Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Wooley]

While I wouldn't say I loved it, I did enjoy it quite a bit. As far as Resnais goes, I like Hiroshima Mon Amour and Night and Fog more.

Ha! I had come in from a particularly heady night with friends when I responded the first time and had no recollection that I had. Hence the second response.

[Wooley]

No Time to Die (2021)

I really enjoyed No Time to Die - Skyfall is still my favourite of the series, but this is a definite step up from Spectre. It's very much a close sequel though, so you might want to rewatch before you head to the cinema. I liked that it had a lot of the things that make the Bond films such reliable entertainment - the locations, the action, the cars - while at the same time moving away from some of the things that are outdated like the sexism. I think the way the character of Bond in the movie is at times feeling like he is left behind by things moving on, and at other times proving how he's still got it and is absolutely still awesome sums up how the films themselves are.

I think a lot of the complaints people have are unfounded - I've seen people complain about Bond's 'replacement' 00 just based on the trailers - but I think it was all done well; the world moves on, some things she does better, some things he does and they have a respect for each other as people in the end. Rami Malek's villain might not be a classic, but his poison garden villain lair certainly is. And no spoilers, but I thought the ending was fitting.

I like how Craig's Bond films have become a whole contained arc of their own as well as having a place in the whole Bond history. There were a few nods to earlier films (like the reuse of 'All the Time in the World') and times where everything even looks like it could be in the sixties or seventies. It's throwaway, but I really liked the bit where Bond just uses his phone to take a photo of something - no need for tiny cameras or exploding pens!

I would have liked more of Q and Moneypenny, because Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris are two of my favourite actors and I really like their characters in this series. I did like the glimpse into Q's flat and his cats (although he's apparently got over his fear of flying...).

The plot based around some kind of DNA targetting bio-weapon is utter nonsense, but seems fairly sensible in comparison to the plot nonsense we got in Black Widow. I've never bought into the romance between Bond and Madeleine Swann, she's far too young for him, so while I appreciate what they're going for it doesn't quite work for me.

Worth seeing on the big screen, anyway.

4

I was going to comment about the age disparity as, being a man reasonably close to Craig's age, I don't think it's usually all that good for either party when men date much younger women. And it's probably not a great message for society to keep telling men that they need to be with much younger women to still feel virile and well, frankly, like they matter. I balked significantly when I saw the trailer for this and saw that Seydoux was in it again. And I read your post and that stuck out at me, so I looked up her age and I will say that, in my personal experience, once a woman hits her late 30s, she's probably mature enough to handle a man of any age if there's attraction so it really seemed less problematic for me. So your post actually helped me to stomach something that was bothering me and I feel like I'll be able to enjoy the film more.

[Stirchley]

I definitely have had a different experience with this film, in the dozen to twenty times I've watched it, so I just wanted to say that some people think this exploration of the dynamics of friendship under the challenge of time, which is all it ever claimed to be, is an excellent film, to me. And with one of my favorite scripts.

Brilliant movie. Seen The Big Chill many times.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/1000/46/3999446-2734308.jpg

So bad, it's good. The acting is specially bad, unintentional laughs are the best
I watched the trailer for this and you're spot on about the acting. The lead is going for a Norwegian Schwarzenegger vibe only without the charisma. And the baddie appears to be the equivalent of Jason Momoa. Again, without the charisma. I could probably make it through this. I remember making it through Van Damme's Cyborg which this reminds me of.

[SpelingError]

Ha! I had come in from a particularly heady night with friends when I responded the first time and had no recollection that I had. Hence the second response.

I wonder if the man from the film who played the card game with the palace's occupants is responsible for you forgetting.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.justwatch.com%2Fbackdrop%2F11193487%2Fs1440%2Fthats-entertainment&f=1&nofb=1

That's Entertainment, 1974

In this film, several MGM stars offer a retrospective of MGM's best performers and musical numbers. Performers like Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Don O'Connor, Kimmy Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor introduce various clips from different MGM films.

For me, this is an interesting case of separating out the central content (the film clips) from the packaging (the actor introductions).

The clips, including such legendary sequences as "New York, New York," "Singin' In the Rain," and "Make 'Em Laugh", are all good stuff. I had seen probably about 70% of them, but there were a few sequences I've never seen in whole and that was really cool.

But I was far less sold on the whole framework. Things get off to a weird start when the host announces a clip by saying that the lead performer was surrounded by "overweight chorus girls". It's such a casually cutting and strange remark, and entirely unnecessary (also dude, pot, kettle). I didn't make note of them, but there were a handful of other remarks that made me cringe a bit.

Then there's the whole "rah rah" tone of it all. This is of course to be expected when a studio makes a film about how great it is. But the hosts introduce clips of people in blackface without a moment of hesitation. Likewise, the film trots out a ton of content from Judy Garland, made strange by what we now know about how Garland was treated by the studio and those in charge of it---restricted and criticized and fed a range of drugs just to get the output they wanted.

It was fun seeing some actors who I've never seen out of their "prime"--people like O'Connor where I only know them as 30-40 year olds.

So the clips are great and the hosts are charming enough, but there's something a bit off about it all. Like one of those infomercials that a company creates about itself.

3.5

[Wooley]

Mystery Street (John Sturges, 1950) 3 6.5/10
https://78.media.tumblr.com/4b5731ad7b916859589f868356605f5f/tumblr_odm3t7XeDx1tr6ni8o3_500.gif
Complex, twisty murder mystery, set in Boston, is crammed with suspects and a strong Ricardo Montalban in the lead.



There ya go.

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/Sideways_poster.JPG
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1390847

Sideways - (2004)

I watched this last night and loved it. I don't know what was wrong with me when I watched it for the first time on release - where I didn't like it. Watching the natural chemistry between Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church on this road trip was pure magic. Payne's Oscar winning screenplay results in my favourite moment in the film, where Maya (Virginia Madsen) relates why she likes winery so much, and it all has a profound connection for the both of them and the way they relate to people. Haden Church's obsession with sex is so much fun as well - and leads to plenty of conflict. But it also helps his good friend, who you can see is suffering so badly after his divorce. The film as a whole is touching, funny and meaningful. It's one of Giamatti's career bests. Can it crack my top 25 films of the 00s? Will it make the top 100? Who knows.

9/10
It was marketed as "the feel-good buddy-comedy of the Summer" which it is not and that threw a lot of people off, including me.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcriterion-production%2Fposts%2F2046-9e24dc8425dd6041accd76fd7aa14393%2FThree_Reasons_BLUE_Still_original.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Three Colors: Blue, 1993

Julie (Juliette Binoche) is the only survivor of a car accident that kills her husband, Patrice, and her daughter. While her instinct is to destroy almost all remnants of her previous life and live a life of solitude, she finds that being numb is not so easy to sustain. Between grappling with her husband's legacy---he was a famous composer, though there are rumors that Julie actually wrote or co-wrote much of his work--and struggling with revelations about his personal life, Julie cannot maintain distance from her feelings.

This film is a masterpiece. I'm obviously about to say a lot of nice things about it, but if you've been holding out on watching it, do yourself a favor and get it in front of your eyeballs ASAP.

It's hard to know where to begin with this film, but it feels right to start with Binoche's central performance, which is a brilliant portrayal of someone who is strong and yet vulnerable. Julie has experienced a significant trauma, and yet she manages to find a place for kindness and compassion for those around her. Julie, understandably, does not want to feel. And so when she does express emotion, you can see in Binoche's face the way that connections and feelings must push past an internal gatekeeper.

From a visual and directorial standpoint, I was completely swept away by this film. The blue of the title is very literal. The color permeates the film. What it represents---memory or emotion or grief--is hard for me to nail down at the moment, but I loved the way that it surrounds Julie, at times literally. The most concrete blue in the film is a sparkling gemstone mobile that is the only keepsake of Julie's daughter that we see. Julie takes it with her to her new apartment and several times during the film stops to gaze into it. But blue is also in the neon signs in the background, and in the unabashed tinting of several scenes, and in the large pool where she swims alone.

I also loved the stylistic choice to have certain sequences fade out and then fade back in. It somehow seems to capture the way that, when you're feeling an overwhelming emotion, it can seem to "fade" on you for a moment before you snap back to reality. I also loved how Julie and other characters move in and out of the frame. In one sequence, the young man who came on the car accident meets Julie to return a necklace to her. For several seconds, the necklace moves toward Julie, seeming to float in the air like a ghost--and for Julie that is certainly the effect of it.

Something I found very moving about the film is the way that Julie connects to other characters. The lesson of the film is not "cheer up! Other people have it just as bad!". Instead, Julie is able to find some semblance of balance through helping and supporting others. A homeless musician, or a woman from her apartment who is coping with the fact that she's spotted her father at a sex show in which she performs. It's not about Julie fixing their problems, but juts about her connecting with these people and making them feel seen. "You came, and that's the same thing," her friend tells her, when Julie gets out of bed at night to come and see her.

On a lesser note, I thought that the film had some interesting things to say about fame and legacy. Julie's husband was famous, and so people don't hesitate to badger Julie or take pictures of her still-bruised face in the wake of his death. Through the film, other people attempt to control her husband's legacy, at times in direct opposition to Julie's wishes. At one point, a news reporter remarks that he "belongs to all of us." The film doesn't seem to take a strong position one way or the other on this question, but it is interesting to watch Julie struggle with the way that others are comfortable using and/or manipulating her husband's work and life to their own ends.

Again: masterpiece. I'm so pleased I watched it and sorry it took me this long. I imagine a rewatch will be incredibly rewarding.

5

One of my favorite movies of all time, it was a wake-up call for me for what I should expect of greatness in film.

[Wooley]

I wonder if the man from the film who played the card game with the palace's occupants is responsible for you forgetting.

Well, he did beat me with the matchsticks.

[Stirchley]

It was marketed as "the feel-good buddy-comedy of the Summer" which it is not and that threw a lot of people off, including me.

I really liked Sideways.

[James D. Gardiner]

I've seen Dirk in The Servant (1963) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057490/?ref_=vp_back) and can imagine him doing a very good job in the role and would be curious to see how he does, having enjoyed him as much as I did in The Servant.

I think you'd enjoy him just as much, a very consistent performer with a surprising number of good films to his credit.

[edarsenal]

I think you'd enjoy him just as much, a very consistent performer with a surprising number of good films to his credit.

He does have quite a long list to his name so I definitely will be trying to. Thanks!

[skizzerflake]

🍿🍿🍿
Tonight's was The Last Duel. It's been a while since my last medieval movie and this one is a Ridley Scott extravaganza in the same scale as Gladiator, but 1200 years later. A triad of characters are the focus of the story, supposedly a somewhat true rendering of the last royally sanctioned duel in France, way back in the mid-1300's.

To be brief (it's a complicated plot line), Margaritte claims to have been raped by her husband's friend Jaques. After some legal wranglings involving lots of clerics with dark robes and hats, her husband challenges Jaques to a duel. All of them being high ranked people with castles, the King makes a ruling that there will be a duel, carried out with a castle full of spectators.

The peculiar thing about this flick is that you see the story 3 times, supposedly from different perspectives. For me, however, the perspectives were not all that different. It was nearly the same story 3 times, ending, as you guessed, in a big battle with lots of armor.

It's definitely the most gritty medieval movie I've seen for a while, worthy of its Gladiator grittiness. It's also dark, not just spiritually dark (it's that too), but dark dark, mostly shot as though it's always snowing and never sunny in France. It's a perpetual gray twilight all the time. Being starved for a medieval movie, however, it worked. Combat scenes are quite good, as are the medieval sets.

Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer star with occasional appearances by Ben Affleck as a minor count.

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

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Midnight_in_Paris_Poster.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards or Sony Pictures Classics., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31219010

Midnight in Paris - (2011)

Saw this when it came out, and thought it was quite good - despite me turning sour on a lot of the films a certain ex-girlfriend of mine used to love. This one still holds up. Owen Wilson is the Woody surrogate this time around, as he finds himself transported back in time to 1920s Paris - a Parisian era he most closely identifies with. Here he meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard,) who prefers 19th Century Paris - along the way he also meets every famous writer, artist and filmmaker who happened to be around at the time, gaining insight into love and life. Expect the usual Woody neurosis, except this time with beautiful Paris filling up the screen at regular intervals. Really captures Paris wonderfully well.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/Seven_year_itch.jpg
By IMP Awards: 1955 U.S. one sheet poster, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1909671

The Seven Year Itch - (1955)

I found this funny for the most part - but fell asleep watching it last night. Decided to catch it again in the morning but started falling asleep at around the same point, almost as if on cue. I didn't think it was really boring, so I can't explain the narcolepsy this film is tending to bring out in me. Maybe it's Marilyn's husky sweet talking. I enjoyed Ewell's imaginative daydreaming about how irresistible he is to women. Don't watch this while you're operating heavy machinery.

6/10

[James D. Gardiner]

https://i.imgur.com/Zc5ceST.jpg

The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Directed by Edmund Goulding

"You know what this place is? It's a slaughterhouse, and I'm the butcher!" - Major Brand

Terrific casting brings Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and David Niven together in this First World War aviation drama. Tightly centred around the lives and operations of a frontline Royal Flying Corps fighter unit in 1915, consistently portraying the war as relentless and destructive.

Squadron Commander Major Brand (Rathbone) is at the end of his tether with the endless cycle of planning missions and sending out pilots, who have neither the experience nor the machinery to adequately fight and survive in their encounters - his pleas to headquarters continually falling on deaf ears. Aside from a couple of old hands in Captain Courtney (Flynn) and Lieutenant Scott (Niven), all he can do is wait nervously in his office, until the returning sound of the engines tells him how many have failed to return. Then the replacements arrive and the cycle continues.

The regular pilots, unburdened with the responsibility of command, are able to escape during their moments when off duty in celebrations of drink-filled merriment, gallantly toasting "the next man who dies". Then in an ironic twist of fate, following an attack on an enemy airfield against orders, Major Brand is promoted for the action and can finally be free of his own private hell. Courtney is unexpectedly placed in command and must learn to adapt, testing himself and friendships along the way. Many clichés are naturally presented throughout with only slight direct historical accuracy, but it's the fine acting and experience of the overall themes that give this movie its greatest appeal. The flying, combat and ground handling scenes all convey a reasonably authentic depiction of the subject, and in the end the film's message is crystal clear. The seriousness is always balanced by an endearing humour and I don't think I've ever seen a movie involving heavier drinking.

This film is a remake of the same title from 1930, and uses some of the earlier footage during many of the flying scenes. Despite this, it rarely looks out of place and in fact the film has a distinct look about it which gives the impression of being much older. The best of the WW1 aviation genre for me and a treat to have these three great stars.

9/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

🍿🍿🍿
Tonight's was The Last Duel. It's been a while since my last medieval movie and this one is a Ridley Scott extravaganza in the same scale as Gladiator, but 1200 years later. A triad of characters are the focus of the story, supposedly a somewhat true rendering of the last royally sanctioned duel in France, way back in the mid-1300's.

To be brief (it's a complicated plot line), Margaritte claims to have been raped by her husband's friend Jaques. After some legal wranglings involving lots of clerics with dark robes and hats, her husband challenges Jaques to a duel. All of them being high ranked people with castles, the King makes a ruling that there will be a duel, carried out with a castle full of spectators.

The peculiar thing about this flick is that you see the story 3 times, supposedly from different perspectives. For me, however, the perspectives were not all that different. It was nearly the same story 3 times, ending, as you guessed, in a big battle with lots of armor.

It's definitely the most gritty medieval movie I've seen for a while, worthy of its Gladiator grittiness. It's also dark, not just spiritually dark (it's that too), but dark dark, mostly shot as though it's always snowing and never sunny in France. It's a perpetual gray twilight all the time. Being starved for a medieval movie, however, it worked. Combat scenes are quite good, as are the medieval sets.

Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer star with occasional appearances by Ben Affleck as a minor count.

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

when i saw the movie trailer of this movie and the movie free guy i was thinking to watch killing eve a tv series that jodie comer started in,

[FromBeyond]

Psychomania AKA The Death Wheelers

Synopsis. An amiable, psychopathic leader of a violent teen motorcycle gang is spurred by his mother, a Satan-worshipping spiritual medium, into committing suicide and returning to life as an “undead”

Yet another mean spirited odd 70’s horror movie that is bizarrely odd to say the least and can’t decide on a title 🙄

By the way his mother doesn’t really “spur him on” she’s actually more hesitant 🙄

When the biker gang kill a guy on the road, the leader tells his mother “we blew a guys mind, you should have seen it, he came right through the windshield!” she has no discernible reaction.

Blowing someone’s mind is their code for murder.

When the leader commits suicide the gang hold their own ceremony for him.. an odd part of an even odder film where the bikers suddenly more resemble peace-loving hippies and one of them sings a song.. a flowers in their hair kind of song.. and it’s pretty much a musical interlude, we get an entire song... oooookay

At one point they all go into town on their bikes causing mayhem, knocking people other and chasing women with baby’s in prams, nobody gets seriously hurt, even when one guy gets knocked off a ladder, their happens to be a pile of boxes to soften his fall... 🙄

Theirs nothing actually very horrible to see and certainly no zombies.. just evil indifferent people with English manners and no discernible motives

And a frog demon

70’s ahhh

I didn’t like it.

[honeykid]

Shame you didn't enjoy it, FB. I love Psychomania. I love the mix of British 70's vibe (and mean as you say) with the campy PG violence and horror. I really like the bitterness to it, too. The mother tries to protect her son and he just uses and abuses it, wrecking everything for them both. Much as I feel that generation felt their kids were doing to the country and freedom they fought for.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Midnight_in_Paris_Poster.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards or Sony Pictures Classics., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31219010

Midnight in Paris - (2011)

Saw this when it came out, and thought it was quite good - despite me turning sour on a lot of the films a certain ex-girlfriend of mine used to love. This one still holds up. Owen Wilson is the Woody surrogate this time around, as he finds himself transported back in time to 1920s Paris - a Parisian era he most closely identifies with. Here he meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard,) who prefers 19th Century Paris - along the way he also meets every famous writer, artist and filmmaker who happened to be around at the time, gaining insight into love and life. Expect the usual Woody neurosis, except this time with beautiful Paris filling up the screen at regular intervals. Really captures Paris wonderfully well.

8/10
This one surprised me. On paper it didn't seem like the kind of movie I'd get into but it ended up charming me. Kind of like Paris did to Gil. It didn't hurt that he was such a likable character. A great example of what an ideal audience surrogate should be.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2Fb1%2F6y%2F5j%2Fne%2Fday%2520of%2520wrath-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D8684856419&f=1&nofb=1

Day of Wrath, 1943

Absalon (Thorkild Roose) is one of a panel of religious elders in a 16th century Norwegian village. When an elderly woman in the village named Herlofs Marte (Anna Svierkier) is accused of witchcraft, Absalon's much younger wife Anne (Lisbeth Movin) temporarily gives the woman shelter. As Herlofs Marta is tortured and draws closer to her execution, she begs Absalon to spare her life, as he spared the life of Anne's mother years before. Things get complicated as Anne begins to fall in love with Absalon's son, Martin (Preben Lerdorff Rye).

As much a horror film as it is a drama, this film takes an unflinching look at the cruel mechanisms of power in a community or society, as well as the hypocrisy of those who are given the power to speak with the authority of God.

One of the most shocking aspects of the film is the portrayal of the torture that Herlofs Marte endures as part of the religious "investigation." It basically involves dislocating her shoulders with a winch until she begs them to stop, giving a confession that is unconvincing and still laced with sincere denials. The real horror is that the men intend to execute her no matter what. There is no such thing as proving her innocence. They claim to want her soul to be pure, but in the end, they still intend a gruesome, cruel death for her.

Layered underneath the horror of the witch hunt is the story that is revealed about the history of Anne and Absalon's marriage. In bits and pieces we learn just how yucky the whole scenario is. Absalon is a good 45 years older than Anne, and as characters repeatedly say, he married her when she was a child. He spared the life of Anne's mother just so that he could marry her. When Anne asks him if he ever wondered if she loved him or wanted to be married, he bluntly and unapologetically answers that he never wondered or cared how she felt about the whole thing. Anne's attraction to Martin--the great sin---makes a ton of sense. He is actually her age (and the actors playing Anne and Martin were actually born the same year), and able to offer her physical comfort.

Something that I am still mulling over is the implication in the film that Anne may actually be a witch or have powers. We get a few hints through the film that witchcraft may actually be real---further than just the power of suggestion--and to me that does undercut part of the film's message a bit. I really liked a sequence later in the film where Anne interprets a supposedly tragic event as maybe being an act of God. Her conversation partner is slightly horrified, but I think that it really enforces the idea that God's intentions are so often just the reading of each human being and what they want to believe is true.

The stark black and white look of the film--only accentuated by the black and white clothing worn by the main characters--is both gorgeous and foreboding. There is great use of shadow, especially as certain characters will have darkness fall across them when asking or answering certain questions.

A really powerful, intense film.

4.5

[edarsenal]

https://i.imgur.com/Zc5ceST.jpg

The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Directed by Edmund Goulding

"You know what this place is? It's a slaughterhouse, and I'm the butcher!" - Major Brand

Terrific casting brings Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and David Niven together in this First World War aviation drama. Tightly centred around the lives and operations of a frontline Royal Flying Corps fighter unit in 1915, consistently portraying the war as relentless and destructive.

Squadron Commander Major Brand (Rathbone) is at the end of his tether with the endless cycle of planning missions and sending out pilots, who have neither the experience nor the machinery to adequately fight and survive in their encounters - his pleas to headquarters continually falling on deaf ears. Aside from a couple of old hands in Captain Courtney (Flynn) and Lieutenant Scott (Niven), all he can do is wait nervously in his office, until the returning sound of the engines tells him how many have failed to return. Then the replacements arrive and the cycle continues.

The regular pilots, unburdened with the responsibility of command, are able to escape during their moments when off duty in celebrations of drink-filled merriment, gallantly toasting "the next man who dies". Then in an ironic twist of fate, following an attack on an enemy airfield against orders, Major Brand is promoted for the action and can finally be free of his own private hell. Courtney is unexpectedly placed in command and must learn to adapt, testing himself and friendships along the way. Many clichés are naturally presented throughout with only slight direct historical accuracy, but it's the fine acting and experience of the overall themes that give this movie its greatest appeal. The flying, combat and ground handling scenes all convey a reasonably authentic depiction of the subject, and in the end the film's message is crystal clear. The seriousness is always balanced by an endearing humour and I don't think I've ever seen a movie involving heavier drinking.

This film is a remake of the same title from 1930, and uses some of the earlier footage during many of the flying scenes. Despite this, it rarely looks out of place and in fact the film has a distinct look about it which gives the impression of being much older. The best of the WW1 aviation genre for me and a treat to have these three great stars.

9/10

Saw this a couple of years ago and fully agree. I was very impressed by the battle sequences and the three leading men were ideal casting for their roles. It definitely gave Flynn a little more dramatic gristle than he was normally given in his various swashbuckling roles.

[Allaby]

Just finished watching the movie Death Rink on Amazon Prime. It's a "horror" movie about a killer targeting people who work at a roller rink. It was pretty bad. It took way too long to get to the action and the kill scenes were laughably bad. Literally. I actually laughed out loud at them. Performances were not very good and the dialogue was weak. The scariest thing about it is how bad it is. 1.5 is my rating.

[SpelingError]

26th Hall of Fame

Not Quite Hollywood (2008) - 4

My issue with some documentaries about movies is that they generally state info I already know about and am not interested in being reminded of, but fortunately, this documentary remained interesting by mentioning a ton of films I hadn't seen or heard of. Australia is a huge blindspot for me for cinema. I've seen a few classics (Mad Max, Walkabout, Wake in Fright) and a couple obscure films here and there, but there's also a bunch of films I haven't gotten around to yet.

This documentary is divided up into three parts (mostly) which explore three different types of genre films: sexploitation, horror, and action. Since I'm not an avid watcher of sexploitation films, most of the films listed in the first third didn't interest me that much, but I did enjoy listening to the commentary for those films, whether that may be the summaries the interviewees (directors, screenwriters, critics, etc.) gave on the various films or the insight from the actors and actresses who starred in those films. Outside of maybe a couple films, I'm probably not going to prioritize any of the movies mentioned in that segment, but the quality of the interviews made the first third a blast to watch.

The middle segment on horror films was easily my favorite part of the documentary. As an avid horror fan, most of the films listed in that segment interested me quite a lot in one way or another. Also, Tarantino's narration was definitely the main highlight of this section. Regardless of whether you can stand Tarantino or not, there's no denying that he loves cinema a whole lot and you could definitely get a sense of his profound interest in the genre during this third. Though I've only seen and heard of a couple horror films mentioned in the segment, I plan to watch them all eventually.

The final third on action films is probably the most interesting part of the documentary. Throughout this segment, we see many insane stunts (car crashes, people riding motorcycles off cliffs, etc.) and, while those stunts are impressive, they didn't always work out as planned. We learn that a few stunt actors involved in those stunts were either hospitalized or killed when those stunts backfired and this raises questions on whether Australia was going too far to create those movies. As a result, this segment becomes a cautionary tale that explores the darker side to the Australian New Wave.

Whether you're a fan of Australian film or not, Not Quite Hollywood proves to be an engaging, well-researched, and thought provoking breakdown of the country's output of film. Out of all the Australian movies mentioned in the documentary, I've seen Wake in Fright, Razorback, Howling III, Mad Max, and Rogue (Walkabout, which I mentioned at the start of this review, wasn't mentioned in the documentary). Wake in Fright and Mad Max are my favorites of this bunch, followed by Rogue.

[Gideon58]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjg1Y2M0MTQtNjAxMy00OWZjLTgzZDktMjhhNTJkNWE1ZDA3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDUyOTUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg


4

[Marco]

82066

After several attempts I was determined to finish this movie. Made it to the end, but my chief reaction was boredom. Leo very good, as per usual.

Ditto, this film bored the ar$e out of me. Only forced myself to finish it at the time as it was through Lovefilm.

[CringeFest]

Fantasy Island (2020)

7/10

[John W Constantine]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2Fb1%2F6y%2F5j%2Fne%2Fday%2520of%2520wrath-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D8684856419&f=1&nofb=1

Day of Wrath, 1943

Absalon (Thorkild Roose) is one of a panel of religious elders in a 16th century Norwegian village. When an elderly woman in the village named Herlofs Marte (Anna Svierkier) is accused of witchcraft, Absalon's much younger wife Anne (Lisbeth Movin) temporarily gives the woman shelter. As Herlofs Marta is tortured and draws closer to her execution, she begs Absalon to spare her life, as he spared the life of Anne's mother years before. Things get complicated as Anne begins to fall in love with Absalon's son, Martin (Preben Lerdorff Rye).

As much a horror film as it is a drama, this film takes an unflinching look at the cruel mechanisms of power in a community or society, as well as the hypocrisy of those who are given the power to speak with the authority of God.

One of the most shocking aspects of the film is the portrayal of the torture that Herlofs Marte endures as part of the religious "investigation." It basically involves dislocating her shoulders with a winch until she begs them to stop, giving a confession that is unconvincing and still laced with sincere denials. The real horror is that the men intend to execute her no matter what. There is no such thing as proving her innocence. They claim to want her soul to be pure, but in the end, they still intend a gruesome, cruel death for her.

Layered underneath the horror of the witch hunt is the story that is revealed about the history of Anne and Absalon's marriage. In bits and pieces we learn just how yucky the whole scenario is. Absalon is a good 45 years older than Anne, and as characters repeatedly say, he married her when she was a child. He spared the life of Anne's mother just so that he could marry her. When Anne asks him if he ever wondered if she loved him or wanted to be married, he bluntly and unapologetically answers that he never wondered or cared how she felt about the whole thing. Anne's attraction to Martin--the great sin---makes a ton of sense. He is actually her age (and the actors playing Anne and Martin were actually born the same year), and able to offer her physical comfort.

Something that I am still mulling over is the implication in the film that Anne may actually be a witch or have powers. We get a few hints through the film that witchcraft may actually be real---further than just the power of suggestion--and to me that does undercut part of the film's message a bit. I really liked a sequence later in the film where Anne interprets a supposedly tragic event as maybe being an act of God. Her conversation partner is slightly horrified, but I think that it really enforces the idea that God's intentions are so often just the reading of each human being and what they want to believe is true.

The stark black and white look of the film--only accentuated by the black and white clothing worn by the main characters--is both gorgeous and foreboding. There is great use of shadow, especially as certain characters will have darkness fall across them when asking or answering certain questions.

A really powerful, intense film.

4.5

Probably the last really great movie I watched. Loved it.

[StuSmallz]

Ditto, this film bored the ar$e out of me. Only forced myself to finish it at the time as it was through Lovefilm.Eh, that's too much negativity piling about Inception in here right now; I think I'll counter it by re-posting my old review of it:

https://i.ibb.co/MSLRnjd/intro-1588270731.jpg (https://ibb.co/3dH018K)

Your mind is the scene of the crime.

About every decade or so, it seems like a new Sci-Fi/Action-er comes out and completely captures the imaginations of both the critics and the general public alike; in the mid-80's, The Terminator shocked audiences everywhere with its dark, nightmarish visions of a post-apocalyptic future, and at the end of 90's, The Matrix amped up the genre with a blend of unbelievable cyber-punk action and basic (but still intriguing) philosophical musings. And so, in keeping with this tradition, we saw the release of Christopher Nolan's Inception upon the world at the turn of the previous decade, a sleek, thrilling puzzle box of a film, one that expertly utilizes visceral action to get audiences to more easily swallow its mind-bending Sci-Fi concepts, creating a great example of the disappointingly rare breed of original modern summer blockbusters (in more ways than one), and a fairly iconic entry in modern popular cinema to boot.

It tells the story of Cobb, an expert thief who specializes in corporate espionage, albeit, an extremely unusual form of it; you see, instead of stealing business strategies or product prototypes from rival corporations, he instead specializes in breaking into people's minds, utilizing his crack team of "extractors" to craft and ridiculously elaborate dreamworlds in order to decieve their targets, and abduct the innermost secrets from their very subconscious. But, when Cobb is hired not to steal an idea, but to plant one instead, inside the well-defended subconsciousness of a corporate heir in a seemingly impossible task known as "inception", he must assemble an elite team of mindthieves to create the ultimate dreamworld, an impossibly convoluted, labyrinthian realm of dreams within dreams within dreams, with an equally complex scheme to go along with it, all while the traumatic memory of his wife continues to haunt him, threatening to ruin the entire plan, and make him become lost for forever in an endless mental abyss, one where reality and fantasy cease to be seperate.

Explaining the story any further than that would surely spoil it (at least, more so than I usually care to in my reviews), and more importantly, would be very, very hard to do, not only because of the extensive number of moving parts in the movie's plot, but also just because of the endless rules that govern the film's various dreamscapes, which become ever more complicated as they're unwrapped bit by bit, with new wrinkles being added on top of old, and the multiple layers and threads of the dream converge in spectacular fashion. To be perfectly honest, it's fairly confusing at times, especially when Nolan unnecessarily rushes through explaining certain important details, but despite that, I still understood enough of the basic gist of what was happening to keep those momentary bits of confusion from ruining the film. And besides that, it's still fascinating material on the whole, as Nolan created a lovingly detailed, fully fleshed-out cinematic concept here, having a lot of fun with experimenting and playing around with the possibilities of the various guidelines he created for the dreamworld, which makes for some surreal imagery that's rather striking in its sheer impossiblity (the ways the various dream levels interact with each other makes for a particularly tour-de-force fight sequence in a hallway), and you can easily see every moment of the 8 years of painstaking development he put into the central idea.

And, despite other flaws such as the occasionally overlong fight scenes against the disposable mental "projections" of the film's main target, or occasionally turning its characters into robotic, emotionless exposition machines, Inception still excels by making us to care about the people within it, and getting us to be as lost within the dreamworlds, and just as unable to tell fantasy from reality as they are (which isn't entirely unexpected, seeing as over half the film takes place within one dream or another). During its most memorable moments, there's a raw, sincere undercurrent of emotion flowing through the film, as we witness the most secret, innermost pains and regrets of not just Cobb, but the other characters within it as well, and when they recieve their ultimate moments of emotional catharis or acceptance onscreen, we in the audience feel it just as much as they do.

Of course, most of the events that happen in Inception don't actually, er... really happen, at least not for real, but that's part of the point; often, our perceptions of reality matters just as much as reality itself, sometimes even more so, and it doesn't matter if something is "real" in the film or not if it feels real. Of course, you can say that about any movie out there that's not a documentary, but Inception really makes a point of exploring that point at length, creating a relatively original popcorn flick, not just in the sense that it isn't based on any existing property, or that it contains a fairly novel core concept, but also in the way that isn't afraid to challenge your basic perceptions of what reality really is, and make you think while you're being entertained. So, when it comes to Inception, just forget what you think is real, and get ready to go deeper into one of the best blockbusters of the 2010's.

Favorite Moment:

https://youtu.be/zI5ncQ9_wGs

Final Score: 8.5

[rambond]

Summer school (1987) 7.5/10

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/ToraToraTora1970.png
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18470590

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Wow. This was kind of great. A painful reminder of how wrong-headed historical war films are these days. Films like Pearl Harbor and Midway (2019). This puts more emphasis on diplomatic channels and chains of command - but when war erupts it's more spectacular because we're not getting computer graphics shoved up our posteriors. Instead, there are carefully worked out shots that give us a human view of what's going on. I haven't delved into this far enough to know how historically accurate it is, but it's well balanced, with American and Japanese sections directed by their own countries. Putting this on was a nice surprise.

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/4yKpV0mZ/onthe-waterfront.jpg
By Illustrator unknown. "Copyright 1954 – Columbia Pictures Corp.". - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85717194

On the Waterfront - (1954)

This is all about Marlon Brando's performance - without it you'd have a much more average film about underhanded power struggles and mob control of a waterfront work district. Everyone is afraid to stand up, for they get singled out and either killed or lose their job. It takes a young woman (Edie - played by Eva Marie Saint) and Priest Barry (Karl Malden) to convince ex-boxer Terry (played by Brando) to stand up for justice. His guilt over helping murder Edie's brother plays a pretty big role too. That speech in the cab, where Terry laments what could have been to a brother who betrayed him is a classic, and I found myself trying it out loud and became convinced that I could have been a contender.

9/10

https://i.postimg.cc/XvdjGkVh/some-like-it-hot.png
By Designed by Macario Gómez Quibus. "Copyright 1959 – United Artists Corp.". - Scan via LiveAbout. Cropped from original image., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85794299

Some Like it Hot - (1959)

And now for my dirty dirty secret. This is my second time around with this film, and I just don't get why it has the revered place it does in the pantheon of all films. It's a fine comedy - but I just don't love it with all my heart. I like it. It's okay. I just don't see it as brilliant. I just can't find it within myself to get into Marilyn Monroe comedies... I wish she'd played more serious parts.

7/10

[honeykid]

Some Like it Hot - (1959)

And now for my dirty dirty secret. This is my second time around with this film, and I just don't get why it has the revered place it does in the pantheon of all films.

Don't worry, I'm with you on this. It's depends on your POV whether that's a good thing or not. :D Not sure what I'd rate it, but without that last line, it'd be at least half a mark less.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://curzonblob.blob.core.windows.net/media/3187/songs-from-the-second-floor-01.jpg
Songs From The Second Floor (2000, Roy Andersson)
4.5
At first you might think this film is just nonsensical, with too much quirkiness for quirkiness' sake but, as you get settled into its rhythm and visual style, it starts to make more and more sense. Andersson's cinematic parable catches a glimpse of society on the brink of a collective mental malaise and disintegration, with scenes of near zombie-like half-insane people conversing against the backdrop of bleak urban landscapes. But it approaches it with a cold restraint and a dry, darkly comedic squint, rather than going into an all-out depressing or shocking assault on the senses. The immaculately composed long takes (all static, with not a close-up shot in sight) are used to great effect by Andersson in conveying the sense of stasis and mental decline that permeates this world. A uniquely bizarre, nihilistic but oddly hilarious look at the fundamental problems of human existence and civilization.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcloud.filmfed.com%2Fmovies%2Fimages%2Fl_6f3ee3ec-065c-4b29-b72d-6969121e6245.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Soldier, 1998

Set in the future, a group of soldiers are raised from babies to be the ultimate obedient killing machines. Todd (Kurt Russell) is the best of the best of these soldiers, but when a military leader (Jason Isaacs) introduces a new generation of super-soldiers, Todd finds himself discarded like trash on a random planet. Taken in by a band of outcasts and cared for by a couple, Mace and Sandra (Sean Pertwee and Connie Nielsen), Todd must figure out his place.

Listen, we've all seen this story a million times. A robotic, emotionless killer/soldier must learn to *tilts head to the side* . . . love?

It's all incredibly by the numbers. Todd silently takes in the affection between MAce and Sandra, and their child. He feels stirrings as he watches Sandra (in unsubtle close-ups) hang washing on a line. Gears turn in his head as locals give him a scarf as a thank you present. He gets triggered into PTSD as the locals yell and whirl at a dance. When the time comes, he shows off his strength and skills to a mixture of fear and awe.

But, I don't know, this film has a lot of people I'm happy to watch. Russell does a good job in the lead role, which doesn't ask a whole lot from him, but his chemistry with Pertwee, Nielsen, and Taylor Thorne (who plays the young child) is solid. Isaacs is suitably smarmy as the leader of the new soldiers.

What is kind of a let down is the action sequence in the final act, as the new soldiers come to kill the villagers. The action is just kind of a mess, and I had a bit of trouble fallowing what was happening. It was just a garble of darkly lit explosions and leaping bodies.

Very passable action elevated by a good cast. If I needed to put something on in the background while I vacuumed or something I could see rewatching this.

3.5

[LChimp]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_L8IWcXIAIkTZv.jpg:large

Interesting, but I think I was expecting too much out of it.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.flickreel.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F06%2FRocco-and-His-Brothers-Review-2048x1453.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Rocco and His Brothers, 1960

Under the watchful eye of their mother, Rosario (Katina Paxinou), the five Perondi brothers adapt to their new life in the city, having relocated from a more rural town after the death of their father. The main conflict of the film centers on Simone (Renato Salvatori) and Rocco (Alain Delon), who both fall in love with Nadia (Annie Giradot) to disastrous results.

For me, this film was a fascinating study in humanity, and specifically masculinity, with Rocco and Simone functioning as two extremes on the spectrum and Nadia serving as the vehicle for the expression of their personalities. Both brothers exist at a point approaching morbidity, and in their own way they do damage to those around them, especially Nadia.

Simone, with his brazen "lad" personality (he steals, and then tries to charm his way out of it), is probably what most people think of when they think of a destructive masculine character. Simone has the opportunity to pursue a boxing career, but he soon neglects his training, opting instead for smoking, drinking, and chasing Nadia. When things don't go right for Simone, his instinct is to blame and lash out at others. He takes no shame in bullying and dominating others, even if he has to take the cowardly approach of getting a gang of men to give him a total advantage. Simone, especially in the second half of the film, stalks through the scenes like a dangerous beast. It's his unpredictability that makes him so horrible, and the worse things get the more desperate he becomes.

But this film isn't just about an angry, bullying drunk who abuses others. It's also about Rocco, who in his own way does just as much damage. On the surface, Rocco is the "nice one". Ever self-sacrificing, Rocco is kind and has a gentleness that is very much at odds with Simone. Rocco constantly covers for his brother. He takes a job as a boxer, despite not even liking the sport all that much, because it helps to provide for the family. Two years after Simone and Nadia break up, he begins a relationship with her, and she understandably falls in love with him. With Delon's almost impossible good looks, Rocco, who one character calls "a saint", seems like the perfect man.

And yet.

There is a dark side to Rocco's "saintliness", a point where it trips over into something dark. In the beginning, Rocco's way of helping his brother already has unfortunate signs of enabling. Rather than help Simone, Rocco's interventions only allow his brother to continue his actions and become even bolder. There are two harrowing sequences in the film that involve Nadia. In one of those sequences, Simone gathers a group of men from his boxing circle and while his friends restrain Rocco, Simone pulls down a screaming Nadia and rapes her. While this is horrible and upsetting, the real kick in the gut comes later, when Rocco's take on the whole thing is that Nadia should go back to Simone, because his RAPE OF NADIA clearly shows that his feelings are really hurt and he must really love her. It's the soft-spoken language of empathy hiding a sentiment that is truly hideous. Rocco's reaction to a sequence that happens later in the film is similarly horrific, tucked behind the appearance of loyalty and understanding.

A trap that the film capably avoids is turning Nadia into a mere prize to be fought over by the brothers. Giradot's performance is incredibly emotional and shrewd. At times, Nadia makes decisions that on the face of it seem counter-intuitive. After Simone's attack on her and Rocco, Nadia goes back to Simone, but the contempt (for him and a bit for herself) bubbles and roils underneath the surface. She drinks to much, numbing herself to the way it has all gone wrong. In many moments, Nadia articulates the twisted and unhealthy relationship between the brothers. She is both witness and victim to their sick dynamic, and as other characters disparage her for being a prostitute, or blame her for "cursing" Simone, she can only laugh bitterly. She knows that there will be no justice for her, and so she must settle for taking a front-row seat to Simone's self-destruction.

The dark horse of the film, in terms of the drama, is the younger brother, Ciro (Max Cartier). Ciro watches the behavior of both of his brothers and realize that he must carve a different path for himself. Ciro is not willing to engage in the brutish behavior that defines Simone's actions, but nor is he willing to turn his back on brutal, cruel behavior in the name of sibling loyalty as Rocco does. Ironically, despite both Rocco and Simone professing love for Nadia, it is Ciro alone who in any way does what is right by her. Ciro's innocent, loving relationship with his fiance stands in stark contrast to the way that Nadia is treated by both Rocco and Simone. There is an older brother, Vincenzo (Spyros Fokas) of whom we see very little, but his stable life with his wife and child also stands in contrast to the actions of the middle brothers. With the family's father dead and gone, there is a vacuum for paternal authority. It is Vincenzo and Ciro who most embody any kind of benevolent authority.

Powerful stuff, with really beautiful black and white photography.

4.5

[Thief]

TRIANGLE
(2009, Smith)

https://i.imgur.com/HJD8MWv.jpg


"I'm sorry I'm acting weird. It's just I'm having deja vu every time I turn a corner."



Triangle follows Jess (Melissa George), a single mother that goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. When an unexpected storm capsizes their boat, they find an apparently derelict cruise ship only to find out that someone on board might be stalking them and killing them.

This is a film that was recommended by a couple of people, and what a nice surprise it was. Without trying to give too much away, Smith starts from an inventive script and uses deft direction to weave this story in a way that consistently makes you go "huh? what?" while also making you go "yeah, it figures!"

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2246363#post2246363)

[Takoma11]

TRIANGLE
(2009, Smith)

https://i.imgur.com/HJD8MWv.jpg




Triangle follows Jess (Melissa George), a single mother that goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. When an unexpected storm capsizes their boat, they find an apparently derelict cruise ship only to find out that someone on board might be stalking them and killing them.

This is a film that was recommended by a couple of people, and what a nice surprise it was. Without trying to give too much away, Smith starts from an inventive script and uses deft direction to weave this story in a way that consistently makes you go "huh? what?" while also making you go "yeah, it figures!"

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2246363#post2246363)

Triangle is SO GOOD! A great October film, and it's really rewarding on a rewatch.

[Thief]

Triangle is SO GOOD! A great October film, and it's really rewarding on a rewatch.

I have a tight schedule, but I'm actually thinking of rewatching it. I just can't shake it off my mind.

[Wooley]

TRIANGLE
(2009, Smith)

https://i.imgur.com/HJD8MWv.jpg




Triangle follows Jess (Melissa George), a single mother that goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. When an unexpected storm capsizes their boat, they find an apparently derelict cruise ship only to find out that someone on board might be stalking them and killing them.

This is a film that was recommended by a couple of people, and what a nice surprise it was. Without trying to give too much away, Smith starts from an inventive script and uses deft direction to weave this story in a way that consistently makes you go "huh? what?" while also making you go "yeah, it figures!"

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2246363#post2246363)

I had some issues with the way the movie ended (the same issues I had with Smith's subsequent film, Black Death), but mostly I really like this movie and recommend it often.

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.flickreel.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F06%2FRocco-and-His-Brothers-Review-2048x1453.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Rocco and His Brothers, 1960

4.5

That's one of my all-time favorites. This shot, in particular, is one of my favorite movie stills ever:82115

[SpelingError]

TRIANGLE
(2009, Smith)

https://i.imgur.com/HJD8MWv.jpg




Triangle follows Jess (Melissa George), a single mother that goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. When an unexpected storm capsizes their boat, they find an apparently derelict cruise ship only to find out that someone on board might be stalking them and killing them.

This is a film that was recommended by a couple of people, and what a nice surprise it was. Without trying to give too much away, Smith starts from an inventive script and uses deft direction to weave this story in a way that consistently makes you go "huh? what?" while also making you go "yeah, it figures!"

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2246363#post2246363)

Triangle is awesome. Glad you liked it!

[SpelingError]

26th Hall of Fame (REWATCH)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - 4.5

I've had my ups and downs with Dreyer over the years. I love Vampyr (I was initially mixed on it though), I like Ordet and Gertrud, but I'm not the biggest fan of Day of Wrath (I plan to revisit it soon though). The Passion of Joan of Arc, however, was (I think) the first movie I loved from him, so I was more than happy to revisit it for this thread. While Vampyr is still my favorite of Dreyer's films, this film is a close second. Dreyer nails certain aspects with such precision that this sometimes feels more like a horror movie than a drama (the torture chamber scene, in particular, made me feel sick). Falconetti's performance is definitely the main highlight of this film. When this film was in production, Dreyer filmed the same scenes multiple times, so he could pick the right facial expression for each one. His work clearly shows, because yes, the film contains a lot of repetition, but I think there's nuance to the repetition. Every shot of Falconetti seems meticulous and precise with showing the subtle differences in her reactions, detailing her slowly wavering faith as the film goes on. Overall, Falconetti gave a truly phenomenal performance and deserves all the praise she received. The camerawork also adds a lot to the film, specifically the way the close-ups were shot. The judges and the clergymen are shot in high contrast at low angles and are bathed in bright light. The lack of makeup reveals the cracks and crevices of their faces, making their appearances seem menacing. By contrast, Joan is filmed with softer grays, causing her to look powerless by comparison. Topped with Einhorn's evocative soundtrack (soundtracks in silent films can sometimes be mixed bags for me, but this film is an exception to that), this definitely deserves its reputation as a great film.

[Takoma11]

That's one of my all-time favorites. This shot, in particular, is one of my favorite movie stills ever:82115

It was hard picking an image to put at the top of the review. So many stills that capture the relationships in the film and their complexity, and just so many good looking shots.

[mark f]

Seance on a Wet Afternoon (Bryan Forbes, 1964) 3.5 7/10
Hustle Down (R. Ellis Frazier, 2021) 2 5/10
The Dark Tower (John Harlow, 1943) 2.5 5.5/10
Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1960) 3 6.5/10
https://pa1.narvii.com/6866/b8290bdc1d10d8ec08f9ddc167af9963d79fbf43r1-500-288_hq.gif
Edith Scob has a face but doesn't seem too happy about it.
American Night (Alessio Della Valle, 2021) 2 5/10
House of Wax (André De Toth, 1953) 3 6.5/10
Too Many Girls (George Abbott, 1940) 2.5 5.5/10
Come from Away (Christopher Ashley, 2021) 3.5 7/10
https://media3.giphy.com/media/dXcePjEBfjPBG5DUy2/giphy.gif
Enthusiastic musical about what happened in a small Newfoundland town on 9/11.
The Limping Man (Cy Endfield, 1953) 2.5 5.5/10
Two Gods (Zeshawn Ali, 2020) 3 6.5/10
Cast a Dark Shadow (Lewis Gilbert, 1955) 2.5+ 6/10
The Trip (Tommy Wirkola, 2021) 3.5 7/10
https://ic-cdn.flipboard.com/cnet.com/9c1dd49e98edb587702377f300e5dd545251715c/_medium.jpeg
When married couple Aksel Hennie and Noomi Rapace go to a remote cabin, ostensibly to kill each other, all hell breaks loose when they encounter some escaped convicts there. Just sit back and enjoy the craziness if you can handle the gore.
Copshop (Joe Carnahan, 2021) 2.5 6/10
River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986) 3 6.5/10
Dear Evan Hansen (Stephen Chbosky, 2021) 2.5 6/10
I'm Your Man (Maria Schrader, 2021) 3.5 7/10
https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/6e87768284e6e18f89b0076765ca10a2d70c81efd50e1065cb80ed7e30cc5c0a-rimg-w526-h296-gmir.jpg?v=1627196916
Robot Dan Stevens is studied by research scientist Maren Eggert to see if he could be a good life partner. Much more affecting than other such films. One of the better romances of recent years.
Halloween Kills (David Gordon Green, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Over the Edge (Jonathan Kaplan, 1979) 3 6.5/10
The Third Key AKA The Long Arm (Charles Frend, 1956) 2.5 6/10
The Velvet Underground (Todd Haynes, 2021) 3.5 7+/10
https://media2.giphy.com/media/BPMlt8KzpK7aU/giphy.gif
Stylistic, incredibly-detailed doc tells a complex story of the band, including the NYC art scene, their multimedia shows, Andy Warhol, Nico, Mary Woronov, Jonas Mekas, their hatred of hippies and their seeming attempt to fail commercially.

[Wooley]

26th Hall of Fame (REWATCH)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - 4.5

I've had my ups and downs with Dreyer over the years. I love Vampyr (I was initially mixed on it though), I like Ordet and Gertrud, but I'm not the biggest fan of Day of Wrath (I plan to revisit it soon though). The Passion of Joan of Arc, however, was (I think) the first movie I loved from him, so I was more than happy to revisit it for this thread. While Vampyr is still my favorite of Dreyer's films, this film is a close second. Dreyer nails certain aspects with such precision that this sometimes feels more like a horror movie than a drama (the torture chamber scene, in particular, made me feel sick). Falconetti's performance is definitely the main highlight of this film. When this film was in production, Dreyer filmed the same scenes multiple times, so he could pick the right facial expression for each one. His work clearly shows, because yes, the film contains a lot of repetition, but I think there's nuance to the repetition. Every shot of Falconetti seems meticulous and precise with showing the subtle differences in her reactions, detailing her slowly wavering faith as the film goes on. Overall, Falconetti gave a truly phenomenal performance and deserves all the praise she received. The camerawork also adds a lot to the film, specifically the way the close-ups were shot. The judges and the clergymen are shot in high contrast at low angles and are bathed in bright light. The lack of makeup reveals the cracks and crevices of their faces, making their appearances seem menacing. By contrast, Joan is filmed with softer grays, causing her to look powerless by comparison. Topped with Einhorn's evocative soundtrack (soundtracks in silent films can sometimes be mixed bags for me, but this film is an exception to that), this definitely deserves its reputation as a great film.

Saw this earlier this year and was fairly blown-away.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffilmmakermagazine.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2Flacollectioneuse.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

La Collectioneuse, 1967

A young art dealer named Adrien (Patrick Bauchau) is delighted when he learns that he will be spending several weeks without his fiance at a lovely seaside home with his friend Daniel (Daniel Pommereulle). But arriving at the home, he learns that there is another resident, a young woman named Haydee (Haydee Politoff) who was seduced by the man who owns the home and has now taken up residence and spends her days seducing various men. Put off by her ways as a "collector," Daniel and Adrien decide that they will steer her affections for their own amusement.

This film is absolutely delightful to look at. I was really shocked to read that it was made on a shoestring budget and with very little equipment, because the whole thing just looks so dang good. The way that the characters are arranged in the frame, and the way that there is an alternation between lovely long shots and gorgeously arranged close-ups.

From a thematic point of view, the film is also rather engaging. There is the obvious hypocrisy that Daniel and Adrien are both, themselves, womanizers who sleep around quite a bit. And at the same time they are "morally" repulsed by Haydee sleeping with various men. They constantly refer to her as being a "whore" and a "slut" and with zero sense of self-awareness will then steer the conversation into one about their own conquests.

But deeper than this surface theme of hypocrisy is a sadder note about the way that it becomes harder to connect with others when one takes a cynical, transactional approach to love and sex. The film is narrated by Adrien, who enthuses at the beginning that he's going to swim every day at dawn and get himself together. Yet he quickly turns to being slightly obsessed with Haydee, not necessarily to sleep with her, but to be in control of her and understand her. He constantly posits theories for her different actions, and the three young people in the house are so fixated on performing for each other that all they end up doing is driving a wedge between themselves.

What kept me from really loving this film was simply that I didn't enjoy the characters at quite a few points. Now, obviously the film is aware that they are self-centered young people. But even at times that you were clearly meant to find the characters charming or understand their attraction, they were kind of off-putting. In one scene where we're supposed to be understanding why Haydee is so sexy we see her . . . throwing rocks at chickens? And laughing when she hits them? With a camera that takes plenty of time to appreciate both Adrien and Haydee in their bathing outfits, there's no doubt that these are sexy young people. But in moments that were meant to be charming I sometimes thought they came off more insufferable.

On the strength of the visuals alone, however, this is worth recommending. And despite the characters being self-centered goobers, the performances are also very strong.

4

[Jinnistan]

This film is absolutely delightful to look at.
The immortal Nestor Almendros.

[GulfportDoc]

Eh, that's too much negativity piling about Inception in here right now; I think I'll counter it by re-posting my old review of it:

https://i.ibb.co/MSLRnjd/intro-1588270731.jpg (https://ibb.co/3dH018K)

Your mind is the scene of the crime.

Final Score: 8.5

VERY nice review! And I agree that Inception is a great film, both unique and refreshing in 2010.

[LChimp]

https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CryMacho-1500x2124.jpg

Pretty straight forward, no plot twists, no mind bending dialogues. Plain and simple

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjaponsinemasi.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F04%2FGoke-Body-Snatcher-From-Hell.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, 1968

A plane carrying a handful of passengers runs into a strange light and crash lands in the wilderness. Very soon thereafter, a strange substance possesses the body of one of the passengers. The group debates what to do as it becomes clear that there is a menace among them.

This was an interesting horror with some really cool imagery. It's also very political in a way that is both specific to the region and in a broader sense.

The strength of the film is in the way that it evokes the claustrophobia of the airplane interior and yet contrasts that with a sort of agoraphobia that comes with the outside. While the scares are rather few and far between, the arguing between the characters slowly builds a sense of doom. They cannot even unite to help each other and make decisions, what hope is there in the broader sense?

The film's politics are also very blunt. One character talks about what life has been like in Japan ever since the dropping of the atomic bomb, something all of the actors in this film would have experienced in their lifetime. One of the characters is an American woman who has been traumatized by the death of her husband in Vietnam. Several times it is mentioned by the characters that the endless wars and division make our planet and humanity vulnerable. The film several times incorporates real photographs and images from the second World War and from Vietnam. It's a case of building sci-fi horror on real horror, and I thought it was effective.

The visuals are also very strong, though I would have liked a few more scary sequences. The horror parts are effective, but they run a little few and far between. There is a lot of runtime spent on arguments and conversations, and some of them do begin to feel a bit redundant. The characters also lack distinction and I would have liked more character development.

Worth checking out if you're a horror fan, but might not be of too much interest if you aren't.

3.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.yts.mx%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fmovies%2FJodorowskys_Dune_2013%2Flarge-screenshot3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Jodorowsky's Dune, 2013

In the mid-1970s, following the artistic and commercial success of El Topo and Holy Mountain, Alejandro Jodorowsky was offered the chance to make something big and bold, and he decided to try to adapt the novel Dune to film. Gathering a tremendous amount of talent around him, the team developed a tremendous artistic vision before running into funding issues with the major studios.

This documentary is a mix of interviews with the creative group that worked on developing Jodorowsky's Dune and interviews with other filmmakers and film critics who provide context for the significance of Jodorowsky's film and the process of trying to get it made. This includes archived interview footage from Dan O'Bannon, who was to collaborate on the world-building and effects of the film.

The most striking thing about this film is just the amount of innovation that went into the vision for this movie that never got made. This includes a pre-Alien HR Giger, as well as the fact that Salvador Dali was meant to play a role.

Jodorowsky, in this documentary, really comes off as exactly the sort of eccentric genius you'd expect from someone who made the films he has. He has an unrelenting confidence and sense of vision, and a drive to make things happen. At times, of course, this can feel a bit much, such as when it's revealed that after he decided his son, Brontis, would play Paul in the film, he hired Jean-Pierre Vignau to train Brontis in martial arts combat. The kid was 12 at the time. (Brontis, having had 40-some years to get used to being Jodorowsky's child, recounts this all with a pretty even keel).

The story in this documentary makes for such a fascinating "what if?". Jodorowsky's vision was, at the time, something really different for big-budget sci-fi. It is at once depressing and yet completely understandable that he could not find funding for what would have been a major investment. The creative team put together incredibly detailed storyboards, down to the angles and movements of the camera, and so the film sits, right there. Jodorowsky suggests that someday someone might take the storyboards and make an animated version of his film. Multiple interviewees speculate on what it must be like to have a creative project come so close to fruition and then go un-finished.

There were only two parts of this documentary that made me a bit uncomfortable. One was the amount of time that we spend with Richard Stanley, who is a talented filmmaker to be sure, but the details of his alleged abuse of his romantic partners is still kind of fresh in my mind and it was all I could think about when he was talking. The other thing that was very um, WHAT was a very unfortunate analogy from Jodorowsky about the creative process and how it's like marriage where you have to "rape the bride or else you won't get a child" and included the phrase "it was rape, but with love. With love." No, friend. No. I can think of about a billion ways to explain the idea of not adapting a book with fidelity that don't include the idea of sexually assaulting your spouse.

A few hiccups aside, this was a very engaging documentary and a really fun insight into a creative, outlandish artist.

4

[StuSmallz]

VERY nice review! And I agree that Inception is a great film, both unique and refreshing in 2010.Thank you, Gulf!

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjaponsinemasi.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F04%2FGoke-Body-Snatcher-From-Hell.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, 1968

A plane carrying a handful of passengers runs into a strange light and crash lands in the wilderness. Very soon thereafter, a strange substance possesses the body of one of the passengers. The group debates what to do as it becomes clear that there is a menace among them.

This was an interesting horror with some really cool imagery. It's also very political in a way that is both specific to the region and in a broader sense.

The strength of the film is in the way that it evokes the claustrophobia of the airplane interior and yet contrasts that with a sort of agoraphobia that comes with the outside. While the scares are rather few and far between, the arguing between the characters slowly builds a sense of doom. They cannot even unite to help each other and make decisions, what hope is there in the broader sense?

The film's politics are also very blunt. One character talks about what life has been like in Japan ever since the dropping of the atomic bomb, something all of the actors in this film would have experienced in their lifetime. One of the characters is an American woman who has been traumatized by the death of her husband in Vietnam. Several times it is mentioned by the characters that the endless wars and division make our planet and humanity vulnerable. The film several times incorporates real photographs and images from the second World War and from Vietnam. It's a case of building sci-fi horror on real horror, and I thought it was effective.

The visuals are also very strong, though I would have liked a few more scary sequences. The horror parts are effective, but they run a little few and far between. There is a lot of runtime spent on arguments and conversations, and some of them do begin to feel a bit redundant. The characters also lack distinction and I would have liked more character development.

Worth checking out if you're a horror fan, but might not be of too much interest if you aren't.

3.5

Good film.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Into_the_Wild_%282007_film_poster%29.png
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59040893

Into the Wild - (2007)

Racing to catch up with a few 2000s films that might vie for a vote or two in the 2000s countdown - I was interested in this because I knew a little bit about the true story of Christopher McCandless, who hiked off into the wilderness, intent to survive on the land.

Photos and messages told those who found his body what he'd been through and what had brought him undone.

There's a good balance between a very fair-minded, non-materialistic young guy travelling across America finding himself and the World - and that of a guy trying to survive far from any human habitation. Some narration is provided by his sister Carine (Jena Malone) along with great small roles for the likes of Vince Vaughn, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook, Zach Galifianakis and Catherine Keener. Makes you question your own principles, and think about how you raise your kids. Really good, but probably not gonna make my ballot.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Small_soldiers_movie_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6297528

Small Soldiers - (1998)

If you have a feel for Joe Dante kids & adults comedic movies - the ones were Dick Miller will show up and a small suburb will end up in ruins - then you'll know exactly what to expect here. I was too old to really get swept up in this one when it was released, so I haven't seen it before now. I'm surprised computer graphics were that advanced back then, and that kids were already using the term "phat". Otherwise, this was kind of an updated Gremlins, with artificially intelligent toys taking the place of those monsters. Not terribly original, but it has enough polish and cute stuff to get a pass.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/John_Wick_TeaserPoster.jpg
By http://www.comingsoon.net/gallery/104656/hr_John_Wick_4.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43794846

John Wick - (2014)

The first time I've really sat down and watched this. Ultra-violent, it's something like a movie version of the game Hotline Miami - not to be taken too seriously. Wonderfully choreographed, and awfully stylish. For what it is, it gets top marks. If you don't like wall-to-wall death, shooting and stabbing leave it on the shelf. There are no musical numbers, love, conversations, deeper meaning or anything other than death really. But I still thought it was awesome.

8/10

[ScarletLion]

'Titane' (2021)

https://resize-media.festival-cannes.com/fit-in/2560x1620/media_image/0002/66/fbc9a170d741ca791f8e563812162204c16b8b80.jpeg


What an experience that was. To see it in a theatre was spellbinding. Unforgettable images which seem to focus on gender roles, post traumatic stress, abuse recovery and paternity. Had a few walkouts in the cinema, people couldn't handle the intensity maybe?

Some of the images will be lodged in my head for a long time, and what an extraordinary performance from Agathe Rouselle as a dancer who goes on the run after a crime spree.

There are echoes of Cronenberg's Crash, Arronofsky's Mother! and even Carpenter's Christine, but Ducournau's follow up to 'Raw' film is very much it's own twisted thing.

4

[Jinnistan]

I'm Your Man (Maria Schrader, 2021) rating_3_5 7/10

One of the better romances of recent years.



How does it compare to Making Mr. Right of yore?

[CringeFest]

Fantasy Island (2020)

8/10

Kinda funny and an interesting moral.

[this_is_the_ girl]

TRIANGLE
(2009, Smith)

https://i.imgur.com/HJD8MWv.jpg




Triangle follows Jess (Melissa George), a single mother that goes on a boat trip with a group of friends. When an unexpected storm capsizes their boat, they find an apparently derelict cruise ship only to find out that someone on board might be stalking them and killing them.

This is a film that was recommended by a couple of people, and what a nice surprise it was. Without trying to give too much away, Smith starts from an inventive script and uses deft direction to weave this story in a way that consistently makes you go "huh? what?" while also making you go "yeah, it figures!"

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2246363#post2246363)
One of the better movies of its kind out there.
Loved it.

[mark f]

I'm Your Man (Maria Schrader, 2021) 3.5 7/10
Robot Dan Stevens is studied by research scientist Maren Eggert to see if he could be a good life partner. Much more affecting than other such films. One of the better romances of recent years.
How does it compare to Making Mr. Right of yore?
Similar in many ways but more effective to me overall. I do enjoy Making Mr. Right quite a bit but this hit me harder at first blush. Maybe because I like Maren Eggert so much combined with Dan Stevens' charm here.

[Ultraman BLACK]

https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/619778/movieposter/malignant-61405e15b5e06.jpg
2
My friend showed up and chose this movie for us. I was bored to death when I saw the poster/title. As soon as the movie started, I realized it was the new James Wan movie. The funny thing is that during the movie, I was more entertained than my friend. She was annoyed: "the acting and the cliches throughout the plot are so bad" — but I believe Wan deliberately made use of the cliches, as for acting, there's a certain old tradition of lingering screams + close up, typical of the Italian horrors. If from the beginning I had warned her that this was not going to be a serious movie (from the beginning Wan flirts with the humor genre), maybe she would have been more entertained. Anyway, I find it interesting how Wan conducts his films, the man clearly understands his audience, I notice that even though I'm not one of them...

https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/615457/movieposter/nobody-5fdcd3b081766.jpg
Vulgar Display of Power
3
A film that knows exactly what it wants to be, and boy, it delivers!

[Stirchley]

82150

For some reason, never seen this rather good movie. Love ensemble casts.

82151

Fluffy French nonsense, but made charming by the two leads. Re-watch.

[Marco]

Luce (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Luce_film_poster.jpg
This was well shot and well acted but so tippy-toey around the themes it wanted to project.
It just came out as a melodrama and even that was unsatisfying.

2

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmE0MGJhNmYtOWNjYi00Njc5LWE2YjEtMWMxZTVmODUwMmMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg



4

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simbasible.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2F2-16.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
The Cremator (1969, Juraj Herz)
4.5

What struck me the most about this film, aside from the absolutely chilling subject-matter, was its gorgeous black-and-white visuals — almost every second of it had something interesting or inventive going on in terms of cinematography and editing. Must watch.

[Stirchley]

Luce (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Luce_film_poster.jpg
This was well shot and well acted but so tippy-toey around the themes it wanted to project.
It just came out as a melodrama and even that was unsatisfying.

2

I bailed out fairly soon.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simbasible.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2F2-16.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
The Cremator (1969, Juraj Herz)
4.5

What struck me the most about this film, aside from the absolutely chilling subject-matter, was its gorgeous black-and-white visuals — almost every second of it had something interesting or inventive going on in terms of cinematography and editing. Must watch.

It's a great looking, very creepy film.

[Thief]

Luce (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Luce_film_poster.jpg
This was well shot and well acted but so tippy-toey around the themes it wanted to project.
It just came out as a melodrama and even that was unsatisfying.

2

I bailed out fairly soon.

Wow, I really loved this. I thought it was quite powerful and thought-provoking, and managed to avoid melodrama by having a rather ambiguous and gray ending. Diff'rent strokes, I guess.

[Allaby]

Watched the new Slumber Party Massacre (2021). It was a lot of fun. It pays homage to the original while also subverting expectations and putting their own spin on the story. One of the better horror remakes of the past several years. 4

[edarsenal]

http://www.cia.edu/files/cinematheques/films/detail/casquedor3.jpg
https://bamlive.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/program_slide/s3/Becker_Casque-dOR_003.jpg?itok=3X_l9TNH

Casque d'Or (1952) 4+++ Considered to be one of Director/Writer Jacques Becker's best films and his personal favorite, is based on an occurrence in the late 1890s when a couple of gangsters fall for the same prostitute and violence results.

This is my second Becker film. The first was Le Trou (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/?ref_=tt_sims_tt_t_2) and, in a very similar vein, there is an authenticity, a pervasive realness to it all. And for a Period Piece, that is a pretty d@mn impressive accomplishment to NOT have things appear to be merely replication, the characters behaving in a more theatrical mode than real people.
The locations, clothing -- everything, has a practical, worn, look and feel. They are not items on use from an obliging museum. Nor are the people glamorized renditions, but have that same look and feel. They "fit" the times.
That is not to say that there isn't a certain "production" to the storyline, there are some familiar aspects to this old story of Men Fighting/and worse for the Love of one Intoxicating Woman.
Becker keeps it all very grounded.

Simone Signoret is the star of this tragedy ignited by love and passion. And let me tell ya, she is no shy flower. Or a femme fatale. Or giggling seductress. Strong, independent, with just as much grit as the dangerous men infatuated with her. Simone does an exemplar job with all the depth and nuance in just a tight-lipped smile of a woman who is a force of nature.
She reigns as that pivotal force that drives the story and those caught up in it, to its spiraling conclusion. Where even she can stop neither the spiral nor its finale.

[Fabulous]

Stay (2005)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8sfIJ50j2fi9b5bP1drCKijPdLb.jpg

[LChimp]

https://jovemnerd.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Candyman-0.jpg

A lot less graphical than I was expecting, most deaths occur off-screen. Good movie, not great, but entertaining.

[Marco]

Them That Follow (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/Them_That_Follow_poster.jpg
Appalachian "sect" whose leader uses snakes as the power of, well, everything. It's a bit soapy concerning the preachers girl and a fair bit predictable but still watchable.

2.5

[Gideon58]

https://www.pastposters.com/cw3/assets/product_expanded/JamieF-WH/snoopy-come-home-cinema-quad-movie-poster-(1).jpg


4

[edarsenal]

Let me tell ya about this lovely old couple out in Tigreville, on the northern-west coast of France.
http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/32/50/73/20160418/ob_d02ae2_un-singe-en-hiver-26.jpg
Un singe en hiver aka A Monkey in Winter (1962) 4

Lovely, lovely couple. Truly. Victoria (Gabrielle Dorziat), a wonderful woman. But she worries, deeply, about her good husband, Albert (Jean Gabin).
Now, they own this hotel in town, kitty-corner from this bar. Just off the beach. And this is where I heard this from, since the bar owner knew them, during the war.
Him and Albert drank together back then. Heavily. Albert was a naval man in the far Pacific when he was a young man. Mayhem commenced when Albert drank.
Well, at the end of the war, with the Allies bombing the coast, pushing the Germans inland; Victoria could no longer deal with the greater commotion he caused on his own when he drank.
He made a promise, if they lived through the bombing, he'd give up drinking.
And he hasn't drank since.
It's been fifteen years since then.
There's this French bulfighter by the name of Gabriel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), came into town for a few days. He drinks. Heavily. And Mayhem happens.
He's rented a room at their place.

That promise?


It's gone in the f@ckin sh#tter.

https://i.makeagif.com/media/1-22-2016/qpTZwh.gif

They drank. F@ckin heavily.
https://64.media.tumblr.com/dfa811f50182b9269a00f49271e0502f/tumblr_p2fskzMDMy1sw3aizo1_400.gifv


And THEN. . . they got their hands on some fireworks. (f@ck me)

http://ekladata.com/Qyh2nPQjOnvC8oc_IVgfp1OOMXo.jpg

Director Henri Verneuil utilizes the changing of the old and the new guard of French actors, Gabin and Belmondo, nailing it, as two bombastic drunks in this very well filmed dramedy. The chemistry is ideal, playing perfectly off each other's persona. The script gives both men some juicy fodder to let loose to, in both escapades AND emotional storylines.
This French dramedy from '62 is done exceedingly well on all fronts and on all cylinders.

And should you be in such a mood, I truly do recommend this.

[Citizen Rules]

Let me tell ya about this lovely old couple out in Tigreville, on the northern-west coast of France.
http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/32/50/73/20160418/ob_d02ae2_un-singe-en-hiver-26.jpg
Un singe en hiver aka A Monkey in Winter (1962) rating_4

Lovely, lovely couple. Truly. Victoria (Gabrielle Dorziat), a wonderful woman. But she worries, deeply, about her good husband, Albert (Jean Gabin).
Now, they own this hotel in town, kitty-corner from this bar. Just off the beach. And this is where I heard this from, since the bar owner knew them, during the war.
Him and Albert drank together back then. Heavily. Albert was a naval man in the far Pacific when he was a young man. Mayhem commenced when Albert drank.
Well, at the end of the war, with the Allies bombing the coast, pushing the Germans inland; Victoria could no longer deal with the greater commotion he caused on his own when he drank.
He made a promise, if they lived through the bombing, he'd give up drinking.
And he hasn't drank since.
It's been fifteen years since then.
There's this French bulfighter by the name of Gabriel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), came into town for a few days. He drinks. Heavily. And Mayhem happens.
He's rented a room at their place.

That promise?


It's gone in the f@ckin sh#tter.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DishonestVioletCavy-size_restricted.gif

They drank. F@ckin heavily.
https://64.media.tumblr.com/dfa811f50182b9269a00f49271e0502f/tumblr_p2fskzMDMy1sw3aizo1_400.gifv


And THEN. . . they got their hands on some fireworks. (f@ck me)

http://ekladata.com/Qyh2nPQjOnvC8oc_IVgfp1OOMXo.jpg

Director Henri Verneuil utilizes the changing of the old and the new guard of French actors, Gabin and Belmondo, nailing it, as two bombastic drunks in this very well filmed dramedy. The chemistry is ideal, playing perfectly off each other's persona. The script gives both men some juicy fodder to let loose to, in both escapades AND emotional storylines.
This French dramedy from '62 is done exceedingly well on all fronts and on all cylinders.

And should you be in such a mood, I truly do recommend this.Maybe one of the last couple of films you posted here might show up in a future HoF:yup:

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.blog.hu%2Fsm%2Fsmokingbarrels%2Fimage%2Fsleepwalker.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Sleepwalker, 2017

Sarah (Ahna O'Reilly) has returned to graduate school after the tragic suicide of her husband. But Sarah soon finds herself experiencing a range of sleep issues, including sleepwalking and recurring nightmares. Seeking help from a sleep clinic overseen by Dr. White (Richard Armitage), Sarah's world begins to take several surreal turns and she starts to question her own sanity.

This film is a textbook mediocre thriller-horror, with a handful of nice touches.

On the good side, some of the nightmare sequences (including one in which Sarah is trapped in some sort of . . . cling wrap spider web??) are atmospheric. I really enjoyed Izabella Scorupco in a secondary role as a psychiatrist who initially refers Sarah to the sleep clinic and who reappears in a few sequences. Overall the film is mildly plagued by characters who we are meant to find suspicious, and her character seems refreshingly straight-forward on this front. She's also written pretty well, and as a mental health professional many of the things she says and does feel real.

Not so much the character of Dr White, who is the kind of movie doctor who doesn't really think that hard about whether or not it's appropriate to sleep with a patient. He belongs to the group of characters in the film who are meant to be ambiguous, and overall the dynamic between him and Sarah just didn't work for me. It's an awkward mix of thrills and romance, and neither are all that convincing.

Plot-wise, this is one of those films where weird stuff happens for 90 minutes, then it's all explained at the end. And once it's explained . . . eh. Certain things that happened earlier in the film just didn't totally make sense with what we learn. Neither Sarah's character arc nor her relationship with Dr White go anywhere all that interesting. Armitage, who I have liked in plenty of other films, doesn't do much more than offer up bland charisma. O'Reilly is good in her role, but the writing constantly just calls for her to be confused and upset. The film ends on a note that is meant to be upsetting, and it is, but it isn't the good kind of upsetting.

Skippable, but not awful.

3

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/La_Dolce_Vita_%281960_film%29_coverart.jpg
By FilmAffinity, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6706117

La Dolce Vita - (1960)

With the help of La Dolce Vita I think I'm finally starting to understand films like The Rules of the Game. Here is an examination of a wealthy section of society that aspires to nothing more than pleasure in the moment, and completely rejects anything deeper than booze and sex, along with a certain joy in being cruel. Scams are given applause, and philosophy condemnation, because scams work and make these people happy while the lone philosopher in this movie is miserable. In this film we witness the fall of gossip columnist Marcello (who is teetering on a pretty low precipice to start with) - he has the potential to be something more, but is seduced and easily corrupted. There's something child-like about him. The film is rich with symbolism (I'd heard about that opening statue scene - "It's Jesus!") I liked the bookends - where Marcello simply cannot hear. You sense a deep well of contempt in Fellini for the people in his life who inspired this particular film.

It's hard to hate any individual in this, but when lumped together these people have the knack of turning something beautiful into something ugly. I find myself wondering what Fellini would make of today's elite.

I already have the urge to examine this film further...

8.5/10

Foreign language hall of fame films seen : 49/100

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/Across_the_universe_%282007_film%29_poster.jpg
By impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11790072

Across the Universe - (2007)

Constructing a movie around Beatles songs is pretty risky business. Just look at 1978s Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - it's like a grotesque creature. Across the Universe started pretty badly for me, rendering a lot of songs that originally had a very fast tempo into quavering meditations on pitch control - the kind of singing I hate. When characters such as Jude, Prudence, Sadie and Lucy are introduced I feel like cringing, because their songs are being telegraphed a mile away. But as this film got to it's last third, and the climax of the story hit crisis after crisis, I felt the songs were finally making use of their inspirational quality to help give a sense of something serious. I actually found myself liking the film a lot more - which I have to admit, visually, is pretty easy on the eyes. So there you go, not bad in the end.

7/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moma.org%2Fd%2Fassets%2FW1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDgvMDQvM2IxN2N0MmlicF9EZWFkX0VuZF8xOTM 3XzUuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1yZXNpemUgMTAyNHgxMDI0XHUwMDNlIl1d%2FDead_End_1937_5.jpg%3Fsha%3D 14bcf5773440d8fa&f=1&nofb=1

Dead End, 1937

Tensions are rife in a New York slum, as fancy riverside apartments have just gone up literally looking down on the impoverished people living there. Drina (Sylvia Sidney) is part of a labor strike, and is fighting to keep her little brother, Tommy (Billy Halop) from getting in too deep with the local street gang. Drina also has a complicated relationship with childhood crush Dave (Joel McCrea), a man who grew up with her in the slum and is trying to make an honest living of things. Adding to the already simmering tension is the return of locally infamous bad boy and killer, Baby Face Martin (Humphrey Bogart), on the run from the cops.

Well this was a real surprise! The cover on the streaming site made this look like kind of a cheap 30s potboiler drama. Yet the film, adapted from the stage play by Lillian Hellman and directed by William Wyler, is a complex look at the damaging social gaps between the rich and the poor and the cycle of violence and poverty that plagues so many from even a young age.

This is honestly the type of storytelling that I associate more with modern films: several different subplots taking place at the same time, all overlapping and intersecting with each other. Between Dave, Baby Face Martin, and Tommy, ideas about what it means to be a "real man" and to have a code of honor get a real workout.

The film starkly and brutally portrays the violence and desperation of the people living in the slum. Drina is a polite, honest, sweet person, and she several times mentions what it's like being on the picket line, including watching a police officer punch one of the protesting women in the face. The street gang makes a habit of violence, their cynicism about authority making them mostly immune to any correction, aside from a baseline fear of the police and reform school.

Despite the fact that he's a murderer, and a ruthless one at that, Baby Face Martin's story is also tinged with tragedy. When he goes to see his mother, she bitterly and with a stunned, detached air, asks why he couldn't have left her alone to forget him. When he later catches up with a former flame, Francey (Claire Trevor), he finds that she has become a prostitute and is suffering from an STI. He asks why she didn't "wait for me, or starve first." She can only shrug.

Finally, the film has an interesting commentary on the way that the behaviors of the depraved are at once feared and glamorized. Baby Face Martin is, in many ways, treated as a local celebrity. When certain exploits from the slum make the newspaper, the story is filled with romantic (and false) touches. The local boys incredulously read the story, wondering aloud at all of the falsehoods and the lurid picture it paints of their neighborhood.

Significantly, the boys in the local gang are not all that sympathetic. They are rude and violent. They are whiny and sarcastic. In one sequence, they lay a trap for a wealthy boy who lives in the apartment, violently jumping him, beating him, and stealing his things. But they are victims of the aggrandizing of people like Baby Face. With little or no prospects for a successful honest life, the best they can hope for is to be the top of the heap on the street. As Drina and Dave, Sidney and McCrea walk a fine line as the two adults who understand the boys and want to protect them, and yet are frustrated by the violent path that the boys are walking down.

Complex and harrowing, I would highly recommend this one.

4.5

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moma.org%2Fd%2Fassets%2FW1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDgvMDQvM2IxN2N0MmlicF9EZWFkX0VuZF8xOTM 3XzUuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1yZXNpemUgMTAyNHgxMDI0XHUwMDNlIl1d%2FDead_End_1937_5.jpg%3Fsha%3D 14bcf5773440d8fa&f=1&nofb=1

Dead End, 1937

Complex and harrowing, I would highly recommend this one.

4.5

What streaming service did you find it on?

[Takoma11]

What streaming service did you find it on?

I watched it on Amazon Prime, though I see it's also on Tubi and Kanopy.

[edarsenal]

Maybe one of the last couple of films you posted here might show up in a future HoF:yup:

I know exactly what you mean

[edarsenal]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/La_Dolce_Vita_%281960_film%29_coverart.jpg
By FilmAffinity, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6706117

La Dolce Vita - (1960)

With the help of La Dolce Vita I think I'm finally starting to understand films like The Rules of the Game. Here is an examination of a wealthy section of society that aspires to nothing more than pleasure in the moment, and completely rejects anything deeper than booze and sex, along with a certain joy in being cruel. Scams are given applause, and philosophy condemnation, because scams work and make these people happy while the lone philosopher in this movie is miserable. In this film we witness the fall of gossip columnist Marcello (who is teetering on a pretty low precipice to start with) - he has the potential to be something more, but is seduced and easily corrupted. There's something child-like about him. The film is rich with symbolism (I'd heard about that opening statue scene - "It's Jesus!") I liked the bookends - where Marcello simply cannot hear. You sense a deep well of contempt in Fellini for the people in his life who inspired this particular film.

It's hard to hate any individual in this, but when lumped together these people have the knack of turning something beautiful into something ugly. I find myself wondering what Fellini would make of today's elite.

I already have the urge to examine this film further...

8.5/10

Foreign language hall of fame films seen : 49/100

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/Across_the_universe_%282007_film%29_poster.jpg
By impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11790072

Across the Universe - (2007)

Constructing a movie around Beatles songs is pretty risky business. Just look at 1978s Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - it's like a grotesque creature. Across the Universe started pretty badly for me, rendering a lot of songs that originally had a very fast tempo into quavering meditations on pitch control - the kind of singing I hate. When characters such as Jude, Prudence, Sadie and Lucy are introduced I feel like cringing, because their songs are being telegraphed a mile away. But as this film got to it's last third, and the climax of the story hit crisis after crisis, I felt the songs were finally making use of their inspirational quality to help give a sense of something serious. I actually found myself liking the film a lot more - which I have to admit, visually, is pretty easy on the eyes. So there you go, not bad in the end.

7/10
I was pretty amazed by La Dolce Vita when I saw it at the beginning of this year. Pretty intrigued to see what a second viewing will bring to light.

And Across the Universe has been on my watchlist for a couple of years now from a number of folks talking about it, here. I TRULY need to see this for the current Countdown BEFORE I make my list.

[edarsenal]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moma.org%2Fd%2Fassets%2FW1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDgvMDQvM2IxN2N0MmlicF9EZWFkX0VuZF8xOTM 3XzUuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1yZXNpemUgMTAyNHgxMDI0XHUwMDNlIl1d%2FDead_End_1937_5.jpg%3Fsha%3D 14bcf5773440d8fa&f=1&nofb=1

Dead End, 1937

Tensions are rife in a New York slum, as fancy riverside apartments have just gone up literally looking down on the impoverished people living there. Drina (Sylvia Sidney) is part of a labor strike, and is fighting to keep her little brother, Tommy (Billy Halop) from getting in too deep with the local street gang. Drina also has a complicated relationship with childhood crush Dave (Joel McCrea), a man who grew up with her in the slum and is trying to make an honest living of things. Adding to the already simmering tension is the return of locally infamous bad boy and killer, Baby Face Martin (Humphrey Bogart), on the run from the cops.

Well this was a real surprise! The cover on the streaming site made this look like kind of a cheap 30s potboiler drama. Yet the film, adapted from the stage play by Lillian Hellman and directed by William Wyler, is a complex look at the damaging social gaps between the rich and the poor and the cycle of violence and poverty that plagues so many from even a young age.

This is honestly the type of storytelling that I associate more with modern films: several different subplots taking place at the same time, all overlapping and intersecting with each other. Between Dave, Baby Face Martin, and Tommy, ideas about what it means to be a "real man" and to have a code of honor get a real workout.

The film starkly and brutally portrays the violence and desperation of the people living in the slum. Drina is a polite, honest, sweet person, and she several times mentions what it's like being on the picket line, including watching a police officer punch one of the protesting women in the face. The street gang makes a habit of violence, their cynicism about authority making them mostly immune to any correction, aside from a baseline fear of the police and reform school.

Despite the fact that he's a murderer, and a ruthless one at that, Baby Face Martin's story is also tinged with tragedy. When he goes to see his mother, she bitterly and with a stunned, detached air, asks why he couldn't have left her alone to forget him. When he later catches up with a former flame, Francey (Claire Trevor), he finds that she has become a prostitute and is suffering from an STI. He asks why she didn't "wait for me, or starve first." She can only shrug.

Finally, the film has an interesting commentary on the way that the behaviors of the depraved are at once feared and glamorized. Baby Face Martin is, in many ways, treated as a local celebrity. When certain exploits from the slum make the newspaper, the story is filled with romantic (and false) touches. The local boys incredulously read the story, wondering aloud at all of the falsehoods and the lurid picture it paints of their neighborhood.

Significantly, the boys in the local gang are not all that sympathetic. They are rude and violent. They are whiny and sarcastic. In one sequence, they lay a trap for a wealthy boy who lives in the apartment, violently jumping him, beating him, and stealing his things. But they are victims of the aggrandizing of people like Baby Face. With little or no prospects for a successful honest life, the best they can hope for is to be the top of the heap on the street. As Drina and Dave, Sidney and McCrea walk a fine line as the two adults who understand the boys and want to protect them, and yet are frustrated by the violent path that the boys are walking down.

Complex and harrowing, I would highly recommend this one.

4.5
Have not seen or heard of this one. It has a slight similarity to Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029870/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_55) with Bogart, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien AND those kids who would have a run of films as The Dead End Kids and then as The Bowery Boys. But this sounds far grittier and with a lot more depth.
On the Watchlist it goes.

And like every review I read of yours and the ones, like this, that become additions. . . THANK YOU. For both the amazing reading and for the amazing recommendations.

[Fabulous]

The Wings of the Dove (1997)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/jNJLSXOW3ZYC5aN6Rgxi8bubkpm.jpg

[pahaK]

I managed to squeeze a couple of movies into my New World grind.

No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
2
A bland Netflix horror that does the lack of explanations wrong. At least it wasn't particularly woke.

--
House (1977)
2.5
Ooookay. I do respect Obayashi for making films his own way. I don't love his style, but I adore the finger he gives to conventionalism. House is an annoyingly peppy film that mostly resembles a cheap children's movie (with some nudity and blood and severed limbs). It gets a bit better along the way, and I can see its influence in later films but it mostly works as a curiosity. Kinda easy to see why it has a cult status, though.

[ScarletLion]

'Buy me a Gun' (2018)
Dir.:Julio Hernández Cordón

https://i.imgur.com/Zy7pS62.gif

Neat little Mexican film set at an undisclosed time in history. Huck, a small girl has to fend for her and her troubled father in a dystopian Mexican village which has been destroyed by a Mad Max type gang intent on capturing and enslaving all females they can find. It seems to be another cautionary tale type film from South and Central America that have popped up recently (see also Bacurau, Monos, New Order etc)

Despite the obvious low budget, the Director does a really good job of ramping up tension. And although the end is perhaps ambiguous with a little bit of magical realism that seems a touch forced (the viewer can choose hope or bleakness!), it's a pretty good way to spend 80 minutes.

7.3/10

3.5

[ThatDarnMKS]

THE LAST DUEL

Ridley Scott’s best since Kingdom of Heaven DC. Affleck steals every scene he is in. The best “me too” film I’ve seen thus far (and I thought VERY highly of the Assistant). This didn’t deserve to flop.

Bring on House of Gucci!

5

[rauldc14]

I managed to squeeze a couple of movies into my New World grind.

No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
2
A bland Netflix horror that does the lack of explanations wrong. At least it wasn't particularly woke.

--
House (1977)
2.5
Ooookay. I do respect Obayashi for making films his own way. I don't love his style, but I adore the finger he gives to conventionalism. House is an annoyingly peppy film that mostly resembles a cheap children's movie (with some nudity and blood and severed limbs). It gets a bit better along the way, and I can see its influence in later films but it mostly works as a curiosity. Kinda easy to see why it has a cult status, though.

House is awesome!

[Wooley]

THE LAST DUEL

Ridley Scott’s best since Kingdom of Heaven DC. Affleck steals every scene he is in. The best “me too” film I’ve seen thus far (and I thought VERY highly of the Assistant). This didn’t deserve to flop.

Bring on House of Gucci!

5

Seriously?
Honestly, I thought it looked like hot garbage but I'm glad to hear it's not.

[Stirchley]

82184

Looks clunky & old-fashioned now, but, overall, a sweet movie. Maybe the only Lancaster movie I’ve seen & I’m fine with this. Re-watch.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Seriously?
Honestly, I thought it looked like hot garbage but I'm glad to hear it's not.
I too was off put by the trailers and Scott’s general inconsistency. In fact, during the first chapter, I was still on the fence. However, the 2nd and 3rd did things that make it such a profound and nuanced conception of rape culture that it makes films like Promising Young Woman look like an angry college freshman wrote it.

This is an intricate examination of perspectives, similar to Rashomon, but it strips away ambiguities for a very deliberate and potent point. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the last film that Affleck and Damon wrote was Weinstein joint.

Plus, it has exceptional medieval violence. Scott was operating in The Duelists meets Gladiator level of filmmaking.

[Wyldesyde19]

I’ve been meaning to go and watch the Last Duel, being a fan of Scott.

I wonder how historically accurate it is, considering it was an actual event. I know people will point at it as part of the Metoo movement, but that’s unavoidable, even if it predates the movement by centuries.

[ThatDarnMKS]

I’ve been meaning to go and watch the Last Duel, being a fan of Scott.

I wonder how historically accurate it is, considering it was an actual event. I know people will point at it as part of the Metoo movement, but that’s unavoidable, even if it predates the movement by centuries.
My friend I saw it with has read the book. It’s fairly accurate to the original text but makes a conscious choice to emphasize the voice of the victim, something largely absent from the narrative.

It’s certainly a film that was adapted by these people, in this manner, due to the political climate and Me Too. Choosing to adapt a historical story to comment on current events is hardly a radical or new thing. *gestures emphatically at the Crucible, just standing over there, minding its own business*

[Wyldesyde19]

My friend I saw it with has read the book. It’s fairly accurate to the original text but makes a conscious choice to emphasize the voice of the victim, something largely absent from the narrative.

It’s certainly a film that was adapted by these people, in this manner, due to the political climate and Me Too. Choosing to adapt a historical story to comment on current events is hardly a radical or new thing. *gestures emphatically at the Crucible, just standing over there, minding its own business*
Right, I’m aware that it’s nothing new. But while it’s adapted for the movement, I doubt most people are aware of its historical basis and will brush it off as just another Metoo woke movie.
Which is a shame, really, if it turns o it as good as I hear, and hope, it is.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Right, I’m aware that it’s nothing new. But while it’s adapted for the movement, I doubt most people are aware of its historical basis and will brush it off as just another Metoo woke movie.
Which is a shame, really, if it turns o it as good as I hear, and hope, it is.

I think audiences are more likely to not turn out just because it’s a 2 1/2 hour period piece drama that deals with a heavy subject rather than any political motivation.*

It’s a shame that it’s currently flopping though. That’s for sure because it’s Scott’s best in a very, very long time.

[Captain Terror]

I think audiences are more likely to not turn out just because it’s a 2 1/2 hour period piece drama that deals with a heavy subject rather than any political motivation.*

It’s a shame that it’s currently flopping though. That’s for sure because it’s Scott’s best in a very, very long time.

Good enough to make me ignore Damon's mullet? :)

[Wyldesyde19]

I think audiences are more likely to not turn out just because it’s a 2 1/2 hour period piece drama that deals with a heavy subject rather than any political motivation.*

It’s a shame that it’s currently flopping though. That’s for sure because it’s Scott’s best in a very, very long time.

Eh, in this case, probably, as most aren’t likely to make that connection.
I think the last film of his I absolutely loved was Kingdom of Heaven, which was a good 15 years ago?
I still haven’t seen The Martian or All the Money in the World yet

[Marco]

I bailed out fairly soon.
Not a bad shout Stirchley, the ending was that anaemic and pathetic, wish I'd done the same.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Good enough to make me ignore Damon's mullet? :)
Honestly, I forgot how ridiculous the hair styles were (Affleck also looks hysterical) because it so perfectly fits the characterization.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Eh, in this case, probably, as most aren’t likely to make that connection.
I think the last film of his I absolutely loved was Kingdom of Heaven, which was a good 15 years ago?
I still haven’t seen The Martian or All the Money in the World yet
I think it’s definitely his best since KoH, though I was fond of both the Martian and ATMITW and would recommend them.

[Thief]

Hmm, I didn't even know The Last Duel was co-written by Affleck/Damon, along with Nicole Holofcener. Interesting.

[Stirchley]

Not a bad shout Stirchley, the ending was that anaemic and pathetic, wish I'd done the same.

Of the many movies I’ve bailed out of, which one was this?

[ThatDarnMKS]

Hmm, I didn't even know The Last Duel was co-written by Affleck/Damon, along with Nicole Holofcener. Interesting.
Yup. And her input can’t be underestimated given the weight and success of the third chapter.

Originally Affleck was going to play the role that eventually went to Driver but he took a smaller role due to scheduling concerns. I’m grateful as it is definitely the better role for him (he is DAMN entertaining and just so wonderfully contemptuous) and Driver brings a level of emotional gravitas that I’ve never seen Affleck pull off.

I’m gonna say that I also liked the more than Good Will Hunting but I know I’m in the minority in only finding that film decent.

[Rockatansky]

I think audiences are more likely to not turn out just because it’s a 2 1/2 hour period piece drama that deals with a heavy subject rather than any political motivation.*

It’s a shame that it’s currently flopping though. That’s for sure because it’s Scott’s best in a very, very long time.
Speaking for myself, I don't think I saw ANY marketing for it.*Didn't even know Ridley had a new one out until I heard it was flopping after opening weekend.*

[ThatDarnMKS]

Speaking for myself, I don't think I saw ANY marketing for it.*Didn't even know Ridley had a new one out until I heard it was flopping after opening weekend.*
Yeah. Aside from social media ripping on this one for the goofy haircuts, I really haven’t seen any promotion for it. I only knew it came out because I have followed this project for years.

Plus, pairing it opposite obvious October hit Halloween Kills gives the impression of a dump.

I’ve already seen more PR for House of Gucci at this point.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickfeast.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FIMG_6529.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Held, 2020

Emma (Jill Awbrey, who also wrote the film) arrives at a very remote--albeit very fancy!--house in the countryside to spend the weekend there with her husband Henry (Bart Johnson). But on their first night in the house, things go very badly awry. Both are drugged and wake to find themselves implanted with monitoring/punishing devices and at the mercy of an unseen voice that orders them into a bizarre parody of marital happiness.

Do you ever just cringe as you listen to someone espouse an idea you agree with, but in the worst way possible? That is how I felt watching this film. I think that I fundamentally agree with what the film is trying to say, but the delivery is really unfortunate.

On the positive side, I did enjoy seeing a film about marriage featuring a couple in their 40s. So often, films about married couples just go for people in their 20s/30s, and it was nice seeing a different demographic.

I will also say that while I found the film's main message---about enforcement of "traditional" roles in a marriage to be WAY too on the nose, there was another point that it made that I thought was well done. This concerns a backstory that Emma was a victim of sexual assault in her early 20s, and she carries a lot of guilt and anger over the fact that she didn't fight back. The idea that what Emma most hates about herself--her passivity in the face of danger--is what the unseen voice wants from her is kind of cool, especially in the way that this theme intersects with her relationship with her husband.

But that's just one neat little idea in a sea of blah. This is a film where, once you learn who is behind everything and why, SO MUCH doesn't make sense. The answers just generate a whole lot of questions, and the film decides to just end without addressing a lot of logistical elements. Awbrey and Johnson are okay in their roles, but we simply don't learn enough about them and why their marriage has been strained. Not understanding much about who they are makes it harder to gauge how the stress of their captivity is impacting them.

Not terrible, but I'm reluctant to recommend it.

3

[edarsenal]

@Takoma11
THANK YOU!

https://dkanut5j171nq.cloudfront.net/catalogue-images/ti114113.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/fc/80/cbfc8070f58d3d7ab8def38538a5b427.jpg

Dead End (1937) 4.5++

http://thecinemaarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dead-end-aldjkfas-1937.jpg


Um, yeah, it's alright, I guess. I don't know - if ya like that kinda thing,
And HOLY SNEEZING CRACKERS! I DO!!

In early Grade School, while learning to be a troublesome lil sh#t, I studied the Masters. The Little Rascals, The Three Stooges. . . and the Bowery Boys. The delinquents in this film.
I have only seen their second cinematic appearance, Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) where Bogart would join them once more.
So, getting to see their FIRST? Well, this hits the Nostalgia Button in sorts of Happy Happy Joy Joy.
Multiple times actually.
Such as finally seeing the original that birthed a long-running, personal favorite, reference in cartoons, "Hey, look fellas, I'm daaaancin! I'm daaaaaacin!" Not knowing as been the proverbial bee in my bonnet, so, YAYYY
And this little bit of Trivia that the boys walked the walk.
This was the first appearance of the Dead End Kids, who later evolved into the East Side Kids and, later, the Bowery Boys. Producer Samuel Goldwyn brought the boys - who had appeared in the original Broadway production of the play - to Hollywood to appear in the movie. He later regretted the decision, as the boys ran wild through the studio, destroying property and crashing a truck through the wall of a soundstage. Afterward, Goldwyn decided not to employ the boys again and sold their contract to Warner Brothers.

Look - I KNOW it's wrong, I know. I KNOW.

BUUUTTTTT
I was THAT kid.
I was a good kid, but there was a high ratio of property damage, all the same. And I just thought: that was ALLLLL kinds of COOL. :drevil::drevil::drevil::drevil:

It is also a trifecta of these last three films I've reviewed for the REALNESS of settings, props, characters. . . And this was on a staged set!!
Director William Wyler used actual garbage, and in one scene, live cockroaches. Disturbing Samuel Goldwyn SO much that the Studio Head was compelled to pick up the garbage at the end of each shooting day.
Speaking of, in that filth, is the very pungent, very gritty story of A Most Wanted Outlaw returning Home where dog eats dog for scraps. And if ya snitch? You get marked.
https://bestradioyouhaveneverheard.com/images/mots3k.jpg

And, amid all of the broken, the sick, the violent; two hard-working good souls in the two leads, Sylvia Sidney, as the caring, older sister to one of the delinquents. She works hard and sports a sizable, swollen bruise on her forehead, given by a cop when she picketed for fair wages. And Joel McCrea, (whom I have had an earnest wish to see more of) playing a Good Man in a Dirty Place with all the stoic believability and honest humility that is his forte. His character had previously run with the visiting Outlaw, Humphry Bogart, when they were delinquents in that neighborhood.
Speaking of -- yes, yes, yes, Bogart is a Bad @ss. But this, THIS, he is the most psychotic I have EVER seen him. set on kidnapping the rich kid, the look he gives his partner when he says its a bad idea. . . I got F@ckin chills!


I remarked during the summer how this year has been the most amazing discovery of Instant Favorites starting with the Foreign Film Countdown. And, my friends, I am truly giddy how it continues, in full glory!!!

[LChimp]

https://br.web.img2.acsta.net/pictures/21/08/30/08/50/1016755.jpg

10/10. Barely recognized Stephen Dorf and he played the role perfectly.

[Takoma11]

Yay! Glad you liked it!

[Mr. Celuloid]

Ok, so I saw the newest 007 No Time To Die and gotta say, it was good but not great. Dan Craig gave a good performance but the film-makers decision to make the character more human has dragged the film down a bit. Its as if there is too much on the plate for Bond to handle and he comes off as a mope. This isn't the first time EON productions has tried this idea. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) with George Lazenby as Bond had the character get married, only to loose his wife to Blofeld's evil agents. That film worked well, and its one of Dan Craig's favorite Bond films. No surprise then that homages to the film are everywhere in No Time To Die.



Giving Bond a heart and some depth is a great move, but the producers sacrifice pacing for a love triangle that feels weighed down by the previous 4 films various spy plots. When taken together, all 5 movies tell a very large story with varying results in the quality dept. I'd say Casino Royale and Skyfall are the two best of the five. For me, the momentum was leading up to plot points that feel a bit anti-climactic. There's action, a great villain, and a pretty outrageous plan for 007 to thwart but without spoiling the plot, Id recommend seeing it if you're a Bond fan like myself, but it may not be a 007 outing you want to return to in the future. All in all, 2 1/2 stars out of 4.
https://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2020/10/EsSSiLwW4AIxMy0-720x900.jpg?fit=bounds&width=640&height=480

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fshebloggedbynight.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fbarbary6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Barbary Coast, 1935

A woman nicknamed Swan (Miriam Hopkins) arrives in San Francisco only to find that her fiance has died. She ends up getting hired to run a roulette wheel at a wild gambling house run by the amoral Chamalis (Edward G Robinson) and his ruthless right hand man, Knuckles (Brian Donlevy). While Chamalis relentlessly pursues Swan, she ends up falling for a miner named Jim (Joel McCrea).

This was a good but not great drama thriller. One of the most stand-out elements of the film is the fact that its version of San Francisco is perpetually shrouded in a thick fog. It adds an eerie element to many of the sequences, especially one in which the killer Knuckles is cornered by a fed-up group of vigilantes who march him through the muddy streets while they put him "on trial" for his murders. The fog exacerbates the sense of it being a place where bad things can happen and people don't notice or don't care.

Hopkins and McCrea have good chemistry, though the romance between them feels a little, well, not quite contrived, but just a bit shallow. Robinson is more convincing as the wicked gambling house owner, a man who doesn't believe that the rules should apply to him, and who is also used to getting his way.

There's just not a ton to say about this one. The story is good and the last act is pretty interesting. The actors are all good in their roles and there are a few intense sequences worth checking out.

3.5

[mark f]

Roaring Road (Paul Hurst, 1926) 2.5 5.5/10
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1942) 3 6.5/10
Cosmos (6 Directors, 1996) 2.5+ 6/10
Godspell (David Greene, 1973) 3- 6.5/10
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EltYCU9WkAAcC1o.jpg
Jesus (Victor Garber) leads his disciples around contemporary NYC singing in praise of the Lord.
Warning (Agata Alexander, 2021) 2 5/10
Old Acquaintance (Vincent Sherman, 1943) 3- 6.5/10
Injustice (Matt Peters, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
The Forgotten Battle (Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., 2020) 3+ 6.5/10
https://s.numrush.nl/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/unnamed-35-540x285.jpg
Suspenseful, action-packed tale of what happened during the Nazi occupation in Holland after D-Day.
Lady with Red Hair (Curtis Bernhardt, 1940) 2.5 6/10
Slumber Party Massacre (Danishka Esterhazy, 2021) 2 5/10
In for a Murder (Piotr Mularuk, 2021) 2.5 6/10
The Great Manhunt AKA State Secret (Sidney Gilliat, 1950) 3- 6.5/10
https://i.mycdn.me/videoPreview?id=1073381444262&type=32&idx=12&tkn=9IDaXeeyQGjN_7uaV2o3lsLvNAc&fn=external_8
Hitchcockian thriller set in a Central European police state from which Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Glynis Johns are trying to escape.
Endless Night (Eloy Enciso, 2019) 2 5/10
Walk in the Shadow AKA Life for Ruth (Basil Dearden, 1962) 3- 6.5/10
Zombie Nightmare (Jack Bravman, 1987) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Escape from Mogadishu (Ryoo Seung-wan, 2021) 3.5- 7/10
https://cineverse.id/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/perang-saudara-700x466.jpg
North and South Korean diplomats try to escape during the frenetic Somali Civil War.
Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) (Monica Zanetti, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Night Teeth (Adam Randall, 2021) 2 5/10
Lucky Chan-sil (Kim Cho-hee, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Seraphine (Martin Provost, 2008) 3 6.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjkxZTYwNzAtMjU4YS00YzA5LWE0NzctMTllMTI4YmQyNmQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTcyMjMxMDA@._V1_.jpg
Simple house cleaner Séraphine Louis (Yolande Moreau), who would later become one of Europe's most-celebrated modern artists, shows her love of nature in front of the art critic Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur) who discovered her.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/SN8W0xh8/cranes-are-flying.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4637860

The Cranes Are Flying - (1957) - U.S.S.R.

A big sigh of relief - Stalin is dead, so everyone in the Soviet Union doesn't have to worry about being murdered for some arbitrary reason. Here an old filmmaker, Mikhail Kalatozov, lets loose and seems like a new filmmaker with new ideas and a developing style. Some of the shots and compositions in this film are breathtaking, imaginative and beautifully take you places that are exactly where Kalatozov wants you to go. The story is simple : young lovers, engaged to be married - but the guy must go to war, and the woman must wait at home feeling guilt, fear, loneliness, sadness etc. When her fiancé's cousin rapes her, she marries him in her confusion about how she feels. She must deal with the aftermath of the war and it's consequences much like her country has to. Some parts of this film are instantly unforgettable.

8/10

Foreign language countdown films seen : 50/100

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/44/52/d74452d68ee11b506621c8f8d6409682.gif
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/8d/ea/cc8deae316f16d12e2cd481a2b4f4ff4.gif
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CpPw_j37Yqs/WTwhD3iNh1I/AAAAAAAAoLw/pcFNee2jDtoxerQwsS6m7brpEP6bisKuACLcB/s1600/The%2BCranes%2Bare%2BFlying.gif
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dd/8c/57/dd8c57a1f1ece708c7960f4aede33965.gif

What a good looking movie....

[Takoma11]

https://i.postimg.cc/SN8W0xh8/cranes-are-flying.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4637860

The Cranes Are Flying - (1957) - U.S.S.R.

Some parts of this film are instantly unforgettable.

8/10

Both the sexual assault of Veronika and the fantasy death sequence with the wedding are so powerful. And the sequence at the end where she gives away the flowers to the families . . . oof.

[Fabulous]

The Impossible (2012)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/iwOg44wpm278S89I17rQ8yyK02M.jpg

[Thief]

Damn, just finished Nightmare on Elm Street 4, which I hadn't seen in maybe 20 years, and boy, that was... rough :shifty:

[StuSmallz]

Skyfall (Mendes, '12)

https://i.ibb.co/FKNrRNG/reviewskyfall-16-9.jpg (https://ibb.co/MsWvFWq)

Everyone needs a hobby.
So... what's yours?
Resurrection.

When it comes to movie series, there are few that are as old, iconic, or as universally beloved as the Bond films, with the outlandish adventures of the secret agent managing to transcend their British origin, in order to consistently thrill audiences all over the world for over half a century now. However, while this lofty pedigree has been a gift to the franchise, it's also been a curse as well, with the baggage of overly campy or lackluster entries (lookin' at you, Quandumb Of Solass...), hopelessly dated sexual politics, and the question of whether the films can dodge cultural irrelevance all serving to continually challenge Bond. However, rather than dodge these serious issues, series newcomer Sam Mendes instead choose to boldly tackle them head-on with 2012's Skyfall, resulting in what is not just one of the best Bonds of the Craig era, but also just one of the best entries of the entire franchise, and a vital, necessary shot in the arm for a supposedly outdated series.

It opens with Bond in Istanbul, as he tries to recover a stolen hard drive, one that contains the identity of every NATO agent currently embedded in a terrorist organization, only to fail and nearly die in the process, a rare example of weakness on the part of the super-spy. However, while licking his wounds in Turkey by indulging in non-stop boozing and womanizing (well, even more than usual), an attack on the heart of MI6 brings the presumed dead Bond back to life and duty, although the question of whether he's still up to the task lingers in the air, as he and M must fight side-by-side against a specter from the latter's past, a vengeful reminder of her "sins" who won't rest until he sees the spymaster dead and buried, just like all the other agents she grimly sent to their deaths beforehand.

Through this story, Skyfall serves as a clear meta-commentary on the overall relevance of Bond, both the character and the franchise as a whole, which is a very fitting touch for the 50th anniversary of the franchise (a detail that's subtly pointed to when Bond drinks some fine, 1962-vintage scotch that's as old as he is), with characters and situations continually questioning whether the fieldwork of the retro, analog-era spy is still of use next to the technology of the modern digital age, only for Bond to reaffirm his utility by repeatedly rising to the occasion. In this way, the film both tributes Bond’s past (particularly with the reappearance of a certain iconic Aston Martin), while also updating him for the contemporary cinematic landscape, proving that the secret agent's adventures are still just as thrilling (if not moreso) as any superhero flying around in the theater next door.

In addition to that, Skyfall excels through its combination of style and substance, with the former coming courtesy of cinematography legend Roger Deakin use of grand, sweeping shots, extremely deep shadows, and moody, monochromatic lighting, crafting an aesthetic experience as sleek as Bond himself, with each scene's striking imagery feeling both grounded in the real world, and "heightened" at the same time, easily bumping the film a notch or two above the typical Bond movie in terms of style.

As for the substance, that's derived from Skyfall's strong, sharply-written characterizations, both with Javier Bardem's "Raoul Silva", a cyberterrorist who radiates a quiet, oddball menace throughout (think Anton Chigurh meets The Joker), and who adds a personal nature to the film's stakes, as well as with the central pairing of Bond & M. Throughout the film, they share an uneasy tension, due to the way that M's "judgement call" in Istanbul caused Bond's initial failure there, with plenty of passive-aggressive remarks and second guessing flying both ways throughout, only for that trepidation to give way to a reaffirmation of their relationship, as M's unwavering faith in Bond is ultimately justified in the end, with our faith in him as an audience being redeemed in the process. In this way, Skyfall reminded us that this series was more relevant than ever before, bringing 007 back with a vengeance, and further securing his already formidable cinematic legacy in the process, so, just in case it slipped your mind, the name's Bond... James Bond; don't you forget it.

Final Score: 8.75

[ScarletLion]

'Slalom' (2021)

Directed by Charlène Favier

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

A fine drama. Starts off with a touch of Whiplash meets Black Swan with a hint of Neon Demon, then morphs into something way more topical and sinister due to it's dose of realism. A couple of tired cliches bring it down a notch (dream sequences rarely work these days) but there are 2 superb central performances and sublime photography in the French Alps. The ending might be a little ambiguous for some audiences but it's a fine debut from Charlène Favier.

7.4/10

3.5

[LChimp]

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/notebook/post_images/599/images-w1400.jpg?1277427981

7/10

[Thief]

THE PARALLAX VIEW
(1974, Pakula)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/22c25f7805e2be60e0431e38a395de2131beedb772d71ac2e2d2ac529fcca053._SX1080_.png


"You've got information I need. Money doesn't mean anything to me. This story's gonna mean more to me than ten thousand dollars."



The Parallax View follows reporter Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) who starts investigating the circumstances around the assassination of a presidential candidate 3 years prior. As a result, he discovers a conspiracy around a mysterious organization called Parallax who might be planning future attempts.

This is a film I had been hearing very positive things during the last few years, and for the most part, deservedly so. The film is very intriguing, and the direction by Pakula is very tight. Beatty (who I hadn't seen much of, but for some reason have seen 3 or 4 films of in the last year) is very good as the lead.

However, for some reason, I felt detached from a lot of this, especially the last act. I'm writing this 4 or 5 days after watching it, and I'm seriously trying to figure out what to write. It is competently made from almost every aspect, but still didn't really reel me in. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding Joe's own visit to Parallax seemed confusing to me.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247337#post2247337)

[this_is_the_ girl]

http://neatlyarrangedrubbish.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1280x720.png
Pitfall (1962, Hiroshi Teshigahara)
4

This is Teshigahara's debut feature, and it shows, however, despite being a bit rough round the edges, in some ways it appealed to me more than the more ambitious, verbose and ultimately pretentious 'Face of Another' (still a very good film, don't get me wrong). Very interesting ghost story with a strong element of social and political commentary — the style is quite raw, almost documentary-like (I believe actual documentary footage is used at some point in the film), and the visuals are pretty compelling.

[Marco]

Of the many movies I’ve bailed out of, which one was this?
Luce I believe.

[John W Constantine]

Rob Zombie's Halloween II (unrated/cut) - 2009

3

[GulfportDoc]

THE PARALLAX VIEW
(1974, Pakula)
The Parallax View follows reporter Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) who starts investigating the circumstances around the assassination of a presidential candidate 3 years prior. As a result, he discovers a conspiracy around a mysterious organization called Parallax who might be planning future attempts.


This is a film I had been hearing very positive things during the last few years, and for the most part, deservedly so. The film is very intriguing, and the direction by Pakula is very tight. Beatty (who I hadn't seen much of, but for some reason have seen 3 or 4 films of in the last year) is very good as the lead.

However, for some reason, I felt detached from a lot of this, especially the last act. I'm writing this 4 or 5 days after watching it, and I'm seriously trying to figure out what to write. It is competently made from almost every aspect, but still didn't really reel me in. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding Joe's own visit to Parallax seemed confusing to me.

Grade: rating_3
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247337#post2247337)
A splendid film. One of the best of the early 1970s moody thrillers and crime films. One of W. Beatty's best performances. I recall it being a little bleak, but I'm due for a re-watch.

[Rockatansky]

My biggest takeaway from The Parallax View was that stressed out and haggard Warren Beatty still looks better than 99% of people not named Warren Beatty. That and the kooky montage.


Good movie, but as far as Pakula/Willis collabs in the '70s go, I easily prefer All the President's Men, maybe Klute as well.

[Thief]

A splendid film. One of the best of the early 1970s moody thrillers and crime films. One of W. Beatty's best performances. I recall it being a little bleak, but I'm due for a re-watch.

Yeah, the ending is definitely bleak since they...


...manage to kill the next presidential candidate, frame Beatty for it, and kill him in the process.


It really is the kind of film that's right up my alley, so I really wanted to like it more.

[Morphy1]

Halloween Kills :down:

[PHOENIX74]

Three contenders from the 2000s...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/In_the_Bedroom_Theatrical_Release_Poster%2C_2001.jpg
By May be found at the following website: Movie Poster Database, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41966120

In the Bedroom - (2001)

I'd never really looked into this Academy Award Best Picture nominee - and I should have. I'd always assumed, by it's title, this was about the various characters' sex lives. It's not. It's dark, it's wrenching, and I don't want to say much about it, because there's a lot to give away. The short story it's based on has the more apt title Killings. It has fine performances from Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei and Tom Wilkinson. The story is slightly familiar - so it's lack of originality works against it - but it has the temerity to go all the way, and I'm glad I finally nudged myself into watching this. The film's title originates from crayfishing traps, which are called "bedrooms" - if a female with eggs is trapped in one, any males that end up in there as well get an arm or two snipped off. Those looking for decent 2000s films might want to check it out.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Kiss_kiss_bang_bang_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3383766

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - (2005)

I remember this from when it came out (seems like more than 16 years ago) and that I liked it very much. I'll give it top marks for really brightening up what could have been a "been there, done that" noir with a maniacally humorous touch. Val Kilmer is great, Michelle Monaghan at least has something to work with and Robert Downey Jnr. plays that same character he plays in every film now. Funny script, and it looks bright and sparklingly pretty - but story-wise it was a little empty. I still like it though. It is, at times, hilarious.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Things_lost_fire.jpg
By Dreamworks Pictures - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12589544

Things We Lost in the Fire - (2007)

I liked this enough to buy the DVD when it came out, so I had to watch it again to see if it held up. It was worth another viewing - but some might find it a little too melodramatic. Benicio Del Toro plays heroin addict Jerry, who has a best friend who won't give up on him (Brian - played by David Duchovny.) A tragedy ends up bringing Jerry into David's family, and so begins a kind of quest to fit in and be of use to people again. Halle Berry is also in this, so maybe this was a failed attempt at an Oscar film. No nominations in the end - but it's decent.

6.5/10

[Fabulous]

Suicide Kings (1997)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/rfkS1sH561TvOIQ2NVMQ6txCTBP.jpg

[ScarletLion]

'Petit Maman' (2021)

Dir.: Celine Sciamma

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

An absolute delight. I smiled all the way through. Loads of cheeky references to a well known 80s film, and a real heartfelt look at the bond between the female generations of a family.

There are Back to the Future nods everywhere you look. So much fun spotting them all.

Celine Sciamma is Goddess Tier. She's 5 from 5.



4.5

[John W Constantine]

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Prdoducer/s cut) - 1995

3

[daniel_chris]

Invasion - 8/10

[Marco]

Fear of Rain (2021)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/Fear_of_Rain_poster.jpg
This movie was a rather bizarre mix of an observation piece of the effects of schizophrenia on a young person and....a pulpy thriller a la "Disturbia". You can probably guess from that why the main characters suspicions are not believed. I don't know if they threw the former in to seem more worthy or the latter in to "spice" up the story-line a bit but it doesn't work and feels uncomfortable and a bit grubby.
2 (for the performances) which *were* good.

[Allaby]

I watched Naughty or Nice (2012). Directed by David Mackay, the film stars Hilarie Burton as Krissy Kringle, a grinchy type who finds Santa's naughty or nice book. (I suspect the film is based on a true story, but I can't confirm that). I enjoyed it. It was cute and fun and was different from the typical Hallmark Christmas movies. The only thng I didn't like is that it brought back painful memories of always being on the naughty list as a child (and as an adult). My rating is a 4

[Stirchley]

In the Bedroom - (2001)

I'd never really looked into this Academy Award Best Picture nominee - and I should have. I'd always assumed, by it's title, this was about the various characters' sex lives. It's not. It's dark, it's wrenching, and I don't want to say much about it, because there's a lot to give away. The short story it's based on has the more apt title Killings. It has fine performances from Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei and Tom Wilkinson. The story is slightly familiar - so it's lack of originality works against it - but it has the temerity to go all the way, and I'm glad I finally nudged myself into watching this. The film's title originates from crayfishing traps, which are called "bedrooms" - if a female with eggs is trapped in one, any males that end up in there as well get an arm or two snipped off. Those looking for decent 2000s films might want to check it out.

One of my favorite movies. Seen it more than once.

[Stirchley]

82233

Re-watch. Would have thought this movie is below the pay grade of Gere & Hallström, but it’s a sweet true-life movie. Have Kleenex at the ready.

82234

Re-watch of an excellent movie. Emily Mortimer & Harrelson really good in this, especially her.

[Jinnistan]

Good movie, but as far as Pakula/Willis collabs in the '70s go, I easily prefer All the President's Men, maybe Klute as well.
I would very easily count both of those films above Parallax, and I would blame Beatty almost entirely (I've heard he interfered quite a bit). And as for early 70s thrillers, Parallax is so far below Chinatown, Long Goodbye or The Conversation as to make its inclusion rather moot.

[Wooley]

Damn, just finished Nightmare on Elm Street 4, which I hadn't seen in maybe 20 years, and boy, that was... rough :shifty:

Ya know, it's funny, after Part 3, I just accepted the silliness and had no problem with 4. And I thought the little time-loop bit was interesting. 5 is basically a continuation of 4 and is about the same level of quality.

[Wooley]

THE PARALLAX VIEW
(1974, Pakula)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/22c25f7805e2be60e0431e38a395de2131beedb772d71ac2e2d2ac529fcca053._SX1080_.png




The Parallax View follows reporter Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) who starts investigating the circumstances around the assassination of a presidential candidate 3 years prior. As a result, he discovers a conspiracy around a mysterious organization called Parallax who might be planning future attempts.

This is a film I had been hearing very positive things during the last few years, and for the most part, deservedly so. The film is very intriguing, and the direction by Pakula is very tight. Beatty (who I hadn't seen much of, but for some reason have seen 3 or 4 films of in the last year) is very good as the lead.

However, for some reason, I felt detached from a lot of this, especially the last act. I'm writing this 4 or 5 days after watching it, and I'm seriously trying to figure out what to write. It is competently made from almost every aspect, but still didn't really reel me in. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding Joe's own visit to Parallax seemed confusing to me.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247337#post2247337)

I'm a pretty big fan of this one. I actually like the detached feel, I feel like it fits the story and theme.

[Wooley]

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Prdoducer/s cut) - 1995

3

I may need to see this.

[John W Constantine]

I may need to see this.

I won't promise you a "they didn't get it" experience but I was pleased by how much it didn't suck

[Thief]

As someone who thinks the theatrical cut of Part 6 is the worst Halloween film on the franchise*, I'm gonna need to check it out as well.


* i haven't seen Resurrection, 2018, or Kills.

[Thief]

CRIMSON PEAK
(2015, Del Toro)

https://i.imgur.com/fJTOvCj.png


"The things we do for love like this are ugly, mad, full of sweat and regret. This love burns you and maims you and twists you inside out. It is a monstrous love and it makes monsters of us all."



Set in the early 20th Century, Crimson Peak follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), the daughter of an important businessman and an aspiring writer herself. When an aristocrat called Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and her sister (Jessica Chastain) come looking for funding for a digging machine, Edith finds herself drawn to their mysterious lives and eventually, their apparently haunted home (the titular Crimson Peak).

From the get go, I found myself engaged in the plot, thanks mostly to the performances from Wasikowska and Hiddleston. I thought there was a very good balance of intrigue and romance, with a surprising sprinkle of violence at one point. I was also surprised to see Charlie Hunnam, who I usually find cringey, deliver a fairly competent performance.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247581#post2247581)

[Wooley]

CRIMSON PEAK
(2015, Del Toro)
A film from Guillermo del Toro

https://i.imgur.com/fJTOvCj.png




Set in the early 20th Century, Crimson Peak follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), the daughter of an important businessman and an aspiring writer herself. When an aristocrat called Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and her sister (Jessica Chastain) come looking for funding for a digging machine, Edith finds herself drawn to their mysterious lives and eventually, their apparently haunted home (the titular Crimson Peak).

From the get go, I found myself engaged in the plot, thanks mostly to the performances from Wasikowska and Hiddleston. I thought there was a very good balance of intrigue and romance, with a surprising sprinkle of violence at one point. I was also surprised to see Charlie Hunnam, who I usually find cringey, deliver a fairly competent performance.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247581#post2247581)

Well, I'm glad you liked it. I wanted to really badly but I found it a big ol' buncha meh.
Much ado about nothing, as it were.
Really, really didn't like the special effects. Horror directors really need to get away from leaning into CGI, it just isn't good for this genre.
Interestingly, for me, it was Chastain who carried the film, as much as it was carried.

[Thief]

Well, I'm glad you liked it. I wanted to really badly but I found it a big ol' buncha meh.
Much ado about nothing, as it were.
Really, really didn't like the special effects. Horror directors really need to get away from leaning into CGI, it just isn't good for this genre.
Interestingly, for me, it was Chastain who carried the film, as much as it was carried.

Yeah, I bring up Chastain in the full review.

[Thief]

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4
THE DREAM MASTER
(1988, Harlin)

https://i.imgur.com/vX0d7i1.jpg


"You shouldn't have buried me. I'm not dead."



A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 picks up shortly after Part 3, with the three survivors from that part still struggling with nightmares. When Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is resurrected, a new group of teenagers led by Alice (Lisa Wilcox) are inadvertently drawn into his dream world, and forced to fight for their survival.

Aside from Freddy's jokes and the overall style, my main complaints are with the performances and the script. Seriously, the acting is atrocious from pretty much everyone except Englund. Unfortunately, the actors aren't helped by the cringey dialogue.

As far as slashers go, there are a few creative gory moments, particularly a character that turns into a roach, and an inventive scene where characters end stuck in a time loop. But other than that, there isn't much to dig up here. They should've let him dead and buried.

Grade: 1.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247607#post2247607)

[John W Constantine]

* i haven't seen Resurrection

There's a discussion to be had with this one, oh boy.

[Ultraman BLACK]

Haddonfield Lives Matter.
https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/610253/movieposter/halloween-kills-60da6d744a215.jpg
rating_1
Jesus, just like people in Wrong Turn can't read a map, people in Haddonfield can't shoot or fight or run!
The only good thing in this film is seen Myers killing all the awful characters, Tommy and the last ones that surrounded him in special!
Go Myers, Go. Kill them all.

[Marco]

Surge (2020)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Surge_Atl%C3%A0ntida_Film_Fest_poster.jpg
Ben Whishaw plays a drone in an airport security job whos detached life is breaking him down. He starts to crack and go a bit rogue, throwing off all the constraints of his meek existence. I really liked this and especially Whishaw. Some scenes were a bit far fetched but then the randomness of the setting of London could forgive that and the acting ironed them out. Some scary camerawork when he is in full-on mode!
3.5

[Marco]

Well, I'm glad you liked it. I wanted to really badly but I found it a big ol' buncha meh.
Much ado about nothing, as it were.
Really, really didn't like the special effects. Horror directors really need to get away from leaning into CGI, it just isn't good for this genre.
Interestingly, for me, it was Chastain who carried the film, as much as it was carried.

Aye, I felt this went from interesting gothic to outright fantasy with no real need to and ruined the film.

[Marco]

Haddonfield Lives Matter.
https://fanart.tv/fanart/movies/610253/movieposter/halloween-kills-60da6d744a215.jpg
rating_1
Jesus, just like people in Wrong Turn can't read a map, people in Haddonfield can't shoot or fight or run!
The only good thing in this film is seen Myers killing all the awful characters, Tommy and the last ones that surrounded him in special!
Go Myers, Go. Kill them all.
Seen it and it's garbage in my view, young uns are not really interested so it's akin to folk buying the last Oasis singles when they were rubbish just to be completists (a word?) :)

[PHOENIX74]

Back I go again, these three films all vied for the Best Picture Oscar at the 2001 Academy Awards (Gladiator beat 'em.) I saw them way back then, and I revisited them after 20 odd years...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Traffic2000Poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: MovieGoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34913407

Traffic - (2000)

One of two Steven Soderbergh films nominated for Best Picture that year (the other being Erin Brockovich, the only nominated film I haven't seen) - he won Best Director for this, and it was probably Gladiator's biggest threat. Looks at the "war on drugs" from three different angles, in stories that'll intersect. Michael Douglas is a judge who is appointed to a high-level presidential task force to combat drug smuggling, and he has a daughter who is really getting into hard drugs in a different manner. Benicio del Toro is a Mexican law enforcement officer - one of the rare ones that isn't on the take. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the wife of a high-ranking drug lord in the United States - one who is about to be taken down when one of his lieutenants (played by one of my favourites - Miguel Ferrer) gets caught by a pair of cops. It's a pretty serious film that demands all of your attention, with a real ensemble cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Josh Brolin, Albert Finney, Amy Irving, Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán. Was a bit dry, depressing and complex for me way back then, but this time around I thought it was quite good.

7.5/10

https://i.postimg.cc/G2Rpt8zn/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.jpg
By GoldPoster, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59135844

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - (2000)

Back in the early 2000s, everybody loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It really threatened to become the first foreign language film to win a Best Picture Oscar. Traffic has a lot of interesting visual aspects that you wouldn't expect because of it's subject matter (bright coloured filters really impose themselves, forcing you to acknowledge their relevance) - but in this film the cinematography itself tells us a lot, and overall you get the impression from this that this is a visual story. Stylized fighting, that I'd never seen the likes of before (these masters of swordplay can actually fly) is mixed with two love stories in 19th Century China. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre out there, but I'm glad I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon again with new eyes, seeing and appreciating a lot more than I did in the past.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Chocolat_sheet.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7984022

Chocolat - (2000)

Considering the other films it was up against, Chocolat never had much of a hope in winning Best Picture. I know someone who would probably love this - it reminded me a whole lot of Antonia's Line. A miserable French town is visited by a Mary Poppins-like character who opens a chocolate shop and starts to transform the lives of people living there. But the religious zealot Comte de Reynaud (played fantastically by Alfred Molina) has other ideas, and plots her downfall. In the meantime, Johnny Depp shows up for 15 minutes or so as a gypsy and transforms our Mary Poppins (Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche) a bit too. Considering how crucial Alfred Molina's character is, and how much more difficult the role was, I wonder how Binoche and Judi Dench were nominated for Oscars and he wasn't. This had a good ending, and wasn't bad - I could appreciate a lot of different aspects - but it's not really my type of movie, so I reckon this is the last time I'll ever watch Chocolat. And yeah - I craved chocolate the whole time I watched.

6/10

[Thief]

Back I go again, these three films all vied for the Best Picture Oscar at the 2001 Academy Awards (Gladiator beat 'em.) I saw them way back then, and I revisited them after 20 odd years...

Traffic - (2000)

7.5/10


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - (2000)

7/10


Chocolat - (2000)

6/10

Contenders for the 2000s Countdown? :shifty:

https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/agnes-e1615151956605.jpg

[Wooley]

Back I go again, these three films all vied for the Best Picture Oscar at the 2001 Academy Awards (Gladiator beat 'em.) I saw them way back then, and I revisited them after 20 odd years...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Traffic2000Poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: MovieGoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34913407

Traffic - (2000)

One of two Steven Soderbergh films nominated for Best Picture that year (the other being Erin Brockovich, the only nominated film I haven't seen) - he won Best Director for this, and it was probably Gladiator's biggest threat. Looks at the "war on drugs" from three different angles, in stories that'll intersect. Michael Douglas is a judge who is appointed to a high-level presidential task force to combat drug smuggling, and he has a daughter who is really getting into hard drugs in a different manner. Benicio del Toro is a Mexican law enforcement officer - one of the rare ones that isn't on the take. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the wife of a high-ranking drug lord in the United States - one who is about to be taken down when one of his lieutenants (played by one of my favourites - Miguel Ferrer) gets caught by a pair of cops. It's a pretty serious film that demands all of your attention, with a real ensemble cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Josh Brolin, Albert Finney, Amy Irving, Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán. Was a bit dry, depressing and complex for me way back then, but this time around I thought it was quite good.

7.5/10

https://i.postimg.cc/G2Rpt8zn/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.jpg
By GoldPoster, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59135844

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - (2000)

Back in the early 2000s, everybody loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It really threatened to become the first foreign language film to win a Best Picture Oscar. Traffic has a lot of interesting visual aspects that you wouldn't expect because of it's subject matter (bright coloured filters really impose themselves, forcing you to acknowledge their relevance) - but in this film the cinematography itself tells us a lot, and overall you get the impression from this that this is a visual story. Stylized fighting, that I'd never seen the likes of before (these masters of swordplay can actually fly) is mixed with two love stories in 19th Century China. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre out there, but I'm glad I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon again with new eyes, seeing and appreciating a lot more than I did in the past.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Chocolat_sheet.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7984022

Chocolat - (2000)

Considering the other films it was up against, Chocolat never had much of a hope in winning Best Picture. I know someone who would probably love this - it reminded me a whole lot of Antonia's Line. A miserable French town is visited by a Mary Poppins-like character who opens a chocolate shop and starts to transform the lives of people living there. But the religious zealot Comte de Reynaud (played fantastically by Alfred Molina) has other ideas, and plots her downfall. In the meantime, Johnny Depp shows up for 15 minutes or so as a gypsy and transforms our Mary Poppins (Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche) a bit too. Considering how crucial Alfred Molina's character is, and how much more difficult the role was, I wonder how Binoche and Judi Dench were nominated for Oscars and he wasn't. This had a good ending, and wasn't bad - I could appreciate a lot of different aspects - but it's not really my type of movie, so I reckon this is the last time I'll ever watch Chocolat. And yeah - I craved chocolate the whole time I watched.

6/10

Not a bad year for the Oscars.
Chocolat is actually a favorite of mine, I consider it a near-flawless film for the film it tried to be. (Oh, and I agree, Molina should have gotten some kind of nod for this, he's just excellent. It's actually my favorite role of his.)
And Crouching Tiger was easily my favorite film of that year, one of my favorites of its decade.
Traffic was pretty good.

[StuSmallz]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - (2000)

7/10https://i.ibb.co/bj0Q4G8/giphy.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[daniel_chris]

I Watched Dune (Starring Jason Momoa, Oscar Winning Director - Timothée).
The movie is good and normally a 7/10 rating. With all due respect to the makers it's too long for not much story.

https://images.indianexpress.com/2021/10/dune-movie-review-1200.jpg

[Siddon]

https://i.redd.it/qv9cc1shp6o71.jpg

Dune (2021)

Dune is a reminder of just how good Game of Thrones was...because this felt like a season of Game of Thrones...just not done that well. While the film is long it likely needed another hour or so for all the supporting characters and to cover the deaths. I think most of the plot was given away in the trailer so that was a bummer but also so much of the story is obvious.

Like most Hollywood films the wokeness is evident as the bad guys are white people taking from the good guys brown sand people. It drives me crazy especially when I think if they had cast an AA in the Baron role it might have had a bit more of an impact. Sometimes you can over do it with the symbolism and they really hammer it home.

Visually the film is stunning, and the plot is great for a first part of the series. It's somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Modern Star Wars when it comes to quality.

rating_4

[Jinnistan]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Un_beau_soleil_int%C3%A9rieur_Let_the_bright_sunshine_in.png


Let The Sunshine In (Claire Denis, 2017)


Obviously Binoche is the star of the show, and the primary reason for watching her in the 'effortless excellence' period of her career. It's also probably the lightest film one could imagine from Denis, not so much a comedy (as it's been advertised) but more idealistically romantic than what would be Denis' milieu, in that it ultimately remains optimistic about the promise of intimate joy (the better title translation would be The Bright Sun Within) while simultaneously frustrating this promise, but without the kind of chic cynicism that pervades too much modern Euro-cinema. For that reason, it can be seen as refreshing, but hardly satisfying.

I suppose I wanted a film with more aesthetic flourish, instead it's pretty dry visually. The most striking image is its very first one, of Binoche open and radiant, similar to the poster. This is immediately (comedically, I suppose) ruined by some fat jackass jumping on top of her without the first clue of what to do with her. The film has lots of awkward sex like this, as Binoche shrugs "better than no sex". It is amusing to watch this string of lame men in her life, practically advertising their lameness, while Binoche silently wagers her desperation in a mix of pity and pragmatism. I kept wanting her to simply go out and purchase one of those contraptions from High Life instead.

The film eventually fails to have much to say about the plight of a middle-age single woman facing the end of her sex life and (what is suggested) the potential end of her artistic viability as well. The biggest deflation is saved for the end, when psychic (?) Gerard Depardieu shows up to offer perhaps the lamest male advertisement of them all, and his banal blatherings would be embarrassing even without the pretense of their psychic wisdom. Is it a joke that a woman as sharp as Binoche would entertain such wisdom? Her desperation? The ending is left open, but I hope she recognizes this as just another fat caboose on the lame man train in her life. Either way, it's a muddled effort that Binoche seems to carry entirely on her shoulders.

6.5/10

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H9SOPtwUm0kTaPZCH-Cp2KMhQww=/0x0:1253x591/1400x933/filters:focal(527x196:727x396):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67376586/dune_box_pain_fear_mindkiller.0.jpg
Dune (2021, Denis Villeneuve)
4
As someone without a point of reference (neither read the book nor seen Lynch's 1984 version yet), I didn't quite know what to expect, but coming off Blade Runner 2049, I had no doubt Villeneuve was going to deliver the eye candy. Well, Dune certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard — it looks simply spectacular, and the atmosphere breathes epicness. You really get immersed in the feeling of grandeur and fatalism of it all. Bad news is, it's a heck of a long movie, so inevitably there's going to be some dull moments along the way — thankfully I didn't count all too many. The story is also incomplete, which will probably disappoint many — it ends on an open note leaving the door open for Part II (no idea if/when it comes out). I thought the ending was kinda meh, tbh (I felt a movie as epic as this deserved a stronger exclamation point).

All in all, an outstanding film no doubt, but not without flaws. A lot of work went into it, and it definitely shows. If you're a sucker for epic fantasy vibes and striking visuals, don't miss it!

[Wyldesyde19]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Un_beau_soleil_int%C3%A9rieur_Let_the_bright_sunshine_in.png


Let The Sunshine In (Claire Denis, 2017)

Obviously Binoche is the star of the show, and the primary reason for watching her in the 'effortless excellence' period of her career. It's also probably the lightest film one could imagine from Denis, not so much a comedy (as it's been advertised) but more idealistically romantic than what would be Denis' milieu, in that it ultimately remains optimistic about the promise of intimate joy (the better title translation would be The Bright Sun Within) while simultaneously frustrating this promise, but without the kind of chic cynicism that pervades too much modern Euro-cinema. For that reason, it can be seen as refreshing, but hardly satisfying.

I suppose I wanted a film with more aesthetic flourish, instead it's pretty dry visually. The most striking image is its very first one, of Binoche open and radiant, similar to the poster. This is immediately (comedically, I suppose) ruined by some fat jackass jumping on top of her without the first clue of what to do with her. The film has lots of awkward sex like this, as Binoche shrugs "better than no sex". It is amusing to watch this string of lame men in her life, practically advertising their lameness, while Binoche silently wagers her desperation in a mix of pity and pragmatism. I kept wanting her to simply go out and purchase one of those contraptions from High Life instead.

The film eventually fails to have much to say about the plight of a middle-age single woman facing the end of her sex life and (what is suggested) the potential end of her artistic viability as well. The biggest deflation is saved for the end, when psychic (?) Gerard Depardieu shows up to offer perhaps the lamest male advertisement of them all, and his banal blatherings would be embarrassing even without the pretense of their psychic wisdom. Is it a joke that a woman as sharp as Binoche would entertain such wisdom? Her desperation? The ending is left open, but I hope she recognizes this as just another fat caboose on the lame man train in her life. Either way, it's a muddled effort that Binoche seems to carry entirely on her shoulders.

6.5/10

I watched this last year, mainly for Binoche. I agree, she’s really the only reason worth watching it.

[Wooley]

https://i.redd.it/qv9cc1shp6o71.jpg

Dune (2021)

Dune is a reminder of just how good Game of Thrones was...because this felt like a season of Game of Thrones...just not done that well. While the film is long it likely needed another hour or so for all the supporting characters and to cover the deaths. I think most of the plot was given away in the trailer so that was a bummer but also so much of the story is obvious.

Like most Hollywood films the wokeness is evident as the bad guys are white people taking from the good guys brown sand people. It drives me crazy especially when I think if they had cast an AA in the Baron role it might have had a bit more of an impact. Sometimes you can over do it with the symbolism and they really hammer it home.

Visually the film is stunning, and the plot is great for a first part of the series. It's somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Modern Star Wars when it comes to quality.

rating_4

Game Of Thrones was bull****. I want 88 hours of my life back. :p

[Thief]

THE FIREMEN'S BALL
(1967, Forman)

https://i.imgur.com/AB1L3LK.jpg


"We'd be better off with five fires... but no!"



Set in Czechoslovakia during the rule of the Communist Party, The Firemen's Ball follows the bumbling members of the volunteer fire department of a small town as they prepare for their annual ball. During the event, we are witness to their attempts to organize a pageant with almost no contestants, a raffle where most people ends up stealing the prizes, and a recognition to their retiring chairman, all of which goes wildly awry.

To sum it up, I found the first half to be rather uncomfortable and the film overall wasn't as funny as I would've expected, but it was nonetheless interesting and there were some laughs to be had.

Grade: 2.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2247814#post2247814)

[Jinnistan]

On the other hand, Fireman's Ball is an excellent motion picture.

[Thief]

On the other hand, Fireman's Ball is an excellent motion picture.

Exactly!

[John W Constantine]

Lost Horizon - 1937

4

[mark f]

The Thing Called Love (Peter Bogdanovich, 1993) 2.5 6/10
Pánik (Sándor Reisenbüchler, 1983) 3+ 6.5/10
Crescendo (Alan Gibson, 1970) 2+ 5/10
Slalom (Charlène Favier, 2020) 2.5+ 6/10
https://www.cinevistablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/slalom-de-Charlene-Favier-resena_opt2_.jpg
15-year-old slalom skier Noée Abita trains with Jérémie Renier who uses his "influence" and her youth to make her fall in love with him.
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (Terence Fisher, 1969) 2.5 6/10
American Insurrection (William Sullivan, 2021) 2 5/10
Frankenstein Created Woman (Terence Fisher, 1967) 2.5 6/10
Titane (Julia Ducournau, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://i1.wp.com/moviewatchonline.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/95523095412222731249_thumb.png?w=769&ssl=1
Knocked-up serial killer Agathe Rousselle must change her appearance and comes across fire captain Vincent Lindon who accepts her as his missing son. Sex and gorefest turns surprisingly tender.
The Blazing World (Carlson Young, 2021) 2 5/10
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (Freddie Francis, 1968) 2.5 6/10
Dracula A.D. 1972 (Alan Gibson, 1972) 2 5/10
The Mummy (Stephen Sommers, 1999) 3 6.5/10
https://c.tenor.com/lpY0O5X-kHEAAAAC/the-mummy-brendan-fraser.gif
John Hannah and Brendan Fraser open up a sarcophagus in the ancient Egyptian City of the Dead, Hamunaptra, and the F/X flow. Librarian Rachel Weisz is the most decorarive character.
Runt (William Coakley, 2020) 2.5 6-/10 R.I.P. Cameron Boyce
Taste the Blood of Dracula (Peter Sasdy, 1970) 2+ 5/10
The Wizard of Gore (Jeremy Kasten, 2007) 2.5 6-/10
Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://musiccitydrivein.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/bergman-island-m.jpg?w=640
Film director Tim Roth comes to stay on what was basically Ingmar Bergman's personal island, but the austere beauty and both director's overriding personalities and movies seems to take a toll, especially on his writing/producing partner (Vicky Kreps).
Pimpernel Smith (Leslie Howard, 1941) 3+ 6.5/10
Broadcast Signal Intrusion (Jacob Gentry, 2021) 2.5 6-/10
Emma Mae (Jamaa Fanaka, 1976) 2 5/10
13 Fanboy (Deborah Voorhees, 2021) 2.5 6-/10
https://www.joblo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/13-fanboy-movie-review-featured-1002x524.jpg
Ultimate meta '80s/'90s horror tribute about a disappointed Friday the 13th fan wiping out the cast while the authorities are considering it a publicity stunt. Will Kane Hodder bite the dust?

[Mr Minio]

I'm so jaded with films today. Lately, I've seen like 1000 films in three months. Mainly shorts, obviously.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Dune - 2021 - 4

[Rockatansky]

Sex and gorefest


Woo!


turn surprisingly tender.


Boo!

[Raven73]

Dune
7/10.
I had to see this one, with all the hype surrounding it. Some people say this movie is based on the greatest science fiction book of all time (which I have yet to read). While the visuals were spectacular, I found the story and characters somewhat lacking. I can see how the book inspired Star Wars (desert planet, intergalactic war, Jedi mind-trick, etc.). I had seen the original Dune movie decades ago, and the only memory of it that sticks out for me was the giant worms; well, I think I will say the same thing about this movie (and the ships that look and move like dragonflies).
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2FjNmEyNWMtYzM0ZS00NjIyLTg5YzYtYThlMGVjNzE1OGViXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

[PHOENIX74]

5 films vied for Best Picture at the 2004 Academy Awards ceremony. I didn't need to go back and watch Lost in Translation and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, as I'm familiar with them. Lord help me, here is what I did watch and catch up on :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/Mystic_River_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards / 2003 Movie Poster Gallery / Mystic River Poster (#1 of 2), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19946221

Mystic River - (2003)

If I were watching these Oscars today, I'd be wanting Mystic River to win, and I've got nothing against The Lord of the Rings. This film has a prologue that really hits hard, where one of a group of three kids (all friends) gets abducted from a Boston street in front of the other two, and is abused for days before escaping. Cut to the present day, and the three are now grown up and no longer friends - but a tragedy is going to bring them together again, and the results are going to have a brutal affect on those watching. All in all this is a film of performance (Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won Oscars) and Clint Eastwood's directing. I'm not sure if Mystic River will make my top 25 of the 2000s list, but I enjoyed it one hell of a lot.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Seabiscuit_ver2.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2003/seabiscuit_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23888108

Seabiscuit - (2003)

This I definitely hadn't seen before, and it's a fine enough movie. Good looking, well put together - nice how it traces the lives of three people (Business man/entrepreneur Charles Howard, played by Jeff Bridges. Loner/horseman Tom Smith played by Chris Cooper. Jockey Red Pollard played by Tobey Maguire) from the depression onwards. These three lives intersect when Howard decides to get into the racehorse game after his son dies, hiring Smith and getting Pollard to ride Seabiscuit - an eccentric horse, with a past as troubled as the three human leads. I've resisted this film for a while on patriotic grounds, because what Seabiscuit is to America, Phar Lap is to Australia, and I grew up loving Phar Lap. It's been ages since I've seen it though - so y'know how those rose coloured glasses work. Seabiscuit has a lot of polish and heart - and I reckon both films are pretty decent.

7/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXFJY_2DPo8

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Master_and_Commander-The_Far_Side_of_the_World_poster.png
By IMPA Awards, [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28118049

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

I saw this sometime in the past year, but threw it on while I was busy yesterday so I'd catch bits and it would jog my memory. Heaps of production values, and everything looks terrific - but there's something bland about the characters and the story. It is a film that doesn't stick in the memory - but watch any scene and you'll find yourself admiring it visually a great deal. There's an attempt to be rigorous where it comes to the reality of being patched up by doctors on the sea in the early 19th Century, losing limbs and life - not to mention the hardships on board a vessel like this for long periods of time. I have to say though, Russell Crowe's Jack Aubrey is a bit of a bore - and most of his crew are too - the problem is they have to be, otherwise they wouldn't be a well-functioning battle-ready force to be reckoned with. I certainly don't hate Master and Commander, but it falls into that modern moviemaking trap of concentrating on visuals and accuracy while neglecting storytelling.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Biloxi_Blues.jpg
By POV - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18550662

Biloxi Blues - (1988)

I wasn't expecting much from this non-2000s movie - just wanted to tick it off my watchlist. I was pleasantly surprised by it's humour and characters. This was perfect for Matthew Broderick, the lines he has in this funny script sound just right coming from him. Christopher Walken is a little strange as a drill sergeant - but he does play a weird one, so this off-beat casting works too. Your typical boot camp movie, set in 1945, just as the Second World War was coming to a close - and typical coming of age stuff - but the material from Neil Simon is terrific, as well as the direction from Mike Nichols. I recommend it.

7/10

[Takoma11]

I've been strangely unmoved by Mystic River both times I've watched it (in the theater when it was released and then a few years later on DVD). It's been too long for me to give specifics, but both times it was very much like, yeah, this is okay. 7/10.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rogerebert.com%2Fuploads%2Freview%2Fprimary_image%2Freviews%2Fmarauders-2016%2Fhomepage_marauders-M_00862_rgb.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Marauders, 2016

A series of ruthless bank robberies by a bold group of masked men puts a crew of detectives (Chris Meloni, Dave Bautista, Adrian Grenier, Lydia Hall) on their trail. But their investigation is complicated by a morally questionable homicide detective (Johnathon Schaech) and a powerful man (Bruce Willis) with a connection to the banks.

I swear, I can handle a complex plot. I promise, ya'll. But this film was, hands down, the most confusing movie I've seen in a good while. And about halfway through I decided, baby, it's not me, it's you.

Everything in this film works against any kind of flow or coherence. The editing, something I am not normally very aware of, is choppy and disorienting. The plot--or what I understand of it---is at once very elaborate and horrendously improbable. This is also one of those films where Bruce Willis clearly got paid to show up for like 1.5 days of shooting, and I could swear that half of his scenes used a double for reverse shots.

I have no idea why Meloni's character was written the way he was. The character is actively off-putting, and yet he's the linchpin of the whole thing. Meloni is plenty charismatic, but he just can't totally get around the character. Bautista is likewise affable enough, but the material he has to work with is weak.

The bank robberies themselves are probably the best part of the film, though they are also slightly dinged by the choppy editing. The bank robbers are organized and violent, but there is clearly a method to their brutal madness. Not knowing who would die--and why--did add some genuine suspense to these sequences.

Also, there is a character called Mims and all I could think of was:
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-EaqJJ2uEBFs%2FU7wQe-J6h0I%2FAAAAAAAAB54%2FI-megjjqywQ%2Fs1600%2Fmim.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

It took me four tries to get through this film. I certainly wouldn't recommend it, but it's not so horrible that it needs to be avoided at all costs. Just a sub-par action thriller.

2.5

[Fabulous]

Our Friend (2019)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/Aw07IupDF1ubyVNrcWwDPbnCQRP.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

The thing with the new 'Dune' is, while it's technically stunning and has all the ingredients of a great fantasy sci fi movie, I did get a nagging feeling at the end that there really wasn't all that much depth and substance beyond the dazzling spectacle.There is an overall emotional blandness to it — a beautifully executed and visually seductive blandness, but still a blandness. It feels a bit lightweight and isn't taking risks (I'd pay dearly to see what Lynch would've done with it, had he been given full artistic control over production). A lot of people will be blown away by the looks (rightly so), but some people will miss the spark and boldness that distinguishes a true work of art. Thinking back to Blade Runner 2049, I feel the latter turned out a better film because it managed to strike a better balance between style and substance, while Dune veered more toward style. Both excellent films that can be enjoyed in their own right — I'll give the edge to Blade Runner 2049.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Ammonite_film_poster.png/220px-Ammonite_film_poster.png

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

[GulfportDoc]

82274
Night and the City (1950)

Produced at the peak of the classic film noir era, this picture is a lollapalooza of a noir, ticking so many boxes of classic noir's characteristics, that it risked coming close to being a send up.

It stars Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, and Brit star Googie Withers, with nice turns by Francis L. Sullivan, Herbert Lom, and Hugh Marlowe. Shot on location in London, it's wonderfully directed by Jules Dassin (Brute Force), with immensely impressive noir cinematography by Max Greene (So Evil My Love). The locations and studio sets are perfect.

Widmark moved away from being typecast as another psychopathic killer like Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death (1947), but he gave 110% as a sleazeball get-rich-quick dreamer Harry Fabian, who would stop at nothing to try to scam his way into prominence and to claw away at elusive respect. It's almost exhausting watching his schemes, antics and emotional outbursts.

Tierney plays Fabian's sweet, honest but enabling girlfriend. Fabian continually lies to her and asks for money for his big final attempt to be a big shot by rising to prominence as London's biggest wrestling promoters. But Fabian goes too far and has burned too many bridges. The underworld kings eventually have enough of Fabian's scheming and lying.

Of particular interest is a long and authentic private grudge wrestling match between Mike Mazurki (Murder, My Sweet), "The Strangler", and Stanislaus Sbyszko (Madison Square Garden), "Gregorius the Great". Both men had been former championship wrestlers, and the realism in their contest makes it one of the best on film.

Dassin reported that Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck had requested that Tierney be cast in the film. She was having psychological problems at the time, and he felt that the work would help pull her out of them. She rose to the occasion in this memorable picture.

But it's the keen photography by Max Greene that sets this film apart. His set ups, locations, lighting and camera angles rival those of the great John Alton, and continue to the movie's uniqueness.

Available on YouTube.

Doc's rating: 7/10

[Marco]

Copshop (2021)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Copshop.jpg
This was pretty poor I thought and came over as a cheap knock-off Tarantino flick. In trying to create the same atmosphere it failed and didn't have any real depth in dialogue or situation...maybe that's the point. Having been a fan of Gerard Butler, he's on a pretty consistent trajectory of underwhelming films/roles. Frank Grillo at least has an excuse.
Pretty dull with gunplay.
1.5

[PHOENIX74]

The Best Picture nominees for films released in 2008 are pretty familiar to me. Slumdog Millionaire won, but I wouldn't have minded seeing Milk win. The Reader copped a lot of flack from people when it came out, but I quite like it. I wouldn't have been too unhappy if Frost/Nixon had of won either. I only needed to give one film another go :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_%28film%29.png
By https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTRjYzIwYjEtZWQ2Ny00ODhiLTg2OTYtMGM4MmFlODIzMzEyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52051186

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - (2008)

This was the most Best Picture-like film amongst the nominees, and probably the favourite to win. Benjamin Button has a great start, and a brilliant ending, but I found the middle part kept it from being a classic and making my 'top movies' list. Brad Pitt lacks chemistry and seems distracted with both Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett in his love scenes with them. Not that he didn't do justice to the part, which was aided by some convincing make-up and effects. It's loosely based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I feel a great urge to read - and a really good film that I think is kind of saddled with Oscar expectation. At times I'm quite moved while watching this - it came very close to being a great film.

7/10

For 2009 Best Picture-nominated films (of which there were quite a few) I only need to watch three. I like the winner - The Hurt Locker - quite a bit. I wonder if it'll crack the top 100 when the time comes. I love A Serious Man. I've watched Inglourious Basterds a dozen times I think. Rewatched District 9 not so long back - really good, if not quite bleak. Rewatched Precious only a little while back too, and enjoyed it. I'm quite familiar with Up in the Air, and would count that one amongst my favourites. I'll have to go back and watch Avatar again I think - I haven't seen that from start to finish since I saw it when it came out. I'll catch up on An Education again today as well. Yesterday, I watched these two :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Blind_side_poster.jpg
By http://impawards.com/2009/blind_side.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24343406

The Blind Side - (2009)

I really enjoyed watching this yesterday - and I'm cursing all the cultural conflict and questioning that bothers me about this being about a white family that helps out a poor black kid. I don't want to look at it in a 'white-saviour' kind of way, because it's just such a sweet story about a kid getting a second chance, and a family that welcomed him with open arms just because they saw someone in need. Sandra Bullock is great, and so is Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher. Based on a true story, this film feels a little like walking through a minefield, especially in relation to how races are treated in it. Michael Oher himself has come out against the movie, especially regarding how he's portrayed as not really that bright. It's a really good, well-made, but troubling and controversial film from John Lee Hancock.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Up_%282009_film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2009/up_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21206694

Up - (2009)

The people at Pixar seem to be able to manipulate my emotions and make me laugh at will, and I guess that's the great thing about animated films such as this these days. You don't need to have kids to put them on and enjoy them. This would melt someone who even had a heart of stone.

8/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Filarge.lisimg.com%2Fimage%2F7062608%2F740full-come-and-get-it-(1936)-photo.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Come and Get It, 1936

A lumberjack named Barney Glasgow (Edward Arnold) is eager to make his fortune any way he can. Eventually, this leads to him casting aside his girlfriend Lotta (Frances Farmer) in favor of his boss's daughter, Emma (Mary Nash). Twenty years later, Glasgow is wealthy and by chance discovers that Lotta had a daughter (also called Lotta, and also played by Farmer). Glasgow becomes obsessed with claiming Lotta for himself, except that his son Richard (Joel McCrea) also becomes smitten with her.

I don't know what it is about some films that they kind of end up feeling like work to watch. That's how this one felt.

I think that it largely comes down to just how uncomfortable the whole premise is, and the way that even the likable characters come off as really questionable in certain sequences. Walter Brennan won an Oscar for his role as Swan, the man who married the elder Lotta and the younger Lotta's father. Swan is a fun character . . . except when he gives Glasgow permission to kiss Lotta on the mouth, despite the fact that Lotta is CLEARLY not into it and looks really alarmed at the idea. In fact, the way that a lot of the adults around Lotta seem to ignore Glasgow's very obvious and creepy obsession with her gave the whole film a very off feeling for me. Lotta is so frequently uncomfortable, and I really couldn't tell if the people around her were meant to be oblivious or if they were letting it happen in some terribly gaslighting scenario.

The blooming romance sequences between Lotta and McCrea have kind of a fun but funky energy to them. There's one part where he accuses her of being a gold digger and she slaps him only for him to slap her back and then they stare at each other in stunned silence. An hour later they're pulling taffy together (um, not a euphemism) while he lectures her about the history of paper.

A lot of the film is spent with the elder Glasgow. The film knows that his pursuit of Lotta is wrong, but watching him manipulate her and bully his way to what he wants got kind of old after a while. The whole thing is underscored by the ick factor of a man not only wanting to sleep with someone his own children's age, but specifically the daughter of a woman he was formerly in a relationship with.

Fine, but didn't really click with me on any deep level.

3.5

[Fabulous]

First Reformed (2017)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/b5BLqJ6pqMtziBQFd89StwvE7D8.jpg

[MovieBuffering]

Dog Day Afternoon - 1975

Heard of the movie before. Seen the poster. Never quite knew what it was about. Felt like an older flick the other day. Kind of nice to go into a movie blind. Was not what I was expecting. The first 30 minutes are extremely entertaining as hell. I laughed numerous times. Almost felt like a comedy at times. Throughout the whole movie it really does keep you wondering how this thing is going end. Pacino is a tour de force in this flick. Al in his prime. Everyone felt extremely authentic in this movie. It's funny the cop who is in charge and yelling seemed so familiar, just from his voice and yelling. He was Pappy O'Daniel in O Brother one of my favorite flicks. (Also in Lebowski).

You can see the influence this movie has had on other movies following it. Not sure if it was the first hostage/bank robber movie but it certainly influenced movies to come. Also has some timely social commentary. Unlike today they didn't rub your nose in it, it was just part of the story. It was very enjoyable and I can see why it's such a classic. Suspenseful with heart and the right amount of authentic humor. Attica baby!

3.5 Hair below a 4. Like a 3.8.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0747/3829/products/HP3158_94883411-0c48-483e-bed6-580995428ae8_1024x1024.jpg?v=1571445155

[LChimp]

https://i1.wp.com/cinemaeafins.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GI-Joe-Origens-Snake-Eyes-poster-1.jpg?ssl=1


Pretty bad, even for G.I. Joe standards. Avoid at all costs

[ScarletLion]

'Ace in the Hole' (1951)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2199beaa462628cd286dbacc81471d00/6bc3c90ac5550c63-f4/s500x750/d3f189e82840d9f97be43746eb688587ef49b666.gif

A classic. Epic cynicism from Billy Wilder, he pulls no punches with the dialogue. Kirk Douglas is perfect as the gnarly journalist with zero morals. A masterclass in how to make an unlikeable character steal the show without losing the viewer.

Next time someone says 'I just didn't find any of the characters likeable' - show them this film.

9/10

4

[Torgo]

Dune (2021) - 4

For starters, I love the flawed gem that is David Lynch's version and couldn’t help but compare this adaptation to it in this review. Is it confusing at times and perhaps too strange? Maybe, but the movie inspired me to read the novel and led me to being a lifelong Lynch fan, so it must have done something right. If I was forced to keep only one of these two adaptations on DVD, it would be the Lynch one and not just for sentimental reasons, but I still think the 2021 movie is a very strong adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel (the first half of it, anyway) that I do not love like Lynch's, but that I really, really like.

Dune (2021) continues director Villeneuve's tradition of having captivating visuals and ends up being one of the most incredible looking movies I've ever seen. This applies to the breathtaking vistas with the gargantuan spaceships and hundreds of troops to the intricacies of the hunter seeker dart. Best of all, there is a pleasant physicality to the look and feel in that it's hard to tell where what's real ends and what's CGI begins. While I watched it on HBO Max, I wish I had seen it in a theater instead. The casting and performances are better all-around in this version, especially Chalamet as Paul. While I like MacLachlan's performance just fine, Chalamet bests it, especially since he comes across as much closer to the character's age. I also enjoyed Jason Momoa's work as good friend and loyal soldier Duncan Idaho and Javier Bardem's as Fremen leader Stilgar, especially since we get to see more of his skepticism towards his planet's occupiers. I would have liked for characters like Brolin's Gurney, Bautista's Raban and Skarsgård’s Baron to have done more, but this is not so much a fault of the movie as it is the material it covers. Other touches I appreciate are how the movie depicts Paul's visions and how they're integrated into the story and the fight scenes, which are more traditional and not just because there are no weirding modules (well, I like them) but they make up for it with their expert choreography and those cool shield effects.

Since I've said that this version does things better or just as well as the 1984 one, why do I prefer the latter? Well, it's mostly for a reason why so many people dislike it: Villeneuve's could stand to be stranger. From the 1984 version’s weirding modules to unexplained flourishes like Piter De Vries's hand language and Gurney bringing a pug into battle, Villeneuve's is more workmanlike in comparison. It could be due to it trying harder to keep the audience in the loop at all times, which has the unfortunate side effects of not leaving quite enough up to the audience's imagination and limiting the character's personalities due to the additional exposition. Speaking of exposition, this is something the 1984 version also isn't great at, but it could explain why the book has been such a bear to adapt: how the movie handles world building and explaining all of those weird terms. Despite some improvements - I don't miss the awkward voiceovers - there are still moments that are clunky or that slacken the pace. Again, I like it a lot: it exceeded my expectations, I approve of how it reintroduced this story to another generation and it continues my estimation of Denis Villeneuve being the most exciting feature director working today. I just wish it was weird enough for me to love. To be fair, this is coming from a guy who once had Piter's "mind in motion" speech memorized.

[Stirchley]

Dog Day Afternoon - 1975


https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0747/3829/products/HP3158_94883411-0c48-483e-bed6-580995428ae8_1024x1024.jpg?v=1571445155

It’s a classic. Seen it a million times.

[Thief]

'Ace in the Hole' (1951)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2199beaa462628cd286dbacc81471d00/6bc3c90ac5550c63-f4/s500x750/d3f189e82840d9f97be43746eb688587ef49b666.gif

A classic. Epic cynicism from Billy Wilder, he pulls no punches with the dialogue. Kirk Douglas is perfect as the gnarly journalist with zero morals. A masterclass in how to make an unlikeable character steal the show without losing the viewer.

Next time someone says 'I just didn't find any of the characters likeable' - show them this film.

9/10

4

Oh, saw this recently and I totally agree. I think I went as high as 4.5, but I agree with what you wrote.

[Stirchley]

82297

Re-watch. The stripper scenes are ghastly. Matthew McConaughey absolutely dreadful as a stripper. Ugh.

Channing Tatum though is very good so this saved the movie. His relationship with Cody Horn very good too.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmFlMGVjNTktOWMxOC00NzdkLWE2NTMtYjE5YTdjZjAwNmRjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEyMjM2NDc2._V1_.jpg


3.5

[Allaby]

I watched Christmas at Cartwright's (2014) today. It's a Hallmark Christmas film about a single mom who meets an angel and gets a job as a department store Santa! I really enjoyed this one. It was cute and charming. Alicia Witt is wonderful in this and Wallace Shawn is great as the angel. T.J. McGibbon is adorable and does a great job as the daughter. I really liked the storyline. One of the better Hallmark Christmas films I have seen lately. My rating is 4

[gbgoodies]

82233

Re-watch. Would have thought this movie is below the pay grade of Gere & Hallström, but it’s a sweet true-life movie. Have Kleenex at the ready.



I love Hachi: A Dog's Tale, but I think I cried more while watching that movie than any other movie, (and I'm a crier at movies).

[gbgoodies]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Master_and_Commander-The_Far_Side_of_the_World_poster.png
By IMPA Awards, [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28118049

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

I saw this sometime in the past year, but threw it on while I was busy yesterday so I'd catch bits and it would jog my memory. Heaps of production values, and everything looks terrific - but there's something bland about the characters and the story. It is a film that doesn't stick in the memory - but watch any scene and you'll find yourself admiring it visually a great deal. There's an attempt to be rigorous where it comes to the reality of being patched up by doctors on the sea in the early 19th Century, losing limbs and life - not to mention the hardships on board a vessel like this for long periods of time. I have to say though, Russell Crowe's Jack Aubrey is a bit of a bore - and most of his crew are too - the problem is they have to be, otherwise they wouldn't be a well-functioning battle-ready force to be reckoned with. I certainly don't hate Master and Commander, but it falls into that modern moviemaking trap of concentrating on visuals and accuracy while neglecting storytelling.

6/10

I tried to watch Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World twice this week, but both times I ended up turning it off about 30 to 45 minutes into the movie. I just couldn't seem to get into it. :( (I've heard good things about this movie, and it's still on my DVR, so I'll probably give it one more try later this week before I give up.)

[StuSmallz]

'Ace in the Hole' (1951)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2199beaa462628cd286dbacc81471d00/6bc3c90ac5550c63-f4/s500x750/d3f189e82840d9f97be43746eb688587ef49b666.gif

A classic. Epic cynicism from Billy Wilder, he pulls no punches with the dialogue. Kirk Douglas is perfect as the gnarly journalist with zero morals. A masterclass in how to make an unlikeable character steal the show without losing the viewer.

Next time someone says 'I just didn't find any of the characters likeable' - show them this film.

9/10

4I thought this was pretty good on the whole, but I didn't care for how contrived the ending was; I mean...

...Chuck gets stabbed in the stomach, and then just walks around all day refusing to get it taken care of, so he can drop dead hours later? I mean, I know that the Hays Code mandated that onscreen wrongdoing had to eventually be punished in some manner, but even that feels a bit forced, don't you think?


Still a good movie besides that quibble, though.

[xSookieStackhouse]

I love Hachi: A Dog's Tale, but I think I cried more while watching that movie than any other movie, (and I'm a crier at movies).

same here that movie was one of the saddest dog movies i ever watched :(

[Fabulous]

Troop Zero (2019)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1VdTpc9uZC6PG0MF2k48Bn5WzeA.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Education_ver3.jpg
By IMPAwards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26113343

An Education - (2009)

Fairly agreeable Best Picture nomination - it doesn't thunder into your soul, and it isn't Lolita, but I always enjoy watching Peter Sarsgaard for some reason. Here, he plays our Humbert Humbert (David) opposite 16-year-old character Jenny (Carey Mulligan) who doesn't really have the experience to realize he's not as cultured or thrilling as he makes himself out to be. Jenny has a pair of very agreeable parents who actually accept David into the family - as taken by him as their daughter is. That quirk makes this a little different than the ordinary film of this nature. Jenny throws it all away to marry David...then finds out he's married, has a kid, and does this sort of thing all the time. It's okay.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Avatar-Teaser-Poster.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from http://www.impawards.com/2009/avatar.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23732044

Avatar - (2009)

I remember seeing this at the cinema, really enjoying it, buying it on DVD, and then completely dismissing it for some reason. Watching it again, I'm struck by just how thrilling the action sequences at the end are - Cameron could still put it together. This gets a high rating from me, despite it's story feeling ever so derivative and worn out, because the fireworks really woke me up and invigorated me despite all of that. They even helped invest me in the mediocre story again. Anyone who kind of liked this but hasn't seen it for years should give it another go (and don't turn it off after the first 20 minutes - stick it out.) But we don't need the sequels though. It's too late for that.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Hotel_Rwanda_movie.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from United ArtistsMGM Home Entertainment., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1102257

Hotel Rwanda - (2004)

I hope this shows up on the 2000s top 100 later on in December because I really like it, and think it's an honest and well told story that introduces what went on during the Rwanda Genocide in the 1990s and gets us involved in a personal way with it's characters. The film does this so well in an intimate manner, and Don Cheadle gets a rare chance to really showcase his talents. I've never seen Nick Nolte as vulnerable as he is as a U.N. Colonel who can do so little to help people who are on the verge of being chopped up alive. Keeps you on edge - and it doesn't need to shock you with blood and body parts, though there is one scene with a particularly bumpy road that disturbs. Paul Rusesbagina is the kind of real life character that simply doesn't have it in him to just look out for himself, or even just his family - he takes it on to try and help everybody. Great small roles for Joaquin Phoenix and Jean Reno just add to my enjoyment.

8.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Whiplash_poster.jpg
By http://attach3.bdwm.net/attach/boards/cinemapku/M.1427465500.A/p2220776342.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43826628

Whiplash - (2014)

Me seeing this was overdue - it grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go until the credits were rolling. Being in J.K. Simmons' band feels somewhat akin to storming the Normandy beaches ala Saving Private Ryan. I went into it cold, having known for a long while that I'd probably love it, but still saved watching it until just the right moment. Going for too many war analogies I know, but Fletcher reminds me a bit of George Patton. I've had three solid new 10s this year, and although this is probably also one in the end (along with Woman in the Dunes) I'm just gonna give it time, because I don't want to hand out so many all at once.

9.5/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

Avatar - (2009)

I remember seeing this at the cinema, really enjoying it, buying it on DVD, and then completely dismissing it for some reason. Watching it again, I'm struck by just how thrilling the action sequences at the end are - Cameron could still put it together. This gets a high rating from me, despite it's story feeling ever so derivative and worn out, because the fireworks really woke me up and invigorated me despite all of that. They even helped invest me in the mediocre story again. Anyone who kind of liked this but hasn't seen it for years should give it another go (and don't turn it off after the first 20 minutes - stick it out.) But we don't need the sequels though. It's too late for that.

8/10


9.5/10

they making 4 more of avatar movies
2028 Avatar 5
2026 Avatar 4
2024 Avatar 3
2022 Avatar 2

[PHOENIX74]

they making 4 more of avatar movies
2028 Avatar 5
2026 Avatar 4
2024 Avatar 3
2022 Avatar 2

Aaaah, but if nobody goes to see Avatar 2, then Avatar 3 could possibly be cancelled. Unless they make them all at the same time.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Aaaah, but if nobody goes to see Avatar 2, then Avatar 3 could possibly be cancelled. Unless they make them all at the same time.

they deff will see it cause i been told its one of the best fantasy movies. well i know it took few yrs to make first avatar

[Wooley]

they making 4 more of avatar movies
2028 Avatar 5
2026 Avatar 4
2024 Avatar 3
2022 Avatar 2

Why?

[Wooley]

they deff will see it cause i been told its one of the best fantasy movies. well i know it took few yrs to make first avatar

I dunno, I never even saw the first one and I sure ain't goin' to the second.
I haven't heard ONE person, IRL, even people who liked it, say they actually wanted a sequel. Much less four or five.

[kgaard]

I thought Avatar was fine--as frequently seems to be the case with Cameron, the direction and technical aspects are great, the writing is ... adequate. God bless the man, though--when I went to see it he did a Q&A afterward and he talked at length about the process of making it; he certainly has a passion for film. I can't say I'm personally eager to see more Avatar films, but it can't be denied that it was hugely popular and he does have a great track record at the box office.

Also the Avatar ride at Disney World is really big fun, highly recommended.

[this_is_the_ girl]

http://pre-code.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Frankenstein3.png
Frankenstein (1931, James Whale)
3
A stone cold classic with the iconic Boris Karloff as the Monster. Good visuals, a few memorable scenes, but some major flaws as well - the biggest offender being the plot, which is terribly shallow and full of holes. Overall, a pretty enjoyable movie but definitely overrated imo.

[Thief]

I thought this was pretty good on the whole, but I didn't care for how contrived the ending was; I mean...

...Chuck gets stabbed in the stomach, and then just walks around all day refusing to get it taken care of, so he can drop dead hours later? I mean, I know that the Hays Code mandated that onscreen wrongdoing had to eventually be punished in some manner, but even that feels a bit forced, don't you think?


Still a good movie besides that quibble, though.

C'mon...

don't tell me you've never been stabbed in the stomach and driven around all day before dropping dead later in the afternoon at your boss' office. Pfff.

:shifty:

[Thief]

Re: Avatar, I was really impressed by the spectacle, the visuals, and whatnot. I still rank it as one of my top theater-going experiences, but it's not a film I've felt like rewatching afterwards on TV. That said, the other day my wife put some bits of it for the kids so they could see the "dragons" flying and I was again impressed by how good it looked on our TV.

Anyway, regardless of that, I don't see a lot of enthusiasm for this "franchise" and, even though I also respect Cameron's dedication, I do think it feels a bit misguided, to put it mildly. Guess we'll see.

[pahaK]

Dune (2021)
2.5
Dune is visually grandiose and dull at the same time. It's like looking at a photoshoot in ruins of some long-gone civilization. It's a sterile and lifeless and perfectly composed spectacle that fails to inspire much awe. Its flaws are very similar to Blade Runner 2049.

I haven't yet finished the book (blame New World for that), but it feels like they got Jessica completely wrong. There's also the preachy tone that's missing from the book (at least up to one-third of it), and some casting choices feel off. I'd have to rewatch Lynch's version, but I remember liking it more.

[Thief]

GOODNIGHT MOMMY
(2014, Franz & Fiala)

https://i.imgur.com/l5Fwo6E.jpg


"Please come back. All I wish for is that you'll come back to us."



Goodnight Mommy follows twin brothers Elias and Lukas (Elias & Lukas Schwarz) as they try to cope with various traumatizing experiences. When their mother (Susanne Wuest) return home from cosmetic surgery, they notice changes in her behavior and start suspecting that she might not be their mother. But is she?

In Goodnight Mommy, co-directors and co-writers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala manage to build a slow building, dread-filled atmosphere around this broken family. There is a twist that I felt was predictable as hell, or at least, I guessed it less than 5 minutes into the film. I certainly wish the directors wouldn't have spent so much effort trying to conceal that gimmick cause it was a bit distracting, but at the end of the day, I felt the payoff was worth it.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2248561#post2248561)

[this_is_the_ girl]

Dune (2021)
2.5
Dune is visually grandiose and dull at the same time. It's like looking at a photoshoot in ruins of some long-gone civilization. It's a sterile and lifeless and perfectly composed spectacle that fails to inspire much awe. Its flaws are very similar to Blade Runner 2049.

I haven't yet finished the book (blame New World for that), but it feels like they got Jessica completely wrong. There's also the preachy tone that's missing from the book (at least up to one-third of it), and some casting choices feel off. I'd have to rewatch Lynch's version, but I remember liking it more.
I didn't hate it like you did - in fact, I quite liked it despite its flaws - but there's truth in your first paragraph. And it's almost a certainty that I would have hated the film, had I read the book first - happens too often with me.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51T88VX6JTL.jpg


4

[mark f]

The Four of Us (Florian Gottschick, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
No Future (Andrew Irvine & Mark Smoot, 2020) 2 5/10
The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (Les Blank, 1995) 3 6.5/10
Banshee Chapter (Blair Erickson, 2013) 2.5 6/10
https://pa1.narvii.com/6090/63046358e0f83bc4f6ccc3549ac2137d59350b02_hq.gif
Don't get involved with government drug testing - it probably won't end well.
Curse of Aurore (Mehran C. Torgoley, 2020) 2.5 6/10
Stuffed (Erin Derham, 2019) 3- 6.5/10
Solitary (Luke Armstrong, 2020) 2 5/10
The Survivors (Michael Ritchie, 1983) 2.5+ 6/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTNlM2FiNzEtYTJkMS00OWRhLThkNWQtZWFiOTlhNjY2ZDhhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg
Skeptical Walter Matthau accompanies his new friend Robin Williams to buy a weapon. Someone is really into it.
Bungalow (Ulrich Köhler, 2002) 2+ 5/10
Flames (Zefrey Throwell & Josephine Decker, 2017) 2.5+ 6/10
Ghostline (Dean Whitney, 2015) 2 5/10
Women Is Losers (Lissette Feliciano, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://i2.wp.com/thecurvyfilmcritic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/women-is-losers.jpg?resize=500%2C330&ssl=1
Two best friends, Chrissie Fit & Lorenza Izzo, suffer vastly different fates with their unmarried pregnancies in a stylized critique on sexism.
Apache Junction (Justin Lee, 2021) 2 5/10
Dating & New York (Jonah Feingold, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Every Last One of Them (Christian Sesma, 2021) 2 5/10
Dina (Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, 2017) 3- 6.5/10
https://d1nslcd7m2225b.cloudfront.net/Pictures/480xAny/3/6/9/1274369_dina_902035.jpg
Doc about two seemingly mismatched people finding love. Surprisingly frank and awkwardly funny.
The Unnamable (Jean-Paul Ouellette, 1988) 2 5/10
Under Wraps (Alex Zamm, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Lord of Tears (Lawrie Brewster, 2013) 2 5/10
Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021) 3+ 6.5/10
https://media2.giphy.com/media/YR2HTONAQywqeXLGRJ/200.gif?cid=790b7611dbd63b61b4f69f76057786fa6132651eea59ba8d&rid=200.gif&ct=g
Messianic Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is saluted by Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa).

[GulfportDoc]

Frankenstein (1931, James Whale)
rating_3_5
A stone cold classic with the iconic Boris Karloff as the Monster. Good visuals, a few memorable scenes, but some major flaws as well - the biggest offender being the plot, which is terribly shallow and full of holes. Overall, a pretty enjoyable movie but definitely overrated imo.
I loved the film since the first time I saw it. Pretty good stuff, for "talkies" only being around for 5 years at the time.

Runs in my mind that in the original, the scene where the monster throws the little girl into the lake, and drowns, was cut by the censors.

There was some great scenery chewing by Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein! Gene Wilder did some wonderful lampooning of Clive in Young Frankenstein (1974)..:D

[Wooley]

The Survivors (Michael Ritchie, 1983) 2.5+ 6/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTNlM2FiNzEtYTJkMS00OWRhLThkNWQtZWFiOTlhNjY2ZDhhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg
Skeptical Walter Matthau accompanies his new friend Robin Williams to buy a weapon. Someone is really into it.


Funny, this was a favorite of mine when I was like 15 years old but I haven't had the guts to go back and watch it (even though it is in my queue) for fear that it is just going to suck.

[mark f]

Funny, this was a favorite of mine when I was like 15 years old but I haven't had the guts to go back and watch it (even though it is in my queue) for fear that it is just going to suck.
It's split about evenly between laughs/smiles and WTFs.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Donnie_Darko_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6736957

Donnie Darko - (2001)

Another serious contender for my top films of the 2000s list, Donnie Darko can split people into "love it" or "hate it" mode, but most can admit it's a complicated film that allows for much interpretation. Richard Kelly went full on Mulholland Drive with his next feature, Southland Tales and although The Box was more straightforward, it takes in many twists and turns into other realms and dimensions. Darko, being his first film, still feels fresh and exciting - full of philosophical detours and slightly sinister meditations on fate, alternate realities and trying to find meaning in life and death. The film captures the spirit of the 80s really well, and then gives it an ominous twist. Look out for Seth Rogan as a violent bully, Daveigh Chase (who would go on to play Samara in The Ring) as Donnie's little sister and Patrick Swayze as a self-help guru who also happens to be a paedophile. Watched it yet again and still enjoy it to the hilt.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/BourneIdentityfilm.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2447247

The Bourne Identity - (2002)

I haven't seen the Bourne films as of yet, so last night I watched The Bourne Identity for the first time. I found it engaging and entertaining - easy enough to follow - and enjoyed seeing Franka Potente in something that wasn't Run Lola Run, which I think is the only other thing I'd ever seen her in. This really seems to update the Spy Thriller film to it's 21st Century setting, so I'd be interested in seeing how it relates to the novel or the 1988 adaptation starring Richard Chamberlain. I have no Bourne experience at all you see. I'm going to check out the next two films in the series - it seems well worth it. I'm guessing this film has the popularity to crack the top 100 list when the time comes. These films were really popular - but I prefer Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale and Skyfall. This film is okay, but it doesn't top those two for me.

7.5/10

[Morphy1]

Funny, this was a favorite of mine when I was like 15 years old but I haven't had the guts to go back and watch it (even though it is in my queue) for fear that it is just going to suck.

Don't be afraid. You'll have lots of fun with it.

[xSookieStackhouse]

Halloween Kills 2021
4.5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjg3N2UzYjItZDJiNS00NmUyLThkZmYtYmE4NTQ1OGU5YTM3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg

[ScarletLion]

I thought this was pretty good on the whole, but I didn't care for how contrived the ending was; I mean...

...Chuck gets stabbed in the stomach, and then just walks around all day refusing to get it taken care of, so he can drop dead hours later? I mean, I know that the Hays Code mandated that onscreen wrongdoing had to eventually be punished in some manner, but even that feels a bit forced, don't you think?


Still a good movie besides that quibble, though.

Chuck seemed like a stubborn character hell bent on self destruction, so I didn't really have much of a quibble with it. Besides I'm not an expert on medical insurance in the US so perhaps he didn't even consider it.! I'd much prefer the ending as is, as opposed to some sort of sugar coating.

[xSookieStackhouse]

I dunno, I never even saw the first one and I sure ain't goin' to the second.
I haven't heard ONE person, IRL, even people who liked it, say they actually wanted a sequel. Much less four or five.

well cause the fans wanted more and its a really popular movie. its coming 1st in the box office all time
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross/?area=XWW

[Wooley]

well cause the fans wanted more and its a really popular movie. its coming 1st in the box office all time
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross/?area=XWW

Oh, I know it was big at the time and I can understand how a sequel a decade ago might have made sense, I'm just saying that every single human I have asked about sequels now, particularly multiple sequels, have said they had no interest and were surprised they were doing it, much less spending tons of money on it.
As I understand it from all my friends who saw it, it was fascinating to see at the time but not something one would necessarily want to revisit as the actual story is hackneyed at best and is ultimately just another white savior story made by a rich white man.

[Wooley]

Don't be afraid. You'll have lots of fun with it.

Well, it does have Jerry Reed in it, so I should be ok.

[Stirchley]

Always avoided this movie as I have zero interest in boxing. But I really liked it. (Hilary Swank was so good in this.) I had no clue the movie was going to violently pivot towards the end. Quite a surprise.

82358

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2VlODI5ZmMtZDExYS00OWI4LWJiMWItZWZkZWRkNzlmZWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

Saw it because you guys said it was good. It's actually excellent, reminds of Coherence and Predestination

[xSookieStackhouse]

Oh, I know it was big at the time and I can understand how a sequel a decade ago might have made sense, I'm just saying that every single human I have asked about sequels now, particularly multiple sequels, have said they had no interest and were surprised they were doing it, much less spending tons of money on it.
As I understand it from all my friends who saw it, it was fascinating to see at the time but not something one would necessarily want to revisit as the actual story is hackneyed at best and is ultimately just another white savior story made by a rich white man.

oh okay i see

[Takoma11]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2VlODI5ZmMtZDExYS00OWI4LWJiMWItZWZkZWRkNzlmZWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

Saw it because you guys said it was good. It's actually excellent, reminds of Coherence and Predestination

It's my favorite of Christopher Smith's films. It also really rewards watching it a second time.

[Gideon58]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/anniversary_1967_half_original_film_art_5000x.jpg?v=1571579468


3

[gbgoodies]

Always avoided this movie as I have zero interest in boxing. But I really liked it. (Hilary Swank was so good in this.) I had no clue the movie was going to violently pivot towards the end. Quite a surprise.

82358


I felt the same way about Million Dollar Baby. I dislike boxing so I had no interest in watching it, but I think I watched it because someone here nominated it in a HoF or movie tournament. I had no idea what it was really about, and I was very surprised at how much I liked the movie.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/Movie_poster_i_robot.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from 20th Century Fox., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=709536

I, Robot - (2004)

I've been watching so many good films lately that my perspective is now fully out of whack I reckon. Here in I, Robot, my gripe is that Will Smith isn't acting anymore. He's just being "that Will Smith guy" - you know, the same one he is in most of his movies. Wisecracking, unaffected by anything and with zero emotional range. Once they'd signed Will Smith on to be in this film, I bet the whole production changed overnight. Some decent action and special effects try to make up for a derivative science fiction plot, and cardboard characters. Love the robots themselves - in fact, the robot called Sonny is the most sympathetic and involving character in the film. I adored Sonny. Should just let the robots take over - they'd probably make much better movies. This was good on some levels, and really bad on others.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Bourne_supremacy_ver2.jpg
By http://impawards.com/2004/bourne_supremacy_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8084696

The Bourne Supremacy - (2004)

With an introduction to Bourne's universe and the characters within already done, this Bourne film gets to concentrate on a solid story that isn't too labyrinthine or too dumb - it's just right. Great car chases - especially the thrilling climax chase in Moscow, not to mention chases on foot, and another example of how indestructible this super soldier is, while at the same time making us believe he is downright vulnerable. If they'd gone too far into 'invulnerable' territory then there'd be no tension in the story at all. I wish Franka Potente had of had a bigger role in this - but Bourne facing what he's facing alone did give the film a different feel from the first, which makes the series still fresh and exciting. Great editing, location filming, and a really good new role for Brian Cox in this one. I enjoyed it a whole lot.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/Micmacs_%C3%A0_tire-larigot.jpg
By http://www.allocine.fr/film/galerievignette_gen_cfilm=132791.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23469945

Micmacs - (2009)

Very heavy on the cute and whimsy - but that is absolutely Jean-Pierre Jeunet's thing. I thought this film was a decent load of fun - one that's given me an instant crush on Julie Ferrier. The entire story is one of vengeance the main character is after over the arms manufacturers who were responsible for the land mine which killed his father and the bullet that's lodged in his brain. He falls in with a bunch of strange Jeunet characters when he loses his job, and they band together to help him. Feels like it exists inside of the same universe that Amelie, The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen exists in. Perhaps his new film, Big Bug (or Bigbug) will be a return to it. After Micmacs lost money nobody wants to fund his quirky films anymore, which is kinda sad.

7/10

[Fabulous]

One Night in Miami… (2020)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/aASaXXGpffQehiEVXpPrmd5AQDj.jpg

[James D. Gardiner]

https://i.imgur.com/qnC6h8U.jpg

The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977)
Directed by William A. Graham

Tommy Lee Jones gives a likeable performance as the wealthy and eccentric American icon, with the story spanning from Hughes as a child right through to his death in 1976. By no means an exhaustive telling of Hughes' incredible life (a colossal task even in book form), yet it is fairly thorough in covering all the major highlights to a satisfactory degree. It doesn't get into the romance aspect too much, for the most part sticking to the aviation, movie production, legal hearings, business dealings and his relationship with Noah Dietrich, all with a generally laid back and well tempered approach. Real aircraft in all the flying scenes plus some clever use of archival footage add some nice touches throughout. I understand it was something of a break-through role for Jones' career. In his appearance and acting he plays the character with gusto.

I was intrigued to learn that this was originally released as a 3 hour 2 part series. I'd love to see that someday, this being the 2 hour version I've seen several times previously.

8/10

[StuSmallz]

Chuck seemed like a stubborn character hell bent on self destruction, so I didn't really have much of a quibble with it. Besides I'm not an expert on medical insurance in the US so perhaps he didn't even consider it.! I'd much prefer the ending as is, as opposed to some sort of sugar coating.But he also came off as an extremely self-absorbed character at the same time; his selfishness was the main reason why the rescue attempt unfolded the way that it did, after all, so him just letting that happen to himself at the end was pretty implausible to me (I mean, a normal person who's not an ******* letting that happen to themselves would stretch belief in the first place, so it definitely stretches it when it comes to Chuck). Besides, I think the real "sugarcoating" is the contrived length the movie went to in order to cause his comeuppance, since that felt rather forced, and made that aspect feel like a victim of the Hays Code requirement that immoral characters always had to be punished in some way by the end; an outcome more like Nightcrawler would've been much more challenging, and more true to life, IMO.

[kyjalandhar]

hoi

[matt72582]

Mort Sahl:The Loyal Opposition - 10/10



I'm devastated over his death, and have watched this 4 times. It only premiered in 1989 on PBS.. The last time I saw Mort in person I asked him about this. He said the director, Bob Weide (CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM) hadn't cleared the sources, so it couldn't be distributed. I met a girl from Germany at the hostel in SF the next day, and.. it's a long story (PM me if you are interested) but after asking me if I wanted to go to The Whiskey (if she would have asked me to go to hell with her, I would have replied, "What time?") I asked if she wanted to go to The Museum of Radio & Television, which was the only way to view this (Paley Center), but it was my last full day, and we didn't go, but instead walked around North Beach. When we went to Vesuvio's, she went and got some tea, and I look out the window, and I see the "hungry i" where Mort got his start..


You don't have to be an American to enjoy this. Just a human. It's funny. And it's got a heart. It's an amazing time capsule. It's so well done. I think you would all love it.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mTmEYH1O7M&t=3s

[Gideon58]

https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6309/6309062_sa.jpg;maxHeight=640;maxWidth=550


3rd Rewatch...this movie just gets better every time I watch it and the main reason for that is Bradley Cooper. The love and sensitivity and attention to detail, not to mention imagination he put into bringing something fresh to a movie that had already been made three times is to be applauded. Loves those opening scenes at the drag club and the supermarket where Jackson is falling in love with Ally before he notices how talented she is. Cooper was robbed of a Best Director nomination, which is truly the best thing about this film. The off-the-charts chemistry he has with Lady GaGa is a close second and if you watch closely, he just throws this film to her. Sam Elliott was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and I loved Andrew Dice Clay as Ally's dad. 4.5

[Marco]

The Stand at Paxton County (2020)

Drama about a daughter leaving the military and going home to her fathers ranch to see he and his neighbours are being bullied to give up their lands by the powers that be.

Ok, a bit soapy.
2.5

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fapps.watershed.co.uk%2Fshared%2Fimagecache%2Fappimages%2F1577%2Fdefault%2F16-9%2F1200%2F16%2F03%2Fbride-of-frankenstein-bride-screaming.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)
3.5
I enjoyed this more than the original film mainly because of Elsa Lanchester as the Monster's Mate. She is hands down the coolest and creepiest thing in these first two Frankenstein movies.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fapps.watershed.co.uk%2Fshared%2Fimagecache%2Fappimages%2F1577%2Fdefault%2F16-9%2F1200%2F16%2F03%2Fbride-of-frankenstein-bride-screaming.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)
4
I enjoyed this more than the original film mainly because of Elsa Lanchester as the Monster's Mate. She is hands down the coolest and creepiest thing in these first two Frankenstein movies.

I can't remember where I first watched this film, but the print I saw was gorgeous. Like, one of the best looking black-and-white films I'd seen at that point. This would be great to see on the big screen.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWI3NmEyYzAtNWY4OC00YWY4LTk2MjgtM2Y1NDdlZWE4ODgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1_.jpg

Pretty much the same as the original version, don't really see the point of this

[GulfportDoc]

Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)
rating_4
I enjoyed this more than the original film mainly because of Elsa Lanchester as the Monster's Mate. She is hands down the coolest and creepiest thing in these first two Frankenstein movies.
I agree. And both thumbs way up for the inimitable Elsa Lanchester! I loved her in Witness for the Prosecution (1957). But she was a natural for comedy.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rogerebert.com%2Fuploads%2Freview%2Fprimary_image%2Freviews%2Fgreat-movie-house-of-games-1987%2Fhero_EB19991031REVIEWS08910310301AR.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

House of Games, 1987

A psychiatrist named Margaret (Lindsay Crouse) is celebrating the release of her first book when she becomes concerned about a patient who owes a serious debt to a group of gamblers led by the charismatic Mike (Joe Mantegna). But the gamblers actually turn out to be a crew of con men, and Margaret--under the guise of "research" for a new book--allows herself to be pulled into their scams, big and small.

This is definitely a David Mamet film--and maybe the most Mamet of any of his films I've see--for better or for worse.

For me, the strength here is definitely the cohesion between the actors and the writing. The way that Crouse and Mantegna give their own pace to the dialogue is just fantastic. They feel like they're operating on different planes of existence, with Crouse's laconic delivery contrasting with Mantegna's assured patter. The supporting cast is likewise a great fit for the material. Ricky Jay as one of Mike's conmen collaborators is solid as ever, and on the other end of the spectrum Lilia Skala as Margaret's kindhearted mentor with no idea what her prized pupil is up to.

The way that the film is shot is also effective, with many scenes taking place in spaces that feel just a bit too small, a bit too cramped. The sequences with the conmen almost exclusively take place in dimly lit environments, so that the sense of Margaret descending into something seedy works on a visual level.

The downside to me was just a bit too much predictability. It was really hard for me to tell if certain plot points were meant to be surprises, or if they were things that we as the audience were meant to have sussed out right from the beginning. The story still works, to a degree, but I wish that there had been a few more unexpected moments. And I'm not talking specifically about "plot twists", but just overall: the plot, the character trajectories, etc.

I liked this film, but was a bit surprised that liking it was as far as I went.

3.5

[Wooley]

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Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)
4
I enjoyed this more than the original film mainly because of Elsa Lanchester as the Monster's Mate. She is hands down the coolest and creepiest thing in these first two Frankenstein movies.

FWIW, I used to keep a list of what I felt were the 31 essential October/Halloween films and I updated it every year on the forum I was on back then (starting 15 years ago). Obviously if I added a movie, something else had to go.
But Bride Of Frankenstein was on every list.
And you're right, it's as much because of Lanchester as Karloff or Clive or anything else, if not more so.

[Takoma11]

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Oklahoma, 1955

In this classic musical, Laurey (Shirley Jones) is wooed by the all-American Curly (Gordon MacRae) and by the creepy farmhand Jud (Rod Steiger). As the men compete for her affection and attention, other locals go through romantic quibbles, including the outgoing Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame).

This was a film that really exemplified the way that a movie can wow you on one front and totally underwhelm you on another.

On the positive side, the musical elements of the film are almost all spot on. The choreography is really fun and transitions between more "stage" numbers and pieces that incorporate more of the "real" surroundings. There is an extended sequence in the film that is a dream that Laurey has about the feud between Curly and Jud that really stunned me. The lighting, the dancing, and the other-worldliness of it was just super cool. I found the songs to be perfectly serviceable (no new favorites, but nothing that felt like a slog, either).

For the most part, I enjoyed the performances. Steiger's performance in particular is interesting for the genuine note of menace and danger that he injects into the proceedings. Most of the film feels like it follows "stage rules"--where punches and even guns don't mean all that much. But Steiger's Jud is like a dark cloud floating in the musical's otherwise blue sky. Increasingly, things that "don't" happen in this kind of musical--assault, sexual assault, murder--start to seem more possible than they have any right to. It's a weird dynamic, having a character who feels like he teleported in from some alternate universe, but I liked it.

On the downside, um, these people all were the worst and it was hard spending time with them when they weren't singing or dancing. Obviously I'm not saying that characters shouldn't have flaws, but yeesh. Everyone was dumb, manipulative, annoying, or some other trait that made it hard to want to root for them. My dislike for the characters was largely tempered by the actors' skills as singers and dancers and the excellent staging of many sequences, but it was challenging to go through so many minutes of a film in which I wasn't cheering anyone on.

I'd like to say that my favorite character was the unabashedly promiscuous Ado Annie, but despite enjoying the writing of the character the most, Grahame's performance was the only one I had really mixed feelings about. There was something . . . . uncomfortable about her portrayal of the character. As if she'd crossed a line between portraying someone who is ditzy and portraying someone who has active brain damage. I just could not handle some of the facial expressions, especially during her first number. I've never felt so uneasy watching a musical performance.

I'm really on the fence about how to rate this one, and I think I'm going with my lower inclination. While I appreciated the technical aspects of the film, the story itself and most of the characters really didn't do much for me. I will say that I think it's super cool that the cast and crew filmed this whole movie TWICE, because they were filming it in two different formats. It's a film that I can respect for many reasons, but you'd have to pay me to watch it again.

3.5

[Wooley]

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Oklahoma, 1955

It's a film that I can respect for many reasons, but you'd have to pay me to watch it again.

3.5

It's funny, I grew up, because of my mother, watching all the classic musicals as if they were just a thing that everybody saw and knew, and so I came to love musicals and still do to this day... but the one I could never really gel with, despite its reputation, was Oklahoma.

[Takoma11]

It's funny, I grew up, because of my mother, watching all the classic musicals as if they were just a thing that everybody saw and knew, and so I came to love musicals and still do to this day... but the one I could never really gel with, despite its reputation, was Oklahoma.

I thought that the dream sequence was pretty great and everything else was pretty blah (albeit technically proficient blah). It just has no fizz, apart from the threatening suspense of its wannabe rapist/murderer.

[Wooley]

I thought that the dream sequence was pretty great and everything else was pretty blah (albeit technically proficient blah). It just has no fizz, apart from the threatening suspense of its wannabe rapist/murderer.

Yeah, that sounds pretty much exactly how I remember it.

[PHOENIX74]

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By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1586157

Dear Frankie - (2004)

Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is on the move again, with her 9 year-old son Frankie and her elderly mother - escaping Frankie's exceptionally abusive father. Despite this, Lizzie pretends that Frankie's father is off working on a ship, sailing around the world, and she writes to him pretending to be his hero-worshipped Dad. When Frankie discovers his father's supposed ship is coming in to port in a weeks time, she has to hire someone (Gerard Butler - who is quite good in this) to pretend to be his dad to save the poor boy's feelings. Is she doing the right thing? Something about this film - the performances, script, rhythm all swept up together - really works perfectly, and even if you've got a cold, dead heart you'll warm up to it. It doesn't needlessly toy with your emotions or try to wring the pathos out of every situation. It's a much more balanced, and sincere, film than most others of its kind. Easy to watch and get involved in.

8/10

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By Studio and or Graphic Artist - [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65538457

Promising Young Woman - (2020)

I was perpetually unsure where this was going to go, - a revenge flick being nominated for a Best Picture Oscar is such an unusual thing, and I can admit that this one went in a few surprising directions. Carey Mulligan oozes threat throughout it's entire running time, and you just know from her body language and facial expressions that she's capable of anything. That's what keeps us on the edge of our seat during most of the film. Having seen Nomadland and Minari I'm thinking that the nominations in 2021 were the most eclectic in the Academy's history. Bright and bold - Promising Young Woman has the feel of a low-budget film at times, and also holds out the possibility of turning into an outright horror film at certain moments. It's ending was certainly imaginative and satisfying, while at the same time being bold. Something a studio would never accept.

Oh, and Alfred Molina showed up again. That's the third time in a Best Picture-nominated film for me in around a week or so. Just one of those things that happens when I watch a lot of films - certain actors or combinations of actors just show up coincidentally again and again and then disappear. This time it was Molina in Best Picture-nominated films. If Vice was in my line-up I'd have a four-for.

8/10

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By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12001103

The Bourne Ultimatum - (2007)

Hey, the Bourne films were really great right up to the third installment. In fact, they seem to get better as they go along. If I were to nitpick at the story and characters, I'd just say that our villains are getting a little too outrageous in their methods. David Strathairn's Noah Vosen has a solution to every problem - and it always involves assassinating somebody. This includes his colleagues. But what the hell - it helped me hate him, and this is a movie, so I can easily let it go. The action and editing is once again top-notch, and fits in perfectly with the previous two installments. I'm certainly interested in their performance in the upcoming 2000s countdown.

8/10

[mark f]

The Grand Duke of Corsica (Daniel Graham, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Adventures of a Mathematician (Thor Klein, 2020) 2+ 5/10
Hypnotic (Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Return from the Ashes (J. Lee Thompson, 1965) 3+ 6.5/10
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYsh0n8XYAArDYw.jpg
Chess wiz Maximilian Schell and his wife, Holocaust survivor Ingrid Thulin, engage in a twisty thriller which is very suspenseful if not completely believable.
One Way Ticket to Love (Masahiro Shinoda, 1960) 3 6.5/10
The Houses October Built (Bobby Roe, 2014) 2 5/10
Two Guys from Texas (David Butler, 1948) 2.5 6/10
The Insect Woman (Shohei Imamura, 1964) 3 6.5/10
https://www.eyefilm.nl/uploads/images/production/_480x270_crop_center-center_none/the_insect_woman_st03.jpg
Bizarre relationships abound when characters evolve through two world wars and gleefully expose all their violent, promiscuous and generally degenerate activities in Tokyo.
This Marriage Business (Christy Cabanne, 1938) 2.5 5.5/10
Wolves at the Door (John R. Leonetti, 2016) 2 5/10
Friendzone (Charles Van Tieghem, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Hitchcock/Truffaut (Kent Jones, 2015) 3.5- 7/10
https://theupcoming-flmedialtd.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Francois-Truffaut-and-Alf-009-500x300.jpg
Francois Truffaut interviews Alfred Hitchcock for a book the former is writing which will be an in-depth look at all of his films. This and their resulting friendship is discussed by a group of international filmmakers.
Fauci (John Hoffman & Janet Tobias, 2021) 3 6.5/10
Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (George King, 1937) 2.5 5.5/10
Hidden (Jafar Panahi, 2020) 3- 6.5/10
Personal Affair (Anthony Pelissier, 1953) 2.5+ 6/10
https://prod-images.tcm.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i242/personalaffair53_suddenmadness_vd_223x104_10232013033223.jpg?w=400
When high schooler Glynis Johns falls in love with teacher Leo Genn and goes missing, the whole town thinks the worst, including his wife Gene Tierney.
Dark Waters (Mariano Baino, 1983) 2.5 6/10
Berserker (Jefferson Richard, 1987) 2 5/10
High Flyers (Edward F. Cline, 1937) 2.5 6/10
Lamb (Valdimar Jóhannsson, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2021-07/27/18/asset/e247518e2ec7/anigif_sub-buzz-870-1627410512-1.gif?resize=625:259
An Icelandic family raises a lamb as their own daughter, but her birth family may have other ideas. Her adoptive mother (Noomi Rapace) is especially protective of her.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Dear_Frankie_movie_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1586157

Dear Frankie - (2004)

Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is on the move again, with her 9 year-old son Frankie and her elderly mother - escaping Frankie's exceptionally abusive father. Despite this, Lizzie pretends that Frankie's father is off working on a ship, sailing around the world, and she writes to him pretending to be his hero-worshipped Dad. When Frankie discovers his father's supposed ship is coming in to port in a weeks time, she has to hire someone (Gerard Butler - who is quite good in this) to pretend to be his dad to save the poor boy's feelings. Is she doing the right thing? Something about this film - the performances, script, rhythm all swept up together - really works perfectly, and even if you've got a cold, dead heart you'll warm up to it. It doesn't needlessly toy with your emotions or try to wring the pathos out of every situation. It's a much more balanced, and sincere, film than most others of its kind. Easy to watch and get involved in.

8/10I really liked this movie. It's heartwarming without being cloying. Probably my favorite Butler performance.

[lilyanderson6307]

Free Guy 8/10

[Fabulous]

The Girl Next Door (2004)

3

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