Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1c/Pieces_of_a_Woman.jpeg/220px-Pieces_of_a_Woman.jpeg

3.5

Snooze factor = Zzz



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

[Allaby]

House of Wax (1953) 7/10

[ThatDarnMKS]

I’m not a philosopher of war movies and I had no idea who Chris Kyle was or that this movie was about him, I’m British and many in a Britain would have no idea who he was either. Do I have to be aware of those things before and even after, is it some sort of sacrilege that I wasn’t? I watch a movie and for the most part rate it on what I see in the runtime of said feature. Seems like you’re trying to convince me it’s Pro-war when from my perspective it was well balanced.

He was training to become a Navy Seal before 9/11 and then was deployed shortly after, this is what happened it’s not justifying the situation, Kyle wasn’t running round saying destroy the states of Islam in fact he never said anything even close to that effect or remotely political from my recollection. The majority of the movie was him using his sniper in difficult situations made clear from the title of the movie, I found this fascinating the control and discipline it takes to be a sniper. It seems like your real life disdain for Kyle has had a major impact on how you viewed this film and that’s fine completely your own prerogative.

Your last paragraph is nonsense, he never bragged during the movie about killing anyone, whatever may or may not have done in real life is a separate debate, my view is solely what I saw on screen. Those that did glorify his kills all died and he was shot by one of his own. If this was supposed to be a pro war movie Eastwood did not do a very good job because it certainly never made me want to up sticks, grab a gun and enter a war zone.
My last paragraph is why you don’t know what you’re talking about.

To take it to the nazi extreme, if someone made a biopic about Hitler, cut out everything related to the Holocaust, humanized him and had him say “I think this war was my greatest mistake” before shooting himself, and portraying that death as a tragedy, how would you view the politics of that film?

Choosing a subject is important when making a film and they chose Chris Kyle, someone you’re admittedly ignorant of. They then chose to alter this man’s life into something admirable and noble. That’s another choice. All of these are in service of the usual conservative war machine justification that exists rampantly in America, a country from which you are not from nor intimately familiar with the political spheres. That would be fine if you didn’t argue to stay ignorant of the impact that this is going to have on the American reading or AMERICAN Sniper.

Films exist in a societal context and some of them carry abhorrent ideas in that context. This film is among them.

[LordWhis]

Tenet

It’s like any American Hollywood action movie. Caricature Russian villain. Tough guy CIA lead. Pretty blonde damsel in distress. Smooth talking, well dressed British spy who says blimey all the time. The plot twists are extremely predictable. More effort was spent on special effects than the story.

Not at all what I expected of a Christopher Nolan Movie. It’s the kind of movie Michael Bay or someone like that would make.

6/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FqfMvtfqx7orooDlbmQnHJXyhw90.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

God's Own Country, 2017

Johnny (Josh O'Connor) lives on a farm with his parents, where ever since his father, Martin (Ian Hart), had a stroke he has been the main worker taking care of the sheep and cattle. Johnny is miserable--hiding the fact that he is gay from his parents and indulging in too much drinking and one-off sexual encounters--and barely pulls his weight. With the work on the farm piling up, Johnny's parents hire Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu), a Romanian immigrant, to help out. Sparks fly between Johnny and Gheorghe, but will Johnny's self-destructive habits get in the way of their romance?

A lot of films about gay romance center on the fraught nature of such relationships--whether that comes from internalized homophobia or the threat of violence from their families and communities. (And don't get me wrong--these are important stories to tell). I really enjoyed seeing a film that had a different point of view and approach to a gay romance. The focus in this film isn't on whether or not the relationship will work because it is a gay relationship, but whether or not Johnny can figure himself out in time to preserve the good thing that he and Gheorghe have going.

The thing that I loved about this movie was the way that it showed how a person can change the dynamic of those around them. Sex and attraction isn't what Johnny has been missing. What he has been missing is love and affection and intimacy. Gheorghe is both patient and instant. He won't accept Johnny refusing to touch his face or look at him. In one really excellent sequence, Gheorghe reaches out a single finger to touch Johnny's hand as they wait in the hospital cafeteria. Moments later, the lingering impact of this touch leads Johnny to reach out and take his sick father's hand. Gheorghe's gentle insistence transforms different locations around the farm--the hillside, the dinner table, the bathtub--into places where Johnny can connect with himself and his loved ones. Weirdly, it made me think of the quote from the article I read about Dirty Dancing and the power of acting with decency to inspire others to act with decency. Gheorghe's decency has a positive impact on all those around him.

John O'Connor and Alec Secareanu have great, easy chemisty with each other, and Secareanu is incredibly charismatic. Gheorge could have come across as almost too saintly, but instead he comes across as someone who simply knows what he wants and calmly pursues it. He won't let Johnny use slurs against him, he won't tolerate harassment from a local, and he won't put up with Johnny's behavior. The love scenes between the two characters--and especially the first sequence--are appropriately sexy and exciting, but they are also excellently realized extensions of the character arc that Johnny is on. With a few moments of choreography and exchanged glances, you can see that Gheorghe is helping Johnny redefine his relationship with his own sexuality.

Ian Hart and Gemma Jones are also very strong as Johnny's parents. The sequences in the last act of the film in which Johnny and his father reconnect with each other and finally speak their feelings are really excellent.

The style of the film was also something that I enjoyed. The landscape is absolutely gorgrous, but at the same time isolating. Writer/director Francis Lee uses the setting to maximum effect--you can understand why Johnny and his parents feel so strongly about keeping the farm, but at the same time you can understand how a young man--and especially a young gay man--would feel completely alone and stifled by it. I also enjoyed a very simple trick of using warm colors and light in scene with Gheorghe. It gives the sense of a comforting aura around him, helping us to understand not only Johnny's sexual attraction to him, but also the love and comfort he finds in him.

I would warn anyone who is squeamish about animal suffering that the film does take place on the farm and there are several unsimulated sequences. For example, we see a calf that has died from a breach birth. We see a character skin a dead lamb (I fast-forwarded this sequence). The characters themselves are not being cruel to the animals, but it's the kind of thing you might want to be prepared to see. The ending may have also been a bit optimistic in terms of how the parents would react to their son being gay and living in their home with a romantic partner.

All in all I thought that this film was really strong and I thought that the development of the relationship between the main characters was particularly strong.

EDIT: Just realized that I know Secareanu from Amulet, the flawed-but-interesting horror I watched a short while back. Dude is talented.

4.5

[ThatDarnMKS]

Possessor
4.5

Brendan Cronenberg’s debt to his father is felt throughout the film, emulating his propensity for body horror that merged psychology and technology into a phantasmagoric soup. However, the director I found myself thinking of most often was Steven Soderbergh; the mise-en-scene, the use of color, the handheld camera work and the Martinez-esque score that would matched that auteur’s minimalist approach to the material.

While this doesn’t speak to BC coming off as a particularly unique filmmaker, he is formally accomplished and seems to approach his odd material in a gratifying, intelligent and affecting manner.

It’s very good, low budget sci-fi. It never quite pushes its concept to its full potential but I’ll happily pick it up on 4K UHD when the price drops it.

It’s currently a $1 rental on Apple TV.

[SpelingError]

The Battle of Algiers - I immediately researched the background on this 1966 war movie ("war movie" sorely lacking as descriptors go) It does deal with the Algerian War of Independence and in particular the events that occurred in the capital city of Algiers between 1954 and 1957. But it's so much more than that. The director, Gillo Pontecorvo, uses a neorealist documentary style to such great effect that I was left repeatedly wondering if he was using actual eyewitness recordings. Take the numerous bombings for instance. There was one moment where an explosion went off at a racetrack that I would have sworn was actual footage. Pontecorvo also uses non-professional actors to great effect, with many of them actually having played a role in the real life events depicted. With the use of title cards ticking down the pertinent dates of the incidents he shows how the tit for tat atrocities steadily escalated between French paratroopers and the National Liberation Front. It’s only towards the very end of the film that Pontecorvo sheds light on the methods of torture and interrogation the colonial government employed. Even though the viewer is pretty much shell shocked by that time they’re still harrowing images and I think that may have been the director’s intent. He presents them without much buildup and in an offhand, almost clinical way yet they lose none of their effectiveness. This is almost a tutorial on how to build and display an effectively compelling historical narrative. It’s certainly influenced several filmmakers over the years. Great movie. 95/100

That's an all-time favorite of mine and also a top 5 war film. I didn't give it nearly enough credit when I first watched it, but it grew on me a whole lot. I agree with all of your points, especially how closely it resembles a documentary.

[ThatDarnMKS]

To bang my Richard Brooks recommendation drum once more, I think fans of BATTLE OF ALGIERS should check out his adaptation of SOMETHING OF VALUE, a Robert Ruark novel about the Mau Mau uprising. It predates Pontecorvo’s film by nearly a decade and while its a little more Hollywood in its messaging and casting (Rock Hudson and Sydney Poitier star), I was stunned by how revolutionary its politics and style seemed compared to its contemporaries. It’s certainly trying to evoke reality and criticize the nature of colonialism on a level that wouldn’t seem commonplace until the 60s.

Also, Poitier is incredible in it.

[SpelingError]

To bang my Richard Brooks recommendation drum once more, I think fans of BATTLE OF ALGIERS should check out his adaptation of SOMETHING OF VALUE, a Robert Ruark novel about the Mau Mau uprising. It predates Pontecorvo’s film by nearly a decade and while its a little more Hollywood in its messaging and casting (Rock Hudson and Sydney Poitier star), I was stunned by how revolutionary its politics and style seemed compared to its contemporaries. It’s certainly trying to evoke reality and criticize the nature of colonialism on a level that wouldn’t seem commonplace until the 60s.

Also, Poitier is incredible in it.

I'll check it out.

[Thursday Next]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FqfMvtfqx7orooDlbmQnHJXyhw90.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

God's Own Country, 2017


4.5

The Girl with All the Gifts
85/100

I really like both these movies, great to see them getting some love on here :up:

[Thief]

To bang my Richard Brooks recommendation drum once more, I think fans of BATTLE OF ALGIERS should check out his adaptation of SOMETHING OF VALUE, a Robert Ruark novel about the Mau Mau uprising. It predates Pontecorvo’s film by nearly a decade and while its a little more Hollywood in its messaging and casting (Rock Hudson and Sydney Poitier star), I was stunned by how revolutionary its politics and style seemed compared to its contemporaries. It’s certainly trying to evoke reality and criticize the nature of colonialism on a level that wouldn’t seem commonplace until the 60s.

Also, Poitier is incredible in it.

I've had Battle of Algiers on my watchlist for a while, but I added the other one too. Sounds interesting.

[Vanillapie]

My last paragraph is why you don’t know what you’re talking about.

To take it to the nazi extreme, if someone made a biopic about Hitler, cut out everything related to the Holocaust, humanized him and had him say “I think this war was my greatest mistake” before shooting himself, and portraying that death as a tragedy, how would you view the politics of that film?

Choosing a subject is important when making a film and they chose Chris Kyle, someone you’re admittedly ignorant of. They then chose to alter this man’s life into something admirable and noble. That’s another choice. All of these are in service of the usual conservative war machine justification that exists rampantly in America, a country from which you are not from nor intimately familiar with the political spheres. That would be fine if you didn’t argue to stay ignorant of the impact that this is going to have on the American reading or AMERICAN Sniper.

Films exist in a societal context and some of them carry abhorrent ideas in that context. This film is among them.

Your first Chris Kyle comparison of an actual human being is Adolf Hitler. Wow, just wow.

[Yoda]

Please note he said "to take it to the nazi extreme," which is an acknowledgement that they shouldn't be equated. It's pretty common to invoke the Nazis to establish a principle or philosophical boundary. It's so common it spurred the creation of something called "Godwin's Law," which posits that the first person to invoke Hitler or the Nazis automatically loses the argument. Regardless, it's a common shortcut to demonstrate the limits of a principle, and not necessarily (let alone usually) a suggestion that something is akin to Hitler or the Nazis.

Anyway, that said, carry on, but please (continue to) be civil. :)

[ThatDarnMKS]

Your first Chris Kyle comparison of an actual human being is Adolf Hitler. Wow, just wow.
I wasn’t comparing Chris Kyle to Hitler as a human being. I was creating a hypothetical to emphasize the principle of the necessity of context when adapting the life of a real person.

If you can’t grasp that, it’s no wonder we’re having this disagreement in the first place.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Please note he said "to take it to the nazi extreme," which is an acknowledgement that they shouldn't be equated. It's pretty common to invoke the Nazis to establish a principle or philosophical boundary. It's so common it spurred the creation of something called "Godwin's Law," which posits that the first person to invoke Hitler or the Nazis automatically loses the argument. Regardless, it's a common shortcut to demonstrate the limits of a principle, and not necessarily (let alone usually) a suggestion that something is akin to Hitler or the Nazis.

Anyway, that said, carry on, but please (continue to) be civil. :)
A quick addendum on your point:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-godwin-godwins-law-20180624-story.html

“*It still serves us as a tool to recognize specious comparisons to Nazism — but also, by contrast, to recognize comparisons that aren’t. And sometimes the comparisons can spot the earliest symptoms of horrific “attitudes, actions and language” well before our society falls prey to the full-blown disease”- Godwin

Given the nature that I’m using it rather than calling Chris Kyle Hitler, I think the notion of “automatically losing the argument” neither applies here nor originates from Godwin himself.*

[Yoda]

A quick addendum on your point:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-godwin-godwins-law-20180624-story.html

“*It still serves us as a tool to recognize specious comparisons to Nazism — but also, by contrast, to recognize comparisons that aren’t. And sometimes the comparisons can spot the earliest symptoms of horrific “attitudes, actions and language” well before our society falls prey to the full-blown disease”- Godwin

Given the nature that I’m using it rather than calling Chris Kyle Hitler, I think the notion of “automatically losing the argument” neither applies here nor originates from Godwin himself.*
Oh, I don't think Godwin's Law was ever reasonable if taken literally, since the Nazis are very useful for establishing shared principles quickly and easily and hastening the speed with which the actual disagreement can be identified. First time I heard it I just assumed it was more tongue-in-cheek than anything.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Oh, I don't think Godwin's Law was ever reasonable if taken literally, since the Nazis are very useful for establishing shared principles quickly and easily and hastening the speed with which the actual disagreement can be identified. First time I heard it I just assumed it was more tongue-in-cheek than anything.
I think that’s exactly how Godwin intended it to be used but like all the paradigms that become meme-fied, like the Bechdel Test, it takes on its own life and often gets applied like an actual meaningful rule, rather than a concept to notice a trend.

[Ezrangel]

Videodrome (1983)

***3/4 out of 5.

Rich in cinematography and performances, it features a complex and innovative plot regarding the corruption and power theme. It does have a few slow moments, but overall one of Cronenberg's best as of now. I need to watch more of his films.

[Maryam]

I can't even remember the last movie I saw as they are all mostly woke junk now and not worth watching.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Videodrome (1983)

***3/4 out of 5.

Rich in cinematography and performances, it features a complex and innovative plot regarding the corruption and power theme. It does have a few slow moments, but overall one of Cronenberg's best as of now. I need to watch more of his films.
Naked Lunch is probably his most similar to Videodrome and well worth seeking out. I think the Fly is my favorite from his body horror era.

[Ezrangel]

Naked Lunch is probably his most similar to Videodrome and well worth seeking out. I think the Fly is my favorite from his body horror era.

I'll give it a watch, i've seen four Cronenberg's movies; Existenz was meh, but i thought History Of Violence, Videodrome and Crash were all great on their own.

What i like about Cronenberg that his narratives are complex and tackle on powerful themes, and he has his own style yet his movies are all 90-100 minutes long and accessible to moviegoers.

I wasn't much impressed with Lynch's work besides Mulholland Drive so i think this films are more of my cup of tea.

[crumbsroom]

Naked Lunch is probably his most similar to Videodrome and well worth seeking out. I think the Fly is my favorite from his body horror era.


I agree that Naked Lunch is the most logical step for fans of Videodrome.



Dead Ringers is more subdued, but should be considered as well.


As I've made well known on other forums though, his early work is his most interesting, made at a time where his deep and creepy and brilliantly subversive thoughts hadn't yet caught up to how much of a master he'd become. There is something hard to explain about the terror of those first three or four horror films he barfed out. Something that couldn't have been articulated the same way by the precision he eventually became better known for.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Underwater -This is a perfectly serviceable thriller in the "trapped miles below the sea" genre. There's been others like Leviathan, The Abyss, Deepstar Six and Deep Blue and this borrows liberally from them and other plotlines. In fact, the one big difference this can claim is that it was made and released in 2020. That's mostly it. Still though it's not a slog in any sense of the word. There's a strong cast featuring Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel and Jessica Henwick plus decent cinematography. And director William Eubank (whose last feature was the criminally underrated The Signal) knows how to establish and then ratchet up tension. I think it might have existed adequately as a straight up escape and survival thriller without the introduction of a well worn "previously unknown species" trope. Honestly, outside of maybe padding an undernourished script these underwater monsters don't add much to the proceedings. Watch this if you're partial to the subgenre otherwise it's okay to skip it. 75/100

[donniedarko]

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Kaufman, 2020)

It's been some time since I've been compelled to jot some thoughts down after watching a film, but here I am. I'll start off by saying my limited experience with Kaufman has been a mixed bag. LOVE Being John Malkovich (written by), likeEternal Sunshine (written by), and HATE Synecdoche, New York. This falls somewhere in the middle.

I'd break this experience up into three pieces
1. The Car Scenes
2. The Farmhouse
3. The School

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f51cd7d1e10df7a77868af4/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/thinking-of-ending-things-ending.jpg
Similarly to how the woman gets annoyed with Jake for being overly pretentious, I definitely felt this through much of the car scene dialogues. How much of this was intentional and how much was Kaufman to flex, I don't know. Probably comes down to the adaptation and I have not read the original book. There's a few clever moments in here however, perhaps if you've seen A Woman Under The Influence and Oklahoma five times, you'd pick up more than me who hasn't seen those in near a decade- but for me man at 15-20 mins a piece these car scenes could just feel overly elongated. Despite speaking only like two cliche overly pretentious grad students could, somehow always to keep me engaged, and a bit tense however, especially in the second series where Jake keeps asking if we're going back to the farmhouse. The feel created in these moments was actually surprisingly well done, in this stranded world- similar to how the woman describes her painting I guess. Although she seems perfectly calm, there's an unnerving presence.
2.5

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/09/01/arts/00thinking/merlin_176250954_761469ea-43e1-4f80-b578-30f8c56e0fc8-superJumbo.jpg
The Farmhouse is the absolutely brilliant part of the film, my God was this unsettling, surreal, and extremely uncomfortable. Cloest thing to Eraserhead I've ever seen, and that's one of my top ten films so this is huge praise for me. In this 30-40 minute scene Kaufman takes on surrealism as well as Bunuel, Lynch, or Svanmajer. It's also on level of scariness as some modern greats of Get out and Us. I believe this is the only part of the movie where I picked up some of the symbolism, and there's some interesting statements on aging through out. I can't say I gathered a hollistic picture of what's being said- if there really is anything- but I was STRESSED through this whole interaction. Which is hard to do with 0 character build (the woman doesn't even have a name) and very little emotional response from our protagonist- outside of confusion. Never fear. As I said this is a modern Eraserhead, would've made an amazing stand alone short film
4.5

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1JbBbEHQuC21SkTwY7PGyESCa0k=/0x0:1174x870/1200x675/filters:focal(613x314:799x500)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67398474/Screen_Shot_2020_09_13_at_8.22.11_AM.0.png
And then came the school scene, where our backgorund janitor is finally tied in! And this is where the film completely lost me, my God. All the drama, all the intensity, all the chilliness of it just went away the minute they started dancing and there forward. I no longer care enough to dissect any meaning , I'm no longer engaged, I no longer feel anything watching this. I'm sure for other audience this is the mind blowing moment where we can connect all the odd dots, for me this is the moment Kaufman fails in carrying the energy. And I can't really expect him too. This final series feel ADHD, over done, and frankly empty to me.
1

It's hard for me to tie this altogether, since as a viewer I did fail too- and as a movie it failed to keep me. But there's still something special about this Netflix original. Oddly it would've felt more complete to me if it ended about 35 mins early, when she confronts the janitor. But hey I'm not as smart as Kaufman or the quantum physicist and wanna be diligent scholar who are our protagonists (are they)? But the farmhouse stretch is enough for me to reccomend this unique horror experience

Overall: 3

[Gideon58]

https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mank-Poster-1200x900.jpg



3.5

[Vanillapie]

I wasn’t comparing Chris Kyle to Hitler as a human being. I was creating a hypothetical to emphasize the principle of the necessity of context when adapting the life of a real person.

If you can’t grasp that, it’s no wonder we’re having this disagreement in the first place.

Hypothetical or otherwise mentioning Hitler and the atrocities involving the Holocaust potentially being humanised to that of Chris Kyle’s is abhorrent. You began by claiming this to be an extreme example which kind of lets you off the hook in comparing the genocidal maniacs name to what we saw in American sniper, why use an extreme example in the first place? An extreme example not being worthy of comparison makes the mentioning of it futile, so you obviously feel there is a fairly strong comparison.

Questioning somebody’s political views to how they’d feel seeing mercy shown to Hitler, this dumb biopic you created in your mind has no place in this discussion.

[Yoda]

The point of invoking something extreme is to establish a principle. The proper response is to either acknowledge agreement in principle and focus on disagreement as to degree, or to explain why the comparison is invalid in kind, and not merely in degree.

[Marco]

Trespass against us (2016)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Trespass_Against_Us.jpg
This was a decent effort about the trials and tribulations of gypsies living in Kent. Fassbender did a good job but (as in life) it's hard to really identify if you are not Romany yourself. The entertaining fact for me is the language between the main characters....like an open but undisclosed code. The tale itself is good and think it leans on some real life audacious raids not far from me.

Solid and interesting : 3

[Marco]

Trespass against us (2016)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Trespass_Against_Us.jpg
This was a decent effort about the trials and tribulations of gypsies living in Kent. Fassbender did a good job but (as in life) it's hard to really identify if you are not Romany yourself. The entertaining fact for me is the language between the main characters....like an open but undisclosed code. The tale itself is good and think it leans on some real life audacious raids not far from me.

Solid and interesting : 3
Meant Gloucs. Apologies

[ThatDarnMKS]

Hypothetical or otherwise mentioning Hitler and the atrocities involving the Holocaust potentially being humanised to that of Chris Kyle’s is abhorrent. You began by claiming this to be an extreme example which kind of lets you off the hook in comparing the genocidal maniacs name to what we saw in American sniper, why use an extreme example in the first place? An extreme example not being worthy of comparison makes the mentioning of it futile, so you obviously feel there is a fairly strong comparison.

Questioning somebody’s political views to how they’d feel seeing mercy shown to Hitler, this dumb biopic you created in your has no place in this discussion.
Save your indignation. Chris Kyle WAS a terrible person and war criminal that bragged about how he followed orders to break Geneva accords and extrajudicially killing 30 US citizens in NOLA after Katrina (which is heavily disputed but him thinking it’s a story that makes him look good says a lot). It’s not as though I compared Hitler to an actor I don’t like.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t worthy of comparison. It is. It illustrates why white washing abhorrent figures to be heroic is problematic.

What may not be worthy is the effort of engaging you in this conversation, as you’ve yet to offer a single cogent point to defend this film.

[Yoda]

Anyway, I think we've gotten pretty far afield of the film at this point. If either of you would like to continue this let me know (profile comment/PM/whatever) and I'll spin it off into a new thread for a bit to see if it can re-center on the movie and isn't stuck in a loop.

[Marco]

I'll give it a watch, i've seen four Cronenberg's movies; Existenz was meh, but i thought History Of Violence, Videodrome and Crash were all great on their own.

What i like about Cronenberg that his narratives are complex and tackle on powerful themes, and he has his own style yet his movies are all 90-100 minutes long and accessible to moviegoers.

I wasn't much impressed with Lynch's work besides Mulholland Drive so i think this films are more of my cup of tea.

I liked Existenz though not his strongest, wanted to like History of Violence but found it a bit pedestrian (for me anyway). I had forgotten how good Crash was...thanks for reminding!

[Vanillapie]

The point of invoking something extreme is to establish a principle. The proper response is to either acknowledge agreement in principle and focus on disagreement as to degree, or to explain why the comparison is invalid in kind, and not merely in degree.

I do not believe it to be proper to mention Hitler, the Nazis and Holocaust in this discussion therefore I will not validate it with a proper response.

Regardless I’m not going to talk about this subject anymore me and the other chap clearly have differing views and I will just leave it as that from here.

[edarsenal]

https://filmuforia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Doulos_Le_bfi-00m-pmt.jpg

Le Doulos (1962) 4.5 Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, this is the third film of his I've seen and I am quickly becoming very much a fan of his. I'm looking forward to two other films of his I have on my watchlist.

Melville brilliantly leaves you wondering, till the very end and even then I feel I'm not completely sure, who could be trusted, who informed on who, in this quite brutal noir masterpiece of trench coats, whiskey, and gunplay.
The opening placard setting the turbulent pace of this film: You must choose: Die. . . Or Lie.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Anyway, I think we've gotten pretty far afield of the film at this point. If either of you would like to continue this let me know (profile comment/PM/whatever) and I'll spin it off into a new thread for a bit to see if it can re-center on the movie and isn't stuck in a loop.
Nah. I’m done.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmountainx.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F11%2Flc2-720x305.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Last Circus, 2010

During the Spanish Civil War, a clown is forced to fight for the Republican Militia. Though he proves incredibly proficient with a machete, he is eventually captures. His son, Javier, tries to free him, but the attempt goes horribly wrong. Years later, an adult Javier (Carlos Areces) gets a job at a circus as a sad clown. He immediately ends up on the radar of the circus's Happy Clown, a man named Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) whose drunken, violent temper is often centered on jealousy and possessiveness of his girlfriend, an aerial artist named Natalia (Carolina Bang). When Natalia begins to cultivate a relationship with Javier, things quickly get out of hand, something that is further complicated by a figure from Javier's past.

I have avoided watching this film for years because I must have had it confused with the plot of another film about people being tortured by clowns or at a circus? I don't know.

In any event, I really enjoyed this movie. The two main aspects that I enjoyed were the visual style of it and the dark sense of humor--and the two are definitely intertwined. From almost the very first scene as Javier's father stands in a line of other circus workers who have been drafted--an embarrassed soldier realizes that the bearded lady is, well, a lady and relieves her of military duty--dressed in a comedic little girl's outfit, complete with golden curls, the movie is operating on a visually stunning and darkly comic wavelength. The color scheme is at once colorful and muted, a sense of grime hanging over everything we see.

The world that de la Iglesia has created is one of violent slapstick. A repeated visual gag involves a circus motorcycle stuntman with a miscalibrated turbo booster that constantly launches him into the side of a building. In another sequence it seems that a piano may have actually have been dropped on Javier during a performance. But in the same film someone's fingers might be ripped off. And all of this heightened by the colorful and dramatic costumes of the performers. One of my favorite aspects was Natalia's ever-changing set of wigs--both a fun visual gag and a nice nod to her conflicted nature.

The violent dynamics of the central love triangle mostly work, especially thanks to the performances of the three main actors. My only real complaint about the film has to do with the love triangle, and specifically the tired trope of "woman has to choose between the nice guy and the sexy bad guy". Obviously there are women who love and/or are sexually attracted their abusers, but I always think that a film has to do a little more heavy lifting for an audience to buy such a relationship from the outside. We see some enthusiastic sex scenes between Sergio and Natalia, but in terms of why she considers it love . . . ? To be fair, Natalia herself seems perplexed and conflicted about her attraction. But it's tricky ground because Natalia's actions at time seem to frame her as almost as bad as Sergio because of the way that she pursues Javier. I guess I get a little tired of the idea that female characters have to choose between good sex and a loving partner, as if these are mutually exclusive things. (Lest you think I'm reading into this, another character literally says this to Natalia, exhorting her that she can't "have her cake and eat it, too").

Generally, though, the characters are well drawn enough that the tropes of the love triangle aren't that bothersome. Among other things, the way that it all plays out might be predictable in a general narrative sense, but the way that the characters express their emotions is pretty shocking. As the film wears on, Javier's desire to rescue Natalia from Sergio becomes more and more twisted and more and more destructive. Javier already carries a lot of emotional baggage from the traumatizing experiences of his childhood, and the violence and hatred that Sergio brings out in him pushes him to the edge. Even Sergio, who is a larger than life villain and thinks that jokes about dead babies are hilarious, has a handful of moments of humanity.

The movie is dark and graphically violent, but de la Iglesia manages the tone and pace masterfully. I will admit that around the last 15 or so minutes I felt myself beginning to fatigue. The whole film is a sustained pitch of violence and intensity, and as it built to the climax I was sort of ready for it to be over. The screaming and drama and (admittedly gorgeous) overblown and otherworldly final set piece was a bit lost on me. I will say that the very last shot was beautiful and tragic and PERFECT for the film that came before it.

Definitely recommended, and you'll know in the first 15 minutes or so if it's your brand of dark humor.

4

[ThatDarnMKS]

The Last Circus really had poor advertising, from the new title (the Spanish title translates to Ballad of the Sad Trumpet) to the poster making it look like Kill Joy’s Psycho Circus, rather than the oddball, Jeunet-esque thing that it is.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2Fh9%2F2f%2Fs8%2Ftq%2Fcosmos-2015-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3Dd9f7c69c8e&f=1&nofb=1

Cosmos, 2015

Zulawski's Possession is one of my favorite films of all time. The only downside to watching movies from a director whose other work you adore is that the new movie has some big shoes to fill.

Friends Witold (Jonathan Genet) and Fuchs (Johan Libereau) are on some sort of pseudo-vacation (Witold has just failed his law exams and Fuchs has just left a cushy gig at a fashion designer). Arriving at a guest house, Witold is immediately obsessed by a dead bird he finds hanging by a string in the woods. Suddenly seeing omens everywhere around him, Witold descends into a sort of delirious madness trying to find the meaning behind it all, while at the same time grappling with the dark fear that it might not mean anything.

Cosmos belongs to that tricky sub-genre of films that are intentionally frustrating and confounding. And I was, indeed, frustrated and confounded.

What the film has going for it is a really beautiful, lush look. The colors absolutely pop, to the point that it feels like it could be another dimension or some variation on the real world. The sequences alternate the outdoors with the domestic setting of the guest house. There's also something to be said for the unapologetic way that the film offers up various mysteries, such as an odd running joke that every time Fuchs leaves the guest house at night (presumably looking for sex?), he returns with scrapes, bruises, a black eye, etc. There's an undeniable and unsettling element of erotic energy through the whole thing, mainly manifested in Witold's interest in the daughter who lives at the guest house, Lena.

On the down side, the film pushes Witold into manic mode pretty early on in the runtime. As he rants about birds and bits of wood and perfect mouths, the film can't help but rise to his level of intensity. At one point I thought that the film must be nearing its final act, only to find that I was only 35 minutes into the movie! I had a lot of trouble keeping pace with the movie, especially through its middle third. The film's third act goes to a place of truly breaking with reality and that aspect pulled me back in.

Everything in the film is meticulously well-staged. A sequence where Witold sits on a huge rock on a beach in a full outfit and holding an umbrella as a large wave crashes around and over him. Or a moment when the dining room table begins to tip over and Witold and Lena catch it together, sharing a meaningful look and breath. It all looks excellent and painterly. Even when it doesn't make sense, it looks great (a real necessity in the intentionally-frustrating sub-genre).

I think that it's unfortunate that this film is branded as being sci-fi in a few places. In my opinion that sets a certain expectation and this film isn't sci-fi. It's more like an existential, borderline meta exploration of narrative (in the film, Witold repeatedly talks about writing a novel but being unable to finish it).

I probably owe this one a rewatch when I'm in a more patient mood.

3.5

[Takoma11]

The Last Circus really had poor advertising, from the new title (the Spanish title translates to Ballad of the Sad Trumpet) to the poster making it look like Kill Joy’s Psycho Circus, rather than the oddball, Jeunet-esque thing that it is.

Yeah, I'll be honest and say that the poster is a huge reason I've ignored it for so long.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Yeah, I'll be honest and say that the poster is a huge reason I've ignored it for so long.
It looks like something produced by Fangoria and DTV from the early 2000s.

I only watched it because someone in RT made a best of the year list and every screen cap they posted was very far from what I had been under the impression of.

I think it was... Who was it with the Laugh Clown Laugh avatar? JShade?

[Takoma11]

It looks like something produced by Fangoria and DTV from the early 2000s.

I only watched it because someone in RT made a best of the year list and every screen cap they posted was very far from what I had been under the impression of.

I think it was... Who was it with the Laugh Clown Laugh avatar? JShade?

It won a ton of awards at the Venice International Film Festival, which is what finally got me to read more about it.

I honestly am now curious about what other film I confused it with. There must have been some torture-y circus themed movie that came out roughly around the same time. (Or maybe The Devil's Rejects and the popular image of the one character in clown makeup?).

[WHITBISSELL!]

Tremors: Shrieker Island - The seventh of the Tremors movies and this one also stars Michael Gross as survivalist/gun enthusiast Burt Gummer. I think these have long since lost whatever residual charm was left from the first. That one was a surprisingly entertaining creature feature from 1990 while this one covers the same ground of the last few. Yet they still manage to make them passably diverting. Part of that has to do with Gross of course and his by now familiar character and part is them finding new ways for the creatures to menace mankind. This one has a billionaire adventurer (Richard Brake) breeding genetically modified Graboids so he can hunt them on his private island. Gummer is tracked down by a scientist from a neighboring island's nature preserve. The rest of the movie involves the billionaire and his rich a-hole clients getting steadily whittled down by the monsters while Burt and the scientist (Jon Heder) also try and track down and kill the creatures. The budget appears to be bigger than the previous two movies as far as location filming goes (off the coast of Thailand I think) and there's plenty of gorgeous jungle scenery. But the CGI is definitely skimpy in parts until the finale. Unless there's a reboot it looks like this might be the last Tremors entry of the franchise because they finally kill off Burt Gummer. They give him a good sendoff as befits an enjoyable character that ended up with such an unexpectedly long cinematic tenure. 70/100

[Wooley]

Underwater -This is a perfectly serviceable thriller in the "trapped miles below the sea" genre. There's been others like Leviathan, The Abyss, Deepstar Six and Deep Blue and this borrows liberally from them and other plotlines. In fact, the one big difference this can claim is that it was made and released in 2020. That's mostly it. Still though it's not a slog in any sense of the word. There's a strong cast featuring Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel and Jessica Henwick plus decent cinematography. And director William Eubank (whose last feature was the criminally underrated The Signal) knows how to establish and then ratchet up tension. I think it might have existed adequately as a straight up escape and survival thriller without the introduction of a well worn "previously unknown species" trope. Honestly, outside of maybe padding an undernourished script these underwater monsters don't add much to the proceedings. Watch this if you're partial to the subgenre otherwise it's okay to skip it. 75/100
Yeah, I was surprised to find this better than it should have been. Can't necessarily run out and recommend it to everybody but it's certainly better than I as expecting.

[Captain Spaulding]

(Or maybe The Devil's Rejects and the popular image of the one character in clown makeup?).

Ahem . . .

https://i.imgur.com/qDCXZhh.gif

[xSookieStackhouse]

Shes All That <3 (1999) 10/10 i had to rewatch it cause its one of my favorite movies in the 90s <3
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2Y0N2YyOTQtMGNiYy00ZDViLTgxYmItODkxNzlkMWVjNTFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg
https://media0.giphy.com/media/3og0ICUaY6dUtPLgK4/giphy.gif

[Marco]

Five Easy Pieces (1970)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/Five_easy_pieces.jpg
Have to say I was taken aback by this, the sturdiness of the story and the performance of Jack Nicholson....it's a fairly linear film but Nicholson just imbues the character of Bobby. Pent up frustration crossed with a devil-may-care attitude and a good heap of sarcasm. For folk like me that first knew "Jack" for playing "Jack" this was a true revelation....I also believe he was doing a lot of screenwriting during this period too.

4

[Takoma11]

Ahem . . .

https://i.imgur.com/qDCXZhh.gif

Oh, I know. It was your avatar that made me think of it.

[Gabriella]

Wonder Woman 1984 - 6/10

[Marco]

Papillon (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Papillon_2018_poster.png
This was pretty good, some of the dialogue is a bit creaky (Charlie Hunnam's especially) . I can forgive.
3.5

[Gerd]

Another round.- 7/10


Danish masterpiece. Mads mikkelsen had top performance. The ending was very touch

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.writeups.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FJohnny-Mnemonic-Keanu-Reeves-h2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Johnny Mnemonic, 1995

Step on up to this film's portrayal of the horrifying future of . . . January 2021.

Yes, imagine my surprise when someone in this film mentions the current date and it's something like January 2021. The movie's portrayal of a near future is, above anything else, a fascinating window into the limits of imagination when it comes to the future of technological advancement.

Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is an information smuggler. Using an implant in his brain, he stores valuable information until it can be safely downloaded. In exchange for the ability to use the implant, he has given up his long-term memory. As the film begins, Johnny takes on one final job to earn enough money to get the implant removed and restore his memory of his childhood. But the job proves more complicated than expected, and involves a vast conspiracy related to a plague that has infected half of the population.

I know that Keanu Reeves gets a lot of crap for his acting sometimes, but I think that this is a good example of a film that didn't know how to use its main character. The script, which is adapted from a William Gibson novel, struggles to portray characters who feel like actual people.

A huge part of the issue here is the clumsy world-building. About every other conversation feels more like an exposition dump than anything a person would actually say. It's not uncommon to get lines like "So she has NAS?" "Yes, NAS, also known as Nerve Attenuation Syndrome. The same disease that has infected half the planet. No known cure, and huge companies getting rich off of treating it."

Reeves (along with co-stars Dina Meyer, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, and even Takeshi Kitano) are so frequently saddled with clumsy dialogue that it's hard to connect with them or empathize with them. Kitano probably does the best with his role--the head of a large pharmaceutical company whose daughter died of NAS--but that's due to a lot of heavy lifting on his part.

As for the vision of the future? Yikes. Probably the worst moment of the whole thing is when Reeves has to go exploring on the internet. Donning a ridiculous VR-type visor and a pair of gloves, Reeves is forced into an absurd mime act whereby he must act out "physically" interacting with the internet. Years later, Minority Report would do a much better job of showing similar technology. But Johnny Mnemonic seems worried that the audience won't understand anything that isn't shown in the most literal sense of the word. Late in the film, a computer figure says that she is being "burned out" of a database, and we are helpfully shown literal flames dancing around her figure.

There are some innovative glimpses here and there, such as when Johnny discovers that one of the underground hackers is actually a dolphin. There's even some good humor, like when Johnny discovers that the aforementioned dolphin will be performing the delicate brain-straining operation to download the secret information. There is also the occasional interesting image, like a huge pile of plastic-wrapped mannequins or a series of trenchcoated men lining up to take an elevator (echoes of The Matrix probably make this moment seem cooler than it actually is).

Mostly this movie is too silly to enjoy as "real" sci-fi, but not silly enough to hit the heights needed for cult fun status.

2.5

[LChimp]

https://static1.showtimes.com/poster/660x980/ma-raineys-black-bottom-netflix-148634.jpg

I don't think I got this movie. It's just people complaining all the time, ALL THE TIME

[GulfportDoc]

71536
The Midnight Sky (2020)

It’s hard to say which is more precarious: a writer directing his own film, or an actor directing his own film. In this case George Clooney might have been better off selecting someone other than himself as director; or at least investing in a different screenwriter.

The first hour of this film is very engaging. Earth has somehow suffered an unidentified apocalypse which has killed most of its population but for an isolated few. A core of that group has decided to flee the planet in a Noah’s arc type spacecraft, alrhough their destination is not mentioned. Clooney’s character, an aged scientist with terminal cancer, has opted out of the exodus due to his health and age, and has elected to remain by himself at the Arctic base. The first part of the story shows Clooney’s spacious environs and his daily routines, and sets the tone of the film.

He suddenly realizes that a previous space ship which was on a mission to a distant habitable planet and back is not aware of the apocalyptic circumstance on Earth, and must be warned not to land, but to return to the other planet. From that point on the film bounces back and forth between Clooney’s final peril in the arctic station and the life and events occurring on the returning space ship.

It is during the rest of the film where it seems familiar-- reminiscent of other better done space stories. We get a bit of a space soap opera with a pregnancy, philosophical discoveries, and an obligatory fatal accident during a repair outside the spacecraft. These somewhat trite side stories inevitably take away from, rather than enhance, the impact of the story. Felicity Jones as the pregnant astronaut was somewhat wasted in a poorly written role.

During the time that Clooney is maintaining his life as well as continuing his quest to warn the unwitting astronauts who are heading for Earth, a surprise character is introduced-- a little girl who has evidently been accidentally left behind by the group who have fled. Her character is played by the darling Caoilinn Springall, whose lovey eyes and facial expressions are captivating. We won’t reveal the significance of her character so as not to reveal the plot line.

There were a few glaring implausibilities in the film, the most obvious was that the story takes place in 2049, but the scientific sophistication and space travel depicted could not possibly have been discovered within a mere 28 years from our present day. In a tense scene an Arctic radar station suddenly starts sinking into the water beneath the ice it rests upon, sloshing water into the housing, and eventually submerging Clooney along with his life prolonging medication. But the radar station would not have been built upon a frozen body of water, and in any rate the ice would be several feet thick, not the several inches portrayed in the scene. When he emerged from the water he would have been frozen to death in a few minutes. But that circumstance was glossed over.

There was an ambitious score by the veteran Alexandre Desplat, but it’s weight overshot the integrity of the story. Putting it another way, the vaguely cliched story, most especially the one taking place on the space ship, did not have enough quality to warrant such dramatic music.

Clooney has enough heft as a bankable star to attract funding to his projects, but he might be better served returning exclusively to some of the fine acting portrayals he’s been known for, and to leave production to someone else. The Midnight Sky had the makings of a good film, but came up short due to the screenwriting and direction.

Available on Netflix and other streaming services.

Doc’s rating: 5/10

[Thief]

ATTACK THE BLOCK
(2011, Cornish)
Film that starts with A or B • Debut film • Action/adventure film

https://i.imgur.com/vGeqSmc.jpeg

"This is the block. We take care of things our own way. Get me?"


"This is my house!"... "This is our turf!"... "This is our country!"... "This is our planet!"... Films are full of examples of groups of people proudly and loudly proclaiming their place and their right to defend it whichever way they see fit. From Home Alone to Independence Day, to name a few. This British film puts a slight spin on it by putting a teenage street gang on one side and a pack of dog-like aliens that land on their block in London. As the teens realize what is happening, they don't hesitate to go out to protect their place, probably not fully realizing what they're up against.

I had read good to great things about this film for some time, so it's been on my radar for a while. I'm glad to say it was a pleasant surprise. What the film might lack in depth, it more than delivers in intensity and thrills. Even though they are essentially "thugs", there's an infectious energy in the gang that you can't help but root for. They are led by Moses (John Boyega), who apparently craves to be recognized one way or the other; whether it's by the group of friends that follow him or the leading drug dealer in the block that ends up recruiting him or just by the way he and his friends take care of things on "the block".

I had seen Boyega before he blew up with Star Wars since he had a small supporting role on Season 9 of 24, and I could see then that he had the necessary chops to be a good actor. But I was surprised by the restrained ferocity he brings to his role. On the other hand, we have Jodie Whittaker as Sam, an young nurse that is robbed by Moses' gang in the opening scene but who ends up reluctantly paired with them as they fend off the aliens. Whittaker manages to create a great balance between fear, vulnerability, and poise against the gang first, and the aliens second. The rest of the members of the gang also share the same confidence needed for their roles, even if they all don't have excellent acting chops.

Debuting director Joe Cornish manages to make the most of a relatively small budget by maintaining a simplicity to the alien creatures. His direction is not necessarily flashy, but it's efficient and energetic. There are some subtle and interesting tidbits about racial differences and social inequality in the script that hint at Moses mindset. Even if they are not fully explored, I'm glad they are there. It's a way to understand what "the block" is about and why they "take care of things" their own way, which is ultimately a sense of identity and belonging that you can't get anywhere else, and which makes you protect it at all costs; whether it's "the block" or Planet Earth.

Grade: 3.5

[SpelingError]

ATTACK THE BLOCK
(2011, Cornish)
Film that starts with A or B • Debut film • Action/adventure film

https://cdn.onebauer.media/one/media/5ee9/dec7/db00/e547/e289/0936/attack-the-block.jpg?quality=50&width=800&ratio=16-9&format=jpg




"This is my house!"... "This is our turf!"... "This is our country!"... "This is our planet!"... Films are full of examples of groups of people proudly and loudly proclaiming their place and their right to defend it whichever way they see fit. From Home Alone to Independence Day, to name a few. This British film puts a slight spin on it by putting a teenage street gang on one side and a pack of dog-like aliens that land on their block in London. As the teens realize what is happening, they don't hesitate to go out to protect their place, probably not fully realizing what they're up against.

I had read good to great things about this film for some time, so it's been on my radar for a while. I'm glad to say it was a pleasant surprise. What the film might lack in depth, it more than delivers in intensity and thrills. Even though they are essentially "thugs", there's an infectious energy in the gang that you can't help but root for. They are led by Moses (John Boyega), who apparently craves to be recognized one way or the other; whether it's by the group of friends that follow him or the leading drug dealer in the block that ends up recruiting him or just by the way he and his friends take care of things on "the block".

I had seen Boyega before he blew up with Star Wars since he had a small supporting role on Season 9 of 24, and I could see then that he had the necessary chops to be a good actor. But I was surprised by the restrained ferocity he brings to his role. On the other hand, we have Jodie Whittaker as Sam, an young nurse that is robbed by Moses' gang in the opening scene but who ends up reluctantly paired with them as they fend off the aliens. Whittaker manages to create a great balance between fear, vulnerability, and poise against the gang first, and the aliens second. The rest of the members of the gang also share the same confidence needed for their roles, even if they all don't have excellent acting chops.

Debuting director Joe Cornish manages to make the most of a relatively small budget by maintaining a simplicity to the alien creatures. His direction is not necessarily flashy, but it's efficient and energetic. There are some subtle and interesting tidbits about racial differences and social inequality in the script that hint at Moses mindset. Even if they are not fully explored, I'm glad they are there. It's a way to understand what "the block" is about and why they "take care of things" their own way, which is ultimately a sense of identity and belonging that you can't get anywhere else, and which makes you protect it at all costs; whether it's "the block" or Planet Earth.

Grade: 3.5

I've been meaning to check that one out for some time. I guess it's pretty solid, eh?

[Thief]

Yes, it is. Short and breezy. A lot of fun. It's on Tubi.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Big fan of ATTACK THE BLOCK and I feel terribly old now that it's turning 10 this year.

[SpelingError]

Big fan of ATTACK THE BLOCK and I feel terribly old now that it's turning 10 this year.

ok boomer

[ThatDarnMKS]

ok boomer
That's zoomer jargon with your tik toks and your viscos and I'm gonna need you to get off my lawn

[mark f]

Wild Mountain Thyme (John Patrick Shanley, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Lena and Snowball (Brian Herzlinger, 2021) 2 5/10
The Flemish Farm (Jeffrey Dell, 1943) 2.5 6/10
Audrey (Helena Coan, 2020) 3 6.5/10
https://tellusepisode.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Audrey-2020-01-1-700x394.jpg
First half covers Audrey Hepburn's movie and fashion icon career while the second half covers her humanitarian work and personal loneliness.
The Glass Key (Stuart Heisler, 1942) 2.5 6/10
The Triple Echo (Michael Apted, 1972) 3 6.5/10
Alaska Is a Drag (Shaz Bennett, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Games (Curtis Harrington, 1967) 3 6.5/10
https://www.spietati.it/wp-content/uploads/1967/02/ASSASSINIO-AL-TERZO-PIANO-ant-1024x519.jpg
Games are often fun but you should always prepare for the unexpected - even if you're Katharine Ross, James Caan and Simone Signoret.
Action U.S.A. (John Stewart, 1989) 2.5 5.5/10
32 Weeks (Brian Cavallaro, 2020) 2 5/10
Asphalt Burning AKA Burning 3 (Hallvard Bræin, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2020) 3+ 6.5/10
https://www.cinestar.de/media/cache/web_l/media/video_screenshots/65/6579_15.481294.jpg
Nomad Frances McDormand sees a lot of the U.S. due to the Great Recession.
Midnight Lace (David Miller, 1960) 3- 6.5/10
It Happened at the World's Fair (Norman Taurog, 1963) 2.5 5.5/10
Death on the Nile (John Guillermin, 1978) 3.5 7/10
The Twentieth Century (Matthew Rankin, 2019) 2.5+ 6/10
https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tIQYXRgA-e1603987100875.jpeg?w=780
Bizarre, to say the least, Guy Maddinesque film has plenty of laughs, violence and "Canadian history" to go around.
The Romance of Rosy Ridge (Roy Rowland, 1947) 2.5 6/10
The Hucksters (Jack Conway, 1947) 3 6.5/10
Fatale (Deon Taylor, 2020) 2 5/10
Sequoia (Andy Landen, 2014) 2.5 6/10
https://alchetron.com/cdn/sequoia-2014-film-de839fe8-3f44-404b-937c-3447085622d-resize-750.jpeg
Amateur songwriter Dustin Milligan and lonely but outrageous cancer sufferer Aly Michalka meet at Sequoia National Park where she plans to commit suicide.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Evil Under the Sun - I really enjoyed this movie. It was a bit surprising too because I was underwhelmed by the recent version of Murder On the Orient Express with Kenneth Branagh playing Hercule Poirot. This one has Peter Ustinov as the Belgian sleuth and he in turn is simply marvelous. Actually the entire cast is outstanding. I haven't seen this many campy performances in a movie since I don't know when. Maybe Flash Gordon? But whether it's Ustinov as the persnickety Poirot or Roddy McDowall as an effete author and scandal monger or Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg as rival divas or James Mason and Sylvia Miles as husband and wife theatrical producers everyone seems to be having a great time. They throw themselves into their roles with great gusto.

Poirot is hired by millionaire Sir Horace Blatt (Colin Blakely in yet another colorful performance) to track down Arlena Stuart Marshall (Rigg). She's the woman to whom he gifted a large diamond as an engagement present only to have her break off the engagement and keep the diamond. When he finally gets it back it turns out to be a fake. Poirot follows her to an exclusive hotel on a Mediterranean island run by Daphne Castle (Smith). From there it's just a case of setting up the players in what inevitably will turn into a murder investigation. Nothing new under the sun for aficionados of drawing room mysteries but the locale and the cast of peacocks make for an engrossing two hours. 90/100

[Daniel M]

Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2020) 3+ 6.5/10

I'm gonna watch this soon. Just getting round to any major stuff I missed from last year.

What would you say were your rough top ten films? I've tried to follow your posts the best I can so can roughly recall quite a few ratings, but wanted to check if I've missed anything. I know we definitely have some crossover where we enjoyed stuff like Mank, Chicago 7 and Bacurau :)

[mark f]

Have you checked this thread (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=63009&highlight=2020)?

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdyn1.heritagestatic.com%2Flf%3Fset%3Dpath%255B1%252F8%252F8%252F2%252F8%252F1882838 8%255D%26call%3Durl%255Bfile%253Aproduct.chain%255D&f=1&nofb=1

Invasion of the Saucer Men, 1957

I mean, just get a good look at that poster.

I've actually put off checking this film out because how could it possibly live up to the promise of that poster? Those wonderfully disproportionate heads! The vibrant green! Those big eyes!

Of course, the film can't and doesn't live up to the promise of the poster, but it was still a fun enough ride.

A couple of teenagers out at the town's local hook up spot are heading home when their car hits something. Given that earlier in the film several characters mentioned spotting UFOs, it's no surprise when we discover that they've hit an alien. But when another town resident turns up dead, the teens are in trouble with the law as they try to convince the local police that they hit an alien and are not responsible for the death of the other man.

The best thing that the film has going for it is its sense of humor. It's clear from the beginning that this movie is meant to be silly, and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the comedic twists and turns in the film. For example, after killing the alien the couple notices some other aliens hitting the man's car. Later, the astonished young man declares that the aliens intentionally dented his fender to help frame him for the death of the local man. "It's a frame job!" he declares. There's also an entire subplot about a farmer being protective of his prize bull. Oh, and the weapon of choice for the aliens is injecting people with alcohol so they get drunk and can't remember anything.. The alien costumes, when we do see them, are pretty ridiculous. But it works out okay because the film isn't actually expecting us to take them seriously as a threat.

The downside to the film is that it seems determined to keep the aliens off screen for as long as possible. This means spending a lot of time with the teenage couple on their various adventures. And the couple is . . . okay. Neither of them have personalities that are overly winning, and frankly I don't even really remember their names. The young woman talks almost exclusively about when they get married and when she has babies. This is like her only defined trait. (There's also a kind of icky part where they are at the hookup spot and she sees something that makes her scream and someone from another car tells him, "Ease up, Johnny," and another guy yells for him to "Go for it, man!". Ha. Gross.)

The film is very 50s, for better or for worse. There's a subplot about a secret government agency whose job is to keep the people from knowing about aliens and alien spaceships. This is a fine and funny concept, but the two main characters of this subplot are just as poorly defined as the leads. The best defined character of the whole thing might just be the farmer and his sassy bull.

An easy watch. Not highly recommended, but not a time-waster, either.

2.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.filmindependent.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FMadMax2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior, 1981

I had it on good authority that I would really enjoy this entry in the Mad Max, and sure enough I really did.

Following the events of the first film (which honestly wouldn't be necessary to enjoy this one), Max (Mel Gibson) roams the dystopian Australian outback with his dog, searching for food and gasoline. When he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a (relatively) peaceful group led by a man named Pappagello (Michael Preston) and a destructive, violent road gang led by the masked Humungus and his main enforcer, Wez (Vernon Wells), Max must decide how much he is willing to extend past his initial transactional agreement with the group. Also along for the ride is a wacky helicopter pilot (Bruce Spence), a warrior woman (Virginia Hey), a paraplegic mechanic (Steve Spears), and a feral child (Emil Minty).

It's funny to think that the main strength of a movie that features flamethrowers and outlandish, bondage-inspired costumes is a less is more approach, but I found that the main heft of the film comes from a certain degree of minimalism when it comes to the main character. There are a lot of movies about tough, cynical men surviving in post-apocalyptic landscapes--and in 99% of them it just takes the right helpless woman or helpless child (or both) to open their hearts. But this isn't a film about Max transforming into a husband or father figure.

From beginning to end, Max never lets go of a certain degree of aloofness. And it makes sense. He has suffered a terrible loss and has no wish to open himself up to that pain again. The film repeatedly offers out possibilities to Max: the feral child, the straight-forward and awesome warrior woman, the pilot. All of them offer that chance for connection--fatherhood, romance, sex, love, friendship. And the great emotional heft of the film comes from the way that you can see some part of Max responding to them before choosing to close himself off again. There's an honesty to this response to trauma--Max is a tragic figure, and the emotional distance he keeps from the other characters is part of his survival. Significantly, none of the characters who represent this potential--the child, the warrior woman, the pilot--are ever given names. I've always gotten weird vibes off of Mel Gibson (even before the whole wishing rape on a woman and using racial slurs thing came to light), but here that nervous, strange energy is put to good use. Gibson does a great job at portraying a man who depends on his outsider status for the sake of his sanity.

Then there's the world-building, which I thought was pretty great. Given the bleak situation, some choose to try to rebuild--the more peaceful group--while others seem only interested in a nihilistic grab-bag approach. I read in an article (so feel free to correct me if this is wrong) that the writers (including director George Miller) wanted to portray a society where gender roles have lost their meaning. Thus Wez's romantic companion, originally a female character, became the Golden Youth. The Warrior Woman apparently was originally meant to be a male character. (This gender parity only extends so far into the film itself, as the only victim of sexual violence is a female character). But this world building also creates a landscape in which Max has no home. He cannot open himself up to the optimism and community of the peaceful group, nor can he ignore his conscience and become a ruthless scavenger like the violent gangs.

One aspect of the film I wasn't sure how to interpret was all of the blatantly gay or homoerotic content. Everything form the fetish leather outfits to the chain that the Golden Youth wears, to the fact that one of the parts of the violent gang is called the Gayboy Berserkers. The violent gang is almost entirely male (with a handful of female characters in the background and one female character used in a visual gag), and I couldn't tell if this was meant to be a commentary on their philosophy (ie there is no need for a balanced society and reproduction because they don't care about the future and long-term survival) or what.

The last thing that I appreciated in the film was the portrayal of violence. It is a violent film, to be sure. Characters are burned, stabbed, shot, crushed and so on. But what makes the action hit hard in this movie is the "routine" and inelegant and arbitrary nature of it all. Characters in this movie are as likely to die accidentally (falling off of a moving vehicle or being hit by a truck) as they are to die doing something noble. And when the main action scenes get going, a character we care about deeply is just as likely to die in a quick scene with little comment as some random extra. There aren't any "heroic" deaths in this film. Yes, characters die doing noble things like defending their companions, but it's always ugly and unfair and cruel. No more so than when (MAJOR SPOILERS) the Warrior Woman is mortally wounded and the Mechanic tries to keep the gang from grabbing her, only for them fall between vehicles and presumably get crushed..

Overall I really enjoyed this one. Mad Max Fury Road is probably one of my favorite films from the last 10 years, and this one had a lot of the same dynamics that I loved about it.

4.5

[cricket]

VFW (2019)

3+

https://pa1.narvii.com/7716/bc3aca002bd3744339e1c7d5896f21173fb3bc1fr1-500-299_hq.gif

This is for the same type of viewer as Becky which I watched a couple of days ago, but this 80's throwback is a hell of a lot more fun. Guys hanging at their VFW defend their lives against crazed junkies looking for their stolen dope. There is so much violence that the battles with the drug fiends resemble something out of a zombie movie. Definitely recommended as long as you know what you're getting into.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.writeups.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FJohnny-Mnemonic-Keanu-Reeves-h2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Johnny Mnemonic, 1995

There are some innovative glimpses here and there, such as when Johnny discovers that one of the underground hackers is actually a dolphin. There's even some good humor, like when Johnny discovers that the aforementioned dolphin will be performing the delicate brain-straining operation to download the secret information.

2.5

Um, wut?

[Wooley]

Big fan of ATTACK THE BLOCK and I feel terribly old now that it's turning 10 this year.

Me too, considering I was already 40 when I saw it the first time.

[Wooley]

I've been meaning to check that one out for some time. I guess it's pretty solid, eh?

Pop, you haven't seen Attack The Block? It's quite fun.

[Wooley]

Evil Under the Sun - I really enjoyed this movie. It was a bit surprising too because I was underwhelmed by the recent version of Murder On the Orient Express with Kenneth Branagh playing Hercule Poirot. This one has Peter Ustinov as the Belgian sleuth and he in turn is simply marvelous. Actually the entire cast is outstanding. I haven't seen this many campy performances in a movie since I don't know when. Maybe Flash Gordon? But whether it's Ustinov as the persnickety Poirot or Roddy McDowall as an effete author and scandal monger or Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg as rival divas or James Mason and Sylvia Miles as husband and wife theatrical producers everyone seems to be having a great time. They throw themselves into their roles with great gusto.

Poirot is hired by millionaire Sir Horace Blatt (Colin Blakely in yet another colorful performance) to track down Arlena Stuart Marshall (Rigg). She's the woman to whom he gifted a large diamond as an engagement present only to have her break off the engagement and keep the diamond. When he finally gets it back it turns out to be a fake. Poirot follows her to an exclusive hotel on a Mediterranean island run by Daphne Castle (Smith). From there it's just a case of setting up the players in what inevitably will turn into a murder investigation. Nothing new under the sun for aficionados of drawing room mysteries but the locale and the cast of peacocks make for an engrossing two hours. 90/100

While I actually rather enjoyed Branaugh's Poirot (and Finney's too) and look forward to the next one, I have always enjoyed Ustinov's version of the character and both Death On The Nile and Evil Under The Sun.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.filmindependent.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FMadMax2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior, 1981

I had it on good authority that I would really enjoy this entry in the Mad Max, and sure enough I really did.

Following the events of the first film (which honestly wouldn't be necessary to enjoy this one), Max (Mel Gibson) roams the dystopian Australian outback with his dog, searching for food and gasoline. When he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a (relatively) peaceful group led by a man named Pappagello (Michael Preston) and a destructive, violent road gang led by the masked Humungus and his main enforcer, Wez (Vernon Wells), Max must decide how much he is willing to extend past his initial transactional agreement with the group. Also along for the ride is a wacky helicopter pilot (Bruce Spence), a warrior woman (Virginia Hey), a paraplegic mechanic (Steve Spears), and a feral child (Emil Minty).

It's funny to think that the main strength of a movie that features flamethrowers and outlandish, bondage-inspired costumes is a less is more approach, but I found that the main heft of the film comes from a certain degree of minimalism when it comes to the main character. There are a lot of movies about tough, cynical men surviving in post-apocalyptic landscapes--and in 99% of them it just takes the right helpless woman or helpless child (or both) to open their hearts. But this isn't a film about Max transforming into a husband or father figure.

From beginning to end, Max never lets go of a certain degree of aloofness. And it makes sense. He has suffered a terrible loss and has no wish to open himself up to that pain again. The film repeatedly offers out possibilities to Max: the feral child, the straight-forward and awesome warrior woman, the pilot. All of them offer that chance for connection--fatherhood, romance, sex, love, friendship. And the great emotional heft of the film comes from the way that you can see some part of Max responding to them before choosing to close himself off again. There's an honesty to this response to trauma--Max is a tragic figure, and the emotional distance he keeps from the other characters is part of his survival. Significantly, none of the characters who represent this potential--the child, the warrior woman, the pilot--are ever given names. I've always gotten weird vibes off of Mel Gibson (even before the whole wishing rape on a woman and using racial slurs thing came to light), but here that nervous, strange energy is put to good use. Gibson does a great job at portraying a man who depends on his outsider status for the sake of his sanity.

Then there's the world-building, which I thought was pretty great. Given the bleak situation, some choose to try to rebuild--the more peaceful group--while others seem only interested in a nihilistic grab-bag approach. I read in an article (so feel free to correct me if this is wrong) that the writers (including director George Miller) wanted to portray a society where gender roles have lost their meaning. Thus Wez's romantic companion, originally a female character, became the Golden Youth. The Warrior Woman apparently was originally meant to be a male character. (This gender parity only extends so far into the film itself, as the only victim of sexual violence is a female character). But this world building also creates a landscape in which Max has no home. He cannot open himself up to the optimism and community of the peaceful group, nor can he ignore his conscience and become a ruthless scavenger like the violent gangs.

One aspect of the film I wasn't sure how to interpret was all of the blatantly gay or homoerotic content. Everything form the fetish leather outfits to the chain that the Golden Youth wears, to the fact that one of the parts of the violent gang is called the Gayboy Berserkers. The violent gang is almost entirely male (with a handful of female characters in the background and one female character used in a visual gag), and I couldn't tell if this was meant to be a commentary on their philosophy (ie there is no need for a balanced society and reproduction because they don't care about the future and long-term survival) or what.

The last thing that I appreciated in the film was the portrayal of violence. It is a violent film, to be sure. Characters are burned, stabbed, shot, crushed and so on. But what makes the action hit hard in this movie is the "routine" and inelegant and arbitrary nature of it all. Characters in this movie are as likely to die accidentally (falling off of a moving vehicle or being hit by a truck) as they are to die doing something noble. And when the main action scenes get going, a character we care about deeply is just as likely to die in a quick scene with little comment as some random extra. There aren't any "heroic" deaths in this film. Yes, characters die doing noble things like defending their companions, but it's always ugly and unfair and cruel. No more so than when (MAJOR SPOILERS) the Warrior Woman is mortally wounded and the Mechanic tries to keep the gang from grabbing her, only for them fall between vehicles and presumably get crushed..

Overall I really enjoyed this one. Mad Max Fury Road is probably one of my favorite films from the last 10 years, and this one had a lot of the same dynamics that I loved about it.

4.5

I am extremely pleased that you enjoyed it, it has been a favorite of mine for like 35 years.
The spoiler scene you mention above is a good call-out from you for the reason you point out.
I will say that people who were blown away by Fury Road perplexed me a bit as, while I liked it a lot and thought it was really well done, it seemed largely to just be The Road Warrior updated for a contemporary audience. And I don't mean that as a criticism, merely that it wasn't new in any way to the George Miller universe it was just the next one. Unless you hadn't seen The Road Warrior (or Beyond Thunderdome, for that matter).

[SpelingError]

Pop, you haven't seen Attack The Block? It's quite fun.

Not yet, but I plan to soon.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Not yet, but I plan to soon.It took me quite awhile to catch this too. It's definitely worth a watch.

[StuSmallz]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.filmindependent.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FMadMax2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior, 1981

It's funny to think that the main strength of a movie that features flamethrowers and outlandish, bondage-inspired costumes is a less is more approach, but I found that the main heft of the film comes from a certain degree of minimalism when it comes to the main character. There are a lot of movies about tough, cynical men surviving in post-apocalyptic landscapes--and in 99% of them it just takes the right helpless woman or helpless child (or both) to open their hearts. But this isn't a film about Max transforming into a husband or father figure.

From beginning to end, Max never lets go of a certain degree of aloofness. And it makes sense. He has suffered a terrible loss and has no wish to open himself up to that pain again. The film repeatedly offers out possibilities to Max: the feral child, the straight-forward and awesome warrior woman, the pilot. All of them offer that chance for connection--fatherhood, romance, sex, love, friendship. And the great emotional heft of the film comes from the way that you can see some part of Max responding to them before choosing to close himself off again. There's an honesty to this response to trauma--Max is a tragic figure, and the emotional distance he keeps from the other characters is part of his survival. Significantly, none of the characters who represent this potential--the child, the warrior woman, the pilot--are ever given names. I've always gotten weird vibes off of Mel Gibson (even before the whole wishing rape on a woman and using racial slurs thing came to light), but here that nervous, strange energy is put to good use. Gibson does a great job at portraying a man who depends on his outsider status for the sake of his sanity.Glad to see that you liked this one, Takoma; I like it a lot as well as you can see here (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/mad-max-2/1/) (I should probably post that review here soon, come to think of it). Great, colorful, minimalist post-apocalyptic action. One thing I feel differently about in it, however, would be Max, which, despite me generally preferring subtlety in film, and the fact that his characterization certainly rings true considering what he went through in the original film, I still feel like the film underplayed his arc a bit too much; it feels like almost all of it was conveyed through The Feral Child's bookending narration (in other words, the film lets us know that Max regained some of his humanity by literally telling us that he did, without really showing it), and The Road Warrior could've really used at least one big "My name is Max" moment of humanization for him, ala Fury Road:


https://youtu.be/Ltx3BuVVEr8

Still a great film besides that nit-pick, though, and thinking about it drives home how, while it doesn't seem as though George Miller had an overarching "master plan" for the series, he still did a good job of making it seem like he did in retrospect, by intentionally looking back at previous entries and building on top of them, like how Fury Road finally gave Max a strong redemption arc, or how The Road Warrior goes all in on the post-apocalyptic setting that the first film only hinted at (which was an accident, because they didn't have the money to shoot at decent locations in the original), or how Mad Max ends up feeling like an intentional origin story (instead of a standalone, one-off film) for how the main character ended up as an survivalist drifter, constantly alienating himself from what's left of society, considering that all the sequels followed in its wake in that regard, y'know?

[Fabulous]

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/tuiupUeJrNQkmO6LADHOSjbGJ6E.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://wehaveahulk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Round-Photo-by-Henrik-Ohsten.jpg
Another Round (2020, Thomas Vinterberg)
4
I was really impressed by how deftly this film manages a balancing act between its different moods. From comedy to drama, it runs a wide gamut of emotions, sometimes mixing a whole bunch of them together in a dizzying, intoxicating cocktail. Throughout the film, the fluid handheld camerawork perfectly brings across the atmosphere of being slightly buzzed, following the characters as the 'pro mille' experiment inevitably strays out of control. I applaud Vinterberg not going full throttle pessimistic with this film - the morally ambiguous, bittersweet approach works really well, and the characters come through warm, relatable and very humane. The closing 'dance' sequence is pure magic and captures the mood brilliantly - listening to the Meters' Cissy Strut as the closing credits rolled, I thought to myself, "Hey this is also - kind of - about us trying to escape and get over the pandemic-stricken 2020, about giving the world just the right dose of optimism to move on despite the problems and depression all around." A perfect escapist movie.

P.S.
Mads Mikkelsen delivers a wonderful performance, but the whole cast does a great job, really.

[xSookieStackhouse]

I am extremely pleased that you enjoyed it, it has been a favorite of mine for like 35 years.
The spoiler scene you mention above is a good call-out from you for the reason you point out.
I will say that people who were blown away by Fury Road perplexed me a bit as, while I liked it a lot and thought it was really well done, it seemed largely to just be The Road Warrior updated for a contemporary audience. And I don't mean that as a criticism, merely that it wasn't new in any way to the George Miller universe it was just the next one. Unless you hadn't seen The Road Warrior (or Beyond Thunderdome, for that matter).

my ex boyfriend is huge fan of mad max movies lol, i only saw mad max 1-2 thats all :rolleyes::p

[hell_storm2004]

https://i0.wp.com/www.thisishorror.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/howl_cover.jpg?fit=1063%2C1500&ssl=1




Howl (2015) - 4/10. A very tame creature feature flick from England. Decently acted, but the story is the same old schlock of guys and gals stuck a certain situation, one douche bag, creatures in bad costumes etc. It was available on Prime, so didn't hurt much.

[ScarletLion]

'Collective' (2020)

Dir.: Alexander Nanau

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Collective_2019_poster.jpg

Extraordinary, infuriating, shocking documentary about political corruption in the Romanian healthcare system. In 2015, a fire at Bucharest's 'Colectiv' club leaves 27 dead and 180 injured, but in the days after, a further 34 deaths occured. Deaths that were preventable. I see alot of films that are so real that they almost feel documentary like but it's very rare that a documentary feels like a film such is the way it's crafted, the lack of narration, the way it's presented and the crazyness of the story.

A few of the scenes in this are so shocking that they provoked audible reactions. It's an incredible piece of work, not just because it's an interesting watch but because it feels like something that is very close to happening even in the most developed nations in the world. There are echoes of this political corruption everywhere. Amongst all of the disturbing scenes - there are moments of real beauty - one survivor's story is particularly moving.

The people who brought us this (notably journalist Catalin Tolontan) are heroes for showing so much tenacity and bravery. As documentaries go it's hard not to give it a 10 out of 10.

5

[hell_storm2004]

https://i2.wp.com/gravereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vacancy.jpg?resize=884%2C498&ssl=1




Vacancy (2007) - 5/10. Decent enough. Could have been more violent. A little unbelievable in a few places. But worth a watch.

[the samoan lawyer]

Hotel Mumbai (2018) - 3+
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) - 2.5+
The Jesus Rolls (2019) - 1.5
Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) - 2.5+

[Darth Wish]

The Fifth Estate

71570

The story of Wikileaks and it's founder Julian Assange.
Most know the story about Wikileaks and Assange what with his demise and long stay at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
I was somewhat underwhelmed by this as it was more a character assassination of Assange than it was about the Fifth Estate.
The hypocrisy of governments around the world was evident and the half cocked use of "Patriot Acts" and "classified information" to cover up wrongdoing and negligence by them while trying to silence others who don't believe the diatribe they spout on media outlets around the world.
What was disappointing was Benedict Cumberbatchs' portrayal as he sounded more like Alan Rickman than Assange and the playing down of the atrocities leaked to appease politicians and American ones in particular with little attention given to them.

5/10

[Takoma11]

Um, wut?

I realize that sentence is intriguing. But the revolutionary dolphin is not quite as fun as it sounds.

I will say that people who were blown away by Fury Road perplexed me a bit as, while I liked it a lot and thought it was really well done, it seemed largely to just be The Road Warrior updated for a contemporary audience. And I don't mean that as a criticism, merely that it wasn't new in any way to the George Miller universe it was just the next one.

Having seen both, here are some ways in which I feel Fury Road thematically expands on The Road Warrior

--It gives us a more explicit understanding of the men in the violent gangs, and specifically the culture they have built up around masculinity and sacrifice. It allows one of the gang members to undergo a character arc.

--In Furiosa it gives Max a foil--someone else who is disillusioned and alienated.

--It expands on the way that strategically withholding resources and creating scarcity can allow control over a group.

One thing I feel differently about in it, however, would be Max, which, despite me generally preferring subtlety in film, and the fact that his characterization certainly rings true considering what he went through in the original film, I still feel like the film underplayed his arc a bit too much; it feels like almost all of it was conveyed through The Feral Child's bookending narration (in other words, the film lets us know that Max regained some of his humanity by literally telling us that he did, without really showing it), and The Road Warrior could've really used at least one big "My name is Max" moment of humanization for him, ala Fury Road.

I think that Max is always humanized, but just aloof. For example, giving the child the music box. And I appreciated the honesty behind the fact that him helping the group was largely about revenge for the actions of the violent gang.

[Captain Terror]

I think that Max is always humanized, but just aloof. For example, giving the child the music box. And I appreciated the honesty behind the fact that him helping the group was largely about revenge for the actions of the violent gang.
Now I'm wondering how you'll feel about Thunderdome

[Allaby]

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011) 8/10

[ThatDarnMKS]

An element of Fury Road that isn't present in The Road Warrior is the way it organically establishes that every single individual and thing is commodified in a horrifically direct fashion.

-Beautiful women become breeders.
- Older women are milked like cows.
- Max is a "blood bag."
- War boys only exist to be foot soldiers

Little details are peppered throughout, like Max's shorn hair immediately being collected and him being tattooed with his purpose. This goes beyond the usual scavenging and the mighty controlling materials. In FR, the inhabitants of this world are the materials worth controlling.

It's an idea that makes the subtext more pointed towards today's society.

I only wish FR were slightly less polished and processed to capture the roughness and grittiness of RW. It would then be perfection (it's already pretty darn close and my admiration grows with every viewing).

[Captain Terror]

I only wish FR were slightly less polished and processed to capture the roughness and grittiness of RW. It would then be perfection (it's already pretty darn close and my admiration grows with every viewing).

Yes. I could've done without the CG-tornadoes and stuff, but that's just me nitpicking. One of my favorite movies nevertheless.

[SpidermanTrilogy07]

Terminator dark fate A- This can't, be understated it, felt like a terminator film!

[Stirchley]

71581

Worst movie poster ever. And senseless as the movie is b/w. Re-watch of a great American classic.

71582

So sad & delightful. Perfect movie.

71583

Ralph Fiennes OTT in an amusing way. Not bad at all.

[matt72582]

The Strange One - 6/10

[Torgo]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=71581

That is pretty bad. It's worthy of a caption contest.
"What happened to your wristwatch?"

[matt72582]

Papillon (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Papillon_2018_poster.png
This was pretty good, some of the dialogue is a bit creaky (Charlie Hunnam's especially) . I can forgive.
rating_3_5


I hope you saw the original with Steve McQueen!

[Stirchley]

I hope you saw the original with Steve McQueen!

I really hate re-makes.

[matt72582]

I really hate re-makes.


Me too - they don't re-make em like they used to!


The only re-makes I have seen were by chance; didn't know they were re-makes, such as the second "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "A Star is Born" w/ Judy Garland..



Even if its a movie I love - no way I'm going to look into that abyss.

[Stirchley]

Me too - they don't re-make em like they used to!


The only re-makes I have seen were by chance; didn't know they were re-makes, such as the second "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "A Star is Born" w/ Judy Garland..



Even if its a movie I love - no way I'm going to look into that abyss.

I suppose they want to appeal to a younger “fresher” audience & I get this, but to re-make a movie such as Far from the Madding Crowd or The Thomas Crown Affair (to name just two) is absurd at best & downright insulting at worst.

[WrinkledMind]

Watched Psych 2:Lassie Come Home. Like the first movie this is strictly for the fans. Can't see others enjoying it as much as a fan of the series would. It's like an extended episode.
Was also nice to see Timothy Omundson continuing his recovery from stroke.

[hell_storm2004]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q_2gWS9PbHE/maxresdefault.jpg




Sound of Metal (2020) - 7.2/10. Riz Ahmed turns in an Oscar worthy performance in this one. Certainly one of the best movies of the year. In a year where Netflix is booming, good to see something good to come out from Amazon. The slow spiraling out of control is shown wonderfully. And Riz just holds the movie together from start to finish.

[hell_storm2004]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tezEZsq0h_g/maxresdefault.jpg




Jallikattu (2020) - 4/10. This is India's entry for the Oscars. Not a very good one at that. I can understand what they were going for (humans are the real animals in this world, sort of thing), but the execution and story telling were totally a miss. The only thing going for it is the camerawork and lighting. But since, its only the considering the best "movie", it falls flat there coz the story is weak.

[GulfportDoc]

71599
Night Editor (1946)

One of the best “B” films noir, it’s quite a tawdry story shoe-horned into a 68 minute running time.

A night editor on a police beat tells the story of a married detective who has an affair with a society dame who is also married. While necking near the beach they witness a murder. Though they both recognize the murderer, they decide at first not to finger the criminal for fear of exposing their own affair. Later the detective changes his mind, but his erstwhile cold blooded paramour refuses.

The detective played by reliable “B” picture star William Gargan turns out to have a conscience, but his lover played by the gorgeous Janis Carter turns out to be one of the most memorable femme fatales in noir history—a danger seeking sadomasochist who gets aroused combining physical harm with sex. This role definitely slipped by the 1946 censors! All movies done in the mid 20th Century were regulated by the Hays Code to be in effect G-rated. But parents must have had some fast talking to do if they took the kids to this one.

Outside of the two principals, there were nice roles for the sweetheart Jeff Donnell (In a Lonely Place, Sweet Smell of Success) as Garagan’s wife, and the venerable Harry Shannon (High Noon, Executive Suite) as the story teller. Director Henry Levin had a long career to 1980 as a director of mostly light comedies.

In true “B” style because of low funding it tickled me to notice that the detective’s car was an early 1930s model which seemed out of place. Then it dawned on me that most of the picture was a flash back to 1932 from the year 1946, but they hadn’t bothered to make the sets, cars or clothing conform to 1932! They simply didn’t have the budget.

This picture is a must-see for all noir fans!

[Takoma11]

An element of Fury Road that isn't present in The Road Warrior is the way it organically establishes that every single individual and thing is commodified in a horrifically direct fashion.

Right--this is a different type of violence from the destruction of The Road Warrior, where you get the sense that they don't care about babies or lineage or the future.

In Fury Road society has, to a degree, been rebuilt. But it has been rebuilt in a way to benefit those at the top while using artificial scarcity to keep those at the bottom too busy to rise up.

I suppose they want to appeal to a younger “fresher” audience & I get this, but to re-make a movie such as Far from the Madding Crowd or The Thomas Crown Affair (to name just two) is absurd at best & downright insulting at worst.

I think that the 2015 version of Far from the Madding Crowd is a visually lush, well-acted film that does a great job in translating the major themes from the book in a condensed form.

[Stirchley]

I think that the 2015 version of Far from the Madding Crowd is a visually lush, well-acted film that does a great job in translating the major themes from the book in a condensed form.

Have you seen the original?

[xSookieStackhouse]

Save The Last Dance (2001) loved to rewatched my dvd collection 10/10 one of my favorite dance films , loved the music and the cast especially julia stiles, loved her on 10 things i hate about you =]
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/Save_the_Last_Dance_2001_original_film_art_5000x.jpg?v=1569078128

[Takoma11]

Have you seen the original?

Not yet--it's on my watchlist because I've heard good things.

I watched the 2015 film because I read a really glowing review of it, then I liked it so much that I read the novel. Then I decided it's one of those novels that I'll watch pretty much any adaptation of it.

[Stirchley]

Not yet--it's on my watchlist because I've heard good things.

I watched the 2015 film because I read a really glowing review of it, then I liked it so much that I read the novel. Then I decided it's one of those novels that I'll watch pretty much any adaptation of it.

I hated the re-make. Just could not see Mulligan as Bathsheba. And the guy from Belgium (too lazy & can’t spell his name) did not resonate as Gabriel. (Huge fan of both BTW.)

In any case the original ruined the re-make for me. Julie Christie, Terry Stamp & Finch were so so perfect. One of my fave movies of all time.

It is a great book by Hardy, as you know. :)

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FjZZEQSwu9SE%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

41, 2012

Grad student Aidan is a bit adrift in life. His grandmother, his closest relative and the woman who raised him, is terminally ill. He's coming off of a break up with his girlfriend, Lauren. Then one day he sees . . . himself. Another version of himself who approaches and warns him to stay away from a certain hotel. Weirded out, Aiden has a chance encounter with Lauren and the two spend a companionable evening together that ends tragically. When another strange person again mentions the hotel, Aiden discovers a hole/portal in the floor of a hotel room that sends a person back in time 12 hours. Aiden becomes determined to change the course of events with Lauren.

This movie had . . . some complicated feelings about itself.

In the middle of the film, Aidan attends a small meeting of philosophy professors, asking them about time-travel under the guise of a book he is writing. As the men discuss the different theories of time travle (can you change events? Are you just creating parallel universes? etc), the sequence turns into a meta-discussion of the film itself. "Why is he going back in time?" asks one professor. "To save someone he loves, his ex-girlfriend," Aidan answers. "Pfft, of course. Cliche," the professor responds. The film even lampshades its own (lack of) special effects. "What happens when he goes into the hole? Is it a portal or something?" "Nah, it's just a hole in the floor. He goes in and then he comes out." "Well that's not exciting." But I actually enjoyed this scene. It goes a step beyond lampshading because the conversation he has changes his approach to what he has been doing. The film's message is ultimately interesting and I appreciated its resolution.

What makes the film less successful is what feels like a very contrived first third/half. The plot hinges on Aidan repeatedly being unsuccessful in changing events. But everything he tries is just SO DUMB. If you knew that someone was going to die in a car crash, would you solve that problem by hiding in the bushes and then jumping out in front of that car? Aiden has hours and hours to change the trajectory of himself or Lauren, but over and over his efforts are just stupid. The film kind of boxes itself in, because it needs Aidan to fail, but so many possible solutions immediately come to mind (like slashing the car tires, or calling himself or Lauren and faking an emergency, etc) that it's hard to watch Aidan make dumb choices over and over.

In terms of low-budget sci-fi, this is fine. The performances are all good and the premise is fun. It definitely didn't end the way that I thought it would, and that's a compliment. I just wish that the first half were a little more polished.

3

[Takoma11]

I hated the re-make. Just could not see Mulligan as Bathsheba. And the guy from Belgium (too lazy & can’t spell his name) did not resonate as Gabriel. (Huge fan of both BTW.)

In any case the original ruined the re-make for me. Julie Christie, Terry Stamp & Finch were so so perfect. One of my fave movies of all time.

It is a great book by Hardy, as you know. :)

I liked all of the actors in their parts. And I thought that the imagery and use of color was really beautiful. But then again, they were the first versions of those characters that I encountered. But when I read the book, I didn't have any moments of like "Wait a minute!". I'm looking forward to the original. I don't mind having several adaptations of a novel I love--I can happily enjoy multiple versions of Hamlet or Pride and Prejudice.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM1ZGNkN2UtZGRjZC00Y2Q0LTg2YWUtZWQ2MDI1ODhkNTIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM0NTU5Mg@@._V1_UY1200_CR78,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg



1.5

[John Dumbear]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM1ZGNkN2UtZGRjZC00Y2Q0LTg2YWUtZWQ2MDI1ODhkNTIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM0NTU5Mg@@._V1_UY1200_CR78,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg



1.5


That high? 😁

[Gideon58]

It only got a rating that high out of my respect for the Beatles.

[Cobra]

American Pie 2 (2001):
A great sequel that lives up to the original. It ties with it. The scenes at Tall Oaks are hilarious.
9/10
American Wedding (2003):
The 3rd film in the quadrilogy, probably has the funniest scene in the series with the bachelor party. The European cousin.
9/10
American Reunion (2012):
A proper conclusion to the series. Jim’s Dad being drunk was awesome.
8.5/10

[Allaby]

Piranha (2010) 8/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nziff.co.nz%2Fassets%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2Fiw%2Fs8%2F8u%2F1m%2FSLUT_IN_A_GO OD_WAY_%255BLaurent_Gu%25C3%25A9rin%255D3%2520KEY_web-800-800-450-450-crop-fill.jpg%3Fk%3D6ede318db4&f=1&nofb=1

Slut in a Good Way, 2018

I really enjoyed this sweet little Canadian comedy.

Charlotte (Marguerite Bouchard), Megan (Romane Denis), and Aube (Rose Adam) are high school friends on summer break. After a rough break-up with her boyfriend, Charlotte and the others end up wandering around and stumble into a store called the Toy Depot. Eyeing several attractive young men working there, the three girls apply for jobs at the depot. Once there, Charlotte's decision to "free" herself from emotional dependence by sleeping with all of her male co-workers causes a serious disruption to the social order of the store and to her friendship with Megan and Aube.

The thing I enjoyed most about this film was its portrayal of Charlotte, and specifically the way that it captured the mercurial nature of a dramatic teenage girl while still acknowledging the genuine frustrations she encounters trying to be free. Charlotte is the kind of person who does everything to the extreme. When she discovers that the men in the store have been keeping "score", she is crushed and embarrassed and embarks on a crusade of abstinence, something that spills over into the other women at the store.

And on the flip side, the film take an empathetic approach to Charlotte's male co-workers. They aren't bad guys, per se. One of them, Antoine is very sympathetic to what Charlotte is going through because he has also experienced an upsetting break-up. But they are realistically oblivious to the double standard that they have toward the sexual activities of their female peers. In calling Charlotte out for acting like a "slut", one of the other female co-workers coolly asks why no one ever says anything when one of the male workers always tries to sleep with any of the new female co-workers.

Ultimately the film encourages empathy for both male and female characters. When Antoine decides to join the abstinence crusade and Charlotte tells him it's only for the girls, Antoine responds that he also needs some time and space to process the way that he's been hurt.

There is also a message in there about letting people take their own approach to love and sex. The title comes from a conversation in which the girls all apologize for the way they have used words to hurt each other. "I'm sorry I said you were a slut in a bad way" and "I'm sorry I said you were a virgin in a bad way." These characters are learning to let go of the labels that imply judgement about prudishness or purity or promiscuity. And letting go of those things allows them to move at their own pace. There's a nice subplot about Charlotte's friendship with Lune, a soft-spoken co-worker who became pregnant, was guilt tripped by her boyfriend into not having an abortion, and then abandoned by him. Lune is not an object of pity--and she's actually a really fun character in many ways--but she speaks bluntly about her own regrets and offers an interesting perspective.

Overall I thought that this was a fun, sweet little comedy. It's a film with no bad characters, only ones who need to do some growing up. It's a light way to spend 90 minutes.

4

[Wooley]

An element of Fury Road that isn't present in The Road Warrior is the way it organically establishes that every single individual and thing is commodified in a horrifically direct fashion.

-Beautiful women become breeders.
- Older women are milked like cows.
- Max is a "blood bag."
- War boys only exist to be foot soldiers

Little details are peppered throughout, like Max's shorn hair immediately being collected and him being tattooed with his purpose. This goes beyond the usual scavenging and the mighty controlling materials. In FR, the inhabitants of this world are the materials worth controlling.

It's an idea that makes the subtext more pointed towards today's society.

I only wish FR were slightly less polished and processed to capture the roughness and grittiness of RW. It would then be perfection (it's already pretty darn close and my admiration grows with every viewing).

While perhaps not in the specific ways you mention here, I feel like a lot of that ground was covered in Thunderdome, and Thunderdome expanding significantly on The Road Warrior, making Fury Road, as I said, just the next one.

[Wooley]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM1ZGNkN2UtZGRjZC00Y2Q0LTg2YWUtZWQ2MDI1ODhkNTIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM0NTU5Mg@@._V1_UY1200_CR78,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg



1.5
Hee hee.
I know this is really not good but I have great affection for it from my childhood.

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM1ZGNkN2UtZGRjZC00Y2Q0LTg2YWUtZWQ2MDI1ODhkNTIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM0NTU5Mg@@._V1_UY1200_CR78,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg



1.5

loved few of their songs the beegees

[Fabulous]

Animal Factory (2000)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/2oHNYxAkQT5rgqFDY0zvVNifPXv.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Animal Factory (2000)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/2oHNYxAkQT5rgqFDY0zvVNifPXv.jpg

i swear thats edward furlong wearing a blue shirt :eek:
loved him on T2 judgement day and CSI new york

[Marco]

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3d/Twin_Peaks_-_Fire_Walk_with_Me.png/220px-Twin_Peaks_-_Fire_Walk_with_Me.png
Really enjoyed this after so many years. The air of menace is still very strong and the story still intriguing.

4

[ScarletLion]

'The Apple' (1998)

https://i.imgur.com/u1BbeoK.gif

Samira Makmhalbaf's debut (made when she was just seventeen). Very intriguing, morality tale based on a true story of two girls locked up by their parents until the age of twelve. It uses the Kiarostami trick of having some of the real people involved in the incident play themselves on screen. And to this end it almost feels like a documentary. Some real footage is even used apparently. The rest of the footage was shot on film stock that was unused by her father (Mohsen Makmhalbaf) when he made his last film.

It's an engaging look at Iranian society, nurture Vs nature, the role of women/men and lends empathy to all characters, no matter what their choices and consequences.

7.4/10

3.5

[Marco]

I hope you saw the original with Steve McQueen!

Yes Matt, I have (years ago) and it is very good. Perhaps if I'd seen it more recently I'd be more inclined to bash the newer version! :D

[ThatDarnMKS]

While perhaps not in the specific ways you mention here, I feel like a lot of that ground was covered in Thunderdome, and Thunderdome expanding significantly on The Road Warrior, making Fury Road, as I said, just the next one.
The problem is that Thunderdome isn't a good movie.

[the samoan lawyer]

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/The-Vast-of-Night.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2F2020%2F05%2Fvast-of-night-golden-age-science-fiction-1202234243%2F&psig=AOvVaw33XmEtb6jUL0UJDKhKW1bD&ust=1610542653892000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIjCwZC5lu4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD)
The Vast of Night (2019)


Great example of a tight film. Really impressed by the meandering style of filming and the lead actors were superb.


3.5

[Gideon58]

https://i.redd.it/7js5ur3an3u51.jpg


4

[GulfportDoc]

The Vast of Night (2019)

Great example of a tight film. Really impressed by the meandering style of filming and the lead actors were superb.
rating_3_5
I agree with you. Here was my commentary from last May:

The Vast of Night

Caught this delightful picture last night, which had been bought by Amazon and put up on its site 5/29/20. It's a sci-fi mystery by new director Andrew Patterson, starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Producer, director, writers, and some of the actors are freshman in the industry. The excellent cinematography is by veteran M.I. Litten-Menz.

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

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

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

Doc's rating: 8/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frockflicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FDorianGray-1945-preview.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1945

Dorian Gray (Hurt Hatfield) is a young man whose outlook on life is impacted by two friends with opposite approaches. Basil Howard (Lowell Gilmore) is a more gentle spirit and pushes Dorian in a more moral direction. It is Basil who paints the titular, flattering portrait of Dorian. Henry Wotton (George Sanders) on the other hand endorses a more cynical, hedonistic lifestyle. And it is his musings on the fleeting nature of youth that leads Dorian to make his fateful wish--that his portrait bear the weight of age and sin. When Wotton convinces Dorian to conduct a cruel "test" on his fiance, Sybil (Angela Landsbury), it starts Dorian down a road of cruelty and violence.

I really loved this movie, on pretty much every level.

Maybe most of all I loved the style, color, and framing of it. This is a black and white film that sometimes jolts into color when Dorian's portrait is on screen. The black and white itself is gorgeous. And there are too many shots to count that were just splendid. As the weight of Dorian's guilt begins to close in on him there is a shot of Dorian framed inside the noose-like shape of a horseman's whip. Other shots of the "wrong side of town" look almost otherworldly.

From a story point of view it's also enjoyable. I have not read Wilde's original story, but the narrative progression in the film is satisfying. After what happens with Sybil, Dorian has put himself on a cycle of hurting others, all the while trying to cultivate a cold and distant personality that never quite covers up the guilt he feels and his uncertainty about what he has done. The action is frequently accompanied by a great score--a song that Sybil sings, a somber Prelude that Dorian is fond of playing, and other moody pieces.

There's something really excellent about the way that Dorian does harm. The way that he manipulates others or draws them into immoral pursuits takes a huge toll on those in his circle. Part of what is fascinating about the story is that Dorian (MODERATE SPOILERS)only actually kills one person. But his actions lead to at least three suicides and one accidental death. Dorian's behavior becomes like a poison to the people around him..

I watched this film as art of the Queersighted collection on the Criterion Channel. I read a few pieces of writing about why this film is considered to be in that category and it was interesting. Nothing that I'd picked up on too much on my first watch--aside from the obvious affection that Basil has for Dorian and the way that Basil tries to help Dorian be a better person, in one sequence giving him the book "The Light of Asia" about the life of the Buddha. At this point I would be interested to read the original novel and more writing about the story and its historical context. It feels reductive to say that Gilmore's gentle performance is what sells this aspect, but the character--who is distinctly single and interested in male beauty--is perhaps notable for signaling being gay in many ways and yet being the closest thing that the film has to a moral center.

My one, very minor, criticism of the film is that the ending felt a bit rushed. Like, a lot of plot happens in about 10 minutes. It's a little jarring after almost two hours of building tension and scenes that do not rush themselves.

I would highly recommend this film. It has a compelling story and great visuals.

4.5

[Wyldesyde19]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frockflicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FDorianGray-1945-preview.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1945

Dorian Gray (Hurt Hatfield) is a young man whose outlook on life is impacted by two friends with opposite approaches. Basil Howard (Lowell Gilmore) is a more gentle spirit and pushes Dorian in a more moral direction. It is Basil who paints the titular, flattering portrait of Dorian. Henry Wotton (George Sanders) on the other hand endorses a more cynical, hedonistic lifestyle. And it is his musings on the fleeting nature of youth that leads Dorian to make his fateful wish--that his portrait bear the weight of age and sin. When Wotton convinces Dorian to conduct a cruel "test" on his fiance, Sybil (Angela Landsbury), it starts Dorian down a road of cruelty and violence.

I really loved this movie, on pretty much every level.

Maybe most of all I loved the style, color, and framing of it. This is a black and white film that sometimes jolts into color when Dorian's portrait is on screen. The black and white itself is gorgeous. And there are too many shots to count that were just splendid. As the weight of Dorian's guilt begins to close in on him there is a shot of Dorian framed inside the noose-like shape of a horseman's whip. Other shots of the "wrong side of town" look almost otherworldly.

From a story point of view it's also enjoyable. I have not read Wilde's original story, but the narrative progression in the film is satisfying. After what happens with Sybil, Dorian has put himself on a cycle of hurting others, all the while trying to cultivate a cold and distant personality that never quite covers up the guilt he feels and his uncertainty about what he has done. The action is frequently accompanied by a great score--a song that Sybil sings, a somber Prelude that Dorian is fond of playing, and other moody pieces.

There's something really excellent about the way that Dorian does harm. The way that he manipulates others or draws them into immoral pursuits takes a huge toll on those in his circle. Part of what is fascinating about the story is that Dorian (MODERATE SPOILERS)only actually kills one person. But his actions lead to at least three suicides and one accidental death. Dorian's behavior becomes like a poison to the people around him..

I watched this film as art of the Queersighted collection on the Criterion Channel. I read a few pieces of writing about why this film is considered to be in that category and it was interesting. Nothing that I'd picked up on too much on my first watch--aside from the obvious affection that Basil has for Dorian and the way that Basil tries to help Dorian be a better person, in one sequence giving him the book "The Light of Asia" about the life of the Buddha. At this point I would be interested to read the original novel and more writing about the story and its historical context. It feels reductive to say that Gilmore's gentle performance is what sells this aspect, but the character--who is distinctly single and interested in male beauty--is perhaps notable for signaling being gay in many ways and yet being the closest thing that the film has to a moral center.

My one, very minor, criticism of the film is that the ending felt a bit rushed. Like, a lot of plot happens in about 10 minutes. It's a little jarring after almost two hours of building tension and scenes that do not rush themselves.

I would highly recommend this film. It has a compelling story and great visuals.

4.5

I’ve heard so much about this film for about 20 years almost, now. If I recall correctly, there’s many fans of the film on this site.

[Takoma11]

I’ve heard so much about this film for about 20 years almost, now. If I recall correctly, there’s many fans of the film on this site.

I expected it to be good, and it was even better than I'd hoped.

[Wooley]

The problem is that Thunderdome isn't a good movie.

Well, I disagree with that but everyone's entitled to their opinion.

[Captain Terror]

Thunderdome is the Return of the Jedi of the series. Has its moments but ultimately too silly for me. I don't hate it but I don't love it either.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frockflicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FDorianGray-1945-preview.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1945

Dorian Gray (Hurt Hatfield) is a young man whose outlook on life is impacted by two friends with opposite approaches. Basil Howard (Lowell Gilmore) is a more gentle spirit and pushes Dorian in a more moral direction. It is Basil who paints the titular, flattering portrait of Dorian. Henry Wotton (George Sanders) on the other hand endorses a more cynical, hedonistic lifestyle. And it is his musings on the fleeting nature of youth that leads Dorian to make his fateful wish--that his portrait bear the weight of age and sin. When Wotton convinces Dorian to conduct a cruel "test" on his fiance, Sybil (Angela Landsbury), it starts Dorian down a road of cruelty and violence.

I really loved this movie, on pretty much every level.

Maybe most of all I loved the style, color, and framing of it. This is a black and white film that sometimes jolts into color when Dorian's portrait is on screen. The black and white itself is gorgeous. And there are too many shots to count that were just splendid. As the weight of Dorian's guilt begins to close in on him there is a shot of Dorian framed inside the noose-like shape of a horseman's whip. Other shots of the "wrong side of town" look almost otherworldly.
I would highly recommend this film. It has a compelling story and great visuals.

4.5

I saw this several months ago and also thought it was quite good.

[Wooley]

Thunderdome is the Return of the Jedi of the series. Has its moments but ultimately too silly for me. I don't hate it but I don't love it either.

I had felt that way about it in the past and didn't watch it for at least a decade so I decided to go back and watch it again and do my best to scrub my mind of my previous impressions and "watch it for the first time", if you will, the best I could. And I found I really liked it. I had previously hated all the stuff with the kids and now I really liked it. Like as much as the Bartertown parts.
But also, Bartertown serves as exactly what we're talking about. MM was the society-is-falling-apart movie and then tRW is the survival-in-the-aftermath movie, and I'll accept that FR is the society-has-reformed-with-complexity movie, but I strongly feel that BT, with Bartertown, shows society forming from waste of tRW but not all the way to FR. Which is my point.
But I also think the hate for Thunderdome is misplaced.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewrap.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F05%2FBacurau.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Bacurau, 2019

A truck winds its way down a rural road. The driver and passenger are startled and disturbed to come across a horrible accident in which a motorcyclist has been killed and a truck has spilled coffins all over the road. Accompanying the man and woman in the truck, we are introduced to Bacurau, a small town in rural Brazil. The town's matriarch has just passed away, the town is constantly abuzz with rumors about various political "outlaws", and one day the citizens notice that their town no longer shows up on Google Maps or any other GPS device. As strange events begin to stack up, the townspeople must work together to understand the threat to their town.

This is one of those films that is hard to discuss in a review because there is a major plot turn (I'm not saying "twist", just an important, significant reveal) about one-third or halfway through the film. And I absolutely would not want to give away details for anyone who has not yet seen the film.

So staying as vague as possible, I will just say that I slightly preferred the film when things were more mysterious, and I enjoyed it a little less once it explained certain things. There is a degree of cliche to the place where the plot goes, and I felt as if there were more potential to the set-up than what the film ultimately delivered.

That said, while it would be easy to focus on the big "swings" that the film takes, what I appreciated the most about it were the little moments in which it explored its themes. In one sequence, certain characters tell fair-skinned Brazilians that they "aren't white". Defensively, the Brazilians argue that they are different from the townspeople. It's a really nice moment (in a conversation that, overall, is not very subtle) pointing to the way that even within subgroups, people will create hierarchies.

The style of the film is very bold. Scenes transition with stark horizontal or vertical wipes. And this sort of fits with the overall vibe of the film. This is a very direct (if also allegorical) critique of colonialism, abuse of power, and controlling governments. There is nothing subtle about a sequence in which the mayor parades into town with a large truck bearing his image, tells the people he cares about them, and has a load of old books literally brought in by dump truck and unceremoniously plopped down in the dirt outside of the schoolhouse. Nor is there anything subtle when the mayor takes a local woman with him for sex, despite her not wanting to go with him. Adding insult to injury, the woman is forced to walk back to her town after he is done with her. And where the film goes in its second half is far less subtle than anything I have just described.

I read a critique in another review that the film did not have a main character. I sort of agree, though I'm not sure if that is a problem. The town functions almost like an ecosystem, and to me it seems that the town itself is the main character. Each character has their place, such as the local man who serves as a sort of radio station, broadcasting music and commentary from a loudspeaker in his truck, including notes like "Juan, pick up your phone. Rosa is calling you and she knows you're just down the road." A standout is a character named Domingas (Sonia Braga), the town doctor and a woman we first meet on a drunken rant at the matriarch's funeral.

This film was different than what I expected. I'm still mulling it over, and especially how well I think it worked toward its resolution. But as of now my impression is favorable and I would certainly recommend it.

4

[ThatDarnMKS]

Well, I disagree with that but everyone's entitled to their opinion.
I don't hate it or anything.

But it's the Robocop 3 of the franchise.

[crumbsroom]

Thunderdome is fine! Comparing it to Return of the Jedi is probably fair. And Return of the Jedi is fine too. It has some series best moments inside Thunderdome (Jabba's Palace), but we also have to endure Burning Man Infants by a waterfall (Ewoks). But, in the end, we're still way ahead.

[pahaK]

Thunderdome is fine! Comparing it to Return of the Jedi is probably fair. And Return of the Jedi is fine too. It has some series best moments inside Thunderdome (Jabba's Palace), but we also have to endure Burning Man Infants by a waterfall (Ewoks). But, in the end, we're still way ahead.

The first half of The Return of the Jedi is excellent. The second half on Endor is definitely worse, but there's nothing terribly wrong there either except the smelly furballs Ewoks. As a whole, it was better than I remembered (I'm rewatching all SWs, done 1-7 now).

[crumbsroom]

The first half of The Return of the Jedi is excellent. The second half on Endor is definitely worse, but there's nothing terribly wrong there either except the smelly furballs Ewoks. As a whole, it was better than I remembered (I'm rewatching all SWs, done 1-7 now).


I don't hate Ewoks as much as most. I definitely like them more then the Rainbow Children in Thunderdome. But they don't lend themselves to great iconic filmmaking, that's for sure

[WHITBISSELL!]

Death on the Nile - This took longer to get going than Evil Under the Sun and some of the performances were a bit labored but once it did get going it went. This also had a much larger all star cast. Peter Ustinov again plays Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and this time it's a case he happens upon while on vacation in Egypt. It takes place for the most part on a paddle steamer traversing the Nile. The actual death on the Nile doesn't occur until well over an hour into the movie. It's preceded by the usual backstories and since there are so many future likely suspects it takes quite awhile. Mia Farrow takes on the main role of Jacqueline De Bellefort, who is engaged to Simon Doyle (Simon MacCorkindale). That is until he meets and falls for her rich friend Linette Ridgeway (Lois Chiles). They end up getting married and honeymooning in Egypt with a jealously obsessed Jackie shadowing their every move. The rest of the players are a who's who of acting talent including Bette Davis, Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith and Jack Warden. Suffice it to say that rich American heiress Ridgeway is not a well liked person which leads unsurprisingly to her being killed by an unknown assailant. The plot does take off from there and the players are put through their paces in an entertaining manner.

Even though the first murder takes an uncommonly long time to occur, once it does the bodies start piling up like firewood with the final count being five corpses being carried off the boat at the end.80/100

[StuSmallz]

I think that Max is always humanized, but just aloof. For example, giving the child the music box. And I appreciated the honesty behind the fact that him helping the group was largely about revenge for the actions of the violent gang.Max giving the feral child the box was nice, but it's just not quite enough for me, and it's kind of cancelled out by him storming out on the settlers once he's gotten his gas (even when the child himself tries to get him to stop). We needed at least one more moment like the music box scene, albeit a bigger one, where we're shown that Max has "learned to live again" (like the opening narration says), in order to tie his arc off in that film satisfactorily, IMO.I only wish FR were slightly less polished and processed to capture the roughness and grittiness of RW. It would then be perfection (it's already pretty darn close and my admiration grows with every viewing).Yeah; despite its status as the weakest MM film, I liked the world-building in Thunderdome the best, since it's the most advanced of the original trilogy, showing a more complex, well-developed society with its own infrastructure, laws, and pecking orders, as civilization continues to recover from its post-apocalyptic Road Warrior nadir, with an insistence on elaborate, entirely practical sets, completely free of CGI (of whatever the mid-80's equivalent would've been; rear projection, I guess? I dunno).

[StuSmallz]

While perhaps not in the specific ways you mention here, I feel like a lot of that ground was covered in Thunderdome, and Thunderdome expanding significantly on The Road Warrior, making Fury Road, as I said, just the next one.Eh, I think both Thunderdome & Fury Road are more or less tied when it comes to their world-building, as I found their portrayal of societies learning to exist in a post-apocalyptic world pretty fascinating. But, to bring this back to Max's arc, if we're comparing the two films in that regard, then Fury Road is easily the winner for me; I mean, if you look back at him throughout the series, Max goes very naturally from being a loving father and husband to anti-social survivalist loner through a series of tragic events in the first film, then in the next film, he (sort of) rediscovers his humanity by helping out some other people (even though he didn't have much of a choice in the matter), so by the time Thunderdome came around, his character couldn't do much more developing, as his redemption arc in the original trilogy was already pretty much finished by the end of the 2nd film, which is part of the reason why Thunderdome is the weakest MM, and just "the next one" in the series as far as I'm concerned. Compared to that, Fury Road proved to be the missing link, and the one that filled in Max's blanks from the previous films, both by resetting Max back to being similar to the way he was at the beginning of Warrior, while also showcasing his redemption as a human better than either that entry or Thunderdome managed to do, IMO.

[Fabulous]

The Way Back (2010)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/jcQfgcq1j7Vit4wQ54niXiLfvE8.jpg

[mark f]

What Have I Done to Deserve This? (Pedro Almodóvar, 1984) 2.5 6/10
After We Collided (Roger Kumble, 2020) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Blindman (Ferdinando Baldi, 1971) 2.5 6/10
Dark of the Sun (Jack Cardiff, 1968) 3.5 7/10
https://thestalkingmoon.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/5/4/11544757/1334231710.jpg
African hero Jim Brown pauses for a break with mercenary Rod Taylor in between non-stop action and violence.
The Dumb Girl of Portici (Phillips Smalley & Lois Weber, 1916) 2.5 5.5/10
Ham on Rye (Tyler Taormina, 2019) 2 5/10
Dark Habits (Pedro Almodóvar, 1983) 2.5+ 6/10
The Honey Pot (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1967) 3+ 6.5/10
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l9QJKo021MM/hqdefault.jpg
"Bouncy" nurse Maggie Smith catches the attention of wealthy Rex Harrison who ends up sorta proud of her.
Lies I Told My Little Sister (William J. Striblint, 2014) 2.5 6/10
Trader Horn (Reza S. Badiyi, 1973) 2 5/10
Bulldog Drummond's Bride (James Hogan, 1939) 2.5 5.5/10
36 Hours (George Seaton, 1964) 3.5 7/10
https://yify-torrent.cc/yt/20170214/49435/screenshot2.png
During WWII, German doctor Rod Taylor conducts an elaborate ruse ro get info about the D-Day landing from American officer James Garner.
Le signe du lion AKA The Sign of Leo (Éric Rohmer, 1962) 2.5 6/10
Redemption Day (Hicham Hajji, 2021) 2 5/10
Celia (Ann Turner, 1989) 2.5 6/10
Without Love (Harold S. Bucquet, 1945) 3 6.5/10
https://andyoucallyourselfascientist.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/wl45-science1b.jpg
Amusing comedy with U.S. Government scientist Spencer Tracy working with his wife (Katharine Hepburn) on an oxygen mask for pilots.
Cub (Jonas Govaerts, 2014) 2.5 5.5/10
Toy Story That Time Forgot (Steve Purcell, 2014) 3 6.5/10
Hill of Freedom (Hong Sang-soo, 2014) 2 5/10
Synchronic (Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, 2019) 2.5 6/10
https://img.particlenews.com/img/id/2PaeZ7_0WzhsI5f00?type=thumbnail_512x288
New Orleans paramedics' (Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie) harrowing lives get crazier when they come in contact with a time-travel-inducing drug.

[martyrofevil]

Continuing the 2020 catch up:

Soul (Pete Docter, 2020)
Well... its another formulaic Pixar film. It's got some nice touches here and there but its paced way too fast and is so bogged down with exposition and explaining the rules of the universe that the handful of scenes that are genuinely nice on their own feel really inorganic in the context of the film.
rating_2_5

The Metamorphosis of Birds (Catarina Vasconcelos, 2020)
Just an absolutely gorgeous film, especially in regards to framing and colour palette and the 4:3 aspect ratio adds a lot to the extremely personal narrative on display through the dreamy, poetic narration. So textured, spacious and tranquil this was truly a joy to watch.
rating_4

[pahaK]

Rewatches continue.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
4
A splendid start for the adventure. It's perhaps a tiny bit (too) campy, and the final battle against the Deathstar is a tad too long, but it's an easy film to enjoy even on an umpteenth rewatch.

--
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
4.5
Most of the issues in the previous film are gone. It's a more serious take on the galactic high adventure, and darker too. The Dagobah sequence is probably my least favorite part of this film but, as a whole, it's easily the best in the franchise.

--
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
3.5
The first half on Tatooine is pretty much on par with the previous film. Sadly the film takes a bit too silly turn after the arrival to Endor. Even that could have been acceptable without the bloody Ewoks. Despite them, it's still a pretty good film overall.

--
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
2.5
It really doesn't feel like Star Wars. It's not bad on its own but lacks the soul of its predecessors. Daisy Ridley is cute, though, but is way too flawless and without any weakness to be a relatable hero in a story like this.

--
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
1.5
I guess I'm in a better SW mood now than the first time, as I'm actually upping my rating by half for this travesty. It's pretty horrible and feels like a conscious middle finger to the fanbase. There were moments where it could have redeemed itself, but it failed. It ranks at the bottom of the series with the Episode II.

[ScarletLion]

'Pitfall' (1962)

https://i.imgur.com/IpYyGKH.gif

Genre spanning debut from Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman of the Dunes). Part Ghost Story, part crime thriller, part mystery. It's a little rough around the edges but the plot is very clever and borders on the mindbending. Very dark / disturbing in places, with some imaginative images and eerie sound design - although not as good as Woman in the Dunes, it's a classy debut.

4

[Captain Terror]

Thunderdome is fine! Comparing it to Return of the Jedi is probably fair. And Return of the Jedi is fine too. It has some series best moments inside Thunderdome (Jabba's Palace), but we also have to endure Burning Man Infants by a waterfall (Ewoks). But, in the end, we're still way ahead.

Yeah, I hope it comes across that I too think BT is "fine". Hate isn't the word. It's probably the one I've watched most often thanks to cable TV and my age when it was released.

My main beef is that it feels like a Hollywood production as opposed to the gonzo Australian vibe of the first two, right down to the power ballad playing over the closing credits. I have more to say but that's the short version I can contribute while at work.

[crumbsroom]

'Pitfall' (1962)

https://i.imgur.com/IpYyGKH.gif

Genre spanning debut from Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman of the Dunes). Part Ghost Story, part crime thriller, part mystery. It's a little rough around the edges but the plot is very clever and borders on the mindbending. Very dark / disturbing in places, with some imaginative images and eerie sound design - although not as good as Woman in the Dunes, it's a classy debut.

4

Oo, I love this movie. My copy is damaged and the last minute doesn't play though :(

[crumbsroom]

Yeah, I hope it comes across that I too think BT is "fine". Hate isn't the word. It's probably the one I've watched most often thanks to cable TV and my age when it was released.

My main beef is that it feels like a Hollywood production as opposed to the gonzo Australian vibe of the first two, right down to the power ballad playing over the closing credits. I have more to say but that's the short version I can contribute while at work.

That's part of the reason that I don't feel it is as good as the others either. But, at the same time, it's fun to see a scrappy little movie like it get treated like a world class block buster. Sort of like what happened with Rocky, but more post apocalyptic imagery. Still like it when it got slick, but it is definitely missing something elemental.

[Captain Terror]

That's part of the reason that I don't feel it is as good as the others either. But, at the same time, it's fun to see a scrappy little movie like it get treated like a world class block buster. Sort of like what happened with Rocky, but more post apocalyptic imagery. Still like it when it got slick, but it is definitely missing something elemental.

Rocky's a good comparison that hasn't occurred to me till now. Yes.

[GulfportDoc]

The Vast of Night
...
You can be sure that director Andrew Patterson will be offered lots of work for much bigger money as the result of this first time feature. Will look forward to any future productions he helms.
Just saw this on Wikipedia: "He has since made an as-yet-untitled film, a revenge thriller set in the honeybee industry." I don't like revenge films, but it'll be interesting to see what he does with the style.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Oo, I love this movie. My copy is damaged and the last minute doesn't play though :(
Three words: The Harlem Globetrotters.


They just show up out of the blue.

[Rockatansky]

I like both Thunderdome and the Ewoks...



:shifty:

[Torgo]

Can't we just get beyond Thunderdome?
But anyway, the Lost Tribe are basically Ewoks. Let's be honest.

[Captain Terror]

I haven't even mentioned Mel's Thunderdome mullet.

[Stirchley]

71680

Brilliant movie. Loved it. The two leads are both British & both played Americans very convincingly. Shades of Thelma & Louise.

[Wooley]

I like both Thunderdome and the Ewoks...



:shifty:

As is your right.

[Wooley]

Eh, I think both Thunderdome & Fury Road are more or less tied when it comes to their world-building, as I found their portrayal of societies learning to exist in a post-apocalyptic world pretty fascinating. But, to bring this back to Max's arc, if we're comparing the two films in that regard, then Fury Road is easily the winner for me; I mean, if you look back at him throughout the series, Max goes very naturally from being a loving father and husband to anti-social survivalist loner through a series of tragic events in the first film, then in the next film, he (sort of) rediscovers his humanity by helping out some other people (even though he didn't have much of a choice in the matter), so by the time Thunderdome came around, his character couldn't do much more developing, as his redemption arc in the original trilogy was already pretty much finished by the end of the 2nd film, which is part of the reason why Thunderdome is the weakest MM, and just "the next one" in the series as far as I'm concerned. Compared to that, Fury Road proved to be the missing link, and the one that filled in Max's blanks from the previous films, both by resetting Max back to being similar to the way he was at the beginning of Warrior, while also showcasing his redemption as a human better than either that entry or Thunderdome managed to do, IMO.

Well, I disagree, actually I think the plot of Thunderdome is a natural continuation of his re-discovery of his humanity, where he consciously decides to be the hero and make the sacrifice for these children and in doing so, becomes both a father and a legend to them. It's beyond what he did in RW when he's left simply realizing he's been used as the tanker was full of sand. It really feels like the end of a trilogy as Max has become a willing hero and made a family, even if he doesn't get to be part of it. If anything, Fury Road maybe takes a step back from that. Though perhaps he's able to be a reluctant hero to the women in Immortan Joe's harem because he's had a taste of being the hero in Thunderdome.

To me, it's a continuous arc until you get to Fury Road when, maybe, he passes the mantle on to Furiosa?

And let me be clear, I am furious with Miller over Furiosa going forward.

[Rockatansky]

As is your right.

The Ewoks are basically furry little mujaheddin, and some of the best fighters in the galaxy.



The Star Wars franchise not turning into an allegory for the long term consequences of foreign policy seems like a huge missed opportunity.

[Captain Terror]

Well, I disagree, actually I think the plot of Thunderdome is a natural continuation of his re-discovery of his humanity, where he consciously decides to be the hero and make the sacrifice for these children and in doing so, becomes both a father and a legend to them. It's beyond what he did in RW when he's left simply realizing he's been used as the tanker was full of sand. It really feels like the end of a trilogy as Max has become a willing hero and made a family, even if he doesn't get to be part of it. If anything, Fury Road maybe takes a step back from that. Though perhaps he's able to be a reluctant hero to the women in Immortan Joe's harem because he's had a taste of being the hero in Thunderdome.
But do we NEED another hero, though? I submit that we do not. :D

[Rockatansky]

The Ewoks are basically furry little mujaheddin, and some of the best fighters in the galaxy.



The Star Wars franchise not turning into an allegory for the long term consequences of foreign policy seems like a huge missed opportunity.
Nobody @me with any trade dispute BS

[Gideon58]

https://c8.alamy.com/compes/bpabgf/gloria-dehaven-van-johnson-junio-allyson-poster-dos-ninas-y-un-marinero-1944-bpabgf.jpg


2

[ThatDarnMKS]

The softening and pg-13ification of Mad Max with Beyond Thunderdome is unforgivable. Everything about the movie is softened with lame kiddy ****. And not just the plot with the lame kids. Even the titular death match of Thunderdome is hampered by the campy presence of bungee cord jumps and bounces that look out of a slapstick comedy.

The world building is not of particular importance or interest as it is predicated on a goofy conflict between unimposing villains (Tina Turner vs. Master Blaster) over gas. Gas as McGuffin is significantly less dramatically weighty than escaping sex slaves (which was handled in the most tasteful way I've ever seen) and it was done better in TRW.

Like Robocop 3, it feels like execs were banking on the popularity among children and a growing toy market w/cartoon adaptations to carry them to greater economic success (which RC attempted and utterly failed at, while it seems an unresolved issue with Mad Max). Like Robocop, smoothing out the rough and brutal edges of the franchise crushes the franchise and diminishes it fully.

Fury Road not only acts as course correction, but it seems to understand what worked conceptually about BT and make it work for the franchise through grit, visuals and bravura.

[Captain Terror]

The softening and pg-13ification of Mad Max with Beyond Thunderdome is unforgivable. Everything about the movie is softened with lame kiddy ****. And not just the plot with the lame kids. Even the titular death match of Thunderdome is hampered by the campy presence of bungee cord jumps and bounces that look out of a slapstick comedy.

The world building is not of particular importance or interest as it is either predicated on a goofy conflict between unimposing villains (Tina Turner vs. Master Blaster) over gas. Gas as McGuffin is significantly less dramatically weighty than escaping sex slaves (which was handled in the most tasteful way I've ever seen) and it was done better in TRW.

Like Robocop 3, it feels like execs were banking on the popularity among children and a growing toy market w/cartoon adaptations to carry them to greater economic success (which RC attempted and utterly failed at, while it seems an unresolved issue with Mad Max). Like Robocop, smoothing out the rough and brutal edges of the franchise crushes the franchise and diminishes it fully.

Fury Road not only acts as course correction, but it seems to understand what worked conceptually about BT and make it work for the franchise through grit, visuals and bravura.
Right on!!

[Captain Terror]

My problems with Thunderdome:

A/ What MKS said about the cutesy stuff. Again, it's not a deal-breaker. If this was the only Mad Max movie in existence, the kids would make me cringe but I'd be mostly fine with it. But following the previous two films it's too much of a shift in attitude for me. And in the most badass series known to man, is there a LESS badass moment than Max winning Thunderdome with a pennywhistle?

B/ Tina. Gawd bless 'er, she's an awesome lady, and I don't really care about "acting skills" in Mad Max movies. But she is 100% American and a giant pop star (that year), so I can imagine some studio suit persuading Miller to put her in. Let's face it, there is no other year in history where she gets cast in this movie. Huey Lewis and David Lee Roth were also big that year, so I guess I should be thankful they went with Tina. I could be way off, maybe Miller specifically wanted her, but the point is she takes me out of the movie, and that world. I just don't think she was a good fit. (If they wanted a pop star in the cast, imagine Bowie as Aunty Entity! YES)

C/ The Mullet

D/ The Power Ballad

[Gideon58]

https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?set=path%5B1%2F8%2F8%2F2%2F4%2F18824512%5D&call=url%5Bfile%3Aproduct.chain%5D


3.5

[Wooley]

But do we NEED another hero, though? I submit that we do not. :D

You're hilarious.

[Thief]

Side note but, I'm still surprised we got cartoon adaptations of Rambo and RoboCop. I mean, what was up with that? :laugh:

[ThatDarnMKS]

Side note but, I'm still surprised we got cartoon adaptations of Rambo and RoboCop. I mean, what was up with that? :laugh:
Given the toylines for Aliens, Predator and Terminator I had when I was like 5 that were aimed at children (the Aliens ones even came with comic books!), I'm shocked those two are the ones that got the cartoons.

[Takoma11]

https://c8.alamy.com/compes/bpabgf/gloria-dehaven-van-johnson-junio-allyson-poster-dos-ninas-y-un-marinero-1944-bpabgf.jpg


2

A star for each girl, but no stars for the sailor? Harsh.

[Gideon58]

This movie went on forever...I think I had a birthday while I was watching it

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Faworldoffilm.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fvampyr22.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Vampyr, 1932

It has been many years since I'd last seen Vampyr, and in my memory it was a silent film. Imagine my shock when there was dialogue!

Allan Gray (Julian West) stops for the evening at an inn in a small village. Through a series of bizarre encounters and visions he ends up in the manor home of a man, the man's two daughters, and the manor's servants. It soon becomes clear that one of the sisters, Leone, is under the thrall of a vampire. Allan and the servants must work to free her from the evil creature.

It may be true that this is not a silent film, but nor is it a "full" sound film. I read that this is because Dreyer, the director, had to record any dialogue in three different languages, and thus tried to limit the amount of speaking. But though the film's sparse dialogue may have been a pragmatic, logistical decision, the result is a film that feels like an eerie hybrid between two types of films. For a long stretch it will seem like a silent film, only to have someone suddenly speak. In other moments, a character will say something, only for it to be followed by an unnatural silence. This neither-here-nor-there aspect of the film is a perfect match for the otherworldly, dreamy atmosphere of the story.

The film's main selling point is its visuals, of course. There is a lot of impactful, memorable imagery crammed into the short runtime. A quick google search will reveal that a TON of people really like the fetishistic image of the young woman bound with black cord (I wonder why . . . ?), but I was largely impressed with the effects and the framing of the different sequences.

On the effects front, there are some really great moments. One of the film's visual themes is shadows, and they are used in pretty much every way possible. Often characters are preceded into the frame by their shadows. But in other moments, characters become disconnected from their shadows. In another scene, Allan spots shadow creatures slinking along the grass. The shadows are not only capable of looming ominously, it's never totally clear when they might take on a life of their own.

In terms of the framing, I was very struck on this viewing by the way that the characters, and especially Allan, so often seem to be cowering in the lower half of the frame. This forces their eyeline up (often looking at something that we, the viewer, cannot see), and gives an almost perpetual sense of fearfulness to the different scenes. There is a disorienting sense of unpredictability in terms of where characters are in relation to one another. A hand might suddenly intrude into the frame offering a cup of tea. In one scene, Leone's sister rushes to a window only for Allan to suddenly appear beside and behind her. People, or creatures, might emerge from anywhere, and it creates an effect that is unsettling.

Julian West, who plays Allan, is perfect casting. He hits just the right notes as someone who wants to do the right thing, but is in totally over his head. As he stares at one incomprehensible horror after another you can practically see the wheels turning. Allan is the film's hero, but in many scenes he is more a witness than anything else.

My complaints about this film are relatively minor. There is a lot of exposition delivered by characters reading a book about vampires, which is a bit dry. I also struggled at times to keep track of who certain characters were (various henchmen, I guess?) and the exact nature of the vampire's operation.

Overall, a great film and incredibly engaging visually.

4.5

[SpelingError]

Barry Lyndon (1975) - 4.5

I was surprised by how much I loved this film. I know it's a Kubrick film, but since I'm not a fan of historical dramas and given that Barry Lyndon is a middle child between four Kubrick films which are more well-known (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket), I was wondering if this would be one of his weaker films. But nope, Kubrick blew me away once again.

A major theme of this film is the death of existentialism. Barry's attempts to use his wit and skills to secure a good outcome outside of the system make him an existentialist. These efforts are constantly undermined though. For example, though it initially seems like he kills John Quin in a duel, it's later learned that Quin didn't die and that the duel was a ruse to get rid of him. Also, his efforts of escaping to Dublin are undermined by being robbed. In addition, his plan to join the Seven Years' War to get a pension that will enable him to return home are undermined by his friend dying and, of course, never receiving the pension. Finally, his efforts of deserting the war are undermined by him being drafted into the Prussian Army. Since Barry was unable to change his fate and avoid becoming part of the system, his existentialist ideals fell flat.

The latter parts of the first half are where Barry loses his existentialist ideals and becomes part of the system he attempted to avoid. Saving a Prussian soldier's life in the Seven Years' War is his first turning point. While he initially attempted to create a good outcome for himself by operating outside of the system (again, with no luck), he's now operating from inside the system and doing what those above him would want him to do. Except, he isn't quite ready to be a part of the system. Though he's operating from inside it now, he's yet to master the act of deception. While many people in the film deceived Barry up to this point, he's yet to do the same as Prussian Captain Potzdorf caught on to his last attempt. Eventually though, Barry and Chevalier successfully deceive the Prussians by escaping the country. Marrying Lady Lyndon serves as the final nail in the coffin to his existentialism, causing him to be a member of the system. He's now a deceiver who marries for class and uses violence to settle disputes, just like those around him. He wasn't able to escape this fate.

Now is a good time to mention the cinematography. Most shots in the film are constructed to look like paintings, largely due to the abundance of wide angle shots and how the film was shot only in natural light. While this style is visually outstanding, it also adds to the film's themes. Of course, paintings never move regardless of how long or how many times you view them. They will always tell the same story. I think this aesthetic shows how Barry's story is neither special nor unique. Rather, the character traits we see of him are part of a pattern. Many other people had, have, and will have the same fate as Barry. For instance, though little is known about Barry's father, the first shot shows that he also used violence to settle disputes. In fact, a common camera movement in the film shows a close-up of Barry, only to pull back and reveal more and more of the setting he occupies. These shots show that Barry is less important to these frames than the scenery surrounding him is.

The second half expands upon this generational pattern by detailing how Bullington becomes a faceless member of the system, just as Barry, Barry's father, and everyone else around them did. Much like Barry uses violence to solve conflicts with Bullington in the second half, Bullington uses violence to solve his own conflicts later on. Bullington also upholds the same existentialist ideals Barry had in the early stretches of the film, shown by how Bullington constantly defies Barry with the belief he can save his mother from him or how he later leaves the family estate. Like Barry though, Bullington's efforts are undermined. Defying Barry doesn't save his mother: it only results in him getting beaten. Leaving the family estate doesn't allow for him to operate outside the system: he later returns to the estate. Given this, Barry and Bullington are one and the same as they both end up operating inside the system, despite their efforts to avoid it. Just like a character in a painting, they have no free will and will always live in the same scene.

In conclusion, this is another impressive addition to Kubrick's large body of films. I'm not sure where I'd rank it amongst his other films, but it's definitely a great film. If you haven't seen this film yet, I highly recommend doing so.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler

4

Clearly great and important cinema made by a master but it came out 10 years too early. The complexity of the story and reliance on dialogue would've lent itself to the talkie era. As is, the constant bombardment of long intertitles made the 4 hour film feel it's full length and often like a clip show accompanying a short novel. This was exacerbated by my not reading German and being reliant on the slowly trickling subtitles at the bottom, often over lapping the actual titles, which felt like having to learn to read again.

It's still clearly a masterpiece from Lang but I'd rather rewatch almost any of his American Film Noir over this one in the future.

[Takoma11]

This movie went on forever...I think I had a birthday while I was watching it

LOL.

"I remember when I was young. There was only one girl in this film, and no sailors."

[StuSmallz]

Heat (Mann, '95)

https://i.ibb.co/JvWyYcF/heat-01.jpg (https://ibb.co/pf6RH1r)

Don't get attached to anything you aren't willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

"A Los Angeles crime saga"; its tagline certainly doesn't pull any punches when it comes to setting the hype high for the film to come, but Michael Mann's Heat ultimately ends up justifying most of those lofty expectations, as Mann draws inspiration from both real life and from his previous films (including his 1989 TV movie LA Takedown, which served as the basis for this film) in order to create a sort of grand culmination of his career up to this point, pairing an excellent screenplay, a cast of Hollywood legends, and a sleek, stylish aesthetic in order to bring a unexpectedly expansive scope to a familar genre, creating one of his best films, and what can only be described as a true crime epic in the end.

Heat primarily tells the story of two men; Neil McCauley (portrayed by Robert De Niro), a high class armed thief looking to take down the biggest score of his "career" with his crew (while also avoiding a return trip to prison at all costs), and Vincent Hanna (played by Al Pacino), the LAPD detective chasing him, who is willing to sacrifice everything in order to catch McCauley, even as his personal life collapses all around him as his obsessive pursuit winds ever on. The two men's stories create a strong central dynamic through the sheer force of the screen icons portraying them, finally acting face-to-face with each other after a tantalizing close brush in the second Godfather (including a now infamous face-to-face conversation in the kind of all-night diner that Mann obsesses over), as they serve as mirror images of the other on their respective sides of the law, right down to the way that McCauley's newly-formed romance passes Hanna's crumbling marriage on a parallel track, and, even though they inevitably end up being enemies by nature, the two still can't help but share a respect for the other for their mutual professionalism, just like we can't choose one of them to truly "root" for here, so evenly spread are the film's sympathies for both of them.

However, while they would be enough to center an entire film around on their own, Heat's story isn't content to merely focus on just them, as Mann's screenplay widens its scope to also develop their personal lives, and their (often troubled) relationships with their associates, families, and lovers, weaving a multi-webbed tapestry of a crime drama that's just as much about the drama as it is the crime, with its well-written, emotionally insightful dialogue letting us know exactly what makes the characters tick. And, while the film is held back slightly by the occasional sense of bloat, with a few too many characters and sub-plots feeling crammed in, Heat's broader vision still ends up working in its for the most part, fully immersing us in its vivid LA underworld for nearly 3 hours straight, portraying each and every side of the city of angels, from shabby shacktowns to literal glass houses on the rolling hills above, to the point that the city itself is basically its own character here.

Finally, Heat impresses through its sheer overall style, as Mann paints the concrete jungle that is Los Angeles as a veritable sea of urban lights, with its immaculate, steely blue pallete and moody Elliot Goldenthal score creating an almost dream-like vibe to its imagery, which contrasts nicely with the film's insistence on a tactile sense of realism otherwise, as Mann engages in another familiar element of his films, that of the elite, professional criminal who's so good that you can't help but admire him, as the film takes joy in meticulously laying out the step-by-step intricacies of each heist, culminating in a spectacular centerpiece shootout that turns LA into a literal warzone, as the deafening sound of automatic weapons boom throughout the streets, with the thrills not coming from any truly unrealistic stuntwork, but from the sheer intensity that such an incident brings with it (which would see a terrifying echo in real life just a couple of years later with the North Hollywood shootout). All in all, this is one of the strongest efforts from one of the best directors working today, and ultimately well worth its lengthy runtime, so all I have to ask you now is, can you feel the Heat, coming roaring your way? Because I know I can.

Final Score: 8.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FxP8xXy9Ob4nbhsw3GSHdgXRD75F.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Whisperers, 1967

Mrs Ross (Edith Evans, fantastic) is a woman in her 70s who lives alone in an apartment. Lonely and often only kept company by the shouting from the younger couple who live upstairs, Mrs. Ross is convinced that she is being spied on and that unknown persons are going through her things while she is out. All though the course of the film, those around her are only after what they can take from her. Even an act intended as a kindness has unfortunate, harmful results.

This film is, as they say, a downer. It has a certain bleakness baked into every scene. And at the center of that bleakness is the main character's utterly dysfunctional relationship with the world around her.

Something that is keenly observed in the film is the way that Mrs. Ross's alienation from everyone else isn't entirely a case of the world being cruel to her. Don't get me wrong--she is certainly mistreated by most of the people she encounters. But there is also a degree to which Mrs. Ross dehumanizes or looks down on other people. She refers to her upstairs neighbor as "that Indian." She explains her home by saying that she "married down." When she does get talking to a woman (and, yes, to be fair the woman is clearly trying to scam her, but Mrs. Ross doesn't know that), she extends kindness . . . in the form of offering to hire her as a maid. Mrs. Ross hasn't cultivated positive relationships in her community, and she is effectively stranded in the middle of people who regard her only as a soft target.

Despite Mrs. Ross's occasional snobbery, however, she is certainly not deserving of the arbitrary and unnecessary cruelties she encounters day to day. When she is too enthusiastic at a church service, she is called a cow. Her own son calls her a "stupid mare". Finally, her estranged husband called her a "daft b*tch". She is constantly dehumanized and threatened, and she is so perplexed, humiliated, and flustered by these encounters that she seems unable course correct.

The one, small glimpse of kindness that she receives is the attentions paid her by her welfare agent, Mr. Conrad (Gerald Sim). Mrs. Ross writes Mr. Conrad long, borderline personal letters, and you get the sense that this is one of her most (if not the most) genuinely caring relationships she has with anyone. But even this relationship has its limits. Without really understanding Mrs. Ross, Mr. Conrad makes a decision for her that has the potential to be incredibly devastating--attempting to track down her long-absent husband.

Appearing in probably 95% of the movie, Edith Evans gives an absolutely amazing performance as Mrs. Ross. This is a woman who has been driven to a place of extreme loneliness and isolation. Her conversations with voices that aren't really there (voices that apparently raise her different doubts) seems a natural extension of someone who has been without any intimate or caring interaction for years, and possibly decades. Not only is she alone but the world around her has changed and her notions of proper behavior make her come across as condescending or crazy to anyone younger than 40.

Solid and well-acted, but be ready for rough emotional waters.

4

[Captain Terror]

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler

4

Clearly great and important cinema made by a master but it came out 10 years too early. The complexity of the story and reliance on dialogue would've lent itself to the talkie era. As is, the constant bombardment of long intertitles made the 4 hour film feel it's full length and often like a clip show accompanying a short novel. This was exacerbated by my not reading German and being reliant on the slowly trickling subtitles at the bottom, often over lapping the actual titles, which felt like having to learn to read again.

It's still clearly a masterpiece from Lang but I'd rather rewatch almost any of his American Film Noir over this one in the future.
Yeah that's not one to be taken lightly. Even as a huge Lang fan I've maybe sat through the entire thing 3 times in 25 years. Have you seen "Testament of"? That's a winner.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Yeah that's not one to be taken lightly. Even as a huge Lang fan I've maybe sat through the entire thing 3 times in 25 years. Have you seen "Testament of"? That's a winner.
I have not, as I wanted to watch this first. I have it on my watch list on Criterion Channel. I may watch it soon.

[SpelingError]

I'll also give a shoutout to The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. It's great.

[StuSmallz]

And well I still have some blind spots when it comes to Mann, I might as well take this opportunity to rate/rank all of his films that I've seen to date:


Thief 8.75

Heat 8.5

Collateral 8.5

Last Of The Mohicans 7.5



While Mohicans was a bit of a drop-off for him, since it felt like a somewhat inauthentic attempt at a more mainstream, Hollywidized Historical Epic for him, he's a very, very good filmmaker besides that, IMO.

[SpelingError]

Thief 8.75

Mann's Thief certainly can't be better than the awesome forum poster here.

[StuSmallz]

Mann's Thief certainly can't be better than the awesome forum poster here.No, but it's close.



:D

[WHITBISSELL!]

Animal Kingdom - Re-watched this to confirm if it was as good as I remembered. It was. This time around I noticed how small touches by director David Michod substituted for extended exposition or longer scenes. The very first shot looks to be a normal day at home with a woman and young man sitting on their couch watching a game show. With that unassuming setup and another seemingly inconsequential scene which involves washing your hands after using the restroom Michod speaks volumes about the young man Joshua ”J“ Cody. He is part of a criminally bent family and although he hasn’t had much to do with them as of late, being a minor he is forced to live with them following a sudden tragedy. The family matriarch is his grandmother, Janine “Smurf” Cody (a marvelous Jackie Weaver) who coldly and efficiently oversees her children’s criminal enterprises. There is a bit of an incestuous bent to her machinations.There’s Darren, (Luke Ford) who’s the youngest, and paranoid drug dealer Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) while the oldest and most dangerous of the siblings is “Pope” (Ben Mendelsohn) who leads an armed robbery crew with Darren and his best friend Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton). Michod, in keeping with his ‘less is more’ storytelling, never elaborates on what exactly Pope’s major malfunction is but Mendelsohn does an impressive job of making him frightening without a lot of histrionics. Rounding out the skilled cast is Guy Pearce as Detective Nathan Leckie, a quiet and sympathetic cop who takes an interest in young Joshua and attempts to both extricate him from his murderous family while also using him against them as a potential witness.

This is a brilliant example of crime cinema and if you haven’t seen Michod’s second feature The Rover then by all means watch it. 95/100

[StuSmallz]

Well, I disagree, actually I think the plot of Thunderdome is a natural continuation of his re-discovery of his humanity, where he consciously decides to be the hero and make the sacrifice for these children and in doing so, becomes both a father and a legend to them. It's beyond what he did in RW when he's left simply realizing he's been used as the tanker was full of sand. It really feels like the end of a trilogy as Max has become a willing hero and made a family, even if he doesn't get to be part of it. If anything, Fury Road maybe takes a step back from that. Though perhaps he's able to be a reluctant hero to the women in Immortan Joe's harem because he's had a taste of being the hero in Thunderdome.

To me, it's a continuous arc until you get to Fury Road when, maybe, he passes the mantle on to Furiosa?

And let me be clear, I am furious with Miller over Furiosa going forward.I get that, and I have no problem with Thunderdome having Max sacrifice himself (in a manner of speaking) to save the children, it's just that, both on its own and in the larger context of that film, that moment had little impact for me; Max doing it wasn't treated as the big, character-defining moment that it should've been (and that's before I even compare it to "My name is Max", which is the moment it should've been more like), and Max had displayed little (if any) anti-social characteristics in the film up to that point anyway, so him doing it wasn't really a big character turn. It would've been if the Max of The Road Warrior had done something like that at the end of that film, but at the end of Thunderdome, it just doesn't have much impact. Also, what's wrong with Furiosa getting her own movie? Max has already had four movies mostly to his self by now, so I'd say its the perfect time to pass his mantle onto someone else, especially to a character as great as her.

[StuSmallz]

The world building is not of particular importance or interest as it is predicated on a goofy conflict between unimposing villains (Tina Turner vs. Master Blaster) over gas. Gas as McGuffin is significantly less dramatically weighty than escaping sex slaves (which was handled in the most tasteful way I've ever seen) and it was done better in TRW.Hey now, I'm not a huge fan of Thunderdome either, but I think you're selling its world-building way short, sort of like the people who gripe about the makeup artists of Suicide Squad winning an Oscar for their work just because that film as a whole was lousy; I mean, you're saying you wouldn't be intimidated if you saw this guy looming over you in the flesh?:

https://i.ibb.co/k6vt9kq/MV5-BNDM4-N2-Nk-Zm-Et-Mj-Q2-Yi00-ZTBk-LWEx-ODYt-YWJi-Yzkw-NWQ4-NDQ4-Xk-Ey-Xk-Fqc-Gde-QXVy-MTI3-MDk3.jpg (https://ibb.co/WpjLPqB)

Granted, the sight of Master riding on top of him otherwise is a bit inherently silly, but I still love the ingenuity of the concept of an intelligent dwarf and an unsophisticated giant covering up their weaknesses by combining their strengths to operate as a single figure, as well as the concept of a post-apocalyptic multi-tiered society where the conflict is all internal this time, where the leader on "top" is still completely dependent on the labor of the people below here (which is a nice commentary on the nature of capitalism to boot). I also thought the conflict between MasterBlaster and Auntie wasn't as rushed at first as the one between Joe & Furiosa in Fury Road, since the latter lacked a necessary set-up despite it being in a superior film, which I mentioned in my original review (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/mad-max-fury-road/) of it, and I think you should at least consider rewatching certain scenes from Thunderdome; I mean, that part where Master puts a temporary "embargo" on Bartertown's power to publically humilate Auntie?:

https://youtu.be/kJ-UZ4DvYBg

That's genuinely interesting stuff, and one of the best aspects of that film, despite its status as the weakest Max film otherwise.

[Fabulous]

An Easy Girl (2019)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/qDBmY1cd8aAZMLL1gAlm3EtkFsZ.jpg

[Daniel M]

Vampyr is awesome, as you say, very visually engaging. There are a lot of films around that time which are a really fascinating mix between silent films and "talkies". One of the ones I want to see the most is Lonesome by Pál Fejős which I have heard great things about.

[the samoan lawyer]

I agree with you. Here was my commentary from last May:

The Vast of Night

Caught this delightful picture last night, which had been bought by Amazon and put up on its site 5/29/20. It's a sci-fi mystery by new director Andrew Patterson, starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Producer, director, writers, and some of the actors are freshman in the industry. The excellent cinematography is by veteran M.I. Litten-Menz.

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

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

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

Doc's rating: 8/10


Nice write up GD. Glad we're in tandem

[the samoan lawyer]

https://d2g2d79hvofmwa.cloudfront.net/cdn/ff/qPmRsreqOOcnlwHUaAr0uFikqjsTEzkcF91Vyilo7mI/1594964131/public/styles/landscape_1200x675/public/hero-images/Clemency_1920.jpg?itok=ThC15KIQ (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplayer.bfi.org.uk%2Frentals%2Ffilm%2Fwatch-clemency-2019-online&psig=AOvVaw07HOoqMM-RO_Wd6y99BSGr&ust=1610715633690000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCMDnjci9m-4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD)
Clemency (2019)


2.5

[ThatDarnMKS]

Granted, the sight of Master riding on top of him otherwise is a bit inherently silly, but I still love the ingenuity of the concept of an intelligent dwarf and an unsophisticated giant covering up their weaknesses by combining their strengths to operate as a single figure, as well as the concept of a post-apocalyptic multi-tiered society where the conflict is all internal this time, where the leader on "top" is still completely dependent on the labor of the people below here (which is a nice commentary on the nature of capitalism to boot). I also thought the conflict between MasterBlaster and Auntie was better-developed than the one between Joe & Furiosa in Fury Road, which felt a bit rushed in its set-up (or lack thereof) despite it being in a superior film, which I mentioned in my original review (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/mad-max-fury-road/) of it, and I think you should at least consider rewatching certain scenes from Thunderdome; I mean, that part where Master puts a temporary "embargo" on Bartertown's power to publically humilate Auntie?:

https://youtu.be/kJ-UZ4DvYBg

That's genuinely interesting stuff, and one of the best aspects of that film, despite its status as the weakest Max film otherwise.
This is exactly it though. It's silly. And not in the way that Humungus or Immortan Joe are silly. It's "bounce up and down on you using a bungee cord while giggling" cartoonish silly.

The aforementioned villains are imposing because they do upsetting things and they aren't defeated by a whistle.

By softening or outright removing the violent edge to the films, the villains become impotent forces of flamboyance. Joel Schumacher Batman villains placed in a world that too this point was defined by it's desperation and cruelty.

I don't find the pig **** gas conflict as complex or interesting as you seem to. It's another fight over a commodity that might as well be any other Macguffin. The drama it creates is uninspiring so it's not forgivable like TRW. Both the original and Fury Road shift the emphasis onto human lives and suffering, which is much more dramatically engaging and weighty.

Also, just adament disagreement on your reductionist view of Joe vs. Furiosa. It may be less explicit (I'd say hamfisted) than Auntie vs. Master but the implications told through visuals and actions are much more complex and resonant that makes the casting meaningful (one can assume Joe's original motive for abducting her), her current disability with a lost arm and why she is now an Imperator, along with her empathy for the wives and her defiant "remember me!" all paint an exceptionally vivid picture that gradually unfolds the moment she makes that left turn.

Master shutting off Auntie's supply of methane is superficial and uninteresting in comparison.

The only positives I can really say about BT is that Miller's technical competence is on full display. His fluid camera work and ability to navigate complex chase sequences remains a fascinating highlight. Between that and Mel's performance, I'd call it "mostly watchable."

But compared to every other entry in the franchise, it's a hollow farce.

[Wooley]

https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?set=path%5B1%2F8%2F8%2F2%2F4%2F18824512%5D&call=url%5Bfile%3Aproduct.chain%5D


3.5

Ya know, I'm just gonna say it, I don't like Mickey Rooney and I never have.

[Gideon58]

I like him in the movies he made with Garland, but I have never liked him in anything else...he kept Breakfast at Tiffany's from being a near perfect film.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Faworldoffilm.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fvampyr22.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Vampyr, 1932

It has been many years since I'd last seen Vampyr, and in my memory it was a silent film. Imagine my shock when there was dialogue!

Allan Gray (Julian West) stops for the evening at an inn in a small village. Through a series of bizarre encounters and visions he ends up in the manor home of a man, the man's two daughters, and the manor's servants. It soon becomes clear that one of the sisters, Leone, is under the thrall of a vampire. Allan and the servants must work to free her from the evil creature.

It may be true that this is not a silent film, but nor is it a "full" sound film. I read that this is because Dreyer, the director, had to record any dialogue in three different languages, and thus tried to limit the amount of speaking. But though the film's sparse dialogue may have been a pragmatic, logistical decision, the result is a film that feels like an eerie hybrid between two types of films. For a long stretch it will seem like a silent film, only to have someone suddenly speak. In other moments, a character will say something, only for it to be followed by an unnatural silence. This neither-here-nor-there aspect of the film is a perfect match for the otherworldly, dreamy atmosphere of the story.

The film's main selling point is its visuals, of course. There is a lot of impactful, memorable imagery crammed into the short runtime. A quick google search will reveal that a TON of people really like the fetishistic image of the young woman bound with black cord (I wonder why . . . ?), but I was largely impressed with the effects and the framing of the different sequences.

On the effects front, there are some really great moments. One of the film's visual themes is shadows, and they are used in pretty much every way possible. Often characters are preceded into the frame by their shadows. But in other moments, characters become disconnected from their shadows. In another scene, Allan spots shadow creatures slinking along the grass. The shadows are not only capable of looming ominously, it's never totally clear when they might take on a life of their own.

In terms of the framing, I was very struck on this viewing by the way that the characters, and especially Allan, so often seem to be cowering in the lower half of the frame. This forces their eyeline up (often looking at something that we, the viewer, cannot see), and gives an almost perpetual sense of fearfulness to the different scenes. There is a disorienting sense of unpredictability in terms of where characters are in relation to one another. A hand might suddenly intrude into the frame offering a cup of tea. In one scene, Leone's sister rushes to a window only for Allan to suddenly appear beside and behind her. People, or creatures, might emerge from anywhere, and it creates an effect that is unsettling.

Julian West, who plays Allan, is perfect casting. He hits just the right notes as someone who wants to do the right thing, but is in totally over his head. As he stares at one incomprehensible horror after another you can practically see the wheels turning. Allan is the film's hero, but in many scenes he is more a witness than anything else.

My complaints about this film are relatively minor. There is a lot of exposition delivered by characters reading a book about vampires, which is a bit dry. I also struggled at times to keep track of who certain characters were (various henchmen, I guess?) and the exact nature of the vampire's operation.

Overall, a great film and incredibly engaging visually.

4.5

Man, I tell ya! I had that same exact experience on rewatching!
Somebody spoke and I was like, "What the ****?!"
I loved it. Absolutely loved every freaking second of it. Whenever I think about it I get the cinemaphile equivalent of warm fuzzies.
Unlike you, and I think it was because the first time I watched it I had a bad print that was really hard to watch so the whole ******* thing made no sense at all, I didn't mind the confusion about the characters, it just made it seem all the more surreal to me.
****ing love that movie.

[SpelingError]

I showed Vampyr to a couple of my online friends last October who normally aren't in classic/foreign films and they both loved it. One of my favorite horror films, easily.

[Wooley]

And well I still have some blind spots when it comes to Mann, I might as well take this opportunity to rate/rank all of his films that I've seen to date:


Thief 8.75

Heat 8.5

Collateral 8.5

Last Of The Mohicans 7.5



Thief is my favorite Mann film, going away.

[Takoma11]

I'll also give a shoutout to The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. It's great.

Agreed!

[WHITBISSELL!]

Thief is my favorite Mann film, going away.Tangerine Dream FTW!

[Captain Terror]

Vampyr, 1932

There is a disorienting sense of unpredictability in terms of where characters are in relation to one another. A hand might suddenly intrude into the frame offering a cup of tea. In one scene, Leone's sister rushes to a window only for Allan to suddenly appear beside and behind her. People, or creatures, might emerge from anywhere, and it creates an effect that is unsettling.


There's one really simple trick that I love. (tried to find the clip but no luck, so I'll attempt to describe it.) Gray pokes his head through a window and looks to his left, and the camera pans in that direction. But when the camera pans back to the window, Gray is no longer there. Instead he is now walking down a corridor away from the camera. This is disorienting because as a viewer we understand that when the camera pans we're seeing what Gray is seeing. So when we return to him and he's walking away, it's almost like he's abandoned you or something. Subconsciously you're like, "Hey, wait for me!"

[Thief]

And well I still have some blind spots when it comes to Mann, I might as well take this opportunity to rate/rank all of his films that I've seen to date:


Thief 8.75

Heat 8.5

Collateral 8.5

Last Of The Mohicans 7.5



While Mohicans was a bit of a drop-off for him, since it felt like a somewhat inauthentic attempt at a more mainstream, Hollywidized Historical Epic for him, he's a very, very good filmmaker besides that, IMO.

Thief is my favorite Mann film, going away.

The Insider is easily my favorite of his, but Thief is probably second, closely followed by Heat and Collateral, so we're not that far.

I saw both Manhunter and The Last of the Mohicans, but it was probably 15+ years ago so rewatches might be due. I do remember liking the former a lot, and the latter not so much.

On a weird note, I also saw Public Enemies, probably several years ago (5 or 6 years?), but that's one I don't remember at all. Take from that what you may.

[WHITBISSELL!]

The Night of the Hunter - Wow. I'm just going to go ahead and recommend this from the get go before even talking about it. For those who haven't seen or heard of it, watch it. It's a 1955 ... well, I don't quite know how to describe it. Southern Gothic? Religious allegory? Bizarre bedtime story? Fractured fairy tale? (Shout out to The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends). However you choose to describe it, it probably doesn't do it justice. Actor Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort, it's filmed in this ... I don't know, Grand Guignol style? With touches of German Expressionism.

The peerless Robert Mitchum stars as Harry Powell, a bogus fire and brimstone preacher who is in actuality a sexually twisted serial killer who preys on unsuspecting and moneyed widows or any woman he deems a jezebel. He's sent to prison for car theft where he meets Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who's been sentenced to death for robbing a bank and killing two men. Harper made it home before the law caught up to him and left his 10,000 dollars of loot with his two children, John and Pearl. Harper talks in his sleep and his cellmate Powell figures that he might have left the money close to home. When he’s let out he makes a beeline to Harper’s home and to his widow Willa (Shelley Winters) and kids. Powell ingratiates himself and quickly convinces the not-too-worldly Willa to marry him. It then turns into a war of wills between Powell and the young but resolute John who swore to his father to both never tell anyone about the hidden treasure and to watch over his little sister Pearl.

The way the movie was going it looked like it would wrap up at around the 40 minute mark. But the Reverend Powell’s murderous skullduggery aside, there was no underestimating young John’s resourcefulness, not to mention some nail biting chase and escapes. The third (fourth?) act is no letdown either with Lillian Gish as Mrs. Cooper showing up and putting a fine capper on things.

You might be left slightly agog after viewing this and left to wonder what the hell you just watched. I know I was. 95/100

[SpelingError]

The Night of the Hunter - Wow. I'm just going to go ahead and recommend this from the get go before even talking about it. For those who haven't seen or heard of it, watch it. It's a 1955 ... well, I don't quite know how to describe it. Southern Gothic? Religious allegory? Bizarre bedtime story? Fractured fairy tale? (Shout out to The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends). However you choose to describe it, it probably doesn't do it justice. Actor Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort, it's filmed in this ... I don't know, Grand Guignol style? With touches of German Expressionism.

The peerless Robert Mitchum stars as Harry Powell, a bogus fire and brimstone preacher who is in actuality a sexually twisted serial killer who preys on unsuspecting and moneyed widows or any woman he deems a jezebel. He's sent to prison for car theft where he meets Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who's been sentenced to death for robbing a bank and killing two men. Harper made it home before the law caught up to him and left his 10,000 dollars of loot with his two children, John and Pearl. Harper talks in his sleep and his cellmate Powell figures that he might have left the money close to home. When he’s let out he makes a beeline to Harper’s home and to his widow Willa (Shelley Winters) and kids. Powell ingratiates himself and quickly convinces the not-too-worldly Willa to marry him. It then turns into a war of wills between Powell and the young but resolute John who swore to his father to both never tell anyone about the hidden treasure and to watch over his little sister Pearl.

The way the movie was going it looked like it would wrap up at around the 40 minute mark. But the Reverend Powell’s murderous skullduggery aside, there was no underestimating young John’s resourcefulness, not to mention some nail biting chase and escapes. The third (fourth?) act is no letdown either with Lillian Gish as Mrs. Cooper showing up and putting a fine capper on things.

You might be left slightly agog after viewing this and left to wonder what the hell you just watched. I know I was. 95/100

I'm a gigantic fan of The Night of the Hunter. When I consider how it's able to blend so many horror sub-genres and tones (many of which you mentioned in your first paragraph) all while not even feeling like a horror film, it's one of the most impressive films I can think of.

[CharlesAoup]

Gods Of Egypt, 2016 (C)

Positively cheesy. Entirely made of cheese, both good and bad.

A lot has been said about how subpar the CGI is for this absolute video game of a movie, but everything else deserves a mention too. Every line of dialogue would make you wince in the 80s, and every actor underperforms. There's fewer than 10 lines of dialogue delivered convincingly. The editing is terrible and takes all the energy out of every action scene. There's a particular action scene where there's something like 5 consecutive cuts to shots where the camera is just circling the action, like the famous Michael Bay shot, but bad and badly edited.

The movie is largely predictable and has no suspense at all. It's so obvious that none of the main cast is ever in danger, because it's very clearly one of those movies. Not the most unbearable thing to watch ever, but absolutely not worth seeing.

[Gideon58]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Ragtime-705004323-large.jpg



4.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthefilmstage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F09%2Faniara03.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Aniara, 2018

An Earth devastated by climate change or perhaps some other crisis (or combination of crises) has led various people to flee the planet. The plan is to travel to Mars on a large ship called Aniara. But when an unforeseen incident knocks the ship off course, the passengers and crew must cope as a three week trip stretches into months and then years. The narrative is mainly centered on a woman known as Mimaroben (Emelie Garbers), whose job is to facilitate passenger use of an artificial intelligence suite, Mima, that helps passengers to see immersive visions of their past lives on Earth.

Ultimately, this is a film about what happens when a group of people are faced with a sort of perpetual uncertainty. Is it worth staying alive? Is there really any chance that tomorrow will be better than today? Is hope something you want in this situation, or is it just a kind of denial?

My favorite thing about this one was the use of water and how it connected with the idea of being grounded and in the moment. The sequences in the Mima often feature characters in water, or with rain falling, or the sound of a rushing river nearby. When Momaroben first really begins to connect with an officer who will later become her love interest, we see the two of them swimming in the ship's pool. What keeps the people onboard alive is an algae set up in tanks of water. Through the film, the lack of nature (sunshine, plants, animals) is deeply felt, and water is the one thing that seems at once to be present and missing.

Overall I found the narrative to be pretty well balanced between following Mimaroben's personal life (her relationship with the officer, Isagel (Bianca Cruzeira), and her work maintaining Mima) with the bigger story of the ship with the crew and the other passengers. They are intertwined, of course, and it is interesting to see how different characters respond to the bleakness and increasing length of the voyage. The ship's captain (Arvin Kananian) chooses to spin doctor everything; Mimaroben's roommate, an astronomer (Anneli Martini) is smart enough to realize that there will be no rescue and turns to drink; many other passengers turn to all-day partying; some others turn to suicide.

The film moves in "chapters" often jumping forward large chunks of time. This had a mixed effect for me. On one hand, the stark jump to a year later really hammers home how long the people on the ship have to sustain their optimism about any development (because even the "good news" is always a year or two away). But on the downside, there are a lot of important character developments that get short shrift or passed over altogether.

While Mimaroben is a compelling central character, I was very taken with the character of Isagel. Something that the film does a really good job of portraying is her depression and the way that it eats away at her, even during happy times with Mimaroben. One of the saddest scenes to me was actually in the film's infamous orgy sequence (which, by the by, meh), in which Isagel watches as Mimaroben happily pairs off with others and she ends up (in a way that is so hesitating that it feels borderline non-consensual) being paired off with one of the men. (It is implied that Mimaroben is bisexual, but nothing in that regard with Isagel). Isagel becomes a woman without power and without purpose, and this meaningless corrodes her spirit. Mimaroben, for all that she goes through, always seems to have purpose and something she looks forward to. Their relationship, both functional and dysfunctional, is well-realized.

I know that this film tends to be a bit divisive. And I can see how some might take it as empty and more style than substance. But I liked it. I really enjoyed the character of the astronomer and her semi-frequent discussions with Mimaroben.

Probably not for everyone, but certainly worth watching.

4

[Rhys]

The Sound of Metal


https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sound-of-metal-696x441.jpg


rating_4

[Vanillapie]

Badlands (1973) **8.2**

Unique in its subtleness and relative ambiguity, beautifully shot and Sheen is the absolute perfect casting choice for this role. I understand that this was his big break but he originally refused the role as he felt he was to old, I’m so glad he stayed on. I say subtle because how the movie ended, everything was kinda forgiven and I sort of forgave him too which is sacrilege considering what he done. The final act was a little disappointing for me to be honest but this was always going to be a tricky piece to conclude.

This movie intrigued me about Malick I didn’t realise he had a 20 year hiatus, rewatches of ‘The Thin red line’ and ‘Tree of life’ are a must as is a first time viewing of ‘Days of heaven’.

Resident evil (2002) **7.8** Rewatch

Very much a nostalgia heavy movie for me, I hated it and didn’t get it at all when it first came out although I was only 11, where are the Stars team? Who is Alice? Her role makes sense to me now, real brave plot line to go down as it resembled very little of the original video game. I understand now why there has to be an individual protagonist and Jovovich has the beauty and athleticism to pull it off. The supporting cast were bad but when exploring the hive I didn’t care I was so intrigued into what was coming around every corner. There was real suspense, the final scene with Alice ripping needles off her temple then looking out onto a ravaged Raccoon City was class. Still I would have liked a few more things added from the video game.

I want to add that I absolutely hated the sequels and don’t really remember much about any of them, other than Mike Epps and his gold pistols.

Arlington Road (1999) **7.2** Rewatch

I watched this a while back when I was in my movie infancy, embarrassed to admit that this was in the ‘best twists ever’ list. I was expecting a ‘Sixth sense’ ‘Fight Club’ type head jerker, it wasn’t that but I respected the ending back then and I enjoyed it more this time. Bridges and Robins had the swagger of the middle class, love themselves type arrogance which intrigued me early on. I actually had more love for Robins then I did Bridges by the end. The setup was good, ending was great but bloated in the middle where we see far too many coincidences. The suitcase hand over was particularly bad.

Interview with the vampire (1994) **7.9**

Why haven’t I watched this earlier? The balance of seeing these blood suckers, and the completely real way in which they are portrayed and come across, mixed with a few of touches of comedy, chiefly from Cruise as Lenat was masterful. His dance with a dead body after finally seeing Louis lose his sucking blood virginity was hilarious. Dunst who I worked out was just 12 here which simply blows my mind in itself gave every pour of herself to this role, terrifying and authentic all the same.

The settings this movie took place in were stunning, the visuals were terrific all round, very few amounts of CGI used and brilliant hair and make-up. Everything seemed genuine in the writing other than the gimmicky interview parts, looks good on paper but this part of the movie was written poorly as was the main character Louis played by Brad Pitt, he was just kind of a pussy through too much of the plot. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and the kind of movie I’ll re-watch a lot from here on in and likely score better each time.

[GulfportDoc]

Heat (Mann, '95)
...

Final Score: 8.5

Very nice review. I enjoyed Heat-- of course with its star power acting. Didn't care for the ending. Always nice to see Pacino and De Niro working together.

[Thief]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthefilmstage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F09%2Faniara03.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Aniara, 2018

An Earth devastated by climate change or perhaps some other crisis (or combination of crises) has led various people to flee the planet. The plan is to travel to Mars on a large ship called Aniara. But when an unforeseen incident knocks the ship off course, the passengers and crew must cope as a three week trip stretches into months and then years. The narrative is mainly centered on a woman known as Mimaroben (Emelie Garbers), whose job is to facilitate passenger use of an artificial intelligence suite, Mima, that helps passengers to see immersive visions of their past lives on Earth.

Ultimately, this is a film about what happens when a group of people are faced with a sort of perpetual uncertainty. Is it worth staying alive? Is there really any chance that tomorrow will be better than today? Is hope something you want in this situation, or is it just a kind of denial?

My favorite thing about this one was the use of water and how it connected with the idea of being grounded and in the moment. The sequences in the Mima often feature characters in water, or with rain falling, or the sound of a rushing river nearby. When Momaroben first really begins to connect with an officer who will later become her love interest, we see the two of them swimming in the ship's pool. What keeps the people onboard alive is an algae set up in tanks of water. Through the film, the lack of nature (sunshine, plants, animals) is deeply felt, and water is the one thing that seems at once to be present and missing.

Overall I found the narrative to be pretty well balanced between following Mimaroben's personal life (her relationship with the officer, Isagel (Bianca Cruzeira), and her work maintaining Mima) with the bigger story of the ship with the crew and the other passengers. They are intertwined, of course, and it is interesting to see how different characters respond to the bleakness and increasing length of the voyage. The ship's captain (Arvin Kananian) chooses to spin doctor everything; Mimaroben's roommate, an astronomer (Anneli Martini) is smart enough to realize that there will be no rescue and turns to drink; many other passengers turn to all-day partying; some others turn to suicide.

The film moves in "chapters" often jumping forward large chunks of time. This had a mixed effect for me. On one hand, the stark jump to a year later really hammers home how long the people on the ship have to sustain their optimism about any development (because even the "good news" is always a year or two away). But on the downside, there are a lot of important character developments that get short shrift or passed over altogether.

While Mimaroben is a compelling central character, I was very taken with the character of Isagel. Something that the film does a really good job of portraying is her depression and the way that it eats away at her, even during happy times with Mimaroben. One of the saddest scenes to me was actually in the film's infamous orgy sequence (which, by the by, meh), in which Isagel watches as Mimaroben happily pairs off with others and she ends up (in a way that is so hesitating that it feels borderline non-consensual) being paired off with one of the men. (It is implied that Mimaroben is bisexual, but nothing in that regard with Isagel). Isagel becomes a woman without power and without purpose, and this meaningless corrodes her spirit. Mimaroben, for all that she goes through, always seems to have purpose and something she looks forward to. Their relationship, both functional and dysfunctional, is well-realized.

I know that this film tends to be a bit divisive. And I can see how some might take it as empty and more style than substance. But I liked it. I really enjoyed the character of the astronomer and her semi-frequent discussions with Mimaroben.

Probably not for everyone, but certainly worth watching.

4

So glad you liked it!

[ThatDarnMKS]

THE LAST LAUGH

4.5

It's interesting watching this after Dr. Mabuse as, aside from the title and a 4th wall breaking title card for the epilogue, Murnau didn't use any title cards or text throughout the film. Instead, he told the story purely through visuals and his aesthetic evolution represented a massive jump in sophistication from Nosferatu, which was no slouch. That trend would continue with Faust and Sunrise so I'm interested to see what he was able to accomplish in his later career.

That said, I preferred the simple poignance of this film and it's hauntingly "happy" epilogue to Faust. That said, of these few Murnau I've seen, every single one has been excellent.

[Mr Minio]

and it's hauntingly "happy" epilogue Studio forced him to make a happy ending. The happy epilogue feels like a rather overly happy dream of the hanged.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Studio forced him to make a happy ending. The happy epilogue feels like a rather overly happy dream of the hanged.
I figured as much but I think it ultimately worked, so agreed.

By outright saying that this is where the story should end tragically and that this is a contrivance of the author pitying the protagonist, it highlights the artiface of the happiness and renders it intensely melancholic. It's like a death fantasy sequence that never has the reveal but we know the "truth" all the same. I've never seen anything quite like that after seeing dozens of Incident at Owl Creek Bridge imitators

[WHITBISSELL!]

Very nice review. I enjoyed Heat-- of course with its star power acting. Didn't care for the ending. Always nice to see Pacino and De Niro working together.I didn't like that ending at all. Almost ruined the film for me. I have a tendency to root for the robbers instead of the cops.

[Takoma11]

I did not care for Heat. So many people think it is great, but all I could see was actors ACTING!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT I AM ACTING????!!!!

A lot of technical brilliance, but the performances were hard for me to watch.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I did not care for Heat. So many people think it is great, but all I could see was actors ACTING!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT I AM ACTING????!!!!

A lot of technical brilliance, but the performances were hard for me to watch.
I can only see that for Pacino. The rest of the performances are pretty pitch perfect. Pacino makes more sense when you realize his character had a cocaine addiction that was left on the cutting room floor.

It's a film that gets better every time I watch it.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.7Gk9lK08xIdx8MFuGxJBywHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Rudderless, 2014

A man named Sam (Billy Cruddup) is reeling from the loss of his son, Josh, in a shooting at Josh's college. Having lost his highly paying advertising job, he now lives on a houseboat at a lake where he frequently clashes with the local board. One day, his estranged wife drops off a box of Josh's journals and CDs. Listening to the music, Sam is suddenly caught up in it. He performs one of his son's songs at a local open mic and is approached by a young 20-something named Quinten (Anton Yelchin), who eventually convinces Sam to form a band. But the band does not know that all of Sam's songs really belong to his son.

This film is William H Macy's directorial debut. It has a good cast and an intriguing premise.

In terms of what I appreciated the most, (MODERATE SPOILERS) there is something particularly cruel about people whose family members commit violent atrocities. Even setting aside accusations that they failed as parents, they are not given the same space to mourn their loss and cope with their trauma. Some people don't see the signs of mental illness until it is too late. Others see the signs but for a variety of reasons are not able to offer help--or that help is not wanted. I thought that the choice to center a story on a family member of someone who committed a violent "unforgivable" crime was a really interesting one.

The actors all perform their own songs, and they have decent musical talent (actual musician Ben Kweller is on hand to help add to the vibe). I also appreciated that the film took time to show some other performances. I actually wish they'd let a few of the acts play longer. Kate Micucci (one half of Garfunkle and Oates) gets a decent chunk of time, but the other acts mostly get a few bars of music.

The sticking point for me in this film was the writing. It's a bit basic, and also a bit extra. There are several moments where you can sense the talented actors--Yelchin, LAurence Fishburne--trying to give a good read of dialogue that just clangs. This is true of the script, but also of many of the songs. It's fine that Quentin likes the music Sam plays, but the way it's written Quentin approaches Sam as if he's just seen the face of god. The band making a meteoric rise--performing to a rapturous audience--while playing what is, at best, slightly-above average indie rock gives the film a cheesy aspect when I wish it had played its story more straight. The film name-drops Death Cab for Cutie and all I could think of was the first song from this set, and how simply it evokes deep emotion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6uRT7PxTQ

I could see in this film a movie I would have really liked. A film about a father connecting to a child he lost through that child's music. A father grappling with the moral complications of taking ownership of his son's personal artistic expression. A man in denial and grief finally letting down some walls to connect to a painful part of his personal history. Consider this video, related to the same topic (I'm not hyperlinking it, because the video title is kind of a spoiler and you can't spoiler tag YouTube videos): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xfyN-yBZ7c

I wish the writing had had more confidence in this emotional core. The "comic" scenes of Sam sparring with the local fusspot (Sam constantly exposes himself while urinating in the like in full view of the people who live and work at the lake, including children. Cool cool cool) were so unnecessary. And frankly they came across as trying to earn sympathy points for Sam when the reality is that he's acting like a complete jerk. In another sequence that is played as comedic, he literally endangers the lives of about a dozen people. If this scene had been played straight and as a sign of Sam's destructive and self-destructive tendencies, it could have been okay. But the need to intersperse these over-the-top funny moments undermine the rest of the film. There is plenty of more subdued humor to be found between Sam and the band (like when the suggest calling the group "The Old Man and the Three"). And the humor between Sam and the band is actually thematically relevant as it allows Sam to draw closer to his child vicariously through these young men.

It's clear from the IMDb score and the reviews that many people like this film and really like the music. I thought that the premise was interesting but felt that all the "extras" piled on those bones just constantly undermined its messages and themes.

3

[Takoma11]

I can only see that for Pacino. The rest of the performances are pretty pitch perfect. Pacino makes more sense when you realize his character had a cocaine addiction that was left on the cutting room floor.

It's a film that gets better every time I watch it.

I thought it was pretty clear that he was on drugs. Still didn't care for it.

After all the hype I was expecting a 9/10 or 10/10 and I feel like I got a 7.5/10.

I fully accept my minority status in this opinion. But for example, I would watch The Keep like three more times before ever wanting to revisit Heat.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I fully accept my minority status in this opinion. But for example, I would watch The Keep like three more times before ever wanting to revisit Heat.
Such a perspective is so alien to me, my brain blue screens trying to comprehend it.

Have you only seen Heat the once? Did you like the Keep a shockingly large amount? I just... Huh.

[Takoma11]

Such a perspective is so alien to me, my brain blue screens trying to comprehend it.

Have you only seen Heat the once? Did you like the Keep a shockingly large amount? I just... Huh.

The Keep is an atmospheric 90 minutes of a demon killing Nazis. I didn't even love it, but at least it was interesting.

Heat was so disappointing that I can't remember any specifics of it except a crushing sense of annoyance that only mounted as it approached the 3 hour mark. It is my least favorite of any of the film's I've seen from Mann.

[MovieBuffering]

Run Hide Fight - 2021

Wasn't expecting to watch this flick tonight. Thought Daily Wire was going put it behind a paid prescription but they just streamed it on Youtube so I watched. It is definitely a provocative movie. I found it interesting but was expecting it to be sort of sub par specially being Daily Wire's first foray into film (granted they just bought distribution rights, didn't actually make it.)

Verdict? I found it pretty a entertaining thought provoking little thriller. There would be some cringe and roll your eye moments but they were speed bumps into pretty decent thriller imo. A lot can be attributed to the lead Isabel May. I thought she was stellar and has a bright future as long as she doesn't get blackballed for being in a Daily Wire movie. The actor playing the villain was pretty good as well, although I didn't like how charismatic he was as a school shooter. Most those guys are outcasts or wouldn't be that charismatic, but I guess it's forgivable if you want to make a decently entertaining movie. It's a poor man's Die Hard I'd say.

School shootings are horrific but I think this movie was trying to highlight the heroes in these incidences rather than the shooters by going hyper heroic with the lead. If you can get past the subject matter and take the movie as just a movie I think you can find it entertaining. It's like 14% on RT and that's way off in my estimation, I think it straddles somewhere between fresh and rotten. Think it's worth a gander. The convo the Daily Wire guys had with the filmmakers after was a cool one to me. I hope Daily Wire succeeds in bring entertainment back to the middle.

3

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/1609789852663-9DEGAP29UC7X25AGU9LB/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqp eNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/image-asset.jpeg?format=2500w

[Fabulous]

Frankie and Johnny (1991)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/mXn2VhwaRKAKahulvqLdM5i3t7D.jpg

[mojofilter]

https://posteritati.com/posters/000/000/030/892/critical-condition-md-web.jpg
CRITICAL CONDITION
(1987)

Re-watch. Caught this on Showtime. One of Richard Pryor's weakest films and performances. Weak plot, too. But somehow, I kind of enjoyed sitting through it. Features a rare movie role played by Bob (Danny Tanner from Full House) Saget.

2

[StuSmallz]

This is exactly it though. It's silly. And not in the way that Humungus or Immortan Joe are silly. It's "bounce up and down on you using a bungee cord while giggling" cartoonish silly.

The aforementioned villains are imposing because they do upsetting things and they aren't defeated by a whistle.

By softening or outright removing the violent edge to the films, the villains become impotent forces of flamboyance. Joel Schumacher Batman villains placed in a world that too this point was defined by it's desperation and cruelty.

I don't find the pig **** gas conflict as complex or interesting as you seem to. It's another fight over a commodity that might as well be any other Macguffin. The drama it creates is uninspiring so it's not forgivable like TRW. Both the original and Fury Road shift the emphasis onto human lives and suffering, which is much more dramatically engaging and weighty.

Also, just adament disagreement on your reductionist view of Joe vs. Furiosa. It may be less explicit (I'd say hamfisted) than Auntie vs. Master but the implications told through visuals and actions are much more complex and resonant that makes the casting meaningful (one can assume Joe's original motive for abducting her), her current disability with a lost arm and why she is now an Imperator, along with her empathy for the wives and her defiant "remember me!" all paint an exceptionally vivid picture that gradually unfolds the moment she makes that left turn.

Master shutting off Auntie's supply of methane is superficial and uninteresting in comparison.

The only positives I can really say about BT is that Miller's technical competence is on full display. His fluid camera work and ability to navigate complex chase sequences remains a fascinating highlight. Between that and Mel's performance, I'd call it "mostly watchable."

But compared to every other entry in the franchise, it's a hollow farce.To each his own then, as I feel that that character is the right balance between intimidating and MM-style silly, with Master basically being that movie's Doof Warrior to Blaster's Joe. That being said though, comparing MasterBlaster to the other MM villains is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, as part of the reason why Humungus & Joe are able to do the things they do is because they have forces of deadly men carrying out their upsetting orders, while Blaster is basically a one-man army in and of himself, one that's keeping an entire crew of prisoners in line single-handedly, and the only villain in the series who held his own in hand-to-hand combat with Max, who, had it not been for him discovering Blaster's weakness to high-pitched sounds earlier, probably would've been dead meat in their thunderdome fight, and overlooking that is a "reductionist" take in and of itself.

Anyway, I found the power struggle in Bartertown engaging not because it was driven by any random Macguffin, but because the internal nature of the conflict made it inherently more interesting than the rival groups of The Road Warrior, since it both demonstrates how society is progressing back from its nadir in Warrior, but also how, even in a community rebuilding after an apocalypse brought about by a world war between rival powers, humans haven't learned any lessons, and are still as eager as ever to start fighting each other again in one way or another. Plus, the energy "embargoes" are a nice callback to the 70's energy crisis that inspired the Mad Max films from the very start. I'm not saying that it's as compelling a conflict as the fight over Joe's slaves in Fury Road, since, like you said, fighting over people is inherently more compelling than fighting over resources, but the internal struggle in Thunderdome is more than interesting enough IMO.

Anyway, speaking of Joe's slaves, as I implied with my agreement with you just now in this post, I misspoke when I wrote earlier that I felt the conflict between MasterBlaster/Entity was more compelling on the whole as the one between Joe/Furiosa/the "wives" (that's what I get for frying my brain that day by writing so much, haha). Of course the latter conflict is better on the whole, but I still stand by my assertion that Thunderdome did a better job of initially setting up its conflict than Fury Road, since the latter skipped some necessary setup, seeing as how we'd not only never seen the wives, we've never even heard of them before Joe abruptly rushes to his vault and starts raging about Furiosa taking "them"; for how good a job George Miller did otherwise with his overall attention to detail in that film, he should've known that you need to sufficiently establish what the status quo of this society is, so that when it gets disrupted, the significance of that disruption carries some weight with us as outsiders to this world. On that note, while I mostly approve of him limiting most of Furiosa's backstory to just implication, it still would've made more sense to introduce her as leading the group of war boys who captured/enslaved Max at the beginning, since, that way, we would've gotten to witness at least one example of a terrible thing she's done for Joe firsthand, while also still having our collective intelligence respected just as much, since it still would've been "show, not tell"-style storytelling.

[StuSmallz]

Very nice review. I enjoyed Heat-- of course with its star power acting. Didn't care for the ending. Always nice to see Pacino and De Niro working together.I didn't like that ending at all. Almost ruined the film for me. I have a tendency to root for the robbers instead of the cops.Thanks, Doc! But what was wrong with its ending for you? I thought it was pretty much perfect, to be honest with you... also, Whit, I respect that, but like I said in my review, I found it impossible to truly "root" for either man over the other, since Mann made them such well-developed, three-dimensional figures. Figures on opposite sides of the law, and one of them is technically "the bad guy", but he didn't really feel that way, y'know?I did not care for Heat. So many people think it is great, but all I could see was actors ACTING!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT I AM ACTING????!!!!


A lot of technical brilliance, but the performances were hard for me to watch.Wait, so you didn't even like the big diner scene? It's Pacino AND De Niro acting face-to-face for the first time ever... and at length, too!:

https://youtu.be/LUy2Wx_r0_wI can only see that for Pacino. The rest of the performances are pretty pitch perfect. Pacino makes more sense when you realize his character had a cocaine addiction that was left on the cutting room floor.

It's a film that gets better every time I watch it.Yeah, but a lot of Pacino's performances have been on the hammy side of the spectrum anyway (in a good way), so I'm not willing to place all the responsibility for his performance on just Mann. Anyway, I had no idea they cut out a cocaine addiction, but it makes perfect sense for them to avoid the inevitable comparison to a certain other superb Pacino-led Crime epic; (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/scarface-1983/) the thing I don't get is why they would cut that sub-plot or some of these scenes...

https://youtu.be/5RyEHG1llrk

...but retain the sub-plots with the prostitute or Dennis Haysbert's characters, since both of them could've (should've) so easily been cut, losing nothing essential while also adding so much needed streamlining to the overall plot. Still a really good movie despite all that, though, and one that, just like with you, only improved for me upon rewatching it.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Frankie and Johnny (1991)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/mXn2VhwaRKAKahulvqLdM5i3t7D.jpg

loved him on scarface!

[StuSmallz]

loved him on scarface!...and, since that movie keeps coming up in this thread all of a sudden (and since, like Frankie & Johnny it also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, haha), I might as well repost my original review of it in full now:

https://i.ibb.co/mTXQg6T/ux2n-Vf-A689-N1phs-RMtj76-Ona65-M.jpg (https://ibb.co/RbBLdzb)



The world is yours.



At the dawn of that relentlessly loud, excessive decade we now know as the "1980's", Fidel Castro opened up the harbor at Mariel, Cuba, with the stated intention of letting some of his people rejoin their relatives in America; however, it soon became evident that he was also forcing the sailors to venture off with the dregs of his jails as well, as, of the 125,000 refugees that came off of those rusty, rickety, overflowing boats in Miami, an estimated 25,000 of them had criminal records.


One of those refugees was Tony Montana, a petty scumbag whose larger-than-life dreams of breaking free from those desperate, unwashed masses in order to become a big shot has become immortalized in Brian De Palma's Scarface, a film that stands tall as the foremost cinematic artifact of that particular time and place, helping to commemorate Miami and the modern "gold rush" of cocaine trafficking it experienced in the 80's, and, in the process, becoming immortal as a blood-soaked crime opera every bit as over-the-top as the decade that birthed it, but one that's ultimately proven itself to be an enduring icon despite that (although it's probably more BECAUSE of that, now that I think about it).


Of course, this Scarface retains the same basic rise-and-fall gangster narrative of Howard Hawks' original film, even though it exchanges the Prohibition/Capone-era Chicago setting of that film for Miami during its "cocaine cowboys" era, with the aforementioned Mariel boatlift serving as the inciting incident, which adds an undeniable political element to the film that original director Sidney Lumet initially wished to emphasize, an intent that is reflected in the film's constant use of news footage (both real and otherwise) to ground it in its particular social context, to the point that it's impossible to imagine it taking place any where, or when, else (which is ironic, considering that most of it was actually filmed in LA, due to backlash from the local Cuban community).


However, despite those lingering creative fingerprints, this Scarface is ultimately all De Palma's (but more on that later), and, despite the strong supporting cast of characters, the film is also undeniably Tony Montana's, as it's also impossible to imagine the film without that walking, talking ball of hair trigger-tempered, barely-contained testosterone anchoring it, just like it's impossible to imagine the character being anywhere near as memorable without Al Pacino at his shoutiest portraying him, reasonable concerns about his spotty "Cuban" accent aside, although I would argue even that still adds to the camp/entertainment value of the film regardless ("Look at those pelicans fly, mang!", anyone?).


At any rate, I would argue that Tony's external arc of going from petty criminal to cocaine kingpin is one of the more compelling point-A-to-Z character journeys I've had the pleasure of witnessing, as his quest through the film's flashy underworld is relentlessly propulsive throughout, and his journey always feels like it's constantly moving forward to its next destination, never spinning its wheels, and, while he never really changes internally, the particular character flaws that he exhibits from the outset nonetheless become more and more exaggerated (and fatal) with accumulated time and power, due to his unrealistic ambitions and relentlessly self-destructive tendencies, which trap him a veritable blizzard-sized haze of coke towards the end, having lost, alienated, or just straight-up murdered every friend he had in the world, but, while inevitable, his downfall is still never predictable, as he blazes a bloody path across the fallen paradise that is Miami in this ludicrously melodramatic, larger-than-life-itself tragedy.


Finally, Scarface ultimately succeeds just for the basic fact that it's an imminently rewatchable, outrageously entertaining film, whether you're talking about the dialogue that is as needlessy overwrought as it is relentlessly quotable (courtesy of the scripting of a young, trying-kick-the-habit Oliver Stone), which has earned the film a hallowed place in the Hip Hop sampling/quoting hall of fame (if it existed), or if you're considering De Palma's unmistakable cinematic sensibilities, which are reflected in the film's dark, unexpected moments of comic relief, or its shamelessly lurid, downright trashy (but somehow also completely appropriate) treatment of its subject matter, which repeatedly earned the film the dreaded X-rating for its sheer levels of gore, drug use, and then-record-breaking amount of F-bombs.


Of course, you also can't forget about the film's overall shamelessly flashy, showy style, as Giorgio Moroder's synth-heavy pop provides a perfectly tacky soundtrack, Edward Richardson's art direction creates a tropical dreamland drenched in the incredibly vibrant neons and lush pastels that have become visual shorthands to the decade's overall aesthetic, and John A. Alonzo's cinematography lovingly tracks and roams all over the unspeakably opulent locations, with the perpetual sunsets often appearing as red as the blood that constantly bathes the characters themselves, as the city seems to exist in one long, eternal magic hour here. Like Elvira herself says at one point, nothing exceeds like excess, and Scarface proves that in spades, and then some (and then some even more, to boot).

[xSookieStackhouse]

...and, since that movie keeps coming up in this thread all of a sudden (and since, like Frankie & Johnny it also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, haha), I might as well repost my original review of it in full now:

https://i.ibb.co/mTXQg6T/ux2n-Vf-A689-N1phs-RMtj76-Ona65-M.jpg (https://ibb.co/RbBLdzb)



The world is yours.



At the dawn of that relentlessly loud, excessive decade we now know as the "1980's", Fidel Castro opened up the harbor at Mariel, Cuba, with the stated intention of letting some of his people rejoin their relatives in America; however, it soon became evident that he was also forcing the sailors to venture off with the dregs of his jails as well, as, of the 125,000 refugees that came off of those rusty, rickety, overflowing boats in Miami, an estimated 25,000 of them had criminal records.


One of those refugees was Tony Montana, a petty scumbag whose larger-than-life dreams of breaking free from those desperate, unwashed masses in order to become a big shot has become immortalized in Brian De Palma's Scarface, a film that stands tall as the foremost cinematic artifact of that particular time and place, helping to commemorate Miami and the modern "gold rush" of cocaine trafficking it experienced in the 80's, and, in the process, becoming immortal as a blood-soaked crime opera every bit as over-the-top as the decade that birthed it, but one that's ultimately proven itself to be an enduring icon despite that (although it's probably more BECAUSE of that, now that I think about it).


Of course, this Scarface retains the same basic rise-and-fall gangster narrative of Howard Hawks' original film, even though it exchanges the Prohibition/Capone-era Chicago setting of that film for Miami during its "cocaine cowboys" era, with the aforementioned Mariel boatlift serving as the inciting incident, which adds an undeniable political element to the film that original director Sidney Lumet initially wished to emphasize, an intent that is reflected in the film's constant use of news footage (both real and otherwise) to ground it in its particular social context, to the point that it's impossible to imagine it taking place any where, or when, else (which is ironic, considering that most of it was actually filmed in LA, due to backlash from the local Cuban community).


However, despite those lingering creative fingerprints, this Scarface is ultimately all De Palma's (but more on that later), and, despite the strong supporting cast of characters, the film is also undeniably Tony Montana's, as it's also impossible to imagine the film without that walking, talking ball of hair trigger-tempered, barely-contained testosterone anchoring it, just like it's impossible to imagine the character being anywhere near as memorable without Al Pacino at his shoutiest portraying him, reasonable concerns about his spotty "Cuban" accent aside, although I would argue even that still adds to the camp/entertainment value of the film regardless ("Look at those pelicans fly, mang!", anyone?).


At any rate, I would argue that Tony's external arc of going from petty criminal to cocaine kingpin is one of the more compelling point-A-to-Z character journeys I've had the pleasure of witnessing, as his quest through the film's flashy underworld is relentlessly propulsive throughout, and his journey always feels like it's constantly moving forward to its next destination, never spinning its wheels, and, while he never really changes internally, the particular character flaws that he exhibits from the outset nonetheless become more and more exaggerated (and fatal) with accumulated time and power, due to his unrealistic ambitions and relentlessly self-destructive tendencies, which trap him a veritable blizzard-sized haze of coke towards the end, having lost, alienated, or just straight-up murdered every friend he had in the world, but, while inevitable, his downfall is still never predictable, as he blazes a bloody path across the fallen paradise that is Miami in this ludicrously melodramatic, larger-than-life-itself tragedy.


Finally, Scarface ultimately succeeds just for the basic fact that it's an imminently rewatchable, outrageously entertaining film, whether you're talking about the dialogue that is as needlessy overwrought as it is relentlessly quotable (courtesy of the scripting of a young, trying-kick-the-habit Oliver Stone), which has earned the film a hallowed place in the Hip Hop sampling/quoting hall of fame (if it existed), or if you're considering De Palma's unmistakable cinematic sensibilities, which are reflected in the film's dark, unexpected moments of comic relief, or its shamelessly lurid, downright trashy (but somehow also completely appropriate) treatment of its subject matter, which repeatedly earned the film the dreaded X-rating for its sheer levels of gore, drug use, and then-record-breaking amount of F-bombs.


Of course, you also can't forget about the film's overall shamelessly flashy, showy style, as Giorgio Moroder's synth-heavy pop provides a perfectly tacky soundtrack, Edward Richardson's art direction creates a tropical dreamland drenched in the incredibly vibrant neons and lush pastels that have become visual shorthands to the decade's overall aesthetic, and John A. Alonzo's cinematography lovingly tracks and roams all over the unspeakably opulent locations, with the perpetual sunsets often appearing as red as the blood that constantly bathes the characters themselves, as the city seems to exist in one long, eternal magic hour here. Like Elvira herself says at one point, nothing exceeds like excess, and Scarface proves that in spades, and then some (and then some even more, to boot).

gosh i didnt know that was michelle i thought she did looked familiar lol

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2019-11/7/17/asset/f387b48700bc/anigif_sub-buzz-3296-1573149286-1.gif
Soul (2020, Pete Docter, Kemp Powers)
3.5
Fantastic animation as always, but story-wise I didn't like as much as I did Inside Out, or Coco.
Still enjoyed it tho.

[GulfportDoc]

I didn't like that ending at all. Almost ruined the film for me. I have a tendency to root for the robbers instead of the cops.
Interesting that you mention that. I noticed that at some point in the '60s, not too long after Hollywood started letting the bad guys get away with it sometimes, that the criminals were often written in a sympathetic way, to where the viewer would have so much invested in the character that they'd root for them to get away with it.

I don't know whether that was a contribution to, or a reflection of, the diminution of morality in society. I'm wondering if we were better off when the bad guys always got caught...:suspicious:

[GulfportDoc]

Thanks, Doc! But what was wrong with its ending for you? I thought it was pretty much perfect, to be honest with you...

...
Well, to be clear, I wasn't referring to the actual ending scenes where Pacino and De Niro shoot it out. That of course was the result of De Niro getting separated from the gal at the hotel. I think I was rooting for De Niro and Amy Brennerman to get away and live happily ever after.

It's like the conversation with Whit. One gets invested in a bad guy, and wants him to succeed, even though he's a cold blooded killer...:shrug:

[Wooley]

Also, what's wrong with Furiosa getting her own movie? Max has already had four movies mostly to his self by now, so I'd say its the perfect time to pass his mantle onto someone else, especially to a character as great as her.

What's wrong with it is that he's not using Charlize.
To me, Tom Hardy was boring as Max. He just really didn't convince me, and some of it was the script, admittedly, that he was anyone as special as Max had been in the previous films. I'm certainly not debating whether Tom Hardy is a better actor than Mel Gibson, but he does not have Gibson's charisma/magnetism/screen-presence.
The movie was always better, for me, when it was focused on Furiosa. And a lot of that is because Charlize is a ****ing master.
She deserves that Furiosa movie and I deserve that Furisoa movie.
Instead we get a prequel with a younger actor (assuming it happens at all). I love you for a lot, George, but **** you for that.

[Wooley]

Hey now, I'm not a huge fan of Thunderdome either, but I think you're selling its world-building way short, sort of like the people who gripe about the makeup artists of Suicide Squad winning an Oscar for their work just because that film as a whole was lousy; I mean, you're saying you wouldn't be intimidated if you saw this guy looming over you in the flesh?:

https://i.ibb.co/k6vt9kq/MV5-BNDM4-N2-Nk-Zm-Et-Mj-Q2-Yi00-ZTBk-LWEx-ODYt-YWJi-Yzkw-NWQ4-NDQ4-Xk-Ey-Xk-Fqc-Gde-QXVy-MTI3-MDk3.jpg (https://ibb.co/WpjLPqB)

Granted, the sight of Master riding on top of him otherwise is a bit inherently silly, but I still love the ingenuity of the concept of an intelligent dwarf and an unsophisticated giant covering up their weaknesses by combining their strengths to operate as a single figure, as well as the concept of a post-apocalyptic multi-tiered society where the conflict is all internal this time, where the leader on "top" is still completely dependent on the labor of the people below here (which is a nice commentary on the nature of capitalism to boot). I also thought the conflict between MasterBlaster and Auntie wasn't as rushed at first as the one between Joe & Furiosa in Fury Road, since the latter lacked a necessary set-up despite it being in a superior film, which I mentioned in my original review (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/mad-max-fury-road/) of it, and I think you should at least consider rewatching certain scenes from Thunderdome; I mean, that part where Master puts a temporary "embargo" on Bartertown's power to publically humilate Auntie?:

https://youtu.be/kJ-UZ4DvYBg

That's genuinely interesting stuff, and one of the best aspects of that film, despite its status as the weakest Max film otherwise.

All of this.

[Wooley]

Tangerine Dream FTW!

Amen, brother!

[Wooley]

I did not care for Heat. So many people think it is great, but all I could see was actors ACTING!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT I AM ACTING????!!!!

A lot of technical brilliance, but the performances were hard for me to watch.

Dude, I am so with you.

[Wooley]

I thought it was pretty clear that he was on drugs. Still didn't care for it.

After all the hype I was expecting a 9/10 or 10/10 and I feel like I got a 7.5/10.

I fully accept my minority status in this opinion. But for example, I would watch The Keep like three more times before ever wanting to revisit Heat.

Yup, totally with you, though I wouldn't even go to 7.5. I thought the whole movie was written to hang around the stunt of Pacino and DeNiro as adversaries in a movie and really I thought the whole movie was written just so they could have the scene in the restaurant. Like somebody wrote that scene and was like, OK, now we have to make a kewl movie so we can have this scene. I was bored.
I also didn't LOVE The Keep but it was entertaining enough and certainly less tiresome than Heat. I've told people in the past on other forums that I would watch it again just to make triple-sure I didn't like it, but honestly, the idea sounds like an exhausting waste of my time.

[Wooley]

Run Hide Fight - 2021

I hope Daily Wire succeeds in bring entertainment back to the middle.

3

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/1609789852663-9DEGAP29UC7X25AGU9LB/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqp eNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/image-asset.jpeg?format=2500w

"Back to the middle"? Where is it now?

[ThatDarnMKS]

The Keep is an atmospheric 90 minutes of a demon killing Nazis. I didn't even love it, but at least it was interesting.

Heat was so disappointing that I can't remember any specifics of it except a crushing sense of annoyance that only mounted as it approached the 3 hour mark. It is my least favorite of any of the film's I've seen from Mann.
I was shocked when you said that the Keep was only 90 mins. It had been butchered to incomprehensibility and a degree of disjointedness that it felt at least twice as long.

Is it possible that it's merely expectations that affected your view of Heat? Usually when I'm fairly sour on an acclaimed and beloved movie, I mentally bookmark it as something to come back to with fresh eyes. When I first saw it, I thought it was severely bloated but now have come to love that element about it, as it takes it beyond a straightforward procedural into something epic in scale.

How did you feel about Thief or Collateral?

[Thief]

THE LAST LAUGH

4.5

It's interesting watching this after Dr. Mabuse as, aside from the title and a 4th wall breaking title card for the epilogue, Murnau didn't use any title cards or text throughout the film. Instead, he told the story purely through visuals and his aesthetic evolution represented a massive jump in sophistication from Nosferatu, which was no slouch. That trend would continue with Faust and Sunrise so I'm interested to see what he was able to accomplish in his later career.

That said, I preferred the simple poignance of this film and it's hauntingly "happy" epilogue to Faust. That said, of these few Murnau I've seen, every single one has been excellent.

I seriously love this. Probably my favorite film of the 1920s.

[Marco]

Mindhorn (2016)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Mindhorn.png
Hilarious outing from Julian Barratt about a washed up actor called out of retirement to assist in a murder enquiry on....The Isle of Man! :)

3.5

[ThatDarnMKS]

I seriously love this. Probably my favorite film of the 1920s.
It's a serious contender. Though there are a few Chaplin and Keaton films that will always have my heart from that era.

[Thief]

It's a serious contender. Though there are a few Chaplin and Keaton films that will always have my heart from that era.

Yeah, I would certainly have The Kid up there.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Well, to be clear, I wasn't referring to the actual ending scenes where Pacino and De Niro shoot it out. That of course was the result of De Niro getting separated from the gal at the hotel. I think I was rooting for De Niro and Amy Brennerman to get away and live happily ever after.

It's like the conversation with Whit. One gets invested in a bad guy, and wants him to succeed, even though he's a cold blooded killer...:shrug:
I put it down to DeNiro's being the more charismatic character as well as him coming off as the better actor. Pacino just chewed the scenery and his Vincent Hanna wasn't very sympathetic. As a matter of fact, I can totally understand where Takoma is coming from. I did love the kinetic action sequences but the rest was a clumsily staged pissing contest between two groups of overly stylized manly men. With the tightly organized and professional robbery crew of course being the clear cut winners over the boring, knuckle dragging cops. Which is why the ending stuck in my craw.

[Thief]

Well, to be clear, I wasn't referring to the actual ending scenes where Pacino and De Niro shoot it out. That of course was the result of De Niro getting separated from the gal at the hotel. I think I was rooting for De Niro and Amy Brennerman to get away and live happily ever after.

It's like the conversation with Whit. One gets invested in a bad guy, and wants him to succeed, even though he's a cold blooded killer...:shrug:

I think that at this point, everybody wanted him to get out. I mean, way back when he decided to drive away to kill the guy instead of going to the airport. At least I know I was like "NOOO! WHYY!?". But it does go to the nature of De Niro's character and how him working against his own "rules" ends up being his undoing. I love that.

[Wooley]

I put it down to DeNiro's being the more charismatic character as well as him coming off as the better actor. Pacino just chewed the scenery and his Vincent Hanna wasn't very sympathetic. As a matter of fact, I can totally understand where Takoma is coming from. I did love the kinetic action sequences but the rest was a clumsily staged pissing contest between two groups of overly stylized manly men. With the tightly organized and professional robbery crew of course being the clear cut winners over the boring, knuckle dragging cops. Which is why the ending stuck in my craw.

Yeah, I think that was all I really took away from this film. Nearly 3 hours of stylized bloat and cliche around very Movie characters acting very Movie in a small pissing contest I just couldn't care less about.

[WHITBISSELL!]

And I don't always root for the bad guys. They basically ripped off Heat a couple of years ago but called it Den of Thieves. And boy oh boy, did that ever suck. Again, it also staged some good to great heist sequences but the character's personal lives ranged from tedious and irrelevant to embarrassingly preposterous with Gerard Butler a walking, talking cliche of a macho cop leading his own "outlaw" squad of robbery dicks.

I hated both groups because it was a sh*tty movie. Heat at least had a little bit of Mann's mojo working in it's favor.

[ScarletLion]

'The Hidden Fortress' (1958)

https://i.imgur.com/10xDuTM.gif

One of Kurosawa's more accessible films, laced with comedy and adventure. His ability to keep characters in focus (deep or shallow) is brilliant. Framing and blocking also noticeable and the way he uses fog to light the scene is sublime. Mifune again dominates the screen.

4

[Thief]

ONE CHILD NATION
(2019, Wang & Zhiang)
A film with the word "One" in its title

https://www.nziff.co.nz/assets/resized/sm/upload/ob/uv/q0/m5/Film%20Still_03%20KEY-2000-2000-1125-1125-crop-fill.jpg?k=d7c409af12

"I'm struck by the irony that I left a country where the government forced women to abort and I moved to another country where the governments restrict abortions."

From 1979 to 2015, China enforced the famous "one-child policy" to deal with the rapidly growing population. To achieve this, they used propaganda, law enforcement, fines, and ultimately forced sterilizations and abortions. This documentary follows the implementation of that policy and the impact it had in the general population and in the country overall.

Wang, who was born in China during that period, uses her family as a starting point to highlight the lengths to which the government would go to enforce this policy. To do so, she interviews a former village leader, authors of propaganda, as well as a midwife that claims to have performed tens of thousands of abortions. She also establishes the connection between the one-child policy and the growing Chinese adoption market, which was established in the 1990s, and is fed by child trafficking as a direct result of the one-child policy.

Most of what the documentary presents is both compelling and shocking, but there are times when it feels a bit scattered. I would've appreciated a bit more focus. Finally, Wang's general approach is also somewhat amateurish, both in how she addresses some of her interviewees and in how she directs it. There are parts where you can see the "seams" of her narrative, and the conclusions don't feel organic, but rather forced. Given the source material, I don't think that was necessary.

Grade: 2.5

[Takoma11]

Wait, so you didn't even like the big diner scene? It's Pacino AND De Niro acting face-to-face for the first time ever... and at length, too!:

By the time I got there, I was too worn out from the film to be all that excited. I was like Oh, this is the scene everyone talks about. And it was fine, but it wasn't worth 3 hours.

I don't know whether that was a contribution to, or a reflection of, the diminution of morality in society. I'm wondering if we were better off when the bad guys always got caught...:suspicious:

There have always been charismatic criminals, far, far predating the film industry. I think it's more about what actions we are expected to be okay with in rooting for criminals. For example, I really took issue with the sequence in The Italian Job remake where they drove a car down some subway stairs. They didn't kill anyone--hard to root for a protagonist who squishes a woman and her baby--but in the reality of the film they easily could have. It really made it hard for me to like any of them after that.

I also didn't LOVE The Keep but it was entertaining enough and certainly less tiresome than Heat. I've told people in the past on other forums that I would watch it again just to make triple-sure I didn't like it, but honestly, the idea sounds like an exhausting waste of my time.

This is how I feel. I get tired even thinking about rewatching it.

Is it possible that it's merely expectations that affected your view of Heat? Usually when I'm fairly sour on an acclaimed and beloved movie, I mentally bookmark it as something to come back to with fresh eyes. When I first saw it, I thought it was severely bloated but now have come to love that element about it, as it takes it beyond a straightforward procedural into something epic in scale.

How did you feel about Thief or Collateral?

I won't rule it out, but I have had very little interest in revisiting it. When people describe what they like about it, it just doesn't light any fire in me.

I enjoyed Thief[B] and [B]Collateral and thought they both had a lot more authentic personality than anything in [B]Heat[B], which felt both bloated and cutesy (the gangster movie form of cutesy) and contrived.

[Stirchley]

Wait, so you didn't even like the big diner scene? It's Pacino AND De Niro acting face-to-face for the first time ever... and at length, too!:

IIRC, wasn’t there some talk that they actually weren’t in the same scene? That each did his scene then they were patched together? (Like they do for a single actor playing 2 parts at the same time?)

[CharlesAoup]

Paranormal Activity, 2007, 2nd watch (C)

I didn't absolutely hate this movie this time, but it doesn't work terribly well. It's very long and very thin, The heavier material nearer the end doesn't balance really well with the earlier, mundane, everyman paranormal stuff. It's escalates like a ladder with 6 feet gaps between the steps.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Dude, I am so with you.

same here!!

[Fabulous]

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

3

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