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I haven't seen that in decades, but I remember it made for a fun 1-2 punch with Judgment Night (Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding, Denis Leary).I've been meaning to see that one too, although the presence of Jeremy Piven makes me apprehensive since I'm not a big fan. What a punchable face he has.
GulfportDoc
08-12-21, 03:56 PM
80176
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Oh boy, this was pretty much a miss in most aspects. On paper it sounded like an interesting classic thriller with good production credits. A forensic accountant is compelled to flee with his son when some of his family is murdered by mob assassins, presumably because he has uncovered damning evidence against the mobsters. After he is murdered, his son goes on the run alone, where he soon meets up with a remote fire tower lookout who is tasked with saving she and the boy from the hit men as well as from a raging forest fire the pursuers have set.
Director Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River) was a definite attraction due to his previous successes. There were high points, like the adolescent actor, Finn Little, who played Connor, the son of the murdered forensic accountant character, and who served pretty much as co-lead with Angelina Jolie. Little's talent was deep and well rounded, despite his young age. Also there was impressive forest fire photography, and first rate CGI that was indistinguishable from real life raging flames.
But there were two deficits. The novel of the same name by Michael Koryta was very highly regarded by the critics, but the screenplay did not produce the same cachet. We'll guess that the chief writer was Charles Leavitt, a writer of some note. Yet this script felt superficial and by-the-numbers.
Some of the problems lay in the casting. Angelina Jolie is far too attractive and gentle looking to play a rough and tough firefighter/smokejumper. It was almost impossible to take her character seriously right from the start, although she was more plausible when interacting with the boy. Her character would have been much better played by a somewhat more average looking actress, for example Samantha Mathis, Laura Dern, or even a butch looking type like Tilda Swinton. Of course Jolie's star power was likely the biggest consideration for the producers.
Since they avoided graphic sex and violence the picture could have been given a more commercial PG-13 rating, but for hundreds of F words in the dialogue. It seemed that every sentence had to have several Fs, which soon became annoying, like fingernails scraped on a blackboard, or a bad satire. The language was even used by Jolie's character while speaking to the boy.
There was some suspense, and a few isolated thrills, but overall it was a mediocre production that could have been much better. This will not have been one of Sheridan's best pictures.
Doc's rating: 4/10
Gideon58
08-12-21, 04:36 PM
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/joe-bell-2021/large_joe-bell-poster.jpeg
2.5
edarsenal
08-12-21, 06:10 PM
Note that, as importantly as Renoir and Carné, both Lange and Daybreak are scripted by Jacques Prevert, who may be, more than Jules Berry himself, a reason for the similarity between these baddies (see also : Michel Simon's character in Quai des Brumes).
Prevert was the angle through which I came to these movies.
That definitely pinpoints the reason for the similarities, THANK YOU
And I'll be looking into Quai des Brumes - also, thank you!
Flicker
08-12-21, 06:59 PM
That definitely pinpoints the reason for the similarities, THANK YOU
And I'll be looking into Quai des Brumes - also, thank you!
You're welcome. A couple years ago, I went through a solid Prevert phase, which eventually lead me to his collaborations with Carné, etc. If you haven't seen it, you could check Les visiteurs du soir. It's a medieval fairy tale, so it doesn't have the grim social poetic impact of these old urban french movies that I love. But : it features a super campy Jules Berry in the role that just sums up all his other ones.
80180
Nausicaä
08-12-21, 07:51 PM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/72/Six_Minutes_to_Midnight_poster.jpg/220px-Six_Minutes_to_Midnight_poster.jpg
3
SF = 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
Slaughterhouse (Rick Roessler, 1987) 2 5/10
Duelist (Lee Myung-se, 2005) 2.5 5.5/10
Pounce AKA Silverhide (Keith R. Robinson, 2015) 1.5+ 4.5/10
I Am Dragon (Indar Dzhendubaev, 2015) 2.5 6/10
https://www.silverpetticoatreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/I-am-Dragon-2.jpg
Russian medieval romance-adventure between princess Mariya Poezzhaeva and a dragon - no, it's not about bestiality.
Midnight Devils (Abel Berry & Jennifer Michelle Stone II, 2019) 1.5 4/10
Nothing But Time (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1926) 2.5+ 6/10
Generations (Lynne Siefert, 2020) 2+ 5/10
The Immortal (Marco D'Amore, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
https://staticfanpage.akamaized.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/11/ciro-di-marzio-marco-damore-limmortale-film-trailer.jpg
Raised in a world of crime, Marco D'Amore becomes a respected mob leader which means others are out to get him.
South Beach (Fred Williamson & Alain Zaloum, 1993) 2 5/10
Test Pattern (Shatara Michelle Ford, 2019) 2.5 5.5/10
Hotel New York (Jackie Raynal, 1984) 2+ 5/10
Ride the Eagle (Trent O'Donnell, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
https://i2.wp.com/thirdcoastreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ride-the-eagle.jpg?resize=639%2C359&ssl=1
Musician Jake Johnson comes to her Yosemite cabin to learn from a video by his late mother (Susan Sarandon) what he needs to do to collect his inheritance.
Take Back (Christian Sesma, 2021) 1.5- 5/10
Joe Bell (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Bleed with Me (Amelia Moses, 2020) 2 5/10
The Dry (Robert Connolly, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://tellusepisode.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/The-Dry-2020-01-700x466.jpg
Returning home for a funeral during a drought, investigator Eric Bana looks into the deaths with the help of local policeman Keir O'Donnell.
Devil's Island (Sean & Taylor King, 2021) 1.5 4/10
The Cloud in Her Room (Xinyuan Zheng Lu, 2020) 2 5/10
Enemies of the State (Sonia Kennebeck, 2020) 2.5 6/10
John and the Hole (Pascual Sisto, 2021) 2+ 5/10
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/08/04/arts/john1/john1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
For unclear reasons, 13-year-old Charlie Shotwell puts his family in an abandoned bunker near their property and struggles to keep it secret.
PHOENIX74
08-13-21, 12:26 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Bad_lieutenant.jpeg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24335146
Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call New Orleans - (2009)
New Orleans somewhat disintegrated when Hurricane Katrina hit, and in a similar way cop Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) disintegrates after injuring his back during the hurricane. He becomes an erratic and hopeless drug addict. Fortunately he has the drive and ambition to hide this from the police department he works for - but we wonder how long this can last as he messes up a multiple murder investigation while attempting to save his relationship with his girlfriend and family. As always, it's fascinating when a director more known for his artistic vision directs a mainstream film like this. The material suits Cage so much, it's impossible to think of anyone else in his place. It's a crazy, frenetic film and quite enjoyable.
I had a brother-in-law and friend (who writes, directs and stars in b-movies - and is often an extra in larger movies) share a scene and a couple of lines with Nicolas Cage once. But that's a story for another time.
7/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Real_genius.jpg
By May be found at the following website: Standbyformindcontrol.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9137459
Real Genius - (1985)
I'd just seen the trailer for Val and seen Val Kilmer in Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call New Orleans when I decided I'd watch this film next - it's been one recommended to me a while ago. Kilmer heads the cast as whizz kid amongst whizz kids Chris Knight, and without seeing snippets of his home movies I would never have known just how close this character was to the real Val Kilmer. Chris Knight is witty, full of energy, eccentric and obviously a genius who helps his university cohorts to unknowingly create a weapon they must then steal lest it be used to kill people with abandon. The film has enough funny moments to make it watchable, with a familiar 'college comedy' feel that many such films in the 80s had.
6/10
Fabulous
08-13-21, 04:29 AM
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
2
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/l4eT7lDzkzaSZPRSyuf43dZwFEJ.jpg
paranoid android
08-13-21, 05:12 AM
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/janus_stills/2922-/531id_099_w1600.jpg
Musashi Myamoto, who was once a gifted but wild ashigaru, is now a knight-errant that is unmatched in skill with the blade. His renown has caught the eye of Shogun, who would like to utilize him as a teacher and vassal, but has also drawn closer Sasaki Kojirō the ronin. Iching to test his mettle against Musashi, Sasaki obsessively needs to prove that he, not Musashi is the greatest swordsman in all of Japan.
Straight off the get-go Musashi Myamoto is the fully realized samurai that he was working towards becoming through the first two movies in the trilogy, and Toshiro Mifune perfectly encapsulates this in each and every frame. He is now kind, wise, and completely confident in himself in all things... but the things of love. Samurai II ends with Musashi pouncing on Otsu fully expecting her to be down for some serious love-making, is shut down awkwardly, because Otsu just wasn't ready. Musashi, being totally not an awful rapey bastard like 90% of the men in this series, feels a deep shame over what he did. Which leads me to something that I really loved about this series as whole, when it starts an arch it ****ing finishes that arch. When Otsu and Musashi meet again in Samurai III it is very awkward until they actually have an adult conversation about what had happened, and this misunderstanding is handled surprising well for movie from this era. The conversation allows Musashi to move past his shame, and it also give Otsu the perfect opening to once again pour her heart out all of Musashi. The arch completes when Musashi surprises Otsu by referring to her as a "Samurai's wife" like a suave mother******.
Another arch that came to satisfying close was that of Akemi, the daughter of a scheming prostitute, but unfortunately it's a tragic one. Akemi desperately wants to be better person than her wicked mother and in the first film she seems to be a promising young girl with a big heart. In Samurai II we see a bit of her mother come out of her when she lies to Otsu and threatens her with a knife, but she still seems like a nice enough girl deep down... Surely this was just a one time thing. In this final film Akemi completely succumbs to her unfortunate familial traits and unleashes a pack of bandits on an entire ****ing town, after Musashi rejects her one final time. Though, we do still see the Akemi we once knew when she snaps to her senses and saves Otsu from the chaos that she totally created, and dying in the process. Her dynamic performance made her one of the highlights of the entire trilogy for me. It was a fantastic tragedy.
And then there is Sasaki Kojiro, the arrogant, ambitious, and subtly villainous ronin. Everything not only in this film, but the previous two as well is leading up to this final duel between Sasaki Kojiro and Musashi Myamoto. But not because we the audience are dying to know who the better swordsman is... but because Sasaki is the mirror image of Musashi. He is who Musashi used to be. In order for Musashi to truly become the samurai he was always meant to be, he needs to defeat the man he used to be. This final duel is quick, but poignant, leaving Musashi visibly full of emotion while he stares down at the man he once was dead on the sandy shore of Ganryu.
The only areas where I found this film lacked compared to the first two in the trilogy were in it's actions sequences and visuals. That's not to say it isn't a beautiful and well shot movie, the final duel for instance is absolutely gorgeous and very well choreographed, It just didn't quite have the same level of style and visual flair as what had came before. Where this film truly shines is in it's ability to tie up everything from the previous two films in such a satisfying way. What really impressed me was how it made me appreciate the previous two a lot more, especially Samurai II. I know it's almost cliche to say this, but I actually find it hard to look at them as three separate films because of how well each installment compliments the other. I guess you could say they are three separate movies, but one giant epic. Fantastic film. Fantastic Trilogy.
4
LordWhis
08-13-21, 05:55 AM
Hillbilly Elegy- 9/10
A nice movie with great acting by everyone involved.
Steve Freeling
08-13-21, 05:15 PM
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1EAxNqdkVnp48a7NUuNBHGflowM.jpg
Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01: Thrice Upon a Time (2021) rating_4_5
Whoa. Evangelion fans have been waiting a long time for this film, but it seems the wait was worth it. Hideaki Anno's finale to the Rebuild of Evangelion does pretty much everything right. While one would understandably expect it to be a bit lengthy at 154 minutes long, the film never drags, moving from one story beat to the next with aplomb. The story is a natural extension of the three films that preceded it, developing Shinji's character in ways even End of Eva didn't while fleshing out the characters around him and bringing his character arc full circle in a thrilling, poignant, and emotionally satisfying fashion. We even get the first deep dive into Gendo's backstory ever seen in animated form, which is quite impressive for an anime and manga franchise nearing its 30th birthday in just a few years. Moreover, the film boasts more of the stunning animation Evangelion is infamous for, Shiro Sagisu's excellent musical score is once again perfectly suited to the action on screen, and Hikaru Utada's One Last Kiss and Beautiful World close the film out perfectly. Amazon Prime's English dub is also excellent, with several cast members from the previous films, some of whom have been dubbing Evangelion for 25 years or better, returning. The legendary Spike Spencer, in his signature role, is once again excellent as Shinji Ikari. Things change quite a bit here, with Shinji shedding the depressive, fearful and ambivalent ways that have earned him unfair hatred from some—or maybe I'm just biased since I suffered Shinji-level depression as a teenager—within the film's first half. Tiffany Grant is equally impressive reprising her role as Asuka Langley Shikinami, Shinji's fellow Eva pilot who certainly doesn't suffer what she considers idiocy. Allison Keith is also above par returning as Misato Katsuragi, who was once Shinji and Asuka's legal guardian. John Swasey also returns as Gendo, Shinji's father, which is good since Swasey's is easily the definitive English-language portrayal of the character. While I'll admit I prefer Brina Palencia, who voiced the character in the Funimation dubs of the previous Rebuild films, Amanda Winn-Lee is also solid as Rei Ayanami, returning from the ADV dub of NGE. Deneen Melody is also pretty good as Mari Makinami Illustrious, a somewhat eccentric Eva pilot who has an odd affection for the smell of LCL. Melody took some getting used to, but I found myself enjoying her portrayal nearly as much as Trina Nishimura's by the film's endgame. I was initially a bit salty that they didn't get Caitlin Glass back from the Funimation dub, but Amy Seeley is surprisingly excellent as Maya Ibuki, having greatly improved in the nearly two decades since she voiced the character in the Manga dub of End of Eva. Brett Weaver also returns from the ADV dub as Toji Suzuhara, one of Shinji's best friends from middle school. While I wouldn't complain if they got Justin Cook from the Funimation dub of Rebuild or Johnny Yong Bosch from the Netflix dub of NGE, Weaver does a fine job. We also get Felecia Angelle as Sakura, Toji's younger sister, returning from the Funimation dub. The one voice actor who struck me as slightly miscast was Mary Faber as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, though she's certainly decent and my opinion is at least somewhat colored by the fact that I've become accustomed to Colleen Clinkenbeard's portrayal of the character. I guess Faber just isn't quite as cold and calculating as I imagine Dr. Akagi to be, but it is what it is. With that said, the others are also solid and the dub script is thankfully a far cry from the stilted, awkward, and unnatural script the Netflix dub of NGE had, though changing "I mustn't run away," to "Don't run away," will probably never sit right with me. Overall, Thrice Upon a Time is an exciting, thought-provoking, and emotionally satisfying endgame to the Evangelion film series, and no fan of the franchise should miss it.
paranoid android
08-13-21, 06:19 PM
Paprika (2006)
https://static0.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/paprika-featured.jpg
In the near future scientists have developed the Mini DC, a technology allowing a person to view or even step inside of another's dreams. When the senior Doctor begins spouting complete nonsense and leaps out of a window it is discovered that someone has stolen a Mini DC and intends to terrorize the public with it.
To be honest, I almost did not want to review this just yet. I feel like I need to gather my thoughts with a second viewing, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. This movie is just unreal and I can't believe it has taken me so long to watch it. It's tempting to compare it to the movie that was inspired by it, Inception, but they are actually two very different movies doing very different things. Where Inception is a fairly straight-forward action film revolving around gaining intelligence from unaware dreamers, Paprika is a big emotional ball of repressed feelings and secret desires doubling as a love-letter to cinema. Take for example Detective Toshimi Konakawa who is being given psychiatric help from Paprika secretly: Early on we find out that Toshimi adamantly does not like movies, but over the course of the film we discover this man contains an usual amount of film knowledge. My favorite showcase of this knowledge is when he is explaining to Paprika what "breaking the axis" means while wearing the same hat that was iconic on Akira Kurosawa. What this shows is that not only does he have detailed knowledge of film production, but also fanboyish knowledge of a famous director. By the climax of the movie we learn that Konakawa has been repressing his love for film because he is saddened that he stopped pursuing a career in it after his friend, and filmmaking partner passed away. And this is only one example of many throughout the picture.
The film is a big emotional release. When everyone's emotions and desires are laid bare waltzing the city streets, we the audience feel a sort of release as well. This feeling is underscored by the film's music. There is a very specific song that is unleashed whenever the chaotic dream parade comes out in full force, and this track really emphasizes the whole movie's point. It is this chaotic carnival of instruments that somehow manages to be both foreboding and relieving, almost comforting? How the hell did Susumu Hirasawa even manage that? It's ****ing impressive. Is it possible to get this on Vinyl? Because I want it. Visually this film really exemplifies what animation can offer as an artform. The way in which Paprika and others hop from dream to dream is not only pleasing to the eye, but also accurate to the very nature of dreaming. I've always found it amazing how natural it feels to completely switch locations within my own dreams, like going from trying to find my seat grade 8 science to driving through a busy street completely nude. These sequences in Paprka are so well done in how familiar they feel to us, even if recalling our dreams can be difficult.
There is a ton to unwrap in this film and this little review, for me, doesn't quite feel sufficient. Like I said, I really want to watch this again soon. I supposed when I get right down to it what really stuck with me was the feeling it gave me when the closing credits came up. Relief. Like a huge weight was taken off of my shoulders. The fact that this film made me feel this emotion to the extent that I imagine is close to the same level as the characters within the film were feeling it, is one hell of an achievement.
5
Gideon58
08-13-21, 06:40 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTI0MDgzNDctODQ1ZS00OGYwLWExN2QtMWU5ZjNhYjFiNGVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTk1MTk0MDI@._V1_.jpg
3
Fabulous
08-13-21, 08:59 PM
Singles (1992)
3
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/q4T0G4zLS2Q0pkozbDscQe4qL2L.jpg
Shame (2011)
Intensely dull film about unlikeable people.
Rating: 1.
ThatDarnMKS
08-13-21, 09:39 PM
Shame (2011)
Intensely dull film about unlikeable people.
Rating: 1.
Masterpiece.
edarsenal
08-13-21, 10:17 PM
https://i2.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GreenKnight3.jpg?resize=740%2C399&type=vertical&ssl=1
https://64.media.tumblr.com/9c70d1852eb686aec9ee8b544988a65a/d4200ddd23a663f6-05/s540x810/3597edfd9aa3a101dff7ab7e85638f5418cbda93.gifv
The Green Knight (2021) 4++ Lately, when I see the words "a retelling" I literally cringe, but after seeing the trailer for this and the opportunity to first witness this on a big screen, I was more than willing to give it a go.
And I was very happily surprised and even a little impressed with this "retelling" of the old Gawain and the Green Knight. While only hinting at the connection to Arthurian Legend, Director David Lowery delves into the mystical, introspective sojourn of a more intricate Quest. Beyond the more recent approach of basic "get the magic item, take out the evil, win the day" gaming mentality.
For me, this was the very old (aka ancient) school of not simply seeking out the conclusion of a Quest but taking severe stock of the Knight in question's worthiness.
Aiding in this is some quite beautiful cinematic composition that leans toward the more symbiotic in nature.
Taking this route, for me, makes all the difference.
SpelingError
08-13-21, 10:20 PM
Masterpiece.
This.
Have you seen McQueen's Hunger, btw? I might be the biggest fan of it on this forum, but I strongly recommend it.
ThatDarnMKS
08-13-21, 10:21 PM
This.
Have you seen McQueen's Hunger, btw? I might be the biggest fan of it on this forum, but I strongly recommend it.
The only McQueen I haven’t seen is his Amazon series but I hope to rectify that soon.
He’s among the best active directors.
SpelingError
08-13-21, 10:24 PM
The only McQueen I haven’t seen is his Amazon series but I hope to rectify that soon.
He’s among the best active directors.
Yeah, I've only seen his first two feature films. I should watch more of his stuff.
Nausicaä
08-14-21, 12:48 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Boss_Level_poster.jpg
2.5
SF = Zzz
[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it
Fabulous
08-14-21, 12:50 AM
The Gift (2015)
3
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/dUeHpb90QCsyxBnegbfLYtZqmr6.jpg
skizzerflake
08-14-21, 01:02 AM
Really a fun movie -
Free Guy - Our movie of the night, in a theater (the Senator) - It's really cool, definitely worth a re-watch because there's SO much going on.
A fairly bland guy wakes up, goes to work, dresses the way he always does, is impeccably polite, but it all gets strange. It becomes apparent that he's a character in a computer game. His character has become self aware and thinks he's real. Meanwhile all of the usual action and carnage of a computer game goes on around him.
It's a comedy and a rom-com but unlike either genre. It's also an amazingly animated fantasy with layers of content that you recognize from somewhere else, but it's all moving so fast that you can't keep up. Alternately, you're in a game or a movie or a TV show or reality or all of the above or some of the above. It's really worth a second view, since it's derivitive from almost everything but completely unique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2m-08cOAbc
skizzerflake
08-14-21, 01:08 AM
https://i2.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GreenKnight3.jpg?resize=740%2C399&type=vertical&ssl=1
https://64.media.tumblr.com/9c70d1852eb686aec9ee8b544988a65a/d4200ddd23a663f6-05/s540x810/3597edfd9aa3a101dff7ab7e85638f5418cbda93.gifv
The Green Knight (2021) 4++ Lately, when I see the words "a retelling" I literally cringe, but after seeing the trailer for this and the opportunity to first witness this on a big screen, I was more than willing to give it a go.
And I was very happily surprised and even a little impressed with this "retelling" of the old Gawain and the Green Knight. While only hinting at the connection to Arthurian Legend, Director David Lowery delves into the mystical, introspective sojourn of a more intricate Quest. Beyond the more recent approach of basic "get the magic item, take out the evil, win the day" gaming mentality.
For me, this was the very old (aka ancient) school of not simply seeking out the conclusion of a Quest but taking severe stock of the Knight in question's worthiness.
Aiding in this is some quite beautiful cinematic composition that leans toward the more symbiotic in nature.
Taking this route, for me, makes all the difference.
Yeah, I really liked it. I've read the original anonymous medieval fantasy, which is even stranger than the movie, but for a movie version that needed to be shorter and somewhat comprehensible, I thought it was well done. Arthur is a peripheral character in the medieval poem too.
paranoid android
08-14-21, 03:31 AM
https://i2.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GreenKnight3.jpg?resize=740%2C399&type=vertical&ssl=1
https://64.media.tumblr.com/9c70d1852eb686aec9ee8b544988a65a/d4200ddd23a663f6-05/s540x810/3597edfd9aa3a101dff7ab7e85638f5418cbda93.gifv
The Green Knight (2021) 4++ Lately, when I see the words "a retelling" I literally cringe, but after seeing the trailer for this and the opportunity to first witness this on a big screen, I was more than willing to give it a go.
And I was very happily surprised and even a little impressed with this "retelling" of the old Gawain and the Green Knight. While only hinting at the connection to Arthurian Legend, Director David Lowery delves into the mystical, introspective sojourn of a more intricate Quest. Beyond the more recent approach of basic "get the magic item, take out the evil, win the day" gaming mentality.
For me, this was the very old (aka ancient) school of not simply seeking out the conclusion of a Quest but taking severe stock of the Knight in question's worthiness.
Aiding in this is some quite beautiful cinematic composition that leans toward the more symbiotic in nature.
Taking this route, for me, makes all the difference.
I'm really dying to see this. I'm a bit of sucker for anything connected to Arthurian legend. And I don't mean like I like everything Arthurian related, I'm more just a sucker for watching everything. I'm especially stoked because this actually looks fantastic. Nice review.
PHOENIX74
08-14-21, 05:04 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/Tombstoneposter.jpeg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15766779
Tombstone - (1993) - DVD - (Director's Cut)
First time I've seen this, and as with Real Genius the thought behind me watching it was to see another Val Kilmer film I haven't yet seen. He's great in Tombstone - easily the best character (Doc Holliday) and performance in it. It's a more than serviceable ensemble though, and I got a kick out of seeing Billy Bob Thornton in such an early role, a year before he made his Some Folks Call it a Slingblade short. I think Unforgiven really beat it in the race to try and redefine the Western genre, and it straddles both sides of the line between authentic realism and Hollywood escapism. George P. Cosmatos, director of such fare as Rambo : First Blood Part II and Cobra probably wasn't the best guy in the world to helm the film, but rumours abound that it was Kurt Russell himself that did most of the work.
Overall it's accomplished and has a great cast in very good form.
Special Features - Director's commentary (I hate when they say things like, "Here comes a train" when a train enters the shot - I can pretty much deduce that for myself) but for the most part it's passable and gives us some extra knowledge. Three documentaries tied into one. 9 different trailers and teasers. The complete storyboard to the 'gunfight at the O.K. Corral' part of the film.
I'd stick with the theatrical cut if you're ever in the mood to see it, even though the director's cut only contains an extra 5 minutes.
7/10
EsmagaSapos
08-14-21, 06:11 AM
https://i.postimg.cc/vZGSNJV5/Platoon-1986.jpg
3
Long time fan of Oliver Stone, Natural Born Killers is still one of my favorite films, the psychedelic scenery, the energetic Patti Smith song, the philosophy of human instincts surpassing morality. Also like his films with Fidel Castro and Vladimir Putin, but there were still major films that I've never seen before, JFK is one, and Platoon was another.
Tom Berenger made a tremendous performance, I was scared of the guy, what a scare. Although I liked the film, it tried to pass and authentic image of all the various individuals, characters that went to that war, their reasons, but is my opinion it didn't came near to Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. I think he made good directing in close up scenes, the pain, the constant suspense surrounded by green, it showed how everything could go south in a matter of seconds and that was evident trough out the entire film, in the rest of the scenes he used a angels masterpiece of a song, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings that in my opinion lacked better photography to create the intended emotion, that's where I believe a master of a director is shown, in combining all the variables to create a perfect scenery according to his vision.
chawhee
08-14-21, 09:57 AM
Dont Breathe 2 (2021)
https://entertainingmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Dont-Breathe-2-840x480.jpg
2
This was the movie of choice for a date night since it was Friday the 13th, and it was as bad as I expected. I liked the first one (maybe a 3.5 or so), but a sequel was completely unnecessary. This one has bad writing, excessive gore, predictably dumb characters...the twist in the first one was a bit unsavory, and the twist in this one has the same unsettling feeling.
Dont Breathe 2 (2021)
https://entertainingmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Dont-Breathe-2-840x480.jpg
2
This was the movie of choice for a date night since it was Friday the 13th, and it was as bad as I expected. I liked the first one (maybe a 3.5 or so), but a sequel was completely unnecessary. This one has bad writing, excessive gore, predictably dumb characters...the twist in the first one was a bit unsavory, and the twist in this one has the same unsettling feeling.
I thought the first one was pretty good (I probably agree about the "3.5 or so"), but the whole conception of this sequel, from how unnecessary it is to its whole premise, is baffling.
DR. STRANGELOVE OR:
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/Dr.-Strangelove-courtesy-Warner-Bros.jpg
"War is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2230257#post2230257)
Takoma11
08-14-21, 01:18 PM
I thought the first one was pretty good (I probably agree about the "3.5 or so"), but the whole conception of this sequel, from how unnecessary it is to its whole premise, is baffling.
Agreed.
Maybe there's some nuance or interesting angle taken in this second one, but I really have no interest in hanging out with a murderer/rapist who somehow is in charge of a little girl for another film.
CharlesAoup
08-14-21, 03:15 PM
Suspiria, 2018 (D)
A film about a ballet dancer in a school run by a coven of witches. Remake of a 1977 movie.
Did not care for it. It doesn't ever manage to create a vibe like an Argento movie does. It's very conventional (and very, very long) most of the time, and then you get the weird scenes. The movie honestly insists upon itself a lot. It did not need to be 2 and a half hours long by any stretch. You get the point very early, and then see the movie hammer it down 5 miles deep. It's very much like Midsommar in that way. It goes too hard too fast, and then, whatever happens might as well.
I just finished watching A Face in the Crowd. If I could sum up my experience watching this film in one word, it would be: WOW! A Face in the Crowd is a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. Brilliantly directed by Elia Kazan, the films stars Andy Griffith in a fantastic, career best performance as Larry 'Lonesome' Rhodes, a drifter who rapidly ascends to become an influential radio and tv star. This film is more relevant now than when it first came out and has a lot of worthwhile things to say about the dangers of fame and power. The screenplay is exceptionally smart and sharply written. In addition to Griffith's powerhouse performance, Patricia Neal is great as the woman who first discovers Rhodes and falls under his spell. I really enjoyed the film. It was consistently entertaining, engaging and ranged from funny to sad to frightening and back again. I cared about the characters and was invested in what was happening. Even though Griffith's character acts like a jerk at times, I didn't completely hate him and even felt empathy towards him. I appreciated that he was written and portrayed as a complex, flawed character and he didn't come across as an over the top villain. A Face in The Crowd is without a doubt a must see film. 5
Fabulous
08-14-21, 04:12 PM
Babe (1995)
2.5
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/3VbM5FaXHpv7kCxSBLTMKTxAIjZ.jpg
CringeFest
08-14-21, 05:13 PM
My Favorite Martian
4/10
Kind of funny but stupid and i couldn't finish it.
edarsenal
08-14-21, 06:05 PM
Yeah, I really liked it. I've read the original anonymous medieval fantasy, which is even stranger than the movie, but for a movie version that needed to be shorter and somewhat comprehensible, I thought it was well done. Arthur is a peripheral character in the medieval poem too.
I've read shortened versions of the story as a kid and can't, for the life of me, remember the ending. :rolleyes:
I'm really dying to see this. I'm a bit of sucker for anything connected to Arthurian legend. And I don't mean like I like everything Arthurian related, I'm more just a sucker for watching everything. I'm especially stoked because this actually looks fantastic. Nice review.
Seeing it on a theater screen is a serious MUST for all its cinematic artistry. I'm sure on smaller screens its quite beautiful as well, but. . . in a theater. . .:eek::)
skizzerflake
08-14-21, 06:36 PM
DR. STRANGELOVE OR:
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/Dr.-Strangelove-courtesy-Warner-Bros.jpg
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2230257#post2230257)
Strangelove is much stranger if you put it in its historic context. It was made about the same time as the movie-novel Fail Safe, which had a similar situation. Fail Safe had a relatively sane president trying to avoid a nuclear holocaust, played by Henry Fonda in a very earnest portrayal.
Strangelove has General Jack Ripper, ex-nazis in the government and a completely diabolical Dr Strangelove with his spastic arm doing nazi salutes.
In the context of the Cold War and the then recent Cuban Missile Crisis, and the "missile gap", I've always thought that Strangelove correctly portrayed the insanity of that era in US-USSR relations. Try to read about "Operation Paperclip" and NOT think about Dr Strangelove.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip
paranoid android
08-14-21, 07:53 PM
I've read shortened versions of the story as a kid and can't, for the life of me, remember the ending. :rolleyes:
Seeing it on a theater screen is a serious MUST for all its cinematic artistry. I'm sure on smaller screens its quite beautiful as well, but. . . in a theater. . .:eek::)
I really wish I could, but with an infant that can't be vaccinated nor babysat just yet I just don't think we can risk it just yet. :(
GulfportDoc
08-14-21, 08:22 PM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Bad_lieutenant.jpeg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24335146
Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call New Orleans - (2009)
New Orleans somewhat disintegrated when Hurricane Katrina hit, and in a similar way cop Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) disintegrates after injuring his back during the hurricane. He becomes an erratic and hopeless drug addict. Fortunately he has the drive and ambition to hide this from the police department he works for - but we wonder how long this can last as he messes up a multiple murder investigation while attempting to save his relationship with his girlfriend and family. As always, it's fascinating when a director more known for his artistic vision directs a mainstream film like this. The material suits Cage so much, it's impossible to think of anyone else in his place. It's a crazy, frenetic film and quite enjoyable.
I had a brother-in-law and friend (who writes, directs and stars in b-movies - and is often an extra in larger movies) share a scene and a couple of lines with Nicolas Cage once. But that's a story for another time.
7/10
Nice review. I took your recommendation, and watched the picture last night. Happily Cage's superb acting in the role of the drug addicted New Orleans detective cause me to recall what a good actor he is. I'd recently seen Pig (2021), which soured me on Cage himself as well as the entire film.
Poor Val Kilmer had a relatively tiny part, which may have been somewhat cut down during editing. Eva Mendes had a very nice turn as a druggie prostitute, who eventually turns the page into a new life.
I thought the picture to be a little uneven, although it may have seemed that way because of Cage's character's wild mood swings-- on or off drugs. I'm used to seeing Werner Herzog's work in his high quality documentaries, and I'm equivocal about whether he is or isn't a good drama film director.
Some of the pacing of the film could've been tightened a little, but overall it was a worthwhile viewing experience. I'd rate it about the same level as you have.
GulfportDoc
08-14-21, 08:36 PM
DR. STRANGELOVE OR:
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Grade: rating_4Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2230257#post2230257)
I liked it more than you did, which is probably a generational thing..;) As a matter of fact it has one of my few "10" review ratings. Here's my commentary:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Once in every generation or so a film comes along that perfectly addresses the public’s mood, while simultaneously satirizing the bleakness of its subject matter. Dr. Strangelove is one of history’s finest examples of satirical black comedy at its highest level.
During the mid 1960s the country was in its height of the Cold War. The Bay of Pigs had occurred; President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev had a major nuclear standoff; and finally the unthinkable JFK assassination-- all had combined to put the country on edge. Dr. Stangelove was a welcome source of gallows humor to help let off a little steam from the pressure cooker. As one can see from the film’s accessory title --”How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”-- people could honestly imagine and fear a nuclear conflict between the two superpowers.
Peter Sellers’ variegated earlier body of work, including The Pink Panther, attracted director Stanley Kubrick to cast Sellers in three distinct roles, including the title character, the U.S. president, and a military Group Captain. The film gets most of its comedic heft from Sellers’ memorable portrayal of these three parts. Sellers’ sight gags, mannerisms, voice accents, and complete character inhabitation provide wonderful satire.
The supporting cast is a dream, with first rate performances by Sterling Hayden, George C. Scott, and the venerable Slim Pickens. Reportedly Kubrick got an indelible performance from Scott by telling him to try a few sample takes in an over-the-top manner, but then used those takes in the film. Pickens was lead to believe that his was a serious role, learning only later that the film was a dark comedy.
Entire books can be written discussing “Strangelove”, its background, all the people involved, and its significance; but suffice to say that this movie is not only a top comedy, but one of the best films of the 20th Century.
Doc’s rating: 10/10
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Masterpiece.
OK my rating was harsh (probably wasn't in the mood) I like Fassbender...but it just felt like a really empty film. Masterpiece is not how I'd describe it. All to out own I guess.
Takoma11
08-14-21, 09:38 PM
I am like 12 movies behind in terms of writing reviews.
I'll write more later, but for now I have to say that I watched Signs today and I'm kind of shocked that it is on three top 100 lists on this site.
I know this sounds mean, but what on Earth would anyone think is great (or even really good) about it? The ham-fisted, clunky "everything happens for a reason" theme? The yikes acting? The awkward pacing of flashback sequences? The . . . .corn?
Strangelove is much stranger if you put it in its historic context. It was made about the same time as the movie-novel Fail Safe, which had a similar situation. Fail Safe had a relatively sane president trying to avoid a nuclear holocaust, played by Henry Fonda in a very earnest portrayal.
Strangelove has General Jack Ripper, ex-nazis in the government and a completely diabolical Dr Strangelove with his spastic arm doing nazi salutes.
In the context of the Cold War and the then recent Cuban Missile Crisis, and the "missile gap", I've always thought that Strangelove correctly portrayed the insanity of that era in US-USSR relations. Try to read about "Operation Paperclip" and NOT think about Dr Strangelove.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip
Thanks for sharing. I didn't know about Fail Safe or Operation Paperclip. I'll check both out.
EDIT: As I started reading on Wikipedia, I realized that yeah, I had read about Paperclip. Just didn't remember the name.
I liked it more than you did, which is probably a generational thing..;) As a matter of fact it has one of my few "10" review ratings. Here's my commentary:
Great writeup.
I can certainly see it improving. I had it at 3 or 3.5 after my first watch, and went up to 4 now.
I watched Racket Girls (1951) on blu ray. Also known as Pin-down Girl or Blonde Pickup, its about a gangster who uses women's wrestling as a front for illegal activity. The film has really low ratings, a 1.7 on imdb and a 1.5 on letterboxd, with some people saying it is one of the worst films ever. In my opinion, this isn't anywhere near as bad as some people say. It has its flaws and limitations, but this is nowhere near one of the worst films ever. It has its charm and there is fun to be had. My rating is a 3.
It has its flaws and limitations, but this is nowhere near one of the worst films ever. It has its charm and there is fun to be had. My rating is a 3.I figure it's one of the worst 174 at this point. :cool:
Samurai Cop - 1991 (rating not applicable)
I had heard tales of this movie, usually intermixed with lots of laughter, and had to see what all the hubbub was about.
Where do I start? Well, umm... there are plenty of mullets, cheesy pickup lines, and I did get a laugh when the Samurai Cop was getting ready to have sex with some girl and noticed they were wearing matching panties.
Sometimes dubbed the worst movie ever made, and I admit that there are some issues. I wouldn't call it the worst, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment. All I know is that I did make it all the way through, so that counts for something.
Raven73
08-14-21, 11:52 PM
Suicide Squad (2021)
8/10.
That was fun.
https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/03/26/the-suicide-squad-button-1616779900952.jpg
PHOENIX74
08-15-21, 02:16 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Doorsposter1991.jpg
By Tri-Star Pictures - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14681078
The Doors - (1991)
Another film featuring Val Kilmer that I've had on my watchlist for a while, so my whole 'Val Kilmer Appreciation Week' continues. This Oliver Stone film focusses nearly entirely on Jim Morrison, and gets hurt in the scriptwriting stage after being in development hell for ages. What we end up with is a series of unconnected vignettes, usually with Morrison drunk, stoned or tripping out in the desert (and during concerts.) You can watch the whole film and still have no idea who this man was. It's a shame because Kilmer gives what is probably the best acting performance of his life - completely inhabiting his subject to the point where I completely forget it's him. Any scene taken alone from this would indicate a great film - but taken together it just goes nowhere. It gets a good rating from me because a lot of the people making the film were at the top of their game, putting together great scenes, but there's no meaning, story or sense of someone's life. The film just tells anecdotes until the inescapable ending.
6/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Bad_lieutenant.jpeg
Poor Val Kilmer had a relatively tiny part, which may have been somewhat cut down during editing.
I got the same impression. That must hurt a bit for an actor - they've put a lot of work in, got some great scenes, and then they find out they're barely in the movie.
edarsenal
08-15-21, 02:25 AM
I really wish I could, but with an infant that can't be vaccinated nor babysat just yet I just don't think we can risk it just yet. :(
First off; CONGRATS!
YAYY
Secondly, no, no you shouldn't.
It'll be worth the wait to a smaller screen and just as visually impressive.
When that time comes, hope you enjoy it. I very much did and will, most likely/hopefully revisiting on a similar-sized screen as well.
paranoid android
08-15-21, 02:33 AM
First off; CONGRATS!
YAYY
Secondly, no, no you shouldn't.
It'll be worth the wait to a smaller screen and just as visually impressive.
When that time comes, hope you enjoy it. I very much did and will, most likely/hopefully revisiting on a similar-sized screen as well.
Thanks! I'm sure I will! The list of great Arthurian movies is pretty short, with the last one probably being Excalibur. It's about time we got another.
edarsenal
08-15-21, 02:42 AM
Thanks! I'm sure I will! The list of great Arthurian movies is pretty short, with the last one probably being Excalibur. It's about time we got another.
Oh so true.
The French Lancelot du Lac is lacking from my Seen It list and I have heard pretty goods about it. . .
xSookieStackhouse
08-15-21, 05:11 AM
3.5 the yellow monkey is so cute tho
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDBiMGEzMTAtYTI2MS00NTgyLTlhNTItNmJiOTdhZTMyOTI1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEyMjM2NDc2._V1_.jpg
paranoid android
08-15-21, 05:26 AM
Branded to Kill (Seijun Suzuki, 1967)
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e05e534402434aa0f846c2/1489522449987-CVJADOGDW2RM46USG50P/image.jpg?format=1500w
Goro Hanada, the number 3 rated hitman in the Japanese underworld, accepts an impossible job from a beautiful woman (because he's fallen in love with her), but a butterfly lands on his gun and causes him to completely botch it. He then finds himself on the run from the other highly rated hitman in the area.
This movie is completely insane. Like bat**** crazy incomprehensible insane. Like if crack cocaine was a person and Mr. Crack Cocaine made a movie, I think this is what Crack Cocaine would make. And you know what? Mr. Crack Cocaine would make a pretty ****ing awesome movie. Mr. Crack Cocaine is actually Seijun Suzuki, and without him, this movie would have been just another b-movie, but what he created instead was a stylish, genre-bending, sexploitative, satirical, and absurd work of art.
Take Goro Hanada. He's the number 3 hitman in all of Japan, and we are definitely shown evidence of this during the first job he takes escorting an important man across the city. When things go awry he immediately takes control of the situation and handles the threats with skillful precision. Now this is all very cool and gritty, bad ass even, but what about rice? Have you ever even smelled boiling rice? Have you ever required the sweet aroma of rice boiling to get sufficiently turned on for a night of beastial sex? No? Weird. Goro Hanada loves the smell of boiling rice, it's just what gets his groove on, and while watching this I quickly decided to assume that that has to be why his cheeks are so puffy. He just likes to keep a little extra in there to snack on throughout the day. Hanada is the perfect mixture of cool and ridiculous. He's equal parts effortless hitman and satirical clown, and the perfect protagonist in a plot so imbedded in the absurd.
I called this movie incomprehensible but that was a bit of hyperbole, it's nearly incomprehensible. There's a lot of interesting stuff bouncing around and it actually can be pretty fun to try to piece it all together. Like the two woman featured in the film. You have Hanada's over-the-top wild wife, who is nearly always either attempting to have sex with him (boil the rice), or have sex with another deadly Yakuza (gotta keep her options open), but then Hanada doesn't really love her, so who cares? Then you have Misako, the nihilistic unemotional mistress that Hanada is in love with, but she is obsessed with death and will refuse all advances unless he kills her. She also has an home that is full of dead butterflies, which also happens to be the insect that caused all of Hanada's misfortune, coincidence? It's just all another surreal layer in this absurd stack of pancakes of a movie and plenty fun to ponder the significance of. You truly never know where this film is going to take you, which makes it easy to see how filmmakers like Tarantino, Jarmusch, and probably Guy Ritchie (at least his early work) were heavily influenced by it.
I would be lying though if I didn't admit that the movie could stand to be a little less incoherent. There were plenty of times throughout the film that I really had to strain to figure out what exactly was going on, and while this is part of the film's charm, at times it took me out of the movie in a way that was less playful and more aggravating. The most important thing about this film, to me, though is how ******* fun it is to watch. It just flew by. And even though It might not make a whole lot of sense, hell it might even try it's hardest to make the least amount of sense that it can, it's over-the-top action, abundance of style, and absurd sense of humor really make it a film that is absolutely worth watching.
4
paranoid android
08-15-21, 05:28 AM
Oh so true.
The French Lancelot du Lac is lacking from my Seen It list and I have heard pretty goods about it. . .
That's definitely one of the good ones.
Thursday Next
08-15-21, 07:00 AM
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
Just in case you didn't know that Quentin Tarantino likes old movies, pop culture, people driving around in cars, feet and a bit of the old ultraviolence, here is two hours and 41 minutes of all of those things.
2.5
Beckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Eye Without a Face (Ramin Niami, 2021) 2- 5/10
The Exchange (Dan Mazer, 2021) 2.5 6/10
CODA (Sian Heder, 2021) 3+ 6.5/10
https://img.particlenews.com/img/id/3UTC7h_0aegRz8R00?type=thumbnail_512x288
High schooler Emilia Jones wants to study singing but is the only speaking-member of her family, consisting of Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant, who needs her to help them with their fishing business.
Day of the Full Moon (Karen Shakhnazarov, 1998) 2.5+ 6/10
Danny. Legend. God. (Yavor Petkov, 2020) 2 5/10
Night Driver (Brad Baruh & Meghan Leon, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Twelve O'Clock High (Henry King, 1949) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://i.gifer.com/xqc.gif
General Gregory Peck is brought in to replace the leader of a bombing unit during WWII, gets good results and then starts to lose it, just like his predecessor.
The Mysterious Wall (Irina Povolotskaya & Mikhail Sadkovich, 1968) 2.5 6/10
Die in a Gunfight (Collin Schiffli, 2021) 2 5/10
Homeroom (Peter Nicks, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Rockers (Theodoros Bafaloukos, 1978) 3 6.5/10
https://i0.wp.com/sophiebenson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/rockers.jpg?resize=500%2C333&ssl=1
When Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace has his motorbike stolen by Jamaican mobsters, he employs some of his friends, other Rastas, to get some revenge.
Strange Culture (Lynn Hershman-Leeson, 2007) 3- 6.5/10
Hala (Minhal Baig, 2019) 2.5+ 6/10
The American Sector (Courtney Stephens & Pacho Velez, 2020) 3 6.5/10
The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958) 4- 8/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/54de47ad3a4a24403a7a37b418fcf9b6/f0604414f411c9e7-2f/s500x750/76f504784dca42e7a38097ee4cdfcd7c07e4af2b.gifv
School teacher Jean Simmons sneaks up on Eastern sea captain Gregory Peck in the big country out West.
The Kissing Booth 3 (Vince Marcello, 2021) 2 5/10
The Sea Wolves (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1980) 2.5 6/10
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (Nunnally Johnson, 1956) 3- 6.5/10
The Omen (Richard Donner, 1976) 3.5 7/10
https://pa1.narvii.com/6722/6244d5a9fe81bf6248b1f389bf56535c8aeefb51_hq.gif
Spoiler - Oops, too late.
Choo Yao Chuen
08-15-21, 02:11 PM
5/10
Suicide Squad (2021)
8/10.
That was fun.
https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/03/26/the-suicide-squad-button-1616779900952.jpg
Raven73
08-15-21, 06:33 PM
American Made
7.5/10
Fascinating 'based-on-a-true story' movie.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/American_Made_%28film%29.jpg
WHITBISSELL!
08-15-21, 08:14 PM
https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/gregory-peck-tells-seamus-kelly-leo-genn-and-harry-andrews-to-cross-picture-id136165636?s=2048x2048
Moby Dick - It's a shame that Melville's dense, allegorical novel is my own personal white whale. I've tried diving into it on numerous occasions only to lose interest and have my enthusiasm peter out. I've got a copy somewhere on a bookshelf so I'll probably keep trying though. I think a certain familiarity would have lent this 1956 John Huston adaptation an immediacy that it was otherwise lacking. It is of course a fine film with Huston's sure hand at the helm and featuring a marvelous cast. Gregory Peck is on record as having misgivings about his performance, considering himself miscast. I think he does fine as the bedeviled Ahab and whatever shortcomings could have been tweaked with a deeper dive into the character. But then I'm also assuming time constraints were the bottom line. Assuming because, again, I haven't read the novel.
The rest of the cast is first-rate with Richard Basehart as Ishmael, Leo Genn as Starbuck and Austrian actor Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg. Orson Welles is also prominently billed as Father Mapple but after an impassioned and eloquent sermon on Jonah right before the Pequod sets sail the good Father and Welles essentially disappear from the film. The screenplay by Huston and Ray Bradbury of all people (with an uncredited assist by Norman Corwin) takes on the near impossible task of boiling down Melville's weighty and philosophical tome. The set pieces involving the actual whale hunting along with the everyday life on the Pequod are solidly depicted by Huston. And the sort of washed-out, subdued look to the cinematography was listed in the credits as having been created by Huston (and maybe cinematographer Oswald Morris).
Not having seen the 1998 miniseries with Patrick Stewart in the lead role I'm still not sure if the definitive Moby-Dick adaptation is yet to be filmed.
rating_4
GulfportDoc
08-15-21, 08:20 PM
I just finished watching A Face in the Crowd. If I could sum up my experience watching this film in one word, it would be: WOW! A Face in the Crowd is a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. Brilliantly directed by Elia Kazan, the films stars Andy Griffith in a fantastic, career best performance as Larry 'Lonesome' Rhodes, a drifter who rapidly ascends to become an influential radio and tv star. This film is more relevant now than when it first came out and has a lot of worthwhile things to say about the dangers of fame and power. The screenplay is exceptionally smart and sharply written. In addition to Griffith's powerhouse performance, Patricia Neal is great as the woman who first discovers Rhodes and falls under his spell. I really enjoyed the film. It was consistently entertaining, engaging and ranged from funny to sad to frightening and back again. I cared about the characters and was invested in what was happening. Even though Griffith's character acts like a jerk at times, I didn't completely hate him and even felt empathy towards him. I appreciated that he was written and portrayed as a complex, flawed character and he didn't come across as an over the top villain. A Face in The Crowd is without a doubt a must see film. rating_5
I agree. Great film, with a surprising and outstanding performance by Andy Griffith. I've always felt that comedians usually made for very good actors.
And Patricia Neal. Oh, man. I don't think she EVER gave a bad performance.
DR. STRANGELOVE OR:
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/Dr.-Strangelove-courtesy-Warner-Bros.jpg
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2230257#post2230257)
Probably one of the few movies I would give an outright 10/10 if I rated movies.
I am like 12 movies behind in terms of writing reviews.
I'll write more later, but for now I have to say that I watched Signs today and I'm kind of shocked that it is on three top 100 lists on this site.
I know this sounds mean, but what on Earth would anyone think is great (or even really good) about it? The ham-fisted, clunky "everything happens for a reason" theme? The yikes acting? The awkward pacing of flashback sequences? The . . . .corn?
I absolutely loved it when I first saw it and have seen it at least half a dozen times, though not in a while. Maybe I wouldn't like it now, I dunno. At the time I thought it was a special film for a budget/theater film. Not some masterpiece, but special. It moved me.
I just finished watching CODA. Written and directed by Sian Heder, the film stars the wonderful and charming Emilia Jones as Ruby, a teenage girl who is the only hearing person in her family. She wants to go to college and pursue music, but is unsure if her parents (the terrific Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur) can run their fishing business without her. This is a beautiful, delightful, and truly enjoyable gem. CODA is sweet, funny and touching. Emilia Jones is fantastic and deserves an Oscar nomination for her performance. I really loved the whole cast in this. I hope this film can get some awards attention, including a best picture nomination at next year's Oscars, because it deserves it. CODA is currently my pick for best film of 2021 and my rating is a 4.5.
Takoma11
08-15-21, 10:07 PM
I absolutely loved it when I first saw it and have seen it at least half a dozen times, though not in a while. Maybe I wouldn't like it now, I dunno. At the time I thought it was a special film for a budget/theater film. Not some masterpiece, but special. It moved me.
I mean, I will concede that there were some decent emotional moments (like the children not wanting to leave the house because it's where they lived with their mother), but I felt like it was taken to such an extreme that it became--unintentionally--comical.
I'm sure I was supposed to feel . . . something positive at the end, but Gibson clutching his unmoving son and declaring that God gave him asthma because that was the only way he'd avoid inhaling alien poison gas was literally laughable to me.
Or the kids getting literally the only book in the whole town on aliens, and it just happens to be so accurate that the son can confidently declare "They are hostile, and they are in the first stage of an attack formation".
I can definitely say that I felt the writing was weak, but I also didn't feel any suspense or tension.
Captain Terror
08-15-21, 11:33 PM
I mean, I will concede that there were some decent emotional moments (like the children not wanting to leave the house because it's where they lived with their mother), but I felt like it was taken to such an extreme that it became--unintentionally--comical.
I'm sure I was supposed to feel . . . something positive at the end, but Gibson clutching his unmoving son and declaring that God gave him asthma because that was the only way he'd avoid inhaling alien poison gas was literally laughable to me.
Or the kids getting literally the only book in the whole town on aliens, and it just happens to be so accurate that the son can confidently declare "They are hostile, and they are in the first stage of an attack formation".
I can definitely say that I felt the writing was weak, but I also didn't feel any suspense or tension.
It's been a long time since I've watched it, but I've seen it a few times. I think the (intentional) humor is probably my favorite that MNS has done, I remember a few tense/suspenseful scenes, the dinner scene made me cry, the birthday party footage was fun, etc.
I also hated the "message", or rather the delivery of it ("swing away", ugh), but there was enough good stuff in there that I am willing to overlook that.
Takoma11
08-15-21, 11:38 PM
It's been a long time since I've watched it, but I've seen it a few times. I think the (intentional) humor is probably my favorite that MNS has done, I remember a few tense/suspenseful scenes, the dinner scene made me cry, the birthday party footage was fun, etc.
I also hated the "message", or rather the delivery of it ("swing away", ugh), but there was enough good stuff in there that I am willing to overlook that.
The problem for me, is that the film seemed to want to take the message seriously, while having these really camp sequences (like the dinner scene you said made you cry, but I thought it was maybe the second-most over-the-top sequence aside from the one I quoted above).
If the whole thing had been intentionally over the top, I could have maybe enjoyed it in the same vein as The Visit.
I just thought it was such a mess. I am genuinely trying--and failing--to imagine loving it, let alone putting it on any kind of "best of" list.
Captain Terror
08-15-21, 11:48 PM
The problem for me, is that the film seemed to want to take the message seriously, while having these really camp sequences (like the dinner scene you said made you cry, but I thought it was maybe the second-most over-the-top sequence aside from the one I quoted above).
If the whole thing had been intentionally over the top, I could have maybe enjoyed it in the same vein as The Visit.
I just thought it was such a mess. I am genuinely trying--and failing--to imagine loving it, let alone putting it on any kind of "best of" list.
The context surrounding the film was much different when I saw it in the theater. I was a huge Night fan thanks to 6th Sense and Unbreakable, so I was going into it with a lot of good will. He hadn't made a stinker yet, and we still liked Mel Gibson back then. I know my first impression was that I wasn't crazy about the decision to be "funnier" than his previous films, and I thought the resolution was heavy-handed and cringe-inducing. This film was the first sign (heh) that Night wasn't infallible.
However, when I rented it a year or so later, and now knowing what to expect, I still hated the end but was more in tune with the humor.
Hard to believe this film is 20 years old already, but that's how I felt at the time. Maybe I'll feel differently when I watch it again. Because my tastes have matured SO MUCH since then. :)
Takoma11
08-16-21, 12:02 AM
The context surrounding the film was much different when I saw it in the theater. I was a huge Night fan thanks to 6th Sense and Unbreakable, so I was going into it with a lot of good will. He hadn't made a stinker yet, and we still liked Mel Gibson back then.
I went into the film with medium-high expectations, because my memory is of the film being well-regarded and the only real complaint being the convenient plot element of the little girl leaving the glasses of water all over the place.
There were just so many things--big and small--that undercut my enjoyment. I think that I was done when the guy who accidentally killed Gibson's wife recounted that night and concluded that "It's like it was meant to be".
Having the director himself, in a (poorly judged) extended cameo, tell us the theme . . . nope.
And don't even get me started on the idea of passing someone a flashlight by throwing it down on a stone floor.
Fundamentally, there was never enough time without something stupid or annoying interrupting the flow of the film for me to actually vibe with it. Throw in the discordance between the tone of certain sequences and the over-wrought theme, and it was just impossible for me to get any traction with it.
Captain Terror
08-16-21, 12:36 AM
I went into the film with medium-high expectations, because my memory is of the film being well-regarded
My memory of the reception was that lots of people considered it a step down for Night, and that I found myself defending it to detractors a lot. Which later happened again with The Village. So I'm sure everything you've said is valid, I just seem to click with Night's vibe more than most I guess.
(I didn't think The Happening was the Ed Wood-level cinematic travesty the rest of the world seemed to think it was, for example.)
So I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, just responding to your "why would anyone like this" question. I'm not really invested enough to defend it any further than that. It's definitely got its problems.
PHOENIX74
08-16-21, 12:43 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Willow_movie.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2394869
Willow - (1988)
Watching Willow for the first time since it's release in '88, I was struck by the fact that Val Kilmer was far too good for this film, and too good for his career to wilt the way it did as he got older. His roguish Madmartigan was one of the only things I remembered about the film, and you can see a familiar pattern from Real Genius - his ad-libbing and living in the moment rising above some pretty banal screenplays. The only other thing that rises far above the mediocre in the film is James Horner's rousing score - one which would go on to appear in countless trailers for unrelated films.
Willow is basically Star Wars set in a medieval fantasy realm. You have an evil sorcerer (Emperor Palpatine) and her masked, deep voiced main heavy (Darth Vader) in a desperate search for a MacGuffin (baby in Willow, Death Star plans in Star Wars.) A simple farm boy called Willow Ufgood (Luke Skywalker) must leave the only home he's ever known to help save the realm, but not before he crosses paths with a loveable, handsome rogue (Han Solo) who for most of the film only cares about himself - but will end up falling in love with a princess (you get the idea.) George Lucas produced, and provided the story.
There are some great moments, monsters and action in this film - but it is let down a bit by a very plain script lacking fresh ideas. It's definitely worth seeing for it's good points though. A great film for kids.
6/10
Takoma11
08-16-21, 12:50 AM
So I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, just responding to your "why would anyone like this" question. I'm not really invested enough to defend it any further than that. It's definitely got its problems.
That's fair.
Again--it's the presence on several top lists here that was particularly head-scratching for me.
Wyldesyde19
08-16-21, 01:14 AM
That's fair.
Again--it's the presence on several top lists here that was particularly head-scratching for me.
Yeah, it’s strange, although not really a head scratcher. I mean, Signs was actually heavily praised upon release, although I, too wasn’t a fan of it. I prefer The Village slightly over Signs. Yet Signs was considered the far superior film.
It’s kind of like Santa Sangre, for me. Looks great, but for the life of me, I can’t see why it’s so universally loved.
But at the same time, I’m not going make make a fuss over any list that has it included.
WHITBISSELL!
08-16-21, 01:38 AM
Add me to the list of people that really likes Signs. There are weak spots where the writing is concerned but it still manages to be a heartfelt and enjoyable experience. Plus, Mel Gibson is more often than not enough to elevate a movie.
Add me to the list of people that really likes Signs. There are weak spots where the writing is concerned but it still manages to be a heartfelt and enjoyable experience. Plus, Mel Gibson is more often than not enough to elevate a movie.
Yeah, this is more or less where I stand.
SpelingError
08-16-21, 03:10 AM
Signs has its flaws in regards to the writing, but for the most part, I enjoyed my time with it. Mainly, I appreciated Hess's character arc and found his crisis of faith to be compelling and, at times, heartfelt. I also consider the backlash over the water reveal to be ridiculously overblown and that further plays in to my appreciation for the film.
Captain Terror
08-16-21, 09:44 AM
it's the presence on several top lists here that was particularly head-scratching for me.
Yeah, I wasn't aware of that and am also surprised to hear it. I'd probably rank it pretty high on a "Movies About Aliens" list, but that's as far as I'd go
Flicker
08-16-21, 10:04 AM
Signs [...] is on three top 100 lists on this site.
* deletes account *
Branded to Kill (Seijun Suzuki, 1967)
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e05e534402434aa0f846c2/1489522449987-CVJADOGDW2RM46USG50P/image.jpg?format=1500w
4
Added.
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
Just in case you didn't know that Quentin Tarantino likes old movies, pop culture, people driving around in cars, feet and a bit of the old ultraviolence, here is two hours and 41 minutes of all of those things.
2.5
That about sums it up.
I mean, I will concede that there were some decent emotional moments (like the children not wanting to leave the house because it's where they lived with their mother), but I felt like it was taken to such an extreme that it became--unintentionally--comical.
I'm sure I was supposed to feel . . . something positive at the end, but Gibson clutching his unmoving son and declaring that God gave him asthma because that was the only way he'd avoid inhaling alien poison gas was literally laughable to me.
Or the kids getting literally the only book in the whole town on aliens, and it just happens to be so accurate that the son can confidently declare "They are hostile, and they are in the first stage of an attack formation".
I can definitely say that I felt the writing was weak, but I also didn't feel any suspense or tension.
I hear ya. I can only disagree based on my past experience. Like I say, I found the film very moving. The alien stuff was fine but that's not what the movie was about, obviously. I think it's the best performance of Gibson's career, a great directing job by Shyamalan (particularly directing his actors, reigning in two of the greatest hams in cinematic history), and it made me cry at least once. That works for me.
Pig - 4
This is a very good movie that, if anything, deserves credit for using a simple story - a hermit, truffle hunter and former master chef (Cage), Robin, searches for his lost pig - to reflect the state of late '10s/early '20s life. I like seeing Nicolas Cage in crazy mode as much as the next fan of his, but I'm glad that his preference for such projects lately hasn't affected his interest in being in or ability to perform in movies like this one. He's totally convincing as a man out of time and one for whom the companionship of his pet is all that gives him a reason to get up in the morning. Equally impressive is Alex Wolff as Amir, Robin's buyer and less than willing companion in his search, who makes their relationship recall Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's in Rain Man. While whodunit lovers may be let down since the mystery of what happened to Robin's pig isn't really one, they'll surely get something out of how expertly gradual Robin's search reveals what kind of person he is, who he used to be and what he thinks about modern life. As for the look and feel of the movie, it has a precision and attention to detail reminiscent of the classiest restaurant brochure or supply catalogue you can imagine that deserves just as much credit for making these reveals. With all that said, just what's to be found in this pig hunt? I think it's in what motivates Robin to find her, which is something that some have blocked, some have forgotten about or, unfortunately, that others have no idea about. What's more, the movie shows how all the above can happen. It does this in subtle ways such as how the classical music podcast Amir listens to reveals an increasing preference for commentary to content and obvious ones like when a former employee of Robin tearfully reveals that he caved to market conditions and in doing so squashed his dream of opening a pub. Despite not being in the vein of Left Behind, Willy's Wonderland, etc., the movie still has its share of oddities. For instance, Robin spends most of the movie unwashed, wounded; in short, not looking like he'd be let into some of the establishments he searches, but there are more good oddities than awkward to bad ones. Besides, would it be a Nicolas Cage movie without any? It ends up being a subtle gem of a movie that is bound to make you think about what you would put everything aside to pursue. Luckily, Nicolas Cage still has it in him to be in movies that ask such questions.
Stirchley
08-16-21, 02:34 PM
80256
Re-watch. Huge fan of Lawrence, but this movie basically was about mops. Which don’t interest me in the least.
80257
Re-watch. Classic cinema from Senegal.
80258
Re-watch. Sweet indie movie that I liked a lot.
matt72582
08-16-21, 03:00 PM
River's Edge - 7/10
I haven't seen "Twin Peaks" (the show) since the late 90s, but this had a similar feel, even though [redacted]
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/Rivers-edge-poster.jpg
matt72582
08-16-21, 03:02 PM
A Child Is Waiting - 9/10
It was on TCM, so I watched it this morning.. I've reviewed this before on this thread if you're interested.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/ChildWaitingPoster.jpg
Gideon58
08-16-21, 04:19 PM
https://sussex.ca/media/tom-and-jerry-2.jpg
2
Gideon58
08-16-21, 04:20 PM
A Child Is Waiting - 9/10
It was on TCM, so I watched it this morning.. I've reviewed this before on this thread if you're interested.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/ChildWaitingPoster.jpg
Loved this movie...Garland was superb
Takoma11
08-16-21, 05:54 PM
Add me to the list of people that really likes Signs. There are weak spots where the writing is concerned but it still manages to be a heartfelt and enjoyable experience. Plus, Mel Gibson is more often than not enough to elevate a movie.
I'll just chalk this up to very subjective viewing experiences.
For me, everything that was supposed to be heartfelt not only telegraphed "THIS IS A HEARTFELT MOMENT!!", but was also pushed so over-the-top as to be a joke.
There was one moment that was decent on this front--the scene where they are voting about whether or not to stay in the house or leave--but even that was borderline dinged by the "comedy" of them arguing about the voting rules.
I'm not even letting myself think about how, by the film's logic, the wife dying was actually meant to be. It's portrayal of faith seems particularly demented to me.
matt72582
08-16-21, 05:55 PM
Loved this movie...Garland was superb
Yes, definitely. This has to be her best acting role.
In the movie, she needs the kids just as much as they need her, if not more.... But also in her real life.. I just read some of Lancaster's biography, and I guess she was drinking during the shooting of the movie.
I just wish Stanley Kramer didn't cut the movie Cassavetes' wanted. John wanted to show the children more, Kramer wanted to show the star more, and it sounds like Burt had something to do with this. I also remember reading "Cassavetes On Cassavetes" and remembering how "it" (pity, etc) was the adult's problem, not the children and felt they weren't featured enough.
Gideon58
08-16-21, 06:31 PM
It doesn't surprise me that she was drinking during production on this film...this was during a very dark period in her life. She was broke and trying to hold onto custody of Joey and Lorna, whose father, Sid Luft, was trying to get full custody of them.
Don't Breathe (2016)
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kkUMGON2uFRlxI3zIMFdjqARnbb.jpg
Pretty stupid but also entertaining. Lesson: If you're going to rob a blind, old person, do your research first. rating_3
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 4.5
Been meaning to watch this for a while, and I wasn't disappointed! Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston were fun to watch in this.
Gideon58
08-16-21, 07:36 PM
Loved this movie...Garland was superb
Here's a link to my review of the film:
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1960478-a-child-is-waiting.html
PHOENIX74
08-17-21, 04:59 AM
Two movies I hadn't seen before blew my mind last night and today :
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Original_movie_poster_for_Cabaret.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6777777
Cabaret - (1972)
This was a long time coming. I saw All That Jazz last year, which I guess has a tangential connection. The story behind Cabaret is a long and complex one, so I'll try hard not to act like I know what I'm talking about with this. Hindsight though - how awful it is whenever Nazis, Communists and street fighting occur, for we all know where this will all lead. Even the large posters in the background hint at terrible trouble. Liza Minnelli can act far better than I thought she'd be able to, and although I don't generally like Michael York he was fine in this. Based on a musical, which in turn was based on a book called The Berlin Stories. A good mix of the music supporting and playing off the story, and vice versa. Excellent.
8/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Big_country833.jpg
By Saul Bass - http://ilarge.listal.com/image/160613/936full-the-big-country-poster.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25518734
The Big Country - (1958)
The big movie! Classic Western has Gregory Peck as James McKay having his gentlemanly honour tested by two feuding families. McKay has come to the wide open West to marry the daughter of a cattle rancher, and soon finds that everyone wants to test his manliness. But McKay is the kind of guy who knows it's better to respect yourself rather than trying to prove to everyone you're "tough". I loved this film, even at it's sprawling length (it seems very appropriate - a simple story, about people, but also epic in it's way.) I see why William Wyler is such a celebrated filmmaker. The vistas of open plains seem even better in this film, and the music seems to make your heart beat just a bit louder. Whatever Charlton Heston's personal opinions were, I don't care - he was a great actor, and I'd like to just disagree with him and enjoy performances like he delivers in this film.
9/10
WHITBISSELL!
08-17-21, 12:28 PM
I'll just chalk this up to very subjective viewing experiences.
For me, everything that was supposed to be heartfelt not only telegraphed "THIS IS A HEARTFELT MOMENT!!", but was also pushed so over-the-top as to be a joke.
There was one moment that was decent on this front--the scene where they are voting about whether or not to stay in the house or leave--but even that was borderline dinged by the "comedy" of them arguing about the voting rules.
I'm not even letting myself think about how, by the film's logic, the wife dying was actually meant to be. It's portrayal of faith seems particularly demented to me.It's totally subjective and I can totally understand your problems with it. I too cast a jaundiced eye at those moments my first time watching and yet I ended up really liking the overall experience. My choice for awkward moment is that weird recruiting officer talking about toes getting licked and whatnot. Now it's one of those go to films where I'll always end up watching it again whenever I run across it.
this_is_the_ girl
08-17-21, 02:17 PM
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trbimg.com%2Fimg-55271549%2Fturbine%2Fla-et-mn-ex-machina-review-20150410&f=1&nofb=1
Ex Machina (2014, Alex Garland)
3.5
Like Annihilation, this was a mixed bag for me. Some aspects of it worked, others not so much. Beautiful visuals and special effects for sure but something was lacking in the plot, more so as the film progressed. At least in the beginning there's a thrilling mystery waiting to be unraveled and that keeps you intrigued - I just think the unraveling of that mystery could've been executed a bit better.
Good but slightly underwhelming.
Two movies I hadn't seen before blew my mind last night and today :
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Original_movie_poster_for_Cabaret.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6777777
Cabaret - (1972)
This was a long time coming. I saw All That Jazz last year, which I guess has a tangential connection. The story behind Cabaret is a long and complex one, so I'll try hard not to act like I know what I'm talking about with this. Hindsight though - how awful it is whenever Nazis, Communists and street fighting occur, for we all know where this will all lead. Even the large posters in the background hint at terrible trouble. Liza Minnelli can act far better than I thought she'd be able to, and although I don't generally like Michael York he was fine in this. Based on a musical, which in turn was based on a book called The Berlin Stories. A good mix of the music supporting and playing off the story, and vice versa. Excellent.
8/10
I love that so many people have been watching this movie and enjoying it.
Believe it or not, I used to watch it as a kid because it came on the early days of HBO pretty often and my parents just didn't filter what I watched hardly at all. But then I didn't see it for literally 40 years.
I was really pleased when I revisited it and I'm glad other people are enjoying it too.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trbimg.com%2Fimg-55271549%2Fturbine%2Fla-et-mn-ex-machina-review-20150410&f=1&nofb=1
Ex Machina (2014, Alex Garland)
3.5
Like Annihilation, this was a mixed bag for me. Some aspects of it worked, others not so much. Beautiful visuals and special effects for sure but something was lacking in the plot, more so as the film progressed. At least in the beginning there's a thrilling mystery waiting to be unraveled and that keeps you intrigued - I just think the unraveling of that mystery could've been executed a bit better.
Good but slightly underwhelming.
Aw. That was my favorite movie of 2014.
crumbsroom
08-17-21, 04:11 PM
I'll just chalk this up to very subjective viewing experiences.
For me, everything that was supposed to be heartfelt not only telegraphed "THIS IS A HEARTFELT MOMENT!!", but was also pushed so over-the-top as to be a joke.
There was one moment that was decent on this front--the scene where they are voting about whether or not to stay in the house or leave--but even that was borderline dinged by the "comedy" of them arguing about the voting rules.
I'm not even letting myself think about how, by the film's logic, the wife dying was actually meant to be. It's portrayal of faith seems particularly demented to me.
Yes!
StuSmallz
08-17-21, 04:28 PM
I'm not even letting myself think about how, by the film's logic, the wife dying was actually meant to be. It's portrayal of faith seems particularly demented to me.Tell that to Job.
:D
Gideon58
08-17-21, 04:38 PM
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSb1Isr_A54MK6S389-WI-3V1_xFiuaV3eJ3Zvz-qfmadEANnQNV10u-yDwiEFJJNbC8Y&usqp=CAU
2
Takoma11
08-17-21, 06:12 PM
Yes!
Correct!
Whiplash - 4.5
Another one off of my long backlog! I really liked the fast paced editing, and J.K. Simmons' performance was great as well. I have a few small nitpicks here and there, but I can't deny that I enjoyed this quite a bit.
A BOY AND HIS DOG
(1975, Jones)
A film with the word "Dog" in its title
-- recommended by Keram (https://keramsongs.com/) --
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58f7f35e9f745630b6952af8/1580160275645-ZRMAUILLRVYPS1H2BAN0/ABoyandHisDog.jpg
Quilla: "Well, how come I can't hear him?"
Vic: "Uh, he said something one time. It's 'cause we had a feeling for each other or something."
Quilla: "What do you mean, like love?"
Vic: "I guess."
A Boy and His Dog follows Vic (Don Johnson), a teenager living in post-nuclear America along with his dog Blood (Tim McIntire), with whom he can communicate telepathically for reasons that are brushed over with the above quote. Vic and Blood spend their days scavenging the desert-like land for food and women to rape. Yep. Chalk that up on the "problematic" column, to put it mildly.
But the thing is that Vic has been raised alone in this wasteland, with no moral compass and no societal structure. So instead of taking it as a story of protagonists and antagonists, or characters that I should root for, or whose actions I could/should/would endorse, I took it as a story of just people inhabiting this savage world. To push it further, Blood's "persona" is 100% cynical and misanthropic. Kinda like a more raw Brian Griffin.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2231146#post2231146)
I'd be curious to read what anybody thinks of this film.
PHOENIX74
08-18-21, 12:30 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Birdy_ver1.jpg
By IMP Awards / 1984 Movie Poster Gallery / Birdy Poster (#1 of 2), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16665442
Birdy - (1984)
Touching film about friendship and obsession with Nicolas Cage as girl-loving, well-adjusted Al Columbato and Matthew Modine as the quiet, introverted "Birdy". As his nickname implies, Birdy loves birds a great deal (and that's an understatement.) The two kids become close friends, despite their differences, but after serving in Vietnam Birdy withdraws entirely from other human beings, instead becoming a caged bird in his mind as Al tries desperately to draw him back out. His reminiscences with Birdy in his asylum room are what make up the bulk of the film. Despite being quite popular amongst my friends, the film was a big flop - but undeservedly so. Birdy is a worthwhile film - a bromance for the ages, adapted from a novel by William Wharton. The novel was apparently considered impossible to adapt into a film, but the inventiveness required to do just that makes for a great two hours.
7/10
Takoma11
08-18-21, 12:51 AM
[CENTER]A BOY AND HIS DOG
(1975, Jones)
A film with the word "Dog" in its title
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58f7f35e9f745630b6952af8/1580160275645-ZRMAUILLRVYPS1H2BAN0/ABoyandHisDog.jpg
I'd be curious to read what anybody thinks of this film.
I have thoughts, but not particularly coherent ones at this time! I'd say that I quite enjoyed it, found it genuinely and charmingly weird, struggled a bit with the darkness of the humor, and was very glad I watched it but am not sure I'd ever watch it all the way through again.
I have thoughts, but not particularly coherent ones at this time! I'd say that I quite enjoyed it, found it genuinely and charmingly weird, struggled a bit with the darkness of the humor, and was very glad I watched it but am not sure I'd ever watch it all the way through again.
I'd say that's pretty much how I felt.
StuSmallz
08-18-21, 04:57 AM
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trbimg.com%2Fimg-55271549%2Fturbine%2Fla-et-mn-ex-machina-review-20150410&f=1&nofb=1
Ex Machina (2014, Alex Garland)
3.5
Like Annihilation, this was a mixed bag for me. Some aspects of it worked, others not so much. Beautiful visuals and special effects for sure but something was lacking in the plot, more so as the film progressed. At least in the beginning there's a thrilling mystery waiting to be unraveled and that keeps you intrigued - I just think the unraveling of that mystery could've been executed a bit better.
Good but slightly underwhelming.Yeah, I felt similarly about it; it was solid-ish on the whole, but Alex Garland seems to have a knack as a director for making movies with intriguing premises/concepts, but then failing to develop and go far enough with them, leaving certain ideas under-cooked, and Ex Machina wasn't an exception (although Annihilation (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/annihilation/) did do for me as a sensory experience, at least).
this_is_the_ girl
08-18-21, 05:20 AM
Aw. That was my favorite movie of 2014.
I can definitely understand why. It has a lot going for it, especially the visuals.
this_is_the_ girl
08-18-21, 05:22 AM
Yeah, I felt similarly about it; it was solid-ish on the whole, but Alex Garland seems to have a knack as a director for making movies with intriguing premises/concepts, but then failing to develop and go far enough with them, leaving certain ideas under-cooked, and Ex Machina wasn't an exception (although Annihilation (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/annihilation/) did do for me as a sensory experience, at least).
I felt the same way.
xSookieStackhouse
08-18-21, 06:09 AM
4.5
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E3e7V5EUcAEyHRP?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
John W Constantine
08-18-21, 11:21 AM
Jason X - 2001
3.5
Gideon58
08-18-21, 04:39 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGJiMzBlY2ItZTRjNS00OWFiLWI4YmUtZjVlMmY4OWFhMTIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg
3
This Is Not a Test (Fredric Gadette, 1962) 2.5 6-/10
Paul McCartney: Live at the Cavern Club (Geoff Wonfor, 1999) 3 6.5/10
The Yesterday Machine (Russ Marker, 1965) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Misha and the Wolves (Sam Hobkinson, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://media.flickeringmyth.com/q:intelligent/retina:true/webp:true/w:362/url:https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Misha-and-the-Wolves-001-600x338.jpg
Bizarre investigative doc about a Holocaust survivor who may have faked her life story.
Infinitum: Subject Unknown (Matthew Butler-Hart, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Menarca (Lillah Halla, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Notorious Nick (Aaron Leong, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Final Account (Luke Holland, 2020) 3 6.5/10
https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/exc/videometadata/thumbnail/ff40d870d74ffb4f90d980f4d58215e3.jpg
Interviews of aging Germans who participated in or were aware of the Nazis' carrying-out of the Holocaust still show plenty of denial.
First Date (Manuel Crosby & Darren Knapp, 2021) 2.5 6-/10
Ice Planet (Winrich Kolbe, 2001) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Charming the Hearts of Men AKA Ladies Day (S.E. DeRose, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Shershaah (Vishnuvardhan, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://images.hindustantimes.com/img/2021/08/11/550x309/Shershaah_movie_review_Sidharth_Malhotra_1628693765868_1628693779773.jpg
Patriotic Indian action war movie about the mountainous Kargil War in 1999. This shows Sidharth Malhotra as hero Capt. Vikram Batra.
The Maid (Lee Thongkham, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (Morgan Neville, 2021) 3 6.5/10
Rising Wolf AKA Ascendant (Antaine Furlong, 2021) 1.5+ 4.5/10
The Tiger of Eschnapur (Fritz Lang, 1959) 2.5 6/10
https://resizing.flixster.com/6W1KU2xRoEgocRfW8UDj6rijrz8=/740x380/v1.bjs1NTcyMTI7ajsxODkwNjsxMjAwOzE5MjA7MTA4MA
First half of Lang's epic about love, desire and revenge in India - here with Debra Paget and Paul Hubschmid. Has many surprising scenes which influenced Indiana Jones movies.
The Indian Tomb (Fritz Lang, 1959) 2.5 6/10
Habit (Janell Shirtcliff, 2021) 2- 5/10
Untold: Malice at the Palace (Floyd Russ, 2021) 3 6.5/10
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang, 1960) 2.5 6/10
https://offscreen.com/images/made/images/articles/_resized/Review_170_Photo_1_-_The_Thousand_Eyes_of_Dr_Mabuse_(Fritz_Lang,_1960)_630_354_90.jpg
Dr. Mabuse (Wolfgang Preiss) is still at his nefarious ways in 1960 Germany.
xSookieStackhouse
08-18-21, 07:27 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGJiMzBlY2ItZTRjNS00OWFiLWI4YmUtZjVlMmY4OWFhMTIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg
3
gosh loved harry shum jr as magnus bane on shadowhunters! :love:
GulfportDoc
08-18-21, 07:43 PM
80346
Let Him Go (2020)
This is an absorbing and smoldering suspense film, especially slanted to the over 50 demographic, which nevertheless has a rather jarring and overdone third act.
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play grandparents whose daughter-in-law, widowed by the accidental death of their son (her husband), surreptitiously leaves the area with the grandson and a brand new no-account husband to live near his family in North Dakota. The grandmother has accidentally seen the new husband strike both the daughter-in-law and the grandson. So later when the couple and grandson end up moving in the middle of the night, the grandmother suddenly feels the urge to rescue the grandson. The movie is the story of the grandparent’s journey to find the daughter and grandson, and at least bring the boy back under their wing.
It’s chiefly Lane’s movie, albeit with first rate acting from a veteran cast (Costner, Lane, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan), and although Lane gives a fine performance, she seemed slightly miscast as a country grandma. Costner was pitch perfect as a retired sheriff who is drawn into his wife’s consuming obsession with getting control of the grandson. Lesley Manville did a nice turn as the Ma Barker type new grandmother of the boy. Her ferocity was a little over the top, and one wonders why she was suddenly so interested in the boy.
And therein lies the rub. It seemed to be a mental defect that Lane’s character would feel that she must wrest back control of her grandson, as if it were her right, especially irrespective of whether the mom came back with the package. Naturally the two grandmas quickly squared off, with the Manville character willing to go to extremes, including mutilation and gun play. But yet the outcome involved a calamity against grandpa (Costner); whereas story wise it would have better befallen grandma, since she was the one who drove the entire obsessive plan.
The film will especially appeal to women, given that the chief story characters are women, and that the subject sits squarely in the family relationships camp. But all around it’s a pretty solid film. The writing was a little startling as the story built, but the direction was fine as was the spare music score. The title is a little misleading.
Doc’s rating: 6/10
Gideon58
08-18-21, 07:49 PM
I loved him on Glee, even though they totally wasted him.
KRUTY 1918
WINTER OF THE BRAVES
(2018, Shaparev)
A film from Ukraine
https://www.mnstrm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Winter-of-the-Braves.jpg
"Now, brother, you know the price of freedom. It does not happen without blood."
Winter of the Braves (or Kruty 1918) follows the events of the Battle of Kruty in the middle of the Ukrainian-Soviet War. The battle put a small unit of 300-400 soldiers, most of them volunteer students, against a Bolshevik force of thousands, as Ukraine fought for independence and freedom. But much like the character in the above quote said, this freedom does not come without blood.
The film is, for the most part, competently shot and directed. However, some of the fight sequences are poorly choreographed and it's not easy to tell who's who or what's what. Plus, I'm not sure if it was my screen, but during some night scenes, it was really hard to see what was going on.
Grade: 2
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2231408#post2231408)
JASON GOES TO HELL
THE FINAL FRIDAY
(1993, Marcus)
Friday the 13th Freebie
https://www.justwatch.com/images/backdrop/153754796/s640/jason-goes-to-hell-the-final-friday
"Say, Doc! What's the verdict? Is Jason gonna be gettin' up and walkin' around any time soon?"
"We really nailed that fu¢ker."
Jason Goes to Hell is the ninth entry in the Friday the 13th franchise; a franchise that had proclaimed in 1984 that Part 4 was "the final chapter". By the 1990s, with horror and slasher interest waning, producers were looking for ways to either revitalize the franchise or end it for good, so that Jason wouldn't be gettin' up and walkin' around any time soon.
I'll start by saying that the premise of Jason's soul transferring, although interesting and a bold attempt to do something different, feels at odds with the usual mythology that has been with the franchise from the beginning. Sure, this is not a franchise that's been known for sticking to a strict continuity, but still... since Part 1, Jason has been drowned, stabbed, hacked all over his body, poked, burned, and drowned again and again... and his soul had never thought of transferring to another body. So you understand why that feels pulled out of a hat.
Grade: 2
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2231415#post2231415)
ScannerDarkly
08-18-21, 10:42 PM
8/10 i really liked it
https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pageofmadness.jpg
WHITBISSELL!
08-19-21, 02:07 AM
https://www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Klute-night-market-Gordon-Willis-tribute-thefilmbook-03_7aad86e649bd05ec9da5de6611605f7a-1024x431.jpg
http://www.cinemacats.com/wp-content/uploads/movies/klute03.jpg
Klute - 1971 Alan Pakula neo noir starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. Fonda plays a high priced NYC call girl (I guess $50 to $100 was considered high priced back then). Sutherland plays a private investigator from Pennsylvania who's a friend of the family of Tom Gruneman, a chemical company executive that goes missing. After six months have gone by and the police are unable to make any headway he's hired by the family and by Tom's boss Peter Cable (Charles Cioffi) to look into it. Their only lead is a salacious letter found in Tom's files and addressed to a NYC prostitute and part time actress and model, Bree Daniels (Fonda).
Klute surreptitiously moves into Daniels' building and after tapping her phone he approaches her and tries to ask questions. She rebuffs him at first but after playing her the recordings he's made of her talking with potential clients she tells him she doesn't recognize Gruneman from a photograph Klute shows her. All she remembers is getting beat up by a client two years prior but that the man was older and not Gruneman. She also tells him that she was referred to the abusive client by a resentful colleague named Jane McKenna. Eventually she agrees to take Klute to see her former pimp Frank Ligourin (Roy Scheider) to see if he can remember anything about that day. Ligourin tells them that McKenna has committed suicide and that the only other person who might know anything is Arlyn Page, another call girl, but that she has since become a drug addict and has disappeared. Klute's ongoing investigation draws the couple closer and they start a romantic relationship of sorts.
The plot is dark and moody and the early 70's NYC setting suitably gritty and credible. But what really helps the story gel are
the periodic sessions sprinkled throughout between Bree and her psychiatrist. It allows for an invaluable look inside the mind and motivations of the Daniels character. Her conflicted feelings on her life and the self-determination that it affords her versus her complete lack of emotional connection to any other human being. It's a complex character and a consummate performance by Fonda, one which won her a Best Actress Oscar. Sutherland isn't given as much to do and his character is not so much a cipher as there for support. I did kind of have Cioffi figured as the bad guy from the get go only because he had subsequently played the role so many other times but it was more a guess than anything. But they did tip their hand in that regard early on.
Good movie and one of those films that's on your radar for years and years that you never quite get around to. I'm glad I finally did while also completing Pakula's paranoia trilogy.
rating_4
WHITBISSELL!
08-19-21, 02:44 AM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=80346
Let Him Go (2020)
This is an absorbing and smoldering suspense film, especially slanted to the over 50 demographic, which nevertheless has a rather jarring and overdone third act.
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play grandparents whose daughter-in-law, widowed by the accidental death of their son (her husband), surreptitiously leaves the area with the grandson and a brand new no-account husband to live near his family in North Dakota. The grandmother has accidentally seen the new husband strike both the daughter-in-law and the grandson. So later when the couple and grandson end up moving in the middle of the night, the grandmother suddenly feels the urge to rescue the grandson. The movie is the story of the grandparent’s journey to find the daughter and grandson, and at least bring the boy back under their wing.
It’s chiefly Lane’s movie, albeit with first rate acting from a veteran cast (Costner, Lane, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan), and although Lane gives a fine performance, she seemed slightly miscast as a country grandma. Costner was pitch perfect as a retired sheriff who is drawn into his wife’s consuming obsession with getting control of the grandson. Lesley Manville did a nice turn as the Ma Barker type new grandmother of the boy. Her ferocity was a little over the top, and one wonders why she was suddenly so interested in the boy.
And therein lies the rub. It seemed to be a mental defect that Lane’s character would feel that she must wrest back control of her grandson, as if it were her right, especially irrespective of whether the mom came back with the package. Naturally the two grandmas quickly squared off, with the Manville character willing to go to extremes, including mutilation and gun play. But yet the outcome involved a calamity against grandpa (Costner); whereas story wise it would have better befallen grandma, since she was the one who drove the entire obsessive plan.
The film will especially appeal to women, given that the chief story characters are women, and that the subject sits squarely in the family relationships camp. But all around it’s a pretty solid film. The writing was a little startling as the story built, but the direction was fine as was the spare music score. The title is a little misleading.
Doc’s rating: 6/10I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought this after watching it.
PHOENIX74
08-19-21, 03:39 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/DangerousLiaisonsPoster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/1988/dangerous_liaisons.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1645501
Dangerous Liaisons - (1988)
A best picture nominee that I avoided for quite some time, but finally decided I'd get something out of it. The John Malkovich and Glenn Close characters are cruel, and play with people's lives for sport and retribution. That can be difficult, for the story is told from their point of view - and you can never be sure who will come out winners or losers (unless you've read the novel or seen the play.)
I particularly enjoyed the comeuppance both characters get. I know most films end with the 'good guys' coming out winners, but in this film it really felt things could go either way.
7/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Elizabeth_Poster.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Elizabeth_golden_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: MoviePosterDB.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24376977
Elizabeth and Elizabeth The Golden Age - (1998) and (2007)
I went through both films, special features included - then decided to skip mentioning them here because I'm time-poor at the moment. But there's been a rant building for some time :
I read up on both films, and there is a lot of chatter about factual mistakes in both films. But I don't think Shekhar Kapur and the writers were aiming for a 100% factual account of Elizabeth's reign. They were making movies - ones with a narrative and metaphors that encapsulate certain themes. If you want to know precise facts about Elizabeth's reign, then get out your history books, because these films weren't meant to be history lessons. They're films. Events are compressed - characters shifted to where they need to be in order to tell a story. Kapur wanted to make a film about absolute power, divinity, destiny and transcendence. I think when people complain that this or that isn't 100% factually correct then they miss the point a little bit.
I rated Elizabeth 8/10 and Elizabeth The Golden Age 6/10
paranoid android
08-19-21, 04:26 AM
Kuroneko (Kaneto Shindo, 1968)
https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/24c34d558ded9c5d44774e3bcb6f69d7.jpeg
Soon after being brutally raped and murdered by a troop of samurai, Yone and Sige (mother and daughter in law) are visited by a curious black cat. They return as ghosts and haunt the grates of Rajomon, getting their revenge by luring and seducing and then killing lone samurai in a way that is decidedly cat-like. A samurai is hired to take care of these two demons, but this samurai also happens to be their returning husband and son.
I can really appreciate a film that tells it's story by truly utilizing the medium it is on. Kuroneko does this. It's a solid story with some solid performances, but the true star of the show is the cinematography and production design. Specifically the home of the ghosts Yone and Sigue. With the first few samurai victims the home is idyllic, but once the husband/son arrives home the home is quickly invaded by a bamboo grove. In puffs of smoke and chilling moonlight bamboo suddenly comes through the floorboards, and the house seemingly splits apart, but then becomes whole again just as quickly. We are seeing reality coming through and breaking the ghostly illusion, and it's incredibly effective with this films masterful lighting and set design.
Kuroneko was surprisingly disturbing. The opening rape wasn't exactly graphic by todays standards, but the way the entire troop of samurai took part in it in a way that was so incredibly cold and emotionless... Soulless and just mindlessly shoveling rice down their throats each waiting their turn... It stuck with me. It was barbaric and disgusting, and it certainly made the revenge sweet. At first. What was interesting about this film's story was that it didn't really have a massive pay off, and I'm not saying that as a criticism. As we learn more about the circumstances regarding the two ghosts we are left with a bit of a melancholic taste in our mouths. The common peasants, the hapless women... these people had a pretty **** lives during the endless wars of this samurai era, and I think the hopelessness of this film's revenge reflects that.
In the end we get a pretty damn good piece of horror. Uneven, but hauntingly beautiful.
3.5
Across to Singapore - 3
This silent nautical tale about a love triangle between Priscilla (Joan Crawford) and the youngest and eldest Shore brothers - aptly named since they're sailors - does have things going for it. First and foremost is Ernest Torrence's scenery-chewing performance as older brother Mark, whose appearance and boisterous manner recall Gerard Depardieu at his hammiest. I also enjoyed the scenes on the brothers' ship, which are as exciting as they are realistic, not to mention a step above all the other scenes, which are not of poor quality yet suggest that this is a low budget production. As for Crawford, it's a mostly passive role and she doesn't have much to do, but she makes her scenes count. Then again, her role is a testament to much women's rights have changed not only since the movie's 19th century setting, but also in the last 90 years because Priscilla doesn't seem to have much of a say in the brothers' battle for her affections. In spite of all this, it's a pretty standard romantic adventure with a story that might as well be in dozens of dime store novels. Again, there are good things in it worth calling out and I'm happy to have seen another silent movie since I haven't seen many, but it's not one worth going out of your way to see.
CringeFest
08-19-21, 02:01 PM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=80380
10/10
I had a lot of fun watching this one, for some reason michael douglas is always some rich ******* in movies, probably cuz he's good at it, lol. Very similar to the vintage "Dial M for Murder".
Rockatansky
08-19-21, 02:46 PM
Kuroneko (Kaneto Shindo, 1968)
https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/24c34d558ded9c5d44774e3bcb6f69d7.jpeg
Soon after being brutally raped and murdered by a troop of samurai, Yone and Sige (mother and daughter in law) are visited by a curious black cat. They return as ghosts and haunt the grates of Rajomon, getting their revenge by luring and seducing and then killing lone samurai in a way that is decidedly cat-like. A samurai is hired to take care of these two demons, but this samurai also happens to be their returning husband and son.
I can really appreciate a film that tells it's story by truly utilizing the medium it is on. Kuroneko does this. It's a solid story with some solid performances, but the true star of the show is the cinematography and production design. Specifically the home of the ghosts Yone and Sigue. With the first few samurai victims the home is idyllic, but once the husband/son arrives home the home is quickly invaded by a bamboo grove. In puffs of smoke and chilling moonlight bamboo suddenly comes through the floorboards, and the house seemingly splits apart, but then becomes whole again just as quickly. We are seeing reality coming through and breaking the ghostly illusion, and it's incredibly effective with this films masterful lighting and set design.
Kuroneko was surprisingly disturbing. The opening rape wasn't exactly graphic by todays standards, but the way the entire troop of samurai took part in it in a way that was so incredibly cold and emotionless... Soulless and just mindlessly shoveling rice down their throats each waiting their turn... It stuck with me. It was barbaric and disgusting, and it certainly made the revenge sweet. At first. What was interesting about this film's story was that it didn't really have a massive pay off, and I'm not saying that as a criticism. As we learn more about the circumstances regarding the two ghosts we are left with a bit of a melancholic taste in our mouths. The common peasants, the hapless women... these people had a pretty **** lives during the endless wars of this samurai era, and I think the hopelessness of this film's revenge reflects that.
In the end we get a pretty damn good piece of horror. Uneven, but hauntingly beautiful.
3.5
I remember really liking how this one made the ghost's movements seem supernatural.*
paranoid android
08-19-21, 03:49 PM
I remember really liking how this one made the ghost's movements seem supernatural.*
Yes! I should have mentioned that actually. The acrobatic leaping and somersaulting overhead was really nice touch!
Captain Terror
08-19-21, 04:29 PM
If I compiled a list and called it "Why the F haven't I seen these yet?", Kuroneko would be Top 3. I need to get on it.
Gideon58
08-19-21, 04:34 PM
https://www.timelessmoviemagic.co.uk/ekmps/shops/fozzy/images/flamingo-road-1949-joan-crawford-vintage-trade-ad-5977-p.jpg
3.5
GulfportDoc
08-19-21, 08:25 PM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=80380
10/10
I had a lot of fun watching this one, for some reason michael douglas is always some rich ******* in movies, probably cuz he's good at it, lol. Very similar to the vintage "Dial M for Murder".
CF, the picture doesn't show, unless it's just my computer.
Takoma11
08-19-21, 09:06 PM
If I compiled a list and called it "Why the F haven't I seen these yet?", Kuroneko would be Top 3. I need to get on it.
I am a big fan of Kuroneko, and I think it nails the combination of drama, horror, and the supernatural really well.
I think that it's pretty thrilling and dynamic, and maybe the biggest misconception I had before watching it was that it would be kind of mannered and subdued.
CringeFest
08-19-21, 11:59 PM
CF, the picture doesn't show, unless it's just my computer.
CF, the picture doesn't show, unless it's just my computer.
it's not just you, the method i was using was adding the image through attachments and then removing the attachment, thanks for letting me know. I can see it until i log out...i was doing this because posting the link doesn't seem to work. I think the issue is firefox, let me try chrome:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE1MzIxMjQ5Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjYzNjY5._V1_.jpg
Much better, i don't know wtf is up with firefox the browser does wierd stuff.
PHOENIX74
08-20-21, 12:13 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Hitchcock_film_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMPAwards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37080984
Hitchcock - (2012)
I was pretty interested in this when it came out - then I heard terrible things about it which put me off altogether. Time passes, and I find out it really isn't that bad after all, so I finally watched Hitchcock. Pretty good (though Toni Collette's talents were somewhat wasted in the role she had.) Hopkins did well - but I felt James D'Arcy was concentrating so hard on getting Anthony Perkins' mannerisms right that I felt like I was watching an impersonator instead of a character in the film. I was always going to be interested in the making of Psycho, and I absolutely loved the way Hitchcock listened to the screams in the audience from outside while thrusting his own pretend knife up and down like the success of the film depended on that little bit of pantomime.
6/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/KillersKissPoster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from United Artists., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2753789
Killer's Kiss - (1955)
Very early Kubrick film (his second) that is pretty much what he described as a learning experience. Has a lot of interesting shots with little-to-no dialogue. I was shocked when it ended after a bare 67 minutes! A boxer trying to save his girl from the obsessive attentions of gangsters is real film noir territory. Followed up by the excellent film The Killing.
5/10
WHITBISSELL!
08-20-21, 02:45 AM
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/in-a-lonely-place-1950/EB20090813REVIEWS08908139995AR.jpg
In a Lonely Place - Judged solely by the title one would think that this is an old fashioned romance. Maybe starring Claudette Colbert or Bette Davis. But it's actually a 1950 noirish rumination on fame and the price of condoning violent behavior as a by-product of brilliance. It's directed by Nicholas Ray and stars Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Steele, a once lauded Hollywood screenwriter now marginalized because of a streak of failures. The fact that he has a hair trigger temper hasn't helped either.
One night while hanging out at one of his favorite haunts he gets into yet another altercation with a studio executive and also makes the acquaintance of hatcheck girl Mildred Atkinson (Martha Stewart) who is finishing the pulpish novel that Dixon's long suffering agent Mel Lippman (Art Smith) wants him to work on next. On a whim Steele asks the girl to break a date with her fiance and come to his bungalow and break down the novel for him so he won't have to read it himself. She readily accepts but gets the wrong idea when he changes clothes and gets comfortable. It's never really established if Steele is trying anything untoward but once he gets the information he was looking for he quickly gets rid of Mildred. In the meantime, his new neighbor Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) is watching out her window when he gives the girl cab fare and sends her on her way.
The next morning police detective Brub Nicolai (Frank Lovejoy) shows up and asks Dixon to come down to the station with him. They're longtime acquaintances who served together during WWII and after some initial questioning Nicolai's boss Captain Lochner (Carl Benton Reid) reveals that the body of Mildred Atkinson was found murdered in one of the local canyons. She had been strangled and tossed from a moving car and since Steele is the last person to be seen with her the police naturally want his version of what happened after he left the nightclub with her. Dixon's nonchalant reaction to the news puts the Captain on high alert but his friend Nicolai insists that he couldn't have had anything to do with her murder. Steele recommends that they bring in his neighbor Laurel Gray and she corroborates his story. After some requisite flirtatious banter Laurel ends up typing up Dixon's work in progress and the couple enter into a bit of a one sided romance with Laurel falling hard and Steele obsessively working on his script. But it isn't long before Dixon shows his violent side and Laurel comes to realize that she's afraid of him and uncertain as to whether or not he didn't actually kill Atkinson.
Steele's is an enigmatic character, by turns charming and erudite with abrupt detours into cold blooded and merciless violence and Bogart is there every step of the way. It's a masterful performance and the script is just as uncompromising with the ending altered somewhat by director Ray to the betterment of the story.
rating_4
gbgoodies
08-20-21, 02:51 AM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=80380
10/10
I had a lot of fun watching this one, for some reason michael douglas is always some rich ******* in movies, probably cuz he's good at it, lol. Very similar to the vintage "Dial M for Murder".
it's not just you, the method i was using was adding the image through attachments and then removing the attachment, thanks for letting me know. I can see it until i log out...i was doing this because posting the link doesn't seem to work. I think the issue is firefox, let me try chrome:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE1MzIxMjQ5Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjYzNjY5._V1_.jpg
Much better, i don't know wtf is up with firefox the browser does wierd stuff.
I saw A Perfect Murder when it was in the theaters, but I went into it not knowing anything about it. I spent most of the movie trying to figure out why I felt like I had seen the movie before, even though it was a new movie at the time. About 3/4 way into the movie. I finally realized that it was a remake of Dial M for Murder.
GulfportDoc
08-20-21, 10:29 AM
it's not just you, the method i was using was adding the image through attachments and then removing the attachment, thanks for letting me know. I can see it until i log out...i was doing this because posting the link doesn't seem to work. I think the issue is firefox, let me try chrome:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE1MzIxMjQ5Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjYzNjY5._V1_.jpg
Much better, i don't know wtf is up with firefox the browser does wierd stuff.
That's interesting. I too use Firefox with Ubuntu O.S. The method I use is to save the picture onto the Desktop. Then insert the pic through "Manage Attachments" below the compose screen.
In the past I've tried to copy & paste a picture directly into the compose screen, but it doesn't work. Also found out that with the picture already inserted, if you try to preview your work, the attachment then shows in miniature at the end after you've posted it...:mad:
BTW, I think A Perfect Murder is a pretty good movie: a very nice homage to Dial M for Murder. After recently watching The Kominsky Method, it's funny to see Michael Douglas as a younger man in APM. Sumbich is still acting great for an old duff (he's 2 weeks younger than I am)...:D
~Doc
A BOY AND HIS DOG
(1975, Jones)
A film with the word "Dog" in its title
-- recommended by Keram (https://keramsongs.com/) --
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58f7f35e9f745630b6952af8/1580160275645-ZRMAUILLRVYPS1H2BAN0/ABoyandHisDog.jpg
A Boy and His Dog follows Vic (Don Johnson), a teenager living in post-nuclear America along with his dog Blood (Tim McIntire), with whom he can communicate telepathically for reasons that are brushed over with the above quote. Vic and Blood spend their days scavenging the desert-like land for food and women to rape. Yep. Chalk that up on the "problematic" column, to put it mildly.
But the thing is that Vic has been raised alone in this wasteland, with no moral compass and no societal structure. So instead of taking it as a story of protagonists and antagonists, or characters that I should root for, or whose actions I could/should/would endorse, I took it as a story of just people inhabiting this savage world. To push it further, Blood's "persona" is 100% cynical and misanthropic. Kinda like a more raw Brian Griffin.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2231146#post2231146)
I'd be curious to read what anybody thinks of this film.
That is also exactly how I took it. I never felt Vic was the "hero" of the story in any way, just the inhabitant of this world that the camera was focused on.
I have thoughts, but not particularly coherent ones at this time! I'd say that I quite enjoyed it, found it genuinely and charmingly weird, struggled a bit with the darkness of the humor, and was very glad I watched it but am not sure I'd ever watch it all the way through again.
I liked it a lot more than you as we once discussed, it is definitely weird enough with that third act to make me want to watch it again.
I can definitely understand why. It has a lot going for it, especially the visuals.
People have often said that I like movies where nothing happens, and I can understand how some might feel this way about this movies, but I loved it. I thought all three central performances were just excellent with Vikander practically being a revelation. Visually, it delivered but I wouldn't put that at the top of its offerings. I really liked the story and the way it unfolded. Compared to something like Beyond The Black Rainbow which has a similar intimacy and feel but with astonishing visuals and a story that doesn't work.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/DangerousLiaisonsPoster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/1988/dangerous_liaisons.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1645501
Dangerous Liaisons - (1988)
A best picture nominee that I avoided for quite some time, but finally decided I'd get something out of it. The John Malkovich and Glenn Close characters are cruel, and play with people's lives for sport and retribution. That can be difficult, for the story is told from their point of view - and you can never be sure who will come out winners or losers (unless you've read the novel or seen the play.)
I particularly enjoyed the comeuppance both characters get. I know most films end with the 'good guys' coming out winners, but in this film it really felt things could go either way.
7/10
This was one of my favorite movies of its time but I haven't seen it in at least 20 years. I hope it holds up. We used to quote this all the time. "One does not applaud the tenor for clearing his throat."
The final scene I thought was incredibly powerful.
Luca - 4
This could be my favorite Pixar movie since Inside Out and maybe even Toy Story 3. My favorite qualities of the studio's movies are their optimism, lack of cynicism and how charming they can be, and all of these apply here. I was really taken with the genuine-seeming friendship of the sea monster and title character, fellow monster Alberto and Giulia, who is seemingly their only ally on the sea monster-loathing Italian island town of Portorosso. Pixar's success owes a lot to its Ghibli influences, and while they are on full display here, they are hardly direct lifts. Besides Ponyo, obviously, there are shades of Kiki's Delivery Service in a beautiful city providing a formative experience. Speaking of the town, with its Mediterranean color palate and look and feel reminiscent of Positano, it's one of the studio's best-looking movies and that's saying something. It's also a very intense movie in many ways, whether it's in Luca and Alberto's attempts at hiding their identities or in the big race in the final act, not to mention a very funny one. Just wait until you see the goat fish. The movie has its fair share of familiar tropes from how the three kids' friendship is tested to how much of a manic pixie dream girl Giulia is - she even has red hair - but I can't think of what the movie could have done better, the movie still manages to surprise anyway, and sometimes, it's best to stick with what works. While the movie doesn't explore the human experience like Inside Out does or existence like Soul does, its low stakes and quaintness are hardly reasons not to recommend it and it's not like themes such as friendship and finding one's own way are less important. Oh, and the runtime is a little deceptive: the movie is actually less than 90 minutes, with the remaining 15-20 taken up by end credits (which you should sit through, hint hint).
Stirchley
08-20-21, 01:37 PM
80399
Re-watch. Love this movie.
ueno_station54
08-20-21, 02:32 PM
Bloodfist (Terence H. Winkless, 1989) - rating_2
Bloodfist II (Andy Blumenthal, 1990) - rating_3_5
Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (Oley Sassone, 1992) - rating_3
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (Paul Ziller, 1992) - rating_3_5
Bloodfist V: Human Target (Jeff Yonis, 1994) - rating_2_5
Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero (Rick Jacobson, 1995) - rating_2_5
Bloodfist VII: Manhunt (Jonathan Winfrey, 1995) - rating_2_5
Annette (Leos Carax, 2021) - rating_4
Bloodfist VIII: Hard Way Out (Rick Jacobson, 1996) - rating_1_5
WHITBISSELL!
08-20-21, 02:46 PM
Bloodfist IX: Careful With Those Hangnails
ScarletLion
08-20-21, 03:07 PM
'The Green Knight' (2021)
https://i.imgur.com/hufBoci.gif
I have really liked David Lowery's films especially 'A Ghost Story' which I loved, so was excited to see his new one. And it's A24!
But this just did not grab me. It's unfulfilling and messy. It has scenes which end abruptly as if there's no point to them. It doesn't really fully explore the whole moral to the fable, just sort of hints at bits of it. There are scenes that are slow paced then towards the end there's a scene that spans 15 years in 2 minutes. I have no problem with either style but the pacing just jarred.
I audibly laughed at Alicia Vikander's Northern English accent. There are some stunning bits of cinematography (together with some awful CGI) and a lovely score. But that's about all I enjoyed.
A very messy film.
5.9/10
ELECTION
(1999, Payne)
-- recommended by Andrew (https://www.twitter.com/andrxwtv) & ApexPredator --
https://static.metacritic.com/images/products/movies/1/e077cf9144119e336a544247222bae1a.jpg
Jim: "Let's say all you ever knew were apples. Apples, apples, and more apples. You might think apples were pretty good, even if you got a rotten one every once in a while. But then one day... there's an orange. And now you can make a decision, do you want an apple or do you want an orange? That's democracy."
Paul: "I also like bananas."
Set in Omaha, Nebraska, Election follows Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a successful and over-achieving senior student determined to become president of the student body. But when Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), the social studies teacher who oversees the student body and who resents Tracy for several reasons, realizes she's running uncontested, he starts manipulating the proceedings to prevent her from winning.
One of the things that Election does so well is to balance a tone that walks a really tight-rope between dark comedy, serious drama, and socio-political subtext. And depending on your state of mind when you see it, there might be different things that resonate with you. This time, I was more drawn to the whole "symbology" of it all, and how Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor use this high school election as a representation of our electoral system, and our country overall.
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2231851#post2231851)
Fabulous
08-20-21, 04:22 PM
Pleasantville (1998)
3.5
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8RqsaHumdAljcG19boBq0Rzb6Qz.jpg
Back-to-back Witherspoon!
Chypmunk
08-20-21, 05:25 PM
Welcome to the new Reese's Pieces thread :D
https://78.media.tumblr.com/6faf67a08a2b5dc2867b670b2206a21d/tumblr_p169fwmeCT1rfd7lko1_500.gif
GulfportDoc
08-20-21, 08:27 PM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Hitchcock_film_poster.jpg
Hitchcock - (2012)
I was pretty interested in this when it came out - then I heard terrible things about it which put me off altogether. Time passes, and I find out it really isn't that bad after all, so I finally watched Hitchcock. Pretty good (though Toni Collette's talents were somewhat wasted in the role she had.) Hopkins did well - but I felt James D'Arcy was concentrating so hard on getting Anthony Perkins' mannerisms right that I felt like I was watching an impersonator instead of a character in the film. I was always going to be interested in the making of Psycho, and I absolutely loved the way Hitchcock listened to the screams in the audience from outside while thrusting his own pretend knife up and down like the success of the film depended on that little bit of pantomime.
6/10
I'd rate it about the same as did you; maybe a shade higher. It's a very enjoyable film. In my case I love anything Hitchcock, so I was absorbed. And, too, I'm a big fan of Anthony Hopkins, and equally as much Helen Mirren.
That said, I'd like to have seen the two principals better cast. Certainly their star power was a big draw. But I bet there are a whole jar full of actors/actresses who could look more like Hitchcock/Reville, and still be draws. Hopkins only vaguely reminded me of Hitchcock, and Mirren is far too gorgeous to play the homely Reville. Granted, I may be guilty of nit-picking.
Bios about a larger than life character like AH are tricky because the tendency is toward caricature, but in AH's case the person is himself a caricature, so they rather cancel themselves out sometimes.
It was a great era in cinema and in Hollywood. That portrayal alone is worth the price of admission.
Gideon58
08-20-21, 09:22 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGJhODgyYWItM2U1OS00MjVjLTliMzItNjdiNDAxMWEyMzY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjc1NTMyMzk@._V1_.jpg
4.5
I just finished watching Annette on Prime. Adam Driver is fantastic and I really liked the songs. The direction is really interesting and distinctive. For me, this is the 4th best film of the year. I rate it a 4.5.
PlayTime - 4.5
Maybe on a future re-watch this will be a five, because it feels like the kind of movie where you'll find more details and gags where you didn't before. As it stands right now, I really liked this movie. Great subtle comedy, and the set design and visuals were great, too. I also really liked the structure of it, that being a more subdued first half, and a more chaotic second half.
My only nitpicks with the film is that sometimes it was a little too busy for my liking, and the pacing took me a bit to get used to. When I got used to it, however, I started to enjoy the film much more. It was a delight, and I'm certainly looking forward to re-watching this. (And perhaps watching some more of Jacques Tati's filmography.)
Fabulous
08-21-21, 12:08 AM
Dressed to Kill (1980)
3.5
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1BeYvipmUSHijOhKzLVWd1gfrXU.jpg
PHOENIX74
08-21-21, 12:51 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/The_Man_Who_Wasnt_There.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Blood-simple-movie-poster-md.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Raising-Arizona-Poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2772839
I went on a bit of a Coen Bros binge yesterday, watching the films I've only ever seen once. The likes of Miller's Crossing, Fargo and Barton Fink I've seen countless times.
I frequent a little charity store which has DVDs donated - they sell them for $1 each, no matter the quality. Some films are still in their original wrappers with the likes of $16 and $19.95 price stickers on them. $1 each. Some really awesome films. But one day, they had a Coen Bros boxed set - 12 films. How much? You guessed it. $1. I don't think I've ever got a bargain like that in all my DVD buying days.
The Man Who Wasn't There - (2001)
A chance to sit back and take note of the cinematography in this film is what set this all off. It's strange how I often react to the Ed Crane character - I think of him as innocent, but in actuality he set the whole chain of events going by blackmailing his friend (who was cheating on his wife.) From that moment on, he's carried along helplessly on a river of consequences. Great movie though. Haunting classical music soundtrack, brilliant Roger Deakins photography, Billy Bob Thornton's inscrutable low-key performance and great script. Well worth a second and third (and fourth) look.
9/10 (possibly 8)
Blood Simple - (1984)
The first time I saw this I thought it was good, without being great. That's how I pretty much felt after watching it for a second time - but some reading of reviews opened my eyes just a little bit more to just how many subtle touches there are to reward close inspection. I particularly liked how each character in this film never knew the whole story - and their fractured knowledge led to actions which were more extreme than they needed to be. A lot has been said about the editing, which is an aspect of filmmaking I'm a lot more aware of these days - but find hard to appreciate without ignoring a film's plot and simply focusing on the cuts. If I were a filmmaker, I'd want to edit my own films as the Coens do.
7/10 (possibly 8)
Raising Arizona - (1987)
When this film first came out I never wanted to see it because I thought it was far too silly. Now I revel in the silliness. I think Holly Hunter is marvelous in this - and hilarious. Having a clever script helps. Raising Arizona took a long time to become a film that I really loved - even after the Coen Bros became revered in my mind - but it has a fond place amongst my favourites now.
8/10 (possibly 9)
Today it's The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers - the first two I have never seen, the latter I saw a while ago but didn't like. Maybe I can get something out of it this time.
Edit - ******* it, those three movie posters fit on the same line when I previewed.....:(
Those three films are great, nearly excellent... and yet, they wouldn't crack my Coen's Top 3. That's how great the Coen Bros. are.
WHITBISSELL!
08-21-21, 03:58 AM
https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/49efc4f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x1655+0+0/resize/840x348!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2Fce%2F3846871d4d519aa8fe27e856c898%2Fmarksman-b025c002-190917-rc.jpg
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-marksman.jpg
The Marksman - A by-the-numbers Liam Neeson thriller wherein he plays Jim Hanson, a grizzled former Marine living a hardscrabble life on the Arizona and Mexico border. He's a widower and a rancher who's in the process of losing his cattle and home to the bank. His land is used by human traffickers and drug runners to cross into the U.S. and it's on one of his periodic rounds that he runs across a woman named Rosa and her son Miguel fleeing from vengeful cartel members.
He kills one of the gang but Rosa is wounded and later dies, but not before pleading with Hanson to safely get her son to family members in Chicago. He decides to turn the boy over to the Border Patrol but then finds the dead woman's bag stuffed with cash. It turns out her brother and the boy's uncle stole the cash from the cartel and they are dead set on making an example of any remaining family members. While Hanson is checking in on the boy he spots the same cartel members waiting just across the border and decides to break Miguel out and take him to Chicago.
Neeson is his usual reliable self and the kid actor playing Miguel (Jacob Perez) does a good job as well but it's all pretty much formulaic. There are however numerous instances where coincidences strain credulity. They're intended to move the narrative along of course and since the rest of the story line isn't exactly teeming with originality it doesn't detract all that much from the proceedings. It may not be groundbreaking but if you're a Neeson fan this won't do anything to damage his cachet either.
rating_3
EsmagaSapos
08-21-21, 06:49 AM
https://i.postimg.cc/RVtGWsZZ/048718.jpg
3
It starts with the released of prisoner called Mekko, a Muscogee indian. We're told trough the use of his native language, Mvskoke, about his childhood remembrances, specially his grandmother and his cousin. This remembrance are often concerning spirituality, the witches possessed by evil, and Mekko's ability to see them. This is a story about loss, the people you knew, the homeland you knew, the spirit you had, a role bonded to a destiny not fulfilled. Mekko, after his release, wanders a small town in Oklahoma surrounded by homeless's of his kind, fighting to bring his spirit alive in a land of lost souls. Rod Rondeaux, his face, his voice is already a story waiting to be told.
ScarletLion
08-21-21, 06:50 AM
'Lifeboat' (1944)
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjAyMzU5MjM4MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDAwNzQ3MTE@._V1_.jpg
Always good to tick another Hitch off the list. The ending felt a little forced but other than that it's a classic example of the script dominating the movie and allowing a single location movie to flourish. I've also never really appreciated how beautiful Mary Anderson was until now.
4
ScarletLion
08-21-21, 06:51 AM
https://i.postimg.cc/RVtGWsZZ/048718.jpg
3
Mekko is a story a recent released prisoner called Mekko, a Muscogee indian. We're told trough the use of his native language, Mvskoke, about his childhood remembrances, specially his grandmother and cousin. This remembrance are often concerning spirituality, the witches possessed by evil, and Mekko's ability to see them. This is a story about loss, the people you knew, the homeland you knew, the spirit you had, the role bonded to a destiny. Mekko after his release wanders a small town in Oklahoma surrounded by homeless's of his kind, fighting to bring the spirit alive in a land of lost souls. Rod Rondeaux, his face, his voice is already a story waiting to be told.
Looks good that, thanks.
Animal Farm (1954)
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bKVxSKZRrYYKaIzPHtBPaaCTYSh.jpg
A decent adaptation. Unsurprisingly given the time it was made it's a lot more jingoistic and anti-communist than the book. The 72 minute runtime was probably about right. If it had been any longer I think I would have struggled. Also according to Wikipedia this was the first ever British feature length animated film. It deserves an extra half-popcorn just for that rating_3_5
Those three films are great, nearly excellent... and yet, they wouldn't crack my Coen's Top 3. That's how great the Coen Bros. are.
You might be right, when I think of Blood Simple I think of a Great Film and when I think of Raising Arizona... well, there is nothing negative one can possibly say about it so maybe it is too.
And yet, how could I put any of them above No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski, and my beloved (and I know not everyone shares this but whatever) Miller's Crossing?
Would I put them above Barton Fink? Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Fargo?
But then if you flipped it and said, definitively say that Miller's Crossing is better than Fargo, could I possibly?
So we agree, there's an issue.
SpelingError
08-21-21, 08:12 PM
A Serious Man is my favorite Coen film, though there's still a bunch of their films I haven't seen yet.
ThatDarnMKS
08-21-21, 08:23 PM
No Country for Old Men is my favorite Coen film and The Ladykillers is my least favorite.
After that, it’s more or less a free for all deciding what goes where.
GulfportDoc
08-21-21, 08:26 PM
In a Lonely Place - Judged solely by the title one would think that this is an old fashioned romance. Maybe starring Claudette Colbert or Bette Davis. But it's actually a 1950 noirish rumination on fame and the price of condoning violent behavior as a by-product of brilliance. It's directed by Nicholas Ray and stars Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Steele, a once lauded Hollywood screenwriter now marginalized because of a streak of failures. The fact that he has a hair trigger temper hasn't helped either.
...
Steele's is an enigmatic character, by turns charming and erudite with abrupt detours into cold blooded and merciless violence and Bogart is there every step of the way. It's a masterful performance and the script is just as uncompromising with the ending altered somewhat by director Ray to the betterment of the story.
rating_4
Oh, man, yeah! One of the great films which seem to be on everyone's top 25 noirs, many have it in the top 10. Arguably Bogart's greatest acting, and we who are Gloria Grahame fans can never get enough of her. I just read that the actress who portrayed Mildred Atkinson (Bogart's secretary who is killed) just died in February of this year at aged 98! How about that?
They Live (1988) - 4
Over the course of the first act I had some issues with the pacing, but 30 minutes in, the film basically went off the rails, but in a GOOD way! The rest of the film was really fun, one liner stuffed, sci-fi action horror. It's very over the top, and extremely unsubtle, but it's not trying to be subtle. I'd argue that if this movie wasn't as over the top, I wouldn't like it as much. Yeah, I certainly don't think it's perfect, but it's still a really enjoyable film in my eyes. (And that alleyway fight is great.)
Gideon58
08-21-21, 09:43 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51uQcE90i7L._AC_.jpg
3.5
You might be right, when I think of Blood Simple I think of a Great Film and when I think of Raising Arizona... well, there is nothing negative one can possibly say about it so maybe it is too.
And yet, how could I put any of them above No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski, and my beloved (and I know not everyone shares this but whatever) Miller's Crossing?
Would I put them above Barton Fink? Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Fargo?
But then if you flipped it and said, definitively say that Miller's Crossing is better than Fargo, could I possibly?
So we agree, there's an issue.
I reeeeeally need to rewatch Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing cause I saw both back in the 90s when I was, 18? 19 years old? and even though I appreciated them, I feel like most of them went over my head; especially Barton Fink. But all the others you mentioned are fighting for the top spots on my ranking.
A Serious Man is my favorite Coen film, though there's still a bunch of their films I haven't seen yet.
I actually have A Serious Man at #4 or #5 on my ranking. Great film.
No Country for Old Men is my favorite Coen film and The Ladykillers is my least favorite.
After that, it’s more or less a free for all deciding what goes where.
It's a mess alright. A glorious mess of masterpieces.
https://media0.giphy.com/media/rA8lrNQ70l2co/giphy-downsized-large.gif
Psycho (1960) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
REWATCH
5
The Girl Who Got Away (Michael Morrissey, 2021) 2.5 6-/10
Invasion of the Neptune Men (Kôji Ohta, 1961) 1.5 4-/10
Here's to the Young Lady (Keisuke Kinosh!ta, 1949) 2.5 6/10
20,000 Days on Earth (Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, 2014) 3.5 7/10
https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/10994_5.jpg
Nick Cave recreates his writing and rehearsal process culminating in an intense mini-concert.
Stillwater (Tom McCarthy, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Crime Story (Ezna Sands, 2015) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Reminiscence (Lisa Joy, 2021) 2.5 6-/10
The Truffle Hunters (Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw, 2020) 3- 6.5/10
https://imby.com/hudson/files/gravity_forms/2-b7630dff50dd9ce9d746e1119cafc43f/2021/07/Truffle.jpg
Elderly Italian truffle hunters find it hard to get by now, but they spend most of their time talking to their dogs and arguing with their elite buyers.
Sweet Girl (Brian Andrew Mendoza, 2021) 2+ 5/10
Repast AKA A Married Life AKA Meshi (Mikio Naruse, 1951) 2.5 6/10
Message from Space (Kinji Fukasaku, 1978) 1.5+ 4.5/10
The Swimming Pool (Jacques Deray, 1969) 2.5+ 6/10
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThHQ8TtEaaw/UOcUd31QY1I/AAAAAAAAAV8/vRc6bEa3I1Q/s1600/lLdCvV1g45NqZdSmFbGqI78QgYA.jpg
Filled with luscious flesh (here with Romy Schneider and Alain Delon), weird relationships and murderous intentions.
Made in China (Julien Abraham, 2019) 2 5/10
Sound of the Mountain (Mikio Naruse, 1954) 2.5 6/10
Black Island (Miguel Alexandre, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Wolf Guy (Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, 1975) 2.5 6/10
https://nitter.domain.glass/pic/media%2FE9KC88EXoAA1ix_.jpg%3Fname%3Dsmall
Detective Sonny Chiba is investigating some wolf curse killings and may be involved more than he knows.
Snake Eyes (Robert Schwentke, 2021) 2.5 5.5+/10
Naked Singularity (Chase Palmer, 2021) 2+ 5/10
Hide-Out (W.S. Van Dyke, 1934) 2.5 6/10
Punk Revolution NYC (Tom O'Dell, 2011) 3.5 7/10
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T4jbF5AitVs/sddefault.jpg
Three-hour examination of the history of punk music dating back to the Velvet Underground.
PHOENIX74
08-22-21, 01:25 AM
Well, a lot said about the Coens, and I was all ready to proclaim Miller's Crossing, No Country for Old Men and Fargo (all 10/10 ratings for me) the best three Coen Bros films. Then I forget Inside Llewyn Davis - one of my favourite films of all time. Barton Fink and A Serious Man also get a 10/10 from me. Oh yeah, and The Big Lebowski is also one of my all time favourite films. It starts getting ridiculous.
Yesterday though, I waded through the Coen Bros three worst films. It's hard to believe they actually made a few bad ones (and I'm not saying absolute crud,) but these three qualify :
https://i.postimg.cc/t42FZm7K/The-Hudsucker-Proxy-Movie.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/WzYhpx58/Intolerable-cruelty.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/PrB56W9C/The-Ladykillers-movie.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1128687
The Hudsucker Proxy - (1994)
Amidst a lot of screaming and fevered overacting comes The Hudsucker Proxy, and I swear this film would have been a lot better if they'd dialed it down a notch or two. Main character Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) is a silly schlub who succeeds despite himself and the machinations of the Hudsucker corporation. Everyone is a caricature and a little too overbearing - but the film has some nice moments, such as journalist Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) singing a beat behind while pretending to come from Norville's home town of Muncie. Overall though, this is 111 minutes of migraine-inducing mania which mistakes wild gesticulation and bellowing for humour.
The Hudsucker Proxy was a box office bomb and earned negative reviews on it's release - but has since earned itself a cult following. I've yet to be won over.
A very kind 5/10
Intolerable Cruelty - (2003)
This film would have been far better than The Hudsucker Proxy, but for it's two main characters being impossible to like or root for. Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a gold-digging, cold and calculating woman. Miles (George Clooney) is a high-priced lawyer with no scruples. By the end of the film I think we're meant to be in their corner - and to think maybe they've changed - but I couldn't see why. I found the film to be funny on occasion, but uneven. Billy Bob Thornton and Geoffrey Rush add some much needed sparkle. This was the best of the worst, but still not really good. Great opening credits though.
5/10
The Ladykillers - (2004)
Ugh. This one. For me, this is the worst film the Coens have made to date. I was disappointed with Hail Caesar! - but that film is better than these three, and this film is poorer than the other two. Tom Hanks never comes to grips with his Southern character and everything falls around him like a series of dominos. It doesn't help that everyone is trying to live up to the original 1955 film - a daunting task. I thought maybe a fresh look at this would improve it slightly in my mind, but I felt exactly the same this time around. There's no saving this when the leering, preening and silly Professor G.H. Dorr (PhD) not only fails to raise a chuckle, but even a smile. Surprisingly for a Coen Bros movie, the acting cupboard is fairly bare beside Hanks - Marlon Wayans and J.K. Simmons would normally have very small supporting roles in any of their other films.
4/10
WHITBISSELL!
08-22-21, 02:24 AM
Oh, man, yeah! One of the great films which seem to be on everyone's top 25 noirs, many have it in the top 10. Arguably Bogart's greatest acting, and we who are Gloria Grahame fans can never get enough of her. I just read that the actress who portrayed Mildred Atkinson (Bogart's secretary who is killed) just died in February of this year at aged 98! How about that?I love noir and even though I've been watching just about anything remotely fitting that description I had never heard of this. I've literally watched dozens of noir films and yet I keep running across movies like In A Lonely Place. I don't really make a point of searching out specific types of films. I guess I try to take it as it comes in hopes of ending up pleasantly surprised. And that's usually the case.
Fabulous
08-22-21, 02:28 AM
Nomadland (2020)
3.5
https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/563sRDK3rZS31TXCdTY4lfcwrNK.jpg
ScarletLion
08-22-21, 07:36 AM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGJhODgyYWItM2U1OS00MjVjLTliMzItNjdiNDAxMWEyMzY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjc1NTMyMzk@._V1_.jpg
4.5
Just watched this. My eyelids were like a dam for 95% of this film, holding back the tears. Then the floodgates opened in the end scene and I wept like a child.
Beautiful film, so sensitively handled. James Norton is brilliant as the father with a decision to make for his 4 year old son.
7.7/10
4
xSookieStackhouse
08-22-21, 07:57 AM
4.5
https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Into_the_Woods-763837529-large.jpg
manram24
08-22-21, 07:59 AM
Midnight Cowboy (1969) 4.5/5
The Exorcist (1973) 4/5
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) 4/5
Videodrome (1983) 4/5
9 1/2 Weeks (1986) 3.5/5
Stillwater (2021)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Stillwater_2021_film.jpg
This was a good movie, not groundbreaking but solid and honest. P.s is there a deal between the Afflecks and Damon to wear as much Carhartt garb in every flick they are in ha ha ha???:)
solid 3
ThatDarnMKS
08-22-21, 12:09 PM
Annette
It’s a 2 1/2 hour slog of highly repetitive lyrics and superficial surrealism that feels like a community college theater stumbled into a massive production budget. The majority of this seems fall at the feet of Sparks, whom wrote the music and the script but Carax isn’t blameless, for as many virtuoso long takes there are just as many sequences that have a distinct DIY green screen effect that looks abysmal, including a Superbowl-esque arena climax that looks more befitting of a Breen flick.
The film isn't without merit. The performances are outstanding from the three leads, especially Driver who continues to throw all of himself into every role given to him. I also appreciate Carax's willingness to be audacious and swing for the fences. This swing just entirely missed the ball for me and continued to miss the ball for over two hours, becoming increasingly imbalanced and sloppy until it threw the bat and continued to punch wildly at the air until the credits rolled.
Check it out! Ya might love it. You also might hate it.
2.5
Captain Terror
08-22-21, 12:20 PM
Annette
It’s a 2 1/2 hour slog of highly repetitive lyrics and superficial surrealism that feels like a community college theater stumbled into a massive production budget. The majority of this seems fall at the feet of Sparks, whom wrote the music and the script but Carax isn’t blameless, for as many virtuoso long takes there are just as many sequences that have a distinct DIY green screen effect that looks abysmal, including a Superbowl-esque arena climax that looks more befitting of a Breen flick.
The film isn't without merit. The performances are outstanding from the three leads, especially Driver who continues to throw all of himself into every role given to him. I also appreciate Carax's willingness to be audacious and swing for the fences. This swing just entirely missed the ball for me and continued to miss the ball for over two hours, becoming increasingly imbalanced and sloppy until it threw the bat and continued to punch wildly at the air until the credits rolled.
Check it out! Ya might love it. You also might hate it.
2.5
How did you feel about Holy Motors, just for a reference point?
ThatDarnMKS
08-22-21, 12:30 PM
How did you feel about Holy Motors, just for a reference point?
This was my first from Carax and Sparks. (aside from a few clips and a few riffs from each respectively).
I've been wanting to see HM for forever but just never managed to get it it. I will say that Annette inspired me to check it out sooner rather than later as I want to see how much of my dislike for this film came from Sparks or Carax (a Spotify scan is already leaning me towards the former as the cause).
Takoma11
08-22-21, 01:08 PM
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FrOBpAHTZUTSBTS2FHebeJOxYb7L.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Shiva Baby, 2020
Danielle (Rachel Sennott) leaves a steamy (and paid!) encounter with her sugar daddy, Max (Danny Deferarri) to attend a funeral event at the home of family friends. However things go quickly off the rails when Max arrives at the house. Under the inquiring eyes of numerous older relatives and family friends, Danielle's life is picked apart. Danielle's childhood friend and rival Maya (Molly Gordon) is also at the party, only heightening the tension.
I'm sorry, but this movie is classified as comedy-drama, when clearly it is a horror film.
Okay, to be fair, the film deliberately plays many sequences as if they are a horror film, which is probably the most effective comedic aspect. Danielle stumbles through the gathering to the plucking and bowing of disjoint and jangling violins, as relatives lurch out at her from doorways like something out of a creature feature. The screams of an upset baby punctuate many of the scenes.
There's so much to unpack with this film, and the interactions are incredibly loaded with layers of meaning and different power dynamics.
At a very basic level, it's interesting that Danielle, in a very literal way, is always the one seen as "making the mess", even when others are clearly to blame or at least a significant part of it. Everything about Danielle's life is picked apart: her weight, her job prospects, her (lack of a) husband/love life. She is bisexual, which her parents have decided to refer to as "experimenting". There is something particularly ruthless about the way that Danielle (and Maya) are subjected to constant comparison.
Something that the film really nails is the flutter of mixed messages that young people can receive. Danielle is at once overly babied and mocked for not being more of an adult. She's told repeatedly that people are proud of her and believe in her, while the next moment everyone pulls confused faces about her studying "feminism". It's definitely true that Danielle has fallen into a trap that many people do: she has gone to college but she doesn't have any specific direction for her studies or plans for what to do after she graduates. I think something that the film observes very keenly is that Danielle is kept to busy defending her choices to others, that she hasn't had a chance to look critically at her choices herself.
I also thought that the character dynamics of the movie were portrayed very well. Danielle's relationships with Maya, Max, and her parents all evolve and gain depth and poignancy as the film progresses. In fact, to discuss what I loved most about this aspect of the film would be to give away key plot points and developments.
During this film I was like "Man, this is getting really intense!!" only to realize that I was a mere 20 minutes into it. As someone who genuinely suffers when forced to watch a character endure repeated humiliation and put-downs, I wasn't sure I'd feel good about watching the full 80 minutes. But there is just so much good character work, and the saving grace of the film is the journey that Danielle goes through during the gathering. I even found the ending kind of uplifting and sweet.
I can already hear the criticisms that Danielle isn't "likable" (similar to some of the criticisms of Frances Ha), or whatever. But I don't think that she's meant to just be someone we like. She's someone who, trapped in a cycle of coddling and criticism, has not made the most of the advantages given her. The funeral gathering becomes a sort of trial by fire whereby all of her mistakes and regrets are laid bare in front of a well-meaning but also unsparing audience. Everything that she does is understandable, even as it's frustrating. It's not "Why would she do that?" so much as it is "Oh, sweetie!!! Don't do that!".
I also found the film genuinely funny, with most of the humor admittedly arising from the antics of the older set of folks at the gathering. "Tell me: does this bathroom have an operating fan, or a window that can be opened?" or "And off we go! Like a flock of turkeys!".
Anyway, I'd be more than delighted to have a spoiler-text loaded discussion with someone else who's seen this one.
4.5
Nausicaä
08-22-21, 02:09 PM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/SAS_Red_Notice_film_poster.png
2
SF = Zzz
[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it
Raven73
08-22-21, 05:42 PM
Teeth
6/10.
Bizarre and at times hilarious.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/Teeth_poster.JPG
Green Room (2015) Dir. Jeremy Saulnier
4
https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/posters/_540xAUTO_crop_center-center_75_none/green-room-2015.jpg
GulfportDoc
08-22-21, 08:12 PM
A Serious Man is my favorite Coen film, though there's still a bunch of their films I haven't seen yet.
If you haven't seen Raising Arizona (1987), that IMO was the film which really anchored them on the map. It's hilarious. Nicholas Cage, Holly Hunter.
GulfportDoc
08-22-21, 08:15 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51uQcE90i7L._AC_.jpg
rating_3_5
Good comedy! I'm surprised that the poster didn't place Jack Palance in a noticeable spot. To me, he was the best part of the film.
CringeFest
08-22-21, 08:16 PM
10/10
80495
A very funny movie...
SpelingError
08-22-21, 08:39 PM
If you haven't seen Raising Arizona (1987), that IMO was the film which really anchored them on the map. It's hilarious. Nicholas Cage, Holly Hunter.
I'll have to check it out.
PHOENIX74
08-23-21, 01:04 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/The_Red_Shoes_%281948_movie_poster%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7089526
The Red Shoes - (1948)
One of the best films I've seen this year - this hit me like a brick to the face, and I'm still a little stunned. Never seen Anton Walbrook in anything before I watched The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. He's really something (and won the alternate Academy Award in Danny Peary's book.) I never thought I'd enjoy ballet - but the performance at the mid-point of this film was incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. The whole film is incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. What an ending!
10/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/Colonel_Blimp_poster.jpg
By http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/9ff801c3, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16615953
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (1943)
Gorgeous and heartfelt, this is a film I look forward to rewatching - the kind that will only increase in appreciation as time goes by. I really enjoyed it. This was recommended to me a couple of years ago by a friend who said "If you don't like it, we can't be friends anymore." It would be impossible not to like this. It's impossible not to love Clive Candy (played by Roger Livesey) and the story of honour and fairness in a world where both existed once. The world changes, but Candy never does.
8/10
ScarletLion
08-23-21, 06:02 AM
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FrOBpAHTZUTSBTS2FHebeJOxYb7L.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Shiva Baby, 2020
Danielle (Rachel Sennott) leaves a steamy (and paid!) encounter with her sugar daddy, Max (Danny Deferarri) to attend a funeral event at the home of family friends. However things go quickly off the rails when Max arrives at the house. Under the inquiring eyes of numerous older relatives and family friends, Danielle's life is picked apart. Danielle's childhood friend and rival Maya (Molly Gordon) is also at the party, only heightening the tension.
I'm sorry, but this movie is classified as comedy-drama, when clearly it is a horror film.
Okay, to be fair, the film deliberately plays many sequences as if they are a horror film, which is probably the most effective comedic aspect. Danielle stumbles through the gathering to the plucking and bowing of disjoint and jangling violins, as relatives lurch out at her from doorways like something out of a creature feature. The screams of an upset baby punctuate many of the scenes.
There's so much to unpack with this film, and the interactions are incredibly loaded with layers of meaning and different power dynamics.
At a very basic level, it's interesting that Danielle, in a very literal way, is always the one seen as "making the mess", even when others are clearly to blame or at least a significant part of it. Everything about Danielle's life is picked apart: her weight, her job prospects, her (lack of a) husband/love life. She is bisexual, which her parents have decided to refer to as "experimenting". There is something particularly ruthless about the way that Danielle (and Maya) are subjected to constant comparison.
Something that the film really nails is the flutter of mixed messages that young people can receive. Danielle is at once overly babied and mocked for not being more of an adult. She's told repeatedly that people are proud of her and believe in her, while the next moment everyone pulls confused faces about her studying "feminism". It's definitely true that Danielle has fallen into a trap that many people do: she has gone to college but she doesn't have any specific direction for her studies or plans for what to do after she graduates. I think something that the film observes very keenly is that Danielle is kept to busy defending her choices to others, that she hasn't had a chance to look critically at her choices herself.
I also thought that the character dynamics of the movie were portrayed very well. Danielle's relationships with Maya, Max, and her parents all evolve and gain depth and poignancy as the film progresses. In fact, to discuss what I loved most about this aspect of the film would be to give away key plot points and developments.
During this film I was like "Man, this is getting really intense!!" only to realize that I was a mere 20 minutes into it. As someone who genuinely suffers when forced to watch a character endure repeated humiliation and put-downs, I wasn't sure I'd feel good about watching the full 80 minutes. But there is just so much good character work, and the saving grace of the film is the journey that Danielle goes through during the gathering. I even found the ending kind of uplifting and sweet.
I can already hear the criticisms that Danielle isn't "likable" (similar to some of the criticisms of Frances Ha), or whatever. But I don't think that she's meant to just be someone we like. She's someone who, trapped in a cycle of coddling and criticism, has not made the most of the advantages given her. The funeral gathering becomes a sort of trial by fire whereby all of her mistakes and regrets are laid bare in front of a well-meaning but also unsparing audience. Everything that she does is understandable, even as it's frustrating. It's not "Why would she do that?" so much as it is "Oh, sweetie!!! Don't do that!".
I also found the film genuinely funny, with most of the humor admittedly arising from the antics of the older set of folks at the gathering. "Tell me: does this bathroom have an operating fan, or a window that can be opened?" or "And off we go! Like a flock of turkeys!".
Anyway, I'd be more than delighted to have a spoiler-text loaded discussion with someone else who's seen this one.
4.5
Thought you might like this one. Have you seen 'Krisha', it reminded me of that in the way of tension and dialogue.
ScarletLion
08-23-21, 06:04 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/The_Red_Shoes_%281948_movie_poster%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7089526
The Red Shoes - (1948)
One of the best films I've seen this year - this hit me like a brick to the face, and I'm still a little stunned. Never seen Anton Walbrook in anything before I watched The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. He's really something (and won the alternate Academy Award in Danny Peary's book.) I never thought I'd enjoy ballet - but the performance at the mid-point of this film was incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. The whole film is incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. What an ending!
10/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/Colonel_Blimp_poster.jpg
By http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/9ff801c3, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16615953
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (1943)
Gorgeous and heartfelt, this is a film I look forward to rewatching - the kind that will only increase in appreciation as time goes by. I really enjoyed it. This was recommended to me a couple of years ago by a friend who said "If you don't like it, we can't be friends anymore." It would be impossible not to like this. It's impossible not to love Clive Candy (played by Roger Livesey) and the story of honour and fairness in a world where both existed once. The world changes, but Candy never does.
8/10
Both great P and P films. Apparently, Martin Scorsese makes his cast watch The Red Shoes before shooting each film.
Hey Fredrick
08-23-21, 09:32 AM
https://i.imgur.com/SaaXlkM.jpg?1
The Tree of Wooden Clogs
Was really looking for a depressing 3+ hour movie about peasant farmers in turn of the 19th century Italy and much to my surprise I found one. This is not a very plot driven movie more a slice of real hard living and at that it is very good. The main characters include a widow with six children who does the laundry for a living and owns a cow. The local priest is trying to convince her to give up her two youngest children to the orphanage since she can't afford them anymore. A hard working farmer with a few kids, including a newborn, whose oldest son has been accepted into school just when he would be able to help the family in the fields. His father lets him attend school on the advice of the priest who tells the father that God has given his son a gift and it would be an affront to God not to accept this gift. This story leads to the title of the movie and it's crushing end. Another thread is a couple courting each other. They end up married, visit her aunt, who is a Nun at an orphanage in Milan, on their wedding night and come back to the farm with a little kid. All I could think of was poor kid! As you can probably tell, faith plays a huge part in these families. The film starts with the fall harvest and follows them through winter and into the next spring. At one point I was like "Jeez, just give one of these people a small victory!" It does contain a scene that is probably the hardest thing I've ever sat through and it involves a pig. In a film like this it obviously isn't included for shock value but it is quite disturbing. rating_4
chawhee
08-23-21, 09:38 AM
Idiocracy (2006)
https://lincorrect.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/idiocracy.jpg
4
I felt like watching a dumb movie last night, and I've seen this one a half dozen times. I still laugh at some of the stupid humor, but it definitely hits a little differently now in the current political climate.
Intolerable Cruelty - (2003)
This film would have been far better than The Hudsucker Proxy, but for it's two main characters being impossible to like or root for. Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a gold-digging, cold and calculating woman. Miles (George Clooney) is a high-priced lawyer with no scruples. By the end of the film I think we're meant to be in their corner - and to think maybe they've changed - but I couldn't see why. I found the film to be funny on occasion, but uneven. Billy Bob Thornton and Geoffrey Rush add some much needed sparkle. This was the best of the worst, but still not really good. Great opening credits though.
5/10
This is the only one I've seen from that "bad Coen bunch" you posted. I still found it OK-ish and entertaining, but it's probably at the bottom of my ranking.
This was my first from Carax and Sparks. (aside from a few clips and a few riffs from each respectively).
I've been wanting to see HM for forever but just never managed to get it it. I will say that Annette inspired me to check it out sooner rather than later as I want to see how much of my dislike for this film came from Sparks or Carax (a Spotify scan is already leaning me towards the former as the cause).
You know I'm a Holy Motors fan, but as far as Carax, I would also recommend The Lovers on the Bridge for a more "conventional" film. Then again, that sums up my Carax experience so...
Hey Fredrick
08-23-21, 10:02 AM
Intolerable Cruelty - (2003)
This film would have been far better than The Hudsucker Proxy, but for it's two main characters being impossible to like or root for. Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a gold-digging, cold and calculating woman. Miles (George Clooney) is a high-priced lawyer with no scruples. By the end of the film I think we're meant to be in their corner - and to think maybe they've changed - but I couldn't see why. I found the film to be funny on occasion, but uneven. Billy Bob Thornton and Geoffrey Rush add some much needed sparkle. This was the best of the worst, but still not really good. Great opening credits though.
5/10
Only 5/10? Have you forgotten Kerchner? I think this has some of the funniest moments of any Cohen Bros. movie but it does fall apart after the Rexroth court proceedings. I don't remember anything about the movie after Billy Bob shows up. 5/10 is about where I have it
WorldFilmGeek
08-23-21, 10:19 AM
Viva (Anna Biller, 2007)
4.5
Excellent feature film debut from the writer-director of The Love Witch. Set in the 1970s, this film has the look and feel of a 1970s film/sitcom that is truly homage to that decade's exploitation films. A bored housewife is ditched by her career-minded husband, so she discovers a new sense of freedom and becomes a call girl. There are plenty of the exploitation, but still Biller tends to make it more subtle with nuances of graphic nudity, complete with musical numbers during various portions of the film. The film reminds me a bit of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls minus the insane violent final act with this film having a more satisfying ending.
ThatDarnMKS
08-23-21, 01:36 PM
You know I'm a Holy Motors fan, but as far as Carax, I would also recommend The Lovers on the Bridge for a more "conventional" film. Then again, that sums up my Carax experience so...
I intend to see that and Bad Blood as well. He's been someone I've intended to explore for a while.
For the record, it wasn't the unconventional nature of Annette that was off putting to me. It was the execution. Much of it seemed very superficial and obvious, even going so far as to explain the central metaphor in the end. I find the constant proclamations of the film's "weirdness" to be vastly overstated.
Unless they also think some of the terrible effects work is what made it weird. Then agreed. But maybe Carax is a bit like Lynch in that he sometimes prefers an amateur effect for whatever reason.
SpelingError
08-23-21, 01:41 PM
I'll also throw out a rec for Holy Motors. I'm a really huge fan of it.
https://br.web.img3.acsta.net/pictures/20/07/02/09/02/3924287.jpg
I actually liked it more than I thought I would.
I'll just dumb my watches from the last month or so here.
A Classic Horror Story (2021) 2
Too meta for my tastes.
Fear Street: 1666 (2021) 1.5
Weakest of the series, and that's even without the ridiculously diverse puritan village.
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021) 2.5
Worse than the series, but still OK. Too many plotholes.
Blood Red Sky (2021) 1
Awfully boring take on vampires.
The Story of Adele H. (1975) 2.5
Kinda nice, but really not my kind of film. Adjani was great.
The New Gladiators (1984) 1.5
One of the weaker dystopian Italian Scifi's.
New Rose Hotel (1998) 2.5
Really mixed feelings about this. Maybe there's more than meets the eye on the first watch.
Satan's Slave (1982) 2
Not sure if this deserves its cult status. The remake/sequel is way better.
The Suicide Squad (2021) 3
Surprisingly entertaining. Wouldn't be a huge crime to go with half-a-star more, even.
The Relic (1997) 2.5
A decent monster film. I used to like this more, though.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) 2
Yet another film my brother recommended but felt meh at best.
And God Said to Cain (1970) 3
A spaghetti western with horror aesthetics. Looks great, but the story is rather average.
Herod's Law (1999) 3
A dark political satire. Not far from getting extra half-a-star, either.
Wer (2013) 2
Rather disappointing take on werewolves. So cheap that even the wolfmen don't have make-up.
TerrorVision (1986) 1
Great title song, but not much else.
Sweet Girl (2021) 2
Hey, a lackluster Netflix original. An action film that wants to be more mature only to end up in the incredibly naive territory.
The Green Knight (2021) 2
I wanted a movie, but only got a series of beautiful images.
I'm eagerly awaiting to see another great film any time soon :rolleyes:
Rockatansky
08-23-21, 02:32 PM
I intend to see that and Bad Blood as well. He's been someone I've intended to explore for a while.
For the record, it wasn't the unconventional nature of Annette that was off putting to me. It was the execution. Much of it seemed very superficial and obvious, even going so far as to explain the central metaphor in the end. I find the constant proclamations of the film's "weirdness" to be vastly overstated.
Unless they also think some of the terrible effects work is what made it weird. Then agreed. But maybe Carax is a bit like Lynch in that he sometimes prefers an amateur effect for whatever reason.
Been too long to cite specifics, but I remember having a viscerally unpleasant reaction to Mauvais Sang. But I also have an aversion to Binoche that you might not share.*
You won't find it boring, is what I'm saying.*
Takoma11
08-23-21, 05:18 PM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/The_Red_Shoes_%281948_movie_poster%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7089526
The Red Shoes - (1948)
One of the best films I've seen this year - this hit me like a brick to the face, and I'm still a little stunned. Never seen Anton Walbrook in anything before I watched The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. He's really something (and won the alternate Academy Award in Danny Peary's book.) I never thought I'd enjoy ballet - but the performance at the mid-point of this film was incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. The whole film is incredibly beautiful and filmed to perfection. What an ending!
I watched The Red Shoes for the first time semi-recently and I was shocked by how good it was. Like, I was aware of its excellent reputation, and it still managed to way exceed my expectations. I think it's a shame that the ballet-centric plot probably keeps some viewers away.
Have you seen 'Krisha', it reminded me of that in the way of tension and dialogue.
I haven't! Thanks for the recommendation!
Captain Terror
08-23-21, 05:24 PM
I haven't! Thanks for the recommendation!
I second the Krisha rec. Interesting back story behind the production as well.
https://i.imgur.com/yiF5bPt.jpg?2
Found myself watching this over the weekend and once again I found myself thinking how much better it is than it should be.
And once again I found myself saying, "Wow, is the writing in The Simpson's Movie really better than like 80 or 90% of mainstream films?" To which the answer is probably yes.
Gideon58
08-23-21, 06:38 PM
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTE0YTU5YWYtNmFkOS00MmVjLThlOWYtNDU5MmU5YjZjYjI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg
3
ThatDarnMKS
08-23-21, 06:59 PM
Been too long to cite specifics, but I remember having a viscerally unpleasant reaction to Mauvais Sang. But I also have an aversion to Binoche that you might not share.*
You won't find it boring, is what I'm saying.*
Love Binoche and I've seen the Modern Love scene so I may have better experience than you but after Annette... Who knows???
heineken
08-23-21, 07:13 PM
Buffet froid (1979)
A surreal adventure like movie that seems to be aiming for some sort of black comedy, a genre I usually find quite enjoyable. And while mildly amusing at times, the surrealism often feels forced or thrown in for cheep thrills/laughs/shocks and it all gets pretty boring before the movie is halfway through, at which point indifference is what best describes my feeling about it. Sadly it doesn't get any better towards the end. Throughout the movie I found myself wondering what I was supposed to connect to in order to care about which way things turned, and even for its genre, the emotional distance to all of the characters and the plot itself was of such magnitude that it made it hard to sit through the whole thing.
I'm starting to think that I'm just not particularly fond of surreal movies in general, at least of a certain style, so maybe take this rating with a grain of salt, especially if you're the diehard type fan.
It might off course be that there was some key point to "get" in order to appreciate this movie. I don't know. If so then it went way above my head for sure. Probably it's some sub genre thing or style that you either like or you don't. In fact, the humor and style reminded me a bit of Brazil and Dr. Strangelove, both of which I wasn't particularly crazy about either. Especially Dr. Strangelove.
Nevertheless, it's probably safe to say that Buffet froid is unlikely to be everyone's favorite. However, if a Kafka novel without the grounding contrast of the reasonably sound main character sounds like your thing then this movie may be right up your alley.
5/10
BLUE RUIN (2013)
Dir. Jeremy Saulnier
4
https://www.mandatory.com/assets/uploads/2014/04/Blue-Ruin-Macon-Blair.jpg
Takoma11
08-23-21, 07:24 PM
BLUE RUIN (2013)
Dir. Jeremy Saulnier
4
https://www.mandatory.com/assets/uploads/2014/04/Blue-Ruin-Macon-Blair.jpg
Yeah, it's good stuff.
SpelingError
08-23-21, 07:29 PM
https://i.imgur.com/yiF5bPt.jpg?2
Found myself watching this over the weekend and once again I found myself thinking how much better it is than it should be.
And once again I found myself saying, "Wow, is the writing in The Simpson's Movie really better than like 80 or 90% of mainstream films?" To which the answer is probably yes.
Yeah, the show had already declined quite a bit when the film was released, but the writers managed to put the remainder of their ideas that they didn't already use up into this film and delivered a surprisingly strong movie. I watched it several times in a row when I got it on DVD back in 2008.
WHITBISSELL!
08-23-21, 08:34 PM
BLUE RUIN (2013)
Dir. Jeremy Saulnier
rating_4
https://www.mandatory.com/assets/uploads/2014/04/Blue-Ruin-Macon-Blair.jpg
This came in at #5 on my Top 25 list back in November.
Yeah, the show had already declined quite a bit when the film was released, but the writers managed to put the remainder of their ideas that they didn't already use up into this film and delivered a surprisingly strong movie. I watched it several times in a row when I got it on DVD back in 2008.
The wedding video scene felt more real and sincere than most movies I see.
PHOENIX74
08-24-21, 12:56 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_Cinema_Poster.jpg
By Eagle-Lion Films - http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product_static.asp?master_movie_id=20978&sku=420894, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36205326
A Matter of Life and Death - (1946) - (aka : Stairway to Heaven)
The last of the three Powell & Pressburger films I had lined up to watch, and to say they were ahead of their time is a massive understatement. Here we have Peter Carter heading towards certain death on a bombing mission during WWII, but a mistake in the afterlife is made. When a French aristocrat (who had died during the French Revolution) comes to pick him up and explain Carter refuses to go, having fallen in love during his 'borrowed time' - this all leads to a bizarre court case involving an American revolutionary as the prosecutor, and Carter's doctor (played by Colonel Blimp's Roger Livesey) as his defense (the doctor having died in a motorcycle accident that night.) The film subverts our expectations, portraying the afterlife in black & white and Earth in glorious technicolour.
This film had a playful Shakespearean quality to it (no mistake I think that the airmen are preparing for a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream during one scene.) When I finished this and went on to the next film I felt a big letdown - it was back to 'normal' films now. That speaks volumes as to how Powell & Pressburger films capture the imagination and stand apart from others. I look forward to Black Narcissus down the track, along with their other films.
8/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Carvehernamepride.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18414986
Carve Her Name With Pride - (1958)
Okay film about special agent Violette Szabo, her assignments in Nazi-occupied France and her eventual capture and execution. I was won over into watching this because of the surprise inclusion of Paul Scofield in the cast - not exactly someone I'd be expecting in a World War II spy/action caper. It was only his second feature film. Virginia McKenna is great in the lead role. Like I said above, I was kind of flat watching this after having enjoyed three Powell and Pressburger films.
6/10
https://i.postimg.cc/vB97LL2L/thishappybreed.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21007230
This Happy Breed - (1944)
This snuck up on me and surprised me just how good it was. Reminded me very much of Mike Leigh's movies, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that this film was an influence on him. Follows the lives of one ordinary British family from the end of the First World War up until the beginning of the Second. Sounds fairly ordinary, but the characters are so well grounded and fleshed out that when serious events happen they have a real effect. One of David Lean's very early films. Wonderfully shot and staged - based on a 1939 Noël Coward play.
8/10
StuSmallz
08-24-21, 04:14 AM
The wedding video scene felt more real and sincere than most movies I see.Plus, it's also just really funny too: "Bountiful penis!".
ScarletLion
08-24-21, 06:13 AM
'Tom at the Farm' (2013)
https://orvel.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tom-at-the-farm-fi-1280.jpg
I seem to be in the minority in thinking this is one of Dolan's best. Sure there are moments where character choices are a little odd, and the score (as lovely as it is) is a little too pointed at what is coming next. But then that is what these characters do. They all seem lost and want something in their lives that they can't have, and the result is a Dolan drama that spills into thriller (nods to Hitchock and others are everywhere).
Tom (Dolan) visits his late boyfriend's farm for the funeral. And all hell breaks loose with emotion, repression, anger, loneliness and deceit and rising to the surface.
Dolan also does his aspect ratio changes again in this film (more subtly than 'Mommy' it has to be said), which make the viewer question the ending - which I'm still thinking on.
7.9/10
4
xSookieStackhouse
08-24-21, 06:16 AM
4.5
https://pm1.narvii.com/7031/5e1f13dd2e207f29a2f1bcde311e1f5fac5113e6r1-960-1440v2_hq.jpg
Hey Fredrick
08-24-21, 09:10 AM
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmediacdn.aent-m.com%2Fprod-img%2F500%2F42%2F3946042-2680261.jpg%3Fae%3D1706246141&f=1&nofb=1
Artsy fartsy, rape revenge movie. Not exaggerating at all when I say this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. There's no dialogue, an edit every 1-2 seconds and camera work that doesn't make any sense at all. Lots of shaky cam, blurred images, shots of railings and posts because they look cool? Half of it takes place in in the worst strip club ever. On top of all that the revenge is seriously lacking. In other words, I didn't "get" it. rating_1
James D. Gardiner
08-24-21, 12:01 PM
Carve Her Name With Pride - (1958)
Okay film about special agent Violette Szabo, her assignments in Nazi-occupied France and her eventual capture and execution. I was won over into watching this because of the surprise inclusion of Paul Scofield in the cast - not exactly someone I'd be expecting in a World War II spy/action caper. It was only his second feature film. Virginia McKenna is great in the lead role. Like I said above, I was kind of flat watching this after having enjoyed three Powell and Pressburger films.
6/10
Pleased that you've seen this and I have to agree with your rating. I don't think it has so much to do with coming down from Powell & Pressburger (incidentally you're gonna' love Black Narcissus if you haven't seen it already), rather it's just a bit of an unsatisfying movie really, to my thinking anyway. Like you say it had some nice ingredients, like Virginia McKenna really making a good effort for the character and embracing the role, the writers trying to do justice to the story and the British studios still capable of making their trademark high quality war films. Lewis Gilbert was certainly no slouch of a director, yet I think they got the balance wrong somehow between the romantic melodrama at the beginning and the rather grim and realism inspired warfare at the end. I tend to think it's one of those ones that could have been great but turned out just kinda' average.
I also seem to recall there was an uncredited Michael Caine as a prisoner onboard the train she was on towards the end, allegedly as famous British agent Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas, code name 'The White Rabbit'. Despite seeing the film several times I never picked up on that until I read it on various movie sites! They should've made that more obvious for the likes of me. :D
(apparently a member of mofo also has it listed as his favourite movie) :cool:
CringeFest
08-24-21, 01:57 PM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=80562
8/10
A chaotic/thrilling movie to watch about dream prediction, kinda weird and nonsensical at times. Great ending.
I overused my internet data and at home i am looking through big piles of vhs tapes and DVDs:p
WHITBISSELL!
08-24-21, 02:37 PM
https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAyMFxcXC8wOVxc XC8xOTEzNDUwN1xcXC9QaXhpZS5wbmdcIixcIndpZHRoXCI6NjQwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6MzYwLFwiZGVmYXVsdFwiOlwiaHR0cHM6 XFxcL1xcXC9jYWNoZS5yZXNpemVkLmNvXFxcL25vLWltYWdlLnBuZ1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiIyNjczNzRl YWFkZmFiOGFjM2Y5ZTVhNDA2ODc4MmM0MTFhNGJlNzVkIn0=/new-irish-film-pixie-has-gangster-priests-a-hell-of-a-cast-and-some-mad-craic-in-sligo.png
Pixie - For all it's wannabe posturing and affected indifference this is a remarkably watery film. It came off like a random series of images flashing across the screen with no connection to plot or characterization. There was a plot of course. And characters. It's just that it totally failed to engage. I suppose when father and son filmmakers Barnaby and Preston Thompson put their heads together they were probably trying to evoke the McDonagh brothers or Guy Ritchie. But once the son got through cherry picking from other scripts the dad seemed unable to translate it to the screen in a viable or compelling way.
It's an Irish gangster thriller with Olivia Cooke as title character Pixie Hardy. She's the stepdaughter of gangleader Dermot O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and is looking to avenge the murder of her mother. But her ultimate goal is to leave Ireland behind and resettle in San Francisco. To this end she sets in motion a drug theft that almost immediately goes south, forcing her to improvise and throw in with two amateurish thieves (Ben Hardy, Daryl McCormack).
There's a female empowerment theme running throughout and Cooke does a fine job of bringing across her character's restiveness. She's just not given much to work with. Or maybe the fault lies in the editing. Anyway, Cooke's talents are largely wasted as are Meaney's. Alec Baldwin is thrown into the mix as a drug running, gangster priest leading a squad of similarly shady nuns and priests. I'd say he's wasted too but he's not onscreen long enough for it to matter. It closes with a big and loud shootout with plenty of sound and fury but if you're anything like me you'll find it hard to give much of a shyte. And I especially had a problem with the close which I suppose was more lip service to grrl power. But, given the context of what the three survivors had been through, it only served to make Cooke's character come off as a real jerk. There's nothing more irksome than unearned nihilism.
rating_2
Gideon58
08-24-21, 04:21 PM
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1104/4308/products/Wonder_Man_1024x1024.jpg?v=1534941217
3
GulfportDoc
08-24-21, 06:01 PM
80572
Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021)
I'm wondering what the "over and under" number would be on this flick in terms of how many minutes the average viewer could watch until they shut it off in disgust. I'm guessing 30 minutes. I made it almost that long, even though my stomach was starting to hurt.
I was hooked in by seeing that it "starred" Bruce Willis. In the few scenes that he was in, it was embarrassing to see a big name actor like he rattle off lines as if he were reading from a teleprompter, and not very well at that! Someone can refresh my memory if he's done a noteworthy job in any film since 2013's Red 2.
Emile Hirsch showed some engaging talent as a Florida cop collaborating with federal agents on a kidnapping/murder case, supposedly patterned after the "Truck Stop Killer" murders. Megan Fox and Lukas Haas both acted reasonably well.
But it was the idiotic and trite screenplay and dialogue that were right up next to laughable that sunk this turkey. Perhaps Willis is in debt and needs to keep making poor movies at a high fee. But avoid this one.
Doc's rating: 2/10
EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
(2002, Elkayem)
-- recommended by Darren Lucas (https://moviesreview101.com/) --
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55dc9f4ae4b0f1735c5897e8/1484428701274-3P5FXFAIE27Z16J12UTY/eight-legged-freaks.jpg?format=2500w
"There's no way you're telling me that thing back there is from Earth!"
"All right! They're spiders from Mars! You happy?"
Eight Legged Freaks follows a group of people from a small Arizona town as they face mutant spiders that are the result of a toxic waste spill. The main focus of the story is Chris (David Arquette), the son of the former owner of the mine that made the town prosper, and Samantha (Kari Wuhrer), the tough sheriff he used to be in love with.
For the most part, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and manages to find a good balance between thrills and comedy, which reminded me of stuff like Tremors, Critters, or even Gremlins. The special effects might be cheap, but I guess it kinda works for the kind of film it ends up being.
Grade: 3.5
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2233082#post2233082)
I was hooked in by seeing that it "starred" Bruce Willis. In the few scenes that he was in, it was embarrassing to see a big name actor like he rattle off lines as if he were reading from a teleprompter, and not very well at that! Someone can refresh my memory if he's done a noteworthy job in any film since 2013's Red 2.
He has been on auto-pilot mode for a couple of years now. I think the most notable thing he has done recently are his two films with Shyamalan (Split and Glass). Other than that, it's mostly DTV fodder where he grumbles for less than 5 minutes, and that's it.
EDIT: I recently read this article (https://www.vulture.com/article/randall-emmett-movies.html) and I thought it was a fascinating look at why this old action stars (Willis, Sly, Arnie, even De Niro and Pacino) agree to go this route.
Wrong Move (1975)
3
"I want to be a writer, but is that possible when you don't like people?
If only I could write. Write!"
I definitely can relate to the aspiring writer in this Wim Wenders film (my first, I'm pretty sure). It's weird and illogical but somehow intriguing. I guess I should check out some other films by him. And yes, I chose this film out of curiosity after reading the IMDb trivia for my previous watch To the Devil a Daughter.
Takoma11
08-24-21, 07:09 PM
'Tom at the Farm' (2013)
https://orvel.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tom-at-the-farm-fi-1280.jpg
I seem to be in the minority in thinking this is one of Dolan's best. Sure there are moments where character choices are a little odd, and the score (as lovely as it is) is a little too pointed at what is coming next. But then that is what these characters do. They all seem lost and want something in their lives that they can't have, and the result is a Dolan drama that spills into thriller (nods to Hitchock and others are everywhere).
Tom (Dolan) visits his late boyfriend's farm for the funeral. And all hell breaks loose with emotion, repression, anger, loneliness and deceit and rising to the surface.
Dolan also does his aspect ratio changes again in this film (more subtly than 'Mommy' it has to be said), which make the viewer question the ending - which I'm still thinking on.
7.9/10
4
I also found it quite interesting. From a thematic point of view, watching it very close to watching Stranger by the Lake made for an interesting viewing experience.
Murmur (Heather Young, 2019) 2.5 6-/10
Iron Warrior (Al Bradley [Alfonso Brescia], 1987) 1.5 4/10
Nathalie... (Anne Fontaine, 2003) 2.5+ 6/10
Annette (Leos Carax, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/45c6c69b1f61a06851cb0f0c78c981c9/da61333a10d0e465-7a/s400x600/dcd58492c3a05cfbbd5655b7e09edf259a79c644.gifv
Narcissistic singer Adam Driver uses his "daughter" in more ways than one in a darkly bizarre musical.
Track of the Moon Beast (Richard Ashe, 1976) 1.5 4/10
Out of My League (Alice Filippi, 2020) 2.5 6/10
In Pursuit of Silence (Patrick Shen, 2015) 3 6.5/10
The Green Knight (David Lowery, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
https://www.pajiba.com/assets_c/2021/05/unnamed-thumb-700x394-234664.gif
Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) "slays" the Green Knight and then travels on a year-long journey after which he may confront him again.
My Love, Don't Cross That River (Jin Mo-young, 2014) 2.5 6/10
Invasion from Inner Earth (Bill Rebane, 1974) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Clambake (Arthur H. Nadel, 1967) 2.5 5.5/10
PAW Patrol: The Movie (Cal Brunker, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/826db88264f96d34e89a2a95c9bd18d4/712b6e6403dad9d8-f6/s500x750/9af410132869e75f2327de85a8dc2ab60b2d8c12.gifv
Yep, the Doggy Police are cute, but they're the most-competent public service employees in Adventure City.
The Wanting Mare (Nicholas Ashe Bateman, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
The Alpha Incident (Bill Rebane, 1978) 2 5/10
Chloe and Theo (Ezna Sands, 2015) 2.5 5.5/10
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (Kwang Il Han, 2021) 3+ 6.5/10
https://c.tenor.com/w59QOGc224MAAAAC/sword-fight-vesemir.gif
Mercenary swordsman fights monsters including a new, more-dangerous one.
Blood Harvest (Bill Rebane, 1987) 2 5/10
Tales of Dracula (Joe DeMuro, 2015) 2.5 6/10
Wicked Blood (Mark Young, 2014) 2+ 5/10
Vampire (E.W. Swackhamer, 1979) 2.5 6/10
https://www.allhorror.com/public/uploads/2018/03/dfffdsf.jpg
Although he's still being aided by retired cop E.G. Marshall, architect Jason Miller here is at the mercy of vampire Richard Lynch in San Francisco.
GulfportDoc
08-24-21, 08:30 PM
He has been on auto-pilot mode for a couple of years now. I think the most notable thing he has done recently are his two films with Shyamalan (Split and Glass). Other than that, it's mostly DTV fodder where he grumbles for less than 5 minutes, and that's it.
EDIT: I recently read this article (https://www.vulture.com/article/randall-emmett-movies.html) and I thought it was a fascinating look at why this old action stars (Willis, Sly, Arnie, even De Niro and Pacino) agree to go this route.
Thanks for the link, my man! The article confirms some of my suspicions, and explains some things I didn't know. There's always been a battle between business people and the arts-- especially film and music. The business people are always going to win, so will see how long this king of financing he dregs will last. He sounds like the ultimate, and you can believe others will copy him.
WHITBISSELL!
08-24-21, 08:49 PM
EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
(2002, Elkayem)
A film with the number Eight in its title
-- recommended by Darren Lucas (https://moviesreview101.com/) --
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55dc9f4ae4b0f1735c5897e8/1484428701274-3P5FXFAIE27Z16J12UTY/eight-legged-freaks.jpg?format=2500w
Eight Legged Freaks follows a group of people from a small Arizona town as they face mutant spiders that are the result of a toxic waste spill. The main focus of the story is Chris (David Arquette), the son of the former owner of the mine that made the town prosper, and Samantha (Kari Wuhrer), the tough sheriff he used to be in love with.
For the most part, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and manages to find a good balance between thrills and comedy, which reminded me of stuff like Tremors, Critters, or even Gremlins. The special effects might be cheap, but I guess it kinda works for the kind of film it ends up being.
Grade: rating_3_5
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2233082#post2233082)I thought it was fun as well. Kind of Class AA ball but still fun. Plus it's got a young Scarlett Johansson in one of her first roles.
WHITBISSELL!
08-24-21, 09:07 PM
Wrong Move (1975)
rating_3
"I want to be a writer, but is that possible when you don't like people?
If only I could write. Write!"
I definitely can relate to the aspiring writer in this Wim Wenders film (my first, I'm pretty sure). It's weird and illogical but somehow intriguing. I guess I should check out some other films by him. And yes, I chose this film out of curiosity after reading the IMDb trivia for my previous watch To the Devil a Daughter.Wow, if that's accurate then please try Wings of Desire and/or Paris, Texas and let us know what you thought.
Citizen Rules
08-24-21, 10:55 PM
I watched Racket Girls (1951) on blu ray. Also known as Pin-down Girl or Blonde Pickup, its about a gangster who uses women's wrestling as a front for illegal activity. The film has really low ratings, a 1.7 on imdb and a 1.5 on letterboxd, with some people saying it is one of the worst films ever. In my opinion, this isn't anywhere near as bad as some people say. It has its flaws and limitations, but this is nowhere near one of the worst films ever. It has its charm and there is fun to be had. My rating is a rating_3.Your post inspired me to watch Racket Girls (1951):) It wasn't great, but it had some good & unique things about it. The story premise was pretty fresh. I've not seen another film noir about a Congressional hearing into the illegal 'fixing' of women's wrestling matches. Come to think of it a 1951 film that shows women wrestling, including two real women wrestling champions is also unique.
But what I really liked was the casting. The slimy bookies and promoters looked authentic and not like actors...Now it's too bad they couldn't act. But even the flat acting had some kind of charm, maybe. I'd give the movie a 2.5+
WHITBISSELL!
08-24-21, 11:39 PM
EDIT: I recently read this article (https://www.vulture.com/article/randall-emmett-movies.html) and I thought it was a fascinating look at why this old action stars (Willis, Sly, Arnie, even De Niro and Pacino) agree to go this route.Pretty good article. Thanks. :up:
80572
Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021)
I'm wondering what the "over and under" number would be on this flick in terms of how many minutes the average viewer could watch until they shut it off in disgust. I'm guessing 30 minutes. I made it almost that long, even though my stomach was starting to hurt.
I was hooked in by seeing that it "starred" Bruce Willis. In the few scenes that he was in, it was embarrassing to see a big name actor like he rattle off lines as if he were reading from a teleprompter, and not very well at that! Someone can refresh my memory if he's done a noteworthy job in any film since 2013's Red 2.
Emile Hirsch showed some engaging talent as a Florida cop collaborating with federal agents on a kidnapping/murder case, supposedly patterned after the "Truck Stop Killer" murders. Megan Fox and Lukas Haas both acted reasonably well.
But it was the idiotic and trite screenplay and dialogue that were right up next to laughable that sunk this turkey. Perhaps Willis is in debt and needs to keep making poor movies at a high fee. But avoid this one.
Doc's rating: 2/10
A buddy of mine is friends with Bruce Willis. Willis was at my buddy's wedding... and was a complete ******* to anyone who even tried to speak to him. But what I learned from my friend is that Willis doesn't give one **** anymore. He does an endless stream of movies where he gets paid a bunch of money to show up for one day of shooting or three days of shooting or whatever and then he's free again to do whatever the hell he wants. He has little if any interest in acting anymore except as a way to keep all the bills paid so he just churns out Red Box fare when it suits his schedule and he really doesn't care what anybody thinks about it.
Strange but it is what it is. Personally, having met him and feeling that he was a real douchebag, I enjoy seeing his public shame even if he doesn't care at all (and he doesn't).
EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
(2002, Elkayem)
-- recommended by Darren Lucas (https://moviesreview101.com/) --
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55dc9f4ae4b0f1735c5897e8/1484428701274-3P5FXFAIE27Z16J12UTY/eight-legged-freaks.jpg?format=2500w
Eight Legged Freaks follows a group of people from a small Arizona town as they face mutant spiders that are the result of a toxic waste spill. The main focus of the story is Chris (David Arquette), the son of the former owner of the mine that made the town prosper, and Samantha (Kari Wuhrer), the tough sheriff he used to be in love with.
For the most part, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and manages to find a good balance between thrills and comedy, which reminded me of stuff like Tremors, Critters, or even Gremlins. The special effects might be cheap, but I guess it kinda works for the kind of film it ends up being.
Grade: 3.5
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2233082#post2233082)
I enjoyed this when it was released but haven't seen it since.
Wrong Move (1975)
3
"I want to be a writer, but is that possible when you don't like people?
If only I could write. Write!"
I definitely can relate to the aspiring writer in this Wim Wenders film (my first, I'm pretty sure). It's weird and illogical but somehow intriguing. I guess I should check out some other films by him. And yes, I chose this film out of curiosity after reading the IMDb trivia for my previous watch To the Devil a Daughter.
Paris, Texas is my favorite film not named The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
PHOENIX74
08-25-21, 01:29 AM
https://i.postimg.cc/Ls87rfsG/Fallen-Idol-Poster-1948.jpg
By David O. Selznick Productions - Source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45595201
The Fallen Idol - (1948)
Terrific film from Carol Reed based on a short story by Graham Greene. The film takes place in an Embassy in London, from the point of view of a child (the son of important diplomats) who idolizes butler Baines (Ralph Richardson) - when Baines is discovered by the child having an affair there starts a series of secrets, lies and trouble - eventually leading to someone's death. The kid finds himself in a world he doesn't understand - with potentially tragic results. Reed and Greene would be nominated for Oscars for directing and adapted screenplay. I enjoyed every minute.
7.5/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Draculaprinceofdarkness.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17682428
Dracula : Prince of Darkness - (1966)
I really did not expect this to be as good as it turned out being. A lot of fun, in a Hammer Horror film way with distinctive use of colour and sets. This was Christopher Lee's second go-around as Dracula and he gives one hell of a performance without uttering a single word. Charles 'Bud' Tingwell might not mean much to people here, but he does to me and I was astonished to see him in this. I haven't seen the other Lee Dracula films but now I feel I must.
7/10
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/The_Edge_of_Seventeen_2016_film_poster.jpg
By STX Entertainment - http://cdn3-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/gallery/the-edge-of-seventeen/edgeofseventeenposter.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51106187
The Edge of Seventeen - (2016)
Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a good-looking high school girl, but a little 'out-there' and as such she struggles to make friends or cope with things that include her father's death and her brother stealing her best friend. She eventually makes an impassioned pass at bad-boy Nick (Alexander Calvert,) which just makes everything worse. It takes caring teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) to help sort things out - just by being there for her. A nice little coming-of-age film. I'll swear that's the female version of me at that age. I enjoyed it without the movie becoming a favourite of mine - and think that if I were younger I'd take the film more to heart.
6.5/10
ScarletLion
08-25-21, 08:44 AM
I also found it quite interesting. From a thematic point of view, watching it very close to watching Stranger by the Lake made for an interesting viewing experience.
Hmm, yeah I remember Stranger by the Lake as being quite an interesting watch, shall we say!
Jinnistan
08-25-21, 10:39 AM
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/Annette_poster.jpg
A darker remake of Tommy.
9/10
EDIT: I recently read this article (https://www.vulture.com/article/randall-emmett-movies.html) and I thought it was a fascinating look at why this old action stars (Willis, Sly, Arnie, even De Niro and Pacino) agree to go this route.
Rats, I got a paywall.
The subscribing splash comes up, but you can close it in the X and still read the article. At least that's how I read it.
The Green Knight - 3
Have you ever thought up "what if" scenarios about movies like "what if Disney produced a Halloween movie" or "what if David Cronenberg directed Patch Adams?" The Green Knight plays out like you'd expect if you asked, "what if A24 produced a movie based on Arthurian legend?" To be fair, I love a lot of movies the studio is associated with, especially Moonlight and Good Time, but I'm not the only one who’s first thought when their logo appears on the screen - admittedly, internet memes are partially to blame - and think "art house." While I love many movies considered art house fare, the flourishes in movies with this label, whether they're unusual camera angles, lens flare, color saturation, etc. range from appropriate, meaningful, organic, etc. to showing off, and I believe that most of the ones in this movie fall into the latter category. In other words, well, word, which I hate to say because it's is often misused, but "pretentious" could apply here. Case in point: there's a long take showing Gawain and his horse leaving Camelot to face the titular foe. While it indicates how alone they are on this mission, it calls too much attention to itself, overstays its welcome and made me wonder if director David Lowery's real intent is for me to think "wow, that’s a cool shot" instead of understanding the scene's purpose. An unfortunate side effect of all this showing off is that it kept me at a distance from our hero, which is not only disappointing because he's in nearly every shot, but also because he's played by Dev Patel, who is one of my favorite actors lately. Despite how many affectations are in the movie and how disconnected it made me feel, there are enough good things in it for me to mildly recommend it. The supporting cast, Sean Harris as King Arthur and Joel Edgerton as a castle lord in particular, give professional and possibly the best performances I've seen by them, the atmosphere is organically murky and mysterious when it needs to be, and if any of the flourishes worked for me, the ones that created ambiguity about what's real and what's a product of Gawain's imagination and anxieties definitely did. It's too bad that it ultimately amounted to the movie version of a thin soup in an overly ornate ceramic bowl to me, not to mention filled my head with more "what if" scenarios. Specifically, what if William Friedkin, Martin Scorsese or someone else like them had directed this? I'm not asking because of their skill levels - I mean, Lowery may have their potential - but because they are directors who excel at letting the audience walk in their protagonists' shoes and at telling stories like this one in which their character, bravery, beliefs, etc. are put to the test. Lowery, on the other hand, made me feel like there was a film school between Gawain and myself.
Gideon58
08-25-21, 04:37 PM
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e9/3a/42/e93a42bfe87bfc2a9c4b3df54418bd90.jpg
2nd-Re-watch...Ben Stiller created his masterpiece as the director, co-screenwriter, and star of this dead on satire of Apocalypse Now and the documentary Hearts of Darkness which finds five actors working on a big budget action film turned into real soldiers through a bizarre series of events. The Oscar-worthy screenplay combines an on-target look at the Hollywood machine as well as the behind the scenes turmoil that surrounded the Coppola classic. Stiller's cast is perfection with standout work from Robert Downey Jr, who earned an Oscar nomination as an arrogant Australian actor who undergoes a "pigmentation augmentation" so that he can play a black character, Matthew McConaughey as Stiller's agent, and especially Tom Cruise, who buries his sex symbol image to be believable as the hard-assed producer of the movie. Cruise should have received an Oscar nomination too. Research revealed that Cruise came up with the look for his character completely, including prosthetic hands. Funny, smart, and richly entertaining...still. 4
Still Water - Matt Damon ( B - )
Takoma11
08-25-21, 05:32 PM
https://i.postimg.cc/Ls87rfsG/Fallen-Idol-Poster-1948.jpg
By David O. Selznick Productions - Source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45595201
The Fallen Idol - (1948)
Terrific film from Carol Reed based on a short story by Graham Greene. The film takes place in an Embassy in London, from the point of view of a child (the son of important diplomats) who idolizes butler Baines (Ralph Richardson) - when Baines is discovered by the child having an affair there starts a series of secrets, lies and trouble - eventually leading to someone's death. The kid finds himself in a world he doesn't understand - with potentially tragic results. Reed and Greene would be nominated for Oscars for directing and adapted screenplay. I enjoyed every minute.
This one was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. "I know your daddy!"
Hmm, yeah I remember Stranger by the Lake as being quite an interesting watch, shall we say!
There's a common thread between the two films regarding a fatalistic or self-destructive streak in these young men who are clearly nice/smart/handsome enough to attract someone who wouldn't want to abuse them. But it's been a few years since I watched either of them, so I'd need to revisit them to be more specific.
PHOENIX
(2014, Petzold)
-- recommended by Sylvie (https://slywit.wordpress.com/) --
http://p9.storage.canalblog.com/97/82/363481/101959737_o.jpg
"The clinic needed pictures for the reconstruction. Sorry. That's the wrong word. Dr Bongartz used it and I simply... Re-creation is better, right?"
Phoenix follows Nelly (Nina Hoss), a former singer trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the end of World War II. A survivor of a concentration camp, Nelly was left for dead after being shot in the face, but undergoes reconstructive surgery in an attempt to regain her normal life. "How do you want to look?", asks the doctor, trying to give her the option to start life anew, but Nelly wants to look "exactly like I used to". But sometimes, the wounds are too deep, too severe, "it's never quite the same".
Phoenix a slow burner, as director and co-writer Christian Petzold takes his time to set the story, and build the characters. The fire you can feel from the three main performances also doesn't let the story feel stuck, but rather keeps it moving, wondering what will happen next. The film is not a thriller, but a more introspective character study as we see them each pondering their next steps, and what to do. How can we reconstruct, or recreate after... this?
Grade: 4
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2233397#post2233397)
ScarletLion
08-25-21, 07:07 PM
A quiet Place part 2
I can't even be bothered to use bigger fonts and a graphic/gif
1
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