Rate The Last Movie You Saw [Archive] - Page 230

moviesmaniac

08-10-20, 08:21 AM

Since thursday

i don't like to rate movie because i love every minute of every movie but clearly some movie are better then other so just keep in mind that for me a bad movie it's 1 to 3 out of 10, ok movie are 4 to 5 out of 10, good movie are 6 to 7 out of 10, exellent movie 8-9 on 10, chef d'oeuvre 10/10

White Zombie
Great horror classic so close of the silent movie period you can still see his influence.
7/10

Shanks
The last but not the best william Castle movie 5/10

Oz the great and powerful
Very enjoyable, the kids loved it 8/10

The Weapon
Great movie but just not enough to be a real classic, but if you like this kind of movie you'll find it enjoyable 6/10

Sinister
Great horror movie but little to close to real life atrocity for me. So make me feel sad for few days after. This is the kind of movie i don't like to much. Cause i watch movie to clear my head and feel better but with this kind of movie i feel worst... 6/10

Furry vengeance
Great Brook Sheilds
Fat Brendan Fraser
Ok movie to watch with the kids even 2 time🙄 5/10

Digging up th Marrow
Don't lose your time. Kind of fake documentary. Still wachable but... 3/10

Byzantium
Don't know what to say. I guess there's too many Vamp flik. Well done movie... Kind of vampire version of Ginger Snap but not as good as Ginger Snap... 5/10

Fatso
Sexcomedy few good scene but not enough 4/10

Australia
Very well done movie as everyone know... I guess. 8/10

Wizard of Oz
After seeing Oz the great and powerfull and Australia ( With wizard of oz reference) i had to see the classic with the kid. I still can't believe this movie was made in 1939... Acting is just little to much theatrical... Ok it was 1939... For me i'll put 8/10 but it deserve 10/10

Thanks for ready. Agree or not? Do i miss anything.

John-Connor

08-10-20, 09:10 AM

Bacurau 2019 Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
66940

Pleasantly surprised wasn't expecting this type of crazy thriller / western / mystery, great build up, loved it, muito bem film! Nudists with shotguns shootin' sidewayz Blam Blam!
Cheers the samoan lawyer for the heads up!
4+

Kontak5

08-10-20, 09:32 AM

Smultronstället by Ingmar Bergman 7/10

pahaK

08-10-20, 09:41 AM

She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
2.5
Sort of a weird film somewhere between philosophical drama, J-horror (especially Kairo), and arthouse (or maybe a stripped-down and shoestring budget Malick wannabe). There's no real plot except the titular concept, no explanations, no even a finite ending. Still, something in this slow and seemingly chaotic collection of scenes is moderately fascinating. I can't say I really liked it but it wouldn't surprise me if someone else did.

Hey Fredrick

08-10-20, 09:50 AM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsp2.cinedor.es%2F878%2Fcartel-tarde-para-la-ira-2-489.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

3
"The Fury of a Patient Man" The story of an average man looking for revenge on some jewel thieves whose robbery attempt went awry. Only one of the thieves was caught, the driver, who spent 8 years in prison. The rest of the thieves - poof! just like that they're gone. The Patient Man spends 8 years waiting and getting close to the drivers family so upon release he can help locate the perps. Good movie, with a few really good scenes but at times it does drag a little.

the samoan lawyer

08-10-20, 09:51 AM

Bacurau 2019 Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=66940

Pleasantly surprised wasn't expecting this type of crazy thriller / western / mystery, great build up, loved it, muito bem film! Nudists with shotguns shootin' sidewayz Blam Blam!
Cheers the samoan lawyer for the heads up!
rating_4+

Glad you enjoyed JC. Crazy mash-up but enjoyable

the samoan lawyer

08-10-20, 10:02 AM

Our Little Sister (2015) - 3.5
Mistress America (2015) - 2.5
The War Game (1966) - 3.5
What Did Jack Do ?(2017) - 2.5
Doctor Sleep (2019) - 3.5
Frantz (2016) - 3.5
Jane Got A Gun (2015) - 2.5

Thunderbolt

08-10-20, 10:45 AM

66942
(1982)
This still holds up really well today and is by far the best by a mile in the trilogy. The remake was shockingly bad, and there seems to be rumour that it’s being remade yet again. I’ll give it a miss.
4

James D. Gardiner

08-10-20, 10:49 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=66941

Giovanna d'Arco al rogo (1954)
D: Roberto Rossellini

Operetta concerning the final moments of Jeanne d'Arc. Everything I'd hoped for and more. I've waited 13 years to see this film. Ingrid, you absolute actress and star.

8/10

Thunderbolt

08-10-20, 12:15 PM

66944
(1987)
Some slick camera work and gore filled action makes this Argento movie worth checking out. Probably his last film worthy of any hype. There’s some cheesy acting to be seen and not much explanation on the killers motive, but that all comes with the giallo territory.
3.5

Takoma11

08-10-20, 01:10 PM

66927
Although this was a rewatch, I haven’t viewed this in 10+ years and could hardly remember the plot. Another captivating Hitchcock film which goes to show they don’t make them like they used to. Great performances throughout from Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery with quite a tough subject matter for its time. This was thoroughly entertaining.
4

I love Hitchcock's films for the most part. I hated Marnie. And I know that "hate" is a strong word, but it is entirely accurate in my case. Everything from the broader theme (of, you know, a man treating a woman like an animal who needs to be trained) to the number of times I had to listen to Connery's smarmy pronunciation of "jaguarini".

Tombstone (1993)

.. it wouldn't get my pick, that's for sure.

You're saying it wouldn't be your huckleberry?

She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
2.5
Sort of a weird film somewhere between philosophical drama, J-horror (especially Kairo), and arthouse (or maybe a stripped-down and shoestring budget Malick wannabe). There's no real plot except the titular concept, no explanations, no even a finite ending. Still, something in this slow and seemingly chaotic collection of scenes is moderately fascinating. I can't say I really liked it but it wouldn't surprise me if someone else did.

I am really excited for this movie. I really liked Seimetz's last film (Sun Don't Shine), and the plot sounds like it's my thing.

Stirchley

08-10-20, 03:10 PM

66958

Re-watch of a good movie. Carey Mulligan so cute.

Gideon58

08-10-20, 03:20 PM

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4

WrinkledMind

08-10-20, 04:46 PM

Was watching Departed on HBO for the nth time, and as it ended I couldn't find my remote. By that time Teen Titans Go to the Movies started on the channel, and am I glad I lost the remote for few minutes.

The first 5 mins got me hooked and I ended up watching or rather laughing throughout the entire movie.

This was like PG-13 Deadpool for kids and even adults to enjoy. And to add to that it had so many references to so many movies (Back to the Future, Lion King, etc) and even the Marvel movies and characters, despite this being a DC movie.

This reminded me of the hilarious Justice Friends that aired alongwith Dexter's laboratory.

It's amazing that I hadn't heard of this flick until tonight.

moviesmaniac

08-10-20, 06:20 PM

Fabulous

08-10-20, 06:32 PM

Disobedience (2017)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/7HOT2ECWeSjZkllpBKa2WfIcwO9.jpg

Takoma11

08-10-20, 07:19 PM

MovieGal

08-10-20, 11:45 PM

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/the-mummy-nostalgia-bomb-6.jpg

The Mummy
(1999)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
3.5/5

This is my "go-to" film. When I want to watch something but can't figure out exactly, I watch "The Mummy". By far it's not a great film, but it's a fun film. I love Egyptology and especially Mummies, anything with death rites. It is no way accurate but just a good time. I love how funny Rick (Brendan Fraser)) and Evy (Rachel Weiss) play off each other. Even Jonathan (John Hannah), Evy's no-good brother, is funny with Evy. I have seen this so many time, I can quote lines along with the film. Its an action film, a romance film and a fantasy film. Arnold Vosloo is great as Impotep and Kevin J O'Conner as Beni is hilarious. Its as if the cast was allowed to play off each other's comedy. Yeah, I do dislike American comedies but this is great. It doesn't degrade women or make fun of inappropriate things. There are some quotes that are rememberable. "You're wondering what is a place like me doing in a girl like this?", "You better think of something fast, because, if he turns me into a mummy you're the first one I'm coming after." and "You probably could've got 'em for free. All we had to do was give him your sister". There are many more. So when I want to watch something a bit silly, I know I can watch this and enjoy.

Fabulous

08-11-20, 12:45 AM

The Leopard (1963)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/myikoqu8Z2gtE7TaBgk9r6fB9MF.jpg

Takoma11

08-11-20, 12:50 AM

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/always-be-my-maybe-2019/maybe-image-2019.jpg

Always Be My Maybe, 2019

You know how sometimes a movie is a total cliche and completely predictable, and yet it does everything so well that you just don't care?

Marcus and Sasha are friends as children--Sasha's parents are never around and she practically grows up at Marcus's house and is especially close with Marcus's mother, Judy. After Judy dies suddenly and unexpectedly, Sasha and Marcus finally tip into a sudden sexual relationship which ends in an equally hurtful breakup hours later. Fast forward 16 years and Sasha is a successful celebrity chef while Marcus works with his father installing air conditioners. The two reconnect and stumble through their complicated feelings.

Gosh, will they end up together? Gee whiz, will Sasha learn to reconnect to her "authentic" cuisine roots? Hmm, will Marcus shake off his past trauma to pursue his ambitions?

As they say, it isn't the destination--it's the journey. To begin with, Randall Park and Ali Wong in the lead roles have excellent chemistry and comedic timing. They are supported by an excellent roster of secondary characters, like Michelle Buteau as Sash's assistant, or Charlene Yi as a passive-aggressive member of Marcus's band. (Sidenote: Marcus's band, Hello Peril, is also a highlight).

One of the only things I really knew about this film going in was the notorious extended cameo from Keanu Reeves. And . . . wow. There are plenty of actors who have spoofed themselves in film, but this is up there. It's a fearless self-parody and his scenes are a real highlight.

While it might not be the most original concept, the execution is totally solid. I read a few criticisms online that the writing was weak, but I thought that there were several laugh out loud moments and the cast elevates the material and keeps things fun all the way through. Maybe more of a 3.5, but it really cheered me up and thus a generous 4.

4

Fabulous

08-11-20, 03:58 AM

A King in New York (1957)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/k69jSaKy2KtMMM7PfPUBf0RrDIz.jpg

xSookieStackhouse

08-11-20, 05:23 AM

10/10 cause its one of my favorite childhood movies during in the 90s
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/Matildaposter.jpg

mojofilter

08-11-20, 05:35 AM

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/scratchpad/images/5/51/Footloose_xlg.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171013172324
FOOTLOOSE
(1984)

Re-watch. Classic 80's flick that packs heart, grit, an awesome original soundtrack and dance choreography, and excellent performances by the entire cast. Sure it's cheesy and unrealistic (a town where music and dancing is banned), but it's still great fun to watch 36 years on.
4.5

GulfportDoc

08-11-20, 10:49 AM

66972
Pushover (1954)

Starring the inestimable Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak in her first lead role, and likeable Philip Carey, this is a fascinating noir/suspense film that IMO is one of the best of the 1950s style noirs.

Director Richard Quine, who was freshly off the capable noir Drive a Crooked Road, not only directed several future Novak films, but he also married her. His direction here was first rate, although the plotting --from the screenplay by Roy Huggins (Maverick, Rockford Files)-- was a little uneven.

10 years after the great Double Indemnity MacMurray was featured in this similar role: good guy tempted by a femme fatale gets involved in a crime, and is punished for it. But the dialogue was not quite as snappy, despite some quotable lines, and the forbidden but lustful attraction between MacMurray and Novak was not as powerful as the earlier film. OTOH the film did not have the benefit of Raymond Chandler's wonderful dialogue.

Still this is a fine film and a must-see for noir fans. It's available on YouTube.

Doc's rating: 7/10

WrinkledMind

08-11-20, 11:23 AM

Yes teen titans go to movie is realy funny. I saw it with my kids and i loved it as much as them...

I hope they didn't ask you 'The question' in the end.
I thought that was hilarious, but then again I am not a parent.

WrinkledMind

08-11-20, 11:26 AM

Have you ever watched the show?

Nope. I was introduced to Raven and the Stargirl through this movie. But I looked up the characters later, and apparently they made radical changes to the series. Also, the titans that show up post credits are from the series, if I am not wrong.

Takoma11

08-11-20, 01:45 PM

Nope. I was introduced to Raven and the Stargirl through this movie. But I looked up the characters later, and apparently they made radical changes to the series. Also, the titans that show up post credits are from the series, if I am not wrong.

Gotcha. I've seen a few episodes of Teen Titans Go and enjoyed them. If you liked the film you might check it out.

Gideon58

08-11-20, 02:50 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkzMjg5MDQ3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTM5NTE0MDE@._V1_.jpg

2

this_is_the_ girl

08-11-20, 04:05 PM

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Sunrise (1927, F. W. Murnau)
rating_4_5
A simple but timeless story about the transformational power of love, beautifully shot and very much ahead of its time both visually and sonically. The ending is so unapologetically sentimental in its melodrama you'd think it would make me cringe at least slightly - but it never does. In fact, it gets me every time I watch it. The magic of cinema, pure and simple.

Marco

08-11-20, 04:31 PM

Mute Witness (1994)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Mute_Witness_DVD_Cover.jpg
Really interesting premise of a make-up artist that mistakenly comes across a Snuff film being made where she was just working. A bit of mystery and thriller but the chases just let it into slightly slapstick area unfortunately.
Ok though.
2.5

Fabulous

08-11-20, 04:33 PM

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zdCT1uQJKI5334hUzNAE1vQu9xt.jpg

Gideon58

08-11-20, 07:32 PM

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgOcexkF2Ns/USpYzt10Q0I/AAAAAAAAICc/qeBHjziWHVM/s1600/i+wake+up+screaming+lobby+card.jpg

3.5

FromBeyond

08-11-20, 08:52 PM

Terrorvision 1986

A family's new satellite starts receiving signals from another planet, and soon it becomes the passageway to an alien world

More comedy than a sci fi/horror, this certainly has its own thing going on and is utterly bonkers, I maybe found it a bit too silly at times

3

Blood Diner 1987

Two brothers are entrusted by their uncle to uphold the ritualistic cannibalism of the ancient cult of Sheetar. In order to do so, they have to prepare a feast of sacrifice for the resurrection of their goddess.

I didn't think it would be possible to up the wackiness of Terrorvision so soon but this just builds to a crescendo of utter beautiful insanity, cant believe I missed out on this one, funny..

4+

Takoma11

08-11-20, 10:44 PM

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Horse Girl, 2020

I'm very torn on this film, and I'll have to think it over.

Sarah is a young woman who works as a clerk in a crafting store, goes religiously to her Zumba classes, and shares an apartment with a roommate. While Sarah is an introvert and obviously quirky, her birthday proves to be an inciting incident for her sense of reality to begin to crumble.

If you've seen The Swimmer, that's the kind of film this is. After a seemingly innocuous beginning, we slowly start to realize what the main character has lost and how it has truly impacted them.

Alison Brie, who stars as Sarah and also co-wrote the film, is a powerful center to the film. Sarah is such a well-realized character that when things begin to go off the rails, we still feel Sarah's heart at the core of the story. The film does a good job of both the little moments (such as Sarah chickening out on inviting a Zumba friend out for drinks on her birthday) and the more surreal ones (such as Sarah's vivid dreams of alien abduction).

I guess I should say that my one sense of reservation about the film was that at times there was humor being taken from Sarah's obvious mental health issues. Now, it's a really tricky line to walk here, because the film was based on personal experiences from Brie's life and who is to say that someone isn't allowed to laugh at their own experiences? I have a very negative reaction to characters with mental illness being used as quirky comic relief. While I don't think that was the intention of the film, there were certain sequences that played that way to me.

But the flip side of this is that the film offers a very thorough and painful look at someone whose grief and depression has reached a point where they actually begin to break with reality. Sarah takes extreme refuge in an old 90s supernatural TV show. She depends painfully on her horse, Willow, that she's long since sold to another couple who barely tolerate Sarah's constant, unwelcome visits. While I didn't entirely approve of the reactions of anyone in Sarah's life, I did understand their point of view and their actions. The "bad guy" in this movie isn't a mean roommate or an unsympathetic boss, it's the pain in Sarah's life that no one is able to help her resolve.

This movie definitely kept me on my toes. The performances were good, and the themes were clearly deeply personal. I need to think on it a bit more, but I'd recommend it.

3.5

TheUsualSuspect

08-12-20, 09:43 AM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkzMjg5MDQ3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTM5NTE0MDE@._V1_.jpg

2

Never seen it, but that tag line seems more ominous than the poster suggests. Creepy vibes.

Marco

08-12-20, 11:16 AM

Sweet Country (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Sweet_Country_%282017_film%29.jpg
Never heard the term before but apparently this is a "meat pie western"! It's good, the story concerns the differences in attitudes to the native aborigines between Sam Neill's god-fearing rancher and a new rancher just moved into the "locality" who was in the 1st WW and has mental problems. The acting is top notch and the story engaging. Bryan Brown inevitably :) (as the local copper) has his say too.

3.5

Gideon58

08-12-20, 02:40 PM

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3.5

Stirchley

08-12-20, 02:55 PM

Never heard the term before but apparently this is a "meat pie western"!

How can it be a western if it’s set in Australia?

Takoma11

08-12-20, 03:09 PM

How can it be a western if it’s set in Australia?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7V-CW_SUos

EDIT: Clicked "post" without typing the words!!

There are a lot of films that do not take place in the American West that are considered Westerns or that pull strongly from the Western tradition. Australia, with its sandy outback and fraught history with the Aboriginal population has a lot of parallels with the American West. Both in terms of look and themes, Australia is an interesting setting for a Western film.

mark f

08-12-20, 03:19 PM

Correspondences (Rita Azevedo Gomes, 2016) 2.5 6/10
The Last Theft (Jirí Barta, 1987) 3- 6.5/10
StageFright (Michele Soavi, 1987) 2.5 6/10
Howard (Don Hahn, 2018) 3+ 6.5/10
https://thenerdygirlexpress.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/capture.pngha_.png?w=858&h=541&crop=1
Disney tribute to Academy Award-winning songwriter Howard Ashman who died from AIDS at age 40.
The Stunt Double (Damien Chazelle, 2020) 3 6.5/10
Rafiki (Wanuri Kahiu, 2018) 2 5/10
The Light on the Hill (Ricardo Velarde, 2016) 2.5.6/10
Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (Waris Hussein, 1970) 3+ 6.5/10
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UnOs0YMzDoQ/WwSCEZXlD5I/AAAAAAAAMK8/eGdlcHPRY3s8iUcouaN_H2-s_5A6TezwgCLcBGAs/s1600/Quackser%2B3.jpg
College student Margot Kidder catches the eye of horse manure collector Gene Wilder in Dublin.
The Tale of Tales (Yu. Norstein, 1979) 3 6.5/10
Spinster (Andrea Dorfman, 2019) 2.5.6/10
Sedução da Carne (Júlio Bressane, 2018) 2 5/10
The Secret of My Success (Herbert Ross, 1987) 3 6.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2FjMWI5M2MtNTA5YS00MWNmLWIzMWUtOTU5YzhmYTJiNTAwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_CR0,45,480,270_ AL_UX477_CR0,0,477,268_AL_.jpg
"Aunty Vera" (Margaret Whitton) helps up-and-comer Michael J. Fox make it in big business.
Woodland (Jon Silverberg, 2018) 2 5/10
Escape to Athena (George P. Cosmatos, 1979) 3- 6.5/10
How to Fake a War (Rudolph Herzog, 2019) 2+ 5/10
Mickybo and Me (Terry Loane, 2004) 3- 6.5/10
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hyeVIWJHkd4/hqdefault.jpg
At the start of The Troubles in Belfast, two friends share a love for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which leads them to run away on an adventure.
Alive and Kicking (Susan Glatzer, 2016) 3- 6.5/10
Smorgasbord AKA Cracking Up (Jerry Lewis, 1983) 2 5/10
Made in Italy (James D'Arcy, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Waiting for the Barbarians (Ciro Guerra, 2019) 2+ 5/10
https://content.internetvideoarchive.com/content/hdphotos/12916/012916/012916_718x404_637286172697161333.jpg
Boring, sadistic film about colonialism by a good director with Mark Rylance providing most of the humanity.

re93animator

08-12-20, 03:29 PM

The Last Theft (Jirí Barta, 1987) 3- 6.5/10
https://i.imgur.com/vH0l7NH.gif

Marco

08-12-20, 04:46 PM

How can it be a western if it’s set in Australia?

Western Australia??? :)

Thursday Next

08-12-20, 05:24 PM

In the absence of Tenet, I went to see a showing of Inception. I have seen it a fair few times now and there's always something to enjoy and admire about it. I think it has probably crept up to be one of my favourite films. There was also a short behind the scenes thing which was interesting, about how and why Nolan and his crew use real locations and practical effects where possible.

4.5 ☆

Takoma11

08-12-20, 05:30 PM

It's two, two, two-for one!

I started two very different movies last night and this afternoon after I finished work I finished them both.

https://admitonefilmaddict.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/sanjuro.jpg?w=672&h=311&crop=1

Sanjuro, 1962

A follow-up to Yojimbo, this is another film featuring Toshiro Mifune's swaggering samurai helping out those in need.

Tsubaki (though he's rarely called by name) just happens to seek shelter in the same place where a group of men have gathered to discuss their plans to take down several corrupt government officials. The corrupt politicians have kidnapped a local commissioner and plan to frame him for wrong-doing so that they can seize power. Realizing that the group of men is walking into the trap, the samurai helps them to survive an attack and then becomes joined to their cause.

This film was pretty . . . casual as far as samurai films go. There are rescues and skirmishes, but the film never has very heavy stakes. That's mostly not a criticism--clearly the film is meant to be enjoyable and light. There is a lot of humor at play, and it's fun to watch the samurai manipulate the bad guys into different situations.

And honestly, the lack of stakes was my only complaint. At times the film's low key vibe borders on boredom. I would have liked a twist or two, while the plot tends to move in a pretty linear (and predictable) fashion. I definitely liked it, but more as a feel-good fun film.

4

https://parentpreviews.com/images/made/legacy-pics/sleepless-in-seattle_668_330_80_int_s_c1.jpg

Sleepless in Seattle, 1993

A man named Sam (Tom Hanks) has just lost his wife to cancer. Needing a change, he moves himself and his son, Jonah, to Seattle. But a year and a half later, Sam is still depressed. One night, Jonah calls a radio advice program to seek help for his father. Across the country in Baltimore, newly engaged Annie (Meg Ryan) hears the radio program and finds herself drawn to Sam and his plight. Suddenly questioning her engagement (to a well-meaning guy who is perhaps a bit bland), Annie finds herself torn between thinking she has a chance at real love, or thinking that it's a flight of fancy.

This is a pretty well-known romantic comedy (a genre in which I am not super well versed), and I really enjoyed it. The entire film (aside from a few moments), keeps Sam and Annie apart, and it's such an interesting choice! The film isn't so much about two people falling in love, as it is about two people forced to take a hard look at what they want in their lives. This is a really cool approach to romance, because it's not just watching two people in a "honeymoon" phase. Sam and Annie both need to reflect on themselves and do work on themselves before they ever share the same room.

Another thing I really liked was how the film portrayed the love interests that Sam and Annie have. Annie's fiance, Walter (Bill Pullman), is a good guy. The woman that Sam ends up dating, Victoria (Barbara Garrick), is a nice person. It's too easy for romantic comedies to partner one (or both) of the leads with partners who are abusive, neglectful, cruel, disrespectful, dumb, etc. It's not about the leads being with "bad" people--it's about whether or not they are with the wrong people. As Annie says to Walter, "I wonder if we're like two rights that make a wrong". She means that they might be too similar and that the predictability means that there isn't a spark or spontaneity between them.

Overall this was a charming film. Maybe a minor complaint would be that there are a handful of dated moments with Jonah and a friend of his speaking in a form of slang that I don't think ever actually existed. But aside from that I didn't really find any faults with it. I'm glad I watched it and it holds up really well!

4

Takoma11

08-12-20, 07:57 PM

http://www.fadetoher.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/vaca-muerta-2-1024x486.jpg

And the Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow's Eye, 2016

I didn't totally understand it, but I quite liked it!

This is a short film (~20 minutes) from a Chilean director.

A man finds his entire herd of cows mysteriously dead. While he goes off to deal with the issue, his elderly mother is shocked to discover that she's being visited by the ghost of her dead husband. When she learns why he has reappeared, she fears for her family.

For the first 3/4, the film plays like a straight drama, albeit with a supernatural element. But in the last quarter, it takes a turn toward magical realism and I just loved it. I didn't have a total handle on some of the meaning of what took place at the very end, but the imagery was compelling enough that I didn't care all that much whether or not I totally "got it".

This is on the Criterion Channel and I'd recommend it.

4

Takoma11

08-12-20, 10:07 PM

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/07/07/mucho_mucho_amor__the_legend_of_walter_mercado_00_06_34_12_rc_wide-3531124f15442726c7ace0989817e1e2722827ca-s1600-c85.jpg

Mucho Mucho Amor, 2020

I was not familiar with Walter Mercado, a Puerto Rican astrologer who was uber famous from the 1970s to the 2000s, until a recent episode of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars where one of the queens played him as a character in a skit.

The documentary was really fascinating.

A quote from one of the interview subjects in the film maybe best sums up Mercado's mystery and appeal: "When I first saw him on TV, I wasn't sure if I was looking at a man, a woman, or a sorcerer."

Mercado has a striking appearance and an undeniable charisma. While I do not personally believe in psychics or astrology, I found myself nodding along to a lot of what Mercado had to say. I can see why he was so beloved by so many. As one person observes--nothing negative ever comes out of Walter's mouth. When he says that he hopes for peace and love for others, it seems completely authentic. While Mercado's work is wrapped in outlandish costumes and sets and intense performance, at its core it is a message of love that feels like it comes from a very real place.

The documentary is split into basically two parts. The first part gives a history of Mercado's life, and especially his years of fame. The second part documents Mercado's preparation for a respective of his work being hosted in Miami. While some attention is paid to a falling out that Mercado had with his business manager, the bulk of the film is focused on helping the viewer to understand the scope of Mercado's career and popularity.

Another fascinating aspect of the film is how Mercado navigated being part of a strongly homophobic community while at the same time exuding what one interview subject calls "a strong feminine energy." Mercado deftly waves away any questions--direct or indirect--about his sexuality or sex life. His declarations that he makes love "to life" is so in line with his overall personality that it doesn't feel disingenuous. At the same time, several testimonies from interview subjects show that, despite Mercado never being "out", the visibility of a unabashedly feminine man on television was very important to many people who often felt "other" because of their sexuality or mannerisms. It's fascinating to watch someone embrace many elements that would be consider a bad thing or taboo and just totally own them. At one point Mercado says, "I never have to rehearse to be myself." As much as he is over the top--wearing chunky jewelry and a cape that weighs 20 pounds--you do get the sense that he is being himself.

This was a very enjoyable documentary. It's really wonderful to see someone who puts out good vibes into the universe, and the impact that this had on so many people. Watching Mercado talk just made me happy.

Maybe my only complaint would be that the filmmakers are clearly in Mercado's corner, meaning that they do not press him on the one unsavory aspect of his career (his involvement in 1-900 psychic phone lines that many people considered predatory or exploitative). But honestly, I see why you'd be in his corner. This was an utterly delightful film and I'd certainly recommend it.

4.5

Thunderbolt

08-13-20, 05:22 AM

67040
The Mutilator (originally titled Fall Break) (1984)
One of the more substandard slasher efforts but what the hell, I enjoyed it.
Entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
3

John-Connor

08-13-20, 05:24 AM

The Informer 2019 Directed by Andrea Di Stefano
67041
A very skippable crime, drama, action, thriller. But if you're into Ana de Armas then it's a must see. :D
2.5

pahaK

08-13-20, 06:15 AM

Turkey Shoot (1982)

An Australian the most dangerous game, prison camp exploitation, and 1984 mashup with almost Sadean villains. For an exploitation film, the violence is quite tame and the action is hilariously bad. I guess one of the hunters best defines the movie; a smug sadistic dude driving around in a mini tractor (with a machine gun attached, of course) and assisted by a cannibalistic wolfman circus freak. How awesomely stupid is that?

It's quite dull and repetitive, but it's bad enough not to be actually bad.

2

this_is_the_ girl

08-13-20, 08:15 AM

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/COLOR-OUT-OF-SPACE-Official-Trailer-1-43-screenshot.png
Color Out of Space (2019, Richard Stanley)
rating_2
Somewhat reminiscent of Annihilation, only way worse.

AgrippinaX

08-13-20, 08:44 AM

Marco

08-13-20, 12:26 PM

The Exterminator (1980)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/Exterminator_ver1.jpg
Remember wanting to see this so much when I was a nipper with family browsing in the video store (think it was the cover)...Hmmm, it's not bad but not worth the wait. Pretty standard vigilante stuff that tries a wee bit of extra nastiness in the violence. There is a back story too of a friendship torn apart from coming home from 'nam and finding it hard to function. Not awful...just average.

2

Gideon58

08-13-20, 02:30 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/The_Court_Jester_%281955_poster%29.jpg

4

Takoma11

08-13-20, 05:41 PM

https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/four-weddings-funeral-grant-scott-thomas.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646&h=431&crop=1

Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994

Another classic romantic comedy, though this one's kind of a "meh" with a single important sidenote.

Charles (Hugh Grant) despairs of ever finding the "perfect girl" and so takes the cynical view that he will never marry. After he meets an American woman, Carrie (Andy McDowell) at a friend's wedding, he begins to reconsider his notions of love and happiness.

So everything that I said about Sleepless in Seattle I wish had been true about this movie. There is so little development of the main characters that even by the end of the film they mostly felt like strangers to me. What's more--everyone in the movie was kind of awful? There's one side of Charles that's the "Oh, he says the wrong thing at the wrong time" that's meant to be charming. And it sort of is (Hugh Grant excels at a sort of charismatic blustering). But Charles and his friends are also mean. Like, really mean. They have cruel nicknames for people just outside their immediate social circle, and especially women. "Duckface", "Vomiting Veronica", "Miss Piggy" and so on. And we are shown precious little kindness from them to redeem this cruelty. It seems like when the writers came up with a funny line of dialogue they put it in the film, no matter how bad it made the characters look who spoke them.

And outside of not liking the characters very much, all they do is talk about relationships and marriage, but not in any kind of productive way. Charles literally gives a speech at a wedding in which he says "I don't think I could ever get married," then later complains that no one wants to marry him. It's annoying. Dude--if you explicitly tell women you don't want marriage, you can't turn around and cry about it when they don't want to marry you, right? There's just no growth from Charles or any of the other main characters. Yes, there are a few "people realizing they loved their friend the whole time" moments, but as a group they never really matured. And it's not a good look for characters in their late 20s/30s.

And to hearken back (again) to Sleepless in Seattle, this film does the old dirty trick of making the main characters partner with people who are awful so that we can be okay with the main characters treating them poorly. It's a crummy way to make selfish or inconsiderate actions from the main characters (like cheating on them or humiliating them) feel justified.

So here's my one important sidenote: I was really fascinated by the treatment of the film's lone gay couple. Two of Charles' friends, Matthew and Gareth are clearly in a long-term romantic relationship, yet characters in the film repeatedly refer to them as single. In a very emotional moment, Matthew is referred to as "Gareth's best friend" instead of as his partner or lover. Their relationship is somehow a surprise to all of their good friends which is . . . hmm. And there's no acknowledgement of what it must be like to attend wedding after wedding, knowing that they can never make their own union legal. But on the flip side, the only genuinely great sequence of the film (something I won't describe in detail because it's a big spoiler) comes from an emotional declaration of love from Matthew to Gareth. And I think it's also worth noting that this is the rare romantic comedy where the gay characters aren't screeching, flamboyant caricatures. It's almost the only thing in the film that makes me feel as if it's worth recommending.

Overall a big disappointment, but the treatment of the characters of Gareth and Matthew makes for an interesting time capsule moment of the treatment of gay characters in the genre of romantic comedies.

2.5

Captain Steel

08-13-20, 06:16 PM

Papillon (2017)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NKcLjR9WC4/XRvfsMjTiJI/AAAAAAAAW6s/_yZEsfp3fyw-sLbuxj2AntvYWiVeFVk7ACLcBGAs/s1600/P_HO00005851.jpg

I have no idea why they did a remake of this movie. The original is a classic and the performances by Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman are epic - nothing can hold a candle to it or to the performances. As a movie, the remake isn't bad, but it's not great either (the original is great!)

The original even had a level of humor (or perhaps situations of tragic irony) in a very bleak situation as delivered by McQueen & Hoffman that is completely absent from this new version.

Rami Malek was probably the only highlight of the movie and okay in the role of Louis Degas (but lackluster compared to the memorable performance of Dustin Hoffman). Malek never seemed quite as helpless or desperate as Hoffman's version - and therefore was less sympathetic for the audience. And we need not even mention the flat performance by the main character as no one can compare to the charisma of Steve McQueen.

Don't know which was closer to the factual story, but the only thing the remake had over the original was a brief photo during the end credits of the real-life Papillon.
3

cricket

08-13-20, 06:58 PM

Capernaum (2018)

4.5-

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/capernaum-nadine-labaki-movie.jpg?w=1000

Somebody posted about this a few months ago and that's when I put it on my watchlist. It lost best foreign language film to Roma but I think this is better. In fact I think it's better than any of the best picture nominees that year. It's a Lebanese movie and there's a poor couple who have too many children and we just see a story that can happen. It's an emotional movie that very much makes you appreciate what you have. There's a great performance from a baby which is something I don't recall ever seeing before. It was kind of weird because the baby's character was a male but the real baby is a female. Before I moved from Chicago to Boston I lived with a Lebanese family for a few months not realizing what kind of place they came from. Now I understand why the mother used to hide the cookies from me.

Fabulous

08-13-20, 07:28 PM

300 Miles to Heaven (1989)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/9yQFEXC75yuYIcOSsU41wDIyy7x.jpg

Takoma11

08-13-20, 10:48 PM

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/results-2015/Results-2015-1.jpg

Results, 2015

What a weird film.

Trevor (Guy Pearce) runs a gym and frequently butts heads with one of his trainers, Kat (Cobie Smulders). When a wealthy client, Danny, hires Kat to help him get in shape, his involvement in their lives causes a rift between them.

This movie was like putting bananas, tuna, and coffee grounds in a blender. The ingredients are good, but the recipe is garbage. I liked the film in parts, but as a whole I really didn't care for it.

I guess my problem with the film boils down to the "quirky reality" it pushes as an overall vibe. For me, these "quirks" were incredibly off-putting, specifically things like Kat's hot temper, which is clearly meant to be funny. But watching her berate a waitress at a diner over an extra $1 on a bill? Not fun, not funny. Watching her "hilariously" ambush a woman and berate her for being a deadbeat because she was behind on paying her bills? Not fun, not funny. And the character doesn't grow at all. Her berating the waitress happens almost at the end of the film. Kat never resolves her anger issues, they just get folded into the "aren't we an odd couple?!" romance that she has with Trevor.

I was similarly put off by the character of Danny. He has more money than he knows what to do with, and for a while you genuinely feel for his character as he tries to figure out how to be a man that his ex-wife will want back. But he's also . . . kind of a creep. And just like with Kat and her temper, the film kind of leans into this. At the end of the film (SPOILERS, SORT OF???) he bribes a bunch of college students (so to be clear 18-22 year old while he is very much middle aged) to his home with the promise of alcohol. And the film thinks that this is a good thing and a positive step for his character. The problem here is not just the creep element of a middle aged man plying literal teenage girls with alcohol, it's the fact that this man is more than happy to use his money to get what he wants. I found it pretty gross, and the more the film played it up as fun and sweet (complete with adorable music underneath him dancing with a room full of sorority sisters) the more I was repelled by it.

The character of Trevor escapes mostly unscathed, and I felt as if the film never totally got a read on him. The problem (as stated repeatedly) is supposedly that he's too in his own head and not in touch with his emotions. But the film's proposed solution to this--pushing him toward romance with the over-emotional Kat--feels wrong-headed.

I will give credit for incredibly strong performances across the board. And I will admit that despite generally disliking the story and the beats it was trying to hit, it did have many unpredictable moments.

3

honeykid

08-14-20, 07:15 AM

But Charles and his friends are also mean. Like, really mean. They have cruel nicknames for people just outside their immediate social circle, and especially women. "Duckface", "Vomiting Veronica", "Miss Piggy" and so on. And we are shown precious little kindness from them to redeem this cruelty. It seems like when the writers came up with a funny line of dialogue they put it in the film, no matter how bad it made the characters look who spoke them.

Now, I've not seen this since the 90's and I only watched it the once, I think, but that's not being mean. That's being British. Especially for the middle and upper classes. It's very difficult to make a romantic comedy based around characters who'd rather drill their own teeth than express a feeling. :D

moviesmaniac

08-14-20, 09:06 AM

Since Monday

Because there's so much good movie i can't rate all good movie 7 et more out of 10 so Keep in mind i rate movie like this.

bad movie it's 1 to 3 out of 10, (don't loose your time)
ok movie are 4 to 5 out of 10, (watchable)
good movie are 6 to 7 out of 10, (enjoyable)
exellent movie 8-9 on 10, (realy had fun)
chef d'oeuvre 10/10 (it's change my life)

Frankenstein's Army
Great effort, interesting kind of Robotic Nazi Clive Barker's tortured souls creature, lots of gore but still a lost of time 3/10

67114

Battledogs
Sometime no comment is the best comment 2/10

67115

Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory
Great classic (i thought) kids get bored very quick and me to i guess. Don't get me wrong still a good movie but you know even some wine don't get better with age. A generous 6/10

67116

Snowtimes (la guerre des tuques)
French animated remake of a 80's kid movie. During the winter school break a buch of children playing snowballs war will learn things of life and they will all grow a little. Very well done movie. Kids appreciated so do I. Remind me my childhood 7/10
67127

Escape room
Rare movie night with my teen daughter. It Keeped her without cell phone and out of her room for 90 min or so. So i'll guess it's a win. She liked it. I found it good to but to quick i could appreciate more suspence. 6/10

67129

moviesmaniac

08-14-20, 09:14 AM

Phantasm V
I'm a fan of phantasm franchise so i was ready to be disappointed and guess what... i was... Anyways it's not like i didn't know every 2000's sequel of the 80's are bad... 4/10
67130

Paul
Not the best Simon Pegg but same kind of humour found it enjoyable 7/10

67131

Takoma11

08-14-20, 11:30 AM

Now, I've not seen this since the 90's and I only watched it the once, I think, but that's not being mean. That's being British. Especially for the middle and upper classes. It's very difficult to make a romantic comedy based around characters who'd rather drill their own teeth than express a feeling. :D

I've loved many a droll, snarky, buttoned-up British character. But these characters were obnoxious. And, honestly, I didn't find them very funny.

Calling someone "Miss Piggy" because she's fat is something a 5 year old could think of. I expected more wit and was disappointed that most the dialogue felt like cheap one-liners.

Also, the contempt was mostly directed at the woman Charles was dating or had dated. Why should I care about Charles finding love when it's clear that he's really nasty about the women he's with? Multiple jokes were about perfectly nice women discovering that they are being mocked behind their back. That's funny why?

The whole thing was shallow and basic. For a romantic comedy I found it neither romantic (Matthew and Gareth's subplot aside) nor funny. If I'd laughed more, I might cut it more slack. But I literally can't think of a single part that genuinely made me laugh.

pahaK

08-14-20, 11:47 AM

Кома (2019)
aka Coma
2.5
A Russian SciFi film that loans heavily from Matrix and Inception with a touch of Ink. Like so often with modern Russian movies, the writing is weak. Characters are caricatures and the plot combined from multiple Hollywood blockbusters is rushed. The visual effects are really good, though, especially considering the estimated budget of $4M. Not boring but forgettable.

Marco

08-14-20, 12:07 PM

Dolan's Cadillac (2009)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Dolan%27s_Cadillac.jpg
Direct revenge thriller from the pen of Stephen King. This was actually very enjoyable in how its constructed. The tale of Toms (Wes Bentley) quest for vengeance for his hood murdered wife scanned well. The denouement between the 2 protagonists is written so well and depicted with real skill. Liked this.

3

John-Connor

08-14-20, 02:00 PM

Lucky Luciano 1973 Directed by Francesco Rosi (VHS)
67164
4

We Were Soldiers 2002 Directed by Randall Wallace
67166
4

Geronimo: An American Legend 1993 Directed by Walter Hill
67172
4

Gideon58

08-14-20, 04:02 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTM5M2QxMTktNzQ3NC00ZDUyLWJhZGEtNjhjMDIwYWEzOGNkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,65 6,1000_AL_.jpg

3.5

Inmyseat

08-14-20, 05:16 PM

Sniper with Tom Beringer...I'll give it 1 star.

Velvet

08-14-20, 05:51 PM

redline (2009)

3.5/5

Sorry I forgot how to do the popcorns

Citizen Rules

08-14-20, 06:18 PM

redline (2009)

3.5/5

Sorry I forgot how to do the popcornsHere's how. And Welcome back!

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=45798

AgrippinaX

08-14-20, 06:25 PM

Velvet

08-14-20, 06:31 PM

Here's how. And Welcome back!

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=45798

thank you :whoopi:

Takoma11

08-14-20, 08:05 PM

Black Christmas (1974)
https://pm1.narvii.com/6306/47ae9922aba00371f1779df278fade115c3692b8_hq.jpg
2
Nothing wrong with it, just feels a bit dated (though Psycho never does, to me). Also kind of boring. Maybe I was in the wrong mood for it.
This was a rewatch, but it’s been a while.

I think that the disturbing phone call in the opening scene is worth at least 3.

A horror friend of mine had some nice things to say about one of the remakes, but I've only ever seen the original.

Takoma11

08-14-20, 08:47 PM

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/03/02/arts/booksellers1/merlin_169650078_56148eab-77b1-470c-adf6-fce2eda22f47-jumbo.jpg

The Booksellers, 2020

This was a quaint little documentary about the work of rare book collectors/traders/sellers. The film looks at several different specific sellers, while at the same time exploring the history (and future) of bookselling.

The best part of the film for me was just seeing the different approaches and the different reasons why the sellers got into it in the first place. For many of them, it was something personal and their specific passion is reflected in what they collect.

The film also goes into what e-book and the internet in general have done to the book trade. It explores the generation divide between sellers.

One of the points that the film makes is that there is an increasing diversity of interests in collectors. As one of the interview subjects puts it, the point is not to say that all book sellers from the 50s and earlier were "goons and misogynists", but that for a very long time the culture of book selling and book collecting primarily reflected the interests of older white men. The idea of what was worthy of being saved was seen through only one demographic. By book sellers/collectors becoming more diverse, the market actually becomes larger.

At the same time, the film does acknowledge the implicit bias in the field. For many years, official rare book societies simply refused to admit women. One book seller reports that, even today, he is often *the* black book seller in any given space. Several women recount that many customers would rather ask any man--even the janitor, even some random man in the store--advice than come to them, despite them owning the store.

This is interesting and important because of what another collector says--books are deeply personal things and they are "as close to a person as anything you can create". Ideas and stories and so many other things are held inside of books. What people decide is worthy--and who they trust to tell them about worthy books--has a huge impact on which stories and ideas are preserved and carried into future generations.

The booksellers interviewed are a droll and enjoyable bunch. This isn't a documentary full of high drama or twists, but just a deep and personal look at a specific sub-culture.

I myself love books, and I enjoyed spending 100 minutes in like-minded company.

4

Fabulous

08-14-20, 10:36 PM

Woman on the Run (1950)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/4vRFZeIcstzgRKLdhwxpbjD2ZHC.jpg

pahaK

08-15-20, 08:23 AM

Спутник (2020)
aka Sputnik
3
Another Russian SciFi film. It's a little better than yesterday's Coma but that's mainly because I like its style more. It's something like a mix of The Twilight Zone, Arrival and Alien. As usual with the modern Russian films, the writing is somewhat lacking. It's also almost Soviet-era film in the sense that it shows no fault in the system at all.

moviesmaniac

08-15-20, 08:52 AM

nothing to rate it, pathetic and worhtless

At least you know how to copy and paste I'm impressed...

Iroquois

08-15-20, 10:52 AM

Four Rooms - 1.5

four f*ck's sake

Fabulous

08-15-20, 12:50 PM

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3R8lX1mqTeBFLlFSyfnxRSYiEgk.jpg

Takoma11

08-15-20, 01:49 PM

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/t1/8y/bi/7r/what-if-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=dc08012837

What If, 2013

Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) at a party after a string of broken relationships. The two instantly hit it off, but Chantry has a boyfriend. The two agree to just be friends, but both struggle--Wallace having to hide his feelings and Chantry dealing with feelings of alienation from her boyfriend, Ben, who has decided to go abroad for work for the next six months.

This is a classic "can men and women really be just friends?" set up. Overall I liked the film. Radcliffe and Kazan have an easy chemistry, and on their own they are likable characters.

I did have some mixed feelings about how some of the surrounding comedy worked. There are a lot of slapstick sequences that I find more cringe-worthy than funny--things like people falling out of windows, falling down stairs, being punched, etc. Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis play an outrageous couple (Driver's character is Wallace's friend and Chantry's cousin), and while their performances are good, I found their characters kind of obnoxious.

There was almost a feeling of tension in the film. I see that there are three writers credited (two who wrote the original play and one who adapted the play for film), and maybe that has a bit to do with the different levels of comedy. For example, the film seems to find Driver's character really funny. But in a mid-film sequence, they conspire to leave Wallace and Chantry alone on a beach with no clothing and just one sleeping bag. Much to the film's credit, Chantry especially is really upset by this behavior and correctly identifies it as crossing a line. The night of forced intimacy (because they have to share the sleeping bag) ends up alienating the two instead of magically bringing them together.

I think that this is a good example of a film where the actors really elevate the material. Radcliffe and Kazan nail the delivery of their lines and keep both of the main character sympathetic. The film never feels like it's on Chantry's side or on Wallace's side, and a lot of that is down to he performances.

It's a shame that the writing feels a bit off. It's like someone was in the room who was empathetic and understood how relationships work, and another person was in the room who preferred dumb/"edgy" humor. I was honestly kind of shocked by an out-of-nowhere transphobic joke about the Adam Driver character having once kissed a transgender woman. and how this is a deeply shameful thing that he has to hide from his fiance. Likewise a remark that a character makes about being disgusted by seeing a woman's labia. It's just weird and asynchronous.

Somehow this movie feels like a near-miss to me, but on the strength and charm of the performances alone I'd recommend it.

3.5

Gideon58

08-15-20, 03:07 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDZiY2MyN2ItZjYyMi00YWNiLTk3NTQtNzk3YWFlOTg1MzViXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk2NDQ3MTA@._V1_SY1000_SX675_AL _.jpg

3.5

AgrippinaX

08-15-20, 03:11 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDZiY2MyN2ItZjYyMi00YWNiLTk3NTQtNzk3YWFlOTg1MzViXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk2NDQ3MTA@._V1_SY1000_SX675_AL _.jpg
3.5
That’s pretty high! Rekindled my interest.

Gideon58

08-15-20, 03:12 PM

Blanchett's performance alone makes it worth a look

mark f

08-15-20, 03:45 PM

Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (Muta'Ali Muhammad, 2020) 3.6.5/10
Pin Cushion (Deborah Haywood, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Black Water: Abyss (Andrew Traucki, 2020) 2 5/10
Project Power (Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, 2020) 2.5+ 6/10
https://media1.tenor.com/images/9a0f92b0e7c5149cc563db06174c5ecb/tenor.gif?itemid=17870040
A pill that gives one super powers is causing chaos on the streets.
The Hater (Jan Komasa, 2019) 3 6.5/10
An Easy Girl (Rebecca Zlotowski, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
The Booksellers (D.W. Young, 2019) 3 6.5/10
The Tree House (Minh Quy Truong, 2019) 2.5 6/10
https://kinopavasaris.lt/img/media/27/27674/big_be0b3c4b7779260ba618d200fb6b60e8.jpg
Vietnamese memories ate filtered through a futuristic sci-fi perspective.
Almost Love (Mike Doyle, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Nothing But the Blood (Daniel Tucker, 2020) 2+ 5/10
A Killer Next Door (Andrew Jones, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Twist (Ron Mann, 1992) 3.5- 7/10
https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/4701786/500full-twist----------------------------------%281992%29-photo.jpg
History of post-WWII dancing centers on the twist.
Work It (Laura Terruso, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Useless Humans (Stephen Ohl, 2020) 2 5/10
Most Wanted AKA Target Number One (Daniel Roby, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Money Movers (Bruce Beresford, 1978) 3 6.5/10
https://cinemaaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/money-movers-cinema-australia-featured.jpg?w=584
Undercover cops are involved in the mob's attempt to rob an armored car company..
Cavalcade (Frank Lloyd, 1933) 2.5 6/10
Blood Vessel (Justin Dix, 2019) 2- 5/10
Easy Does It (Will Addison, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Katyń (Andrzej Wajda, 2007) 3.5 7/10
https://img.24sata.hr/tPTf31h0JdM6x9TYi5lJhOzq8fU=/523x0/smart/media/images/2020-13/katin5.jpg
The Soviets will stop at nothing to prevent the truth of what happened in the Katyń Forest in 1940 to be revealed.

Takoma11

08-15-20, 03:51 PM

Work It (Laura Terruso, 2020) 2.5 6/10

I'm literally watching this right now!

Gideon58

08-15-20, 05:27 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91nVMK1f04L._SL1500_.jpg

4

AgrippinaX

08-15-20, 06:00 PM

I’m Not Scared (2003)

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQrAT27eosUkdI92MAuNN4ekL0YtBaZxChy4gBwzbBS00cEL97O

Rewatch. Love this film.

5

Takoma11

08-15-20, 09:17 PM

I’m Not Scared (2003)

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQrAT27eosUkdI92MAuNN4ekL0YtBaZxChy4gBwzbBS00cEL97O

Rewatch. Love this film.

5

Whoa! Flashback!! I remember renting this movie when it first came out.

Takoma11

08-15-20, 09:45 PM

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/work-it-movie-review-2020/work-it-movie-review-2020.jpg

Work It, 2020

This was a fun little bit of teen-dance-romance fluff.

Perfect student Quinn has her heart set on going to Duke University. At her admissions interview, she ends up backing herself into a corner when she leads the interviewer to believe that she is a member of her high school's award-winning dance team. Having alienated the dance team over an unfortunate lighting mishap, Quinn ends up forming her own rag-tag dance team with the help of her talented film Jas. Along the way, Quinn ends up romancing a former dancer who she hopes will help the team choreograph their performances.

This was an example of a solid teen flick for me. It's absent of any gross-out or mean-spirited humor. The emphasis is on the main characters doing well and working together, not on humiliating their opponents. The actors are all perfectly likable, and the performances are all fine.

The dance sequences are all pretty fun, and there's a range of styles on display. I also really loved a sequence that featured dancers with disabilities, including a one-legged breakdancer named B-Boy Samuka. The music is fun, and generally the whole cast looks like they are having a good time.

The only complaints I had are pretty mild. There's a total lack of character development for the other dancers in the group. I can literally not remember their names (Bollywood dance girl, soccer player, karate kid, mix tape guy, goth girl). The film is so focused on Quinn that the idea that she and the group are bonding doesn't come across as very convincing. The film's plot is almost comically predictable. Not a single thing in the entire movie will surprise you.

This isn't the most memorable movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. If you're at all in to dance and you need a little pick-me-up, you might consider checking it out.

3

Fabulous

08-16-20, 12:07 AM

Diary of a Lost Girl (1929)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qbWB4ELIkG6vo5K1efqtAYsMIUQ.jpg

John-Connor

08-16-20, 03:30 AM

Brooklyn 2015 Directed by John Crowley
67218
3.5+

Project Power 2020 Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
https://media1.tenor.com/images/1755e62cc2d4f97679765b7cca302ed5/tenor.gif?itemid=17870033
3-

Iroquois

08-16-20, 08:46 AM

Out of the Blue - 4

and into the black

Marco

08-16-20, 10:04 AM

I think that the disturbing phone call in the opening scene is worth at least 3.

A horror friend of mine had some nice things to say about one of the remakes, but I've only ever seen the original.

Like the fact you have a "Horror Friend" Takoma, ;) we should have friends for all genres... "My film noir buddy" :)

mojofilter

08-16-20, 11:02 AM

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqjbWP2Pp9A/T-gHlCsjfkI/AAAAAAAAHeY/fKSiSBeSXHs/s1600/The+Thing+%281982%29+Original.jpg
THE THING
(1982)

First viewing. A brilliantly made alien horror film with one of those endings that leaves you with too many questions and left me unsatisfied.
3.5

Takoma11

08-16-20, 11:04 AM

Like the fact you have a "Horror Friend" Takoma, ;) we should have friends for all genres... "My film noir buddy" :)

I have several horror friends. I have one silent films friend. I have one weird movies friend. I actually do have a film noir buddy--he and I did the TCM online noir class "Into the Darkness" together a few years back.

I like having people whose taste roughly aligns to mine because they're such a great source of recommendations.

I also like having some people who have very different taste. I know one guy who really liked the end to Haute Tension. And yet somehow we're still friends, despite this obvious mark against his character. ;)

Iroquois

08-16-20, 12:21 PM

First viewing. A brilliantly made alien horror film with one of those endings that leaves you with too many questions and left me unsatisfied.

Huh, and here I was thinking...

that it has one of the best examples of a completely ambiguous ending in cinema history. Beats a spinning top any day of the week.

The Revenant - 2.5

This movie just gets uglier and emptier each time I watch it.

Citizen Rules

08-16-20, 12:26 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=67225
A Lawless Street (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048289/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1955)
dir. Joseph H. Lewis

A very strange, 78 minute long, b-western starring Randolph Scott. A Lawless Street is sort of a geriatric flick. All the characters are gray haired, older people. Some of the characters like Ruth Donnely and James Bell even talk about being too old to start over. Only Angela Lansbury is younger. I thought all that was pretty interesting as I'd never seen a senior version of a western. Though the film itself is rather bland with an unimaginative script.

rating_2_5

Takoma11

08-16-20, 12:42 PM

https://flipscreenblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/secretloveheader.jpg

A Secret Love, 2020

Wow--this is like three excellent documentaries rolled into one.

Terry and Pat are a lesbian couple who met in the 1940s, when Terry came down from Canada to play in the female baseball league (immortalized in the film A League of Their Own). The film explores Terry's experience in the baseball league, the two women and their forbidden love, and the struggles they have as they age and begin to experience medical issues.

The least amount of time is spent on the baseball league, though the details are fascinating. It's true that the women in the league had to go to charm school. Their mandatory uniform was a skirt and it had to go at least 6 inches above the knee. They had to apply makeup before every game. It's an interesting (and slightly frustrating) look at the way that female athletes were regarded. Pat herself was a hockey player, and it's really cool to see their passion for sports.

The second aspect of the film is understanding what it was like for a lesbian couple in the 1940s. Both women were pursued by male suitors, and they had to actively keep their relationship a secret. Because of their sports careers, both were sometimes featured in the newspaper, and they had to worry that they would be recognized if they stole away to a hotel for a weekend. The movie does not belabor the point, but a few key historical clips and comments make clear the homophobia they faced. Terry's brother would often say that she just "needed to be f*cked by a big black guy to set her straight." We watch a clip of a hall of college students being told "There might be some girls in here who are lesbian. You will be caught. You will be found out. And the rest of your life will be a living hell."

But most of the film actually focuses on the decisions that the couple has to make as they age. In that sense, there's a wonderful universal element to the story. As Terry becomes more frail, a clear rift begins to form between Pat, who wants to stay in the house where she and Terry have lived for 21 years, and Terry's family, who want the couple to move back to Canada and/or move into a retirement home.

I had a great-aunt who was very determined that she wanted to live out her life at home. So I really understood Pat's point of view. At the same time, you can understand the anxiety that Terry's family feels as her health declines.

Something that was interesting to me was the undercurrent (and sometimes it's very on the surface) tension between Pat and Terry's family. Several members of Terry's family say that Pat has "stolen" Terry away or has been keeping Terry all to herself. The family just does not seem to connect the homophobia that Terry and Pat have faced with their decision to be isolated from the family. Terry, heartbreakingly, says that she hid her sexuality from her niece Diana because "I didn't want to lose her love." Even as Terry's family acts grumpy about Terry and Pat being secretive, they turn around and concede that Terry might have been disowned for it. The family resents that Terry and Pat have a "secret life" (complete with *gasp* gay friends), while at the same time expressing masked discomfort with them being gay and acknowledging that they will face pushback. Pat's brother tells her that she can't get married because it will "hurt the family". These women have lived with so much fear that it's no surprise they retreat into themselves.

This film was really powerful and emotional. As a look at forbidden love, and as a look at what it means for elderly people to make choices about their final years, I thought it was incredibly compelling.

Highly, highly recommended.

4.5

Takoma11

08-16-20, 02:41 PM

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Choke-Trailer-0-27-screenshot-600x294.png

Choke, 2020

It's been a while since I saw a movie that was genuinely, enjoyably bad.

Let's start with the two nice things I can say about this movie: (1) the actors seem to genuinely be trying their best and (2) there is almost an interesting theme underneath it all.

Serial killer Brandon makes a habit of choking women to death and filming them as he kills them. One day he strikes up a conversation with a teenage girl on a train, Jeanie. The other side of the film follows depressed police detective Robert(?), who employs a dominatrix/prostitute/therapist, Stephanie, who incorporates choking into her sessions with him. When Jeanie ends up meeting and working for Stephanie, she crosses paths with Robert.

This is not a good film. The acting is spotty, the writing is odd, and a series of fantasy sequences do not generate enough emotion to justify their existence. But let me tell you why you might find it to be an enjoyably not good film.

The Poor Actors

There are a lot of scenes in this film where I got the distinct impression that the director gave only a handful of suggestions and then started the camera and said "Go!". The actors end up doing these sequences (which, God, I almost hope weren't scripted) that look more like acting exercises than scenes. Things like Brandon laughing and giggling maniacally while he hugs a lava lamp, or a scene where Jeanie's mother berates her for becoming a whore! a whore! a whore!.

The Writing

In the scenes that do seem written, the language is just . . . off. Characters use odd turns of phrase, like a 17 year old saying "I haven't seen him for many years." Or the detective saying "Yes, this is a terrible situation." Much of the dialogue as a feel as if it were translated.

The Settings/Props

I have a few friends who make films, so I don't as a rule make much fun of films on a budget. But there's a level of almost disregard for making things look good or realistic. And maybe the best example of this is when Jeanie's mother is throwing her "dirty money" at her. Guys, IT'S ALL IN FIVES AND ONES!!! Jeanie is supposedly being paid like $500 for her sessions with Robert, and he's paying her in singles?!?!?!? It's like the cast and crew just grabbed whatever they had in their wallets.

What's frustrating here is that the film actually sets up a scenario where there could have been some compelling parallels between the characters. Robert seeks out choking because it allows him to relinquish control--Brandon uses choking to control women. Instead the film seems more interested in a surface-level, fetish-y portrayal of choking, not delving at all into why either of the characters feel this compulsion or how it actually helps or hurts them.

The film also shies away form nudity (especially male nudity), and there's something baffling about a movie that's like "Young women being choked to death with clear sexual overtones? YES! Penis? NO!".

Skip, unless you want a so-bad-it's-good laugh.

1.5

Takoma11

08-16-20, 05:12 PM

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/juliet-naked-2018/juliet-naked-2018.jpg

Juliet, Naked, 2018

This was maybe the most mature of the romantic comedies I've been watching lately, though I wish it had had the nerve to do something more unexpected in its final act.

Annie (Rose Byrne) lives an underwhelming small town life with her boyfriend Duncan (Chris O'Dowd), who is OBSESSED with an American indie music artist called Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). Tucker disappeared suddenly in the middle of a show in the late 90s, and hasn't been seen since. One day, Annie writes an honest critical review of some of Crowe's music, and is shocked when the man himself reaches out to her. The two begin a correspondence and it forces Annie to reconsider her life and priorities.

Hands down the best thing about this film is Rose Bryne's performance as Annie. She is able to portray someone who is intelligent and kind but also a bit indecisive. Instead of coming off as wishy-washy, Bryne infuses Annie with a real sense of a person who just isn't sure what she wants her life to look like, or if she can have everything she wants.

The most interesting dynamic of the film is how it positions the two male romantic interests. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker, to the point that he neglects or talks over Annie and berates her if she doesn't align with his point of view. His entire understanding of their relationship is filtered through what will make him feel good or comfortable.

Tucker, on the other hand, is a more subdued person, but he brings along a lot of baggage: namely multiple children by multiple women. While Tucker constantly tries to frame his many fractured relationships as the byproduct of poor choices in his younger years, it's clear that he continues to make selfish choices that undermine the trust of his ex-partners and his children. There was one element of his past (I'll stay vague because it's revealed later in the movie) that I personally thought bordered on being unforgivable.

Both male love interests have their flaws, and I really applaud the film for doing something that romance movies almost *never* do: introducing the third option. Something that the film, and Annie, seriously consider is neither of them. This is such a rarity in romantic comedies. Maybe neither guy is the right one for Annie, and it was really nice to see that in a film and in a character. The idea that a character (and especially a woman) needs to "pick the best one" is something that plagues a lot of romantic stories about women.

And this brings me to my main complaint about the film, namely that after allowing Annie to break free from both guys--because their gestures at redemption do kind of fall short--the film ends in a way that pulls her back to Tucker. I wasn't super angry about it, but the idea of a film ending with a woman choosing a job she loves and then looking into having a child on her own was really cool. This is a path that some women follow, and it was nice to see the idea that happiness does not have to depend on finding the "right one"..

Overall a pretty good film and I was even more impressed to discover that Rose Byrne was six months pregnant while filming.

3.5

AgrippinaX

08-16-20, 08:43 PM

Tully (2018)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWZhZjE1M2MtNjBjMy00NzA3LWIzMDItM2QxMjljYTNlYjlkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc5OTMwOTQ@._V1_.jpg

4.5

An umpteenth rewatch. I have a fondness for this one, although it does paint a dreary picture of motherhood, which if you’ve worked with children and have spent enough time around them and their parents doesn’t seem entirely fair (or at least, entirely balanced). It occasionally feels like a cautionary tale which... wants to warn women that having kids will wreck their lives and bodies?.. I’m a bit conflicted here. That said, I appreciate Reitman was probably aiming for that bittersweet feeling. The acting is top-notch and the end twist is brilliantly done, not really predictable and well-justified in terms of character development (probably the only example I can think of where that is the case, too). As an aside, I’m always amazed at how diverse and unpredictable Reitman Jr’s portfolio is as a filmmaker.

Takoma11

08-17-20, 12:50 AM

THE THING

First viewing. A brilliantly made alien horror film with one of those endings that leaves you with too many questions and left me unsatisfied.

To echo what Iroquois said above, I think that the ending is pretty brilliant.

The end of the film leaves you wondering if one of them is the thing. Or if neither of them is the thing. Will they live? Will they freeze to death?

It's one of the most brilliant (and maybe THE most brilliant) ambiguous endings that I can think of.

When you say that you had too many questions, was there something else you felt was still questionable aside from wondering if one of the two is the alien?

Takoma11

08-17-20, 01:25 AM

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/straight-up-2020-james-sweeney-katie-lindsay.png?w=600

Straight Up, 2019

I do not say this often, but this movie needed to be like 15 minutes longer.

A young man named Todd (James Sweeney, who also wrote and directed) has moderate OCD. His discomfort with body fluids means that he's had very little experience with sex. Having always assumed that he was gay, a conversation with his therapist leads him to believe that he may actually be bisexual or even straight. When he meets aspiring actress Rory (Katie Findlay) with whom he has a lot in common, the two strike up a friendship that soon turns romantic. Rory has her own reasons that she may not prefer sexual contact, and so the two settle into a sexless romantic relationship. This is all complicated by Todd's friends who believe he is in denial about being gay, and by Rory struggling to figure out what she really wants from a relationship.

The idea of a sexless romantic relationship is an interesting premise for a romantic comedy. For the character of Todd, the arrangement makes a lot of sense. He has severe phobias about body fluids (male or female), and he is satisfied by physical (if not sexual) intimacy. What they choose to do with Rory is a bit more complicated. We learn in very vague terms that Rory has been the victim of sexual violence in the past. The film keeps her history vague, and I actually appreciated the approach which felt respectful and not exploitative or dismissive. We see her unintentionally out herself as a victim to her acting class; then we see that she is sent into a panic attack when someone at a party kisses her without her permission; and finally we see (but do not hear) her explain what happened to Todd. For Rory, it's clear that this arrangement is a mixed blessing--despite her trauma, a sexless relationship maybe isn't what she's really after, and it's sad to think that a negative sexual experience as a younger person would stop her from having an enjoyable sex life as an adult. Given all the scenes of Todd in therapy, I just wanted to see Rory get some professional help. Still, it was nice that despite this history, I never felt like Rory was being defined by her past, just as I never felt that Todd was being defined solely by his OCD.

It's hard to explain this without getting spoiler-y, so I'll just say that with about 8 minutes left in the movie I was starting to panic about how they were going to wrap things up in a satisfying way. While the movie did offer up an ending that I thought was very interesting and optimistic, it was pushed on screen in about the space of a minute. I wish that we'd been more privy to watching the characters find their resolution. Too much of what must have been very interesting conversations and decisions were left off-screen. And it's a shame, because the ending is actually pretty cool.

Sweeney and Findlay have excellent chemistry as two people who have come to love each other. They have strong "old married couple" energy, and their personalities work well with each other. Both of them have good comic timing, and the writing of their characters is pretty good. Hat tip to Randall Park for his performance as Todd's (racist) father--he's funny, but more importantly, he is an uncanny match for Sweeney.

The only thing that I didn't like about the film were the characters of Ryder and Meg, Todd's friends. I say "friends", but . . . how were these people ever friends? Ryder and Meg are crude and assertive and they just don't make sense with Todd's character. As the film goes on, their characters get more and more extreme. I understand their function in the film: they are provocateurs who push Todd and Rory into discomfort and conflict. But I found them so thoroughly unpleasant. They are, to put it bluntly, bad people. Romantic comedies can have wacky comic relief sidekicks, but these two often went too far for me. No kindness--just nothing to explain why Todd would be friends with them. Todd and Rory are both nice people in their own way, and it was weird to me that they didn't seem to know any nice people.

This was an incredibly unconventional romantic comedy. It took two categories of people (someone with serious mental health issues and someone who is a survivor of sexual abuse/assault) who could easily have been exploited or patronized and makes them fully realized, sympathetic, and likable leads.

Despite a few missteps (the friend characters and a handful of gross-out scenes, including a really poorly conceived scene of Todd trying to sleep with an 18 year old girl), this was a unique and compelling romantic comedy that is, for lack of a better word, very modern in its sensibilities.

4

this_is_the_ girl

08-17-20, 09:52 AM

https://medialifecrisis.com/files/images/articles/201512-Popgap/Running-On-Empty-1988/Running-On-Empty-1988-00-59-00.jpg
Running On Empty (1988, Sidney Lumet)
3
Low-key, gentle family drama with an angular, almost awkward - endearingly so - performance from River Phoenix (very James Dean-like in a way). Solid, with some touching moments, but nothing outstanding.

matt72582

08-17-20, 11:50 AM

City For Conquest - 6.5/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/City_for_Conquest_poster.jpg

the samoan lawyer

08-17-20, 12:56 PM

https://sensesofcinema.com/assets/uploads/2009/12/The-Color-of-Pomegranates028.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsensesofcinema.com%2F2009%2Fcteq%2Fthe-colour-of-pomegranates%2F&psig=AOvVaw2gi4vIPJsYXahoOFh2bDIX&ust=1597765818908000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKCX29PLousCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

3.5

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/60/Monkey_Business_Barrels.jpg/300px-Monkey_Business_Barrels.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMonkey_Business_(1931_film)&psig=AOvVaw2L-v6CGS6wGM4sPUX1jHcH&ust=1597766041503000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOjsxr3MousCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Monkey Business (1931)

3.5

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQz2-pmpwrdsScFsQqQ5icYK77fT9_zDKmFSQ&usqp=CAU (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DK2JxIQPvvmE&psig=AOvVaw2fHECqkNjZaL5KGFX_Mmlm&ust=1597766135682000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCODvrurMousCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Small Time Crooks (2000)
2.5

Gideon58

08-17-20, 01:44 PM

[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjc1Y2ZlNDktNmQzOC00ZTA0LThlNTAtMjNlODVmMzA1MzQ4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDk3NzU2MTQ@._V1_.jpg

6th re-watch...one of my guilty pleasure that has endless re-watch appeal. It's silly and improbable, but endlessly entertaining, thanks primarily to an impressive all-star cast, though Robert Downey Jr. effortlessly steals the film.

3.5

Stirchley

08-17-20, 02:04 PM

67250

Seems to me I once saw this entirely in French, but, whatever. Good movie. A classic.

the samoan lawyer

08-17-20, 02:27 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=67250

Seems to me I once saw this entirely in French, but, whatever. Good movie. A classic.

Love this. Great trilogy.

Stirchley

08-17-20, 02:47 PM

Love this. Great trilogy.

Yes, I need to re-visit Repulsion. Love Rosemary’s Baby.

Gideon58

08-17-20, 03:55 PM

Fabulous

08-17-20, 04:46 PM

Guys and Dolls (1955)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/VCHtHMsHMvsgQrH4B85UeLD0Mm.jpg

Marco

08-17-20, 04:50 PM

Summer of 84 (2018)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Summer_of_84.png
Pretty OK enough Canadian thriller that reminded me a lot of Disturbia. Ending kinda let it down
2.5

Gideon58

08-17-20, 05:52 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjAxMTI4MTgzMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTAwODEwMjE@._V1_.jpg

3.5

John-Connor

08-17-20, 06:08 PM

The New World 2005 Directed by Terrence Malick (Extended Remastered)
67276
4

Takoma11

08-17-20, 06:24 PM

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/01/arts/04icarus1/04icarus1-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp

Icarus, 2017

There's something inherently risky about making a documentary about something in the present.

If you're telling a story about a bombshell from the past (say a political scandal from the 70s or a murder from the 50s), you already know that there's compelling, noteworthy material. You know that you're sitting on grisly details or that a certain photo will elicit gasps.

But when you set out to film something with an unknown endpoint, you just have to hope that something gripping will happen. As Bryan Fogel learns in Icarus, you can have almost too much of a good thing!

Fogel is into competitive distance bike racing. In a post-Armstrong era, Fogel notes that there's just *something* separating him from the best athletes. He comes up with an idea to see if he can use performance-enhancing drugs and escape detection.

The first 20 or so minutes consists of Fogel getting a doctor to sign off on testosterone injections and acquiring other illicit products and then tracking his progress in the racing world.

Then he meets Grigory.

Grigory Rodchenkov was a Russian doctor in charge of testing athletes for doping in Russian for years and years. He's a larger-than-life personality and begins coaching Fogel in how to avoid testing positive. There are hints and implications from other interview subjects about why Grigory might be so good at getting around PED testing, and then the whole thing just blows wide open. Right as Fogel is getting momentum on his own journey, the Russian doping scandal begins to break. Suddenly, Grigory is talking to Fogel in coded language and making allusions to the guards who have been sent to watch him. Fogel becomes something of a lifeline for Grigory as the latter decides to flee Russia.

Then other Russian workers associated with the scandal begin dying and the urgency steps up a notch.

There's something a bit exhilarating about documentaries like this. There's a point where you feel the story leaving control of the director (maybe around the time the KGB and FBI and mysterious men in suits begin circling?), and there's that shift to a filmmaker doing his best to capture and document what is happening.

Through it all, Fogel is wise to keep Grigory as the center of the narrative. If there's a takeaway here, it's the way that people get caught in the middle when the big international dogs fight. Ultimately, this is an issue between Putin/Russia and several international governing bodies. But it's always up to someone lower on the totem pole to step up and take the hit--to resign, to admit guilt, or even to die if needed. As the direct link between the government and the testing process, Grigory is the one who knows all the dirty secrets--we the audience and Fogel himself watch helplessly as Grigory faces pressure from all directions with seemingly no one actually on his side.

I can see why this film won Best Documentary at the Oscars. It's a contemporary, edge-of-your seat story.

4.5

AgrippinaX

08-17-20, 06:42 PM

67250

Seems to me I once saw this entirely in French, but, whatever. Good movie. A classic.

It’s my favourite of them all. I feel like David Lynch tried to plagiarise it afterwards with Lost Highwayand didn’t quite succeed.

AgrippinaX

08-17-20, 07:01 PM

Happy End (2017)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91X-SzbA-4L._RI_.jpg

4

Haneke often has fascinating insight into cringeworthy human behaviour but rarely drives it home. This is no exception, but it’s a compelling watch.

Stirchley

08-17-20, 07:30 PM

It’s my favourite of them all. I feel like David Lynch tried to plagiarise it afterwards with Lost Highwayand didn’t quite succeed.

Never seen Lost Highway so can’t comment.

Happy End (2017)

Haneke often has fascinating insight into cringeworthy human behaviour but rarely drives it home. This is no exception, but it’s a compelling watch.

Fairly sure I did not finish this though I do like Haneke.

Stirchley

08-17-20, 07:31 PM

67279

Re-watch. Not the greatest movie I’ve ever seen, but I liked it. James’s novella is better.

AgrippinaX

08-17-20, 07:37 PM

Fairly sure I did not finish this though I do like Haneke.

It does drag a lot. I had good company and kept watching, but it’s definitely not his best.

Stirchley

08-17-20, 07:39 PM

⬆️ My favorite is The White Ribbon. Love this movie.

Fabulous

08-17-20, 08:12 PM

The Face of Another (1966)

3.5

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/64f5be3b1c8ad67a4ff8650829575b5f.jpeg

Takoma11

08-17-20, 08:31 PM

The Face of Another (1966)

3.5

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/64f5be3b1c8ad67a4ff8650829575b5f.jpeg

Looooooove The Face of Another. Excellent psychological sci-fi with some truly memorable visuals.

Takoma11

08-17-20, 10:34 PM

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/i-tonya-2017/I-Tonya-2017.jpg

I, Tonya, 2017

This was really excellent and fun.

Using a mix of interviews from key figures in Tonya Harding's life (Tonya, husband Jeff, mother LaVona, Hard Copy reporter Martin Maddox, etc), the film takes us through Tonya's lift, from her early years all the way through "The Incident".

Led by an assured, energetic performance from Margot Robbie as Tonya, the film offers up a portrait that is at once unflattering and sympathetic. Tonya is a natural athlete with tremendous strength and nerve, but she faces tremendous pressure from her critical mother and a skating world that admires her technical prowess but considers her inelegant.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the film is just how different Tonya's life could have been. Raised by a mother who is determined to make her daughter tough, Tonya's only source of motivation is being told that she can't. LaVona (played in a blistering performance by Allison Janney) is unsparing with her verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. In one sequence, Tonya's coach walks in on LaVona beating a pre-teen Tonya with a hairbrush in a bathroom.

Seeking an escape from her home life, Tonya ends up marrying boyfriend Jeff. I didn't even recognize Sebastian Stan (the Winter Soldier himself) in the role of Jeff. He oozes a sort of goofball charm, which makes it all the more shocking when a physically abusive side rears its head. The fact that Tonya repeatedly leaves Jeff but goes back to him again and again makes a sort of twisted sense when you see their scenes together. Jeff is as abusive as Tonya's mother, but at least he sometimes tells her that she's pretty and talented.

The third rocky relationship in Tonya's life is the one that she has with the sport itself. Tonya is one of few women to be able to land a triple axle jump. But she is frequently dinged for the subjective "performance" element of the score. Even as she outskates her competition on a technical level, she doesn't have the look or the grace or the style that would please the judges. While the film itself doesn't really go after Nancy Kerrigan, it does make a point about the fact that likability can actually determine whether or not you succeed. How many sports will mark you down for not being ladylike enough? Tonya is penalized for who she is, not what she can do. Yes, it's how the sport works, but you can completely understand Tonya's frustration.

The film fully embraces the subjective nature of its presentation of facts. There is frequent fourth-wall breaking that takes place. In one scene, an angry Tonya chases Jeff and fires a gun at him--then she turns directly to the camera, says "I never actually did this", cocks the gun, and moves off-camera. Characters frequently contradict each other in their version of events, and the film seems to almost relish these moments of disagreement. There will never be proof of things like whether or not a certain conversation took place.

The film also does a great job with the ice skating sequences. I don't know the nature of the CGI/effects involved, but they are just wonderful.

I read one criticism of the film in terms of its bold soundtrack, but I didn't mind it. The storytelling here is larger-than-life, and so I didn't think that it was out of place.

A great little flick with really strong performances.

4.5

Fabulous

08-18-20, 03:43 AM

Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/9Wj3s91cp99XFkhleHxMsrBxor1.jpg

the samoan lawyer

08-18-20, 07:31 AM

https://sensesofcinema.com/assets/uploads/2014/08/Alice-in-the-Cities3.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsensesofcinema.com%2F2014%2Fcteq%2Fthe-end-is-a-transition-wim-wenders-alice-in-den-stadten%2F&psig=AOvVaw3Q97HuE4jyZpgZaiR5Fllf&ust=1597832892814000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCICPsMPFpOsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Alice in the Cities (1974)

4

AgrippinaX

08-18-20, 07:31 AM

⬆️ My favorite is The White Ribbon. Love this movie.
Yes, The White Ribbon is outright brilliant.

mappysingh2

08-18-20, 10:19 AM

sdsss

GulfportDoc

08-18-20, 10:34 AM

[Soapdish]
6th re-watch...one of my guilty pleasure that has endless re-watch appeal. It's silly and improbable, but endlessly entertaining, thanks primarily to an impressive all-star cast, though Robert Downey Jr. effortlessly steals the film.
rating_3_5
Watched it last night. It still holds up after almost 30 years. I agree that Downey was good, and you can see how he'd develop into a big star. I've never been a Sally Fields fan, but she sure earned her money in this one! She was very good.

Chypmunk

08-18-20, 10:46 AM

sdsss
Parseltongue?

matt72582

08-18-20, 10:51 AM

The Face of Another (1966)

rating_3_5

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/64f5be3b1c8ad67a4ff8650829575b5f.jpeg
I love this movie.. Even better than the French original.

Marco

08-18-20, 11:29 AM

For those in Peril (2013)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/For_Those_in_Peril_poster.jpg/330px-For_Those_in_Peril_poster.jpg
Small Scots fishing town story of a brother who is treated with suspicion in his village after he is on the boat where his brother and 4 other trawlermen perish but he survives (and claims not to recall the circumstances of the tragedy). Well shot in Aberdeenshire with a beguiling performance from George MacKay and good support from some other Scottish drama stalwarts. Thought it was heading for a different outcome and the ending was a bit "arty" compared to the rest of the film (lots of cinecamera footage and flashback sequences) but I enjoyed this.
3.5

this_is_the_ girl

08-18-20, 02:04 PM

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/g2/ay/wq/ts/old-joy-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=1947e43ba5
Old Joy (2006, Kelly Reichardt)
rating_4_5

A fleeting glimpse into a fading friendship coming back to life for just a day, with the serene presence of nature as a bystander. Reichardt's probing eye observes life as it flows gently along, in a semi-detached, unobtrusive manner; words are spoken but it's what's not being said that is at the center of attention. I felt that the film captures perfectly the feeling of loss and sadness but in a cosmically bittersweet, epiphanal way.
"Sorrow is nothing but worn out joy."

mojofilter

08-18-20, 02:30 PM

Huh, and here I was thinking...

that it has one of the best examples of a completely ambiguous ending in cinema history. Beats a spinning top any day of the week.

In hindsight, I think the ending was good as it is. It just frustrated me when I first watched it. I think both Mac and Childs are "the thing".

mark f

08-18-20, 03:20 PM

The Lost Husband (Vicky Wight, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Come on Children (Allan King, 1973) 3- 6.5/10
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (Douglas Williams, 1983) 1.5 4/10
Tesla (Michael Almereyda, 2020) 2+ 5/10
https://nerdfix.cz/uploads/gp/46713b73d9b94863ac89c0e4201ef1ab/1594414971.jpg?&r=2
Highly-creative and highly-muddled look at the battle over who controls the electric industry.
2099: The Soldier Protocol AKA The Wheel (Dee McLachlan, 2019) 2.5/10
The Undercover Man (Joseph H. Lewis, 1949) 2.5 5.5/10
Young Man with Ideas (Mitchell Leisen, 1952) 2.5/10
Sputnik (Egor Abramenko, 2020) 2.5+ 6/10
https://bloghorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sputnik-pelicula-de-terror-rusa.jpg
Cosmonauts return from space with a parasitic alien, but is that the worst of their problems?
Red Lights (Rodrigo Cortés, 2012) 2 5/10
Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements (Irene Taylor Brodsky, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Dream Wife (Sidney Sheldon, 1953) 2 5/10
The Hourglass Sanatorium (Wojciech J. Has, 1973) 2.5 6/10
https://nwfilm.org/app/uploads/2016/07/hourglass1.png
The "sanatorium" is a place without any time or living for that matter.It does look good though.
September (Kenneth Muller, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Star Light (Mitchell Altieri & Lee Cummings, 2020) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Technoboss (João Nicolau, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Pedro Rivero & Alberto Vázquez, 2015) 3+ 6.5/10
https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/img_21005_600.jpg
Violent fantasy of children seeking a better world and encountering one full of monsters.
.Choke (Gregory Hatanaka, 2020) 2 5/10
Freak Show (Trudie Styler, 2017) 2.5 6/10
Legacy of Lies (Adrian Bol, 2020) 2 5/10
A Sort of Family (Diego Lerman, 2017) 2.5 6/10
https://list.lisimg.com/image/21175493/500full.jpg
Suspenseful yet frustrating look at an Argentinian adoption gone bad.

Gideon58

08-18-20, 04:32 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91Ic1pdjhuL._RI_.jpg

3.5

Mr Minio

08-18-20, 04:44 PM

https://i.imgur.com/kXO84tb.png
잠 못 드는 밤 [Sleepless Night] (2012) - 3 A Paterson for foreign film enthusiasts (if you're Korean, that's your problem). Outclasses Hong Sang-soo as it wins your heart with little, touching slice-of-life gestures of love instead of people arguing after they had too much soju.
また逢う日まで [Until We Meet Again] (1950) - 3 - A very beautiful, tragic love story that offers much more than just the often-quoted glass kiss (which Antonioni stole for L'eclisse). I'm a sucker for this kind of romance, so naturally I loved it.
Peter Ibbetson (1935) - 1 - This is so sentimental and dreamy, I should be head over heels for it, but I'm not. The omnipresent Light is one of Borzagian kitsch.
尼羅河女兒 [Daughter of the Nile] (1987) - 2 - 3H's least favorite of his own films, and I can't really tell why. It's a pretty good film.
人嚇鬼 [Hocus Pocus] (1984) - 0.5 - Only for maniacs of the Mr. Vampire series. Slightly enjoyable, but that's it.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - 0.5 - Looks like a sheet slasher. A few interesting ideas do not make it a masterpiece. Stop pretending it's a Tarkovsky of horror.
Suspiria (2018) - 0.5 - Surface level hipster art. Did Tilda get only 3 roles? Poor. I would prefer it if she played absolutely every single character. The film's 1 hour too long. Add some 30 minutes and you can watch the original Suspiria twice in a row during that time.
Jojo Rabbit (2019) - 1 - Starts quite awful, but gets better as it goes. Nothing too great, but I ended up enjoying it. :)
When the Clouds Roll By (1919) - 1 - Quite an enjoyable silent. Fairbanks is quite kinetic in this if you know what I mean. :)
エコエコアザラク [Eko Eko Azarak] (1995) - 1 - A very solid flick! A little bit of lesbianism, witches, schoolgirls, Satanic rituals, good atmosphere, and gore. Not enough of any of that, but I had a good time watching this!
エコエコアザラクII: Birth of the Wizard [Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard] (1996) - 0.5 - Sadly the second installment in the trilogy, actually a prequel to the first film, does not deliver. :( You can watch it if you liked the first film, though. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than me.
Čovek nije tica [Man Is Not a Bird] (1965) - 1 - My least favorite Dušan Makavejev film from what I've seen.
https://i.imgur.com/gYdT8AN.png
天国にいちばん近い島 [The Island Closest to Heaven] (1984) - 3 - More like The Island Closest to Your Heart. Lovely! The more Obayashi films I watch, the more I realize he's the only director I need! It's about a teenage girl making a trip to New Caledonia. She tries to find an island her late father told her about when she was a little girl. The sandal scene at the beginning and I'm already sold! What. A. Treat.
それから [And Then...] (1985) - 2 - A very reserved film with some great aesthetic. The tension is so tangible in scenes between the (so beautiful) girl and the (so slacking) man. This was recommended by Bi Gan. If you don't know who he is, where have you been for the past 5 years?!
Ana və Oğul [Mother and Son] (2019) - 0.5 - Didn't really like this one too much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUSOlgUog8s
畫中仙 [Picture of a Nymph] (1988) - 3 - A spin-off of Chinese Ghost Story again starring Joey Wong. It was released between the first two films in the trilogy, and directed by the guy playing the Taoist from all the films! Perhaps this doesn't reach the level of the original films, but it sure isn't far off! The way-too-sparse romantic moments are to die for! Music is spellbinding, and Joey Wong is dreamlike! Quick! Give me a Chinese ghost to fall in love with!!! :_;
誘惑者 [The Enchantment] (1989) - 2 - A weird and quite an original film! The twists are quite surprising, but the movie plays out as if it didn't even care about them. The VHS quality in the version I watched only made the film more atmospheric. *.*
本陣殺人事件 [Death at an Old Mansion] (1976) - 2 - I thought it's going to be a horror, but it's a murder mystery! Another surprise would be that Obayashi composed the music for the film. Naturally, since he played the piano, you'd expect some piano music, but no. The soundtrack is very sparse AND features just koto music. Quite a surprise. The actual solution to the case is surprising, and the visuals are very nice.
烈火青春 [Nomad] (1982) - 1 - 1 - A fine albeit way overrated film. Just like Patrick Tam's previous effort, the gialloesque Love Massacre, Nomad looks good but lacks something to become a great film. It's hard to pinpoint what that something is, though.
Édes Emma, drága Böbe - Vázlatok, aktok [Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe] (1992) - 2 - And the Hungarians deliver yet another depressive film heavily set within a very specific era of Eastern Block countries freeing from USSR!
八兩金 [Eight Taels of Gold] (1989) - 2 - Let's take a moment to say how adorable Sylvia Chang is in this film. Now that we have this settled, let me just tell you this has Sammo Hung! And this is a somewhat heart-breaking non-romance romance film. Yeah, it broke my heart, and the final 15 minutes are especially excruciating. And then the final minute is a reference to Kurosawa's Ran. What?! Oh, and this film is mainly about immigration, returning home etc., but who cares when I'm heartbroken.
Bait (2019) - 2 - Kitchen Sink Realism is back! Mad props for shooting on tape - I didn't think anyone would make a movie that looked like this again!
The Alligator People (1959) - 1 - Very enjoyable and not half as kitschy as it sounds!

Fabulous

08-18-20, 04:51 PM

Murder by Contract (1958)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/A4WPLal7kiWJAiloV7gH8PGhGWR.jpg

AgrippinaX

08-18-20, 06:32 PM

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/reflectingskinbr.jpg

5

When his friends start disappearing, Seth becomes convinced Dolphin, his English neighbour, is a vampire, stealing the souls of the neighborhood children one by one. After his brother, Cameron (Viggo Mortensen), returns home and takes a liking to Dolphin, Seth feels it's up to him to save Cameron from his friends' fate.

I’m having family over, hence the many rewatches. Can’t risk anything I haven’t seen as they might be upset (never can judge anyone’s taste a 100%). Was told the above is very scary, though I’d always interpreted it as a straightforward drama. But we both liked it. Great performances, ambience, wheat fields and sunset sequences and soundtrack. Viggo Mortensen is fantastic here. But this being my third or fourth time, I interpreted the film slightly differently than before. After the first watch there is a certain instinct to sympathise with Seth for wanting to spend more time with his brother and protect him from a perceived threat, but this time around, he just seemed incredibly mean and almost psychopathic/‘evil’ for no particular reason. Got me to appreciate for the first time why some people see younger siblings as inherently meaner than the older ones. Didn’t feel sorry for Seth at all by the end of the film.

lovemovie1988

08-18-20, 07:14 PM

Zheng tu. 8.5 out of 10. This is a Chinese film.

Takoma11

08-18-20, 07:56 PM

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

5

But this being my third or fourth time, I interpreted the film slightly differently than before. After the first watch there is a certain instinct to sympathise with Seth for wanting to spend more time with his brother and protect him from a perceived threat, but this time around, he just seemed incredibly mean and almost psychopathic/‘evil’ for no particular reason. Got me to appreciate for the first time why some people see younger siblings as inherently meaner than the older ones. Didn’t feel sorry for Seth at all by the end of the film.

I mean, I have a hard time liking anyone who tortures an animal for fun. So Seth was kind of on my crap list from the beginning.

I will say, however, that a lot of Seth's cruelty comes from the fact that he is shut out of the life of the adults around him. People do not speak plainly--they all talk in an adult code, and Seth is left to filter that through his child's brain. His frustration is what often leads to him acting out.

Doplhin says that she's 200 years old, he takes it literally. No one will ever say that his father is gay. His brother cannot bring himself to speak honestly to Seth about the horrors of war, and specifically his guilt over his own actions. He has no context to understand what it means to find a dead baby.

I agree that it's hard to feel sorry for Seth when so much of his unnecessary cruelty is directed at Dolphin, someone who is just quietly in pain. While I didn't particularly like him as a character, I can at least feel sorry for someone who can't understand what's happening around him and does not grasp the depth of the consequences of some of his actions.

I actually think that an interesting dynamic of the film is the way that Seth pinpoints his anger on Dolphin. The men in the car are much more of an obvious menace, so why does Seth hone in on Dolphin? This is not a fully-developed thought, but Dolphin is weird and very "other", while the guys in the car are very all-American looking. I wonder if part of what we're meant to see is the way that when things are going wrong, it's easy to put a target on someone who looks or acts different.

Gideon58

08-18-20, 08:00 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM1MTkwNTQ1Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTc5ODgxOTE@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,631,1000_AL_.jpg

[Rated}2.5[/Rating]

mojofilter

08-18-20, 08:45 PM

https://media.services.cinergy.ch/media/box1600/a3378998b6e42c1f2712229459b1ac78b4a24776.jpg
ONCE UPON A TIME IN... HOLLYWOOD
(2019)

Re-watch. This has become my 2nd favorite Tarantino movie behind Pulp Fiction. Brilliant screenwriting. Amazing performances. DiCaprio and Pitt are top notch.
4.5

Takoma11

08-18-20, 11:13 PM

https://sgsonfilm.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/2282-the-irishman.jpeg

The Irishman, 2019

Just being honest, were it not for the 2020 Film Challenge thread I would probably not have watched this movie. Mob movies just aren't my thing, for reasons I'll go into a bit. That said, this is a really solid film from almost every technical angle.

The story tracks the life of Frank Sheeran (Robert DeNiro), a man who becomes a hit man for the Italian mob and his complicated relationship with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). As Jimmy becomes more and more integrated with the mob, personal relationships--including with his own family--take a backseat.

There's very little to criticize from a technical point of view. The acting from DeNiro and Pacino is excellent, as are the performances from the supporting cast (including a prominently featured Joe Pesci). The direction is good. The whole film looks great. My only technical criticism were the strange titles that kept popping up to tell about the fates of certain characters. I didn't mind the idea too much--but the titles look like something I would have create in iMovie. They look, for lack of a better word, cheap. And the point that they make--the violent deaths of so many of the men in this circle--seems already pretty apparent in the film.

My problem with mob movies is that way too often it feels like there's an admiration for the mobsters and the way that they are able to perpetrate violence without consequences. There were definitely several sequences in The Irishman that felt this way. It's one thing when a criminal is "fighting the man" or whatever, especially when their crimes aren't violent. But the mob is powerful. They have a ton of sway. And watching certain sequences it felt borderline celebratory of their way of life. It's a fine line between "this is fascinating" (which it is) and "this is cool". It's true that the film does inject melancholy to counter this element, but it feels disproportionate.

My favorite aspect of the film was, ironically, the element that got the least amount of screen time. (And, speaking of screen time, this movie is 3 1/2 hours long! At one point I had watched 90 minutes . . . you know, the length of a whole normal movie. And I still had two hours to go . . .you know, the length of a slightly long normal movie.) Anyway, my favorite element was the way that the film showed the impact of Frank's work on his family. Starting with a scene in which Frank's daughter watches in mute horror as Frank beats a man and brutally smashes his fingers, I loved the portrayal of the people who end up on the fringe of Frank's work. Specifically his wife and especially his children, who have no power or control over their lives being intertwined with the mob and its accompanying violence. There's a great, brief sequence where Frank's wife shakes as she goes to turn on the family car--visions of recent car bombings dancing in her head. Frank frequently shrugs off the mob's mistakes ("Oops. Bad hit!"), but his family has to live with the knowledge that such violence might suddenly descend on them. It's this dynamic that is the best condemnation of Frank's character. He not only lacks empathy for the people he hurts/kills, he lacks empathy for his own family.

Not exactly my cup of tea, but a solid film that deserves the praise it gets.

4

Harvey Hall

08-19-20, 02:00 AM

I wanted to like The Irishman moren than I really did. Mid tier Scorsese, if you ask me. The gnawing feeling I had throughout was that Marty and his team had done much more with less in the past.

the samoan lawyer

08-19-20, 06:59 AM

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 07:14 AM

I mean, I have a hard time liking anyone who tortures an animal for fun. So Seth was kind of on my crap list from the beginning.

Sure, I meant more in the context of Cameron and Dolphin versus their home life with their mother. I do think that in that scene at the beginning he turns around and feels a certain degree of ‘remorse’. Unlike the other kids. Also, in terms of storytelling, aren’t we meant to root for him at least a little? I’m mixed on this.

But regardless, the fact that he lets Dolphin get in the car at the end and doesn’t tell anyone he saw the boy who turns up dead getting in the car earlier is just awful.

I will say, however, that a lot of Seth's cruelty comes from the fact that he is shut out of the life of the adults around him. People do not speak plainly--they all talk in an adult code, and Seth is left to filter that through his child's brain. His frustration is what often leads to him acting out.

Doplhin says that she's 200 years old, he takes it literally. No one will ever say that his father is gay. His brother cannot bring himself to speak honestly to Seth about the horrors of war, and specifically his guilt over his own actions. He has no context to understand what it means to find a dead baby.

Cameron deserves some slack, though. I mean, he did show Seth photos and engaged with him (and made sure the mother cooks and doesn’t neglect Seth), but what kind of therapy would it be for him to discuss it with a child? Hence a part of what attracts him to Dolphin is that he can speak about the horrors freely with her and she will listen and understand.

Also, Seth is eight. In the ‘50s when the film is set, it just wasn’t the done thing to dump your baggage on a child, and I must say, I much prefer that way of thinking to the 8 Mile-type of parenting where the mother complains about the lack of oral sex in her life in the presence of a toddler...

P.S. about ‘200 years old’ - if you do watch Tully, you’ll see what I mean, but it has a near-identical scene with comic undertones. Kids will take it literally.

I agree that it's hard to feel sorry for Seth when so much of his unnecessary cruelty is directed at Dolphin, someone who is just quietly in pain. While I didn't particularly like him as a character, I can at least feel sorry for someone who can't understand what's happening around him and does not grasp the depth of the consequences of some of his actions.

I actually think that an interesting dynamic of the film is the way that Seth pinpoints his anger on Dolphin. The men in the car are much more of an obvious menace, so why does Seth hone in on Dolphin? This is not a fully-developed thought, but Dolphin is weird and very "other", while the guys in the car are very all-American looking. I wonder if part of what we're meant to see is the way that when things are going wrong, it's easy to put a target on someone who looks or acts different.

I see what you mean. As an aside, the underdeveloped thoughts are often the most fascinating. The men in the car are his customers and he’s used to them, also he likes it that they treat him with respect when he sells gas, and doesn’t even mind the creepy face brushing they do. I think at first with Dolphin he’s just going along with what the others are doing, but then he begins to hate her in earnest when she ‘steals’ Cameron.

On a totally irrelevant note, I also felt their mother really didn’t do a good job of punishing Seth. I don’t mean punishment as such, but making sure he understands what he’s doing is wrong and doesn’t do it again. But she is shown to be quite unstable, so I guess that’s not on her priority list. Surely she should have at least attempted to explain why we don’t really blow up frogs in people’s faces, honey, huh? It looks like she just wants to have a good relationship with her neighbours and her punishment of Seth is purely formal.

ScarletLion

08-19-20, 07:23 AM

I love this movie.. Even better than the French original.

What is the original called?

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 07:30 AM

What is the original called?
Les Yeux Sans Visage (1960), Georges Franju?

ScarletLion

08-19-20, 08:04 AM

Les Yeux Sans Visage (1960), Georges Franju?

I've seen that (great film), but the plot sounds totally different to the Japanese version.

ScarletLion

08-19-20, 08:07 AM

Last few:

Germany Year Zero 1948
Early Roberto Rossellini Italian neo realism, set in ruined Berlin just after the fall of the Third Reich. Devastating.

Onibaba 1964
I'm finding it difficult to find any faults with this film. It's exceptional. The lighting, the performances, the eerie atmospheric sounds. An absolute tour de force in folk horror.

Ixcanul 2015
Extraordinary debut film from Jayro Bustamante, who took a bunch of street performers in Guatemala and turned them into very good actors. 19 year old María Mercedes Coroy is Maria - the girl who has an arranged marriage ahead, and who's thirst for another life is about to erupt. There is beauty, a wonderful script and some shocks. I'll have to check out Bustamante's other two features because this was extremely good.

Nights of Cabiria 1957
I prefer this to Fellini's La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 (the only other two Fellini's I've seen). Maybe it's because it's more of a tragedy in the neo-realist sense, maybe it's because the narrative is a little more succinct and flows more smoothly. Giulietta Masina (Fellini's real life wife) is brilliant as the down trodden central figure, and the ending is as tense as it is magical.

I Stand Alone 1998
Noe's debut about a Travis Bickle like character imploding in a rage of hatred against everyone. The inner monologue is written brilliantly. The ending is ambiguous as is much of the film. Great cinema.

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant 1972
Typical Fassbinder heavy dialogue and elegant camerawork. The film deconstructs female relationships through a mesmerizing performance by Margit Carstensen. The framing and focus pulls are exceptional considering it's a 2 hour film shot in one room. von Kant spirals into despair as certain relationships explode, but the final scene is beautiful.

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 08:10 AM

I've seen that (great film), but the plot sounds totally different to the Japanese version.
I’m probably wrong, tried to research it while writing a work thing. Won’t do that again.

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 08:17 AM

Last few:

I Stand Alone 1998
Noe's debut about a Travis Bickle like character imploding in a rage of hatred against everyone. The inner monologue is written brilliantly. The ending is ambiguous as is much of the film. Great cinema.

Funny that you say he’s like Travis. I Stand Alone is a well-made film, but I always felt the butcher is way more of a misanthrope & misogynist than Travis. He only seems to want revenge on women, whereas Travis did protect Iris and make sure she returned to her parents. Feels like a semi-altruistic approach to things as opposed to the butcher. But I’m probably biased as after the scene where he kicks his pregnant girlfriend, I saw him as a total nutcase.

ScarletLion

08-19-20, 08:29 AM

Funny that you say he’s like Travis. I Stand Alone is a well-made film, but I always felt the butcher is way more of a misanthrope & misogynist than Travis. He only seems to want revenge on women, whereas Travis did protect Iris and make sure she returned to her parents. Feels like a semi-altruistic approach to things as opposed to the butcher. But I’m probably biased as after the scene where he kicks his pregnant girlfriend, I saw him as a total nutcase.

I agree with that. He's a more misogynistic character. But there are so many similarities it's a film that is a real accompaniment to Taxi Driver, and would be a great double bill.

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 08:32 AM

I agree with that. He's a more misogynistic character. But there are so many similarities it's a film that is a real accompaniment to Taxi Driver, and would be a great double bill.
In that sense, sure. I might try watching them back to back next time I get to them.

Tramuzgan

08-19-20, 08:42 AM

Titan AE - 63/100
Great art style and set pieces, but all the drama fell flat. It had Powerman 5000, which is my favourite band, so there's that

Watership Down - 77/100
I feel like I should've gotten accustomed to this type of adventure movie before seeing it, but it was solid either way.

Marco

08-19-20, 08:57 AM

Marco

08-19-20, 08:58 AM

TheUsualSuspect

08-19-20, 10:10 AM

Apollo 11 - 4

Really extraordinary footage that immerses you in the time era. I felt like I was there.

Zombieland 2: Double Tap - 3

Harmless zombie fun. A bit of a head scratcher on character motives, but it's whatever.

Young Frankenstein - 4

A classic comedy that is smarter than it is funny.

Xtro - 2

WTF was this movie?

TheUsualSuspect

08-19-20, 10:15 AM

The New World 2005 Directed by Terrence Malick (Extended Remastered)
67276
4

Christopher Plummer sums up my thoughts on Malick perfectly.

“Terry gets terribly involved in poetic shots, which are gorgeous, they are paintings, all of them, but he gets lost in that and the stories get diffused”

the samoan lawyer

08-19-20, 10:51 AM

John-Connor

08-19-20, 10:54 AM

Christopher Plummer sums up my thoughts on Malick perfectly.

“Terry gets terribly involved in poetic shots, which are gorgeous, they are paintings, all of them, but he gets lost in that and the stories get diffused”
Malick is def not the best storyteller, but the poetic painting like shots in this one were gorgeous enough to earn my 4/5, along with other high quality aspects of this film. Also in this Malick I feel the biggest 'weakness' / risk was the choice of whisper narration and a very monotone zoom sounding score. I wonder what Nausica gives it on his Zzzz meter.

matt72582

08-19-20, 11:34 AM

Scarecrow (1973)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/Scarecrow_movieposter.jpg
Gritty road movie in which both Al Pacino and Gene Hackman are outstanding. Playing the aggressive ex-con and the dreamer/funny man they set out to realize their mutual ambition of opening up a car wash business. Superb human drama and a really affecting conclusion.
[rating]4/rating]
I've always been surprised how this movie isn't more recognized. Pacino made (and was nominated) "The Godfather", and Hackman just won for "The French Connection".

Takoma11

08-19-20, 01:17 PM

https://d15xl5h6qrutte.cloudfront.net/uploads/movie/keyframe/source/262a4d02-072a-4daa-8bdf-3695e54ed228/mini_magick20171002-30471-191duab.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffacets.org%2Fedge%2Fmovie%2F840&psig=AOvVaw00dNRbx1Q8y-a0U5FP_EU0&ust=1597916857175000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJiJ6qf-pusCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAQ)
The Proposition (2005)

Real solid western. Had heard a lot about how violent it was so I was expected it to be over the top, which it wasn't. Good modern-day westerns are hard to find so major kudos to John Hillcoat. Nicely shot and well acted, glad I finally got to watch it.

I think that it was more about brutality than on-screen violence for many people. I know a few people who were overwhelmed, especially by the rape scene, when seeing it in the theater. And just speaking from personal experience, movies that have a yellow hue to them make me feel a little sick, and thus everything felt worse and more intense because of that. Agree that it's a great contemporary Western. In that category I'm also a fan of Seraphim Falls.

Sure, I meant more in the context of Cameron and Dolphin versus their home life with their mother. I do think that in that scene at the beginning he turns around and feels a certain degree of ‘remorse’. Unlike the other kids. Also, in terms of storytelling, aren’t we meant to root for him at least a little? I’m mixed on this.
.
.
.
Also, Seth is eight. In the ‘50s when the film is set, it just wasn’t the done thing to dump your baggage on a child, and I must say, I much prefer that way of thinking to the 8 Mile-type of parenting where the mother complains about the lack of oral sex in her life in the presence of a toddler... .

I think that we are meant to sympathize with Seth. But a lot of the power of the film comes from the contrast of what he understands and what we understand as viewers. We can see all of his mistakes before he can.

As for his age, yeah, he's 8. I get that adults frequently withheld information from kids. But it's just a basic truth that when kids aren't given information, they will make up an explanation in their own heads. And we're not talking about unprompted private information. The parents could have easily sat Seth down and said, "Dad's having a hard time right now" or "Mom sometimes has days where she feels overwhelmed." He doesn't need all the lurid details of adult life, but huge things are happening (murder! suicide!) and no one is helping him to process them.

Oversharing can certainly be harmful, but so can undersharing. Honestly, when kids have to start figuring things out on their own--that's when some real trouble can start.

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 01:24 PM

I think that we are meant to sympathize with Seth. But a lot of the power of the film comes from the contrast of what he understands and what we understand as viewers. We can see all of his mistakes before he can.

As for his age, yeah, he's 8. I get that adults frequently withheld information from kids. But it's just a basic truth that when kids aren't given information, they will make up an explanation in their own heads. And we're not talking about unprompted private information. The parents could have easily sat Seth down and said, "Dad's having a hard time right now" or "Mom sometimes has days where she feels overwhelmed." He doesn't need all the lurid details of adult life, but huge things are happening (murder! suicide!) and no one is helping him to process them.

Oversharing can certainly be harmful, but so can undersharing. Honestly, when kids have to start figuring things out on their own--that's when some real trouble can start.

Of course. If they’d spoken to him about everything, from the hard times to the frog, it wouldn’t be an issue. And I do appreciate he is shaped by his environment. So when it comes to his parents, I agree. But I still feel Cameron wanted something completely different from sharing his feelings, and he could only get that from Dolphin.

Marco

08-19-20, 01:28 PM

Wake in Fright (1971)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/WakeInFrightAd1.jpg
Really bizarre story of a teacher in the Australian outback breaking up for Christmas and heading back to Sydney to see his girlfriend. He gets caught up in a place called the Yabba and loses all his money hoping to free himself from his teachers bond. He ends up relying on the kindness of (drunken) strangers. He ends up debasing himself to an extent you wouldn't suspect at the start. Liked this although the copy I got's soundtrack was hopelessly out of sync. Donald Pleasence plays one of the main characters and doesn't disappoint....very creepy.....

3

Takoma11

08-19-20, 01:36 PM

But I still feel Cameron wanted something completely different from sharing his feelings, and he could only get that from Dolphin.

And that's also an important part of the story. What we want from a friend/sibling is not what we want/need from a romantic or sexual partner.

A big part of the story is Seth's jealousy. Seth is already somewhat "locked out" of the adult dynamics in his family. So when his best ally, his brother, starts to become intimate with someone else (including telling her things he can't tell Seth), it pushes Seth's jealousy into a destructive and hateful place. Like them trashing her house. It's an expression of anger and jealousy. And the tragedy of it is that Seth can't realize that it's not Dolphin who is the enemy. Life and time will always pull people away from us. Seth thinks that by "defeating" Dolphin, he'll get his brother back.

Takoma11

08-19-20, 01:37 PM

Mr Minio

08-19-20, 02:05 PM

Aussies sure can't make a normal film, eh?

Stirchley

08-19-20, 02:23 PM

67316

Do not at all understand the acclaim for this movie. I did finish it though it was slow. Very well acted was what made me stay.

67317

Strange movie. Only stayed for Sarsgaard who is always very good.

Takoma11

08-19-20, 04:11 PM

67316

Do not at all understand the acclaim for this movie. I did finish it though it was slow. Very well acted was what made me stay.

I really liked it, so take this as you will . . .

I thought that the imagery, color, and costuming/set-design is some of the most beautiful that I've seen in a long while. The use of reds and greens and blues is just so bold and wonderful. Add into it the way that the costuming and the idea of covering or uncovering plays with the theme of forbidden romance, and I found the style of it incredibly engaging. The actual image of her with her dress aflame and yet somehow at peace is easily my favorite stand-alone image of the last few years of film.

https://media.newyorker.com/photos/5e5819880422e200089b6e22/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Syme-PortraitofaLadyonFire.jpg

https://d1nslcd7m2225b.cloudfront.net/Pictures/780xany/1/1/3/1303113_portraitofaladyonfire_889978.jpeg

https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/d7a/887/99125233ab382002123cc0e2443f396ec1-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire.rhorizontal.w700.jpg

https://cdn.onebauer.media/one/media/5df2/3647/df31/06a8/4a52/ec4c/portrait-of-a-lady.jpg?quality=50&width=1800&ratio=16-9&resizeStyle=aspectfill&format=jpg

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5e46cde5337b3b00086a37c9/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/portrait-of-a-lady-of-fire-lede.jpg

On top of that, I liked the examination of the theme of real love versus the representation of the thing that we love. The way that she keeps "reinventing" her lover through the painting. The idea that the painter's version of a person is what becomes immortal and outlives the actual human being. I think that it also does a great job of capturing what it means to have forbidden love--how there can be a brief respite from the world, but never something lasting.

Stirchley

08-19-20, 04:21 PM

I thought that the imagery, color, and costuming/set-design is some of the most beautiful that I've seen in a long while.

On top of that, I liked the examination of the theme of real love versus the representation of the thing that we love.

I think that it also does a great job of capturing what it means to have forbidden love--how there can be a brief respite from the world, but never something lasting.

Paragraph 1: Maybe, but that’s insufficient for me to love a movie.

Paragraph 2: Don’t know what this means.

Paragraph 3: They could have stayed together. The dark-haired one said she would never marry & she was going to inherit her father’s business so there would have been financial means. The blonde lady would have had to defy her mother & the arranged marriage, but it was doable. I mean, when did lesbian love begin? As far back as anyone can remember?

Harvey Hall

08-19-20, 04:35 PM

I really liked it, so take this as you will . . .

One of my favorites of last year as well. That ending almost knocks the wind out of you.

Fabulous

08-19-20, 04:53 PM

Mystery Train (1989)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/bsQA3TvadhoRy0fsZUX2G05EPL7.jpg

John-Connor

08-19-20, 04:56 PM

Inside Moves 1980 Directed by Richard Donner
67320
4

Takoma11

08-19-20, 04:56 PM

Paragraph 2: Don’t know what this means.

It's what they discuss, at times explicitly, about the difference between memory/art and the real thing.

There is the real Heloise and there is what Mariane sees. The portrait that Mariane creates is a reflection of how she sees Heloise. As Mariane's feelings about Heloise change, so does the portrait. The two of them have several conversations about what it means for someone to create a representation of you.

Paragraph 3: They could have stayed together. The dark-haired one said she would never marry & she was going to inherit her father’s business so there would have been financial means. The blonde lady would have had to defy her mother & the arranged marriage, but it was doable. I mean, when did lesbian love begin? As far back as anyone can remember?

They could have perhaps stayed together, but it's not ultimately what either character is willing to go for. And their life together in reality would not be the life in which they fell in love (nice house, maid, no outside social disapproval, etc).

In the film, the characters discuss the myth of Orpheus. Mariane explicitly says that maybe Orpheus gives up Eurydice because "He chooses the memory of her. That's why he turns. He doesn't make the lover's choice, but the poet's." Mariane is articulating that sometimes a memory or a representation of someone is preferable. As a memory, Mariane can love Heloise easily. In fact, Heloise says "Maybe she was the one who said 'turn around'". In other words, sometimes an object of affection might prefer to exist as a memory. Heloise and Mariane exist in this temporary utopia, but they know it can't last (as symbolized by the flowers that slowly die in the kitchen).

They do explicitly discuss fighting against the marriage, but they say this:

Heloise: You would prefer me to resist?
Mariane: Yes.
Heloise: Are you asking me to? Answer me.
Mariane: No.

Then there's the moment where it is Heloise who says "Turn around" (going back to the myth) and Mariane sees her in the wedding dress. Heloise is choosing to be a memory.

They choose to give up their relationship. For Mariane, it seems to come from a place of making the "poet's choice"--to have wonderful memories of someone instead of having to deal with the messier reality of loving a real person.

And for Heloise, it seems to come from a place of not wanting to fight against pressures. To continue to enjoy material wealth, be on good terms with her family, and to be a lovely memory in Mariane's mind.

Again, I really vibed with this movie. It was slower in its pace, but I thought that both the visuals and the themes were interesting and well-executed.

Chypmunk

08-19-20, 05:02 PM

Seconds To Spare (Brian Trenchard-Smith, 2002) 2
Unfortunately plenty of expense obviously spared as well, watchable and even somewhat entertaining (if unoriginal) but probably not the greatest sign when ex-Neighbours alumni Kimberley Davies is in the upper echelon of performers in it

Stirchley

08-19-20, 05:34 PM

Takoma11, I enjoyed your breakdown of the movie more than the movie itself. :)

Takoma11

08-19-20, 05:41 PM

Takoma11, I enjoyed your breakdown of the movie more than the movie itself. :)

LOL, thanks!

I can see why it might not appeal to some people, but I really dug it.

Stirchley

08-19-20, 06:38 PM

LOL, thanks!

I can see why it might not appeal to some people, but I really dug it.

Life would be mighty dull if we all liked the same thing. And everyone here knows it’s a miracle if I even finish a movie. :p

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2117521#post2117521

Takoma11

08-19-20, 07:12 PM

Life would be mighty dull if we all liked the same thing. And everyone here knows it’s a miracle if I even finish a movie. :p

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2117521#post2117521

Ha!

I have, like, a compulsion to finish anything I start--movies, books, TV shows. Sometimes I wish I could walk away. In my whole life there are only like three movies that I started and did not finish.

The only one that hurt my heart a little was that you didn't finish I am Not a Witch.

But what are you going to do? Demand that people finish films that they aren't into?

Gideon58

08-19-20, 07:48 PM

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-An-7EN5wydA/TZV69VUMrpI/AAAAAAAAAeA/_nWokINawGk/s1600/sideways%252520poster.jpg

3rd Rewatch...For my money, Alexander Payne's masterpiece...one of the most deserving Original Screenplay Oscars ever...so smart and sophisticated...I love the adjectives that the Miles character uses when he's describing the way different wines taste. It's such an edgy story and there's a lot of questionable behavior glamorized here, but it's present with such wit and style we can forgive. And Paul Giamatti's being overlooked for a Best Actor nomination is one of the Academy's biggest faux pas.

4

AgrippinaX

08-19-20, 07:56 PM

Incendies (2010)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWE3MGYzZjktY2Q5Mi00Y2NiLWIyYWUtMmIyNzA3YmZlMGFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_UY1200_CR85,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg

4

Yet another rewatch. A number of reviewers mentioned that the last ten minutes and the final reveal jarred with the rest of the film (or didn’t fit thematically), but I actually felt there was a certain atmosphere of incest throughout , especially in the scene where Jeanne and Simon hug in the swimming pool. With what comes at the end, it would be preposterous to explore that angle too. The film would be way too far-fetched and Oedipal. But I do think it would perhaps be interesting to explore the relationship between the twins a bit more, instead of just pitting them against each other on most issues, such as the burial, whether or not to dig deeper etc. A solid Villeneuve otherwise, up there with Polytechnique (I always find those two deeper in some way than his later work, though I still like it).

Takoma11

08-19-20, 08:26 PM

Incendies (2010)

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A solid Villeneuve otherwise, up there with Polytechnique (I always find those two deeper in some way than his later work, though I still like it).

I haven't seen Incendies yet, but I just want to highlight Polytechnique. It is such an expressive, enraging, and deeply-felt film. At once realistic and dream-like. It's a film that, once I watched it, I felt so confused about why it's not discussed more often. In fact, when I bring it up a ton of people haven't even heard of it.

Stirchley

08-19-20, 08:52 PM

Ha!

I have, like, a compulsion to finish anything I start--movies, books, TV shows. Sometimes I wish I could walk away. In my whole life there are only like three movies that I started and did not finish.

The only one that hurt my heart a little was that you didn't finish I am Not a Witch.

But what are you going to do? Demand that people finish films that they aren't into?

I probably return as many Kindle books as movies I don’t finish.

3rd Rewatch...For my money, Alexander Payne's masterpiece...one of the most deserving Original Screenplay Oscars ever...so smart and sophisticated...I love the adjectives that the Miles character uses when he's describing the way different wines taste. It's such an edgy story and there's a lot of questionable behavior glamorized here, but it's present with such wit and style we can forgive. And Paul Giamatti's being overlooked for a Best Actor nomination is one of the Academy's biggest faux pas.

I’ve seen it twice. Very good movie.

Takoma11

08-19-20, 10:08 PM

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/ford-v-ferrari-ii-1-e1574704106983.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

Ford vs Ferrari, 2019

Much like The Irishman, this was well-made but just not the kind of story I love.

In the mid-60s, a mid-level executive at the Ford motor company urges the company to push their brand in a sexier direction. And the best way to do that, they decide, is to get a car in the mix on the international racing circuit. After failing spectacularly to pull off a merger with Ferrari, Ford sets out to make its own racing car. Carroll Shelby, a retired driver now working as a high-end car salesman, is drafted to lead the effort. He pulls in hot-headed driver Ken Miles and together with a team they work to turn a Ford car into something capable of competing with the best that Ferrari has to offer.

This is a movie that tries to hit the beats of an underdog story, but that's a bit hard to pull off when the underdog is . . . a massive corporation whose boss throws around ethnic slurs. (Oh, who will protect the poor Ford company?!). The film sort of hits on that underdog note, and also sort of goes for an "America, hell yeah!" vibe. To the film's credit, it keeps the competition with their Italian rivals from feeling too xenophobic. The Italian team are the favorites to win and thus are pretty cocky.

Miles and Shelby are enjoyable protagonists, and the film is wise to center their pride and passion. It kind of helps you to forget that they are working in service of an incredibly wealthy company that's trying to build some sexy street cred.

Speaking personally, I really love watching experts problem solve. So the sequences where the team is trying to make the car more and more efficient were what I liked most. The racing scenes themselves are really well done and immersive, and so those were also enjoyable. Damon and Bale look like they're having a good old time in their respective roles, and the supporting cast is also fun.

4

AgrippinaX

08-20-20, 06:08 AM

I haven't seen Incendies yet, but I just want to highlight Polytechnique. It is such an expressive, enraging, and deeply-felt film. At once realistic and dream-like. It's a film that, once I watched it, I felt so confused about why it's not discussed more often. In fact, when I bring it up a ton of people haven't even heard of it.

Great summary of Polytechnique. It’s also terrifying, but it has a certain tenderness and respect to it that many films on the subject don’t. I think Villeneuve’s earlier work in general is obscured by Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 et al.

From what we’ve discussed, I think you’d definitely be interested in Incendies, for what that’s worth, but I don’t know if you’ll like it. Tully is a bit of a safer bet. Incendies-wise, I can almost see how Villeneuve wants to move into detective story-territory in a context where that is not necessarily appropriate. I won’t spoil it for you, but I think flashback sequences are detrimental to the ‘detective’ side of things (unless they’re really vague, but that’s not the case here). It’s like he needed a twist or a punch in his ending despite working in a genre that doesn’t require that for the last hour. Ah well. It’s definitely a powerful film a the twist even works, in a way. But Polytechnique felt more smooth and well-rounded on the narrative level.

(P.S. after all the trouble I’ve taken to procure a decent black comedy, the person in question requested something ‘about the Middle East’. Not sure Incendies even fits the bill!)

AgrippinaX

08-20-20, 06:29 AM

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/ford-v-ferrari-ii-1-e1574704106983.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

Ford vs Ferrari, 2019

Much like The Irishman, this was well-made but just not the kind of story I love...

...This is a movie that tries to hit the beats of an underdog story, but that's a bit hard to pull off when the underdog is . . . a massive corporation whose boss throws around ethnic slurs. (Oh, who will protect the poor Ford company?!).

You’ve got a point. But I think they’re trying to highlight that it’s hard (‘impossible’) for someone to break into the top end of that kind of sport/activity (and especially win!) if they have traditionally been seen to not belong. It’s not ‘oh poor Ford’, but rather ‘Ford can’t race’, stay in your lane, man. In that way, I think it’s more like 8 Mile: the Le Mans prizes are reserved for Ferrari, a particular type of car, and that sends a message about what a non-race car like Ford can or can’t do; it can participate (in a symbolic way), but not win. They wanted to prove they can win.

I also think it’s not your classic underdog story because the only reason Henry Ford wants to win is to annoy Ferrari. There’s no inner burning desire to win because ‘I know I deserve to win’. He also delegates all responsibility to others, so it doesn’t feel like Ford’s personal quest (the film tries to remedy that by having Shelby take him on a ride, but I don’t think that ever makes you feel it’s Henry Ford’s ambition to win).

I quite liked it. But I thought Ken’s wife was quite irrational in her approach to his racing. Not that people can’t be irrational, but she was hot-and-cold all the time.

this_is_the_ girl

08-20-20, 08:05 AM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fclassiq.me%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F11%2FKnife-in-the-Water_1962.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Knife in the Water (1962, Roman Polanski)
4.5
I like how the woman who stays in the shadow throughout most of the film calmly maintains control of the situation, plays the two men like the children that they are, and comes out the winner in the end.

Loved the tight plot, the tensions bubbling underneath the more or less civil facade, the subtle dynamic between the three characters, and on top of it all, the absolutely beautiful, crisp black-and-white cinematography by Jerzy Lipman (who also worked with Andrzej Wajda). A classic, deservedly so.

Nausicaä

08-20-20, 10:28 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a9/The_Hunt_2020_poster.png/220px-The_Hunt_2020_poster.png

3

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

the samoan lawyer

08-20-20, 11:03 AM

https://anotherimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/635/azure/another-prod/340/3/343782.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.anothermag.com%2Ffashion-beauty%2F7525%2Flessons-to-learn-from-daisies&psig=AOvVaw0ShxlgPAnoaMSWnoJSM5v9&ust=1598017874602000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPjEldL2qesCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Daisies (1966)

Very trippy, very fun film. I'd like to get more into Czech movies.

3.5

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTAsQIGvstXyHluX4r8-0lD1Ni9NXVxzHN0lw&usqp=CAU (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2019%2Ffilm%2Freviews%2Fthe-platform-review-1203330373%2F&psig=AOvVaw3WqOlQeDfjlVJlokKRBFVl&ust=1598018365073000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNjO57r4qesCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAK)
The Platform (2019)

Much better than expected. Interesting plot that borrows on The Cube, which was better. A lot is made about the ending but I liked it. Good movie.

3

GulfportDoc

08-20-20, 11:21 AM

67337
The Four Seasons Lodge (2008)

The "Documentaries" thread in the Movie Forums Site thread doesn't get a lot of views, so I'm putting this here.

This is a respectfully well done documentary written by Kim Connell and Andrew Jacobs, and directed by Jacobs. The stars are several dozen concentration camp survivors who gather in the summers at a lodge in the Catskills that they have leased for the past 26 years in order to celebrate life, have fun, reminisce, flirt, and enjoy each other's company.

Some of their stories are stunning, but the film does not dwell on their past misery or the Holocaust, but rather their joy at being alive and reveling in their life among peers. The underlying theme is that they are concerned that the Lodge will be sold out from under them.

The film may be too adult or slow for some of our youngest on the site, but others will be touched by the survivor's sincerity, their good-naturedness, and their positive outlook on life despite their horrific pasts.

It's available on Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.

Doc's rating: 8/10

Gideon58

08-20-20, 11:46 AM

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/ford-v-ferrari-ii-1-e1574704106983.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

Ford vs Ferrari, 2019

4

Pretty good movie, you liked it a little more than I did. The production values are first rate...I don't think it deserved a Best Picture nomination...Christian Bale was great.

Takoma11

08-20-20, 11:59 AM

(P.S. after all the trouble I’ve taken to procure a decent black comedy, the person in question requested something ‘about the Middle East’. Not sure Incendies even fits the bill!)

It's not specifically ABOUT the Middle East, but are you familiar with Four Lions? It's a fantastic dark comedy about four Muslim men in London who decide to be terrorists, but they are total bozos.

I would also recommend the film Offside, a film about a group of women disguising themselves as men so that they can attend a soccer game in Iran. It's more of a straight comedy.

Or maybe Mustang, the Turkish film which I think is excellent.

You’ve got a point. But I think they’re trying to highlight that it’s hard (‘impossible’) for someone to break into the top end of that kind of sport/activity (and especially win!) if they have traditionally been seen to not belong. It’s not ‘oh poor Ford’, but rather ‘Ford can’t race’, stay in your lane, man. In that way, I think it’s more like 8 Mile: the Le Mans prizes are reserved for Ferrari, a particular type of car, and that sends a message about what a non-race car like Ford can or can’t do; it can participate (in a symbolic way), but not win. They wanted to prove they can win.

But it's not that hard. They have so much money and resources that they are able to buy whatever (and whoever) they need. I mean, there was laughably little resistance. Yes, there were some inter-personal conflicts, but nothing actually was standing in their way.

To me, it's like if Kim Kardashian decided she wanted to win a Grammy. But Kim isn't a singer!! Would it be sort of interesting to watch her try and break into that new world? Yeah, I guess. But when someone has so many resources, it takes a little away from the journey. I'm not taking away from what Shelby and Miles and the rest of the team did and how hard they worked. But when it's in service of someone super rich wanting to buy themselves street cred . . . meh.

The passion wasn't for racing. The passion, if you can call it that, was to improve their marketing, ie make more money. To me, that element was a bit of a black cloud hanging over the film.

(And, yes, the film does acknowledge this a bit. It shows how the marketing side of Ford leads them to betray Miles and make decisions that aren't the best ones. It still had the effect of dampening my enthusiasm.)

And I agree that they didn't know what to do with the character of the wife. They just turned her into an audience-surrogate emotion machine. Oh, now they need someone worried. Oh, now they need someone to cheerlead. Oh, now they need someone to be fiery! She wasn't a human being--she was just a human mirror for her husband's actions.

AgrippinaX

08-20-20, 12:19 PM

It's not specifically ABOUT the Middle East, but are you familiar with Four Lions? It's a fantastic dark comedy about four Muslim men in London who decide to be terrorists, but they are total bozos.

Well, that sounds like I need to stop working and get to my laptop...

I would also recommend the film Offside, a film about a group of women disguising themselves as men so that they can attend a soccer game in Iran. It's more of a straight comedy.

Or maybe Mustang, the Turkish film which I think is excellent.

Duly noted. Will check them out. Your recommendations are always off the charts as far as I’m concerned.

But it's not that hard. They have so much money and resources that they are able to buy whatever (and whoever) they need. I mean, there was laughably little resistance. Yes, there were some inter-personal conflicts, but nothing actually was standing in their way.

To me, it's like if Kim Kardashian decided she wanted to win a Grammy. But Kim isn't a singer!! Would it be sort of interesting to watch her try and break into that new world? Yeah, I guess. But when someone has so many resources, it takes a little away from the journey. I'm not taking away from what Shelby and Miles and the rest of the team did and how hard they worked. But when it's in service of someone super rich wanting to buy themselves street cred . . . meh.

It’s actually a pretty good analogy... and well, isn’t she now a lawyer who considered running for president? I mean, people do that because they’re bored. I think that’s part of the film too, that Shelby didn’t have enough excitement in his life after his condition stopped him racing.

The passion wasn't for racing. The passion, if you can call it that, was to improve their marketing, ie make more money. To me, that element was a bit of a black cloud hanging over the film.

(And, yes, the film does acknowledge this a bit. It shows how the marketing side of Ford leads them to betray Miles and make decisions that aren't the best ones. It still had the effect of dampening my enthusiasm.)

See, I kind of get that passion a little bit. It’s all about selling Ford as a company that can win Le Mans ‘because I said so’. But it does make Ford less likeable as a protagonist. It works better if you have more time to explain why these people love to sell, like Mad Men. I guess I’m a bit biased as I work in PR... I do agree that Ford don’t have a ‘moral’/emotional high ground in the film, and that may make the viewer less engaged.

And I agree that they didn't know what to do with the character of the wife. They just turned her into an audience-surrogate emotion machine. Oh, now they need someone worried. Oh, now they need someone to cheerlead. Oh, now they need someone to be fiery! She wasn't a human being--she was just a human mirror for her husband's actions.

Exactly. A shame as Caitriona Balfe is such a good actress. It was all over the place.

Takoma11

08-20-20, 12:28 PM

Pretty good movie, you liked it a little more than I did. The production values are first rate...I don't think it deserved a Best Picture nomination...Christian Bale was great.

Yeah, I think that it had good performances and a sort of "broad appeal" that tends to pull in those Oscar noms.

It's a very "all-American" feel good story.

Takoma11

08-20-20, 12:46 PM

Duly noted. Will check them out. Your recommendations are always off the charts as far as I’m concerned.

Thanks!

I thought Mustang was really good. It's about a family of sisters who are kept pretty much confined to their house. As they get married off, they just . . . disappear. Not literally, but the film really captures the isolation that these girls feel and their unhealthy home life.

It’s actually a pretty good analogy... and well, isn’t she now a lawyer who considered running for president? I mean, people do that because they’re bored. I think that’s part of the film too, that Shelby didn’t have enough excitement in his life after his condition stopped him racing.

And if the movie had been about a guy who loved racing and was bored by his salesman job, that would be interesting. But instead it's about a big company who pays the former racer, and that's a bit different.

See, I kind of get that passion a little bit. It’s all about selling Ford as a company that can win Le Mans ‘because I said so’. But it does make Ford less likeable as a protagonist. It works better if you have more time to explain why these people love to sell, like Mad Men. I guess I’m a bit biased as I work in PR... I do agree that Ford don’t have a ‘moral’/emotional high ground in the film, and that may make the viewer less engaged.

But they didn't even love the thrill of selling. They just wanted money. It's like being asked to root for Mr. Krabs.

https://media.giphy.com/media/LdOyjZ7io5Msw/giphy.gif

To me, it's why the rivalry between them and Ferrari kind of falls flat. Ferrari just wants the same thing that Ford does. In fact, as seen from the buyout offer, Ford even has a slight financial advantage. The film does its best, sort of, with the snarling Ferrari driver and overconfident Italian team, but they are no worse than the Ford team. The Ford team is presented as the protagonists, but they have no moral edge over the Italians. And, again, the use of an ethnic slur early in the film set me against the Ford team, not for them.

It's a well-made and well-acted document of an interesting moment in history and it creates an immersive experience. But as a story it's underwhelming.

AgrippinaX

08-20-20, 01:15 PM

Thanks!

And if the movie had been about a guy who loved racing and was bored by his salesman job, that would be interesting. But instead it's about a big company who pays the former racer, and that's a bit different.

Actually, that’s true. It makes it less interesting than if it had been a genuine one-guy show. But I suppose they wanted to preserve as much historical accuracy as possible (not that they succeeded as there are plenty of factual mistakes). That’s why they kept the focus on the company, I’d say.

To me, it's why the rivalry between them and Ferrari kind of falls flat. Ferrari just wants the same thing that Ford does. In fact, as seen from the buyout offer, Ford even has a slight financial advantage. The film does its best, sort of, with the snarling Ferrari driver and overconfident Italian team, but they are no worse than the Ford team. The Ford team is presented as the protagonists, but they have no moral edge over the Italians. And, again, the use of an ethnic slur early in the film set me against the Ford team, not for them.

It's a well-made and well-acted document of an interesting moment in history and it creates an immersive experience. But as a story it's underwhelming.

It really is. One criticism I read in Wired a day after the U.K. premiere is something that gets overlooked but that did ruin it for me a bit: there is no explanation why it has to be Miles behind the wheel, save for Shelby’s whim. I mean, yes, he’s good, but for the nearly-Chosen One narrative they are spinning, they really could have tried harder and added some little technical detail that literally makes him the only man for the job.

Here it is:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.wired.com/story/ford-v-ferrari-review/amp

Especially this: ‘Miles is the best, he says, and winning requires the best. It’s here, in this critical moment, that Mangold’s film hits its greatest disconnect. The movie doesn’t link Miles’ cussedness to his talent behind the wheel, or explain why not being a Ford man makes him the man for this Ford. So the central drama—it has to be Miles, public image be damned—falls flat.’

honeykid

08-20-20, 01:37 PM

There's an actual David v Goliath racing film in pre-production atm AgrippinaXTakoma11 about the Garagistas (the name the Italians called the British independents of the 50's and 60's)

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Garagistas

No idea if/when it'll get released though. There's some talk of this time in the documentary 1: Life On The Limit, which is rather good if you have an interest in racing. If you've seen and enjoyed Senna, then I think this would be worth your time, too.

Takoma11

08-20-20, 01:43 PM

If you've seen and enjoyed Senna, then I think this would be worth your time, too.

While I'm not at all into racing, I did love Senna.

Ultraviolence

08-20-20, 05:14 PM

I AM THE LAW!

https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/9482/movieposter/judge-dredd-521e3ff2e37b2.jpg
rating_3
Guilty Pleasure.
It's a very good adaptation until Stallone removes his helmet. After that scene it's just pure Batman & Robin level of fun!

https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/49049/movieposter/dredd-57f5609039901.jpg
rating_3

The adaptation I wanted for years. Just pure Dredd shooting some mothe*****ers! Unfortunaly, I really hate the slowmotion. Good movie anyway.

Takoma11

08-20-20, 05:17 PM

https://www.intofilm.org/intofilm-production/scaledcropped/970x546https%3A/s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.cdn.filmclub.org/film__18273-the-theory-of-everything--hi_res-1790e3d7.jpg/film__18273-the-theory-of-everything--hi_res-1790e3d7.jpg

Theory of Everything, 2014

I thought that this was really fantastic, and I am not usually a fan of biographies.

The Theory of Everything tells the story of Stephen Hawking, beginning with his university life, through his ALS diagnosis, into his married life with his wife Jane, and ending with his international fame.

Part of the problem that I often have with biographies is that in their desire to tell a whole life story, they turn a person's life into a series of bullet-points/highlights. By focusing in on a select several years, the movie is able to dive deeper into the characters and make them feel much more real.

The stellar point of the film is undoubtedly Eddie Redmayne's performance as Hawking. I always have feelings of trepidation when non-disabled actors take on roles of people with disabilities. I've worked for over 15 years with students with a range of disability, and I really dislike it when actors reduce disability to a series of tics, or when movies revel in playing up the most "entertaining" aspect of a disability (like when a character with Tourette's walks around spewing profanity when this is not often the presentation of the disability).

Redmayne does something really special with his portrayal of Hawking. In the scenes before Hawking begins to decline, we get to see Hawking's soft-spoken intelligence and his eccentricity and his humor. It means that when the ALS begins to take away his outward expression, we can still sense and decode the emotions and thoughts of the character. His physical portrayal is exceptional. This goes along with the film's general approach to the story, in that the film doesn't strain to "prove" how smart Stephen is. A handful of scenes get the point across and the physics becomes part of who he is, not the sole element of his identity.

To zoom back out, it's very interesting that the film is based on a book by Jane Hawking, Stephen's wife. I was very impressed with the balance that the film gave to both sides of the marriage, and the story is almost equally Jane's. The love between the two of them is very strong, but the film shows the way that both of them at times feel left out or isolated. Stephen cannot put his arms around his wife, and the flip side is that Jane doesn't have a husband who can embrace her. The film isn't interested in taking sides--it just observes the way that these two people negotiate a really challenging situation. Both partners find themselves drawn to people outside the marriage (Jane to her choir director, Stephen to a speech therapist). The film doesn't condemn either of them for these attractions, and it's integrated in as part of the struggle.

I really enjoyed the way that the film presented Stephen's theories. It's not about him having a series of "Aha!" moments. It's about how his ideas about existence and certainty mix and mingle with his own life. His work focuses on the boundary edges of the universe, yet he finds himself restricted more and more by the boundary of his own body. At the same time, his original prognosis was that he would only live two years, and over and over again he defies the odds to survive various medical calamities.

On a personal note, I worked for 2.5 years with a child who had severe complications from cerebral palsy. She was a wheelchair user and had less control over her body than Hawking. I appreciated that the film showed the harsh reality of assisting someone in a wheelchair. (Are electric wheelchairs nice? Sort of. They weigh a TON and it's so hard to get them up stairs or even up on a curb). Stephen and Jane have several kids, and at one point a character says off-hand "I don't know how Jane does it." LIKE SERIOUSLY!!! HOW DID SHE DO IT?!?! Three kids and also assisting an adult? The fact that almost no one in their circle seems to offer regular help was even more baffling. This is where you see some old-fashioned sexism come into play, as Jane is expected to put aside her own academic pursuits and act as a parent, a partner, and a caretaker.

The last thing I'll mention about this film (which I obviously really loved) is that it looks really great. The colors are wonderfully saturated and there was almost a starburst effect at times that I adored. There are a few moments where the film slips into a first-person perspective from Stephen's point of view and they were really effective.

This was a refreshing, smart, and immersive approach to a biographical film, and I loved it.

4.5

Fabulous

08-20-20, 05:32 PM

Palm Trees in the Snow (2015)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/kDY8cdCvWUQABd8gMwUnNB76DAh.jpg

GulfportDoc

08-20-20, 08:23 PM

You’ve got a point. But I think they’re trying to highlight that it’s hard (‘impossible’) for someone to break into the top end of that kind of sport/activity (and especially win!) if they have traditionally been seen to not belong. It’s not ‘oh poor Ford’, but rather ‘Ford can’t race’, stay in your lane, man. In that way, I think it’s more like 8 Mile: the Le Mans prizes are reserved for Ferrari, a particular type of car, and that sends a message about what a non-race car like Ford can or can’t do; it can participate (in a symbolic way), but not win. They wanted to prove they can win.

I also think it’s not your classic underdog story because the only reason Henry Ford wants to win is to annoy Ferrari. There’s no inner burning desire to win because ‘I know I deserve to win’. He also delegates all responsibility to others, so it doesn’t feel like Ford’s personal quest (the film tries to remedy that by having Shelby take him on a ride, but I don’t think that ever makes you feel it’s Henry Ford’s ambition to win).

I quite liked it. But I thought Ken’s wife was quite irrational in her approach to his racing. Not that people can’t be irrational, but she was hot-and-cold all the time.
IMO it was mostly enjoyable, although the documentary was superior in most ways. Here is my review from February:

Ford v. Ferrari(2019)

It’s difficult to come up with something fresh for an auto racing film. There have been both good ones and poor ones in the past, so the challenge for the production is to captivate and excite the viewer without falling prey to the familiarity of a standard racing film. Ford v. Ferrari almost succeeds.

It’s a true life American success story that portrays the challenge of Henry Ford II to build a Le Mans Prototype race car to overcome Ferrari’s dominance in the Le Mans field, and to become the first U.S. automobile company to do so in that format. There's rarely a surprise conclusion in this type of story, but we'll avoid the spoilers.

There's plenty of excitement in the racing scenes, but most of the competitiveness comes early, and surprisingly between Mr. Ford and Mr. Ferrari rather than from the racing drivers. In fact much of the racing footage could have been from solo time trials. There was little head to head battling. Still the racing filmed from the point of view of the driver was exciting.

The human elements of the story bordered on triteness. Some of the human interaction was obviously exaggerated in a rather hackneyed manner. The writing and portrayal of Ford's racing chairman, Leo Beebe bordered on caricature.

But most of the acting was well done, with Christian Bale being the chief standout. He was able to present nearly a full range, and convincingly so. Matt Damon on the other hand seemed to be playing Matt Damon. Mostly a mail-in part for him.

The writers took some liberties with the actual story, but in the main it was historically close. In my view a better film of the subject was the documentary The 24 Hour War by Nate Adams and Adam Carolla. That film is more exciting and suspenseful, while using real footage and real interviews of the principals.

Ford v. Ferrari is a watchable film with exciting scenes and with good acting by Bale. It's a trifle long, but mostly enjoyable.

Doc's rating: 7/10

tatmmw2

08-20-20, 08:52 PM

Circle (2015)

https://resizing.flixster.com/Z_ys6ooS25EtMPGz4HMmLf_AAK8=/206x305/v1.bTsxMTIwMzA5NjtqOzE4NTc5OzEyMDA7NTY2Ozg1MQ

I remembered I watched this weird video of some guys asking if a kid had good grades, and then they said "Omg she's got a B, let's kill her".

So basically this whole movie is about this weird "circle" with people surrounding a mysterious alien Sphere (reminds me of Gantz tbh), oh yeah there's an alien invasion in this movie but it's not a big deal apparently; the whole movie is about these people trying to decide who deserves to live and who should just die to let the others survive, with them dying every minute or two.

They don't really use names, and that alone gives you an idea of how in this 87 minutes, there are a lot of characters that come and go, so it's hard to root for someone when they could die any second. I believe they were 100 characters initially, and this number keeps going down drastically.

Overall it's an interesting approach of the idea, and it explores a lot of society thematics and ideas about like, what defines a good person, what kind of person should others sacrifice for, what kind of morals does a mixed group of people have and so on. I won't comment on the ending so I'll just said it was entertaining enough to see how it plays out in the end. I don't feel like rating it though, I always have trouble rating stuff

Takoma11

08-20-20, 11:36 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWNkMjcyM2QtZTk5NC00NWRmLTgyN2QtM2Y5MDk5ZGRiYjgwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODg0OTM4NTc@._V1_.jpg

Rain Man, 1988

This is, of course, an incredibly well-known film, and yet I was surprised to realize as I watched it that aside from a scant handful of elements, I knew almost nothing about the story. I liked the movie a lot more than I was expecting.

Charlie (Tom Cruise), is a car salesman/conman(?)/hustler living in LA and hugely in debt. When he gets word that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Ohio. Learning that his father's estate has been left to a mysterious recipient, Charlie follows the money and is shocked to discover that he has a brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Angry at being cut out of the money, Charlie essentially kidnaps Raymond, who has high-functioning autism, from the care home where he lives, taking him on a winding road trip back to LA.

I was kind of cringing in anticipation of the portrayal of autism. As I mentioned in my review of The Theory of Everything, I've spent a lot of my career working with students with physical and/or developmental disabilities, and I'm often put off by how they are portrayed on screen. While I had mixed feelings about perpetuating the stereotype of the "idiot savant" (a harmful stereotype that sometimes leads people to regard those with autism as emotionless robots who are sometimes really good at math), I found Hoffman's performance as Raymond more nuanced than I expected. Specifically, his physicality is pretty good. At times the character (more in the writing than in the performance) felt more like someone had *observed* a person with autism but not actually gotten to know them very well. It's interesting to read about how different people involved advocated for different versions of Raymond. What was more shocking to me in the film was the treatment of Raymond by other people in the film, and specifically the medical professionals. The scene where a psychiatrist--who supposedly knows what he's doing--barrages Raymond with questions made me crazy. You don't yell at someone with sensory and processing issues! I know this isn't necessarily common knowledge, but I found it really bizarre. Then again, I do know that the treatment of people with autism has been pretty abysmal for a long time, so maybe it's more accurate than I imagine it to be.

Over the last few years, I've come to have really mixed feelings about Tom Cruise. It's probably lingering effects from when he lectured women about using medication to deal with post-partum depression, but there's this feeling of, I don't know, manipulation or fakeness? He's definitely hard working and it's clear that many people like working for or with him, but it's almost like there's an intensity there that is too much. But in this film, despite his character being a horrible person at the beginning, the intensity and bravado actually feel like they are covering up for deep hurt. Hoffman's Raymond is an immovable force, and as Charlie bounces against him over and over, you can feel that Charlie is softening toward his brother. Charlie chose to be out of his family's life--Raymond was exiled. It was really neat to watch the character develop empathy and affection for his brother.

Aside from some concerns about the portrayal of disability, my only other critique is one that I know is kind of "unfixable". I really liked Valeria Golino as Charlie's girlfriend. I realize that she needed to be sent packing in order for the brothers to get a chance to bond, but I enjoyed her so much that I wish she'd been in more of the film.

This was an enjoyable road trip movie, with a strong relationship story arc at its center. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but it was a very pleasant surprise.

4

mojofilter

08-21-20, 01:21 AM

http://www.pastposters.com/cw3/assets/product_expanded/JamieR-AC/death-warrant-cinema-one-sheet-movie-poster-(1).jpg
DEATH WARRANT
(1990)

Re-watch. I haven't seen this film since I watched it that one time when it came out 30 years ago. I found it on Prime and thought, what the heck. Jean-Claude is not a good actor, but I generally do like him, and his films are pretty much known for packing a lot of action and lacking in substance. With that in mind, I found myself enjoying the film, even though I cringed at the many plot holes, abysmal pieces of dialogue, and some of the acting performances. However, the movie's prison setting is really good in all its grittiness and darkness, and Van Damme for what he's worth delivers in this film. I guess I'll be doing a Van-Damme-athon* now.
*I own the rights to that terminology
3

Takoma11

08-21-20, 02:06 AM

I guess I'll be doing a Van-Damme-athon* now.
*I own the rights to that terminology.

Let me know when you get to Universal Soldier so that we can high five over how awesome it is. The Hoover Dam intro alone is worth the price of admission.

(I will also put in a good word for Cyborg.)

Marco

08-21-20, 09:36 AM

I was really pleasantly surprised by Wake in Fright. Much more disorienting and disturbing than I expected. And the performances--you're right to highlight Pleasence--are strong across the board.

Agreed. The pub scenes and the "party" scenes are excellent and foreboding. Donald Pleasence drinking a beer while doing a headstand was funny!

Chypmunk

08-21-20, 09:46 AM

Imminent 'extremely poor taste' pun warning....

Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004) 3.5+
Sometimes you have to know Hutu bribe to stop your Tutsis from getting hurt

the samoan lawyer

08-21-20, 11:23 AM

https://bigcomicpage.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/symptoms-1974-3.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigcomicpage.com%2F2018%2F05%2F30%2F31-more-days-of-british-horror-symptoms-1974%2F&psig=AOvVaw2cw2MBanmLDhpfaQOlH6Sk&ust=1598105991223000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNCCtPO-rOsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Symptoms (1974)

Not sure what this was but it wasn't a horror. Leads you on like something is about to happen, without anything really happening at all! One to avoid.

1.5

Takoma11

08-21-20, 11:52 AM

During the summer my work week is Monday-Thursday, so Thursday nights are my "Phew! The week is done." This my last week of summer scheduling, so a late night movie night seemed in order.

https://media.glamour.com/photos/5e4fc94f999d15000827515b/16:9/w_2560%2Cc_limit/EF83PM.jpg

First Wives Club, 1996

I often end up putting this movie on "just for a few minutes" and then suddenly the end credits are rolling. I really, really enjoy this movie. The central trio of performances and the banter between Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler still makes me laugh. The supporting cast is fantastic, with Maggie Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Berkley, Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant. (The one sour note being child abuser Stephen Collins, but at least he's playing a creep?). I always think that the movie is very wise to focus on the fact that the three women are mainly angry because they spent years "unofficially" supporting their husbands' careers and are having to restart. It's not just that they are being left for younger women, it's that despite their contributions it's not their law firm or their appliance chain or their movie studio. This movie puts me in such a good mood. "They produced many films together . . . including Animal Nature, in which she played an extremely sensual veterinarian".

4

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Undertow, 2012

First of all, no, this isn't that good movie with Jamie Bell and Josh Lucas.

So this was my pick for a trashy midnight watch. I was hoping for sort of "knockoff DeadCalm" vibes. What I got was . . . not good.

Toby is a lawyer who specializes in assisting abused women. She has a strained relationship with her father, a wealthy divorce lawyer. One day Toby is kidnapped on a houseboat by a man named Sam who has some past connection to Toby's father.

Dina Meyer, who plays Toby, does a good job, but her performance can't overcome the problems with the script. This is the kind of movie where the character of Sam is literally delusional in one scene, perfectly lucid and conniving in another, and then over-the-top "Hollywood crazy" in another.

This is also the kind of movie where the bad guy keeps coming back over and over to the point of parody. At one point, Toby is locked below deck and she discovers a whole closet full of weapons. Mild spoilers: she never takes a weapon!! And when all is said and done, the connection between Sam and Toby's father is so full of coincidence that, again, it borders on being unintentionally funny. Also, half of the people in the movie have Australian accents and the other half are American?

This wasn't fun trashy, it was just underwhelming.

2

Takoma11

08-21-20, 01:46 PM

https://mbird.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/BabettesFeast_1988_PUB05-1024x816.jpg

Babette's Feast, 1987

What an absolutely lovely film!

Two sisters live in a small village with their father, a pastor. Though both women are pursued by men who love them--a soldier and an opera singer--both choose to forgo marriage and instead continue to help their father run his congregation. Years later, the opera singer sends them Babette, a woman whose son and husband have been killed in the Revolution in France and is fleeing for her safety. The women cannot pay Babette, but agree to take her in as a servant. For 14 years, Babette works for the sisters, improving on their bland diet of boiled fish and bread soup (it's literally bread in water). When Babette comes into some money, she decides to throw a grand feast for the sisters and the rest of the congregation.

I think that if this film were made now, it would be pitched as a thriller. A woman slaves away for a family with no payment, strikes it rich and gets revenge. Maybe humiliates them or shows them to be hypocrites.

But that is not the approach of Babette's Feast. Instead the film shows how Babette is able to teach a gentle lesson to the people she has served for the last 14 years. The sisters and their congregation live in austerity, afraid of anything that might be a sinful worldly pleasure. The sisters literally have nightmares about the upcoming feast--imagining that the exotic ingredients are demonic temptations. The whole group agrees that they will eat the food, but will say nothing about enjoying the food. Once they begin to eat, however, they begin to appreciate the world around them in a way that is both physical and spiritual.

I really loved the point that the film made. It's not anti-religious, but it makes a gentle point about the way that deprivation and repression can lead to bitterness and negativity. The enjoyment that the group is able to take in each other and the food brings them closer and brings out kindness and forgiveness. There is a repeated refrain in the film that what people deny themselves in life they will have later in Paradise--but that's challenging in a way. It means that people are setting aside their dreams and aspirations to a promised paradise. Everyone in the movie is sincere in their beliefs--and yet I couldn't help but feel a little sad for what the characters gave up.

The look of the film is gorgeous. The food scenes rightly get a lot of attention, but the whole thing is absolutely beautiful.

5

Stirchley

08-21-20, 02:13 PM

It's not specifically ABOUT the Middle East, but are you familiar with Four Lions? It's a fantastic dark comedy about four Muslim men in London who decide to be terrorists, but they are total bozos.

I would also recommend the film Offside, a film about a group of women disguising themselves as men so that they can attend a soccer game in Iran. It's more of a straight comedy.

Or maybe Mustang, the Turkish film which I think is excellent.

Did not like Four Lions or Mustang, but Offside was pretty good.

While I'm not at all into racing, I did love Senna.

LOVED Senna. Seen it twice.

Theory of Everything

Hated it.

Rain Man

Will put this in my Netflix Q. Seen bits of it (do not like the subject matter), but will take a closer look.

Hotel Rwanda

Love this movie.

First Wives Club

You’ve inspired me to put this in my Netflix Q. I’ve seen bits of it. Usually dislike these ensemble female comedies, but will take a closer look.

Stirchley

08-21-20, 02:25 PM

67378

For some reason, never seen this all the way through.

SO romantic! Fantastic chemistry between Gere & Eichhorn. And she played a British woman to perfection with a flawless accent.

So glad they connected at the very end. :)

Takoma11

08-21-20, 02:28 PM

Hated it.

Wow. I can see "didn't like it," but "hate" surprises me. What did you hate about it? I thought that the performances were excellent, it realistically captured the challenges of living with or supporting someone with a severe disability, and it treated all of its characters with empathy.

Gideon58

08-21-20, 02:29 PM

To AdamUp, solid three rewatches! Big fan of Alien and I'm an old school Trekkie and thoroughly enjoyed the new Star Treks, including Cumberbatch's Kahn. Even liked the silliness of the third; Beyond which does tap in the more nonsensical tv shows of the original series.

For me,
after having a fun discussion about The Three Musketeers with clazor, his favorite being the Disney version, it got me very much in the mood to watch my favorite version:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/31/21/30C4BD5700000578-3425564-image-m-74_1454276746327.jpg

(COUNTLESS REWATCHES) The Three Musketeers (1973) 5 With an iconic cast of the time: Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway and Raquel Welch; for me, this movie delivers swashbuckling adventure with comedic aplomb and style. While this is a first part to a two part film (the second being Four Musketeers since while filming the director realized that he could do a huge 4 hour plus film or just make two - and so he did) it easily stands alone.
Utter and complete fun. Love this movie. Love it, love it, love it!! :)

I love this movie too...just rewatched it a couple of weeks ago

Stirchley

08-21-20, 03:10 PM

Wow. I can see "didn't like it," but "hate" surprises me. What did you hate about it?

Stupendously boring.

Takoma11

08-21-20, 03:36 PM

https://thewonderfulworldofcinema.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/shirley-booth-sheba_opt-1.jpg

Come Back, Little Sheba, 1952

Oh my goodness this movie was BRUTAL.

Lola and "Doc" Delaney are a couple in their 40s who, at the beginning of the film, rent out a room in their home to a college student named Marie. Doc is a recovering alcoholic, going on one year sober. Both Doc and Lola take an intrusive interest in Marie's life, filtering their own bitter and/or nostalgic feelings through the young woman's experiences.

This movie is really mostly about watching Lola get put through the ringer. The title of the film refers to the couple's dog, Sheba, who has run away weeks before the film begins. Despite the time that has passed, Lola still holds out hope that Sheba will return home, and this dynamic serves as an allegory for Lola's whole life.

As the film goes on it becomes clear that Lola is seriously depressed, and that she carries the weight of her own sadness and the disappointment of her husband. The two of them were high school sweethearts and married because Lola had become pregnant. But then Lola lost the baby and was no longer able to have children. Lola's day-to-day existence is painful. Working overtime to keep up a cheery facade, Lola is overbearing and intrusive, but it's entirely clear why. She has no children, no job, no friends, and her only love, her dog, is gone. All that Lola wants from Doc is a little affirmation (and not even about her current self, she just wants to hear yes when she asks "I was pretty, wasn't I?"), but he constantly shuts her out.

Doc himself is fixated on what could have been, yet he has much more than Lola does. He has a career and a group of friends from his AA meetings. While Lola's interest in Marie is a mix of maternal and wish-fulfillment, Doc's is a less healthy mix of paternal and sexual attraction.

Marie has her head on better than either of the main characters. Yes, she dates a guy who is kind of a creep despite having a fiance back home. Her fling, Turk, is a track and field star, and in the beginning Marie enjoys his more forceful personality. But when Turk becomes too forceful, Marie stands her ground in not wanting to sleep with him. Without Doc or Lola realizing it, Marie is carving a pretty decent path for herself.

Burt Lancaster gives a good performance as the mercurial Doc, but it's Shirley Booth who absolutely shines as Lola (and this was her first film role!!). In one sequence, an intoxicated Doc demands that Lola bring him a copy of the morning paper. When she says that they don't get the morning paper, he replies, "What, so I must be drunk?", followed by another demand for the paper. In this scene, and others, we can see that Lola is trapped. She exhausts all of her mental and emotional energy walking a tightrope with her husband, trying to keep everything happy and good so that he won't drink. She seems to accept Doc's implication that he drinks because he is disappointed and because SHE has disappointed him. Doc takes very little responsibility for his actions, but also refuses to talk things out with Lola in a productive way. We repeatedly see that Lola is berated for being a bad housewife, and again this is a great way of demonstrating her depression. After all, who would be motivated to dust every corner of a house when no one ever comes to visit and the person you live with never acknowledges it?

In a weird way, this almost ties back to what I wrote about in The First Wives Club. The nature of society at the time means that Lola is tied to Doc. She does not have means of her own. She does not have a degree. There's an element of dependence that creates a really unhealthy dynamic. One element of the film that gets more disturbing as it goes along is the way that Lola calls Doc "daddy". Yes, in older times couples would sometimes call each other "mother" and "father", but usually when there were kids in the picture, right? Here it feels like a direct nod to the way that Lola is under Doc's heel and must exhaust herself trying to earn his approval. Lola herself clearly pines for her more uncomplicated past, and for the missed opportunities of other boys. When the two finally do hash out some of their feelings, Doc places the blame squarely on Lola, saying that she was a slut and that she trapped him into marriage--as if he (and, ya know, his penis) bears no responsibility for the pregnancy. At one point he goes as far as to admit that if he hadn't drunk their money away, they could have possibly adopted. It's a rare moment of mea cupla from Doc, and it doesn't last. Lola plays her part and assures Doc that everything's okay, and he allows her to let him off the hook.

One a small side note, I appreciated the movie's approach to Marie. Yes, she wants to date around a bit before getting married. Yes, she flirts with and kisses a guy who isn't her fiance. Yes, she goes out drinking and dancing. But while we can see that Turk is a bit of a lunk (and from the beginning a bit too grabby and pushy), Marie isn't portrayed as being stupid or immoral. She's a young person who is figuring things out. I really liked that the movie didn't feel the need to "punish" her for her behavior. She's a nice young person, she sets boundaries, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I hadn't heard of this one before, but it's well worth a look. There are lots of movies about suburban malaise and unhappy housewives out there, but this one really nails the way that depression and anxiety can manifest in an unhealthy relationship.

My only complaint is an incredibly small one, namely that Shirley Booth is 15 years older than Lancaster (the rare case of the female co-star being significantly older!) and they look like they belong to slightly different generations. It makes the idea of them being high school sweethearts a bit of a stretch. Fortunately, the performances are so good that it didn't bother me all that much (not only was it Shirley Booth's first movie, she won Best Actress!). I read that Humphrey Bogart wanted the part, as did several other (older!) actors.

4.5

Takoma11

08-21-20, 03:37 PM

Stupendously boring.

Different strokes, I guess. I felt like it whipped by!

Fabulous

08-21-20, 03:58 PM

A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2fZAt0IPK0RCUWrXYasT2w8IEq2.jpg

mark f

08-21-20, 04:27 PM

Symptoms (1974)

Not sure what this was but it wasn't a horror. Leads you on like something is about to happen, without anything really happening at all! One to avoid.

1.5
I gave it 3 and rewatched it yesterday, along with the same director's Vampyres which I gave 2 although it has some nice breasts.

matt72582

08-21-20, 05:57 PM

The Making of a Prostitute - 6/10
Imamura asked a lot of inane questions. The word "sex" was never used, and the ladies were in their 70s, and probably didn't remember much. Then when the main character finally goes back to Japan, it ends. Odd.

Full doc is on YouTube

https://youtu.be/aU-_wmw8-C0

Gideon58

08-21-20, 06:16 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE2OTc3OTk2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjg2NjIyMDE@._V1_.jpg

4

edarsenal

08-21-20, 06:50 PM

I love this movie too...just rewatched it a couple of weeks ago

as if I din't think you were awesome already. . . another reason proves it!!

We feast in your name, good sir!! ;)
https://petercwhitaker.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/moive-musketeers.jpg

pahaK

08-21-20, 07:11 PM

The Parallax View (1974)

A 70s conspiracy thriller that didn't live up to its reputation. I didn't like Beatty in the lead, most of the story felt forced and the ending was too expected. It's not bad but I was expecting way more.

2

Takoma11

08-21-20, 07:11 PM

https://i2.wp.com/reel360.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Period.-End-of-Sentence._05-4-1.jpg?resize=172%2C124&ssl=1

Period. End of Sentence, 2018

This is an ~25 minute documentary that won the Oscar for best documentary short in 2018. The film follows a small village in India where, thanks to a machine invented by a social activist/inventor named Arunachalam Muruganantham, local women are able to produce and distribute pads to the women of the village. The film includes interviews with women about how they cope with menstruation, the tabboo around discussing it, the installation of the machine, and reflection from the women about how it has changed their lives.

It can be easy when making a film such as this to wallow in vicarious misery porn. But the film instead devotes most of its time to the innovation and efforts of the people working for change. After establishing that most women don't use appropriate sanitary products, that there's little medical understanding about what periods are, and the way that menstruation is shamed (you aren't supposed to worship while on your period, and if you do the gods won't listen to you), the film goes on to show how a range of women are working to change things.

The story is neat because it is doubly empowering. Not only do women have better access to sanitary products, many of them are able to generate their own income for the first time in their lives. One woman remarks it's the first time she's ever had a job. Another tells about how she was able to buy her brother a new suit, when normally it's the brothers who buy for the sisters. And a third woman uses her money to pay for training to become a police officer--something she hopes will help her to escape the traditional path of marriage and babies.

Significantly, I appreciated that the film didn't villainize the men in the village. They are ignorant, yes. But we also see that they are curious about the machine. It is a man who invents the machine in the first place. And while the men are embarrassed to discuss menstruation, there doesn't appear to be any pushback to the women running their company. India is home to a lot of gender-based violence, but the film is more focused on the way that the people are making progress.

I read a few complaints online that the film looked too "amateur" and that it only won for "political reasons". I didn't have a problem with the look or style of the film. And every documentary short that year was political in one way or another (a look at racism in the UK, a documentary about a KKK rally in the 1930s, a film about terminally ill patients and their care, and a film about immigration). I was also amused by two different complaints about the "feminist content" of the movie, as if women getting jobs is some sort of radical notion.

I watched it on Netflix, but I saw that it's also on YouTube. It certainly made me grateful for all of the sanitary options that I have available to me!

4

GulfportDoc

08-21-20, 08:20 PM

Takoma11

08-21-20, 08:36 PM

I too loved "Sheba". Shirley Booth was phenomenal, and it was really her film. Lancaster was good, but it was a difficult part I think. Interesting that he was a Chiropractor-- one of the earliest instances in film of a physician being written as a Chiropractor. And also AA was at the time just starting to be ubiquitous. Having started in 1939, its spread was pretty steady. Very memorable film.

Yes, and it's interesting that this is how they have him be "not a real doctor".

I didn't write about it in my review, but I was fascinated by the portrayal of AA! Announcing people with their full names! Having a lot of women be prominent in the meeting! The outreach to local hospitals!

HollowMan

08-21-20, 09:24 PM

Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) - (2005)

http://resizing.flixster.com/QaDynxVUymktEH7iedFP6oxh0Ag=/799x1066/dkpu1ddg7pbsk.cloudfront.net/movie/11/20/70/11207038_ori.jpg

I have mixed feelings about this film and there are several elements which irritate me. It starts off well enough and I was enjoying it for the first half but then it seems to lose its focus and direction and ends up being rather underwhelming and even annoying. The film falls victim to one of the most annoying trends in historical movies; imposing contemporary attitudes and morality upon historical characters in a manner that is unrealistic, inappropriate and disrespectful. This is incredibly jarring and frustrating to watch. There are several instances of this but I'll stick to the obvious ones.

Firstly, our hero (and by the end of the film pretty much every character that's portrayed in a positive light) is a disillusioned agnostic which is an absurd mindset for a character in the 12th century, especially a crusader in Jerusalem. This seems to have been done to make the character relatable to modern audiences and give the film a religiously neutral viewpoint, but it is historically disingenuous. Catholicism dominated every aspect of life in western Europe during the Middle Ages and almost everybody was a believer, especially those in the Holy Land. It's like making a film about Genghis Khan as a pacifist.

This brings me to my second complaint about Orlando Bloom's (severely miscast) character Balian; he makes it clear in the final battle that he doesn't care about Jerusalem or the Holy sites, only about the people. If that's the case then why not just surrender? They have several days before Saladin arrives, plenty of time to evacuate and save lives.

Thirdly this film is overtly anti-clerical. Balian's brother priest is greedy and cruel, the Patriarch of Jerusalem is cowardly, dumb and evil and the Templars are all stupid war mongerers. They are caricatures. Obviously all the Muslims are noble devout warriors.

Fourthly, the film implies an egalitarian attitude which was simply not present in the highly stratified and socially immobile world of the 12th century. The idea that a peasant could journey to the Holy Land and become nobility is ridiculous and the scene where Balian makes everyone a knight is comical.

Having said all that, there were some positives; the set design, effects and costumes were all excellent, I really felt visually immersed in the world. The leper King was a fascinating character, well acted by Edward Norton. The actor who played Saladin imbued him with the gravity and nobility that the great man must have possessed - he really held the screen. As a Star Trek fan it was also good to see Alexander Siddig in a decent film role. Eva Green is always easy on the eye and her character had an interesting arc and Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson were as solid as ever.

2.5/5 Stars

Nausicaä

08-21-20, 10:24 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dc/Seberg_poster.jpeg/220px-Seberg_poster.jpeg

2.5

Snooze factor = Zzzz

[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

mark f

08-22-20, 05:46 AM

I Love a Mystery (Henry Levin, 1945) 2.5 6/10
The Private Life of a Cat (Alexander Hammid [& Maya Deren], 1946) 3 6.5/10
Wonders in the Suburbsl (Jeanne Balibar, 2019) 1.5.4/10
Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison (Romany Malco, 2018) 2.5 5.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzU3YTNkMDQtZjUzNi00NTMyLWJmMzUtNmU2ZWIyM2E1YjY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzI5MDI2OA@@._V1_SX661_CR0,0,661 ,440_AL_.jpg
Amusing, if obvious, mockumentary about parolee Romany Malco trying io film a movie which will "highlight" his "strengths" as a motivational speaker.
Impossible Monsters (Nathan Catucci, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Drunk Parents (Fred Wolf, 2019) 2+ 5/10
Three Christs (Jon Avnet, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Rewind (Sasha Neulinger, 2019) 3.5 7/10
https://rogermooresmovienation.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/rew1.jpeg?w=600
Another disturbing doc about child abuse which somehow leads to an "uplifting" conclusion.
Over-Exposed (Lewis Seiler, 1956) 2.5 6/10
Sicilia! (Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub, 1999) 2 5/10
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (Matthew Killip, 2020) 2.5+ 6/10
Symptoms (Joseph Larraz, 1974) 3- 6.5/10
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T2VvGkdRYl0/maxresdefault.jpg
Nothing is what it seems in this thriller set in the English countryside.
A Dangerous Son (Liz Garbus, 2018) 2.5 6/10
Vampyres (Joseph Larraz, 1974) 2 5/10
Here Come the Huggetts (Ken Annakin, 1948) 2.5+ 6/10
Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story (Wael Mandour & Yousry Nasrallah, 2009) 3 6.5/10
https://arabcinemas.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/sheherazade-articlelarge.jpg?w=604
Engrossing satire on Egyptian culture, media and misogyny.
Man Bait (Terence Fisher, 1952) 2.5 5.5/10
The Crimes That Bind (Sebastián Schindel, 2020) 2.5 6/10
The Weak and the Wicked AKA Young and Willing (J. Lee-Thompson, 1954) 3- 6.5/10
Chemical Hearts (Richard Tanne, 2020) 2.5+ 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/530633fc75728de96570ceb1c22bb411/64d81d69579e1db6-41/s250x400/ad2c8a0c4b1da60a6e7fd1bf28c285064de98a34.gifvhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/061c46c44b7538a58ac74d5b80981e9d/64d81d69579e1db6-94/s250x400/1113a8eeb2b4dc878cfd3d6b8662b8311a0aedc1.gifv
High school seniors Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams try to help themselves through some typical and atypical problems for their age.

Iroquois

08-22-20, 08:07 AM

Tenet - 2.5

Review forthcoming

MovieMeditation

08-22-20, 08:12 AM

Tenet - 2.5

Review forthcoming
Dammit. Even earlier than myself.

I hoped this movie would kind of combine the best of early and later Nolan. I guess not. I’ll see how I like it on Monday...

FromBeyond

08-22-20, 08:54 AM

Funhouse [2019]

Like a low budget big brother except when the housemates get voted off they don't give an interview in a brightly lit studio, they get taken in a shady back room by evil panda henchmen with machine guns and made to participate in a sadistic game by an evil panda overlord who has something to say about the nature of "celebrity"

This is low brow stuff but honestly I was anticipating worse.. tolerable and mildly entertaining

2.5

Hey Fredrick

08-22-20, 11:25 AM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FK62xf0hSxXE%2Fhqdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

1.5

Not much to say. It wasn't very good but I think it may be a case of knowing a little too much about the subject to buy into any of it.

chawhee

08-22-20, 11:27 AM

Troop Zero (2019)
https://i0.wp.com/teaser-trailer.com/wp-content/uploads/Troop-Zero-movie-2020.jpg?ssl=1
3
My wife wanted to watch this as soon as Amazon Prime started pasting it all over it's app, though I knew it wouldn't be my kind of movie. It lived up to my expectations; sweet and charming, though nothing about it was terrific in my opinion. The story reminded me a bit of Little Miss Sunshine, the characters reminded me a bit of Sandlot, and everything worked just fine.

Takoma11

08-22-20, 11:50 AM

https://media.newyorker.com/photos/590979adc14b3c606c1090a3/master/w_1280%2Cc_limit/Larson-Howards-End.jpg

Howards End, 1992

This is a Merchant-Ivory period drama based on the EM Forster novel.

Sisters Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham-Carter) live with their brother Tibby. Margaret becomes friends with an ill women who lives next door, Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave). At the same time, Helen becomes friends with a low-income man named Leonard (Samuel West), who is struggling to support himself and his fiance, Jacky. On her death bed, Ruth scribbles out a direction to leave her family home, Howards End, to Margaret. In an act of greed, Ruth's husband Henry (Anthony Hopkins) and his children decide to tear up and burn Ruth's request. Later, Henry becomes engaged to Margaret and the complex relationships and the secret threaten to upend things.

I've had a pretty good run of movies lately, and this one was no exception. The costumes, scenery, and acting are totally on point, as you'd expect.

The film reminded me a lot of Middlemarch (one of my favorite books, and one that includes a similar element of a will that is disregarded and the consequences of that). It's not so much about waiting for the secret to come out, as it is about the way that someone like Henry thinks. He assumes that he deserves everything, but that others deserve nothing. His attitude toward Leonard and Jacky is incredibly heartless ("The poor are poor and that's that", basically). Yet the thought of losing a house (not even a house that he loves, and only one of several houses that the family owns) leads him to disregard the dying wish of his wife. It's a timeless critique about the way that people who are born rich think about themselves and others (isn't it interesting how many "self-made" millionaires and billionaires just happen to be the children of millionaires and billionaires and had access to those resources growing up?), the way that resources are hoarded and immoral acts justified if it means holding onto wealth.

But when Margaret discovers a past discretion of Henry's, the film really kicks into gear. The way that the rift develops between Helen and Margaret/Henry was really well done. Margaret just goes along with Henry which is so frustrating to watch. Under his direction she parrots cruel and dismissive words about Leonard and Jacky. Helen is over-the-top in her passions, but she comes off really well compared to the cold-hearted actions of Henry's family.

While the drama is solid, I wasn't ready for how funny the film would also be. My favorite sequence is after Margaret has discovered one of Henry's secrets. He literally runs away from her like a child. Then when they do talk, she's like, "It's in the past, and I forgive you and we can move on." The scene fades to black . . . but then fades back in as Henry gives a little speech justifying his actions ("All men have indiscretions at some time . . ."). Margaret forgives him again and the scene fades to black. . . and then fades in again for Henry to give yet another round of justifications. It's a subtle and very funny way of showing that Henry's "apology" is really about him talking himself into believing that what he did was okay.

The only thing that I didn't care for in the film was the treatment of Jacky. Yes, she's low class. But we never see cruelty or malice from her. The film treats her with a decent amount of respect, but then toward the end the narrative just drops her like she's unimportant. In a film that's largely about class politics and selfishness, it's ironic that the movie simply throws away Jacky's character. She's not given the same sense of closure that the film gives all of the other--even more minor--characters. Whenever a book is adapted to film you always lose a little bit and certain things end up getting abbreviated. You can tell that certain things were cut. It mostly doesn't hurt the film, but there are a few moments where you can sense things have been skipped over or truncated.

4

Takoma11

08-22-20, 12:31 PM

Takoma11

08-22-20, 01:34 PM

https://nofilmschool.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_wide/public/wasp-copy1-2000x1234_0.jpg?itok=qDOsEU-b

Wasp, 2003

Andrea Arnold is really exceptional at creating characters that feel incredibly real, and specifically at evoking a sort of misery in which characters find themselves trapped.

Zoe is a young, single mother with four children (three kids and a baby), living on a shoestring budget. One day, after a nasty confrontation with a neighbor, she happens to run into an old flame. Pretending that the children belong to a friend, Zoe arranges a date at a local bar.

The title has two meanings, one of which I won't spoil. But the other meaning is demonstrated when Zoe spots a wasp trapped in the kitchen. Angry, the wasp buzzes against the glass of the window until Zoe releases it into the outside. Zoe is like the wasp--angry and battering against the world.

The films is very short (~26 minutes), but you really feel a whole range of emotions. I think that it would be easy to see Zoe as a monster. And to be clear, she is a horrible parent. She gives her children a bag of sugar for a snack, she leaves them in the parking lot behind the bar for hours while she's on her date, she models aggressive and inappropriate behavior in front of them.

But there's still a humanity in the story, and it comes from the way that the world around Zoe treats her. The neighbor relishes threatening Zoe that she will call Child Services and have the kids taken away. Whether the kids are all from the same father or not, there are clearly no men supporting Zoe financially. The challenges of a single mother in poverty might be cliche--but I have seen those struggles in the families of some of my students. What are you supposed to do if you are a single parent and cannot afford childcare? It's easy to say that Zoe shouldn't have had the kids--but she did. You can't unring the bell.

This short definitely shows the potential and character development that Arnold would demonstrate later in her feature films. Oscar winning as a short film, and deservedly so.

4.5

mojofilter

08-22-20, 01:52 PM

The Van-Damme-athon continues...

http://wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-content/gallery/posters-l/lionheart_poster_01.jpg
LIONHEART
(1990)

Re-watch. This is probably the Van Damme film that has the most heart. Packed with some really great fight scenes, drama, and a good performance by the "Muscles from Brussels"- the best performance here is by Harrison Page who plays street hustler and Van Damme's manager.
3.5

Takoma11

08-22-20, 04:08 PM

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/12/23/arts/13baumbach-notebook1/13baumbach-notebook1-jumbo-v2.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp

Marriage Story, 2019

In this drama/comedy, Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) play a married couple on their way to a divorce. Beginning with a mediator who wants to start things on a positive note, the film charts the way that their divorce, for all their good intentions, takes them to a place that is messy and hurtful.

While I was overall a bit more sympathetic to Nicole's point of view in the film, I think it's admirable that both lead characters are meant to be the protagonists. Neither of them are the villain in the story, and their marriage is not one marked by betrayal or abuse. Rather, it's clear that over time a failure to communicate has led to feelings of bitterness between them and resentment on Nicole's part.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film is how their relationship is filtered through the lawyers that they each hire. Predictably, there's a sequence where every misstep they've taken is blown into something larger by the opposing side. But more interesting than that is an earlier, more amicable scene where they've sat down together around a table. "So when it's something you want, it's a deal. When it's something Nicole wants, it's just a discussion?". Through the conversation we see how the partners have each framed their decisions. Moments that one thought was a fair compromise is seen as a betrayal by the other.

The supporting cast adds some much needed levity. Laura Dern is excellent as a skilled (but not heartless) divorce attorney who takes on Nicole's case. Alan Alda and Ray Liotta are also good as two very different attorneys hired by Charlie. Martha Kelly, as a woman appointed to evaluate the home life of the parents for custody purposes, is amazing in her quiet awkwardness.

The tragedy of the relationship is not something that one did to the other, but the fact that they did not work through their disagreements earlier in their marriage. They are both loving parents to their son, and both want what is best for him. They don't want to put him in the middle, but he is also their main point of contention.

I don't know that I'd watch it again, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

3.5

Tramuzgan

08-22-20, 06:23 PM

pahaK

08-22-20, 08:18 PM

Rogue (2020)
2
Kind of an 80s throwback that combines b-action with animal horror. Poorly written but somewhat sympathetic in its 80s stupidity (I would have loved this when I was 12 or something). Also a prime example of a horrible CGI (both the lion and blood spatters).

Takoma11

08-22-20, 09:28 PM

Grave of the Fireflies - 89/100
A calm, composed, realistic film about two kids trying to survive a war. The setting is believable, the characters relatable, the animation immersive, and the writing mature and tasteful. Not the 10/10 I'm looking for, but great stuff nonetheless.

The author of the short story on which it was based had two sisters who died from malnutrition and a parent who died in a bombing during the war.

Ghost in the shell - 7/100
80 minutes of vapid techno-babble with characters that couldn't feel more soulless and robotic if they tried. Completely misses the point of what makes for good sci-fi. The imagery is also ugly as sin. What kind of drugs does it take to enjoy this?

The '95 version?

I thought it was pretty good sci-fi. Its questions about what constitutes identity and "life" are increasingly relevant, and the question of whether humanity and mortality go hand in hand is interesting.

As for the imagery, I think that the visuals do a good job of matching the tone of the film. Despite the technological advances, there is a sense of rot and decay. The palette--dominated by yellows and browns and grays--reflects this. The bright primary colors belong only to the ads that play inside stores.

If you look at the montage scene, for example, I think that the shot of the plane flying low over the city, which then switches to the shot of that same plane reflected in the mirrored surface of a building. In fact, reflection is a strong motif in the film, but always with distortion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARTLckN9e7I

It's not a perfect film to me (maybe a 3.5/5), but I think there's a lot that it does right.