Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGFlNTdmYWQtM2IzMi00YTY3LTlmMDQtZDI5NGQ5MjYzZmEwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjY1MTg4Mzc@._V1_.jpg



3

[ThatDarnMKS]

I Care A Lot- 9/10. I really liked this movie. I think it was unfortunate to be made at the wrong point in time which is why it got a lot of criticism. A movie about a morally questionable but likable billionaire doesn't really fly in 2021.
“Morally questionable” and “likable” aren’t descriptors I’d ascribe to Pike’s character. She’s a terrible person and horribly unlikable (as is virtually everyone in the film). This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if the film wasn’t equally unlikable in its edgelord, forceful provocation through hackneyed narration and utterly contrived plotting. Everything is such an empty affectation while still clinging to the idea that it’s about a “real issue!!!”

It also failed to suspend any disbelief as it went on as it gave its two leads irredeemably thick plot armor until it was time to make its thematic point.

It’s such a lazy and cynical movie.

At least the performances are solid, especially Macon Blair, whose character should be the lead in a much more interesting movie. Then again, that may look too much like Taxi Driver...

[Thief]

DOOMED!
THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN'S THE FANTASTIC FOUR
(2015, Langford)
A film with the number 4 (Four, Fourth, etc.) in its title

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


"The heart of this film and the intentions behind this film from the people who made the movie, not the business interests, the people who made the movie, their intentions were pure. They wanted to make a great Fantastic Four movie."



Near the end of 1992, Bernd Eichinger and Constantin Film teamed up with Roger Corman and Troma Entertainment to create a feature film based on the popular comic The Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, as so often happens in Hollywood, artistic endeavors don't necessarily align with business interests, and things fall out at the expense of those that are "lower on the totem pole", so to speak.

Doomed! follows the troubled production of the film which, according to some of the people interviewed, was never meant to see the light of day. This intentions, however, were kept from the cast and crew, most of which were counting on the film to advance their careers, and devoted personal time and money to complete it.

During the conversations with the cast and crew, it's hard not to feel how passionate they were about the project, and eventually how frustrating it was for them to not see it come to fruition. More interesting is to wonder why did those moving the strings let the project go along all the way into post-production, if the real intention was only to secure the rights and never to release it.

Grade: 3



THE FANTASTIC FOUR
(1994, Sassone)
A film with the number 4 (Four, Fourth, etc.) in its title

https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2015/08/fantastic_4_still.jpg


"We're either all in this together... or we don't move."



Of course, after watching the Doomed! documentary last night, what was left for me to do? Watch the real thing! Fortunately for the cast and crew involved, their little project has found some life as bootleg copies that can now be found through the Internet. In the words of Ian Malcolm, "life... uhh... finds a way" :laugh:

The Fantastic Four is a typical origin story for the superhero team. It starts with Dr. Reed Richards (Alex Hyde-White) and his college friend Victor Von Doom (Joseph Culp) performing an experiment with a passing comet that goes awry, and leaves Victor for dead. Fast forward ten years, and Richards recruits his friends Sue, Johnny, and Ben (Rebecca Staab, Jay Underwood, and Michael Bailey Smith) to go to space as the same comet approaches Earth again.

However, things don't go as planned, and the four end up crash-landing, but with superpowers! There's some nonsensical subplot about a villain called The Jeweler stealing a diamond that both Victor and Reed needed for their experiment, which is why the former, now as the megalomaniac Dr. Doom goes after them.

Grade: :damon:

[James D. Gardiner]

https://i.imgur.com/9ZWCnPu.jpg

Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946)
The Murderers Are Among Us

Directed by Wolfgang Staudte
Starring: Ernst Wilhelm Borchert, Hildegard Knef, Arno Paulsen, Erna Sellmer

Set in Berlin in 1945, this film brilliantly portrays the devastation to the nation and the surreal nature of the post-war environment. The lives of its main characters play out like the awakening from a terrible nightmare amidst the ruins which continues to haunt them. Ex-military doctor Hans Mertens wanders through the streets drunk, trying to forget the horrors he experienced of which he continually has flashbacks to. He lives in an abandoned bombed out apartment where he is confronted by Susanne Wallner, its former resident and a concentration camp survivor. After significant disagreement they reluctantly begin to share the space. Slowly their relationship mellows and Hans starts to recover himself. But this is all shattered when he discovers the existence of his former commanding officer, whom on the basis of his wartime conduct he decides he must kill.

This immediately post-war made German film impresses me every time I see it and is expertly directed, with powerfully artistic cinematography, high quality script and acting from the lead players, and a darkness that is typically German which is easily likened to earlier works such as Fritz Lang's M (1931).

10/10

[LordWhis]

lThen again, that may look too much like Taxi Driver...

Am I going to be forever infamous on movieforums as that crazy lady who hates Taxi Driver ?

[Thief]

We'll never gonna let you live that down.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Am I going to be forever infamous on movieforums as that crazy lady who hates Taxi Driver ?
*looks left*

...

*looks right*


You talkin’ to me?

[wositelec]

Escape from Zahrain (1962) - 7 / 10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81GcvYXOTrL._RI_.jpg

[Fabulous]

Transit (2018)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/opQyWvdFkhjY1pYBiO4neOPXKWS.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Thelma_%282017_film%29.jpg

Thelma - (2017) - Norway

Thelma begins with a father and young daughter going hunting in the frigid Norwegian outdoors. They spot a deer, and as the man raises his rifle he turns it from the deer towards his daughter. He wrestles with his conscience, and can't do it. What is so wrong with his daughter that he feels he must kill her?

This is a nice, atmospheric, supernatural thriller that really pays off when all the pieces start fitting together. It takes place mostly during our young protagonist's start of university - her first time away from home. Something awakens in her - something horrible and awe-inspiring. There are flashbacks to some terrible events that happened when she was around 6 years of age.

Might be a little slow for some people. I didn't mind the pacing - and a lot of the shots are gorgeous. It manages to be creepy and surreal at the right times.

7/10

[nidral]

Inhale-Exhale (2019) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10428270/) 7/10
https://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/30/49/777/inhale-exhale-966600l.jpg
https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Inhale_Exhale-109776978-large.jpg

[wositelec]

How the West Was Won (1962) - 7 / 10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Poster_-_How_the_West_Was_Won.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5
https://movieposters2.com/images/721270-b.jpg

[LChimp]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/nine_and_a_halfweeks_1986_original_film_art_1200x.jpg?v=1614990593

Wife wanted to rewatch this movie, God knows why. No story, Mickey Rourke's character is a total *******, misplaced soundtrack. It's amazing how much 50 shades stole from this.

[sawduck]

Promising Young Woman 7/10

All of Me (1984) 7/10

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 7.5/10

[Marco]

Loveless (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Loveless_%28film%29.png
My 2nd Zvyagintsev, enthralling story regarding a warring couple who are well into a divorce and neither wants to take responsibility for their 12 year old son...literally none. Mum has moved onto an idyllic relationship with an older, richer man and dad makes excuses about his job (sales?) and how he is morally looked upon by his superiors. However it's clear he doesn't want to upset his heavily pregnant girlfriend by involving his one son in his life. Poor Alyosha is caught up in this and goes missing.

Didn't understand the ending and the Ukraine/Russia conflict footage but it may be simpler than I've dug out?

4

[Takoma11]

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

Right Now, Wrong Then, 2015

A film director is in town for a film festival at a local university, but he arrives a day early and must kill time in town. The director, Ham Cheon-Soo (Jae-yeong Jeong), meets a young woman named Yoon Hee-jeong (Kim Min-hee). As the two spend time together and talk about their lives, an attraction grows. Halfway through the film, the entire day resets and we see a different version of events.

This was a fun and interesting take on the "reliving a day" type film. At this point, we are all pretty familiar with the structure: we watch one version of events, then get to see how big or small changes snowball through the narrative. In this movie, the emphasis is on small changes, and even more specifically small changes in the way that the characters express themselves.

That focus on little moments and word choice is both the attraction of the film for me and the slight problem. On the positive side, the idea that choosing to express ourselves more honestly can lead to overall healthier relationships is a nice one. Even more so because the film doesn't promise a happy ending if we are honest---just that we will feel more settled in ourselves. It is a really nice idea and it shifts the focus away from superficial narrative elements (WILL THEY END UP TOGETHER?!!) and toward who they are as people and how this encounter will change them.

The downside is that, especially in the first part of the retelling, we cover a lot of familiar ground. And while I liked both main characters, I didn't love them. A middle-aged man deciding he's in love--no exaggeration--with a young woman he just met is kind of eye-rolling. I don't mind that the film treats these emotions as sincere but also . . . . c'mon. The central question of where their relationship will go just wasn't all that compelling for me. I liked the way that the film mainly focused on their character growth, but at times I wanted the movie to hurry up and get where it was going.

I'd definitely recommend this one, despite feeling it was about 10-15 minutes too long.

4

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/MitchellsMachinesPoster.jpg/220px-MitchellsMachinesPoster.jpg

4

Snooze factor = Z



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e7/Baby_done.jpg/220px-Baby_done.jpg

2.5

Snooze factor = Zzzzz


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

[Marco]

The Dry (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/TheDry2021poster.jpg
Pretty standard "something in the woodshed" police drama. Eric Bana was good but the story itself was quite thin even if watchable. The location shooting is great.

2.5

[Takoma11]

The Dry (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/TheDry2021poster.jpg
Pretty standard "something in the woodshed" police drama. Eric Bana was good but the story itself was quite thin even if watchable. The location shooting is great.

2.5

The book on which it is based is pretty good. I plan to see the film despite tepid reviews because I liked the story.

[CharlesAoup]

Come True, 2020 (D)

A horror movie about an 18 year old girl?/young woman? with nowhere to go and a sleeping problem. Every night, she dreams of the same shadow figure at the end of her nightmares. She goes to a sleep lab to see what they can do for her.

So the good parts about the movie are the girl herself, and the imagery of the nightmares. They are repetitive in terms of sequence, always consisting of a camera moving forward in a surreal landscape, towards the shadowy figure, and then wake up. The images are goooooood though. The movie takes place in present day, as indicated by smartphones and nothing else. The sleep lab has that vintage 70s/80s computer look, and the movie has sound design that is reminscent of the Stranger Things theme.

The bad is the slowness of it. It keeps you interested by having this hypnotizing vibe, with the synth music, slow tone and almost perpetual nighttime setting past a certain point. The movie is divided in chapters named after Jung's concepts relating to the unconscious, but I don't think there's any meaning to those as far as the movie is concerned. Once the end comes around though, it fizzles out. BADLY. It drags for a good 10 minutes at least, and the end itself is so ******* stupid that I knocked it down from a B+ to a D just for that. It's at that moment you realize it's more of a bunch of short stories mashed together than a singular project with a vision. Many, many ends remain completely loose. The movie doesn't tie itself together in a nice little bow, but certainly hopes you'll care enough to wrap up the whole thing yourself.

[pahaK]

Eerie (2018)
3
A Philippine ghost story set in a Catholic girl school. It's extremely cliched, but at least they're the cliches I like. Cinematography is way above the norm for a film like this. The ending is a little meh, and there are some stupidly pointless jump scares, but it's still almost a good film. Definitely recommended for the fans of slow-burn ghost horrors.

--
Without Remorse (2021)
2
A Tom Clancy adaptation that has nothing to do with the Tom Clancy book of the same name (I think Clancy wasn't woke enough for modern Hollywood but his name still sells). If Eerie above managed to use its cliches well, Without Remorse doesn't. I'm not saying it's remarkably bad, but it's an (Amazon) prime example of a dime-a-dozen agent action.

[GulfportDoc]

The Virtuoso (2021) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4136456/)
This one was quite a great movie for a Wednesday night. Too bad I can't rate it just after 2 days :D 7/10

AAAAAhttps://resizing.flixster.com/-E5IOuRU0dXa_1JA8nWpWLVVvKI=/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzk0Y2IwYzQxLTk1YzQtNDA4My05ZjczLTg1ZGM5MjAzOTMzNC5qcGc=
Finally caught up with this film last night. I was looking forward to it on the strength of Anthony Hopkins being in the cast. Evidently he is what the producers thought would insure success of this picture, not to mention the casting of veterans Eddie Marsan and David Morse.

This movie is not worth the time to spend on a full review. But to cut to the chase, the chief problem with it was the very weak casting of the lead character (the Virtuoso), Anson Mount. He was believable for the first 10 minutes or so, and with his narration the hope was there that this could be a fine noir. A big part of it was his character's writing, but even if that had been better, he still was wrong for the part.

The picture had various story facets which on their own might have been interesting. But jumbled together they caused confusion and incongruity. At times it imitated Pulp Fiction, at other times the Cohen Bros., but mostly it languished at the trite "B" movie level.

There was also a bit of Agatha Christie whodunit (or who is it), although without the tension Christie builds up. I really didn't see the ending coming, but when it did it felt poorly prepared, and felt wrong.

Rating it a charitable 5/10 on the basis of Hopkin's performance.

[Marco]

The book on which it is based is pretty good. I plan to see the film despite tepid reviews because I liked the story.
I suspected that it was, in all honesty, not a fault in it Takoma11, maybe the book fleshed out the characters a bit more. Perfectly watchable.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/TheVisitorPoster.jpg



4

[xSookieStackhouse]

3.5
https://www.filmink.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/wrath-of-man1-793x1168.jpg

[Mr Minio]

Labyrinth of Cinema (Nobuhiko Ôbayashi, 2019) 3- 6.5/10
https://www.ksat.com/resizer/9Gh26qBTEgV6X76BqHAWoGZsfz8=/fit-in/640x360/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-gmg.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2RX3JS5YOJFXJFHI7TTT6EBMRM.jpg
Three hours of Japanese "film history" which is mostly created for the film and made with sharp social anti-war commentary. One of the best films of its decade and it always shocks me to see how much it gets over people's heads. :rolleyes:

[wositelec]

Lock Up (1989) - 9 / 10

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f6/2a/fa/f62afa316ce732bef1f6ef3818e5d4de.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/81/Labyrinth_of_Lies.jpg/220px-Labyrinth_of_Lies.jpg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47641963

Labyrinth of Lies - (2014) - Germany (The literal translation of 'Im Labyrinth des Schweigens' is "In the Labyrinth of Silence")

In 1958 Frankfurt there was some controversy when it was revealed that former SS Auschwitz commander Charles Schulz (Good grief!) had found a job teaching young children at a primary school. This perks the interest of a young prosecutor, and he starts asking questions that make everyone furious. Nobody wants to talk about the war or Nazi atrocities. The strangest thing - he's never even heard of Auschwitz or the concentration camps before....

This film is meant to portray the events preceding the The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials by using the familiar 'composite character' concept. I was truly surprised to find out how little average German citizens knew about the death camps and the brutality their comrades dished out during WWII - not to mention how many dodgy former SS men found work (a lot of the times in government!) after the war. I thought the Allies had taken care of a lot of that. Our main character (Johann Radmann) finds out about what had happened there (often reacting with utter shock) from victims who come forward, hoping that these people will be brought to justice.

Unfortunately, the movie tries to shoehorn in a romance for Johann which feels really out of place - and to worsen things the romance is flatlined by utterly pedestrian film-making. The movie as a whole has a lot of interesting information to reveal to us, but the film itself lacks imagination and verve. It's a 2nd rate drama when it's not detailing the prosecutor's information on Eichmann which helps Mossad capture him or his attempts to capture Josef Mengele (apparently he visited Germany 3 or 4 times a year from South America!! All the while knowing he had friends in the new German government which would refuse any request to arrest him.)

All in all a very average film dealing with the incredible.

6/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5
https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p8084_p_v10_ac.jpg

[Fabulous]

Barbara (2012)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/sPPoN2JHQ5DHBa2NmVzB7kxJiUe.jpg

[Marco]

Concrete Cowboy (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/69/Concrete_cowboy.jpg
This was alright, story of the Fletcher Street Riders in Philadelphia. Young violent tearaway get's dumped with his dad (Idris Elba) as his mothers at her wit's end with his antics. He then get's to know more about community and belonging. Not entirely original but most watchable.
3

[nidral]

Finally caught up with this film last night. I was looking forward to it on the strength of Anthony Hopkins being in the cast. Evidently he is what the producers thought would insure success of this picture, not to mention the casting of veterans Eddie Marsan and David Morse.

This movie is not worth the time to spend on a full review. But to cut to the chase, the chief problem with it was the very weak casting of the lead character (the Virtuoso), Anson Mount. He was believable for the first 10 minutes or so, and with his narration the hope was there that this could be a fine noir. A big part of it was his character's writing, but even if that had been better, he still was wrong for the part.

The picture had various story facets which on their own might have been interesting. But jumbled together they caused confusion and incongruity. At times it imitated Pulp Fiction, at other times the Cohen Bros., but mostly it languished at the trite "B" movie level.

There was also a bit of Agatha Christie whodunit (or who is it), although without the tension Christie builds up. I really didn't see the ending coming, but when it did it felt poorly prepared, and felt wrong.

Rating it a charitable 5/10 on the basis of Hopkin's performance.

So it had a bit of Tarantino, a bit of Cohen Bros. + a bit of Agatha Christie :)
As if someone made a good sauce with various vegetables and tomato sauce, maybe some aubergines and mixed it on low fire.
Honestly I didn't sit to analyze on a very deep level this movie + that I'd definitely say it ain't a B category movie :) I'd also say the rating on IMDb was given by a group of little mischievous Machiavellian creatures who had nothing better to do than do a thorough "autopsy" of this simple disconnecting movie :)
People can be so mean these days :)
I agree that Anson Mount did a better job in Star Trek Discovery than here.... but his haircut seemed like a hitman's haircut at least.... not to mention Abbie Cornish who was delightfully "bitchy".... maybe a bit of weight loss would do her good but she seemed kinda sexy :)

[LordWhis]

Another Round- 10/10. Top Class movie.

[nidral]

Percy Vs Goliath (2020) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8976696/) 6/10
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/percy-vs-goliath-2021/large_PercyGoliath_Poster.jpg

[wositelec]

Kings of the Sun (1963) - 9 / 10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81i4z1hBd8L._RI_.jpg

[LChimp]

https://cdn.hmv.com/r/w-1280/hmv/files/c9/c98d722d-3630-415c-a297-7482e6b84d14.jpg

Weird. Just plain weird

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fresizing.flixster.com%2FGhBdhiTQDi7f-ZdPkkv9RLK_73Q%3D%2F300x300%2Fv2%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fflxt.tmsimg.com%2Fassets%2Fp166827_i_h9_aa.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

From Other Worlds, 2004

A woman named Joanne (Cara Buono) has a strange experience one night that leaves her with missing time and a strange mark on her side. Coming to believe that she was abducted by aliens, Joanne eventually meets up with another abductee named Abraham (Isaach de Bankhole) a man with the same strange mark who spends his days selling counterfeit watches on the streets of the city. Together they try to figure out why they were taken and how it all connects to a new strange artifact that has just been unearthed in a dig.

This movie is not bad, per se, but it does seem to be a little confused. It's like when they were making the film they had to check boxes of what they wanted, and they just went hog-wild. It's a comedy! It's a romance! It's a thriller! It's a sci-fi film! And as is often the case, by trying to do so much, it ends up not doing much of it that well.

Buono and de Bankhole have good chemistry with each other, which is probably the saving grace of the entire film. I say this because the movie shuffles the two characters around from plot point to plot point, and the only thing that feels at all genuine is the growing friendship and forbidden romantic feelings (she is married) between them.

The comedy for the most part just didn't work for me. It is very VERY broad. Lots of wide-eyed reactions and, um, interesting takes on international accents. Because everything happens so fast, certain jokes just sort of hang in the air awkwardly, like when Joanne's mother-in-law finds out she is spending time with Abraham and gasps "He's not even African-American, he's African-African!" So I guess the joke is . . . her mother-in-law is kind of racist? And then we never even see the mother-in-law again, so why on Earth did we need that little dollop of racism in the middle of the film? The sci-fi elements are also kind of muddled, partly because the film is able to devote so little time to them. I kept feeling as if it didn't make a whole lot of sense, like, at all. But this is also not the kind of film where it seems worth rewatching scenes to "get it".

Despite not wanting to slam this film or anything, I also can't really say much to recommend it. Truthfully, I have a hard time imagining anyone really liking it.

2

[cricket]

Show Me Love (1998)

4

https://i.pinimg.com/600x315/f3/5e/34/f35e344ed899cf9a76a3a00c379197a8.jpg

I haven't been all that into teenage lesbians since the late 80's so I wasn't expecting much here. It doesn't go for shocks and it keeps it believable. Good performances, good music, good all around. Great ending.

[LordWhis]

Show Me Love (1998)

4

https://i.pinimg.com/600x315/f3/5e/34/f35e344ed899cf9a76a3a00c379197a8.jpg

I haven't been all that into teenage lesbians since the late 80's so I wasn't expecting much here. It doesn't go for shocks and it keeps it believable. Good performances, good music, good all around. Great ending.

I do not think any single movie can be called the greatest of all time but I think this film has as good a claim to that title as any.

An 11/10 movie in my opinion

[cricket]

I do not think any single movie can be called the greatest of all time but I think this film has as good a claim to that title as any.

An 11/10 movie in my opinion

Not many 11/10 movies, Taxi Driver off the top of my head:D

[LordWhis]

Not many 11/10 movies, Taxi Driver off the top of my head:D

Yoda You should really consider introducing a down-rep button

[LordWhis]

To be honest I think every film aficionado should hate at least one 'great' movie. That's proof that they are thinking independently and critically about the medium rather than just basing their tastes on another's opinion.

For me that just happens to be Taxi Driver.

[cricket]

To be honest I think every film aficionado should hate at least one 'great' movie. That's proof that they are thinking independently and critically about the medium rather than just basing their tastes on another's opinion.

For me that just happens to be Taxi Driver.

No doubt, I hate many.

[SpelingError]

The Cranes Are Flying (1957) - 4

While I'm not the biggest fan of classic romance films, I was definitely eager to watch this film for this thread as I've been meaning to get to it for a while. While I'm not sure I consider it to be a great film, I liked a lot about it and another viewing may get me to like it even more.

After finishing it, I was rather surprised as to how it was a fairly low-key romance. After Boris left for WWII, most of the film followed Veronika's attempts of coping with his absence and the fear of him being killed, while she was stuck in a loveless relationship with Mark. Due to this, the film maintained a steady atmosphere of despair, yet never felt like it was wallowing in this. A major thing which sets this film above most other classical romances I've seen is that it refuses to tie itself up into a neat bow in terms of its emotional register. Many tragedies befall Veronika and, though she isn't able to recover from all of them, the ending shows that, even if she can't be made whole again, she can still move on. I found the ending to be more layered and impactful than what I normally see in romance films.

The camerawork and editing were also really impressive. The how-did-they-shoot-that scene of Boris running up a set of stairs as the camera followed him was pretty great, a dreamlike sequence of Boris imagining a wedding between he and Veronika was nothing short of technically impressive, and the air raid shown from the perspective of Veronika's apartment ranks among the most claustrophobic things I've seen in film in a while. I also appreciated how some of the lighting used in the happier and playful moments of the film had a strong, dreamlike glare to it (as could be seen with the sunlight in the opening, for example). These scenes caused the film to be stylistically impressive and they make me more excited to watch Kalatozov's Letter Never Sent for this thread.

With all that being said, while there's a lot to love about this film, I'll need to watch it again to decide if I think it's great or just really good since I'm still mulling over a major directorial choice in it. Around the middle of the film, Boris is killed in the war while on a reconnaissance mission. While his death is certainly unexpected and among the most visually and technically impressive scenes in the film, I did wonder whether his death would've had a stronger impact had it been saved for later. As it stood, I felt that his death sacrificed some of the narrative tension I enjoyed over whether he'd survive. To be fair though, this was in service of setting up an even bleaker tone in the second half with Mark being more at the forefront. Since I'm not quite sure what to make of that scene and the effect it has on the film as of now though, I'll have to rewatch the film to decide whether I liked this choice or not.

Regardless of what direction the film goes in in the second half though, I quite enjoyed this film and I found that it mostly lived up to its reputation as a great film. Another viewing may get me to like it even more.

[StuSmallz]

The Cranes Are Flying (1957) - 4

While I'm not the biggest fan of classic romance films, I was definitely eager to watch this film for this thread as I've been meaning to get to it for a while. While I'm not sure I consider it to be a great film, I liked a lot about it and another viewing may get me to like it even more.

After finishing it, I was rather surprised as to how it was a fairly low-key romance. After Boris left for WWII, most of the film followed Veronika's attempts of coping with his absence and the fear of him being killed, while she was stuck in a loveless relationship with Mark. Due to this, the film maintained a steady atmosphere of despair, yet never felt like it was wallowing in this. A major thing which sets this film above most other classical romances I've seen is that it refuses to tie itself up into a neat bow in terms of its emotional register. Many tragedies befall Veronika and, though she isn't able to recover from all of them, the ending shows that, even if she can't be made whole again, she can still move on. I found the ending to be more layered and impactful than what I normally see in romance films.

The camerawork and editing were also really impressive. The how-did-they-shoot-that scene of Boris running up a set of stairs as the camera followed him was pretty great, a dreamlike sequence of Boris imagining a wedding between he and Veronika was nothing short of technically impressive, and the air raid shown from the perspective of Veronika's apartment ranks among the most claustrophobic things I've seen in film in a while. I also appreciated how some of the lighting used in the happier and playful moments of the film had a strong, dreamlike glare to it (as could be seen with the sunlight in the opening, for example). These scenes caused the film to be stylistically impressive and they make me more excited to watch Kalatozov's Letter Never Sent for this thread.

With all that being said, while there's a lot to love about this film, I'll need to watch it again to decide if I think it's great or just really good since I'm still mulling over a major directorial choice in it. Around the middle of the film, Boris is killed in the war while on a reconnaissance mission. While his death is certainly unexpected and among the most visually and technically impressive scenes in the film, I did wonder whether his death would've had a stronger impact had it been saved for later. As it stood, I felt that his death sacrificed some of the narrative tension I enjoyed over whether he'd survive. To be fair though, this was in service of setting up an even bleaker tone in the second half with Mark being more at the forefront. Since I'm not quite sure what to make of that scene and the effect it has on the film as of now though, I'll have to rewatch the film to decide whether I liked this choice or not.

Regardless of what direction the film goes in in the second half though, I quite enjoyed this film and I found that it mostly lived up to its reputation as a great film. Another viewing may get me to like it even more.I think a 2nd viewing would help you out, based on my experience with it; I mean, I only watched it once when I reviewed it eight years ago on the Corrie, but even without rewatching it since then, it's only grown in my memory since then, so I can only imagine what a rewatch might to do to improve it for me. At any rate, I feel it's a pretty great, visually impressive movie these days, so I'm just happy you like it at all, Pops; way to go!

[SpelingError]

I think a 2nd viewing would help you out, based on my experience with it; I mean, I only watched it once when I reviewed it eight years ago on the Corrie, but even without rewatching it since then, it's only grown in my memory since then, so I can only imagine what a rewatch might to do to improve it for me. At any rate, I feel it's a pretty great, visually impressive movie these days, so I'm just happy you like it at all, Pops; way to go!

Thanks, Stu! I definitely plan to rewatch it soon to see how I respond to it. I have a feeling I'll like it even more.

[Wooley]

To be honest I think every film aficionado should hate at least one 'great' movie. That's proof that they are thinking independently and critically about the medium rather than just basing their tastes on another's opinion.

For me that just happens to be Taxi Driver.

I didn't hate The African Queen, but I definitely did not like it.

So I guess there's mine.

[SpelingError]

I don't think there's a classic film that I hate as well, but I dislike Gone With the Wind.

[pahaK]

Full Circle (1977)
aka The Haunting of Julia
3
A slow-burn ghost story somewhat similar to The Changeling, but not as good. Mia Farrow does what she does best as a grieving mother on and over the brink of a nervous breakdown. The first act is the weakest, but the story gets more interesting towards the end. I liked the ending, and the end credits are really stylish.

[LordWhis]

Some Movies I've seen over the past month or so-

Grease- 7.5/10

Grease 2- 8.5/10

Greased Lightning- 7.5/10

2010- 8/10

The Car- 9/10

Hell's Angels- 10/10

Scarface- 10/10

The Outlaw- 9.5/10

Team America- 6/10

White Lightning- 8/10

Driven- 1/10

Top Gun- 8/10

Bonnie and Clyde- 9/10

The Bonnie Parker Story- 8.5/10

Bonnie and Clyde the True Story- 8/10

Red Corvette- 8/10

Roadhouse- 7.5/10

Initial D- 9/10

Stone- 9/10

Hot Pursuit- 8.5/10

Weird Science- 9/10

Smokey and the Bandit- 8/10

Smokey and the Bandit 2- 8/10

Smokey and the Bandit 3- 7.5/10

Ferris Bueller's Day Off- 10/10

Dukes of Hazzard- 8/10

Dukes of Hazzard The Beginning- 7/10

Pink Cadillac- 9/10

Swap Meet- 8.5/10

Dude Where's My Car- 7.5/10

Need For Speed- 7/10

The Aviator- 10/10

The Cannonball Run- 8/10

The Cannonball Run 2- 8/10

Cannonball- 8/10

Speed Zone- 8/10

El Camino- 9.5/10

Stroker Ace- 7.5/10

The Hitcher- 8/10

The Hitcher 2- 6.5/10

Death Race 2000- 8.5/10

Space Cowboys- 8/10

Taxi- 8.5/10

Taxi 2- 8.5/10

Taxi 3- 8.5/10

Taxi 4- 8.5/10

Taxi 5- 7.5/10

Brazil- 10/10

Mad Max- 8.5/10

Mad Max 2- 8.5/10

Mad Max 3- 8/10

Spirits of The Dead- 7.5,8.5 and 10/10

Redline 7000- 8/10

Holy Motors- 8.5/10

Flight- 9/10

Born to race- 7.5/10

Born to race 2- 6/10

Redline- 7/10

Little Rascals- 8.5/10

Little Rascals 2- 7.5/10

Hajwala- 6.5/10

The Art of Racing in the Rain- 7.5/10

Wings- 10/10

Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines- 9/10

Vanishing Point- 8/10

Kid Auto Races at Venice- 6/10

Grand Prix- 9.5/10

Bullitt- 9.5/10

Winning- 8.5/10

Le Mans- 9/10

Days of Thunder- 8/10

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man- 7/10

Funny Car Summer- 9.5/10

Gumball Rally- 9/10

Repo Man- 8.5/10

Wing Commander- 8/10

The Lively Set- 9/10

Easy Rider- 9/10

Easy Rider 2- 5/10

Fangio- 9.5/10

American Graffiti- 9.5/10

THX 1138- 8.5/10

Heart like a Wheel- 8/10

Tucker: The Man and his Dream- 9.5/10

Speed Racer- 8.5/10

Dusty and Sweets McGee- 9/10

2 Lane Blacktop- 9/10

The Last American Hero- 8.5/10

The Wraith- 7.5/10

Johnny English 3- 8.5/10

Kung Fury- 8/10

Joe Dirt- 7/10

Joe Dirt 2- 4/10

Space Truckers- 7/10

Talladega Nights- 7.5/10

[Thief]

To be honest I think every film aficionado should hate at least one 'great' movie. That's proof that they are thinking independently and critically about the medium rather than just basing their tastes on another's opinion.

For me that just happens to be Taxi Driver.

I have a substantial list of so-called "great" films that haven't worked for me. That's the beauty of things, that people can perceive things differently, and discuss those differences, and not blast each other for not agreeing

[John-Connor]

Grand Illusion 1937 ‘La Grande Illusion’ Jean Renoir
77167
4

The Seventh Seal 1957 ‘Det sjunde inseglet’ Ingmar Bergman
77166
3.5+

A Touch of Zen 1971 ‘俠女’ King Hu
77165
3.5+

Underground 1995 ‘Подземље’ Emir Kusturica
77164
4

Malena 2000 Giuseppe Tornatore
76664
4

Tema di malena · Ennio Morricone (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mc41FK2An4)

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Eddie_the_Eagle_poster.png
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48828389

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

It would be typical of me to trash the hell out of a movie like this. We've had Cool Runnings and what must be 1000 similar sporting triumph films. "Cookie-Cutter", "Paint-by-Numbers" and "Auto-script" would have been terms bandied about, but by hell this film managed to win me over. There's something utterly infectious about what Michael Edwards achieved (or failed to achieve) in real life and Taron Egerton's portrayal of him - not to mention ski jumping itself, which I never realised. I would have given this film an 8 if they hadn't of felt the need to beef up the cast with Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken, who just end up being big distractions. Jim Broadbent's BBC commentator is perfect though - and loads of fun.

7/10

[Fabulous]

Brick (2005)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/sDr2KjWpEbJ8M1F88rEmhoczLkX.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F75%2F7a%2F81%2F757a81000a184caecac6a525990c576a.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Her (2013, Spike Jonze)
4.5
[rewatch] This has Lost In Translation vibes all over it, with its achingly bittersweet, longing tone, the themes of loneliness and atomization amid an increasing role of technology in the modern world, the inability to connect and maintain relationships. At its core it's a love story - albeit a rather bizarre one - but it's more than that, as it digs deep into big existential questions of what the future holds for humans' interaction with one another and with AI. Probably the star of the show is Hoyte Van Hoytema's gorgeous cinematography, which captures moments of transcendent beauty throughout the film (i.e the ending or the beach sequence, among others). This film is and will remain relevant for years to come.

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6J9k9dwy8Y8/TVIF3W5r7vI/AAAAAAAAAcs/UnIxp5xFYwg/s1600/244198.1020.A.jpg

[Marco]

Palmer (2021)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/Palmer_%28Official_Film_Poster%29.png
Low key drama about a con (Timberlake) coming out and back into his old community where there's a mixture of welcoming, stand-offishness and hostility. Personally, I liked this even if the story was a bit formulaic. Been quite a fan of Timberlake since "Alpha-Dog".

3

[Stirchley]

77197

Clunky & old-fashioned, but the sentiments are as relevant today as they were then in this time of #metoo. Women have come far, but not as far as one would imagine.

77198

Never seen this before. The two leads so good.

77199

Small indie movie playing out in NYC. I have zero interest in kids + skate-boarding, but it’s an interesting storyline. All the actors except Will Smith’s son are non-professionals. I enjoyed it.

[mark f]

Difret (Zeresenay Mehari, 2014) 2.5 6/10
Under the Tree (Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, 2017) 3- 6.5/10
Condemned to Live (Frank R. Strayer, 1935) 1.5 4/10
Tread (Paul Solet, 2020) 3+ 6.5/10
https://rogermooresmovienation.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/tread1.jpeg?w=640
Steamroller modified as an armored tank is employed by Marvin Heemeyer over sleights he felt from the people there to try to destroy Granby, Colorado in 2004.
Things Heard & Seen (Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, 2021) 2 5/10
Lucy, the Human Chimp (Alex Parkinson, 2021) 3 6.5/10
The Swinging Barmaids (Gus Trikonis, 1975) 2 5/10
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Michael Rianda & Jeff Rowe, 2021) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjU0NTEzZTMtMjk4OC00YWY3LTk2NGUtZmM3MGMxYTI5YTQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQWRvb2xpbmhk._V1_UX477_CR0,0,477,268 _AL_.jpg
Family with a few maladjustments must bond together to save the world from a pissed-off app.
Enemies (Mariya Mozhar, 2007) 2.5 6/10
Murder at Glen Athol AKA The Criminal Within (Frank R. Strayer, 1936) 2 5/10
Eerie (Mikhail Red, 2018) 2.5 6/10
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (Mary Wharton, 2020) 3.5 7/10
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5452d441e4b0c188b51fef1a/1601995203049-QUQL5PMNPJBYZFXTB51Z/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEHl8Rr6fdiYXgoBPndr-I8UqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIIIbLZhVYxCRW4BPu10St3TBAUQYVKcHb4Mgx5VOko7O 0Fa25dY_2NkKFadhjWtiVoqQ0gwguBwW4eD-34ex314_74FYepK/jimmy-carter-rock-roll-president-movie-review-2020.jpg
Jimmy Carter's rise to the U.S. Presidency was aided and facilitated by his support from American rock, jazz, country, pop and gospel music.
Stilles Land (Andreas Dresen, 1992) 2.5 6/10
Angels Die Hard (Richard Compton, 1970) 2 5/10
Darling, How Could You! (Mitchell Leisen, 1951) 2.5+ 6/10
Welcome Home Soldier Boys (Richard Compton, 1971) 3 6.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTU2ZTk0NTgtMTUwZC00MjVjLTgwZjYtODBkZTdhNzVhNzhmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg
Slowburn social commentary with an incredible action finale about Vietnam vets (led by Joe Don Baker) returning home and reaching their wits end.
The Woman Condemned (Mrs. Wallace Reid [Dorothy Davenport], 1934) 2 5/10
This Lady Called Life (Kayode Kasum, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Goin' Coconuts (Howard Morris, 1978) 2 5/10
Seadrift (Tim Tsai, 2019) 3+ 6.5/10
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c34e88cfcf7fd3c33432e38/1610075433716-IA8UY37GYBQCPCV6ZW11/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kILU9fw18vJFgosWW_Tcb6J7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLf rh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UfKfcZUbw7raDSbuC5aaME6XaozUOsZbxcFgS6J_y_JgW07ycm2T rb21kYhaLJjddA/Seadrift_03+Vietnames+women+crab+meat+processing+plant.png?format=500w
After the War, the Vietnamese come to Seadrift, Texas to work in the crabbing business, and they're greeted with resentment and the KKK.

[Torgo]

Space Truckers - 3

Could Stuart Gordon (R.I.P.) do no wrong? With a title and premise like Space Truckers', I was certain this would be the first bad movie I've seen from him and that it would at least be so bad, it's good, but I sincerely had a blast with it. It's a story of a cantankerous, veteran independent trucker (Dennis Hopper), a trainee (Stephen Dorff) and the veteran's would be "green card" bride (Debi Mazar) on the run from a space truck station to Earth while transporting very, very deadly cargo. The movie is the perfect vehicle (no pun intended) for Gordon in that it leverages his talents for genre thrills, creating moments you're not sure whether to laugh or puke at (there are actual square pigs, for example) and making the most of a small budget. The highlight is easily when the gang are captured by space pirates, led by a Charles Dance that is very far removed from his Game of Thrones villain. Also, while it came out in 1996, its theme of the evils of privatization and ill-gotten political power make it an even better fit for these times than its own. It is cheesy and not always in a good way, and while it's no Re-Animator or Dolls, it's bound to maintain your Gordon fandom like it did mine. Oh, and speaking of Dance, I can think of no better way to cleanse your mind of what he did on Game of Thrones - or of the series in general, really - then watch him pull a crank to start his mechanical...enhancements.

[LordWhis]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Eddie_the_Eagle_poster.png
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48828389

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

It would be typical of me to trash the hell out of a movie like this. We've had Cool Runnings and what must be 1000 similar sporting triumph films. "Cookie-Cutter", "Paint-by-Numbers" and "Auto-script" would have been terms bandied about, but by hell this film managed to win me over. There's something utterly infectious about what Michael Edwards achieved (or failed to achieve) in real life and Taron Egerton's portrayal of him - not to mention ski jumping itself, which I never realised. I would have given this film an 8 if they hadn't of felt the need to beef up the cast with Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken, who just end up being big distractions. Jim Broadbent's BBC commentator is perfect though - and loads of fun.

7/10

I watched this recently too though I forgot about it, I’d probably give it an 8 and agree with your review.

[LordWhis]

5 rewatched
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6J9k9dwy8Y8/TVIF3W5r7vI/AAAAAAAAAcs/UnIxp5xFYwg/s1600/244198.1020.A.jpg

I see we’ve given it the same rating :)

[LordWhis]

Space Truckers - 3

Could Stuart Gordon (R.I.P.) do no wrong? With a title and premise like Space Truckers', I was certain this would be the first bad movie I've seen from him and that it would at least be so bad, it's good, but I sincerely had a blast with it. It's a story of a cantankerous, veteran independent trucker (Dennis Hopper), a trainee (Stephen Dorff) and the veteran's would be "green card" bride (Debi Mazar) on the run from a space truck station to Earth while transporting very, very deadly cargo. The movie is the perfect vehicle (no pun intended) for Gordon in that it leverages his talents for genre thrills, creating moments you're not sure whether to laugh or puke at (there are actual square pigs, for example) and making the most of a small budget. The highlight is easily when the gang are captured by space pirates, led by a Charles Dance that is very far removed from his Game of Thrones villain. Also, while it came out in 1996, its theme of the evils of privatization and ill-gotten political power make it an even better fit for these times than its own. It is cheesy and not always in a good way, and while it's no Re-Animator or Dolls, it's bound to maintain your Gordon fandom like it did mine. Oh, and speaking of Dance, I can think of no better way to cleanse your mind of what he did on Game of Thrones - or of the series in general, really - then watch him pull a crank to start his mechanical...enhancements.

Agreed, it’s a good bit of fun and Charles Dance is definitely memorable.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcps-static.rovicorp.com%2F2%2FOpen%2FMovieDB_2462%2FProgram%2F21818773%2F_3by4%2F_derived_jpg_q90_500x50 0_m0%2Ftill.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

5up 2down, 2006

Santo (Kirk Acevedo) is good friends with artist Hunter (Isaach de Bankhole) and Hunter's girlfriend, Allie (Paz de la Huerta). All three are serious drug addicts. As a new show of Hunter's approaches, will the trio be able to survive their latest binge?

Oh, so I see that someone decided to just gather together everyone I had sort of a tangential crush on in the early 2000s (Aceveco, de Bankhole, de la Huerta, Mike Doyle). Neat. Unfortunately, the movie is kind of a mess.

The title of the film refers to the way that the trio lives---getting high for days at a time, then sleeping it off for 48 hours. A complication comes in the form of Santo's brother, Benny (Andre Royo), who wants Santo to get clean. That aspect of the film is fairly straightforward, if a bit cliched. The three central actors have an easy chemistry with each other, and they are believable as long-time friends.

But there is this weird--and I mean weird--subplot about how Santo and Hunter knew each other in a past life, with Santo having been a white blacksmith who helped Hunter's past-self slave escape. Through the film we are shown visions of this escape, and Santo himself frequently talks about visions that he has. Hunter himself is also "tuned in" to this past, and we see that he would rather paint crowd-pleasing floral scenes than engage with what's really happening on the inside. And this part, to me, was just way cheesy. On top of which, it also clashes a bit thematically with another big idea in the film, which is Hunter's inability to trust having come from an abusive background.

The actors are all likable, which really pull you through the film. But I found myself overall not very satisfied with the narrative itself or what it had to say about art and addiction. It also does something that I find so off-putting, which is to feature multiple sex scenes in which the men remain fully clothed (or framed off-camera except for their faces), but a ton of semi-nude or nude female bodies are put on display. The movie already suffers from looking low-budget, and these sequences gave it an unpleasant air of desperation.

Unless you are a really big fan of someone involved, probably one to avoid.

2

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4Njk5ODMtNjZhMC00OTRjLTg3NzktYjViNmE1ZWE5MzhlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEyNzgwMDUw._V1_UY1200_CR89,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg

Quite entertaining.

[Fabulous]

Winter's Bone (2010)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/hxRTMn4lTHWWwPuqU0LmB1qXeB3.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dogs-dont-wear-pants-poster-600x452.jpg

Dogs Don't Wear Pants - (2019) - Finland

Eccentric surgeon Juha accidentally stumbles into dominatrix Vaimo's studio and finds out that being suffocated brings him closer to his dead wife.

I found this film challenging to watch - and director J.-P. Valkeapää (who co-wrote) seems to be urging himself to create a film that makes the audience uncomfortable voyeurs from the very start to the very end with little let-up. It has less sexuality and eroticism then you'd expect from such a film, instead choosing to go with darkly subconscious undercurrents of grief and obsession. The comedic tone was lost on me - probably drowned out by the graphic torture and awkward masturbatory scenes - so if I were to rewatch it my score might be radically different. As it is, I found it really tough...and I have to be honest...

5/10

[ironpony]

In The Cut (2003) 4 or 5/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

3.5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjU3YzkzNzItNjc5Mi00ZTg3LWFlYmYtYTc4OGYwODA3OTY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODY0NzcxNw@@._V1_.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/aa/78/00aa78f2d1c1e50386642c2d4cab0cb7.png
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Michel Gondry)
5

[rewatch] Still one of the most brilliant examples of non-linear storytelling that I've ever seen. Barely a misstep in the whole thing -it hits all the right buttons intellectually and emotionally without straying into corny territory or getting too clever for its own sake. The way Gondry uses visuals (camerawork, editing, sets, lighting, effects, etc) to materialize Kaufman's complex script, esp. in the 'journey through memory world' part (which basically makes up the majority of the film), is nothing short of breathtaking - an absolute miracle.

[the samoan lawyer]

I have really fond feelings toward Joy Ride (an admittedly fun, but just slightly above-average thriller) because when it was released my college roommate and I were at a formal dance. We weren't digging it, and we went the college's theater instead. We were the only two people there (9pm showing on a Saturday night) and so we watched Joy Ride in our fancy dresses and our bare feet up on the seats in front of us and got to enjoy talking to each other during the film in a movie theater without being horrible monsters.


:cool: Given the choice, I wouldve done exactly the same.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Tony_Curtis_and_Debbie_Reynolds_in_%27The_Rat_Race%27%2C_1960.jpg



3.5

[Guaporense]

Girl (2018)
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F05%2Fgirl_still_2.jpg%3Fw%3D780&f=1&nofb=1

A movie about a transgirl ballet dancer and how her life sucks. Too long and repetitive but the actor who played her is such a cute trap (he is the one on the left). :eek:

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://static.greatbigcanvas.com/images/singlecanvas_thick_none/everett-collection/spencer-tracy-robert-walker-don-defore-thirty-seconds-over-tokyo,2010832.jpg

https://oldmoviesaregreat.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/56ee675ea9dc2__annex-johnson-van-thirty-seconds-over-tokyo-01.jpg?w=1352

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo - This 1944 production directed by Mervyn LeRoy is a respectfully accurate narrative of the 1942 Doolittle Raid in which 16 fully loaded B-52's took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet and bombed selected targets on mainland Japan. If you can make it past the first 30 or so minutes of overly schmaltzy buildup you will be rewarded with a gritty (by 40's standards) and authentic retelling. It's based on the book by Captain Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) and uses actual footage of the launch from the Hornet. And I was sure they used combat footage of the raid but it turned out to be some really good FX. Who knew miniatures and models could be used so convincingly? Spencer Tracy plays Doolittle and gets top billing but he's only in the film for a combined minute or two. The first act goes overboard on the backstories and lays on the jingoism a little thick even by wartime era Hollywood standards but the actual raid and it's aftermath make this a winner.

rating_3

[Takoma11]

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dogs-dont-wear-pants-poster-600x452.jpg

Dogs Don't Wear Pants - (2019) - Finland

Eccentric surgeon Juha accidentally stumbles into dominatrix Vaimo's studio and finds out that being suffocated brings him closer to his dead wife.

I found this film challenging to watch - and director J.-P. Valkeapää (who co-wrote) seems to be urging himself to create a film that makes the audience uncomfortable voyeurs from the very start to the very end with little let-up. It has less sexuality and eroticism then you'd expect from such a film, instead choosing to go with darkly subconscious undercurrents of grief and obsession. The comedic tone was lost on me - probably drowned out by the graphic torture and awkward masturbatory scenes - so if I were to rewatch it my score might be radically different. As it is, I found it really tough...and I have to be honest...

5/10

I liked the dynamic of investigating what it means when someone has self-destructive impulses and that self-destruction involves another person. I agree with you that it is trying to make the viewer uncomfortable. I was honestly much more concerned about portraying really dangerous stuff as being somehow normal domination acts and how it was not made clear that the main woman was incredibly unprofessional in many parts of the film.

[ScarletLion]

Girl (2018)
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F05%2Fgirl_still_2.jpg%3Fw%3D780&f=1&nofb=1

A movie about a transgirl ballet dancer and how her life sucks. Too long and repetitive but the actor who played her is such a cute trap (he is the one on the left). :eek:

Good film I thought. Tough watch at times but really good performances.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://filmquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/laronde.jpg

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/1e672d670540f2ba562a561eba5aaf25.jpeg

La Ronde - If this French 1950 Max Ophuls film was ever remade it would probably be more of an extended PSA and titled Le Chlamydia. A prostitute (Simone Signoret) goes off with a young soldier (Serge Reggiani) who falls for a chambermaid who knocks boots with the young son of her employer who starts an affair with a married woman whose husband has a fling with a perpetually hungry shopgirl who falls in love with a poet who wants more than a quickie with an actress who invites a nobleman into her bed who somehow ends up with the prostitute that started this STD-fest rolling, thus completing the merry-go-round. There are little flourishes that have been reused over the years in movies like fourth wall breaking courtesy of an omniscient narrator and the cinematography and lighting are especially commendable. It's part of the Criterion collection so someone somewhere thinks highly of it.

rating_3_5

[Wooley]

Space Truckers - 3

Could Stuart Gordon (R.I.P.) do no wrong? With a title and premise like Space Truckers', I was certain this would be the first bad movie I've seen from him and that it would at least be so bad, it's good, but I sincerely had a blast with it. It's a story of a cantankerous, veteran independent trucker (Dennis Hopper), a trainee (Stephen Dorff) and the veteran's would be "green card" bride (Debi Mazar) on the run from a space truck station to Earth while transporting very, very deadly cargo. The movie is the perfect vehicle (no pun intended) for Gordon in that it leverages his talents for genre thrills, creating moments you're not sure whether to laugh or puke at (there are actual square pigs, for example) and making the most of a small budget. The highlight is easily when the gang are captured by space pirates, led by a Charles Dance that is very far removed from his Game of Thrones villain. Also, while it came out in 1996, its theme of the evils of privatization and ill-gotten political power make it an even better fit for these times than its own. It is cheesy and not always in a good way, and while it's no Re-Animator or Dolls, it's bound to maintain your Gordon fandom like it did mine. Oh, and speaking of Dance, I can think of no better way to cleanse your mind of what he did on Game of Thrones - or of the series in general, really - then watch him pull a crank to start his mechanical...enhancements.

And now I wanna watch Space Truckers.

[Torgo]

And now I wanna watch Space Truckers.Amazon Prime customer? It's yours to watch for free!

[GulfportDoc]

Tread (Paul Solet, 2020) rating_3+ 6.5/10
https://rogermooresmovienation.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/tread1.jpeg?w=640
Steamroller modified as an armored tank is employed by Marvin Heemeyer over sleights he felt from the people there to try to destroy Granby, Colorado in 2004.

'Preciate the heads-up. It's a fascinating true story, and I have to say that I related to Marvin Heemeyer taking his wrath out on the town whose good ole boy city council done him wrong..👍

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcriterion-production%2Fstills%2F132290-2a85fa78138a0b2ecd797e50a1b5e985%2FFilm_758_MerchantFourSeasons_original.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Merchant of Four Seasons, 1972

Returning home from a time in the military, Hans (Hans Hirschmuller) finds his relationship with his wife, Irmgard (Irm Hermann) and family altered. Hans tries to make a living as a fruit vendor, but an untimely medical emergency leaves him dependent on others.

I don't know if many people have seen the film Deathdream, about a soldier who returns from Vietnam but things are very, very wrong. In fact, it becomes clear really quickly (so quickly I don't consider it a spoiler, but, um, SPOILER WARNING, I guess) that he is dead. There's a line in another film (I am blanking on the name, but something thriller-ish?) where one character tells another, "You're dead. You just don't know it yet."

These two films/lines kept rattling around in my head while watching Merchant of Four Seasons. Hans has, in many ways, lost his life. And yet he is still in it. But as we watch, all of the trappings of his presence and reality begin to fall away. His family thinks poorly of him. His wife is enamored with other men. His business is being run by someone else. And all of the coping strategies he uses---to use the term very loosely--only serve to further alienate himself from his own life.

I did appreciate some of the humor in the film, and specifically just how dramatic many of the characters were. Irmgard is perpetually upset, and often tearful. In one scene, Hans' family protectively encircles her like a herd of startled cattle. And Hans himself also skews toward the dramatic in his own way, albeit more explosive.

Overall I enjoyed the film, which felt like some bizarre mix of comedy, drama, and a little bit of horror. Many of Fassbinder's frequent collaborators make appearances, including El Hedi ben Salem, who shows up for a memory sequence containing a fetishized sequence of whipping (because of course he does).

I actually felt that the film's strongest point was that final sequence (despite me poking a bit of fun at it), because we really get a window into Hans' mental state.

4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Ashes_in_the_Snow.jpg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60775778

Ashes in the Snow - (2018) - Lithuania

With the plethora of films we have detailing what was life (and death) was like in Nazi concentration camps it feels like a breath of fresh air to take a look at what life (and death) was like in a Soviet Russian gulag. In 1940 the U.S.S.R. occupied the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - sparking off half a century of oppression and struggle. As such, this film focuses on the arrest of entire Vilkas family in 1941, and their cruel treatment due to father Kostas' attempt to help some citizens flee.

Ashes in the Snow's most interesting focus is on the fate of Nikola Kretzsky, an NKVD guard. When the soldiers in his regiment learn that their assignment is a Siberian gulag - they react as if they themselves have have been sentenced to imprisonment. Nikola is a good man who befriends mother Elena, but, as camp commander Komarov reminds her, he can be the "angel of death" at the camp commander's command. The film is an adaptation of Ruta Sepetys' novel Between Shades of Grey.

The only problem I have with the film is it's sudden, and almost baffling, happy ending. After suffering the physical and mental privations of their gulag, the Vilkas family is sent to an even harsher gulag in the Arctic - with Kretzsky, whose promotion to commander is in effect a punishment for beating up a fellow guard (Kretzsky's mother is Ukrainian, which makes him suspect to Komarov.) After building their own shelter from sticks and mud, Elena dies from malnutrition and disease. This prompts Kretzsky to commit suicide, but not before pardoning the two Vilkas children, Lina and Jonas. We last see them on an idyllic beach, where Lina has resumed her relationship with a young man who has somehow extricated himself from the former gulag. I admit that the film made me want them to triumph, but I couldn't help but see this as a slight betrayal of those who never managed to find their way home, and those who, when they did, were a shadow of their former selves. There was no beach frolicking with young lovers for them.

7/10

[Fabulous]

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/6QOZ7RGucRJLGvm7TH5k2BN0xSp.jpg

[wositelec]

The Light at the Edge of the World (1971) - 8/10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Gu29kfBSL._SL1000_.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Q-o9jhS1L._RI_.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/Boxcar_Bertha_%281972%29.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8251489

Boxcar Bertha - (1972)

Roger Corman exploitation film, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Barbara Hershey, David Carradine and John Carradine. That's enough to spark anyone's curiosity. Cheap - but not without it's moments, especially final scene.

6.5/10

[John-Connor]

Pépé le Moko 1937 Julien Duvivier (France)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77270
rating_3_5+

The Age Of Shadows 'Mil-jeong' 2016 Jee-woon Kim (South Korea)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77269
rating_4

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F34%2Fe6%2Fa5%2F34e6a545c3c8ec0b39cb77362f9351d9.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Stand By Me (1986, Rob Reiner)
3.5
A simple and very heartfelt coming-of-age adventure story with excellent ensemble acting by the boys, and that warm, nostalgic vibe that transports us back to adolescence, with all the accompanying pains (and joys) of growing up, the friends we had but moved on from - the formative years of our lives that shaped us into who we are.
Good film, definitely one of the better Stephen King adaptations I've seen.

[Marco]

Things heard and seen (2021)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Things_Heard_and_Seen_poster.jpeg
Atmospheric mystery about a family moving from the city to a rural community so that the father (James Norton) can take up a teaching post there.

Filled with loads of mumbo-jumbo but goes along at a decent pace...strange ending. Wasn't great and could have done with a few boneshaker scenes not just the standard "doors and drawers shutting and electrical goods going blink" ones.

2.5

[mark f]

S.M.A.R.T. Chase (Charles Martin, 2017) 2 5/10
Jungle Man AKA Drums of Africa (Harry Fraser, 1941) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Cat Murkil and the Silks AKA Cruisin' High (John Bushelman, 1976) 2 5/10
The Coward (Satyajit Ray, 1965) 2.5 6/10
https://media1.fdncms.com/chicago/imager/whats-new-again-satyajit-rays-the-coward-1965/u/mobileteaserhuge/5183693/1323815565-the-coward.jpg
Unhappily married Madhabi Mukherjee is surprised to meet old flame Soumitra Chatterjee when he visits her husband, but will it change anything?
Dead Again in Tombstone (Roel Reiné, 2017) 2+ 5/10
Sixpack Annie (Graydon F. David [Fred G. Thorne], 1975) 1.5 4/10
The 9th Guest (R. William Neill, 1934) 2 5/10
Charade (Roy Kellino, 1954) 3 6.5/10
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAtVCuJ6KrE/Wu8Jm70AzjI/AAAAAAAATaQ/AiSdn8oIjaIxaB9DvMP5talg7qgl74BJwCLcBGAs/s1600/Charade.JPG
Creative trio of stories (all shot in color) with a strong overriding concept where Mr. & Mrs. James Mason play themselves as well as the leads in all three stories.
Big Town Scandal (William Thomas, 1948) 2 5/10
Loaded Pistols (John English, 1948) 2.5 6/10
Blonde Comet (William Beaudine, 1941) 2+ 5/10
White Fire AKA 3 Steps to the Gallows (John Gilling, 1953) 2.5 5.5/10
https://eplayvid.com/thumbs/white_fire_1953___587847622fddf.mp4.jpg
Underseen noir where American naval officer Scott Brady arrives in London to find his younger brother three days from execution. He works with smuggler Mary Castle to try to prove he was framed. Pretty good but let down by some of the worst fight scenes in film history.
The Manster AKA The Split (George Breakston & Kenneth G. Crane, 1959) 2 5/10
Girl on the Run (Arthur J. Beckhard & Joseph Lee, 1953) 2.5 5.5/10
Drills (Sarah Friedland, 2020) 2 5/10
This Time for Keeps (Richard Thorpe, 1947) 2.5 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBXDEsQ96qw
Rarely shown Esther Williams musical romance certainly should be watched as much as her others.
House on the Edge of the Park (Ruggero Deodato, 1980) 2 5/10
Mala Mala (Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, 2014) 2.5 6/10
Murder by the Clock (Edward Sloman, 1931) 2 5/10
Tricheurs (Barbet Schroeder, 1984) 2.5 6/10
https://images.justwatch.com/backdrop/174480150/s1440/cheaters
Offbeat gambling film with cryptic leads (Jacques Dutronc & Bulle Ogier) and beautiful locations.

[kgaard]

I Lost My Body

77308

This is a morbid but also kind of lovely French animated film about a, um, disembodied hand and its search for attachment. It's also about destiny, loss, and grief, in the story of a young man searching for himself in the aftermath of tragedy. The subject matter is rather dark at times by necessity but it doesn't wallow in misery. The animation is rich and detailed--the focus on small, seemingly mundane details gives beauty to the ordinary. 8/10

[Stirchley]

77310

Julia Roberts was way way too good for this movie. The lead male actor was so stilted & one-dimensional. Not a bad storyline & I did finish it. But the movie didn’t deserve her.

[Wooley]

Sixpack Annie (Graydon F. David [Fred G. Thorne], 1975) 1.5 4/10



Huh, I really thought I was the only person alive who'd seen Sixpack Annie.

[mark f]

Anybody "stupid" enough to watch it can see it free on Amazon Prime. It seemed like a long 88 minutes. :cool:

[ThatDarnMKS]

77310

Julia Roberts was way way too good for this movie. The lead male actor was so stilted & one-dimensional. Not a bad storyline & I did finish it. But the movie didn’t deserve her.
Dope ending though.

[Stirchley]

Dope ending though.

Predictable. He had to die.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Predictable. He had to die.
I’m talking more the specific execution of the ending with the 911 phone call. I don’t expect revelatory plot developments from most films, especially clearly boilerplate thrillers from the 90s. I do appreciate inventive execution of those plot developments and this one delivered.

[Takoma11]

I Lost My Body

77308

This is a morbid but also kind of lovely French animated film about a, um, disembodied hand and its search for attachment. It's also about destiny, loss, and grief, in the story of a young man searching for himself in the aftermath of tragedy. The subject matter is rather dark at times by necessity but it doesn't wallow in misery. The animation is rich and detailed--the focus on small, seemingly mundane details gives beauty to the ordinary. 8/10

My mom and I watched this last Christmas and both had a very positive (and very emotional) response to it.

[LordWhis]

4.5
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Q-o9jhS1L._RI_.jpg

There's a bollywood movie which is a blatant knockoff of this called Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/HiddenPoster2015.jpg
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55643901

Hidden - (2015)

A couple and their their young daughter have holed up in a fallout shelter from the apocalypse - surviving 301 days, despite nerves fraying and heavy fatigue. On their 302nd day they are beset by disaster after disaster as they realize their time is running out.

If you like the sound of the above you should really check out Hidden. For the first three-quarters the film doesn't have one single misstep, with a taught atmosphere it builds up to a climax that is probably impossible to please every viewer, or even most viewers. The Duffer brothers, who wrote and directed this, would go on to create the Stranger Things TV series.

7/10

[Thief]

I Lost My Body

77308

This is a morbid but also kind of lovely French animated film about a, um, disembodied hand and its search for attachment. It's also about destiny, loss, and grief, in the story of a young man searching for himself in the aftermath of tragedy. The subject matter is rather dark at times by necessity but it doesn't wallow in misery. The animation is rich and detailed--the focus on small, seemingly mundane details gives beauty to the ordinary. 8/10

Yeah, I liked this one a lot.

[Fabulous]

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/aZYjP0cS1zsDHgyvDo6ymxF5JEY.jpg

[StuSmallz]

77198

Never seen this before. The two leads so good.Indeed, and in case you're interested in reading a write-up analyzing the way it deconstructed Film Noir as whole, here's the link to my entry on it in my genre deconstruction thread: https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2176127#post2176127

[xSookieStackhouse]

There's a bollywood movie which is a blatant knockoff of this called Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

i know

[ScarletLion]

Microhabitat (2017)
Cute. Very well shot. She just wants whisky, cigarettes and her man.
3.5

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/3e/qp/w6/in/microhabitat-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=6deb7ce2d5


Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bad-Boy-Bubby1.jpg

Well that was messed up.

3

[the samoan lawyer]

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/58f7f35e9f745630b6952af8/58f80373e58c621258acde17/5fd69e419264095525dd0230/1608023319652/fandoylis-tone.jpg?format=1500w (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tonemadison.com%2Farticles%2Fthe-ecstatic-delirium-of-fando-and-lis&psig=AOvVaw3BKqK72NnuSP92avJETn06&ust=1620387981222000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPjWzeL9tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Fando y Lis (1968)


rating_2_5+


https://www.leftlion.co.uk/media/4924936/minari-still-2.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leftlion.co.uk%2Fread%2F2021%2Fapril%2Fminari-film-review%2F&psig=AOvVaw28hsGG9UH8eNU8W2W9543K&ust=1620388079655000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPjot5H-tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Minari (2020)


rating_3_5


https://upl.roob.la/2015/08/cruel-story-of-youth-couple.png (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Froobla.com%2F50675%2Freview-cruel-story-of-youth-1960%2F&psig=AOvVaw14pvACbaFvwd-NasIZNYAV&ust=1620388158328000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOC5gbf-tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Cruel Story of Youth (1960)


rating_3_5


https://screenanarchy.com/assets/2020/09/AnotherRound_860.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenanarchy.com%2F2020%2F09%2Ftoronto-2020-review-another-round-a-feel-good-movie-about-booze.html&psig=AOvVaw19E1itZcB7jqX6yPhOXnTR&ust=1620388229604000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKDAgdn-tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Another Round (2020)


rating_3_5+

[Torgo]

https://screenanarchy.com/assets/2020/09/AnotherRound_860.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenanarchy.com%2F2020%2F09%2Ftoronto-2020-review-another-round-a-feel-good-movie-about-booze.html&psig=AOvVaw19E1itZcB7jqX6yPhOXnTR&ust=1620388229604000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKDAgdn-tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Another Round (2020)


rating_3_5+I'd give this a 3 or a 2.5 myself. The most glaring issue I have with it is that except for the gym teacher, it's hard to feel sympathy for any of the friends. They have wives, children, good jobs, nice places to live, etc., so their little experiment came across as an exercise of privilege and something that would end with them realizing how good they have it rather than an attempt to make their lives better and more meaningful.

Who knows, with a pandemic still raging, maybe it's just bad timing. It would have sat well alongside movies like Office Space, Fight Club and American Beauty in the late '90s, for instance. I'm not saying you can't make movies about such people finding happiness and/or meaning in their lives, but since I don't need to mention the devastation COVID has caused, seeing such fulfilled people complain about not being slightly more fulfilled is not something I can imagine many people needing right now.

Is Denmark a country that consumes alcohol heavily? Maybe I'm just out of the loop culturally (the beer race in the opening scene seems to indicate that).

[the samoan lawyer]

I'd give this a rating_3 or a rating_2_5 myself. The most glaring issue I have with it is that except for the gym teacher, it's hard to feel sympathy for any of the friends. They have wives, children, good jobs, nice places to live, etc., so their little experiment came across as an exercise of privilege and something that would end with them realizing how good they have it rather than an attempt to make their lives better and more meaningful.

Who knows, with a pandemic still raging, maybe it's just bad timing. It would have sat well alongside movies like Office Space, Fight Club and American Beauty in the late '90s, for instance. I'm not saying you can't make movies about such people finding happiness and/or meaning in their lives, but since I don't need to mention the devastation COVID has caused, seeing such fulfilled people complain about not being slightly more fulfilled is not something I can imagine many people needing right now.

Is Denmark a country that consumes alcohol heavily? Maybe I'm just out of the loop culturally (the beer race in the opening scene seems to indicate that).


I get what youre saying Torgo, its release may be bad timing for some. I was able to distance from it myself so it didnt bother me.


As for asking are Denmark known for heavy drinking? I'm in Ireland so its hard for me to compare :D

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched
https://media.elcinema.com/uploads/_315x420_a520044893aa3dbe61eb00ff2193ca761ea25e02141b026a27cf13ac23f511f1.jpg

[ScarletLion]

https://screenanarchy.com/assets/2020/09/AnotherRound_860.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenanarchy.com%2F2020%2F09%2Ftoronto-2020-review-another-round-a-feel-good-movie-about-booze.html&psig=AOvVaw19E1itZcB7jqX6yPhOXnTR&ust=1620388229604000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKDAgdn-tPACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Another Round (2020)


rating_3_5+

I was a little disappointed by it. The emotion in the last 30 minutes was great but it took far too long to get there and it seemed like an addon, just to give the film some emotion. And the ending? Just silly.

I can't believe this got best international film at the oscars and baftas. Especially over 'Quo Vadis Aida', which is a phenomenal film. I could probably name 15 more deserving films this year. Then again awards are gonna award.

[Torgo]

As for asking are Denmark known for heavy drinking? I'm in Ireland so its hard for me to compare :DLOL

I was a little disappointed by it. The emotion in the last 30 minutes was great but it took far too long to get there and it seemed like an addon, just to give the film some emotion. And the ending? Just silly.I like the ending slightly more than you did even though I'm not sure I totally understood it. Is the whole idea behind it that we're supposed to wonder if Martin is so happy because he's drunk or because his wife wants to get back together?

[ScarletLion]

LOL

I like the ending slightly more than you did even though I'm not sure I totally understood it. Is the whole idea behind it that we're supposed to wonder if Martin is so happy because he's drunk or because his wife wants to get back together?





It signals his new lease of life. He's come through his mid life crisis and fortunately his marriage is back on track.

I'm not against that type of thing. I like how this is done in Beau Travail or Frances Ha or Mauvais Sang etc but those films suit that sort of scene as the tone is the same. But Another Round is a straight up drama that somehow tries to turn into an arthouse flick ending.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Microhabitat (2017)
Cute. Very well shot. She just wants whisky, cigarettes and her man.
3.5

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/3e/qp/w6/in/microhabitat-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=6deb7ce2d5


Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bad-Boy-Bubby1.jpg

Well that was messed up.

3

his my fav villain on james bond Casino Royale!

[wositelec]

Anastasia (1956) - 9/10

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdlTn-MBtGAN06UxiQ7dsv4_wL-ByWouc57w&usqp=CAU

[matt72582]

The Thursday - 7.5/10
Within minutes, I knew this had to be Dino Risi; it was very similar to "Il Sorpasso", not as great, but maybe a bit more tender, since the two main characters are father and son, who haven't seen each other in five years. Light-hearted, but not corny or dumb. Even funny at times. The father played by Walter Chiari is a very good actor, especially in this comedy.


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/The_Thursday_poster.jpg

[Marco]

Broken Law (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/af/Broken_law.jpg/330px-Broken_law.jpg
Ok but plodding piece of Irish gangster cop whimsy. Enjoyed the music more than the film sadly.
2

[Marco]

I'd give this a 3 or a 2.5 myself. The most glaring issue I have with it is that except for the gym teacher, it's hard to feel sympathy for any of the friends. They have wives, children, good jobs, nice places to live, etc., so their little experiment came across as an exercise of privilege and something that would end with them realizing how good they have it rather than an attempt to make their lives better and more meaningful.

Who knows, with a pandemic still raging, maybe it's just bad timing. It would have sat well alongside movies like Office Space, Fight Club and American Beauty in the late '90s, for instance. I'm not saying you can't make movies about such people finding happiness and/or meaning in their lives, but since I don't need to mention the devastation COVID has caused, seeing such fulfilled people complain about not being slightly more fulfilled is not something I can imagine many people needing right now.

Is Denmark a country that consumes alcohol heavily? Maybe I'm just out of the loop culturally (the beer race in the opening scene seems to indicate that).

Bad Boy Bubby just seemed like a comedy to me, apart from the cats so OTT you couldn't take it seriously at all.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWViMDM3ODEtODNkZC00ZDFmLTkwNDYtOWFkMjMyYjZlMWM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg




3.5

[Guaporense]

Okja (2017)
https://d21ehp1kf1k9m9.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/04115307/okja-still.jpg

Cute movie about the relationship of a cute girl and a genetically engineered "superpig", from the director of Host and Parasyte. This director is a modern master, his movies are very memorable and multifaceted: his movies don't have an obvious ideological side but instead allow us to see an issue from multiple perspectives (like, some argued Parasyte was left-wing, others that it was right-wing or even reactionary). In this movie, simultaneously mocks the meat industry but also the animal rights activists who are depicted as hilariously incompetent terrorists.

[John-Connor]

The Hidden Fortress 1958 ‘隠し砦の三悪人’ Akira Kurosawa
77364
4+

The Postman 1994 ‘Il postino’ Michael Radford
77365
4+

[GulfportDoc]

77366
Hampstead (2017)

This is a comedy/romance aimed at mature audiences with a first rate cast including Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson, Lesley Manville, and James Norton.

It's based on a true story of a hermit who who has lived in a forest for 17 years near a pond in an upperclass neighborhood near London whose life is changed by a widow living nearby. There are some cute parts in a wholly predictable story. Unfortunately the heavyweight actors were unable to save a weak script that continually showed its seams, and more or less lurched from one scenario to another without good segues. The screenplay by Robert Festinger will not help his career.

It was a commendable effort, and fans who like this type of light but sincere comedy will enjoy watching. I think Sookie would like this one.

Doc's rating: 5/10

[LordWhis]

I'd give this a 3 or a 2.5 myself. The most glaring issue I have with it is that except for the gym teacher, it's hard to feel sympathy for any of the friends. They have wives, children, good jobs, nice places to live, etc., so their little experiment came across as an exercise of privilege and something that would end with them realizing how good they have it rather than an attempt to make their lives better and more meaningful.

Who knows, with a pandemic still raging, maybe it's just bad timing. It would have sat well alongside movies like Office Space, Fight Club and American Beauty in the late '90s, for instance. I'm not saying you can't make movies about such people finding happiness and/or meaning in their lives, but since I don't need to mention the devastation COVID has caused, seeing such fulfilled people complain about not being slightly more fulfilled is not something I can imagine many people needing right now.

Is Denmark a country that consumes alcohol heavily? Maybe I'm just out of the loop culturally (the beer race in the opening scene seems to indicate that).

I liked it a lot because it is a refreshingly apolitical movie.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjFjMTQxZTYtYzdkZi00ZWMyLWJlN2QtY2IzYTc3MzdlZGY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjcyNjcyMzQ@._V1_UY1200_CR149,0, 630,1200_AL_.jpg



2.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Allied_%28film%29.png
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52083795

Allied - (2016)

Good-looking, ultimately predictable and forgettable film has Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star as love-bound secret agents infiltrating Nazi-occupied Casablanca. Great production values (there goes another 100 million dollars) but Brad and Marion can't steam up the screen the way they're supposed to. Film bombed at the box office but has it's adherents. Wastes it's chance to really pull the rug out from under us - and certainly won't be the film Robert Zemeckis is remembered for.

4/10

[wositelec]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hS-xvNsHL.jpg

The King and I (1956) - 10/10

A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5
https://bsmknighterrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/sleep.jpg

[Fabulous]

Things to Come (2016)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/nKG7LI20vhyHbRWRAsWfxzYChjq.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Allied_%28film%29.png
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52083795

Allied - (2016)

Good-looking, ultimately predictable and forgettable film has Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star as love-bound secret agents infiltrating Nazi-occupied Casablanca. Great production values (there goes another 100 million dollars) but Brad and Marion can't steam up the screen the way they're supposed to. Film bombed at the box office but has it's adherents. Wastes it's chance to really pull the rug out from under us - and certainly won't be the film Robert Zemeckis is remembered for.

4/10

Marion Cotillard did good job on the dark night rises and inception

[PHOENIX74]

Marion Cotillard did good job on the dark night rises and inception

She had a really great period from around 2010 to 2013, including those two films.

[xSookieStackhouse]

She had a really great period from around 2010 to 2013, including those two films.

that would be true

[ScarletLion]

She had a really great period from around 2010 to 2013, including those two films.

Her performance in 'Rust and Bone' makes the other 2 films look like high school film projects.

[pahaK]

Córki dancingu (2015)
aka The Lure
2.5
A Polish musical about two mermaids singing in an adult entertainment nightclub. The film has its charms (and I'm not even talking about the pretty topless mermaids), but it feels like an elongated short film. I wonder why no other review mentions what seemed an obvious interpretation: you don't fix identity disorientation with surgery. Still kinda meh, but watchable.

[LChimp]

https://media.karousell.com/media/photos/products/2020/11/16/trade_kimetsu_no_yaiba_demon_s_1605508391_c548dc7c_progressive.jpg

Pretty good movie, but I was expecting something out of this world, given the hype. Still very much enjoyable

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperintomovies.net%2Fjournal%2Fimage17%2Fsylvia02.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
In the City of Sylvia (2007, José Luis Guerín)
5
Art, love, time, memory are woven together in this minimalistic, elliptical piece of cinematic poetry set in summery Strasbourg. Filled with long voyeuristic static shots and breezy contemplative silences, it is a window into a young artistic mind searching for love and a solution of life's mysteries, only to get lost in the stream of life indifferently washing all around him, but not really touching him. .. it's almost like Sylvia never even existed and is just a figment of his imagination - who knows?

Brilliant and mesmerizing.

[ScarletLion]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperintomovies.net%2Fjournal%2Fimage17%2Fsylvia02.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
In the City of Sylvia (2007, José Luis Guerín)
5
Art, love, time, memory are woven together in this minimalistic, elliptical piece of cinematic poetry set in summery Strasbourg. Filled with long voyeuristic static shots and breezy contemplative silences, it is a window into a young artistic mind searching for love and a solution of life's mysteries, only to get lost in the stream of life indifferently washing all around him, but not really touching him. .. it's almost like Sylvia never even existed and is just a figment of his imagination - who knows?

Brilliant and mesmerizing.

I have been looking for this film for about 6 or 7 years. Glad you enjoyed it. Do you know where I can watch it?

[Stirchley]

I have been looking for this film for about 6 or 7 years. Glad you enjoyed it. Do you know where I can watch it?

BFI Player, Amazon & Mubi all have it.

[this_is_the_ girl]

I have been looking for this film for about 6 or 7 years. Glad you enjoyed it. Do you know where I can watch it?
Hi!
I have a dvd rip of this film on my hard drive.

P.S.
Check out Stirchley's post above - hope you see it soon, looking forward to your impressions!

[Stirchley]

77390

Re-watch of a good movie.

[ScarletLion]

BFI Player, Amazon & Mubi all have it.

So they do. Think I'll give it a rent. Thanks.

[Takoma11]

Córki dancingu (2015)
aka The Lure
2.5
A Polish musical about two mermaids singing in an adult entertainment nightclub. The film has its charms (and I'm not even talking about the pretty topless mermaids), but it feels like an elongated short film. I wonder why no other review mentions what seemed an obvious interpretation: you don't fix identity disorientation with surgery. Still kinda meh, but watchable.

But isn't the whole deal that she gets the surgery to please the man she is in love with?

I took the message more to be that if someone wants you to change some important part of yourself in order to love you, they probably are not worth it.

[matt72582]

ABBA: The Movie


I saw this many years ago when VH1 would have Rock concerts/documentaries on Friday nights... I just FF'd and watched the songs.... Even the poppiest stuff back then was good and actually had talent. Wonderful vocals and some nice riffs.



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/Abbamovieposter.jpg

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2F9v%2F2d%2Fyr%2Fp7%2Ffear-of-fear-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D7955a55e39&f=1&nofb=1

Fear of Fear, 1975

As the birth of her second child approaches, Margot (Margrit Carstensen) begins to experience strong anxiety, visual distortions, and a certainty that she is going insane. Her husband, Kurt (Ulrich Faulhaber) is little help, and Kurt's family (Brigitte Mira, Irm Hermann) take barely-disguised delight in Margot's fragile state.

Having at this point heard many, many stories from friends about the emotions they experienced during and shortly after their pregnancies, it was interesting to see which aspects of this story felt "right" to me, and which ones didn't. Margot's generally unsettled state--one in which she seems to oscillate between detachment and nervousness--seemed pretty on the money. Less convincing were the visual distortions (portrayed as the whole world going sort of wavy). It feels almost as if Fassbinder felt the need to put in a symptom that was more "real" or obvious.

I liked Carstensen's performance as Margot, and I appreciated the way that the film portrayed and developed the relationship between Margot, her husband, and her in-laws. In the very beginning of the film, Kurt practically pushes his heavily pregnant wife out of the way in order to keep watching the TV, only breaking away from his show when she announces that she thinks she has gone into labor. His loyalty often feels as if it is more with his own family, which is convenient because they only ever talk about how and why Margot is to blame for everything. Margot's sister-in-law doesn't even bother suppressing a smile when Kurt says that a doctor is worried that Margot might have schizophrenia.

I also liked the way that the film was peppered with echoes of Margot's mental health struggles. A man named Bauer (Kurt Raab) is practically stalking Margot--following her on the street and staring at her and her daughter. A woman with very similar coloring, age, and frame is in the mental health clinic. A scene in which Margot is standing face-to-face with this quasi-mirror is one of my favorite visual moments of the film.

My other favorite sequence is from the still at the top of this review. Margot dutifully takes her Valium, but then takes a drink of cognac and puts on some headphones to listen to some music. Yes, heaven forbid, this mom has a drink and listens to some music. When she is discovered this way--by her in-laws and her child's teacher--they all act as if they have found her in some decadent display of debauchery. In her current living situation, even taking a few minutes to have a drink and listen to a record is treated like a grave sin---is it any wonder she feels like she is going crazy?

While at times I was a bit uncomfortable with what felt like the writer taking what is essentially post-partum depression and just interpreting it how he wanted, I did overall appreciate what the film had to say about how mothers in particular are overly-policed in their behavior and how that can be a dangerous combination with stigmatized mental health.

3.5

[Thief]

CRIES AND WHISPERS
(1972, Bergman)
Freebie

https://emanuellevy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cries_and_whispers_7-1024x576.jpg


"Don't you hear it? Don't you hear the crying? Don't you hear it? Someone is crying endlessly."



Set in the 19th Century, Cries and Whispers follows three sisters and their maid as they cope with the terminal illness of one of them. The film opens with Agnes (Harriet Andersson), who is afflicted with an unspecified ailment, writing in her diary "It is early Monday morning and I am in pain". That sums up her days as she goes from just resting in her room to writhing in pain, all while under the watch of her two sisters, Karin and Maria (Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann), and the maid.

This was one of Bergman's first films in color, and he clearly makes sure to make the most of it. His vibrant use of red and white, and how he transitions from scene to scene adds a lot to the film. The performances are great, especially Thulin and Ullmann, who have the most intense exchanges. There is a certain "staginess" to it, and there's a lot of surreal vibe to everything, but for the most part it works.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202227#post2202227) and the PR HOF3 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202228#post2202228).

[SpelingError]

About Elly (2009) - 4

This was an enjoyable film to go in without knowing much about the plot. It further proves that Iran has been in their golden age for film for a few decades at this point. Granted, it took me some time to get on board with the film as it doesn't get going until around half an hour in, but once it gets to the inciting incident, it hooked me and never let go. The various conflicts the characters get into - the seaside incident, the conflict between the families which arises throughout the day, Alireza's presence - were all suspenseful and kept me on board, partly due to the strong acting from the entire ensemble cast and the frenetic camerawork throughout the beach sequence. I especially loved the final act as some of the insight we learn later on in regards to Elly adds a strong emotional core to this suspense which caused the final act to resonate on a deeper level than it did before. The emotional register was rather oblique during this sequence with the knowledge that most of the family members chose to lie about Elly's motives, either out of fear or to protect her honor (which was understandable, given how the institution of marriage is taken rather seriously in Iran). While I don't have a lot to say about this film (which isn't a criticism of it, by any means), I think this film did quite a lot with its premise. Though I wouldn't say this ranks among my favorite Iranian films (I like Farhadi's A Separation more), it's still a really good one and I had a good time with it.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/The_King_of_Staten_Island.jpeg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63788801

The King of Staten Island - 2020

Like it or not, Pete Davidson is going to be a star. Semi-autobiographical, The King of Staten Island introduces us to Scott Carlin (Davidson) - a no-hoper who smokes dope and has little prospect in life aside from his dream of becoming a tattoo artist (something he's terrible at.) His best friends aren't much better, passing the hours at night selling prescription drugs like Xanex and dreaming of pulling off a drug-store heist. When he inadvisably gives a 9 year old child a tattoo the kid's furious father confronts Carlin's mother (Marisa Tomei) - it sets off a chain of events that nudges 24-year old Scott into better-late-than-never adulthood.

This film is really just a vehicle to showcase Pete Davidson's comedic talents - but it succeeds where it could easily have failed. Without it's lead's charisma Scott Carlin would be an unlikeable, petulant man-child. It underlines the one negative word people associate with millennials. Entitled. Thankfully though, it also shows us that they're human, have hearts, and learn quickly how fast they have to evolve in a world where nothing ever comes for free. Davidson looks and sounds like a teenage Jerry Seinfeld, but there's much more to him and I hope to see him again in more serious films as he himself evolves.

I find it fitting that the film poster says "available on demand" instead of in cinemas now. It's a modern comedy in a modern world - the only reason it didn't make it into cinemas was the COVID pandemic, but it's managed to be a success regardless. Not a great work of art, but an entertaining, warm and very amusing film.

8/10

[LordWhis]

Another movie I forgot to write about- Logan Lucky- 7.5/10.

An admittedly dumb, but not unenjoyable movie. The ending was kind of strange and a bit tonally jarring. Daniel Craig was spectacular and most of the cast was enjoyable.

Maybe not a film worth coming out of retirement just to make tho...

[LordWhis]

Córki dancingu (2015)
aka The Lure
2.5
A Polish musical about two mermaids singing in an adult entertainment nightclub. The film has its charms (and I'm not even talking about the pretty topless mermaids), but it feels like an elongated short film. I wonder why no other review mentions what seemed an obvious interpretation: you don't fix identity disorientation with surgery. Still kinda meh, but watchable.

I never understand why Poland is anti-lgbt. Apart from being invaded by the Nazis their only claim to fame as a country is producing Chopin.

[Fabulous]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/6BflumjSTPY7GVGDr45hvOdegWA.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71wvSExFaUL._SL1500_.jpg

[Captain Terror]

Space Truckers - 3

Could Stuart Gordon (R.I.P.) do no wrong? With a title and premise like Space Truckers', I was certain this would be the first bad movie I've seen from him and that it would at least be so bad, it's good, but I sincerely had a blast with it. It's a story of a cantankerous, veteran independent trucker (Dennis Hopper), a trainee (Stephen Dorff) and the veteran's would be "green card" bride (Debi Mazar) on the run from a space truck station to Earth while transporting very, very deadly cargo. The movie is the perfect vehicle (no pun intended) for Gordon in that it leverages his talents for genre thrills, creating moments you're not sure whether to laugh or puke at (there are actual square pigs, for example) and making the most of a small budget. The highlight is easily when the gang are captured by space pirates, led by a Charles Dance that is very far removed from his Game of Thrones villain. Also, while it came out in 1996, its theme of the evils of privatization and ill-gotten political power make it an even better fit for these times than its own. It is cheesy and not always in a good way, and while it's no Re-Animator or Dolls, it's bound to maintain your Gordon fandom like it did mine. Oh, and speaking of Dance, I can think of no better way to cleanse your mind of what he did on Game of Thrones - or of the series in general, really - then watch him pull a crank to start his mechanical...enhancements.

Watched it last night and also had a blast. Maybe I'm still on a sugar rush but I'm giving it 4 stars. You're right, it doesn't replace any of my favorite Gordon films, but I'd rank it pretty highly and liked it more than Robot Jox (which I also enjoyed).

The only Gordons I haven't seen now are Fortress with Christopher Lambert and The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Not sure I'm man enough to sit through that one but I'm willing to be convinced if anyone can make a case for it.

[Torgo]

Watched it last night and also had a blast. Maybe I'm still on a sugar rush but I'm giving it 4 stars. You're right, it doesn't replace any of my favorite Gordon films, but I'd rank it pretty highly and liked it more than Robot Jox (which I also enjoyed).

The only Gordons I haven't seen now are Fortress with Christopher Lambert and The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Not sure I'm man enough to sit through that one but I'm willing to be convinced if anyone can make a case for it.Glad you liked it! I also have yet to see Fortress, which is next on my list. Unfortunately, it's not streaming anywhere and I've spent too much money on out-of-print DVDs lately.

Where does King of the Ants rank? That and his Poe adaptations are probably next on my list until Fortress is more readily available.

[ThatDarnMKS]

King of Ants is the only good movie that Asylum ever made.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/Relic_poster.jpeg/220px-Relic_poster.jpeg

3

Snooze factor = Z



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

[Torgo]

King of Ants is the only good movie that Asylum ever made.Asylum made that? What's it a mockbuster of, Them?

[ThatDarnMKS]

Asylum made that? What's it a mockbuster of, Them?
Somehow, they just let Gordon make whatever he wanted. It was among their very first movies. It’s similarly shot on DV but in this case, it adds a degree of dirt and scuzziness to the film that works in its favor.

It’s just a violent, unpleasant and well done neo-noir thriller with horror elements. It’s not as good as Edmund or as polished as Stuck, the crime trilogy Gordon made at the end of his career, but there’s something about it that just works for me.

[Torgo]

Somehow, they just let Gordon make whatever he wanted. It was among their very first movies. It’s similarly shot on DV but in this case, it adds a degree of dirt and scuzziness to the film that works in its favor.

It’s just a violent, unpleasant and well done neo-noir thriller with horror elements. It’s not as good as Edmund or as polished as Stuck, the crime trilogy Gordon made at the end of his career, but there’s something about it that just works for me.Nice, that sounds right up my alley. It's hard to believe Asylum produced something like that.

Vernon Wells and George Wendt are in it? Double sold!

[WHITBISSELL!]

I can't access Amazon Prime right now without a bunch of hoop jumping but as soon as I get back home I'll be adding Space Truckers to my queue. And I remember liking Fortress when I watched it years ago. Didn't know Gordon directed it. Kurtwood Smith with a honkin' bad case of maiesiophilia.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Nice, that sounds right up my alley. It's hard to believe Asylum produced something like that.

Vernon Wells and George Wendt are in it? Double sold!Wells is also in Fortress.

[Captain Terror]

Somehow, they just let Gordon make whatever he wanted. It was among their very first movies. It’s similarly shot on DV but in this case, it adds a degree of dirt and scuzziness to the film that works in its favor.

It’s just a violent, unpleasant and well done neo-noir thriller with horror elements. It’s not as good as Edmund or as polished as Stuck, the crime trilogy Gordon made at the end of his career, but there’s something about it that just works for me.

I was hoping you'd weigh in because I seemed to remember that you liked it more than I did. I preferred Edmund and Stuck. Stuck was undeniably entertaining, but I didn't feel good about myself for enjoying it. Sometimes its fun to wallow in the trash for a bit.

Still waiting for someone to go to bat for Ice Cream Suit....

[Captain Terror]

Oh and I wanted to add that the SFX in Space Truckers are remarkably good considering the budget and the whole made in the 90s thing.
Midway I started to wonder why Gordon never got bigger budgets to work with, and what he'd do with them. But then again, maybe a big-time Gordon film wouldn't have been as charming.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I was hoping you'd weigh in because I seemed to remember that you liked it more than I did. I preferred Edmund and Stuck. Stuck was undeniably entertaining, but I didn't feel good about myself for enjoying it. Sometimes its fun to wallow in the trash for a bit.

Still waiting for someone to go to bat for Ice Cream Suit....
I’m a big fan of all 3 of his crime films. Sometimes, I even think Edmund may be my favorite of his films (it’s hard to compare it to Re-Animator and From Beyond). I do think that it is an example of what he could have done with a bigger budget, even if it’s relatively small by Hollywood standards. He’s a much more polished craftsman than he gets credit and it’s largely due to him being tethered to schlockmeisters like Charles Band and Asylum. He single handedly proves that both of those figures COULD make far better films by trusting the right talent.

Stuck was good. I’m glad it ultimately went with a...

Siegel/Tarantino styled revision of history

as that allowed it to sidestep some of the questionable exploitation (to a degree).

I think KoA could’ve been better than Stuck but ultimately, Asylum gave him so little to work with that I think the film can’t quite compete, despite being something of a rose that grew from concrete (thanks, 2Pac)

The 3 Gordons I haven’t seen are Ice Cream Suit, Space Truckers and Fortress (pretty sure I saw this as a kid but don’t remember it).

I plan to get to them all soonish.

[Tugg]

Moneyball (2011) 2.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/53a8d526-abda-408f-85d7-3ce50dd4efcc/db3qex0-1d94d963-898c-48b5-94b7-f3bcffa5fbf8.png
Rush (2013) 3.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b1daba16-ac38-4df8-8565-f39620bce1b0/d8iounk-8827bde3-13f0-4fde-92b2-3dad79e11703.png/v1/fill/w_400,h_400,strp/rush__2013__folder_icon_by_zsotti60_d8iounk-fullview.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNh NWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7 ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDAwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYjFkYWJhMTYtYWMzOC00ZGY4LTg1NjUtZjM5NjIwYmNlMWIwXC9kOGlvdW5r LTg4MjdiZGUzLTEzZjAtNGZkZS05MmIyLTNkYWQ3OWUxMTcwMy5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NDAwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpz ZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.cAPTxuYva3Vc0xOwGyK_oy4M570M9xKLIVi58wYVPdk
Love & Other Drugs (2010) 3
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/f132d964-14cb-4c80-8234-b52ac0c47c1e/dal018u-3c2580a1-5145-449c-bfb2-822884b1a260.png
Due Date (2010) 3.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/b3b0acac-e503-41ef-872d-97713b6f87c5/d9ae0x5-41087aa6-9f3b-41a8-8a94-17d7ee637710.png
Couples Retreat (2009) 3
https://www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/1970/01/file_538485_couplesretreatreview.jpg
The Informer (2019) 3
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/d8c5e4fb-4b81-416f-8a4b-a48189893053/de6x8cr-dbc2b3bd-9244-445d-b2cf-2e72d1b872d6.png
Homefront (2013) 3.5
https://sanet.pics/storage-4/1218/th_5MK7JWiK44odPnnhKquL8MhQbS9aKHyP.jpg
Tenet (2020) 2.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/d8c5e4fb-4b81-416f-8a4b-a48189893053/de573mx-9c57c58f-71c8-47a4-9406-10567a8b70cc.png

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://thatshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sxsw-jordan-peele-lupita-nyongo-US.jpg
Us (2019, Jordan Peele)

I wasn't a big fan of Get Out but at least that movie was able to grip my attention, and I actually finished it. Tried watching this one, and it was ok for a while, but as soon as that *other* family showed up and started explaining things, I lost all interest. Could have gotten better later on but I couldn't be bothered really, hence no rating.

[Allaby]

Internes Can't Take Money (1937 on blu ray. Directed by Alfred Santell and starring Joel McCrea as a young Dr. Kildare who helps Barbara Stanwyck,search for her child. Good drama with fine performances. 3.5

[John-Connor]

Ikiru 1952 ‘生きる’ (To Live) Akira Kurosawa
77419
4+

The Story of Adele H. 1975 ‘L'Histoire d'Adèle H.’ François Truffaut
77432
3.5

[cricket]

Chungking Express (1994)

3.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxI5hacTHNY/Vj0hZe4uDbI/AAAAAAAAEj0/3-VQdZHdFCE/s1600/Chungking%2BExpress.jpg

My third movie from the director and it is my favorite of the three. These movies are very stylish, and with the other two the style was the dominating force for me. I thought this would be the same but I was able to get into the characters and their relationships as well. It certainly doesn't hurt that California Dreamin' is one of my favorite songs.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Destroyer_poster.jpeg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58788300

Destroyer - (2018)

Nicole Kidman stars as Erin Bell in this dark noir-ish thriller - a detective on a seemingly suicidal quest for vengeance. After finding a body littered with dye-pack marked $100 notes she knows that a certain criminal is back in town - one who destroyed her life 16 years previously. She descends into the sick (sometimes literally) world of thieves and scum who can give her some sort of lead on Silas, a murderous, twisted bank robber who forces compatriots to play Russian roulette, and yet seems to have intimate knowledge of Bell's inner psyche.

Kidman's performance earned the highest praise for this film. To me she's channeling Clint Eastwood - or more accurately Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. It made my throat sore just listening to her croak out line after line in a gravelly whisper, and to me it seemed a little one-note. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt - present-day Bell is dead inside. The story is non-linear, which caught me off guard a few times. Other than that it's a perfectly respectable neo-noir film that at times makes you feel a little dirty (there's a scene with James Jordan which is pretty unspeakable - you wouldn't want to watch it on a date.)

7/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.traileraddict.com%2Fcontent%2Fscreencap%2F121039.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Casa de Lava, 1994

A nurse named Mariana (Ines de Medeiros) is tasked with accompanying a comatose worker named Leao (Isaach de Bankhole) back to his home in Cape Verde. Once she arrives, she becomes involved in the strange lives of the locals, including a woman named Edith (Edith Scob) and her son (Pedro Hestnes).

This is a very strange, and intentionally minimalist and abstract movie. It took me a little bit to find the rhythm of the film, but once I got there I really enjoyed it. Right from the beginning, there is talk about the difference between the living and the dead. One of the local boys, a youth named Tano, refers to Leao as "the dead man". Leao seems to have a strange connection to a dog that saves Mariana when she is attacked on the beach.

I saw a review that referenced this as being a "remake" of I Walked with a Zombie. I read this when I was about halfway through the film, and I kind of wish that I had had this thought in mind before I began. There are certainly some supernatural and horror-type images and sequences, and it was in these parts where I most clicked with the film. It's like some interesting (albeit abstract) interpersonal dramas underlaid with a supernatural element.

For me the only real downside was that I had a few times where I felt as if maybe there was a subtext that was going past me. There is something spooky in the film involving a subplot whereby Mariana has dosed several children in the village with vaccinations and many of them fall sick. In another scene, a man asks if it is "his turn" because he wants to die and not have to leave the village. At moments like these, I had the feeling that there might be a political or historical something being referenced. But because the whole film feels highly allegorical, it was sometimes hard to sort out which scenes were meant to be thematic and which were meant to refer to something specific.

I am not very familiar with Pedro Costa's work. Given that he wrote and directed this, I am certainly interested in checking out more of his work.

4

[Fabulous]

Goya's Ghosts (2006)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/7WCwZl2jzlhnmT2DGDa5I5CeOkd.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched one of my favorite dance movies in the 80s <3
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDRkMDU5YTctYTI2OS00YjBhLTk2MmItMjJiMWM2NjkwYmJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

[ScarletLion]

'Cowboys' (2020)

https://cdn.stayhappening.com/events8/banners/54c3282eb0e2dade0d7aa4ed47917117d418cf27463fe6badd1174f560c1c81d-rimg-w526-h296-gmir.jpg

Decent family LGBTQ drama shot in Montana. The ending is a little slushy and the film is certainly flawed in places but Steve Zahn is good in it. There are a couple of really moving moments in the final act that are directed beautifully by Anna Kerrigan.

6.9/10
3.5

[Marco]

Girl in the basement (2021)
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTdkYWE4ZGQtOGZkMy00ZTg1LWE5ODEtZWRlMjQ3NWQ2N2I2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU0NTI0Nw@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182 ,268_AL_.jpg
This has a rather grubby voyeuristic feel to it. The script and everything else points to "he's keeping her in the basement you muppets!" (*not* a spoiler). Think it want's to be more than a mid-afternoon melodrama by throwing some cuss words but it made no difference. Stale, stolid and hilariously overacted (not least by Judd Nelson who it took me an hour to recognize).
1.5

[LordWhis]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/Relic_poster.jpeg/220px-Relic_poster.jpeg

3

Snooze factor = Z

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

What movie is this ?

[LordWhis]

Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight- 9/10

One of my favourite courtroom/legal movies

[LordWhis]

The Story of Adele H. 1975 ‘L'Histoire d'Adèle H.’ François Truffaut
77432
3.5[/CENTER]
What a beautiful shot, the camera work is amazing for 1975.

[John-Connor]

What a beautiful shot, the camera work is amazing for 1975.
It is, it also helps that Adjani is photogenic AF, there were so many great shots to choose from.
77446

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjdkZjNjNDItYzc4MC00NTkxLTk1MWEtY2UyZjY5MjUwNDNkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA1OTcyNDQ4._V1_.jpg

Saturday night movie with my kid. It is fun, although a little too frantic at times. I would recommend it.

[Marco]

It is, it also helps that Adjani is photogenic AF, there were so many great shots to choose from.
77446
Throwing my hat in the ring here, also great atmospheric film, One Deadly Summer:

https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/12721_1.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screen-Shot-2020-01-29-at-6.03.10-PM.png
Last and First Men (2020, Jóhann Jóhannsson)
5
So minimal yet so profoundly haunting - the blend of the black-and-white visuals of geometrically hypnotic, otherworldly structures of the distant future and Tilda Swinton's narration put me in a mood that stayed with me long after the credits ended.
It will possibly be looked back on as a masterpiece decades from now.

[Takoma11]

What movie is this ?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9072352/

[ScarletLion]

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screen-Shot-2020-01-29-at-6.03.10-PM.png
Last and First Men (2020, Jóhann Jóhannsson)
5
So minimal yet so profoundly haunting - the blend of the black-and-white visuals of geometrically hypnotic, otherworldly structures of the distant future and Tilda Swinton's narration put me in a mood that stayed with me long after the credits ended.
It will possibly be looked back on as a masterpiece decades from now.

Still haven't found time to watch this but will do soon. Hope Jóhann Jóhannsson is in peace now, he was such a talent.

[LordWhis]

It is, it also helps that Adjani is photogenic AF, there were so many great shots to choose from.
77446
Is is the correct word, she’s still breathtaking.

[LordWhis]

More Isabel Adjani, because why not ?

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXYvsyzXGPIvKN3j4lJKUGxRk3fIWSkGHma-YKZb7vbid0g4HUl8CmQ-M&s=10

[Nausicaä]

What movie is this ?

It's a film that came out last year called Relic.

[Allaby]

Ivans xtc. (2000) Directed by Bernard Rose, the film is about the final days of a Hollywood talent agent. Danny Huston is excellent in the lead role and Lisa Enos and Peter Weller are very good too. I've seen 3 of Bernard Rose's films now, including Candyman and Paperhouse, and I think Ivansxtc may be his best film. My rating is 4.

[Torgo]

Red Heat - 2

This is not one of Walter Hill's best efforts. It has the same "mismatched partners who hunt a fugitive" formula as 48 Hrs., so what's the problem? Casting, I reckon. Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance may be a fault of direction more than casting, but he's basically in Terminator mode here. That mode obviously served him very well in that movie, but here, it makes him cold and boring. He comes across as what the typical American in the Reagan era who had never met a Russian before assumed they are like rather than an actual Russian. As for Belushi, his character is not someone I'd want to spend a 3-minute elevator ride with, much less an entire action movie watching. He's annoying, unfunny and charisma-free, not to mention a lousy match for Schwarzenegger chemistry-wise. There is one scene at a diner where they let their acts down and behave and converse like human beings which shines like a beacon in the darkness, but it's too little, too late. The action is impressive on a technical level, especially the bus chase, but not on an emotional one because the characters provide little reason to care. I went in hoping for another meat-and-potatoes police action yarn that Walter Hill excels at and that it would be so bad, it's good at worst. Unfortunately, I would have been better off watching 48 Hrs. again.

[cricket]

Three Colors: White (1994)

4.5-

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/w_Cp-n6L21RsaDfpvDmRC3s1mUcws_ZmE326J-co3XDaXbdvSlBsUP65yLnqAcIA3vjFxCtrJ91b4G3m7vqN80tdbTcs9Htv2qQHdMoKt7vVIqGe_5Kkbjh823Eyi1GIw89IXJrD

I think this is generally regarded as the 3rd best of the trilogy but I loved it. It had me thinking, feeling, and unexpectedly laughing. As usual with this director, it looked great and had a beautiful score. Looking forward to Red.

[GulfportDoc]

77458
Hemingway (2021)

This three part documentary series, written by Geoffrey C. Ward, and directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick is an in depth overview of Hemingway’s life and novels from his youth in suburban Chicago to his death in Ketchum, Idaho in 1961.

I grew up aware of Hemingway, as I was Faulkner and J.D. Salinger. Hemingway died when I was 17. Although not ever having read any of his novels, even in college, I did go to the Pittsburgh premier of The Old Man and the Sea (1958) which had much of his prose included as dialogue or narrative. He was arguably the chief novelist of the 20th Century, writing in a unique lean and descriptive manor that was to influence scores of writers then and since.

It is impressive the volume of still photographs that the producers were able to utilize. Hemingway must have been one of the most photographed writers of his day, and the many home pictures gave insight into his personality. His first hand coverage of wars, uprisings, as well as the news coverage of his manly pursuits: hunting, fishing, love life, marriages, drinking, hell raising, always were well featured in newspapers and magazines.

Apart from plentiful gossipy accounts, I didn’t know much about Hemingway. I’d seen his home in Key West, although he only lived there for about 13 years, residing a big part of his life in Cuba. To say that he was larger than life is a gross understatement. Yet he had his demons (as do many of us), and they were responsible for driving his life and his writing. We discover that he had multiple accidents and repeated concussions, along with an apparent hereditary hemochromatosis which contributed to his mental and physical deterioration. He also was likely an alcoholic, and used drugs of all varieties for various maladies and for depression. He had romanced suicide over the course of his life, and finally accomplished it at home.

The most impressive thing about this documentary, outside of the fascinating subject matter, is the first rate editing, mostly by Erik Ewers. The voices of Hemingway, his wives, and important figures in his life were ably performed by Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Meryl Streep, Keri Russell and others. The narration was well handled by Peter Coyote. Extensive interviews were featured with Patrick Hemingway, Edna O’Brien, Tobias Wolff, to name a few. There was a slight bit of tsk-tsking over Hemingway’s un-PC behavior, but in the main the interviewers made excellent first hand observations and well thought out opinions.

If you’ve ever wondered about Ernest Hemingway, this documentary will give you a lot of answers.

Doc’s rating: 9/10

[Wooley]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/6BflumjSTPY7GVGDr45hvOdegWA.jpg

I just love this movie. Just charms the **** outta me.

We were talking about it yesterday about how I see contemporary movies and I always think, "Wow, they cast these total unknowns in major roles and they were all great!"
Because I don't watch television. At all. I didn't even own one for several years but I NEVER watched Network Television ever. And I grew up during the time when television stars and movie stars were completely separate and, in fact, if you were on TV you were probably (not always but probably) either never going to be in a movie or never going to be in a movie again.
So I see Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I have no idea who Kristen Bell is, no idea who Mila Kunis is, no idea who Jason Segel is, never seen or heard of Bill Hader, most of the people in the movie are completely unknown to me. And I'm like, "Wow, this Mila Kunis person is really good, like I'm surprised she's just nailing this right out of the gate in what appears to be her screen debut. And this blonde woman is doing an amazing job making her character that could be so cliche into someone with some depth as well as humor. Where did they find these people?!"
I didn't find out they were all major television stars for nearly 10 years.
But anyway, really fun, light movie that rises above because the characters are given some actual, ya know, character.

[John-Connor]

Diabolique 1955 ‘Les Diaboliques’ Henri-Georges Clouzot
77461
4+


Pan’s Labyrinth 2006 ‘El laberinto del fauno’ Guillermo del Toro [REMASTERED]
77460
4

[wositelec]

Adios Sabata (1970) - 8/10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91bYid0mXhL._SL1500_.jpg

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com%2Fnews-herald.com%2Fcontent%2Ftncms%2Fassets%2Fv3%2Feditorial%2F3%2Fcb%2F3cb86b4e-a843-11eb-9b4b-b3a05c30490e%2F608994f108a43.image.jpg%3Fresize%3D1200%252C648&f=1&nofb=1

The Mitchells vs The Machines, 2021

Teenager Katie (Abbi Jacobson) can't wait to leave for college. Always having felt like an outsider, she is desperate to find her people. On the eve of her departure, she has an argument with her father, Rick (Danny McBride), a man whose outdoorsy interests have never intersected well with Katie's quirky artistic side. Wanting to have one final bonding experience, Rick cancels her plane ticket and instead decides to drive the whole family cross-country to her college, including mom Linda (Maya Rudolph), little brother Aaron (Mike Rianda), and outlandish pug Monchi. The family is unaware, however, that a beef between tech guru Mark (Eric Andre) and one of his creations (Olivia Colman) may just lead to a robot apocalypse.

This was an unexpected delight, and probably the best kids movie I have seen this year. While many kids movies have increasingly come to lean on meta-jokes, this is a film that takes a very self-aware approach to its animation and structure, but still carves out a meaningful emotional arc for all of its main characters.

Taking maybe a bit from the father-daughter dynamic of The Croods, this film does a really good job of making all of the Mitchells real and relatable. Rick doesn't really get Katie's art, and his lack of understanding makes him worried that she will not be successful. Katie interprets this--not entirely incorrectly--as him assuming that she will fail and that her work is not worthwhile.

It was also kind of neat to see a kids movie that had a queer protagonist without the film being about her sexuality. It's a portrayal that is for the most part subtle (and only made explicitly clear at the very end of the film), but also done in a way that other kids going through what Katie went through (the not belonging stuff, not the robot apocalypse) would pick up on it.

I watched this with a group and it was a hit for all of us. Just really solid from beginning to end with plenty of jokes that land and a satisfying series of character arcs that resolve nicely. It also has well-shot action sequences that were easy to follow. There are some very predictable aspects to the film, but they are done well enough that it didn't bother me.

The only downside is that the film's energetic, chaotic feel could sometimes lean on the overwhelming side. But for the most part I didn't mind the frenetic clip, partly because the film tends to break up those hyper sequences with slower, more introspective scenes.

4

[Wyldesyde19]

I just love this movie. Just charms the **** outta me.

We were talking about it yesterday about how I see contemporary movies and I always think, "Wow, they cast these total unknowns in major roles and they were all great!"
Because I don't watch television. At all. I didn't even own one for several years but I NEVER watched Network Television ever. And I grew up during the time when television stars and movie stars were completely separate and, in fact, if you were on TV you were probably (not always but probably) either never going to be in a movie or never going to be in a movie again.
So I see Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I have no idea who Kristen Bell is, no idea who Mila Kunis is, no idea who Jason Segel is, never seen or heard of Bill Hader, most of the people in the movie are completely unknown to me. And I'm like, "Wow, this Mila Kunis person is really good, like I'm surprised she's just nailing this right out of the gate in what appears to be her screen debut. And this blonde woman is doing an amazing job making her character that could be so cliche into someone with some depth as well as humor. Where did they find these people?!"
I didn't find out they were all major television stars for nearly 10 years.
But anyway, really fun, light movie that rises above because the characters are given some actual, ya know, character.
Yes! This movie, along with She’s out of Your League, both have this charm to them that I enjoy.

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/Relic_poster.jpeg/220px-Relic_poster.jpeg

3

Snooze factor = Z



[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it
This wasn't what we expected and we were a little disappointed that it didn't go the direction we were hoping, but I can't say it wasn't a good movie. There was a bit at the end that didn't make much sense to me but I'm sure if I do some reading there was a point to it.

[edarsenal]

77458
Hemingway (2021)

This three part documentary series, written by Geoffrey C. Ward, and directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick is an in depth overview of Hemingway’s life and novels from his youth in suburban Chicago to his death in Ketchum, Idaho in 1961.

I grew up aware of Hemingway, as I was Faulkner and J.D. Salinger. Hemingway died when I was 17. Although not ever having read any of his novels, even in college, I did go to the Pittsburgh premier of The Old Man and the Sea (1958) which had much of his prose included as dialogue or narrative. He was arguably the chief novelist of the 20th Century, writing in a unique lean and descriptive manor that was to influence scores of writers then and since.

It is impressive the volume of still photographs that the producers were able to utilize. Hemingway must have been one of the most photographed writers of his day, and the many home pictures gave insight into his personality. His first hand coverage of wars, uprisings, as well as the news coverage of his manly pursuits: hunting, fishing, love life, marriages, drinking, hell raising, always were well featured in newspapers and magazines.

Apart from plentiful gossipy accounts, I didn’t know much about Hemingway. I’d seen his home in Key West, although he only lived there for about 13 years, residing a big part of his life in Cuba. To say that he was larger than life is a gross understatement. Yet he had his demons (as do many of us), and they were responsible for driving his life and his writing. We discover that he had multiple accidents and repeated concussions, along with an apparent hereditary hemochromatosis which contributed to his mental and physical deterioration. He also was likely an alcoholic, and used drugs of all varieties for various maladies and for depression. He had romanced suicide over the course of his life, and finally accomplished it at home.

The most impressive thing about this documentary, outside of the fascinating subject matter, is the first rate editing, mostly by Erik Ewers. The voices of Hemingway, his wives, and important figures in his life were ably performed by Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Meryl Streep, Keri Russell and others. The narration was well handled by Peter Coyote. Extensive interviews were featured with Patrick Hemingway, Edna O’Brien, Tobias Wolff, to name a few. There was a slight bit of tsk-tsking over Hemingway’s un-PC behavior, but in the main the interviewers made excellent first hand observations and well thought out opinions.

If you’ve ever wondered about Ernest Hemingway, this documentary will give you a lot of answers.

Doc’s rating: 9/10
This is SOOO on my watchlist! THANK YOU!
Loved the review; very cool bit of Gulf His-tor-reee
Nice

[Wooley]

https://thatshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sxsw-jordan-peele-lupita-nyongo-US.jpg
Us (2019, Jordan Peele)

I wasn't a big fan of Get Out but at least that movie was able to grip my attention, and I actually finished it. Tried watching this one, and it was ok for a while, but as soon as that *other* family showed up and started explaining things, I lost all interest. Could have gotten better later on but I couldn't be bothered really, hence no rating.

I am a HUGE fan of Get Out, might have been my favorite film of that year, but I was also disappointed by Us. And to be honest, it was actually the Third Act that was the problem, IMO, so if you didn't like it through the First or so, probably not much point in going back to it.

[Wooley]

Three Colors: White (1994)

4.5-

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/w_Cp-n6L21RsaDfpvDmRC3s1mUcws_ZmE326J-co3XDaXbdvSlBsUP65yLnqAcIA3vjFxCtrJ91b4G3m7vqN80tdbTcs9Htv2qQHdMoKt7vVIqGe_5Kkbjh823Eyi1GIw89IXJrD

I think this is generally regarded as the 3rd best of the trilogy but I loved it. It had me thinking, feeling, and unexpectedly laughing. As usual with this director, it looked great and had a beautiful score. Looking forward to Red.

You are a wise and tasteful movie-viewer.
White, taken out of the context of how incredibly good the other two films are, is a beautiful film, really really good. I think people always feel let down by it compared to the other two, and I will admit that I liked the other two better, but I had read that it was supposed to be kinda like not even in the same league as the other two and I thought that was just completely wrong. I had a very positive experience with it.

[edarsenal]

Some fun cartoon time. . .

https://64.media.tumblr.com/c3ca807d95ad9896715b7e0e8b169c60/tumblr_nd01gzqQOS1rlw181o2_500.gif

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) 3.5+++(++) A fan from childhood and this revival was -- actually --- pretty f@ckin good. They did an excellent rendition of Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Liked the added "angry blonde girl" from school and several of the characters - all hell, pretty much nearly all of them during the WABAC scenarios made me smile and at times, laugh. My Absolute Favorites being DiVinci who I just learned and am utterly f@ckin delighted to learn was voiced by Stanley Tucci - how f@ckin awesome is that!
and having Patrick Warburton voicing Agamemnon made him an instant favorite.
So, yeah, very good potential for future revisits.


For some SERIOUS potential for revisits:

https://e.insd.io/s/p/230365_x2.gif?1617207061https://64.media.tumblr.com/a3939f2dd30df68782b5fad164e424a2/c8bcc3d4c0c6059e-51/s540x810/41fc73da94fee7bc62c6f589de975d80fdf0a0cb.gifv

The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021) 4.5++ Well, actually, Takoma, not only wrote up her usual spectacular review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2202577) which I wholeheartedly agree with. Read that.
And I'll simply add my own enjoyment of relatable, entertaining characters; the frenetic aspects are placed at appropriated spacings and this is a VERY fun, quite funny, well constructed - visually/CGI-wise animation with the usual positive missives about finding oneself with family resonance done quite well.

[Takoma11]

https://e.insd.io/s/p/230365_x2.gif?1617207061https://64.media.tumblr.com/a3939f2dd30df68782b5fad164e424a2/c8bcc3d4c0c6059e-51/s540x810/41fc73da94fee7bc62c6f589de975d80fdf0a0cb.gifv

The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021) 4.5++ Well, actually, Takoma, not only wrote up her usual spectacular review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2202577) which I wholeheartedly agree with. Read that.
And I'll simply add my own enjoyment of relatable, entertaining characters; the frenetic aspects are placed at appropriated spacings and this is a VERY fun, quite funny, well constructed - visually/CGI-wise animation with the usual positive missives about finding oneself with family resonance done quite well.

Thanks.

I felt like this sort of came out of nowhere. I hadn't really heard much buzz, then all of a sudden three friends in a row said they'd seen it and thought it was pretty cool.

I had already watched the first half hour before rewatching it with the group. And I enjoyed it a second time around. Lots of fun details to notice.

[edarsenal]

Thanks.

I felt like this sort of came out of nowhere. I hadn't really heard much buzz, then all of a sudden three friends in a row said they'd seen it and thought it was pretty cool.

I had already watched the first half hour before rewatching it with the group. And I enjoyed it a second time around. Lots of fun details to notice.

Same for me. Didn't hear anything, saw the ad on Netflix and both of us went: Sure, why not? And pretty d@mn happy we did. Quite curious to enjoy a second (and so forth) viewing for a bit of detail-spelunking. And just plain enjoyment.

Perfect bit of cartoon fun.

[mark f]

Malevil (Christian de Chalonge, 1981) 2.5 6/10
Criminal Court (Robert Wise, 1946) 2 5/10
Heroic Purgatory (Yoshishige Yoshida, 1970) 2.5 6/10
Symphony in Slang (Tex Avery, 1951) 4 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEeROUVzCHk
One of the greatest.
Don't Knock the Rock (Fred F. Sears, 1956) 2.5 5.5/10
Coup d'Etat (Kiju Yoshida, 1973) 2.5 6/10
Jamboree! (Roy Lockwood, 1957) 2.5 5.5/10
Dont Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967) 3.5 7/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1inL6s1htio
What was happening in 1965.
The Whistle at Eaton Falls (Robert Siodmak, 1951) 2.5 6/10
About Endlessness (Roy Andersson, 2019) 2 5/10
The Names of Love (Michel Leclerc, 2010) 2.5 6/10
The Outside Story (Casimir Nozkowski, 2020) 3- 6.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVakX8SU01E
Don't get locked out of your home.
Let me come in (Bill Morrison, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
22 vs Earth (Kevin Nolting, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Annie Get Your Gun (George Sidney, 1950) 3 6.5/10
Percy Vs Goliath (Clark Johnson, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVK_Ol3VFa0
Don't trust the big boys.
The Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Nichols and May: Take Two (Phillip Schopper, 1996) 3 6.5/10
I Love Trouble (S. Sylvan Simon, 1948) 2.5 6/10
Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969) 4 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHB28qfsV2w
Exaggerated history which wasn't exaggerated.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.santelmomuseoa.eus%2Fuploads%2FExposiciones%2FBlack_is_beltza%2FSTM_Black_is_Be ltza_argazkiak_2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Black is Beltza, 2018

When a Spanish troupe is not allowed to include two large Black figures in a parade in NYC, one of the men in the troupe gets involved in radical politics. He and his companions travel the world--from Cuba to Spain to Northern Africa.

Hard to say much about this one, because honestly I felt kind of lost during it. The film seems to want to encompass all of the politics happening around the world in the 60s, but almost immediately it became too much for me. Historical names are dropped left and right---everyone from Otis Redding to Franco--with the main character meant to be the through line.

Unfortunately I just never clicked with the main character. I don't think it helps that the film presents this really romanticized image of revolutionary action. The main character is a handsome man who has lots of (unprotected!) sex with a ton of women and gets involved in little shootouts. I never felt like I connected with him or his goals, and it was hard to care about him as the film wound on.

I did think that the animation looked pretty good, and I had no issues with the voice acting. But I just felt mildly befuddled the whole way through.

3

[Wooley]

Symphony in Slang (Tex Avery, 1951) 4 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEeROUVzCHk



This has been one of my favorite things ever since I was a boy.

[Thief]

SANSHO THE BAILIFF
(1954, Mizoguchi)
A film from the 1950s • A film about mothers

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/janus_stills/2267-/823id_1021_019_w1600.jpg


"A man is not a human being without mercy. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to others."



Sansho the Bailiff follows Zushiō and Anju as they fend for themselves at the hands of Sanshō (Eitarō Shindō), a ruthless slave owner. Their father banished and their mother sold into prostitution, it would be easy for them to lose hope and forget about mercy. That is what happens to Zushiō, who becomes hopeless and seems complacent in following Sanshō's steps, despite Anju's pleas to not forget their father's words.

It is interesting that the film is titled the way it is, considering that Sanshō is after all a secondary character. We meet him 30 minutes into the film and compared to other characters, he's barely in it. But what's important is what Sanshō represents. He is a presence that hangs above Zushiō all through the film. He is the opposite of his father's teachings: merciless and unforgiving, and by spending more time under his fist, Zushiō becomes more like him and less like his father.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202632#post2202632) and the PR HOF3 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202633#post2202633).

[Torgo]

https://i.postimg.cc/DZ85rzbB/symphony-slang5.jpg

Funniest ending to a cartoon short ever? Maybe.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Everybody_Knows_%28film%29.jpg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57052671

Everybody Knows - (2018) - Spain

I've never seen an Asghar Farhadi film I didn't like. The Iranian filmmaker continues his run of impressive films after the success of A Separation and The Salesman with the excellent Everybody Knows - a really engrossing film with overpowering emotional stakes for all it's characters. Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz are magnificent, proving to be the crown jewels of Spanish cinema.

Laura (Cruz) has returned to her home town in Spain for the wedding of her sister - catching up with her former lover and now best friend Paco (Bardem). At the joyful event's reception, an event occurs which will tear their lives apart. Long held secrets rise to the surface, and force the characters to make impossible choices. I can't say much more than that about the plot - it's best to come in cold and watch things unfold (that's the old rhyme my mother taught me as a boy*)

Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes along with personal favourites Burning and Cold War, the only slightly negative thing I have to say about it is about it's length - at 133 minutes it's a little overlong, but not by too much.

8/10

* Nah, that's not true. It was a total accident.

[Fabulous]

Woman at War (2018)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/o7E3ALphCZtpCyvimtLyZfX6jGQ.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.123movies.photo%2Fthe-room-2019-cover.png&f=1&nofb=1
The Room (2019, Christian Volckman)
2
In the hands of a better director this could've been a decent movie - but as it is, it's just a waste of time. I will admit that it actually got slightly (and I mean, slightly) better in the closing third - the twist at least shook things up a bit - but the rest of the film was just mediocre - painfully superficial, full of cliches, terrible dialogue, characters behaving in stupid ways, etc.
Thumbs down.

[the samoan lawyer]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv2NvMxwFo0/UmbZ0uCB3qI/AAAAAAAAI1s/gM86Z9ZCOuw/s1600/8.png (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinnlandempire.com%2F2014%2F04%2Fpusher-2-surprisingly-sad-personal-film.html&psig=AOvVaw2papce88iKAG2qbiUecX5D&ust=1620728211515000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNjt65zxvvACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Pusher 2 (2004)


rating_3_5+


https://looper007.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/pusher-3-2.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Flooper007.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F08%2F26%2Fpusher-iii-im-the-angel-of-death-2005-director-nicolas-winding-refn%2F&psig=AOvVaw3UDAjeT3XFEG1hSRQc_S-3&ust=1620728544746000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLCf27vyvvACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Pusher 3 (2006)


rating_3+


https://www.framerated.co.uk/frwpcontent/uploads/2017/09/duckling01-1170x494.jpg (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.framerated.co.uk%2Ftorture-duckling-1972%2F&psig=AOvVaw1n4rcmVbdDw7riiHAGGQ4Z&ust=1620728364589000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOiP8OXxvvACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAW)
Dont Torture a Duckling (1972)


rating_3

[cricket]

Talk to Her (2002)

4

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Talk_to_Her-705423453-large.jpg

My least favorite of the 3 movies I've seen from director Almodovar and it was still pretty great. He has such a unique style with the stories to match. I can't wait to watch more.

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rL39f79VL._AC_SY450_.jpg

[Marco]

Eagle Eye (2008)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Eagle_eye_poster.jpg/220px-Eagle_eye_poster.jpg
Mindless action thriller, pretty poor.
1.5

[ScarletLion]

'Blow the Man Down' (2021)

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/ef7f860137bfc236982a3a1de5e803dc913dec7a7bb40426769c94083c289309._UY500_UX667_RI_V_TTW_.jpg

This just didn't work for me. It's like a caricature of a poor Coen brothers movie. The tone is all over the place. Moody one minute then a barbershop quartet of singing fisherman the next. The premise is interesting enough (murder cover up) but the poor dialogue and silly character choices never allow the film to flourish.

4.8/10

2.5

.................................................................................................... ........



'Devil's Playground' (2002)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/Devil%27s_Playground_cover_3657-1.jpg

Which MOFO recommended this about 5 years ago? I finally watched it! Very good account of how Amish people at the age of 16 are allowed to go and sample life outside their community for a couple of years and see if they want to remain Amish. Some of the youngsters let their hair down and go wild. Some hate it and return immediately. Some never come back. It's a balanced documentary very well presented

4

[LordWhis]

4.5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rL39f79VL._AC_SY450_.jpg
I’m a simple woman, I see John Hughes and I like

[xSookieStackhouse]

I’m a simple woman, I see John Hughes and I like

u need to watch it. its a good movie u will love it that his in it! :D

[Stirchley]

the samoan lawyer, the Pusher Trilogy is one of my most favorite things to watch. Ever.

cricket, Talk to Her is my very favorite of all the Almodovar movies.

[Stirchley]

77478

Re-watch. The topic of pro-choice is as relevant today as it was in 1950 as portrayed in the movie.

77479

Excellent movie that I will watch again.

77480

Re-watch of a somewhat overlooked movie. Even more relevant today than it was in 1981 since not a single thing has changed for the better at the border. In fact, the situation has gotten much worse.

77481

Not bad. Do not understand the acclaim for this movie. Mads is a delight to watch though & he carried this movie. Danes are strange people. :p

77482

Can’t remember which one of my fellow Brits recommended this movie, but glad he did.

Rather ghastly at first until one gets used to it, but I enjoyed it. The actress on the cover here was excellent in her rôle.

[ThatDarnMKS]

WRATH OF MAN

It’s sleek and well crafted, as Ritchie is apt to do. It’s also written with a tin ear that sounds as if Amir Shervan had been resurrected and tasked with combining John Wick and Heat. The result is a movie that looks good, sounds AMAZING (academy award deserving on that front) and feels awkward and goofy in surprising ways.

Overall, I enjoyed it. If it had been DTV and starred Scott Adkins, I’d likely be singing it’s praises to greater effect.

3

[SpelingError]

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (1992) - 4

This was an artsy and thought-provoking short film which really resonated with me. I find the subject of "life after death" really interesting, especially questions of whether the afterlife will turn out to be a utopia or hellish. Some people who are touched by suicide have a mindset of "If I kill myself, I'll be better off", but of course, there's no way of knowing what happens after you die until your time comes. Due to this ambiguity, another mindset one could have is that you should make the most of your time on Earth since there's no way of knowing what will happen after death. I've been touched by depression in the past and, for this reason, I found the plight of the man in this short film highly relatable. Ultimately, this short film culminated with exactly what I thought it would culminate with, but predictable outcome or not, I still enjoyed the protagonist's arc. The ideas in this short were what stuck out and lingered with me the most. I also loved the animation style. From what I read, the animation was created using practical effects by drying oil paint on sheets of glass, which makes me all the more impressed. Beyond that though, I liked all the atmospheric and moody colors in this short, especially in the surreal dream sequences in the latter half or so. In addition, I especially loved the usages of shadows in certain shots where the background was either indistinguishable or completely black such as the lamppost shot in the beginning and ending since these shots made the characters look isolated from the outside world as if there was nothing around them. Overall, while I don't think this is a great short, I do think it's a really good one and I'm glad I watched it.

[ScannerDarkly]

A dirty shame (2004) 5/10
Im glad i enjoyed this, i saw pecker and thought it was awful but this was really funny. It kind of waned in the middle but other than that was good.


I believe i watched the un-neutered version


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77510

[Fabulous]

In the Fog (2012)

4

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/qJsK5DFZrqabYTIz1veC82hepbO.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/ISeeYouPoster.jpeg
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63832612

I See You - (2019)

This was an uneven mess of a movie which could have risen to greatness. As it is, it's fine - I enjoyed around half of it a whole lot. I borrowed this on DVD - so my first impression was the cover, which seems to try and make this out to be a crime thriller (very different from the poster above.) When I started watching though, it had spooky, supernatural Sinister vibes and I thought I was in for a real treat. I loved Sinister (I ignore problems with it because there's so much creepy atmosphere it keeps me happy.) This film wants to be a creepy horror film, crime thriller, drama - and it uses so many different aspects of filmmaking (found footage, non-linear story telling - etc,) but not in an even way. After half a film of normal linear story we suddenly hark back to the start and it's found footage-type fare. Then all of the sudden we're way off on a non-linear bit. Then the filmmakers cheat and change things around on our second go-around.

I didn't like Helen Hunt in this - and I've got nothing against her...but...

... it didn't matter too much because after being the main character in the first half she drives off with her son (another supposedly important character who abandons ship) and we never really see them again until the credits. Two of our main characters are done - and will only come back when the movie is over. I didn't see that coming. There was a lot in this movie that I didn't see coming. That's not a bad thing - like I said, this movie was almost great. It was all the chopping and changing that left me feeling a bit cold. We go from supernatural horror, to just ordinary horror, then found-footage thriller, then non-linear mystery and finally crime thriller. When this movie leaves something behind though, it's gone for good.

I give this film a 5 - but it's an uneven 5. It promises one thing, and then delivers a lot - but not what it promised.

5/10

Fun fact : On the Wikipedia page I read, "I See You grossed $0 in North America" - at first I thought that was a typo, but it's accurate. Was this not released domestically? I mean, even United Passions sold three or four tickets in the U.S.

[John-Connor]

THE WAGES OF FEAR 1953 ‘Le Salaire de la peur’ Henri-Georges Clouzot
77511
4.5

This right here is a 'Top Foreign Language' ballot worthy film. :yup:

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched
https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p10247_p_v10_aa.jpg

[the samoan lawyer]

[quote=ScarletLion;2202704]'Blow the Man Down' (2021)

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/ef7f860137bfc236982a3a1de5e803dc913dec7a7bb40426769c94083c289309._UY500_UX667_RI_V_TTW_.jpg

This just didn't work for me. It's like a caricature of a poor Coen brothers movie. The tone is all over the place. Moody one minute then a barbershop quartet of singing fisherman the next. The premise is interesting enough (murder cover up) but the poor dialogue and silly character choices never allow the film to flourish.

4.8/10

rating_2_5

.................................................................................................... ........








Been so close to watching this several times, glad you did first ;)

[the samoan lawyer]

THE WAGES OF FEAR 1953 ‘Le Salaire de la peur’ Henri-Georges Clouzot
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77511
rating_4_5

This right here is a 'Top Foreign Language' ballot worthy film. :yup:


Correct

[the samoan lawyer]

https://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/cropped_article_image/public/blogs_2019/04/2019_14_film.jpg?itok=Q1LyZE4h (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstatesman.com%2Fculture%2Ffilm%2F2019%2F04%2Falice-rohrwacher-happy-lazzaro-review&psig=AOvVaw0Z8hIDeD2Pgp4cYW7ALQPo&ust=1620819896963000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOjdlOTGwfACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Happy as Lazarro (2018)


3.5

[GulfportDoc]

77517
Nobody (2021)

In a surprising foray against type, Bob Odenkirk plays a former CIA assassin (Hutch Mansell) who had been living the suburban life as a milquetoast until his inner assassin emerges when some thugs taunt a young woman on a bus. That unleashes a whole series of 007 type confrontations with a drug lord and his henchmen in which Hutch prevails, which impresses his kids and regains their respect.



It's a guess as to what they were trying to do here. At first it seemed to be a straight drama, but then morphed into a Kingsman or John Wick type of comedy overkill. Odenkirk's forte is droll comedy, so one kept expecting Hutch to lapse into understated gags. And it's not clear whether or not he may have.

The story is familiar and almost silly, but yet the set ups and acting were entertaining. The action and stunt scenes were as good as in much more expensive productions. There was a nice turn by the aged Christopher Lloyd as Hutch's father. Although 82 he still was believable in his action scenes. The popular Russian/Canadian actor Aleksei Serebryakov (Leviathan, Space Dogs) plays the chief bad guy. He managed to make a trite role seem plausible and even fresh.

Nothing new here, yet Odenkirk explores new territory, and action fans will enjoy the wuss to Wick adventure.

Doc's rating: 5/10

[ScarletLion]

https://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/cropped_article_image/public/blogs_2019/04/2019_14_film.jpg?itok=Q1LyZE4h (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstatesman.com%2Fculture%2Ffilm%2F2019%2F04%2Falice-rohrwacher-happy-lazzaro-review&psig=AOvVaw0Z8hIDeD2Pgp4cYW7ALQPo&ust=1620819896963000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOjdlOTGwfACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Happy as Lazarro (2018)


3.5

I really like that film. Wasn't what I was expecting at all.

I didn't like Blow the Man Down but a friend of mine who has similar tastes to me enjoyed it, so maybe I was too harsh on it.

[beelzebubble]

Tenet 2/5
Wow! Boring!
It's James Bond with out James Bond. The Protagonist had no charisma. To the people who cast this movie I point them towards Black Panther a movie replete with African American actors with loads of charisma. Any of them would have been an improvement. Not that John David Washington, the actor playing the Protagonist had much to work with. How about some pithy dialogue for goodness sake! At least Bond gets his traditional one liners. And how about a crazy Bond villain. Kenneth Branaugh's character, the villain of the piece is a yawn though Branaugh has the requisite charisma. There is no color.

Note to Christopher Nolan. The whole movie can't be the McGuffin. The reverse entropy objects can't be the only thing that you focus on. Get a screenplay not just a group of set pieces that try to explain something nobody can really understand. What a waste of money!

[Wooley]

Tenet 2/5
Wow! Boring!
It's James Bond with out James Bond. The Protagonist had no charisma. To the people who cast this movie I point them towards Black Panther a movie replete with African American actors with loads of charisma. Any of them would have been an improvement. Not that John David Washington, the actor playing the Protagonist had much to work with. How about some pithy dialogue for goodness sake! At least Bond gets his traditional one liners. And how about a crazy Bond villain. Kenneth Branaugh's character, the villain of the piece is a yawn though Branaugh has the requisite charisma. There is no color.

Note to Christopher Nolan. The whole movie can't be the McGuffin. The reverse entropy objects can't be the only thing that you focus on. Get a screenplay not just a group of set pieces that try to explain something nobody can really understand. What a waste of money!

I wonder if it was script/Nolan, cause I thought JDW was the bees knees in BlacKkKlansman. Couldn't wait to see him in something else but I actually skipped this because it just looked so blah to me.

[KeyserCorleone]

Watching Robert Altman's Images right now, and I'm kinda loving it. Maybe I'm an incurable sucker for psycho-horror.

[Allaby]

No Clue (2013) Directed by Carl Bessai and starring Brent Butt, Amy Smart, David Koechner, and David Cubitt. A cute and funny Canadian comedy about a salesman who is mistaken for a detective and hired by a beautiful woman to investigate the disappearance of her brother. This was fun and I enjoyed Butt's silliness and shenanigans. My rating is a 3.5.

[GulfportDoc]

'Devil's Playground' (2002)
Which MOFO recommended this about 5 years ago? I finally watched it! Very good account of how Amish people at the age of 16 are allowed to go and sample life outside their community for a couple of years and see if they want to remain Amish. Some of the youngsters let their hair down and go wild. Some hate it and return immediately. Some never come back. It's a balanced documentary very well presented

rating_4
This doc's subject seemed real familiar, but while watching it last night I soon realized that I hadn't seen it. Like you, it was new to me that upon turning 16, Amish are allowed, if not overly encouraged, to go out into the "English" (non-Amish) world to sample it and to decide then if they want to come back and commit to Jesus and be baptized to the Amish way of life. They don't believe in infant baptism because it's their view that a person should be near adulthood before making a decision to understanding what a commitment to Christ is.

There were a few other things that became clear. The Amish population seems just like the non-Amish population in terms of wanting family, community, and to have some joy in life-- albeit within the confines of a way of life and a dogmatic religious belief system.

The surprising part of the production is the footage they had showing teenagers from the Amish community partaking in booze and drugs. But also the rare usually forbidden footage of Amish social gatherings and prayer.

The film dragged a little, but that may have been due to the editing. Yet it was a worthwhile watch to unveil important Amish tenets.

[Takoma11]

I didn't like Blow the Man Down but a friend of mine who has similar tastes to me enjoyed it, so maybe I was too harsh on it.

I thought it was distinctly fine. Maybe closer to a 6 or 7/10. I watched it with someone when we'd both had a rough week and it was nice to just watch something easy.

I do agree with your critique about the changing tone. I preferred when it stayed on the lighter side of things.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.kino.de%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F08%2F24-redemption-2008-film-rcm1200x627u.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

24: Redemption, 2008

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is hiding out in Africa after committing, you know, numerous human rights violations in the name of national security. But he is called back into action when his friend Carl (Robert Carlyle), who runs an orphanage, begins to lose children to a militant warlord who is raising an army to mount a coup. Back in the States, on the verge of a new President being sworn in, a young man (Kris Lemche) comes into possession of dangerous information about American businessmen funding the coup.

I have definitely dabbled in 24, having watched maybe 3 or 4 seasons when it first came out years ago. I thought that this was like a standalone movie. It is not. This is apparently a movie that was made to serve as a bridge between two of the later seasons.

Around 4/5 of the way through the film, I realized that most of what it was raising was not going to be resolved. Had I known that this was essentially an extended episode setting the table for a season, I probably would have been a little less annoyed. As it stands, the fate of many main characters are left up in the air, and because I was not interested in watching the season, I had pretty mixed feelings about that.

I did appreciate that one main plot point was resolved---Bauer getting the African orphans to safety. It does wrap up neatly and provides some narrative satisfaction.

I would imagine that most fans of the show have seen this film. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone else due to the number of plot points left dangling.

3

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/gkXpNjKK/edmond.jpg

Edmond - (2005) - DVD rewatch

Various MoFo posters got me going on Stuart Gordon (tagged below.) I'd seen Edmond and Stuck and really appreciated them - all the more now knowing who directed them. Originally I was going to re-watch Reanimator, which I thought I had on DVD - but ended up watching Edmond again. The DVD of that has two commentary tracks, a making of featurette, interviews with Stuart Gordon and the trailer. They're all very enlightening.

Edmond was originally a very controversial play by David Mamet - seen by Gordon in Chicago 1982 (he rates it as a seminal experience - people in the audience were raising hell at the performance he caught - "It struck a lot of nerves" he says.) Gordon knew Mamet, and had directed a few of his early plays. He also knew William H. Macy, counting him as one of his good friends from his early, experimental theatre days. When he called Macy asking him to play the role of the title character he told Gordon he'd been waiting all of his life to play this part.

It's a film I can barely fault. Macy's performance is really something, and it's hard to imagine anyone else in this role. Does the main character descend into madness or ascend into liberation? It's hard to say. "Every fear hides a wish," Edmond says, so while his worst nightmares come true (anyone's worst nightmare it feels like) the film has, as Gordon describes, a "happy ending". I think that's vague enough not to include as a spoiler. Watch out for Jeffrey Combs as the Desk Clerk! A lot of familiar faces including George Wendt as a Russian Pawn Shop Owner and Stuck's Mena Suvari as the prostitute Edmond haggles with.

Deleted scenes include one where Edmond misreads a newspaper headline - "MAN CONCEDES EXTENT OF ERROR ON SELF", a fantastic speech about fate from the fortune teller (why this was left out I do not know,) and the gory sight of a certain murder (which was the right choice I think - our imagination is enough.) Stuart Gordon's commentary (backed up by cast members) is greatly beneficial - they have a lot to say about the film. David Mamet's commentary is terrible. He might be drunk/stoned - during a 10 minute silence I thought I'd changed the audio track - he basically has nothing to say except for the occasional mumble of "great scene" or "good lighting".

9/10


Torgo LordWhis Wooley Captain Terror ThatDarnMKS WHITBISSELL!

[xSookieStackhouse]

5 rewatched
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0024/9803/5810/products/358926-Product-0-I_6aa96c9f-4da8-40a9-b948-45d157b4afbf_1080x.jpg

[Fabulous]

Mountains May Depart (2015)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1yWVWs2nrUCd4iDvQfKaaR1xV1c.jpg

[beelzebubble]

I wonder if it was script/Nolan, cause I thought JDW was the bees knees in BlacKkKlansman. Couldn't wait to see him in something else but I actually skipped this because it just looked so blah to me.
Oh wow! Was that him? Your right it was totally the script. Which has such deathless lines as "it's cold. Cold as ice." I tell you, you don't hear such pithy lines that often. HAH!
You were right to skip it. It was the blahest.

[ScarletLion]

'A Single Rider' (2017)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Single_Rider_%28film%29-poster.jpg
Korean drama. A man decides to visit his wife and child in Australia. There are some really good bits to this film. Especially the emotional third act. The trouble is, there are some terrible segments and some woeful acting (mostly from bit part Australian actors). The premise is actually quite easy to guess if you pay attention too. Nevertheless, the ending is done very well, like so many Korean dramas are

3

'L'Humanite' (1999)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RJSW3VK5L._SY445_.jpg
Where to start with this. It's a drama that is brutal at times and quite sensitive at others. Very difficult to talk about without spoilers as the ending is really the crucial part. A fairly incompetent police super-intendent in a small town France is dragged into a nasty murder case that starts to affect his monotonous life. It's challenging at times but the film-making is never average....the little eye movements of characters and editing to reflect their thoughts is brilliantly done.

Emmanuel Schotté won the best actor award at Cannes for this. And never acted in a film before or since. He seems as odd in real life as he is in this film.

4


'Songs from the second Floor' (2000)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/Songssecondfloor.jpg/220px-Songssecondfloor.jpg
This is like a Radiohead song crossed with a Bergman film and a Monty Python sketch. Beautiful doom laden prophecies, the place of humans in the world, the role of religion are all explored, as is the paranoia and trepidation of the new millennium and how modern society will cope with it. A unique film.

4


'The Wild Pear Tree' (2018)
https://i.imgur.com/lPJ0h1i.gif
Over 3 hours long, very dialogue driven, philosophical musings on literature, religion, individuality and belonging. It is not for everyone, but the way the film falls into place in the final third is astonishing. Ceylan has this knack of tying everything together beautifully. And the way this film is shot is absorbing. There are a couple of shocks too that are masterfully directed. And of course there's not a bad performance in it, as with most of his films. Stunning.

4.5


'In a Lonely Place' (1950)
https://www.filmsite.org/posters/inalonelyplace.jpg
Bogart is brilliant in this Nicholas Ray film, and it's a solid piece of film noir, especially as it strays somewhat from the typical noir of the time, with fewer tropes than your average noir fare.

3.5


'The Mole Agent' (2020)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Mole_agent.jpg
Another docu-drama that seems scripted and staged at first (like so many recently) but evolves into something very touching. An elderly gentleman is sent on a mission by a private investigator to an old folks home to see if his clients elderly relative is being treated ok. What he discovers is the harsh reality of old age and family but at the same time makes beautiful friendships and forges connections.

3.5

[ScarletLion]

Mountains May Depart (2015)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1yWVWs2nrUCd4iDvQfKaaR1xV1c.jpg

Looks right up my street that. Thanks

[ThatDarnMKS]

While I wasn’t crazy about the movie itself, anyone doubting John David Washington’s talent should immediately see Malcolm and Marie.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sfc-datebook-wordpress/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/70104802_DATEBOOK_MERe0e16a79542a1b77330a0dd0210b8dont0829.jpg
Don't Let Go (2019, Jacob Estes)
3
Not bad but not outstanding either. It has all the elements in place to make it an overall enjoyable viewing but falls short of that extra ounce of bite or depth that would help elevate it beyond just that.

[Wooley]

While I wasn’t crazy about the movie itself, anyone doubting John David Washington’s talent should immediately see Malcolm and Marie.

I been meaning to, just haven't pulled the trigger.

[John-Connor]

TOKYO STORY 1953 ‘東京物語’ Yasujirō Ozu
77541
'Moshi, moshi'
4+

[Stirchley]

77544

Not bad. Your basic Manhattan indie movie. And Catherine Keener is in it, as always.

77545

Re-watch. Such a good movie. So very strange. Scarlett terrific in this.

[crumbsroom]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcriterion-production%2Fstills%2F132290-2a85fa78138a0b2ecd797e50a1b5e985%2FFilm_758_MerchantFourSeasons_original.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Merchant of Four Seasons, 1972

Returning home from a time in the military, Hans (Hans Hirschmuller) finds his relationship with his wife, Irmgard (Irm Hermann) and family altered. Hans tries to make a living as a fruit vendor, but an untimely medical emergency leaves him dependent on others.

I don't know if many people have seen the film Deathdream, about a soldier who returns from Vietnam but things are very, very wrong. In fact, it becomes clear really quickly (so quickly I don't consider it a spoiler, but, um, SPOILER WARNING, I guess) that he is dead. There's a line in another film (I am blanking on the name, but something thriller-ish?) where one character tells another, "You're dead. You just don't know it yet."

These two films/lines kept rattling around in my head while watching Merchant of Four Seasons. Hans has, in many ways, lost his life. And yet he is still in it. But as we watch, all of the trappings of his presence and reality begin to fall away. His family thinks poorly of him. His wife is enamored with other men. His business is being run by someone else. And all of the coping strategies he uses---to use the term very loosely--only serve to further alienate himself from his own life.

I did appreciate some of the humor in the film, and specifically just how dramatic many of the characters were. Irmgard is perpetually upset, and often tearful. In one scene, Hans' family protectively encircles her like a herd of startled cattle. And Hans himself also skews toward the dramatic in his own way, albeit more explosive.

Overall I enjoyed the film, which felt like some bizarre mix of comedy, drama, and a little bit of horror. Many of Fassbinder's frequent collaborators make appearances, including El Hedi ben Salem, who shows up for a memory sequence containing a fetishized sequence of whipping (because of course he does).

I actually felt that the film's strongest point was that final sequence (despite me poking a bit of fun at it), because we really get a window into Hans' mental state.

rating_4




Oh, I'm glad you liked this one. I thought there were elements of it that might put you off, because there is kind of a brutality at the heart of the film. But it moves me deeply.


Also, see the you also watched Fear of Fear. Diving deep, as one really needs to with RWF. There is so much there to find, even if much of it is flawed (also, a few of them are really terrible)


I think I mentioned it before to you, but considering you seem to be committed to exploring his movies, Year of 13 Moons has a brutal slaughterhouse scene in it. Just to warn you. A shame, because it really is one of his best (and that scene in particular, as horrible as it is, is stunning...I personally gave it a moral 'pass' to watch because, as a person who eats meat, I felt hypocritical if I turned away from it)

[John-Connor]

Masquerade 2012 ‘광해, 왕이 된 남자’ Choo Chang-min
77556
4+

https://youtu.be/rjXV2Bw3ix4