Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Gideon58]

https://universaldork.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/willys_wonderland_new_official_poster-movie-five-nights-at-freddys.jpg



3.5

[Wooley]

When am I ever not absolutely 100% correct in everything I say and/or do? Huh? HUH?!:D

Fair point.

[Wooley]

https://universaldork.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/willys_wonderland_new_official_poster-movie-five-nights-at-freddys.jpg



What the ****?!

[Allaby]

I Care A Lot (2021) 3.5

[GulfportDoc]

Spectre (2015)

The re-watch didn't quite hold up for me, probably because I'd just re-watched Skyfall, which IMO is a better film.

The movie was entertaining enough, what with all the fights, special effects, etc., but it felt a little like it was just going through the paces. Even the bad guy, Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) was rather milquetoast in comparison to some of the earlier Bond global criminals. And there wasn't much chemistry between 007 and the female lead Lea Seydoux.

It's interesting that it had the same director, writers and score composer as did Skyfall, but a different cinematographer. Perhaps the return of Roger Deakins would have spiced up the film a little.

I did really enjoy the excellent well designed opening 4 minute+ long take: through the crowded celebration during the Day of the Dead in Mexico City, into a building, up the elevator, into a hotel room, Bond travels across building rims, and sets up to murder some bad guys, which leads to their building blowing up.

Blofeld isn't killed at the end, which probably sets up some of the narrative in the upcoming No Time To Die. Most of the other roles will reprise also.

[Fabulous]

Copycat (1995)

2

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/rHaNjYLE5ttYOSgXfBQjCJ36pAh.jpg

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fukjewishfilm.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F05%2Fpraying_with_lior_candle.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Praying with Lior, 2008

This documentary follows a young man named Lior who has Down Syndrome. Lior is deeply invested in his Jewish faith, and the film documents the lead up to his bar mitzvah. Approaching this rite of passage, Lior's family reflects on his place in their family and their hopes for his future.

This was a straight-forward, moving look at the life of a young person with a disability and how they relate to spirituality. There is this way that some people can look at someone with a disability that I find incredibly patronizing, and this film for the most part stays out of this territory. As his father puts it, the light that the family sees inside of Lior is that he has "fewer veils between him and God". Lior throws his heart into his prayers, and you can see that this is genuinely inspiring to the people around him.

While the film is not patronizing, it also does not glamorize Lior's life. Lior talks about what will happen after he becomes an adult. His sister frets as she says that Lior believes that he will grow up and get a driver's license and get married and have a family. While some of those things aren't impossible, the family clearly has the fear of what will happen to Lior when he is no longer a cute little kid and instead is a disabled adult. In one really memorable sequence, Lior's father talks to a family friend. Lior's father says that he thinks Lior needs to know that he is different--the family friend pushes back a bit and asks why this is important.

Something that hangs under the whole film is the fact that Lior lost his mother, Devora, to cancer when he was young. While his stepmother, Lynne, seems very kind, old family films show the bond between Lior and Devora. In a scene that I almost could not take, Lior visits his mother's grave before his bar mitzvah and bursts into tears, sobbing and clutching at the headstone.

This film was incredibly moving for me. I have worked with many children with disabilities, and I often ask myself the same questions: how will this person be an adult? Will this person be happy? Something that Lior's father talks about is the fact that many high-functioning children with Down Syndrome grow up to struggle seriously with depression: high-functioning enough to be aware that they are different, not high-functioning enough to fit in and belong. Watching a young person approach that "turning point" was an intense and emotional experience.

I also loved the interviews with one of Lior's classmates--who himself seems to be a bit of an oddball--and his insightful honesty.

Good stuff.

4

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popcultureleftovers.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2Fclassactionpark3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Class Action Park, 2020

This documentary takes a look back at a water park from the 80s, Action Park, whose dangerous rides and laissez-faire approach to supervision created a wild and unpredictable environment.

There is something fundamentally a bit off about this documentary, and it took me a while to put my finger on it. But it comes almost at the end of the film when one of the interviewees says, essentially, yes, we like to romanticize the lack of supervision and the danger of our childhood in the 80s, but basically it was not okay.

The problem is that the film itself takes a "cool story, dude!" approach to the topic until almost the final 20 minutes, when the film finally gives some significant airtime to one of the people who lost a child to the park. There are about 70 minutes of park guests and former employees grinning as they recount inner tubes flipping and employees losing teeth while testing new rides. Cheeky animations interplay with interviews, showing the dangers of the different rides. There's a kind of "what a crazy guy!" mythology built up around Gene Mulvihill, the former Wall Street trader who owned and operated the park.

By the time the film gets around to Esther Larsson, a woman whose son died at the park, it is too little too late. Larrson's story is horrifying for so many reasons. After her son's death, the family was never contacted by Mulvihill. The family was told not to sue because a teenager was a "liability" and they wouldn't get any money. The park never reported Larsson's death to the state. In a statement to the newspapers, they claimed that he was a current employee (he was not), that his death happened at night (it did not), and that it was raining (it was not).

Something that I felt was really lacking in this documentary was accountability. Mulvihill is dead, fine. But his son sits there in an interview with a smirk on his face the whole time. (The son has reopened the park under its old name to cash in on that 80s nostalgia). Many names are redacted when it comes to shady business practices and the fact that Mulvihill was bribing local officials. There are no interviews with the journalists who echoed Mulvihill's coverups in their papers. Yes, this man seems horrible. But where is the accountability for the people who allowed him to get away with it?

I get that there is an emotional, complex nostalgia that people have for their childhoods. I wish that this film had indulged less in that vibe and taken more of a look at how this was allowed to happen. Clearly there was corruption and negligence that extended further than one megalomaniac, and that whole facet is only superficially addressed.

Interesting and well-made, but I wish that the deaths and injuries of young people had been used as more than shock points.

3.5

[Wooley]

Copycat (1995)

2

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/rHaNjYLE5ttYOSgXfBQjCJ36pAh.jpg

I liked this at the time, though it was the most obvious possible attempt to recreate the magic of Silence Of The Lambs, unsuccessfully. Holly Hunter is always great, though.

[pahaK]

Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985)
aka Howling II: ... Your Sister Is a Werewolf
3
Because of all the talk on this thread, I decided to watch this myself. I hadn't seen this before (back in the day, it was banned here in Finland, and I haven't seen any Howling sequels since I was a kid). First of all, this one's a bad movie. Terrible, in fact. Fortunately, it's bad in a good way. The plot is complete nonsense, it has some of the weirdest sex scenes I've seen, and acting is very cheesy (minus Lee, of course, but his stoic performance feels funnily out of place).

The end credits deserve a mention too. I actually laughed at Stirba tearing her shirt off on repeat, followed by some hilarious reactions (like the owl). It's a pretty magical film...
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kCcpJN31PW8/Xtkz3c98ztI/AAAAAAAEEaQ/HqOFN4IUuEE_lFbFDPSEUF7B-GoGDHBvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/HOWLING%2B07.gif

[Iroquois]

Crank - 1.5

A shame that such a novel visual style and some noteworthy stunts are wasted on one of the most inane dudebro movies ever made.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Never Been Kissed 10/10 one of my fav 90s movie <3
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjZmNTUzN2QtYzUxZi00M2YwLTgzNTgtZDkzYjg0YWVmNmYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

[Fabulous]

Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)

2

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/mBMlGgX74cd6g6OE2mM7CqrHyxE.jpg

[SamuelRichards]

The last movie that I watched is "The Ghost" with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, although it is more aimed at a female audience, but I liked it, I put 10/10 and Demi is so beautiful here.

[StuSmallz]

Gladiator (Scott, 2000)


https://i.ibb.co/ZWn6Rt0/rexfeatures-5885504a.jpg (https://ibb.co/hDPRxhS)



What we do in life, echoes in eternity.



Ridley Scott has certainly had an unusually long, influential, but nonetheless inconsistent career as a director, and Gladiator certainly stands as one of his most noteworthy, but nonetheless divisive efforts; after all, not only did it win the top film industry award, the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it was also a significant commercial success, grossing close to half a billion dollars worldwide (which is especially impressive considering that it's an R-rated, 2 & 1/2-plus hour, non-franchise historical epic, released at a time when Hollywood's grosses were significantly less gargantuan than they are now)... but, on the other hand, it still seems to displease a good number of film fans and critics regardless, including Mr.Roger Ebert himself. But, while my recent rewatch of the film did clarify certain problematic aspects of it that I hadn't really noticed beforehand, helping me to better sympathize with its various detractors, the overall power & effect of Gladiator is still just so strong, that I can't help but declare it to be a flawed modern classic, but a modern classic nonetheless.

To get my newfound issues with Gladiator out of the way right away, I have to say that I now better understand the people who complained that it was its tone was rather, er, monotone, to the point of being self-defeating, as, at times, its almost relentlessly morose, downbeat nature comes across as being borderline tragedy porn, even by the usual standards of a dark revenge narrative, and there are times I can't help but wish Scott had injected just a bit more levity into the proceedings, as too many of the characters seem to do almost nothing but just wallow in their own tortured misery for the entirety of its running time. This is especially true of the main villain, the Emperor Commodus, as he often comes across as a somewhat cartoonish, one-dimensional baddie, but even Maximus's own family, who are his main motivators during the film, get essentially zero character development here, as they basically just exist as plot devices, as people who are there just to die in order to justify Maximus going on his warpath later on. Now, I know they aren't anywhere near being the main characters here, so I'm not expecting much of a focus on them, but something besides just being referenced in dialogue and a few shots of them standing around in a field would've been appreciated, Ridley.

However, all of that being said, one of the main reasons why I still love Gladiator on the whole is, while the emotional beats it hits may be rather repetitive, they're still incredibly intense and unabashedly raw nonetheless; I really became invested in Maximus's epic quest for vengeance "in this life or the next", which is written with sharp, memorable, insightful dialogue, and which Scott portrays through the huge, sweeping scope and grand tragedy of the overall tale. The shots of Maximus's family waiting for him in the afterlife, and the sight of him finally reuniting with them at the end, never fail to pluck at a couple of my heartstrings, and you can feel the righteous rage in every ounce of Russell Crowe's performance here. Besides that, the rest of the cast fills out Gladiator well, such as Richard Harris's old, war-weary Emperor Marcus Aurelius, or Connie Nielson as Marcus's daughter, Lucilla, who is torn between her past love for Maximus, his blind rage at her for being related to the man responsible for his family's deaths, and the fear of her brother's twisted desires, which are alternatively incestuous at certain times, and downright <i>homicidal<i> at others.

And, in addition to all of that, Gladiator draws a lot of strength from capturing the cultural mystique of the Roman Empire at its most powerful peak, with the weight of history laying heavily on the film (in a good way), whether it be in the dusty markets of Rome, the mighty catapults and calvary of the Empire's great army, or, of course, the bloody gladiatorial combat of The Colosseum, where about a good half of the film's scenes are set, which play a bit like similar moments from mid-century Hollywood sword-&-sandals epics like Ben-Hur & Spartacus, but updated with a modern emphasis on gallons of spilled blood, and piles of disemboweled guts. And, while the action in Gladiator isn't quite as coherent as I would've preferred, with too much over-editing, shake-y handheld camera work, and overly close framings of the combat that sometimes make it difficult to make out exactly what's going on, just the sight of epic, bloody, gladiator-on-gladiator combat adds a lot to the film, whether it be the recreation of The Battle Of Carthage where the barbarians get to win this time, an intense, relentless fight with a legendary, fearsomely-masked retired champion (where ravenous tigers keep getting released at the most inopportune moments), or one final, man-to-man duel to the death with the loathsome, tyrannical Emperor himself.

Gladiator has all of this and then some, and, again, while I can now better respect and understand why certain people don't care for it, the overall experience of it for me is still just so strong, with its lavish, grandiose period detail, and Maximus's tragic tale of righteous vengeance, that I can't help but love it anyway. This is rousing, operatic, larger-than-life entertainment, the kind that we sadly don't see out of Hollywood much anymore, and with how powerful a cinematic experience Gladiator is on the whole, all I really have left to say now is... are you not entertained?


Final Score: 10

[xSookieStackhouse]

Gladiator (Scott, 2000)


https://i.ibb.co/ZWn6Rt0/rexfeatures-5885504a.jpg (https://ibb.co/hDPRxhS)



What we do in life, echoes in eternity.



Ridley Scott has certainly had an unusually long, influential, but nonetheless inconsistent career as a director, and Gladiator certainly stands as one of his most noteworthy, but nonetheless divisive efforts; after all, not only did it win the top film industry award, the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it was also a significant commercial success, grossing close to half a billion dollars worldwide (which is especially impressive considering that it's an R-rated, 2 & 1/2-plus hour, non-franchise historical epic, released at a time when Hollywood's grosses were significantly less gargantuan than they are now)... but, on the other hand, it still seems to displease a good number of film fans and critics regardless, including Mr.Roger Ebert himself. But, while my recent rewatch of the film did clarify certain problematic aspects of it that I hadn't really noticed beforehand, helping me to better sympathize with its various detractors, the overall power & effect of Gladiator is still just so strong, that I can't help but declare it to be a flawed modern classic, but a modern classic nonetheless.

To get my newfound issues with Gladiator out of the way right away, I have to say that I now better understand the people who complained that it was its tone was rather, er, monotone, to the point of being self-defeating, as, at times, its almost relentlessly morose, downbeat nature comes across as being borderline tragedy porn, even by the usual standards of a dark revenge narrative, and there are times I can't help but wish Scott had injected just a bit more levity into the proceedings, as too many of the characters seem to do almost nothing but just wallow in their own tortured misery for the entirety of its running time. This is especially true of the main villain, the Emperor Commodus, as he often comes across as a somewhat cartoonish, one-dimensional baddie, but even Maximus's own family, who are his main motivators during the film, get essentially zero character development here, as they basically just exist as plot devices, as people who are there just to die in order to justify Maximus going on his warpath later on. Now, I know they aren't anywhere near being the main characters here, so I'm not expecting much of a focus on them, but something besides just being referenced in dialogue and a few shots of them standing around in a field would've been appreciated, Ridley.

However, all of that being said, one of the main reasons why I still love Gladiator on the whole is, while the emotional beats it hits may be rather repetitive, they're still incredibly intense and unabashedly raw nonetheless; I really became invested in Maximus's epic quest for vengeance "in this life or the next", which is written with sharp, memorable, insightful dialogue, and which Scott portrays through the huge, sweeping scope and grand tragedy of the overall tale. The shots of Maximus's family waiting for him in the afterlife, and the sight of him finally reuniting with them at the end, never fail to pluck at a couple of my heartstrings, and you can feel the righteous rage in every ounce of Russell Crowe's performance here. Besides that, the rest of the cast fills out Gladiator well, such as Richard Harris's old, war-weary Emperor Marcus Aurelius, or Connie Nielson as Marcus's daughter, Lucilla, who is torn between her past love for Maximus, his blind rage at her for being related to the man responsible for his family's deaths, and the fear of her brother's twisted desires, which are alternatively incestuous at certain times, and downright <i>homicidal<i> at others.

And, in addition to all of that, Gladiator draws a lot of strength from capturing the cultural mystique of the Roman Empire at its most powerful peak, with the weight of history laying heavily on the film (in a good way), whether it be in the dusty markets of Rome, the mighty catapults and calvary of the Empire's great army, or, of course, the bloody gladiatorial combat of The Colosseum, where about a good half of the film's scenes are set, which play a bit like similar moments from mid-century Hollywood sword-&-sandals epics like Ben-Hur & Spartacus, but updated with a modern emphasis on gallons of spilled blood, and piles of disemboweled guts. And, while the action in Gladiator isn't quite as coherent as I would've preferred, with too much over-editing, shake-y handheld camera work, and overly close framings of the combat that sometimes make it difficult to make out exactly what's going on, just the sight of epic, bloody, gladiator-on-gladiator combat adds a lot to the film, whether it be the recreation of The Battle Of Carthage where the barbarians get to win this time, an intense, relentless fight with a legendary, fearsomely-masked retired champion (where ravenous tigers keep getting released at the most inopportune moments), or one final, man-to-man duel to the death with the loathsome, tyrannical Emperor himself.

Gladiator has all of this and then some, and, again, while I can now better respect and understand why certain people don't care for it, the overall experience of it for me is still just so strong, with its lavish, grandiose period detail, and Maximus's tragic tale of righteous vengeance, that I can't help but love it anyway. This is rousing, operatic, larger-than-life entertainment, the kind that we sadly don't see out of Hollywood much anymore, and with how powerful a cinematic experience Gladiator is on the whole, all I really have left to say now is... are you not entertained?


Final Score: 10

amazing movie <3

[Wooley]

Gladiator (Scott, 2000)


https://i.ibb.co/ZWn6Rt0/rexfeatures-5885504a.jpg (https://ibb.co/hDPRxhS)



What we do in life, echoes in eternity.



Ridley Scott has certainly had an unusually long, influential, but nonetheless inconsistent career as a director, and Gladiator certainly stands as one of his most noteworthy, but nonetheless divisive efforts; after all, not only did it win the top film industry award, the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it was also a significant commercial success, grossing close to half a billion dollars worldwide (which is especially impressive considering that it's an R-rated, 2 & 1/2-plus hour, non-franchise historical epic, released at a time when Hollywood's grosses were significantly less gargantuan than they are now)... but, on the other hand, it still seems to displease a good number of film fans and critics regardless, including Mr.Roger Ebert himself. But, while my recent rewatch of the film did clarify certain problematic aspects of it that I hadn't really noticed beforehand, helping me to better sympathize with its various detractors, the overall power & effect of Gladiator is still just so strong, that I can't help but declare it to be a flawed modern classic, but a modern classic nonetheless.

To get my newfound issues with Gladiator out of the way right away, I have to say that I now better understand the people who complained that it was its tone was rather, er, monotone, to the point of being self-defeating, as, at times, its almost relentlessly morose, downbeat nature comes across as being borderline tragedy porn, even by the usual standards of a dark revenge narrative, and there are times I can't help but wish Scott had injected just a bit more levity into the proceedings, as too many of the characters seem to do almost nothing but just wallow in their own tortured misery for the entirety of its running time. This is especially true of the main villain, the Emperor Commodus, as he often comes across as a somewhat cartoonish, one-dimensional baddie, but even Maximus's own family, who are his main motivators during the film, get essentially zero character development here, as they basically just exist as plot devices, as people who are there just to die in order to justify Maximus going on his warpath later on. Now, I know they aren't anywhere near being the main characters here, so I'm not expecting much of a focus on them, but something besides just being referenced in dialogue and a few shots of them standing around in a field would've been appreciated, Ridley.

However, all of that being said, one of the main reasons why I still love Gladiator on the whole is, while the emotional beats it hits may be rather repetitive, they're still incredibly intense and unabashedly raw nonetheless; I really became invested in Maximus's epic quest for vengeance "in this life or the next", which is written with sharp, memorable, insightful dialogue, and which Scott portrays through the huge, sweeping scope and grand tragedy of the overall tale. The shots of Maximus's family waiting for him in the afterlife, and the sight of him finally reuniting with them at the end, never fail to pluck at a couple of my heartstrings, and you can feel the righteous rage in every ounce of Russell Crowe's performance here. Besides that, the rest of the cast fills out Gladiator well, such as Richard Harris's old, war-weary Emperor Marcus Aurelius, or Connie Nielson as Marcus's daughter, Lucilla, who is torn between her past love for Maximus, his blind rage at her for being related to the man responsible for his family's deaths, and the fear of her brother's twisted desires, which are alternatively incestuous at certain times, and downright <i>homicidal<i> at others.

And, in addition to all of that, Gladiator draws a lot of strength from capturing the cultural mystique of the Roman Empire at its most powerful peak, with the weight of history laying heavily on the film (in a good way), whether it be in the dusty markets of Rome, the mighty catapults and calvary of the Empire's great army, or, of course, the bloody gladiatorial combat of The Colosseum, where about a good half of the film's scenes are set, which play a bit like similar moments from mid-century Hollywood sword-&-sandals epics like Ben-Hur & Spartacus, but updated with a modern emphasis on gallons of spilled blood, and piles of disemboweled guts. And, while the action in Gladiator isn't quite as coherent as I would've preferred, with too much over-editing, shake-y handheld camera work, and overly close framings of the combat that sometimes make it difficult to make out exactly what's going on, just the sight of epic, bloody, gladiator-on-gladiator combat adds a lot to the film, whether it be the recreation of The Battle Of Carthage where the barbarians get to win this time, an intense, relentless fight with a legendary, fearsomely-masked retired champion (where ravenous tigers keep getting released at the most inopportune moments), or one final, man-to-man duel to the death with the loathsome, tyrannical Emperor himself.

Gladiator has all of this and then some, and, again, while I can now better respect and understand why certain people don't care for it, the overall experience of it for me is still just so strong, with its lavish, grandiose period detail, and Maximus's tragic tale of righteous vengeance, that I can't help but love it anyway. This is rousing, operatic, larger-than-life entertainment, the kind that we sadly don't see out of Hollywood much anymore, and with how powerful a cinematic experience Gladiator is on the whole, all I really have left to say now is... are you not entertained?


Final Score: 10

I think a lot of my issues here stemmed from the, as you say, cartoonish and one-dimensional villain (in a really over-the-top performance from Joaquin), the bump in the narrative when Oliver Reed dies and Djimon Hounsu has to take his place thematically and it doesn't really work, and then just how obvious it all was. Five minutes into the movie literally anyone who watches movies could have written out the script, which is actually about an hour long in actual story and is then dragged like a dead deer through nearly 2 additional hours.
Oddly, I'm not saying it wasn't a good film. I'm just saying I think it is flawed and dull and I don't really care for it. I certainly couldn't sit through the whole thing again.

[mojofilter]

https://media.senscritique.com/media/000019604937/source_big/Judas_and_the_Black_Messiah.jpg
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
(2021)

First viewing. A gripping and excellently written and directed historical and biographical drama about the betrayal of Black Panthers civil rights leader Fred Hampton with incredible performances by the entire cast. I expect Oscar nods for Picture, Director (Shaka King), Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), Supporting Actor (Lakeith Stanfield), Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons), Supporting Actress (Dominique Fishback), and Screenplay (King, Will Berson).

4

[ScarletLion]

'Beginning' (2020)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/QZ5BO5IhUlSFUTh2tY2QKL4dyzfgn_TCqublYZrdxN5Ir7iGqK_Ers28IlZejdIeOCmoI6l3oLXuapTpYHHYdjxi6SlOOlS-qcCku3ydKjUkgNWRQjTxR8rVfKJsbGM

Incredible debut from Georgian Dea Kulumbegashvili. Cerebral, lingering shots reminiscent of Kiarostami. Shocking scenes that remind us of Haneke. Beautuful shot composition. It's a film about a woman with little hope of exiting the religious community she has married into. It's not an easy watch, but I was gripped until the ambiguous finale. What a talent World Cinema has on its' hands. Unmissable film. Just wish I saw it in the big screen.

4.5

[Thief]

A rewatch of my favorite romcom, for research purposes :D


WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...
(1989, Reiner)
A film featuring the name of a couple in its title

https://www.nowverybad.com/wp-content/uploads/when-harry-met-sally_still2.jpg


"No man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her."
"So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?"
"No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too."



The undeniable strength of the film is in Crystal and Ryan's chemistry, which is excellent. But a lot of the credit also goes to Nora Ephron's witty script, which was partly inspired by Reiner's own ventures into single life after a divorce. Reiner's direction itself is simple, but effective. He recognizes that Crystal and Ryan are the stars and he lets them shine all the way.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2181138#post2181138)

[WHITBISSELL!]

Extinction - Enough time had passed so that I felt like a rewatch. Still sort of underwhelming. The main draw (at least for me) were the two leads who also starred in two of my favorite series, Matthew Fox in Lost and Jeffrey Donovan in Burn Notice. It's yet another end of the world, zombiepocalypse film but it does try something different by emphasizing the interpersonal aspects of the novel by Juan de Dios Garduño. As it turns out the two protagonists, Patrick and Jack, loved the same woman. In a short prologue/flashback of sorts they're shown on a bus full of evacuees during the initial stages of the outbreak. The woman is pregnant and when the film jumps to present time it is nine years later and her child has grown into a little girl named Lu. The plot reveals very little as to the whereabouts of the missing mother. It is only much later that the three characters existence in an unidentified and bitterly cold part of the country is fully explained. They've ended up in a fenced in compound where the two men live as neighbors while having nothing to do with each other. The threat has passed with most of the inhuman creatures supposedly having died off from the cold. Anyone watching will know where this is going.

Although the film should be commended for trying to inject some family like dynamics in what is an overworked genre it never quite fully gels. Too much of the plot is allotted to the three characters but their story fails to fully engage the viewer. So when the fully expected "threat" finally rears it's head it doesn't have the dramatic impact it should.

rating_3

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDVjNjIwOGItNDE3Ny00OThjLWE0NzQtZTU3YjMzZTZjMzhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg



5

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F1%2F12%2FBagheadposter.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

So this is Mumblecore. Four friends head out to a cabin to write a film script for them to star in because they're tired of not getting good jobs as actors. The script they decide on is a cabin in the woods type horror film where the murderous lunatic runs around with a bag on their head. But what happens when a REAL Baghead shows up to crash the party? Wasn't a bad movie. Dips its toe ever so slightly into horror near the end but it's a relationship movie more than anything. 3

[Takoma11]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDVjNjIwOGItNDE3Ny00OThjLWE0NzQtZTU3YjMzZTZjMzhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg



5

Yeah, it is such an excellent film.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbasementrejects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F05%2Fteam-foxcatcher-2016-documentary-john-du-pont-staged-wrestling-matches.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Team Foxcatcher, 2016

In the late 80s/early 90s, American wrestlers were constantly coming second to the Soviet Union. Enter multi-millionaire John Du Pont, who agrees to fund a wrestling retreat called Team Foxcatcher, hosted at his sprawling estate. Many American wrestlers are delighted to come to the estate--where they are given homes to live in and training facilities--but Du Pont's increasingly erratic and paranoid behavior eventually leads to tragedy.

Maybe everyone is very aware of the tragedy that happened related to Team Foxcatcher. I was not, and so I will avoid mentioning it explicitly. (Despite it being mentioned in several of the synopses of the film!)

An acquaintance of mine came home one day last winter to discover a Black man out in the snow, fully nude. The man was clearly having a mental health crisis, and my acquaintance explained his quandary thus: "there was no one to call except the police, and I was afraid they might misinterpret his actions and kill him." (This was in Minnesota, a few months before the death of George Floyd). Even excluding the element of race (which is not a minor element!), there is an unfortunate pattern of people who are suffering from mental health issues being handled with violence by the police. Another acquaintance has a son with a severe disability, and she worries about what will happen when he is a grown man instead of a cute little boy, and how some of his behavior might be interpreted (for example, as a teenager he still really likes going to playgrounds).

Team Foxcatcher illuminates the opposite problem. In this case, a man's wealth prevents legal or even social intervention after multiple instances of concerning behavior.

John Du Pont, even from the beginning, is clearly exhibiting signs of mental health problems. His quick dependence on the wrestlers, for example, or his habits like filming and then watching hours of footage of his woods. And that's before you learn about the incidents involving his many, many guns. But he's a man with a lot of money, and when you're buddy-buddy with the police (as in, the police come and hang out on his shooting range), well, maybe they don't say or do anything when you fire a weapon out of a car window, or fire what looks like an automatic weapon out of your back door. Maybe they even laugh away a report of a man pointing a gun at another man's head. You know, cause that shooting range is so nice.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the documentary is watching the various men from his inner circle justify just how much they were willing to look past. At one point, Du Pont decides that the color black is the color of death and is thus bad luck . . . so naturally he makes all of the Black athletes immediately leave the team (including one of the best wrestlers on the whole squad). "Maybe that is when we should have said something . . . " muses one interview subject. But of course no one did. And once things really go wrong, the police chief(?) visibly squirms in his seat when reporters question the cozy relationship that the police had with Du Pont.

Not to go all poor-little-rich-girl on Du Pont, but it is sad that his circumstances (in this case, wealth) prevented him from getting the help he needed. Much like celebrities who are surrounded by people who won't intervene as they get addicted or pursue other unhealthy habits, no one wants to rock the boat when Du Pont is shelling out for uniforms and training facilities and other resources. One of the people most impacted by Du Pont's actions actually speaks about him with a lot of empathy. While there seems to be some truth to the fact that Du Pont later maybe played up his mental issues, there seems to be no question that he was a disturbed and unstable person who was allowed to indulge in thought patterns and behaviors that were headed nowhere good.

I thought that this film was thorough and empathetic and respectful to those involved in the story.

4

[cricket]

The Italian Connection (1972)

3.5-

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/46/o7/6f/ak/italian%20connection-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=6be6dfd426

I didn't even know the name of the director until I looked it up after to see what else he'd done. It turns out that I'd already seen 2 movies from Fernando Di Leo (The awesome Caliber 9 and memorable To Be Twenty) and have 2 more on my watchlist (The Boss and Madness). I had no idea before. This movie was pretty good fun although typical of its sub genre. I feel like I've seen Woody Strode and Henry Silva in thousands of movies and I'd like to see them in thousands more. They play a couple of New York hit men visiting Italy for a job. On YouTube with subtitles.

[Rockatansky]

The Italian Connection (1972)

3.5-

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/46/o7/6f/ak/italian%20connection-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=6be6dfd426

I didn't even know the name of the director until I looked it up after to see what else he'd done. It turns out that I'd already seen 2 movies from Fernando Di Leo (The awesome Caliber 9 and memorable To Be Twenty) and have 2 more on my watchlist (The Boss and Madness). I had no idea before. This movie was pretty good fun although typical of its sub genre. I feel like I've seen Woody Strode and Henry Silva in thousands of movies and I'd like to see them in thousands more. They play a couple of New York hit men visiting Italy for a job. On YouTube with subtitles.
Big fan of this one. Mario Adorf is a force of nature. Apparently he did his own stunts in the climax?

[cricket]

Big fan of this one. Mario Adorf is a force of nature. Apparently he did his own stunts in the climax?

I don't know about the stunts but I thought he was going to have a heart attack during the chase before the climax. He was awesome in Caliber 9.

[pahaK]

I don't know about the stunts but I thought he was going to have a heart attack during the chase before the climax. He was awesome in Caliber 9.

Have you seen a lot of eurocrime? Caliber 9 is really good, but I'd recommend checking out at least Execution Squad and What Have They Done to Your Daughters? as well. Both of them are quite nice.

[Rockatansky]

I don't know about the stunts but I thought he was going to have a heart attack during the chase before the climax. He was awesome in Caliber 9.

As someone with an Adorf-like physique, the danger was too real.

[cricket]

Have you seen a lot of eurocrime? Caliber 9 is really good, but I'd recommend checking out at least Execution Squad and What Have They Done to Your Daughters? as well. Both of them are quite nice.

I've seen a few and I've got a few more I want to see. Off the top of my head my favorites are Caliber 9, Rabid Dogs, and Massacre Mafia Style. I've been searching for Gone with the Pope. Those 2 look good, added to watchlist.

[Rockatansky]

Massacre Mafia Style has a great trailer and opening scene.

https://youtu.be/Iz9YqMrTBCo

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bfi.org.uk%2Fsites%2Fbfi.org.uk%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Ffull%2Fpublic%2Fimage%2Fdark-star-1974-002-pinback-controls.jpg%3Fitok%3DndHG_D5R&f=1&nofb=1

Dark Star, 1974

Deep in outer space, a small crew trudges along on a long (20+ years!) mission to destroy unstable planets. Things onboard are ramshackle, and we mainly follow a crew member named Pinback (Dan O'Bannon) who, among other things, pals around with a beach-ball-like alien and undergoes slapstick-like adventures trying to chase it down. Things really get rough as the ship's bombing system goes on the fritz.

I was very much ready to write this movie off. Yes, there were moments of fun in it, but they were sporadic and overall I just was not vibing with the film. And then the last 20 minutes.

SIGH. Do you ever have that experience where you are ready to dismiss something, and then you come to realize that you probably need to watch it again from the beginning? That's how I feel about Dark Star at this point. Now, do I think I will rewatch it and discover amazing depths? No. But I do wonder if one a rewatch I might gel a bit better with the film's sense of humor.

The best moments of the film are those that mix comedy and horror. For example, a sequence in which a crew member has a conversation with the ship's former captain, Powell, who was mortally wounded and is now kept in cryogenic storage on the ship. The conversation is both funny and creepy, and this was the part in the film where I felt my feelings begin to swing more toward the positive.

And despite the movie aiming for a dark comedy, I am not embarrassed to say that I was kind of moved by the film's last 10 minutes or so. It all kicks off with a straight-up funny sequence in which the crew has to talk one of their sentient bombs into not exploding. But then it goes to an unexpected, and kind of moving place. I thought that the last 10 minutes were funny and horrible and kind of powerful. In some ways it made me think a bit of Miracle Mile.

I wasn't feeling like this film was the best use of my time, but the final act really redeemed it. On that basis alone I would recommend it.

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

Dark Star, 1974

...The best moments of the film are those that mix comedy and horror. For example, a sequence in which a crew member has a conversation with the ship's former captain, Powell, who was mortally wounded and is now kept in cryogenic storage on the ship. The conversation is both funny and creepy, and this was the part in the film where I felt my feelings begin to swing more toward the positive...

rating_3_5Wow, it's interesting you mention that conversation. I had seen Dark Star way back in the 1980s and the only thing I remembered about it was that creepy and yet cool convo with the frozen captain. I loved the way he responded so slowly like his very thoughts were frozen...and it just felt so lonely for him left there all alone in frozen limbo.

So I watched the film again a year ago and didn't really love it like I thought I would, but it was still kinda of cool...not great, but it had something going for it.

[Wooley]

A rewatch of my favorite romcom, for research purposes :D


WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...
(1989, Reiner)
A film featuring the name of a couple in its title

https://www.nowverybad.com/wp-content/uploads/when-harry-met-sally_still2.jpg




The undeniable strength of the film is in Crystal and Ryan's chemistry, which is excellent. But a lot of the credit also goes to Nora Ephron's witty script, which was partly inspired by Reiner's own ventures into single life after a divorce. Reiner's direction itself is simple, but effective. He recognizes that Crystal and Ryan are the stars and he lets them shine all the way.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2181138#post2181138)

Completely agree.
I re-watched this a few months ago for the first time since the 1990s and it really is a great romantic comedy, like an all-time great. That era is not my favorite for these kind of films and sometimes it feels like its gonna be very of that era but then it kinda transcends.

[Takoma11]

Wow, it's interesting you mention that conversation. I had seen Dark Star way back in the 1980s and the only thing I remembered about it was that creepy and yet cool convo with the frozen captain. I loved the way he responded so slowly like his very thoughts were frozen...and it just felt so lonely for him left there all alone in frozen limbo.

So I watched the film again a year ago and didn't really love it like I thought I would, but it was still kinda of cool...not great, but it had something going for it.

I don't think I would ever love it. But I do think that on a rewatch I might appreciate more of the humor.

I really did think that the last 30 minutes were pretty cool.

May be a case where a film is more a sign of potential than a quality product in and of itself.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't think I would ever love it. But I do think that on a rewatch I might appreciate more of the humor.

I really did think that the last 30 minutes were pretty cool.

May be a case where a film is more a sign of potential than a quality product in and of itself.Agreed and that's all well said, especially the last sentence. You know it's one film I wouldn't mind a remake of.

[Takoma11]

Agreed and that's all well said, especially the last sentence. You know it's one film I wouldn't mind a remake of.

Have you ever seen American Astronaut? That's what I kept thinking of while watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uujG1ADn2zk

[Fabulous]

The Salesman (2016)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/woSmQgo1wxE4WRVXWHrmgv3jy2O.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.mubi.com%2Fimages%2Ffilm%2F10785%2Fimage-w448.jpg%3F1562007608&f=1&nofb=1
The Tall T (1957, Budd Boetticher) 3.5

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/11/a5/e9/11a5e93ec6aaad273747b781952215b3.gif
Ride Lonesome (1959, Budd Boetticher) 3

Two Budd Boetticher westerns with Randolph Scott - both pleasantly short and enjoyable but perhaps slightly overrated? I think I enjoyed The Tall T just a tiny bit more overall but the ending of Ride Lonesome gets the edge for me - that final shot is just iconic.

[this_is_the_ girl]

The Italian Connection (1972)

3.5-

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/46/o7/6f/ak/italian%20connection-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=6be6dfd426

I didn't even know the name of the director until I looked it up after to see what else he'd done. It turns out that I'd already seen 2 movies from Fernando Di Leo (The awesome Caliber 9 and memorable To Be Twenty) and have 2 more on my watchlist (The Boss and Madness). I had no idea before. This movie was pretty good fun although typical of its sub genre. I feel like I've seen Woody Strode and Henry Silva in thousands of movies and I'd like to see them in thousands more. They play a couple of New York hit men visiting Italy for a job. On YouTube with subtitles.
Just saw Boetticher's The Tall T, and Henry Silva was one of the best things in that movie.

[mark f]

Random Acts of Violence (Jay Baruchel, 2019) 2 5/10
The Tiger Hunter (Lena Khan, 2016) 2.5 6/10
Sonchidi (Amit Dutta, 2011) 2 5/10
Demons (Toshio Matsumoto, 1971) 3 6.5/10
https://jeffstafford76.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/couple-embracing.jpg?w=584
Geisha Yasuko Sanjo and ronin Katsuo Nakamura play a violent cat-and-mouse game.
Things Don't Stay Fixed (Bo Bartlett, 2021) 2+ 5/10
Give My Regards to Broad Street (Peter Webb, 1984) 2.5 6/10
Courting Mom and Dad (Anna Zielinski, 2021) 2 5/10
The Swordsman (Choi Jae-Hoon, 2020) 2.5 6/10
http://emagazine24.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image010-3-539x360.jpg
Retired swordsman Jang Hyuk must fight again to save his kidnapped daughter.
The Rabbit Hunters (3 Directors, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Before/During/After (Stephen Kunken & Jack Lewars, 2020) 2 5/10
Rendezvous in Paris (Éric Rohmer, 1995) 2.5 6/10
Saint Maud (Rose Glass, 2019) 2.5 6/10
https://media1.giphy.com/media/KFnsnhpcREtG2EJR7R/200_d.gif
Dying dancer Jennifer Ehle is being treated by demented nurse Morfydd Clark.
Macbeth (Kit Monkman, 2018) 2.5 5.5/10
No Light and No Land Anywhere (Amber Sealey, 2016) 2 5/10
55 Steps (Bille August, 2017) 2.5+ 6/10
A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018) 3.5- 7/10
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/12860209/My_Nightmares.gif
Drunken rock star Bradley Cooper falls in love with amateur singer Lady Gaga and includes her in his band.
The Sky Is On Fire (Emmanuel van der Auwera, 2019) 2 5/10
The Wave (Gille Klabin, 2019) 2.5 6/10
The Devil with Seven Faces (Osvaldo Civirani, 1971) 2 5/10
I Think We're Alone Now (Reed Morano, 2018) 2.5 6/10
https://occ-0-299-300.1.nflxso.net/art/c22c3/625b3babf951d3a447f034bb3b7beae6dcbc22c3.jpg
After a seeming apocalypse, Peter Dinklage takes care of the dead in his lifeless town, but then he encounters teenager Elle Fanning.

[martyrofevil]

The Devil (Andrzej Zulawski, 1972)
Based on my limited knowledge of Zulawski's work this is everything I expected it would be and I guess everything I wanted. It's so chaotic and anxiety inducing all the way through pretty much. It's a blast. Loved it.
4


That Most Important Thing: Love (Andrzej Zulawski, 1975)
Based on my limited knowledge of Zulawski's work this isn't what I expected and only sometimes what I wanted. It's kind of plain and normal for the most part. Other than the wild overacting, not much of Zulawski's (again, as far as I know) trademarks are present but the story has a few cool moments and there's some solid shots and its generally entertaining and engaging still.
3

[Thursday Next]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

5

[xSookieStackhouse]

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1999) 10/10 my fav childhood movie from the 90s <3
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/RomyandMichele_sHighSchoolReunion_1997_original_film_art_1200x.jpg?v=1585263316

[ScarletLion]

'A Sun' (2020)

https://naamboutv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/%E9%99%BD%E5%85%89%E6%99%AE%E7%85%A7.jpg

A tale of two brothers. Emotional Taiwanese family drama with a crime element. Very good film with some terrific acting and photography.

4

[mojofilter]

A rewatch of my favorite romcom, for research purposes :D


WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...
(1989, Reiner)
A film featuring the name of a couple in its title

https://www.nowverybad.com/wp-content/uploads/when-harry-met-sally_still2.jpg




The undeniable strength of the film is in Crystal and Ryan's chemistry, which is excellent. But a lot of the credit also goes to Nora Ephron's witty script, which was partly inspired by Reiner's own ventures into single life after a divorce. Reiner's direction itself is simple, but effective. He recognizes that Crystal and Ryan are the stars and he lets them shine all the way.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2181138#post2181138)
I agree with your review. Great romantic comedy by the great Rob Reiner. The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is great, second only to the chemistry between Ryan and Tom Hanks. As a matter of fact, the part of Harry was originally offered to Hanks but he turned it down because he thought it was "too lightweight". Funny he would think that since he ended up working with Ryan on 3 "lightweight" romantic comedies. I guess he realized the mistake he did of turning it down that he made up for it 3 times, all 3 films (Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail) that I consider all-time classics by the way.

[Stirchley]

73631

Re-watch. Such a good movie. With the bonus of a commentary from Jack.

[pahaK]

Nightmare (1981)
aka Nightmare in a Damaged Brain
2.5
I did end up watching it based on the fact that Tubi basically says it's uncut. It wasn't bad, but I don't consider myself a fan either. It had most of the ingredients for a nice, nasty film, but I found the writing to be rather bad. Nowhere near the quality of Maniac or The New York Ripper which are two immediate comparisons that come to mind.

It never really went anywhere with its psychology, and the computer-assisted police work was hilariously stupid. I remember seeing the final murder scene as a kid (I had a poor quality VHS copy, but I'm almost certain I never watched the whole film back then), and it's sort of gruesome and stylish but also poorly executed.

[ScarletLion]

73631

Re-watch. Such a good movie. With the bonus of a commentary from Jack.

I love that film. The scene where he has a flashback, in the same shot, then appears in his own flashback is amazing.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.mubi.com%2Fimages%2Ffilm%2F10785%2Fimage-w448.jpg%3F1562007608&f=1&nofb=1
The Tall T (1957, Budd Boetticher) 3.5

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/11/a5/e9/11a5e93ec6aaad273747b781952215b3.gif
Ride Lonesome (1959, Budd Boetticher) 3

Two Budd Boetticher westerns with Randolph Scott - both pleasantly short and enjoyable but perhaps slightly overrated? I think I enjoyed The Tall T just a tiny bit more overall but the ending of Ride Lonesome gets the edge for me - that final shot is just iconic.

I really enjoy Boetticher's work. Something about the vibe/energy of his films, their pace, and the films' relationships with their lead characters are right up my alley.

[Thief]

I agree with your review. Great romantic comedy by the great Rob Reiner. The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is great, second only to the chemistry between Ryan and Tom Hanks. As a matter of fact, the part of Harry was originally offered to Hanks but he turned it down because he thought it was "too lightweight". Funny he would think that since he ended up working with Ryan on 3 "lightweight" romantic comedies. I guess he realized the mistake he did of turning it down that he made up for it 3 times, all 3 films (Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail) that I consider all-time classics by the way.

To this day, I haven't seen Sleepless in Seattle but I would definitely call You've Got Mail a "lightweight" film, and I don't necessarily mean it as a slight to it. Joe versus the Volcano is a different beast, though.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbasementrejects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F01%2Fequinox-1970-jolly-green-giant-special-effects-review.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Equinox, 1970

A man named David (Edward Connell) has been in a mental institution for a year, following the strange deaths of his friends. David's doctor plays a tape of an interview with David to a curious reporter, and the film almost entirely takes place within the story being told on the recording. In it, we learn that David, Jim (Frank Bonner), Susan (Barbara Hewitt), and Vicki (Robin Christopher) went on an ill-fated trip into the woods where they encountered a creepy ranger named Asmodeus (Jack Woods) and procured a book of possibly evil origin.

Maybe it's just that I was expecting this movie to be total junk, based on years of seeing certain images from it or hearing it get joked about, but I thought that this was not half bad! There are some . . . choices . . . that detract from the film, but overall I was surprised at how much it succeeded at generating some real suspense.

The main selling point of the film is the effects, a mix of stop-motion animation and forced perspective scenes. I really enjoyed these effects, as they had both an old-school charm and a weirdness to them that set them apart from other similar monster sequences. While the infamous beast on the film's cover gets most of the attention, I really liked the sequence above. I also liked some of the cuts, as when a flying demon tackles a person and then the edit cuts to him in human form.

In terms of what doesn't go as well, the characters are not developed in any meaningful way. For the most part I liked the character of Asmodeus (and his habit of suddenly appearing, on horseback, right in front of or behind the main characters). There is something off about him, and this works best when he is silently menacing. Later in the film when the acting is less, um, subtle, it trips over into something too silly for me.

Not a great film by any means, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. The ending is also a lot stronger and more menacing than I would have thought.

3.5

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://ourculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/0cd53a0c89a65ebf0e06e52fbfe65633-1392x586.png
Solaris - Finally pulled the pin on this. Given the subject matter and runtime I wanted to wait for the right moment and right frame of mind. I do remember watching this a long, long time ago in an Introduction To Film class. That's about all I remembered though. The beginning with the shots of the reeds swaying underwater. The long shot of the car driving down a foreign freeway somewhere. Turns out that was filmed in Japan and what I at first thought was some esoteric attempt at simile was the filmmakers trying to justify their travel outside of the Soviet Union, a practice which was stringently controlled by the state apparatchik. Watching it this time filled in a lot of the blanks for me. I remember the rest of the class wasn't too wowed by it. They had the same reaction to Repulsion though. Anyway, speaking strictly for myself, I found this to be a legitimate yet ephemeral work of art. I got the sense that I was watching greatness but I'll be damned if I can lay hands to a precise reason. It's similar to what I felt the first time I watched Seven Samurai. That, while it was unlike anything I'd ever seen, it was also strangely familiar. I suppose you can call it a gut feeling or intuition. And that awareness was telling me to just shut up and enjoy it. That probably makes no sense but it's the closest I can get to explaining it.

Psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent to a space station orbiting the oceanic planet Solaris. The three remaining scientists are undergoing some sort of crisis and Kelvin is tasked with determining the feasibility of continuing the research project. It's a straightforward enough premise but it's merely a framework for director Andrei Tarkovsky to tackle a host of weighty issues like identity and loneliness and isolation and the universal quest for fulfillment. The human condition in a nutshell. Again, that is what I got from it. Results may vary as they say. Next up for me from Tarkovsky will probably be Stalker. To my great shame I once started it, wasn't vibing with it, and gave up. But I did promise myself that I would revisit it. And now that I'm somewhat familiarized with his work I think I can give it the fair shake it deserves. But as far as this one goes I think it was a singular experience. rating_4

[Takoma11]

https://ourculturemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/0cd53a0c89a65ebf0e06e52fbfe65633-1392x586.png[CENTER]
[LEFT]Solaris - Finally pulled the pin on this. Given the subject matter and runtime I wanted to wait for the right moment and right frame of mind. I do remember watching this a long, long time ago in an Introduction To Film class. That's about all I remembered though. The beginning with the shots of the reeds swaying underwater. The long shot of the car driving down a foreign freeway somewhere. Turns out that was filmed in Japan and what I at first thought was some esoteric attempt at simile was the filmmakers trying to justify their travel outside of the Soviet Union, a practice which was stringently controlled by the state apparatchik. Watching it this time filled in a lot of the blanks for me. I remember the rest of the class wasn't too wowed by it. They had the same reaction to Repulsion though. Anyway, speaking strictly for myself, I found this to be a legitimate yet ephemeral work of art. I got the sense that I was watching greatness but I'll be damned if I can lay hands to a precise reason. It's similar to what I felt the first time I watched Seven Samurai. That, while it was unlike anything I'd ever seen, it was also strangely familiar. I suppose you can call it a gut feeling or intuition. And that awareness was telling me to just shut up and enjoy it. That probably makes no sense but it's the closest I can get to explaining it.

I really like Solaris. And while no on really talks about it all that much, the American remake (which is like, half the length) does have some interesting moments.

[StuSmallz]

I think a lot of my issues here stemmed from the, as you say, cartoonish and one-dimensional villain (in a really over-the-top performance from Joaquin), the bump in the narrative when Oliver Reed dies and Djimon Hounsu has to take his place thematically and it doesn't really work, and then just how obvious it all was. Five minutes into the movie literally anyone who watches movies could have written out the script, which is actually about an hour long in actual story and is then dragged like a dead deer through nearly 2 additional hours.
Oddly, I'm not saying it wasn't a good film. I'm just saying I think it is flawed and dull and I don't really care for it. I certainly couldn't sit through the whole thing again.I can respect that, but Gladiator is certainly the most flawed film I've ever given five stars (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/list/five-stars/detail/) to, I still think it makes for a good accidental companion piece to Crouching Tiger, as a historical Action/Drama from 2000 (and also the closest thing to a "pure" Action film to win the Best Picture Oscar, which is nice for me, since it's one of my favorite genres), andI still can't help but get swept up in its grandeur anyway, for the things it does right; I mean, the scene where Commodus is being raised up to the floor of the Colosseum, as the crowd chants and Zimmer's score booms? That's about as epic as it gets, man:

https://youtu.be/zmEU7WVXo8c

[mojofilter]

https://www.moviejones.de/facebook/bilder/filme/048/48210_p.jpg
I CARE A LOT.
(2020)

First viewing. Rosamind Pike delivers a great performance, one that I expect will earn her an Oscar nod, in this dark comedy thriller as the repulsive antagonist. Dianne Weist and Peter Dinklage deliver excellent supporting performances as well. The film's first half is gripping, but it fell short in the second half and especially in the final act. Still worth a watch.

3

[Rockatansky]

I can respect that, but Gladiator is certainly the most flawed film I've ever given five stars (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/list/five-stars/detail/) to, I still think it makes for a good accidental companion piece to Crouching Tiger, as a historical Action/Drama from 2000 (and also the closest thing to a "pure" Action film to win the Best Picture Oscar, which is nice for me, since it's one of my favorite genres), andI still can't help but get swept up in its grandeur anyway, for the things it does right; I mean, the scene where Commodus is being raised up to the floor of the Colosseum, as the crowd chants and Zimmer's score booms? That's about as epic as it gets, man:

https://youtu.be/zmEU7WVXo8c
I'm not in love with the movie, but Ridley's direction is absolutely on point. Like you said, he definitely gives the movie a level of real grandeur, even if the script is kinda whatever. No disrespect to the performances either, but the movie is top notch on a technical level.

[Fabulous]

The Parallax View (1974)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8GMYiFEJLg7aHvJT46rbonyNQva.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

The Matrix (1999) 10/10 one of my 90s favorite movies <3 loved to rewatch my favorite movies in my collection =] <3
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71z1-I96q8L._AC_SY741_.jpg

[chawhee]

Nomadland (2020)
https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/newburyportnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/5d/05de1ae0-9750-51da-83f4-582cc3bf5fad/602d7ce6d7299.image.jpg
3
I was really looking forward to this one given all the praise it received, and I know a person or two that has tried this lifestyle. However I just couldn't truly get into it. The documentary-like style was fine, and it was wonderfully shot. The pace just felt a bit too slow maybe...

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbasementrejects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F01%2Fequinox-1970-jolly-green-giant-special-effects-review.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Equinox, 1970

A man named David (Edward Connell) has been in a mental institution for a year, following the strange deaths of his friends. David's doctor plays a tape of an interview with David to a curious reporter, and the film almost entirely takes place within the story being told on the recording. In it, we learn that David, Jim (Frank Bonner), Susan (Barbara Hewitt), and Vicki (Robin Christopher) went on an ill-fated trip into the woods where they encountered a creepy ranger named Asmodeus (Jack Woods) and procured a book of possibly evil origin.

Maybe it's just that I was expecting this movie to be total junk, based on years of seeing certain images from it or hearing it get joked about, but I thought that this was not half bad! There are some . . . choices . . . that detract from the film, but overall I was surprised at how much it succeeded at generating some real suspense.

The main selling point of the film is the effects, a mix of stop-motion animation and forced perspective scenes. I really enjoyed these effects, as they had both an old-school charm and a weirdness to them that set them apart from other similar monster sequences. While the infamous beast on the film's cover gets most of the attention, I really liked the sequence above. I also liked some of the cuts, as when a flying demon tackles a person and then the edit cuts to him in human form.

In terms of what doesn't go as well, the characters are not developed in any meaningful way. For the most part I liked the character of Asmodeus (and his habit of suddenly appearing, on horseback, right in front of or behind the main characters). There is something off about him, and this works best when he is silently menacing. Later in the film when the acting is less, um, subtle, it trips over into something too silly for me.

Not a great film by any means, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. The ending is also a lot stronger and more menacing than I would have thought.

3.5

Such a strange movie.

[Wooley]

I really like Solaris. And while no on really talks about it all that much, the American remake (which is like, half the length) does have some interesting moments.

I really liked Soderbergh's remake but I had no idea it was a remake so I wasn't comparing it to anything. For a long time I thought it was the best thing he or George Clooney ever did but I haven't seen it for about 15 years.

[Wooley]

I can respect that, but Gladiator is certainly the most flawed film I've ever given five stars (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/list/five-stars/detail/) to, I still think it makes for a good accidental companion piece to Crouching Tiger, as a historical Action/Drama from 2000 (and also the closest thing to a "pure" Action film to win the Best Picture Oscar, which is nice for me, since it's one of my favorite genres), andI still can't help but get swept up in its grandeur anyway, for the things it does right; I mean, the scene where Commodus is being raised up to the floor of the Colosseum, as the crowd chants and Zimmer's score booms? That's about as epic as it gets, man:

https://youtu.be/zmEU7WVXo8c

Yeah, I hear ya. Just not my brand of marmalade.
Crouching Tiger, on the other hand, is still one of my favorite movies I've ever seen.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I really like Solaris. And while no on really talks about it all that much, the American remake (which is like, half the length) does have some interesting moments.I wouldn't mind watching that as well. I'd like to see what Soderbergh and Clooney can do with it.

[Gideon58]

https://thecomicscomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RobinsWish.jpg



4

[pahaK]

Cría cuervos (1976)
3.5
This was recommended on the basis of my liking of The Spirit of the Beehive. The connection is quite easy to see, and it's not restricted to Ana Torrent. The films share lots of themes (mainly death, and a child dealing with it), but Cria cuervos is less fantastical and less innocent. I wish it had gone deeper into the darkness instead of just continuously hinting at Ana's fascination with death. It trades away too much of the childish charms of The Spirit of the Beehive without ever fully committing to its more morbid path. Oh, and Porque te vas is such a great song and it's used so damn well in this film.

So yeah, a good film but I prefer The Spirit of the Beehive.

[Takoma11]

I wouldn't mind watching that as well. I'd like to see what Soderbergh and Clooney can do with it.

I think they were in a bit of a pickle, because either you ape the original (which has a very particular dreamy and disturbing magic) or you change the story and anger probably 60% of your potential audience.

I thought they did a good job. Not nearly as good as the original, but maybe like a 3.5/5 compared to a 4.5/5

And I did approve of one significant change/addition they made to the story. Also, the cast is great.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I think they were in a bit of a pickle, because either you ape the original (which has a very particular dreamy and disturbing magic) or you change the story and anger probably 60% of your potential audience.

I thought they did a good job. Not nearly as good as the original, but maybe like a 3.5/5 compared to a 4.5/5

And I did approve of one significant change/addition they made to the story. Also, the cast is great.
I would expect it to be at least worth watching. I've seen nine of his movies (out of the 29 listed on IMDb) and Soderbergh has never disappointed me.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages2.imgbox.com%2F3c%2F34%2F2LRaPDNt_o.png&f=1&nofb=1

White Rock, 1977

This documentary, hosted by actor James Coburn, explores the sports and competitions at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

Okay, I did not realize that James Coburn sassily introducing me to a variety of winter sports was something that I desperately needed in my life. And this film only has 88 votes on IMDB!! What the heck?!

This is a novel approach to a sports documentary, and especially an Olympic one. For lack of a better explanation, this is kind of like a hangout movie. Only Coburn is hanging out with top-tier Olympic athletes. The structure of the film is very similar all the way through: with help from experts, Coburn attempts various facets of the different sports (riding in a bobsled, briefly tending goal at an ice hockey practice, and completing part of a skiing/shooting biathlon. Once Coburn, and by proxy the audience, really get a grip on the challenges inherent in the sport, the film cuts to footage of the actual Olympic competition.

It's a great way to structure the documentary. Rather than choosing a particular country or athlete to follow/support, this strategy pushes respect for all of the athletes. Even a montage of skiers wiping out on a nasty turn takes on far less of a mean-spirited feel after Coburn and some close-up camera work have helped us understand that these athletes are traveling at speeds up to and exceeding 60 MPH.

Coburn is an easy and amiable host. He is game for trying out the different sports, and doesn't let ego get in the way of admitting how hard they are. For example, he huffs and puffs through the biathlon before conceding that there's no way he could steadily fire a gun after twice the amount of skiing, reminding us that athletes who exceed 8 shots must then do penalty skiing laps.

While it's true that there is no central "narrative" here, I kind of liked that. It meant that you were never rooting for or against anyone, but rather marveling at the skill and dedication of all of the athletes.

This was a different kind of sports/Olympic documentary and I thought it was really fun and refreshing.

4

[Takoma11]

I would expect it to be at least worth watching. I've seen nine of his movies (out of the 29 listed on IMDb) and Soderbergh has never disappointed me.

With the exception of Unsane, I would agree.

[Fabulous]

Romper Stomper (1992)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/cfGKEah2uUli5HPG1Ry3QK3lwDh.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Drive Me Crazy (1999) 10/10 loved melissa joan hart shes my favorite on sabrina the teenage witch during the 90s and loved to rewatch my 90s movies collection :) <3
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7JEVjftTcZY/W1pUXszaa1I/AAAAAAAAWZo/yfYGX-lk-rwvW-P_neheR9QRt4oByhdqgCLcBGAs/s1600/MPW-18107.jpg

[hell_storm2004]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI2NzE3NTU1NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDAyMTkzMTE@._V1_.jpg




Devil's Knot (2013) - 4.5/10. Not sure why Colin Firth was cast for a movie that was set in the south of US. The movie is pretty basic, run of the mill, by the book court room drama. Nothing special. I was disappointed considering I love court dramas and tend to rate them a wee bit higher than normal.

[ScarletLion]

Devil's Knot (2013) - 4.5/10. Not sure why Colin Firth was cast for a movie that was set in the south of US. The movie is pretty basic, run of the mill, by the book court room drama. Nothing special. I was disappointed considering I love court dramas and tend to rate them a wee bit higher than normal.

You'd be much better off watching the excellent but infuriating documentary 'Paradise Lost', which tells the story right from the beginning. There's also another called West of Memphis I think, which is ok but not great.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117293/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2

[hell_storm2004]

You'd be much better off watching the excellent but infuriating documentary 'Paradise Lost', which tells the story right from the beginning. There's also another called West of Memphis I think, which is ok but not great.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117293/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2


Seen that a long time ago!

[ScarletLion]

Seen that a long time ago!

Nice. No other film about the case compares in my opinion. I may give it another watch.

[Stirchley]

Not sure why Colin Firth was cast for a movie that was set in the south of US.

It’s called “acting” for a reason.

[Fabulous]

Criss Cross (1949)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/19jLoIQOJxEMwVfhVC6sF9KVGX6.jpg

[Marco]

Venus (2006)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Venus_ver2.jpg
Some daft bits, some touching bits. A bit one dimensional but ,given the age of Peter O'Toole, a lovely warmth is spread throughout. Jodie Whittaker is exceptional.

3.5

[Fabulous]

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/lMpSxEci1FyaMGtBDWtY9Jd2TAp.jpg

[Kaplan]

I Care a Lot (2021)

Absolute garbage. Don't waste your time as I did.

rating_1

[Fabulous]

Red River (1948)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/v59GXlHsHCZS5u7vTTbo3J5j27o.jpg

[mark f]

Slaughterhouse Rulez (Crispian Mills, 2018) 2 5/10
The Last Vermeer (Dan Friedkin, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Goodbye Seventies (Todd Verow, 2020) 2 5/10
Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990) 3.5 7/10
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c2/66/f6/c266f62e579967395a1afe9031fa5560.gif
Misery indeed.
Blithe Spirit (Edward Hall, 2020) 2 5/10
Body Brokers (John Swab, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Donna (Jaret Martino, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Beyond Clueless (Charlie Lyne, 2014) 2.5+ 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cisM7JX1L7o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEz8pdxslYU
Compilation of over 200 teen movies - mostly from the 1990s - that reflect the director's point about that era.
The Pond (Petar Pasici, 2021) 2.5 6/10
The Sinners (Courtney Paige, 2020) 2 5/10
Take Me to Tarzana (Maceo Greenberg, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Pinocchio (Matteo Garrone, 2019) 3 6.5/10
https://moviegram.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pinocchio-1242220.gif
Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) tries to keep his wooden creation (Federico Ielapi) from getting into trouble.
Tom and Jerry (Tim Story, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Burn It All (Brady Hall, 2021) 2 5/10
The Covered Wagon (James Cruze, 1923) 2.5 5.5/10
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Lee Daniels, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/6693aa2714ab718cc2bda3f94b6f8634/9b547f4df5119b93-de/s500x750/c172ff81c7d6aa9853e91e45e0b57d33848735cd.gifv
The U.S. Government deems that Billie Holiday shall not sing "Strange Fruit", her song about lynching, in public.
Devil's Knot (Atom Egoyan, 2013) 2.5 6/10
The Violent Heart (Kerem Sanga, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Myth: A Frozen Tale (Osvaldo Civirani, 2019) 3 6.5/10
Kalashnikov (Konstantin Buslov, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzEwYzRkNDQtNGIzNi00YjE1LWI3MzktYThjMWI3NjFkMWZkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_UX5 00_CR0,NaN,500,281_.jpg
During WWII, comrade inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuriy Borisov) witnesses the weakness of the Soviet machine gun versus the Nazis' and eventually develops the AK-47.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Slaughterhouse Rulez (Crispian Mills, 2018) 2 5/10
The Last Vermeer (Dan Friedkin, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Goodbye Seventies (Todd Verow, 2020) 2 5/10
Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990) 3.5 7/10
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c2/66/f6/c266f62e579967395a1afe9031fa5560.gif
Misery indeed.
Blithe Spirit (Edward Hall, 2020) 2 5/10
Body Brokers (John Swab, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Donna (Jaret Martino, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Beyond Clueless (Charlie Lyne, 2014) 2.5+ 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cisM7JX1L7o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEz8pdxslYU
Compilation of over 200 teen movies - mostly from the 1990s - that reflect the director's point about that era.
The Pond (Petar Pasici, 2021) 2.5 6/10
The Sinners (Courtney Paige, 2020) 2 5/10
Take Me to Tarzana (Maceo Greenberg, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Pinocchio (Matteo Garrone, 2019) 3 6.5/10
https://moviegram.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pinocchio-1242220.gif
Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) tries to keep his wooden creation (Federico Ielapi) from getting into trouble.
Tom and Jerry (Tim Story, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Burn It All (Brady Hall, 2021) 2 5/10
The Covered Wagon (James Cruze, 1923) 2.5 5.5/10
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Lee Daniels, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/6693aa2714ab718cc2bda3f94b6f8634/9b547f4df5119b93-de/s500x750/c172ff81c7d6aa9853e91e45e0b57d33848735cd.gifv
The U.S. Government deems that Billie Holiday shall not sing "Strange Fruit", her song about lynching, in public.
Devil's Knot (Atom Egoyan, 2013) 2.5 6/10
The Violent Heart (Kerem Sanga, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Myth: A Frozen Tale (Osvaldo Civirani, 2019) 3 6.5/10
Kalashnikov (Konstantin Buslov, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/0gpmsk3cTBR0femKABB7nN-pc7c7LTuPojMzOWBssolYwlVMisV-FmsEsgLtWcbDnpqCB5BIpKrgsEwaNxuDXWMDNflcX5ObiMRjk76TnoCy3xXxcVAIzPKj2-CJ46Cp_Rl9-eZOpqsQN9-JMGPIxLsBD2c0ZRNZwVo
During WWII, comrade inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov (Yuriy Borisov) witnesses the weakness of the Soviet machine gun versus the Nazis' and eventually develops the AK-47.

good music on Billie Holiday movie? i was thinking to watch it?

[mark f]

Sure, the music is good. The movie seems a bit repetitious to start but settles in and improves.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgflip.com%2Fjp75t.gif&f=1&nofb=1

The Bad News Bears. This is my American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused. 4.5

[matt72582]

A Lion Is In The Streets - 5.5/10
I'm done watching any movies that portray the 30s, they always screw them up, especially if they're loosely based on the life of Huey Life.. They always amplify and exaggerate the actions of anyone in The South. When I was in "The South" it was the opposite; people's speech, actions, and life in general was slower paced.



Every biopic on populists (especially left-of-centre) are usually based on lies. If we assume that every politician is corrupt, why are those who do nothing (or worse, regressive) never criticized, but the ones who actually gave something for all the people are constantly lied about (Jimmy Hoffa) or contain mostly trivia and gossip, with a side of lies, assumptions, and hearsay.


The movie is only 88 minutes long, but the way it's made is awful. Too much time spent on baloney, instead of getting to the root of the story and the characters. Seems like something a really drunk director would make.



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/A_Lion_Is_in_the_Streets.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WRTPX4YRL._AC_SY400_.jpg



4

[GulfportDoc]

73736
Rules Don’t Apply (2016)

After hearing an interview of the great cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, and looking for other films he photographed, I stumbled across this movie written and directed by Warren Beatty. It’s a light romantic comedy which also provides a vessel for Beatty’s fascination with Howard Hughes.

The boy meets girl set up is fairly fresh: Lily Collins plays an aspiring actress who --along with 30 others-- is brought to Hollywood by Hughes with the promise of a screen test. She and her mother (Annette Benning) are put up in a lovely home to wait for the call. She is provided a driver (Alden Ehrenreich) who ferries the ladies about town.

Eventually the mother gets exasperated by the wait, so she heads back home to Virginia, which allows circumstances for the actress and the limo driver to get acquainted. At first they become friendly due to similar beliefs: religion, aspirations to succeed. But later they get estranged, as the actress has quite an entanglement with Hughes, while the limo driver becomes more important in Hughes’ empire. The actress and driver are ultimately put together at the end, after a roundabout side story with Hughes.

Reportedly Beatty had wanted to do a Howard Hughes film with himself playing Hughes for decades. Unfortunately by the time the project came to fruition, Beatty was 79, playing Hughes in his 50s. Several highlights of Hughes’ history are featured: his ownership of RKO, his airplane crashes, his acquisition of TWA, his designing of Jane Russell’s brassiere, the "Spruce Goose", his marriage to Jean Peters, and the like. Beatty emphasizes Hughes’ eccentricities, but they seem over played to the point of silliness. He might have been better off featuring a younger actor as Hughes, or setting the story later in Hughes’ life. Still he’s an enjoyable character, and after all this is a comedy, not a documentary.

Deschanel comes through with the cinematography, but the writing itself is scattered enough to confuse rather than enhance the story. Perhaps there was a more cohesive narrative within the script, and it was the editing that came up a little short. Still it was harmless fun, with a chance to enjoy the performances of a good cast which includes popular actors such as Matthew Broderick, Paul Sorvino, Candice Bergen, Martin Sheen, and Ed Harris in effective supporting roles.

Doc’s rating: 5/10

[Torgo]

The Fall - 4

What you've heard about The Fall being a visual marvel is true. Its vibrant colors and breathtaking vistas are truly a feast for the eyes. I can see why this project appealed to Tarsem because it provides the ideal canvas for his imagination. This is not a coffee table book movie, though: its characters are compelling and provide substance to its imagery. I, like the adorable Alexandria, hung on every one of the heart and body-broken Roy's words and the literally and figuratively colorful players in their stories recall the Baron's entourage in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Watching their adventure play out is as satisfying as noticing its actual world parallels, whether its discovering who's playing who or Alexandria's influences upon it. Besides demonstrating the power of a good story, obviously, the movie succeeds as a reminder to look at life through the hopeful and innocent eyes of someone like Alexandria every once in a while and especially when the going gets tough. However, like Baron Munchausen and a lot of Gilliam's other work, the sugar in the movie has much more flavor than its medicine. Still, what delicious, memorable and ambitious sugar it is!

[CharlesAoup]

Greenland, 2020 (F)

Another perfectly good story of a failing marriage being saved by the apocalypse.

Who the hell keeps asking for these. There's literally two good scenes of destruction, totalling under 3 minutes of this insulting 2 hours runtime.

[kgaard]

In a pretty odd coincidence (and it does appear to have been coincidence), 2016 saw two films about the tragic story of Christine Chubbuck, a journalist who died by suicide live on television in 1974. Her story had largely been memory holed, showing up mostly on lists of unusual deaths or asked after by ghoulish types eager to find the video of her death. To even to attempt to tell a story like this, about a woman who prefaced her own suicide by saying it was in keeping with her station's policy of promoting "blood and guts", raises a lot of questions that are difficult to answer. Can this story be told without confirming that her final critique of society was anything other than correct--we are here for the blood and guts? What do you say about a person whose life was largely unremarkable (this is not a value judgment; most are) other than the manner of her death? Are we ghouls just for being here at all? The anger of Chubbuck's surviving relative, her brother Greg, at the mere existence of these films is understandable.

Christine
73738

As a rule, I don’t care for biopics. They have a flattening effect on their subjects that makes them seem bland and formulaic. The exceptions (e.g., Lincoln; Nico, 1988) tend to focus on a specific, important period of time as a sort of synecdoche for the subject’s life. This film is of the latter type and is better for it. The most obvious question about Christine Chubbuck is Why? Why did she do this, and why in the way that she did? Beyond her haunting last words, she left little in the way of certain answers. There were reasons, of course--but the same reasons many people might have, whether they die by suicide or not. She was unhappy in love, her work was not fulfilling in the way she wanted, she had suffered from health problems, she had largely untreated mental illness. All of these reasons are shown in the movie, but none really answer the question Why, and of course that’s because the answer is really unknowable. To its credit, the movie seems to recognize this, and while it shows the possible reasons, it never settles on any answer. Rather, you have an empathetic portrayal of a woman who is struggling--and failing--to connect with the people and the world around her. Her pain is real. The answers are elusive. 8/10

Kate Plays Christine
73739

I am sympathetic to what the filmmakers were trying to do here. Understanding that an authentic portrayal of the person that Christine Chubbuck was was all but impossible, they’ve chosen to critique the very idea of trying to do such a thing by following an actor ostensibly hired to play Chubbuck in a film about her. The problem is that the critique doesn’t really work. In trying to understand our impulses to mine the personal tragedy of Christine Chubbuck the film simply seems to exploit both her and the actor playing her (gratuitous bikini and topless shots add to this impression). The self-critique of “maybe movies like this shouldn’t be made” comes across more as a hedge than as self-awareness. In addition, by making the “film within a film” (seemingly) deliberately bad, it undermines the idea that this can’t be done well. Maybe it can, if the film is good! And when at the end the message devolves into a scolding of the audience, I could only feel frustrated that I had bothered at all. I don’t need (in fact, definitely do not want) to see how Christine Chubbuck died, but I do want to feel like I’ve learned or seen something new. 4/10

While I’m here, I want to highly recommend this piece on the films (https://newrepublic.com/article/137071/christine-stays-picture) by Miriam Bale in the New Republic. Her views are similar to mine only much better stated.

[edarsenal]

Pinocchio (Matteo Garrone, 2019) 3 6.5/10
https://moviegram.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pinocchio-1242220.gif
Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) tries to keep his wooden creation (Federico Ielapi) from getting into trouble.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Lee Daniels, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/6693aa2714ab718cc2bda3f94b6f8634/9b547f4df5119b93-de/s500x750/c172ff81c7d6aa9853e91e45e0b57d33848735cd.gifv
The U.S. Government deems that Billie Holiday shall not sing "Strange Fruit", her song about lynching, in public.
There had been a number of bad Pinocchio films in the past decade or two, causing me to avoid a favorite childhood story of mine, but, I may have to give this one a shot.

Meanwhile, I am TOTALLY checking out US vs Billie Holiday. I so do LOVE that lady and have seen Lady Sings the Blues (1972) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068828/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) and after watching the trailer, I am truly hooked!!
Thank you mark!!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgflip.com%2Fjp75t.gif&f=1&nofb=1

The Bad News Bears. This is my American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused. 4.5
Mine as well!!
I was in seventh grade when it came out and f@ckin loved it when I first saw it at the movie theaters. Turner was my GOD as a kid LOL


as for myself:


https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/download_file/view_inline/5817/
http://lumiere.net.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/img_theservant.jpg


The Servant (1963) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057490/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2) 4 with a high probability of a 4.5 on my future viewings.

Susan: Shall I tell you the truth, Barrett?
Barrett: Yes, Miss.
Susan: The truth is, I don't give a tinker's gob what you think.

SPOILER ALERTs are a god bless. Though, there are exceptional exceptions where the "secret" truly could be already known instead of realized only to be then fully enjoyed on following viewings. Making the first viewing far more appreciated and, I believe, heighten the over-all enjoyment of said first viewing on another level.

That "secret" regards IMDb's quick synopsis: "Upper-class Tony (James Fox in an Introductory Role) hires servant Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde), who turns out to have a hidden agenda."
For you see, in 1963 it was still illegal in Britain to have a homosexual relationship. Never mind a film of it.

Based on Robin Maugham's similar named novella, that is said to be inspired by a similar incident that occurred in the author's life as the the son of Frederic Herbert Maugham, a Lord High Chancellor of England, and nephew of W.Somerset Maugham, the writer.
The surfacing -yet at the same time, its real truth, hidden - themes of control and corruption as they are turned around between social classes is so masterfully played out, and with such artistry, that I would have thoroughly enjoyed the cunning of Director Joseph Losey even more so if I was in on the hidden agenda before viewing. Instead of coming to the realization of what specifically that hidden agenda involved in the final third of this sexually-charged film.
One specific scene comes to mind, early on in the movie, at a restaurant when the focus dances between three different ongoing conversations and their implications at the time.

Cinematically, Losey creates a surreal, feverous, almost nightmarish imagery as control is spun around; the sexual, alcohol-dependent depravity/darkness taking the foreground away from the initially depicted normality of proper/accepted behavior.
Much like a classic horror film, the "monster" is never seen and only alluded to. Brilliantly.

I CAN NOT wait to rewatch this to explore and completely enjoy seeing the "secret" that exists beneath the veneer.

[Thief]

IMAGES
(1972, Altman)
A film from Robert Altman

https://www.cinemaldito.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Im%C3%A1genes-3-e1407086948967.jpg


"I'm not going to be able to finish this puzzle. There's too many pieces missing."


There's not much that can be said about Images without spoiling some of its mystery, and yet, there's so much that can be said without even beginning to understand it either. Borrowing a bit from Bergman's Persona, Altman seems to revel in the mind-games he throws at the audience as this couple tries to make ends meet. And if there's something that can be said without a doubt is that York is great in the lead role.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2182531#post2182531)

[Fabulous]

The Chase (1966)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/n1UpClFwJleaYWESEEjfcCwBNT5.jpg

[LordWhis]

Call of the wild- 7/10

The CGI didn’t really bother me that much and I think it’s critics making something out of nothing. It’s decent enough.

Carlito’s Way- 10/10

It might be my favourite mafia movie. It has a sensitivity that the genre lacks. While your goodfellas or godfather tells stories with gunfire Carlito’s way is a very subtle story and character-driven movie- almost like a play.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Sure, the music is good. The movie seems a bit repetitious to start but settles in and improves.

i probably wait till it release on dvd

[martyrofevil]

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981) (rewatch)

This is one of those movies I liked a good bit when I first watched it but assumed I'd dig it a lot more on a rewatch and sadly that wasn't really the case. There's certainly a lot to appreciate; the wild overacting (usually) fits the film perfectly, the presentation and how its shot are super cool and it's definitely got a powerful aura to it. The problem is that the film gets considerably less interesting as it goes and even gets borderline normie at points and its also just too long.Overall the positives still heavily outweigh the negatives and its still a fun ride.
rating_3_5

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-soIm_5biGek%2FU4QrG_PMuwI%2FAAAAAAAABcU%2FDndxagQm0Jw%2Fs1600%2FThe%2BBig%2BGundown%2B1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
The Big Gundown (1966, Sergio Sollima)
3.5
I'm not particularly big on Italian westerns (aside from Sergio Leone's work - hey, maybe there are some other good ones I ought to check out), but this one was quite good. Lee Van Kleef's charisma alone is the price of admission, but there's also a good story with well fleshed out characters that kind of sucks you in and keeps you interested. Very enjoyable.

[cricket]

Wild Tales (2014)

3.5

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/CommonMammothEastrussiancoursinghounds-small.gif

I'd had this anthology movie on my list for quite a while and had high expectations due to the praise I've heard and it's ratings. I thoroughly enjoyed it but was still a tad let down. Of course the 6 tales have varying degrees of effectiveness, but usually when these types of movies are really good, they are interconnected in some way. It was just 6 separate tales of people losing their minds. A couple of times I thought there were incomplete endings. Tales 4 & 5 are the ones I really thought should have been better. Still a good ride overall.

[Chypmunk]

Wild Tales (2014)

3.5
Worth it just for that in-car fight segment alone.

[cricket]

Worth it just for that in-car fight segment alone.

Probably my favorite episode

[Wooley]

Carlito’s Way- 10/10

It might be my favourite mafia movie. It has a sensitivity that the genre lacks. While your goodfellas or godfather tells stories with gunfire Carlito’s way is a very subtle story and character-driven movie- almost like a play.
I also prefer Carlito's Way to Goodfellas.

[John W Constantine]

The Village

3

[GulfportDoc]

73827
Nomadland (2020)

Our protagonist, Fern (Frances McDormand), is suddenly faced with two calamities: her husband has died, and the plant at which they both had been employedfor years closes. Since the plant was the chief employer in the town, everything soon dries up, and is literally taken off the map. Soon Fern decides to sell her belongings, buy a van, and take off on the road looking for work. She initially takes seasonal employment at an Amazon regional center, then when that ends, she moves on looking for other work. Along the way she meets dozens of other working nomads who aretraveling the highways in their vehicles likewise looking for temporary employment in order to maintain their vagabond lifestyle.


Fern quickly learns from others how to survive on the road. Some of the featured true life motorized nomads were interesting, what with the personal stories from these non actors ringing true. She meets the real life Bob Wells, who is something of a guru in the traveling lifestyle. There are a couple of others she meets who play an important part in her education. She eventually meets David (David Strathairn), a fellow traveler. After several chance meetings and a shard job David expresses feelings for Fern, and invites her to stay with him at his son’s guest house. Fern declines, and soon heads off for the road, where she seems to feel comfortable.

If one is expecting something to happen, it really never does, apart from a minor back story revelation which gives some clue as to Fern’s motives. The film teetered between a documentary and a drama, with the documentary portion being more engaging. The picture will appeal to those who enjoy slices of life and poignant human stories. Otherwise it’s a bit of a slog. We see Fern cooking on her single burner stove, she bundles up to sleep, she takes endless aimless walks in the western outdoors, all of which eventually becoming uninteresting, causing the viewer to wonder where the film is going.


The cinematography was good, but there was too much of it. It seemed like every frame consisted of a wide vista shot of the American West. They were impressive at first, then became repetitive. It's almost as if the photography of the landscapes was intended to make up for the lack of story. The editing soon felt aimless. The minimal single piano score fit very nicely.

Reportedly writer/director Chloe Zhao was simultaneously working on this movie along with the upcoming MCU film, Eternals. Whether the film would have changed any, given Zhao’s full attention, it’s hard to say. I haven’t read the book, but it would be interesting to have seen this as a pure documentary, without the narrative’s need to be attentive to a protagonist.


Doc’s rating: 5/10

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpa1.narvii.com%2F6571%2Fc92d4fe16807ee32bc21167bb1313b90d3b47141_hq.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Wasn't bad. Have to admit, I prefer the 1988 remake as it has a little more oomph to it but it was neat to see where it all started. Can't wait for the sequel. 3

[xSookieStackhouse]

the warriors 10/10 another movie that i rewatched fromy dvd collection. one of my favorite 80s movies
https://img.moviepostershop.com/the-warriors-movie-poster-1979-1020466664.jpg

[Fabulous]

Rust and Bone (2012)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/uJ7CloGLTlNsZLtZaTBOv5kmYfF.jpg

[mark f]

Hiding Out (Bob Giraldi, 1987) 2.5+ 6/10
Out of Bounds (Richard Tuggle, 1986) 2 5/10
The Longest Night (Errol Taggart, 1936) 2.5 5.5/10
Arna's Children (Juliano Mer-Khamis & Danniel Danniel, 2004) 3.5 7/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzqRt-XwV9Q
Intense, heartbreaking depiction of what happens to Palestinian youth affected by Israeli occupation. The director was a Jew.
Dr. Kildare Goes Home (Harold S. Bucquet, 1940) 2.5 5.5/10
The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (Éric Rohmer, 2007) 2 5/10
Lupe (Andre Phillips & Charles Vuolo, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) 4 8/10
https://jctunesmusic.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/500full-12-angry-men-screenshot.gif?w=474
Suspenseful study of a jury and how irs concept of reasonable doubt can evolve.
Lingering AKA Hotel Lake (Yoon Een-Kyoung, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Mafia Inc (Daniel Grou, 2019) 3 6.5/10
The Ghoul (T. Hayes Hunter, 1933) 2 5/10
A Man for All Seasons (Fred Zinnemann, 1966) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/aa97e9de1646683acfb6643083fcc8ae/7ec8314454c93add-32/s500x750/10f5ba196d28ee4abb01bbeaa4410b0aaafd8071.gifv
Thomas More (Paul Scofield) and King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) "discuss" various subjects relating to the latter's marriage to Anne Boleyn.
Rage (John Balazs, 2021) 2 5/10
Knute Rockne All American (Lloyd Bacon, 1940) 2.5 5.5/10
Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson, 1981) 3.5- 7/10
Miss Sharon Jones! (Barbara Kopple, 2015) 3 6.5/10
https://media1.giphy.com/media/3o6fISfpXndBXhCKJy/200.gif
Soul singer Sharon Jones returns to touring with her band the Dap-Kings after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Honesty Weekend ( Leslie Thomas, 2020) 2 5/10
Praying with Lior (Ilana Trachtman, 2008) 3 6.5/10
Tentacles (Clara Aranovich, 2021) 2 5/10
Pelé (David Tryhorn & Ben Nicholas, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMyUnyxVB9Q
Pelé's rise to the greatest footballer in the world is put in the greater context of Brazilian history.

[hello101]

The Irishman - 4.5
Pride and Prejudice - 2.5
Thelma & Louise - 4

[xSookieStackhouse]

The Irishman - 1.5
Pride and Prejudice - 4

should watch the gentlemen its like the Irishmen but different and its an pretty good movie but alot of swearing

[Thief]

TWO LOVERS
(2008, Gray)
A film with the word "Two" in its title

https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/sites/sbs.com.au.film/files/styles/full/public/images/s/i/site_28_rand_1643011600_two_lovers_maxed.jpg?itok=--APuZlU


"So I'm going to ask you a question now, and I'm going to be direct with you. I hope you don't mind.
Are you a f**k-up?"



Two Lovers follows Leonard, a young man suffering from bipolar disorder and reeling in from depression and several suicide attempts related to his break-up from his fiancée. Now living with his parents, he tries to make ends meet working at their laundromat in NYC. Unbeknownst to him, he is set up with Sandra, the well-intentioned daughter of his father's business partner. At the same time, Leonard also gets involved with Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a troubled neighbor that's also having an affair with Ronald, a married man from work.

In the end, the film could've used a bit more focus between the two relationships and perhaps a bit more exploration into the characters. I'm still torn about the ending which I felt was decidedly tragic, even if I kinda felt the film was trying to sell it the other way. But I think that the fact they did things the way they did was somewhat bold, at least from the point of view from which I interpreted it. At the end of the day, honesty does go a long way, even if it's to walk away from something you should to avoid pain, suffering, and heartache to others. Whether the characters did that or not, I guess that's up to you.

Grade: 3



Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2182869#post2182869)

[Torgo]

I really like Two Lovers as well. I saw Leonard's journey as one of recovery, with Michelle representing his addiction and Sandra representing who he needs to be with to break the habit. I like all of the James Gray movies I've seen - I haven't seen The Immigrant or Ad Astra yet - and most of them have that left-hand path/right-hand path dilemma, which makes sense since he's so good at portraying it.

[matt72582]

Me and Bobby Fischer

Very interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtAF-q4tAjw&t=4403s

[Thief]

I really like Two Lovers as well. I saw Leonard's journey as one of recovery, with Michelle representing his addiction and Sandra representing who he needs to be with to break the habit. I like all of the James Gray movies I've seen - I haven't seen The Immigrant or Ad Astra yet - and most of them have that left-hand path/right-hand path dilemma, which makes sense since he's so good at portraying it.

That's a pretty good metaphorical approach to it. But what really had me a bit more troubled was...


The quick shift of Leonard from being on the verge of leaving everything for Michelle, even telling his mom that "he's happy", to him just making a U-turn towards Sandra when Michelle leaves him, to the point of giving her the engagement ring he had bought for Michelle. Like I said in the review, I saw it as tragic even if I don't think the film was selling it that way. And I mean tragic in that IRL you don't just shift from engaging to X to engaging to Y on one night. It's certainly not healthy and I don't know if we're meant to believe this was a "happily ever after" ending.


As for Gray, this is the first film of his I've seen.

[Torgo]

The quick shift of Leonard from being on the verge of leaving everything for Michelle, even telling his mom that "he's happy", to him just making a U-turn towards Sandra when Michelle leaves him, to the point of giving her the engagement ring he had bought for Michelle. Like I said in the review, I saw it as tragic even if I don't think the film was selling it that way. And I mean tragic in that IRL you don't just shift from engaging to X to engaging to Y on one night. It's certainly not healthy and I don't know if we're meant to believe this was a "happily ever after" ending.


As for Gray, this is the first film of his I've seen.I do like the scenes where we see Leonard and Sandra together, but I agree that there are many, many more - perhaps too many - with Leonard and Michelle. It's practically 80/20. Since Leonard and is family are Jewish, I assumed that Leonard and Sandra belong to a branch of Judaism that practices arranged marriage, but maybe I just told myself that so that the implied happiness in the ending makes more sense.

[Dobb]

The Girl On The Train (2021)......2/10

This is an Indian Hindi film starring Parineeti Chopra. Simply put, the main character's flashbacks were repetitive to the point of agonizing, leading me to skip to the next scene. And again, and again. Chopra's acting was as agonizing to watch as well, and her head wound looked like a slice of smoked salami. Too much else wrong with it to list.

Someone tried in vain to produce an entertaining plagiarism of the 2016 original starring Emily Blunt, which I enjoyed.

The Indian version was, of course, yet another one of a plethora of "inclusive" failures brought to me, courtesy of NETFLIX.

Boooo!

[Stirchley]

TWO LOVERS

I love this movie. So good. Loved Paltrow as a girl from the ‘burbs of NYC. So not her, but she was convincing.

[Thief]

THE SERBIAN LAWYER
(2014, Nikolic)
A film from Serbia

https://dafilms.com/media/gallery/2015/03/04/10966695_10202868378025071_429972639_n.jpg


"One truth, another truth... a third truth. Who decides which one is the real one? Is it the New York Times or the judges? Is it the factions back home?... Is it me? I don't even know what the truth is in my personal life."



The Serbian Lawyer follows Marko Sladojevic, an international attorney assigned to defend both Karadžić and Milošević. What is notable is that Sladojevic was a Serb that was against Milošević during his youth, and had to flee the country eventually. The documentary attempts to chronicle the inner struggles of the lawyer in trying to do his job while trying to balance it against his own beliefs and his personal life.

Unfortunately, the documentary is not very successful. Despite setting up some compelling drama in terms of Sladojevic's conflicts and the details of the crimes and the trial itself, director Aleksander Nikolic never really delves into anything, but rather chooses to jump from topic to topic without much cohesion. Also, most of what little analysis is done about the case, never feels properly closed or finished.

Grade: 1.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2182934#post2182934)

[Thief]

I do like the scenes where we see Leonard and Sandra together, but I agree that there are many, many more - perhaps too many - with Leonard and Michelle. It's practically 80/20. Since Leonard and is family are Jewish, I assumed that Leonard and Sandra belong to a branch of Judaism that practices arranged marriage, but maybe I just told myself that so that the implied happiness in the ending makes more sense.

Oh don't get me wrong. I generally agree and...


...my sentimental part was rooting for him to stay with Sandra. But the way it was played, I didn't feel "happy" in the end for the reasons I stated above. The way he changes course towards her felt more like a relationship that's destined to fail rather than succeeding.


Then again, perhaps I'm applying too much rationalization and common-sense to a romantic drama, but what the heck.

[Thief]

I love this movie. So good. Loved Paltrow as a girl from the ‘burbs of NYC. So not her, but she was convincing.

Yeah, Paltrow was indeed very good in it.

[Torgo]

Oh don't get me wrong. I generally agree and...


...my sentimental part was rooting for him to stay with Sandra. But the way it was played, I didn't feel "happy" in the end for the reasons I stated above. The way he changes course towards her felt more like a relationship that's destined to fail rather than succeeding.


Then again, perhaps I'm applying too much rationalization and common-sense to a romantic drama, but what the heck.Like I've always said, the heart has reasons that reason doesn't understand.

Well, Blaine Pascal said that, but I wish I came up with it.

[Gideon58]

https://i1.wp.com/www.musetv.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/USvsBH_HuluOriginals_OOH_19-6x48_C873.jpg?resize=780%2C470&ssl=1


3.5

[Thursday Next]

Artemis Fowl (2020)

A complete mess on every level. I think it's actually a moral outrage that 125 million dollars was spent on this.

1.5

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://i1.wp.com/www.musetv.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/USvsBH_HuluOriginals_OOH_19-6x48_C873.jpg?resize=780%2C470&ssl=1


3.5

i hope respect aretha franklin biopic movie will be good . im excited to see it when it released

[Tugg]

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) 3
https://images.hive.blog/p/2YRZBi4FZVHeQQfitmdxPPgLtSu1HuSyXtTCpRF9N1ZcMUXDB7ptaErLQXduu6DGXwpR68cKykWLuXy9Lc7MQAuNcn8uJWbXuki? format=match&mode=fit&width=768
The Vast of Night (2019-2020) 2.5
https://www.amfm-magazine.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MV5BMmY2M2Y5YjQtNmExMy00ODQ3LTg1ZjYtZTFjOTU2MjdmNjVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzI3MjYwMTc@._V1_-1078x516.jpg
The Gentlemen (2019-2020) 3.5
https://www.reviewsphere.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-Gentlemen-2019.jpg
The Assistant (2019-2020) 3
https://ohthatfilmblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/1yl4p1vqg9surpuzm4k-zgq-2.jpeg?w=700
Alone (2020) 3.5
https://dvdcover.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-08-21_5f3fb4570f7da_Alone2020R2CustomDVDLabel-950x950.jpg

[Stirchley]

I am going to watch Never Rarely tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

I LOVE The Assistant. Huge fan of Julia & I’ve seen it twice so far.

[GulfportDoc]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpa1.narvii.com%2F6571%2Fc92d4fe16807ee32bc21167bb1313b90d3b47141_hq.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Wasn't bad. Have to admit, I prefer the 1988 remake as it has a little more oomph to it but it was neat to see where it all started. Can't wait for the sequel. rating_3
Thumbs way up for this one. It made a big impression when it was released in 1958. AND it put Steve McQueen on the map.

I remember when seeing it that I couldn't imagine how that thing could ever be killed...:)

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moviesz.video%2Fuploads%2Fthumbs%2F148338cd5-1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Pretty good caper. James Caan is a Thief hired to do a job but gets stiffed after the job is completed. So, he needs to be made whole, right?Always like heist movies that show break-ins being a little more complicated than using a set of bolt cutters or stethoscope and Thief has a couple nice break ins. You can see the groundwork for Heat being laid down, which is a better movie imo, but this is good. 3.5

Thumbs way up for this one. It made a big impression when it was released in 1958. AND it put Steve McQueen on the map.

I remember when seeing it that I couldn't imagine how that thing could ever be killed...:)

Seeing what they eventually did to rid themselves of the Blob I can't think of a better time for a sequel than now. Steve was great as Steve but he did look like he may have been held back a few grades.

[Insane]

Oba: The last samurai


8/10


It's a toho film that looks at Japan's occupation of Saipan, and the subsequent taking of that island by US forces. Oba commanded Japanese soldiers and civilians in an attempt to fight the Americans months after the Japanese had surrendered.



It's actually one of the best WW2 movies I've seen. A bit too theatrical so it's not up there with tora tora tora or a bridge too far, but for a war drama, it's superior to saving private Ryan. Some of the scenes are completely wrong, like how a general asks a captain who speaks Japanese to help him understand why the Japanese keep killing themselves, and then he starts talking about the game of Shogi. It had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with Japanese propaganda that convinced them that Americans were terrible monsters, and that suicide would be better than falling into their hands.



There are several titles for the movie, so don't be mistaken thinking that this has anything to do with that amusing atrocity that starred Tom Cruise.

[SpelingError]

The Man From Nowhere (2010) - 3.5

Overall, this is a solid action film. My opinion on it was slightly tinged by the awful dubbing in the version I watched (specifically in regards to the young girl), but fortunately, I was able to adjust to it after a while and, though I still would've preferred watching a non-dubbed version of the film, I found enough to enjoy about it.

To get it out of the way, yes, the action was definitely the main highlight for me. The various action scenes in the film were diverse and inventive enough so that the film didn't feel like it was repeating itself as it rolled along. The fight in the bathroom, the terrific window jump where the camera follows the protagonist out the window, or the final fight all had great choreography and I can see myself revisiting those scenes in the future. In fact, some moments were so jaw-dropping, I found myself rewinding the film on several different occasions to watch them again. Nowadays, it's rare for action scenes to impress me since I've seen so many of them, but this film was an exception to that.

As for the story, it's fine, I suppose, but I definitely think this is a case of action over story. A number of plot elements (mysterious loner with a criminal past, kidnapped young girl, tragic backstory, villainous side kick who's more skilled than the main villain) are clichés which I've seen in other action films. For the most part, I didn't feel like the film was able to find a unique voice in tackling these plot elements for it to avoid these pitfalls. Of course, this isn't to say I disliked the story by any means. Again, I think it was fine. It just wasn't anything spectacular, in my opinion. If I rewatch the film, I'll likely skip to the second half where most of the action occurs.

Overall, in spite of my reservations towards the story, I did like this film quite a bit as I felt the action was strong enough to make up for the missteps in the narrative. I don't know if I'll watch this film from start to finish again, but I can definitely see myself rewatching the second half in the future.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moviesz.video%2Fuploads%2Fthumbs%2F148338cd5-1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Pretty good caper. James Caan is a Thief hired to do a job but gets stiffed after the job is completed. So, he needs to be made whole, right?Always like heist movies that show break-ins being a little more complicated than using a set of bolt cutters or stethoscope and Thief has a couple nice break ins. You can see the groundwork for Heat being laid down, which is a better movie imo, but this is good. 3.5


Big fan of this one. Easily my favorite Mann film.

[Insane]

Steve was great as Steve but he did look like he may have been held back a few grades.


Mcqueen had that presence, but I never really thought much of him. He's like that guy who is in great movies, but never responsible for making the movie great.



The movie I most remember him from is The Great Escape. An all star cast, and every time he had a scene, it felt like he was just showing up, and providing nothing. He always played Steve Mcqueen, which means he's like John Wayne. Not an actor, but more like John Wayne pretending to be somebody else. We all knew he wasn't that guy, but he's John Wayne! Mcqueen tried doing the same thing, but with all the passion of an extra.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Big fan of this one. Easily my favorite Mann film.
I don't know if it's quite my favorite but seeing it dismissed as a mere precursor to Heat does bug me a bit. It's at least as good as Heat.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Mcqueen had that presence, but I never really thought much of him. He's like that guy who is in great movies, but never responsible for making the movie great.



The movie I most remember him from is The Great Escape. An all star cast, and every time he had a scene, it felt like he was just showing up, and providing nothing. He always played Steve Mcqueen, which means he's like John Wayne. Not an actor, but more like John Wayne pretending to be somebody else. We all knew he wasn't that guy, but he's John Wayne! Mcqueen tried doing the same thing, but with all the passion of an extra.
I submit Papillion as my counterpoint.

[Fabulous]

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/zf52xLEyao2xcVnpThmzW2Xl0aj.jpg

[pahaK]

The Swordsman (2020)
2.5
A typical Korean historical action movie. Good production values, pretty decent action, but very formulaic story and attempts at stirring some emotions from the viewers. The whole losing sight plot device seemed unnecessary. It doesn't feel like wasting time, but rewatch value is probably close to zero.

[Insane]

I submit Papillion as my counterpoint.


I had completely forgotten he was even in that movie, so point well made.

[Wooley]

I don't know if it's quite my favorite but seeing it dismissed as a mere precursor to Heat does bug me a bit. It's at least as good as Heat.

Well, I don't need to reiterate that Heat does very little for me but it's an easy choice between the two for me.

Yeah, after quickly reviewing his filmography I've seen a good number of his movies (but not Collateral) and Thief is the clear winner for me.

[cricket]

Le Doulos (1962)

3.5

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zGreRPcsAtg/SaeWANY0IgI/AAAAAAAAAjs/K0iDZSgGZOE/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/le-doulos4.jpg

A very good Melville crime film, and for the first 40 minutes or so I liked it more than any of his other movies. Definitely worth watching.

[xSookieStackhouse]

A Walk To Remember 10/10 rewatched my favorite early 2000s movies from my collection <3
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzU3NTYxM2MtNjViMS00YmNlLWEwM2MtYWI2MzgzNTkxODFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

[ThatDarnMKS]

Well, I don't need to reiterate that Heat does very little for me but it's an easy choice between the two for me.

Yeah, after quickly reviewing his filmography I've seen a good number of his movies (but not Collateral) and Thief is the clear winner for me.
Collateral, Insider, Heat and Thief all struggle for the top spot.

It's going to seem like an odd complaint but the only thing keeping Thief definitively out of the top spot is its lack of a car chase. Perhaps it's just that films made in a similar vein, the Driver, To Live and Die in LA and Drive, all heavily feature car chases, but the mood of Thief always gets me hankering for an out of nowhere burst of speed that never comes. Other than that, it's a close to perfect crime thriller.

[Wooley]

Collateral, Insider, Heat and Thief all struggle for the top spot.

It's going to seem like an odd complaint but the only thing keeping Thief definitively out of the top spot is its lack of a car chase. Perhaps it's just that films made in a similar vein, the Driver, To Live and Die in LA and Drive, all heavily feature car chases, but the mood of Thief always gets me hankering for an out of nowhere burst of speed that never comes. Other than that, it's a close to perfect crime thriller.

I can live with that.
I think the absent car-chase is mitigated by James Caan in the most absolutely perfect role for him probably ever.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I can live with that.
I think the absent car-chase is mitigated by James Caan in the most absolutely perfect role for him probably ever.

Indeed. His fluctuations between Melvillian silence and focus with his volatile outbursts seem tailor made to fit his strengths as a performer. It's my favorite Caan performance and that dude was Sonny Corleone.

[Gideon58]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/914JlJJ6e1L._SL1500_.jpg


1st Rewatch...the crackerjack performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck kept this film just as intriguing the second time around.


3.5

[Gideon58]

https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0883929713233_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg


3.5

[GulfportDoc]

Mcqueen had that presence, but I never really thought much of him. He's like that guy who is in great movies, but never responsible for making the movie great.

The movie I most remember him from is The Great Escape. An all star cast, and every time he had a scene, it felt like he was just showing up, and providing nothing. He always played Steve Mcqueen, which means he's like John Wayne. Not an actor, but more like John Wayne pretending to be somebody else. We all knew he wasn't that guy, but he's John Wayne! Mcqueen tried doing the same thing, but with all the passion of an extra.
Admittedly Steve McQueen did not have the widest of ranges, however he showed his flair for comedy in The Reivers, and The Thomas Crown Affair.

For my money he really made The Getaway. Can't imagine who else could have made that picture as good as it was. He even made Ali McGarlic look good...:) The '94 version with A. Baldwin was poor.

[cricket]

The Beast (1975)

2-

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/notebook/post_spotlight_images/7080/images-w690.jpg?1490017049

Had this on my watchlist for a while and finally got to it after someone here watched it recently. The horse sex in the beginning was pretty nauseating and then it was mostly a bore until the weird and absurd came. Beastality is always fun but it's better when it's less fantastical.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftorontofilmsociety.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F09%2FNow-Voyager1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Now, Voyager, 1942

Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is a miserable, neurotic woman living with her overbearing mother (Gladys Cooper) and generally mocked or ignored by the rest of the family. Dr Jaquith (Claude Rains) insists that she come to his mental health facility for her own good, and free from her oppressive home life she blossoms. Still a bit frail but much improved, she goes on a cruise where she strikes up a romance with a married man named Jerry (Paul Henreid). But when their time on the cruise ends, how will they ever be happy?

This was an interesting drama, if also one a bit constrained by some outdated social norms in terms of its characters.

The first two-thirds are solid, if a little predictable. Davis is good as both the at-her-wits-end Charlotte and her more self-assured evolution. As her mother, Cooper is both horrible and slightly sympathetic. While her methods of controlling Charlotte are demeaning and cruel, we can understand that she is afraid of being left alone and that she would rather scheme and throw insults than admit she is lonely. Henreid is a quiet, solid partner as Jerry. The film is a bit heavy-handed in justifying his adultery (basically really hammering home the fact that his wife---a person we never actually meet--is horrible), but it helps that he is shown to be a generally kind person.

But the third act of this movie is so weird, and in some ways kind of disappointing. This is sort of spoilers, I guess, but none of this is really a plot twist or anything. Basically, Charlotte finds out that Jerry's young daughter, Tina (Janis Wilson), has been sent to the same mental health facility where she recovered. She goes to the clinic and befriends Tina under the pretense that she just happens to be visiting the clinic. It's just . . . what!?!?!?!

Now, there were about 5 minutes where I was really excited about where I thought the film was going. I thought that Charlotte's return to the clinic and a little speech she gave meant that she was dedicating her life to helping other young women with similar problems and I was like Whoa! This is super progressive and cool!

NOPE.

Actually, Charlotte's idea is that she will "raise" Jerry's daughter at the clinic and it will be like they are long-distance married and raising a child together LOL WHAT? It is meant to be romantic, but I just found it kind of off-putting. This woman has spent years being repressed, and then as soon as she gets a hint of self-confidence she puts all her eggs in one basket--and that basket is married with a child. She wants to live out her life seeing the man she loves a handful of times a year, forging a relationship with a vulnerable child while hiding her real motivations from her. As the sappy string music swelled behind the last few moments of the film, I was more appalled than awed.

So kind of bonkers and dated, but the lead performance from Davis is worth checking out.

3.5

[pahaK]

La endemoniada (1975)
aka Demon Witch Child, The Possessed
2.5
A bit clumsy Spanish The Exorcist ripoff. Like many of these European copycats, it doesn't restrict itself to copying just one thing but adds witches and satanism to the mix. The writing is somewhat infantile, and the attempts to shock with foul language (which, in fact, is way timider than in The Exorcist) are almost endearing. Nothing special, but decent enough euro trash horror.

[xSookieStackhouse]

4/10 Wrong Turn (2021)
horrible movie, i prefer classic wrong turn from 2003 better
https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/wrong-turn-1500x2223.jpg

[StuSmallz]

I don't know if it's quite my favorite but seeing it dismissed as a mere precursor to Heat does bug me a bit. It's at least as good as Heat.I'd probably say Thief is my favorite Mann (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/tag/mann/reviews/) (though I do still need to watch at least Manhunter & The Insider before I've seen his most "essential" films), but I agree with you otherwise, and looking backward at his defining Crime films by decade, they really do compliment each other surprisingly well in terms of their individual scopes, forming a sort of unofficial trilogy; with Collateral, you have a relatively small-scale, single-night Thriller that's all the more tense for its compactness, while Heat falls on the opposite end of the specturm, with a near 3-hour runtime and a much more sprawling, almost epic scope (slightly too epic at times, although I already mentioned that in my review), with Thief in restrospect serving as an accidental midpoint, with a more ambitious scope than the former, but without getting as bloated as the latter got at times, which is why I feel it's the Goldilocks "just right porridge" of the Manns I've watched (although the other two are still right behind it for me anyway).

[Marco]

4/10 Wrong Turn (2021)
horrible movie, i prefer classic wrong turn from 2003 better
https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/wrong-turn-1500x2223.jpg
About the same rating as you, daft movie.

[xSookieStackhouse]

About the same rating as you, daft movie.

i agree

[Marco]

Pieces of a Woman (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1c/Pieces_of_a_Woman.jpeg/220px-Pieces_of_a_Woman.jpeg
Engrossing film about the nature of loss , Vanessa Kirby is enthralling as the grieving mother. The birth scene is somewhat traumatic but all the performances are excellent...the falling apart of the central couple is so well portrayed.

3.5

[martyrofevil]

One Piece: The Movie (Atsuji Shimizu, 2000)

Since I'm (very slowly) reading through the manga I figured I should probably watch the films as I go as well. Clocking in at about 50 minutes this definitely feels more like a TV special than a theatrical film and from what I recall it even looks cheaper than the TV series does. Still, it is a fun time (as expected) with some great visual gags and a pretty heartwarming conclusion.
rating_3

[Gideon58]

https://static.metacritic.com/images/products/movies/3/e417b8e6ed0c51fcabb7bdf6a86dd6f7.jpg



4

[Stirchley]

74101

Good movie, but somewhat over-hyped.

What was with the huge suitcase they dragged around & never even opened? Who would take such a thing to the city when they weren’t even planning to spend the night? (Ever heard of backpacks?) I suppose the suitcase was a metaphor for the unwanted troublesome child.

All the guys were portrayed as douchy, which was rather a simplification.

Did her stepfather impregnate her? Or was it her creepy boyfriend?

18 weeks is very late to have an abortion. She was lucky to find a place to do this. The financial aspect made no sense. These places want the money upfront & it runs into the hundreds.

The random guy lending them over $100 to get back to PA was ludicrous. No guy in the city would do that.

Mcqueen had that presence, but I never really thought much of him. He's like that guy who is in great movies, but never responsible for making the movie great.

We have to disagree if you don’t think Bullitt & The Thomas Crown Affair were great movies.

Admittedly Steve McQueen did not have the widest of ranges, however he showed his flair for comedy in The Reivers, and The Thomas Crown Affair.

For my money he really made The Getaway.

Never thought of Crown as comedic, but agree re The Getaway.

[Fabulous]

Death and the Maiden (1994)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/ubo5CPSKxZyCnYqD2BrGLCZOxXF.jpg

[Marco]

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Master_and_Commander-The_Far_Side_of_the_World_poster.png
Rewatch. I must say Peter Weir pulled it out here with both direction and the pacing of a really enthralling story.
4.5

[Stirchley]

⬆️ Terrific movie.

[mark f]

The Last Tree (Shola Amoo, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Cosmic Sin ( Edward Drake, 2021) 2- 5/10
Mandabi (Usman Semben, 1968) 2.5 6/10
The Whole Shootin' Match (Eagle Pennell, 1978) 3 6.5/10
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/the-whole-shootin-match-1980/EB19800409REVIEWS4090301AR.jpg
Lou Perry and Sonny Carl Davis are two losers who can't keep a job but always feel thay'll strike it rich.
RSO [Registered Sex Offender] (Bob Byington, 2008) 2.5 6/10
Broken Strings (Bernard B. Ray, 1940) 2 5/10
A Hell of a Note (Eagle Pennell, 1977) 3- 6.5/10
Wolf's Hole (Vera Chytilová, 1987) 2.5 6/10
http://www.bam.org/media/15614793/19-67807_Wolfs_Hole_640x359.jpg
An animal's head somehow holds the key to mysterious happenings out in the middle of nowhere.
Strictly Unreliable (George Marshall, 1932) 3 6.5/10
Blood of the Mummy (Christine Parker, 2019) 1.5 4/10
Hips, Hips, Hooray! (Mark Sandrich, 1934) 2.5 6/10
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (Emmett Malloy, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://www.musikexpress.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/16/12/biggie-i-got-a-story-to-tell_02-656x369.jpg
The short life of rap innovator The Notorious B.I.G. is shown through home -made videos, interviews and his music.
Smart Blonde (Frank MacDonald, 1937) 2.5 5.5/10
Delivered (Emma Tammi, 2020) 2 5/10
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (Alfred E. Green, 1937) 2.5 6/10
The Mauritanian (Kevin Macdonald, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjEzOTk2MjkxLCJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXR zLnJibC5tcy8yNTYxNjY5Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIn0.1BGlwaRCXgVXnNO0hTidy-1Ig1u1imFwYg6rJdLbAeE/img.png
Where he was held without charge for 14 years, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) is interviewed at Guantanamo Bay by his defense team (Shailene Woodley and Jodie Foster).
Son (Ivan Kavanagh, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Harmony and Me (Bob Byington, 2009) 2.5+ 6/10
The Desert Song (Robert Florey, 1943) 2.5 5.5/10
Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands AKA Dutch Wife in the Desert AKA Horror Doll (Atsushi Yamatoya, 1967) 2.5 6/10
https://the14amazons.co.uk/Images/Movies/5775_Inflatable_Sex_Doll_of_the_Wastelands_066.jpg
Surrealistic pink film cult classic follows an indescribable, explicit path.

[Tugg]

Holidate (2020) 3.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/d8c5e4fb-4b81-416f-8a4b-a48189893053/de6x8wb-40b545d5-353c-4cdc-a759-289d2cf73338.png

[DocHoliday]

74145

Memories of Murder:

Wow! Just wow! There aren't enough superlatives in the world I could use to describe this film - my only regret is that I was almost 20 years late in viewing it. I'm currently on a mission to watch all of Bong Joon-ho's films, and while I THOUGHT Parasite was his best film to date - I was wrong, this is his true masterpiece. I still have to watch "Mother," and "The Host," but Memories of Murder... was perfection.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn: - 10/10

[DocHoliday]

Well, I don't need to reiterate that Heat does very little for me but it's an easy choice between the two for me.

Yeah, after quickly reviewing his filmography I've seen a good number of his movies (but not Collateral) and Thief is the clear winner for me.

I 100% concur. I think Thief is Mann's best film, with Heat in second place.

Collateral was really good, but kind of level below those two imo.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpre-code.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2F6442ndStreet12.gif&f=1&nofb=1

42nd Street
This is a breezy little film and the last 15-20 minutes is a lot fun. Not that the first hour is a bummer or a drag, it's not, but the end is that good. That's when the singing and dancing really kicks in. It's a behind the scenes look at what it took to get a musical up and running during the depression. From casting, through rehearsals to the show. Fun little movie. 4

[Allaby]

I just finished watching the movie Moxie (2021) on Netflix. Directed by Amy Poehler, this comedy/drama stars Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Nico Hiraga, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. It's about a 16 year old girl who starts a feminist movement to call out the sexism at her school. My thoughts: I feel that Moxie has its heart in the right place and good intentions, but the end result is pretty mediocre. The lead character, Vivian, isn't interesting or compelling enough to carry the film and Hadley Robinson's performance feels flat. Principal Shelly's character was not believable and I didn't buy Marcia Gay Harden's performance. Patrick Schwarzenegger was very one note here as the stereotypical villainous high school quarter. This film and its characters could use more substance and better development. Also, for a film that is labelled as a comedy, it isn't very funny. There are some nice moments and a couple decent performances, but overall Moxie just isn't a very good film. And that's really a shame for a well intentioned film. I genuinely wish this was better. My rating is a 2.5.

[Takoma11]

74145

Memories of Murder:

Wow! Just wow! There aren't enough superlatives in the world I could use to describe this film - my only regret is that I was almost 20 years late in viewing it. I'm currently on a mission to watch all of Bong Joon-ho's films, and while I THOUGHT Parasite was his best film to date - I was wrong, this is his true masterpiece. I still have to watch "Mother," and "The Host," but Memories of Murder... was perfection.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn: - 10/10

Yeah, I saw this when it first came out. Then like 8 years later it was playing at an art theater and the tickets were pricier than I expected and when I asked why they said "Because of the director Q&A" and I was like "THE WHAT!!!!!?"

So that is the story about how I saw this film twice in the theater, and then the second time watched Bong Joon-Ho answer audience questions while my brain went Squeeeeeeeeeeee!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpre-code.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2F6442ndStreet12.gif&f=1&nofb=1

42nd Street
This is a breezy little film and the last 15-20 minutes is a lot fun. Not that the first hour is a bummer or a drag, it's not, but the end is that good. That's when the singing and dancing really kicks in. It's a behind the scenes look at what it took to get a musical up and running during the depression. From casting, through rehearsals to the show. Fun little movie. 4

Just watched this last night!

[Takoma11]

So behind on write-ups!!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjrarcieri.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F02%2Flady-eve.jpg%3Fw%3D840&f=1&nofb=1

The Lady Eve, 1941

Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) is part of a trio of con artists/card sharks who mostly operate on a cruise ship. When hapless (but very rich!) Charles (Henry Fonda) crosses her path, Jean automatically sets out to seduce him. But soon the game turns into real love. Can their relationship survive Jean's deception?

I quite enjoyed this film, and especially the first half, though I felt it lost steam and focus in the final third. Undoubtedly my favorite sequences were those in which Jean and her main con partner, the Colonel (Charles Coburn) bantered and, at times, sabotaged each others' intentions. There is a standout sequence in which Jean, Charles, and the Colonel are playing a game of cards--the Colonel is using every slight-of-hand trick he knows to beat Charles, while Jean capably goes head-to-head with slight-of-hand of her own to ensure that Charles does not lose. It is a funny but tense sequence, and it is wonderfully shot with the main action consisting of knowing glances and seemingly trivial movements.

Really, the movie shines brightest when it is letting Stanwyck do her thing as Jean, whether that's brilliantly manipulating Charles into ogling her, or defending him against being scammed by her partners. It is in her role as a conwoman that Jean comes across as strong, smart, and interesting.

Unfortunately, the character of Charles is a bit of a drip. Fonda does a good job of making the character mostly lovable and dopey. But in certain parts later in the film he crosses a line between dopey and dumb. Jean is such a strong, sparkling character, and it feels somehow wrong that THIS is the guy who makes her want to give it all up.

And what's worse is that by the end of the film, I didn't really care for their romance at all. There's a scene late in the film where Jean admits to having had sex when she was 16, and Charles FLIPS OUT and basically has a mild breakdown as he processes the fact that this person he loves *shocked face* has had sex before. I know that it's "of the time" or whatever, but it kind of soured me on the character. This scene is saved by what happens next, which is an increasingly elaborate confession from Jean that makes it sound as if she has slept with half of the US population. Stanwyck really sells the humor, and it ends up being mostly funny.

What you really feel in the second half of the film is the lack of spark from the scenes between Jean and her fellow con artists. Charles is a wet blanket, and his character is fun when he is the unknowing dupe in the middle of two con artists each pushing their own desire. But when he is asked to stand on his own as a purely comedic/romantic lead, there just isn't enough there.

3.5

[Wooley]

So behind on write-ups!!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjrarcieri.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F02%2Flady-eve.jpg%3Fw%3D840&f=1&nofb=1

The Lady Eve, 1941

Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) is part of a trio of con artists/card sharks who mostly operate on a cruise ship. When hapless (but very rich!) Charles (Henry Fonda) crosses her path, Jean automatically sets out to seduce him. But soon the game turns into real love. Can their relationship survive Jean's deception?

I quite enjoyed this film, and especially the first half, though I felt it lost steam and focus in the final third. Undoubtedly my favorite sequences were those in which Jean and her main con partner, the Colonel (Charles Coburn) bantered and, at times, sabotaged each others' intentions. There is a standout sequence in which Jean, Charles, and the Colonel are playing a game of cards--the Colonel is using every slight-of-hand trick he knows to beat Charles, while Jean capably goes head-to-head with slight-of-hand of her own to ensure that Charles does not lose. It is a funny but tense sequence, and it is wonderfully shot with the main action consisting of knowing glances and seemingly trivial movements.

Really, the movie shines brightest when it is letting Stanwyck do her thing as Jean, whether that's brilliantly manipulating Charles into ogling her, or defending him against being scammed by her partners. It is in her role as a conwoman that Jean comes across as strong, smart, and interesting.

Unfortunately, the character of Charles is a bit of a drip. Fonda does a good job of making the character mostly lovable and dopey. But in certain parts later in the film he crosses a line between dopey and dumb. Jean is such a strong, sparkling character, and it feels somehow wrong that THIS is the guy who makes her want to give it all up.

And what's worse is that by the end of the film, I didn't really care for their romance at all. There's a scene late in the film where Jean admits to having had sex when she was 16, and Charles FLIPS OUT and basically has a mild breakdown as he processes the fact that this person he loves *shocked face* has had sex before. I know that it's "of the time" or whatever, but it kind of soured me on the character. This scene is saved by what happens next, which is an increasingly elaborate confession from Jean that makes it sound as if she has slept with half of the US population. Stanwyck really sells the humor, and it ends up being mostly funny.

What you really feel in the second half of the film is the lack of spark from the scenes between Jean and her fellow con artists. Charles is a wet blanket, and his character is fun when he is the unknowing dupe in the middle of two con artists each pushing their own desire. But when he is asked to stand on his own as a purely comedic/romantic lead, there just isn't enough there.

3.5

So, I wrote my final paper for The History Of American Film (1925-1950) at USC on what I called "The Death Of Screwball" because of this film.
Ultimately, there are better Screwball comedies. But this is the movie that inspired me to choose this genre to write about (others wrote about Westerns or Musicals or even the end of the of the Silent Era, I chose Screwball).
I think you have the movie well in hand. Fonda and his character are nothing more than the foil for Stanwyck (and not a particularly good one). The third act is just an excuse to allow Stanwyck to demonstrate her talent for slapstick to the audience and let them go away feeling good, and you're damn right, that card-game scene is absolutely brilliant (and has stuck with me for a full 30 years now).
It's not a great film but it's a pleasant enough diversion, distracted a bit by the weaknesses above, but really all you need in this one is the great Barbara Stanwyck unleashed. And she is.

[StuSmallz]

So, I wrote my final paper for The History Of American Film (1925-1950) at USC on what I called "The Death Of Screwball" because of this film.
Ultimately, there are better Screwball comedies. But this is the movie that inspired me to choose this genre to write about (others wrote about Westerns or Musicals or even the end of the of the Silent Era, I chose Screwball).That sounds cool; can you share that paper with us here somehow?

[Mr Minio]

Beastality is always fun but it's better when it's less fantastical. I'm beginning to wonder about your username now!

[Fabulous]

The Selfish Giant (2013)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/tof7fknQJw8QRmx16Ghv90iLC1H.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Tom And Jerry The Movie (2021) 6/10 it was okay and the music was good and loved classic tom and jerry cartoons back in the day but this one was okay.
https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TOm-Jerry-poster-2-600x889.jpg

[Chypmunk]

I'm beginning to wonder about your username now!
Why? He's always been a chirpy f*cker.

[Captain Terror]

https://www.joblo.com/assets/images/joblo/news/2020/04/clobberin_time.jpgRobot Jox

This one has proven to be tough to find, so a big thank you to Torgo for the heads-up that it's now on Prime (and Tubi).

It's pretty clear that approximately 85% of the budget was used for the robot scenes. (I'm aware that this is technically "mecha" but in this movie they're called robots.) I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the robot designs and animation. The jerky nature of stop-motion animation lends itself to giant mechanical objects (see: Talos, AT-ATs), so this doesn't seem as dated as it might have. (Although the blue-screen effects are pretty lame.) There's really only two robot fights, one at the beginning and one at the end but if that's what you're here for (duh) you should be satisfied.

What happens between those fights is another matter. When you're spending most of your budget on SFX, there's not a lot left over for A-list or even B-list actors. So the cast is littered with lots of "do I know him?" faces. Performances range from serviceable to embarrassing. The story isn't exactly riveting, something about spies, but the whole thing feels like it was aimed squarely at tweens so it kind of gets away with its goofy charm. I felt like I was slumming the entire time, but I was never not entertained. I'd say it was just as good/bad as I was expecting.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/GleefulPoliticalAsianporcupine-size_restricted.gif
3.5

[Marco]

Calm with Horses (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Calm_with_Horses_poster.jpg/220px-Calm_with_Horses_poster.jpg
Quite a calm and considered film on the life of a bruiser working for a family of Irish drug dealers. A fairly predictable story but it had nice touches.
2.5

[DocHoliday]

74163

The Host

Excellent film. As all Joon-ho's films, it perfectly blends witty comedy, nail-biting thrills, and poignant messaging into one masterful assemblage.

Compared to his other films, I didn't find it QUITE as good as Parasite and Memories of Murder - but those are very high bars. It was a lot better than Okja, however.

4

[martyrofevil]

One Piece: Clockwork Island Adventure (Atsuji Shimizu, 2001)

Another sub-1-hour film but there's a lot more money behind it this time and it pretty much nails everything that makes the series great. Our main cast are as lovable as always (though Nami being relegated to damsel in distress is a bit unfortunate) and the side characters and villains-of-the-week are pretty great too. The pacing here is impeccable as well. It does everything it needs to in that short stretch of time without ever feeling rushed or scant on content. What really makes it shine is just how well it captures the One Piece feel, especially in the world/character design and the imaginative fight sequences. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
rating_4

[Thief]

FRUITVALE STATION
(2013, Coogler)
A film with a title that starts with E or F

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/GenericImages/2013/07/11/1373571380000-FRUITVALE-STATION-MOV-JY-0508-56840649-1307111537_16_9.JPG?width=660&height=374&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

"I'm tired. Thought I could start over fresh, but... s**t ain't workin' out."


Based in real life events, Fruitvale Station follows the events surrounding Grant's death at the hands of two police officers at the titular train station. Grant (Michael B. Jordan), who was coming from celebrating New Year's Eve with his girlfriend and friends was either involved or in the vicinity of a fight on the train, which resulted in the police detaining him along with others, when one of them shot him in the back as he was lying down.

Even though the film veers close to melodrama at some points, it never tips over. It also feels a bit overlong, but Coogler manages to keep it together for the most part. But if there's anything deserving of praise here, it's Jordan's performance. He is so effortlessly good in the role, without overselling the part. Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz are also pretty good as Grant's mother and girlfriend, respectively.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2183918#post2183918)

[cricket]

H-8... (1958)

4+

https://static.lupiga.com/repository/article/horizontal_pic/10540/slider_h-8_film.jpg

Many call this the best Croatian movie ever made. It's based on the true story of a terrible crash with a bus and a truck that occurred a year earlier. They show how the crash happens at the beginning of the film and we learn the results, including where some of the victims were sitting. Then we go back to watch the people's journey, get to know them, and wonder who will be sitting in those seats. On YouTube with subtitles and recommended.

[Wooley]

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (Emmett Malloy, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://www.musikexpress.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/16/12/biggie-i-got-a-story-to-tell_02-656x369.jpg
The short life of rap innovator The Notorious B.I.G. is shown through home -made videos, interviews and his music.



I am very intrigued by this.

[Wooley]

That sounds cool; can you share that paper with us here somehow?

Thanks. Jesus, I wish I could. That was 30 years ago this May. It was on actual paper. Backed up on a floppy-disc.

[mark f]

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (Emmett Malloy, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://www.musikexpress.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/16/12/biggie-i-got-a-story-to-tell_02-656x369.jpg
The short life of rap innovator The Notorious B.I.G. is shown through home-made videos, interviews and his music.
I am very intrigued by this.

It's a pretty easy watch, mostly a tribute. His mom can be funny sometimes. I was a little disappointed the stuff with Tupac wasn't clarified any better than it was 20 years ago, but it's apparently still unknowable.

[Takoma11]

It's not a great film but it's a pleasant enough diversion, distracted a bit by the weaknesses above, but really all you need in this one is the great Barbara Stanwyck unleashed. And she is.

Agreed. But what mostly hurts it, for me, is that the disparity between her character and his is just a bit too much. It goes back to that problem of not really believing that a character would fall for another character.

I liked it, but it was a full step down from what I had hoped it would be.

[Marco]

Battle of the Sexes (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Battle_of_the_Sexes_%28film%29.png
A really boring account of a media "sensational" affair.
Grim.
1.5

[StuSmallz]

Hey Takoma11, did you see this article about Kirikou And The Sorceress?: https://film.avclub.com/this-gorgeous-folktale-mashup-will-broaden-horizons-and-1846354308

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.simbasible.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F05%2FThe-incredible-shrinking-man-1957-Louise-Scott.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Incredible Shrinking Man, 1957

Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is out on a boating trip with his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart), when a strange, sparkling cloud passes over him. Months later, Scott notices that his clothing seems a little loose. What at first seems impossible is eventually confirmed by his doctor--Scott is shrinking.

Where in the world did a movie called The Incredible Shrinking Man get THE NERVE to be genuinely dramatic, thrilling, and emotionally moving?!

For years I have imagined that this movie would sort of fall into that kind of 50s sci-fi/horror subgenre of a cool poster, effects that are fun but don't quite live up to the poster, and lots of scenes with pseudo-scientific talk by men standing around indeterminate bubbling beakers.

But instead the film is a shockingly good mix of effects set-pieces (Scott holding a phone as big as he is; being chased by the housecat; fending off a spider with a nail) and observation about how Scott's condition impacts him and his relationship with Louise.

It is interesting that the film explains Scott's condition as "anti-cancer". Much of what he goes through has parallels with someone suffering from a chronic illness. Even as Scott shrinks, his condition impacts Louise and their relationship. In one moment he even explicitly says, "Every day I became more domineering." It seems like dark humor, as at this point he is literally living in a dollhouse, but it shows a degree of empathy for the way that a chronic condition can impact not only the person with the condition but also their loved ones. The film does a great job of showing us the loving, deep relationship between Louise and Scott (and the actors have really solid chemistry in their banter). Louise is unfailingly supportive of Scott, but both of them are under incredible strain. By establishing their relationship so well, it becomes all the more painful as it starts to fall apart.

Still, though, this is Scott's story. Around the middle of the film, a series of events leads to the focus of the film being almost entirely on Scott. And at this point, it almost begins to delve into an existential exploration. Having given up on a cure, Scott is forced to reckon with what his life even means at this point. There is a moving sequence in which Scott sits with a woman who is part of a circus act and is also "miniature" (I put this in quotes because I am not sure what condition she is meant to have).

And the ending! Oof! I won't say anything specific, but it really landed in a beautiful place. So far from the cheesy 50s sci-fi stereotypes.

4.5

[Takoma11]

Hey Takoma11, did you see this article about Kirikou And The Sorceress?: https://film.avclub.com/this-gorgeous-folktale-mashup-will-broaden-horizons-and-1846354308

I hadn't!!

Thanks!

[Citizen Rules]

Takoma11 Nicely written expose of The Incredibly Shrinking Man. You really delved into the deeper meaning of the film. I looked up the scriptwriter, Richard Matheson (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0558577/?ref_=tt_ov_wr) and he has an impressive body of work including writing a number of screenplays for the original Twilight Zone TV series and the ill fated 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie...among other things.

[Takoma11]

Takoma11 Nicely written expose of The Incredibly Shrinking Man. You really delved into the deeper meaning of the film. I looked up the scriptwriter, Richard Matheson (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0558577/?ref_=tt_ov_wr) and he has an impressive body of work including writing a number of screenplays for the original Twilight Zone TV series and the ill fated 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie...among other things.

Yeah, Matheson has some really good stuff on his resume (including maybe my favorite Twilight Zone episode, the nearly wordless "The Invaders").

For me, the film was very much like The Man with the X-Ray Eyes--a movie with a pretty over-the-top title that leads you to expect something cheesy, and instead there's some really interesting character work in there.

Have you seen The Incredible Shrinking Man? The part at the end where (MAJOR SPOILERS) he becomes infinitely small and thus kind of one with the universe, and ruminates on the idea that his physical self may be diminished but not his soul was pretty beautiful. Lots of credit to the actor for delivering that final monologue and that final line, "To God there are no zeroes" that could easily have come off as goofy.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah, Matheson has some really good stuff on his resume (including maybe my favorite Twilight Zone episode, the nearly wordless "The Invaders").

For me, the film was very much like The Man with the X-Ray Eyes--a movie with a pretty over-the-top title that leads you to expect something cheesy, and instead there's some really interesting character work in there.

Have you seen The Incredible Shrinking Man? The part at the end where (MAJOR SPOILERS) he becomes infinitely small and thus kind of one with the universe, and ruminates on the idea that his physical self may be diminished but not his soul was pretty beautiful. Lots of credit to the actor for delivering that final monologue and that final line, "To God there are no zeroes" that could easily have come off as goofy.I had to look up Twilight Zone The Invaders, but hell yes! Even as a kid I knew that was one powerful episode, thanks in large part to one of Orson Welles' favorite Mercury Players Agnes Moorehead...of course she rocked her roll as Endora in TV's Bewitched too.

Yes I've seen The Incredible Shrinking Man a couple times and like you said it's way above the typical atomic monster 50s sci fi B flick. And it is thought provoking, especially as he ponders his new existence in a strange new world.

The Man with the X-Ray Eyes...I love that film too!

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-uuI6p3TqqLo%2FT2Um07_sLiI%2FAAAAAAAAA2Q%2FLJbhi3lWsTc%2Fs1600%2Fladykillers2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Ladykillers, 1955

A group of criminals, led by "Professor Marcus" (Alec Guiness) and including strong-man One-Round (Danny Green), Harry (Peter Sellers), Louis (Herbert Lom), and Claude (Cecil Parker), rent a room from an elderly woman named Mrs Wilberforce (Katie Johnson). Pretending to be a band of musicians, the men plot to pull off a heist, using the unsuspecting Mrs. Wilberforce as an accomplice. Unfortunately, the men are not prepared for the quirky nature of their landlady.

This, to me, is an example of a comedy that just misses the mark. While I would say that I enjoyed it quite a bit, there was something missing that kept me from fully grasping hold of the narrative. Frustratingly, I feel like I mostly have nice things to say about it, and it's hard to say why it didn't really click with me.

Johnson is a delight as the opinionated, brusque Mrs. Wilberforce. In one sequence, the men have tricked her into transporting a trunk full of loot back to her home. But the men can only stare (and sweat!) as she stops the car to get out to berate a man who is being unkind to a horse. It's a great portrayal of a woman whose flighty nature would seem to make her vulnerable, but also makes her wonderfully unpredictable.

The actors playing the criminals are all fine. Guiness wears a ridiculous set of false teeth that easily make up about 45% of his character's personality. As things get tough and the men begin to squabble among themselves, their individual characters begin to emerge more strongly.

I would say that the heist sequence in the first half was my favorite set-piece. Perhaps part of my disappointment is that none of what came after quite managed to match the giddy high point of that part. Much like how I felt about The Lady Eve, I just expected something that would give me a bit more spark. I am more than happy to hear from others who love it. Again--it isn't so much that I disliked parts of it as the fact that it just didn't grip me.

3.5

[Captain Terror]

Yeah, Matheson has some really good stuff on his resume (including maybe my favorite Twilight Zone episode, the nearly wordless "The Invaders").

For me, the film was very much like The Man with the X-Ray Eyes--a movie with a pretty over-the-top title that leads you to expect something cheesy, and instead there's some really interesting character work in there.

Have you seen The Incredible Shrinking Man? The part at the end where (MAJOR SPOILERS) he becomes infinitely small and thus kind of one with the universe, and ruminates on the idea that his physical self may be diminished but not his soul was pretty beautiful. Lots of credit to the actor for delivering that final monologue and that final line, "To God there are no zeroes" that could easily have come off as goofy.

It's a miracle that ending was allowed to stay as is, and not replaced with something more cliched. Especially so considering this was Matheson's first feature credit (I think).

[Wooley]

Agreed. But what mostly hurts it, for me, is that the disparity between her character and his is just a bit too much. It goes back to that problem of not really believing that a character would fall for another character.

I liked it, but it was a full step down from what I had hoped it would be.

I don't disagree with you. I've never really been a Henry Fonda fan and this movie is one of the big reasons. I think virtually any other star of the time would have been better and made the movie better. But she's fantastic.

[Wooley]

...The Man with the X-Ray Eyes--a movie with a pretty over-the-top title that leads you to expect something cheesy, and instead there's some really interesting character work in there.


That's a good little movie, there.

[ThatDarnMKS]

COMING 2 AMERICA

4

I couldn’t help but think of Bill & Ted Face the Music while watching this one. Both are imperfect but so many of the people return with their hearts in the right place and their dedication to make a decades-late sequel that is far better than it has any right to be.*

Both successfully hit the right amount of nostalgia, avoided cheap repetition and brought the laughs.*

It’s simply a heartfelt and fun movie that left me smiling. Sometimes that’s all a movie needs to be.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I don't disagree with you. I've never really been a Henry Fonda fan and this movie is one of the big reasons. I think virtually any other star of the time would have been better and made the movie better. But she's fantastic.
Conversely, I love Fonda and had no problem believing in their romance.

Sullivan’s Travels is better though.

[skizzerflake]

Looking for junky escape and what could be better than Tremors? It spawned 5 sequels and a TV show, but tonight is the first episode. Giant, carnivorous, man-eating, fast worms duke it out with a motley crew of rural towners in the western desert.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

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

[gbgoodies]

Looking for junky escape and what could be better than Tremors? It spawned 5 sequels and a TV show, but tonight is the first episode. Giant, carnivorous, man-eating, fast worms duke it out with a motley crew of rural towners in the western desert.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

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


Tremors is one of the few horror movies that I like. It has an old classic sci-fi feel to it.

[Fabulous]

To End All Wars (2001)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1S6SmWBZeqgko8XCSYS8qLwixpk.jpg

[pahaK]

The Pit (1981)
2.5
A somewhat campy film of a disturbed kid (or kids, even, as he's clearly not the only one with some clear issues) feeding some troglodytes and conversing with his teddybear (and stalking women). I actually like the story, but the writing is far from proficient and the same goes for acting. This is a film that would deserve a remake.

--
Don't Go in the House (1979)
2.5
I watched this a while ago but forgot to write to this thread. Like an inferior version of Maniac. Unfortunately, I saw a cut version and didn't realize it until afterward. Maybe the extra nastiness will help it but, on the other hand, I'm already a little lenient with my rating here.

--
Shookum Hills (2021)
aka The Devil Below
3
Above-average modern B-horror. It's a pretty traditional monster feature in the vein of The Descent (actually both the film and the book with the same name). Again, I'm maybe a little generous here but it's more entertaining than most of the films I've seen lately so why not.

[Stirchley]

74245

I have no idea how many times I’ve seen this movie. Was amazed to see its twitter thread yesterday. I couldn’t even read all the tweets. Not bad for a 54 year old movie.

74246

Re-watch. Endearing, touching.

[DocHoliday]

74229


Mother

Another gem from Joon-ho. Can't say enough good things about it. What a movie. What a filmmaker. 9.5/10

I would have to rank his 5 best films as follows:

1. Memories of Murder
2. Parasite
3. Mother
4. Snowpiercer
5. The Host

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.collider.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F12%2Fspies-in-disguise-02-scaled.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Spies in Disguise, 2019

Slick government agent Lance (Will Smith) is seemingly perfect . . . until he is framed by a mysterious villain for the theft of secret technology. Seeking help from eccentric inventor Walter (Tom Holland), Lance accidentally ingests a potion that transforms him into a pigeon. With Walter's help--and adapting to his new form--Lance must clear his name.

This was . . . fine. Very much the sort of pleasant-but-forgettable animation that I associate with a lot of stuff these days.

The highlight of the film is easily the voice acting from Smith and Holland, who do a nice job with their line readings and manage some easy chemistry. The animation of the characters is enjoyable. Probably my favorite aspect of the film---and I feel like a focus group was created to fine-tune this element--was the animation of the other pigeons in the film. Walter has a bird called Lovey, and a few others join them along the way. What can I say? The pigeon with the lollipop perpetually stuck to its head made me laugh. May I ever be so basic.

On the negative side, the film's themes are pretty muddled. There's something to the idea that Walter wants to create inventions that are non-lethal, and advocates giving people a second chance. But it all gets a bit lost because the villain is poorly defined. There is a lot of repetitive humor, especially when it comes to body jokes. Hey, that character has a big butt!! is maybe a funny joke once. But not the fourth time they trot it out (the joke and the butt). There is a fair amount of meta comedy--"Well this is awkward!"--that comes off pretty tepid.

Not a bad way to spend 90 or so minutes. But I probably won't remember it in a week or two.

3

[edarsenal]

https://www.cinematheque.fr/cache/media/programmation/films/maigret-tend-un-piege-delannoy/s,725-ea4f0e.jpg

Inspector Maigret aka Maigret tend un piège (1958)3.5++ With the similar style of a television program, my man Jean Gabin plays Inspector Maigret with his usual gruff charm to search out a serial killer.

Very well paced; the investigation, as well as the final narrowing in on the killer was very well written with a bemused style of cat and mouse that made for an enjoyable viewing.
Not exceptional or captivating, it still remained a very enjoyable crime drama all the same that was a credit to its genre.

[Thief]

74229


Mother

Another gem from Joon-ho. Can't say enough good things about it. What a movie. What a filmmaker. 9.5/10

I would have to rank his 5 best films as follows:

1. Memories of Murder
2. Parasite
3. Mother
4. Snowpiercer
5. The Host

Guy can't miss. Mother is probably my favorite, probably tied with Parasite. I still need to see Okja, though.

[mark f]

Sophie Jones (Jessie Barr, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Petey Wheatstraw, the Devil's Son-In-Law (Cliff Roquemore, 1977) 2 5/10 Camp Rating 8/10
Safer at Home (Will Wernick 2021) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Moxie (Amy Poehler, 2021) 2.5+ 6/10
https://www.zancada.com/wp-content/imagenes/2021/01/Netflix-2020-Moxie-1-550x271.jpg
Inspired by her one-time rebellious mom (Amy Poehler), highschooler Hadley Robinson anonymously publishes a guide for the students who are anti-sexist and pro-female empowerment.
Pretty Baby (Bretaigne Windust, 1950) 2.5 6/10
Crazy Samurai Musashi (Yûji Shimomura, 2020) 2+ 5/10
A Violent Life (Thierry de Peretti, 2017) 2.5 6/10
Windup (Yibing Jiang, 2020) 3 6.5/10
https://asli68.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/windup-unity-demo-hospital.jpg?w=640
A father tries to communicate with his comatose daughter through a music box.
A Child Is Born (Lloyd Bacon, 1939) 2.5 6/10
Hollow Image (Marvin J. Chomsky 1979) 3- 6.5/10
Joy in the Morning (Alex Segal, 1965) 2.5 6/10
The Dead of Night (Robert Dean, 2021) 2 5/10
https://www.dailymotion.com/thumbnail/video/x7z83r0
Some weird serial killings sre terrorizing an area near a remote ranch.
Hyde (Dallas Burgess, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Numbered Men (Mervyn LeRoy, 1930) 2+ 5/10
Revolt in the Big House (R.G. Springsteen, 1958) 2.5 6/10
Epicentro (Hubert Sauper, 2020) 3- 6.5/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71bkEsUrpxL._AC_SX522_.jpg
Cuba is still reeling from the arrack on the U.S.S. Maine, the Cuban Revolurion, the death of Castro and the capitalism/communism found in movies.
Ladies They Talk About (William Keighley & Howard Bretherton, 1933) 2.5 5.5/10
Going Steady (Fred F. Sears, 1958) 2 5/10
Undertow (Miranda Nation, 2018) 2.5 5.5/10
Boss Level (Joe Carnahan, 2020) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/16ddebd294828cd71207a2879e699674/eec4f68986246671-52/s500x750/11e507d791577dc4afd48324ebb82dc7992e7b95.gifv
More-interesting-than-normal rime loop action movie with Frank Grillo as the "hero."

[Fabulous]

Joy Ride (2001)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/5uiaW1yJPhGPdCXqGIkC5zeRfDg.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

10/10 at the ending itr made me teary but an amazing disney movie <3
https://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/raya-and-the-last-dragon-1.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Yeah the old Wrong turn movie series used to be awesome.

i agree also they should leave the first one alone cause it had good storyline

[mojofilter]

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/coming2america-teaserposter-full-700x1037.jpg
COMING 2 AMERICA
(2021)

First viewing. I really wanted this long-awaited sequel to be good, but...why, Eddie??? This was a waste of time. The jokes were stale. The cameos were lame and unexciting. I was not invested in any of the characters onscreen. The movie played out like a bad TV reunion show. In this day and age of "the cancel culture", I'd like to cancel this sequel and pretend like it never happened.

1.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.timeout.com%2Fimages%2F103206673%2Fimage.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

42nd Street, 1933

A Broadway director named Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) is putting on a musical called Pretty Lady. Lots of hijinks ensue as lead actress Dorothy (Bebe Daniels) juggles trying to romance a wealthy financier while rekindling a relationship with a former dance partner, Pat (George Brent). Fresh-faced novice Peggy (Ruby Keeler) is mentored by two other dancers, including a giddily-promiscuous dancer nicknamed "Anytime Annie" (Ginger Rogers).

This is an enjoyable romp. It is pre-code, and so you get that little jolt of off-color jokes, such as a pretty forward explanation about how Annie got her nickname. The dance numbers, especially the final 20 minutes (which are almost entirely just the production of the musical). There is a lot of fun camerawork, bold sets, and solid choreography.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kozaksclassiccinema.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2F42ndStreet2_010Pyxurz.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Aside from the production numbers, the film really sparkles with the performances and the characters. Rogers, in particular, is hilarious as Annie. She is such an assured character, and it is so fun to see a "slutty" character also be someone with a level head and a lot of heart. Daniels and Brent have great chemistry as Dorothy and Pat, and it is easy to root for them as a couple.

The only downside for me was the humor that lands on the unfortunate side of being dated. Does anyone still think it's funny to think about men in power getting young girls on the "casting couch"? And in probably the worst scene, a man grabs a woman and kisses her. She pushes him away. He tells her not to play around. She looks him right in the face and says she isn't kidding. He grabs her again. She pushes away and runs out of the room. He chases her while the other people at the party laugh and one man yells "Go get her!". Just, yuck.

Overall this was a fun flick that really sings in its performances.

4

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcriterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcarousel-files%2Ff148d2bcfc34a770175a884c5217453e.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1

Fires on the Plain, 1959

In the final days of WW2, a Japanese soldier named Tamura (Eiji Funajoshi) returns to his unit after a stay in the hospital for a case of TB. Being told that he is too sick to be useful, his squad sends him back to the hospital. But after several attacks from allied forces, Tamura ends up wandering the countryside, encountering predators and strange personalities of all kinds. All the while, Tamura takes note of strange fires that burn in the distance.

This is the kind of movie with a sense of humor so dark that it becomes not funny and then circles around again to the point where you can't do anything except laugh and be horrified all at once.

Shot in stark black and white, the Philippine landscape becomes an almost otherworldly place. The mysterious fires that burn in the distance, and the eclectic, almost ephemeral character Tamura encounters only add to the sense that Tamura is trapped in some sort of purgatory. It is the kind of film in which there are no good choices. Whether he opts to fight or to surrender, it always seems to go wrong. Tamura exists in a perpetual state of fear and shame, all while trying to survive.

The film makes most of its impact through the cold, distanced observation of what it means to be in war. Dead bodies litter the landscape. One one scene, a squad lays flat on the ground as a plane flies overhead. The plane fires, and we see some of the bodies on the ground jerk and twitch. When the squad gets back to their feet, some of the soldiers simply do not get up, and their weary companions shuffle off without them.

Tamura is a fascinating character. He has selfish, even cruel moments--such as how he deals with a village woman who will not stop screaming at the sight of him--and yet you understand his choices. Every moment seems to be a test of his character, and watching where he will or will not draw the line is fascinating. Walking past a dead soldier, can he be blamed for taking the man's shoes? But what about hurting another person? Killing? The war is numbing and dehumanizing, and the longer Tamura trudges along, the less he seems to be a real person.

I had not heard of this film before, but I would give it a very high recommendation. I'm sure some of you have seen it before. Really excellent film with stunning visuals.

4.5

[pahaK]

La chiesa (1989)
aka The Church
3
The film was originally planned as an entry to the Demons franchise, and despite Soavi wanting to do a stand-alone movie, its origins are quite clearly visible. Otherwise, The Church falls somewhere between Argento's style over sense and normal story-driven film. Unfortunately, the script is rather messy. The potential was there and the result isn't too shabby, but it could have been so much better.

P.S. The Italian police has quite an impressive response time :D

[cricket]

Magical Girl (2014)

4.5-

http://static.elcorreo.com/noticias/201410/13/media/cortadas/magical-girl--575x323.jpg

Had this on my watchlist since Okay posted about it and I'm trying to feature foreign goods now. Wiki calls this a neo-noir, IMDb a drama/thriller, and I've seen it labeled a dark comedy. People have compared the style to Almodovar, Von Trier, and even Ozu. I would compare it to the guy who made The Lobsterman and Killing of a Sacred Deer. It's slow yet entertaining with great performances and it does a terrific job at keeping the viewer wondering where it's going. Unique without being silly. It's on YouTube with subtitles and I very much recommend it.

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/coming2america-teaserposter-full-700x1037.jpg
COMING 2 AMERICA
(2021)

First viewing. I really wanted this long-awaited sequel to be good, but...why, Eddie??? This was a waste of time. The jokes were stale. The cameos were lame and unexciting. I was not invested in any of the characters onscreen. The movie played out like a bad TV reunion show. In this day and age of "the cancel culture", I'd like to cancel this sequel and pretend like it never happened.

1.5

thats y the original is better. they need to leave the original alone:rolleyes:

[Insane]

Dolemite (1974)


Either :popcorn:


or :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:


It all depends on whether you're a MFin' jive ass honky, or a... umm... super badass kung fu pimp?


For the first five minutes, I was pretty confused. The acting is horrendous, the dialogue is tortured, and Dolemite looks and talks like a black Archie Bunker who would pimp out Gloria, Edith, and Edna as a favor to them.



After my initial confusion, I started to get the hang of it. The cars, the pimp clothes, the girls that look like they were scrounged up from a homeless shelter, and rising above it all is the attitude! This is not mere cinematic excellence! This is Dolemite!!!



Now all I need to do is cuss my women out 'cus they know I don't be wearin' no cotton drawers! That, and trade in my chick car for an eldorado with a hole in the muffler, and hasn't had a tune up since the 60s.

[GulfportDoc]

74309
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

A rousing swashbuckler in the mode of the ‘50s pirate movies. It’s the type of film in which Errol Flynn could have starred. Russell Crowe fits the bill and rises to the occasion as the captain of a British ship during the Napoleonic War who is tasked with hunting down and sinking a French privateer vessel which is twice as powerful as is the British ship.

There’s nothing real new here, but the modern photography along with an ace production team brings this type of story alive like never before. Reportedly two real ships were used which guarantees that the chases and battles feel real.

There is an interesting sideline where the ship’s surgeon (Paul Bettany) and the Captain are good friends, which brings up some good tension in the story when the surgeon, who is also a naturalist) wants to divert their mission in order to capture some native Pacific island fauna and flora to take home to England.

The story is fairly predictable with a few twists, but it holds one’s attention. As a PG-13 it’s nice not to have to be subjected to typical sex or contemporary bad language. In fact the dialogue and costuming seem pretty much accurate for the era.

Doc’ rating: 7/10

[cricket]

Sword of the Beast (1965)

3+

https://d3uc4wuqnt61m1.cloudfront.net/images/images/000/044/136/44136.large.jpg?1450313100

Samourai movie with 7.6 IMDb and 89% RT. It was pretty good and I have no complaints. It's only 85 minutes and is action packed. Nothing stuck out to me as special to make it any more than that.

[StuSmallz]

Dolemite (1974)


Either :popcorn:


or :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:


It all depends on whether you're a MFin' jive ass honky, or a... umm... super badass kung fu pimp?


For the first five minutes, I was pretty confused. The acting is horrendous, the dialogue is tortured, and Dolemite looks and talks like a black Archie Bunker who would pimp out Gloria, Edith, and Edna as a favor to them.



After my initial confusion, I started to get the hang of it. The cars, the pimp clothes, the girls that look like they were scrounged up from a homeless shelter, and rising above it all is the attitude! This is not mere cinematic excellence! This is Dolemite!!!



Now all I need to do is cuss my women out 'cus they know I don't be wearin' no cotton drawers! That, and trade in my chick car for an eldorado with a hole in the muffler, and hasn't had a tune up since the 60s.https://i.ibb.co/NFxPXsw/69-Vgn7-Ao-EZmk-HFOg0uy57os-U-LQ.gif (https://imgbb.com/)







Man, I've been getting a lot of use out of this GIF lately; haven't seen Dolemite yet, but you might enjoy this article about it:
https://film.avclub.com/you-don-t-need-a-budget-when-you-have-a-hero-this-damn-1798247293

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2F14%2F28%2F3k%2Fg7%2Fcaravaggio-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D61e73d7f03&f=1&nofb=1

Caravaggio, 1986

This film follows the life of artist Caravaggio (played in his youth by Dexter Fletcher, and later by Nigel Terry). The film especially focuses on his relationship with his longtime, deaf-mute companion Jerusaleme (Spencer Leigh), and troubled couple Ranuccio (Sean Bean) and Lena (Tilda Swinton). Caravaggio creates paintings with religious themes, but his use of "common" people as models stirs up some controversy.

Sometimes you know from the first breath that a film is going to resonate with you, and thus it was with Caravaggio. The movie has a robust cast (every 15 minutes or so I was going, "Whoa, is that . . . ?" and it always was!), fantastic imagery, and it is loaded with potent, allegorical imagery.

Maybe my favorite part of the film was the way that it maintained a level of intensity across several themes: violence, sexuality, and art. And often these themes would bleed into each other (pun intended, cause why not). Caravaggio often finds his models via sexual encounters or things like underground fights. The film is not just alive with sexuality, but with a queer, subversive sexuality that stands in stark contrast to the religious institutions for whom he produces much of his art. All of the characters are flawed and complex, and even as you can empathize with their passions, you can see how it is all headed for somewhere tragic.

I am moderately familiar with Caravaggio's work, and I totally loved the sequences of the film that showed how he created his artwork. The portrayal of the different pieces isn't just a wink at the audience. Many of the paintings are important to the narrative because of which models are used and in what way.

This is an artful exploration of an artistic subject, and it was an absolute joy to watch.

4.5

[Fabulous]

Captains Courageous (1937)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/2eKw8s2m2MZv0fLrmavNDZUS4BE.jpg

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Moxie_film_poster.png

3.5

Snooze factor = Z


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

[xSookieStackhouse]

Dirty Dancing (1987) 10/10 one of my favorite 80s dancing movie <3
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc3MDY3ODQ2OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTQ2NTYxMTE@._V1_UY1200_CR90,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg

[Torgo]

L.A. Confidential - 5 CONTAINS SPOILERS

L.A. Confidential is my favorite kind of favorite movie: the kind that's a little different every time you see it. With each rewatch, I notice something I hadn't before or obsess over scenes that previously left me indifferent or confused. In this rewatch, I made a point to pay more attention to Captain Dudley Smith and I'm glad I did. Even though I know his real intentions - the scene that reveals them still sends chills down my spine - Cromwell's performance is one that rewards repeat viewings. You can interpret his actions in his screen time up to the big reveal as those of a commanding officer who looks out for his subordinates or as those of a master manipulator who knows exactly which buttons to push. This realization made me notice how strong the movie's subtlety is in general (the kind I also constantly miss, in general, due to my phone addiction, I'm ashamed to admit).

Aside from Smith's duplicity, highlights include the way Spacey's Vincennes enunciates "lieutenant" while talking to Pearce’s Exley, the chief's (John Mahon) stone-cold glare towards Exley while awarding him, Exley and Smith's smug poses in the newspaper photo shoot and Vincennes' bemused expressions while the clueless Exley interrogates Johnny Stompanato. As for the uniqueness and beauty of the movie's look and feel, it still very much captivates. The movie manages to resemble one from the '50s and one from the late '90s at the same time and thus portrays its era in a way that favors accuracy over glorification, but thankfully without dulling the era's charms. The quality of the good, bad and ugly dynamic of Exley, White and Vincennes respectively also stood out this time, their acting credits since 1997 making their casting seem even more inspired. All this added appreciation also led to a stronger understanding of what this delightfully told and acted noir story is all about, which is so succinctly expressed in the Fleur di Lis slogan "whatever you desire." As Sid Hudgens puts it in the introduction, Los Angeles is sold as a place that has just that, whether it's the means to raise a family, become a superstar or indulge the basest of pleasures. Sadly, those desires have been co-opted by the likes of Mickey Cohen, Pierce Patchett and Dudley Smith while those who punish them like Exley are more likely to be shunned than praised and wave goodbye to the girl than take her home. My favorite takeaway from this rewatch, however, is simply watching a Hollywood movie with such a talented and devoted cast and crew. Not to mention, and this may be a combination of quarantine fatigue and having read too many Martin Scorsese articles doing the talking, but there's the added appeal of knowing that Hollywood took a chance on the movie for the sake of making something good first and something bankable second.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/pdvd_033.jpg

The Taking of Pelham 123 - The original from 1974. Steeped in NYC attitude with an urgency and realness that the 2009 remake could never match. Robert Shaw stars as Mr. Blue, the leader of a four man hijack team that succeeds in taking over a subway car. They demand one million dollars with a one hour deadline. Walter Matthau costars as Lt. Zachary Garber of the NYC Transit Police, who takes over communications and negotiations with the hijackers. This is a tense thriller with an underlying vein of dark gallows humor coupled with a no nonsense disposition. That and a first rate musical score from David Shire are what truly set it aside from other hijack movies and makes it a must see. Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Dick O'Neill and Kenneth McMillan round out the cast of accomplished character actors.

rating_4

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://images.wisconsinhistory.org/700099991059/9999014347-l.jpg

Murder My Sweet - This 1944 noir was one of the first of it's kind and starred Dick Powell as private investigator Phillip Marlowe. Powell was anxious to move away from his usual roles in comedies and light musicals so he negotiated with his new bosses at RKO to land this role which did indeed change his career trajectory. His take on the character was certainly original. Instead of the usual taciturn and closed off antihero his Phillip Marlowe shows uncertainty and fear as well as a playful streak. Some moviegoers and fans of the novel had a problem with this but no less an authority than author and Marlowe creator Raymond Chandler signed off on Powell's portrayal. The movie starts off with the private eye being hired by the hulking and single minded Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki). He's recently out of prison after 8 years and is anxious to track down his old girlfriend Velma. In the course of his investigation he also takes on the impromptu role of bodyguard for Lindsay Marriot (Douglas Walton), a man looking to pay off a ransom for some missing jewels. Marlowe takes his place while Marriot hides in the backseat. Once they're at the prearranged rendezvous at a secluded canyon he is knocked unconscious and wakes to find Marriot bludgeoned to death. The two cases eventually merge into one as Marlowe quickly finds himself in over his head. Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley and Otto Kruger round out the major players. This is a fine progenitor for the entire noir genre and director Edward Dmytryk would go on to helm a number of other notable features.

rating_4

[xSookieStackhouse]

L.A. Confidential - 5 CONTAINS SPOILERS

L.A. Confidential is my favorite kind of favorite movie: the kind that's a little different every time you see it. With each rewatch, I notice something I hadn't before or obsess over scenes that previously left me indifferent or confused. In this rewatch, I made a point to pay more attention to Captain Dudley Smith and I'm glad I did. Even though I know his real intentions - the scene that reveals them still sends chills down my spine - Cromwell's performance is one that rewards repeat viewings. You can interpret his actions in his screen time up to the big reveal as those of a commanding officer who looks out for his subordinates or as those of a master manipulator who knows exactly which buttons to push. This realization made me notice how strong the movie's subtlety is in general (the kind I also constantly miss, in general, due to my phone addiction, I'm ashamed to admit). Aside from Smith's duplicity, highlights include the way Spacey's Vincennes enunciates "lieutenant" while talking to Pearce’s Exley, the chief's (John Mahon) stone-cold glare towards Exley while awarding him, Exley and Smith's smug poses in the newspaper photo shoot and Vincennes' bemused expressions while the clueless Exley interrogates Johnny Stompanato. As for the uniqueness and beauty of the movie's look and feel, it still very much captivates. The movie manages to resemble one from the '50s and one from the late '90s at the same time and thus portrays its era in a way that favors accuracy over glorification, but thankfully without dulling the era's charms. The quality of the good, bad and ugly dynamic of Exley, White and Vincennes respectively also stood out this time, their acting credits since 1997 making their casting seem even more inspired. All this added appreciation also led to a stronger understanding of what this delightfully told and acted noir story is all about, which is so succinctly expressed in the Fleur di Lis slogan "whatever you desire." As Sid Hudgens puts it in the introduction, Los Angeles is sold as a place that has just that, whether it's the means to raise a family, become a superstar or indulge the basest of pleasures. Sadly, those desires have been co-opted by the likes of Mickey Cohen, Pierce Patchett and Dudley Smith while those who punish them like Exley are more likely to be shunned than praised and wave goodbye to the girl than take her home. My favorite takeaway from this rewatch, however, is simply watching a Hollywood movie with such a talented and devoted cast and crew. Not to mention, and this may be a combination of quarantine fatigue and having read too many Martin Scorsese articles doing the talking, but there's the added appeal of knowing that Hollywood took a chance on the movie for the sake of making something good first and something bankable second.

i need to rewatch this movie again.

[GulfportDoc]

Murder My Sweet - This 1944 noir was one of the first of it's kind and starred Dick Powell as private investigator Phillip Marlowe. Powell was anxious to move away from his usual roles in comedies and light musicals so he negotiated with his new bosses at RKO to land this role which did indeed change his career trajectory.

...
rating_4
I agree. Great film. Powell is my 2nd favorite Marlowe behind Bogart. This is Edward Dmytryk's first noir, and he went on to direct several great ones.

If you haven't seen the 1975 Robert Mitchum version of Farewell, My Lovely I think you'd like it. Mitchum is a great Marlowe, and the production is, well, lovely.

[GulfportDoc]

L.A. Confidential - rating_5 CONTAINS SPOILERS

L.A. Confidential is my favorite kind of favorite movie: the kind that's a little different every time you see it. With each rewatch, I notice something I hadn't before or obsess over scenes that previously left me indifferent or confused.

...
Great review, Torgo, and I enjoy all of your reviews. I do wish you'd hit the "paragraph" or "Enter" key ever so often, though...:D

[Torgo]

Great review, Torgo, and I enjoy all of your reviews. I do wish you'd hit the "paragraph" or "Enter" key ever so often, though...:DThanks! I do have trouble every day with creating paragraphs. I'm working on it.

[Fabulous]

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/3n4Bfg390okuusER56enINib0kL.jpg

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bfi.org.uk%2Fsites%2Fbfi.org.uk%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Ffull%2Fpublic%2Fimage%2Fblack mail-1929-010-frank-alice-final-walk_590.jpg%3Fitok%3DPIFv-uB1&f=1&nofb=1

Blackmail, 1929

Alice White (Anny Ondra) is dating a Scotland Yard detective named Frank (John Longden). Unbeknownst to Frank, Alice has agreed to meet up with another man, known only as The Artist (Cyril Ritchard). When the Artist tries to rape Alice in his apartment, Alice defends herself and kills him. As she reels from what has just happened, a witness to the crime decides that this could be his chance to make some money . . .

This is one of those films that ends up being kind of frustrating because it does some things surprisingly well and then later fails to live up to the high bar it has set for itself.

To my mind, the best thing about the film was easily the long and tense encounter between Alice and the Artist. The two are at his apartment, flirting. He convinces her to put on one of the costumes worn by his models. Cool, cool, cool. But then he suddenly grabs her and kisses her and she wants to leave. Only when she goes to change, he takes away her clothing and tells her she must come and get it from him. For me, the most effective moment of this whole sequence comes when she realizes he has her dress. She is obscured from his view by a partition screen, but we can see her. She knows immediately that this is a bad situation, and you can see in her face how trapped she feels. She's forced into that horrible choice: do you pretend like everything is fun and friendly in an attempt not to anger the person, or do you scream for help? By the time she does scream, the film cuts to a policeman walking by outside--and while we can hear her pleas, he remains oblivious and strolls on by.

Further, I appreciated that the film took time to show how much shock Alice is in after these events. In fact, she never really stops being in shock, and there's something really powerful about that. In many films, characters seem to mostly get over horribly traumatic events in the space of days or even hours. But even in the final frames of the film, Alice still has a horribly haunted look on her face. This is a woman for whom there is no happy ending--she has been sexually assaulted and has killed a person (we do not see the actual murder and so we do not know the degree to which she was aiming to kill or just trying to fend him off).

Something else that I liked was the way that you see how the entire film is just a series of men trying to control Alice and making key decisions about her life with little or no input from her: whether it's the Artist, her boyfriend, or the Blackmailer. There's a part where her boyfriend begins to do something and she explicitly tells him that she doesn't want to handle things that way, and he just straight up doesn't even hear her. It's interesting that, despite Alice being a character who is cheating on her boyfriend, she ends up being the moral center of the film. Her detective boyfriend's solution to the problem is to frame someone else for the murder, a thought that Alice cannot abide.

So what's not so great about this one? Well, once the whole blackmail plot actually kicks into action, the film kind of slows down. There are over-long sequences of the blackmailer and Frank negotiating with each other. While I liked the acknowledgement of the way that Alice is pushed aside, the other side of that coin is that the film would have been a lot more interesting if Alice was more of an active participant in the dealings with the blackmailer. In the final act she is largely reduced to a passive observer. And Frank just isn't an interesting enough character to carry the degree of intensity and intrigue that would have been essential to really make the final act hit home.

This film is, I gather, considered the first British "talkie", and there are some interesting uses made of sound. Probably the best is when Alice, in shock, is sitting at a table listening to a conversation about the murder. It's all very muted and indistinct, except for each time the speaker uses the word "knife".

This was better than I'd expected, but a limp third act doesn't live up to what came before.

3.5

[xSookieStackhouse]

Great review, Torgo, and I enjoy all of your reviews. I do wish you'd hit the "paragraph" or "Enter" key ever so often, though...:D

same here :)

[WHITBISSELL!]

If you haven't seen the 1975 Robert Mitchum version of Farewell, My Lovely I think you'd like it. Mitchum is a great Marlowe, and the production is, well, lovely.I remember watching it years and years ago. And you're right, I did enjoy it. :up:

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fsgp-catalog-images%2Fregion_US%2Fparamount-08093-Full-Image_GalleryBackground-en-US-1491240830348._RI_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971, John Hancock)
4
A masterpiece this film is not - in fact, many would dismiss it as a badly made piece of hippie-drenched cult nonsense, and if i were to be objective I would have to agree. But it's one of those films that, in spite of the flaws, kind of puts you under a spell and lulls you into its world. There's a dreamy, hazy, hypnotic quality to it - like an acid trip. The low-budget production feels like a choppy, disjointed affair but, on the other hand, it also lends it an eerily real, almost documentary vibe (not unlike the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only without the visceral shocking horror of the latter). Some of the cinematography is absolutely mesmerizing, with countryside scenery coming through beautifully wistful yet subtly foreboding at the same time, and the sparse score is effective in creating the atmosphere. A number of elements in the film instantly evoke parallels with other horror classics, like the opening sequence of the car with the lead characters inside winding down countryside roads and stopping at the cemetery (Night of the Living Dead), or the closing one (Friday the 13th).

Technically this may not be a very well made film but I enjoyed it very much, and I definitely understand its cult status. It has that certain low-budget charm and realness to it that I found strangely compelling.

[this_is_the_ girl]

Magical Girl (2014)

4.5-

http://static.elcorreo.com/noticias/201410/13/media/cortadas/magical-girl--575x323.jpg

Had this on my watchlist since Okay posted about it and I'm trying to feature foreign goods now. Wiki calls this a neo-noir, IMDb a drama/thriller, and I've seen it labeled a dark comedy. People have compared the style to Almodovar, Von Trier, and even Ozu. I would compare it to the guy who made The Lobsterman and Killing of a Sacred Deer. It's slow yet entertaining with great performances and it does a terrific job at keeping the viewer wondering where it's going. Unique without being silly. It's on YouTube with subtitles and I very much recommend it.

Excellent film - you rated it half a notch higher that I did but we agree, it's definitely a winner.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Sixteen Candles 9/10
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/7198oNSHIOL._SY445_.jpg

[LChimp]

https://i0.wp.com/www.iconvsicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Coming-2-America-Official-Poster.jpg?resize=800%2C1185&ssl=1

Some fun stuff, but generally speaking, it was pretty forgettable.

[GulfportDoc]

[Farewell My Lovely] I remember watching it years and years ago. And you're right, I did enjoy it. :up:
Both were wonderful. Actually I think Mike Mazurki made a better "Moose" Malloy in the Powell version than did Jack O'Halloran in the '75 version.



I always get confused between O'Halloran and Richard Kiel, even though Kiel was an actual giant.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F78.media.tumblr.com%2F8877c4aec3b388f8b2368a6aafe2b315%2Ftumblr_ox2b47HGhH1tr6ni8o5 _500.gif&f=1&nofb=1

The Wraith

Was a lot better than I expected. Kind of a carsploitation, sci-fi, paranormal, revenge, action/comedy, cult thing that feels about as 80's as any movie I can think of (white jeans and roller skates are just the beginning). Stars Tiger Blood as the new guy in town with a secret past, Randy Quaid as a Sheriff investigating strange car crash deaths, Nick Cassavetes as the gang leading, bad guy repo man, Clint Howard in a Jack Nance hairdo circa 1977 and Sherilynn Fenn as the roller skating car hop, love interest/damsel in distress. You don't watch this for the plot but it's not terrible. Nick is into racing cars in the desert and if he wins takes your cars title. Spoiler - he never loses. He's also extremely protective of his girlfriend and may do worse than repo your car if you so much as look at her and considering it's Sherilynn, looking about as good as she ever has, that can be a struggle especially if you have Tiger Blood flowing through your veins. Well, Tiger Blood shows up and the conflict is born. You watch it for the car crashes/racing and goofiness which it has plenty of. The 80's metal soundtrack isn't bad either. There are two characters of the gang, Skank and Gutterboy, a couple of dimwitted punks who are hilarious and Quaid delivers some good lines as well. It's silly and campy, never dull and I had fun watching it. 3.5

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2F85fe9905f76733aa47aa8f997431104c%2Ftumblr_mvc6fgj2tf1r52he3o1 _500.gifv&f=1&nofb=1

The Manchurian Candidate

A real solid thriller. Everyone knows the story or at least is familiar with the term Manchurian Candidate so reviewing the plot seems pointless and I'm not good at doing that anyway. Okay, a guy has been brainwashed to assassinate somebody, at some time but even he doesn't know who or when. Kind of like Reggie Jackson in the Naked Gun but a little different. There isn't really anything to knock about this, it's that good from top to bottom. Loved all the performances but Angela Lansbury was particularly good as the driving force behind a showpiece Senator. The thing it had me doing was wondering who may have been Manchurian Candidates in the past and who is one now? They're out there just like the Greys! Will be watching this again. 4.5

[cricket]

Brother (1997)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/rJOf3cR184zRagxq7d7fo9sUiIo.jpg

I knew going in that this was a popular crime film in Russia. When it first started I wondered about the state of their moviemaking business because it's pretty low budget. Soon enough I realized that the budget lends itself to the look and style. It's grimy and ugly, sort of in a Romper Stomper kind of way. The lead character is very good, young and naive in some ways but badass in others. There's a sequel and I'll be checking it out too.

[Marco]

[QUOTE=Takoma11;2184613]https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2F14%2F28%2F3k%2Fg7%2Fcaravaggio-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D61e73d7f03&f=1&nofb=1


I haven't seen this for years but remember really enjoying it, will search out again. The only Jarman I've seen other that "Sebastiane" which I also enjoyed (but was quite close to the bone).

[WHITBISSELL!]

Both were wonderful. Actually I think Mike Mazurki made a better "Moose" Malloy in the Powell version than did Jack O'Halloran in the '75 version. Oh yes. He was one of those actors I always took note of whenever I spotted him onscreen. Let's see, I remember him in Donovan's Reef and he was on an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies playing a wrestler. And I think I even saw him in a music video once. Maybe a Rod Stewart one? Great character actor.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F78.media.tumblr.com%2F8877c4aec3b388f8b2368a6aafe2b315%2Ftumblr_ox2b47HGhH1tr6ni8o5 _500.gif&f=1&nofb=1

The Wraith

Was a lot better than I expected. Kind of a carsploitation, sci-fi, paranormal, revenge, action/comedy, cult thing that feels about as 80's as any movie I can think of (white jeans and roller skates are just the beginning). Stars Tiger Blood as the new guy in town with a secret past, Randy Quaid as a Sheriff investigating strange car crash deaths, Nick Cassavetes as the gang leading, bad guy repo man, Clint Howard in a Jack Nance hairdo circa 1977 and Sherilynn Fenn as the roller skating car hop, love interest/damsel in distress. You don't watch this for the plot but it's not terrible. Nick is into racing cars in the desert and if he wins takes your cars title. Spoiler - he never loses. He's also extremely protective of his girlfriend and may do worse than repo your car if you so much as look at her and considering it's Sherilynn, looking about as good as she ever has, that can be a struggle especially if you have Tiger Blood flowing through your veins. Well, Tiger Blood shows up and the conflict is born. You watch it for the car crashes/racing and goofiness which it has plenty of. The 80's metal soundtrack isn't bad either. There are two characters of the gang, Skank and Gutterboy, a couple of dimwitted punks who are hilarious and Quaid delivers some good lines as well. It's silly and campy, never dull and I had fun watching it. rating_3_5
The Wraith is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. You know what part stuck in my head? There's a scene where Quaid is talking with Clint Howard and they're walking through the wreckage and aftermath of the Wraith's latest visitation and for some reason the director chooses to go with this shot where the camera is like half a football field away from the actors. I always wonder what went into a choice like that.

[Stirchley]

74386

The longest slowest movie ever. Ever watch a movie & you think it’s been 3 hours when it’s only 45 minutes? That’s this movie. If not for James Franco I would have bailed out. Not a bad story by any means & I did make it to the end. But excruciatingly slow.



74387

Strangely, I had never seen this very excellent movie. Lemmon & Fonda were terrific.

[Hey Fredrick]

The Wraith is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. You know what part stuck in my head? There's a scene where Quaid is talking with Clint Howard and they're walking through the wreckage and aftermath of the Wraith's latest visitation and for some reason the director chooses to go with this shot where the camera is like half a football field away from the actors. I always wonder what went into a choice like that.

Not the scene that sticks out for me but I went back and watched that scene and there was some obvious dubbing.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Not the scene that sticks out for me but I went back and watched that scene and there was some obvious dubbing.
Ahh, I see. So it was the director spackling a nail hole. Camouflage so to speak. Okey doke.