me.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://i.imgur.com/9pPJPK9.jpg?1

3.5

Wow! Every now and then you come across something that's like nothing you've seen before. A lady, who looks very similar to Brit Ekland, is treated pretty harshly (that's an understatement), following her marriage to a farmer because they couldn't afford a marriage tax imposed by an evil warlord. She wants revenge and reluctantly sells her body and soul to Satan. Sex and drugs seem to be the MO. I mean, it was made in the '70's after all. This movie is an experience. The story is there and it's good but it's way more style and I really enjoyed the style. It's kind of like watching a moving watercolor painting mixed with some pencil drawings taken with a hit of acid. There are some scenes that remind me of the animation in Pink Floyd's The Wall, especially the flower dance, with a little taste of Rob Zombies animation thrown in at times. It throws a lot against the wall visually and most of it sticks. Wouldn't recommend this to many people, it gets pretty explicit, but it's very unique. I would definitely watch it again and could see it hitting a four popcorn box.

[pahaK]

https://i.imgur.com/9pPJPK9.jpg?1

3.5

Wow! Every now and then you come across something that's like nothing you've seen before. A lady, who looks very similar to Brit Ekland, is treated pretty harshly (that's an understatement), following her marriage to a farmer because they couldn't afford a marriage tax imposed by an evil warlord. She wants revenge and reluctantly sells her body and soul to Satan. Sex and drugs seem to be the MO. I mean, it was made in the '70's after all. This movie is an experience. The story is there and it's good but it's way more style and I really enjoyed the style. It's kind of like watching a moving watercolor painting mixed with some pencil drawings taken with a hit of acid. There are some scenes that remind me of the animation in Pink Floyd's The Wall, especially the flower dance, with a little taste of Rob Zombies animation thrown in at times. It throws a lot against the wall visually and most of it sticks. Wouldn't recommend this to many people, it gets pretty explicit, but it's very unique. I would definitely watch it again and could see it hitting a four popcorn box.

Your reviews keep putting animated films on my watchlist at an unprecedented rate :D

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cb/Portrait_of_a_Lady_on_Fire.jpg/220px-Portrait_of_a_Lady_on_Fire.jpg
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

4

Snooze factor = Z



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

[Iroquois]

Da 5 Bloods - 4

First great movie of 2020.

[MovieGal]

65358

Despite The Falling Snow
(2016)
3.25/5

[mark f]

Da 5 Bloods - 4

First great movie of 2020.
Too long and overly cinematically-referential [what else is new for Spike?] but still important and entertaining.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQyNjBjNTUtNTM1OS00YzcyLWFhNTgtNTU0MDg3NzBlMDQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,68 7,1000_AL_.jpg



4

[Iroquois]

Too long and overly cinematically-referential [what else is new for Spike?] but still important and entertaining.

As long as it is, I'm not exactly sure what scenes could afford to be cut in order to get it down to a more digestible length either.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot - 3

Metal up its own ass

[MovieGal]

https://acedmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anna-Maika-Monroe-and-David-Maika-Monroe-in-THE-GUEST.jpg

The Guest
(2014)
3.5/5

Oh how I love Dan Stevens and he's a bad ass in this film!

[Takoma11]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQyNjBjNTUtNTM1OS00YzcyLWFhNTgtNTU0MDg3NzBlMDQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,68 7,1000_AL_.jpg



4

👍

I love The Innocents. There's a gender-swapped, Spanish version called Otra Vuelta de Tuerca (ie Turn of the Screw, the title of the original novel) that's been on my radar for a while.

[pahaK]

👍

I love The Innocents. There's a gender-swapped, Spanish version called Otra Vuelta de Tuerca (ie Turn of the Screw, the title of the original novel) that's been on my radar for a while.

Have you seen Presence of Mind? It's a Spanish-American co-production of Turn of the Screw. I thought it was pretty decent and comparable even to The Innocents (which I agree, I didn't really love).

[Takoma11]

Have you seen Presence of Mind? It's a Spanish-American co-production of Turn of the Screw. I thought it was pretty decent and comparable even to The Innocents (which I agree, I didn't really love).

I haven't, and I hadn't heard of it. It's been added to my watchlist, thanks!

[Fabulous]

Underwater (2020)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ww7eC3BqSbFsyE5H5qMde8WkxJ2.jpg

[Marco]

Sonatine (1993)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Sonatineposter.jpg

2nd watch. Takeshi Kitano playing a part that is familiar but makes it his own. Loved the depth of his acting (and characterisation). The story is beguiling too. Suppose I like his HGAF attitude in this so much. The light with the dark.

4.5

[Fabulous]

Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

4.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jBSQSTMVLEQxZz5JqS2A0BNJHc7.jpg

[mojofilter]

https://chairish-prod.global.ssl.fastly.net/image/product/master/7b10c5cf-1281-41e7-bd3e-72b0989cd08d/original-1987-dirty-dancing-movie-poster-4983
DIRTY DANCING
(1987)

Re-watch. Cheesy plot and dialogue. But the performances, soundtrack and dance scenes make it a brilliant piece of classic fun 80's nostalgia.
4

[mojofilter]

https://fffmovieposters.com/wp-content/uploads/23918.jpg
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
(1992)

Re-watch. This is one of those films I find myself completely immersed in every time I watch it. Brilliant performances, the highlight being Tom "There's no crying in baseball!" Hanks, one of the few male actors in the film. Funny and sentimental at the same time. Penny Marshall's best directing effort in my opinion. Beautiful soundtrack theme song by Madonna, who also delivers a very good performance. I can hardly find anything wrong with the entire film.
4.5

[Takoma11]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTM5ODUzMzkyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjUzMTM3NA@@._V1_.jpg

Tank Girl (1995, first watch)

Is there anything as heartbreaking as a movie that's not so good but really could have been something?

I was really sad to read the stories of all of the ways that this film didn't live up to its potential. It's an all-too-classic case of a property that is meant to be edgy and strange getting totally neutered in the process. Everything from scenes being mangled in editing because the main character looked "too unattractive" (while her character was being tortured! WHAT?!) to spending $5000 on a nude prosthetic for a male character only to have the studio get cold feet and film the scene with both characters fully clothed. According to some involved, there were entire sequences that were simply never shot and had to be portrayed with animated sequences.

The story is a comic book adaptation. Tank Girl/Rebecca is a irreverent, smart-mouthed woman who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where water is a rare resource. Rebecca runs afoul of an evil conglomerate, run by the super-evil Kesslee, who use slave labor to mine resources. Along the way Tank Girl meets up with Jet Girl (a super-young Naomi Watts) and a herd of half-men/half-kangaroo mutants called Rippers.

I feel bad trashing a film when so many of its problems are out of its control. The heavy hand of studio interference weighs heavily on this film.

So what are its strengths? Well, for starters I really liked Lori Petty's lead performance as Tank Girl. Her line deliveries are good, and it's one of the best "comic book character brought to life" performances I've seen. Along with this I have to give a hat tip to the hair and costume people, who give Tank Girl a different hair color/style in each new scene. There's something immensely appealing about the blatant and goofy sexuality of Tank Girl. Frankly her flirting with Jet Girl feels ahead of its time, and her utter refusal to take the bad guys seriously keeps her from ever falling into damsel-in-distress territory.

There are also just some wonderfully over-the-top elements (like a device that sucks the water out of the bodies of its victims), and it really makes me wonder what the film would be like it the creators had been allowed to go all-in.

I had only ever heard horrible things about this film, so I had set the bar pretty low. I was really surprised to watch something that wasn't so much bad as it was squandered potential. Can I recommend this movie as some sort of lost gem? Unfortunately no. It's not good. The editing and the way that it's been twisted to make it more "mainstream" left unfixable scars and gaps in the narrative.

But if you're the kind of person who can appreciate potential and enjoy some fun elements in an otherwise seriously flawed film, you might consider checking this one out.

2.5

[FromBeyond]

Vivarium

another surreal an artsy film with Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg after The Art Of Self Defence

3.5

Dumb and Dumber

I like it, I like it a lot..

4

Bloodshot

Soooo predictable

2

[cricket]

The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)

4

https://66.media.tumblr.com/b21e6c6c89a184b639abc7956d1ae906/5c0a4fcaf5a9e85e-7d/s500x750/a0023461c6c53b442e4d03e634fafacd24f1104d.gifv

It took about 3 minutes until I was fighting back tears. The whole last hour was practically unbearable to watch and I even had to close my eyes for a second. When it was finally over my shirt was wet. I looked at my wife and she was a disaster. I have no idea how good it actually is and who cares anyway.

[Dog Star Man]

The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)

4

https://66.media.tumblr.com/b21e6c6c89a184b639abc7956d1ae906/5c0a4fcaf5a9e85e-7d/s500x750/a0023461c6c53b442e4d03e634fafacd24f1104d.gifv

It took about 3 minutes until I was fighting back tears. The whole last hour was practically unbearable to watch and I even had to close my eyes for a second. When it was finally over my shirt was wet. I looked at my wife and she was a disaster. I have no idea how good it actually is and who cares anyway.

Now I want to see it. I’m a sucker for these films.

[Mr Minio]

When it was finally over my shirt was wet. I looked at my wife and she was a disaster. KINKY!!! :D

[Fabulous]

Shoot the Moon (1982)

2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3gxGELiJ6wVJdKxlEuvagDV8UyN.jpg

[Dog Star Man]

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/blog_post/primary_image/streaming/criterion-returns-king-of-jazz-to-its-rightful-throne/KOJ2.jpg

King of Jazz (1930)

4/5

As an historical document, this film is a pleasure to watch. Not only is Jazz and amalgamation of different musical movements, but cinematically the film seems to achieve this as well. King of Jazz borrows from different cinematic movements and makes a "scrapbook" collage of them. It is very interesting to see where they are taking their influence from. But, what I will say, outside of a historical document I find the film falls a little short. There's "too much" "scrapbooking/collaging" for the film to have a clear direction. Although the film is about "Jazz" it doesn't always neatly stick to this premise and seems to veer of into comedy bits and some might "mindless" sketches. It's a fascinating film, yes, but not my favorite musical by any stretch.

[mark f]

The Gene Krupa Story (Don Weis, 1959) 2.5 6/10
Outback (Mike Green, 2019) 2 5/10
Around the World (Allan Dwan, 1943) 2.5 6/10
Da 5 Bloods (Spike Lee, 2020) 3.5 7/10 watched twice
https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/NFE_Landscape/2020/06/d5b_unit_06646rc-h_2020.jpg
Da 5 Bloods return to Vietnam to dig up some gold but may have found their hero compatriot.
Border G-Man (David Howard, 1938) 2.5 5.5/10
Bless Their Little Hearts (Billy Woodberry, 1983) 2+.5/10
Sweet and Low-Down (Archie Mayo, 1944) 2.5 6/10
The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow, 2020) 3+ 6.5/10
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WarmheartedRealisticAiredale-size_restricted.gif
Slacker Pete Davidson tries to smell what his dead dad might have smelled like.
Golden Eighties (Chantal Akerman, 1986) 2.5 6/10
Infamous AKA Southland (Joshua Caldwell, 2020) 2 5/10
Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn 1983) 2.5 6/10
Janis: Little Girl Blue (Amy Berg, 2016) 3+ 6.5/10
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/files/2016/04/Janice-Gif1.gif
Janis Joplin's personal and professional life.
Against the Law (Fergus O'Brien, 2017) 2.5 6/10
Artemis Fowl (Kenneth Branagh, 2020) 2 5/10
Made in U.S.A. (Ken Friedman, 1987) 2.5 6/10
Word Is Out (3 Directors, 1977) 3+ 6.5/10
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2010/01/24/arts/24queer_CA0/articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
Intensely personal interviews with 26 gay men and lesbians back in the day.
California Split (Robert Altman, 1974) 2.5 5.5/10 Original Cut
Intrigo: Dear Agnes (Daniel Alfredson, 2019) 2 5/10
Burden (Andrew Heckler, 2018) 2.5 6/10
The Personal History of David Copperfield (Armando Iannucci, 2019) 3+ 6.5/10
https://66.media.tumblr.com/ebadc6a4a2c3e39f2f3393b9dbd82ccf/1369425b80abcf0c-e8/s500x750/1d315551bb82f27888528988641e926751217453.gifv
Quite farcical and funny take on the classic.

[Fabulous]

Terror Train (1980)

2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/i13Tniz95qHWt2pQZq87OShJu8w.jpg

[Takoma11]

Terror Train (1980)

2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/i13Tniz95qHWt2pQZq87OShJu8w.jpg

While this rating is . . . exactly what I expected, I'd probably go closer to a 3 or 3.5, if only for the opening sequence and the audacity to have a cast of characters unlikable enough that you find yourself halfway to rooting for the killer. I also tend to enjoy films that take place on trains (yeah, it's a really specific subgenre) because they have that interesting combination of being kind of claustrophobic and at the same time can have a range of different spaces.

[pahaK]

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
3.5

A slow and kind of mellow horror from the 70s. A woman with a history of mental issues moves to an old farm with her husband and his friend. The place has a haunted reputation but is it for a reason or is her mind just failing again. The film does the atmosphere of dread quite well and thanks to its name (which I kinda hate but also kinda like) maintains its mystery until the end. Funny fact, this used to be banned in Finland for "inspiring fear that may be harmful to mental health (yes, our censorship back then was a joke).

--

The Turning (2020)
1

Oh boy. This is by far the worst filming of The Turn of the Screw I've seen. It's like they tried to turn the story into horror-lite with young teens as a target audience (like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark but much worse); all the subtlety is gone, there are multiple lame jump scares, and we have these cliched horror scenes sprinkled every few minutes. The script is bad, directing is bad, and thanks to these dreadful circumstances even the acting feels bad.

--

French Dressing (1964)
3.5

Ken Russell's debut movie is surprisingly light comedy. A small English seaside town holds a film festival and they get a French pin-up girl and actress to be their attending star. It reminds me a little of The Benny Hill Show (I'm sure the sped-up chase and running scenes are a major cause for that, but it's not limited to that). It obviously centers a lot around sex (and English weather), and I guess some hints of Russell's latter iconoclasm can be seen while the film itself is rather clean and timid fun. And man, is Anita Laughton pretty? Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a career.

65375

[Takoma11]

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
3.5

A slow and kind of mellow horror from the 70s. A woman with a history of mental issues moves to an old farm with her husband and his friend. The place has a haunted reputation but is it for a reason or is her mind just failing again. The film does the atmosphere of dread quite well and thanks to its name (which I kinda hate but also kinda like) maintains its mystery until the end. Funny fact, this used to be banned in Finland for "inspiring fear that may be harmful to mental health (yes, our censorship back then was a joke).

I love Let's Scare Jessica to Death. The whole thing of starting after she's had a breakdown so that from the very get-go she doesn't know what's real and what isn't is a bold move. One of my favorite parts is at the beginning when they go into the house and (mild spoilers) she sees the person at the top of the stairs and she just freezes, not sure if she's imagining it or not. Then her boyfriend says "It's okay, I see her too" and you see the relief wash over Jessica. It's such a small, not literally scary moment, and yet for me it was really powerful. How horrible to be unsure if what you see is real. How awful to constantly have to worry that you've relapsed into mental instability.. I felt like half of the dread of the film just comes from Jessica's desperate desire to know that she is sane in the face of slowly mounting strangeness around her.

[Dog Star Man]

https://resizing.flixster.com/zlMLbOqdT6Gg1KNvTUYHKxGnEtg=/300x300/v1.bjs3Mzc5ODY7ajsxODQ1ODsxMjAwOzMyNzY7MjQyNQ

I Shot Jesse James (1949)

4/5

Wow! For a first film from Sam Fuller this is surprisingly decent. In his own words, "Film is a battleground. Love, hate, violence, action, death . . . In a word, emotion." Really enjoyed this film and now it's up on my "to keep" shelf of films.

[Fabulous]

My Happy Family (2017)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/u7sGmPyEp5zKAufIHb2p8zu11Zx.jpg

[pahaK]

Wira (2019)

Pretty weak martial arts action from Malaysia. The story is a childish pile of cliches, and the action is ruined by the lack of violence (the main character fights half of the time with a machete in his hand but never even cuts anyone). Not every action film needs to be like The Night Comes for Us but here the lack of blood and kills was really annoying. Maybe this is martial arts action lite for kids?

1.5

[Dog Star Man]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Ehfrf3Qbos0Yh9CWBSsuHJNWP5nRsTy9m7em_F9hegKPDZRTXiVll1iAIBw33F83fZgvH7QTU0kizeTVi_UEft1ntU6D5iSe3aUb 4P5PkP9JE6GczvE6z5htX18_NQ72U7_GwZVyk6XMXamChjw9if-1-3s

Zero Hour! (1957)

4.5/5

This film is a riot. No wonder it was lampooned by Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers.

[Citizen Rules]

https://resizing.flixster.com/zlMLbOqdT6Gg1KNvTUYHKxGnEtg=/300x300/v1.bjs3Mzc5ODY7ajsxODQ1ODsxMjAwOzMyNzY7MjQyNQ

I Shot Jesse James (1949)

4/5

Wow! For a first film from Sam Fuller this is surprisingly decent. In his own words, "Film is a battleground. Love, hate, violence, action, death . . . In a word, emotion." Really enjoyed this film and now it's up on my "to keep" shelf of films. Oh cool! glad you could watch this.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Ehfrf3Qbos0Yh9CWBSsuHJNWP5nRsTy9m7em_F9hegKPDZRTXiVll1iAIBw33F83fZgvH7QTU0kizeTVi_UEft1ntU6D5iSe3aUb 4P5PkP9JE6GczvE6z5htX18_NQ72U7_GwZVyk6XMXamChjw9if-1-3s

Zero Hour! (1957)

4.5/5

This film is a riot. No wonder it was lampooned by Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers.Yeah! I love this film, it's so damn funny, especially Sterling Hayden. And the thing is I really don't like Airplane! (1980) it's not my style of comedy.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzkxMzMzOTgtNmZhMS00MGM0LTk3MzUtMjE1MzI4MzU5ZjkzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,63 1,1000_AL_.jpg



3.5

[HollowMan]

Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (1982)


https://www.tribute.ca/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FastTimes.jpg



Classic teen movie. Shockingly young Sean Penn on top stoner form. Judge Reinhold as the king of fast food wage slaves. Phoebe Cares' iconic red bikini scene. Great cast, great characters, great music. A thoroughly fun way to spend ninety minutes.

4/5 Stars.

[GulfportDoc]

65397
Horse Girl (2020)

This is one of those films that leaves a distinct impression on the viewer—in my case a very good impression.

Produced by the Duplass Brothers, directed by Jeff Baena (I Heart Huckabees), and starring Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, and a lesser but important role by Jay Duplass, this starts as a rather chick flick story about a shy girl (Sarah) who works in a fabric store. Another lady employee is her close friend while at work where they share secrets and jokes with each other.

Sarah has a ditzy roommate who sets her up on a date with a friend of her boyfriend. It goes very well, and they share many of the same interests, including space alien movies and UFOs. But when Sarah shares with him her deep and harrowing thoughts about who she really is, and where she’s come from, the boyfriend believes that she has some mental problems. In fact Sarah sees a psychiatrist (Duplass) who tries to explain why she might harbor these thoughts. Her condition deteriorates, and what she sees may or may not be real. This moves to a surprise ending which is very nicely photographed.

The standout here is Bries’ indelible performance, which features her at times as a shy retiring type, and at others in a raving frenzy. With this capability of scope, she’ll surely be in demand.

This is a film that changes pace midstream, and at it’s conclusion one finds oneself mulling over just what happened, and what does it mean.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

[Takoma11]

65397
Horse Girl (2020)

I just realized that I never added this to my watchlist (after reading a positive review of it elsewhere). Thanks for the reminder!

[Fabulous]

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/cXU4zg2aKglQrMOLokHLbnxwkGV.jpg

[MovieBuffering]

Being John Malkovich - 1999

What an off the wall movie :laugh:. Lot to unpack from this one that someone much smarter than me can articulate. It feels pretty relevant to the age of social media and celebrity today. Even some ideas about transexuals/gender identity I'd say. Lot of different rabbit holes you could go down. Must be a ton of eassys breaking down the meaning of the film and such. Malkovich was obviously great in the flick but I thought Cusack was really good and I didn't realize Catherine Keener was a two time nominated Oscar actress. Always seen her in little parts minus 40-Year Old Virgin. She was great as well, but I gotta tell you...It took me a couple scenes to figure out that Cusack's wife was Cameron Diaz. I was dumbstruck when I realized it was her, after that you could tell. But it was in the scene in the car after her trip inside I was like sh*t that's Diaz. Charlie Sheen sort of felt out of place but he was still fun.

This was definitely an experience. The absurdity of the movie made me laugh out loud many times. What an imaginative piece of art I would never be capable of haha. Kaufman and Jonze made something here. Definitely see seeds of inspiration for Jonze's later work Her in here. In kind of a weird way you could say that Her is a sequel to this movie or at least in the same universe. Anyways I don't know if I'd jump right back in and watch it but I'll revisit it down the line at some point. On originality alone it gets A+.

3.5

https://resizing.flixster.com/2SBI9IorXIHcxVkTcqUNePnmFj0=/206x305/v1.bTsxMTI5MTUwMjtqOzE4NTM1OzEyMDA7MTIwMDsxNjAw

[pahaK]

Una lucertola con la pelle di donna (1971)
aka A Lizard in a Woman's Skin

Lucio Fulci's Giallo that seems to be heavily inspired by Hitchcock's Spellbound. It has sex, drugs, murders, psychoanalysis, and living disemboweled dogs (apparently they were accused of animal cruelty and the special effects guy had to bring his props to the court and prove it was an effect). The story is rather good, but Fulci's script could have used some extra polish. It's considerably better than Spellbound though. Not among Fulci's best films but in the top half for sure. I'm maybe a little generous with the rating but still...

3.5

[matt72582]

Black Legion - 6/10
I was looking for something by Bogart, then was interested when I saw the subject matter and was curious how it was portrayed 80 years ago.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Black_Legion.jpg'

[mojofilter]

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

rating_2

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/cXU4zg2aKglQrMOLokHLbnxwkGV.jpg
Only 2 stars? Wow! As far as rom-coms go, this is possibly the best movie of that genre. I rate it a solid 4.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjg1ZmViMmEtYzIxNi00MzJlLTk4MDktNTE2ZDkwMzEyMjBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDk3NzU2MTQ@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,67 6,1000_AL_.jpg




3.5

[HollowMan]

Any Given Sunday (1999)


https://www.yellowbarrel.org/uploads/6/4/7/0/64705273/anygivensunday_orig.jpg



A great cast elevates this otherwise average film. The story is nothing special and I have zero interest in American "football" but the actors had some good dialogue to dig their teeth into and were all turning it up to 11: it's like they were each competing for the overacting Oscar. I'm a sucker for films with A-listers shouting at each other, especially if one of them is Al Pacino at his 90s shouting prime. I also love a good inspiring locker room speech. I therefore found this an entertaining if shallow viewing experience.


3/5 Stars

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjU3MTNjZGEtYWQ4Ny00ZTMxLThkOWItNjE1YzcyNGUwN2YzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwNDA1Nw@@._V1_.jpg



3

[Gideon58]

Any Given Sunday (1999)


https://www.yellowbarrel.org/uploads/6/4/7/0/64705273/anygivensunday_orig.jpg



A great cast elevates this otherwise average film. The story is nothing special and I have zero interest in American "football" but the actors had some good dialogue to dig their teeth into and were all turning it up to 11: it's like they were each competing for the overacting Oscar. I'm a sucker for films with A-listers shouting at each other, especially if one of them is Al Pacino at his 90s shouting prime. I also love a good inspiring locker room speech. I therefore found this an entertaining if shallow viewing experience.


3/5 Stars

Your comments about this movie are pretty much on the money.

[MovieBuffering]

Master and Commander - The Far Side Of The World - 2003

Meh. That's my best description :laugh:. I had a buddy that said he liked it. Then I saw a couple guys argue on a podcast this was better than Gladiator. I don't see it. It's a decent effort but nothing about the movie is particularly memorable. Hell the only two characters that really stuck out were Crowe's and Bettany's and the kid with one arm....because he had one arm. Crowe was adequate but I wasn't godsmacked with his performance. I just found it bland and forgettable. I remember I was in high school when this came out and the marketing made it seem sort of dull.

When characters died I didn't really feel much even though I was apparently suppose to. They were all just disposable and interchangeable to me. But maybe that's what the director was going for besides the two main characters. The claustrophobic and hopeless somewhat pointless nature of being at sea for that long in the early 1800s. If that's what he was going for he nailed it lol.

I can see why some people would enjoy it. Just really was not my cup of tea. Too long and forgettable to me. Sacrilegious to say it's better then Gladiator imho. Oh well I gave it a shot.

2

https://occ-0-2568-2567.1.nflxso.net/art/2301e/3779f2bd31bff444f5efd34555b99b688402301e.jpg

[Takoma11]

Master and Commander - The Far Side Of The World - 2003

The claustrophobic and hopeless somewhat pointless nature of being at sea for that long in the early 1800s. If that's what he was going for he nailed it lol.

Actually, when I think back on the film, this is what actually made the most emotional connection for me. The utter sense of isolation and the claustrophobia of a boat contrasted with the awe-inducing vastness of the ocean.

I literally remember almost nothing of the plot, but the scenes that evoked the ocean (like the part where the sailors are swept overboard in the storm or the part where the socially outcast guy kills himself) made a lasting impression.

My rating would probably be a bit higher than yours (more like a 3 or 3.5) due to just how good the thing looked, but I agree with the general vibe of your feelings about it.

Comparing it to Gladiator (just because of Russell Crowe?) seems like an odd thing to me.

[James D. Gardiner]

Master and Commander - The Far Side Of The World - 2003

It's a decent effort but nothing about the movie is particularly memorable.

I agree with that. I can also relate to the comparisons with Gladiator, because that and Crowe's performance in it when it first came out really impressed me. It kind of set the standard for my expectations, with this coming out soon after. I was also really into the Hornblower TV series and that sort of thing, so I had some high hopes for it. It had some decent elements going for it at times, but everything just seemed tremendously overworked and stereotyped. A lot of action, characters and dialogue but no meaning or spirit. It never seemed like it was telling a story. Fault of the director I think. Anyway, the family got the DVD free with the pizza we ordered so I can't complain too much.

[Siddon]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWVkMzY5NzgtMTdlNS00NjY5LThjOTktZWFkNDU3NmQzMDIwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk2NDQ3MTA@._V1_.jpg


It was okay...I kept waiting for the movie to kick into a second gear it never did. No clue as to how Regina King won an Oscar for this.

[pahaK]

Act of Valor (2012)

Surprisingly entertaining action movie. Yes, it's patriotic propaganda and extreme military glorification but I can live with that. Action sequences are really good, the plot is OK, acting is kinda stiff (apparently the seals are seals in real life also so they're just amateur actors) but in a way authentic. I'm sure US navy had no issues lending their gear for this. I wasn't really expecting to like this but yeah, it was quite good.

3.5

[Stirchley]

65440

Considering the real life true story & the really stellar cast, this movie was so boring. I fell asleep halfway through, but managed to finish it. :rolleyes:

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTBlMWUyYjAtMzY5My00ZThlLWE0NGQtYmZkZDE1Y2RmMGY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NDY5OTc@._V1_.jpg



3.5

[Iroquois]

Only 2 stars? Wow! As far as rom-coms go, this is possibly the best movie of that genre. I rate it a solid 4.5

2 stars is more than I would've given it.

Faust - 3.5

Turns out the Devil isn't a very trustworthy dude. Who knew?

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ds4-TglcY4Q/XoimCl3CN0I/AAAAAAAApC8/mi4Pf06VX0Eo5AGTkyM_ad4tPzGIjU7JwCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/platform-2019.jpg
The Platform (2019, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia)
3.5

Thematically, this reminded me of Parasite in the sense that it also attempts to look at the socio-economic maladies of today's world through an allegorical lens. The result, however, is a far more disturbing viewing experience - with lots of gore and all kinds of unpleasantness - but here grotesque violence at least serves some semblance of a point within the overarching concept of the film. I felt the ending was a bit unsatisfying but other than that, worth a watch, just not for the faint of heart.

[AgrippinaX]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ds4-TglcY4Q/XoimCl3CN0I/AAAAAAAApC8/mi4Pf06VX0Eo5AGTkyM_ad4tPzGIjU7JwCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/platform-2019.jpg
The Platform (2019, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia)
3.5

Thematically, this reminded me of Parasite in the sense that it also attempts to look at the socio-economic maladies of today's world through an allegorical lens. The result, however, is a far more disturbing viewing experience - with lots of gore and all kinds of unpleasantness - but here grotesque violence at least serves some semblance of a point within the overarching concept of the film. I felt the ending was a bit unsatisfying but other than that, worth a watch, just not for the faint of heart.

Made me think. The first review of ‘The Platform’ I ever read was here. Got my hopes up. Once I had watched it, I came to feel it was reasonably well-made, but a bit underwhelming perhaps? It didn’t remind me so much of ‘The Parasite’ as ‘Snowpiercer’ (2013). I suppose you need to have a taste for socio-political dystopia and I am yet to develop mine. I tend to like disturbing and graphic films if they are well-made, but this one didn’t seem to have a plot apart from the stereotypical ‘break the system’ angle. Maybe I should rewatch it.

[this_is_the_ girl]

Made me think. The first review of ‘The Platform’ I ever read was here. Got my hopes up. Once I had watched it, I came to feel it was reasonably well-made, but a bit underwhelming perhaps? It didn’t remind me so much of ‘The Parasite’ as ‘Snowpiercer’ (2013). I suppose you need to have a taste for socio-political dystopia and I am yet to develop mine. I tend to like disturbing and graphic films if they are well-made, but this one didn’t seem to have a plot apart from the stereotypical ‘break the system’ angle. Maybe I should rewatch it.
I agree, I thought it was a solid movie, which knows what it wants to do and does it really well. It's not the most sophisticated or profound film - it goes more for visceral reactions, for the shock value, but it's not without an intriguing premise either, and has at least some food for thought to offer. Unfortunately, to me, it doesn't rise that much above merely decent or competent, and generally I'm not a fan of over-the-top graphic violence, torture, etc.

I haven't yet got around to seeing Snowpiercer for some reason.

[HollowMan]

Mean Girls. (2004)


https://shelbybourgeois.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/mean-girls-blog.jpg



The best high school movie of the past twenty years? Shut up!


I haven't seen this in a few years and forgot how enjoyable it was. Excellent screenplay by Tina Fey, very well paced with plenty of great moments. The cast is great but this is really Lohan's film, she carries it with ease and a genuine natural performance. In fact watching this was bittersweet, to see her back in her prime before all the personal troubles sent her off the rails and tanked her career. You can tell she had that movie star quality and the potential to go on to great things. She was damn good looking as well. Such a shame to see all that talent go to waste.


4/5 Stars.

[Dog Star Man]

https://www.moma.org/d/assets/W1siZiIsIjIwMTkvMDgvMjkvODRxMHNzeHhrc19BbGxfUXVpZXRfb25fdGhlX1dlc3Rlcm5fRnJvbnRfUEhPVE9GRVNULmpwZyJd LFsicCIsImNvbnZlcnQiLCItcXVhbGl0eSA5MCAtcmVzaXplIDIwMDB4MjAwMFx1MDAzZSJdXQ/All%20Quiet%20on%20the%20Western%20Front_PHOTOFEST.jpg?sha=bf14cd2bf0ef0793

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

5/5

Although it's full of stodgy acting, (like most films from the early sound era), the film still remains rather visceral and just as powerful today as it was then. I remember Sam Fuller declaring it to be the best "war" film because it was "anti-war." Brilliant, and highly recommend.

[Takoma11]

https://www.moma.org/d/assets/W1siZiIsIjIwMTkvMDgvMjkvODRxMHNzeHhrc19BbGxfUXVpZXRfb25fdGhlX1dlc3Rlcm5fRnJvbnRfUEhPVE9GRVNULmpwZyJd LFsicCIsImNvbnZlcnQiLCItcXVhbGl0eSA5MCAtcmVzaXplIDIwMDB4MjAwMFx1MDAzZSJdXQ/All%20Quiet%20on%20the%20Western%20Front_PHOTOFEST.jpg?sha=bf14cd2bf0ef0793

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

5/5

Although it's full of stodgy acting, (like most films from the early sound era), the film still remains rather visceral and just as powerful today as it was then. I remember Sam Fuller declaring it to be the best "war" film because it was "anti-war." Brilliant, and highly recommend.

Yes, it is excellent. I found it a lot more emotional than I expected to. Especially the sequence where they return to the classroom where they learned how "honorable" it is to die in was. I agree that it's an excellent film.

[Takoma11]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQHBlAHo_OgD1S7aVDGgh4_PNnZF1rC8hWluLIoqlnH4q-TVUKp&usqp=CAU

Murder Most Foul (1964, first watch)

So I just cannot get enough of Margaret Rutherford as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (though apparently this film was adapted from a Poirot book and not a Marple one). This is the third of her Marple films that I've seen, and I would say that I liked it a bit more than Murder She Said and a bit less than Murder Ahoy ("Propel me, Jim!!").

In this film, Marple begins the film on a jury for what seems to be an open and shut murder case. She is the only juror who refuses to convict, and after being told off by the police she decides to do a little investigating of her own. This soon leads her to a theater troupe filled with over-the-top personalities. Assisted (willingly) by her trusty partner Jim and (reluctantly) by Inspector Craddock, Marple tries to find the killer as bodies start to fall.

Rutherford's Marple is such a delight to me. She is smart and open-minded and also completely stubborn. I love that she is always ready and willing to sit down with a "small beer". She is also physically fearless, ready to use herself as bait and to go toe-to-toe with a murderer. I'm also head-over-heels for the loving, special relationship between Marple and Jim. Jim is played by Rutherford's real-life husband, and their chemistry is genuine and delightful. Simply put they are adorable, such as in a scene where they meet in the park and Jim is cold because he is wearing ridiculous exercise shorts, and Marple whisks off her cape and tucks it around both of them. His reliable support and total faith in her makes him a great foil to her blustery character.

I also have to mention a character whose name I didn't catch (EDIT: Her name is Eva). She's a member of the theater troupe who has psychic visions. I loved her look and the weird physicality she brought to the role. There's a moment where she drops a wine glass and it was one of the funniest things in the whole film.

This film goes very, very meta at times, and I was mostly pretty charmed by it. While rifling through the possessions of a victim Marple finds a playbill for a stage production of Murder She Said. Once in the troupe, the unknowing director has the idea of casting Marple as an old lady detective. There's an allusion to Christie's play The Mousetrap, and so on.

I only have one of these Marple films left (Murder at the Gallop) and I am both looking forward to it and sad that there are only four of them.

4

[MovieGal]

65449


The Appearance
(2018)
3.5/5

This movie follows along the lines of one of the ways women were actually accused of witchcraft during the Inquisition.

[chawhee]

The Dark Knight (2008)
https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Dark-Knight-opener-825.jpg
5
Sorry for all the 5 star ratings lately; I've just been going through some old favorites lately. This one might be more deserved in others' eyes. The best in the trilogy, though maybe not by much. I still don't completely agree with how the 'social experiment' played out in the end, with neither boat deciding to blow up the other....doesn't seem like it would actually play out that way in reality.