Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://images.justwatch.com/backdrop/178794806/s1920/sing-and-like-it.webp


http://pre-code.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SingAndLikeIt1934.gif


https://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-d57o0b/ptxvsha/products/3781/images/3580/Sing_And_Like_It_photo__60587.1441977985.1280.1280.jpg?c=2



Sing and Like It - 1934 comedy starring Zasu Pitts. It's a farce but with no actual straight man to play off of. Everyone is a character in this and the jokes and insults fly at a breakneck pace. The lion's share of the best lines come from the two actors who more or less steal the show, Pert Kelton as gangster moll Ruby and Ned Sparks as the gang-leader's second in command Toots McGuire. Easily recognizable character actor Nat Pendleton also stars as gangster T. Fennimore (Fenny) Sylvester.

Pitts plays the starstruck Annie Snodgrass who dreams of a big break on stage while rehearsing with a local amateur theater troupe. When Sylvester and his gang break into the safe of a local bank he chances to hear Annie warbling a tune about mothers which, for some reason, hits him where he lives. He tracks her down and, after a repeat performance, becomes obsessed with putting her in a Broadway show. He then hunts down the marvelous Edward Everett Horton as put upon Broadway producer Adam Frink and intimidates him into casting Annie in his next big hit.

This is a precode movie so there are plenty of gags and allusions that probably wouldn't have flown by unnoticed in the coming years. There are numerous references to Fenny never having mistreated Ruby in all their time together. But then being a frustrated actress herself she grows jealous of the hapless Annie and decides to sabotage Fenny's plans. This of course leads to a scene with her sporting two black eyes. If you can get past stuff like this then you'll find this a suprisingly clever and witty farce. rating_4

[Gideon58]

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4.5

[Torgo]

Robot Jox - 3

To paraphrase Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "robots fighting robots is no basis for a system of government." Those in control of the post-apocalyptic Earth in Robot Jox would beg to differ because that very thing determines who controls what few habitable pieces of land remain. A movie that's essentially the Cold War in a nutshell, its centerpiece is a showdown between American jock/jox/what have you Achilles, who's back for "one last job," and Russian Alexander, who's not much of a rule follower. Even though it's over 30 years old, the robot fight scenes hold up pretty well. While their uses of forced perspective, green screen, etc. are obvious, they're professionally filmed, each attack has a visceral impact, I could tell who was fighting who - something that isn't always clear in modern movies like this one - and best of all, they're fun to watch. Believe it or not, and don't fret, but the movie is not just about robot fights: there are also Cold War and sci-fi military-inspired plotlines involving espionage and eugenics that held my interest and defied my expectations and the production design, while minimal and thrifty, still manages to both honor and parody the design found in dystopian sci-fi from its era. Just because a feature film is short does not mean it's lean in content, but this one is decidedly lean. When it ended, I had a somewhat "that's all?" reaction. The character development is partly to blame: while the movie serves Achilles well enough, it's pretty scant for everyone else. It is thus no masterpiece, but if you're wondering if it's a good addition to Stuart Gordon's filmography, a worthy member of the robot fighting genre, worth the wait for it to appear on streaming services and, well...fun, the answer is "yes" to all four.

[Takoma11]

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.

Absolutely LOVE this film. I actually think that the "low budget" look adds a bit to the vibe. One of my favorite moments is toward the beginning when she sees the woman on the stairs and she just freezes because she doesn't know if she's real and if she isn't, it means she is still mentally ill.


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.

One of the stars of this one is in a film I really like called Prisoner of the Mountains. He unfortunately died very young in an avalanche.

[Insane]

Bustin' Looose (1981)

1
I wanted to like this movie. It's just that those damn kids were as annoying for me as the viewer as they were supposed to be for Pryor. That, and they were entirely unconvincing. Kids simply aren't that messed up and not in juvenile hall or dead. Then there's the relationship with everybody involved. None of it makes any sense. In fact, the entire movie made no sense. As a vehicle for Pryor's comedy, it fails because he's not even trying to be funny.

It has a 6.1 imdb rating, but I don't get it.

[Citizen Rules]

Bustin' Looose (1981)

I don't know how to do the popcorn rating smiley thing, so 1 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

I wanted to like this movie. It's just that those damn kids were as annoying for me as the viewer as they were supposed to be for Pryor. That, and they were entirely unconvincing. Kids simply aren't that messed up and not in juvenile hall or dead. Then there's the relationship with everybody involved. None of it makes any sense. In fact, the entire movie made no sense. As a vehicle for Pryor's comedy, it fails because he's not even trying to be funny.

It has a 6.1 imdb rating, but I don't get it.Just do this [*rating]1[/rating] but remove the * and you'll get this rating_1

[cricket]

One of the stars of this one is in a film I really like called Prisoner of the Mountains. He unfortunately died very young in an avalanche.

That's crazy he was the star and it happened while filming a movie.

[Takoma11]

That's crazy he was the star and it happened while filming a movie.

It's a horrible story. I watched Prisoner of the Mountain (which I highly recommend, BTW) around 2002-2003, and so when I went to IMDb him shortly after I was shocked to find that he had just died.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev-RuvoodRw/XOB6mpEgqSI/AAAAAAAANuA/UrgRmwazJjYNsAGD3VQmgXHLTzG3HVc1ACLcBGAs/s1600/arctic.jpg

Arctic - If you've never seen Mads Mikkelsen in anything or even if you have and you want definitive proof of just how good an actor he is then you need to watch this. I've never seen Hannibal but I've heard and read the near universal acclaim he's garnered for his work in that series. And I did watch Valhalla Rising, another example of him doing some gargantuan heavy lifting acting wise with little to no dialogue.

In this film he literally and quite single-handedly carries the movie. He plays H. Overgård and in the films cold (both figurative and literal) opening he is shown working his way through what appears to be a methodical routine. He laboriously digs in frozen tundra, checks an array of fishing lines and trudges up a rise where he hand cranks what appears to be a homing transmitter of some kind. First time Brazilian director Joe Penna gradually reveals that Overgård has survived a plane crash in the frozen snowbound wilderness. The digging is his SOS banner and the fishing lines are his only source of food. It's also never clearly delineated how long he has been there but he does have a relatively safe shelter in the wreckage of his plane. This all changes one day when he spots a rescue helicopter while making his rounds in the middle of a rapidly building storm. The chopper crashes and he finds an injured young woman in the wreckage. Her copilot has died and Overgård takes her back to his makeshift home and tends to her wounds as best he can. It's only after looking through her effects and realizing the extent of her injuries that he accepts he no longer has the limited luxury of waiting for a rescue that may never come. With the help of a topographical map he salvages from the helicopter he decides to undertake the long and perilous journey with the young woman to the nearest outpost.

Mikkelsen probably doesn't utter more than a couple of dozen words over the course of the movie. His performance is accomplished solely with his marvelously expressive face. I've been a fan of his since Casino Royale, Flame and Citron and Valhalla Rising but he just blew me away in this. He is onscreen about 99% of the time with the young actress playing the pilot (Maria Thelma Smáradóttir) filling in the rest and there are no dead spots. The beautiful and austere Icelandic landscapes contribute mightily as well. rating_4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjAzNjIxNzkyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTU4NTYyMQ@@._V1_.jpg



4

[Thief]

IN A GLASS CAGE
(1986, Villaronga)

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/notebook/post_images/20533/images-w1400.jpg?1454133508


"Rena, don't laugh. He's going mad."
"No, he isn't. He's fixing the house."



Set some years after World War II, In a Glass Cage follows Angelo (David Sust), a young man that seems to be set on taking revenge on Klaus (Günter Meisner), a former Nazi doctor and pedophile murderer. To do this, Angelo poses as a nurse interested in taking care of Klaus, who is bound to an "iron lung" after a suicide attempt. Despite the reluctance of Klaus' wife (Marisa Paredes), Klaus insists, which leads to Angelo taking control of the house while torturing and tormenting the doctor by reenacting his former crimes.

The budget does show from time to time, but overall, Villaronga's direction was clean and the performances were quite solid, particularly Sust. This is made more impressive by the fact that this is the first film for both of them. As for the story, I think it has a nice pace as things escalate gradually, and the ending packs a punch.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2185054#post2185054) or in the HOF24 thread (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2185053#post2185053)

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev-RuvoodRw/XOB6mpEgqSI/AAAAAAAANuA/UrgRmwazJjYNsAGD3VQmgXHLTzG3HVc1ACLcBGAs/s1600/arctic.jpg

Arctic - If you've never seen Mads Mikkelsen in anything or even if you have and you want definitive proof of just how good an actor he is then you need to watch this. I've never seen Hannibal but I've heard and read the near universal acclaim he's garnered for his work in that series. And I did watch Valhalla Rising, another example of him doing some gargantuan heavy lifting acting wise with little to no dialogue.

In this film he literally and quite single-handedly carries the movie. He plays H. Overgård and in the films cold (both figurative and literal) opening he is shown working his way through what appears to be a methodical routine. He laboriously digs in frozen tundra, checks an array of fishing lines and trudges up a rise where he hand cranks what appears to be a homing transmitter of some kind. First time Brazilian director Joe Penna gradually reveals that Overgård has survived a plane crash in the frozen snowbound wilderness. The digging is his SOS banner and the fishing lines are his only source of food. It's also never clearly delineated how long he has been there but he does have a relatively safe shelter in the wreckage of his plane. This all changes one day when he spots a rescue helicopter while making his rounds in the middle of a rapidly building storm. The chopper crashes and he finds an injured young woman in the wreckage. Her copilot has died and Overgård takes her back to his makeshift home and tends to her wounds as best he can. It's only after looking through her effects and realizing the extent of her injuries that he accepts he no longer has the limited luxury of waiting for a rescue that may never come. With the help of a topographical map he salvages from the helicopter he decides to undertake the long and perilous journey with the young woman to the nearest outpost.

Mikkelsen probably doesn't utter more than a couple of dozen words over the course of the movie. His performance is accomplished solely with his marvelously expressive face. I've been a fan of his since Casino Royale, Flame and Citron and Valhalla Rising but he just blew me away in this. He is onscreen about 99% of the time with the young actress playing the pilot (Maria Thelma Smáradóttir) filling in the rest and there are no dead spots. The beautiful and austere Icelandic landscapes contribute mightily as well. rating_4

gosh his a good actor, liked him on casino royal and doctor strange

[mark f]

Beloved Sisters (Dominik Graf, 2014) 2.5 6/10 171 min
The Redneg (Luc Ziann, 2021) 2 5/10
Secret Enemies (Benjamin Stoloff, 1942) 2.5 5.5/10
Suzi Q (Liam Firmager, 2019) 3 6.5/10
https://assets.lifesitenews.com/images/made/images/remote/https_www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/Miscellaneous/SUzi_QUatro_460_300_75_c1.jpg
In between all her years as the leader of a rock band, Suzi Quatro portrayed Leather Tuscadero on "Happy Days" for three seasons.
Light from Light (Paul Harrill, 2019) 2 5/10
It's a Joke, Son! (Ben Stoloff, 1947) 2.5 5.5/10
Destry Rides Again (Ben Stoloff, 1932) 2+ 5/10
Coming to America (John Landis, 1988) 3+ 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/0623a9f37e258af9cc84491a3d52bdb2/tumblr_ozdqzlQWBm1rvcjd7o1_500.gifv
While searching for a bride in Queens with his servant Arsenio Hall, African prince Eddie Murphy finds the pickings slim.
After the Reign (Geo Santini, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Come Sunday (Joshua Marston, 2018) 2.5 6/10
Night of Terror (Ben Stoloff, 1933) 2 5/10
The Forgiveness of Blood (Joshua Marston, 2011) 2.5 6/10
http://rowereviews.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/3/2/12321416/255877.jpg?589
A blood feud develops in an Albanian family after a murder causes it to spiral out of control.
A Month of Single Frames (Lynne Sachs & Barbara Hammer, 2019) 3.5 7/10
The Connection (Nicholas Naylor, 2021) 1.5 4/10
Unforgettable (Denise Di Novi, 2017) 2 5/10
Micmacs (Jean Pierre Jeunet, 2009) 3 6.5/10
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Arms manufacturer André Dussollier is driven crazy by a man (Dany Boon) whose life was ruined by his weapons.
400 Bullets (Tom Paton, 2021) 2 5/10
Sentinelle (Julien Leclercq, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Vanguard (Stanley Tong, 2020) 2+ 5/10
When We Were Kings (Leon Gast, 1996) 3.5 7/10 R.I.P. THE DIRECTOR
https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-15-2015/WDvS1n.gif
Muhammad Ali visits his many fans in Zaire before the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.

[xSookieStackhouse]

The Breakfast Club 10/10
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[Fabulous]

The Whistleblower (2010)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/gEBEaSGjYDgCmFLvuzti7LqrRvS.jpg

[StuSmallz]

L.A. ConfidentialGood write-up, and it makes me feel like re-posting my old review of it, so I think I'll just go ahead and do that:

https://i.ibb.co/XJvWMvw/LA-Confidential-Featured.webp (https://ibb.co/Sv96G9L)

Go back, sonny; this is the city of angels, and you haven't got any wings.

Hollywood; the name alone immediately conjures up images of the cinematic glamour that the world's largest film industry has created for over a century now, and no other time is more synonymous with that glamour than the Classical era, when the blockbusters were larger than life itself (and in Technicolor!), the world's biggest stars were being sold to the public with an assembly line-efficiency, and the towering, monolithic studio system reigned supreme, and without question.


However, beneath this paper- thin surface of glamour lay an ugly underbelly, one where multiple starlets were pressured into having abortions, sexual harassment was viewed as just another cost of doing business (and still is, to a certain degree), and organized crime ran rampant across the not-so-angelic city, and in 1997, Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential had the unflinching honesty to shine a spotlight on not only the long-dead cockroaches of mid-century L.A., but also the contemporary scandals that still plagued the "City Of Angels", creating what is quite possibly the finest work of neo-noir that the titular town made during that decade in the process.


Adapted from James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, Confidential's ensemble-based plot is driven primarily by three members of the LAPD; Bud White, a menacing, hair trigger-tempered officer who brutally pummels wife-beaters in his "free time", Jack Vincennes, a cocky, paparazzi-hounding narc, and Ed Exley, an embarrassingly straight-laced, goody two shoes sergeant who finds himself hopelessly alienated within the department, due to his eagerness to take a stand against the brutal, illicit methods of his fellow officers, refusing to adhere to the code of silence that has silenced so many police scandals over the years.


However, in the wake of a brutal botched robbery turned all-out bloodbath at a local diner, one that turns out to be even more insidious than it initially appears, the paths of all three men will become irrevocably tangled, as they chase a series of tantalizing clues, untrustworthy prostitutes, and a bloody trail of bodies as they pile up all over Tinseltown, uncovering a seemingly endless series of conspiracies and corruption that leads them all the way back into the dark heart of the department itself.


Admittedly, like many other works of film noir, the plot of L.A. Confidential is fairly complex and convoluted, but, while I do feel some of the moments of exposition here could've been handled in a bit more of an elegant manner, for the most part, Hanson and screenwriter Brian Helgeland do a strong job of juggling the various sub-plots, weaving a knotty, multi-threaded tale in a fairly coherent manner, and trading off perspectives between the various main characters as the paths continually intersect, as their individual investigations eventually merge into one, a process that's all the more compelling to watch given the fundamental strength of their vivid, three-dimensional characterizations, whether it be the way that Vincennes' self-centeredness and hunger for publicity (as seen in his gig moonlighting as an advisor for a Dragnet-knockoff called "Badge Of Honor") belies his underlying passion for justice, how Ed's rigid insistence on following the rules begins to bend when he realizes that he'll never solve this case doing everything strictly "by the books", or how Bud's initial image of being a mindless thug with an obsessive "hobby" of hurting men who hurt women was brought about by a childhood of helplessly witnessing his father beat his mother (culminating in her murder after he was left chained to a radiator for three days).


In a film where everyone has a dark secret lurking somewhere in their past, he's the most haunted of them all, which ties into the way that L.A. Confidential's excels not only by drawing historical context from the real-life sins of Los Angeles past, but of present and future as well; obviously, the film's plot is driven by the vacuum left in the local underworld by the arrest of real-life crime lord Mickey Cohen for tax evasion in 1951 (just like Capone, because were you expecting Hollywood to be original?), but, since the film itself was released when it was, it also serves as a cold splash of water, harking back to the racial tensions that have historically haunted the LAPD, not just during the "Bloody Christmas" era of the 50's (which a fictionalized version of actually figures into the film's plot), but as well of the contemporary examples of institutional corruption, brutality, and racism that rocked the department throughout the 90's, in the forms of the Rodney King beating, or the fiasco that was the OJ trial (which makes the quick cameo in the film by former chief Daryl Gates all the more ironic), as well as reminding us of the wave of sexual misconduct scandals in the Weinstein-era, due to the unfortunate presence of Kevin Spacey, and his character's involvement in a sub-plot involving a young, gay actor, which has given the film an unexpectedly long-lasting political relevance in the decades following its release.


Finally, Confidential is great simply in the way that it revitalizes its well-worn genre with its quippy, razor-sharp dialogue, pacing that knows exactly when to crackle along, and when to pump the brakes and let us just soak in the rich, cynical atmosphere of underlying corruption, and the way the film balances its tributing of old-school noir with its melodramatic, tumpet-heavy score, and usage of familiar tropes like the femme fatale (provided here in an Oscar-winning turn from a superb Kim Basinger), while also revitalizing it by forgoing the shadow-drenched black-and-white cinematography that defined the genre during its classical period, in favor of a brighter, more naturalistic lighting scheme, lending the film a bracing sense of you-are-there immediacy, and preventing it from feeling like some nostalgic museum piece. All in all, L.A. Confidential is one of the best film noirs to be made since the end of the style's classical era, and the greatness on display here is one secret you won't want to keep off the record, on the QT, or very "hush-hush" at all.


Final Score: 9

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinelapsus.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F02%2Ffirst-cow_cinelapsus.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
First Cow (2019, Kelly Reichardt)
5
Another brilliant exploration of friendship / deconstruction of the western genre by Reichardt. The signature style in firmly in place - slow, meditative pacing, lingering pauses and silences, stunningly beautiful portrayal of nature almost as a character of its own, all amid a simple story told effortlessly and perfectly. Reichardt's ability to say so much with so little and make you care about her characters by taking her time and digging deep into the subtleties of human communication is downright remarkable (check out also how she builds suspense toward the climactic moment of the two friends getting busted). This is pure cinema made for the purest of intentions, with the utmost love and care for the subject matter - that's how I felt watching it.
Loved every second of it - definitely highly recommended.

[ScarletLion]

'Violent' 2014

https://i.imgur.com/q6Kdo0b.gif


Interesting arthouse film from Norway/Canada about a girl having 5 separate flashbacks of the last 5 people that loved her. Smart concept with stunning visuals, very dream-like and ethereal. The score and sound design is very good too - performed by the band that Director Andrew Huculiak is a member of.

7/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

10/10 one of the good 90s movies <3
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/NottingHillRobertsGrant.jpg

[Wooley]

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.

Yeah, I also liked this a good bit. It succeeded in little ways that propelled it enough for me.

[matt72582]

James Traficant: The Congressman From Crimetown - 9/10
I saw this a few years ago, don't know what happened to it, so I paid a dollar to see it again. Very colorful character who has somehow been forgotten, despite his tractor supposedly running over him and killing him in 2014.



STILL, the only man in America to beat a RICO case by defending himself, despite not being a lawyer. Prior to that, he refused to evict people out of their homes in Youngstown, Ohio after the mills closed down, and actually went to jail because he said he wouldn't do it, and pleaded with the judge to give them some time to catch up. But the Feds don't like to lose, and "got him" - "unpaid work", meaning his staff would go over to his farm, paint a side of the barn, drink beer, bonding experience.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m_uESB5oH8

[Wooley]

Absolutely LOVE this film. I actually think that the "low budget" look adds a bit to the vibe. One of my favorite moments is toward the beginning when she sees the woman on the stairs and she just freezes because she doesn't know if she's real and if she isn't, it means she is still mentally ill.


I would swear that this had fallen out of grace with you.
I watched this movie because of you, you had spoken pretty highly of it many years ago and I always said I was gonna watch it but then it was hard to find or I just wasn't sure I was in the right mood on a given night or whatever and it took me years to get around to it.
When I finally did and wrote it up I thought I remembered you telling me that you weren't as high on it anymore or maybe I'd misremembered your level of enthusiasm for it.
Do I have that wrong?
Cause I really was pretty impressed with it.

[Torgo]

Good write-up, and it makes me feel like re-posting my old review of it, so I think I'll just go ahead and do that:

https://i.ibb.co/XJvWMvw/LA-Confidential-Featured.webp (https://ibb.co/Sv96G9L)

Go back, sonny; this is the city of angels, and you haven't got any wings.

Hollywood; the name alone immediately conjures up images of the cinematic glamour that the world's largest film industry has created for over a century now, and no other time is more synonymous with that glamour than the Classical era, when the blockbusters were larger than life itself (and in Technicolor!), the world's biggest stars were being sold to the public with an assembly line-efficiency, and the towering, monolithic studio system reigned supreme, and without question.


However, beneath this paper- thin surface of glamour lay an ugly underbelly, one where multiple starlets were pressured into having abortions, sexual harassment was viewed as just another cost of doing business (and still is, to a certain degree), and organized crime ran rampant across the not-so-angelic city, and in 1997, Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential had the unflinching honesty to shine a spotlight on not only the long-dead cockroaches of mid-century L.A., but also the contemporary scandals that still plagued the "City Of Angels", creating what is quite possibly the finest work of neo-noir that the titular town made during that decade in the process.


Adapted from James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, Confidential's ensemble-based plot is driven primarily by three members of the LAPD; Bud White, a menacing, hair trigger-tempered officer who brutally pummels wife-beaters in his "free time", Jack Vincennes, a cocky, paparazzi-hounding narc, and Ed Exley, an embarrassingly straight-laced, goody two shoes sergeant who finds himself hopelessly alienated within the department, due to his eagerness to take a stand against the brutal, illicit methods of his fellow officers, refusing to adhere to the code of silence that has silenced so many police scandals over the years.


However, in the wake of a brutal botched robbery turned all-out bloodbath at a local diner, one that turns out to be even more insidious than it initially appears, the paths of all three men will become irrevocably tangled, as they chase a series of tantalizing clues, untrustworthy prostitutes, and a bloody trail of bodies as they pile up all over Tinseltown, uncovering a seemingly endless series of conspiracies and corruption that leads them all the way back into the dark heart of the department itself.


Admittedly, like many other works of film noir, the plot of L.A. Confidential is fairly complex and convoluted, but, while I do feel some of the moments of exposition here could've been handled in a bit more of an elegant manner, for the most part, Hanson and screenwriter Brian Helgeland do a strong job of juggling the various sub-plots, weaving a knotty, multi-threaded tale in a fairly coherent manner, and trading off perspectives between the various main characters as the paths continually intersect, as their individual investigations eventually merge into one, a process that's all the more compelling to watch given the fundamental strength of their vivid, three-dimensional characterizations, whether it be the way that Vincennes' self-centeredness and hunger for publicity (as seen in his gig moonlighting as an advisor for a Dragnet-knockoff called "Badge Of Honor") belies his underlying passion for justice, how Ed's rigid insistence on following the rules begins to bend when he realizes that he'll never solve this case doing everything strictly "by the books", or how Bud's initial image of being a mindless thug with an obsessive "hobby" of hurting men who hurt women was brought about by a childhood of helplessly witnessing his father beat his mother (culminating in her murder after he was left chained to a radiator for three days).


In a film where everyone has a dark secret lurking somewhere in their past, he's the most haunted of them all, which ties into the way that L.A. Confidential's excels not only by drawing historical context from the real-life sins of Los Angeles past, but of present and future as well; obviously, the film's plot is driven by the vacuum left in the local underworld by the arrest of real-life crime lord Mickey Cohen for tax evasion in 1951 (just like Capone, because were you expecting Hollywood to be original?), but, since the film itself was released when it was, it also serves as a cold splash of water, harking back to the racial tensions that have historically haunted the LAPD, not just during the "Bloody Christmas" era of the 50's (which a fictionalized version of actually figures into the film's plot), but as well of the contemporary examples of institutional corruption, brutality, and racism that rocked the department throughout the 90's, in the forms of the Rodney King beating, or the fiasco that was the OJ trial (which makes the quick cameo in the film by former chief Daryl Gates all the more ironic), as well as reminding us of the wave of sexual misconduct scandals in the Weinstein-era, due to the unfortunate presence of Kevin Spacey, and his character's involvement in a sub-plot involving a young, gay actor, which has given the film an unexpectedly long-lasting political relevance in the decades following its release.


Finally, Confidential is great simply in the way that it revitalizes its well-worn genre with its quippy, razor-sharp dialogue, pacing that knows exactly when to crackle along, and when to pump the brakes and let us just soak in the rich, cynical atmosphere of underlying corruption, and the way the film balances its tributing of old-school noir with its melodramatic, tumpet-heavy score, and usage of familiar tropes like the femme fatale (provided here in an Oscar-winning turn from a superb Kim Basinger), while also revitalizing it by forgoing the shadow-drenched black-and-white cinematography that defined the genre during its classical period, in favor of a brighter, more naturalistic lighting scheme, lending the film a bracing sense of you-are-there immediacy, and preventing it from feeling like some nostalgic museum piece. All in all, L.A. Confidential is one of the best film noirs to be made since the end of the style's classical era, and the greatness on display here is one secret you won't want to keep off the record, on the QT, or very "hush-hush" at all.


Final Score: 9Thanks, yours isn't half bad either! 👍
I decided to rewatch it because I read the book, which I highly recommend whether or not you've watched the movie. Not to spoil it too much, but things play out in it differently than they do in the movie and there are many more plotlines. The only drawback I can think of, which is typical of what happens when you see the movie or TV show first and read the book second, is that you imagine the characters and settings as they appear in the movie instead of how your own imagination depicts them.

[Wooley]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjAzNjIxNzkyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTU4NTYyMQ@@._V1_.jpg



4

I always really liked the That's Entertainment movies.

[Wooley]

Suzi Q (Liam Firmager, 2019) 3 6.5/10
https://assets.lifesitenews.com/images/made/images/remote/https_www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/Miscellaneous/SUzi_QUatro_460_300_75_c1.jpg
In between all her years as the leader of a rock band, Suzi Quatro portrayed Leather Tuscadero on "Happy Days" for three seasons.


I actually had a brutal childhood crush on Pinky Tuscadero.

[mark f]

Makes sense. :cool:

[Captain Terror]

Suzi Q (Liam Firmager, 2019) 3 6.5/10

As much as I love 70s music, even glam, I'll be danged if I can find one Suzi Quatro song to get behind. I've tried a few times but her stuff is just fingernails on a chalkboard to me. If anyone can recommend a "good" Quatro song, send it my way.

[Thief]

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.

Great write-up. This movie is sooo good, so good. I love it every time more.

[mark f]

As much as I love 70s music, even glam, I'll be danged if I can find one Suzi Quatro song to get behind. I've tried a few times but her stuff is just fingernails on a chalkboard to me. If anyone can recommend a "good" Quatro song, send it my way.
Which have you heard? Probably all these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j15B-tcqyQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klLUVWXAo0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxDDxcMKRY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMZEy-2iztE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6YOhfHwpLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoogY-UGio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgKyXghZShE

[Captain Terror]

Which have you heard? Probably all these.

Thanks I'll check those out. I've definitely heard 48 Crash and Can the Can and wasn't big on either one. I like lots of obnoxious stuff so I don't know why I'm so snobby when it comes to Suzi. :)

[Wooley]

As much as I love 70s music, even glam, I'll be danged if I can find one Suzi Quatro song to get behind. I've tried a few times but her stuff is just fingernails on a chalkboard to me. If anyone can recommend a "good" Quatro song, send it my way.

I've always liked "Stumblin' In" but that's pretty low-hanging fruit. And a duet.

[Captain Terror]

I've always liked "Stumblin' In" but that's pretty low-hanging fruit. And a duet.

Yeah, I wasn't counting that one. Not a fan of that one either, but it's pretty harmless at least.

[martyrofevil]

Fruit of Paradise (Vera Chytilova, 1970)
Despite Daisies being one of my all time faves for quite a while now, I'd still not watched anything else from Chytilova and this didn't disappoint. Just so much visual flavour between the lens choices and the editing (the bits with the painted montage superimposed into the live action footage are money) and it has that wonderful, spacious vibe you get with films that are less narrative driven, especially around this time. Really dug it and hope its not another like 7 years or whatever before I see another of her films.
rating_4

One Piece: Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (Atsuji Shimizu, 2002)
The last One Piece film I'll be seeing for awhile as I need to read like 60 chapters before the next one. It's another 50 minute joint (I think after this one they go full feature length) and the animation takes a bit of a dip in quality overall but it does have some cool stylized moments here and there. The one-off characters for this one aren't quite as interesting in this one either but we do get some good character moments out of our main cast because of them and it really sold me on new best boy candidate Tony Tony Chopper. Another extremely minor note is just that the costume design was so good in this one. Every character just looked the coolest they ever have. Really enjoyed this one too. As of now I can't see how any of these are gonna be bad but who knows with the longer runtimes coming up in next instalments.
rating_3_5

[Rockatansky]

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.
Great review, movie ****ing slaps.*


One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*

[DocHoliday]

74437

Tell No One

I've been really trying to beef up one my foreign film intake lately, and this was a superb. Highly recommend it. Great acting, and sure-footed directing. A suspense thriller with heart.

8.5/10

[DocHoliday]

Great review, movie ****ing slaps.*


One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*

LA Confidential is a great, great movie. The second best neo-noir ever made about Los Angeles, behind of course, Chinatown.

[DocHoliday]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTYwNWNmM2UtNDhlOC00ZGQzLWI1MTMtMmZlMTFjM2Y1N2ZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTY5Nzc4MDY@._V1_UY1200_CR80,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg



4.5

Kaluuya's performance was off the charts.

He deserves Best Actor.

[cricket]

Greenland (2020)

3.5

https://i1.wp.com/www.socialnews.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/25/greenland-movie-HD-Poster-and-Stills-.jpg?quality=80&zoom=1&ssl=1

I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.

[Thief]

THE THREE CABALLEROS
(1944, Ferguson & Co.)
A film with the number 3 (Three, Third, etc.) in its title

https://filmmusiccentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/the-three-caballeros.jpg?w=625


♫ "We're three caballeros, three gay caballeros
They say we are birds of a feather ♪
♪ We're happy amigos, no matter where he goes
The one, two, and three goes, we're always together" ♫



Released for Donald Duck's 10th birthday/anniversary, The Three Caballeros features a series of shorts and segments tied by the premise of Donald (Clarence Nash) opening a series of presents from a group of friends. Most notably, he receives presents from José Carioca (José Oliveira), a Brazilian parrot, and Panchito Pistoles (Joaquin Garay), a Mexican rooster, and then the three get to spend some time traveling around their respective countries.

Certainly not Disney's best effort, but given the circumstances when it was released, I give them props for coming out with a film that has endured to some extent and that managed to shine a light on other cultures at a time when that wasn't the norm.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2185228#post2185228)

[Torgo]

Great review, movie ****ing slaps.*


One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*Thanks. I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
I haven't seen Perry Mason, but your description of its look reminds me the issues I have with the looks of The Black Dahlia, Road to Perdition and maybe The Untouchables. There's a point where the designers take it too far when it comes to getting the look and era of the period right that the scenery chews the actors and it borders on period fetishism, if that makes sense. L.A. Confidential, on the other hand, achieves just the right balance.

[DocHoliday]

Greenland (2020)

3.5

https://i1.wp.com/www.socialnews.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/25/greenland-movie-HD-Poster-and-Stills-.jpg?quality=80&zoom=1&ssl=1

I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.

Greenland is the one of the better disaster movies ever made IMO. Probably THE best ever made about an Earth-ending asteroid.

It utterly and completely blows away cheesy movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon.

Was it perfect? No. But we should never, ever demand perfection in a disaster film lol.

[Thief]

Greenland (2020)

3.5

https://i1.wp.com/www.socialnews.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/25/greenland-movie-HD-Poster-and-Stills-.jpg?quality=80&zoom=1&ssl=1

I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.

I'm a sucker for a good disaster film. I mean, I love Deep Impact, and I've heard good things about this, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Gideon58]

Kaluuya is not going to win Best Actor, he is being submitted as supporting because no one has a chance against Chadwick Boseman, who will be winning every Best Actor award available this season.

[Gideon58]

I always really liked the That's Entertainment movies.


Believe it or not, this was my favorite of the three movies.

[Wooley]

Kaluuya is not going to win Best Actor, he is being submitted as supporting because no one has a chance against Chadwick Boseman, who will be winning every Best Actor award available this season.

I thought I had seen that he was Supporting because Lakeith Stanfield's character was supposed to be the principal.

[Wooley]

Believe it or not, this was my favorite of the three movies.
I need to see these again, these were on when I was a kid and my mom loved 'em, partly how I got into film.

[Takoma11]

I would swear that this had fallen out of grace with you.
I watched this movie because of you, you had spoken pretty highly of it many years ago and I always said I was gonna watch it but then it was hard to find or I just wasn't sure I was in the right mood on a given night or whatever and it took me years to get around to it.
When I finally did and wrote it up I thought I remembered you telling me that you weren't as high on it anymore or maybe I'd misremembered your level of enthusiasm for it.
Do I have that wrong?
Cause I really was pretty impressed with it.

Nope, I'm still all about it.

[Gideon58]

I thought I had sent that he was Supporting because Lakeith Stanfield's character was supposed to be the principal.


I think in terms of screentime, either role could be considered the lead but Kaluuya's performance is the standout performance and I don't really see both of them being nominated. Kaluuya has already won the Golden Globe and the Critic's Choice.

[Captain Terror]

Which have you heard? Probably all these.

Ok, Your Mama Won't Like Me is a funky good time, and Wild One wasn't half bad either. I wanted to see the doc anyway, as I find her story to be an interesting one.

[Gideon58]

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

Great review, I gave it the same rating you did.

[GulfportDoc]

74461 Murder Among the Mormons (2021)

[this was posted in the "documentaries" thread, but I don't think many see it]

This is a fascinating 3 part documentary about the bombings and murders of members of Salt Lake City's Mormon Church in 1985. The documents and circumstances that lead up to the killings shakes the origin of the Mormon religion to its core.

The documentary is aided by vintage footage of the era and its participants, and contemporary interviews of those involved. Very nice production design and photography. 7/10 from me. Available on Netflix and various streaming services.

[edarsenal]

http://az32167.vo.msecnd.net/images/Mnst_Hunchback_13_event.jpg

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) 3 I think I may have been spoiled by (my favorite rendition) Charles Laughton's portrayal from the 1939 classic.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JkGwQN8YWWc/hqdefault.jpg

Or perhaps it was the overly theatrical performances of everyone, including Lon Chaney, who IS a master at what he accomplished in so many other films, but I did find myself drifting in and out of, what should have been quite an excellent film experience.
From my very limited knowledge of Victor Hugo's classic tale, Notre Dame de Paris, I do know that it was the church itself that was the focal point of the story and that it could very well be that Chaney's volatile Quasimodo is a closer presentation of Hugo's writings.
Perhaps another future viewing will express a greater appreciation.



https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Boss-Level-Hulu-1.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

Boss Level (2021) 3.5+++ /Popcorn Munching rating: 5 Using my younger brother's description of "a twisted Groundhog Day," this very funny, action film of the video game style sub genre, cleverly hits all the necessary gambits for all out amusement and complete entertainment. While still having a little bit of heart at the core of its story, of a man who has continually woken up for the past hundred or so days, reliving the same day where he's eventually killed (in some pretty amusing, colorful ways). With no idea WHY.
A basic story that is done very well with a very satisfying ending.
A Must See for action enthusiast who enjoy this sub genre.

[Wooley]

Nope, I'm still all about it.

Well, I may have mental problems.
Frankly, I'm getting up there, I may have had a stroke too.

[Wooley]

I think in terms of screentime, either role could be considered the lead but Kaluuya's performance is the standout performance and I don't really see both of them being nominated. Kaluuya has already won the Golden Globe and the Critic's Choice.

But as supporting actor right?

[xSookieStackhouse]

Greenland (2020)

3.5

https://i1.wp.com/www.socialnews.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/25/greenland-movie-HD-Poster-and-Stills-.jpg?quality=80&zoom=1&ssl=1

I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.

reminds me of 2012 kinda

[edarsenal]

https://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/20/50/25/20200720/ob_3e39a7_les-maudits-2.jpg

The Damned aka Les maudits (1947) 3.5++ Directed by René Clément, set in the final days of WWII, a U Boat full of Nazis Sympathizers are making a run for it from France to South America.
A taut thriller that, while the beginning is a little weighed down as everyone is introduced, Clément does get things going with some very solid cinematography regarding the claustrophobic quarters that grow even more so as alliances begin to crumble and disintegrate.
Not entirely an amazing film, but definitely one worth checking out.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Bad Moms (2016) 9/10 a really funny movie with amazing people especially kathryn hahn who is my favorite person on crossing jordan and wandavision :) https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_5cfa9d53-1b8d-46ac-81c1-0a862a30b0d7?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg

[Fabulous]

A Midnight Clear (1992)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/3GefNlOQ9eLv3LaZGRo0IDySrPq.jpg

[Marco]

News of the World (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/News_of_the_World_film_poster.png
Enjoyable story of an ex-Captain in the Confederate army now making his money going town to town to "read the news" to the townsfolk with a little bit of stageplay thrown in. Nice and languid pace which I think really suited the setting and story.

Had never heard of it before today!
3.5

[Marco]

The World to Come (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/The_World_to_Come_poster.jpeg
This was Okay, they performances were restrained (especially by Affleck and Abbott) but the story of 2 women (apparently mal-treated, though I did not see this in Abigails case) falling in love and being inspired was well done. Could have done without the constant episodic diary voiceover though!

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F4f%2F34%2F22%2F4f3422dcfd8d75a47b024884c56139e0.png&f=1&nofb=1
Marnie (1964, Alfred Hitchcock)
2
I have to say this is probably one of my least favorite Hitchcock films I've seen thus far. The first minutes were promising (that opening shot was sooo classy) but then the plot began to unfold in the most tedious, unsatisfying and rather predictable way. There were moments in the film that I thought were downright badly executed, or just odd/lacking believability. There wasn't enough compelling mystery or suspense, and the overarching psychological subtext came off a bit contrived and annoying (didn't like this aspect of Spellbound either - or, rather, the execution of it).

[Citizen Rules]

https://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/20/50/25/20200720/ob_3e39a7_les-maudits-2.jpg

The Damned aka Les maudits (1947) rating_3_5++ Directed by René Clément, set in the final days of WWII, a U Boat full of Nazis Sympathizers are making a run for it from France to South America.
A taut thriller that, while the beginning is a little weighed down as everyone is introduced, Clément does get things going with some very solid cinematography regarding the claustrophobic quarters that grow even more so as alliances begin to crumble and disintegrate.
Not entirely an amazing film, but definitely one worth checking out.I got that one saved to watch as I've been checking out mid 20th century submarine movies. Glad to hear it's serviceable.

[edarsenal]

I got that one saved to watch as I've been checking out mid 20th century submarine movies. Glad to hear it's serviceable.
I'll be curious to see what you think

[Thief]

https://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/20/50/25/20200720/ob_3e39a7_les-maudits-2.jpg

The Damned aka Les maudits (1947) 3.5++ Directed by René Clément, set in the final days of WWII, a U Boat full of Nazis Sympathizers are making a run for it from France to South America.
A taut thriller that, while the beginning is a little weighed down as everyone is introduced, Clément does get things going with some very solid cinematography regarding the claustrophobic quarters that grow even more so as alliances begin to crumble and disintegrate.
Not entirely an amazing film, but definitely one worth checking out.

Love submarine films, so added to watchlist.

[edarsenal]

Hope you enjoy it Thief.
I found a great link with English subtitles should you need it.

[Thief]

Hope you enjoy it Thief.
I found a great link with English subtitles should you need it.

https://media.giphy.com/media/iRjB2mfESqgec/giphy.gif

[edarsenal]

https://media.giphy.com/media/iRjB2mfESqgec/giphy.gif
https://media1.giphy.com/media/8Q62oGruZu0BG/giphy.gif

[sawduck]

Judas and the Black Messiah 8/10 one of the better movies from a rather bad year

Palm Springs 7/10 a fun movie

Minari 5/10 ok but a little overrated

The Straight Story 8/10 a beautiful movie with lovable characters and just so heartwarming

[Gideon58]

But as supporting actor right?


Yes...Chadwick Boseman won both awards for Lead Actor.

[Thursday Next]

Contagion (2011)

I've no idea how this would have worked as a movie in 2011 because the main interest in watching it now was almost entirely based on seeing how almost scarily accurate it was in its portrayal of a pandemic. I particularly the development of the plotline with Jude Law as the conspiracy theorist/ purveyor of the fake cure. I also liked how there were a lot of famous actors in it, but unlike the films where you know the most famous people will survive to the end, this film clinically killed them off and peeled open their skulls right from the start.

4

[GulfportDoc]

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev-RuvoodRw/XOB6mpEgqSI/AAAAAAAANuA/UrgRmwazJjYNsAGD3VQmgXHLTzG3HVc1ACLcBGAs/s1600/arctic.jpg

Arctic - If you've never seen Mads Mikkelsen in anything or even if you have and you want definitive proof of just how good an actor he is then you need to watch this. I've never seen Hannibal but I've heard and read the near universal acclaim he's garnered for his work in that series. And I did watch Valhalla Rising, another example of him doing some gargantuan heavy lifting acting wise with little to no dialogue.

In this film he literally and quite single-handedly carries the movie. He plays H. Overgård and in the films cold (both figurative and literal) opening he is shown working his way through what appears to be a methodical routine. He laboriously digs in frozen tundra, checks an array of fishing lines and trudges up a rise where he hand cranks what appears to be a homing transmitter of some kind. First time Brazilian director Joe Penna gradually reveals that Overgård has survived a plane crash in the frozen snowbound wilderness. The digging is his SOS banner and the fishing lines are his only source of food. It's also never clearly delineated how long he has been there but he does have a relatively safe shelter in the wreckage of his plane. This all changes one day when he spots a rescue helicopter while making his rounds in the middle of a rapidly building storm. The chopper crashes and he finds an injured young woman in the wreckage. Her copilot has died and Overgård takes her back to his makeshift home and tends to her wounds as best he can. It's only after looking through her effects and realizing the extent of her injuries that he accepts he no longer has the limited luxury of waiting for a rescue that may never come. With the help of a topographical map he salvages from the helicopter he decides to undertake the long and perilous journey with the young woman to the nearest outpost.

Mikkelsen probably doesn't utter more than a couple of dozen words over the course of the movie. His performance is accomplished solely with his marvelously expressive face. I've been a fan of his since Casino Royale, Flame and Citron and Valhalla Rising but he just blew me away in this. He is onscreen about 99% of the time with the young actress playing the pilot (Maria Thelma Smáradóttir) filling in the rest and there are no dead spots. The beautiful and austere Icelandic landscapes contribute mightily as well. rating_4

Took your recommendation and watched this last night. Survival films are not at the top of my watch list, but this one was exceptionally well done. Mads Mikkelsen is the only star in the picture, since the female character (Maria Smaradottir) never utters a word, and spends most of her screen time unconscious.

We’re treated to an uncommon beginning as we realize that Mikkelsen has survived his small plane crash in the arctic, and is digging a help sign in the snowy turf. He’s faced with a dilemma; he can either stay where he is, living in the plane wreck with food and water available, or try a near impossible trek to civilization. The rescue helicopter’s crash, leaving Maria alive, eventually makes up his mind for him.

Mikkelsen provides a tour de force performance, representing a gamut of human emotions without speech. Even absent the ambient sounds this would make an excellent silent film. The movie keeps the viewer on edge with the underlying feeling that they may be doomed. It must have been a difficult production with the entire picture shot in an arctic deep freeze. The run time is perfect at 98 minutes.

I was surprised to learn that this was both the director’s (Joe Penna) and co-writer’s (Ryan Morrison) first feature film, having done only a few shorts before this. The film had the feel of a seasoned director at the helm. It’s safe to say that Penna will have gotten plenty of offers following this fine film. It’s got an 8/10 from me.

[Torgo]

Quick Change - 4

Why are one crazy night movies so much fun? Is it their unpredictability? Is it because the contact high of watching one is so close to the fun of having an actual crazy night? Is it because they double as travelogues? Whatever the reasons, all those sensations - not to mention plenty of laughs - are found in this movie, which does double duty as a one crazy day movie. The lead cast of Bill Murray (who also co-directed), Geena Davis and Randy Quaid are bank robbers trying to make a clean getaway from Manhattan to JFK airport and then on to Fiji. Unfortunately, everything from the Mafia to police chief Rotzinger (Jason Robards) to Quaid's unstable and none-too-bright Loomis complicate this plan.

I'm all for movies that write love letters to New York City like Woody Allen's or Martin Scorsese's, but it's a nice change of pace to see one with an attitude towards it resembling Homer Simpson's in "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson." From the commentary about gentrification ruining the city's identity to a recurring joke about the Mafia owning every business, I can understand why Bill Murray said "everyone will enjoy this movie...but New Yorkers will enjoy it especially because they know how bad their city really is." Like Scorsese's one crazy night movie After Hours, it also makes a point to show how weird the place is and in the funniest ways (I've got three words for you: shirtless bicycle jousting). Moments like these and the trio's constant and escalating haplessness are such a good fit for Murray's comedic talents that it's a shame he didn't direct more. He's not pulling all the weight, though: Quaid's the trio's perfect chaos agent while Davis's straight woman adds the right amount of sense and heart. The scenes where we're supposed to take Murray's character seriously, especially those involving his romance with Davis' character, are less successful, however. Also, the movie holds up for being over 30 years old, and as nice as it is to see a young Tony Shalhoub, his stereotypical non-English-speaking cab driver seems like he belongs in the typical Adam Sandler movie instead of this one. It's still a worthy addition to the one crazy night, err...one crazy day and night genre and it's a crime (no pun intended) that it slipped through the cracks. Oh, and this movie adds another reason why movies like this one are so much fun: there's the joy of spotting all the "that guys" and "that girls," which besides Shalhoub include Stanley Tucci, Kurtwood Smith and the late, great Phil Hartman.

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/8Q62oGruZu0BG/giphy.gif

omg loved mini me and dr evil lol

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/8Q62oGruZu0BG/giphy.gif

https://media2.giphy.com/media/ICpX5rXzT4GFW/giphy.gif

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F4f%2F34%2F22%2F4f3422dcfd8d75a47b024884c56139e0.png&f=1&nofb=1
Marnie (1964, Alfred Hitchcock)
2
I have to say this is probably one of my least favorite Hitchcock films I've seen thus far. The first minutes were promising (that opening shot was sooo classy) but then the plot began to unfold in the most tedious, unsatisfying and rather predictable way. There were moments in the film that I thought were downright badly executed, or just odd/lacking believability. There wasn't enough compelling mystery or suspense, and the overarching psychological subtext came off a bit contrived and annoying (didn't like this aspect of Spellbound either - or, rather, the execution of it).

I hated Marnie. As soon as Connery's character started comparing her to taming an animal, I was out. I found both lead characters deeply uninteresting and had like no investment in them at all.

[Takoma11]

Well, I may have mental problems.
Frankly, I'm getting up there, I may have had a stroke too.

I've talked a few times about having some mixed feelings about Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, so maybe that's what you're thinking of.

[rbrayer]

OK so maybe I've watched 3 movies since but special mention to this one - a strong contender for funniest film ever made - an absolute scream. A perfect comedy with insane lead chemistry, fantastic writing, and perfect direction. Lightning in a bottle. If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must. Like it made my top 10 favorites have to. 256/10.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/b5ac2fdb3ed62e6360e1d4b1838e2f1f/cz4yPou8hsBHkiA5ShxOjZ8bCxAcRI_large.jpg

[pahaK]

Deepest Fear (2018)
aka Metus
2
A Mexican B-horror that definitely isn't unique. Its story follows the well-trod paths, it's technically shaky, and the acting is mediocre at best. Still, there's enough passion and despair in its 70 minutes to keep it above carbage.

[Gideon58]

OK so maybe I've watched 3 movies since but special mention to this one - a strong contender for funniest film ever made - an absolute scream. A perfect comedy with insane lead chemistry, fantastic writing, and perfect direction. Lightning in a bottle. If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must. Like it made my top 10 favorites have to. 256/10.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/b5ac2fdb3ed62e6360e1d4b1838e2f1f/cz4yPou8hsBHkiA5ShxOjZ8bCxAcRI_large.jpg

Ever since watching the remake, I've been meaning to re-visit the original; thanks for reminding me

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rogerebert.com%2Fuploads%2Freview%2Fprimary_image%2Freviews%2Fthe-american-friend-1977%2FEB19770101REVIEWS701010302AR.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The American Friend, 1977

Sociopath Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) is running an art forgery scam with a partner. When a terminally ill man named Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) snubs him at an auction, Ripley gets revenge by convincing the man his disease is worsening and manipulating him into becoming a hitman for some of his nastier associates.

I have read several of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley books, though not the one on which this film is based. I had a slightly mixed reaction to this film, though more positive than negative.

I guess my only real complaint--though one that ran through the whole film--was the portrayal of Ripley. This is totally a case of comparing an interpretation to the original work, so fair play if you don't think that's valid. If the character had been called anything but Tom Ripley I might not have been bothered. But there is something a bit unhinged about Ripley in this film and how Hopper portrays him. Something that makes Ripley a fun antagonist is his lack of sentimentality and total self-interest, but also the fact that he will sometimes make totally impulsive decisions that he must then deal with. This Ripley felt more . . . . neurotic. And I guess the reason that it bothered me a bit is that in the original novel, Ripley's sexuality (he is either gay or bisexual) felt separate to an important degree. Highsmith was able to have a gay character who preys on men and women in a way that you usually only see male characters go after female characters. But in this film, his sexuality and his sociopathy feel more intertwined and I had mixed feelings about that. It's like his gay side is his "weaker" side and . . . eh.

What I did really love is that this is a very character-driven thriller, mainly focusing on Jonathan (and by extension his family, with whom we spend a lot of time) and using Ripley largely as a catalyst. Jonathan is despairing because he believes--thanks to Ripley fudging some medical results--that he will soon die. He is anxious about leaving his family behind. And yet, he is miserable (and maybe a bit exhilarated) with the violence he is asked to perpetrate. Ironically, the more he tries to help his family, the more he becomes alienated from them.

One of the best touches of the film is the way that Jonathan (and we as the audience) constantly return to the mundane everyday activities of his family. Jonathan returns from having murdered someone to watch his son playing in the bathtub. He is becoming someone different, and his family--even his small children--are on the periphery of it. His wife is very aware that something is amiss, and we can feel her frustration build as the film goes on.

The assassination sequences themselves are thrilling and suspenseful. One, in which Jonathan is to assassinate a man on an escalator, makes great use of the confined space and movement of the escalator. Another sequence, one that takes place on a train, is also well-staged, including layering in many character beats for both Jonathan and Ripley.

Despite having a few issues with the portrayal of Ripley's character--again, based on my experience with the novel and feeling that some of the themes and character traits were a bit of a misfire--I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

4

[Thief]

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
(2021, Hall & López Estrada)

https://www.thetoyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Disney_Raya.jpg


"Well, the world's broken. You can't trust anyone."
"Or maybe the world's broken because you don't trust anyone."



Raya and the Last Dragon comes at a time of resurgence for Disney films, and it does so by sticking to a few tropes that have been key to their films during the last decade or so; and that is the portrayal of strong female leads, the absence of a central romantic relationship while highlighting other type of relationships, and the lack of a proper antagonist by focusing more on gray moral areas. That has been the case with Frozen, Zootopia, Moana, among others.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2185703#post2185703)

[edarsenal]

https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/130b4cfa-c5c3-4eb0-88a3-7822a3ad770c/bfd9ebf2-2e25-4c09-823e-757ee49105cb.jpg

Act of Violence (1948) 4 Frank (Van Heflin) has got a really good life. A really wonderful wife, Edith (Janet Leigh) and a baby boy. He's a war hero and a successful business man that everyone likes.
But, ya see, during the war, in a POW camp, Frank made a mistake. We all make mistakes, right? Well, it was a pretty hefty one and Joe, (Robert Ryan) is coming to kill him for it.

Surprisingly, this tense noir-thriller is sort of unknown. With a cast that, along with those mentioned, includes Mary Astor playing a drifter who finds Frank at his worst and tries, in vain, to help. Along with Phyllis Thaxter playing Joe's girlfriend, Ann who tries and tries to dissuade Joe from this hellbent vengeance.

Along with all the cinematic shadowing and twisting roads of a truly good noir, we also are treated with not only the tormented "prey" (Heflin), but also the tortured "hunter" (Ryan) as the chase draws to a close. Both men haunted by what happened and how this will have to end.

[Citizen Rules]

Act of Violence (1948) rating_4 Frank (Van Heflin) has got a really good life. A really wonderful wife, Edith (Janet Leigh) and a baby boy. He's a war hero and a successful business man that everyone likes.
But, ya see, during the war, in a POW camp, Frank made a mistake. We all make mistakes, right? Well, it was a pretty hefty one and Joe, (Robert Ryan) is coming to kill him for it.

Surprisingly, this tense noir-thriller is sort of unknown. With a cast that, along with those mentioned, includes Mary Astor playing a drifter who finds Frank at his worst and tries, in vain, to help. Along with Phyllis Thaxter playing Joe's girlfriend, Ann who tries and tries to dissuade Joe from this hellbent vengeance.

Along with all the cinematic shadowing and twisting roads of a truly good noir, we also are treated with not only the tormented "prey" (Heflin), but also the tortured "hunter" (Ryan) as the chase draws to a close. Both men haunted by what happened and how this will have to end.Good review! I've seen that one twice it's a solid noir and like you said not well known. Van Heflin is pretty great in this and he's always good. I just seen him last night play a heavy and he was quite convincing in that role too.

[edarsenal]

Good review! I've seen that one twice it's a solid noir and like you said not well known. Van Heflin is pretty great in this and he's always good. I just seen him last night play a heavy and he was quite convincing in that role too.
I had a feeling this was something you've seen, or at least need to if you haven't.
I am a bit limited in my Heflin roles, though I've been pretty impressed by the ones I've seen; this one tying my favorite in 3:10 to Yuma.

[Citizen Rules]

I had a feeling this was something you've seen, or at least need to if you haven't.
I am a bit limited in my Heflin roles, though I've been pretty impressed by the ones I've seen; this one tying my favorite in 3:10 to Yuma.He seems to turn up unexpected in the film's I'm watching:p He did make four other noirs. The film I seen him in last night was kinda of an odd one, I should make an effort and write a little something about it.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=74540
Tap Roots (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040861/) (George Marshall 1948)

I'm on a Susan Hayward kick and watching all of her filmography. I watched this one last night and had no idea what it was about until the credits rolled. It's a rather odd film as at first glance it seems like a poor cousin to 1939's Gone With the Wind. I mean we get Susan Hayward as the headstrong, firebrand daughter of a rich southern plantation owner. We get the big plantation run by her father, Ward Bond...and there's a surly, dangerous newspaper man played with passion by Van Heflin.

So this is one part melodrama with two suitors vying for the lovely Susan Haywards attention...But then we get the story of Ward Bond the powerful plantation owner who decides to declare his property and the entire valley it lays in, as Free Land...not aligned with the south or the north. He even gets up a militia and arms them. There's quite a battle going on towards the end of the movie. There's cypress trees in the swamps and canons and gun fights, it looked good AND it seemed all so familiar.

After I was done watching the film I remembered Free State of Jones (2016) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124037/)which was based on a true historical event during the civil war..and so was Tap Roots, in fact it's the same story.

rating_3_5+

(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124037/)

[WHITBISSELL!]

Took your recommendation and watched this last night. Survival films are not at the top of my watch list, but this one was exceptionally well done. Mads Mikkelsen is the only star in the picture, since the female character (Maria Smaradottir) never utters a word, and spends most of her screen time unconscious.

We’re treated to an uncommon beginning as we realize that Mikkelsen has survived his small plane crash in the arctic, and is digging a help sign in the snowy turf. He’s faced with a dilemma; he can either stay where he is, living in the plane wreck with food and water available, or try a near impossible trek to civilization. The rescue helicopter’s crash, leaving Maria alive, eventually makes up his mind for him.

Mikkelsen provides a tour de force performance, representing a gamut of human emotions without speech. Even absent the ambient sounds this would make an excellent silent film. The movie keeps the viewer on edge with the underlying feeling that they may be doomed. It must have been a difficult production with the entire picture shot in an arctic deep freeze. The run time is perfect at 98 minutes.

I was surprised to learn that this was both the director’s (Joe Penna) and co-writer’s (Ryan Morrison) first feature film, having done only a few shorts before this. The film had the feel of a seasoned director at the helm. It’s safe to say that Penna will have gotten plenty of offers following this fine film. It’s got an 8/10 from me.
I'm really glad you liked it. Your take is pretty much my own reaction to it.

[this_is_the_ girl]

I hated Marnie. As soon as Connery's character started comparing her to taming an animal, I was out. I found both lead characters deeply uninteresting and had like no investment in them at all.
Yes, and I kind of get why people refer to this film as Hitchcock at his most misogynistic. I mean, sure, Marnie is a deeply flawed character but at least that's partly explained by her childhood trauma that scars her for life, but the way Hitchcock presents Mark at the end as some sort of virtuous hero who just wants to "help", after him being also an obsessive manipulative control freak and woman abuser for two hours, rubbed me the wrong way. I get it, he probably wanted this film to be a complex psychological study with complex characters and stuff (and it does have some of that) but overall it simply misfires on a number of levels.

[Fabulous]

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/sELDCVPgb81eRjUdp6jwNLH3vty.jpg

[Wooley]

Yes...Chadwick Boseman won both awards for Lead Actor.

I like Chadwick Boseman a lot and I haven't seen the film yet so I don't know if the performance is just stellar, but with Ledger and him, I hope we're not setting the precedent that if you die the year you give a strong performance you automatically get the statues.

[Wooley]

I've talked a few times about having some mixed feelings about Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, so maybe that's what you're thinking of.

I do remember that. If I remember right, years back you really liked it and recommended it but over time you've felt more problematic toward it and cooled some?

[Wooley]

OK so maybe I've watched 3 movies since but special mention to this one - a strong contender for funniest film ever made - an absolute scream. A perfect comedy with insane lead chemistry, fantastic writing, and perfect direction. Lightning in a bottle. If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must. Like it made my top 10 favorites have to. 256/10.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/b5ac2fdb3ed62e6360e1d4b1838e2f1f/cz4yPou8hsBHkiA5ShxOjZ8bCxAcRI_large.jpg

This is actually one of my favorite movies ever. It used to run on HBO when I was a teenager in the 80s and I would just watch it over and over.

[Marco]

The Missing (2003)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2e/Missing_ver2.jpg/220px-Missing_ver2.jpg
Pretty gruff western regarding an absentee father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his embittered daughter (Cate Blanchett). They are tracking a troop of people smugglers who have abducted her daughter/his grandaughter.

This is overlong, and, despite some decent scenes meanders around the nub of the story. It also descended into a series of rather unimpressive firefights during ambushes that just seemed that Howard had completely ran out of ideas.
Both leads were good.
2

[ThatDarnMKS]

I like Chadwick Boseman a lot and I haven't seen the film yet so I don't know if the performance is just stellar, but with Ledger and him, I hope we're not setting the precedent that if you die the year you give a strong performance you automatically get the statues.
Boseman is sensational in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Even compared to his other performance that year (Da 5 Bloods), let alone his iconic Black Panther, it's unlike anything I've seen from him before. It's certainly an Oscar Worthy performance, much like Ledger' Joker.

Now, was it better than Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods? I don't know about that. But it's certainly better than Oldman's rewarmed Churchill in Mank.

When they pull a Bullock in Blind Side level of gaff on someone's death, I'll be concerned.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://substreammagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/lucky-2021.jpg
Lucky (2020, Natasha Kermani)
2
Feminist mystery thriller with time-loop mechanics kinda similar to Palm Springs (wife finds herself trapped in a loop where she is assaulted by a stranger in her own house only to learn from her husband it's happened before somehow without her knowing it). Interesting concept and metaphorical subtext but the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and I mean A LOT.

[Wooley]

Boseman is sensational in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Even compared to his other performance that year (Da 5 Bloods), let alone his iconic Black Panther, it's unlike anything I've seen from him before. It's certainly an Oscar Worthy performance, much like Ledger' Joker.

Now, was it better than Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods? I don't know about that. But it's certainly better than Oldman's rewarmed Churchill in Mank.

When they pull a Bullock in Blind Side level of gaff on someone's death, I'll be concerned.

Ya know, I actually thought Bullock gave a pretty nuanced and screen-commanding performance with the role, though I probably would have given the statue to Streep given that I did not see Mulligan's or Sidibe's films. But let's be honest, Oscars are often handed out as recognition of career work and while young performers often win Oscars these days, just as often it feels like there's a sense of, "Well, this is their first or second major role, they'll still be around later, we can give it to the old standby who's never been rewarded."

On the original topic. I strongly look forward to Boseman's performance. I just watched the trailer and he looks great. So does Davis, actually.
I really feel bad for Lindo, though, I've always thought he was underrated and now he finally gets a role that gives him a legit shot and Boseman dies so no one else even gets to be in the conversation. One assumes.

[Wooley]

https://substreammagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/lucky-2021.jpg
Lucky (2020, Natasha Kermani)
2
Feminist mystery thriller with time-loop mechanics kinda similar to Palm Springs (wife finds herself trapped in a loop where she is assaulted by a stranger in her own house only to learn from her husband it's happened before somehow without her knowing it). Interesting concept and metaphorical subtext but the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and I mean A LOT.
Ya know, I think my favorite time-loop movie, outside of Groundhog Day, is probably Triangle.
And I had a quibble with Triangle but really that movie got it right.

[this_is_the_ girl]

Ya know, I think my favorite time-loop movie, outside of Groundhog Day, is probably Triangle.
And I had a quibble with Triangle but really that movie got it right.
I haven't seen that one - added to my watch list.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Ya know, I actually thought Bullock gave a pretty nuanced and screen-commanding performance with the role, though I probably would have given the statue to Streep given that I did not see Mulligan's or Sidibe's films. But let's be honest, Oscars are often handed out as recognition of career work and while young performers often win Oscars these days, just as often it feels like there's a sense of, "Well, this is their first or second major role, they'll still be around later, we can give it to the old standby who's never been rewarded."

On the original topic. I strongly look forward to Boseman's performance. I just watched the trailer and he looks great. So does Davis, actually.
I really feel bad for Lindo, though, I've always thought he was underrated and now he finally gets a role that gives him a legit shot and Boseman dies so no one else even gets to be in the conversation. One assumes.
Sure. All of the Oscars deal with popularity and in party politics. That doesn't stop me from judging the merits of the performance against other winners as a metric of "worthiness."

If Boseman wins, did his death likely contribute to that win? Sure.

Was his performance better Oldman in Churchill or Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody? Absolutely.

[Rockatansky]

I'll need to give Ma Rainey a shot. I didn't dislike Boseman in the other films mentioned, but perhaps because he was playing archetypes or symbolic figures rather than fully three-dimensional characters, I didn't quite grasp the greatness that others have found in those performances.

[rbrayer]

This is actually one of my favorite movies ever. It used to run on HBO when I was a teenager in the 80s and I would just watch it over and over.

It's so unbelievably rewatchable! I watched it on my own then preempted my wife and I's movie night to watch it again only 2 days later and loved it even more.

[rbrayer]

Ever since watching the remake, I've been meaning to re-visit the original; thanks for reminding me

I've never seen the remake, though honestly, I can't see the logic in remaking this. It's a perfect film. That said, I'm curious what you will think of the two in comparison to each other.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F91rW45KfrbL._RI_SX300_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Story of the investigation and prosecution of the loon who killed Medgar Evers 30 years after the murder. Wasn't bad but it was a little uneven. Generally I enjoy these kinds of films when they concentrate on the investigation or the trial, not both. When they try to combine the two neither gets the attention it deserves, they kind of feel watered down and usually falls flat. Still a very watchable movie. 3

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Fbb0426dfeb228975e5901f171e59331b%2Ftumblr_pskyu2txMX1rgmfmpo3 _500.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Lenny

Very interesting movie about the life of comedian Lenny Bruce and his struggles with his wife, addiction and obscenity laws. Not a fan of Lenny Bruce as a comedian but he was a very interesting guy and I love comedians who push buttons. Dustin Hoffman was very good in this although his one weakness was the actual telling of jokes/stand up. I think one of the tougher roles an actor can do is portray a comedian, especially on stage, and it's mostly due to the fact that comedians, really good ones, have a unique presence when performing which is very difficult for a non comedian to capture. Away from the stage, even later in the movie when he's on stage not doing jokes but rambling about his obscenity case, Hoffman was outstanding. Valerie Perrine also gives a very strong performance as Bruce's wife. 4

[Marco]

Adopt a Highway (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Adopt_a_Highway.jpg
Likeable enough film on it's own legs but Ethan Hawke lifts this out of the mundane with his performance.

A film where I wanted the story to be longer and richer as his performance deserved it.
3.5

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://eofftvreview.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/dunwich-horror-2.png

The Dunwich Horror - I know this was released in 1970 before The Evil Dead movies but it's still sort of jarring to hear someone breezily utter the line, "And now, if you'll take the Necronomicon and return it to the library ...". Despite that intimation this isn't a particularly compelling movie and for anyone but hardcore Lovecraft fans there's not much to recommend. It moves slow even with the story being downright anorexic and the acting isn't exactly Oscar caliber. Dean Stockwell, I suppose, tries to add some semblance of villainy to his character of Wilbur Whateley, the last of his line of an accursed family of heretics. But his campy, wild-eyed performance turns out to be mostly distracting when everyone else is going for conventional. The fact that Sandra Dee's Nancy Wagner (who's supposed to be college aged) instantly falls under his spell when he's practically twirling his mustache was a bit of a sticking point for me.

And it doesn't matter all that much if anyone is unfamiliar with Lovecraft's 1928 novelette since the film departs from it radically while keeping the central conceit of an obsessed Wilbur consumed with the idea of opening a portal between dimensions. His aim is to allow "The Old Ones", an ancient race of Godlike beings, entry into our world. Lovecraft's works are usually so cabalistic in tone that it's a challenge to capture their true essence onscreen. So it seems unfair to fault this movie for underperforming. The third act big reveal of whatever it is the family keeps locked up in an upstairs room is okay given the technology available at the time. I guess if you're a horror fan and curious about Lovecraft you can give this a try. But since it roams so far afield from the authors work then you should at least have some fun and watch something like Die, Monster, Die instead.

rating_2

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTI2ODkyODEtM2EzNy00OWE1LWIwODUtM2JhYzg0NTZkMDY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_.jpg



3.5

[StuSmallz]

LA Confidential is a great, great movie. The second best neo-noir ever made about Los Angeles, behind of course, Chinatown.https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinelapsus.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F02%2Ffirst-cow_cinelapsus.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
First Cow (2019, Kelly Reichardt)
5
Another brilliant exploration of friendship / deconstruction of the western genre by Reichardt. The signature style in firmly in place - slow, meditative pacing, lingering pauses and silences, stunningly beautiful portrayal of nature almost as a character of its own, all amid a simple story told effortlessly and perfectly. Reichardt's ability to say so much with so little and make you care about her characters by taking her time and digging deep into the subtleties of human communication is downright remarkable (check out also how she builds suspense toward the climactic moment of the two friends getting busted). This is pure cinema made for the purest of intentions, with the utmost love and care for the subject matter - that's how I felt watching it.
Loved every second of it - definitely highly recommended.Well, if you guys like Chinatown (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2176127#post2176127) or Revisionist Westerns, (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2182776#post2182776) you should definitely check out my write-ups for them in the genre deconstruction thread...


shamelessself-promotion

[Thief]

SPRING NIGHT, SUMMER NIGHT
(1967, Anderson)
A film with the word "Spring" in its title

https://i.imgur.com/QCzalR1.jpg


"Whenever you try to live your life but... just don't work out."



Set in rural Ohio, Spring Night, Summer Night follows the events surrounding a dysfunctional family. Carl (Ted Heim) is the oldest son of miner-turned-farmer Virgil (John Crawford), who has remarried with Mae (Marj Johnson) with whom he has a bunch of other children, including Jess (Larue Hall), who is slightly younger than Carl. All of these characters fit the above mold of feeling trapped and smothered by the circumstances around them. Be it financial struggles, longings of a long-gone past, or an unwanted pregnancy.

I stumbled upon this film pretty much by chance while browsing Mubi, and although it was far from great, I still found myself pleasantly surprised by how honest and genuine it felt. Despite treading a decidedly controversial topic, the film handles it with care. Part of that is because of the pensive performances of the cast, but also to Anderson's melancholic direction, which often puts the surroundings in the foreground, as if the mountains and trees were absorbing the characters. His direction is still somewhat amateurish, but there are flairs of goodness here and there.

Other than that, some performances are a bit spotty (particularly of the supporting characters), the pace is a bit sluggish, and the way the characters try to handle the main conflict in the last act might be a bit cringey and problematic. But I will still give it props for putting it forward in 1967. Also, the black and white cinematography is quite good.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2185924#post2185924)

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinelapsus.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F02%2Ffirst-cow_cinelapsus.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
First Cow (2019, Kelly Reichardt)
rating_5
Another brilliant exploration of friendship / deconstruction of the western genre by Reichardt. The signature style in firmly in place - slow, meditative pacing, lingering pauses and silences, stunningly beautiful portrayal of nature almost as a character of its own, all amid a simple story told effortlessly and perfectly. Reichardt's ability to say so much with so little and make you care about her characters by taking her time and digging deep into the subtleties of human communication is downright remarkable (check out also how she builds suspense toward the climactic moment of the two friends getting busted). This is pure cinema made for the purest of intentions, with the utmost love and care for the subject matter - that's how I felt watching it.
Loved every second of it - definitely highly recommended.I loved this movie. I had already made up my Top 25 or else it might well have made it. As it is it's easily in my Top 50.

[Takoma11]

I do remember that. If I remember right, years back you really liked it and recommended it but over time you've felt more problematic toward it and cooled some?

Yes. While I love the film's themes and think it is incredibly sensitive to the fears and anxieties of growing up, I have mixed feelings about the use of an actual teenager in the role. Especially as the gap between her age and mine grows.

I haven't seen that one - added to my watch list.

I second the recommendation. Triangle is fabulous.

[Marco]

Now number 1 on my list....recently I've been enjoying films in the same genre...fingers crossed.

[Marco]

First Cow I mean! :)

[Fabulous]

Certified Copy (2010)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/slNzn4E0XA1WE0yh9I53oIzXQ4e.jpg

[SpelingError]

Rudderless (2014) - 3

Initially, I was really impressed with this film. I found its story deeply compelling and I really liked the final act, in particular. While I still think it's a good movie, the more I thought about it, the less impressed I was with the whole affair.

Before I get into my issues with the film though, I'll talk about what I liked, which was mainly the emotional core involving Sam. It's hard to discuss this aspect without spoiling it, but I really loved the way it developed throughout the film. Though you may dislike Sam, I did understand why he did what he was doing and I found the idea of him performing his son's music to help him cope with his death really compelling. Also, without spoiling anything, what you learn in the third act complicates your feelings on Sam even more. The significance of the film's title is that, just as a boat without a rudder drifts aimlessly without no clear purpose, the same could be said for Sam. After the opening, he has an unstable position of living in a boat and he plans to perform only one of Josh's songs, but after meeting Quentin, he spirals off from there, with his band obtaining more popularity around the city he lives in as the film goes on. Yet, in spite of all this, he still shows a lack of interest in expanding the band's popularity at times.

There were also a couple minor things I enjoyed about this film. The first one was its portrayal of how Rudderless grew in popularity as the film went on. I generally like seeing artists grow in popularity and recognition in films and I think this movie gave a fine depiction of this. I also liked that Billy Crudup and Anton Yelchin were legitimately good singers as, nowadays, this can be hard to come by in Hollywood. Finally, I enjoyed some of the film's humor. Like, not all the humor worked (more on that in a bit), but I did appreciate the occasional humorous line or gag.

With that being said, I think the main problem with this film was that there was too much going on in it. While I found the emotional core compelling, I wasn't so hot on the conflict between Sam and Alaird, the agent of the boat harbor. Within this sub-plot lied a few scenes where Sam urinated into the lake in public (sometimes to the view of children) and another scene where he endangered the lives of multiple people on the lake. These actions culminated with Alaird asking for him to stop and threatening to kick him off the lake. Though this sub-plot would've still been unnecessary, these scenes could've worked decently enough if the film had remained firmly on Alaird's side, but instead, these scenes came off as humorous and if the movie was trying to get us to sympathize with Sam. This sub-plot clashed poorly against the main conflict, which didn't ask for us to sympathize with Sam. As a result, this kind of muddled the film's message, in my opinion. I was also left confused by the conflict with Kate, Josh's ex-girlfriend. While I'm not sure the story would've been improved if she was in the film more, I did find it weird that Selena Gomez, the most well-known celebrity in the film, was cast in the role. Given how little she was in the film, her scenes felt like cameos.

I was also surprised that Josh's music got as popular as it did. Like, don't get me wrong. I did like the music Rudderless performed, but Quentin and everybody else who listened to it reacted to the music as if it was one of the best things they ever listened to. I found this aspect kind of cheesy. To be honest though, I think it's really hard to get the "character is a great artist" premise to work. In Amadeus, for instance, this premise obviously worked given the source material. In World's Greatest Dad though, I had difficulties with believing that Lance's mediocre writing got as popular as it did. Really, if a film wants me to believe that a character is excellent at creating something (music, poetry, etc.) to the point that everybody appears to be blown away by it, their work better be that great for this premise to work. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with this film.

Overall, even though I have more bad than good to say about this film, I did enjoy it quite a bit. I think the emotional core of the film is strong enough to shine through the narrative issues (which are admittedly a lot) and, in the end, I came away satisfied with the film. I'm not sure if it's something I'll revisit, but I definitely enjoyed my time with it.

[xSookieStackhouse]

First Cow I mean! :)

what were u talking bout?

[Marco]

First Cow (2019)
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/07/27/first-cow-movie-review-2020_wide-866aa7ce8c33aab3f0511b75b7953ed7f913cb85-s600-c85.jpg
After a few recommendations I thought "watch" and I really wasn't disappointed. The acting in this is subtly sublime and it moved at just the right place to get the gravity of the situation (and harshness) spot on.

I really like it when a film-maker/director can portray a persons hopes and dreams without the character actually jawing about them all the time but depicting it through their application.
I really liked this.
4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTlmYzI2NTMtYmZmOS00ZTYzLTg2ZTUtZDhkZjhkZDVjMWQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ@._V1_.jpg



3

[Wooley]

Sure. All of the Oscars deal with popularity and in party politics. That doesn't stop me from judging the merits of the performance against other winners as a metric of "worthiness."

If Boseman wins, did his death likely contribute to that win? Sure.

Was his performance better Oldman in Churchill or Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody? Absolutely.

I don't doubt that.

[Corax]

The Platform - Netflix

Imagine making The Cube into a painfully literal critique of "trickle down economics."

6.5 out of 10

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/f737b8162d3e15f935e9fc72419f3f92.jpeg

The 39 Steps - This 1934 Alfred Hitchcock is his 22nd film but it's still the earliest work from him that I've seen. It stars Robert Donat as Canadian citizen Richard Hannay in a role that eventually became a Hitchcock trademark. That of a wrongly accused man forced to go on the run in order to prove his innocence. He's been implicated in a murder and eventually ends up handcuffed to Pamela (Madeleine Carroll). The mismatched couple go through the usual hostilities which eventually turns to something else. This film paved the way for and influenced so many other thrillers that they would probably be impossible to list. The story also employs a lot of British and Scottish locales which are put to good use by the director. Watch this if you're keen on seeing the Hitchcock everyone is familiar with right near the start of his ascendance.

rating_4

[GulfportDoc]

74618
Dead Reckoning (1947)

If you’re a fan of film noir, this production features all of the notable tropes characteristic of that style in full display: a jaundiced central character, a sultry femme fatale, a refined gangster boss, flash backs, a voice-over narration, and palpable nocturnal settings. Even the music score was reminiscent of the score in Double Indemnity.

In flash back told to a priest, Humphrey Bogart relates the story of two soldiers (Bogart and William Prince) who are traveling to Washington, D.C. where Prince is scheduled to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Prince said he doesn’t want the medal, and during a stop over he flees on another train. Bogart is tasked with finding Prince. Later Prince turns up dead, which leads to Bogart learning a possible motive for Prince’s wanting to decline the medal.

Bogart then goes on a winding path to find both Prince’s murderer and also to clear his friend’s name from a crime he was thought to have committed. Along the way Bogart finds Prince’s girlfriend (Lizabeth Scott): the femme fatale who is seemingly under the spell of a casino boss. There are several twists which follow, but everything is nicely tied up in the end.

Bogart essentially plays the character type that he established in The Maltese Falcon: a pragmatic, jaded soul who tends toward wise cracks. And without his presence the picture would have probably flopped. Scott’s role had been designed for Rita Hayworth after the success of Gilda, but Hayworth declined due to contractural disputes. Scott, as the replacement, seems distant, almost stiff in the role. But Lizabeth Scott fans won’t be disappointed.

Reportedly there were five writers on this picture, and as a result the continuity suffered. Bogart and Scott didn’t have much chemistry together, so at a point in which they fell in love, it was lacking in authenticity. This picture is not in the highest tier of noir films, but yet the plot holds one’s interest. And who could not like seeing the dame, the shamus type, and the threatening gangster go at it in a dark and steamy plot?

[Stirchley]

74621

Good movie, but rambling. Did not need to be 2-1/2 hours long.

[Takoma11]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/f737b8162d3e15f935e9fc72419f3f92.jpeg

The 39 Steps - This 1934 Alfred Hitchcock is his 22nd film but it's still the earliest work from him that I've seen. It stars Robert Donat as Canadian citizen Richard Hannay in a role that eventually became a Hitchcock trademark. That of a wrongly accused man forced to go on the run in order to prove his innocence. He's been implicated in a murder and eventually ends up handcuffed to Pamela (Madeleine Carroll). The mismatched couple go through the usual hostilities which eventually turns to something else. This film paved the way for and influenced so many other thrillers that they would probably be impossible to list. The story also employs a lot of British and Scottish locales which are put to good use by the director. Watch this if you're keen on seeing the Hitchcock everyone is familiar with right near the start of his ascendance.

rating_4

I REALLY like The 39 Steps.

[mark f]

Pixie (Barnaby Thompson, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Mountaintop Motel Massacre (Jim McCullough, 1983) 2 5/10
Priceless (Ben Smallbone, 2017) 2.5 5.5/10
Macabre (Lamberto Bava, 1980) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/4dd9acaf69250d6c646f73a0e9829fa7/tumblr_odnne4jRqQ1tr6ni8o1_500.gifv
It all started here.
Stone Cold Dead (George Mendeluk, 1979) 2.5 5.5/10
Blue Film Woman (Kan Mukai, 1969) 2 5/10 Cult (WTF?) Rating 7/10
L'amore (Roberto Rossellini, 1948) 2.5 6/10
Trouble in the Garden (Rosamund Owen, 2018) 3 6.5/10
https://ocanfilmfest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/webPhoto76m-RAVEN-in-her-tent-LLP_1184-964.jpg
Cara Gee is at the center of a shocking story about Canada's aboriginal.youth.
Schizoid (David Paulsen, 1980) 2 5/10
Fruit of Paradise (Vera Chytilová, 1970) 2.5 6/10
The Winter Lake (Phil Sheerin, 2020) 2 5/10
Adverse (Brian A. Metcalf, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://movizark.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/adverse-movie-film-crime-thriller-2020-ride-share-thomas-ian-nicholas-mickey-rourke.jpg?w=470&h=140&crop=1
Thomas Ian Nicholas will get revenge for his sister's death even if it involves his new boss (Mickey Rourke).
Night of the Kings (Philippe Lacôte, 2020) 2.5 6/10
The Affair AKA The Glass Room (Julius Sevcík, 2019) 2 5/10
Rudderless (William H. Macy, 2014) 2.5 6/10
I Still Hide to Smoke (Rayhana, 2016) 3 6.5/10
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/nVabAomYP4Ne6ocfwUjywQ8ytCJ.jpg
Political commentary on 1995 Algiers, set mostly in a women's public bath house, that highlights solidarity and sexism and concludes powerfully and poetically.
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (Steve Franks, 2020) 2.5 6/10
The Canyonlands (Brendan Devane, 2021) 2 5/10
The Cannibal Man (Eloy de la Iglesia, 1972) 2.5 5.5/10
Land (Robin Wright, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/5766be549f477418b4c9f4745261f263/621520656091141e-3b/s500x750/7cd00c16e7125eda95f67d4dfb9531f17dcb241f.jpg
Two people (Demián Bichir & Robin Wright) who've suffered serious loss meet in remote Wyoming and find a way to help each other.

[Marco]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/f737b8162d3e15f935e9fc72419f3f92.jpeg

The 39 Steps - This 1934 Alfred Hitchcock is his 22nd film but it's still the earliest work from him that I've seen. It stars Robert Donat as Canadian citizen Richard Hannay in a role that eventually became a Hitchcock trademark. That of a wrongly accused man forced to go on the run in order to prove his innocence. He's been implicated in a murder and eventually ends up handcuffed to Pamela (Madeleine Carroll). The mismatched couple go through the usual hostilities which eventually turns to something else. This film paved the way for and influenced so many other thrillers that they would probably be impossible to list. The story also employs a lot of British and Scottish locales which are put to good use by the director. Watch this if you're keen on seeing the Hitchcock everyone is familiar with right near the start of his ascendance.

rating_4

I'm a big fan of this (and Robert Donat)....it seems so far, relatively, ahead of it's time.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=74631
Les maudits (1947) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039615/)
aka The Damned
Dir. René Clément


A French language film for fans of Hitchcock and for those who thrill to terse thrillers.


What makes The Damned so damn unique is it's a French film about Nazis escaping Europe days after the fall of Berlin. Even more unique, this was made in 1947 a scant two years after the end of WWII. It was very interesting seeing how the recently free French cinema would portray their previous enemies. If that isn't enough to convince you that this film is worth 90 minutes of your time...they also shot some of the scenes on a real submarine, so it looked authentic too.

Besides all that it's a psychological thriller with a captured French doctor shanghaied onboard the Nazi sub to treat an woman in a coma. Once he's treated the woman he knows his usefulness has come to the end and the brutal SS officer will execute him. But, how in the hell does one escape from a submarine in the middle of the ocean?

I've recently watched a number of WWII submarine movies so I feel I know something about the sub-genre (ha get it) and The Damned is one of the most exciting and unique sub films I've seen.

rating_3_5++

[hello101]

Taxi Driver - 5
IT - 5
When The Wind Blows 5

[WHITBISSELL!]

I'm a big fan of this (and Robert Donat)....it seems so far, relatively, ahead of it's time.Oh yes, especially when it came to the interaction with the female characters. First with Annabelle Smith inviting herself back to his apartment, then the Scottish farmers wife and ending with Madeleine Carroll's Pamela. Their bedroom scene at the inn was surprisingly intimate given the era.

[Fabulous]

Phantasm (1979)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/gIdKN3lHzwlhlP7VQ4NR7HLpaIv.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Taxi Driver - 5
IT - 5
When The Wind Blows 5

new IT? or classic IT?

[James D. Gardiner]

Les maudits (1947) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039615/)
aka The Damned
Dir. René Clément


Thanks for the interesting write up on this, likewise @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536). I haven't seen the film yet but I definitely will sometime. I've just been doing some interesting research about it. Apparently Clément really went overboard building an accurate replica in the studio for the interior shots, and developed some interesting camera mechanics and filming techniques. Looking at screenshots it's interesting looking at the real life submarine you mention. It appears to be a French type of pre-war design, but with late/post-war additions such as the anti-aircraft emplacements, which make it look like a U-boat actually. :)

Research reveals that the boat in the script is U-471, an interesting choice considering the real life history there. U-471 was a German Type VIIC with a fairly unremarkable wartime record. She conducted three war patrols with no ships sunk, and was herself sunk in the port of Toulon during an air raid in 1944. However after the war the boat was raised and returned to service in 1946 with the French Navy as Millé, and served there until 1962 before being scrapped in '63. This and another boat of the same type apparently conducted their initial French Navy sea trials with German crews, who were still POWs at the time. I wonder if ideas of a similar escape ever crossed their minds? :D Look forward to seeing it.


https://i.imgur.com/dcV754h.jpg

Sub used in the film

https://i.imgur.com/D6nLNRK.jpg

U-471/Millé in 1961

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.drafthouse.com%2Fc_fill%2Ch_591%2Cw_1050%2Fv1501781627%2Fimages%2Fshows%2Fbl ack-sunday-1960%2Fblack-sunday-image-01.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Black Sunday, 1960

A woman named Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) is brutally executed by her own brother on a charge of witchcraft. Years and years later, Doctor Kruvajan (Andrea Checchi) and his assistant Dr Gorobec (John Richardson) arrive in the village and accidentally (while committing some light grave-robbing) awaken Asa. Borobec finds himself drawn to Katia (also Barbara Steele), a descendant of Asa's. But the awakened Asa intends to use Katia's body to return to life.

Usually it's the films I don't like that I don't have much to say about. But in this case, I really liked the film but find myself struggling to have much to discuss.

To begin with, the visuals are awesome. The film is a gorgeous black-and-white, with plenty of stark shadows, ominous lighting, and dramatic sets. It makes the most of Barbara Steele's striking features.

The horror aspect of the film is very solid as well. The execution sequence in the beginning of the film is horrific. But I was also a fan of the way that it showed Asa slowly returning to life--especially the shot of her eyeless corpse with dark liquid writhing on the inside.

The characters themselves are . . . medium compelling. Katia is nice enough, but neither she nor Gorobec are super strong characters. The story is enjoyable, even if some of the characters are a bit flat---the plot progression alone is enough to keep you hooked all the way through.

One slight hesitation I had was the perpetual "treating witches as real" thing. We aren't actually shown what Asa is meant to have done. And the sexualized sequence of her being tortured and then killed, while horrifying, is slightly complicated by the fact that the torturers are meant to be in the right. Frankly, after watching her get branded, taunted, and having a mask nailed to her face, I was kind of Team Asa. Though it would have been much more satisfying to see her get some direct revenge on her smarmy brother.

Mostly, this is a visually splendid film with tons of atmosphere to spare.

4

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F81NSVbv7EoL._SX300_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

About a group of resistance fighters living in German controlled Rome during WW2. Broken up into two parts, part 1 shows what life is like for the citizens under German control while they work to help one of their own, wanted by the Nazi's for leading a revolution, escape the city. Not all movies have a happy ending and part 2 is about the capture and questioning of said leader and his accomplices. Pretty good and I'm sure it'll be even better the second time around. 4

[martyrofevil]

Muzzle Flash: The 666 Case (Benjamin Ruffett, 2021)
Faux-throwback microbudget schlock made locally. Wakaliwood level effects with much less charm unfortunately but it has its moments, mostly later on, and the acting is mostly pretty alright (relatively speaking of course).
2

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.drafthouse.com%2Fc_fill%2Ch_591%2Cw_1050%2Fv1501781627%2Fimages%2Fshows%2Fbl ack-sunday-1960%2Fblack-sunday-image-01.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Black Sunday, 1960

A woman named Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) is brutally executed by her own brother on a charge of witchcraft. Years and years later, Doctor Kruvajan (Andrea Checchi) and his assistant Dr Gorobec (John Richardson) arrive in the village and accidentally (while committing some light grave-robbing) awaken Asa. Borobec finds himself drawn to Katia (also Barbara Steele), a descendant of Asa's. But the awakened Asa intends to use Katia's body to return to life.

Usually it's the films I don't like that I don't have much to say about. But in this case, I really liked the film but find myself struggling to have much to discuss.

To begin with, the visuals are awesome. The film is a gorgeous black-and-white, with plenty of stark shadows, ominous lighting, and dramatic sets. It makes the most of Barbara Steele's striking features.

The horror aspect of the film is very solid as well. The execution sequence in the beginning of the film is horrific. But I was also a fan of the way that it showed Asa slowly returning to life--especially the shot of her eyeless corpse with dark liquid writhing on the inside.

The characters themselves are . . . medium compelling. Katia is nice enough, but neither she nor Gorobec are super strong characters. The story is enjoyable, even if some of the characters are a bit flat---the plot progression alone is enough to keep you hooked all the way through.

One slight hesitation I had was the perpetual "treating witches as real" thing. We aren't actually shown what Asa is meant to have done. And the sexualized sequence of her being tortured and then killed, while horrifying, is slightly complicated by the fact that the torturers are meant to be in the right. Frankly, after watching her get branded, taunted, and having a mask nailed to her face, I was kind of Team Asa. Though it would have been much more satisfying to see her get some direct revenge on her smarmy brother.

Mostly, this is a visually splendid film with tons of atmosphere to spare.

4
It's funny you say this, I'm a fan of this movie and seen it several times, but the thing I think that's interesting is that one does end up kind of being on Asa's side in this, it's almost like she ends up as the anti-hero. And I don't think it was intentional. But the way she was brutalized and the fact that you only get moment there where they give you a sense that she was really dangerous and may have done some awful **** we don't see, before the movie started, added to the weakness of the protagonists who are endangered by her, you end up kinda being like, "Well, we'll just see how this plays out, I could kinda go either way here."
I mean, Katia doesn't deserve her possible fate but otherwise who cares about these people?
Fortunately, I think the movie and Steele start to give you the sense toward the end that she's real evil and you don't want her around.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fis1-ssl.mzstatic.com%2Fimage%2Fthumb%2FVideo123%2Fv4%2F40%2F37%2F46%2F403746f0-f87b-0a0d-8bd3-f2e112556d7b%2F7674_AAAA_artwork.jpg%2F268x0w.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Documentary about a guy, Mike Diana, who was charged and convicted of obscenity in Fl. for his raunchy comics. Okay, his comics were a bit more than just raunchy - they were extremely rough, kind of in poor taste, totally offensive, gross, many would say sick, displays of sex and violence. The film, directed by Frank Henenlotter of Brain Damage, Bad Biology, Basket Case fame, is a first amendment film questioning what, if anything, is obscene. The irony, as is usually the case, is that had the prosecution never happened this guy probably never would have been heard of.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTMyY2Q2MDctMDFlMS00MWEzLTk1NmEtNDcxNzg1ZGJlNGU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk4OTc3MTY@._V1_UY1200_CR90,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg


1.5

[Takoma11]

It's funny you say this, I'm a fan of this movie and seen it several times, but the thing I think that's interesting is that one does end up kind of being on Asa's side in this, it's almost like she ends up as the anti-hero. And I don't think it was intentional. But the way she was brutalized and the fact that you only get moment there where they give you a sense that she was really dangerous and may have done some awful **** we don't see, before the movie started, added to the weakness of the protagonists who are endangered by her, you end up kinda being like, "Well, we'll just see how this plays out, I could kinda go either way here."
I mean, Katia doesn't deserve her possible fate but otherwise who cares about these people?
Fortunately, I think the movie and Steele start to give you the sense toward the end that she's real evil and you don't want her around.

I agree with you that Steele does a great job of conveying that Asa is evil.

I guess for me there is a two wrongs don't make a right mentality. Fine, say someone is evil. The whole self-satisfied ritual of branding her and tormenting her and, again, nailing a mask to her face, is just so extreme. That relationship--between Asa and her brother--was the one I felt was lacking. Something is missing in terms of closure, for me, in the treatment of Asa.

I agree that the tepid characters make it easy to go with the flow. It would have been nice to have a more compelling narrative to go along with the fantastic look and feel of the film.

[Gideon58]

74618
Dead Reckoning (1947)

If you’re a fan of film noir, this production features all of the notable tropes characteristic of that style in full display: a jaundiced central character, a sultry femme fatale, a refined gangster boss, flash backs, a voice-over narration, and palpable nocturnal settings. Even the music score was reminiscent of the score in Double Indemnity.

In flash back told to a priest, Humphrey Bogart relates the story of two soldiers (Bogart and William Prince) who are traveling to Washington, D.C. where Prince is scheduled to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Prince said he doesn’t want the medal, and during a stop over he flees on another train. Bogart is tasked with finding Prince. Later Prince turns up dead, which leads to Bogart learning a possible motive for Prince’s wanting to decline the medal.

Bogart then goes on a winding path to find both Prince’s murderer and also to clear his friend’s name from a crime he was thought to have committed. Along the way Bogart finds Prince’s girlfriend (Lizabeth Scott): the femme fatale who is seemingly under the spell of a casino boss. There are several twists which follow, but everything is nicely tied up in the end.

Bogart essentially plays the character type that he established in The Maltese Falcon: a pragmatic, jaded soul who tends toward wise cracks. And without his presence the picture would have probably flopped. Scott’s role had been designed for Rita Hayworth after the success of Gilda, but Hayworth declined due to contractural disputes. Scott, as the replacement, seems distant, almost stiff in the role. But Lizabeth Scott fans won’t be disappointed.

Reportedly there were five writers on this picture, and as a result the continuity suffered. Bogart and Scott didn’t have much chemistry together, so at a point in which they fell in love, it was lacking in authenticity. This picture is not in the highest tier of noir films, but yet the plot holds one’s interest. And who could not like seeing the dame, the shamus type, and the threatening gangster go at it in a dark and steamy plot?

You didn't rate the film and I was curious as to how you would rate it, it's hard to tell from the review.

[Gideon58]

74621

Good movie, but rambling. Did not need to be 2-1/2 hours long.


I LOVED this movie...no argument that its a little longer than it needs to be. This is the film that Russell Crowe should have won the Oscar for, not Gladiator.

[Gideon58]

https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/130b4cfa-c5c3-4eb0-88a3-7822a3ad770c/bfd9ebf2-2e25-4c09-823e-757ee49105cb.jpg

Act of Violence (1948) 4 Frank (Van Heflin) has got a really good life. A really wonderful wife, Edith (Janet Leigh) and a baby boy. He's a war hero and a successful business man that everyone likes.
But, ya see, during the war, in a POW camp, Frank made a mistake. We all make mistakes, right? Well, it was a pretty hefty one and Joe, (Robert Ryan) is coming to kill him for it.

Surprisingly, this tense noir-thriller is sort of unknown. With a cast that, along with those mentioned, includes Mary Astor playing a drifter who finds Frank at his worst and tries, in vain, to help. Along with Phyllis Thaxter playing Joe's girlfriend, Ann who tries and tries to dissuade Joe from this hellbent vengeance.

Along with all the cinematic shadowing and twisting roads of a truly good noir, we also are treated with not only the tormented "prey" (Heflin), but also the tortured "hunter" (Ryan) as the chase draws to a close. Both men haunted by what happened and how this will have to end.


Good review, this film sounds really interesting...LOVE the screen shot you posted.

[pahaK]

SAS: Red Notice (2021)
2.5
Like a modern Under Siege 2 but not as good. Very 80s in both good and bad.

--
Knight of Cups (2015)
2.5
I've been meaning to watch more Malick and this was on a local TV's streaming service. Definitely worse than The Tree of Life, but visually exciting, and sorta intriguing in its poeticism. Just like a poet, Malick is just self-reflecting in all his movies, and this makes them a little repetitive. Still a director I respect but don't necessarily like that much.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I REALLY like The 39 Steps.I'm curious as to whether or not you've seen the Hitchcock that immediately preceded this, The Man Who Knew Too Much. I watched the 1956 remake with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day but from what I've read the '34 version is considered Hitchcock's first big success. It might also be a more fitting example of what was to come. Plus it's got Peter Lorre in it. I don't know if I should make a point of checking it out.

[edarsenal]

Good review, this film sounds really interesting...LOVE the screen shot you posted.
Thanks Gideon. I think you'd enjoy this one. CR had seen it previously and enjoyed it as well.
The cinematography was really great in this. In fact, the mood of the shots shift from the opening scenes of a very bright, beautiful life, to a more darker tone as the story focuses on the two tortured men and their inevitable collision. The transition of which is so subtle that the realization of it, adds to the tension even more so.

[cricket]

Maria Candelaria (1944)

3

https://www.landuum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Maria-Candelaria-5_Fotografi%CC%81a-de-Gabriel-Figueroa.jpg

AKA Portrait of Maria was an early Cannes' winner and is one of the most popular movies in the history of Mexican film. I liked the story, and it's an easy watch with an affecting ending. Despite the subtitles, locale, and cast, it didn't feel much different than an American film. It was good.

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=74631
Les maudits (1947) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039615/)
aka The Damned
Dir. René Clément


A French language film for fans of Hitchcock and for those who thrill to terse thrillers.


What makes The Damned so damn unique is it's a French film about Nazis escaping Europe days after the fall of Berlin. Even more unique, this was made in 1947 a scant two years after the end of WWII. It was very interesting seeing how the recently free French cinema would portray their previous enemies. If that isn't enough to convince you that this film is worth 90 minutes of your time...they also shot some of the scenes on a real submarine, so it looked authentic too.

Besides all that it's a psychological thriller with a captured French doctor shanghaied onboard the Nazi sub to treat an woman in a coma. Once he's treated the woman he knows his usefulness has come to the end and the brutal SS officer will execute him. But, how in the hell does one escape from a submarine in the middle of the ocean?

I've recently watched a number of WWII submarine movies so I feel I know something about the sub-genre (ha get it) and The Damned is one of the most exciting and unique sub films I've seen.

rating_3_5++




glad you enjoyed this sub-genre ;) It was a great little find.
Thanks for the interesting write up on this, likewise @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536). I haven't seen the film yet but I definitely will sometime. I've just been doing some interesting research about it. Apparently Clément really went overboard building an accurate replica in the studio for the interior shots, and developed some interesting camera mechanics and filming techniques. Looking at screenshots it's interesting looking at the real life submarine you mention. It appears to be a French type of pre-war design, but with late/post-war additions such as the anti-aircraft emplacements, which make it look like a U-boat actually. :)

Research reveals that the boat in the script is U-471, an interesting choice considering the real life history there. U-471 was a German Type VIIC with a fairly unremarkable wartime record. She conducted three war patrols with no ships sunk, and was herself sunk in the port of Toulon during an air raid in 1944. However after the war the boat was raised and returned to service in 1946 with the French Navy as Millé, and served there until 1962 before being scrapped in '63. This and another boat of the same type apparently conducted their initial French Navy sea trials with German crews, who were still POWs at the time. I wonder if ideas of a similar escape ever crossed their minds? :D Look forward to seeing it.


https://i.imgur.com/dcV754h.jpg

Sub used in the film

https://i.imgur.com/D6nLNRK.jpg

U-471/Millé in 1961

Hope you do get a chance to check it out James and I'd love to hear what you think when you do.
Great little bit of technical there, very much enjoyed that, thank you!

[Siddon]

Sure. All of the Oscars deal with popularity and in party politics. That doesn't stop me from judging the merits of the performance against other winners as a metric of "worthiness."

If Boseman wins, did his death likely contribute to that win? Sure.

Was his performance better Oldman in Churchill or Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody? Absolutely.


I think Boseman would have won anyways...Riz Ahmed is good in Sound of Metal but it's not the sort of performance that really lends it's self to an Oscar. Minari might get several acting noms and Steve Yeun is a little to subtle for the academy.



I still have to see The Father though but they don't normally double down on old white guys.

[Siddon]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/4E56/production/_113845002_screenshot2020-08-07at08.49.09.png



Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)


This film is a bit of a mixed bag, in a lot of ways this should be an all-time Scorcese style crime film that runs for three hours. Daniel Kaluuya is the "supporting" role and Lakeith Stanfield is the "lead" though really you could easily reverse the titles. Jesse Plemons is also very good in this and could have used more of a character arc with more screen time. Had the director had the guts to give us a three hour epic what is a 4 star film could have been a 5 star classic. Maybe we'll get a directors cut next year.


The film is visually interesting, the characters aren't just victims but complicated characters with actual stories to tell. The last few scenes in the film are heartbreaking and crushing which is impressive seeing as how the story is so well known.


4

[Citizen Rules]

Maria Candelaria (1944)

rating_3


AKA Portrait of Maria was an early Cannes' winner and is one of the most popular movies in the history of Mexican film. I liked the story, and it's an easy watch with an affecting ending. Despite the subtitles, locale, and cast, it didn't feel much different than an American film. It was good.That was on my possible choice list for the upcoming PRIII. I can't remember who I considered it for, maybe it would be a good choice for me?

[Captain Terror]

I'm curious as to whether or not you've seen the Hitchcock that immediately preceded this, The Man Who Knew Too Much. I watched the 1956 remake with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day but from what I've read the '34 version is considered Hitchcock's first big success. It might also be a more fitting example of what was to come. Plus it's got Peter Lorre in it. I don't know if I should make a point of checking it out.
You didn't ask me, but yes you should check it out.

[cricket]

That was on my possible choice list for the upcoming PRIII. I can't remember who I considered it for, maybe it would be a good choice for me?

You haven't seen it though? Maybe you considered it for Siddon since he doesn't have many not crossed off? It was good but I didn't think much more than that.

[Siddon]

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/united-states-vs-billie-holiday-04.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1024



United States vs Billie Holiday (2020)


Sometimes a great performance can't get past a mess of a film and Lee Daniels is a man who just missed the point. Andra Day gives a starmaking and Oscar worthy performance as Billie Holiday who the government is pressuring her to not sing her song Strange Fruit. The film is just a complete mess of a narrative. Holiday's sexuality is at times treated like a focal point and then brushed aside the next minute. Her drug addiction is what ends up killing her yet once again doesn't really get the focus of the story until the plot needs it. The racism is sadly cartoonish which might have worked in other years but this is the year of subtlety.


The FBI Agent at the center of the story should be the lead but his character arc is cut and pasted throughout the film. You actually feel like chunks of the story are missing. The sad thing is had they just focused on Holiday's sexuality I think this could have been a very good movie...but Daniels missed the boat


2

[Thief]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/carousel-files/f737b8162d3e15f935e9fc72419f3f92.jpeg

The 39 Steps - This 1934 Alfred Hitchcock is his 22nd film but it's still the earliest work from him that I've seen. It stars Robert Donat as Canadian citizen Richard Hannay in a role that eventually became a Hitchcock trademark. That of a wrongly accused man forced to go on the run in order to prove his innocence. He's been implicated in a murder and eventually ends up handcuffed to Pamela (Madeleine Carroll). The mismatched couple go through the usual hostilities which eventually turns to something else. This film paved the way for and influenced so many other thrillers that they would probably be impossible to list. The story also employs a lot of British and Scottish locales which are put to good use by the director. Watch this if you're keen on seeing the Hitchcock everyone is familiar with right near the start of his ascendance.

rating_4

This one didn't impress me on a first watch, but improved greatly on a second. It's an extremely fun film.

[Thief]

74621

Good movie, but rambling. Did not need to be 2-1/2 hours long.

I didn't mind the length on this. It's my favorite Mann film.

[Siddon]

https://media11.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202101/tdy_sun_spotlight_rehema_marainey_210110.focal-760x428.jpg

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)


Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is perfect. Yeah I just wanted to start off with that one line. But yeah this one is pretty great...watching all of these black films during a week everything becomes very repetitive and predictable. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was not what I expected from it. The racism is handled far better here than in other films because you get the complexity's of power of the characters. Davis is in charge she's the DIVA, she's the Star but she doesn't really have the power and she's not really the story.


The story really is about three men in a band and how they are survivors. The chemistry between the young(but not that young) Boseman, the accommodating Domingo and the wise Toledo offers a look into the complexity of three african men who are in the basement so to speak but are far more interesting and complicated than the big star. Boseman is going to win an Oscar he just has so much manic energy where he bounces from self destruction to pity it's nuanced and incredible.


But what I really loved about this film...was the pacing. This movie is 94 minutes and it flies by...no padding whatsoever. It feels staged like a play but it works so well and it's a shame that the Academy doesn't recognize this style of filmmaking more because I think it's very strong.


5

[Siddon]

https://stylecaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Soul.jpg

Soul (2020)


Life is meaningless and you should give up your dreams. I haven't watched the Car's movies and I liked The Good Dinosaur but this was bottom of the barrel for Pixar. I mean this feels like a film that didn't need to be Pixar'd and the message is pretty horrible. I don't even know who this film is for. This is the film that made me actually dislike cats...



rating_2

[GulfportDoc]

[Dead Reckoning] You didn't rate the film and I was curious as to how you would rate it, it's hard to tell from the review.
I really enjoyed the film several times, but I could only give it 6/10.

[Siddon]

https://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/onenightinmiami-rooftop-allfour.jpg


One Night in Miami (2020)


Regina King's directorial debut gave me some Casavettes vibes. Taking four famous friends and giving them an evening to just act and perform we the audience are allowed to go deeper into race relations. This is a wonderful pallet cleanser after the shallowness of the other racial films this year. One Night in Miami takes four exceptional men and breaks them down...without actually breaking any of them down. But not only that but King goes deep into the characters...we see Ali's youth, Brown's wisdom, Cooke's class, and Malcolm X's softer side. It's so much more interesting to see a different take on the familiar. King really wants to let you know these characters as people and the struggles they are going through. The film has it's flaws...it drags a bit in the beginning and the location changes feel tacked on but needed.


4

[edarsenal]

https://media2.giphy.com/media/3NwXqAuwvzC9K5deoQ/giphy.gif
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WarmheartedWealthyDesertpupfish-size_restricted.gif

In This Corner of the World (2016) 4.5++ I had first caught an interest in this film when Guaporense had it as a 1 pointer in the recent Top 100 of All-Time Refresh: Countdown. Putting it on my Watchlist in Jabs' 2021 Film Challenge (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2154355#post2154355). So I must thank Guap for introducing me to this heartfelt, endearing slice of life, bit of cinema.

Set during World War II in in a rural area near Hiroshima, Japan, we get to know Suzu, a young girl who loves to draw, get married to a boy she barely knows and the everyday life of becoming a housewife. A rather warm and beautiful tale that drew me in by the simple storyline and the family she marries into that caused me to smile, chuckle and fall in love with them all. And at times, especially at the end, cry. And I must add they were joyful tears at those surviving and continuing forward in the ashes of the aftermath.

A truly beautiful, life-affirming film that I am thankful to have watched and will be, again, in the future.
Again, thank you gaup.
https://pa1.narvii.com/6509/a7c2dab8fd725149b533236e5676d6c2de85bfe6_hq.gif

[GulfportDoc]

I'm curious as to whether or not you've seen the Hitchcock that immediately preceded this, The Man Who Knew Too Much. I watched the 1956 remake with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day but from what I've read the '34 version is considered Hitchcock's first big success. It might also be a more fitting example of what was to come. Plus it's got Peter Lorre in it. I don't know if I should make a point of checking it out.
Oh, yes. I think you'd really like the '34 version, although the '56 version is much more suspenseful. Reportedly the '34 version was not that well received in Britain, whereas it was very popular in the U.S. Hitch wanted to use Peter Lorre because he'd just starred in M.

Comparing the two films, Hitchcock made his rather famous statement, "Let's say that the first version is the work of a talented amateur, and the second was made by a professional."

[edarsenal]

https://media11.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202101/tdy_sun_spotlight_rehema_marainey_210110.focal-760x428.jpg

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)


Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is perfect. Yeah I just wanted to start off with that one line. But yeah this one is pretty great...watching all of these black films during a week everything becomes very repetitive and predictable. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was not what I expected from it. The racism is handled far better here than in other films because you get the complexity's of power of the characters. Davis is in charge she's the DIVA, she's the Star but she doesn't really have the power and she's not really the story.


The story really is about three men in a band and how they are survivors. The chemistry between the young(but not that young) Boseman, the accommodating Domingo and the wise Toledo offers a look into the complexity of three african men who are in the basement so to speak but are far more interesting and complicated than the big star. Boseman is going to win an Oscar he just has so much manic energy where he bounces from self destruction to pity it's nuanced and incredible.


But what I really loved about this film...was the pacing. This movie is 94 minutes and it flies by...no padding whatsoever. It feels staged like a play but it works so well and it's a shame that the Academy doesn't recognize this style of filmmaking more because I think it's very strong.


5
I had previously seen the trailer to this and was very intrigued by it. And now, ya done sold me on Ma Rainey's perfect Black Bottom.

[chawhee]

Yonkers Joe (2008)
https://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/3614369/740full-yonkers-joe-screenshot.jpg
4
I'll give time to anything casino-related, so my rating is likely higher on this one than the average moviegoer's will be. The intensity and feel of gambling is definitely present in this one, and the plot and direction of the movie overall is commendable as well. The darker scenes involving Joe Jr (Smalls from Sandlot!) and his father were a bit hard to watch as a parent myself, but the movie halfheartedly tries to mend that relationship by the end.

Stay tuned since I'm on a casino kick mentally right now...gonna try and watch a couple more in the next few days

[Takoma11]

I'm curious as to whether or not you've seen the Hitchcock that immediately preceded this, The Man Who Knew Too Much. I watched the 1956 remake with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day but from what I've read the '34 version is considered Hitchcock's first big success. It might also be a more fitting example of what was to come. Plus it's got Peter Lorre in it. I don't know if I should make a point of checking it out.

I have, but to be very honest I remember almost nothing about it as it was over 15 years ago. I watched it in very close proximity to the '56 version and they sort of muddle in my mind.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BNjc3YzU3YTUtYmVmMC00OGU5LWE1NGQtNjA2Mjk0ZThkNmIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQVRoaXJkUG FydHlJbmdlc3Rpb25Xb3JrZmxvdw%40%40._V1_UX477_CR0%2C0%2C477%2C268_AL_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

To Your Last Death, 2019

Miriam (Dani Lennon) is one of several children of a sadistic weapons manufacturer named Cyrus DeKalb (Ray Wise). When Cyrus calls his children together, things go horribly wrong and Miriam finds herself in the hospital suspected of serious violence. A mysterious figure, known only as the Gamemaster (Morena Baccarin), appears to Miriam, she offers her the chance to go back in time to save her family. Miriam agrees, but she does not realize that the creatures watching her life are more interested in entertainment than justice.

There are some interesting ideas in this one. I tend to enjoy time travel films, and I like the idea of the time travel being controlled by characters outside of the central narrative. There's also a lot of potential in the idea that the objective of the beings controlling the time travel just want as much blood and guts as possible.

However. The execution here leaves a lot to be desired.

First and foremost, the look of the animation has a lot of problems. All of the female characters look like they were traced from ads for blow-up dolls, complete with open O-mouths of surprise every time someone says . . . well, almost anything. It literally looks like someone drew porn-y naked women, the painted clothing over them. Every female character has the same build. The animation is not smooth, and it mostly makes me think of cheap morning cartoons (not in a good way). Some of the design choices are strange, such as blood spatter that looks more like one of the characters has a red colored beard.

The story itself really flounders, and especially the longer the film goes on. None of the characters are particularly interesting, including the villainous Cyrus. Cyrus hates his children and decides to kill them all with elaborate traps. But the traps feel like something a child would come up with after an older child described the movie Saw to them. In one part, a man must answer elementary level math questions to avoid being choked by a machine . . . designed to choke someone getting questions wrong on an iPad? The film seems to aim for dark comedy, but the humor skews juvenile which means that it contrasts negatively with the darker moments, like Miriam's sister talking about being in a sexually violent marriage which she copes with via drugs and cutting herself. Ha ha?

There were a few moments of bleak humor that did make me smile, but they were too few and far between. Part of the problem is that the characters are not particularly likable. Cyrus is over-the-top horrible, but his kids are pretty awful in their own right. The less said about the evil henchmen (one of whom comes complete with an accent so thick you might think he came over from a very bleak iteration of Rocky and Bullwinkle), the better. And the time-travel gimmick begins to backfire a bit in the second half, as the mysterious beings begin to reset the timeline each time it resolves in a way that isn't thrilling enough. It becomes hard to care about what is happening on screen because it becomes pretty likely that the timeline will just reset.

Some fun ideas, but a very lackluster execution.

2

[hello101]

new IT? or classic IT?

New, one that came out in 2017.

[xSookieStackhouse]

New, one that came out in 2017.

oh have u watched the 90s version yet

[martyrofevil]

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (Kelly Makin, 1996)
Much like the show (or any sketch comedy for that matter) it has a few good bits but is otherwise trash. Some surprisingly cool camerawork at points though.
2

[Fabulous]

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/pQyNy9FGdoVMBVZyRkWPJhVJ8Ak.jpg

[WHITBISSELL!]

I have, but to be very honest I remember almost nothing about it as it was over 15 years ago. I watched it in very close proximity to the '56 version and they sort of muddle in my mind.It's all good. That's a long time to remember a random film.

This one didn't impress me on a first watch, but improved greatly on a second. It's an extremely fun film.It is fun. And I enjoyed it more this time as well on my second go round.

You didn't ask me, but yes you should check it out.Thanks Cap. :up:

Oh, yes. I think you'd really like the '34 version, although the '56 version is much more suspenseful. Reportedly the '34 version was not that well received in Britain, whereas it was very popular in the U.S. Hitch wanted to use Peter Lorre because he'd just starred in M.

Comparing the two films, Hitchcock made his rather famous statement, "Let's say that the first version is the work of a talented amateur, and the second was made by a professional."Thank you too Doc. I'm gonna put it on my watch list.

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://media11.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202101/tdy_sun_spotlight_rehema_marainey_210110.focal-760x428.jpg

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)


Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is perfect. Yeah I just wanted to start off with that one line. But yeah this one is pretty great...watching all of these black films during a week everything becomes very repetitive and predictable. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was not what I expected from it. The racism is handled far better here than in other films because you get the complexity's of power of the characters. Davis is in charge she's the DIVA, she's the Star but she doesn't really have the power and she's not really the story.


The story really is about three men in a band and how they are survivors. The chemistry between the young(but not that young) Boseman, the accommodating Domingo and the wise Toledo offers a look into the complexity of three african men who are in the basement so to speak but are far more interesting and complicated than the big star. Boseman is going to win an Oscar he just has so much manic energy where he bounces from self destruction to pity it's nuanced and incredible.


But what I really loved about this film...was the pacing. This movie is 94 minutes and it flies by...no padding whatsoever. It feels staged like a play but it works so well and it's a shame that the Academy doesn't recognize this style of filmmaking more because I think it's very strong.


5

i wanna see this movie. i miss chadwick D=

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F54%2F2018%2F10%2FTriangle.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Triangle (2009, Christopher Smith)
4
Wow, this was excellent. First of all, the plot is incredibly well done, so cleverly constructed and yet pretty easy to follow - it just made sense to me (btw, the use of masks instantly reminded me of Timecrimes). Secondly, the underlying metaphorical subtext (Sisyphean punishment) is perfectly placed and realized within the context of the story. Thirdly, it just works - simple as that.
Was it perfect? Not at all. But it's definitely one of the better time loop movies I've seen (thanks Wooley for the recommendation).

[Siddon]

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2020-06-12-at-11.29.45-AM.png

Mank (2020)


I was curious after watching Mank as to why this is the lowest rated of the presumed BP noms. Turns out people wanted a documentary and not a memory. 30's Hollywood was filled with colorful characters and a system of making films that was incredibly complicated. Mank attempts to explain and deliver a fictional story of the creation of Citizen Kane.


Fincher never condescends to his audience the points will often be missed on first viewing I recommend two of them. It's an important film and a distinctive one moments in the film are genuinely powerful as Fincher has a habit of hitting you with a stunning or provocative image while telling a rambling story.


I loved every minute of it..but it's not for everyone.


5

[Siddon]

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/nomadland.jpg

Nomadland (2020)


This is going to be the Oscar winner for BP and I can understand why. Nomadland feels important it's beautifully shot and Frances McDormand gives an egoless performance. Pity about Frances not getting a third Oscar here...she goes from crapping in a bucket to giving full frontal nudity at 60+. In some ways you could even consider this a great American western the story of people who go off into the desert to live and die because they can't afford to live in civilized America.


I don't think this is a film for everyone, we don't really ever feel the stakes of the story. The high's and low's didn't really hit for me which can be considered a good thing. Watching all of these Oscar films the melodrama is exhaustible, yet now that the film has ended and I've taken a few days to digest what I saw I liked it but I didn't love it. Often times during the film I felt like I was watching tourism former big actors pretending next to real stunt nomad's. It was frustrating because much like Judas and the Black Messiah a couple tweaks and this could have been a classic.


3.5

[Siddon]

https://i2.wp.com/cinematelevisionmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/screen-shot-2021-02-09-at-9.53.26-pm.png?fit=988%2C617&ssl=1



Another Round (2020)


What does it take to get through the days. Another Round is the story of a history teacher in the middle of his crisis with his collection of buddies. All four of his friends decide that the best way to live their lives at this point is to maintain a buzz throughout the day. Another Round is a masterpiece a film worth talking about as the characters don't judge the choices but rather focuses on the spectrum of drinking to live. It's a remarkable film and Mads Mikkelsen proves that the man can lead and carry any story.


Unfortunately a film this daring and politically incorrect won't get a BP nomination but it will likely win best foreign film, I believe this will be better than the Best Picture.


5

[Siddon]

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2020-09/30/22/asset/9232fa5697f6/sub-buzz-829-1601506502-14.png?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto

Minari (2020)


Ah the American Dream, an Korean family moves from Korea to California to settle in Arkansas and raise a family and a farm in the 80's. Lee Isaac Chung decided to make what I assume is a semi-autobiographical film about his childhood and you can tell that this is a film of authenticity. The family goes through trials and tribulations and while the stakes are high they are never treated with a sense of melodrama. The goal of the story is to keep the farm working and the family together.


Each one of the leads gets a nice little story arc and it should be said that the interplay between the grandmother and grandson who are both dealing with something shared is really powerful. Yeri Han has sort of been pushed out of the Oscar race as the wife in the story which is a shame because for me she gave the best performance, it wasn't showy but it was strong.


My only criticism is that you feel the budget, a lot of corners were cut to make the film feel like the 80's but also not really be of the 80's. Certain ideas aren't really explored and you never get the scope and beauty of the fam because you can afterall see the cut corners. But it's still a powerful and quality film.



rating_4_5

[Siddon]

https://d1nslcd7m2225b.cloudfront.net/Pictures/1024x536/1/6/5/1332165_trial_603773.jpg

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)


Netflix always has a way of giving you something you didn't know you missed but now that you get it you have to love it. This is an ensemble courtroom period piece that is breezy, fun, humorous and also tragic. The film never really hits the big high art points, it's the quiet smaller moments that leave you reflective of the story. This is palatable revolution and while I won't say it's the best picture it is one of the more enjoyable ones.


The movie does have flaws...Eddie Redmayne has an Oscar and the man gives off one of the worst American accents I've seen in a while. It's only exasperated by the fine work from Cohen and Rylance. While the anchor of the film is weak (and JGL really should have been given more) Sorkin's brilliance is how he manages to give a massive field of actors a big moment...and many deliver.


3.5

[Siddon]

https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/12/09/Pieces_of_a_Woman_1.jpg

Pieces of a Woman (2020)


Pieces of a Woman is that strange film that peaks in the first act and then spends the rest of the film dealing with the consequences. A number of critics and viewers are going to hate the structure of the film but for me I loved it. See this is a horror film that covers the time after the horror. A couple have a tragedy and now they have to live with the consequences and the results are brutally human and realistic. Times during this film you will feel genuinely sick to your stomach at the emotional wreckage these characters put themselves and their loved ones through.


Pretty good chance this is going to be a snub but it might not be and it's worth your time.


3

[Siddon]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pwPA1e5jntE/maxresdefault.jpg



Time (2020)


The presumptive best documentary winner is Time which takes the remarkable position of not showing us an innocent person who is in jail but a guilty one. The focus of the film is on the prison industrial complex but also the failings of our family and economic structure as we see a mother of six raise her children while trying to get her husband released from prison.


A film like this lives and dies based on the subject and Fox Rich is truly the Tiger Queen america needs. Often times you sit back and wonder what her role in the crime really was where she was able to get out in 3 years while her husband was given 60. Also it's important to note...60 years. It's crazy to watch this film and then American Animals see inequity in our criminal justice system.



While the film isn't earth shattering it is compelling and worth a watch.


4

[Siddon]

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Sound-of-Metal-%E2%80%93-Official-Trailer-_-Prime-Video-2-6-screenshot-600x313.png
Sound of Metal (2020)


Every year a film comes along that everyone loves and I just can't stand it. For me this Sound of Metal the story of a Punk drummer who loses his hearing...moves into a community and decides to make the next steps of his life. I hated this film, a number of people are going to love it but here is a piece of art that ignores it's dramatic points to pander to political ideology.


I don't want to get into spoilers and Riz Ahmed is very good in this but if the central drama of the story is his loss of hearing well we don't get any suspense...it just happens. I felt ripped off because to me watching the fear and confusion gives us the viewer a sense of pathos for the lead and that's just taken away from us. Then you ask yourself is this a love story...Olivia Cooke is great in this...until she leaves the film for 80% of the runtime.


The great technical work and phenomenal performance from Riz left me leaving the film feeling like I watched a great vanity project and an empty film.


2

[Takoma11]

ignores it's dramatic points to pander to political ideology.

I have no idea what you mean by this.

if the central drama of the story is his loss of hearing well we don't get any suspense

The central drama/character arc is how a person deals with a life-altering event, and specifically one that directly damages your sense of identity (in his case, being a musician). It isn't supposed to be a question of if he will lose his hearing. The question is how he will handle it.

[cricket]

https://i2.wp.com/cinematelevisionmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/screen-shot-2021-02-09-at-9.53.26-pm.png?fit=988%2C617&ssl=1



Another Round (2020)


What does it take to get through the days. Another Round is the story of a history teacher in the middle of his crisis with his collection of buddies. All four of his friends decide that the best way to live their lives at this point is to maintain a buzz throughout the day. Another Round is a masterpiece a film worth talking about as the characters don't judge the choices but rather focuses on the spectrum of drinking to live. It's a remarkable film and Mads Mikkelsen proves that the man can lead and carry any story.


Unfortunately a film this daring and politically incorrect won't get a BP nomination but it will likely win best foreign film, I believe this will be better than the Best Picture.


5

Never heard of it before but I now view it as a must see.

[Siddon]

I have no idea what you mean by this.



The central drama/character arc is how a person deals with a life-altering event, and specifically one that directly damages your sense of identity (in his case, being a musician). It isn't supposed to be a question of if he will lose his hearing. The question is how he will handle it.




I think the central moral of the story is that becoming disabled isn't a disability and having treatment ties you to becoming a drug addict. I'm not onboard with the idea of ableism and the way it ties into drug addiction something about that really rubs me the wrong way.

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F54%2F2018%2F10%2FTriangle.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Triangle (2009, Christopher Smith)
4
Wow, this was excellent. First of all, the plot is incredibly well done, so cleverly constructed and yet pretty easy to follow - it just made sense to me (btw, the use of masks instantly reminded me of Timecrimes). Secondly, the underlying metaphorical subtext (Sisyphean punishment) is perfectly placed and realized within the context of the story. Thirdly, it just works - simple as that.
Was it perfect? Not at all. But it's definitely one of the better time loop movies I've seen (thanks Wooley for the recommendation).


Yeah, I loved that film. It's a must-see for all horror fans. So glad I went into it blind.

[Wooley]

I agree with you that Steele does a great job of conveying that Asa is evil.

I guess for me there is a two wrongs don't make a right mentality. Fine, say someone is evil. The whole self-satisfied ritual of branding her and tormenting her and, again, nailing a mask to her face, is just so extreme. That relationship--between Asa and her brother--was the one I felt was lacking. Something is missing in terms of closure, for me, in the treatment of Asa.

I agree that the tepid characters make it easy to go with the flow. It would have been nice to have a more compelling narrative to go along with the fantastic look and feel of the film.

Well, I agree and I think that's why the unintentional anti-hero bit kinda comes in.
I watched The Passion Of Joan Of Arc the other night and it really caused me such incredible outrage (and a number of other better emotions) and the beginning of BS obviously comes from that place.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F54%2F2018%2F10%2FTriangle.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Triangle (2009, Christopher Smith)
4
Wow, this was excellent. First of all, the plot is incredibly well done, so cleverly constructed and yet pretty easy to follow - it just made sense to me (btw, the use of masks instantly reminded me of Timecrimes). Secondly, the underlying metaphorical subtext (Sisyphean punishment) is perfectly placed and realized within the context of the story. Thirdly, it just works - simple as that.
Was it perfect? Not at all. But it's definitely one of the better time loop movies I've seen (thanks Wooley for the recommendation).

I'm glad you liked it. :D

[Takoma11]

I think the central moral of the story is that becoming disabled isn't a disability and having treatment ties you to becoming a drug addict. I'm not onboard with the idea of ableism and the way it ties into drug addiction something about that really rubs me the wrong way.

I don't see that as being the moral of the film at all.

In fact, I don't think that the film has a moral, aside from maybe the idea that somethings are out of our control and finding a way to deal with that is more productive than fighting to regain a "normal" that is unattainable.

We see in the film several times that his loss of hearing is a disability, especially in the scene where he is listening to the song on the piano.

I'm also not seeing the connection between treatment and drug addiction.

The film does explore that people who have a disability can have radically different approaches to the way they handle that disability. We see one community in which the belief is that it is better to embrace being deaf and let that be seen more as a culture than an impairment. But there are also people who use treatment/technology to try to keep as much normalcy as they can. The problem with treatment isn't that it's "wrong"---it's that you can't expect treatment for a serious issue to magically make everything the way it was before.

There is a lot more nuance to ableism than just "being disabled isn't real!".

EDIT: Specific to the deaf community, you might check out the documentary Sound and Fury from 2000.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fiv1.lisimg.com%2Fimage%2F11954614%2F483full-everybody-rides-the-carousel-screenshot.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Everybody Rides the Carousel, 1976

This is a full-length, educational film about the eight stages of life as defined by Erik Erikson. Different animated sequences, often centered on the same characters, illustrate the psychological factors of the different stages of life.

This film uses a mix of real audio (especially in the sequences involving younger children) and acted out sequences. The most famous voice here is Meryl Streep in one of the later sequences. The writing/acting is incredibly naturalistic, and many of the conversations range from the small to the large, such as a conversation between a couple trying to decide whether or not to have a second child, or two parents agonizing over letting their teenage daughter move out of state.

I liked many of the animated flourishes used to illustrate what is happening in the characters' minds--the impulses or insecurities that plague them, but also the joys and pleasures they get out of different experiences.

While I appreciated that there is some diversity to the characters displayed, you can feel the age of the film quite a bit. The characters on-screen are almost all white. Everyone is straight. Everyone is middle class or slightly above. It might be a decent representation of the "average American" of the time, but it also feels a bit narrow in the scope of who is included.

An interesting look at an aspect of psychological history.

3.5

[ThatDarnMKS]

I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.

It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.

I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.

I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.

It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.

It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).

5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Frussianuniverse.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fstill-from-viy-1967-3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Viy, 1967

A young seminary student named Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) has a strange encounter with a witch--an old woman who enchants him and drags him across the countryside before he is able to get the upper hand. But when he beats her, she transforms into a young woman. Khoma is soon told that a dying woman has requested that he pray for her soul. The dying woman--the daughter of a wealthy man--turns out to be the witch, and Khoma is in for some rough nights as he alone stays in the chapel with her (supposedly dead) body.

This is one of those horror titles that is infamous for its imagery, and I bet most horror fans know the image of the woman in the white dress with the floral headdress.

The film itself very much follows the pace and plot of a folk tale. There might not be a ton of character development, but at its core the film is following Khoma's trials over the three nights. The suspense derives from what each night will hold.

I felt that the imagery really lived up to the hype. The whole film is wonderfully colorful and kinetic. As each night goes by, the images/visuals become more complex. The final night in particular has some really excellent creature design.

I can see how someone might be a little underwhelmed by this one, especially if they were expecting more of a story and especially if they had different expectations for the visuals/effects, but I was pretty charmed by it. It is also only like 75 minutes long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I really enjoyed Viy and I'm glad I finally checked it out.

4

[Wyldesyde19]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Frussianuniverse.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fstill-from-viy-1967-3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Viy, 1967

A young seminary student named Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) has a strange encounter with a witch--an old woman who enchants him and drags him across the countryside before he is able to get the upper hand. But when he beats her, she transforms into a young woman. Khoma is soon told that a dying woman has requested that he pray for her soul. The dying woman--the daughter of a wealthy man--turns out to be the witch, and Khoma is in for some rough nights as he alone stays in the chapel with her (supposedly dead) body.

This is one of those horror titles that is infamous for its imagery, and I bet most horror fans know the image of the woman in the white dress with the floral headdress.

The film itself very much follows the pace and plot of a folk tale. There might not be a ton of character development, but at its core the film is following Khoma's trials over the three nights. The suspense derives from what each night will hold.

I felt that the imagery really lived up to the hype. The whole film is wonderfully colorful and kinetic. As each night goes by, the images/visuals become more complex. The final night in particular has some really excellent creature design.

I can see how someone might be a little underwhelmed by this one, especially if they were expecting more of a story and especially if they had different expectations for the visuals/effects, but I was pretty charmed by it. It is also only like 75 minutes long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I really enjoyed Viy and I'm glad I finally checked it out.

4
I aim to watch this soon, since it’s available on shudder.

[LChimp]

https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_disneyplus_rayaandthelastdragon_20842_36be8eca.jpeg

I liked it. Didn't love it, but it was pretty ok.

[chawhee]

Hard Eight (1997)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/d7/82/54d7829a2f2c0232c94c8348ca9767d7.jpg
4
(Less) Obscure casino movie part 2, and I liked it just as much as Yonkers Joe. It's probably a little more approachable with recognizable actors (including a quick Philip Seymore Hoffman cameo), as well as plot elements that are more conventional. Some may find the first hour or so unremarkable and/or bland, but then it ratchets up for the final act in typical Samuel Jackson fashion.

[Rockatansky]

I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.

It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.

I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.

I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.

It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.

It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).

rating_5
Sell me your children!

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_disneyplus_rayaandthelastdragon_20842_36be8eca.jpeg

I liked it. Didn't love it, but it was pretty ok.

i agree but it did had good music tho

[ThatDarnMKS]

Sell me your children!
You got my cheese-wiz, boy?

[GulfportDoc]

74663
Greenland (2020)

It's been awhile since I've watched a disaster film, and this movie turned out to be a good one.

Disaster films are tricky because they end up tending to be either unbelievable, or too schmaltzy. This one stays fairly close to what people imagine a cataclysmic comet impact might look like. And although they have the family of three dip into the emotional goo a few times, they pull up before the viewer gets sick of it.

As with most disaster films there's not much to the plot, so they must portray plenty of tension, thrills, and dread. A skyscraper foreman, John Garrity (Gerald Butler), comes home early one day to soon find out that there are mentions of a comet coming near Earth, but that it'll likely miss. Later of course the comet --which now is in several pieces-- is calculated to hit earth after all.

To the dismay of his friends and neighbors, John, his wife (Morena Baccarin), and son (Roger Floyd) have been among the chosen for relocation to a shelter in Greenland, because of John's skills. What happens between that time and to the point they make the perilous quest to Greenland makes up the entire narrative. The boy has insulin dependent diabetes, so that adds to the drama.

To the credit of excellent production design, special effects, and first rate photography the film really holds one's interest throughout. The man and wife do have good chemistry despite a slow start.

If you're a fan of good PG-13 action/thriller pictures, this one is for you. Available on Amazon, HBO (I think), and various streaming services. Doc's rating: 7/10

[edarsenal]

I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.

It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.

I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.

I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.

It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.

It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).

5
Sell me your children!
You got my cheese-wiz, boy?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/ea/03/23ea03cf133d26c8287565019b3018dd.gif
https://i.gifer.com/fzw.gif

EDIT: It's also pretty d@mn f@ckin quotable!!!

[ThatDarnMKS]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/ea/03/23ea03cf133d26c8287565019b3018dd.gif
https://i.gifer.com/fzw.gif

A-F@CKIN-MEN!!!
We’re on a mission from God.

[GulfportDoc]

Sound of Metal (2020)
Every year a film comes along that everyone loves and I just can't stand it. For me this Sound of Metal the story of a Punk drummer who loses his hearing...moves into a community and decides to make the next steps of his life. I hated this film, a number of people are going to love it but here is a piece of art that ignores it's dramatic points to pander to political ideology.
I don't want to get into spoilers and Riz Ahmed is very good in this but if the central drama of the story is his loss of hearing well we don't get any suspense...it just happens. I felt ripped off because to me watching the fear and confusion gives us the viewer a sense of pathos for the lead and that's just taken away from us. Then you ask yourself is this a love story...Olivia Cooke is great in this...until she leaves the film for 80% of the runtime.
The great technical work and phenomenal performance from Riz left me leaving the film feeling like I watched a great vanity project and an empty film.
rating_2
Siddon, you've made a very nice review compendium of some of the pictures up for awards this year. Took you some time. Good job.

[StuSmallz]

I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.

It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.

I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.

I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.

It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.

It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).

5I've never actually seen The Blues Brothers, but I'm still pretty aware of it from cultural osmosis, whether it be the car chase, "Illinois Nazis", or a character in Mr. Mercedes remembering watching it when he was younger, and not finding it particular funny (then again, he was the book's resident psycho/killer, so maybe that was a hint that he had a messed-up sense of humor, even at that age). Looking at its RT page, it looks like it has a 73% fresh tomatometer, but a 7.6 average rating, which means it's kind of divisive, but the people who like it really like it, so maybe I should check it out to see why.

[Torgo]

Virtuosity - 2

A merely okay '90s techno-thriller with Russell Crowe as a proto-Agent Smith let loose in the real world and Denzel Washington as his ex-cop, ex-con pursuer. It has some saving graces: Crowe, in one of his first Hollywood roles, is very good and very scary as Sid 6.7. I don't know if he ever came up in discussions about who should play the Joker, but having finally seen this, I'd love to see his take on the character. I also like the computer graphics for their trippiness and for how they serve as a time capsule for what their height was in the mid-'90s. With that said, and with the exception of Sid's rampage through L.A., it's a pretty by-the-numbers action movie. There's a hostage crisis, a fight on top of a skyscraper, a ticking time bomb scenario and every other trope that's been done several times before and since. From Strange Days to The Matrix, the '90s gave us a lot of techno-thrillers that helped us process our then new digitized realities and many of them still hold up today. The technological advancements in this one, however, are more gimmick than anything else.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I've never actually seen The Blues Brothers, but I'm still pretty aware of it from cultural osmosis, whether it be the car chase, "Illinois Nazis", or a character in Mr. Mercedes remembering watching it when he was younger, and not finding it particular funny (then again, he was the book's resident psycho/killer, so maybe that was a hint that he had a messed-up sense of humor, even at that age). Looking at its RT page, it looks like it has a 73% fresh tomatometer, but a 7.6 average rating, which means it's kind of divisive, but the people who like it really like it, so maybe I should check it out to see why.
It’s certainly got an off-kilter sensibility but if you like absurd comedy delivered dead-pan, blues, soul, musical numbers and/or car chases, it’s something to seek out.

One of the defining films that helped develop my taste in comedy and music.

[Rockatansky]

Also notable for the only time Dan Aykroyd was cool. (I love the guy, but let's face it, lameness is part of his brand.)

[StuSmallz]

It’s certainly got an off-kilter sensibility but if you like absurd comedy delivered dead-pan, blues, soul, musical numbers and/or car chases, it’s something to seek out.

One of the defining films that helped develop my taste in comedy and music.Not really crazy about musical numbers, soul, or blues, but I like car chases and absurd deadpan comedy in the Airplane vein, so that might be enough.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Not really crazy about musical numbers, soul, or blues, but I like car chases and absurd deadpan comedy in the Airplane vein, so that might be enough.
I’ll make a musical fan out of you yet. This is but phase one.

[StuSmallz]

I’ll make a musical fan out of you yet. This is but phase one.I've actually been watching more Musicals in recent years than I usually do, whether it be Cabaret in my research for the old New Hollywood project (which I will return to finish someday, I promise), or The Sound Of Music for research in my entry on Musicals (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2153895#post2153895) in the genre deconstruction thread (which also featured Cabaret, heh), so I wouldn't mind delving a little deeper into the genre from this point.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I've actually been watching more Musicals in recent years than I usually do, whether it be Cabaret in my research for the old New Hollywood project (which I will return to finish someday, I promise), or The Sound Of Music for research in my entry on Musicals (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2153895#post2153895) in the genre deconstruction thread (which also featured Cabaret, heh), so I wouldn't mind delving a little deeper into the genre from this point.
You decide you want some recommendations, I got you. I’m just a sucker for anything with complex choreography: dance numbers, fight scenes, shootouts, car chases, slapstick gags. Love em

[Iroquois]

Blade Runner - 5
Ready Player One - 2

some cyberpunk double feature

[Wooley]

I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.

It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.

I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.

I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.

It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.

It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).

5

Your words are true.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Frussianuniverse.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fstill-from-viy-1967-3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Viy, 1967

A young seminary student named Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) has a strange encounter with a witch--an old woman who enchants him and drags him across the countryside before he is able to get the upper hand. But when he beats her, she transforms into a young woman. Khoma is soon told that a dying woman has requested that he pray for her soul. The dying woman--the daughter of a wealthy man--turns out to be the witch, and Khoma is in for some rough nights as he alone stays in the chapel with her (supposedly dead) body.

This is one of those horror titles that is infamous for its imagery, and I bet most horror fans know the image of the woman in the white dress with the floral headdress.

The film itself very much follows the pace and plot of a folk tale. There might not be a ton of character development, but at its core the film is following Khoma's trials over the three nights. The suspense derives from what each night will hold.

I felt that the imagery really lived up to the hype. The whole film is wonderfully colorful and kinetic. As each night goes by, the images/visuals become more complex. The final night in particular has some really excellent creature design.

I can see how someone might be a little underwhelmed by this one, especially if they were expecting more of a story and especially if they had different expectations for the visuals/effects, but I was pretty charmed by it. It is also only like 75 minutes long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I really enjoyed Viy and I'm glad I finally checked it out.

4

Yes!!!

[StuSmallz]

You decide you want some recommendations, I got you. I’m just a sucker for anything with complex choreography: dance numbers, fight scenes, shootouts, car chases, slapstick gags. Love emMakes sense; after all. what is a fight scene but a more violent counterpart to a song & dance number, right?

[ThatDarnMKS]

Makes sense; after all. what is a fight scene but a more violent counterpart to a song & dance number, right?
Indeed. The fundamentals and basic cinematic vocabulary are the same. Especially the more stylized it gets. Shaw Bros did both Kung Fu and Opera films on the same sets with many of the same actors for a reason.

[Fabulous]

Whale Rider (2002)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/ppcLeOwKQLzg7BT1spZhaafuGL5.jpg

[mark f]

The Devil Below AKA Shookum Hills (Brad Parker, 2021) 2 5/10
En el séptimo día (Jim McKay, 2017) 2.5 6/10
Scissors (Frank De Felitta, 1991) 2 5/10
Crisis (Nicholas Jarecki, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CRISIS-_-Official-U.S-Trailer-%E2%80%93-Opening-February-26th-1-21-screenshot-600x308.png
Three stories about the opioid crisis rendered as a thriller (here Canadian Fed Armie Hammer takes on smugglers).
The Moment of Truth (Francesco Rosi, 1965) 2.5 6/10
A Star Is Born (Frank Pierson, 1976) 3- 6.5/10
The Wiz (Sidney Lumet, 1978) 2.5 6/10
The Music Lovers (Ken Russell, 1971) 2.5 6/10
http://www.midnightonly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/music-lovers-8.jpg
The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky (Richard Chamberlain) is displayed uniquely and ends much better than his marriage to Antonina Miliukova (Glenda Jackson).
Coven (Pablo Agüero, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Come Back Charleston Blue (Mark Warren, 1972) 2.5 6/10
Manhatta (Paul Strand & Charles Sheeler, 1921) 2.5 6/10
Black Girl (Ossie Davis, 1972) 3 6.5/10
https://alchetron.com/cdn/black-girl-1972-film-88430ccd-55d9-4dd9-8f3b-4a61ca53bbf-resize-750.jpg
A black family is torn apart by prejudice and family grudges.
Yes Day (Miguel Arteta, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Concrete Plans (Will Jewell, 2020) 2 5/10
Stealing School (Li Dong, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Ludwig (Luchino Visconti, 1973) 2.5 6/10 238 min
https://64.media.tumblr.com/1ea1fcf7128d0d397b55cb16c149bf8a/tumblr_pnsucyKSLN1soti42o6_540.gifv
Walking with his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Romy Schneider), Ludwig II of Bavaria (Helmut Berger) ruminates on his life.
When We Last Spoke (Joanne Hock, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Buoyancy (Roel Leijten, 2020) 2 5/10
Cherry (Anthony & Joe Russo, 2021) 2.5 6/10
My Psychedelic Love Story (Errol Morris, 2020) 3 6.5/10
https://thumb.spokesman.com/EX5SYiNKvjDQYJbO9_nz8Qejbe0=/480x0/media.spokesman.com/ent_blog_images/learyfoto.jpeg
Equal parts history and self-advertising BS about Timothy Leary and Joanna Harcourt-Smith is always fascinating.

[ueno_station54]

Night on the Galactic Railroad (Gisaburo Sugii, 1985)
While its rather plain in a lot of ways, something about it just hit right. Plotwise its incredibly straightforward and not even all that interesting really but there's just this really comfortable, melancholic vibe to it and the language (a translation of course) has so much feeling. It's not even really that visually astounding, technically or in terms of imagery, but it still has some moments of real majesty and some of the music is god-tier. Even though the end is extremely obvious from as soon as plot actually starts, it still made me tear up (anime seems to hit me that way more often that anything else). My brain says I'm overrating it but my gut won't let me give it less than a rating_4.

[xSookieStackhouse]

You got my cheese-wiz, boy?

:laugh:

[Dog Star Man]

American History X

4.5

Wow... I don't think a film like this could get made today. It raises too many hard questions and doesn't leave with things tied up in nice little bows. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with it... but I do agree with Roger Ebert (to some degree) that there's too much emphasis within the side of the neo-Nazi's... I, unlike Roger Ebert, do think they tackle skinhead-rhetoric with taking action against such rhetoric... but it's a bit cut short in my opinion, and I which they'd flesh it out a bit more because I feel the ending comes a bit too soon, (even though it's a two hour movie)... I'd recommend it, but with caution.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWZlMDBiMmItMWU0Ny00MGIzLWI1NTQtZDEwMjM0MzBiYjhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzIxMjMyODY@._V1_.jpg

Stay away from this, avoid at all costs. Tries to be funny, but fails. Tries to be scary, to no avail. Badly acted, badly scripted, a wast of time.

[chawhee]

The Cooler (2003)
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w533_and_h300_bestv2/tNViqnfTqHUnHBaTOvKuBbK0yoF.jpg
2.5
Definitely my least favorite so far. This didn't appeal much to me as a casino enthusiast because of the gambling superstitions being the focal point of the movie, and I don't think it would appeal much to others because it seems too ordinary. The romance between William H Macy and Maria Bello was never believable, and I thought the tone of the movie never really changed throughout.

[Siddon]

Never heard of it before but I now view it as a must see.


Well....that's about to change after today....

[Wooley]

Not really crazy about musical numbers, soul, or blues, but I like car chases and absurd deadpan comedy in the Airplane vein, so that might be enough.

If you can watch the "Shake A Tail Feather" scene and not get a smile on your face, you have no soul.

[Wooley]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWZlMDBiMmItMWU0Ny00MGIzLWI1NTQtZDEwMjM0MzBiYjhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzIxMjMyODY@._V1_.jpg

Stay away from this, avoid at all costs. Tries to be funny, but fails. Tries to be scary, to no avail. Badly acted, badly scripted, a wast of time.

Oh wow, me and all my friends thought it was VERY good, probably the best horror movie of the last year and one we will re-watch from time to time for sure.
Specifically, we thought the script was super-tight, really very good, and that the acting was top-notch for a starless film, across the board.
Sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience with it.

[Thursday Next]

The Lighthouse (2019)

Not really sure what to make of this. I can completely understand why some people think this is brilliant and others hate it. I'm on the fence.

3

[ScarletLion]

Oh wow, me and all my friends thought it was VERY good, probably the best horror movie of the last year and one we will re-watch from time to time for sure.
Specifically, we thought the script was super-tight, really very good, and that the acting was top-notch for a starless film, across the board.
Sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience with it.

It is good. It's Jim Cummings. He's a bright talent with very dry, sometimes cryptic comedy. It's not really a horror film, it's a drama about family, addiction and trying to be more human. so anybody who wanted a horror film will probably be disappointed.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Facd8817d602c9c7943058800e634b1b8%2Ftumblr_odmcg5m05a1re3gzzo2 _540.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Chopping Mall

That up there was my reaction to this title when first hearing about it roughly 30+ years ago. This is a pretty bad movie but that doesn't stop it from being fun. A group of "teens" are caught in a shopping mall overnight with the mall's new robot security going haywire and killing everybody. One of the more enjoyable things about this is the number of recognizable faces that make an appearance, especially early on. Woronov, Miller, Aames, Bartel and a few others who you don't know but recognize. It's a who's who of 80's cheese. There's one solid head shot, some gratuitous nudity early on thanks to Barbara Crampton and some really awesome electrocution fx. 3

[Wooley]

It is good. It's Jim Cummings. He's a bright talent with very dry, sometimes cryptic comedy. It's not really a horror film, it's a drama about family, addiction and trying to be more human. so anybody who wanted a horror film will probably be disappointed.

I half agree. Maybe 2/3 agree. I just don't agree that it's not a horror movie, certainly any less so than, like, The Babadook or any horror movie that actually has a real arc for its characters beyond not getting murdered. I thought the horror elements worked brilliantly.
It was definitely more horror than, say, Relic. Which we watched the same night. But is also ostensibly a horror movie.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Facd8817d602c9c7943058800e634b1b8%2Ftumblr_odmcg5m05a1re3gzzo2 _540.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Chopping Mall

That up there was my reaction to this title when first hearing about it roughly 30+ years ago. This is a pretty bad movie but that doesn't stop it from being fun. A group of "teens" are caught in a shopping mall overnight with the mall's new robot security going haywire and killing everybody. One of the more enjoyable things about this is the number of recognizable faces that make an appearance, especially early on. Woronov, Miller, Aames, Bartel and a few others who you don't know but recognize. It's a who's who of 80's cheese. There's one solid head shot, some gratuitous nudity early on thanks to Barbara Crampton and some really awesome electrocution fx. 3
Like you I didn't watch this for 30+ years because eye-roll.
Yet I did not have as positive an experience as you. I thought there were certain really obvious choices the script should have made to make the movie a lot more interesting than it ended up being. Maybe my ambitions were too high.

[Gideon58]

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


8th or 9th Rewatch...I don't know what it is about this movie, but I find this warm comedy drama of family dysfunction immensely re-watchable and whenever I'm channel surfing, I will stop and watch it. The terrific cast is the main selling point, including Vanessa Williams, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Nia Long, Vivica A Fox, and a pair of amazing performances by Irma P Hall as Big Mama and Brandon Hammond as Ahmad, the kid who takes it upon himself to keep his family intact.

3.5

[Gideon58]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512KBiYjtUL._SY445_.jpg


1st-Rewatch...Jake Gyllenhall's gut-wrenching performance still puts this movie over the top as the sports drama and the family tearjerker blend to startling effect.


4

[Stirchley]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512KBiYjtUL._SY445_.jpg


1st-Rewatch...Jake Gyllenhall's gut-wrenching performance still puts this movie over the top as the sports drama and the family tearjerker blend to startling effect.


4

What year is this? First time I’ve come across this movie. Maybe I would like it.

[Tugg]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512KBiYjtUL._SY445_.jpg


1st-Rewatch...Jake Gyllenhall's gut-wrenching performance still puts this movie over the top as the sports drama and the family tearjerker blend to startling effect.


4
I'm gonna give it a go.

[Takoma11]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWZlMDBiMmItMWU0Ny00MGIzLWI1NTQtZDEwMjM0MzBiYjhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzIxMjMyODY@._V1_.jpg

Stay away from this, avoid at all costs. Tries to be funny, but fails. Tries to be scary, to no avail. Badly acted, badly scripted, a wast of time.

As a counterpoint (well, more just a counter-opinion), I really liked this and so did the people I watched it with.

I think that it certainly helps if you have also seen Thunder Road (which I would consider slightly superior to this one) and have a handle on Cummings' specific brand of dramedy.

It is a very off-kilter vibe, so I can see someone just not clicking with it.

[Stirchley]

I'm gonna give it a go.

I put it in my Amazon watchlist.

[pahaK]

Macchie solari (1975)
aka Autopsy, The Victim, etc.
2.5
An average Giallo that could have worked better as a supernatural horror (based on the first 10-15 minutes of the film). There's nothing really wrong with it, but after a promising start, it settles for uninspired mediocrity. Oh, and there's a lot of nudity even by Giallo standards.

--
Year One (2009)
3
I don't usually watch comedies, but when I do, I prefer ones with penis jokes, eating poop, and other forms of sophisticated humor. It wasn't crude enough (how the hell is this R rated) and there are few lull moments too many. Way more entertaining than I expected, though.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftheplaylist.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F03%2FMV5BMmU3ZDMxMzQtYjBiMC00ZTU0LWJiNDctMTg1MWE4YTc5MGZlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVy MTQ2ODE0NDA%40._V1_SX1777_CR001777999_AL_-1024x576.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

One False Move, 1992

Ray (Billy Bob Thornton) and Pluto (Michael Beach) are two psychopathic killers who brutally rob and murder several people while stealing a stash of drugs and cash. They are assisted by Ray's girlfriend, Fantasia (Cynda Williams). Two detectives (Jim Metzler and Earl Billings) have reason to believe that the crew will return to Ray and Fantasia's hometown, a place called Star City. They meet up with the over-eager local sheriff (Bill Paxton), who is eager to see some "real" action in his sleepy town.

This is a film with a lot of moving parts and, at the same time, the kind of film that moves unwaveringly toward what we know must be the ending--some sort of showdown/shootout in Star City. What is really amazing about it is the way that it milks tension from shorter, more contained sequences (such as Ray getting jumpy when he thinks a cop is eyeing him at a gas station), even as the broader story moves toward its inevitable conclusion.

Ray and Pluto are the source of much of the tensions--two very different kinds of violent men, and each dangerous for their own reasons. But they work almost in the opposite way that a normal "straight man" character might work. They give the others something to bounce off of, especially Fantasia. Williams as Fantasia does a really solid job, which is to say that the character is horribly frustrating, but in a way that feels very realistic. She is neither calculating and coldly manipulative, nor is she the innocent victim. I found myself feeling both sympathy and anger toward her, sometimes in the space of the same 5 minutes.

I very much enjoyed the style of the film, so much that I stopped about halfway through to see who directed it. Carl Franklin--who also directed Devil in a Blue Dress.

I also appreciated the film's nuanced take on race and how it has impacted the lives of certain characters. In one of my favorite lines, Fantasia confronts someone, saying "You figured since I kind of look white, you could f*ck me, what the hell... Because I was kind of black... you could dump me, what the hell." Fantasia hasn't ended up where she is solely because of her race, but at the same time her race has directly affected the way that she was treated all through her childhood and early adulthood. It was also nice, honestly, to see a film with important non-white characters who have distinct personalities, and of all different types. Pluto's sociopath murderer exists on the villain side of the spectrum, but there are several other important Black characters who are given time to breathe and be developed. I feel as if it is rare to see such parallel development between the white and non-white characters, and it ended up being something that really stood out to me in the film.

This film was a really pleasant surprise. I did not anticipate the way that it would ratchet up the tension. By the last 20 minutes or so, I was on the edge of my seat. You know that something bad is going to happen, it's just a question of "to whom?" and "how bad?" Without ever really talking about fate or destiny, it is remarkable the way that you get the sense that these characters are being drawn together, almost as if by an outside force.

I didn't really have any complaints. Some characters were frustrating, but that felt intentional. And there was enough complexity to it that even the annoying characters added to the story in a positive way. The film begins and ends with a bang, and its momentum in between is undeniable.

4.5

[Fabulous]

The Lookout (2007)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/NzFAJUTWg2TIEkKW6uToiO90a8.jpg

[ueno_station54]

Oscar noms are out which means I get to torture myself watching all the ones up for BP.

Nomadland (Chloe Zhao, 2020)
Who could possibly care about this? Praying this is the worst one.
rating_1_5

Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2020)
It's very pedestrian and predictable and far from the tightest or most poignant script but its just such a nice time. Enjoyed the performances, the dialogue is fun and there's some nice shots throughout. Everything is a bit too rushed (being a modern film of course) and underdeveloped but it's a good vibe the whole way through.
rating_3_5

[xSookieStackhouse]

The Lookout (2007)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/NzFAJUTWg2TIEkKW6uToiO90a8.jpg

loved him on 10 things i hate about you and the dark knight!

[ScarletLion]

'Quo Vadis, Aida' (2020)

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/yKds7QX2e43tBB0VCkFJrf6N8Mb.jpg

Moved me beyond belief. Earth shattering performance from Jasna Djuricic as the titular character. The horrific events of Srebrenica in the mid 90s unfold as history sadly repeats itself. Feels like a massively important film.

9/10




'Altered States' (1980)

http://www.videocollector.co.uk/data/images/altered-states-41242l.jpg

What an absolute visionary Ken Russell was. You can see clear lineage from 2001 a space odyssey and the Holy Mountain and then to projects like The Fly, American Werewolf in London etc. Above all the horror and sci-fi, it's a love story about mending a relationship and learning to love again Altered States isn't flawless but it's a bold piece of filmmaking that crosses genres, makes you think and inspires.

7.1/10

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGZmNDVjODAtODYxYS00YzRlLWE4MTUtMzdjODQ5N2ExZjQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg


3.5

[ueno_station54]

Sound of Metal (Darius Marder, 2019)
I have almost nothing to say about this but its solid enough. Would say the second half isn't quite as engaging as the first but its never bad or anything. Good performances and some clever sound design. It's nice.
rating_3

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/ddc9ed5e18dae950e8a0b4d2555b88e0.jpeg

Il Bidone - Messed around and inadvertently completed a trilogy of sorts. Went into this cold based solely on it being a Federico Fellini film. From 1955 and sandwiched in between La Strada (1954) and Nights of Cabiria (1957) this was the midpoint of what has been dubbed Fellini's "Trilogy of Loneliness".

It involves a trio of grifters, Carlo (Richard Basehart), Roberto Giorgio (Franco Fabrizi) and de facto leader and oldest member Augusto (Broderick Crawford). Carlo, a would-be artist dubbed "Picasso" by the other two, is married to Iris (Fellini's wife Giulietta Masini, second billed despite it being a small role) and has a small child. He is the one most troubled by what they do which mostly involves conning uneducated peasants out of their paltry life savings. Augusto also has his moments of doubt but they're mostly fleeting and quickly forgotten. Roberto, the youngest, is callow and unashamedly debauched. The film follows them in somewhat episodic fashion as they blithely ply their trade while dreaming about a better life, which to Augusto and Roberto means bigger scores.

Not a bad movie. Not as good as La Strada or Nights of Cabiria but a fitting enough centerpiece.

rating_4

[pahaK]

Enigma rosso (1978)
Virgin Killer, Rings of Fear
2.5
Another lackluster and mediocre Giallo (and poliziotteschi crossover). Fortunately, it's pretty short as there's not too much in the story department. Some gratuitous nudity tries to keep up the interest. Easily the weakest film involving Massimo Dallamano I've seen (he's only a co-writer here).

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw1280%2F6dvpZbFu1VOCIcY1qToRHmj8Aaq.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Happily N'Ever After, 2006

In a fairytale kingdom, the lives of the various citizens are controlled by a wizard who makes sure that their stories have happy endings. Ella (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is destined to end up with a Prince (Patrick Warburton), despite the fact that her friend (and lowly dishwasher) Rick (Freddie Prinze Jr) is in love with her. But when Ella's evil stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) gets access to the wizard's tower while he is away on vacation, she begins to change the balance of the stories.

This film was so bad. Just so, so bad. It doesn't look good--the animation is like the quality you'd expect in a TV ad. The humor seems to be aiming for the tone of The Emperor's New Groove or the fractured fairy tale camp of Shrek, but it really misfires in terms of the cynical, self-aware vibe. I couldn't tell you a singe joke from the film. I know that a few line readings put a smile on my face, but that's purely due to the presence of a WAY overqualified cast. George Carlin, Wallace Shawn, John DiMaggio, and others all know how to deliver a line, but even they can't give the film the lift it needs.

I always look for the positive in movies. But aside from some (wasted) voice talent, there was nothing about this film that sparked joy in me. It feels like something an AI machine would create after being asked to design a box office hit. It lacks soul and it suffers by comparison with other films that have pulled off the same narrative trick with much more aplomb. How and why they made a second one is beyond me.

1.5

[Fabulous]

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/a7lZSjySyf2OLMj5VLkYTDS0kbr.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

Anaconda (1997) 8/10 from my dvd collection wanted to rewatched it
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Anaconda_ver2.jpg/220px-Anaconda_ver2.jpg

[GulfportDoc]

One False Move, 1992

Ray (Billy Bob Thornton) and Pluto (Michael Beach) are two psychopathic killers who brutally rob and murder several people while stealing a stash of drugs and cash. They are assisted by Ray's girlfriend, Fantasia (Cynda Williams). Two detectives (Jim Metzler and Earl Billings) have reason to believe that the crew will return to Ray and Fantasia's hometown, a place called Star City. They meet up with the over-eager local sheriff (Bill Paxton), who is eager to see some "real" action in his sleepy town.
...
rating_4_5
Nice review. I hadn't seen this film, despite the fact that I'm a big Billy Bob Thornton fan. I must have passed it by in '92. So I watched it last night.

Thornton co-wrote the screenplay, which is probably why a lot of it is set in Arkansas (he's from Hot Springs). It was pretty edgy for its day, and many films have imitated it in one way or another since.

Bill Paxton, as the local sheriff, was meant to be the central character, but I don't think he quite rose to the task. He was often convincing, but at other times, his attempts at an AR accent and good old boy traits seemed inauthentic. Likewise the white L.A. cop character was okay at the beginning, but then later seemed lost in the part and made it superficial.

The rest of the cast was very good. Billy Bob played the white trash sociopath very nicely, although I'm sure looking back that he felt he could have done better. But it was Cynda Williams who stole the show in my opinion as Thornton's girlfriend (I didn't realize they were married at the time in real life). Her character covered a gamut of emotions and moods, which she expressed perfectly. It could have been an award winning role.

It's a well directed film about a familiar subject: crazed criminals doing drug deals and murders.... but with a character study twist. 7/10 from me.

[Torgo]

I Care a Lot - 3

If Rosamund Pike didn't terrify you in Gone Girl, she's bound to in this. She's Marla Grayson, who claims guardianship over senior citizens as a means to drain their savings. Her scheme blows up in her face when she earns the ire of Peter Dinklage's gangster Roman Lunyov. What follows is an elegantly crafted game of one-upmanship. A cross between Leona Helmsley, Elizabeth Holmes and a white walker, Pike makes Grayson so chillingly smug that I couldn't look into her eyes at some points, and thankfully, Dinklage couldn't be a better foil. I also enjoyed the small yet pivotal turns by Chris Messina as a sleazy lawyer and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as a judge who Grayson plays like a fiddle. While it has the almost-too-perfect, friction-free look and feel of the typical Netflix movie that I've grown to dislike, it and the electronica soundtrack approximate Grayson's lifestyle, demeanor and the artificial high of acquiring her ill-gotten gains. The game eventually strains credulity, but when it ended, I was cringing, angry and chilled to the bone. Yes, that is an endorsement.

[Stirchley]

74833

I have zero interest in Garland & her music so was not sure I would finish this. Not the most interesting movie I’ve ever seen, but Renée was exceptionally good. Not impersonating Garland, but really bringing her back to life. Impressive. Her singing was too.

74834

Re-watch. Forgot how good Gyllenhaal, Sarsgaard & Foxx all were.

74835

Not sure why I bailed out of this movie first time around. There’s a lot more to it than I originally thought. Excellent performances from Clooney, Farmiga & Kendrick.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I Care a Lot - rating_3

If Rosamund Pike didn't terrify you in Gone Girl, she's bound to in this. She's Marla Grayson, who claims guardianship over senior citizens as a means to drain their savings. Her scheme blows up in her face when she earns the ire of Peter Dinklage's gangster Roman Lunyov. What follows is an elegantly crafted game of one-upmanship. A cross between Leona Helmsley, Elizabeth Holmes and a white walker, Pike makes Grayson so chillingly smug that I couldn't look into her eyes at some points, and thankfully, Dinklage couldn't be a better foil. I also enjoyed the small yet pivotal turns by Chris Messina as a sleazy lawyer and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as a judge who Grayson plays like a fiddle. While it has the almost-too-perfect, friction-free look and feel of the typical Netflix movie that I've grown to dislike, it and the electronica soundtrack approximate Grayson's lifestyle, demeanor and the artificial high of acquiring her ill-gotten gains. The game eventually strains credulity, but when it ended, I was cringing, angry and chilled to the bone. Yes, that is an endorsement.I haven't seen it but this is still a good review. :up: